#sunshine incarnate over there had a good time

[knight-arts]

I know I’m down pretty bad because these guys are starting to appear in my dreams

[cressidagrey]

Stars all aligned - Chapter 14

Summary:

If there was one thing that both Azriel and Zahra Archeron had in common, it was that they were both very good at blending into the background.

They just never thought that their family were going to be the ones who never saw them at all.

Warning:

I'll keep the warnings, even though there is no outright mention in this part: Bashing of like...every IC member? Especially the Archeron Sisters, discussion of chronic pain, discussion of Infertility, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Underage Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Accidental Baby Procurement

If any of this triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, please, take care of your own mental health and don't read it.

(Lovely dividers thanks to @sweetmelodygraphics)

“I want to go home,” Zahra said softly, Azalea slumbering safely between them. His mate, his wife… she was subtly golden glowing that morning, looking like the sun incarnate.

It was more obvious now…or maybe he just saw it more than he had before. Or maybe it was because Zahra was happy. Content. 

“Are you sure, sunshine?” He asked her softly, his thumb tracing her cheek. “There is no need to rush.” 

There wasn’t. 

He was willing to take all the time in the world right here in Rosehall with the two of them. And maybe a part of him…a part of him was hoping for some more time before the insanity of their family was going to descend on them. 

Azriel didn’t believe for one moment that that was over already. 

“I want her to come home to the cottage,” Zahra said softly. “Though we’ll need to figure out some way to…extend it maybe?“ 

They had talked about it before in passing, comments about adding an office… but now they would be adding a nursery. And maybe other rooms as well when they were already at it.

Azriel could feel the warmth of his mate’s body against his, their daughter sleeping peacefully between them. He was acutely aware of her golden glow, of her scent, of the press of her hand against his chest. The knowledge that this female, this beautiful, strong, incredible person, was bound to him for eternity was a heady joy. A light in the darkness.

He pressed a soft kiss to Zahra’s forehead, his wings curling around them again.

"Of course, Sunshine," he murmured against her skin. "We’ll return home."

Whatever she wanted. 

Her request was so simple, and yet he understood the importance of it entirely. The cottage was home, yes, but more importantly it was part of their story. Their story together. Their lives with their daughter. 

“Your sisters won’t be patient forever,” he  warned Zahra nontheless.

It wouldn’t be pretty. He knew that. She knew that too. 

Zahra looked at him, fierce green eyes meeting his.

“I don’t care,” she murmured, her gaze steady and unwavering. “I am not going to hide. I am not going to wait because they don’t like me or the choices I made. I don’t care, Azriel,” she told him flatly. 

Her fingers brushed against his cheek, her touch gentle yet firm. “Azalea is my priority. You are my priority. I’ll deal with my sisters if I must,” she told him, her voice soft yet filled wth conviction. 

Azriel had thought it was impossible to love her more than he already did, but with every look, every word, she proved him wrong.

He couldn't imagine a life without her, without their daughter. He couldn't imagine living without Zahra by his side.

He had found his mate, his love, his everything.

"We belong together," he whispered, his voice full of love and promise.

"Always."

His lips found hers, his hands gently cupping her face as he kissed her.

Her lips were warm and soft against his, and he could feel the love radiating from her.

He wanted to stay in this moment forever. With the beautiful woman he loved more than anything, their daughter nestled between them.

The rest of the world could wait.

All that mattered was this. This moment.

His fingers trailed over her face, tracing the curve of her lips, the line of her jaw.

She was his. And he was hers.

Nothing could ever take that away. Nothing could ever come between them.

Azriel would fight for her, and for their daughter, until the end of time.

She pulled back, resting her forehead against his. 

"Besides, I can't ignore them forever," Zahra said quietly.

Azriel chuckled softly against her lips, his hand moving to cup her face gently.

"You could try," he replied softly, a teasing edge to his voice.

He traced her lower lip with his thumb, his gaze locked on hers.

"You should be able to. They owe you at least all the time you want," he told her softly.

Zahra sighed.

"They don't owe me anything," she disagreed quietly.

Azriel frowned at that, his brows furrowing slightly.

He had hoped that she wouldn't say something like that.

He knew that she felt like she didn't deserve anything, that she wasn't owed anything. But it was so untrue.

She deserved everything.

"Zahra…" he began softly, but she cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Stop," she said firmly, her hands gripping his shirt tightly.

She was too gentle. Too kind.

But he knew he couldn't force her to see it the way he did.

He would do anything to protect her, their daughter. Even if it meant accepting her forgiveness of the people who had done her so wrong.

It didn't mean he had to like it though. 

He pressed another kiss to Zahra's lips, his hand moving to trace down her spine.

He wanted to protect her, to keep her close and shield her from all that was wrong in the world.

But he also knew that Zahra was strong, that she had the strength to make her own decisions.

Even if he didn't necessarily agree with them. 

"You're too damn forgiving," he murmured softly against her lips, his voice husky with emotion.

His hands curled around her body, pulling her close, his lips never leaving hers.

He held her tightly, his body enveloped her in a tight embrace.

“I am not,” Zahra disagreed. “But quite frankly, I would rather not spent my energy on them when I could spent it on Azalea.”

Azriel nodded in agreement, his body still wrapped around her.

He understood her reasoning. It was better to focus on what truly mattered. Their daughter.

"You're right," he murmured against her hair, his wings twitching in agreement. "She is our priority," he said, his voice firm. "Nothing else matters."

Not even his own anger at his family. All that mattered was his wife and daughter. 

He leaned back slightly to look at her, his hands running over her back in soft circles.

"I love you," he said softly.

It was a plain truth. Something he felt was worth repeating as often as possible. He knew she was aware of his love for her, but it would never hurt to remind her. 

Azalea let out a little noise then, her small hand fisting in Azriel's shirt.

Both of their gazes went to their daughter, their eyes filled with affection. She looked small and so innocent, wrapped up in their embrace.

"There you are, sweetheart," Azriel murmured, a soft smile on his lips.

He let his hand brush over their daughter's head, a feeling of warmth spreading through his chest.

"Just like her mother."

Zahra chuckled softly at the compliment, her eyes twinkling.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Shadowsinger," she teased, her voice low. She leaned in, pressing a kiss to Azriel's cheek. "You're lucky you're so good at it."

She winked at him slyly, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. 

There wasn’t much to pack up. The things Zahra had brought, the chest that houses the few pieces of clothing Esmeray had made for Azalea… Which prompted the shadows curling themselves around his wings, May we go shopping, Master?

Azriel paused at the question, his brows rising in surprise. He should have expected it. 

They were an extension of him. The desire to shop for their daughter was simply reflection of his own desire to spoil the little girl. Of course, the shadows would want to buy things for their daughter, he thought. It was quite natural for them to want to provide anything and everything to his child.

"They want to go shopping?" Zahra asked him with some amusement and he realised that they must have spoken loud enough for her to hear. He just shrugged. "Let them," she said easily. "And if you want to buy some furniture, be my guest."

He leaned down to press a kiss to Zahra's cheek, his hand coming up to her chin to tilt her face to him. "Thank you for understanding," he murmured softly.

"Maybe they'll find a crib for her," Zahra said drily. "I feel like a horrible mother already."

Azriel frowned at that, his brows knotting together. He didn't like her saying that.

She should never feel that way. Ever.

"You're not a horrible mother, sunshine," he said, his voice firm but gentle. "You're a wonderful mother. Our daughter is happy and healthy. That's what matters."

He reached up to cup her face, his thumb tracing over her cheek. "You're doing everything you can for her. And that's all anyone could ever ask for."

Zahra gave him a hesitant smile. "I never want her to feel as alone as I did," she said softly.

Azriel's expression softened at Zahra's words, his heart aching at the thought of her feeling so alone. He'd do everything in his power to make sure she never felt that way again.

"Of course not," he said, his voice soft and full of love. "Our daughter is never going to feel alone. She's going to be surrounded by so much love. From us, from our family. She's going to grow up knowing that she is loved. That we would fight to the ends of the world for her.” He pulled her closer in his arms, his wings wrapping around them. "I promise you," he whispered in her ear, his breath warm against her neck. "Our daughter will never feel the way you did. She will be safe and loved. We'll make sure of it. "

The sound of Azalea's soft whimper interrupted any further conversation between them.

"I think she wants something too," Azriel observed with a chuckle, looking at their daughter.

The little girl looked up at them with clear demand in her eyes, her tiny hands reaching out to them.

"Seems like she wants us to pay attention to her," Zahra said with a smile, her expression filled with adoration as she looked down at their daughter.

"Always so demanding, it seems," he quipped with a warm smile.

He reached down to pick up Azalea, holding her gently in his arms.

“Let’s go home,” he said softly.

They promised his mother that they would come to visit soon, and then it was simply a question of him wrapping his wife and daughter into his shadows and winnowing them home to their little cottage.

The world around them shifted and blurred, a surge of darkness and weightlessness as the shadows swirled around them.

And then they were there, standing in the middle of the living room in their cottage.

The shadows had been busy already, Azriel reflected drily. They must have started before even asking for permission. 

Zahra gave a shocked laugh, as she saw the bookcases lining one wall of the living room.

The cottage, which had once contained little more than the basics, was now filled with furniture and decorations. A new sofa, that somehow managed to compliment the horrible ugly armchair, and new curtains adorned the main room, along with several of Azalea's new toys and baby supplies.

"This is…a lot," Zahra muttered, looking around their home with wide eyes.

Azriel couldn't help a small, proud smile from forming on his lips. "Did you expect anything less?" he drawled, his voice laced with amusement.

He hadn’t. There was a touch of pride in his gaze at the sight of his mate and daughter in their home.

He shifted their daughter in his arms, the baby's weight a comforting presence against him.

"Are you complaining about how our daughter's needs are being met?" Azriel teased, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of Zahra's hair from her face.

Zahra huffed in response to Azriel's teasing, but there was a smile on her face. 

