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teklarn · 3 years ago

Note

I NEED A PART TWO FOR BAUKGOU’S AWKWARD CONFESSION!!

𝓫𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓪𝓵 - 𝓴. 𝓫𝓪𝓴𝓾𝓰𝓸𝓾 𝓹𝓽. 2

character(s): katsuki bakugou x fem!reader

a/n: k the first one kinda blew up and i've been on tumblr for like a week and it made me rly happy receiving the requests ty <33 thank u for all the reblogs too !! this is a bit later than i hoped it would come out b/c half of the original fic was deleted by accident, but i’m on summer break until sept 5 so hopefully i’ll still update frequently.

𝕣𝕖𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕!

summary: bakugou finds he’s rejecting his feelings for you in fear of becoming weak, however he just can’t seem to ignore you.

genre: lil angsty, fluffy at the end

warnings: cursing, one-sided pining, gave reader a quirk, the fighting scene is bs i cannot write action scenes at all im so sorry lol, second hand embarrassment for our dearest dynamight :(

word count: 2507

pls don't mind any typos! i try to edit to the best of my ability but i tend to type fast and i might miss a few or a lot of things.

- - -

read part one here my loves !!

you found yourself bored, cheeks puffing out as you swirled around the drink in your glass cup, sitting across from midoriya. he was muttering again, which you’d always found cute, however you weren’t listening this time at all.

part of the reason you’d rejected bakugou was due to the fact midoriya had requested your attention first, and not as friends. if you’d told bakugou that, it would just wound his delicate ego on top of the fact that you truly had no interest in him whatsoever.

at the moment, though, he was the only thing on your mind. there was no sudden spark of attraction you’d felt when he’d confessed. of course, anyone would find it flattering that the katsuki bakugou found you attractive. his standards were higher than the clouds.

at the moment, it felt like something was blocking your chest from feeling something for him, however you couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

“—it was amazing, right, y/n? y/n?”

your eyes flickered up to meet the emerald, wide-eyed eyes of your friend. you contemplated lying, but it was no use. shaking your head softly and pursing your lips, you set your drink down. “i’m sorry, midoriya. i’m just kind of...out of it, i guess you could say?”

he cocked his head to the side. “’out of it’?” he repeated.

“yeah,” you sighed, head pounding.

“is everything alright? maybe today isn’t the best time for this.”

“yeah,” you agreed. “maybe.”

“do you want to go back to the dorms?”

you nodded, massaging your temples. “yeah, yeah let’s go home.”

midoriya let out a soft chuckle through his nose, smiling. “alright.” he offered his hand, and you gladly let him heave you up.

“i’m sorry about this. honestly, midoriya, i enjoy your company, i really do. but i never assumed you’d catch feelings for me too—”

“too?” he blinked. the two of you continued on your way back to Heights Alliance.

you gulped. “yeah, there’s—”

“are you saying you caught feelings for me, as well?”

your eyes fell blank, lips parting in question. “no, uh. you know what? never mind.” you giggled gently in hopes the two of you would laugh it off without another thought. perhaps you should keep you and bakugou’s quiet interaction to yourself. midoriya and bakugou were already rivals enough.

the following week was agonizing in many ways. sitting beside bakugou guaranteed that you would get strange, judgmental looks. it never guaranteed his stolen glances. when you’d catch him staring, his cheeks would flare up, and you swore he had smoke puffing out his ears.

each time, he looked as if he would explode. what can you expect from a guy like him?

it was easy to assume you’d just pissed him off, though. you weren’t the type of person to tell everyone you’d been asked out, but you needed to speak to someone about it. the thought had been nagging you, stuck at the back of your mind but just on the tip of your tongue.

you even found that you were distancing yourself from midoriya, who, after asking you out, had insisted you begin calling him izuku. over everyone else, you’d choose him to speak to about the matter, but ever since you’d discovered he had feelings all along, it was strange being around him.

you viewed him differently. he shot you glimmering smiles and blushed softly when you said his first name.

“y/n?”

you twisted around to see mina rocking on her heels behind you. “yes?”

“are you okay? you seem...how do i put this.” she tapped a pink finger against her lips. “off. you seem off. is everything alright?”

your brows raised. “oh, yeah. i’m good. thanks for checking in.”

“is there anything you want to talk about?” she adjusted her hero costume. you and the rest of the girls were currently changing for another training exercise.

yaoyorozu fixed her hero costume. “i don’t mean to impose on anything, but i have to agree with mina, y/n. of course, there’s no pressure to tell us anything. you’re under no obligation to unless you need and want to talk to someone, but we’re here if you need us, okay?”

you nodded, smiling softly. “thanks you guys.”

it was the same training as before, however you were able to select a partner of your own. being that there were 21 students in the class, there was always ought to be a group of three, or one person left out. you’d come into yuuei out of pure luck, as some like to put it.

you’d found it offensive they’d assumed it was that and not your own pure skill. it’d taken a while to re-convince yourself that you were worthy of being in the class, even if you were usually the odd one out.

most students had already bonded by the time you arrived here, so finding a partner wasn’t always easy. once you and midoriya had gotten close, you two did most things together, however at the moment, you weren’t quite feeling it.

surprisingly, your eyes caught bakugou standing alone, eyes scanning the room for a partner. kirishima must have partnered up with another friend, then. it was always them together.

unfortunately, you weren’t quick enough to avoid either of them. bakugou was already trotting up to you, eyes locked on your figure just as midoriya began jogging to your side.

in perfect unison, they asked, “be my partner?” (in two very different tones, of course.)

you blinked between them, about to answer when aizawa came up behind you three.

“are you guys in the group of three?” your teacher deadpanned.

your shoulders slumped. “yeah, i guess so.”

“get to work. you’ve already wasted five minutes standing around.”

you nodded politely. “yes, sensei.”

you swallowed. bakugou’s crimson gaze was pinning you in your spot, and midoriya’s lips thinned with a lack of enthusiasm when bakugou looked back at him.

“get to work, you three,” aizawa repeated, walking away.

“i can take on both of you.” bakugou cracked his knuckles.

you clenched your fists. “we already know you’re at the top of the class, bakugou. there’s no need to rub it in our faces.”

he averted his eyes, cheeks flushing red. it was like a sad, silly way of letting you know you won this fight.

“i’ll go against you two,” you said, adjusting your hero costume.

midoriya’s eyes widened. “what? y/n, but—”

“but i’m not strong enough?” you finished for him. you knew where they ranked in strength, and while yours was just as powerful, if you let one thing slip, your arrows would disappear and you’d be dust. “that’s exactly my point, you two are practically at the top of the class with your quirks.”

“tch, don’t hold back,” bakugou said, readying himself.

“don’t go easy on me,” you mocked.

“y/n, do you really think this is a good idea—” before izuku could finish, you and bakugou launched yourselves at one another.

you charged forwards. an arrow flew from your hand, twisting its way right through the smoke of an explosion. when it cleared, bakugou was nowhere to be seen.

a gasp fell from your lips as you turned around just a little too late. your ears rang terribly as your back collided with the ground.

izuku cried out. green lightning flashed, and he was at your side in a moment. “kacchan!”

you groaned, sitting up. bakugou cut through the smoke with an arm. “fight me, damned nerd. there aren’t any pauses in a real fight.”

you wriggled yourself away from midoriya. “midoriya, you’re my enemy in this.”

“bu—”

“no buts. fight me. and don’t hold back.”

midoriya noted the determination in your eyes and stood, giving you a sure nod. you were back on your feet in a second. bakugou flew in the air and came crashing down just as fast as he conjured a blast in his right hand.

attacking wasn’t your best option right now. you were smart enough to know that. an arrow appeared flat at your back and pulled you from where bakugou was targeting.

cement flew into the air.

that blast could have wounded you badly. possibly killed you, if he’d hit the right spots.

in the air, you examined their zealous features. midoriya’s brows were furrowed in that determined smolder.

bakugou, as always, looked angry. as expected, he charged first, shooting himself into the air. his foot nearly collided with your face, missing my barely an inch. you took your shot, revealing the arrow you’d hidden behind your back. the tip collided with his chest.

you left the arrow to complete its command and stick your blonde opponent to the wall and trap him there while you went after midoriya.

while he bested you in strength, you did the same to him when it came to speed. you dodged his punches like they were weak attempts at hitting a ball in a park.

you grinned. in a battle of strength and speed, whoever landed the first hit would win. there was no question.

twisting in the air, you allowed the ball of your foot to shove midoriya to the ground. he cried out as his face was crushed into the cement.

it was perfect timing, as bakugou ripped free of your hold, the arrow keeping him in one spot dissolving into air as soon as its purpose was lost.

your head whipped around to see him charging for you.

your fingers curled. the headache pounding at your temples was beginning to get hard to ignore.

bakugou launched himself at you, spinning in the air like a missile. he really wasn’t going to howitzer you...right?

when he didn’t slow down, you threw your body to the right, the attack just barely missing your leg. it scorched a bit of your thigh. a groan fell from your lips as you cupped the area around the burn, shuddering with pain.

bakugou’s chest was puffed proudly as he marched up to you, hands cracking with excited explosions.

he pulled back his right arm, ready to spark up another fight as midoriya recollected himself. you bit your lip to hide the fact you were quivering.

it was sudden, but bakugou paused when he saw your hand fly up.

“give me a minute...” you gasped out, skin still sizzling.

“y/n! are you alright?”

you didn’t respond. midoriya smacked his friend’s arm. “kacchan! what’re you thinking?”

“midoriya, i’m fine. don’t stress over it.” you limped to your feet, rejecting the extended hand from your green-haired friend. “i’ll just go see recovery girl.”

“do you need—”

you smacked midoriya’s hand away, a little bit more rude than you intended it to be. “i’ll be...fine.” you offered a weak smile to hopefully make up for your tiny outburst.

although you could see in his eyes he wanted to help, midoriya nodded and stood by, hand falling back to his side. you clutched around the patch of burned skin. the sting had faded a bit, however there was a soreness to the wound that felt like a constant stabbing to your leg.

you swallowed the pain down, marching towards the exit with determination and a bit of a limp.

you looked back to see midoriya had gone off to tell mr. aizawa what was going on. your teacher nodded, understandingly.

there were a few worried glances and offers for help in the hall, but you’d neglected them all and found yourself relieved to see recovery girl in her office, typing away.

she turned as the door opened. “please knock beforehand next time—oh, dear. y/n? are you alright?”

you gave a tense nod. “mhm. just got a bit banged up in training today.”

the old woman pursed her lips, smile lines becoming evident. “i see.” she led you to the small cot reserved for patients such as yourself and directed you to sit down.

she examined the bruise. “it’s fairly bad. what happened?”

you made a gesture to the door. “i was brawling with bakugou and things got...intense.”

“that boy has quite an extreme side to him, as i’ve come to notice.”

“mhm,” you agreed.

“unfortunately, y/n, i have no ointments to be able to treat this properly.”

you nodded sheepishly before the old woman smooched your cheek. a soft green glow radiated around you.

when she pulled back, she said, “now, your body will be trying to catch up on the healing process. that’s what my quirk does. speed up recoveries. since it’s sped up, you’ll require some rest, preferably sleep. i’ll make sure your teachers know you’re excused for the rest of the day, sound good?”

“yes, thank you recovery girl.”

she pushed herself out of her rolling chair and left the room, smiling at you.

your eyes fluttered shut not long after that.

the sun was gone when you woke up, the hallway light flickering off.

“good, you’re awake.”

you looked to the left. you cried out, gathering the white sheets around yourself despite being completely clothed. “bakugou! what the hell? you stalker! you creep!”

bakugou took the slap you gave him on his arm. it was light, and didn’t do much damage.

“what...what do you want?”

even in the dark, you could tell bakugou’s cheeks were burning red. “about...about the other day. i wanted to talk to you about it.”

your chest fluttered in unwanted hope. “there’s nothing to talk about.”

“dammit, y/n, i wish there wasn’t anything to talk about. you’re insufferable and annoying and i can’t stand being around you because no matter what’s going on, you make my chest feel all funny. it’s stupid, and i can’t take my eyes off of you.”

heat rushed to your cheeks. “i’m flattered, really. but i-”

“i’m not asking you to reciprocate my shitty feelings. if anything, it’s better if you don’t.”

“bakugou, i wasn’t...” you paused.

“you what?” he snapped, voice soft despite his tone.

“i was going to say that ever since you...ever since you asked me out, i’ve been conflicted about my own feelings.”

“the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“i’m not sure if i like you back or not, bakugou. but hearing you say all this...makes me want to give it a shot. sort of. also, why the hell are you watching me sleep?”

bakugou swept hair from his eyes. “don’t go and try to change the subject on me, dumbass.”

you gulped.

“so what’re you saying?”

“i’m saying,” you started, “i’m saying that maybe i want to go out on that date with you.”

“say it again.”

“what?” you looked up, his eyes boring into yours.

“i said i want you to say it again. tell me you want to go out on a date with me.”

it startled you how sure he was when he knew what you wanted, too. this was unlike the last attempt to ask you out.

“katsuki bakugou, i want to go on a date with you.”

he grinned. “where to?”

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pi-cat000 · 3 years ago

Text

BNHA: Kakashi dimension hops crossover (1)

Summary: Kakashi gets dumbed into the My Hero Academia universe through random plot devise.

Characters: Kakashi Hatake

Fandoms: My Hero Academia and Naruto

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence/injury

Inspired by Unforeseen Mayhem by Aerugonian

Here is their tumblr (all their work is so good)

(NEXT)

...

Kakashi thinks he might have died. He remembers the flash of steel and Obito’s face or maybe it had been Madara. His memory of the events leading up to the attack are hazy after receiving one too many hits to the head. What he does remember is the slowly spinning, hypnotic red of a Sharingan, and the quick build-up then explosion of chakra.

Then there was excruciating pain in his left eye and…darkness…

…

Kakashi opens his remaining, usable eye to gaze up at tall angled structures that stretch into a grey overcast sky. He can’t feel the left side of his face, his limbs are numb and unresponsive, and there is the damp of blood soaking through his hair. The bone-deep ache of chakra exhaustion is so all-encompassing that he can barely lift his hand let alone stop the bleeding. Around him, there are several people yelling in shock and surprise. Civilians he vaguely notes as he clings to consciousness. There is no sign of Madera, Obito or any of Kakashi’s allies for that matter.

When his vision dims for a second time he thinks that this, this would be his last breath. Alone, severely injured, in a foreign location and with only civilians as help? It was a death sentence.

He is wrong in the end.

…

Kakashi wakes up in a strange hospital bed surrounded by the strangest people he has ever seen. He also wakes up covered in bandages, his more serious injures either treated or in various stages of recovery.

The air is dry with a distinct lack of chakra. It is something he would usually only see in a prison cell made to contain dangerous shinobi in which chakra draining fuinjutsu arrays were applied to the walls and floor. There are no fuinjutsu arrays here. This is not a prison cell. For one, there is a large window. Secondly, there is a constant stream of doctors, nurses and other patients moving in, out and around the building. Finally, the door to the room is not locked. It doesn’t even have a lock.

After memorising the comings and goings of the people working in the strange hospital, he takes some time to scout. Even while injured and drained of chakra, he has enough skill and experience to avoid the workers and other sickly people he shares his room with.

The world outside his window is one of cement, concrete and brick, with tall imposing structures covered in reflective glass standing higher than any building he has seen before. The closest point of comparison he has are the buildings in the Hidden-Rain and Stone villages but even those are a loose approximation. The hospital is both similar to Konoha’s main hospital, abet a lot bigger and full of strange equipment and technology. The people, despite their lack of chakra, display odd and inconstant abilities, techniques and physical deformities. One of the doctors has a lizard tail and he catches a glimpse of a man with a wooden block for a head. He sees a woman heal a cut with a simple hand wave. Either he is in an unusually elaborate and detailed genjutsu or he is very far away from Kohoha.

Everything is so odd and strange that he is well and truly stumped, leaving him with nothing else to do but quickly return to his hospital room. At least the weird chakra-less people are non-hostiles and willing to provide much needed medical attention. Though he is, as of yet, uncertain about the purpose or motive behind said medical attention seeing as he was a complete unknown to them.

After some consideration, Kakashi decides to wait. He has no idea how he ended up in the place aside from a loose theory that involved his still healing Kamui Sharingan. Additionally, there was no use trying to get back home with stab wounds, his leg broken, his ribs cracked, his shoulder muscles torn and his chakra levels so pathetically low that he’d probably kill himself if he tried.

He takes solace in the fact that his presence, while probably missed to some extent- he likes to think so anyway- wouldn’t impact the outcome of any major conflict. With Naruto’s stubbornness and Sakura’s tenacity, home would be waiting for him, even if he took a bit of time getting there.

…

After a week of information gathering -ie pretending to be unconscious and listening to conversations- Kakashi concludes that the people operating the hospital are relatively harmless. They seem to be under the mistaken impression that Kakashi is a citizen of their village and thus automatically entitled to medical attention. This is despite his lack of identification or history with the place. Such a thing would never happen in Konoha as even civilians were carefully monitored and tracked. Without identification or relatives/friends to vouch for them, a civilian would more likely be thrown out of the village than given what was surely resource-consuming medical treatment. It is lucky for him that there are apparently so many civilians in this village that their shinobi-equivalent forces couldn’t properly keep track of them all. Another point in favour of it not being any sort of hidden-village or any place he was familiar with.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Says the greying, middle-aged man in a white coat as he approaches Kakashi's bed, “You’re finally awake. How do you feel.”

“Ah…a bit tired,” Kakashi plasters on a confused smile, raising his undamaged hand to rub the back of his head, hunching his shoulders for good measure. The perfect image of a disoriented patient.

“What happened? Where am I?”

There was only so much he could achieve be pretending to be unconscious and snooping around at night. It was time to get a real feel for residents of this strange place and figure out his next move. This meant integrating into the local culture.

“No need to worry. You’re in Hosu General Hospital and you’re well on your way to recovery,” A nod and the doctor moves forward to stand beside his bed, “A little drowsiness is a normal side effect of the pain medication we have you on. Now, if I may have your name?”

“Kakashi.” If they hadn’t recognised the Sharingan when they had bandaged it up, then they most likely wouldn’t recognise his name either.

“Well, Kakashi,” The man says with no hint of acknowledgement, “My name is Wada Yasutoki and I’m here to make sure you are recovering properly. Can you tell me if you are feeling any discomfort or pain at the moment?”

“Hmmm…my arm and leg?”

“Would you be able to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10?”

Kakashi thinks for a second and shrugs, “3.” Honestly, he only notices the pain when he’s consciously paying attention.

Another nod and Doctor Wada fusses about, examining the bandages around his shoulder and then his leg, “Well, they seem to be healing as well as any broken limb, maybe even a bit faster. And the stab wound near your chest is almost completely gone.” A thoughtful hum follows the statement. “If not for your left eye I would say you had a healing or regeneration quirk…hmmm…maybe a passive healing factor linked to your quirk…?” Wada looks to him, waiting for confirmation and Kakashi shrugs. From his nightly snooping he knows that ‘quirk’ is the term for the bloodline ability things the people here had.

The Doctor doesn’t press the matter instead asking, “Is there any discomfort in the left side of your face?”

“No.” Kakashi doesn’t want the people here touching his eye any more than necessary. The fact that it is draining charka at its usual sluggish rate was a sign that it was, at least, somewhat functional and that’s good enough for him. He guesses he should be thankful for landing in a place with medicine advanced enough to save it.

“You had us concerned when you didn’t wake after we saw to all your injuries,” The Doctor continues, “Your left eye took quite a bit of damage and we were worried that there might have been some sort of brain injury. If you feel dizzy, lightheaded or confused please, do not hesitate to call a nurse.”

The man shakes his head and sighs, “Now, I understand if you want a bit of space after going through such a traumatic event but if you could provide any details concerning the predicament that ended with you so badly injured it would be a great help to the investigation.”

Kakashi gives a faked confused hum and smiles apologetically, “Sorry Doctor Wada. I'm having trouble remembering much of anything really.”

“Nothing? No details about the potential assailant at all. What they look like? Their quirk?”

“No. Where is Hosu General Hospital by the way?”

His bland expression obviously causes his doctor some concern as he is subjected to a penlight being shone in his uncovered eye.

“It is located in Hosu City, a ward of Tokyo. Where is the last place you remember being?”

The names mean nothing to him. Kakashi schools his features into one of complete confusion, “I don’t remember.”

It’s not even a lie this time.

After the admission, Doctor Wada only grows more concerned and Kakashi is subjected to many reassurances that it is completely normal to forget a few things after a brain injury and that he shouldn’t worry himself too much. The level of comforting and reassuring is a bit much if he is being honest. Never before has he longed for the cold frowns of Konoha’s medic-nin.

“I’ll have to schedule you in for an MRI. If you’re having trouble recalling basic facts alongside your long-term memories, then there might a serious problem.” The older man finally concludes, having run through an extensive list of questions regarding Kakashi’s history all of which he answers with vague half-truths. Where did he grow up? Somewhere with a lot of trees. Did he have any close relatives? He thinks they might have died when he was little. What does he do for a living? Commission work. Did he have any colleagues? He doesn’t know where they are. So on and so forth.

“It’s a shame your ID and phone were missing when they found you. Stolen by the bastard who put you in this situation no doubt,” the Doctor sighs again, “We might have been able to track down your records. Oh well, we’ll do our best with what we have.”

Kakashi doesn’t speak, pretending to be deep in thought. Mentally, he pats himself on the back for an infiltration gone surprisingly well considering his lack of preparation and the flakiness of the ‘sorry I don’t remember my backstory’ excuse.

“I don’t suppose you remember anything about your quirk,” the doctor asks, “Ocular quirks can have odd effects on brain activity and ability to process information. It might give us a place to start.”

From what he had seen, ‘quirks’ tended to have a specific function but he is still trying to figure out their limits. All he knew for sure was that none of them used chakra.

“It’s called the Sharingan.” He offers to see what the doctor does with the information, “I don’t remember much else about it.”

“Hmmm, ‘copy wheel eye’…it’s a descriptive name at least. Maybe a quirk that deals with memorisation or information recall. I will see if I can find it on the Quirk Registry. Hopefully, that will be enough. ”

Kakashi nods loosely in agreement, filing away the fact that there was a Quirk Registry for later contemplation.

(NEXT)

#bnha #bnha fanfic #mha #hatake kakashi #hero killer arc #crossover fic #dimension travel AU #culture shock #boku no academia #naruto #kakashi headcanons

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fckhyuck · 4 years ago

Text

I guess all that changed when I met you - Q.K

tags: fluff, husband material Kun, pregnancy

personal note: I have never written on Tumblr before and I've had a massive writer's block for ages, still kinda have. I usually write long stories and I usually prepare everything before I start to write but this one is spontaneous writing so I don't know how good it turned out to be.

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

"Guanheng! Could you come here!?" I yelled to the hallway.

"What do you need help with?" He asked as he peaked through the doorway.

"Could you paint with me? I'm never gonna finish all this by myself" I asked him and he nodded.

I handed him a brush and we painted the wall together.

Someone knocked on the door. I turned to look that way and I smiled. He walked over to me and hugged me from behind.

"How's it going in here?"

"We're almost done" Hendery answered.

"And how's my beautiful wife?" I put the brush down and turned to look at Kun.

"I'm tired and fat"

"Let's go sit down. I'm sure Hendery can finish this wall, right?"

"Yeah" Hendery agreed.

We went to sit on the couch.

"I wish this baby would come out already. I'm so exhausted" I complained.

"I'm sure she'll come out soon. Have you thought about names?"

"I was thinking about Sulli"

"Like our sister?" Hendery asked as he turned around.

"Yeah. Would you be okay with that?"

"I think she would've loved it"

"Guys" Ten said as he stood by the doorway. We all turned to look his way.

"Dinner is ready, so get your asses downstairs" He said as he walked away.

Kun helped me get up and we walked downstairs. There was a lot of food on display.

"Who made all of this?" I asked.

"We did. We just thought that you two must be really tired with the baby coming and the nursery and all that. So we decided to cook for you" Xiaojun explained.

