#someone better stop her before she hurts herself 8')

[elsa-fogen]

Who's idea was to give me imagination with adhd? now suffer from it i guess

so, thanks to @calissarowan 's post about how season 8 could've been better and discussion in replies, i started thinking of the second set of headcanons, that doesn't throw away season 8 entierly, but instead takes parts that have more potential and, well, uses said potential. Also, i'm taking some things from my main headcanons, like Icy's parents and siblings and adding Sapphire to the pile

i was also thinking about how i hate the idea of Icy's hair color not being natural, and how stupid it is to give her golden hair, and how the color reminds me of stella and her mom

and them my thoughts collided and i thought.

what if Icy's mom and Stella's mom were sisters.

NOW, IMAGINE THE EPISODE, WHERE ICY'S BACKSTORY IS REVEALED.

Winx and Trix for some reason go to Dyamond at the same time, but without knowing that the other group went there. And while Icy's over the top aggression is understandable to Darcy and Stormy - she hides her sorrow behind it, for the Winx Stella's sudden sadness is a surprise.

Darcy and Stormy know that something bad happened to Icy's homeplanet, but she never told them everything, so, now she finally decides to tell. At the same time the Winx ask Stella why she's so sad. And Stella tels them that her aunt was the queen of this planet. While they go through abandoned palace, she tells how she used to play with her two cousins in these halls, while Icy tells about her older siblings. The scene switches between the two groups and Icy's and Stella's stories complement each other, while not making it clear WHO was Stella's cousin.

Finally the Winx reach one hall where big portrait of the royal family can be found.

Winx look at it, and the queen for some reason awfuly reminds them of someone, but they can't understand. Stella meanwhile shows all the children and calls their names (all of these were in Icy's part of the story), and finally she's down to the two younger princesses, the cousins she used to play, and she can't remember the name of the older one. "Isa? No, that's the other one, umm... Inee? Ivy?.. Oof, it's been so long ago, i forgot! I think, i used to call her Ivy, yes, and this is..." But Bloom looks at the princess, at her smirk. She feels like she has seen this smirk before, and it almost makes her uncomfortable. And these icy-blue eyes, while all the rest of the family has grey or dark blue eyes... and these bluish-gray hair... Bloom knows the answer, but doesn't want to realise it, and plays stupid to herself.

And at this moments the Trix appear. Icy has unusual soft and sad expression on her face, that disappears the moment she sees the Winx. "What are you doing here, stupid fairies?!" For some reason her voice trembles from anger and hatred more than usual, almost like Winx did something that hurt her personally.

Bloom finally admits to herself and says to Stella: "Her name was Icy". Stella looks at Bloom, not quite understanding what she's talking about. But then she realises, she looks at Icy shocked, and Icy suddenly looks at her with the same expression. And they scream simultaneously: "YOU ARE MY COUSIN?!!"

But this realisation doesn't stop Icy from wanting to kill all the Winx, and when the fight is about to begin... Sapphire appears and stops them.

Icy's shocked, she thought that all of her family was gone, and Sapphire tell her that it's, in fact, not true. And actually, all of her family is alive too, and the whole planet is, they are just cursed. Icy's stunned, she lived so many years thinking that she was the only survivor, and now turned out that it's not true. And that her planed can be saved. Bloom says that the same thing happened to Domino and suggests her help? Maybe? Honestly, I'm not sure how the story will progress from this moment.

[ninii-winchester]

Behind Closed Doors (Part 8)

Pairing : Boss!Dean Winchester X Assistant!Reader

Word count : 1.5k

Warnings : angst.

A/n : I don’t even know where this is going atp.

"I'm sorry Dean." Y/n pushed him away slightly, creating a distance between the two. "I can't do this." She said before leaving him alone in his office. Dean let out a breath that was half a growl, half a sob, and slammed his fist into the wall continuously. The pain flared through his hand, but it felt insignificant compared to the agony twisting inside him.

"Dammit, Y/n," he whispered, leaning his forehead against the cool surface. His knuckles ached, bruised from the relentless impact against the wall, and he stared at them, flexing his fingers slowly. The burn felt better than the storm in his chest, better than the helplessness swirling inside.

Outside the room, Y/n pressed her back against the wall, barely holding it together. Her breath hitched as she listened to the dull thud of Dean's fist hitting the wall, the muffled growl of his frustration carrying through the thin barrier between them. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on her lip to stop the sob that threatened to escape, but it was useless. It felt like her chest was caving in, like the weight of everything she'd been holding in finally shattered her.

Her hands trembled as she covered her mouth, trying to silence the gasping sobs that broke free, tears spilling down her cheeks. She slid down to the floor, knees pulling to her chest, head resting against the wall that separated them. She wanted to scream, to burst into the room and take all his pain away. But all she could do was cry.

Y/n took a deep breath, steeling herself against the waves of sorrow that threatened to drown her. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and moved to her desk. She has to hold her ground, if Dean saw her break down he'd convince her to run away with him. And she'd be damned if she let him destroy his whole life just for her. With her head held high she turned back to her work although her soul was ripping apart inside.

The next few days were quite. Dean had been avoiding Y/n, although it hurt her to see him act so aloof but she knew it was necessary for them to maintain a distance. She saw the pain in his eyes every time he walked by or how avoided looking at her whenever they discussed work. She saw his hand wrapped in bandages and refrained from reprimanding him for hurting himself. She reminded herself that it wasn't her place anymore to say anything to him. Besides she was partly the reason he was hurt.

Y/n was engrossed in a mountain of reports at her desk when Rachel stepped out of the elevator with an air of confidence that made Y/n's skin crawl. She could practically feel the tension crackling in the air. Rachel was wearing that smug smile again, the one that said she was about to stir the pot.

"Y/n!" Rachel chimed, her tone almost too sweet. She placed a stack of glossy wedding magazines on Y/n's desk with a flourish. "I'm so excited to share my plans with you! I know you and Dean are close, and I could really use your insights." Y/n forced a smile, the familiar pang clawing at her chest.

"About what?"

"Oh, just some ideas for the wedding!" Rachel said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Dean and I have been talking a lot about our future, I'm glad he's finally accepting this relationship. I thought it would be nice to get your take on some things. Another girly input you know." She faked her enthusiasm clearing trying to hurt Y/n on purpose. Rachel leaned in, her expression feigning sincerity. "I just want to make sure it's perfect for him. He's had such a complicated life, and he deserves someone who can give him stability." There was a pause as she watched Y/n's reaction, clearly enjoying the effect her words had.

"Right," Y/n said, her jaw tightening. "You're definitely the one to provide that."

Rachel tilted her head, the smile never leaving her lips. "Oh, yes I am! I know you two had a... unique connection. But let's be honest, he needs someone like me who can really support him in his career. I wouldn't want him to get distracted."

Y/n felt her stomach twist at the thought, but she forced herself to smile. "Sounds... about right, Rachel." As Rachel continued to chat on about floral arrangements and guest lists, Y/n's mind raced. She felt trapped in a web of tension, with Rachel deliberately playing mind games and tugging at the threads of her heart. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she felt the need to throw up but she held it in.

"Just let me know if you think of any other ideas," Rachel said, her tone dripping with faux sincerity as she got up to leave. "I really value your input. After all, it's not every day you get to help plan a wedding, right?"

As Rachel walked away, Y/n felt the weight of her words settle heavily in the room. She turned back to her desk, the bright magazine covers staring back at her like a mockery. She buried her face in her hands for a moment, battling the swirling emotions, frustration and hurt colliding within her.

Dean walked out of his office to head to his meeting, his gaze landed onto Y/n clenching and unclenching her hands on the table top, her eyes fixed onto the magazines that littered on her desk. He could see hear breathing harshly and the tears pooling her waterline. He wanted to reach forward and kiss her tears away. He wanted to hold her and throw those stupid magazines out of the window. His jaw clenched as he held back. It should've been them, it should've been their wedding, their plans. He cleared his throat gaining her attention. She looked up at him with an emotionless expression on her face.

"Mr. Winchester." She cleared her throat, ignoring the lump that had formed. The tremble in her voice was obvious to them both.

"May I ask Miss. L/n, why is your desk littered with magazines instead of the reports you're supposed to be working on?" Dean asked, his tone was professional but gentle at the same time.

"I'm sorry, sir." She paused when Dean made a sound at her calling him 'sir'. He hated it with a passion and she knew it too. "Miss Rachel wanted me to help her plan the wedding." She replied looking at him. She wished she didn't know him well enough to read his face, but she did. He was crumbling on the inside, but at the same time anger surged through him, a dark haze clouded his vision.

"This is a real estate company Miss L/n, not a wedding planning service. Next time Rachel asks you do something like that, you inform me!" He said sternly. "Nevermind. I'll let her know myself." He spoke through gritted teeth. She nodded biting her lip, the lip that Dean wanted to pull between his own. He dismissed those thoughts and went on his way to his meeting.

"Fuck my life." Y/n whispered dropping onto her chair. "You made this decision for the both of you, you don't have anyone else to blame, Y/n." She mumbled to herself.

"I knew you were crazy but talking to yourself takes the cake, darling." She heard a voice say and she looked up to see Castiel standing in-front of her. She said his name in a soft whisper. He gave her a once over and his face morphed into a sympathetic expression.

"De-" she cleared her throat. "Mr.Winchester is in a meeting."

"I'm not here to see him." He said leaning over and placing both his palms on her desk. “I’m here to see you. C’mon, let’s go somewhere to talk.” He offered, he could see her debating so he added. “If it’s about not leaving work, you know I can deal with it.” She nodded her head gently and wrapped her work while he went to Dean’s office and wrote something on a sticky note and stuck it to Dean’s monitor. Castiel offered his arm to Y/n and she took it gladly, finding some sort of comfort in the presence of her friend.

Dean came back from his meeting and his brows furrowed at the absence of Y/n at her desk. Her bag was gone and the usual clutter on her desk was clean as if she was done for the day. He made his way inside his office and dropped on his desk chair, his gaze landed on the note stuck to the screen.

Took your girl out. Will try to convince her to change her mind! -Cas

Tags:

@spnfamily-j2 @galway-girlatwork @deangirl96 @queensilber

@s0urw00lf @monkey-d-hoshizora98 @deans-baby-momma @fullbelieverheart

@riah1606 @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @hobby27

@starkleila @suckitands33 @m3ntally-unstable @kanekilovelove-blog @candy-coated-misery0731

@blackcherrywhiskey @ladysparkles78 @goest-and-fuckest-thyself-blog @graywrites5567

@thelittlelightinthedarkess @enamoredwithbella @winchesterwild78 @myuhh8

@10ava01 @n-o-p-e-never

[shinxeysartgallery]

J is kind of an asshole and I think we all realize that especially after what she did in Episode 8. Still think she's being hated on a bit too hard though.

She knowingly sided with Cyn, despite knowing what she was responsible for, and that's obviously not a good thing. However, do keep in mind that all of the affected Elliot Manor drones are just traumatized children at the end of the day. Cyn put all of them through immeasurable horrors. Even without Cyn's influence, the drones were treated horribly by the humans (other than Tessa). And based off the scratched-off armbands that we saw N, V, and J have that also match Cyn's armband, there's strong implications that all three of them are also "zombie drones" much like Cyn is herself. We don't know what they were subjected to before being tossed into the dump and later being found by Tessa.

As J and V are fighting, J makes an interesting comment that sheds some light on her motivations. "...It tricked me, too." Obviously, that was never elaborated on, but it strongly implies that she had made some sort of a deal with Cyn for an unknown reason. We got confirmation that V also had made a deal with Cyn, which was basically that she'd do whatever Cyn wanted as long as she wouldn't hurt N (and then would leave them both alone). Don't know if N also made a deal, but he's likely there as a part of V's deal.

So it makes me wonder, what exactly did Cyn promise J? Did she tell her that she could bring back Tessa? Promise to not let her die again? Something else entirely? Based on her comment to V, SOMETHING was definitely promised that ended up being a lie. Everyone reacts to trauma differently. Saw a post a while back (will hyperlink it later if I can find it again) by another user doing a very good breakdown of how they perceived the drones' personalities changed as a result of their trauma. N became a doormat because he kept getting hurt or hurting others every time he stood up for himself or someone else. (They also add that V's coldness towards him contributed to it and made him lose a lot of self-confidence.) V became rather cold because she was basically forced to turn off her emotions to cope with what she was doing. And she was purposefully mean to N to chase him away as an attempt to protect him from Cyn. J became a corporate bootlicker because she was terrified of being discarded again, so now she feels like she has to prove that she's useful.

And I think those theories all definitely hold some water here and help to explain why J still chose to side with Cyn, even after realizing that whatever their deal was was a lie. It's likely that she realized that if she decided to side against Cyn, Cyn would've just killed her straight-up. And that's really not out of the question, considering what she did to N and V once she realized that those two had asked too many questions and realized that she was the bad guy they wanted nothing to do with. If J had also gone against her, she'd just be replaced with either a clone that had its memories wiped (as evident by Cyn's comment to N in Episode 7: "your clones will forgive me") or a personality shift, or just flat-out a completely different drone altogether. There's also her comment towards V during their fight. "I promise it's better on the winning team.", which implies that J had full belief that Uzi wouldn't have been able to stop Cyn and Cyn was going to get her way no matter what. That paired up with the personality shift might imply that she felt trapped. Cyn preyed on her vulnerability and fears of being discarded and weaponized them against her. She believed that Cyn was going to win no matter what, and if she went against Cyn, she was going to be discarded again. Despite knowing she was tricked, she probably stays loyal to Cyn because she's terrified of that outcome. She doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to be thrown away again. But the only person she feels she can get that security from is the same one that basically caused all of her problems. That same person is practically the equivalent of a god in the universe and seemingly NOTHING can stop it. What choice does she have in that perspective?

I still feel like she's an incredibly tragic character. Horribly mistreated by humans, forced to watch (or participate in) her best friend's death at the hands of the one she despises the most, sees the same bestie be horribly mutilated and disfigured, be forced to commit horrible atrocities herself, and be manipulated and lied to. She deserves a redemption arc.

You're obviously allowed to still hate/dislike her, but that's just my thoughts on it!

[stellar-constellations]

Star Patient: Chapter 2 (FINISHED SERIES)

WARNING: This series will include; possible inaccurate medical procedures and medical setting, gore, toxic relationships that should NOT be replicated in real life, murder, yanderes, cursing, suicide mentions, implications of misandry (male misogyny), and possibly more.

Inaccurate canon-timeline (this is before Ashley and Andrew murdered their parents).

Reader has a small fear of adult men/rape and has a history of suicide attempts.

Incest is not Wincest.

Amnesiac! Obsessive! Patient! Andrew Graves x Yandere! Nurse! Reader:

Wordcount: 4,625 words

Chapters: Chapter 1, current chapter, Chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8, final chapter.

Want to listen to music while reading? Check out the Star Patient's Official Playlists! Multiple different playlists and genres!

        (Y/N) adjusted the name tag on her shirt as she walked to the hospital's entrance, her other hand holding some books and a DS. 

        Rachael's appointment should be starting soon. I need to hurry so I don't be late. She thought as she sped up.

        A security guard was outside guarding the hospital doors but once noticing (Y/N), he stopped her.

        "You need to go to the psychiatric branch immediately." They spoke.

        "...Huh?" She muttered audibly. "Oh... No, sir. I work in the pediatric branch with Doctor Ryan, he's my superior. You're mistaking me for someone else."

        "No, miss. Andrew Graves from room 402 wants to see you now." The security guard reaffirmed. 

        "...H-he does? That's just... great!" she smiled nervously, a terrified expression on her face.

        HE KNOWS I KNOW ABOUT HIM! She screamed in her head.

        "Get going before he breaks any more staff equipment." The security guard pressed on.

        "Okay, okay!" (Y/N) sighed, rushing into the hospital and to the elevators.

        She pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come down, walking into it and pressing the fourth floor button. She waited impatiently for the doors to open and rushed out when they finally did, heading towards the staff room. She unlocked the staff door and filled her bag with medical supplies: a mediscope, a stethoscope, a bottle of water and a bag of pretzels.

        She clocked in and sped-walked to Andrew's door, room 402, and hesitated before knocking on the door.

        "Go away!" Andrew shouted.

        "Hey there! It's me! (Y/N)? From last night?" she called out, her nervousness evident in her voice.

        "You can come in." Andrew spoke almost too quickly.

        Damn it... She thought to herself, before taking a deep breath and entering the room.

        He never corrected me last night when I gave him pet names, so they worked with calming him down. She noted.

        "Hi, star! I heard you've been causing some trouble." (Y/N) smiled, her smile twitching slightly, her voiced sounding a little muffled to him.

        Andrew opened his mouth to speak, but then paused. Why did he need to see her so badly? 

        "M... My head." He muttered. "It hurts. I need you to look at it." 

        (Y/N) couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her throat as she walked over to him. Her nerves were still on fire, but not as much as they were earlier seeing how quiet and flustered he'd gotten.

        "Did you do anything strenuous?" she questioned.

        "Ashley and I started arguing, then she grabbed my hair and shook my head back and forth." Andrew explained.

        (Y/N) wanted so badly to coddle him. To hold him in her arms and dote over him. It’s a bad habit she really needs to break, but the weird part is that she only acted towards that to people she really really liked—romantically. Anyone else she’d feel extremely annoyed and angry (unless it was children, they’re her soft spot). 

        She wants to have him laying on her body with his head in her chest as she petted his hair, cooing soft sweet reassurances into his ears so that he’d feel better.

        What the hell is wrong with me?! she thought, her face and body heating up, a bright red forming.

        I’m only thinking this because he’s obviously being treated like shit by his sister. Poor Andrew can’t even stand up for himself against her (literally). She thought.

        “Oh, Andrew. I’m so sorry. I don’t know why anybody would do that to you.” She pouted, her body acting on its own as her hands went up and gently grabbing his face, caressing the sides delicately as she looked into his eyes.

        His eyes were wide and green, laced with surprise as his face was red, looking as if he was a Christmas decoration with the bright festive colors.

        “W-what are you doing?!” he exclaimed, grabbing her arms and pulling away from her, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

        “Oh! I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you?” she questioned worriedly.

        “N-no! You… you were really close..” Andrew claimed, covering his face with his hands.

        Aw! He’s so cute when he’s flustered! (Y/N) thought to herself, a smile breaking out onto her face.