"Of course not," she said with feigned indignation. Zahra wrapped her arms around him and their daughter, her eyes twinkling with humor. "I'm simply astounded by your ability to spoil me and our daughter so thoroughly."

Azriel chuckled, pulling her closer to him, his wings enveloping them both.

"It's not spoiling if it's deserved," he replied, his voice low and husky as his lips brushed against her neck.

A proper bed was in the bedroom now, big enough for them to share, even if Azalea slept with them, which Azriel thought was quite likely.

Zahra stole Azalea who looked around wide eyed and showed her the kitchen her soft voice carrying through the room.

Azriel just watched.

He was filled with a sense of contentment as he watched them together, his chest filing with warmth

The sight of his wife and daughter exploring their new home…he couldn't imagine a life better than this, a family more perfect than what he had.

Rhys? he reached out carefully. We are home.

As Azriel reached out through their link, Rhys’ voice filtered into his mind.

You're home? Everything alright?

The concern in his voice was plain, his tone laced with worry, his surprise palpable.

Everything's fine, Azriel reassured him quickly, his answer swift. The last thing he wanted was for Rhys to be concerned or worried. We're alright. No need to panic. Zahra wanted to bring Azalea home.

Zahra wants to bring her home? Rhys echoed through their mental connection, bewilderment evident in his voice.

Yes, she wanted her home, Azriel affirmed, his voice calm and steady.

He could sense Rhys’ trepidation though, the question in his mind before he even asked it.

A question that they both knew the answer to.

I doubt we'll be able to keep her sisters away for much longer, Rhys warned him quietly.

Azriel's lips pressed into a thin line at Rhys's words, a wave of irritation rising in him.

He knew that. But that didn't meant that Azriel was a fan of it.

If they upset my wife or my daughter, I won't stand for it, he growled.

He knew Rhys could sense his anger through their mental connection, the protectiveness he felt for Zahra and Azalea.

For a moment it was quiet. Then...Your wife? Rhys demanded. Azriel?!

Azriel sighed, realizing that Rhys had picked up on his unintentional slip. He hadn't meant to reveal the truth just yet, but it seemed that he had inadvertently done just that.

Yes, my wife, he admitted softly.

You got married and didn't tell me?! Rhys's voice thundered across their minds in clear surprise and shock.

His reaction was predictable, but Azriel could hear the hint of offence in his voice.

You should shut up, we didn't know about you and feyre either, he shot back.

That's different, was Rhys's only response through the link, his voice almost whining.

Azriel rolled his eyes; Rhys was the High Lord of the Night Court, the most powerful being in their world, and yet he was sulking like a child.

We just wanted something small, just for us, Azriel answered with a mental shrug.

I probably shouldn't even be surprised, Rhys said with a sigh.

We didn't want Azalea to be a bastard, Azriel offered with some amusement.

Rhys’ sigh sounded through the link again before his brother replied through the mental connection.

So you are just being responsible. That’s a first, Rhys teased though his mind, Cassian will insist on throwing you a party, he warned. 

Azriel rolled his eyes again; he could already imagine the glee in Cassian's eyes when he found out.

His brother would be relentless.

Let him try, he shot back. He won't get past the shadows.

Rhys laughed aloud at that, the sound echoing through their mental connection.

You underestimate his determination. You know there will be a party, whether you like it or not, Rhys insisted, his tone laced with amusement.

***

Zahra looked around the cottage as she held their daughter in her arms, her eyes taking in the sight of the new furniture and decorations.

There was a new bed, a rocking chair, and toys and supplies for their baby all over the cottage.

“You really went all out,” she said aloud.

But she loved it. She loved all of it.

The cottage had been hers since she won it in that stupid card game...but now...now it was a proper home. Their home. Home for Zahra and her family, for her mate and her daughter. Nothing that she thought she would ever have.

Nothing that she would ever want to lose.

She watched as Azriel settled onto the horrible armchair, his large form taking up the space. He spread his wings out behind him, the sight of them making the space look even smaller. He patted his lap, a clear invitation.

She understood the silent gesture and moved over to him, taking a seat on his lap, their baby on her lap.

Azriel's arms encircled them both, holding them close as he wrapped his wings around them, enveloping them in his warmth.

He dropped a kiss on top of her head, his breathing slow and steady, his heartbeat calm and comforting.

She let her head rest against his chest as his hand moved to stroke Azalea's head. 

"I told Rhys about the wedding," he said softly.

Zahra chuckled at that, leaning her head back to look at him.

“How did he take it?” her eyes were filled with curiosity.

Azriel chuckled as well, his fingers gently stroking along her leg, his touch warm and comforting.

“As well as you could expect,” he replied, his voice filled with amusement. “He was shocked and offended that we didn’t tell him or invite him to the wedding. His ego may never recover.”

Zahra just snorted. "It was perfect," she disagreed. "Just us." Just the way she liked it.

The shadows swarmed around them at that, playing with her hair and Azalea squealed as she reached out for one swirling tendril. It held still for her, letting pudgy baby hands grip at it and wove through her fingers excitedly.

Azriel chuckled at the sight their daughter's interaction with his shadows.

"She likes them, huh?" Azriel observed, his voice filled with humour.

Zahra watched as Azalea's pudgy baby hands gripped at the tendril, her wide eyes watching it intently. She couldn’t help but giggle at the look of intense concentration on Azalea’s face. 

Another tendril unceremoniously dumped a velvet jewellery box on Zahra's lap at that moment. Like a silent We need to do everything around here!

Zahra's eyebrows rose as the box appeared in her lap, her gaze moving from the box to Azriel.

"And what is this?" she asked, the corner of her lips twitching as she tried not to laugh.

"Open it and find out," Azriel said drily.

Zahra chuckled and rolled her eyes, but her fingers lifted the lid off the box anyway.

She couldn't help her curiosity. As she looked inside, her eyebrows lifted again. "Oh," she breathed, her eyes widening as she took in the contents.

Two matching gold wedding bands laid there in the velvet. Simple. Unassuming.

She had never loved any piece of jewellery more, as she lifted the bigger one to slide it over Azriel's ring finger.

Azriel watched silently as she put the ring on his finger, his expression tender and soft.

And as she moved to put her own ring on, his hand stopped her.

"No," he said firmly, his voice low and demanding. She looked at him, surprised by his denial. "Why?" she protested, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Azriel gave her a sly smile as he took the smaller ring from her hands, his fingers gently caressing her skin.

"Because that’s my job,” he said simply.

Zahra's breath caught in her throat at his words, the intensity in his voice making her heart race. She swallowed, her eyes darting between the ring and his face. "Is that so?" she replied, the words coming out huskier than she’d intended.

Azriel's lips curled into a smirk as he heard the change in her voice. His grip on her hand tightened as he brought her fingers up to his lips, his eyes darkened further as he kissed them softly.

He took the ring then in his free hand, holding it between them. "It is," he answered firmly. "I am your husband."

Her lips parted in surprise at his demand, a flutter of anticipation in her chest. Azriel's eyes remained focused on hers, his gaze burning with a possessiveness that should have scared her.

Instead, all it did was make her want him more.

Her mind went blank as he gently picked up her ring finger and, with a single fluid movement, eased the gold wedding band over it.

Zahra’s heart skipped a beat when he slid the ring onto her finger, his touch lingering on her hand for a moment longer than necessary.

He held up her hand and turned it gently, studying the ring on her finger with an expression of satisfaction.

"It looks good on you," he said, his voice low and rough. His gaze flicked up to hers, his eyes almost glittering.

Azalea took that moment to yawn. Zahra couldn’t help but coo slightly. Azalea's little yawn caught Azriel's attention, and his gaze immediately moved to the baby in her lap. His lips curled into a soft smile at the sight of her.

"Someone's sleepy," he said, his voice filled with affection.

He reached out his hand to run it over her soft hair, watching as the baby's eyes fluttered closed.

“Let’s lay her down for a nap and I’ll tell Violet that we are back home,” Zahra said softly. And probably ask her for…well. They needed to figure out the childcare situation after all. No more 10 hours days hunched over her kitchen table..but then she had made quite the dent in the accounts of a few decades already. 

Azriel nodded, his eyes still fixed on their sleeping daughter.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," he agreed, his voice soft. "I'll take her."

He stood up, carefully picking up Azalea in his arms. The baby shifted slightly, but then settled back into a deep, peaceful sleep against his chest.

Zahra had not expected for Violet to show up at her front door 3 hours later, out of breath and shoving a gift bag into Zahra’s arms. “The next time you get a baby, I need a forewarning!” Violet declared. Zahra couldn’t help laughing heartily, her eyes glittering in amusement.

Violet’s declaration and the breathlessness in her voice were priceless. She took the gift from her friend’s hands. “You want to meet her?” Zahra teased, her voice filled with affection.

Violet, still huffing and catching her breath, gave her a mock glare. "You really are not funny," she said in an irritated tone.

But despite her irritation, there was a small hint of a smile on her lips. Zahra could see the affection in her eyes.

“Of course I do!” Violet said brightly.

Zahra opened the door wide.

As Violet entered the cottage, her eyes immediately went to Azalea and Azriel, who were sitting on the floor, engrossed in their game.

She watched as Azriel carefully played with their daughter, his big hands surprisingly gentle and tender.

The sight was nothing less than heart melting.

“Oh, she’s adorable,” Violet cooed. Zahra chuckled, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement.

She had never expected her friend to swoon like an enamored girl.

“She is, isn’t she?” Zahra agreed with a smile, her heart swelling with maternal pride.

Violet moved further into the room, her eyes still fixed on Azalea as she stepped closer to them.

Zahra watched as the baby giggled happily, her tiny hand reaching out to grab Azriel's fingers.

Zahra could see the tender look in Azriel's eyes as he played with their daughter, his expression filled with love and adoration. And then Azalea spied Violet and started at her wide eyed, dark eyes fixed on the purple wings sprouting from Violet’s back.

She stared at them intently, her expression filled with fascination and awe.