"Let's eat, shall we?" Yangyang said.

"Where's Winwin?" Lucas asked.

"He said he had to go somewhere" Ten answered.

-----------

After we were done eating, me and my best friend Nini sat in the backyard chairs, taking in the summer air.

"Do you remember how you always said that you're not gonna get married or have kids? Well look at you now" Nini chuckled.

"I know. I guess all that changed when I met Kun"

"I just can't believe you got married before I did" She commented.

"He still hasn't proposed?" I asked.

"No"

"Well have you ever considered proposing? To him?"

"I haven't even thought about that"

Time passed by as we just sat there, enjoying the summer air and the birds chirping.

Suddenly that silence was interrupted by someone opening the back door.

"Ready to go, honey?" Lucas said as he tapped Nini on the shoulder while standing behind her.

"You're leaving?" I asked.

"Yeah, we kinda have to. We have to get up early tomorrow. But we'll come by tomorrow afternoon" She explained as she got up and put on her jacket.

"Okay. Thanks for the meal and I'll see you two tomorrow"

"Bye" They said as they left.

I got up from the chair and went back inside. The guys were cleaning up the kitchen.

"It's getting kinda late so we should probably go" Ten explained.

Ten, Yangyang and Xiaojun took their things and left.

"Shouldn't you be leaving too? it's getting kinda late" I asked my brother.

"I'm not leaving"

"Guangheng" I whined.

"No, I'm not leaving. I'll stay here for a couple of days. I'll sleep in the guest room"

"You don't have to"

"No but I want to. Anything for my little sister"

"Hey! We're twins" I corrected him.

"Yes but I'm still twelve minutes older than you"

I rolled my eyes at his comment.

"Anyways. Thank you. For everything" I said and hugged him.

"I should probably go to sleep. And so should you" He said.

"Yeah yeah, I'll go in a bit. Good night"

"Night" He said and walked upstairs.

I walked to the kitchen and saw Kun sitting by his laptop at the table. I walked to him and hugged him.

"It's late. Let's go to bed"

"Soon. I just need to do a few things"

I sat in a chair next to him.

"Can't you do it tomorrow? I'm tired"

"You can go to bed if you want. I'll come soon"

"But I don't wanna go to bed without you" I said as I pouted. He looked at me and then back at the laptop.

He took a deep breath and said:

"Fine" And closed the laptop.

He took my hand in his and we walked upstairs to our bedroom.

We got under the covers after changing to our pajamas. We turned off the lights. He stroked my hair as well cuddled.

"So how long is your brother staying?" He asked.

"I don't know. He said he'll stay here for a couple days"

"You know he needs to get a life, right?" He chuckled.

"I know. I'm the only family he has left. First we lose our parents at a young age and then our sister. Maybe he feels the need to look after me because he couldn't prevent Sulli's death. I think he blames himself for what happened"

"Well he can stay as long as he wants"

---------

I woke up in the middle of the night to a sharp pain. I turned on the light and saw the sheet were wet.

"Kun, honey wake up" I nudged him.

"What?" He said in a raspy voice.

"I think my water just broke"

His eyes widened and he got up from the bed.

"Oh my god" He rushed to my side of the bed and helped me up. I was trying to steady my breaths.

"Where's the go-to bag?" I asked.

"At the front door"

"What's all the ruckus?" Hendery asked as we were walking down the hallway.

"She's in labour" Kun answered.

"Oh my god!" Hendery said as he rushed to my side.

We got downstairs as fast as possible. Hendery helped me put on my shoes while Kun went to start the car. Hendery walked me to the car with the bag on his shoulder.

-----------

"We got here as soon as possible" Nini said as she and the guys walked in.

I was laying on the bed, with my daughter in my arms.

"Guys. I'd like you to meet Sulli" I announced.

"Hi" Nini said as she came closer.

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl" Ten commented.

A year later

"I can't believe we're finally here" I said. I held Sulli in my arms as people were starting to walk to their seats.

"The ceremony is about to start" Kun said. I handed Sulli to him as he walked to his seat.

"Nini said that she wanted to see you" Ten said as he walked by.

I walked to the room where she was and she looked as beautiful as ever.

"Woah" was all I could say.

"Can I ask you something? Were you nervous?"

"Did you really just ask me if I was nervous the day I got married? Did you forget what happened that day? I ran all the way to the train station. I sat there in my wedding dress for hours. Eventually when Kun found me there, he asked me if I wanted to break up. He thought that was the reason I ran. I explained it all to him and the next day we got married at city hall. So no matter how nervous you are right now, just don't do what I did"

"I won't"

"So are you ready?"

"I think so"

-----------

"It truly was a beautiful ceremony" I said.

"Thanks but you can thank Ten for it all though, he planned everything" Lucas said.

"Ohh right Ten. It was a lovely ceremony"

"I know. So was yours until you decided to elope" Ten snarled.

"Sorry about that"

"Anyways. We should make a toast to Nini and Lucas" Ten said as he handed everyone a champagne glass.

"I can't drink" I said.

Kun looked at me confusedly as did everyone else. I looked at Kun, trying to signal him without saying anything.

"Wait, you mean-"

"Yes" I interrupted him.

He picked me up and spun me around excitedly.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Nini asked.

"I'm pregnant" I said.

"Oh my god!" Nini yelled.

"Congratulations" Ten said.

"Anyways, where were we? Oh right. To Nini and Lucas, may your marriage last a lifetime"

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jinxfirebolt18902 · 4 years ago

Text

I licked it so it’s mine - JJ Maybank Imagine

Words: 1.818

Warnings: none?

Pairing: JJ Maybank x female!reader

A/N: I got this idea from a tumblr pic that read the title in a neon light sign. English isn’t my mother tongue so prob syntax mistakes AND F**** ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS other than that I love y’all, hope you enjoy.

—Okay sweetie, go have a good day and make new friends! —She heard her mom telling her as she gently pushed her by her shoulders towards the group of little girls and boys near the teacher. She took a few steps lacking confidence, not sure she wanted to actually be a part of the class. Minutes later a blonde boy with a face that already screamed ‘trouble’ despite the young age furrowed his eyebrows at her new face. He got closer and observed her attentively making her a little uncomfortable. Matching his personality, she furrowed her brows as well and asked rudely “what?!”

The boy processed the uncommon attitude coming from a girl and smiled at the change, appreciating the feisty confrontation in contrast with the so common cries or runaways of the other little girls he used to annoy. From then on they became inseparable and her mother always invited him over to play. Their play dates often involved fights, stolen toys and ice cream. As time passed, they grew out of toys but not out of ice creams, and they kept going to the small store that sells popsicles and doing their routine: buy the popsicle, go to the dock in front of the store and sit with their feet hanging as they ate the ice cream.

One of the many times, they were nine years old and just as she was about to give her popsicle the first lick he beat her to it and she whined immediately.

—JJ! —he laughed real hard and took it from her hands, provoking his best friend to become even more angrier.

—Sorry —he shrugged his shoulders innocently and then looked at the frozen candy —But I licked it so it’s mine now.

She punched him on the right shoulder and before she stood up and got away, he handed her his still packaged popsicle with a smile. She sent him another glare before sitting down again and not talking to him for the next 5 minutes.

—C’moooon! You can’t ignore me foreverrrr —he dragged some syllables of his words as he spoke close to her just to annoy her more.

—You’re disgusting JJ.

He smiled winningly at his victory. —But you love me anyways.

Years went by, their friendship grew and their group too, with the addition of John B, and years later Pope’s and Kiara’s. After Kie finished her shift at The Wreck, Pope and JJ were done with the groceries deliveries for the Kooks and John B and she were done at the Cameron’s, each with their different tasks, the crew had agreed on meeting at The Chateau to relax and drink some cheap beers.

John B was stargazing with a nostalgic look on his face; Kie was strumming her ukelele; Pope was sitting on an old foldable beach chair while she and JJ were swinging on the big hammock, beers of can in their hands. She was struggling to open hers as she tried to avoid breaking her nails on the process. She pouted as she extended her arm holding the can to the blonde. He took it and opened it easily but before handing it back he made sure she was still looking at him and carefully dug the tip of his tongue into the little hole, earning a protest from her.

—JJ!

He smirked and enjoyed the reaction he was getting from her. —What?!

—It was my beer!!

He let out a deep laugh as his head fell backwards. —You know the rules, I licked it, so…

Their friends laughed as they nodded their heads at JJ’s passion for teasing her.

Months later, summer days began and holidays welcomed free time and Tourons in Outer Banks. New faces, new adventures, new hook ups. The gang had organized one of the very famous keggers at the Boneyard. Music resonated from someone’s speaker, 5 bonfires had small groups of teenagers of all ages sitting around talking and drinking while larger groups were dancing around the beach. She and Kie were at different fires chatting with Tourons while Pope and John B made sure everyone got their refill. JJ being JJ was sweet talking a brunette into his bed at The Chateau. So far, nothing was out of the ordinary. They were all having a good time. Things got awkward the next day, when the crew woke up and saw JJ’s brunette still there, showing no intentions of leaving. She and Kie had passed out on the pull out couch while Pope slept on the other couch but they all looked a bit shocked, and uncomfortable, at the intruder walking around the kitchen as if she belonged there with them. JJ came out of his room minutes later and got his friends curious stares for breakfast. He shrugged his shoulders and twitched the corners of his lips indicating an “I-have-no-clue-why-she’s-still-here” expression when the girl couldn’t see.

In the afternoon, the intruder announced she’d go back to her family and take a shower but also planned to meet at The Wreck for dinner. Once she left the females of the group scoffed at her.

—Dude, she stuck with us like she’s part of the Pogues, what the fuck?! —Kie complained at no one in particular, but sent JJ a quick glare.

—You gotta fix this. —She pointed her index finger into her best friend’s chest. —There is no way I’m having dinner with her.

After everyone had gone back to their place and taken a shower, shared some family time and run some errands, the Pogues agreed to get together after dinner and go for some ice cream.

—Which flavour did you ask for Kie? —she asked as she licked her cookies and cream ice cream before it dripped on her clothes and hands. Kie gave her a funny look and answered.

—Watermelon, it’s really good actually. Sweet and refreshing.

The boys came walking a few steps behind them as they pushed each other like little kids. The girls rolled their eyes but stopped on their tracks as they heard a voice calling for them. Well more specifically, for the blonde surfer and their leader.

—JJ! John B! —the same brunette they were trying to avoid rushed down to the docks they were standing on.

—Hey there… —John B answered, not wanting to be rude.

Once again, the intruder stuck to the group of friends and hung out for a few hours, constantly trying to flirt with JJ. The brunette playfully hit him whenever he teased her, gently grabbed his biceps when they were sitting down on the wooden dock and tried to get him alone by walking slower than the group, her arms circling around his waist. JJ wasn’t used to his hook ups sticking to him like this, he usually made it clear he was up for a one night stand only but this one didn’t want to give him up just yet.

The brunette had also caught interest in the intense relationship between him and his best friend. The intruder wanted to have JJ’s complete attention but his friend was kind of getting in the way of that. As a girl, she sensed his friend was purposely cock blocking him, which started a silent and very subtle war between them.

The brunette laughed at JJ’s joke and got impossibly closer to him, resting her light weight on his chest. She rolled her eyes and made a signal to Kie to make her look at the intruder and then faked a vomit earning a laugh from Kie. John B and Pope furrowed their eyebrows at Kiara’s laugh, confused at why she was laughing. Kie was the only one who could see her little act.

Moments later they decided to go around the docks and throw some rocks into the water. John B felt a bit more comfortable now and teased the brunette by trying to splash her with the rocks he threw. That was the first time through the night that she had gotten away from JJ and she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to hit back.

She got closer to her best friend and challenged him with just a look. He rolled his eyes as he smirked, knowing he was in trouble.

—Get her off our backs dude. I wanna spend time with my friends, not her! —she whispered urgently looking up at his eyes as he was taller than her.

—What do you want me to do? Tell her ‘hey me and my friends want to be alone, do you mind?’—he mocked trying to make his point clear but she was having none of it. —Yep, that sounds perfect —she smiled and taped his chest as if the whole matter was solved. He raised an eyebrow and focused his eyes on hers. A second later he had a dirty smirk on his features, then it was her turn to quirk an eyebrow. —What?

—Aren’t you jealous, are you? —his smile grew wider as her scowl deepened. He was quick to snake his arms around her middle and pull her close. —Don’t touch me. Let me go, you’re an asshole. —He pouted and cooed her. —Aww c’mon baby don’t be mad I’m not giving you attention, you know I’m yours. —she just rolled her eyes and sighed deeply as Kie laughed near them, enjoying the whole show.

When she heard too much silence, or the lack of an annoying giggle, in the back, she caught a glance from the corner of her eye and saw John B and the brunette looking at them while Pope told something about dead bodies as he drew patterns in the sand with a stick he had found.

—Careful sis, remember if you play with fire, you get burnt. —John B spoke to her in a mocking tone. The rest, except for the Touron, began laughing.

She takes her chance as JJ’s face is not that far from hers and a wicked smile painted itself on her face before implementing her idea. In less than a second she had stuck her tongue out and slid it from under his jaw up to his bottom lip making the boy freeze and set his blue orbits on her. Her eyes were already on his, shining with playfulness. She was having so much fun having her way. The laughs around her turned into gasps.

She then turned to the other girl and spoke mockingly —I licked it, so it’s mine. —the girl’s jaw fell and she winked at the blonde before walking to Kie and throwing her arm over her curly haired friend, who was wearing an incredulous expression.

—Oh my God, I can’t believe you just did that! —both began to laugh as they walked back to the van and hopefully they would all drive back to The Chateau and spend a real night of friends with no intruders.

#jj maybank x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank #jj obx #outer banks jj

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idy-ll-ique · 4 years ago

Text

Didn’t Know Where Else To Go.

Pairing: Mob Boss!Sebastian Stan x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff and Angst

Warnings: violence, assault, death, mentions of smut at the end and curse words

Requested: Nope

The hero shows up at the villain’s doorstep one night. They’re shivering, bleeding, scared. There’s also a slightly dazed look in their eyes- they were drugged. They look like they were assaulted. Looking up at the villain, swaying slightly as they’re close to passing out, they mumble “...didn’t know where else to go...” then collapse into the villain’s arms.

Summary: Sebastian Stan: a mobster boss. Everyone in the city hated him. When he meets Y/N, a new bartender at his favourite bar, she makes it clear that she also doesn’t like him. What changes?

Author’s Note: Hey peeps! The aforementioned prompt is something I read on Tumblr and really liked it. So I decided to write a fic loosely based on it. I hope you guys enjoy this! (This has been in my drafts for a long time, I’m currently working on 2 requested fics)

---

Sebastian POV:

"Boss, there is someone at the door."

"Send them in," I commanded, looking up from my book. The person who walked in with him was… instantly recognizable. My jaw dropped— she had been crying. Her pupils were dilated, she was taking short, fast breaths and her voice was frail. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't know where else to go."

With that, she did the most YA-Novel-Female-Protagonist thing she could do— faint.

It all began 7 months ago. The person who was at the door was Y/N Y/L/N, a bartender at one of my favourite bars ever in the city. The thing is, when we first met, she hated me. Let me take you back 7 months.

Flashback:

I entered the bar, smirking when everyone turned to look at me. They looked away just as quickly, their voices becoming hushed. I looked around, stopping when I saw the bartender. Whoa, this was someone new and damn was she cute. Smiling, I walked over and sat down in front of her.

"Hey, was— oh. What will you like, sir?" I rolled my eyes at her. "Come on, why does everyone do the same thing? What is it about me?" I joked, winking. "Um, the fact that you're a fucking mobster and have been terrorizing the city for the past few years and would kill anyone if they question you? Uh, I don't know, actually," she snapped.

I froze. The woman seemed to really hate me. Here I was, thinking if I buttered her up enough she'd come home with me. I told her my order and looked away from her. "So, why here?" she asked me as she prepared my drink. "I really like this place, I've been here before loads of times. I don't plan to stop," I shrugged.

"Ugh, just my luck," she mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Look, you don't have to be fucking rude, okay?" I retorted. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Shoot me? That's what you like to do, right? Kill people. Innocent people, let me be precise. No wonder everyone in the city except your goons hate you."

With that, she slammed my glass on the counter and stormed away from me, going to serve another customer. I was left staring at the glass, my figure shaking with repressed anger. She knew damn well I never laid hands on innocent people. No one in the city hated me.

Or did they?

The shaking stopped. What if she was right? I mean, she was much closer to the civilians than I was, what if they all hated me? "Uh, excuse me," I called out, hating how my voice cracked slightly. She glanced at me. "What do you want?"

"Answers."

"Ask the questions first," she huffed. "Does… does everyone really not like me?" I asked her. She stopped cleaning the glass, set it down and looked straight at me. "Yes. They don't like you. You're a mobster boss, dude! Have you seen films with mobster bosses? All of them, evil as hell. See how everyone in the bar became quiet when you came in?"

She had a point. "You know I would never lay a hand on innocent people," I defended myself, glaring at her. "Look, I'm sorry but we can never be too careful. What if you snap one day? What if you go rogue? Everyone lives in fear. They're afraid of you. And it's not like I can change everyone's mindset all at once."

"I guess you're right," I muttered, downing my drink in one go. "Hey, Mr Stan?" I looked up. "Y/N Y/L/N. I shouldn't have snapped at you," she apologized quietly, holding her hand out. "Doing this to get onto my good side?" I teased and she laughed.

"Come on, man! Doing this to show people you're not all you seem to be." I took her hand and shook it. "It's very nice to meet you, Y/N." She nodded and went back to cleaning the glasses. "Can I get one more drink?"

"I hope you didn't drive here."

"I came on foot, actually. My house is just down the block." She gasped, startling me. "Mr Stan, giving your address away to strangers? How irresponsible of you!" I couldn't help but laugh. "I guess I trust you to not do anything bad." I spent another 2 hours there, chatting with Y/N.

She was a really fun person to be around. She had completed her education but was searching for jobs. In the meanwhile, she had decided to work here.

By the time I was done drinking, I was too tipsy to even walk. "K, I'm goin'," I slurred, standing up. "Mr Stan, don't— oof," Y/N hissed as I fell off the chair in my intoxicated state. She rushed around the bar and helped me stand, wrapping her arms around my waist. "You can't walk in this state."

"I need to go home," I whined. "As it turns out, you've stayed long enough and now it's closing time. Let me get my coat." She dumped me on the chair and went to fetch her coat. I admired her from afar.

She wore a mini-skirt that was flirtatiously snug around her thick thighs and a tank top. When she wore the coat, it extended past the skirt. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and she was looking very sexy in the dim light. "Damn," I whispered under my breath, smirking.

When she returned, she helped me stand. I draped an arm around her shoulder and we stepped out of the bar. "Okay, which direction?" I pointed to the right and we proceeded to walk. "Have you ever gotten this drunk before? Because it's obvious you can't handle booze."

"Not really, I usually have to stay sober for my job. We need real intellectuals in the mob biz, you can't have drunk idiots running a mob," I laughed, finding it hard to keep myself upright. Shouldn't have drank so much…

"Right now, sir, you are a drunk idiot," Y/N sighed, rolling her eyes. "Thank you, I will take that as a compliment. Plus, you can just call me Sebastian, it's okay." She shook her head and silence fell between us. "Tell me when we're there," she spoke quietly as I felt a headache coming.

"Being drunk sucks," I pouted, "I'm not even having a good time! It hurts everywhere—" "Probably because you fell off the chair." "—and my head hurts! I don't understand why people like to be so drunk." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You are seriously reminding me of my ex-boyfriend. He couldn't handle drinks either and I always had to babysit him when he got back home drunk," she muttered. "You can babysit me anytime!" I said cheerfully. "You're drunk, Sebastian, stop flirting with me."

"But you're so cute."

"Thank you, that is very kind of you."

"And se— we're here! That's my house!" She stopped in front of my house and rang the bell. "Is anyone at home or do I have to tuck you in?" she joked. "Nah, my best buddies and right-hand-men live with me. One's name is Chris—" Just at that moment, Chris opened the door.

"Wha— Sebastian? Are you drunk?"

"Sorry sir, I didn't know he couldn't handle drinks. I'm Y/N Y/L/N, the new bartender at Red Tavern." With that, she passed me to Chris. "Thank you for bringing him home, Ms Y/L/N. It's not your fault he got intoxicated, he should've known when to stop. He didn't cause trouble, did he?"

"Oh no, of course not, sir. He's fun to be around," she commented, gesturing towards me. I grinned. "Please, he's really not, you don't have to lie. Anyway, thank you so much again! Do you want a lift home? I can ask Anthony to drive you home."

"That would be great, thanks. My house is in the opposite direction, it's a bit far…"

"Absolutely no problem. Anthony!"

A few minutes later, my other friend, Anthony Mackie came downstairs, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah— oh, Sebastian is— damn." He tried to hold his laughter in. "Yeah. While I get him to his room, do you mind dropping her home? That's Y/N, she brought him home." Y/N waved at him.

"Of course, I don't mind. Thanks, Y/N, for taking care of our boss." She shook her head, waving her arms in dismissal. "Absolutely no worries, sir." They walked away, closing the door behind them. "She's cute, right?"

Chris blinked at me. "You have a crush on her!" he guffawed. "Duh, man. Did you even look at her? Girl was oozing sexiness," I smiled in fond memory. "Okay this got weird fast, I'm just gonna take you to bed." He got me to my room, placed me on the bed and left.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I passed out.

End Flashback.

"Y/N!" I yelled, jumping out of my seat to catch her in time. "Get a suite ready," I barked angrily at a few people, who immediately ran in fear. "And you, get me some water and a blanket." The person nodded shakily and ran out of the room. I picked Y/N up and carried her to the couch, laying her down. I sat next to her, checking her temperature.

Oh no, I needed a doctor. I took out my phone and called my personal practitioner but before I could speak, Y/N coughed. "Y/N," I whispered, cutting the call. "Sebastian, it hurts," she moaned. "Don't worry, doll, I'm calling my doctor. Stay here tonight."

"I don't have anywhere else to go." I froze. "Your house?" I asked. "That's… that's where I got attacked. I can't go back," she cried. "Wait, just— just take rest, we'll talk when you're better. Get some sleep, I'm calling my doctor." I called him again, glancing at Y/N when she took my other hand and closed her eyes.

I chatted with him for five minutes; he said he'd take half-an-hour to get to my place. "Damn it," I grumbled, keeping my phone on the table. Just then, one of my servants returned with the glass of water and the blanket. I thanked her and she left the room, so it was just me and Y/N.

"Y/N, sweetie, can you please get up for me?" She opened her eyes. "What?" Oh God, she was getting weaker. "Have some water." As soon as I held the glass of water in front of her, she freaked out. Screaming, she pushed the glass out of my hand and it fell to the floor with a 'clang', the water spilling everywhere.

"No, no water, no… no…" She sobbed, pulling at her hair. "Okay, okay, no water! No water! Y/N, calm—" I grabbed her hands and clutched them in mine. She stopped sobbing; looked at our hands and then at my face. I brought her hands to my lips, softly kissing them. "No water. It's okay, Y/N, you're safe with me."

"Safe," she breathed heavily, "That's what he said to me before he poisoned me!" Who was he? Okay, she was getting insanely paranoid now… "I'm not like him, Y/N, I don't wanna hurt you," I whispered, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yes, you are! You both can't handle drinks!" she yelled, her tears beginning to flow once more. "Wait." My nostrils flared. Her ex-boyfriend, he harmed her? "Y/N, please, this is not good for your health, why don't you try to calm down? Breathe, baby girl, please," I pleaded.

She seemed to momentarily come to her senses. "Sebastian…" Without warning, she sat up and flung herself in my arms. And for once, I didn't mind holding her close. "You're okay with me. I'm not him. I am not going to harm you, Y/N, trust me," I mumbled into her hair, rubbing her back.

"I trusted him," she sobbed, "And he tried to kill me." This time, my anger won. I vowed to myself, if I don't kill her ex boyfriend in the next 24 hours— "I am nothing like him. We may have one shared trait," I rolled my eyes at its stupidity, "But I am nothing like him. For once, I wouldn't harm you even in my dreams."