        WHAT AM I THINKING? HE’S A WANTED MAN (by the cops and me, it seems)! HE’S MY PATIENT TOO! I SHOULDN’T BE DOING THIS WITH HIM! she screeched in here head.

        “I’m sorry! I got too carried away…” She chuckled nervously, her nails digging into her palms as punishment. "I usually work with children as you know, and they appreciate the action. I acted on impulse.

        “W-whatever…” Andrew muttered, his face still not completely cooled off.

        “Let’s try this again.” She smiled awkwardly.

        She tilted Andrews’s chin up (causing wave of red to hit his face just before the other one subsided) and reached into her medical bag, pulling out her mediscope.

        “Keep your eyes open.” She instructed, following the same procedures as she did yesterday. “Now open wide.” She directed, pointing the light into his mouth. “Stay still.” She spoke as she looked into his ears.

        She noticed blood in them and sighed.

        “Either your sister ruptured your eardrums with all her yelling, or she caused the internal bleeding in your head to get worse. You’re going to need surgery for that.” She explained. 

        “Aw… damn it…” Andrew muttered.

        No wonder his hearing was a little muffled.

        “I mean, it was about time for the surgeons to get your legs done! They only got your ankles bandaged up, but they haven’t had surgery on your legs yet.” (Y/N) explained. 

        “I really can’t afford it...” Andrew muttered softly to himself, but (Y/N) heard it.

        He can’t afford it? Makes sense since he said he doesn’t have anywhere to go, so I doubt he has a home. She thought to herself before a stupid idea flashed in her mind. What if I… have him stay with me after he’s well enough to leave? she quickly shook the idea out of her head. 

        No way! He’s a wanted man! But… I haven’t called the cops on him yet, so I’m already committing a crime. Who cares if I get more years to my sentence for housing this man under my roof, feeding, sheltering, and spending time (loving) with him? she thought. 

        “Don’t worry about it, I feel we’ll find a way!” (Y/N) beamed. “Now, here’s the deal. I’m going to get the doctors to get surgery done on you, then when your head is all better and dandy, I’ll show you the collection of books and video games I specifically picked out for you~” she spoke, dragging her tone out to make the deal appeal more tempting.

        Specially picked out? Andrew thought.

        His interest was piqued instantly.

        “Yeah, whatever…” Andrew huffed, crossing his arms and adverting his head to the side.

        “Great! You’ll behave and listen to what they say, right?” She questioned a little sternly, her hands on her hips.

        “…Yes…” Andrew hissed through his teeth reluctantly.

        “Alright. I’ll be right back.” She smiled, walking out of the room.

        A few minutes later she came in rolling a wheelchair and a security guard. 

        “Careful with him now.” She instructed to the guard. 

        The guard picked up Andrew and placed him on the wheelchair, dropping him a little carelessly and causing him to wince.

        “Oi! I said careful!” (Y/N) snapped, resisting the urge to hit the guard in the back of the head.

        “Sorry, ma’am…” the guard muttered. 

        The guard rolled Andrew out of the room and followed as (Y/N) walked around the hospital aimlessly, forgetting where the neurologic branch was.

        “Ma’am… are you lost?” the guard asked.

        “No!” she quickly declared before looking around. “I’m testing you to know if you’re paying attention.”

        “I’ve been here for five years.” He deadpanned.

        “…I have to keep your mind sharp.” She claimed weakly. “But lead the way please, since you’re so confident.” 

        She followed the guard and Andrew as they headed to the correct branch. She knocked on the staff’s door then unlocked it with her key.

        “Hello!” she smiled.

        “It’s lunch break for us. What?” one of the surgeons questioned rudely.

        “Be nice! There’s a patient.” A younger surgeon spoke, peeking from over the surgeon's shoulder. “How can we help?”

        “Andrew here has internal bleeding in his brain and we need surgery done pronto.” She ordered.

        “Lunch break~” the older surgeon sang, taking a bite out of his food.

        “Pink slip~” she sung back. “I’ll get you fired for rejecting care to a patient in need. He’s your top priority right now, so get him on that operating table.” She ordered. "Please."

        What’s with all the nurses and doctors here? Andrew thought to himself, not exactly believing the healthcare here is the safest.

        Well, that should be expected considering his old town's doctors had ads recommending euthanasia for suicidal people.

        “Fine.” They sighed.

        “I’ll be back in three hours okay? By then your surgery should be done. You listen to their instructions, okay?” she spoke, patting Andrew on the shoulder before leaving.

        I’m left with these guys? Andrew thought, watching (Y/N) leave him alone.

        While Andrew got prepped for his surgery, (Y/N) had other matters to attend to. She checked her watch.

        Rachael’s appointment is just about done and Joseph’s will be on in ten minutes. I can make it in time for Joesph. She thought, racing to the elevator and hopping in.

        She hit the second button and watched as the doors closed, waiting impatiently for them to open up. She ran out and to Doctor Ryan’s office, room 213. 

        She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds for the affirmative. 

        “Come in.” Doctor Ryan called out.

        (Y/N) opened the door and saw it was only Doctor Ryan.

        So I missed the lesson… she thought, letting out a groan.

        “I’m sorry, sir. I had to attend to patient 402.” She sighed.

        “I heard about it. Seems like you got a secret admirer.” Doctor Ryan teased as he cleaned the seats in the room with a Clorox wipe. 

        “Har har har…” She laughed sarcastically. “But I do apologize about it. I wasn’t expecting to go to him until after my shift.”

        “Yeah, I heard he has quite a temper with anyone but you.” Doctor smiled.

        “Don’t start it.” I sighed, ignoring the sudden increase of my heartbeat. “Anything planned for Joseph? Or is it a typical check-up?” 

        “After his check-up you’re going to give him a flu shot.” Doctor explained.

        “Oh… no thanks…” She smiled nervously. “I don’t do good with needles.”

        I almost puked when I had to give a shot to a test dummy back in my college test room… She thought, the memory making her queasy already.

        “You’ll do fine. Now go get him.” Doctor Ryan smiled.

        (Y/N) sighed and grabbed a clipboard and pen Doctor Ryan readied for her and walked out of the room, making her way to the waiting room. She opened the door and cleared her throat.

        “Joseph Stall?” she called out.

        A set of adults and their son stood up, walking towards her and into the hallway.

        “Hey there! Turn right and go to the scale.” She smiled politely as she closed the door being him.

        She followed them to the scale and readied her clipboard.

        “Alright, take off your shoes and step on the scale, please.” (Y/N) requested.

        Joesph complied and took off his blue crocs, standing on the scale. She wrote down his weight.

        52 pounds, in the average zone. 

        “Now step off the scale and stand up straight.” She instructed.

        Joesph fixed his posture and stood up straight in front of the wall’s ruler.

        3’9�� feet, also average height for his age. She noted, writing it down. 

        “Alright. Let’s go to our room. Follow me, please.” (Y/N) spoke.

        She guided them to Doctor Ryan’s room, 214, and opened the door.

        “Hey! Come take a seat.” Doctor Ryan beamed.

        Joesph used a step stool to get up on the terribly cushioned bed and waited for the doctors instructions.

        “(Y/N), do your thing.” Doctor Ryan nodded.

        “Alrighty. Let’s start by checking your eyes.” She smiled, pulling out her mediscope.

        She got close and looked at his eyes, seeing no trouble whatsoever.

        “And your mouth. Say ‘aaaah’” She spoke, giving an example.

        “Aaaah.” Joesph voiced. 

        “And your ears.” She spoke, getting to his side and looking into them.

        Nothing. All dandy.

        “Looks good.” She smiled, putting her mediscope back into her bag.

        She grabbed a reflex hammer from Doctor Ryan’s hand and moved to Joesph’s side so she wasn’t in front of him. She gave him a gentle tap on his knee, causing his knee to kick slightly.

        “Good. Now your heart.” She gave the hammer back to the doctor and grabbed her stethoscope, bringing it to Joesph’s chest and listening to his heart.

        She stared at the clock as she waited 15 seconds and counted the beats, multiplying it by four.

        96 beats per minute. That’s in the normal range. 

        “Alright, now take a big deep breath in.” She instructed, bringing her stethoscope to his lung.

        She listened to the his inhaling and his lungs.

        “Now exhale.” She instructed, listening. “Inhale again… now exhale.” She spoke. “Alright. You’re perfectly fine. Is there any health concerns you’re worrying about?” (Y/N) questioned, looking at his parents.

        “Nope.” His mother spoke. 

        “And all we’re doing is the flu shot, correct?” she questioned.

        “Yep.” His mother agreed.

        “Great.” She smiled, resisting the urge to frown. 

        I hate hurting kids like this. She thought.

        She walked to the tray Doctor Ryan prepared for her, taking a small package and ripping out the alcohol wipe. 

        “Left or right arm?” she questioned.

        “Left.” Joesph spoke.

        “Okay…” She muttered, mentally preparing herself for the kid’s tears.

        She wiped his shoulder with the alcohol wipe and grabbed the needle, removing the safety cap and checking for any air bubbles.

        “Ready?” she questioned.

        “Yep.” The kid replied, looking at the needle.

        She stuck the needle into his shoulder and injected the vaccine by pressing down the thumb press, then pulled away. 

        “All done!” she beamed with a smile, exaggerating her voice to let the kid know he was okay.

        The kid stared blankly before nodding.

        Wow, kid took it better than I do. What a champ… She thought to herself. 

        “Spiderman or my little pony?” She questioned, grabbing a box of bandages.

        “My little pony.” The kid responded.

        “Great choice. One of my favorites.” (Y/N) smiled, opening the band-aid and lined the cotton with his small wound, gently pressing it down. “And here’s a sticker for being my star patient today!” she smiled, reaching into her bag and pulling out a pink star sticker.

        “Thank you.” The kid smiled, taking the sticker.

        “You’re free to go. Reception is on the left, they'll schedule your next appointment for you.” She directed. 

        The family walked out and (Y/N) sighed, taking the needle and reattaching the cap, placing it into the sharp objects box. 

        “See? Wasn’t so bad.” Doctor Ryan smiled.

        “I hate needles…” She sighed. 

        “Hey, do you call all your patients that? Star patient?” Doctor Ryan questioned.

        “Yeah? It makes them feel special and happy. It releases a rewarding stimulant into their brains, the pain killer.” She explained.

        “I bet patient 402 sure liked that…” Doctor Ryan snickered. 

        “Oh, we’re still on this topic, huh?” (Y/N) smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

        “I mean, you’re not changing the subject so…” Doctor Ryan laughed as she shook her head.

        “Any other patients you squeezed into today’s schedule? Or just walk-ins from a here?” (Y/N) questioned.

        “Free to do anything until we get alerted.” Doctor Ryan smiled.

        “Ah, great.” She nodded, looking down at her watch.

        It’s only been thirty minutes since I last saw Andrew. And I really hate waiting around and doing nothing, I’ll go visit Hailey. She thought to herself.

        She walked out of the room and out of the walk-in clinic, heading to the room admissions. She made it to room 433 and gently knocked on the door.

        “Come in.” A weak voice exclaimed.

        “Hey there, hails! How are you?” (Y/N) questioned, opening the door and closing it behind them for privacy.

        “Hi, Ms. (Y/N).” Hailey smiled.

        Hailey was a small girl diagnosed with leukemia at seven. It’s been three years now since diagnosed and at the moment she’s in stage 3. (Y/N) finds it heartbreaking to watch the blonde girl’s appearance diminishing; her eyes sinking in, her hair growing wire-like and withered, her skin and cheekbones pale and sullen, and her arms and legs losing fat. Her appearance isn’t the only thing fading away, but her hope of surviving it too.

        “Would you like some water? It’s still cold.” She offered, already reaching into her bag.

        “Yes, please. I’m quite thirsty.” She smiled weakly.

        (Y/N) nodded and twisted open the bottle’s cap, bringing the drink to the girls lips. Hailey took small sips before raising her arm slightly, signaling no more. (Y/N) moved the bottle, twisting the cap back on weakly so Hailey could open it later.

        “Are you hungry too?” she questioned.

        “Not at the moment.” Hailey answered.

        “I’ll leave these here for later.” (Y/N) spoke, reaching into her bag and placing down a bag of pretzels on Hailey’s nightstand.

        “How do you feel?” (Y/N) questioned.

        Right now it wasn’t a normal survey (interrogation) she would give other patients, it was two friends catching up.

        “Better than I can be.” Hailey smiled.

        Even though Hailey was ten, she knew very well she was dying. It didn’t scare her as much as she thought it would. Her parents slowly stopped visiting less and less, too brokenhearted at their daughter’s rapid-approaching fate. The only visitors she got now was from her check-up nurses and (Y/N). 

        “Hey, I got you some new books. You liked that last one, yeah?” (Y/N) smiled, pulling out a book from her bag.

        “I enjoyed the ending. I liked Charlie’s bravery and courage.” Hailey commented.

        “I figured you would. She reminds me of you. Resilient and strong.” (Y/N) smiled, handing her a new book.

        “Aw… thanks.” Hailey blushed, the red in her face from the compliment looked as if it could be her normal skin tone, accepting the new book.

        “This book is about a library where all the different possibilities in your life that you could’ve had by making a choice, gets played out for you. I figured you’d like it since it’s fantasy.” She smiled.

        “Thank you.” Hailey smiled, looking fondly at the cover.

        “I’ll leave you to read the first few chapters. Want a sticker before I leave?” she questioned, already knowing the answer.

        “Yes, please.” Hailey nodded.

        (Y/N) reached into her bag and looked for a green star, finding one and handing it to Hailey to add to her growing collection that laid on her nightstand. 

        “Make sure to ring the button if you need anything. I’ll see you later, hails.” (Y/N) beamed, walking away from her.

        She opened Hailey’s door and walked out, closing it behind her. She looked at her watch, seeing it’s been an hour since she left Andrew.

        Two more. She thought to herself. Man, time seems slow today…

        (Y/N) sighed and stood there for a second, deciding what to do.

        I’ll go back to the walk-in clinic. She decided.

        She turned and walked away from Hailey’s room, she’ll return in a few hours to see how Hailey likes the book. She opened the two doors leading to the clinic, making her way to the back rooms and finding Doctor Ryan.

        “Oh, just when I was about to call you.” Doctor Ryan smiled.

        “Is there a problem?” she questioned.

        “You remember how to stitch, right?” he smiled.

        “Stitch wounds… yes…” She sighed, sucking in a breath to put her happy face on.

        “Come on, let’s get this done.” Doctor smiled, leading her to his office.

        (Y/N) walked in and took note of the situation, seeing a distressed boy a bloodied towel that was applying pressure to his forearm.

        “Hey, bud. I’m (Y/N). What’s your name?” she questioned, keeping the kid company as Doctor Ryan prepared a tray of tools for (Y/N) that she needed.

        “Cody.” The little blond boy rasped out, small tears in his eyes.

        “What happened to you?” she spoke calmly so the kid can copy her tone.

        “He had a fishin' accident with me. Got the hook hooked into ‘is skin and he ripped it out while preppin' for tomorrow.” The father sighed with his accent, covering his eyes with his cowboy hat to hide his shame.

        “No worries, accidents happen.” She smiled.

        “I really should’ve been watchin’ though.” The cowboy huffed.

        “C’mere dad, you can hold his hand.” (Y/N) encouraged.

        The cowboy sighed and stood up from his seat, walking over and holding his son’s left hand, his uninjured one.

        “Are you left-handed or right-handed?” she questioned, accepting the tray of supplies and placing it next to Cody.

        “Right.” The kid spoke.

        “Well, you might have to learn how to write with your left hand after this. But that’s okay, all the kids in school will think you’re so cool, along with the scar you’ll get too if you get one.” She smiled, gently removing the towel and placing it to the side.

        The kid has a nasty chunk of flesh ripped out of him from the hook. Either the dad or Cody panicked and ripped the hook out. Well, it's sure leave a scar.

        She looked at Cody’s elbow and felt for a vein. She found one and held her thumb on it, grabbing a syringe of lidocaine from the tray and popping the cap, checking for any air bubbles.

        “Look at dad.” (Y/N) instructed. 

        Once Cody looked away, (Y/N) removed her thumb from the vein and replaced it with the syringe’s needle instead, injecting the pain killer.

        Now we have to wait a few minutes, she thought.

        “Do you play any sports?” (Y/N) questioned, grabbing alcohol wipes to remove the bacteria from the fishing hook’s nasty ends.

        “I play football with my brothers.” Cody explained.

        “This’ll hurt real quick.” She warned. “And how many brothers do you have?” she questioned, wiping off the excess blood and grime, resisting the urge to cringe as Cody hissed and held tightly onto his father’s hand.

        “Three.” Cody answered.

        “Are you the oldest, youngest, or middle?” she questioned, wiping inside the wound a little to be extra certain it wouldn’t get infected.

        “Youngest.” Cody answered.

        “Do you go to school or are you home-schooled?” she questioned, grabbing her medical needle and thread and tying the thread inside of the needle’s hole.

        “I go to public school.” Cody responded.

        “Feel any pain in your arm? Or has it gone down?” (Y/N) questioned, looking at Cody’s face.

        “Gone down.” Cody answered.

        “Good. I’m going to start sewing up your wound, I want you to talk to me or your dad while doing it.” She explained. “You ready?”

        “Yeah.” Cody sighed.

        “Do you get good grades?” (Y/N) questioned, pinching the skin together and sewing up the skin and fat, deciding to go for buried sutures to get the job done.

        “Yeah.” Cody nodded.

        “Do you like school?” she questioned.

        “It’s okay.” Cody spoke, shrugging his head to the left since he couldn’t with his arms.

        “I didn’t like school much either.” (Y/N) admitted. “I didn’t like waking up early. I’m glad I work at night now.” 

        The cowboy redirected his attention from Cody and looked down at her and smiled.

        “Where I grew up, we had a farm and got up at 4 o’ clock to work on it. I was homeschooled in the south.” He explained.

        “You have more strength than me, getting up so early.” (Y/N) joked. “You too, Cody. I dislike needles. Whenever I have to get a shot, I cry like a baby.” 

        “Trust me, she does. I gave her one for her practice.” Doctor Ryan teased.

        “You’re in school?” the cowboy questioned.

        “Yup. That man is my superior teaching me the ropes.” (Y/N) explained, referring to Doctor Ryan who sat back and watched the procedure carefully to make sure she was doing it right.