Azriel chuckled at his daughter's reaction, his hand gently stroking her head.

"Seems like she’s quite interested in your wings," he commented, his eyes sparkling in amusement.

He watched as Azalea reached out a small hand toward Violet, her tiny fingers grasping for the shimmering wings.

Violet couldn't help but smile at the baby's interest.

She bent down slightly, bringing her wings closer to Azalea, giving her a better view.

Zahra chuckled at the scene before her.

"Yeah, she’s like a moth drawn to a flame," she joked.

Azalea’s small hand grabbed onto Violet’s wing, her grasp surprisingly firm for such a small baby.

She tugged at the wing gently, clearly curious about the strange appendage.

Violet winced slightly at the unexpected grip but laughed, not seeming bothered by it.

Azriel shook his head, amused by the scene unfolding before him.

"Careful, she's surprisingly strong for being so small," he warned, a fond smile on his face.

Violet just laughed. “Gods, she’s adorable,” she gushes. “Yes, you are!” She cooed at Azalea.

Azalea beamed at the attention, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her tiny hand released its grip on Violet's wing and she clapped her hands together, as if applauding the compliment.

Zahra chuckled at her daughter's reaction. "She likes you," she observed.

“Clearly,” Violet agreed, her smile growing wider. “She has impeccable taste.” 

She reached out a finger, gently tickling Azalea's stomach, prompting the baby to giggle and squirm.

Zahra watched the exchange between her baby and her best friend, her heart swelling with happiness.

"I think she has a talent for endearing herself to everyone," Azriel added, his voice filled with pride.

He watched as Violet continued to interact with their daughter, her hand moving from Azalea's stomach to her tiny hands, which clutched at Violet's finger.

"Must get that from her mother," Violet teased, giving Zahra a playful wink.

Zahra snorted in response, rolling her eyes but unable to contain the smile on her face.

"Oh, please. I don’t see you being immune to her either," she shot back.

Violet laughed out loud at that, admitting defeat with a shrug. "Touché. Your baby’s too cute for her own good."

She turned her attention back to Azalea, her eyes sparkling with playfulness.

Azalea responded gleefully to the attention, her wide eyes fixed on Violet, her attention unwavering as if she couldn’t get enough of her. She cooed and babbled, her hands continuing to grasp at Violet’s finger.

Azriel chuckled at the interaction, enjoying the way his daughter was so enthralled by his mate's friend.

He exchanged a glance with Zahra, his smile mirroring hers.

Zahra couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment. Seeing her daughter enjoying herself and being showered by adoration was a sight she could get used to.

[beginningofwonderland]

Angel - Park Seonghwa

Pairing: domSeonghwaxfemReader

Genre: smut (MINORS DNI!)

Word count: 5.2k

Summary: During a gaming session with your best friend San you admit to him that your boyfriend Seonghwa is too soft to you. You complain about his angel persona and want him to fuck you right instead. To your demise, Seonghwa accidentally listened in on your conversation and is now determined to make all your wishes come true.

Warnings: establishing a safeword but NO USE of that safeword, rough sex, oral sex (both receiving), deep-throating, choking, unprotected sex (don't do this!!), creampie, dumbification

Seonghwa littered soft kisses from your jaw to your lips and smiled at you like the human incarnation of sunshine.

"You feel good now, baby?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yes, I do angel." You nuzzled your head into his shoulder in response.

You did feel good. After a cuddly makeout session that had turned steamy in the laziness of a saturday morning Seonghwa had just finished eating you out for what felt like hours. He was an expert with his tongue, making you come multiple times until you had to pull him away from your sensitive core because he would go on forever if he could.

But still you felt like something was missing. With the way he always held onto you like a delicate flower, his fingers merely ghosting over your skin. Sometimes you wished for them to just grab you, to leave you bruised and crying beneath him until you couldn't take any more.

You and Seonghwa were still a relatively new thing and you were sure he had this cute little image of you inside his head that you were afraid to destroy. But deep down inside, you just wanted him to treat you more roughly when it came to the bedroom.

"I'll make us some coffee," he pulled you from your dirty thoughts and you released him from your hug so that he could get out of bed. When he left the room, you sighed. You had tried to give him hints before, telling him to go harder, moving your own hands on top of his to squeeze your skin, but he continued treating you like fine porcelain.

You soon got dressed and joined Seonghwa to make some breakfast. You two shared pancakes in the morning sunlight that fell through the wall length windows in Seonghwa's apartment as you talked about your plans for the day.

"I have a meeting with Hongjoong and then I'll have to run some errands today," Seonghwa explained. "I won't be back before dinner."

"Then I'll meet up with San online for some gaming later. We haven't been able to play in ages." Since San had moved to the other end of town, you two met online more often than in real life and usually used that time to catch up on each other and discuss the hottest gossip. You two had been best friends for years and you had actually met Seonghwa through him.

"That sounds good. Say 'hi' to him from me."

You finished your breakfast and Seonghwa soon left for his appointment with Hongjoong. You started off your day slowly and watched some Netflix before taking a shower and getting dressed. You usually stayed at Seonghwa's place over the weekend since he had the bigger and much nicer apartment out of the two of you.

He even let you make your own little gaming area in his office room where you could play when you stayed at his place. You got yourself a cold drink and finally settled into his comfortable office chair to go online and play with San. He had agreed to meet up only minutes after you had texted him. He usually stayed in on the weekends anyway.

"Hey Sannie," you greeted him through your headset as soon as you joined the call with him.

"Helloooo," he answered in a bright spirit.

You two started setting up the game and soon joined the first match while exchanging small talk. It was a comfortable routine for both of you. Somehow talking to each other while busying yourself with a game just made everything easier. Before you even noticed, you two were already playing for hours.

"So how is it really going right now, San?" You asked during an annoyingly long loading screen. "How is living with Wooyoung?"

A deep sigh was hearable through San's microphone. "He's being Wooyoung, like always. But lately he got into cooking so at least I get meals now to compensate for his annoying ass."

You laughed at his whiny tone. You knew how the two friends were around each other; always teasing and annoying each other but still inseparable. "Just don't fight over a stupid puzzle again. I'm sick of finding pieces whenever I visit you two."

San chuckled at the memory of how he and Wooyoung had thrown puzzle pieces at each other in a petty fight. "And how is it going with Seonghwa?" he asked in return.

"Good," you answered. Your mind couldn't help but wander to the worries you had had just this morning.

"Oh god what is it?" San asked in a panicked tone.

"What do you mean? I said good!" You tried to defend yourself.

"Yeah, but you should've heard yourself saying it. Terrible would've sounded nicer."

You groaned in frustration. You didn't mean to make it sound that bad.

"What is it?" San pressed on. "Cause I swear to god if he treats you badly I will collect Wooyoung and we will kick his ass-"

"He treats me very well, don't worry," you interrupted San before he could get any more dumb ideas.

"You sure?" the man asked sceptically. The next match finally started and you didn't even realize your rambling as you answered him.

"Yeah, in fact he is a literal angel. He already knows all my favourite candies and brings me some everytime he visits the store. He always lets me choose what to watch even if he hates the cheesy horror movies I like. I mean he basically let me turn his office into a gaming room for me."

"I'm happy to hear that. But what is the problem then?" San asked with confusion evident in his voice. "Does he not fuck you right?"

You didn't want to admit to it but the prolonged silence spoke volumes. San laughed at the other end of the call.

"Damn, and I always thought he had it in him. He acts like he does at least. You two do fuck, right?"

San couldn't see but you blushed helplessly in front of the monitor. "Yes, we do. God this is embarrassing."

"How is this embarrassing? You always told me about your dates before Seonghwa. In detail," San argued with you while quite literally saving your life in the match you couldn't concentrate on any more.

"That was fine because you didn't know any of those guys. But you've known Seonghwa longer than I do and this is... embarrassing."

"You're being annoying. You can talk to me Y/n. Maybe I can help," he tried to coerce you into spitting out your problem. "Also I'm nosy. So what's the problem?"

What you didn't notice was that Seonghwa had already returned to the apartment. He had made an effort to open the door as silently as possible. He knew you would still be gaming with San and wanted to surprise you with a self-cooked dinner after you were done. He had sped through all his errands, so that he could come home earlier.

After returning he couldn't resist to check in on you for a second. He wanted to make sure you hadn't noticed his early return and also get another glance at you before preparing dinner. You always looked so cute at his desk with your headset and controller.

He cracked open the door to his office carefully. As expected, you were completely focussed on the game and didn't notice a thing. His eyes flitted over your tight crop top and the sweat shorts you were wearing in the heat and his mind already started wandering places at the sight of your glistening skin. What he didn't expect was what you were talking about.

"The problem is that he treats me a little to well."

Is she talking about me?

Seonghwa was stunned into his place. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop but he couldn't resist staying a little longer to hear what else you had to say.

"I think you'll need to elaborate on that," San replied audibly confused.

"He treats me like a porcelain doll!" you finally admitted. "I think he has this image of me as his cute, innocent girl that he doesn't want to hurt. But I really wished he would just fuck me without holding back."

San chuckled at the other end of the call. Meanwhile Seonghwa was frozen into his spot. He couldn't believe his own ears. He would've never guessed that this was what you wanted and was surprised by your words.

But more than that he felt a burning heat spread through his whole body as he processed what you said. You wanted him to have his way with you without holding back. The thought made him dizzy.

Ever since you two were together that was exactly what he had been doing: holding back. He thought that you deserved someone that loved you tenderly and carefully. So he tried his best to be that person.

"That sounds like you should just talk to him," San replied after some pondering.

" know," you said. "I want to tell him but I don't know how. It's kind of hard to bring up..."

Seonghwa swallowed hard as he felt bad that you were afraid to speak up to him. You were right. He didn't want to hurt you because he couldn't stand the thought of you hurting. But now that he knew that was exactly what you wanted... he felt every little bit of self control leave his body. He left his place at the door before he could fuck you right there in his office chair and closed the door silently behind him. He had different plans with you.