Her sobs started to subside. "That's it, doll, don't cry. I'll keep you safe. Even if I die trying, I'll let no harm come to you." For 7 long months, I missed her. I missed her a bit too much. Every waking moment of mine was spent thinking about the beautiful bartender.

She was in my dreams. She was constantly on my mind. I longed for the moment when I could meet her again and ask her out. Alas, that time never came.

A week after we met, I had to go to Romania for some important work. I spent three months there and when I was back, Y/N was no longer working at the bar. She found a new job and I had no way of locating her anywhere.

I knew Anthony dropped her home that one time but when I asked him, he told me she had asked him to drop him off somewhere else. From there, he said, she was going to walk alone. He offered to drop her home again, but she refused. Having no choice, he returned without knowing where she lived.

That resulted in me not knowing where she was. I was heartbroken and told myself to stop thinking about her. I became more and more engaged in work, I became moody, temperamental and cold-hearted. Everyone started fearing me more now.

And I finally saw what Y/N meant.

What if you snap one day?

That day was closer than I thought. Even though I became a much more accomplished mobster, there was one thing I couldn't do even if I tried— forget about the love of my life.

"Seb, it hurts." I was brought back to the real world. "What hurts, baby girl?" I whispered, pulling her closer. "Head. Stomach. Legs. Arms. Heart." I smiled sadly at the last word. "I'll help you heal, Y/N, you don't have to go anywhere until you're better." She nuzzled into my neck. "I'd like that."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I called out, it was probably the doctor. Sure enough...

"Mr Stan? Oh, you have a guest." I tried to shift to make space for the doctor, but Y/N whimpered. "It's okay, Mr Stan, she clearly feels safer with you here." I placed Y/N on my lap, covering her with the blanket. "This is my friend, Y/N," I spoke fondly, though I really wanted to add 'girl' in front of 'friend'.

"Nice to meet you, dear, I am Dr Greenwood." With my help, he quickly ran some tests on her. "Hm, she has a fever, her heart rate is very fast and that's not good. Is there any other problem you're facing?" She nodded. "Headache and stomach ache."

"She claims to be poisoned," I added. "Oh dear me! I need to run a blood test, will you be so kind as to extend your right arm?" She did as he told her and he quickly took some blood. "Will she be fine?" I asked worriedly.

"Well, she seems to be doing okay currently, which means the poison hasn't affected her yet. How about I get back to you by the morning? Just keep an eye on her and if something happens, bring her to the hospital."

"Okay, doc. Thank you." He nodded and got up. "Bye!" Y/N called out weakly; he smiled at her and left, closing the door behind him. "You've got to tell me everything, doll," I whispered, putting her down on the couch. She lay down and I sat on the floor near her head.

"Okay, I will tell you. It was a few hours ago," she began quietly, "I was at home, watching the seventh season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine when someone rang the bell. When I opened the door, my ex burst into the room forcefully. He pushed me."

My breathing sped up. "He pushed you? How dare that asshole—"

"Let me finish?"

"Go ahead, love, I'm sorry."

"Right, so he was very very drunk. And he was talking about how I broke his heart by breaking up with him and how he was so mad at me that he wanted to kill me. In front of me, he popped open the bottle of beer with him and poured an entire bottle of poison in it! An entire bottle! Then he attacked me and pinned me to the couch, forcing me to drink the poisoned beer."

"How did you escape?" I whispered. "By kicking him in the balls. Unfortunately, I ended up gulping down a sip and panicked. Seeing no other choice, I pushed him as hard as I could and he collided with the table. He hurt himself and became unconscious. I ran out of the house to the first place I could think of— here."

"I'm glad you came to me, Y/N, you'll be perfectly safe here. Our security is top-notch," I chuckled. She smiled, too. "Where are Chris and Anthony?" she noticed. "They're in Romania. They decided to stay back."

"Wait, that's where you were this whole time? You didn't come to the bar again and until then, I found another job so I quit. I thought you would never come back. I missed you a lot," she pouted. "I missed you, too. I was actually in Romania for 3 months and when I came back, I couldn't find you. I didn't even know where you lived, I didn't know where to look."

"What matters is now we're back together again!" she squealed. "You should rest for a while," I muttered, running my fingers through her hair. I checked the time, it was almost 2 am. Laughing when she yawned, I sat up. "I guess I should."

"Come, I'll take you to your room." I stood up with Y/N still in my arms. "I don't wanna be alone," she worriedly spoke, "What if he's awake and comes looking for me and finds me here?"

"No one is finding you here," I sighed, "I'll stay with you, okay? Just tell me your address." Without thinking, she narrated her entire address and looked up at me with sleep-hooded eyes. I walked into the suite my people had readied for her and placed her down on the bed.

"I'm right here, just relax and try to sleep," I crooned, running my fingers through her hair. She immediately closed her eyes, which relieved me because she was listening now. When her soft snores filled the room, I heaved a breath and got up. Covering her with a blanket, I left the room, quietly closing the door behind me.

---

"This is the place," I spoke to myself, stopping my car under the building. I got out and entered, taking the elevator to the sixth floor where she lived. When I reached her apartment, I noticed that the door was still open. I walked in, my gun ready as I looked around the place. Wow, Y/N maintained this place well.

I searched every room thoroughly, starting with the living room, then the kitchen and then the two bedrooms. Shit, did the asshole leave? Y/N told me she left him in the living room. I was about to leave when I heard belching coming from one of the bathrooms. I opened the door to the one closest to me, only to see someone puking in the toilet.

"Ew," I whispered and he looked up. "What the fuck—" He flushed the toilet and wiped his mouth with the toilet paper, "—are you doing here?" I realized he was still under the effects of heavy drinking. "Y/N told me everything," I sneered, hiding my gun behind my back.

"She knows you? Pfft, I knew she was a whore, why would she leave me for a goddamn mobster? Everyone in the city hates you," he jeered back. "Um, why don't you consider this? You're an abusive and possessive asshole and Y/N left you because you obviously were treating her badly?" I snapped.

"Don't get smart with me," he snarled, taking out a knife from his back pocket. "Oh," he snorted when I glanced at the knife, "Yes, I came prepared to cut that bitch up if she tried to fight back." The language he was using to describe Y/N was getting to me now.

"Enough!" I stated firmly, so firmly that even he paused. "I will not have you talking about Y/N like this, you are crossing a line." He returned to laughing. "Care too much about one of your sluts? What is she, your girlfriend?" Okay, he didn't have to rub it in…

"I said—'' I whipped out the gun and pointed it at him, "—enough. If you don't stop badmouthing Y/N—" He interrupted me again by laughing. "Of course, you're gonna shoot me. You like to murder innocent people, that's all you are! A bloody, fucking cold-hearted murderer! Y/N would never leave me for a guy like you! She is your slut!" he spat.

"Are you listening to yourself?! You tried to fucking kill Y/N because she couldn't put up with your abusive ways and your disturbing habits! I do not kill innocent people and I don't plan on killing them ever," I growled, "However, I do make exceptions for abusive boyfriends who treat my friend wrong!"

With that, before he could retort, I fired three bullets at him. All three hit him in the chest and I watched as he fell against the floor, instantly dead. Some of his blood sprayed on my clothes and face, which made me scrunch up my face in disgust. But as I watched his lifeless body on the floor, a smile bloomed on my face.

Y/N was safe.

I checked myself in the bathroom mirror, washed my face and decided to go back. But before I could, I realized that Y/N would be spending some time with me and would need her necessities. So before leaving, I packed two full-sized travel bags with her clothes, electronics, footwears, toiletries and sanitation products; anything I deemed necessary for day-to-day living.

Soon, I left the apartment with the bags to go back to Y/N.

---

"Seb?"

I looked up from my book as Y/N sat up, yawning and clutching her head. "Y/N, the results came back, you're going to be fine," I told her happily, sitting down next to her. "Really?" A smile bloomed on her face. "Yes! Dr Greenwood said you didn't swallow too much poison and that you will most likely excrete the amount you swallowed." She nodded.

"That's great news! I'm glad he brought one of those cheap poisons instead of the deadly ones," she giggled. Just his mention made my temper snap. "Oh, don't even talk about that jerk," I snarled, "I took care of him last night and now he won't be bothering you anymore."

She blinked at me. "You killed him, didn't you?" she deadpanned and I blushed. "I mean— I didn't—" I stammered but gave up when she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I killed him," I muttered, looking at my lap. When she placed her hand on my cheek, I turned to look. "I'm not mad at you. Bitch had it coming."

I burst out laughing at her word choice, which made her smile, too. All of a sudden, she leaped up and wrapped her arms around my neck, catching my lips in a kiss. I stopped laughing and put my arms around her waist, kissing back. Had this just happened? Was she kissing me?

"I love you, Sebastian," she murmured upon pulling away, straddling my lap. I kept the book away and pulled her closer. "Really? I love you, too." She snorted. "Kinda obvious, you killed a man for me. I wasn't going to make a move on you but now I'm sure."

"Hm, my intelligent sweetheart," I grinned, leaning forward to kiss her again. The problem was solved and all was well. "What are your plans for the day?" she asked me, trailing a finger down my face, jaw, neck and chest. "Hm, don't have any," I smirked, pulling her closer.

"Wanna stay and… have some fun?"

"Boy, do I?"

Y/N laughed loudly as I flipped us over, laying down on top of her. Her laughs soon transitioned into moans as I attacked her neck and jaw with kisses.

We did have fun.

A lot of it.

A bit too much of it.

But who cares?

I was finally with the love of my life and everything was good.

---

A/N: Leave a like if you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

#sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x female reader #sebastian stan characters #bucky barnes x reader #winter soldier #disney #mcu #marvel #avengers #fanfic #writing #writeblr

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mycrofts-gunbrella · 3 years ago

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Right, I honestly can’t believe I’m having to make a post like this but here we go..

A couple of days ago I found two gifs of Mark Gatiss loose on the internet. Not from a tumblr page, nor any website with a creditable name. I then uploaded these two gifs onto my dashboard and it gained a tiny bit of attention (less than 20 notes).

From here, I ended up getting an individual who claimed the gifs were hers- and I’m not doubting this, it’s whatever- and then proceeding to comment a url to the original post.

Great. That’s fine! Absolutely okay!

I merely then stated that the url didn’t work for me. But I apologised on my post, proceeded to ask if the individual would still like me to put their name down as credit, even though I didn’t get the gifs directly from her and had no form, therefore, of knowing who originally made them.

I had no answer. I then scrolled through my own dashboard and saw that this individual had made an entire new post with the whole of the gifset they had made with a smaller caption, at the time, of simply stating that they’d seen a post go round with two of their gifs and so she was re-posting the original.

Again, this is absolutely fine. No worries.. but I proceeded again to apologise, offer to give credit or, alternatively, just delete the post. I, again, had no answer.. but then saw that another comment had been added, indirecting me about taking the gifs and stating that people should give credit “and no- the ‘internet’ doesn’t count”. As though it was like I was lying about where I had found the gifs- I wasn’t. Trust me, I’m not that desperate for gifs, nor feigning recognition for running a three second video through an app to make it into a gif.

Once again, I apologised. I took down the post, reiterated that I genuinely didn’t find them on tumblr or anything alike, said sorry once more for the confusion and even reblogged their post stating my apology, outlined my mistake, and encouraged others to instead return to the original post and share from there instead.

I haven’t heard back from the individual at all during this, despite it being a fairly long time since I messaged and they have made other posts/comments or whatever since. I will now be taking the action to simply block them and get on with it- which is something I didn’t think I’d have to due as I usually love my interaction with the tumblr community.

I just never expected to be so rudely indirected and ignored following an honest mistake in which my apologies were ignored, despite my removal of what they claim I “stole”. Frankly, I feel pathetic even making this post, but I understand we have mutual pages in common and I just want to make it clear that I am not a bad person. I admit to my mistakes and errors, apologise for them, and rectify the situation to the best of my ability.

And I know it’s not really the point, and I know some people get more possessive over others about things.. but the fact this has come about over a gif is what has upset me more. Nothing would stop me taking literally about 3 minutes of my time to screenrecord the EXACT time stamp of the video in which this gif came from, and running it through a free app on my phone to make it a gif.. thus, making it my own. If it was an original piece of art work I found, honestly I’d accept any slander I received. As an artist, I’d be gutted seeing something that took hours of my time gaining attention without being credited.. but this was two gifs.. probably took no more than 5-10 minutes to make the entire set. By using an app and a public video available to everybody.

I just.. I’ve been having an awful time in my life with my mental health, and maybe this is why I’m taking it to heart a bit more. But being targeted by somebody over double my age over something so tiny has really upset me, especially since I tried all I could to rectify and apologise for it.

I won’t be on here for a while now. I need to sort my head out and let this blow over. I know it sounds dumb, but I just can’t be on here right now. Apologies to people enjoying my fics, I know I said I’d update soon, but I’m just not in the right headspace.

If you’re just going to comment negative stuff, don’t. Please. If you’re just going to forward this on to the person I blocked. There’s no point. I’ve apologised, I’ve deleted the post, and they’ve chosen not to accept. If they still make comments about me, I don’t want to know. If you can’t accept that this has upset me, just block me- I don’t want to have to deal with negativity on an account that has been my comfort for over four years now on a website I’ve loved for so much longer.

I’m going to delete the tumblr app and be completely inactive for a few days at the very least. Sorry again to the person I upset, sorry if you truly thought I stole something you had made intentionally, and sorry to anyone who I’ve upset in the process. Sorry for making this post.

See you whenever,

mycrofts-gunbrella

#apology #taking leave #sorry

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bigfrozenfan-fanfics · 3 years ago

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Chapter 08 - The secret

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday on (link)

Remarks: all my chapters contain carefully selected music tracks. It’s your own decision if you want to use them or not while reading. The purpose is to musically support the respective mood of the plot. If you can please use a browser for reading (not the Tumblr app) due to the text formatting.

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It was just before dawn when Mattias rode off to meet his companions. There was hardly anyone on the streets and he greeted friendly when he came past someone. After he passed the last house and took the path to the upper rock gate, he saw in the distance a vehicle with a canvas-covered body standing at the side of the road. When his companions noticed him, they waved at him.

When he reached them, he did not dismount but bent down and gave each of them a hand as a greeting. Both wore unobtrusive civil clothing.

“Good morning Trygve, good morning Kristina,” he said, sat up again and put both hands on top of each other on the pommel. “Ready for another trip to the Enchanted Forest?” he asked jokingly.

Trygve pulled a face, “Not really. It cost me almost my whole life.”

Kristina agreed and said, “Yes, I feel the same way. But you know, General Mattias, that we will always stand by your side faithfully. I hope we'll be away from there as soon as possible and I can enjoy my retirement on my little houseboat. The fjord is always better than that dreadful forest.”

Mattias nodded seriously, “I can understand that very well and I'm thankful for your willing to help me on this, hopefully very short mission, to get Elsa back to Arendelle incognito. I also want to return to Arendelle as soon as possible, to my dearest Halima. How have you been doing since you came back? We haven't had much of a chance to talk about it.”

“Well, I am back with my family and we are all doing very well. The financial support from the royal family, respectively from Queen Anna, has helped us all a lot and it makes life more comfortable,” answered Trygve.

Kristina looked far less satisfied and hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Unfortunately I have no one else. My relatives died three and four years ago. I visited their grave only last week. But I have made new friends and we do a lot together. I was also able to buy a houseboat and a small sloop with my severance pay. I sail out with it very often on the fjord.” After a little while, she added, “Over all, I'm doing quite well and I can be happy to spend my retirement in Arendelle this way.”

“I'm happy for you,” said Mattias and smiled, but then, turning to Kristina with a sad expression on his face, he added, “I'm sorry for you, Kristina, that you were not able to see your relatives again. My deepest condolences.”

She nodded sadly, "Thank you."

Trygve had looked at her with concern during her narration and now put a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry for you, Kristina, I didn't know.” They looked at each other. “Let's do something together when we get back ... and hey, if you don't mind I'd like to go for a sail on your sloop with you. I'll bring the food too.”

She laughed and nodded. “I'd love to, Trygve.” But then they both lapsed into thoughtful silence.

“All right, folks, the sun's coming up over the horizon. We should slowly set off,” Mattias interrupted their thoughts and took the reins in his hand.

The two nodded and got on the wagon side by side. Trygve had the draught horse trotted, Mattias rode after them. When they had passed the rock gate, Mattias looked back. The first sunrays had already reached the upper part of the castle and bathed the top in a warm light.

~~~

It was of course Olaf who was the first to notice that something was different than usual. While Kristoff and Anna were still enjoying their togetherness in bed, he had already gone outside in the early morning hours and looked around the camp. Since he had been able to read and write, had read all the books he found in the castle for the last two years, and was now even a regular guest in the Arendelle library, he had developed a new view of the world around him. He was curious and liked to combine contexts that no one else saw as he did. Where others took many things for granted, he questioned everything and was the only one who noticed that the Northuldra camp was unusually empty this morning. Apart from women and children, not a single one of the men was to be seen.

“Tell me, guys, isn't it curious that there are barely any men around the camp today? All I see are some women and their little ones.”

Anna and Kristoff sat together with him still a bit sleepy at the fireplace and looked now first at him, but then also peered around surprised.

“You are right, Olaf,” Anna said and raised her eyebrows. “Where did they all go?”

“Maybe they have heavy work to do and need all the strong men for it?” Kristoff surmised and shrugged his shoulders.

“Or maybe they are doing what they often do in Arendelle Castle in the morning when one of those council meetings is taking place,” Olaf replied. Anna and Kristoff looked at him in amazement.

“Might well be,” Anna pondered and nodded thoughtfully, but what could be so important and why didn't they tell me about it; she asked herself. It certainly has something to do with Elsa, but I am her sister and Queen of Arendelle after all, so I should also be informed about everything that concerns her. She made a thoughtful face.

“Let’s gonna find it out,” Kristoff said and stood up. Then he went straight to the next Northuldra woman who was repairing the tunic of one of her children. “Excuse me, but we were just wondering where all your men went. It's so empty in the camp today.”

“They have important things to do today,” she said with a smile and returned to her work. Kristoff turned to Anna, pursed his lips and, with his shoulders raised, spread his arms wide to communicate the disappointing answer.

Anna frowned and now also stood up to ask the next woman the same question. She headed for a young woman who was cutting vegetables for the morning soup in front of her kota. But Anna did not receive a satisfactory answer either, as her expression indicated, when she turned around again and looked at her companions helplessly.

Shaking her head, she went back. “I guess we won't get an answer from anyone else either, by the looks of it.” They both sat down again and looked at one another questioningly.

What have they got to hide; Anna asked herself, and above all why? She put her head in her hands and pondered.

~~~

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Two Northuldra men waded through a shallow part of a quietly flowing wide creek and started to run faster once they reached the other side. The forest was slowly getting denser and man-sized bushes seemed to block the way. But the men knew exactly where a hidden path led through the undergrowth, and shortly afterwards they were no longer to be seen.

When they came out on the other side they stepped into a wide clearing. In the center was a large, elongated building, the upper part of which consisted of a tower-like construction, with skilfully timbered beams that protruded from the symmetrically built roof and ended at the upper end under a pyramid-shaped, open spire. Inside, a narrow wooden staircase led to the top, ending in a small platform. The lower part of the building had some narrow window openings placed remarkably high below the long roof boards, designed exclusively to let light into the interior.

Besides from the central entrance no windows were visible. Instead, at regular intervals long white birch branches were attached to the house in such a way that it almost looked as if they would support the whole structure. The branches protruded through the overhanging roof and then branched filigree upwards. Around the house, large birch trees grew at regular intervals, which were conspicuously straight and with their foliage formed a natural roof over the entire clearing and the building. This place looked impressive and almost magical.

The men rushed through the open double door and one of them pulled it shut behind him.

“Oh man, there you are at last, you're late! You must have been up against a big fish again, Joná?” joked one of the men standing near the entrance, laughing at the fisherman. It was the same one who had been on the beach the day before with a few others to interrogate Joná. Behind him, the hall was filled with Northuldra men, who seemed to be waiting for something, and some of them were talking animatedly.

Joná pulled a face, “Of course not, Völund, but the catch has to be brought to the camp by somebody, or do you want to have stinking fish on your plate later?” Völund waved off bored and turned around again.

The two fishermen looked at each other for a moment, nodded suspiciously and sneaked to the right side of the hall, where there was a second, smaller entrance. This door was wide open. Joná looked around and had to admit to himself that they had apparently really been the last, all the men from the camp were already present. Then he looked up in amazement. The room was very high with an open beam construction. Daylight flooded through the narrow windows. Torch holders were placed under each opening, and underneath them ran a balustrade around the entire interior. At the front, opposite the double doorway, a narrow staircase wound upwards, part of which led inwards in a semicircle and ended in a small opening at the top leading to the tower they had seen from the outside.

Joná had never been here, but of course he knew about the place and the purpose of it. In earlier days there was always a big kota in their camp, with a second entrance remarkably similar to the one he was standing next to now. This access was usually reserved for the shaman, the Noaidi of their people and this kota was used exclusively for rituals and the Norting, a grand assembly of his people. But this was long before his time and on recent decades, as he knew, there was no need of calling out a Great Ting. The last time was before the dam was built and the diplomatic negotiations with the foreigners from Arendelle were started. On these days, their elder had called for a meeting, but was shortly after murdered by this king behind his back. Today Yelana was their unspoken leader, and now it fell to her to proclaim a Norting if neccessary.

Joná was too young back then to attend such a meeting, but his father had told him all about it. Every man in his tribe ought to attend it as they came of age. At least when the opportunity arose. Today was apparently such a day, and Yelana, although not a Noaidi, just came in through the side door. She glanced around the hall for a moment and nodded at him briefly when she noticed him. Joná raised an eyebrow in surprise. Then she circled the waiting men and stood on one of the lower stairs to be heard well everywhere. It became quiet among those present.

She cleared her throat. “Traditionally, I am obliged to call a Norting when an important decision is about to be made and its consequence affect all of us. There are disturbing news related to recent events.”

In the hall there was a low murmur and many looked at each other with concern.

“However, I must first point out that my conclusions are based on suppositions, some of which have not yet been confirmed. Highly plausible assumptions, however. Our fifth spirit Elsa was probably attacked on purpose and there is possibly a certain person behind all this, someone who might have a good reason for it. That someone is also most likely behind the disappearance of the other four nature spirits.”

The worried murmurings in the hall abruptly increased.

“Hear me. I had a hunch, so I went to see Gyda yesterday.”

From the ranks of those present, someone shouted out loud and clear, “Gyda? What does this old witch have to do with it?”

Yelana's gaze swept around, angrily fixating on the one who presumed to disturb her speech and pointing at him with an admonishing index finger. “Be quiet and don't interrupt me! You have no idea what you are talking about. Gyda is not who many of us think she is. She is a solitary person, I admit, but she has been through a lot in her life, and if you would let me finish, you would understand.”

Yelana took a deep breath and outlined in short, rough words what Gyda had told her and how much it had burdened her. However, she left out the climax for now. Yelana was known for her seriousness, but there was one thing she did not miss out on, and that was to bring certain things to the point at the right time. Some of the younger men opened their eyes in surprise when she ended, but didn't dare say anything. Yelana noticed it, of course.

“Yes, those of you who were born under the mist may not have known it yet, but before Elsa, we had another fifth spirit. The older ones among you, including me, still knew him. He was difficult to deal with him, to say the least.”

Some nodded affirmatively.

“It was Gyda's own decision that she lived in seclusion ever since, and many of us have supported it. We have all, in our gullibility, judged her prematurely.”

One could see how many of the heads were lowered and it became quiet as a mouse.

And then Yelana got to the point, and somehow she enjoyed that moment, “Gyda had a son!”

It was quiet for a second, and everyone remained motionless to process what they had heard, but in the next second a wave of excited, loud word fragments burst onto Yelana, when most people suddenly realized what it meant. Yelana let them go for a few moments, but then struck several times hard with her gnarled birch cane on one of the steps above her. The whole construction vibrated and boomed and it became instantly quiet again in the hall.