        “I wanted to go to college but my family couldn’t afford it. Hopefully it’s a different story for Cody.” The cowboy smiled, ruffling his son’s hair. 

        “Especially with all the programs now for the youth, gives the younger generation a better chance for college.” (Y/N) pointed out. “Is there anything you want to be when you grow up? Like a professional football player or a doctor?” she questioned, shifting her tone so Cody knew she was talking to him since she couldn’t look away from her stitching work.

        “Construction worker!” Cody declared.

        “Ooo, are you going to build tall buildings?” (Y/N) questioned, entertaining the boy and keeping him busy. 

        “Yeah.” Cody replied.

        He didn’t seem like crying anymore, the painkillers help shoo off the pain, for now at least. She thought.

        "And... ta dah! You're all done, Cody!" (Y/N) beamed. 

        "Woah! It looks so cool!" Cody smiled.

        "Let's get some bandages on that, so it doesn't get infected. In two or three days, you can take the bandages off. In ten days, come back here and we'll check and see if the stitches can be removed.” (Y/N) explained. “Does that sound good?” she questioned, redirecting her attention to her superior.

        “Perfect, perfect! As per usual!” Doctor Ryan smiled.

        “Thanks!” (Y/N) smiled, flattered at the praise. “Now, what color star would you like?” 

        “Blue.” Cody smiled.

        “Here ya go!” she hummed, grabbing the stickers from her bag and pulling out a blue star, handing it to Cody.

        “See ya in ten days, lil lady.” The cowboy smiled, titling his hat before holding his son’s hand.

        “See ya! Reception is on the left. Make sure to be careful!” (Y/N) waved.

        “Ahem!” Doctor Ryan coughed into his hand over-exaggeratedly. 

        “Yes?” (Y/N) questioned, confused on if she did something wrong,

        “I don’t think patient 402 would be happy with all that flirting going on.” The doctor teased playfully. "You were awfully talkative with the dad."

        “Woah now. He has kids and is like 30, I’m too young to settle down like that. There was no flirting, only polite talk.” She explained.

        "Sure thing, lil lady." Doctor Ryan chuckled, earning an unamused glare.

        She ignored him, checking her watch, catching his attention.

        “Oh, your shift isn’t near over.” The doctor laughed.        

        “No, I wanted to see how long until I had to go see Andrew.” (Y/N) explained, waiting for Doctor Ryan’s teasing remarks.

        “I see. How scandalous.” He chuckled.

        “Hardy har har har.” (Y/N) laughed sarcastically. “I have an hour and thirty minutes left. But everything feels like it’s taking so long.” She sighed.

        “Here, why don’t you do a run around the hospital? It’s lunch time. You can bring the lunch trays to all the patients!” Doctor Ryan suggested.

        “That’s a good idea. Have someone radio in and call off all the lunch ladies to serve lunch, I’ll do it all myself.” She nodded, smiling.

        “I meant this branch. The whole hospital is a little excessive.” Doctor Ryan deadpanned.

        “No, no. I got this. Besides, I need my steps in.” She spoke. “See ya later!” she waved, taking off.

The second chapter for this is done! This series will also be posted on AO3 and Wattpad!

Want more Andrew Graves content? Check out the Andrew Graves masterlist!

Inbox is OPENfor questions about the story and new plotlines/ideas, not for request!

Chapters: Chapter 1, current chapter, Chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8, final chapter.

Want to listen to music while reading? Check out the Star Patient's Official Playlists! Multiple different playlists and genres!

[thelov3lybookworm]

Mine? (Part 8)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Summary: Oops. She is happy. But is she supposed to be calm when she knows she's gonna get yelled at?

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Word Count: 1333

A/n: okay so ive got the next parts already plotted out, and i will let yall know. theres one more part after this and then an epilogue 🥹

i cant believe this is coming to an end omg stawp 😭

anyways, enjoy!🥹

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Y/n was not dumb enough to think that after asking Grayson to stay, all her problems and worries would leave. Of course not. But she hadn’t even expected it to become so bad.

Every other day, she would just be smiling while watching the love of her life play with their daughter, and then the next moment, she’d be sitting wondering if he was here willingly. Every few days, she'd wonder if he even wanted to stay.

Wondered if he was only here because he wanted to prove to himself that he was a better father than Sheffield grayson.

Did he not mind waking up in the middle of the night sometimes to hold Adelaide when she cried? Did he like living in the same house as Y/n, someone who had tried to take away a part of him?

It was not easy these past two months. But Y/n knew that it was probably just her being insecure, maybe it was her scepticism. Maybe it was the grudge her family still held against him.

Since they found out that Y/n had let Grayson stay with her and Adelaide, they had been quite vocal about their disapproval of her decisions. It frustrated Y/n to no end, but she could also see how it looked from their perspective and knew they just wanted to keep her and their granddaughter safe.

Atleast Y/n was glad her brother didn’t know.

Since she had been born, her older brother, Liam had been a little too protective of her. Every time they played as children, he’d be extra careful so as not to hurt her. Every time they went to the playground or someone would try to approach Y/n to be her friend at school, Liam would scare them away, his gaze hard as he’d then drag his baby sister to play with her.

Y/n had never really understood why he did that. Being a little girl then, she had felt hurt but she also couldn’t stay mad at him at all.

After a particularly bad day, five year old Y/n had exploded and complained to their dad about it. After that Liam had cut her some slack, but still he never let anyone bully her. She could still remember the one time he had punched a boy because he’d pushed Y/n over and she had scraped her knee. She had cried and hugged Liam then, and he’d offered to take her to the ice cream shop if she stopped sobbing.

She loved the idiot of course, but she had to admit, he was protective to a fault.

He was currently on a business trip to New York and had been for over two months now. Apparently the business over there needed his attention. Her parents told her they weren’t sure when he would return, so she had begged them not to tell him about Grayson.

She was scared that once he found out, he would fly over just to break his jaw. Or nose. Or both, she didn’t know.

The happy squeal of her daughter drew Y/n from her thoughts finally, and she turned to look at what she was doing.

It once again brought a smile to her face.

Grayson was sprawled on the couch, in simple grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, and was blowing raspberries on Adelaide’s stomach. He was smiling wide, his eyes twinkling in a way Y/n had rarely ever seen before.

Before he found out about Adelaide, anyways.

Y/n set aside her phone, telling herself that she could tell her brother later. It was feeding time. She walked over to the couch, holding her hands out to Grayson.

Gryason’s brows furrowed and he squished Adelaide to his chest.

"Mine." 

Y/n blinked. He hadn’t ever been as childish as he was the past week. On one hand, she was surprised, but she was also happy about it. She loved this side of him, a side even he probably never knew existed.

"I know that, mister five years old, but it's feeding time."

He almost pouted, but handed a giggling Adelaide over. "I want her back when you’re done."

Y/n shook her head, hiding her smile.

The past two months, even with her bad days, had been unexpectedly pleasant. She and Grayson had had long talks about how to proceed. He had apologised profusely for calling what they did that night a mistake. According to him, he regretted saying that but had been too arrogant to apologise and thought that things would just go back to normal.

The prick.

Still, Y/n found it hard to be mad at him, because at one point, even she had thought that night was a mistake.

But now that the two had forgiven each other, life was fun. They went back to being friends, their time together feeling just like a year and a half ago, when everything had been normal between them.

Just as Y/n went to settle down on the other couch and Grayson got up to give her some privacy- he still refused to be in the same room as her when she was feeding Adelaide- the bell rang.

Instantly, Y/n shot up, and Grayson glanced at her, brows tugged together. Y/n herself did not understand her own reaction, but she knew not to dismiss the heavy feeling that was beginning to take root in her chest.

Grayson inclined his head, a question in his eyes, then turned towards the door. Y/n shook her head, then handed Adelaide back to him and rushed to open the door instead.

She did not have a good feeling about this. The feeling almost resembled the anxiety she felt when Grayson had first come to visit. It was almost like she knew who was on the other side, and she knew no one was going to like it one bit.

And sure enough, when she rolled onto her tiptoes to peer out of the peephole, her blood chilled.

Liam.

She turned to Grayson, frantically moving her hands around, trying to tell him to hide even if it wouldn’t really help, knowing it made no sense to him whatsoever. It wouldn’t have made sense to herself either if she did not know the context.

Before she could say anything, the bell rang again, and Y/n smacked her head, then opened the door.

Liam grinned at her, his dark hair tousled as if he had been running his hands through it. He honestly looked ready to fall asleep.

Despite the panic clawing at her insides as she tried not to think too much about his reaction when he found out about Grayson, she smiled back.

It had been a long while since she saw her brother.

She stepped forward, letting him wrap her in a tight embrace. It instantly relaxed her, and she let herself enjoy this moment, knowing all hell would break loose the moment Grayson came into his sight.

"Li. Missed you."

He chuckled. "Missed you too, munchkin." he pulled back, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. "Where’s my little niece?"

"Inside." Y/n bit her lip, contemplating. "How come you’re here? I thought you were in New York?"

He nodded, patting her head before manoeuvring around her to walk inside, dragging his bag behind him. "I was going back home, then thought, why not drop by? It’s been a long while anyway, and-"

He stopped speaking, and Y/n watched with growing fear as his shoulders tensed.

Y/n hurried in behind him, clicking the door shut as she took in the scene.

Grayson stared at Liam like a deer caught in headlights, giving no reaction even as Adelaide grabbed fistfulls of his hair and tugged.

Liam made no move when he spoke next, his voice low. "What the fuck is that bastard doing here?"

Well, this was going to be fun.

Sarcastic. That is sarcastic.

°•°•°•○🌑○•°•°•°

Mine taglist: @aaronwarnerobsessedmylove @blocked-zombieartist @lillycore @lanterns-and-daydreams @bubybubsters

@berryzxx @riddlesb1tch @thena101 @imaseabear

The Inheritance Games Taglist: @dahliawarner @thena101 @yucanbmylxdy @sheisntyou @kitkatlover015

[d4yd4iry]

Sweet Memories

Pairings: Kim Minji x fem!reader

Synopsis: When life gets too hard, you go down memory lane.

Genre: Fluff…?

Minji knew that she shouldn’t be overworking herself, but how could she not when there are thousands of people ready to critique her imperfections.

It didn’t help that she let them get to her head, making her focus too much on perfecting her moves rather than enjoying herself.

But no matter how perfect something is, people will always try to find flaws. That’s just human, but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay.

Due to the growing popularity of NewJeans, the group gained many fans but with fans, comes a bunch of jobless haters. Just a bunch of snakes, waiting for a victim to spit their venom at.

It so happened that Minji became one of their many targets. Endless of cruel words being said about her, words that are not true, words that have been exaggerated to fit the narrative that they view her as.

You would know, being in the same situation as her and as well as being her supporting pillar since your trainee days. You were one of the very few kind hearted people left, a pure soul who genuinely find beauty in everything.

These past few months have been stressful for the girls, but especially for Minji who’s the oldest of the 6. Because being the oldest means that she’ll always get more criticism from the public, even if she’s not the official leader.

You have seen how bad it gets on her bad days, she wouldn’t talk much, and keeps to herself a lot. And it hurts to see because your girlfriend have been hurting and you can’t do anything to stop the source of her sorrows.

“Minji, talk to me.”

Minji have been keeping to herself for way too long, she was like a ticking bomb just waiting to explode at any moment. Everyone was worried about her, especially you.

“Please, I don’t want to talk about it.” Minji whispered as she laid on your shared bed covering herself with a blanket, with her back facing you.

You bit your lips, genuinely frustrated that you weren’t able to make her feel better. “Min, I know how hard it is for you to talk about your feelings…just know that I’m here to listen, just like what you did for me.”

She wasn’t responding but you knew that she was listening. You took a deep breathe before continuing. “Remember that night? February, 5th, 2019”

You were a trainee long before she joined the company, being one of the best trainee in the whole company.

You were all of the teacher’s favorite and was very popular amongst the trainees and staffs as well.

Minji first thought that a fellow trainee was exaggerating when they said that you were like an angel sent to earth, but soon after she met you, she could understand fully why people admired you so much.

You’re the most beautiful person she have ever met, both beautiful in and out. Many people have said that perfection doesn’t exist, but clearly they’ve never met you.

You would always be surrounded by trainees who were desperate to share a conversation with you, even a glance would make them fall on their knees.

You were very well spoken and your voice was angelic, people couldn’t help but shut themselves up whenever you talk.

But they’re also the same people who make up their own version of you. Never really intrigued enough to want to know you, the real you, and for the longest time, Minji was one of those people too.

All until one night, the night that changed everything.

[February, 5th, 2019]

It was late at night, almost everyone was out of the company by then and Minji was preparing to go too, having practiced for 8 hours straight, she was dying to enjoy the warmth of her bed.

Humming to herself as she strolled down the dark halls, chills suddenly went down her spine, the company was undeniably creepy during those times. Minji was praying that the rumored company ghost wouldn’t appear in front of her.

As she was about halfway to the elevator, sounds of someone crying reached her ears. Minji eyes went wide, heart pounding as she stopped her steps.

No this will not be how I did she thought

Minji really wanted to sprint to the elevator, maybe even jump down the flight of stairs, all to get away from the crying sound that she was sure that it’s the ghost

But her body was betraying her, her feet moving towards the room and before she could comprehend what had happened, her hands were already pushing the door to get into the room.

Minji felt her breath hitched as her eyes wandered onto the girl whose face was covered by the palm of her hands, but also feeling relieved that it wasn’t a ghost.

It was you, she could recognize you from a mile away. Probably because she spends too much time looking at your figure from afar whenever you guys are in the same room.

She felt a magnetic force pulling her towards you. Minji kneeled down and put her hands on your shoulders, you were startled at first but then your eyes soften when you realized that it was only her.

She felt her heart stop beating for a moment as she scanned your face, gosh you still looked gorgeous even while crying.

“Yn, are you okay?” To say that Minji was concerned would be an understatement, she herself doesn’t even know why her heart ached at how sad you looked.

“I wish I could say that I am, but that would be untruthful.” Your eyes were watery, an overwhelming amount of worries wandered your mind.

Minji eyes soften even more if that’s even possible, she softly caressed your hand. “I know we’re not close, and we don’t talk much either but you can talk to me.”

You took a deep breathe, you don’t know why but after looking into her genuine eyes, you felt like you could tell her anything and everything.

“It’s just that everything and everyone have been so overwhelming, the teachers they are always expecting the best out of me and are always putting so much pressure, I mean I thrive in pressure but it’s always way too much whenever they bragged and compared me to other trainees, and the other trainees…they talk. I don’t understand why I care so much about what they discussed about me, but I do. I don’t think they know that I heard what they’ve been saying about me either…”

“What have they been saying about you?”

“They talk behind my back, saying that I’m a show off, that I’m doing too much, desperate for attention, they call me names, they mock me…but the thing that I don’t understand is how could they be so different when they’re in front of me, they act as if we are friends, almost had me fooled…sorry for ranting to you, I just needed to get this out of my chest and thank you for listening it means a lot.”

All of the things you’ve said surprised her, for the longest time she thought that everyone loved you. How could she not when on the surface they would do anything to try to impress you, but if only she knew how two faced those people are.

Minji wished that she could beat the crap out of whoever talked bad about you, it disgusted her that even for an angel like you, they would still be able to make up shit to talk about.

She still couldn’t understand why would they think that way about someone like you, a person who never talked back to anyone, always too kind that may be deemed as a pushover, soft spoken, you were just too perfect for them and it makes you a threat.

“People are cruel and we can’t do anything about that, but you did not deserve to receive their cruelty.” Minji softly muttered as she used her palm to lift your face up, her eyes stuck onto yours.

“Yn, you are genuinely the kindest person I’ve known and I do not understand why people think it’s a good reason to step on you for that. But take my word when I say that you’ll be far more successful than them, they can stay mad, jealous, and miserable. But you are a star, you shine wherever you go, even in the darkest room, you’ll be able to shine. So cheer up, I miss your smile!”

For the first time in very long time, you finally felt genuinely happy, a smile slowly making way onto your face. “Aha! Come on get up, let’s go do something fun!” Minji felt proud of herself as she got you to get up with a smile on your face, slowly forgetting your sadness.

“What is something you do when you want to feel like yourself again?”

“Hmm?” You pondered for a moment before a bigger smile appeared on your face. “I have something, come on I’ll show you!” Your voice and face were filled with excitement as you dragged the older girl with you.

The two of you laughed along the way, about nothing in particular, it was just the right mood to laugh.

“Ta-dah!”

“This is yours?!” Her jaw dropped as you both were standing in front of your precious motorcycle.

“Yeah, it used to be my dad’s but he doesn’t ride it anymore.” You informed before looking at Minji with a smirk on your face. “Surprised?”

“Yeah, I mean you don’t look like someone who ride motorcycles.”

“What does motorcycle riders look like exactly?” You looked at her with a teasing smile and then laughed once she couldn’t find the words to explain.

“Sorry that was stupid, I mean you look soft and well people who ride motorcycles at least in movies, are usually-“ As she was about to finish her sentence, you interrupted with a big and goofy grin. “Big and scary?”

“Yes! Gosh that is such a stereotype, maybe I should stop watching so much movies.” Minji laughed at herself.

“No, I get it. A lot of them are, my dad is one of them, he’s big and kinda scary. Anyways, wanna go for a ride?”

“It would be stupid to decline such offer!” Minji grinned as she hopped on the vehicle.

The two of you rode into the darkness of the night, worries fade away and replaced with laughters and unforgettable memories.

That was the night that changed everything.

[Present Time]

You forever felt grateful to Minji who listened to your ranting that night, if she weren’t there you would’ve given up your long life dreams.

“I was so upset that night but somehow you managed to cheer me up.”

“I don’t know if you remembered the things you’ve said but I will forever remember. Take my word when I say that you’ll be far more successful than them, they can stay mad, jealous, and miserable. But you are a star, you shine wherever you go, even in the darkest room, you’ll be able to shine.” You smiled as you recited her exact words before looking back at Minji who was still silent.

“I’ve never told you this but…if it weren’t for you that night, I would’ve left my dreams behind and never look back. You’re the most important person in my li-“ You were startled by the sudden hug you received, but soon melted into her embrace, caressing for back once you heard a sob.

“I-I am really sorry” she cried into your neck. “I know you are, but you shouldn’t be sorry.” You replied softly.