"I'm afraid he might not like it," you shyly added to San in the silence.

"Trust me," San snickered. "He is heads over heels for you. He won't push you away. Also I happen to know Seonghwa well enough to assure you, that's exactly what he likes."

You smiled at San's reassuring words and you two continued your game. Talking to him had actually made you feel better. You planned on talking to Seonghwa as soon as the opportunity came up.

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

You put the controller back into the drawer which Seonghwa kept free for only you and stretched your limbs after getting out of the chair. You had played longer than expected but it was nice to catch up with San.

Just as you made your way into the living room to maybe watch some more Netflix until Seonghwa returned, you heard some rumbling in the kitchen. The noise took you by surprise and you got scared for a second, thinking it might be an intruder.

"Hwa?" you called out carefully and wandered towards the kitchen. Your heartbeat quickened when noone answered you.

You turned the corner only to see Seonghwa deeply in thought apparently concentrating on the stir fry in front of him. You relaxed as you saw him standing in the kitchen and not a robber.

"You're home already! Why didn't you come say hi to me?" you asked cutely and wrapped your arms around his torso careful not to interrupt his cooking.

He looked down at you almost like in a haze and it took a few seconds before he answered.

"I didn't want to interrupt your gaming session so I thought I'd cook us some dinner."

"That's very nice of you," you said and placed a tender kiss on his cheek. He really did treat you so well. You should talk to him after dinner.

But Seonghwa still seemed to be caught up in something. His eyes stared into the frying pan blankly and his hand stirred in a robotic motion. You eyed him carefully, wondering what could be going on in his head.

"Is everything okay, Hwa?" you asked him worriedly.

In response Seonghwa seemed to snap out of his focus and smiled at you: "Of course, sweetheart."

But his answer sounded posed, his voice a little too melodious as he tried sounding happy. You let it slide for now, not wanting to push him, maybe you were over-interpreting his behaviour.

What you couldn't know was that Seonghwa had spent every single second since he heard you talking to San imagining the things he wanted to do to you. His hand moved without him even noticing as he prepared the meal but his mind was all over the places he wanted to fuck you in now that he knew how much you wanted him to ruin you.

All of the possibilities clouded his mind and he found himself almost a little mad at you for not speaking up to him. All he wanted was for you to be happy but you would have to let him.

Both of you set the table and Seonghwa finished cooking dinner. You two settled down in an unusual silence as he started to fill your plate.

"How was your meeting with Hongjoong?" you asked, trying to get him to talk.

"Good," Seonghwa answered once again, his mind miles away from the meeting with his friend. In fact he couldn't even remember what they had talked about anymore.

His short reply worried you even more. "Are you sure, you're okay, Hwa? I feel like there's something you're not telling me."

Before he could hold himself back Seonghwa huffed out a breath of air and looked at you with a glint in his eyes. The intensity his gaze suddenly held took you by surprise.

"You think there's something I am not telling you?" he asked you back with a cocked up eyebrow. He was still standing while you had already sat down and his hands now came down onto the table to support himself as he looked at you with dark eyes.

 A cold shiver ran over your skin by the insinuation of his words. What was he talking about?

"What do you mean, angel?" you asked him in confusion.

Seonghwa slowly made his way over to you, his eyes fixed on yours like you were his prey. He stopped only inches before you before bending down to be at eye level with you. You could feel his hot breath on your lips.

"Angel. That's the problem about me isn't it? I'm too nice to you aren't I?" he asked with a pitying voice. He wasn't actually mad at you, but your question had stirred the tiniest bit of anger within him that mixed with all the held back sexual desire he had for you after overhearing your talk to San.

You couldn't answer him. How did he find out about what you had only just admitted to your best friend? Every sound got stuck in the back of your throat as Seonghwa stared at you so intensely. The way he hovered above you excited you wildly.

Your boyfriend seemed to take pity on you as he answered your unasked question: "I wanted to see if you were still playing with San when I overheard your little conversation."

A rush of embarrassment ran through you and you lowered your head to hide the blush on your cheeks. But at the same time you got excited. Judging from his behaviour he must have overheard the most important part. When he laid a finger under your chin to lift your head back up, you were already putty in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Hwa. I swear I wanted to talk to you about it," you started apologizing before he even asked you to. An amused grin spread over Seonghwa's handsome features and a small chuckle left him.

"And when exactly, princess? After I eat you out again for hours and you tell me you feel perfect? Did you lie to me too?"

He knew he was getting cruel but the way your eyes widened and you looked at him through those puppy eyes, he was sure he was pushing exactly the right buttons. The panic in your eyes only added to the burning desire inside of him.

"No! I didn't lie to you, Seonghwa! You are so good with your tongue, please I'm sorry." You almost stumbled over your words, eager to calm down the flames behind his hungry eyes.

"Sorry for what exactly? Tell me and I might forgive you." He said those last words slowly, almost in a whisper. Like he wasn't really sure about the idea of forgiving you.

"I'm sorry for not telling you what I want."

"And what is it that you want?" A dangerous smirk spread on his face. He wanted you to say it. Wanted to hear your pretty little voice repeat the words you had spoken to San before.

"I want you to be more rough with me," you almost whispered in admittance as you couldn't help but get shy under his stare.

"What did you say, baby? I couldn't hear you." His hand tightened it's grip on your chin and you almost moaned, already arching your back a little under his touch.

"I want you to be more rough with me, Seonghwa," you repeated louder this time, eyes looking up at him pleadingly.

"No, no. Exactly what you said before, baby!"

You had to rummage through your memory for a second before you could recall the words, you had spoken to San before:

"I really want you to just fuck me without holding back."

"Good girl," he hummed out and you couldn't help but shudder. "Now was that so hard? You know I couldn't help but get a little mad at you for telling San but not me. But now that you already look so pliant for me I can't really hold a grudge."

You swallowed and looked at him expectantly.

"So I can have my way with you now, beautiful?" he asked eagerly, eyes darkening by the second.

"Please," you answered already desperate for him to touch you. You never knew Seonghwa could be this way, but his dominant behaviour already drove you to insanity. If you had known, you would've told him way earlier about your desires.

"Then there's just one more thing," his expression suddenly turned soft again. "I need you to choose a safe word in case I get too much for you. If I make you uncomfortable in any way I want you to stop me. Okay, baby?"

You nodded at him with warm eyes. He made you feel so incredible safe. "How about eavesdropping?"

"You really want me to punish you, don't you?" Seonghwa said in a low tone and lifted your chin just a tiny bit more to show you who was in charge.

"I'm sorry, I'm just joking. I'll go with..." Your eyes flitted across the room in search for a useful word: "sunset."

Seonghwa smiled at you: "Better." Then his eyes darkened again and the warm smile dropped from his face as he looked you up and down.

"You know what I always wanted to do with you?" he asked tauntingly, his thumb running over your bottom lip and his eyes following its trail.

You gave a small shake of your head to show him you didn't know the answer. A smirk tugged on one end of his lips in response.

"You know how much I love it when you're giving me blowjobs, don't you? But I always wanted to fuck your pretty little mouth and make you choke on my cock until you can't breath anymore."

His direct words sent a jolt of electricity through your body and you couldn't stop a moan escaping your lips. His eyes flitted up to yours in surprise at the sound.

"So eager already? Then how about we make that your punishment for not telling me what you actually want, princess?"

You nodded quickly: "Please."

He huffed at you. "Please what, baby? It looks like I need to teach you how to talk properly from now on."

"Please choke me on your cock," you replied shamelessly, eyes blown wide as you stared at him from beneath.

Seonghwa groaned at your words and suddenly he grabbed you by your shoulders and shoved you down to the floor on your knees. He observed you cautiously, worried he might be too rough with you but the fire in your eyes only lit up more as he manhandled you onto the ground.

"Get those pants off of me unless you want me to edge you all night, will you, baby?"

Your hands scrambled to open his belt and jeans in an embarrassingly fast tempo. As you pulled his pants and underwear down, you were surprised to see that he was already fully hard. You would have never thought that your little talk had already turned him on so much.

You grabbed his length eagerly and looking up at him through hooded eyes you started slowly licking along the tip. Seonghwa's eyes fluttered in response and his hand weaved into your hair, to get a firm grip on your head.

"If I were you I wouldn't tease me that much," he grunted out as you continued your kitten licks on his tip. The dark glow in his eyes made your heart race and you quickly took him fully into your mouth.

Seonghwa was rather long and you couldn't fit him into you completely without choking. You did your best to take him as deep as you could but you already felt him hit the back of your throat.

"Am I too big for my small little girl?" he asked tauntingly, pushing you onto him just a tiny bit deeper, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. You never knew you would enjoy the feeling of his cock pressing down your throat so much. But maybe it was just the general idea of him using you like he pleased that turned you on so much that your panties were already soaking.

Holding tightly onto your hair, he started fucking himself into your mouth. Seonghwa started off slowly but as you met his thrusts eagerly he sped up his tempo quickly. Soon your eyes fell shut as choked moans reverberated through your throat along his cock. Both your hands grabbed onto his thighs for some kind of hold.

Your whiny noises and the eagerness which with you sucked his dick surprised Seonghwa. He never expected you to be so into it, but as he watched you fall apart on his cock without even getting pleasured yourself, he soon started throbbing in your mouth with an impending orgasm.

Tugging firmly on your hair, he removed your lips from his cock and watched a line of spit trail down your chin as you opened your eyes. The fucked out look on your face almost made him paint your face in cum but he managed to hold back as he bend down to your face and shared a messy kiss with you.

"Didn't know you were such a hungry little slut," he said with glinting eyes before pulling you up from your knees.

You almost stumbled into his arms, your legs not quiet awake from being in the same position for too long. Seonghwa's strong arms caught you and pressed your body to his own for a short moment. The warmth of the embrace made you smile. His grasp held an intimacy that let your heart flutter in almost unbearably strong affection.