“We do not know what he is capable of. But the fact that he apparently has the spirits under control and tried to kill Elsa and almost succeeded tells me that he is not to be underestimated by no means. He is different from his father in one crucial respect. He's out for revenge. Revenge on all those who were partly responsible for his father's death. Revenge on all those who came from Arendelle, home of that murderer Runeard.” She let the words sink in, then continued in a softer, but insistent voice.

“I deliberately did not invite Queen Anna and her companions, for as long as they are among us, we too may be the target of Kolgrimr, the name Gyda gave to him. For the time being, none of them may know our secret of the old fifth spirit and his son, and if they had not already planned to leave tomorrow and take Elsa with them, I would have arranged for it myself. Both Anna and Elsa are half Northuldra and half Arendellian and are descended from one of our oldest families. We owe them both so much when they freed us last year and we have made a new peace between us and Arendelle. But I admonish you all anyway. All this is something that we cannot control and we all have to decide this way, because unfortunately there is still something you do not know.”

Yelana paused in the silence and then looked over to Joná. “Come here, Joná,” she said forcefully and waved him over.

All heads turned and looked into the corner where he was standing. Völund's jaw dropped and Joná didn't know what was happening to him. He hesitated and looked around him nervously.

“You need not be afraid. Come...,” Yelana added reassuringly. Slowly he moved towards her, his head lowered and he wished he could hide now, it was clearly visible on his face. Finally he stood next to her and she put her hand on his shoulder.

“Because we had just talked about the fact that many of us have many prejudices and show a lack of respect for one of our own. Here stands Joná and he has done something that showed a lot of courage and conviction to want to help us all. He dared to approach Ahtohallan with his boat despite the ban, because he wanted to find out what was behind all these events. I don't mean to say that I approve, but he found out something that we otherwise wouldn’t know and which was ultimately decisive in convening this Norting.” She whispered to him that he could go back, and Joná hurried to comply.

“Ahtohallan lies beneath a magical fog wall, identical to the one that trapped most of us here for over 34 years. This is probably also the reason why Ahtohallan no longer has a connection to the nature spirits and can no longer help us. There is only one person who can be responsible for this and I hope you now understand why we are all in great danger if this kind of threat should come upon us.”

The ensuing turmoil was indescribable and Yelana had a hard time bringing everyone back to their senses. In the end, she raised both arms and moved her hands up and down to appease them.

“Please calm down again! I can understand your concern, but we are not his main target, please be aware of that. Kolgrimr survived somewhere under the mist completely alone for over 35 years since he was a seven year old kid and he never turned against us once. I guess none of us can even imagine the hatred and despise he has for Arendelle. That is also the reason why none of them can stay among us here. He has only recently started to put his plans into action and I can only hope that Elsa will very soon remember who she was before and what powers she once had. Keep your eyes and ears open and tell me immediately if you discover anything unusual. But please, stay away from him. He may be Northuldra, but no one can say what has become of him in all this time.”

Yelana took a deep breath and finally dissolved the assembly. “That's all for now. You can go back to camp now.”