“No I should be sorry, sorry for not talking to you, for being distant, really sorry for being a bad girlfriend.”

“Hey! Don’t say that, you’re the best girlfriend and I’ll never find someone else like you.” You cupped her face with your hands and leaned in, softly placing a kiss on her forehead.

“You better not.” She frowned as she point a finger in front of your face threateningly, but you found it cute. “And I do remember that night, and everything about that night. How could I forget when it’s the reason why you’re mine.”

You gave her a teasing grin. “I’m yours?” She nodded and intertwined her hands with yours. “Mine.” Before leaning into your lips for a sweet kiss.

[dailytogachako]

So I found this around, can I ask for Toga/Ochako?

♥ Send a ship and I'll give you who:

- Gives nose/forehead kisses

- Gets jealous the most

- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

- Takes care of on sick days

- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

- Gives unprompted massages

- Drives/rides shotgun

- Brings the other lunch at work

- Has the better parental relationship

- Tries to start role-playing in bed

- Embarrassingly drunk dancer

- Still cries watching Titanic

- Firmly believes in couples costumes

- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas

- Makes the other eat breakfast

- Remembers anniversaries

- Brings up having kids

omg hii anon!!! sorry it took me so long to respond 😞😞

to be honest I didn't really understand the question, is it a trend? like, say who would do this or that? I interpreted that way so i will do it that way, sorry if I got it wrong 💔

1- gives nose/forehead kisses

Definitely Uraraka! she always kisses toga's forehead and nose to show that she loves and cares for her. She does this every day before going to work.

2- Gets jealous the most

Okay, it would definitely be Toga. Himiko's jealousy is not exactly possessive, but rather insecure jealousy. She's afraid that Ochako will find someone better and "less weird" and end up leaving her. Even when Uraraka's assurances that this won't happen, she still has insecurities about it which ends up resulting in jealousy of anyone she doesn't know and talks to Uraraka.

3- Picks the other up from the bar when they're too drunk to drive

I thought a lot and came to the conclusion that Himiko doesn't like alcohol. She seems to be someone who likes sweet drinks, and despite having sweet alcoholic drinks she avoids them because she believes she doesn't need alcohol to have fun. But there are exceptions, and in these exceptions Ochako always goes to look for her little girlfriend in the bar. Himiko does the same for her, but she doesn't know how to drive 😭😭 so she gets a ride from one of her friends to drop her off at Uraraka's apartment

4- takes care of on sick days

BOTH YOUR HONOR!!!

I can perfectly imagine Ochako taking care of a sick and spoiled Himiko and I can also imagine Himiko taking care of a very stubborn Ochako.

Uraraka HATES hospitals so she does everything to avoid them, so she's always ends up accepting Toga to take care of her despite being extremely stubborn and swearing that "I can take care of myself"

5- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

Himiko! She doesn't see the point of a beach day without going into the water, so she drags Ochako with her and always ends up forgetting to put on sunscreen. One time she ended up all burned and was mumbling for hours because her skin hurt 💔😞 Uraraka never let her forget again

6- gives unprompted messages

THIS IS SO HIMIKO CODED

She likes to text her girlfriend about ANYTHING even though she knows Ochako won't respond right away. She uses kamojis (mainly the ":333") and sends Uraraka a lot of pictures of herself or little things about her day and Uraraka LOVES IT. If Toga ever stopped texting about everything, she would definitely find it weird

7- Drives/rides shotgun

As I said before: I'm pretty sure Himiko doesn't know how to drive, at least not yet. So she always gets rides from her girlfriend to go places. After all, Ochako knows how to drive (in my head...) And if Himiko were to ever drive, it would be a motorcycle!!!

8- brings the other lunch at work

BOTH!!! but one detail: toga doesn't know how to cook very well, so it's always a surprise if the food is going to be half-burnt or raw. Her specialty is making sweets, but she doesn't only live on sweets, so she trains a lot to cook something delicious and healthy for ochako. She always stares at Uraraka while they're eat together just to make sure that it's really tasty...

And when the food isn't good, ochako goes out to buy them something to eat. Money has always been something that Uraraka lacks in her life, so when she spends it on food for herself and her girlfriend, she just feels so happy and fulfilled. It's something important to her. Is a way of saying that she cares about Himiko and that she's happy that she can buy something for both of them.

9- Has the better parental relationship

Uraraka

I don't think I need to elaborate much...

10- tries to start role-playing in bed

I didn't quite understand the question 😭😭 that would be like something obscene right?

Honestly, I don't think Himiko would do that. She's certainly not innocent, but she's a little too shy and ashamed to try something. Especially something like RPG. I believe that in the beginning she would be very embarrassed and insecure, she wouldn't know what to do and would be more lost than ochako (who is also embarrassed and insecure).

And after talking and spending a lot of time together, they would stop being so embarrassed and insecure and could try new things. I don't think RPG would be one of them, because in RPG you need to make a character and Himiko wants Ochako and only her. Just like Ochako wants Toga and only that.

(sorry for giving such a vanilla answer 😭😭)

11- embarrassingly drunk dancer

HIMIKOOOOOO

She doesn't do sexy dances or anything like that, she just DANCES!!! and she doesn't know how to dance, so it ends up becoming somewhat embarrassing. She has a lot of fun doing this and doesn't care about people's looks... EXCEPT ONE, she only cares about one... (ochako looks at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world while she dances macarena with denki and kirishima).

12- still cries watching Titanic

*sigh*... himiko—

13- firmly believes in couple costumes

TOGA! She loves couples costumes and always has some creative idea of what to wear with Ochako on Halloween or other events. She seems very happy organizing everything, so Ochako doesn't even try to stop her. Himiko knows what she's doing and she's more than happy to follow in her footsteps.

(I didn't quite understand the question but I hope I answered it coherently) (english is not my first language)

14- breaks the expansive gift rule during christmas

I CAN'T STOP SAY HIMIKO

She would be so nervous and wanting to please that she spent all her money buying something that everyone would like 💔💔😭 she wanted them to like her and have a good impression

15- makes the other eat breakfast

BOTH

Ochako is always concerned that Himiko is eating well and Himiko always uses Ochako as a guinea pig to see if her cooking skills are improving 🙏🙏

16- remembers anniversaries

Hi....mi....ko 👹

She's the type of person who enjoys celebrating other people's birthdays more than her own. She always writes down everyone's birthday on her calendar and tries to give them a gift on that day. Unlike Ochako who always ends up forgetting and getting super nervous when she realizes it's a close friend's birthday

17- brings up having kids

It may sound crazy (or not), but it would be Himiko. She would try to talk about this with Uraraka to get out the feeling of thinking she would be a terrible mother, only for Ochako to assure her that she would be one of the best mothers. I don't think they would have children any time soon, but they would definitely have a pet and take care of it as if it were a child.

Himiko would buy him clothes and Ochako would very reluctantly let him sleep in them despite the fact that they shed a lot of hair...

[beifong-brainrot]

Ok so in my quest of overanalysing every scene with Wei and Wing in it, I did eventually take this one under my microscope.

I like seeing how in sync Wei and Wing are. It's always so fun to see the twins bending in sync so much.

But this scene also gives us an interesting look into Kuvira's deteriorating psyche. We can see that due to the continuing of the protagas' resistance to her. She's growing mor erratic, aggresive and desperate.

So it's pretty interesting that this screen is immediately followed by the scene of Kuvira firing at the twins. Since we know that she has known them since she was at least 8 and for at least a time, referred to by Suyin as their sister. Now, this won't be the first time Kuvira had fired at someone from the family who adopted her and swverely injured them. Baatar and Opal both got shot at and passed out for a bit. However, when Kuvira fired both those shots, she was clearly targeting groups rather than them as individuals. And part of me does want to see this as a marker of Kuvira getting more and more desperate to win and more and more aggresive, a theme we see with her throughout the season.

I also love Suyin's expressions in this scene?

She looks so intense. And I'm not surprised, she's already seen two of her kids close to death and we know how much she loves her kids and how protective she is. I mean, she barely felt confident to let Opal move out less than 5 years ago and now her children are 0 to 4 against the Nukebot.

But she also looks super pissed. And while I know there was no love lost between them that took Su from wanting Kuvira stopped bacause Kuvira was a threat to "You're going to pay for what you've done".

Like I firmly believe that the comics not mentioning Opal and the twins also almost dying is just so it would be easier to redeem Kuvira and dowplay her rift with the rest of teh Beifong family. By presenting Su and Opal as semi unreasonable in their dislike of Kuvira it makes it easier to make Kuvira look better. Hence the focus on Baatar Jr being hurt by Kuvira because he was the only one of the four to semi deserve it.

And also this is like one of the Lin scenes I actually genuinely adore, because I think it really shows how much Lin actively cares not just for Su, but for her extended family.

I wish we had explored Lin's relationship with her niblijgs more, because we see that she at least has a protective side around teens and gets along with them in her own special little way. Probably because Lin herself is quite immature and oftem acts like a broody teen herself. And I think that seeing her bond with her niblings before she starts mending her relationship with Su and Toph would be a very natural progression for her.

Btw I absolutely adore how she just YOINKS them out of the air. She is holding two young men under her arms like they're kittens what an icon.

I especially like this scene becaus in my personal headcanons- the twins probably didn't like Lin that much? Like they're so fiercely loyal to Su and Opal that I don't think they'd take too kindly to Lin appearing out of nowhere, driving Opal to tears and then proceeding to physically attack Suyin.

But then again, Wei was the first to be swung across the cavern by Lin, something I assume would require quite a bit of trust in both Bolin (👀) and Lin.

I also think that the twins got knocked out by the blast here. Like we've seen that even being in the vicinity of the blast can render someone unconscious. And the twins are visibly sorta freefalling here. Despite the blast not having cut off that much of their metal wiring, they don't seem to be able to try and stop their falls, so they could very well be unconscious or dazed and concussed.

They also kinda just flop onto the ground and lie there after getting rescued and we don't see them for the rest of the episode so I assume they were taken out of commision somehow.

I also love how even though Suyin made that earth tent to protect them, Lin still seems to be shielding them with her body?

More aunt Lin content nickelodeon please

[klbwriting]

Surface Tension

Chapter 8: Shot at the Night

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Orm can't do much to help Y/N but he does find someone who can

Note: song is 'Shot at the Night' by the Killers

Taglist: @hyperagitatedcydonian13 @gabrieleskywalker @philiasoul @duchcess

We’re breaking all the rules To find that our home Has long been outgrown Throw me a lifeline Cause honey I’ve got nothing to lose Once in a lifetime

“Why did you settle by the ocean if you’re so afraid of water?” Orm asked, sitting on the back porch with Y/N, watching the waves under the moonlight. She was strumming, singing one of her songs. He was starting to recognize them by now and he knew she sang this one because he liked it. She looked at him and shrugged.

“I used to love the water, felt free and happy in it,” she said. “I told you I was accused of something that I didn’t do. I do bare some responsibility for it though, even though it was an accident. Ever since then, I don’t want to go back into the water, but I can’t let myself forget that day. Part of me wonders if it was my fault.” She stopped strumming and set the guitar aside, wrapping a blanket around herself.

“Did you want someone to get hurt?” he asked. She shook her head. “Not your fault, you shouldn’t stay here feeling guilty. What I did…I wanted to hurt people, all of the pain I caused was because I was angry. You didn’t have that malice.” He looked at the water before looking down at his hands. She reached out and put her hand on his arm, instantly calming him.

“Do you remember feeling like that?” she asked. “Do you ever feel like that now?” He shook his head. “Have you tried to make things right?”

“Yes, I’m trying,” he whispered. She smiled at him and squeezed his arm.

“You’ll get there, let the guilt go, but keep becoming better. I’ll help you, we are better together,” she said.

Orm startled awake, the memory fading from his dream to his waking nightmare. He didn’t know when he had fallen asleep, sometime right before dawn. Last he remembered his mother and Arthur were still there making plans on finding some kind of proof of who tried to kill Orm. The footage was enough to clear Y/N of active treason, but she still could be held for conspiracy. Conspiracy to commit treason was a capital offense in Atlantis and she could still be executed if they didn’t find and get a confession from the culprit.

He was alone now with a note from Arthur that they had left to find proof in Atlantis. Arthur planned to talk to Hendrix and Atlanna was going to talk to Y/N. Orm went over to Y/N’s place. He hated to invade her privacy but maybe she had something. He started searching, trying to ignore that her bed was still unmade from where they had been together, her same clothes from her birthday on the floor around it.

“There has to be something,” he muttered to himself as he went through her closet. He moved some boxes out of the bottom and saw a small door, probably another small storage area behind the wall. He was able to pry it open and inside was a bag. He pulled it out and sat on the floor, looking through it slowly. He pulled out the mosaic of her and her father. It was cheap but well made, a product of the lower city where technology to film wasn’t as widely available. He set it aside carefully. Next came out a flyer for Atlantis for All, listing their goals as equal status, better living conditions, and fairness in the workforce. Orm remembered his father telling him that all those below the nobility were lazy, they just wanted people to hand them money and food without doing anything for it. At the time he had agreed, but this notice listed things that anyone would need to survive and thrive, which is what he thought his father wanted for all Atlantians. He set it aside also and pulled out a stack of papers. This was what he needed, letters to and from different people in AfA.

I work from morning until night, I never see my family, yet they still starve…

My mother died because we couldn’t get her a proper doctor, the nobility never have to worry…

My father died of the sickness King Orvax released when I was a child. King Orvax made me an orphan…

We can fix this. There is a way. King Orm’s coronation is on the first day of the Great Migration…

Here is what he needed. He read through the letter, it laid out a plan to protest, nothing else. They were to have Y/N sing, and Hendrix volunteered to bring the cracker. This was almost enough, but Orm needed something else. Aria was mentioned as one of the leaders of the group. He had to find her; she might have more proof.

Orm wasn’t sure where else to go so he went to the café. It was empty except for Y/N’s friends when he arrived. They were all glaring at him. When he walked in Dean came up and punched him in the face. It didn’t hurt, but Orm wasn’t expecting it and stumbled back a step. Dean was shaking his hand, wincing. He had probably broken a couple fingers. Aria pushed past him.

“Get out tyrant,” she demanded. Orm stood his ground. “We know you did something to her, no one can find her.”

“I didn’t do anything, but Hendrix took her back to Atlantis to face trial for treason,” he said. Aria froze.

“You’re lying, you gave her up,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.

“If I gave her up I would be on my way to trial too. I’m a fugitive just as much as the two of you,” he said. “We need proof that Hendrix was the one who tried to kill me. I found a letter in her things with the plan for the coronation day, it says Hendrix was to get the cracker, but we need more than that, anything that makes it sound like he alone planned the attempt.” Aria was breathing deep, trying to remain calm.

“How do we know you won’t just take the evidence and destroy it?” Vincent called out. “What if you want to use her to get yourself pardoned?” Orm didn’t have time for this bullshit.

“Because I love her!” he yelled. “Because she is everything to me and I won’t stand by while they execute her. I can’t go back, no one will believe me if I say she is innocent, I’ll just get thrown in a cell next to her, but my brother is king. If I am able to get proof to him he can set this right.”

Aria watched his speech and nodded before motioning for him to come with her. She lived only a few houses down from the café and she also had a bag full of letters. She kept meticulous records and correspondence, including from Hendrix. Hours later she jumped up.

“I found something,” she said, setting the letter down in front of Orm at her kitchen table. By then everyone had joined them, watching. “This is from Hendrix, the day before the coronation. I think I received it by mistake. I never read it because well, I hated Hendrix and anything he had to say was worthless to me.” She pointed to a spot that clearly incriminated him.

“These people are idiots. They’re going to give me the crown and not even realize it. Tomorrow Orm will be dead and I’ll be king,” Orm read. This was perfect.

“Bless that asshole’s giant ego,” muttered Amanda from the couch. Orm stood and hugged Aria.

“I know you hate me but thank you,” he said. He looked between her and Dean. “I am sorry for the tidal wave, for everything. I was wrong and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for it.” He left it at that, hurrying out of the house and calling Arthur to tell him he had proof.

[bitterbutblue]

november 1998 (上)

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SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE CHAT it's been a longgg week and ill try to pre-write dec 1998 so it can come out next week because from oct 25 to nov 8 i will pretty much be dead on tumblr aside from reblogs because of coursework but after that i will be revived!!!!!!!

i feel like this is getting slightly messy im sorry i am ill and mildly burnt out writers block butim going o try my best

my inbox is always open for requests!! and i love getting messages from u guys so please do not hesitate to ask and i will respond as soon as i can <3

this chapter is split in 2 parts! november 1998 (下) and december 1998 will be released quite far apart icl ill try my best though...

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

Slide, roll, up and down- five, six, seven, eight.

The meticulous eyes of the trainers have her feeling weak in the knees, hawks with their eyes peeled for prey to stalk on. She wants to collapse to the floor, her feet are blistered and her knees are sore. She can feel her entire body slowly fading as she moves but she can't stop because she's so close. The last time she was in this position she gave in, collapsing onto the ground and panting. She wasn't good enough, she never would be. The trainers just sighed and told her she wasn't good enough and that she never would be good enough. The last time she was in this position, she swore she'd work hard. She'd work until her knees bruised and her muscles ached if it meant doing better than before. If it meant for them to finally see her in the light she wishes they could see her in.

She holds the ending pose, a bright smile on her face but everything that held her body together was threatening to break down in that very moment as her chest heaves and she offers them a polite bow. She strides out of the room with a put-together, confident aura that had the other people auditioning staring and whispering, saying that she will most likely pass the auditions, that she was the one they need to look out for. But she's fighting for her life to not collapse until she's outside the building, until she's away from everyone's eyes.

The second she exits with her bag in hand, she drops to the ground. Uncontrolled sobs flowing out as she buries her head in her hands. Everything hurt, her legs ached like never before and her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She could barely hear the sound of her own brother calling out her name as she dug her fingers into her scalp, head buried in her arms.

"Robin, Robin can you hear me?"

It felt horrible, feeling the sky and all its weight on your shoulders is a horrible feeling. She wants to melt into the ground, dissolve into the pebbles and rocks that are scattered beneath her feet. She feels someone grab onto her shoulders, feels someone pull her into their arms and she feels a familiar thump along with the scent of cigarette smoke. Three squeezes on her shoulder, an attempt to keep her grounded. Holding her tight, an attempt to stop her from trembling like a bomb about to explode.