"Now you better hurry onto the bed before I ruin you on the carpet right here," Seonghwa rasped into your ear before shoving you off of him once again.

The strong command once again made electricity surge through your body and you hurried to the bedroom. As soon as you sat yourself on the bed and faced back towards Seonghwa he was already in front of you. His pupils blown wide in a state of desire that you had never seen him in before. He grabbed your face harshly between both his hands and shared a deep kiss with you as he hovered above you.

Your hands wound into his raven locks in response, sharing breathless moans as your tongues clashed with one another. One of Seonghwa's hands wandered down to the hem of your shirt and reading his thoughts you interrupted the kiss for him to quickly dispose of your shirt. Left only in a lace bralette and your tiny shorts Seonghwa devoured the sight of you.

"You were right, doll. You do look like such a innocent, fragile little thing to me." His eyes now landed on yours again. "That makes me want to ruin you even more."

He roughly pushed you down onto the bed before crawling over you. As he buried his lips in your neck you could feel his throbbing cock rubbing against your thigh, making you whimper under his touch. All you wanted was for him to touch you but Seonghwa had his own plans with you.

Sucking harshly on your skin he started leaving marks all over your neck. "You like that? Want me to mark you all over?" he asked in between two hickies.

"Yes, please Seonghwa. Make me yours."

Your enthusiasm only spurred him on. His hands started squeezing your breast now, playing with your nipples through the thin fabric covering them. You couldn't help arching your back and trying to rub yourself on his thigh to get some kind of friction where you most wanted it.

In an instant, Seonghwa's hands rushed down to your hips, pinning them against the bed. "Did I allow you to do that, doll? I thought you wanted me to have my way with you?" His eyes were down right intimidating as he looked at you beneath him.

"I'm sorry, Seonghwa. I'll do anything you want."

A small chuckle left him at your desperate response. He had you exactly where he wanted you.

"Strip," was all he said then and within a heartbeat you started removing your shorts and panties, followed by your bra. In the meantime Seonghwa also rid himself of his shirt, leaving you both naked.

He scooted down on the bed, slowly spreading your legs so he could lower his upper body in between your thighs. Looking up at you through his predator-like eyes, he made a show of dragging his fingers slowly over the skin of your inner thighs. When he started placing delicate kisses all around where you needed him the most you started shaking beneath him.

"Please, Seonghwa. Please just touch me."

"Want me here?" he asked tauntingly, starting to gently rub your clit with his middle finger.

"Fuck, yes!" The tiny amount of pleasure already had your lashes fluttering.

"But you want more right? Want me to destroy my little girl and have my way with her?"

You nodded frantically, not being able to bring out anything but whimpers beneath Seonghwa's grasp.

"Well don't make me stop now since you wanted this," Seonghwa said before burying his tongue between your legs.

You really never lied to him when you told him he was insanely good at eating you out. As his tongue circled around your clit, two of his fingers buried themself in your cunt and you closed your eyes in pure pleasure as he started pumping them in and out of you.

Usually he would work you up gently with only one, but after your confessions from today he was way rougher with you now. As a result you felt yourself being thrown towards the edge much faster. Your pleasure already starting to build up as his pace only quickened.

"I'm gonna cum," you warned him through heavy breaths.

But either Seonghwa was too lost between your legs or he didn't care because he just kept on lapping at your core when your high finally crashed down over you. You moaned out shamelessly and as your hips started trembling, Seonghwa pinned them down firmly with his arm.

"Please," you pleaded at him to give you a break but he didn't show any mercy to you.

"I'll make you come as often as I want," he spits at you as his thumb takes over his tongue in pleasuring your sensitive clit. "This is what you asked for, baby."

A mad smile spread on his face that let shivers run over your entire body before he lowered his mouth done again and buried his tongue inside of you. You had to close your eyes from the overwhelming pleasure. All of a sudden, the overstimulation was taken over by lust again and you reeled towards another orgasm faster than you had ever done before.

"Fuck," you moaned before a few more firm circles of Seonghwa's thumb pushed you over the edge again. This time you didn't tremble but went full on limp beneath him. Your ears were ringing as the intense feeling rushed through your body. Faintly, you notice Seonghwa finally detaching from your core.

"Look at you all messed up and I haven't even fucked you yet," he snickered as he crawled on top of you. Seonghwa let his fingers graze over your cheek, taking in the beauty of your fucked out expression.

"You still feeling good?" he asked then in a slightly softer tone. But as soon as you mumbled a weak "yes" he was back to his demon self.

"I'll make you feel even better then," he said before slowly burying his hard cock inside of you.

At this point you were dripping wet but you still gasped at his size and the feeling of him finally filling you up. "Please, fuck me, Hwa!" you managed to beg him through big doe eyes and fluttering lashes.

Seonghwa moaned in return before starting to pound into you in a steady rhythm. He didn't go too fast but every single thrust hit you deep inside and soon you found yourself clinging onto his arms, as your life depended on it while he rearranged your insides.

Never had you ever imagined that asking Seonghwa to be rougher with you would give you this amount of pleasure. He was everything you had ever wanted and more.

As his pace increased you felt your head starting to swim more and more. Any coherent thought was lost to the way his hips snapped into you and his heavy breaths played like music in your ears.

"I love you, Hwa," you suddenly confessed through high pitch moans. You told him that quite often, but with the way you were buried beneath him, completely at his mercy, the words stirred something inside Seonghwa.

"Fuck, baby. Me too." His thrusts turned sloppy for a few seconds before he recovered a little. "You look so fucking perfect like this. I won't ever hold back on ruining you again, I promise."

You simply whimpered in response, unable to form a coherent sentence. Seonghwa lowered himself down to catch your lips in a desperate kiss while keeping up with his thrusts. Both of you were breathing heavy, but you still clung to each others touch as if your life depended on it.

"I'm close," Seonghwa moaned into your mouth between open-mouthed kisses. As his release neared, his eyes turned softer and he caressed your cheek with his thumb adoringly.

"Please come inside me," you pleaded him.

His eyes fluttered at your request. "Anything you want, baby."

And with that Seonghwa stilled deep inside you, groaning as his cum spurted into you. As soon as his cock started twitching you came one more time. This time it felt warm and comforting as Seonghwa held you so tightly and stayed deep within you until you stopped trembling. You wanted to stay like this forever: him buried deep beneath you and nothing on your mind but pure bliss.

When you finally recovered a little, you caught his lips again for a few more lazy kisses. "You were fucking amazing, angel," you praised him in between kisses.

"All this and you still call me angel?" he joked but you knew he didn't mind. His eyes only held love and adoration as he stared down into yours.

Slowly, he pulled out of you and laid down beside you before pulling you into his chest to rest. "I really wish you had told me earlier. We missed out on a lot."

"I don't mind catching up," you answered with a chuckle.

I wrote this over a long time span so I'm not too happy with it but I hope you still enjoy!

[httpvomitello]

Fred Weasley x reader who hides their chronic pain/illness? With lots of comfort and reassurance. Thanks :)

YES, ANOTHER FRED REQUEST, I'M SO HAPPY! I hope you like it ~ ♡♡

In Sickness and in Strength *⁠.⁠✧

fred weasley x gn!reader

The cold wind of late December crept through the cracks of the Burrow, making you tug the thick quilt tighter around your shoulders. The chaos of the Weasley household had been a welcome distraction for most of the holiday, but today you were struggling to keep your usual mask in place. Fred was in the next room, regaling his family with an exaggerated tale about a rogue Extendable Ear mishap. His laughter rang out like a warm melody, but you couldn’t muster the energy to join him.

Your body ached from head to toe, the familiar, invisible weight pressing against your bones. It was the kind of pain that no spell could erase, the kind you’d learned to live with in silence. You loved Fred, more than words could express, but how could you burden him with this? He was sunshine incarnate, the kind of person who made the world brighter just by existing. You couldn’t dim that light by telling him about the storm constantly raging inside you.

“Y/N?” Fred’s voice pulled you from your thoughts, gentle but curious. You looked up to see him leaning against the doorframe, his trademark grin softening into something more tender.

“Hey,” you said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “Done telling tales already?”

He crossed the room in a few strides and plopped down beside you on the worn sofa, his arm immediately draping over your shoulders. “They’ve had enough of my genius for now,” he teased, pressing a quick kiss to your temple. “You, on the other hand, have been suspiciously quiet all day. What’s going on?”

You shrugged, your pulse quickening. “Just tired, that’s all. It’s been a long week.”

Fred’s brow furrowed slightly as he studied your face. He reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “Tired doesn’t usually make you look like you’re carrying the weight of the world. Come on, love, what’s really going on?”

You swallowed hard, your throat tightening as you tried to come up with an excuse. But Fred wasn’t the kind of person you could lie to easily. His gaze was too steady, too sincere.

“It’s nothing,” you said finally, your voice barely above a whisper.

Fred shifted, turning to face you fully. His hand found yours, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “Y/N, you know you don’t have to hide things from me, right? Whatever it is, I’m here. Always.”

Tears welled up in your eyes, and before you could stop them, they spilled over, hot and unrelenting.

“I—” You took a shaky breath, unable to meet his gaze. “I’ve been dealing with this for a while. It’s… it’s chronic pain. Some days are worse than others, but I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to be a burden. You’ve already got so much going on, Fred, and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to take care of me too.”

Fred’s grip on your hand tightened, and when you finally looked up, his expression was a mix of heartbreak and determination.

“Y/N,” he said softly, his voice steady despite the emotion in his eyes. “You could never be a burden to me. Never. I don’t care how much you’re struggling or what you’re dealing with—I want to be there for you. That’s what love is, yeah? You’ve been there for me through everything, and I’ll be damned if I let you go through this alone.”

A fresh wave of tears spilled over, but this time, they were tears of relief. Fred pulled you into his arms, holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world. His hand rubbed soothing circles on your back as he murmured soft reassurances into your hair.