As the last of them had streamed out of the hall, she sat down on the stairs, a little exhausted. “I don't want to be in the shoes of the Arendellians and I hope that Elsa still has her magic,” she muttered softly to herself and it sounded almost like a prayer.

~~~

---

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked the story, I would be pleased to read your opinions, even criticisms. If you want to be tagged as soon I publish the next chapter please let me know.

Remarks: Back when I was writing this chapter, I dreamed of this hidden building and always wished that someone might be able to draw it for me or that I would be able to do it myself. It wasn't until recently that I dared to do an edit and took Disney's concept art of the Northuldra-style Arendelle Castle as a basis for my story and modified it accordingly. I wish I had better quality imagery for the two Northuldra fishermen there, it took me quite a bit of effort. Hope you like the result.

Tagging: @karma26 @whether-near-to-me-or-far @annaofthenorthernlights @igotelsapregnanthelp

#frozen #frozen2 #frozen3 #fanfic #epic novel #the broken bridge #chapter 08 #bigfrozenfan

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koolkat9 · 3 years ago

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In the Deep (Ch. 5)

How Does He Know You Love Him?

In a matter of days, I was right as rain again. Although it was nice for Ludwig to come to visit me in bed, I was excited to get out of that room and back near the sea. Also, knowing I wouldn’t have to worry about Ludwig drying up was another benefit of our regular spot. I still couldn’t shake the sounds of his gasps from my mind. Unfortunately, there was more than that to worry about. Ever since that night with Ludwig in the tub, ignoring my feelings for him had become difficult and there was no more hiding of the fact that I had fallen in love.

“Have you ever been in love?” I asked Francis carefully over breakfast. Francis was the last person I wanted to be talking to about this, but it wasn’t like I knew anyone else around. Though, the sight of him almost choking on his water made it a bit more bearable.

“What has brought this on?”

“Fine…” I gulped not wanting to say what I was about to. “You were right,” I whispered.

“Quoi? I didn’t hear you.”

I groaned, burying my face into my hands. “You were right. I think I love Ludwig.”

“Ah! C’est bon,” Francis exclaimed, practically bouncing in his seat. Maybe I should have just suffered in silence. Now the frog could brag and tease me to his heart's content, knowing he was right and possibly.

“Yeah, Yeah. Now about your love life. Do you have a partner?”

Francis’ smile faltered slightly, his eyes becoming somewhat sad. “Oh..oui. Two to be exact. We’re all engaged actually. Hopefully, they’ll keep their damn promise and sit down with me to plan the wedding once they get home from their fishing trip.”

“You miss them?” I asked without really thinking. It wasn’t like I cared for Francis, it was only a natural question. Seeing him sad definitely didn’t make me feel bad. Not at all.

“Yes. Very much. But that’s what it's like when you’re in love.”

I tried to push back a smile, but I still felt the corners of my mouth twitch. Who knew he could be so...sentimental...dare I say sweet. But this talk about missing people was bringing up some unpleasant feelings of my own so I figured it was best to move on. “I guess. So...How exactly did you guys end up together?”

“Oh, it's such a romantic story!”

So the first of the two he met was his childhood friend Antonio. They apparently had shared their first kiss, but didn’t actually start dating until after their schooling. Shortly after that, they moved in together as Francis had inherited the inn from his parents and Antonio had started a fishing business. While out on one of his fishing excursions, Antonio came across their other partner, Gilbert, who was shipwrecked. But there seemed to be more to it. When Francis talked about this part of the story, he seemed hesitant, almost like he had to think about what he had to say. It felt off to me, but I didn’t say anything. I just needed to see that he wasn’t just all talk when it came to love. Francis went on, explaining how Antonio and Gilbert got close during that trip and they fell in love. Antonio brought Gilbert home to introduce him to Francis and the three became instant friends. Soon enough Francis also started to fall for Gilbert and he eventually confided in Antonio about it. Antonio who had also started with feelings proposed they try and court Gilbert together.

“One thing led to another,” Francis sighed dreamily, “and we started dating and got engaged about a year and a half later.”

“That’s...quite the story.”

“Yes. They come home in about two weeks.” Francis suddenly sprung up. “Oh Arthur, you’ll be able to meet them. We could even have a double date with you and Ludwig.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ludwig and I aren’t even dating so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Ah, right,” Francis said, taking a seat once more. “Well if you want my advice-”

“I don’t.” I did. And he knew it.

“Just be honest with him Arthur. I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

My cheeks went warm at the comment. It's not like I hadn’t considered Ludwig returning my feelings, but it couldn’t be that easy. Could it? Francis must have picked up on my hesitation as he went on to add, “All you can do is try.”

---

The salty sea air filled my lungs as I took a deep breath. ‘All you can do is try,’ echoed through my mind as I cautiously made my way across the rocky path. Ludwig turned towards me, practically glowing in the sunlight, stopping me in my tracks. I probably stared for a bit too long.

“Guten Abend,” he greeted with a small smile.

“Ah...y-yes good evening,” I stuttered out.

“Are you going to sit?” Ludwig asked after a moment.

Mentally kicking myself for being so awkward, I sat down next to him, but I was unable to meet his gaze.

“Everything okay?”

“Just peachy.”

“Okay…” He didn’t seem to believe me, but at the same time, he didn’t ask further. “So...any questions for today?”

Thank goodness, something normal. I had welcomed the distraction until I realized I had nothing to ask except for one topic. That topic was part of what had me so on edge in the first place. Then again, asking about mating rituals of his kind would be educational, normal, and possibly give me the confidence I needed.

“Y-Yes...we’ve covered almost everything b-but...there is one more thing...we talked about it a little bit a few nights ago-”

“Just spit it out Arthur,” Ludwig interjected sharply.

“Mating Rituals. Does your kind have any mating rituals?”

His cheeks flushed and shoulders stiffened. “M-Mating rituals?” he sputtered.

“Yes...You don’t have to share anything you don’t want to. I just…”

“It's okay.” His voice was too high-pitched for me to believe that, but I let him continue. “Well...There’s..um...Sorry...I’m not the most experienced with this stuff.”

“Don’t worry. Just do what you can.”

With a breath, Ludwig went on. “Well...I better start at the beginning. Usually the more...I guess...masc-...wait no...dominant ones of our species will start building nests with all kinds of plants and coral they can find. Some go for comfort, some make it more decorative, or a mix in between. It's all to attract a mate. It used to be used as...y-you know…” His gaze shifted awkwardly down to his lap, his blush creeping down his neck. “To have babies. But it's not like that anymore. At least not solely...for childbearing I mean but-”

“I get the picture,” I coughed awkwardly. Not that the idea of having sexual relations with Ludwig never crossed my mind (if anything it crossed my mind a little too much), but to talk so openly about it gave me anything but confidence. “Anything else?”

“There is a calling in our language. It is a certain pattern of chirps and clicks that also attract potential mates. Once we find someone, we further engage in conversation and go from there.”

“Do you mind showing me?” I asked, “the call I mean.”

“Oh...uh...s-sure.” Ludwig looked a bit unsure, but proceeded anyway. He sounded almost like a dolphin, but it was still distinct enough. I found my cheeks heating up, my mind thinking what it would be like if he was calling to me like that. I shook my head, patting my cheeks to get rid of their colour. I didn’t need him getting suspicious.

“What about you?” Ludwig questioned.

“What?”

“What kind of rituals does your kind have?”

I was surprised that he was asking now too. He never asked for prior questions. For a moment I allowed myself to hope, to think that this meant he liked me too. And I answered: “Hmm...there are a few though not everyone uses the same ones. But basic ones? There is the ritual of giving gifts like flowers, chocolates, jewelry…”

“Like my bracelet?” Ludwig’s eyes met mine. I felt like I just backed myself into a corner and more words got trapped in my throat. My gaze fell to the water.

“I...um...ah...tech...I…well…”

“Arthur?” His hand found my shoulder, constricting my throat further. This was my chance, I had narrowed a confession down to one word.

“N-No,” I said instead. “Gifts can be for a variety of reasons. This one was out of guilt and...friendship.” At least it wasn’t a complete lie.

“Oh…” His face fell, looking almost disappointed. “Anything else?”

“Well, then we go on a date which means we go to a restaurant or some other venue and get to know each other. Then there is the first kiss.”

“First kiss?” Ludwig asked with a quirked brow.

“Uh...Yes...Like, when you press your lips together and…”

“I think you need to show me.”

I swore I almost broke my neck when I turned back to him.“What?”

“Show me.” There was this intense fire in his eyes as he bore into me. My heartbeat quickened and my breath became short. That sly bugger.

“I-I guess it can’t be helped,” I squeaked. I cautiously leaned forward, eyes closed, too scared to look. Ludwig ended up meeting me halfway just as I was about to give into my nerves. My eyes snapped open as his lips softly pressed against mine. They were cold, wet, but made me feel warm inside and out. It was like I was on fire, just like that moment from a few nights ago. As the kiss continued, I let my eyes slip closed and pulled him closer by his neck. Oh God, it was better than I could ever imagine.

Unfortunately, we had to pull away, both of us gasping for breath. I didn’t move far, however, letting our breaths mingle. “I thought you didn’t know what a kiss was,” I joked, pressing my forehead against Ludwig’s.

“Maybe that was a lie,” he laughed sheepishly.

“So...are you going to make me a nest?”

“Shut up,” He hissed before going in for another kiss.

Author’s Note: I’m so sorry this chapter took so long. I had bad writer’s block for it, then I got caught up in ship events here on Tumblr and then university started which is taking up a lot of my time. That being said, updates won’t be as consistent as they once were, but don’t worry, I would never discontinue this story.

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#hetalia #hws #gereng #engger #geruk #hws engand #hws france #hws germany #mermaid au #in the deep #mermaid!ludwig #privateer!arthur #fanfiction #hetalia fanfiction

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lalahbug · 4 years ago

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Guidance - Zuko x Reader Chapter 2

Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender Word Count: 5,5 My Masterlist Warnings/disclaim: general Characters are aged up Refer to first chapter for information on timeline ___ is a blank for your name/oc/whatever you prefer Written in 3rd person Line/header is to separate paragraphs to indicate time skips, as Tumblr hates my formatting. Story under cut, 2 of 8: Guidance Masterlist

Rustling sounds again woke Zuko, as he cracked his eyes open, he could see ___ up and ready for the day, carrying in the large pots of salt inside the tent. He sat up and eyed her a bit, she looked fine, but he was still concerned about her from last night. “Morning, I just have one more basin then we can try to camouflage the tent and head out. I’ve already got the ostrich-horse packed up too.” “Okay,” he stood up and stared at her for a bit. “What’s wrong?” “What happened last night?” “Walking in town takes a couple of hours, which should be shortened with riding. But I’ll tell you everything on the way there, okay?” Zuko mumbled an okay out before helping with everything to get them on to the road.

Riding silently, ___ sat in front of Zuko as they rode towards town. The ostrich-horse was going slower due to all the weight and packing he had on him. “So?” Zuko asked as the silence went on too long for his liking when he wanted answers. “Well, um, I’m not sure where to begin,” she hummed while thinking. “Oh, I guess how I learned everything would be a good start.” “So, the beginning, which is usually a good place to start any story,” Zuko grumbled. “Oh shush,” she pushed him a bit jokingly away with a laugh before clearing her throat a bit. “After leaving home, as the angry young teenager I was, I was struggling badly just within a few days. On land seemed even harder. But I was in the Earth Kingdom when an older couple saw I was near starvation and took me in. The old lady taught me cooking, some edible plants, and how to mend things. The man taught me some tracking and repair. I was with them for a month or so. They helped a lot of people who passed through, they’re great people, when I’m near them I usually go see them, check on them. “While we were eating dinner one night, they had another traveler there. Who was looking for a lost library, in the desert. I was very interested so when the traveler left, I went with him. I don’t remember him much; we didn’t talk about anything other than the library. We stopped at an oasis, which wasn’t really an oasis anymore, and when he went inside to get a drink. I saw a fox, known for gathering things for the library. I followed it immediately. “Somehow I kept up even in the sand. The fox went into a tower that stuck out of the sand. I climbed up and in, and when I landed. I was confronted by Wan Shi Tong, the spirit who runs the library. He told me I wasn’t welcome and that I needed to leave. Being the emotional child, I was after everything that happened. I broke down crying. Wan Shi Tong asked me what was wrong, I told him everything. I told him all that I wanted was to learn, I wanted to be like the old people who helped me. I wanted to know how to protect myself and live on my own. “Wan Shi Tong explained to me that humans, in general, were not welcome, because they abused the knowledge in his library, but since he felt I was sincere, he let me stay. I think he either took pity or a liking to me, as he gave me food and water. I stayed there for almost a year. I ate, read, practiced some waterbending and chi blocking, and slept, that’s all I did for that year. Before I left, I started to learn more about the spirit world from texts and Wan Shi Tong, I had become very spiritual. Meditating became a part of my life at that point. Which I’m sure you’ve seen me do from time to time.” ___ stopped talking and took a drink of water. “So that’s why you know so much, you’ve very cultivated. But that doesn’t explain last night.” “Okay, okay,” she grumbled. “I made my way out of the desert and into Earth Nation forest. Putting all my reading and knowledge into practice, living on my own. Some Fire Nation soldiers had found me, I used the opportunity to do chi blocking, thankfully I was good at it. I ran away after they were all down. While getting as much distance as I could between me and the soldiers. I slugged through a wide river which the full moon shined down on, I slipped in the water, cutting my hand as I caught myself. I went to heal the cut, but the water around me glowed. “I was pulled under the water, but I could breathe, so I tried to not panic and closed my eyes. When I could no longer feel the water around me, I opened my eyes. It took me a while to figure it out, but I was in the spirit world. After reading and learning about the spirit world I was weary and quiet, scared to anger any spirit or run into malicious ones. “Eventually, Avatar Roku found me. We talked for a long time. About the war, my future, and why I was there. With me finding passion in spirits and with the path my life was to follow, the spirit world accepted me. In short, I will be helping Avatar Aang, spiritually. Aang will face a deafening defeat, I am supposed to help him reconnect his chakras.” “He also mentioned, I would be faced with a challenging choice, to forgive someone or not. But knowing myself and how I am. I will offer the second chance." "But why?" "Do you have things you regret? Do you wonder how different your life would be if someone gave you another try, to right your wrongs? I do, I regret leaving my home in anger. I wonder how I would be if they let me come home when I cried for forgiveness and apologized for my ways. That I was no longer angry and I missed my home, my people. But they didn't care, I was unwanted there. So, I don't belong anywhere, but if I follow my path. One day, maybe I will be able to be myself and still be loved. What more could you ask for but freedom to be who you are?" "But you're not a bad person, you should be able to be yourself." She scoffed, "the moment I show that I'm a strong fighter and independent. I show I can't be an obedient timid wife that most people think I should be." "I think it's better that you can protect yourself. I think it's a good thing." "Well, you'd be the first. Thank you." She turned a bit to give him a heartfelt smile, making him look away as he blushed. She giggled at it. "What?" He spat. "You're cute, Zuko." "So are you, ___," now it was her turn to turn away with blush, making him chuckle. After some thinking and silence, Zuko spoke up. "I don't know if I regret speaking out against my father's plan. It felt wrong to sacrifice so many men. I do wish my father would have given me another chance though, I guess him sending me after the Avatar was his way to do that. So I can regain my honor." "I've said it once and I'll say it forever. You were a child, what your father did was wrong. You aren't a failure, you're better than him and nothing like him. He can’t strip you of your honor, it is what you hold and how you follow your life, your destiny." Zuko grunted he didn't like it when she said that, it hurt, like his heart was being split in half. As if it was starting a war within him. “Zuko,” she started in a soft tone, ”if your father loved you. Avatar or not, you would be home. You wouldn’t be wanted, dead or alive, you’d be wanted at least alive. Be your own person, I believe your destiny will be putting balance to the world your forefathers have destroyed.” “I don’t want to talk about this, you don’t know me, my family! You can’t just say shit and think I’ll follow the words like a lost goatdog! I am my own person!” “Then why are you here?” She turned to look at him, serious and hard. Zuko gulped a bit for her cold glare. “If you're your own person then why do you care so much about pleasing an abusive father? What false love and honor could restore you when you can't even be truthful to yourself? You don’t want my advice, don’t take it. But don’t snap at me either, boy.” She spat the word boy at him before jumping off the animal. She stood tall and proud, even though small in stature, she reigned power around her. “I want an apology or you can give me stuff and git!” Zuko looked down at the reins in his hands, even though he hadn’t stopped the ostrich-horse, it stopped from her words. He was shaking, he couldn’t tell if it was from anger or sadness. But he knew she was only trying to help, that’s all she’s done for him. Never asking for anything in return other than assistance with chores. “Zuko!” He snapped his head towards the sound of his name, seeing her face go from stern to soft. ___ climbed up onto the animal and gently wiped away tears he didn’t even know were falling. “I know you’re lost; I know you’re confused. But do not talk down to me, okay?” Her voice was so gentle and warm, he didn’t know what to do. Embracing her urgently and lying his head on her shoulder, she stiffened for a moment before pulling him closer and rubbing his back softly. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed into her shoulder. “Oh, sweetie.” ___ pulled him back from her shoulder and wiped his tears away carefully. “I’m sorry I snapped. I guess I still need to work on my anger a bit. We both do. Let’s do it together, okay?” He nodded before pulling her back to him, he could barely make sense of how good it felt to hold her. He felt whole, safe, and tranquil. “Can you stay here, in my arms for a bit?” His request was barely above a whisper. She exhaled sharply, a small laugh, “only if we keep moving.” She adjusted herself to sit sideways then rested her head and body into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her before flicking the reins to send them back into motion. “___?” “Yes?” “I want to help you in town.” “That’s the plan, for you to help and learn.” “Not just that, but with that guy, so he doesn’t bother you.” “Oh, no, I don’t want any fighting okay?” “What if I pretended to be your boyfriend? Would he leave you alone?” “Um,” she flushed a bit before clearing her throat. “I guess. But it wouldn’t be just him, it’d have to be the whole town. It’s a small town, people talk, they’d be able to tell if we lied. It's exhausting to pretend and put on a façade all the time.” “But don’t you do that already? Pretend to be timid and gentle.” “Yes, that’s why I know it’s exhausting. I can show I'm a hard worker but I can’t show I’ve got my own mind and how hard-headed I am.” “But you never pretend to be caring and nice.” “I just try to do what feels natural while I bite my tongue.” “I pretend to be a traveler with bad manners.” “I don’t think you pretend too much on the bad manners.” She giggled, Zuko grumbled. “Thank you for the offer, but I couldn’t put you in that position. Also, I would be questioned all the time once you leave.” Zuko was wordless and lost, his heart was pounding at the thought of leaving her. “Are you okay?” ___ asked with her head still on his chest. “Your heart is beating so fast.” He rubbed the back of his neck, dropping the rein and clearing his throat into his fist a bit. “I’m fine. ___?” “Hhm?” she hummed. “I like you.” “I like you too.” “No, I mean, I really like you. I wanted to show I could be a good boyfriend, that’s why I offered to be a pretend boyfriend. To prove it to you.” “Zuko,” she lifted her head and smiled at him gently. “You don’t need to prove it to me right away. Just show me over time.” ___ gently touched his cheek. “Will you be my boyfriend?” Zuko blushed light at her words, but nodded. “Have you been with anyone else?” he wanted to know if she had past relations but didn't know how to phrase it otherwise. “Yes, I've had one boyfriend before. It was 2 years ago. We hit a path in our relationship where we weren't communicating honesty and the base of our relationship that was on common ground dissipated. We were decent friends before and the relationship was mainly physical. It had nothing to do with destiny but who we were.” “What’s our common ground?” “We’ll find it, for now, we can be caring for each other.” “Okay,” Zuko mumbled, ___ sat up a bit more to look at him more clearly. Golden eyes quickly caught hers. Moments ticked by as talons trudged the dirt path, their bodies moved closer together. ___ closed her eyes leaning closer to Zuko, he felt panic, fear, and jealousy. What was her ex like? Zuko was inexperienced, could he please her at all? “Zuko?” She looked at him concerned. “Sweetie, what's wrong?” He looked away but didn't answer. “I'm not sure what's wrong, but if it was me, I'm sorry. We just became partners and I go and assume and rush things.” She settled against him and put her head on his shoulder. “I'll wait for you, do what feels natural to you, don't force anything.” Zuko wanted to kick and burn himself. His insecurities made her feel like she did something wrong. He wanted to kiss her, but his fears held him back.

Silence was awkward for a bit but as they cuddled and rested against one another, it became comfortable. “We’re here,” ___ sat up a bit pulling away from Zuko and stretching her arms. Zuko wrapped an arm around her waist when she was done and pulled her back to him. She smiled at him. They reached a store where they could hitch the animal. Zuko jumped down and immediately offered to help ___ down into his arms. She glanced down at him, before looking over to another guy and smiled at Zuko. “Catch me, Lee!” she giggled and jumped into his arms. He chuckled and hugged her close before resting his forehead against hers. “Hey ___, where have you been?” She pulled away from Zuko a bit. “Oh, hey Kyo. I was just living off the land. But I’m here now to help and sell.” “That’s good, I think my dad needs me to do a delivery but since my mom’s sick, he needs help with the store.” Kyo was talking level but kept glancing at Zuko. “Oh no, I’ll look at her, see if I can heal her at all. If not, if your delivery doesn’t take too long, I or Lee can help your dad.” “I’m guessing your Lee,” Kyo looked fully at Zuko now. “I’m Kyo.” He offered a hand to shake hands, when Zuko went to shake hands, Kyo tried to crush his hand, thankfully Zuko was strong enough for it to not work. “Yup, Lee here.” ___ snorted slightly at his awkwardness. “How’d you meet ___?” “Wandering through the forest, smelt food. She fed me and I’ve been with her since.” “Oh, so your good friends?” “No, I’m her boyfriend,” Zuko deadpanned and wrapped an arm around her tightly. “Oh, she didn’t turn you down?” “No, because I’m here to support her, as needed because she’s strong without me.” Kyo just stared at Zuko for a moment, “how are prices on baskets today?” ___ chirped. "___, for your baskets, always good,” a hearty laugh came from the store, Kyo’s father, Rin came out. “I need more watertight ones. You’re my best supplier for those!” “Well you’re in luck, I have a surplus, I was teaching Lee so I ended up with tons. They’re all flatten, so check them and if there are any breaks, I’ll fix it!” She gestured to a pile on the back of the ostrich-horse. “Perfect, welcome back!” Rin laughed and picked up the pile and went into the store, she followed after him so they could settle on prices. “Lee, can you unpack Gray?” “Gray?” “The ostrich-horse,” she piped. “You named him without my say?” “You just called him animal, that’s not nice,” she giggled as she went into the store. Zuko groaned before going to Gray and starting to unpack him so he could rest. “You’re just going to let her boss you around? That’s not how a woman should be.” Kyo stated. “She asked me, we’re partners, we help each other, that’s what lovers should do. I’d rather she could protect herself and maybe even help me in a fight, then be someone I’d have to worry about even more than normal. I worry about her, but, because I know she can protect herself, I don’t have to protect her and myself unless necessary.” Zuko ranted this out a bit, while unpacking, he could see what ___ meant by Kyo being a bother. He seemed to have a knack for being under one's skin. “She’s a woman, she needs a man’s protection.” “She needs someone who understands her and supports her. Woman or not, she’s her own person. She should be free to be herself!” Zuko shouted at him. “___ is my girlfriend; I ask you to leave your sexist ideas and respect her or leave her alone!” “Lee!” ___ called out to him. “I told you no fighting,” she ran up and held his hands. “Zuko, calm down, your hands are so hot, don’t firebend here.” She whispered to him. Kyo laughed, “she really does boss you around don’t she?” ___ gave him an annoyed grunt, before turning on her heel and quickly jabbing Kyo, making him fall to the ground. “That’s enough out of you!” “Kyo, I thought I taught you to pick your battles, not to pick on others, you’re in big trouble young man!” Rin yelled at Kyo while trying to pick him up. “Get your butt inside!” “He can’t move.” She stated simply. “But if he apologizes to me and Lee, I’ll heal him.” “Never, you got a cheap shot.” “Fine, lie there and if you want, later I’ll do it again and again. Until you get it through your thick head, I don’t like you any more than a friend. That I’m not some weak woman, and I will not be pushed around and bite my tongue around you anymore.” She turned to pick up a basin and handed it to Rin. “Here are some cured meats.” “Thank you for putting up with my son and still being nice to us.” “I let it happen, I pretended to be someone I’m not. Lee and I had a talk about it on the way here, and it stuck to me. If I’m not accepted then I’ll just move on. But I want to be myself more often.” “That's a good thing to follow.” Rin smiled at her, Zuko put his arm around her shoulders. “Well this will be his punishment; he can stay there until the chi flows again.” “What?!” Kyo yelled. “You lie there and think about your actions. If you shape up, I won’t tell your mom, otherwise, I will. If she gets wind of this, you’ll regret it,” Kyo groaned at his father’s words. “How is Fay, Kyo did mention she’s sick?” ___ asked. “She could be better; she has a fever that won’t break. Medicine isn’t working and I can’t take her into the city, it’s too far.” “Let me finish my trading and sell, let the Long's know I’m here and will need their extra room and I’ll be back to check on her.” “Thank you,” Rin gave her a relieved smile. “We’ll be back soon,” ___ picked up her backpack and the goods she needed. “Can we leave Gray here? When we come back to check on Fay, we’ll ride him to the Long's.” “Yes, of course.” ___ thanked Rin and headed into town selling and trading for supplies. Zuko stayed close by, listening, and learning. Even though he planned to stay with her, it wouldn’t hurt to learn so he could help in the future. Entering the last shop of the row of stores an elderly woman lit up at the sight of the young women. “___, my dear!” “Himari, you ready to trade and buy?” The old woman embraced ___ tightly before smiling and nodding in response. “Oh, who is this?” “This is my boyfriend, Lee,” ___ grabbed his hand gently and he intertwined their fingers. “How wonderful,” she beamed at the young couple. “Okay, enough pleasantries, show me what you got!” The women talked and bartered for about an hour or so over multiple beautiful items. “Alright, you win, but I want two pearls!” ___ huffed in defeat over their bargaining. “I have oysters outback, unopened. You can have 5, if you get them yourself.” ___ thanked Himari before heading outside to get her oysters. “Lee was it?” Himari asked Zuko once ___ was gone. He nodded gently. “Good, now come here,” she gestured to the stool ___ had been in. Zuko raised his eyebrow in question before doing so. “___ loves flowers, but her favorite,” she paused while pulling out a box. “Are sunflowers.” Opening the box allowed Zuko to see a beautiful pendant, shaped and colored as a sunflower, but a crescent moon covered some petals. “This was very expensive, I've tried selling it to ___, she loves it but can't justify spending the money on it. She's water tribe and a pendant like this would make a beautiful betrothal necklace.” Zuko eyed it. He'd seen one before, the one he used to track the Avatar through Katara’s necklace. “I don't have any money, ___ found me at my worst,” he looked away. “Answer me this. If you did have the means to get this necklace to one day propose to ___, would you?” “I’m not sure,” he furrowed his brow. “We haven't been together long, but I don't plan on leaving her at all. If she were to keep me, I might ask her to marry me one day…” he trailed off. “I have a lot of work I need to be done around here, hard labor, easy for a young and strong firebender.” “I’m not-" “You can’t lie and trick me boy, I’m too old for my own good. If you want this pendant, show up tomorrow to help me and the rest of the days you’re here with ___.” He gave her a nod as ___ walked in. “Himari, what are you plotting?” ___ asked, seeing the two sitting closer together than she left them. “I’m a frail old woman, I was recruiting your boyfriend for some help,” she smiled softly at the young couple. “Okay, but don't work him too hard, he has to help me with somethings around town.” “You can have him back by noon each day. So you two can eat together then work together.” ___ agreed and bid Himari a farewell. Zuko followed suit with a bow and followed his girlfriend outside. They walked hand in hand, Zuko wore her backpack, since she had it all afternoon. Their walk wasn’t too long until the sounds of animals could be heard. “The Long’s, Yuto and Akari, own a farm, tons of animals, super fresh produce. But the oldest son moved out, so they need help from time to time. We’ll get to stay here for free, as long as we help with chores before dinner. The youngest son plans to stay and take over the farm, but he’s only 14, not strong enough for everything to be done in one day.” “So, the three of them run the farm by themselves?” “Yeah, it’s getting harder on Yuto though as he gets older. When I’m here, it gives him a bit of a break, or a chance to do repairs he didn’t have time for before.” “That’s why it’s free because you give them room to breathe after the son left.” “A farm can be run by two people as long as they are in good health and know what they’re doing. But as I said, Yuto is older and his health has been in decline for about 6 months.” “What will happen if he can’t keep up?” “Either Reo gets better or they’ll have to sell off some animals so it’s not too overbearing. They have the biggest farm I’ve seen.�� Zuko hummed in response as they saw a well-built teenager run up with a big smile on his face. “___! We’ve missed you!” Reo hugged her and Zuko tightly. “You finally hit puberty!” ___ laughed. “Yeah! Now I can do most of the work on my own, I just need to get faster.” “That’s great to hear!” “Come on, my folks will be super happy to see you and your boyfriend!” ___ laughed softly and followed the happy Reo into the home. Once inside she and Zuko were warmly welcomed and somehow talked for hours with the older couple. Mainly about chores on the farm and how happy they were to meet Zuko, or Lee. “It’s so nice to be back, but I need to go check on Fay and to bring back our ostrich-horse.” “Oh, take some soup with you for Fay, drop off your bag in the room before you go too!” Akari said before heading to the kitchen.