These breakdowns have been happening more frequently, the worst one being the one right after her dad had to disappear and sent her to live with Sunday in a country too far away but also too close to home. A country she tried to dissociate herself from for the longest time, a country where you were in. Back to the city she left you in.

"Sunday?"

He just holds her tightly.

He's been smoking again, she can smell the tobacco on his jacket and breath, the scent that has her nose crinkling in disgust but she can't blame him anymore.

"Are you okay?"

His voice is as soft as always, a twinge of hoarseness coating his words now. He sounds older, as if he had aged a good twenty years in the span of six months.

"No."

She can't bring herself to lie because she's tired of lying, tired of telling people she's okay and that she's alright when she feels like breaking down all the time. Sunday could only swallow back the lump in his throat as he lets out a soft sigh, holding her close.

"It's going to be okay."

It's not. Neither of them would be okay.

Sunday offers to take her to a convenience store after, driving down the streets in his second-hand car that he got for cheap that is probably older than he is. Robin leans her head against the car window, feeling the slight bumps on the road, watching the city fade slowly into greenery and nature as they drive up the hill back to where they live. The familiar yellow and green sign comes into view as the car slows down, and she sighs as she gets out of the car slowly.

"C'mon, let's get something good." Sunday wraps his arm around her shoulder as they walk through the door. The little bell near the door dings and she was so lost in thought she didn't even realise that there were in fact 2 people at the counter and both of them quieted down the second she walked in with Sunday. She didn't notice as she walked down towards the drinks section to get her puffergoat milk. As she walks back to find Sunday near the counter, her eyes widen slightly. Stelle and you were sitting close, a little too close for her liking and she feels this pang of.. what is it? The same feeling she felt when she first saw you on television, on the news, everywhere. Jealousy. But not of you this time, of Stelle. Stelle must've noticed her staring because she quickly pulls her hand that was resting on your knee away and clears her throat. You had a light blush on your cheeks as you quickly stood up.

"Is that all?" You ask with a slightly forced smile on your face. She looks over at Sunday, who smiles at you with a genuine smile and not one of his old forced corporate smiles.

"Yes, that's all. Thanks, Y/n."

She hates how you look at him with a softer look, a gentle smile on your face that you have yet to look at her with. But to be fair she doesn't deserve that smile and she never will, especially not what she did to you. Sunday slides a bill across the counter and you quickly give the change back.

"You doing alright?"

She stands in the corner, fully aware of how herself and Stelle are purposefully trying super hard not to look at each other and it is incredibly awkward.

"I'm good."

She hears you click your tongue.

"I saw on the news about your family, I'm sorry."

You never told her that. She feels an ache in her chest as she looks down at her battered trainers, scuffed from hours and hours of training as she fidgets with the bracelet on her wrist.

"Don't be. Congrats on your win, by the way. War Dance at fifteen is an accomplishment you should be proud of."

"Hah, yeah, thanks."

She hears the cash register close, and her brother clearing his throat.

"I'll see you around, Y/n."

"You too, take care."

She doesn't look up when Sunday walks up to her, and just follows his footsteps out the door. She can hear the quiet whispers between Stelle and you and it bothers her how intimate the two of you are, how close you are.

Why is she so bothered?

Perhaps the truth is you were her first and only good friend. It was hard to make friends in a country like Penacony where she was the outsider, the one who 'got into the school because of her parent's money', the one who's always sitting alone. She never fit in well there, despite her best attempts to appear put together in front of you over text and email, she was breaking down slowly. Now, she's back and in the same position as before. Alone. Yes, she had friends, but how many of them actually cared for her? How many of them actually wanted to talk to her her and wanted to know her and her dreams and aspirations, instead of only talking to her so that they could date her for her looks? She sees the way some of them eye her, the way they whisper about her behind her back. Aventurine was a nice guy, but him and his friend group are so tight already that she is always just sitting in the corner and forcefully laughing along with them.

She misses you.

She misses the feeling of having a friend she could always rely on, who she always knew had her back even though they were oceans apart. Now she's left with those memories ruined, only haunting her each day as she has ruined all the good she had in her life.

Of course she did.

She didn't even realise they had arrived back into their home until she hears the sound of the car door closing. Upon arriving back into her own room, it really settles in how alone she is. Their family all split apart so they wouldn't be found or put each other in danger, only living with her brother in a small run-down apartment building at the edge of the city. A room with nothing of her own, a city she no longer finds comfort in. She crawls into bed, not even caring that it's 4pm in the afternoon because god she's just so exhausted. Physically from the auditions, mentally from everything else.

By the time she wakes up, the sky had darkened with only traces of the stars and moon illuminating her room.

4:32.

A full twelve hours later she sits in her bed, staring out the window and wondering what you were doing.

You throw your glasses down, rubbing your eyes as you let out a tired groan. The words on the textbook were barely coherent at that point and you just wanted to go to bed but the idea of giving up before you finished this final topic fills you with such intense stress it makes you feel like clawing yourself out of your skin. It's a trapped feeling, you want to break down but if you break down that's wasting your time.

You finally put your pen down, hand shaking as you finally let out a sigh you hadn't realised you were holding in. You check your clock.

4:33.

You rub at your eyes again, feeling your heavy eyelids threatening to shut when you feel your pager buzz. Looking down, you mumble 'what the fuck' to yourself as look down.

A series of numbers.

You tilt your head to the side, picking up your cell and dialling the number.

"Hello?"

"Y/n?"

The familiar but groggy voice has you feeling a leap in your chest.

"Stelle?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you calling me on this number?"

"It's a burner."

"What happened?"

You hear the shaky sigh, the tightening of the throat.

"Can I come over?"

"Yeah, of course." You lick your lips, worry filling you up to the brim as you lean forward on your desk, looking out the window. "Meet me outside?"

"Mhm."

Ten minutes later, you outside in the cold in nothing but pajamas and a coat, she shows up. Her eyes are red, cheeks tearstained. She's wearing not nearly enough clothes and she's holding a duffel bag.

She's holding a duffel bag.

Oh god.

"Stelle, oh my goodness, are you okay?" You whisper-shout as you run up to her, cupping her cheeks as she drops the bag. You yelp out quietly as you feel her pull you into a tight hug.

"My mom found out."

"Huh?"

Stelle begins trembling in your arms, and you swallow back the worry as you pull away to look her in the eyes. You see how her eyes are welling up with tears again and your heart leaps up to your throat in worry.

"What happened?"

She takes in a shaky breath, looking down as she squeezes your hand.

"I- I'm not straight. I'm a lesbian."

Oh.

Stelle takes your silence the wrong way, she takes the way you stared at her the wrong way. She begins to back away, a look of hurt evident on her face.

"What? Are you upset about that too?"

"No, no!" You quickly clear your throat, heart racing for no reason in particular. "Stelle, thank you for telling me, really. I- do you need a place to stay?"

She nods, sniffling as she wipes away at a stray tear.

"Please."

Your mom is going to kill you tomorrow morning if she finds out, but before you even think twice you open the back door and let her in. She follows you like a lost puppy up to your room. She looks so exhausted and tired, and you're worried thinking about what happened that lead her to use a burner phone at 4 in the morning. You tell her to sleep in your bed, and you find yourself curling up on the couch- unable to bring yourself to sleep in the same bed as her. The thought haunts you, your parent not accepting you, never loving you- because you know it's partly coming true for you. Your mom has always had just a singular set goal for you and if you don't follow along, it's bound to fall apart. You just bring your knees up to your chest as you hug the couch cushion tightly, closing your eyes as you let out a shaky breath.

"Y/n?"

You flinch violently, squinting as the lights are turned on and you see your mom standing there, bleary-eyed but visibly upset.

"What are you doing?"

It's exhausting. All of it. You can feel yourself breaking down as you pick up the cushion, swallowing back the lump that has formed in your throat but to your surprise your mom isn't actually mad. She sits down next to you, stiff and awkward but worry seeps through her and you can feel it coating you too.

"Why are you on the couch."

You sigh.

"Stelle is in my room. Her mom kicked her out."

You were surprised when your mom didn't say anything, when she didn't get mad or start shouting at you for letting a friend in so late. Instead, she just nods.

"Does she need anything?"

You try not to let your surprise show as you look over at her, and she's not looking at you but you see the concerned look on her face as she looks out the window.

"Just somewhere to stay."

She nods.

"Okay. Sleep in my room tonight."

You are too tired to disagree tonight, just following her to her room and getting into bed. She doesn't follow, switching off the lights and closing the door to her room as you lay in her stiff bed. It's uncomfortable, rock hard and hurts your back but it's the safest you've felt in a long time as you bury yourself into the pillows and close your eyes. It's been a long month, and it's about to get longer with exam season coming up next month. A sound of a phone buzzing has you groaning, blinking groggily as you search through your pocket for the phone you never took out.

"Hello?"

There is only silence on the other end.

"Who is this?"

The phone eventually cuts off and you curse angrily, tossing it to the side before burying yourself into the bed once more.

Please, you just wanted to finally get some sleep.

Robin stares at her phone, swallowing as she stares at the remains of the call that had just happened. Her heartbeat echoes in her ears as she puts her head in her hands, taking in the last of your voice. Your voice when speaking to her with no malice or venom, pain or hurt. It was all she wanted for now.

[acrowwithakeyboard]

CVF fights and who seems to be able to beat who if caught in friendly fire

Putting a spoiler curtain over so it isn't taking up a huge chunk of screen unless you want to read

Basically what the tins got printed. While I try to rotate for a smaller group, sometimes my LDBs (mostly Ieama) has 8 people trudging along behind. When everyone aggros on a wolf the chances of someone NOT hitting a ally is never zero. There's been enough fights that I can figure who can beat who in a fight, tie with, or otherwise has a fluctuating score going. I’ve compiled more or less how the followers I currently have fare against each other in those fights. Now this is all based off of fights in my game, so if they are better in someone else's, I'll raise a glass for ' 'em!

Val: Spellswords are devastating. Pirates play dirty. Being both means he's not an easy opponent. He can take Redcap and Auri most times (unless Auri is far enough and has a clear shot she can take him out before his spells can reach her, while Redcap is a fast little friend and dodges his spells well). He hasn't fought Remi, though I think its just luck on that part, and it’s fluctuating with Tally and Xelzaz (I figure them to be a strategic lot, along with Nebarra), Gore has beat him down more than he’s won (their fighting lines really make for a scene) and he has yet to start shit with Nebarra, so we don't know yet if he would win or not. I'm thinking he'd lose though.

Auri: A very good archer indeed, she doesn't miss much, and constantly moves and creates distance between her and whoever messes with her. Can take down Nebarra and Redcap (the former usually isn't fast enough to get into close combat, and she has wicked aim when she's mad). She has not been in a fracas with Gore or Remi (by sentiment or luck I'm not sure) while Val, Tally and Xelzaz and can go toe to toe so the win/lose ratio is fluctuating. Generally, she fights the last three as an aid to someone else. Her taunts and fight lines about her eating her enemies hearts might also add a touch of fear into most of her opponents too. (Also, she keeps shooting me but I usually front line enemies, so, well call it an accident)

Gore: Generally, once he's set to beat someone's face clean through their ass he's not stopping, and will shrug off whatever is thrown at him to get the job done. He can and will fuck up Val, Xelzaz, Tally and Redcap if they hit him, (the first two have had wins, but Gore has beaten them more, the latter two... tried at least, but only managed once each) but he will get cut to ribbons if he pisses off Nebarra. He can adapt or overcome different opponents in close combat very well with his chosen weapon, and seems to have different approaches to each opponent. He will not hurt Auri or Remiel though. Not sure if he’s just never gotten aggro’d on those two or vise versa, if there’s a implemented code to keep him from going berserk on em, or he’s uniquely aware Auri will eat him should she kill him and just decided to Not Do That and Remi is, in his words, like a little sister so he wont hurt her no matter what, but he’s yet to fight them.

Remi: She generally gets people with a combo of skill and teamwork, and is pretty resourcful, Scrap helping out is also a given. Has beaten Xelzaz but apologized profusely, almost beat Redcap but stopped herself, and tried Nebarra but it, didn't go well. Most time if she is hit someone jumps in to help (Scrap automatically, but Gore also jumps in, and he can smoke quite a few folks in the party). She hasn't attacked Gore, Auri or Val, as of right now, BUT has had a near 10 minute long knock out drag down fist fight with Tally on a mountain in the Rift that ended in a tie and I’m waiting for round two to see who wins. They've yet to re-instigate the fight since. Scrap helped but she held her own very well without him after he was ejected quite suddenly from the fight.

Tally: He lasts a longer in a fight with people than other combinations, win or defeat. I chalk it up to him being used to close combat, working in and out of groups, and his experience in the Great war. Him and Nebarra are long time contenders and he’s won by both scrape of luck and strategy, has fought Xelzaz well and won more (only recently, not by much though). He got folded by Gore a lot when we first found him, still gets folded on the occasion, and he's only had one win against him. Auri has head shot him more than I can count but ultimately they are fluctuating, and Remi and him have had no winner but the longest fight I’ve ever seen between followers without one or the other falling. Neither were downed and I am waiting for the next one with concern and excitement.

Xelzaz: That Telvanni's stray firebolts have started a lot of fights. But as a good poisoner and a well taught wizard, he's got a good standing with most combatants. He has won some fights (Nebarra if he’s not right next to him immediately, Auri he has surprising good aim on though they are more or less equal) he can contend with Val and Tally for a bit, situational on who loses more, but apologizes to Remi and Redcap if he starts something with them, though he's been downed by Redcap. Gore I think has the drop on him with heavy steel and fast reflexes and the general bullheaded determination that affords pushing through being actively burnt and poisoned by Xel’s spells and weapons, so Xelzaz loses a fair bit more with him.

Redcap: Small body, big determination. He has beaten Gore, once. It was in Bleak Fall and he had 4 spears launched at him before he got close enough to hit Redcap, after which he made short work of the fight. He has had fights with him since but Gore is not an easy fight and gets the win now. Tally is his most recent win, (I got hit in the crossfire in that one), and he has taken Xelzaz down a few times but does stop the fight usually before that, same with Remi, if it happens at all. He’s been skewered by Auri, her aim is pretty damn good despite his small stature and speed, and he does damn well against Nebarra but ultimately loses (Nebarra usually gets him from behind first for some reason). Val can contend and win sometimes but hes small and VERY good at dodging Val's lightning. He also has skewered me and I and pretty sure I have died from a spear and low health combo once, so I’ll give that to him.

Nebarra is a vicious, embittered veteran of the Great war and it shows. Gore is often down in seconds, Remi taken off guard faster than you can say Dwemer, Redcap didn’t know what the Oblivion hit him, pretty sure Val hasn’t fought him only out of some begrudging respect for his skills. Regardless of these wins, him and Xelzaz have an Equal standing score more or less. Auri and Tally though are the closest thing to HR intervention to his not-so-appropriate comments on other races, but even then, those are hard won fights on their side. He's an old soldier doing whatever it takes to survive. This mer does not pull punches.

Finally, Scrap has taken down Gore, Auri, Xelzaz, Val, Redcap and a two of Xelzaz’s flame Atronachs, and they’ve all only fought him once ish to a completion. (the rest were stopped before his intervention) He attempted to aid Remi with her and Tally’s throw down but was blasted off the cliff by a well-placed ice spike. So, technically, Tally has probably the most wins against scrap in the group. But in conjunction with that, Scrap is the best fighter based on ratio of wins vs loses.

Ieama is one who has seen the most of these fights, and mostly let them resolve with a win before intervening. She is of the idea that beating the Oblivion out each other builds character and strengthens relationships. She is also a firm believer of 'talk shit, get hit' in Nebarra's case.

[loquaciousquark]

3. “Hey, it’s me, just me,” from @marigoldfaucet, @liliactrees, @servantofclio; 8. “Don’t look/look at me” from @gerundsandcoffee. 2600 words.

—

Something was very wrong with her shoulder. Even as dazed as she was, her head ringing like a gong, her vision doubling every time she opened her eyes, Tav could feel that something in her left shoulder was dangerously, frighteningly wrong. Someone was speaking very quickly above her—a woman’s voice, a man’s—and someone else at a slight remove—

Fuck. Fists. 

Imperative to get up. Imperative to get away as quickly as possible. She could nurse her wounds in the den, whatever ended up being wrong with her. Anything would be better than another bitter knockabout in Heapside. She must have pressed her luck again, lifted some trinket from someone a little too wealthy, a little too persistent. Not the first time. But gods, she thought she’d been so careful—

The man above her spoke again, the words slurred and hard to understand. Metzen, maybe. Maybe Sawyer. It didn’t matter—they all hit the same anyway. Tav clenched her teeth. God on the Rack, this was going to hurt.

“What is she—hey! Soldier, wait!”

“Mystra’s grace, did someone grease her when I wasn’t looking—Tav, my friend, it’s us!”

Oh, gods; oh, Tymora—let fortune find her now above all. Her head pounded white agony; the road swam and swept up to meet her, then dipped away again without warning. Somewhere in the Lower City. She didn’t know where. She lurched past a stack of crates, missed the grab for their steadying edges, and nearly fell. 

Shouts, calls. Someone among them knew her name—shit and shit and hells. She was running precious dear on favors, but her left arm hung limp as gallows rope and the alley had forked into four unsteady paths. She’d have to go to Lady Ague and take the cost full on the chin. How had she gotten so far from the den? She couldn’t remember—

Something crashed to the street beside her foot. A clay shingle, shattered in the fall. Someone was on the roof above her—she could sense them now, though the twilight haze filled her eyes when she tried to look up. A light, quick step. As light as her own, at least when she wasn’t—when she wasn’t—

Her foot came down, but the dirty street failed to meet it where it should. She stumbled, hand outstretched, but before she could plummet nose-first to the cobblestones an arm wrapped around her waist from behind. 

Instinct grappled with vertigo and won. He had a knife at his belt; she snared it and twisted free in the same motion, backing herself against the alley wall. She pressed her shoulders against the cool stone, trying for a modicum of steadiness; he drifted into two images and then one and then two again. 

White, curly hair. Hands empty, outstretched. An arrogant brow. Familiar, though she couldn’t put a name to him. Upper City gentry, surely. Too clean by half.