“We’ll figure this out together,” he promised. “Whatever you need, i will make it work. If you’re having a bad day, you tell me, and I’ll do whatever I can to make it better. And on the good days, we’ll celebrate. But I need you to promise me something too.”

You pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze. “What’s that?”

“Promise me you’ll stop trying to handle this on your own,” he said. “Because you don’t have to, Y/N. You’ve got me, and I’m not going anywhere.”

You nodded, your heart swelling with a mix of gratitude and love. “I promise.”

Fred smiled then, his usual mischievous glint returning to his eyes. “Good. Now, how about we sneak some of Mum’s mince pies and curl up by the fire? I reckon a bit of warmth and sugar might be just what the Healer ordered.”

You laughed despite yourself, the sound lightening the heaviness in your chest. “That sounds perfect.”

[mune-writes]

Please please do a bokuto smut 🙏🏻🥰

a/n: no bc u have no idea how actually in love I am with this man

18+ Content MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

timeskip!bokuto x reader

warnings: size kink, daddy kink, slight breeding kink, defos not proofread haha

Bokuto Koutarou is just so big—in every sense of the word. His personality is big, he’s constantly in the spotlight, fans adore his bright and engaging persona, just so irresistible in the way he’s basically sunshine incarnate. He towers over you too, his hands are almost twice your size, something you discovered when you did the cutesy little flirting technique when you first started dating by measuring both your hands; his physique is something many people desire or envy.

Though of course, there was always something more to Bokuto. He’s supportive, endlessly and excitably so, he takes care of you like no one else does, he treats you so well.

But god—was it easy to love him for his size, especially now with him balls deep inside your weeping cunt.

“fuck, baby, look at you, taking me so fucking well.”

He says as he places a hand atop your lower stomach, a bulge forming from his absolutely massive size. You can’t count how many times you’ve already cummed from his prep on you alone, fishing around his tongue and fingers as he prepped your tight hole for his massive fucking cock.

Bokuto is easily excitable, sex with you is no exception, so just as he bottomed out inside you, he spared no time ruining your sloppy pussy with each thrust. Suddenly, you feel yourself being flipped around and hoisted up, so that Bokuto’s hands gripped the back of your knees as you sat on his lap, pistoning in and out of you with rapid speed. You felt drool slip out of your mouth as you felt the tip of his cock practically kiss your cervix in this new position.

“this okay, baby? god—fuck—so pretty for me, so fucking good to me, letting me do whatever I want—shit!”

Another thing to love about him is simply how strong he is; years of training did him well, his body sculpted and arms defined from all those endless practices that had busied him for a long time. In fact, he had just come home from practice that day, and missed you terribly—determined to show you just how much he did. The conscious part of your mind marveled at how strong he actually was with how he was fucking you with reckless abandon in a full Nelson, no less, legs folded so that nothing could obscure him from fucking up into you; while the other bit that was lost in the pleasure he was giving you begged for him to make you cum again.

“h-hah—Kou! s’deep, daddy, so fucking deep inside me.”

You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror across from the bed you were currently fucking like rabbits on, the fucked out look on your face, your hooded eyes, made you feel somewhat embarrassed from how much of a slut you really were for this man—but this embarrassment was quickly washed away as you looked down to see his thighs flex with every motion, the veins on his hands more prominent now as he gripped you roughly. he looks up for a moment, and catches your eyes through the mirror, which made you quickly avert your gaze.

he smirks, hoisting you up and closer to him so that your back was pressed flush against his chest. “oh, don’t go all shy on me now, princess. tell daddy how good you’re feeling.” with that, he thrusts up especially brutally into you, earning a loud moan from your mouth.

“s’good, daddy! such..hah..such a fucking slut for your cock daddy, s’all for you.”

he chuckles breathlessly before you feel yourself practically being thrown off him and onto your back on the bed, before he plunges his thick cock back into your cunt, hoisting your legs up on his shoulders as he presses his lips against your chest, sucking harshly at the tender skin.

“good girl. gonna be good for me and let me fill up this pussy with my cum, huh?”

[babygirldilf]

I think that Dean and Cas' story is truly a love story. From beginning to end, we see endless little storylines and director choices and writing choices and actor choices, we see their bond builds and builds and breaks and builds again and they ultimately have some of the most epic quotes spoken to them or by them, their story to it's core is a story about love, and how It can change even the most heartless of beings. It is also a story of so many beautiful mergings, between heaven and earth, angel and human, we see two supposed opposite beings literally fall in love infinite times over while trying to save each other again and again, and in so many ways, not always good ways, but all in good intention.

An angel of the lord saves the righteous man from hell. This is where they start. And then he continues trying to explain to him why he deserves to be saved. Why he will do it time and time again. And so he does.

They go to purgatory together, and the whole time they are there their whole mission is trying to save one another, even if it meant sacrificing oneself, because the other one is too important for them to lose, to imagine a life without, to deprive them of continuing to live like they deserve.

They always tried to keep the other one safe and close, without knowing truly why that is what they wanted.

The angel rebelled for the human. He kept doing everything for him, and the human did everything for the angel, trusted him, made him his family, and taught him what family truly meant.

They were each other soulmates, which was confusing and took some time for the angel to comprehend since he never had a soul to begin with. Maybe the human made him grow a soul, even if only figuratively, but either way, he couldn't deny the truth once it set in; it was the love he had for this human that changed him, changed everything, the entire course of the universe.

So yeah, Castiel, Angel of the Lord, Celestial being of Heaven and the Divine, let his love change him. And he became other things, like Cas and Huggy Bear and Sunshine. He let the heaven in him fall in love with the earth and never came back to the heartless soulless being he once was. He loved now and was in love, and it was so much it was enough to make him happy.

And Dean loved Cas. He loved him a lot. He saw praying as begging but only prayed to Cas. Only begged Cas to see him and understand he needs him, because love is too big a word, or too small, or too hard to let out of his throat. He let himself be hurt by Cas both physically and emotionally because as much as Cas cared for him, there were times he did not know the best ways to show it. He trusted him time and time again and gave him the benefit of the doubt until he couldn't find it in him anymore to hold against his own anger and lost it. Lost his angel to his anger while he froze in place. But he woke up in time, and prayed again to his angel to come to him, to save himself, because he loved him, he loved him so much that he let his anger die and let himself cry for his love. And Cas came to him and heard his prayer, but not the love that was too scared to be set free.

And then it was time. It was time for Cas to save Dean one last time, and the only way he could do that was by confessing his love and being happy and then abruptly being taken away forever. And he shared it all, everything they never talked about so openly before but always fucking felt and knew was there. Because not only he always loved Dean, he always really saw him, saw it all, and knew it all, but understood better than anyone that this Righteous Man did everything for love and out of love. Cas not only fell in love with the earth or with a human but with the most human aspect of this world, which was love. Dean was love incarnate, and Cas was always in Awe of him

So they loved and loved and lost each other, and it hurt like hell to think they would never have their happy ending.

But Dean and Cas had a fan base. A full on Fandom of people who loved them truly and wanted them to have a happy ending. And the writers aren't the only ones who matter in this story. We changed them too.

In my eyes, and I'm sure that in many of yours as well, Dean and Cas are happy and alive. They are together and in love, like they have always wanted to be, like they deserved to be. And it is good, and sweet, and safe, and sound.

[lixie-phoria]

" wish I were Heather "

summary : time was a funny thing, slipping unnoticed through your fingers until it was too late to go back. time was exactly like lee felix. you tried so hard to hold on, clutching onto breaking strands, but he slipped through your grasps anyways, leaving behind an aching warmth that only he could bring.

lee felix x gn!reader | angst w no comfort :) | warnings - reader is insecure and depressed

an : it's 3rd of December so here's a small fic very loosely based on Heather by Conan Gray 🫶

you could feel your fingertips freezing as the snow caught in your hair, the coffee in the paper cup you clutched now long cold.

stupid.

you were probably going to regret not wearing something warmer before stepping out. your fault. again.

naïve.

your eyesight was hazy as you stared at the couple in the distance. he had his arm around her. she was snuggled into his side. they were probably warm. you were slipping away.

delusional.

she said something that made him throw his head back laughing like a little kid. the sound was lost along the way. you were glad. you weren't sure you could stand hearing it.

too hopeful.

you sipped at the cold drink. it tasted terrible. too sugary. you hated it.

you sipped at it again.

coward.

would things be different if you had just told him? would you be snuggled into his side instead? would you be the reason he laughed so heartily?

failure.

you got up just as he did, watching as his blonde locks slipped from his beanie and she stood up too, immediately tucking them back in. you didn't notice when your hand had extended too, ready to tuck his hair back. but you reached out to nothing. she reached out to him. you turned your back to them. she turned her back to him as he tried to sneak in a kiss.

ugly.

was that it? were you not good enough? would you tamper his reputation? was he embarrassed of you?

a burden.

maybe you shouldn't have gone to all those study "dates" in the library with him. maybe he didn't actually want you there but was too nice to say no.

felix was a dream. he was everything. he was your breath of fresh air on a terrible day. he was sunshine incarnate.

you were nothing to him.

dumb.

your phone buzzed in your pocket. you fished it out to see han's contact glaring at you from the screen. should you pick up? none of them had heard from you for over a week. ever since felix had asked her out. you hit decline. the phone buzzed again.

a bad friend.

you turned back to look at them. you wished you hadn't as you felt your heart sink deeper. they looked so happy. so carefree. you wished you could feel happy for them too.

this time chan calls you. you couldn't decline his call. you knew he'd worry a thousand times worse than the others.

your body works by itself as you hold the phone to your ear, its cold metal body sending a shiver down your spine.

chan's voice is comforting, and you can practically hear his relief.

you try to speak back. a lump in your throat stops you. a broken gasp escaps your chapped lips.

oh. you were crying.

chan asks you where you are. you didn't answer. you couldn't. you hit decline, sending him your location instead. he pleaded with you to stay there, promising he was on his way. you knew he'd berate you when he saw what you were wearing. but that was the least of your problems.

you could feel you finger tips freezing as you sipped the last of your coffee. felix had been there all the other times to warm you. this time he wasn't. and it was all on you.

your sun was lost. probably forever.

taglist : @foxinnie8 @hamburgers101 @starlostlaiba @jiisungllvr (send an ask to be added/removed)

©lixie-phoria, 2023

[i-didnt-do-1t]

Jack was meant to be sketching, it was the main reason he'd invited Katherine up to the fire escape. Or. Maybe not the main one, but top three at least.