Up in the room Zuko set down her backpack and looked around the room. It was small, a dresser, and a decent size bed. He turned around to see ___ taking out a sleeping bag. “Does it get cold in here?” “No, the blankets on the bed are pretty warm.” “Then why the sleeping bag?” “For me, it's probably been a while since you've had the opportunity to sleep in a bed. I thought you’d like some comfort.” She stated calmly. “So, you plan to sleep on the ground?” “The sleeping bag is pretty comfortable.” Zuko stared at her confused for a moment until he remembered when they were about to kiss. She was letting him make the shots and decisions on the pace of their relationship. She didn't want to pressure or rush him. To do what feels natural. It felt natural to hold her close, hug her. But he didn't know how his own body would react, lying down with her in the dark. ___ was in front of him giving him the most understanding look he'd ever seen. “Zuko, we just started dating, there is no reason to do anything other than enjoy each other's company. Don't overthink, just do, okay? I'm going to Fay; would you like to come with or relax?” The moment the word relax came out of her mouth, he could feel how tired he was. “I think I'd like to lie down.” “I won't be long.” She gently squeezed his hand before leaving the room. He could hear her thanking Akari for the soup then her departure.

He turned to the bed about to lie down, before stopping and looking over his shoulder at the sleeping bag on the other side of the room. He at least wanted her closer if not in his arms. He moved the bag closer to the bed and put one of the pillows from the bed at the top of the sleeping bag. He eyed it a bit longer before lying down in the bed, soon he could feel himself drift into the comfort of sleep.

Zuko jolted out of bed in a cold sweat, gasping, he couldn’t remember the nightmare but it still made him tremble. “Zuko?” ___ whispered while sitting up from her bag next to the bed. “Are you okay, sweetie?” She rubbed her eye gently before sitting on the edge of the bed. “You’re sweating so much. Was it a nightmare?”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember,” he whispered before pulling her into a hug, pushing her head into his chest. “Your heart is so fast, whatever it was, it scared you bad,” she murmured before yawning. “I’m sorry I woke you.” “It’s not your fault. Let’s just go back to sleep, if you can.” She tried to pull away from him, but he secured her to him. “Don’t leave me,” he begged tenderly. “I won’t,” she pulled away slowly before adjusting herself fully on the bed and resting her head just under his clavicle, Zuko wrapped an arm around her. He lied back softly, keeping her with him. “When I hold you, it’s like nothing can go wrong. But I’m worried, I’ll disappoint you. I’m not experienced in anything that’s not fighting. I barely know who I am anymore, how can I be any good for you at all?” “Can you hold and eventually love me?” “I think so.” “Then that’s all I ask of you. As you said, you barely know who you are. I want to support you along that journey. You’re my beautiful prince, now and always. I’m here for you, through the thick and the thin.” Zuko was blushing at her words and cleared his throat a bit. “Zuko, I’ll wait for you and you don’t need to respond, just listen. I love you; I know I haven't known you long, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fall from you the moment you gagged while gutting a fish but continued without any word of complaint. I just wanted you to know, even though you’re going through a lot, you are loved.” Zuko could feel his heart pounding at her words, his eyes watered threatening to fall. He didn’t realize how starved he was for this affection, for those 3 simple words. Words he hasn’t heard since his mother disappeared. He adjusted their bodies to their sides, face to face. For some reason he was shocked to see so much of her blush, it was endearing. She only showed small amounts of blush here and there, but now, he could feel the heat coming off of her. Zuko took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind before speaking, as he opened his mouth, ___ timidly pressed her fingertips against his lips. “I told you, you don’t need to respond. I just wanted you to know,” Zuko gave her an annoyed grunt before removing her hand and quickly pressing his lips against hers. The intensity that stung his body could be mistaken for fire, but the passion and love he felt easily chased the fire. And he wanted more. Gripping their bodies together he let go of all the fears he had bottled. ___ kissed him back fervently, even though she was trying to hold back, he compressed them together, and started to turn his head, their first kiss turned into many. ___ tried to push back, wanting to stop before she became too heated. But Zuko rolled on top of her slightly, the pressure made her moan and the sound revoked him. The guttural noise that escaped his throat, shocked even him. But even more jarring was her reaction, she pressed up against him making him gasp as she rubbed against his lower half. She used the advantage to claim his mouth with her tongue, making him moan. He tried to fight for dominance, but the way she made him feel, just felt too good. Finally, she pulled away and pressed her forehead against his. The heat they created was almost smothering as they both panted softly. “I love you too, ___.” ___ pulled back with shock and tears in her eyes, to stare at him. “What?” He asked, a bit hurt and annoyed. She kissed him perfervidly, but the softness behind it almost melted his heart. She pulled away what seemed all too soon for him. “I just haven’t heard those words in a long time. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to hear them. My parents were the last people to say that to me, but this is a different love and it feels so stupendous.” She smiled at him, his smile the heartfelt one she always saved for him. She closed her eyes and yawned, pushing Zuko back a bit before cuddling and curling into his chest. He held her, closed his eyes too. He felt both of their hearts beating, although out of sync, the same love blossomed in both.

#fanfic #fanficition #avatar the last airbender #zuko avatar #zuko x reader #zuko/reader #atla #atla fic #guidance series #lalahbug #zuko fic #fic #lalah writes #reader insert #xreader #self insert #fire lord zuko #firelord zuko

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pynkhues · 3 years ago

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Hi! It may be an odd question, but have you always been someone whose productive? I mean we see that you have a job, u're writing, for both fics and books! and you interact a lot on tumblr(that must take time too, that i personally wouldn't associate with relaxing haha). I'm always amazed with people who juggle a lot of things and manage to get things done, so i'm always curious if that's smth's that comes naturally or if it's smth else. Again, sorry if this was odd haha, have a nice day(night?)

Hi! Thank you for your kind words, anon, and given it took me about a million years to answer this, I'm not sure I can entirely own being all that productive these days, haha. 🙈 But still, I'll answer this as best I can.

Some important context first though – my day job is only part time, which definitely gives me more hours in the week to do other things. I work three days a week – two days as an operational writer writing policies, procedures and editing highlevel strategic documents, and one day doing data reporting and administration. I used to do a lot of freelance copywriting and operational writing work on top of that, but the bottom fell out of the industry at the start of the lockdowns and pretty much all my freelance writing work dried up.

I've been lucky though in the sense that my book came out which helped to supplement my income a bit, and then I won an award for it which came with a cash prize, which has also been very important for me as it's taken some of the financial strain off me over the last year, which has meant I haven't had to get a second day job again like I probably would have otherwise.

So yeah, I want to be transparent about that, because as someone who's been on the other side many times before, I think it's really important to acknowledge that financial stability allows you to be more productive.

But yes! Advice! Okay!

Work out when you're at your most productive and your least

This I think is the most important thing. Pay attention to your habits – even keep a log for a week or so – and work out when you feel at your most productive and ready to get things done.

For me, I know that I'm most productive in the mornings, usually between 6.30 and 11am. I usually hit a wall then where I start thinking about lunch or feel a little burnt out, and it generally takes me a while to get back into the swing of things.

I frequently have another burst of productivity between 3 and 6pm, and sometimes 8 til late, depending on what's happened during the day.

It means 11 til 2's usually a bit of a slog for me, so I tend to try and pepper in different things in this time period that still make me feel like I'm doing stuff, but not necessarily things that are taxxing – I'll cook (something I personally find relaxing), do some exercise, either a pilates or yoga class, walk or swim, do laundry, call a friend or a sibling, I'll watch a movie or an ep or two of a show, read a book, answer emails and scroll through tumblr for a bit and usually answer some asks. If I'm in the office, this is usually when we have a lot of meetings, so that feels like time taken up that way too.

Then at around 2.30/3 I'll usually start writing / working again, and see what I can get through.

This can change – sometimes I might be slow to start in the mornings and find that middle of the day when I really get into things, but generally speaking, I know that the early mornings is when I'm best, so I try to plan my time accordingly.

Allocate your time

Once you know when you're going to be at your best, it really does become a lot easier to plan your days. Or weeks! I tend to work in blocks of two weeks. So twice a month I make a list of everything I want to do in that next fortnight, and it'll range not just from work, but to personal stuff too. Catch up with a particular friend, get a haircut (well, pre-lockdown, haha), read a particular book. I'll have that list in a notebook on my desk for the two weeks, and then each evening when I down tools I work out a loose plan of which of those things I want to do the next day.

Like for this morning for instance, I had:

work on lucky short story 7-9am

agent emails + review contract 9-10am

breakfast + walk + break 10-11am

Etc.

I'm not super stringent about the time frames really, either the daily or fortnightly ones, but they just give me a loose structure to the day / weeks so that I can know where I'm at and what it is I wanted to achieve.

What keeps me more honest and more on track though is treats, haha.

Work out what motivates you

As much as all this planning helps guide me, I also know that I'm extremely rewards oriented. If I didn't treat myself, I don't know if I'd ever get anything done, haha.

When I finish off my list, or finish a particularly meaty of frustrating task like a draft of a new story or finally handling something I'd been putting off, I give myself a treat. Sometimes it's only something little – I'll let myself take an earlier break, or make my favourite meal, or have a drink, other times it'll be something bigger – give myself the weekend off or buy a bunch of books or a concert ticket with friends.

I find knowing that I get something after getting through my list really motivating, and it's a great carrot for me to get stuff done.

Rewards might not be what motivates you though! I have a friend who basically gamifies his work by giving himself points on a whiteboard above his desk when he gets tasks done and other friends who find fear motivates them so have those apps that delete words if you stop writing (horrifying to me personally, haha), so it really can be anything!

Have a think though about what makes you feel great for getting things done, and use that as a driver for your own productivity.

Swallow the toad

This was advice an old colleague gave me years ago, and I'm still not the best at it, but it really is great advice and changed the way I work.

If you have a task you really need to do, but really don't want to do, it'll sit like a toad you have to eat on your desk. Every time you sit there to work, it'll be looking back at you, distracting you, and stopping you from moving forwards.

You know you have to eat it. That's why it's there, and the longer you put it off, the more warts it gets, and the more dread you'll have, so just do it.

Eat the toad. Eat it, swallow it, as soon as you see it, and then it's done. It'll taste awful, but the sooner you've swallowed it, the sooner you can eat the delicious things on your desk, and the sooner you can joke with friends about how gross that toad was to eat.

#i hope this is a help anon!#sorry it took me so long to get to #writing advice #kind of #welcome to my ama

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dumblydork · 3 years ago

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Summer

Hello! I am SO sorry for having gone MIA all of a sudden on Tumblr and Ao3, but life caught up once exams ended and I was in a deep, dark place for sometime. But not to worry, because I'm definitely better now, and finally got over my writer's block/unmotivation (if that's a word) and what better way to start off writing again if not with a Hinny fic?

As usual, I hope you enjoy this sort of non-magic alternate universe, maybe a modern meet-cute of sorts? From the one and only Ginny Weasley's perspective, of course.

Again, you can find my Ao3 right here where I post quite fluffy Wolfstar one shots!

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The summer was harsh in Cornwall, which was where Ginny's family home was situated. She went up to university in London, just having recently finished her second year in Drama. Last summer, she was on a long trip with her best friend Luna, and hadn't been able to make it down to be with her family. But this year, she fully intended to spend as much time as possible with them, even if her older twin brothers were being annoying arses.

"Fred, George, just wipe the bloody tables already!" She screamed, exasperated, even though the twins were not even 20 feet away. The only unique cafe-by-day/restaurant-by-night was owned by Ginny's family. It was a quaint place, serving the best coffee to tourists and locals alike, along with not such a sharply contrasted cosy restaurant theme the place adopted when the sun went down.

And currently, the cafe was a few hours away from opening as a restaurant, and was left in the care of Ginny and her older twin brothers. She had another older brother after the twins, but he was off with his university friends (being an year older) and had even MORE older brothers ranked above the twins. Her oldest brother Bill, worked as a vet in New York, also where the second brother Charlie worked as an art curator. The third brother Percy was currently obtaining his PhD in some sort of Math which Ginny was too 'humanities' to understand (in Percy's own words, that subject bigot). The brothers after Percy, twins Fred and George were as stated, being annoying prats but worked in some sort of prank shop, much to their mother and Percy's chagrin (Between us and her, Ginny never understood why Percy felt a need to voice this opinion, because if Ginny also opened her mouth to provide an opinion on every single thing under the sun, working in a prank shop was perfectly acceptable).

Finally the last brother Ron went to university in Devon, having recently finished his degree in Astronomy combined with Philosophy, and that was it. Growing up with 6 older brothers, Ginny was significantly hot tempered, a trait often made fun of because of her (and her whole family's) flaming red hair.

"Oh for God's sake the two of you, just shut up if you don't want to do any work!" She finally snapped, causing two identical pairs of brownish eyes to look at her.

"Okay!" They smirked, before actually rushing away to the back of the cafe. Ginny sighed, wondering for the tenth time that afternoon why she bothered to come down here in summer. The twins, despite being her favourite, were useless gits-

"Ginny! Where are Fred and George?" Her mother's voice flew out from the front of the store, removing Ginny from her trail of thoughts, where Molly stood with hands laden with grocery bags. Her father, Arthur, she saw outside from the huge floor to ceiling windows, was unloading the boot of their car of more paper bags.

"They ran away after being absolutely useless gits." She muttered angrily, almost aggressively wiping a glass and placing it on the shelves behind her.

Her mother let out a long suffering sigh, but nevertheless joined Ginny in tidying up the cafe. "They're quite irresponsible." Molly sighed, wiping down tables at a superhuman speed.

"Mum if it's okay, can I join Ron and his friends at the party happening down at the beach?" Ginny asked apprehensively. The question had been burning at the back of her mind since the morning when Ron actually invited her to the beach party being thrown by one of the local boys. He had brought his uni friends and girlfriend down from Devon, and Ginny had already met Hermione, Ron's soulmate, if their behaviour was anything to go by.

Being in an all girls school, Ginny practically grew up with her girlfriends gushing about boys and celebrities, often almost swooning like some Victorian women when boys from the neighbouring school passed by their grounds.

However, Ginny was smart- if having six brothers had taught her anything, it was that boys were annoying, and only a few handful of them were actually decent. But now, looking at how close Ron and Hermione were, Ginny was starting to long for her own sort of romance. It had been over a year since she broke up with her first and only boyfriend Dean. She was convinced the breakup had solidified her stance on relationships, which was that relationships were okay but there was no need to actively look for one. Ron and Hermione's lovey dovey-ness was revolting, but uncharacteristically had Ginny pining away for her love story as well. Not that she'd ever admit it, of course.

"Well there's nothing really to do, and if it's busy there's a lot of pairs of hands to help. So sure, go on." Molly finally said and Ginny could almost fist pump, if it wasn't for the wet rag she was holding.

The evening rolled around quicker than Ginny anticipated, and before she knew it, her and Hermione stood in Ginny's small attic bedroom, getting ready for the party. "So, tell me, how was Dean?" Hermione asked, looking behind at Ginny through the mirror, where the younger girl stood blinking away extra mascara.

"Oh well, he was alright. Nothing like fireworks or sparkle." Ginny flushed slightly as she processed her own words. Oh, how she sounded like a lovestruck 12 year old.

However, Hermione didn't seem to mind. She simply grinned. "I'm sure with the right person it's more than just sparkles and fireworks." Hermione winked, and Ginny wondered if there was more to the statement than she understood. However, Hermione was already done with the topic, now going on about her course and what plans Ginny had for after university.

They walked downstairs, finding Ron standing at the door, his eyes glued to Hermione as she walked down the stairs. To be fair, Hermione definitely looked stunning- even if it was for a casual beach party. Ginny noted slightly bitterly to herself how the simplest pair of jeans and top could make one gorgeous to the right eyes. She breathed deeply as Ron wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, the girlfriend in question smirking back at Ginny as she followed them. Okay, very confusing.

The walk to the beach from the cafe was short, and there was already a bonfire going in the distance, with some upbeat song playing from someone's phone. "So, where is Harry and everyone else?" Hermione asked, looking around. Ron still had a hand in Hermione's as the two of them looked around for who had to be Ron's friends. "Neville!" Ron suddenly yelled good naturedly, as a tall guy walked towards the three of them with a big grin on his face.

"Ron! Hermione!" Neville hugged each of them in turn, smiling broadly at Ginny.

"Neville, this is my younger sister Ginny. Ginny, that's one of our friends from uni, Neville." Ron introduced. Ginny waved, which was returned by Neville.

"Is your girlfriend here as well?" Hermione asked, to which Ron added, "Oh, do we finally get to meet the elusive To-Be-Mrs. Longbottom?"

Perhaps having noticed Ginny's confusion, Neville clarified. "These two here haven't had the chance to meet my girlfriend- well, fiance as of a week, yet. In answer to your question Ron, no, she unfortunately couldn't make it. But she's been inviting the two of you over for dinner since ages." He turned to Ron.

"Actually yeah, we should definitely go. Anybody seen Harry?" Ron asked, looking around the small crowd of people. Ginny moved away from the couple to sit next to the fire, and grab a cold beer in the process.

She had just made herself comfortable slightly away from the warm fire when a figure sat down next to her, causing shivers to go up her left side. "Hi, you must be Ginny." The figure spoke and Ginny looked to the source of the voice, to be met by the unruliest mop of black hair she had ever seen on a human, and twinkling green eyes. In the soft light from the fire, they glowed slightly amber.

"I am. But I don't think I've met you?"

Ginny didn't get an answer because Ron's voice interrupted them. "Harry, you came!" He shouted, the figure (Harry) getting up to tackle Ron in a hug.

"Of course I did, getting sloshed at your best mate's beach party is always infinitely better than home." Harry grinned, and Ginny started to feel her heart race.

"I see you've met Ginny." Ron said, sitting down in between her and Harry.

"I just did, yeah." Harry smiled mischievously. They had moved closer to the fire, and in the brighter light, Harry's face was more distinct. And boy was he fit. The hair, even though messy, was not unattractive (quite the opposite), and his face was slightly round, made rounder by the permanent grin which seemed to reside there. And his eyes were covered by round glasses, reflecting off the orange from the fire.

"Well anyway, Gin, this is Harry, my best mate from university. He just made it down here to Cornwall." Ron said, and suddenly got up to fetch more drinks, but Ginny didn't miss the glares Hermione was shooting Ron from across the fire.

"Do you reckon we go a bit further away?" Ginny, being so busy interpreting the look Hermione was giving Ron, hadn't noticed the boy had shifted closer to her.

"Uh, sure." She found herself slightly tongue tied, staring into green amber.

"Brilliant, Let's go?" Harry got up, and lent Ginny a hand. She took it, and a slight warmth, probably not from the fire, ran down her spine when their hands remained connected.

They walked away from the party, not too far that a search team would be required, but just far enough to hold a conversation in peace. The music slightly played in the background, a slower guitar theme, and Ginny turned around to see Ron and Hermione swaying around the fire, the brightest smile settled on both their faces. Ginny simply let out a happy sigh, attention darting down to entwined hands.

"So, Ron tells me you're in drama?" He asked, as they sat down near the water with their legs bent, just that the waves touched their toes and washed back.

"Yes, I am, final year now. Although I haven't heard a lot about you?" Ginny teased. Harry simply chuckled, a sound she realised she found much more attractive than she should have.

"Well it's a shame since I am his best mate but, Harry Potter, third year medic, at your service." He lightly bowed his head, eliciting a giggle out of the girl.

"Medicine huh, that definitely sounds hectic." She commented, as her fingers drew an absent minded pattern in the sand separating their sitting figures.

"I also captain the football team." He replied, eyes shining with humor. Ginny looked up, wondering if it was a coincidence that the man she found extremely fit also checked off all her criterion of 'boyfriend'.

"Oh- well I don't know how you found the time to be here, what with studying and football." Ginny smiled. Harry looked back at her, eyes boring into her brown ones. "Only because I was told someone stunning was going to be here." He said in a lower voice. Ginny flushed under the stare.

"I'm sure having those feelings for your best mate's girlfriend is not a good idea." She teased, feeling some confidence seeping into her. Harry scooted closer, placing a hand on Ginny's.

"And what if I said they weren't for the girlfriend, but for the sister?" His eyes darted down to her lips, her own pulse quickening. Then continuing with her sudden confidence, she unconsciously leaned in, her lips just millimeters away from Harry's. "The sister would definitely like that because she thinks you're extremely fit too." Ginny whispered, her lips just brushing against Harry's before he closed the distance completely.

The two of them sat there, away from the party, lips moving in slow sync as if they were doing the communicating. Getting to know each other in silent movements, a dance of attraction and dominance. Thee music faded in the background, as behind her closed eyes Ginny saw stars, and faintly made out the sound of fireworks exploding behind them. Not that she'd admit it to anyone, of course.

But in that moment, it was just her, Harry and the cool water playing with their feet. And when they finally pulled apart, Ginny secretly swore that she saw her reflection in green pools glow and sparkle.

Not that she'd ever admit it, obviously.

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TAGLIST: @amy-herondale-chase // @purplepygmypuffskein // @ginnypxtter // @alwaysmagica1 // @norakelly // @her-blazing-look //

----

Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed that! I wrote that when I was half asleep, so I'm not even sure if most of it makes sense haha.

As usual, if you want to join the taglist and be notified whenever I write a new Hinny story (which will be much more frequently now), please interact with the pinned TAGLIST post on my account!

Thank you for reading, and please interact with the post! Reblogs are always appreciated but likes and comments are just as amazing! Loads of virtual hugs xxx

#hinny #alternate universe #harry potter #headcanon #harry x ginny #ginny weasley #romance #au #fiction #beach #summer #party #okay out of tags #writing #ao3 writer #taglist

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cilldaracailin · 3 years ago

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Love of my Life

Hello my Tumblr lovelys!

I am back with the next story in the Robyn and Taron series :) Been a while in the making but finally is ready to go.

I hope you all enjoy this story and thank you so much for all the lovely likes and notes on the previous post. I appreciate each one :)

Suze xx

My usual amount of angst, fluff, tension and anxiety that always comes with my story's which comes from Robyn and Taron's experiences over the last few stories. Mentions of hospitals, ambulances, injuries as well as those chat's Robyn and Taron like to have about what happened to them.

P.S I don't know Taron and this is just a work of fiction

1 “I could really use someone else's smile today.”

It was necessity that made Robyn pull into the service station on the A1 just off from Banbridge, having been on her feet since six thirty not to mention the endless pacing around the hospital all afternoon. That and the fact that her tears were now really clouding her vision, she had to sit in her car for nearly forty minutes before she actually managed to compose herself. Her octopus was covered in tear stains and completely misshapen as she had been squeezing it so hard to her, the grumpy face staring at her in a sad upturned frown.

Putting the octopus on the passenger seat which only held her phone and purse, Robyn suddenly felt warm and overheated and struggled to get her blazer off, having to open the car door and get out to physically pull it off her, throwing it into the car, her hands gripping the roof of the car while she tried to calm herself down.

Her morning had started out as every other morning. A quick text to Taron to wish him a good day, grinning as she got the sleepy emoji back in reply and then she made her way to work to open the creche. Everything was running smoothly until she heard a crash from upstairs and taking the stairs two at a time, ran as fast as she could as she heard Lisa scream her name. She nearly skidded across the landing and into the Preschool room, the two staff members standing still, Lisa crying, Jade frozen, all the children huddled together in the construction area.

Robyn saw for herself what all the commotion was for and she was the first one who actually jumped into action, yelling at all the four-year-olds to move. The children ran out of the way, giving Robyn the space she needed to get in closer to the heavy wooden shelf.

“Beth!”

“Beth is stuck Robyn!”

Finally piecing together what happened, Robyn could only hear Beth crying, though crying wasn’t exactly the right word to explain the horrible distressed sound coming from the little girl. All Robyn could see of her was her arm sticking out from under the shelf and while her heart thumbed roughly in her chest, she ignored every disturbing imagine of Taron that popped into her head and working off adrenaline, grabbed the corner of the shelf and lifted it, groaning hard as she struggled with the weight of it by herself. It was one of the heavier made wooden shelves and she knew she would never lift it on her own, even with her blood bumping rapidly around her body.

“Help me!” She shouted to the other staff in the room, Lisa the first to make a move, Jade following and together the three hauled the shelf up, a loud bang echoing through the room as it was pushed back into place.

Straight onto the floor, Robyn knelt beside Beth, seeing the little girl raise her arms to be lifted, the older woman immediately letting her eyes run over her body, her hands quickly following checking for any obvious injuries. She didn’t want to move her until she was absolutely certain Beth wasn’t seriously hurt and moving her would only hurt her more. After a quick but thorough check, Robyn couldn’t see or feel any injuries, her head definitely taking a bit of hit from one of the blocks, a bump and cut on her forehead and she saw that Beth was holding her left arm against herself. Solid and hard blocks were used in the construction area and even when Robyn worked in the room, there was always an extra eye placed on them because it was so easy for one to hurt a young child by accident and with their compact and dense material, a bunch of them falling down in one was going to cause some damage. The pile of blocks that fell from the shelf as it fell, has piled together and thankfully had been enough to keep the shelf from crushing Beth but it didn’t mean she had escaped being hurt and as Robyn lifted the young girl onto her lap, cradling her right side against her chest, a loud cry of pain came from her and Robyn eased her grip around the girls arms, moving her hands so Beth’s arms were free, hugging her around her waist with her left arm. Robyn placed her right hand over Beth’s left cheek, ignoring the wetness from tears on her fingers. Looking to her staff who were staring at her, Robyn muttered one word, saying it a second time much louder, Lisa walking around the small hexagon table to get the phone from its charging dock.

Once she had the phone in her right hand, Robyn quickly dialled nine nine nine, speaking calmly to the operator, explaining the situation, saying she immediately needed an ambulance. Details handed over, Robyn gave the phone to Lisa to stay on the line with the operator so she could concentrate on Beth in her arms. Again she had to direct the girls to help her, asking Jade for the first aid box from the office, while she continued to comfort Beth who was still crying but now more so because of the ache she felt, rather than being so scared. Robyn kept talking to her, telling her she was so brave, cuddling her as close as she could.

When Jade eventually came back with the first aid box, Robyn took her hand from Beth’s face, ignoring the wetness she could also feel on her chest where Beth’s face was buried, once again pushing those thoughts of Taron to the back of her mind, concentrating only on Beth and what she needed.

“I am going to need some help.” She looked to Jade, who shook her head and then to Lisa who nodded, still holding the phone, coming to sit beside Robyn. “Triangle bandage.” Robyn could tell from the cry of pain and the way Beth was holding her left arm, that it was badly hurt and needing to get it supported, she wanted to put it into a sling straight away.

With Lisa’s help, after she put the phone on speaker, they got Beth’s left arm up in a neat sling, both older women cringing as the little girl cried harder when her arm was moved but once it was supported her cries settled down to little sobs, curling into Robyn’s warm body under her tightly.

“It’s hurts.”

“Oh chicken, I know but you are being so brave. You just close your eyes and rest against me ok? I am not going anywhere sweetheart.” She gently kissed her head, closing her eyes, feeling her hands shaking a little. It was so hard not to think of Taron, his beautiful face in pain as he held her hand tightly. As much as she was still working and working hard with her therapy sessions, there was always going to be something that would make her remember and as Robyn instructed Lisa on which items she needed from the first aid box, it was definitely hard to now focus on what she needed to do but reminding herself that Taron was fine and sleeping soundly two hours away from her, it helped her to concentrate on what needed to be done for Beth.