He was talking to her, though his eyes were trained on the wavering blade. She blinked rapidly, as if that might dampen the ringing in her ears, but she saw his mouth shape her name.

“—trail of blood a mile wide, darling. You should be grateful I’m the only one hunting you tonight, hmm?”

Hunting. The words were a threat, though the voice was coaxing. She sidled a step to her left, towards where she thought the nearest gap between dilapidated homes might be. 

“Now, now, let’s not do anything rash—”

She bolted. Three steps in, both knees turned suddenly to water, and Tav crashed to the ground. Lightning agony cascaded through her left arm; she couldn’t stop the groans. 

“Serves you right,” the man said above her, though he sounded shaken. Cold fingers plucked the knife from her unresisting grip; a careful hand rolled her off her left side onto her back. “There. Be still for me, darling—don’t hit me, be still!”

She went for his eyes again, but he caught her wrist easily and pinned it to her stomach. The world spun crazily behind him, the ramshackle roofs even more lopsided than usual. Her gut churned—

“Fuck,” Tav said, and turned her head just in time to be violently sick. The man said nothing—she felt like he ought to be disgusted—and when she was through he eased her to her back again, a little away from the mess. 

“Are we quite finished then?” he drawled, but the hand he laid on her forehead was blessedly cool. “Not that this hasn’t been charming in its own way, of course, but it turns out I rather prefer you lucid.”

Tav clenched her eyes shut, then opened them again. She tried to force his face into focus; he was bent over her, his white curls familiar, the red eyes familiar, his familiar mouth creased in a worried frown.

“That’s right, darling,” he said, and his voice was coaxing again. “It’s only me. No one at all to worry about, no Fists or Guild or patriars with old grudges. No one’s chasing you but me, love, and you gave me rather express permission to do so. Come now. Fetch the memory out of that worm-riddled brain of yours.” 

A name surfaced, foggy as the docks at dawn. Her tongue was so thick she could barely shape the word. “Astarion.”

“Very good,” he said, and even like this she could see the relief plain in his face. 

Astarion. Lover. Friend. Other names, other images dredged themselves up like the fishing boats she saw sometimes in the river, nets creaking and straining with the haul. 

Fireworks. Felogyr’s shop, and the ambush waiting on the top floor. Fire everywhere. A mage, finger outstretched towards her. A sickly green blast, a jolt of raw agony, and then the plummet backwards into open air. Sky—sunset—sky—brick pavers hurtling up towards her—

“I fell,” she gasped, and groaned again as the movement jolted her arm. 

“Like an exceedingly lovely stone.” She tried to turn her head to look at her shoulder, but Astarion caught her cheek and gently turned her to face him again. “Ah, ah, darling. You’d better not. This is a sight for Shadowheart alone, I think.”

The back of her throat burned with bile. “Hurts.”

”Shattering every bone in your arm does that, I’m afraid.” 

“Head, too.”

“Well, that’s because you’ve cracked your skull on top of everything else.” He said it lightly, but when he showed her his hand, his fingers were tipped with blood, and the lines of his mouth were tight. “You’ll simply have to wait here with me until Shadowheart comes.”

The twilight sky began spinning again behind his head, and she shut her eyes. “Shadowheart.”

“Yes, dear. Silver hair, a tacky fascination with black and purple, deific allegiances which are erratic at best. Heals like a mallet.”

She wasn’t really following the words, but his voice was soothing, musical, and every instinct she had told her to relax back into its wash. There was safety there. Affection. Not the same as the den, which was safe more for only having a defensible entrance and a single exit, but because the voice seemed to genuinely care about her. He didn’t want her hurt. 

Not a Fist. Not a guard. Just someone who would keep her safe or die trying. She was as sure of that as she was that she would never have a left arm again.

“Wake up, darling.”

A sharper tone now. She forced her eyes open—hadn’t realized they’d closed—and Astarion’s face rippled into something like focus. She couldn’t resolve him into one, though, and after a few attempts she gave up and looked towards the Astarion on the right. “What?”

“Eyes on me. Not a request.”

“Mm.”

“Tavish. Look at me.”

Gods, it was hard. His cool hands were on her face again, turning her towards him. The pain in her head had become a throbbing nail at the base of her skull. “Astarion…”

“A little longer. Shadowheart should be nearly here.” His eyes were very red in the twilight, almost glowing with their own light. Or perhaps that was her own infatuation. His brow creased. “What? What is it?”

“I like…hm.” She dragged in a breath and tried again. “I like looking at you.”

His voice gentled. “And I like looking at you, darling. I like it even better when your eyes point the same direction.”

She closed them obligingly, and a moment later cool fingertips began tracing circles on her temples. She wanted to say something, to thank him, but the pain in her arm was becoming a mighty ocean, and she was losing the battle to keep ashore. The fingertips ran down her cheeks, along her throat, back up again to press gently on her forehead. She hummed at that, though the sound was broken.

“Good girl.”

She hummed again from a greater distance. Faintly she heard a precise magical pop at the end of the alley, then more voices. A man’s voice. A woman’s. Two. She could name these, even through the fog: Gale, Shadowheart, Karlach. Also friends. Also safety. She relaxed back into the street.

Someone laid hands on her shoulders, her arm. That hurt—her groan of protest sparked something very rapid and angry from Astarion, and the hands let go—and then Shadowheart’s glowing blue palm covered her eyes.

“Go to sleep,” Shadowheart said, in the curt, direct way she always used when she was worried, and Tav let the tide rise and carry her out to sea.

—

“Wake up, my dear.”

The voice was imperious, demanding. It cut through even the sluggish black water in which Tav comfortably floated. She liked the sound of it very much—wanted to move towards it—but gods, she was so comfortable, so quiet, so still. She thought she could sleep forever if only the voice would leave her alone. And yet—the thought of abandoning it seemed somehow awful. Tragic beyond measure.

“Come on, darling. Time to rise and smell the city’s rank masses.”

Tav let the voice float over her, simply enjoying its pitch and rhythm. There was a brief pause, and a moment later cool fingers pinched her cheek hard enough to sting. The voice snapped, “Wake up!”

“Hells,” Tav gasped, and her eyes shot open.

Two blurry Astarions floated above her, both with the same worried expression that faded behind poorly concealed relief. “It’s abominably rude to keep everyone waiting,” he said instead, and when she blinked he at last deigned to collapse into a single bent figure.

There were walls behind him, she realized. Elfsong walls, with their pleasant tapestries and dark-stained wood paneling. The sky beyond the window was black with night. No alley, no street, no swirling twilight sky. Her left arm ached like a bulette had gotten hold of it, but her head was remarkably clear. “Astarion,” she said, and the rest of the memories abruptly crashed over her like toppling bricks. “Oh, gods. The fireworks shop.”

“Thoroughly destroyed,” Astarion said with satisfaction, but he was forced to curtail any lurid explanations as Shadowheart arrived to unceremoniously displace him. She sat on Tav’s bedside and examined her eyes and ears, the motion of her fingers and toes—sans the left hand, which was splinted shoulder to wrist—and even had her recite a handful of ridiculous phrases which Shadowheart listed off with ironic gravity. Finally, however, she pronounced Tav unlikely to die in the next handful of minutes, and when Wyll called her away to examine some gash on Karlach’s shoulder, Astarion settled back into the chair he’d pulled beside the bed.

“Well!” he said, with affected disinterest. “Here we are at last, alone and reasonably right-headed. Tell me: how prepared are you to bolt from the room this instant?”

“Considering my legs feel like twin jellies, I think it would be a very bad idea indeed.” She scraped a hand over her face, trying to reorganize the disjointed flashes of memory into something coherent. “Astarion…were you running on the roof?”

“You took flight like Zariel herself was after you, my dear. It could hardly be helped, even if you were weaving worse than a brothel-goer on payday.”

“You could have let me run. I wouldn’t have gotten far.”

Astarion gave her a withering look. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“It was only a thought,” Tav said, and she settled back into the pillows. Something warm was glowing in her heart, warming her pleasantly from the inside out, and when Astarion took her good hand she linked her fingers through his immediately. “Why doesn’t my arm hurt anymore?”

“You’re drugged to the gills.”

“That would do it,” Tav agreed, and that glowing warmth spiraled out with comfortable lassitude through every limb. Blinking suddenly seemed a tremendous effort. “Thank you for trying, anyway. For coming after me. I didn’t know who you were the whole time, but I knew you were safe.” She drew his hand up to her cheek and closed her eyes. “Eventually.” 

“Hm,” he said, but his voice was very gentle. “If that was how you made all your escapes, it’s no wonder the Fist had you in Heapside every other week.”

“No,” she sighed, pressing more fully against his cool hand. “I’m very deft. Very slippery…tenth finger, nearly. Every cork and rathole east of Wyrm’s Rock—I know them all. Any other time…any other time, I’d have been hangman’s mercy.”

“You’re talking nonsense again,” he said without much conviction, and she felt fingers trace into her hair at her temple, then slide down to the base of her skull and linger there. “My, my, what a lovely goose egg. Try again, darling. Aim for civilized conversation this time.”

“Nonce.” 

Astarion laughed and let her hair go, though she kept his other hand pillowed beneath her cheek. A few minutes passed quietly, and then through the drifting haze she heard footsteps approach. In a deafening whisper, Karlach asked, “Well, Fangs? How’s she doing? Got three words in a line yet?”

Tav felt Astarion’s fingers twitch in her grip, then deliberately relax again. She knew he was still unpracticed—uneasy—with this sort of open affection, but she couldn’t come down enough from the golden cloud to care, and anyhow, he’d stayed put of his own volition. That it was exactly her preference as well seemed incidental.

“Very nearly,” he drawled from somewhere above her. “Save a profound and unintelligible lapse into cant. I gather her mind has returned. Whatever the worm’s left of it, that is.”

“Good.” The bed shifted mightily as Karlach sat on the edge, and Tav let herself roll an inch or two towards the comforting heat. “Hey, soldier. You awake?”

“Mmph.” 

“Glad to hear it,” Karlach said, and laughed. It was a warm, wonderful laugh, and a moment later Gale’s cheerful baritone danced over her as well. There were words in there, probably, but the effort required to parse them had become suddenly impossible, and Tav was content to recline back into the sound like a feather bed. 

Someone spoke, low and steady. Karlach’s voice, warm as embers. Astarion said something in answer—familiar, aggrieved—and Karlach and Gale laughed again. A good sound. A perfect sound, if she were honest, so beautiful she could drown in the luxury.

She was safe. Of course she was. Gale had a smile in his voice; Karlach was still laughing. Astarion’s thumb stroked against her temple, hidden beneath her hair. They’d never let her fall again.

The gold grew thick around her. Like a ship drawn in at last from the storms, moored safely in the harbor’s shelter, Tav drifted off to sleep.

—

end.

[chaosduckies]

Restoration (Chapter 1)

Finally! Finished the first chapter! It’s also my first official g/t story. Enjoy!

Word count: 3,500

CW: Mentions of Death, Fear, and panic attacks (they don’t actually happen)

1- Nathan 

Don’t you wish that sometimes you could reverse time? Whether you never wished to be born, or if you just did something really embarrassing. You want to know what I would do if I could reverse time? Make sure my parents did move away from our little home in the country sooner. We all had loved it. With no loud noises and no people to tell us that we were weird. Just me, my parents, and the most beautiful view of coniferous trees ever. And that was stripped away from us. 

We had heard nothing but the dreadful screams and the cackling in the back of our minds. The only glimpse we had of out new home was the wicked smiles of our torturers. The only thing we were allowed to see were bodies being ripped in half. No longer the sight of the maple leaves turning orange during the fall, no longer the sight of a sunset. Nothing. Nothing but a red, bloody void.

Terrible right? How could I describe something you don’t even know? It’s not that hard. Just two words. Human trafficking. Where humans are taken away from our home and forced to make entertainment for beings with no hearts. They didn’t care what happened to anything that was below them in the food chain. That didn’t care how a “lesser” being felt. Because who would want to know about how a seven year old cried about seeing their own dad being ripped in half, huh? Who cared about how many times you’ve broken someone else’s bones? Who cared how much you traumatized a kid who used to have their whole life ahead of them? 

That was how I lived more than half of my life. Fearing everything that could and would hurt me. Scared of what would happen the very next day. Scared of the unknown truth that was my life. Even if my mom had kept reassuring me that everything would be okay. Even when my dad was long out of our lives, but never forgotten. Even when she was on the brink of death herself… 

Then, there was a glimmer of hope. And all I remembered were gun shots and my mom screaming and dragging me underneath something. Hidden away from the people that were trying to help us. After my mom had finally realized that those people were there to help, she asked me to go out and get them to come help her. I remembered seeing her bloody leg. I remember her tying a piece of string around to stop it from bleeding anymore. And I remember being scared to go. What was I supposed to do? I was just subdued to years and years of torture and all of a sudden I’m supposed to trust the same people that hurt us? 

The only reason I gathered up enough courage was because my mother had practically begged me and passed out afterward. I couldn’t leave her there to die like dad. And so what I thought would be our imminent doom yet again, was our hope for surviving. The people here helped get my mom to get better, and fixed up my multiple broken bones and wounds. They sent me to a program that taught basic skills before I could be placed into an actual school. Everything was going great. I had my life ahead of me. Then, the papers forcing my mom and I to transfer to a co-ed city arrived. 

Our little utopia was crumbling to the ground. Living in the same city as giants? Hah. No. I’d rather die than be around those monsters again. They’d just hurt us. And for some odd reason, my mom was smiling. Genuinely smiling even after reading the notice. She never looked mad, upset, or even the slightest bit scared. She smiled and cheered that we could have a normal life again. That I could have the childhood I never had. 

I admit, I believed this could be a good change as well. I could be around other people my age. Maybe make friends? And so began this great journey of trying to act like nothing had happened. Like my mom and I weren’t just subdued to torture for the last 8 years. No one would know, and no one would care. 

Today stated off as any normal day. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, ate breakfast. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the first day I was cleared to go to an actual school. After moving away from the hospital and coming over to the co-ed city, I kind of thought this was a good idea. I mean, who’s to say that it’ll tun out like it did in the country? For all I know I won’t even have to go to school with giants. I could just go to an all human school or something. That’s what I was hoping for on the way here. But, now that my mom and I have been here for nearly a month, I’ve learned that wasn’t the case. 

I was going to school with humans and giants. Whether I liked it or not. 

My mom tried to reassure me, saying that there were more rules set up in a city rather than in the country. That wasn’t what I was worried about though. I was more worried about what would happen if I was alone. This was a completely new place that I’ve never been to. Who know’s what could happen? 

The bus came to pick me up and some other younger kids who were laughing at something on their phones. The atmosphere had completely changed. It was thick, and heavy. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning? Or maybe it was because everyone dreaded the day? I mean it was Monday after all. Whatever was making them look so drained and tired was obviously not good. Making my nerves rise like crazy. 

I sat down near the front of the bus, trying to avoid the other kids my age. There was just something about them that had me on edge. It’s not like I didn’t want to to make friends, it’s just that I had to be careful who I place my trust in. Especially when I was going to a school made for people much, much bigger than me. 

It was hard to keep my mind off of the fact that I would be walking along with giants again, but unless I wanted to undergo a panic attack on my first day, it was best to just ignore everyone and everything. At least until I could work up the courage to walk without my legs losing balance or without running away. Which will probably happen today. I’d be surprised if I could go three minutes without freaking out. 

The school was around a ten minute drive from my house. Plenty of time to really set into perspective where I was going. I checked my phone to make sure I would be able to call my mom in case something went wrong, made sure I had my schedule, and soon enough we were all exiting the bus. 

In front of me was a huge building. This was the human entrance to the school. Giants was on the other side so I at least didn’t have to deal with that until later on in the day. Hopefully. Compared to what I was guessing the giant side of the school, the human side was extremely tiny. Overall, the place looked very nice. They had well-kept flowerbeds on the outside with a couple benches outside for I guess when students came here before the doors open. 

When you walked into the building, there were lockers lining the walls up until you reached the doorways to the main classes. People were crowding all over, trying to meet up with their friends or just trying to get to class early. It all felt too much for me. I wasn’t used to being around so many people at once and it was really overwhelming me. Meanwhile, I still needed to figure out where the heck my class was in this mess. Somewhere in this hallway hopefully… 

After wandering around aimlessly for ten minutes, I finally found the classroom, thankfully in the human school. The only problem was that I had all eyes on me. I was not used to this however. One or two people? I could deal with. But with and entire classroom full? It just made my nerves go all over the place, and of course I didn’t show it at all. Staring at the tiled ground and finding the one empty seat on the far left of the class between two girls who both glared at me like I just interrupted their very important conversation about how their makeup looked. I mean I did, but I was too afraid to apologize now that they already hated me. 

Overall, the first half of the day was okay. No one talked to me and I didn’t talk to anyone. Mostly because there were so many whispers and mentions of me that had me thinking they were already talking bad about me. Why was all the attention on me? I was probably the most uninteresting person ever. I even heard someone say that I wasn’t going to last a week in this place, which seemed right if I were being honest. 

The bell rang, releasing us for lunch, and I just followed the crowd that started flooding the halls. I wasn’t hungry. At all. It’s just that I don’t know where I’m going in this huge place. The human side of the school looked really small compared the the giants’ side, but it’s really big inside. 

The cafeteria was shared between both giants and humans. Why was I barely finding this out now? I had zero idea. It would have been helpful to know that beforehand so I could mentally prepare myself, but now I didn’t have anymore time and I was currently standing right in the middle of the floor searching for a place to hide. 

Of course there were human tables nearby, but I had no idea which group of people sat at which. The last thing I needed was for someone to get mad at me over a table. That would be pointless. So, here I was. Definitely not on the human side of the cafeteria, and instead standing right in the middle of a walkway for giants. Can I add on that? I was too frozen in fear to move. 

Sure, there were other humans walking along where I was, but they could actually move. I had no idea how they could when people that were as tall as skyscrapers, some even taller, were walking along with them. I don’t get it! Even more odd, humans were going around the giant tables and climbing into something that took them on top. 

So this place did have commodities for humans. There apparently were elevators that took you on top of the giant table to human tables on top. That only took me forever to figure out at that moment, but that’s what was going on. So everyone was friends here or something? Well, maybe not everyone since there were other humans sitting on their side.