Top five at a push-

"Jack." Katherine said, and he felt his lip twitch up at the touch of dwindling patience in her tone. "You're staring at me."

He wasn’t going to deny it, it was obvious he was from his position lounged back against a sand bag he'd dragged up from the street a while back, it was dry, thankfully, and comfortable against his lower back. The sketch pad Kath had gotten him was rested lazily on his lap and he twirled his pencil between his fingers instead actually adding anything to the empty page.

That was a lie too.

The page wasn't empty.

It had the outlines of a sketch. Several sketches. All trying and failing to capture the sunshine incarnate sat in front of him.

She had her legs folded underneath her, the skirt fanned out over them, and was hunched in the same position she'd been sat in for the last hour over her notebook. The article wasn't going well, according to Katherine, but Jack always thought she was biased against her own work. Quite frankly it was some of the best shit he'd ever read and this particular exposé was no different. It didn't seem like she felt the same way though, based on the frown he couldn't capture properly.

The wrinkle of her forehead paired with the furrow of her eyebrows, the downturn of her lips and the way they moved as she mumbled under her breath as she wrote before groaning and scribbling out whatever sentence she decided wasn't good enough. The way strands of her hair fell over her eyes often enough Jack was sure had to be distracting but wouldn't stay up no matter how many times she pushed them from her face.

He felt a pull of warmth in his chest.

"What." He said finally, fond. An air of teasing he knew she would have to fight a smile away at. "I ain't allowed to look at you?"

She sighed, defeated, exasperated but affectionate in a way Jack understood, and leant her pen in the crease of her notebook.

She finally turned to face him, and he grinned, an easy smile that spread across his face.

"You're allowed to look at me."

"You can look at me too, if you wanna." It was casual and cocky and rolled of his tongue with the crooked grin.

Her straight expression almost cracked then, he could tell.

"Oh can I?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Only fair ain't it."

"Of course. It's only fair."

Jack slowly leant forward, shifting the sketchpad so he could rest his elbows on his knees instead.

"It's almost like you like lookin' at me or somethin'."

Her lip twitched. She nodded, very serious, lips pursed to try and fight off the smile.

"Or something."

Jack was reminded again of the reason the sketch pad was empty, mostly, what with watching the way her eyes seemed to glint in the light, the way her smile almost turned down at the edges and pressed dimples into her cheeks, brilliant and warm and Christ, even the sun out in Santa Fe couldn't have been as bright as her, he was sure.

It was impossible to capture on paper, and how could he bring himself to stare at an empty page when she was sat right there in front of him, watching the cogs turn as she thought and listening to her low mumbles and her louder rants. Smart, the smartest person he'd ever met (he was sure davey would agree with him on that) and he'd met a hell of a lot of people. Kind too, but not a pushover, not the way a loada people were these days, letting themselves be walked over just so they'd maybe get something out of it in the end.

And the way her hair caught the sun when they were up here in the early evening, just as the sky was turning shades of orange and pink and-

"Jack." She laughed his name. And Jack thought he might melt. "I can't focus when you're staring."

He snorted, but leant back all the same, picking up his sketch pad, spinning the pencil between his fingers again.

"Alright, alright. No more starin'. I got stuff to draw. Back to work."

She laughed again, but opened up her notebook all the same, picked up the pen again.

When she went back to writing, the wrinkle on her forehead and the furrow of her brow returned within twenty seconds, Jack counted.

He couldn't help but stare.

[luveline]

if you’re doing hotch baby blurbs maybe hotch reconnecting with an old friend maybe an ex fling and there are sparks

thank you for your request! ♥︎ fem!reader 1.2k

Aaron has occasionally seen strangers with your face. It sounds unsettling. In reality, he enjoys those few seconds. He sees someone with your hair, your shoulders, and he waits for them to turn around and smile your sweet smile. They never do. 

Or, they usually don't. 

You turn around and Hotch's heart does a hurdle, another when your familiar smile lights up your face. When you're sure he's recognised you it somehow grows brighter; you're sunshine incarnate as you weave through uniforms and desks to reach him. 

"Aaron," you say, and there's the shyness he remembers, your eyes flitting over the surprised faces of his team. "Hi, how are you? I didn't know you were coming here." 

He smiles as you reach up to hug him around the neck. It's a decidedly slow hug, not quite professional though you never have been, but it's also very gentle. It's a hug between friends.  

"I had no idea you were here," he says honestly. 

"Oh, I know. I'm not good at using my emails even if you did." Your eyelashes kiss in the corners, your serene smile yet to fall. "It's so good to see you," —you pull away from him, directing your attention to the team— "and to meet you all. I'm Y/N L/N." 

Aaron introduces the team, thankfully without tripping up. 

"How do you know each other?" Morgan asks, always one to be nosey when the others won't risk it. 

You wait for Hotch to answer. 

"We worked at the same office when I was an attorney," he says. 

"You were an attorney?" Prentiss asks you. 

"Oh, no, I was just a glorified secretary honestly. That's what I am here." You smile, unashamed at your profession. "I'm one of the secretaries, so if you need anything please tell me, even if it's a cup of coffee, okay?"

You cross your hands across your chest. Hotch hadn't known it back then but this is one of your tells. You're self-conscious underneath all the lightness. 

"I'll show you guys to the conference room, if you like? And I'll track down Mr. Tanner for you." 

You lead them to the conference room. It's crammed with tables, but a good space has been cleared and a big whiteboard has been wheeled against the wall. You offer everybody coffee and he's grateful when each member of the team says no, cutting his schoolboy panic short. 

The door closes, and he relaxes, and Rossi's generous enough to talk under his breath. 

"It could've been worse," Rossi says. 

"You knew she was here?" 

"How could I know that?" Rossi asks. Hotch would give in if his smile weren't so smug. 

"You have history?" Morgan asks. 

"Absolutely not," Hotch says. "We have work to do." 

And they do a lot of work. Hotch is great at compartmentalising, keeping your pretty smile locked away at the back of his head, only thinking of you when he sees you, or hears your tentative knocks at the door twice a day for the few days they're there.

By the time the case is over, he's going insane with memories of the past. You haven't changed in all that time, you're still soft and sweet-natured, still over generous, still beautiful. 

"You're going home now?" you ask from the door. 

Hotch looks up from the account of events he'd been noting. "Pardon?" 

"You're going home? Back to Quantico?" 

"Yeah, bright and early tomorrow morning." He sits back in his seat. "Out of all the places I pictured you, I never considered Virginia Beach." 

"It's very family friendly." 

He stills. You start to laugh, and your laugh has always been so bubbly and contagious to him, it brings back fond memories of you. 

"I don't have a family," you say, "sorry, that's not what I meant to imply. I want a family, of course, but it…hasn't worked out. It will, hopefully. What about you, did you ever?" 

"I did– we had a son, Hailey and I." 

You don't say congratulations though he knows you're happy for him. You lean your face against the doorway. "Does he look like you?" you ask. 

"No." He laughs. He doesn't know why. "He's all Hailey." 

"I bet he's beautiful. She was always so lovely, how is she?" 

"I assume she's fine, but we don't speak very often anymore. We separated." 

Your eyebrows thread together at the starts. "I'm sorry. It's not easy, and it's not fair, but you got a good thing out of it."

"Yeah, we did. Do you want to see a photograph?" 

You don't waste a second. Hotch doesn't doubt that your enthusiasm is sincere. "Yes, please, I'd love to."

Hotch has a lot of photos of Jack. You want to see them all, and your eyes get happier with each one. 

"You're a liar, Hotchner, you said he doesn't look like you. He's a beautiful kid. Wow, he looks so happy." You loll your head mildly to one side. He can smell your perfume. "Are you happy, too? I always meant to reach out, Aaron, and ask how you were but I… don't know. I thought hearing you about you being happy would hurt more than it really did. I'm so glad to see you again." 

Why would it hurt? he thinks desperately. He already knows, of course. He knows the kind of feeling that would make you move 180 miles away from home. He can read just about anyone. He knows how you feel now. 

"I'm glad to see you too," he says. 

"And surprised, I mean, I'm so far away from home, but I guess you guys go everywhere, huh? Seeing you again is like fate." 

He can agree with fate, but far away feels subjective. "It's only a three hour drive." 

"Only!" you repeat, beaming. "You don't think that's far?" 

"It depends on what you're driving too," he says, each word measured. He's careful. 

"I think you're right. You know what I always miss? The Three Dragons, the one closest to our office." 

"That's still there," he says. 

"I would drive three hours for that." 

He's a fool. He's coming on too strong. He's misinterpreting the signs. He tells himself all of this and it doesn't matter at all, he can't control his hand, can't stop himself from covering your smaller palm with his. 

"And here?" he asks. "Are there any nice places to eat nearby?" 

Your eyes lock onto his hand. Your thumb hooks over his hand, and your skin is so warm, your hand pressing closer to his as you draw your gaze to his face. Hotch isn't sure he's ever been looked at the way you're looking at him — your lips press together in a thin line like you're trying to stop from smiling and failing spectacularly. 

"Nothing as nice as the Three Dragons, but I think we can find something," you say softly. 

Hotch is yours until tomorrow morning, and if all goes well, he knows Virginia Beach will be a drive worth making. 