Giving her head a shake, Robyn took some deep calming breathes and got Lisa to drench some cotton pads in the saline solution, taking to them to gently clean the left side of Beth’s face, getting Lisa to take Beth for two minutes so she could wipe the cut on the right side of her forehead, the wound still dribbling a little blood as she took her back, settling her face once again into her chest, Beth cuddling right into her.

“Great day to wear white.” Robyn said to Lisa with a half grin, knowing her white silk blouse was either going to have to be dry cleaned or thrown out. She made sure Beth was comfortable in her arms, giving her head a small kiss, finally getting to look at the two staff, her concerns about Beth on hold for a moment as the seriousness of the accident finally could be spoken about. “What on earth happened? The kids have only been in for three hours?”

“That shelf…” Jade began.

“The one I asked you to switch with the one against the wall yesterday?” Robyn spoke sternly to Jade who had started to answer her, a deep growl in her throat.

“Well yeah.”

Robyn let out an angry puff of air. “You want to ring Beth’s mother to tell her what has happened then?” She looked to the young girl and Robyn saw the look of horror in her face. “Then bloody do what I ask when I ask for it to be done!” Robyn roared, feeling her cheeks heat up with her frustrations. “I asked yesterday morning for this shelf to be moved into the smaller room and against the wall, the other shelf brought out here because we knew that one was off balance. I have the handyman coming to fix it this evening but no, you didn’t do it and look what happened!” Robyn’s voice rose with each word. She held in the curses on the tip of her tongue and cuddled Beth closer to her. Closing her eyes, once again she was hit with those images of a bloodied Taron and she could feel that panic inside her rising. It was just way too close to home for her and while she was beyond annoyed, she was also reliving her horrible memories of having to help him when he was stuck. “I am so mad at you both and you know that is something that doesn’t come too easily to me.” She looked up from Beth’s hair to the two staff who were looking at the floor. “I don’t walk around this service asking for these things to be done for the good of my health girls. I have a job to you and you have a job to do and if you followed through with your job, I wouldn’t be sitting here on the floor with a scared little girl who is waiting for an ambulance!”

“Sorry Robyn.”

“Sorry.”

“I don’t want your apologies.” Robyn spat. “You realise the mess this is going to cause for us? This is not only going to have to be properly risk assessed with the reason for the accident, which is now going to fall on my head because you girls didn’t do as I asked, it also will be to be reported to the insurance company, we will probably end up having an inspection and then there is Beth’s mother.” She could feel her hands shaking from anger now, her voice trembling with her annoyance. She tried to calm herself down, knowing Beth needed her to be composed and relaxed but it was so hard. She was furious and the more she spoke about it, the more she could feel her self-control leaving her.

“Robyn…” Lisa stopped speaking when she saw the glare come her way. “I am so sorry and I know this can’t be easy on you after…”

“I wouldn’t even try to finish that sentence.” Robyn warned. “This is about Beth and that stupid shelf!”

“Robyn!”

Emma ran into the room and froze, seeing the mess in front of her. Normally she would find Robyn in the office first thing in the morning, ready to talk to her about the evening before as Robyn was on the early shift and she was on the late and she was so surprised to see it empty and after speaking with the girls downstairs, ran up to be met with a huge accident and unexpected Friday morning incident. She quickly walked over to the construction area and while her eyes were on Robyn, she could also see the other children in the room, all standing in the book corner staring at Robyn, their little faces in shock and confusion at what they were looking at. She glanced again to Robyn who had her face buried into a child’s hair, realising now it was Beth who she was holding and then saw the first aid supplies all over the rug. Seeing a blank expression on Jade’s face and Lisa standing closer to Robyn, she immediately did a quick assessment of the situation, her head going back to the young children.

“Right so Jade, how many children do you have?”

“I… well… there is… I think…”

“Seven.” Robyn looked up from Beth’s hair. “You have seven. James isn’t coming today and the McLoughlin twins are on holidays.”

“Jade, bring them outside. Let’s get these guys outside for a play.”

Emma quickly got the other children in the room into their coats and down the stairs with Jade to go outside, the manager coming back up quickly to the room. “Robyn?” She crouched in front of her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling a hand placed on hers. “Talk to me.” Robyn raised her eyes to her friend and manager and swallowed the lump in her throat. Emma could see the anger in her face but also the worry in her tired blue eyes. “Ok first what can I do?”

“We need to call Margaret.” Robyn said looking to Emma. “I haven’t got there yet.”

“Sure of course. I will do it now.”

“We still have the emergency operator on the phone.” Lisa said, looking to Emma, seeing the surprise quickly fill her face to hear that they had called the emergency services.

“That’s fine. We won’t hang up on them. I can use my mobile. I will call Beth’s mam. What happened?” Emma asked looking to Lisa, not too sure if Robyn was ready to speak just yet.

“The shelf fell over.”

“The one you were asked to move yesterday?” Emma saw Lisa’s face fill with guilt and the slightest nod of her head. “You didn’t move it when you were asked?” Lisa didn’t need to answer Emma, her shame as clear as day. “Lisa…” Emma said, staring at her. “Go on.”

“The kids were playing, leaning on it and the whole thing went over and Beth was playing with the blocks behind it and she got stuck under it.”

Emma immediately looked to Robyn who was avoiding eye contact, her face still buried into Beth’s hair, whispering to the little girl. She gripped Robyn’s shoulder again. She could only imagine where Robyn’s mind was right now and prayed her little gesture of support helped her, so proud of her for her quick actions, as she was sure Robyn was nothing but lightning fast to help the little girl.

“Robyn ran up the stairs and we lifted the shelf and she helped Beth. We called an ambulance. It is on the way as fast as it can.”

“This conversation about the shelf is not finished Lisa.” Emma said firmly. “But right now Beth is most important. Did the operator say how long it would be before the ambulance comes?” Emma asked.

“As quick as they could.”

“Robyn do you want to bring Beth downstairs?”

Lifting her head, Robyn shook it with a no. “I will stay here with her. I would rather not move her.” Robyn slowly brushed the back of her right index finger down Beth’s cheek. “I am not moving.”

“You sure? Want me to swap with you?” Emma asked.

“No I am ok.”

“Need your phone?” She asked kindly.

Robyn let out a slightly shaky breathe. “No I am alright for the moment thank you Emma.”

“Do we need to have a serious chat with staff?” The tone of the manager’s voice changed, the softness she had been using with Robyn now laced with a hard edge as the topic of conversation changed.

“I would much rather if you would do it alone please because I will lose my shit if I even start to speak to them.” Robyn knew she cursed in front of the little girl but didn’t really care. She was thoroughly pissed off. “I have already had to stop before I say something I didn’t mean and I know if I say anything else, words will be exchanged that I will not be able to take back.”

“I am sorry Robyn. I went to move the shelf yesterday but Jade needed help with something and then the time…”

Emma gave Lisa a look and the young girl stopped speaking, the operator coming through over the speaker phone to say the ambulance would be there within half an hour, asking how the little girl was. While she wasn’t crying any more, Robyn knew she was scared and hurting and hugged her close to her warm body. Nowhere near as hurt as Taron was when he was caught under the shelf, it didn’t make the situation any easier to deal with and the work she had put in with Penny on Wednesday evening at her session was quickly evaporating and she kept her eyes closed, trying to keep positive. As much as she wanted to text Taron and she knew she would, right now just wasn’t right time. Beth was much more important.

“What do you need Robyn?” Emma asked.

“One of the blankets from the dress up. Just to keep her warm.”

“Sure.” Emma stood up and walked over to the shelf and grabbed a pink blanket and came back over to the two on the ground and carefully covered Beth with it. “Robyn do you need anything?” Emma made sure to stress ‘you’ when she spoke.

Robyn shook her head. “Maybe get the blocks picked up, the room tidy for when the paramedics arrive.”

“Lisa, you look after that. I am going to go and ring Margaret. Explain to her what has happened.”

“Emma she is ok. She will be ok.” Robyn assured her. “She is the best and bravest little girl I know.”

Emma crouched down and once again placed her hand on Robyn’s shoulder. “I have no doubt in my mind. She is in the best hands with you. I can get your phone Robyn. Just to text him.”

“I will text him. I promise but when I get Beth settled and he is sleeping right now. He’s on night shoots.”

“I am going to get it anyway.” Emma said. “After I ring Margaret, I will bring it up to you.” She stood up and walked out of the room, walking down the stairs quickly and into the office. It was a part of her job that she hated, having to call parents for difficult conversations and this one wasn’t going to be an easy one but knowing Beth was upstairs with Robyn would give her mother some relief though Emma was immediately concerned about her supervisor. She knew Robyn would only put the children first before anything, even her own needs but hoped Robyn actually meant it when she said she would text the one person who would help her through the unexpected incident she found herself in the middle off. Pulling out her mobile phone from her bag, she opened the filing cabinet, taking out Beth’s file to get the phone number and as she called Beth’s mother, quickly thought through how she was going to start the chat with the little girl’s mam.

Once Emma had spoken to Beth’s mam, she took Robyn’s phone from her locker and walked up the stairs with it back into the Preschool room. Robyn was still cuddling Beth to her but also talking on the creche phone to who she presumed was the operator.

“Great thank you so much.” Robyn hung up the phone and dropped it on the floor. “Ambulance is about five minutes out. Margaret?”

Emma crouched down in front of her. “So thankful for your quick actions. Stuck in Wicklow in meetings.” She saw Robyn’s face change. “But is leaving immediately and once we know which hospital they are going to take Beth too, will make her way there straight away.”

“She must be so worried.”

“Of course but I told her everything that happened, how you are looking after Beth. I told her we will call her with updates, you will too.”

“Yeah of course I will.”

“Where is Lisa?”

“I told her to go outside.”

“You are really mad with them.”

“Emma if I didn’t send her out, I was going to scream. She was hovering around after she tidied up the room. I am disgusted with the two of them at the moment. I don’t want to say something I will regret later.”

Emma nodded. “No I understand how angry you are. The shelf should have been moved when you asked. I will speak to both of them for you.”

“Thank you Emma. I just can’t do it.” She gently rubbed Beth’s back. “I am glad we were able to help her so quickly, that the ambulance was so quick.”

“Paramedics are really that close?” Asked Emma

“Yeah I just had to direct them to the creche. Can you meet them at the door.”

“Sure Robyn.” Emma laid her hand on Robyn’s shoulder, frowning as she felt her shivering. “What can I do? Let me take her. I brought your phone.”

Robyn shook her head. “I am ok. I want to stay with her.” She lightly stroked Beth’s temple, the little girl finally calm in her arms. “And thanks for the phone.” She took it from Emma and left it on the rug beside her. “I will text him.”

“Call him Robyn. You have a few minutes.”

“Are you talking about Taron?” Beth lifted her eyes to look at Robyn. “I like him.”

“Yeah chicken. Me too. Now you relax ok.”

Robyn was taken aback at how amazing and still Beth was because she was sure she was terrified and Robyn was definitely feeling frazzled as she sat on the ground with her, waiting for the ambulance to arrive and keeping true to her word, she contacted Taron but through text rather than a phone call and it was just a simple rocket and man emoji. It had taken her that long to think of what to text him that by the time she had made up her mind of what to say to him, she heard the commotion of the paramedics coming up the stairs, it was the quickest thing she could send him. Although she had been settled in Robyn’s arms, Beth was so scared when the paramedics arrived, it took a lot of coaxing for her to move from Robyn, the young girl refusing to move from her lap completely, wanting to sit with someone familiar as the male paramedic examined her.

“Doesn’t look too bad at all. No concussion but that arm is going to have to be x-rayed.” Gavin, one of the paramedic’s explained once he did his best to check over the little girl, finding it little tricky as she stuck herself to the woman behind her. “She is lucky. You acted so quickly.” Robyn’s heart raced as she heard those words many times before but nodded. “But we will still have to bring her to the hospital.”

“Robyn?” Beth turned to look at her, her eyes full of fear. “I want my mammy.”

“Oh shh darling. It is ok.”

“I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“I will go with you and when we get there, your mammy will be there. We need the doctor to check your arm and Gavin and Ian will bring you there.”

“In the ambulance?” Beth asked.

“How fun huh?”

“Fun?” Beth didn’t sound so sure.

“Of course. It has this really cool bed in the back and you get to lay down and wear this special seat belt and what is even better is that the driver can turn on the siren which makes all the other cars pull over so we get to go faster and past all the cars and even some times we get to go through the red lights.”

“No!!” Beth smiled. “Really?” She looked to the paramedic who had been helping her.

“Really, though I don’t think we need to break any red lights but we can definitely put on the siren and we have special medicine in the ambulance that will help your arm stop hurting.”

Beth looked to Robyn. “Is that what they gave to Taron?” She asked. “When he was hurt? Special medicine?”

Robyn swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. The Preschooler’s wanted to know as much as they could about Taron after they had met him and because Beth had met him more times than the others, was very curious as to how he was Robyn’s friend and Robyn had told her the truth, just leaving out some details. “Yeah Beth but Taron got really strong medicine in the ambulance because he had more than a sore arm. He was really sick. Gavin and Ian will give you different medicine.”

“If we go, will you come with me?”

“Of course I will. I will stay with you until your mammy comes.”

“Then I will be like Taron.” Beth smiled a little. “Ok I will go in the ambulance to get my arm fixed.”

Robyn looked out of the side of her eye to Emma, who was staring at her and then to the paramedic who was also staring at her.

“Sounds like you have been here before?” He said as he packed up his bag.

Robyn nodded. “Seems to be a pattern with me lately.”

“Taron?” Asked Gavin. “I know I have heard that name before.” He zipped up his bag. “Ahh yes. My daughter.” He said with a smile. “Raves about this actor. Name is Taron.”

Robyn couldn’t help but return his smile, still holding Beth tight. “She tell you anything else?”

“Well if what she said is true, then I am glad this little one had you around.” Gavin reached out, to playfully tap Beth’s nose.

“It’s true.” Robyn confirmed quietly.

“Lucky lucky man.” He gave Robyn a half smile and then turned his attention to the little girl. “So Miss Beth, shall we go and see my really cool ambulance?”

“Robyn you are really coming?”

“I am not leaving you.”

With a few more assurances and a lot of coaxing, Beth let Gavin lift her into his arms, the paramedic making sure he didn’t jingle her arm too much and once she was happy and secure in his arms, they made their way down the stairs.

“Beth I am going to get my coat, I will follow you right out.” Robyn explained as Gavin carefully walked out the door with her. At her locker, Robyn pulled out her purse and car keys, slamming it closed, heading straight to the office to get her blazer from the back of her leather chair. She was making her way out of the office when Emma walked in, slightly blocking her way.

“Call him.” She simply said.

Robyn nodded. “I will.”

“Let me get you Margaret’s number.” Emma stepped past her and scribbled down Beth’s mam’s phone number on a post it for Robyn. She turned around and handed it out to her. “I can go with her if you want.”

“No.” Robyn said quickly. “If I stay here, I will literally blow a fuse.”

“Robyn…” Emma stepped forward and took her friend in for a tight hug. “I haven’t seen you this angry in a long time.” She rubbed her back. “You sure it is just anger or are you hiding your true emotions?”

“No not at all. I am just pissed off.” Robyn let out a long sigh. “And sure of course there are a number of horrible thoughts in my head right now but Beth is most important.”

“Call him.”

Robyn let Emma go. “I will.”

“Now.”

“What?”

“Quickly before you go. I want to see you call him.”

“The paramedics…”

“Are talking Beth into getting into the ambulance.” Emma walked out to stand in the front doorway, Robyn following. “Please call him and don’t forget I still have his number.”

With a threat of someone else speaking to Taron before she got a chance too, Robyn pulled her phone from her pocket and quickly tapped his number in, holding the phone to her ear, hearing it ring and ring until it went to his voice mail. “Hey Rocketman. I know you are sleeping but when you get this before you head to set, will ya give me a call. Just a shit day at work already and I need to hear my favourite Welsh accent for a bit. Thanks Taron.” Robyn ended the call and looked to Emma. “Satisfied?”

“Partly. He’s really on night shoots?”

“Yes. Until next week when he is back in London. Now can I go please? They are waiting for me.”

“Keep in touch with me and I will keep in touch with Margaret for you.”

“Thanks Emma.”

“And don’t you worry about those girls. I will be having that stern word before lunch and this does not fall back on your shoulders Robyn before you even think that way ok? You asked them to do something and I know you followed up with it again yesterday afternoon when it still wasn’t moved so this is on those girls and they will be given a proper warning for it. Lisa should know better.”

Robyn nodded. Although Lisa was her friend, when it came to work, Robyn had a huge responsibility on her shoulders and the safety of the kids came first. “I’m gonna go.” She walked out the door and turned back to Emma. “Please don’t call him. I don’t want him to overly worry when he sees your number again. He will call me back as soon as he sees the message.”

Outside the creche, Gavin was having a hard time convincing Beth to get in the back of the ambulance and when Robyn appeared, Beth jumped into her arms and she could feel her shaking and crying again. “I don’t wanna go in there.”

“Hunni, you…”

“No Robyn! I don’t want to.”

Robyn looked over her head to the paramedics who had been upstairs then seeing a new face among the other two.

“This is Ken. He is a garda but training to be a paramedic. He is spending some time on our rig with us.” Gavin explained. “I think she got a fright when he came around the ambulance.”

“No worries.” Robyn cradled Beth against her, trying to think of how she could coax her into the ambulance, when an idea came to her. “Give me two minutes.” Carrying Beth back into the creche, she picked up something from her desk and slowly walked back outside. “You wanna mind him for me?”

“Really?” Beth asked.

“Of course.” Robyn awkwardly turned the blue happy octopus around to the sad purple one. “You take him and you turn him around to his happy face when you are ready.” She handed it to her. “You know who gave this to me?” She asked, nodding to the paramedic as she stepped back, Robyn heading for the back of the ambulance.

“Who?” Asked Beth, distracted with the conversation and little excitement of getting Robyn’s octopus.

“Taron.”

“Really?”

“Sure did.” Robyn carefully climbed up the steps of the ambulance. “He gave it to me for when I feel sad and need to talk to someone. I send him a picture of wyth when he is sad and Taron calls me so we can talk. Then when I feel better I turn wyth back around to his happy face.”

“What is wyth?” Beth asked as Robyn carefully set her down on the bed in the ambulance.

“Well the octopus is. That is his name. Wyth means eight in Welsh.”

“Welsh?” Beth’s face crinkled up, making Robyn smile and she gave a little nod to Gavin who was waiting outside the ambulance to come in.

“Hmm. Welsh is what people from Wales speak. Like how we speak Irish. Taron is from Wales. He gave the octopus his name.”

“Taron is your best friend.”

“Yes he is.”

“I wish I could see him again.”

Robyn grinned. “I think he would love that. You see where we are?” Robyn asked, placing her hands on Beth’s knees.

“In the ambulance.”

“Not so scary right?” Beth shook her head. “Gavin is going to stay here with us and remember? Give you the magic medicine to help you feel better.” Beth nodded. “I will be here too.”

“And my mammy?”

“Will go to the hospital too.” Robyn said.

“Ok Robyn.”

“That’s my girl.” She turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Nicely done.” He crouched down in front of the little girl. “Can I get you to lay down little one? Just for the drive.”

With encouragement from Robyn, Beth lay down and let Gavin close the security belt around her. Robyn picked up her keys and purse to move them out of the way and then froze, with the keys in her hand. Suddenly it dawned on her, that she had to get back home from the hospital. Gavin must have seen her puzzled face as she felt his hand on her shoulder. “You ok?”

“Yeah just thinking about how I am going to get home from the hospital. My car will be here.”

“No one could come and get you?” Gavin asked.

“Seems so stupid when I could follow the ambulance in my car.”

“She will not let you leave her.” The paramedic whispered, watching as Beth cuddled the octopus to her with her right hand. “What about Ken?”

“Ken?”

“Garda? Could follow us in your car, then you would have your way home.”

“Think he would do that?”

“Sure. Let me ask.” Gavin climbed out of the ambulance and was back in seconds with the garda. “Yeah Robyn. That’s no problem.”

With a nod, Robyn handed over her keys. “I make no excuses for the CD.” She said with a little grin, knowing well there was an eighties rock CD in her car.

The journey to the hospital was calm and quiet, Beth happy to sit with the octopus, Robyn sitting at her head, gently brushing her forehead with her finger tips. Without even thinking about it, she started to sing Tiny Dancer quietly, memories flooding her of her time in the ambulance with Taron. Gavin had set the little girl up and carefully cleaned her face. Robyn was so glad to see the cut on her head was very small despite the amount of blood. Gavin was surprised at how easy it was to help Beth now that she had a little toy octopus with her and a friend in Robyn. He quickly got some pain killers into her, knowing it was another reason why she had been settled in the back of the ambulance, but as he watched the young woman comfort the little girl, it was so clear if it wasn’t for Robyn, his job would have been a lot harder.

“So it is really true then?” Gavin asked as they travelled to the hospital. “Taron?” He probed with a raised eyebrow.

Robyn nodded, but kept her eyes on Beth. “All true.”

“Not an easy thing to do.”

“Nope.”

“He’s ok?”

“Yeah he is.”

“You keep in contact with him?”

Robyn couldn’t help but smile a little. “Constantly.” She turned her attention back to Beth and tried her hardest not to see Taron’s face under her left hand as she continued to gently stroke Beth’s forehead but it wasn’t as easy as that, Beth’s green eyes making it even harder to not think of Taron.

Gavin didn’t ask any more questions about Taron after that and a forty-minute journey later, the ambulance pulled into its parking bay. The back doors opened and Ian’s face appeared.

“Bad news.” He said. “There are been a massive pile up on the N11 and we gotta go. Just came over the radio. Four or five cars.”

“Give me ten to get Beth settled inside and we will go. You can turn the ambulance around. Find Ken.”

Once they got Beth’s seatbelt opened, Robyn carried her inside the white building, following Gavin to the A&E waiting room.

“I had called ahead earlier Robyn but now with this accident, I think this little one might be pushed back. Let me talk to the nurses really quickly.”

“Sure.”

Robyn waited patiently at the glass window, glancing to all the people waiting in A&E and prayed the fact that they had arrived in an ambulance would get them seen too quicker but when she saw Gavin’s face, knew they were in a for a long wait.

“I am so sorry.”

“It’s ok Gavin.”

“I did try.”

“No I get it. A massive accident will take priority over Beth.”

“Here is your ticket. The medicine I gave her should last a few hours but if she shows any sign of pain, please come up to the desk. I don’t want this princess uncomfortable.”

“Thank you so much.”

“You did most of it for me.” His head turned as his name was called and his partner walked over.

“Your keys.” He handed the bunch of keys to Robyn. “Ken has your car parked in section thirteen, row three and he told me to tell you, he approves of your choice of CD.”

With a smile, Robyn took the keys. “Thank you.”

“Look after yourself.” Gavin tapped Beth’s nose. “And you too little one.”

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #Love #Friendship #Worry #Injury #Ambulance #Anxiety #Feelings #Tension #Memories #Robyn and Taron

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jamiemackenziefraser · 4 years ago

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All That Was Fair

Chapter 10: Near Misses

Work Summary: Jamie Fraser is hiking near some strange stones when he comes across an unconscious lass. Determined to help her, Jamie’s life is turned completely upside down as he takes her in. The only issue... she’s not human.

Chapter Summary: Claire and Jamie make one last surprise stop in Inverness.

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Chapter 10: Near Misses

***

“Here, put back on yer jacket, lass,” Jamie said to a shivering Claire, extricating it rather clumsily from the pile of clothes on his arm and handing it to her.

The puir lass still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of the whole “weather” thing, and as the sun hid behind the clouds and the air grew cooler, she was beginning to tremble.

Claire took the jacket from him, her fingers brushing his in the process, and he found himself shivering as well— though not from cold.

They were almost back to where the car was parked. Jamie’s plan was to dump the awkward armful of loose clothes, but he was hoping that their outing wouldn’t end quite yet...

“I ken this has been quite the day for ye, a nighean,” Jamie began tentatively as he opened the trunk, “but I had one more thing in mind that I think ye might enjoy. Would ye like to see it or do ye want tae go home?”

Her arms were wrapped around herself as Jamie shoved everything into the trunk and closed it. When he looked up, she was nodding eagerly.

“I would love to.”

A broad smile spread over Jamie’s face. He wasn’t sure she’d say yes, quiet as she’d been since they left the store, but he was delighted by her enthusiasm and hoped she’d like their last stop.

Jamie locked the car with a beep before turning toward Claire again. Spotting her opened jacket, he muttered “ach, ye’ll freeze”, then stepped closer and reached out for the zipper.

She looked up at him with huge whisky eyes and he had no choice but to meet them. He hyper-aware of the proximity to her body as he drew the zipper up very slowly, each tooth coming together inch by inch. The moment seemed to drag on for eternity, but he didn’t want to let go. Once the zipper reached the top, Jamie’s hand lingered, just barely under her chin. He was so close to her that he could feel the puffs of her breath, and his whole body thrummed with the tension that sparked between them.

How easy it’d be to tug her just the tiniest bit closer and—

Claire’s chest rose under his fingers in a shaky inhale, and that was what broke him out of the trance.

Stepping away from her sharply, he shattered the moment of connection like a stone thrown into a placid pond. The forced distance between them tugged at his heart, but he retreated to a safe couple feet away— where his brain could work enough to keep him from acting on his inclinations.

He couldn’t have named the look on Claire’s face, but her usually expressive features seemed to fall into a carefully placed mask of neutrality. He gave her a smile in reassurance, hoping she wasn’t offended by his odd behavior, and offered her his hand. Touch was a comfort to her, and he wouldn’t dream of withholding that just because it turned his head and his heart into mush.

The moment she took it, he began to lead her in the direction of their last stop.

The Inverness Botanical Gardens were only a couple blocks away. As soon as they entered the gates, Claire’s eyes went wide with delight as she took in the expanse of colorful plants and flowers in bloom. She stopped walking abruptly, and simply stood in enrapturement, hand clutching Jamie’s even tighter.

“See. Humans arena sae bad,” he joked.

Either she didn’t hear him or didn’t care to respond, wrapped up in the scenery as she was.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed reverently.

To his surprise, she let go of his hand, walked a few steps over to the nearest bed of flowers, and promptly dropped to her knees. Jamie’s heart clenched in endearment as he watched his Sassenach reach out and caress the leaves of the various plants. She seemed to want to touch every one, torn between frenzy and delicacy as her hands moved everywhere.

He could have watched her enjoy herself like this for days, completely uncaring of the people passing them by who were likely giving them queer looks. But he only had eyes for Claire.

It struck him once again how fitting the name Sorcha was for her. She was truly becoming his light— brightening his whole world, his very existence. In comparison, his days before her seemed so empty. He felt oddly detached from that time before Claire, as if it was a different lifetime rather than several days ago.

If he was certain of anything, it was that he couldn’t go back to living that minute existence. Not when he knew the joy that was loving her.

Every time Jamie lost himself in such thoughts, he had to spend the next while talking himself off the ledge. This time was no different. As he watched Claire touch the plants (she’d moved on to the next bed by this point), he desperately tried to force his brain back to rationality.

Okay, so ye love her. There’s no helping that. But for Christ’s sake, lad, keep yerself together. Ye’re the one person she has in the world. Ye canna be making declarations of love, that isna fair to her.

It was the same words he told himself over and over.

Ye can be her friend. That’s enough.

But as he watched the awe and delight shining on her face that made his own brighten in answer, he felt like his heart was on his sleeve— on display for the whole world and aching with the yearning.

God, he burned for her.

He was shaken from his besottment by a worker approaching Claire. Protective instinct flaring, he took a few steps toward his faerie, meaning to put himself between them. The moment she noticed the young man beside her, she bolted to her feet, stumbling backward into Jamie.

“Sorry, didna mean to startle ye,” the young man said to her.

Jamie placed both hands on her shoulders, trying to still her and communicate that everything was alright. Sliding one hand down to her back, steadying, Jamie stepped up to her side.

The worker lifted his hand to scratch a little awkwardly at the back of his neck. “It’s just that I couldna help but notice yer enthusiasm. Are ye a botanist yerself then?”

Claire shot Jamie a look over, brows furrowed, and he quickly answered for her. “Nae, but it is a bit of a hobby for her.”

The lad gave a nod. “Oh, very good. Well, I hope you enjoy yer visit. Dinna forget to check out our greenhouse.”

Just as he was turning away to leave, Claire suddenly burst out, “This flower—” The young man turned around, following Claire’s point to a small patch of flowers, “the sobrach albannach…”

He looked a little confused, but simply said, “primula scotia, or Scottish primrose. What of it?”

“It’s getting too much water. It’s choking the life from the plant.”

The poor lad had no idea how to respond, completely taken aback. He stared at her open mouthed for a second, and then looked back at the plants, eyes narrowing in thought. Then, he stooped down to inspect them even closer.

“Ye’re right,” he exclaimed in astonishment. He looked up at her with a smile spreading over his face, “thank ye.”

Claire beamed, looking incredibly proud of herself, and Jamie couldn’t help but swell a little as well.

“My pleasure. Do take care of them,” she said sweetly.

With that, she slipped her hand back into Jamie’s and they walked away, leaving the worker to his Scottish Primrose.

“How did you ken that?” Jamie asked once they were a fair distance away.

“I can feel it, can’t you?” Claire answered matter-of-factly. She looked up at him in question, and Jamie shook his head.

“We canna.”

Claire gave a shrug, not particularly bothered. “Plants are the lifeblood of this earth. You have to care for them, treat them with respect.”