After taking a good five minutes to gather up my thoughts, I finally was able to walk away from being in the middle of the floor and in a corner table where no one was currently sitting. The farthest table away from the giants. And it seemed like no one was going to sit here anyways. I can’t believe that I didn’t run away. I mean I was just frozen in fear, but that doesn’t count! 

  Lunch was loud. Mainly because the giant’s voices were so loud and I hated the fact that no one minded but me. These other kids have been here for who knows how long so I was guessing they were just used to it. It made sense in my head. 

Th day went on. The second half of my school day was mainly in the giant’s side, which I dreaded, but they made a separate hall to get there. One that avoided being stepped on I was guessing. The classrooms here were huge of course, and they had humans on a separate desk all together. To avoid what you may ask? I had zero idea. 

It was going alright until my last period. I had successfully avoided giants all day (To some extent) and then my last period came tumbling down right on top of me. First, there was no desk in the back that had the human-sized ones. Second, humans were taking one of those elevators like at lunch to get on top of a giant’s desk acting like they weren’t just a hundred feet up in the air. Third, but last, the teacher was approaching me. Did I mention she was a giant? 

“You must be Nathan! Nice to meet you!” She had greeted, crouching down and holding her hand out. Did… did she want me to shake her hand. Er… finger? Oh heck. My heart was beating fast as I stared at her outstretched hand. Um. What do I do? And suddenly those same eyes came onto me. Peering right through my body. Again, why did all the attention come to me? 

I reached out a shaky hand, trying to keep my legs from buckling underneath me, and lightly placed my hand over the tip of her finger as she gently shook it. I gulped, expecting for there to be more, but she smiled softly and sadly at me. What did that mean? Should I be worried? What class was this even? I just read on my paper to come to room 135. 

“Hm… now who doesn’t have a human partner?” She turned her head up, looking for any raised hands. I couldn’t see anything. Heck, I could barely even look up. There were still a couple eyes on me, and I couldn’t help but feel the acid from my stomach leave a nasty taste in my mouth. Just a couple more minutes and you can go home. I had to remind myself before the teacher smiled and told me to follow her. I did, just a little ways from her, trying to ignore the stares that were practically stabbing me in the back. 

I couldn’t help but hear whispers again. Where was she taking me. Wait let me rephrase that. Who was she taking me to? By the looks of it giants and humans were randomly paired up for some odd reason. On my way to whoever’s desk I was going to, I couldn’t help but dread this. What if I fell off? What if the person who’s desk I’ll be on forgets I’m there and knocks me off? What if they don’t like me? Questions swirled in my head, but I knew I wasn’t going to get answers right now. 

The teacher stopped, turned down to me and smiled. Was she waiting for me to do something? Oh wait. Elevator, right. Multiple sets of eyes were on me once again as the elevator slowly went up. Nerves built up inside of me. Anxiety. Heck, maybe even a panic attack. I felt dizzy, but I would survive. There was only thirty minutes left of the day. I could survive. Yeah. 

The elevator stopped, opening a little gate to the open desk with a huge journal on it. I gulped, taking my first steps. The first thing I noticed about this guy was that he didn’t look as welcoming as the teacher. He gave me “Quiet Kid” vibes. Not to mention that he was dressed in mostly black. 

Replayed in my mind was the sick smirk and laughter coming from my captors. If this guy got ahold of me I would be dead. I was so sure of it that I tasted the vile in my mouth and my knees nearly buckling right from underneath me. But, I couldn’t help but wonder why he was wearing a nervous look on his face instead of the usual sickening grin. 

“Ryker, Nathan. Nathan, Ryker. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.” The teacher cheered, heading to the front of the class and taking role call. Leaving all alone with someone who looked like he would rip my body in half. Just great. As soon as I had stepped out of the elevator, I was once again frozen with fear. This time at a much closer radius than I would have preferred. Because now I was definitely in arms reach of him. Not something that I’d like to be near.  

My eyes fell to the ground as tears threatened my eyes. Too bad I wasn’t going to let anyone see them. I slowly walked over to the human desk, seeing that it was father from the edge than I had thought and there were railings so it would pretty hard to fall off without actually trying. 

The teacher smiled while standing up from her chair, “Welcome to Human and Giant Interactions for those of you who don’t know. I’m Mrs. Kay. Some people are taking this class willingly, or they just need the credit to graduate, but I would still love to get everyone involved and take this class seriously.” She had explained. What. I don’t remember putting this on the extracurricular format. Then again the hospital did say these kinds of classes would benefit for me. So did they really have to put this class on my schedule? Life really did hate me. A lot. 

This class went by painfully slow. It was mainly just videos on current events with humans and giants, and then Mrs. Kay asking us questions to which only the people on the front desks had answered. Not that I even wanted to answer a question like that. But it was mostly hard to focus when you had someone who could very easily push me off the side of the desk without even trying. I mean, I never once looked behind me the entire class period. Only hearing him flip pages in his notebook from taking notes like everyone else in the room. 

One other thing I had noticed was that rarely anyone had talked. For a class that was supposed to bring humans and giants together, it really didn’t seem like it. Then again, I had no idea wha they really did in this class. Maybe she just doesn’t like talking? Or people didn’t want to get in trouble or something? They were too tired? That would make the most since it was the end of the day. 

It felt like forever before the final bell had rang. I rushed down that stupid elevator thingy and hurried out the doors to the bus stop so I wouldn’t have to dread this until tomorrow morning all over again. 

My mom was still at work, so I just cooked some dinner for myself, made her a plate and stuffed it in the fridge and went to my room. This was going to hard to get through, but if my mom thinks it’ll help then I believe her. I mean, what other choice did I have? 

As soon as I heard the front door open, I saw my mom sighing while putting up her purse. I walked to the kitchen to heat up her dinner, earning a quiet chuckle form her. It sort of made me sad to think that she’ll never smile the same way again. Heck, she can’t even stand it when people touch her after what had happened. But at least we’re both still alive. 

“Smells amazing Nate.” She complimented, using her same soft and broken voice. She grabbed one of the plastic plates from the cabinet and getting herself a cup of tea. 

“How was school?” 

What was I even supposed to say to her? That it was terrifying every second? That I barely even survived the day without going under a panic attack? I couldn’t tell her that. She’d be so worried about me she wouldn’t worry about herself. I couldn’t do that to my mom. 

“It was good.” I put on my best fake smile and made her plate. 

“That’s good. There were no troubles?” 

“None so far.” 

“Thank you for doing this Nate. I just want you to have a normal childhood. I couldn’t have you at that hospital any longer.” She sadly explained, planting a soft kiss on my cheek. 

“I know mom. I’ll be fine.” 

She gave me a warm smile before taking her plate and sitting on the couch with the tv on. She didn’t need to know that I was practically forcing myself to even be around other people. It would put too much stress on her. For now, I’ll just force myself to endure whatever decides to throw itself at me. 

————————————————

And first chapter officially done. To be honest I wrote this just for the fun of it. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually make this a series instead of abandoning it? Don’t know.

[sosa2imagines]

Misunderstanding. Part 8

Warnings- Fluff, little angst --------------------------------

Natasha's expression softened a bit, seeing Steve’s remorse. “You hurt her,” she pointed out bluntly. “You accused her of something she didn't do, without even hearing her side of the story.”

Steve's guilt intensified as he replayed the scene in his mind. He could still see the look on your face when he yelled at you. “I know...” his voice trailed off, “I screwed up badly.”

Natasha stopped searching for a moment to face him directly. “You need to apologize to her,” she said firmly. “A real apology. Not just a passing remark. She deserves that much.”

Steve nodded, knowing she was right. He knew he had hurt you deeply with his words and accusations. “I will. As soon as this is over, I'll apologize to her properly.”

Natasha gave him a final stern look before resuming her search. “You better!” she said. “She didn't deserve, to be on the receiving end of your misplaced jealousy. Ever since she is back, you have treated her badly, even kissing someone else.”

Steve winced at her reminder. He had been so caught up in his own emotions that he had forgotten that she knew about him kissing another woman. “I didn't kiss her...she forced herself upon me...”

Natasha shot him a skeptical look, not buying his excuse. “Really? She forced herself on you?”

Steve nods and tells her the whole truth.

Natasha shook her head, her annoyance evident. “You're an idiot sometimes, you know that, right? Actually, you both are idiots.”

Steve didn't argue with her assessment. He knew she was right. He had made one mistake after another when it came to you.

“I know...” he muttered, his voice filled with remorse.

Back on the other side,

“What do you mean Tons?” you ask.

“Oh boy,” he starts, “Back when Pepper and I were still figuring out our relationship, Matt decided to swoop in like the charming idiot he is.”

Matt chimes in with a playful grin, shrugging his shoulders modestly. “I was just doing my job.” he repeats, as if it's no big deal. Tony rolls his eyes, still annoyed by Matt's nonchalance.

“Yeah, he told me and Nat, that he was your lawyer in the past, and due to some advice, you have problems with him?”

Tony's mood shifts, and a mix of frustration and amusement crosses his face. “Problems? More like a persistent headache.” He leans back, shaking his head at the memory. “Let's just say his ‘advice’ didn't exactly go according to plan.”

Tony shoots a glare at Matt, who just smiles innocently, clearly enjoying getting under Tony's skin.

“Wait, what problem did you have with Steve?”

Tony gasps and look at Matt with a disbelief look. “You told them?”

Matt just smiles, “I don’t lie to pretty women.”

Matt chimes in with a grin, relishing the memory. “Yeah, I still remember that day.”

Tony interjects with a groan. “I still curse the day I asked you for advice.”

“But what was the problem?” you ask, too curious and eager to know.

Matt takes this opportunity to recount the story, enjoying the chance to annoy Tony. “Well, Mr. Billionaire here...” he gestures to Tony “had a disagreement with Captain America.”

Tony rolls his eyes, clearly not pleased with where this conversation is headed. Not wanting to let Matt take the lead on this story, he cuts in, ready to give his side of the drama.

“Cap was being a pain in my ass-”

“Don’t you dare lie!” you cut him.

“Why do I keep forgetting about your love for him?”

Matt interferes, “It was about an article...more like fashion article.”

Tony's face turns red with embarrassment, and he glares at Matt for airing out the secret. “Damn you!” Tony mutters under his breath.

Matt continues, enjoying Tony's discomfort. “Tony had a rather unflattering photo in the papers, and it stirred up quite the media frenzy.”

“But what's the connection of Steve in this?” you ask.

Tony crosses his arms, still annoyed at the memory, while Matt smiles, relishing in stirring the pot. “Cap happened to stumble upon that photo, and in true superhero fashion, he decided to give his two cents on the situation.”

“He wanted to sue Steve, for that?” you gasped.

Matt chuckles, “No, he wanted to sue the damn newspaper. And our dear Mr. Billionaire here had a brilliant idea.”

Tony grumbles, still not over the fact that the “brilliant idea” turned out to be a mistake. “Shut up.”

Matt turns to you with a grin. “Our genius friend over there wanted to sue them for 'defamation of character'.”

Tony looks like he wants to strangle Matt but decides to finish the story himself. “They claimed the photo had negatively impacted my image, that I should become more responsible and rational. I wanted compensation for that.”

Matt couldn't hold back a chuckle, amused by the absurdity of the situation. “So, being a good lawyer, I had to bring him crashing back to reality.”

“Hey they printed a wrong photo of me and they have the audacity, to say it's a negative impact for my image?!” Tony tells you.

“And let me guess, Pepper was impressed by your work and Tony here got…”

“Don’t you dare kid!” Tony warns. “Okay...” you laugh covering it with a cough.

“Now, see? This is why I'm clearly her favorite superhero.”

Tony rolls his eyes, clearly not amused, but tries to keep his snarky remarks coming. “In your dreams, devil boy.”

Tony refocuses his attention on the task at hand, muttering under his breath about Matt as he dives back into deciphering the code system. “I hate that guy.”

Matt just grins, clearly amused by Tony's annoyance, while Tony continues working silently.

Tony dives deeper into the code system, his genius mind working at full speed. He takes a moment to study the patterns, the sequences, and the peculiarities of the bomb's circuitry.

“Alright...just a matter of time...” He carefully examines different components of the bomb, running numerous calculations in his head. Then, suddenly, his eyes light up as he makes a breakthrough.

“Eureka, I figured it out!”

Meanwhile, Steve and Natasha continue their search for the remaining wires, meticulously checking every room and hallway.

Suddenly, Natasha spots something under a desk. She crouches down and finds a hidden compartment connected to some wires.

“Found it!”

Steve immediately rushes to her side, his gaze fixed on the newly discovered wires. “That's the one.”

Natasha leans in for a closer for further inspection. “This is where they are all connected.”

Steve nods, sharing her sense of urgency. As Natasha continues tracing the path of the wires, the sound of his comm crackles to life.

Tony's voice speaks through the comm. “Hey, guys. I've deciphered the code.”

Both Natasha and Steve exchange a glance, “Copy that, Stark. We've found the main connecting point.”

Part 7 - Part 9

Taglist- @blackhawkfanatic @ordelix @sapphirebarnes @differenttyphoonwerewolf @vicmc624 @thezombieprostitute @lillyxlillian @nekoannie-chan @ashley202 @lovely-geek @redbloodedgurl

[pickinglilahs]

Blackeclipse for the soul

Soulmate au

No idea how long this is

Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 6.5; Part 8

Remus/James/Regulus (Reggie isn't mentioned till Part 2)

I would make this a longer, more in-depth fic...but then I'd never finish it

Most people have their Soul Marks on their hands or arms. They are the lucky ones. You can usually see it appear as you shake their hand or whatever.

Even people who have them higher up on their biceps or chest from running into each other can usually see who they ran into, can feel the Mark rise to the surface.

Very few who have a Mark don't know who their Soulmate is. The people who were jostled in a crowd and didn't feel it forming. Those who met so many people at a time that it was impossible to identify the correct one.

Remus Lupin had never been lucky.

It was in his third year at Hogwarts that Madam Pomfrey brought up the Mark on his shoulder. She had asked him why he wasn't using their soul bond to help with the pain and recovery.

At his confusion, she had produced a mirror. Sure enough, on the back of his right shoulder, there was a moon inside of a sun. It looked as big as his palm and was very clearly a Soul Mark.

Poppy was surprised he didn't know it was there. Apparently, she had seen it the first Full he had spent in the castle and assumed he knew. It was rare that someone didn't know, so she hadn't thought to ask.

In a matter of seconds, Remus had resigned himself to the knowledge that he would never know his Soulmate.

There was no way to track your Soulmate until the bond was complete. So, short of posting a picture of his mark around the castle, there really wasn't anything he could do. And that was, of course, assuming they even went to Hogwarts.