That didn’t do much to answer Jamie’s questions, but he decided to let it go in favor of enjoying Claire’s company. They walked on for a while, Claire absorbed in the various flora. Since not all of it was native to Scotland, she would sometimes let out a squeal of excitement when discovering something new (though now she mostly stayed anchored to his side). It took the depths of Jamie’s botanical knowledge to try to provide her with insights about some of the ones with which she wasn’t familiar, but unfortunately that didn’t extend very far and the lass was left burning with curiosity.

Curiosity was not exclusive to her, though. Jamie had been burning with questions about the faerie ever since he’d met her, and only little-by-little did he come to discover more about her.

One unexpected incident brought an intriguing discovery.

While they walked hand in hand through the gardens, their pace a leisurely stroll, they passed by a family of what appeared to be tourists.

“Ven aquí*,” the mother (or at least that’s who Jamie assumed she was) shouted to her child, a little girl trailing a few feet behind with tears rolling down her face.

“M- me quedo aquí,” the child cried in hitching sobs of agitation. Obviously she was having a bit of a meltdown. Jamie was familiar with the woes of tantrums from his nieces and nephews, and tried to lead Claire away. But his Sassenach remained rooted to the spot.

“No tenemos tiempo para esto,” the mother shot back with exasperation in her weary tone as she waved a beckoning hand.

“No voy a salir,” the girl’s voice was almost a scream now, her parents and siblings getting farther away. It seemed the mother was going to play the “I’ll leave without you” card.

Claire’s eyes had gone wide and disturbed witnessing the exchange. She shot a look at Jamie, then back at the girl. To Jamie’s astonishment, she let go of his hand and walked straight up to the crying child.

Kneeling down, Claire gently asked, “¿Qué pasó, querida? ¿Por qué no quieres ir con tu familia?”

Jamie’s mouth dropped open. What the devil did she say?

His brain was still trying to process Claire’s perfect accent and apparent fluency in Spanish when the girl replied with a hitching, “Se me perdió mi flor.”

“¿Tu flor? Hay muchas flores aquí.” Claire responded gently.

“Sí, p-pero ésta fue especial, y se me perdió y ahora no puedo encontrarla,” the little girl sobbed as she clutched her chest, her words coming out in a jumbled rush.

“No te preocupes, podemos buscar juntas,” Claire replied in a soothing tone.

Jamie was trying desperately to keep up with the situation and wondering how the hell Claire knew Spanish. He had no idea what she’d said, but in the next second, Claire was taking the little girl’s hand and walking toward an offshoot of the path, still speaking back and forth.

Fearing a potential kidnapping scandal and not wanting to lose sight of his displaced faerie, Jamie scampered after her, calling, “Claire!”

She looked back at him, halting, and gave him a smile, as if oblivious to the fact that she was about to run off with a strange child in tow. Apparently sensing his worry, she explained, “it’s alright, Jamie. I’m just helping her find her flower so she can leave with her family.”

His rapid heart rate slowed exponentially. He was still struggling a little to grasp Claire’s apparent Spanish knowledge and wondering if somehow there were varieties of Hispanic fae that had ended up in Scotland, so he simply responded with a daft “oh.”

It was at that moment that Claire’s head swiveled to a spot just behind Jamie and she let out an exclamation. She dropped the girl’s hand and darted toward a nearby flower bed. Jamie turned to watch as— with practiced ease— she plucked a flower from the bush.

“Yo sé que no es la misma, pero esta flor es especial también. Es mi favorita. ¿Le gusta?”

Claire stretched the flower out toward the little girl in offering. There was silence for a moment, then a cry of delight. The little girl suddenly ran forward and launched herself right into Claire’s arms, scooping up the flower from her hand and wrapping Claire’s neck in a hug all at the same time. The faerie laughed happily, giving the girl a pat on the back.

With only a quick, “¡gracias!”, the girl was running after her family.

“De nada,” Claire called after her with a blinding smile that only Jamie was privy to. (He’d take it. He’d take all of her smiles and hold them dear in his heart, even if he wasn’t the recipient.)

Then— looking incredibly nonchalant— she straightened up, walked over to Jamie, and slipped her hand back into his.

Left slightly flabbergasted from the whole situation, Jamie stayed motionless in the spot, looking down at her.

Claire returned his gaze quizzically.

“You— you speak Spanish?” Jamie asked after recovering his tongue.

She nodded, casually, but didn’t expand.

“So you speak English, Gaelic, and Spanish... Do fae speak more languages?”

She looked at him with an indulgent smile, as if— of all the questions he’d asked her during their time together— this was the foolish one. “I speak hundreds of languages.”

He boggled at this, turning a little so he could look at her better.

“Human languages?”

“Of course! And others.”

“You astound me,” he breathed, “in- in the best way,” he hastily added. “Here I was thinkin’ I was impressive speakin’ Gaelic, English, and a wee bit of French.”

She smiled brightly. “You are impressive, Jamie. You know how to do so much— things I could never imagine...”

Jamie warmed all the way through at her praise, and gave her hand a slight squeeze.

Though he was still burning to know more, this wasn’t the place for a 101 course on faeries. He took her hand and continued walking, essentially putting an end to that conversation. The visitors of the park were gradually filtering out, providing nice privacy as they strolled along, but he still didn’t want to risk it. He had to bite his tongue to avoid asking things that might prove problematic should others overhear.

So they walked along, chatting about safer topics. Jamie tried to explain the purpose and function of a botanical garden, and Claire listened with rapt attention. As they strolled, though, she began to grow quiet. Claire drew closer to Jamie, her arm pressed against his, and no longer made moves to touch any of the plants they passed.

The sun was just starting to go down, illuminating the path with a soft, golden light. When he looked down at Claire, he could see it reflecting off her curls, highlighting streaks of varying shades of brown.

“Are ye tired, lass?” He asked after Claire had been particularly quiet for a bit.

She gave a slight bob of the chin, and at her nod, Jamie led them over to a park bench.

They sat down together, Claire pressing herself flush against his side. She wasn’t shivering— thank God— but she seemed particularly clingy.

“Thank you for today, Jamie,” she said softly, “I never could have done it without you. I… I actually had a great time.”

Contentment swelled through Jamie. “I’m glad, mo nighean donn. And dinna mention it, I’m jes’ glad I could be wi’ ye.”

“I mean it,” she looked up at him, eyes wide and earnest, “I don’t know where I’d be without you. Lost and alone…”

A shudder ran through her, and Jamie felt an answering one of his own creep up his spine at the thought of Claire by herself.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing for me,” she finished.

“Ye dinna even ken….” he murmured, mostly to himself. He shook his head as his own thoughts overwhelmed him.

“What don’t I know?” she prompted, and Jamie realized that he’d actually said it out loud.

The way she was looking at him— those honey eyes soft and empathetic, making his wame twist into knots— he had to tell her the truth.

“I was alone before you. I had my family, of course— my sister and brother-in-law and their children. But I went home to an empty house every night. Went through my routine, slept in the dark alone, and then did it all again the next day. Oh, Claire,” his voice caught in his throat, “ye turned my life upside down in the best way. I didna ken how much I needed you until suddenly I’d found ye. And I canna even imagine life now without ye in it…”

His eyes were brimming with tears by the time he finished, and Sorcha was looking at him with the warmest expression. Almost… loving?

“You have me now,” she whispered. Her wee hand raised up to his face, softly brushing over his jaw in one grounding stroke.

But he didn’t. Lord help him for his greed, but he wanted her forever. As his own.

He looked down at her and her hand stilled on his face, but she made no move to withdraw it. Jamie was breathing raggedly, feeling a pull toward her that took all his willpower to resist. Her face was tilted up toward him— so damn close— and the air felt thick and heavy.

She never broke their locked gaze, just stared up at him warmly. Jamie knew his heart must be in his eyes. Surely she could see it?

He found himself drifting just the slightest bit closer, his face tilting down…

But he loved her too much to bridge the distance.

So he froze there, completely under her spell and happy to be there, yet heartbroken by all the things he couldn’t allow himself to have.

Claire seemed to notice the change in him, because she drew back a bit. She glanced down at her lap, then away from Jamie. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of pink gracing those high cheekbones.

But surely that couldn’t mean anything…

“It’s getting late,” he stated lamely.

That snapped her attention back to him. “Please, let’s stay a little longer,” she pleaded.

He could never say no to her.

So there they sat, pressed close together. Claire took his hand again as the silence spread between them like a warm blanket— not stifling or awkward, simply the comfort of togetherness. Her hand had been in his all day, yet somehow the electric shock he got when he made contact with her never diminished.

After a while, the sky began to show streaks of colors. The sun had fallen below the horizon, leaving a glow of pink and orange in its wake. From their vantage point on the bench, they could see the river, which reflected the colors in a brilliant display, like a second sky below. It couldn’t have been more perfect if Jamie had planned it himself.

Claire’s head tilted toward him, leaning closer and closer until finally it was nestled on his shoulder. He squeezed her hand gently as his wame did the familiar flip-flop, not wanting to break the stillness but wanting her to know he was glad of her touch. They cuddled on that bench long after the sunset faded and the street lights blinked on.

“Ye’ve had a long day,” Jamie murmured finally. He tilted his head down to look at her, and found her eyes were closed. “Let’s get ye home, lass.”

She raised her head from his shoulder with slow reluctance, blinking her eyes drowsily.

Oh God, he loved her.

“Ready to go, a nighean?” he asked her softly.

She sleepily hummed, but gave no other response. He chuckled at her fondly, a rumble deep in his chest, and tucked an errant curl behind Claire’s ear.

“Dinna fall asleep on me now,” he teased.

Her eyes fluttered open then and regarded him with a look of pure innocence. “I’m not sleeping.”

To prove herself, she got to her feet, but refused to let go of Jamie’s hand in the process. He followed her lead and stood up beside her. With that, he took her from the gardens and back out toward the car, his sweet lass occasionally swaying against him as they walked.

She seemed less drowsy by the time they made it to the parking lot, but the moment they were seated inside the car, she was draping herself over the cupholder and into his lap.

His heart clenched with reminiscence of three days ago when he’d found himself in this exact position. How terrified he’d been then, so excited but bewildered, already entranced by the sweet faerie. He’d been in way over his head then, but now— now he was positively drowning in the intoxication of her.

He never wanted to let her go.

***

(See AO3 for notes and translations)

#all that was fair #update #claire x jamie #outlander fanfiction #fae Claire

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lloydskywalkers · 4 years ago

Text

heLLO i’m so sorry this took so long!! tumblr did not, in fact, eat your ask this time, i just took five years with the response T-T i did very much want to write something about Jay and Cliff (because that’s a criminally underused relationship), but unfortunately season 12 has come out since i wrote All I’m Asking For and kind of...made things...a lot angstier :’( so this leans much more on the angst side than the fluff, but!! there is some in there, i promise

It happens mid-battle, which is never a good time for anything to happen, really, other than a spontaneous victory. If it had happened at any other time, Jay would’ve gone with him. Any other time, he tells himself, he would’ve found the time to talk.

But it’s mid-battle right after Sensei Wu’s gone missing in time, and ironically enough, time is the last thing Jay has on his hands.

It’s not even the worst of battles — just some jerks who actually happen to have too much time and advanced high-grade weaponry on their hands — but it’s enough to send the city’s civilians screaming for cover as another chunk of building comes raining down toward them. Normally Cole would take this kind of thing, since Jay’s more about the agile, dynamic stuff (not because his arms are a whole lot like half-cooked spaghetti noodles next to Cole’s, not at all). But Cole’s on the other side of the city running collateral damage watch with Zane, so Jay’s the only one around to snatch the poor man out of harm’s way before a chunk of concrete squashes him.

“Whoo, that was close,” he breathes out, as dust mushrooms out from the impact nearby. Jay carefully sets the man down, coughing briefly and tugging his mask into place. “You alright?”

The man doesn’t reply, staring at Jay with wide, eerily familiar eyes. “You,” he breathes, as if Jay is some miraculous apparition — which, sure, Jay just saved his life, but like, he’s Jay. He’s a whole two or three inches shorter than this guy, he’s not super impressive.

“You’re the lightning ninja,” the man continues. “You’re — Jay?”

Caught between being pleased he’s recognized and being slightly creeped out, Jay opens his mouth to reply. Then he looks at the guy, actually looks at the guy, and immediately shuts it. And a good thing, too, because Jay’s mouth suddenly goes so dry it kinda feels like a dust vacuum.

“Y-you’re Cliff Gordon,” he manages, on a wheezing kind of whisper. “H-hi. Hi, hello, it’s—”

An honor? Jay’s half-hysterical mind throws at him. What is he supposed to say? Hello, long-lost father who gave me up as a baby, I figured that out, by the way? Does Cliff even know Jay’s his son? Does he even know his name’s Jay? Oh, why oh why has Jay put off acknowledging anything that happened with Nadakhan for this long, just because the entire thing’s a minefield worth of trauma and it makes him wildly nauseous to think about it at all, it doesn’t mean—

“Jay,” Cliff Gordon repeats, his eyes wide and shiny, and Jay’s stomach drops like he’s on a roller coaster. Because the way he says his name — it’s like he knows, it’s like he cares—

“You, uh,” Jay swallows, utterly oblivious to the exploding building two blocks back. “I think…you knew my mom?”

Alright, points for Jay for the lamest segue into this possible, but the beaming, almost-painful smile that splits Cliff’s face at least drowns part of the shame out.

“You could say that,” he murmurs, looking part-overjoyed, part-terrified. “If you know that, then — you must know I’m your — I never meant to lose—”

Cliff cuts off painfully, dragging a hand through his graying hair. Jay vaguely notes the puffs of dust that go drifting off from it, before the awkward silence gets too heavy and his mouth kicks back into action.

“Yeah, kinda…figured that out,” Jay laughs, nervously. “I don’t, um, I’m not mad…? If that’s what you’re worried about, but it’d be uh, nice to…”

“Of course,” Cliff nods fervently, as if he’s somehow psychic and can mind-read the ten thousand words’ worth of questions barraging across Jay’s brain. “Of course, we should talk, there’s so much I need to explain, I—”

Jay’s radio interrupts him in a bursting screech of static, leaving them both wincing.

“Jay, any day you wanna get back in the game, we could use a little help here!”

Kai’s voice is strained, and Jay glances from the battle to his — Cliff — with wild eyes. Cliff shakes his head, waving toward his teammates.

“Go on, go on,” he says, something like pride in his voice. “You’ve got a much more important job to do.” He pauses, his eyes bright and painfully hopeful. “But you’ll — you’ll come and visit me sometime, will you?”

“Yeah,” Jay nods, feeling oddly shaky. “Of course, I’d — I’d really like that.”

Cliff Gordon’s face splits into full smile, and Jay takes that as his cue to leave before he does something hideously embarrassing, like run his mouth or try to — to hug the guy. His eyes catch the bright flash of the Destiny’s Shadow, and he jumps up as Lloyd tilts the plane, Zane reaching a hand out to snag Jay and haul him in.

“Nice timing,” Jay gasps in thanks as he finds his seat, fumbling once with the tight squeeze. “Sorry about the wait.”

Zane simply squeezes his shoulder briefly. “I am merely glad to see you in one piece,” he says, wincing briefly as another explosion goes off. Jay cringes as his eyes rake over the smoking flames. Man, they’re gonna be stuck doing repairs here forever—

“Who was that?”

Jay startles back to himself at Lloyd’s voice, blinking rapidly. He opens his mouth, prepared to unleash a floodgate’s worth of “you’ll never believe this”—

Then stops dead as Zane and Lloyd stare curiously at him, awaiting answer. Jay shuts his mouth, and swallows.

How is he supposed to announce he’s met his father — his second, whole father, in addition to the super great one he already has — to them? To Zane, who barely got any time with his only parent before he died? To Lloyd, who's still actively grieving having lost his only dad for like, the third time? How’s that gonna go over, huh, motormouth?

So Jay shakes his head, forcing an easy laugh instead. “Just some random fan.”

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

He means to follow up right after. He does, really, but everything goes to hell in a handbasket so quickly Jay barely even has time to breath. First it’s the months of searching for Sensei, then it’s guarding the royal family, then they’re on the run, then they’re watching Garmadon brutalize their baby brother on live television and he’s dying on a table and the city’s being destroyed by a giant and the Bounty’s being crushed with them on it and they’re running for their lives in the First Realm and Sensei Wu’s a teenager and—

They’re kind of busy, that’s the point he’s trying to make.

Eventually, there’s a brief spot of time he could go, maybe. It’s right after they’ve returned from the First Realm, though, and that’s...not a great time.

The city’s still stumbling back to its feet, for one, and the loss of the emperor and empress doesn’t exactly help. Their little family’s left stumbling back to its feet even slower, as beaten down and utterly exhausted as they are. The four of them had their own run of it in the First Realm, but Lloyd and Nya didn’t have it any better back in Ninjago, and the whole thing’s just — just a big mess. And sure, maybe reuniting with his long-lost biological father now could like, actually benefit Jay’s half-shredded mental state, since the guy seemed pretty happy to see him, but…

But fathers.

Lloyd still wanders their apartment like a ghost at night, his eyes dull and haunted from whatever night terror he’s been graced with now. He wanders a little bit like that in the day, too, eyes glazing over and hands trembling at times. Jay knows why, of course — they all know, it’s not a secret. Not with the high-definition TV footage that keeps circulating. And they — they try to help, of course, they do their very best, but there are some things only time can fix.

Jay watches Lloyd’s eyes shutter at the mention of his father, and wonders if his entire life is enough to fix whatever’s been broken with his own.

In other words, Jay decides to be a coward.

Ironically enough, however, it ends up being Lloyd that encourages him to go. Not that he realizes that.

“Don’t bother making extra for dinner tonight, Zane,” Lloyd announces wearily, as he trudges through the kitchen. “My mom’s on the road again.”

Zane blinks at that, then frowns. “Where is she off to now?”

“Don’t know,” Lloyd says shortly, before promptly stalking off toward the rooftop exit. Jay and Zane stand there in silence for a moment, Zane still methodically stirring the rice. Then he turns to Jay, and fixes him with a look.

“Grumpy-about-parents Lloyd is normally Nya’s job, you know,” Jay huffs, but he relents, following Lloyd’s quiet footsteps to the roof. Lloyd’s curled up in his usual spot, close enough to the edge that it frightened the life out of Kai the first time they found him. Jay doesn’t exactly get why, because Lloyd’s sad, yeah, but he’s not—

Well, maybe Kai’s just scared Lloyd’ll trip and fall off the roof. That’s what Jay’s choosing to believe, for his own sake.

Either way, Lloyd looks pretty sad now, so Jay plops himself right down next to him with a huff, neatly startling Lloyd so badly he almost does trip right off the roof.

“Woah, hey, it’s just me,” Jay says quickly, throwing his hands up. Lloyd glares at him, and Jay makes a face. “Don’t give me that, you’re the one that’s supposed to have ninja reflexes.”

“Hmph,” Lloyd grumbles, wrapping his arms back around his knees, but he looks slightly less likely to zap Jay’s nervous system full of energy, so he takes that as a go-ahead.

“So, your mom, huh,” Jay starts, with all the intent of comforting Lloyd and comforting Lloyd alone. “Hey, random question, but how did, um, why’d you decide to let her back into your life, in the first place?”

“What?” Lloyd stares at him. Jay cringes. Oops, that wasn’t supposed to come out. Classic Walker, he’s brought his own issues right into the middle of it, like an absolute selfish—

Great, now he wants to throw himself off the roof.

“Sorry, sorry, forget I said that,” Jay babbles, desperately trying to re-route the conversation. “Just — forget I opened my mouth, okay? Please?”

Lloyd shakes his head, looking more concerned than sad now. He’s even unfolded from his tight little Lloyd-angst-ball, which Jay would count as a victory if it weren’t for all the wrong reasons. “Jay, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” Jay blusters. Lloyd stares at him. Jay gives him a bright smile back. Lloyd continues to stare.

“Okay, fine, not really, but — that’s not why I came up here,” Jay admits, cheeks flushing.

Lloyd’s eyebrows furrow in concern. “Is everything…okay with your parents?” His voice is tentative, as if he’s almost scared of Jay’s response, and Jay can’t have that.

“My parents are fine,” he replies, firmly. “But, uh, thanks for asking. I’m just…” Jay trails off, abruptly realizing that explaining this is going to require mentioning Cliff Gordon, which is going to require mentioning that he’s adopted, which is going to require explaining why he hasn’t told the rest of his team this. None of which are options Jay wants to explore at the moment, so he desperately tries to backtrack.

Lloyd, faithfully caring brother that he is to the bitter end, beats him to it. “Well, even if they are fine, um. To answer your question, I guess I…I needed to know.” He blows his breath out, glancing out over the skyline, half-broken buildings forming dark silhouettes against the setting sun. “I needed to know why she - she left me. If it was me, or if it was her, or…whatever, you know?” Lloyd bites his lip, and Jay suddenly feels like a horrible person for putting him through the mother thing right after the father thing’s been blown to smithereens.

And yet.

“Yeah, I get that,” Jay says quietly, letting it sink in. And he does, really. More than he thought he would, and this is probably a big glaring sign from the heavens, huh.

“But I don’t know,” Lloyd continues, sounding small as his hands tug on a frayed thread from a torn spot in his gi. “Maybe sometimes it’s better to cut people out entirely, too.”

He looks terribly worn when he says that, too young and too old for his age all at once, and Jay decides he hates the expression on his youngest brother.

“I’ll remember that, next time you steal the last of my coffee stash,” he says.

Lloyd gives a startled huff of laughter, before jabbing him in the side with his elbow. “That’s not what I meant,” he rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile edging his mouth now — not quite the Lloyd smile he’s used to, but it’s not as frail as it’s been, either. Lloyd doesn’t look so much like porcelain that’s been stepped on anymore, and the proud spark of joy Jay feels from that is enough to convince him that it’s a good idea.

He did promise Cliff Gordon he would, after all, and besides — knowing can’t be that bad, and Jay’s a firm believer in the wisdom of knowledge, and all that.

He’s also a firm believer of closure, but he’s stopped claiming to be one, since it probably comes off pretty hypocritical lately.

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

Jay doesn’t tell anyone where he’s going. He doesn’t even tell them he’s going at all, he just…waits for a convenient opportunity to slip out when no one will notice.

He wishes he had. He wishes he’d told Cole, told Nya or - or anyone he was going, and at the same time he’s glad he told no one at all. He’s not quite sure he could bear anyone else seeing whatever look’s on his face right now, on top of everything else.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” the woman at the estate tells him, her eyes teary. “Cliff Gordon passed away a month ago.”

That…doesn't make sense, at first. It takes a minute, to sink through the odd roaring noise in Jay’s ears, and finally reach his brain.

“Passed…away,” he repeats, blankly.

The lady nods, looking at him with so much pity Jay kind of wants to kick her shins. “It was his heart, poor man. He hasn’t been so well the last few years, you know.”

“Right.” Jay feels a little like he does when he’d used to jump off his dragon, except this time he’s been tossed from it and he’s free-falling to a short and sudden stop.

“Did you know him?” she asks, curiously.

Jay tries to make some form of response, like “I was his son”, except all that comes out is a whole bunch of nothing. Nothing, just like what’s left in Jay’s head. He blinks rapidly, trying to banish the image seared into his brain.

Cliff Gordon’s eyes, bright and painfully hopeful.

You’ll come visit me sometime, will you?

Jay swallows thickly. “Sorry, if you’ll, uh — excuse me, I think lunch was bad.” Then he ducks for the nearby bushes, and proceeds to be horribly sick.

He tells himself, through heaving gasps, that the hot tears are only reflexive.

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

And that’s that. Jay, stupid, selfish Jay, waited too long and now he’s lost his chance forever. Because he was — what, scared? Nervous?

He’s not scared now. He kind of just hates himself, which isn’t the newest thing in the world, but this time it burns like the worst of scrapes and crawls up on him in the middle of the night, screaming what-if’s into his brain until Jay’s biting down on his pillow before he starts screaming himself.

It hurts, but he’s got no one to blame but himself. Jay messed this up all his own and he sure as heck doesn’t deserve any sympathy from his team for it. So he’s not going to even give them the chance, because they’ll never know. Jay will take this secret to the grave, because imagining the looks on everyone else’s face when he tells them he ruined this makes him want to put himself in the grave.

How long did he wait for Jay, how long did he—

Jay’s just going to drive himself insane with his own stupid brain and that’s that.

Well, that’s supposed to be that. It would’ve been that, except Cole is perceptive and Cole knows him too well, and Cole spots the look on his face when he’s telling him everything he’s found out about his mother, since Jay can’t even hide that from him.

And maybe Jay’s just weak, or so desperate for some form of reassurance or - or attention that he cracks, and spills the whole sorry thing to Cole. To his undying credit, Cole doesn’t even look like he despises Jay once. Instead, he looks at him with all this sympathy and kindness and oh, if Jay was a crier—

Well, actually, Jay is a crier, and ends up bawling into Cole’s gi at two in the morning, but what else is new.

The important thing is that Cole is Jay’s very best friend and possibly favorite person in the whole entire world, and Jay is going to murder him in cold blood for dragging him to Cliff Gordon’s estate and forcing their way in.

“If he cared enough to want to meet you, he’ll have cared enough to leave you in his will,” Cole reminds him, staunchly. “He knows how busy your life was, so I’ll bet you anything he understood.”

“Stop trying to make me feel better,” Jay hisses, as Cole manhandles him down the mansion’s — the mansion’s! — hallways. “I don’t deserve it.”

“For the love of—” Cole cuts off with an exasperated huff. “It is not your fault this happened. This is not on you. How many times are we going to have to do this, Jay.”

“Until the time you let me wallow in miserable peace,” Jay mutters. What does Cole know, it’s not like he totally bailed on his parent and then let them die. Not that Jay could do anything about that last part, sure, but the rest of it.

Cole stops them in one of the massive living rooms, finally fixing Jay with one of those stares. Uh oh.

“At least read the letter,” Cole says, suddenly pleading. “You don’t have to look at anything else if you don’t want to, but please read the letter. For me?”

Oh, Jay hates him. He tells him so, even as his glare falters in the face of Cole’s stupid puppy eyes.

“Is that a yes?” Cole replies hopefully, offering the letter they were handed with the estate key. Jay gives him a last, withering glare before snatching the letter from him.

“You’re the worst,” he mutters, as he tears open the envelope with shaky fingers. He hesitates for a beat, before mustering whatever pathetic courage he has and tugging the paper out, unfolding it as his eyes find the carefully scrawled words.

My dear Jay—

He promptly bursts into tears.

“Jay wha — Jay what’s wrong, is it that bad?” Cole is frantic as he hovers over him, his hands half-caught between reaching for Jay and reaching for the letter in his hands. Jay shakes his head, trying to stifle the sudden waterfall’s worth of tears that decided to make an appearance, and clutches the paper tighter.

Cole makes an anxious sound. “Jay, you know he’s — if he’s said something bad, it’s — he doesn’t know anything, right?”

Oh no, now Jay wants to cry harder. Cole sounds desperately concerned, kind and caring and genuine like Cole always is, and Jay feels like the worst person in the world.

Stupid, Jay, he scolds himself hotly, swiping angrily at his eyes. Stupid, selfish Jay. He’s got nothing to be crying about. Zane only had one dad, and he doesn’t go around whining about it. Lloyd’s got one dad who’s died three times, and may as well be dead now ‘cause he’s such a jerk. Kai and Nya didn’t even have any parents until last year. And Cole lost his mom who he loved, he loved so much, and he’s still here supporting Jay — stupid, selfish Jay, who’s got two entire stable parents who he’s never once doubted love him, and yet here he is, crying over the one he never really knew.

“Jay,” Cole tries again, quieter this time. “Jay, you’re allowed to be sad about your dad. It’s not a contest.”

Stupid, perceptive Cole.

“He said he loves me,” Jay finally croaks, swiping at the tears all over his face. “He didn’t even know me, Cole, how was he supposed to know that?”

Cole’s eyes soften, all melty and gross. “You’re his son, Jay, he knew you.” His lips quirk up in a smile. “Besides, he talked to you once, right? You make some pretty impactful first impressions, motormouth.”

Jay can’t decide whether to be insulted or more flattered than he’s been in the last six months. He decides to punch Cole weakly in the shoulder, before crying harder. Cole doesn’t even flinch at the hit, built like a rock as he is, and simply snatches Jay’s arm and tugs him close, wrapping his arms around him tightly. And oh, Jay wants to pull away, he doesn’t want to break down in his dead father’s mansion like this, Jay doesn’t have a lot of dignity but he’s at least got his shreds, but—

Cole gives the best stupid hugs in the world, and what’s Jay gonna do, deny such instant love and comfort? The risk of hurting Cole’s feelings far outweighs Jay’s tattered dignity, he tells himself. That’s why he clings to Cole like an overgrown barnacle and wails into his shoulder like a broken faucet. That’s the only reason, obviously.

“It’s okay to cry, you big moron,” Cole says after he’s calmed down, briefly squeezing tighter. “I get it. But you really should read more than the first lines of that thing. I think…I think it’ll help.”

“This is all I’ve got, though,” Jay sniffles. “I don’t — I lost any other connection I’ve got to him.”

“Sometimes you just gotta work with what you have,” Cole says gently, a little bitter, a little sweet. “And somehow, you have to make it enough.”

Jay pauses at that, thinking back to the statue miles and miles beneath a mountain, the delicate locket Cole had turned over in his fingers. He looks back to the letter in his hands, the lines and lines of all the words his father left for him, and remembers Lloyd’s words about knowing.

His fingers tighten on the edges of his letter. Jay, he decides, is done being scared. He’s got Cole at his side — what’s he got to be afraid of, anyways?

“Okay,” he says, swiping once more at his eyes, and giving Cole a watery smile. “Okay. Help me read through the whole thing?”

“I wore my old sweatshirt for a reason,” Cole replies, making a show of wringing his sleeve out. Jay whacks him with the envelope, but the laugh he shudders out feels real, this time. He gently spreads the letter out atop his lap, focusing on the words again.

It’ll be enough. It’ll sting, but…it’ll be enough.

Like Lloyd’s tattered photograph, like Cole’s mother’s last words — it has to be.

#lego ninjago #ninjago #jay walker #cole brookstone #lloyd garmadon #since they're both...fairly present at points gdnkfgj #i just have many feelings about jay apparently T-T #my fic #answered

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