It wasn't until two years later, almost to the day, that his luck changed.

~~~

He was roused by someone gently running their fingers through his hair. He was lying on his side and definitely in the Shrieking Shack.

"Hey, Moons." It was James. Remus didn't even need to open his eyes to see the tired smile on his friend's face. "Poppy will be here soon. We have to go, but we'll meet you in the hospital wing, okay?"

Remus nodded, or, at least, he tried to. He wasn't sure how successful he was considering his head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, then used as a bludger.

Still, James must have gotten the message because he heard the other boy stand and move away. There was a soft chorus of 'bye's and 'see you in a bit's as his friends left.

It had been a success, then. The Wolf hadn't attacked his friends while they held their animagi forms. Despite his best efforts, Remus felt tears rolling sideways down to his ear.

He couldn't remember last night, but the knowledge that he hadn't been alone was enough. And, as he slowly came further into consciousness, he realized that he wasn't torn and bloody.

He didn't know if this was because his friends had already healed him, or if they had stopped him from hurting himself in the first place.

Before he could start worrying about if he had hurt his friends instead, he heard Poppy coming up from the tunnel. Remus pushed himself upright and looked over his shoulder in time to see her step through the doorway.

She helped him dress, stand, and make his way back through the tunnel. By the time they reached the castle, he almost felt better. Poppy clearly noticed the change, but she kept her comments—and suspicions—to herself.

He hadn't been settled into the hospital wing for more than five minutes when James came in with a plate of food. At this, an alarm bell went off in Remus' brain, and it took him a moment to realize why.

James was alone.

And he looked nervous.

Panic gripped Remus' heart and it must have shown on his face because James ran the last few steps to his bed.

He set the food aside and took Remus' face in both hands. "Hey, hey. Everyone's fine. No one's hurt. It was a success! We're all okay! I promise!" James' words were hushed but adamant.

Remus searched his face for any sign of a lie. Upon finding none, he slowly let out a breath. "But- Then...Why..." Remus wasn't sure how to phrase his question. He wasn't used to being at a loss for words, but his heart was still thumping painfully in his chest.

James, sitting on his bed now, stoked his thumbs over Remus' cheekbones. He smiled shyly at Remus for a moment before, "Because... I have something to tell you." At the renewed fear in Remus' eyes and the way he brought his own hands up to hold James' forearms, he hurried on. "It's not bad! It's nothing bad, just... Strange? No, not strange. Um... Unexpected?"

Remus' fear almost completely dissolved into confusion as James struggled. "James, if it's not bad, why are you nervous? And why did you have to come alone to tell me?" His voice was rough and weak, but he really couldn't take much more suspense.

James paused, took a deep breath—hands still on Remus' face—looked him in the eyes, and blurted, "We'reSoulmatesandIdidn'tknowhowtotellyoubecauseyouneversaidanythingandIdidn'tknowhowyou'dreact"

Remus froze.

He stopped breathing.

His brain short-circuited.

His heart stopped beating.

Well, that may be an exaggeration, but everything after 'We're Soulmates' was lost on him.

They were roommates. They had been roommates for YEARS now! How did they not know? How had none of them ever noticed? How did James know now? What changed? Had James really never seen his Mark before?

An eternity passed before James quietly whispered, "Remus?"

He startled, eyes focusing back on James. "Where?"

He didn't need to elaborate; James was already moving. He stood and unbuttoned his trousers. Out of habit, Remus looked away.

And then it hit him. Of course! Remus looked back and, sure enough, there was the matching Mark. James was holding his pants in such a way that the Mark was visible, but his crotch wasn't. Because there it was. On James' right hip bone, low enough to be covered by his pants and close enough to his crotch that Remus had always averted his eyes.

He had heard James and Sirius talking about it in first year, but Remus didn't know he had one then. And by the time Poppy had brought up his Mark, he had all but forgotten about James'. His immediate resignation to never finding his soulmate had kept him from telling his friends at all. He also assumed, like Poppy had with him, that they already knew it was there.

They both jumped when Remus' fingers brushed the Mark. He hadn't meant to reach out, but he was a moth to a flame. His fingers tingled as they brushed James' skin; the Mark turning silver under his touch.

Poppy cleared her throat and they both jumped again. James quickly pulled his trousers back up and Remus firmly set his hands in his lap. But she was smiling at them.

Well, she was frowning, but the arch of her eyebrow and the look in her eye showed clear amusement. "Please keep your trousers on Mr. Potter. This is not the lavatory."

James nodded quickly, but both boys smiled at her as she came over. She had James join Remus on the bed so she could show them how to use their bond to heal each other.

Because their marks were in such odd places, she had them put their hands over each other's Marks; on top of their clothes. So really, James just put his arm around him, and Remus laid on his side, hand on James' hip.

By the time they were settled and Poppy was done explaining, Remus was fast asleep.

[spaceyaceface]

Worry - Safety Ch 8

Ominis Gaunt x f!Ravenclaw!Reader (Reader is not MC)

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: Emotional abuse (implied)

Summary: Y/N L/N had always despised Ominis Gaunt. He was everything she hated about her life. As the only daughter to a wealthy pure-blood family, she knew it was inevitable that she would someday find herself in an arranged marriage.

But why did it have to be him?

Or, a classic arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, slow burn.

Also available on AO3

Chapter One | Chapter Seven

Ominis wasn’t sure exactly when the passing days got away from him. He supposed it was sometime shortly after the day they pranked Duncan together. There was a strange shift that afternoon that made time feel like a breeze. She was now a usual part of their group, a constant that Ominis found he could rely on. 

She no longer sighed when Constance walked in, or stiffened up when she saw her old friend. Instead, she pointedly ignored her. Ominis thought it was for the better, a strange and strong dislike for Constance filling him anytime she happened to be around. After everything she had put her through… 

Since then, fall had made its way slowly into winter. The air became frigid and cold, and the school grounds were covered in a blanket of snow. While Ominis usually looked forward to Christmas and the break in schoolwork, he found himself dreading it this year. 

For one, he had received a letter from his parents that he would be returning home for the holidays, no arguments. He’d been told they required his presence for some sort of event, and the possibilities made his stomach churn. For the past several years, his Christmases had been spent at the Sallows, and it was there he had found a home. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was damn better than his own. He’d managed to do a bit of negotiation with his parents, and they granted him permission to leave for the Sallows on the final day of the break. That was his one bit of hope to cling to. 

But he was worried for another reason, too. She would be going home as well, just as she always did during Christmas break. Though never before with a threat on her life. 

There was this nagging feeling inside him that longed to be beside her, to find a way to protect her. He didn’t want to leave her alone with those who had hurt her before and were all too willing to do so again. It was ridiculous—there was nothing much he could do. But as the time for break came closer and closer, he found himself less worried about returning to his own home, and more concerned about her safety. 

He was determined to act the part of the perfect child when he went home—for her sake. He couldn’t be sure how closely their parents were all working together, trying to keep their match. Any mistake he made could result in ramifications for both of them, if wasn’t careful. He’d stopped trying to fight against the arrangement as soon as she had been threatened, fearing that any pressing from him would result in her father’s anger being taken out on her. 

It wasn’t much, but he told himself he was protecting her the only way he could. 

Sebastian had noticed the shift in their friendship, Ominis was sure, but he didn’t ask why. And neither she nor Ominis told him. He’d been able to summarize enough that the situation had gone from bad to worse, and that was enough for him. Ominis was grateful that he knew the boundaries and lines he could and couldn’t cross, especially after someone else had so blatantly disregarded such things. 

No, the only acknowledgement that Sebastian gave to whatever change had occurred was the occasional tease toward Ominis, pointing out how protective he was. How if he wasn’t careful, he was soon to have his status of best friend ripped away from him. 

Ominis didn’t really have much defense to give to that. Well, besides the best friend part. Sebastian had secured himself that spot for life. His friendship with her was somehow… different. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt distinctly other than his relationships with Sebastian or even Anne. But he found he didn’t mind it. 

They’d spent a lot of time together, comfortable in each other’s presence. Breaking down in someone’s arms could do that, he supposed. He taught her more and more on piano—she was becoming quite proficient, and he had a sense of pride every time he heard her play. In exchange, she’d began reading him some of her favorite Muggle poems and writings. There was something about the words she spoke and the way she said them that had him completely entranced. It was a happy little thing of give and take, sharing and learning. 

So as he sat down at the piano bench for what was sure to be the last time before break, he couldn’t help but be filled with a distinct feeling of sorrow. He’d miss her. 

He listened to her play, stumbling over some of the notes here and there, but she was quick to correct herself now. He smiled softly, finding himself humming along to the tune. 

She sighed as she finished the piece. “I wish I had a piano at home. At least I’d have something to make the time go by faster.” 

He smiled a bit. “I’m sure it’ll be over before either of us know it.”

“Or it’ll drag on into the eternities.” 

He chuckled. His lips pressed together for a moment before he spoke again. “Are you going to be alright there?” 

The air was heavy with silence for a few seconds until she answered. “Yes, I should be fine.” She shifted in her seat, turning to face him properly. “Will you be alright?”

He could have laughed. The concern in her voice made it sound like he was the one who had something to worry about. Not that everything at his home was perfect, of course, but he wasn’t going there fearing for his life—knowingly, at least. 

“I’ll survive,” he said. He frowned. “If you sense anything off, anything at all, please send me an owl. I’ll find a way to get you out of there. My home isn’t much better, but if that’s what it takes to get you away from them, I won’t hesitate.”

“Ominis—” 

“I don’t want you getting hurt.” 

She placed her hand on his arm, and he paused, taking in the reassuring gesture. “I’ll be okay,” she said softly. 

He took a deep breath. “I know. But I can’t help but worry.” 

“Do you think I’m not?” Her hand slid down his arm, and before she had a chance to pull it away, he took it in his own, lacing his fingers in hers. That was another thing that had become normal during their time together. These gentle touches, a way to speak to one another that felt a bit more concise than the words they could’ve used. It was comforting. “I’ve taken care of myself for this long. I know what I’m doing. And know that my worry extends to you, too. I don’t like the fact that they’re forcing you home.” 

“I’m sure it’s something tedious. Probably distant family visiting or something of the like,” he said. But he wasn’t sure. He had an uneasy feeling, but he truly had no clue what his family had planned. 

She seemed just as convinced of his halfhearted lie as he was, and let out a sigh. “I guess there’s nothing we can do but wait and see.” We, she said. As if they were somehow together in it. Perhaps they were. 

He’d become pretty proficient in reading her lately, and had no trouble sensing that she was hesitating about something as they sat. “What is it?” 

The nails of her free hand tapped softly on the bench beside her before she finally sighed and let go of his hand. “Well, I suppose I won’t have many more chances to do it, and now is as good a time as any.”

His brows furrowed. “Chances for what?”

She leaned down, grabbing her bag and taking something out of it. It sounded like paper, but… muffled, somehow. It only heightened his confusion until she pressed it into his hands, and he felt the shape of it. 

It was a wrapped gift. 

His mouth fell open slightly. “You didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to.” 

“But I haven’t gotten you anything,” he said, trying to push the gift back toward her. 

She chuckled, scooting away. “You’ve done plenty to earn it. Consider it payment for my piano lessons if that pleases you.” 

He frowned, sensing this was a battle he would inevitably lose. In defeat, he grabbed for the gift once again, turning it over in his hands. Even through the paper, it felt soft. He removed the wrappings and was left with a length of fabric in his hands. It came unfolded as he moved his hands along it, the texture feeling wonderfully soft beneath his fingertips. “A scarf?” he asked. 

“Yes,” she answered. 

His eyes widened. “You knit this, didn’t you?” She’d been practicing more and more lately. The idea had never even crossed his mind that she might be making something for him. He held the scarf with a new appreciation, feeling over each stitch. 

“I certainly tried to,” she said, chuckling a bit. “If I’m honest, I’m a bit glad you can’t see it. It’s not exactly a work of art. It is soft, though.” 

“It’s perfect,” he insisted, not hesitating to wrap it around his neck. “It’s soft. It keeps me warm. What else could I want in a scarf?” Even as he spoke, he noticed something else about it—it carried the scent of her vanilla perfume. 

There was a grin in her voice as she spoke. “Good. It’ll serve its purpose well, then.” 

He nodded, smiling as well. “I’ll have something to give you by the time break is over.” 

“Ominis, you don’t—”

“Have to, yes. I want to.” He did. He really did want to. She’d gone through all this effort to make something for him—how could he not long to do the same for her? He’d been thinking about getting her a gift before, but hadn’t been sure if it would be considered too much. He’d never really received or given many gifts in his lifetime, besides Sebastian and Anne. But now he was determined to include her in that list. 

“Then I suppose I’ll have something to look forward to,” she said. She sighed after that. “It’s late. I should get packed to leave in the morning.”

“As should I,” Ominis said. There was a sorrow in her tone, one he was sure he was matching. 

She stood, grabbing her bag and walking to the door. He stayed put, wanting to play one last song before he left—she seemed to understand that. It was quiet for a moment, and he was just about to place his hands on the keys, sure she had left, when she spoke again. 

“Write me, will you?” 

He tilted his head in his direction, small smile coming to his lips. “Every day.” 

As he played late into the night, he let the scent of her perfume comfort him. This little reminder of her would help him through, as silly as it was. Ten days. He could make it ten days while worrying about her. He had to. 

He didn’t have much choice otherwise. 

-

She felt like a ghost of herself the moment she stepped into the front room. A light had turned off inside her, and she found the familiar feeling of emptiness coming over her. 

She could do this. 

Footsteps echoed off the walls, and she turned to see her parents approaching. Her mother hung on her father’s arm, meeting her eyes briefly before looking down at the ground. 

“Welcome home,” her father said. She bit the inside of her cheek. 

“Thank you, Father.” 

They stopped, the pair facing her. She showed no fear. No anger. Nothing. 

“The elves will take your things up,” he said. “We will expect you for dinner in the evening.”

So they would ignore it. All of it. Once, she would have found this preferable, but she was old enough now to know his twisted mind. His threats were no less present than the moment he gave them, and his silence on the matter showed that one toe out of line would have him reminding her—or perhaps just dealing them without another warning. 

“Of course, Father. I will be there.” She nodded at him, then to her mother. 

She waited for her father’s slight nod of approval before she turned, walking up the staircase to where her bedroom was located. Once out of sight, she took a deep breath. Merlin, she hated this place. 

She walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. The room was bare, as it always had been, void of any personality besides the gaudy designs in the wallpaper and furniture. It felt even colder than she remembered. She sat on her bed, closing her eyes. The last several weeks of lightheartedness slipped away from her in every passing moment, and she found herself desperately trying to remember some of the stupid jokes Sebastian had made, the way her face would ache from smiling, the sound of Ominis’s laugh. 

The sound of the door handle turning pulled her from her thoughts, and her eyes shot open. The door opened, and relief flooded through her immediately. 

“Diane!” 

She leapt up from the bed, taking the bag she was carrying in an instant and setting it aside. With that obstacle out of the way, she threw her arms around the older woman. 

“I’ve missed you,” she said into her shoulder. 

“As I have you, child,” Diane replied, returning her embrace. Some of the cold seeped away. Just a little. 

Diane pulled away, looking her right in the face and reaching up a hand to pinch her cheek. “My, look at this girl. All grown up now.” 

She grinned at her, chuckling. “I look the same as I did just a few months ago, what on earth are you talking about?” 

“Ah, poppycock. You’re older. Wiser. Nearly as old and as wise as me. You’ll catch up, if you’re not careful.” Diane smiled back, the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes deepening as she did so. 

“Would that be such a bad thing?” she asked. 

“It would be positively terrible. You’d be an old maid like me, too.” 

Her smile faltered. “You… have you heard the news? I don’t really have to worry about that anymore.” 

Diane’s smile turned sympathetic as she walked the two of them to the bed to sit. “I’m afraid I have. I’m sorry, my dear. If I had any power over any of this, I’d set you free in an instant.” 

“It could be worse,” she admitted. “I’ve gotten to know him. Ominis Gaunt. We’re friends now, if you can believe it. He’s nothing like I thought he would be.” 

Diane’s smile widened. “Friends? My, I’m happy to hear it. Even happier to know… well, never mind that for now.”

Her brows furrowed. “Never mind what?” 

“You’ll find out soon enough, I promise, dearie. Don’t you worry about it.” 

“You are aware telling someone not to worry makes them worry infinitely more, don’t you?” 

“See? You’re wiser. Just like I said.” She patted her hand before standing. “I’m afraid I've got to nip back to the kitchens. I managed to slip away to bring up your things, but they’ll be expecting me back any moment. 

She frowned, not afraid to look a bit like she was pouting. Not for Diane. “Come again soon? Please? So I can convince you to tell me?” 

Diane chuckled, leaning down to place a kiss on the crown of her head. “I think you’ll know even sooner than that. But yes. I’ll be back, dear. Don’t you worry.” 

She sighed as she left the room, moving to drag her bag over. It seemed that Diane had been able to get them to send her instead of one of the elves, which she was grateful for. She always felt bad just sitting there and watching when one of the creatures would unpack for her. She much preferred to do it herself, for the distraction, if nothing else. 

She took her time going through her bag, seeing as it was her excuse to hide away for as long as possible. She pried up the loose floorboard by her bed, stashing away her Muggle books just as she always did. Each skirt and blouse was hung in her wardrobe, smoothed out to keep from wrinkling any further. And soon only her basic school supplies remained. 

She stacked her textbook on her desk, then stared down at the parchment and quills laid out her bed. Normally, she would write Constance, letting her know she had arrived safely and making sure her friend had done the same. There would be none of that this year. 

The only other person she could think of writing was Ominis. 

Tapping her fingers on her leg, she debated the idea. He had said he would write. Shouldn’t she let him live up to his word and let him reach out first? 

As it turned out, she didn’t have to think on it for long. 

A tap came from her window, and she pushed aside the curtain to see an owl perched there, envelope in its beak. She opened the window much more eagerly than she should have, snatching the envelope before tearing it open. The owl fretted, but she only waved a dismissive hand at him. 

A smile crept to her face as she saw the letters on the page, the scrawl having become familiar over the past few weeks of sharing notes from studying. 

Dearest,

(I do hope it’s alright I call you dearest here, it is a fairly common way to start a letter, and in any case, you are far enough away where you can’t duel me if you think otherwise.) 

I just wanted to let you know that I have arrived home. Thankfully, none of my siblings will be present until the end of the holiday, so I have my solitude to console me. 

Still no word on what exactly I was summoned home for. I hope to find out soon, and intend to inform you as soon as I know. 

But enough about how I’m faring. How are you? Are you safe? I know I sent this owl rather early, but I think the circumstances negate any embarrassment I should have in doing so. 

Please tell me how you are. I await your word.

Your friend, 

Ominis Gaunt. 

P.S. I must thank you again for the scarf. It kept me warm during my travels, and will continue to do so as I roam these halls. 

She couldn’t help but laugh at his cheeky opening, remembering all too well the fury that word had brought her in the not-so-distant past. Funny, she couldn’t even imagine being angry with him now. 

It was a relief to hear that his siblings weren’t with him. She hadn’t heard much about them, but the little bits Ominis did share painted a dismal picture of his family. She’d hate it he was more miserable than he had to be. 

With any hesitation on writing him removed, she brought some parchment and ink to her desk, settling down to pen his letter. 

Dearest Ominis,

I found it fit to return the favor, seeing there are few ways I can retaliate at the moment. You better pray my anger leaves me before we meet again. 

I’ll start off by telling you that I am home and I am safe, as much as I can be. My father has chosen to stay quiet about the situation, and I will do the same. If I stay in line, I should be alright. 

Please do write as soon as I you know what is happening. I have to admit, it’s keeping me quite on edge. When I spoke with Diane earlier, she mentioned something might be happening here as well, though hers was framed as something I might enjoy. I can’t imagine what it might be. 

I’m sure my scarf will continue to treat you well. Don’t wear it out too quickly—or I’ll have to make you another one. 

Your friend,

She signed the letter, finally paying mind to the owl still hopping from foot to foot at her windowsill. Leaving the window open for all that time had brought a chill into the room, but she didn’t mind it. A quick search through some of her school things and she found a small treat for the bird, sending it off to its sender with a new letter in its beak. 

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly as she read anxiously from one of her books, eyes darting up to the clock every page or so. She wanted to be on time for dinner. Had to be. A few minutes before six, she arose from her seat, stopping to look in front of her mirror, straightening her hair. Then, taking a deep breath, she began her walk down to the dining room. 

The table was set when she arrived, only three seats at the far end having plates in front of them. Food was laid out on platters, and while it looked very similar, it lacked any of the comfort the feasts in the Great Hall provided. Her father was already sat at the head of the table, and her mother to his left. The third plate was sat across from her, which she took. 

“We were about to send someone up to fetch you,” her father grumbled as he served himself without waiting another moment. 

“Sorry, Father. I’ll watch the time better tomorrow night.” 

She served herself only after both of her parents had done so, and they ate in silence. It was usual for their family meals. She was surprised when her father cleared his throat, calling her attention to him. Looking up at him, she saw him nod at her mother, who turned to her. 

Her voice was airy when she spoke, as it usually was. “We will be having guests over for our Christmas dinner,” she said. It was difficult to hear her, even in the silent room. “The Gaunts will join us, so that we may formally ready ourselves for the binding of our families.”

Her jaw dropped open. “The… the Gaunts?” she repeated softly. A wave of emotions ran through her. This had to have been why his family insisted he came home. And what Diane had mentioned earlier. She didn’t have to wait so long to see a friendly face, even if it meant he had to join her in her prison for a while. She sucked in a breath, realizing her words might be taken as a complaint, and quickly spoke up to fix it. “I will do all I can to please them.” 

She glanced at her father to gauge if she had spoken well, and when his face stayed cool and even, she let out the breath she’d been holding. 

“Yes,” he said. “We wanted you to be properly prepared to be on your best behavior. You are dismissed.”She stood quickly, nodding at each of her parents before fleeing the room. Despite herself, she actually smiled while walking back up the stairs, already composing the letter she would send Ominis in her mind.

-

Chapter Nine

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