[lisa-grdjc]

more NegaPosi angler thoughts…🎣

practically dissecting the entire scene (as painful as it is) atp but i simply can’t get over the way their body language and expressions are animated throughout their argument and compiled all the random little things that just… really got to me (⬆️). like. how it starts off so subtle, with an averted gaze, some fidgeting. and it keeps us on edge, bc we know they’re bound to reach a breaking point if they keep chipping away at each other’s patience (spoiler they do, a few secs later—)

(what’s also so satisfying to me is how clean and consistent the animation has been overall and im not exaggerating when i say each frame is screenshot-worthy. gotta appreciate a top tier animation especially for such an underrated gem ; its one of the many strengths of the series and i had to point that out even tho it’s not really what i wanted to talk abt in this very self-indulgent post)

indeed there were times where i was momentarily distracted and couldn’t rly focus on the dialogues so i had to replay some parts—and im not ashamed to admit it was whenever takaaki was on screen. cuz i was too busy staring at him and his lethal face card—(actually that’s been my problem in every episode since he’s been introduced, seriously, he’s attractive as fuck, and his voice and its playful, velvety lilt is to die for, ok? but. it’s different in that episode’s case)

bc i believe this is the first time we’re seeing takaaki looking so pained and angry and violent after having known him for almost ten eps out of twelve being sunshine incarnate and the sweetest guy you could ever imagine—and it shook me to my core.

im a simple person. basically, kind characters who’ve always been depicted as cheerful and carefree (often wth a sad backstory and traumatic past) who suddenly find themselves wth said past catching up to them and you can see the very moment their facade starts to crumble apart—that shit does smth to me and boy do i eat it up every goddam time. it hurts so good.

so yeah seeing that kind of devastated look on takaaki’s face caused me the emotional whiplash of the century and im positive it also chemically altered sth in my brain.

mind you this is all without mentioning how he was fighting with a (dying) person who means so much to him and whom he cares about more than anything and how it must’ve been tearing him apart to hear those words coming out of hiro’s mouth with his little brother’s death still plaguing him and—

yea im not ok

[hiimawarish]

for you, i would fall from grace

s. diluc overthinking whether he is worthy of you or not. cw. a little angst? maybe? also fluff. fem/afab reader. reader is not from mondstat, but it is never specified where she comes from. tw. mention of death (crepus). not proofread. wc. 0.9k a/n. idk what to say, i just had a thought and it ended up in this. i wrote this before i had to connect to my teaching training, so excuse any typos. credits. dividers by @/cafekitsune.

He was tainted.

The realization dawned on Diluc as slowly and certainly as the sun set every evening. He was tainted. His hands, the same hands he used to protect Mondstat from the Fatui, were stained in blood. He had always known, of course—there was not a day when he could forget that his own father’s blood had been spilled by his hands, even if he had done so out of mercy. 

What was that saying Adelinde always said when he was a child? 

Oh, right.

Hell is full of good intentions.

In any case, Diluc had never truly been the oblivious type. Not to his own faults and flaws, anyway. He was aware of his shortcomings, his mistakes. Perhaps that was what had pushed him to spend sleepless nights protecting the city. Whatever his reasoning, Diluc had always known that his actions would never wash the blood off his hands. He didn’t mind. He hadn’t minded. Not until you came along.

You came barreling into his life on an evening he remembered perfectly. If he had been any good at painting, perhaps he would have been able to replicate the crimson glow of the sunset that day. He would have been able to place each cloud perfectly in the sky, stained in shades of pink, orange, and purple. You came into his life laughing, an outlander visiting Mondstat for the first time—he had been fortunate enough not to have to leave his post at the Angel’s share, and instead spent the night refilling your drinks and snacks, listening to the stories of your travels.

Diluc had never been quite as chatty, and he had realized early that most people found him too broody and intimidating to even approach him. You did not. Whether it was the adrenaline of finally arriving at Mondstat or the dandelion wine working through your organism, you didn’t know. The only thing you knew was that you needed to speak, to ramble, and he had turned out to be a good listener.

That should have been the first sign, Diluc realized. He should have known at the moment that you would become more necessary to him than air—that he would feel an asphyxiating pain within his chest whenever you were away. He should have known, but who could have guessed that Master Diluc, the head of the Dawn Winery, the owner of Angel’s Share, would fall head over heels for a sweet thing like you?

You were sweet.

You were, in Kaeya’s words, full of joy. 

“She’s good for you”, he had said, ignoring, as usual, the glare sent his way. “You need some sunshine.” 

Sunshine. He had called you sunshine.

Diluc soon realized that, no matter how much he willed Kaeya to be wrong, he was not—you were sunshine incarnate. If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear the sweetest wines he produced were all made when you were around. He might even swear that the longer you stayed, the less Fatui incidents he encountered. You were sunshine—you were his lucky charm.

But he was tainted.

He realized that as blinding as your light was, it seemed to dissolve his own darkness. The shadows that had grown within his heart melted whenever you wrapped your arms around him; your warmth trapped him in a golden cage he’d gladly stay. It dawned on him as you laid next to him in bed—your soft breathing, your chest rising and falling, one of your hands clutching the pillow, the other wrapped around his waist. 

Your hands were clean, only ever tainted by the occasional tears of frustration. He feared, sometimes, that you’d be tainted by him whenever he held you in his arms. He lived in constant terror that you would realize what he actually was, that you’d see through his mask only to realize he was far too damaged for you… That he was far too consumed in darkness for a creature of light like you. 

“Just go to sleep.”

Your voice, as if it were no more than a mermaid song, snapped him out of his musings. His amber eyes looked down at you, your frame curled up against his side. Your eyes fluttering open, just slightly, enough for you to glance at him, an amused smile on your lips. He still relished in how easy you made it seem—how contagious your smile was, pulling his into a curve without him willing his lips into it.

“I thought you were asleep,” He whispered back.

You closed your eyes, head softly nuzzling into his side. He could feel you taking a deep breath, as if trying to take all of his essence in. “How can I sleep knowing you’re overthinking again, hm?”

Harsh words whispered in the softest tone made Diluc chuckle amidst the darkness of your shared room, the vibration from his laughter resonating deep within your ribcage.

“Overthinking,” He repeated, almost musing.

You pulled on him, then, asking him quietly to close his eyes. Diluc merely smiled, allowing you to pull him wherever you wanted him, until he had transformed into a protective cocoon for you. 

Maybe you were right.

He was overthinking—even if he were nothing but a moth attracted to your flame, you would not burn him. You were too gentle a burst of sunshine to ever dream of such a thing.

And he was far too powerless against you, no matter how blood-stained his hands were.

more works.

©2023 hiimawarish do not translate, repost, copy, modify

[reallyromealone]

14 BBQ party with toman please

Prompt 14: BBQ

Event

Masterlist

I hope you enjoy!

Toman chatted happily as they caught up, Draken and Emma with their six month old and takemichi proudly telling everyone about he and Hinas babe to be.

With adulthood came responsibilities and with responsibilities came lack of time so they liked to have hangouts to catch up, today being perfect for a barbecue.

And (name) was nervous.

(Name) and Mikey had broken up after high school, Mikey going into competitive racing and days apart became weeks and (name) had begun university and Mikey broke it off.

And it destroyed (name).

And now he was being dragged by Mitsuya to the event.

A lot of things happened to (name) in the few years since he saw everyone.

Like the kid on his hip.

A one night stand, the mom died at childbirth... Now he's a dad.

"Hi!" Little Shoyo said excitedly as (name) knocked on the door to Drakens house, Draken looking at the small boy wide eyed.

"Holy shhhhake and bake" Draken caught himself as he looked at (name) and the small boy who looked like sunshine incarnate "glad to see you again (name)" Emma said hugging the man "and who are you?" She asked sweetly and Shoyo proudly puffed out his chest "my name is Shoyo!" The boy proclaimed and Emma smiled at him "well come in! No good outside!" Emma ushered them in and Draken took the case of beer cans from (name) "good choice" be said happily and (name) was led to the backyard.

Everyone was chatting as (name) came in, if Mikey wasn't holding his nephew he would have dropped right there.

(Name) looked good.

But who was the kid in his arms?

Everyone greeted (name) and little Shoyo happily and the orange haired tot quickly became friends with "uncle Baji" as the black haired man insisted he call him and began playing with Pochi and Baji introducing the boy to everyone as (name) spoke with his old friends.

"You got a kid!" Smiley said pointing to the small boy who was walking sunshine.

"Yeah..."

"Where's his mom?" Hina asked and (name) chuckled nervously "she's uh she's not with us"

The group looked solumn "I'm so sorry"

"It's all good! It was a long time ago"

The adults continued talking as (name) kept an eye on his toddler who got a hotdog from Pah, the boy thanking him sweetly "so where have you been?" Hakkai asked and (name) looked shy "after university I got hired in another country and took the offer... Came back a few months ago"

"Well we best see you and our nephew more often!" Peh said loudly and (name) smiled "of course, were setting our roots in Tokyo, I found a kindergarten for him and everything"

(Name) trusted his toddler to be left with his aunt's and uncles as he went to the restroom, following Drakens instructions.

Draken and Emma's home was nice.

Homey.

"Oops-- sorry!" (Name) halted as he looked at Mikey "oh... Hey"

The two men looked at each other awkwardly "you look good' Mikey mumbled and (name) nodded "saw you won that race"

"You saw that?"

"My kid loves your races"

"So you're married?"

"O-oh no, single dad life" (name) joked and Mikey nodded "so you're back in Japan?"

"Yup... So how are things?"

"Good good.."

Both men were awkward, (name) thought the hurt in his heart would have gone away but seeing Mikey... It was like it got hurt all over again.

"So he likes my races?"

"Yup, huge fan-- he's also a big fan of volleyball, I signed him up for toddler volleyball and everything"

"You're a good dad"

"Thanks..." (Name) said and the men chatted awkwardly and Mikey had to admit he still had feelings for the other and he wouldn't deny the aggressive jealousy he felt at the concept of (name) possibly married.

"Papa! I got a meat bun!" Shoyo squealed and ran to his dad, (name) snorting "how you manage to get those is beyond me" he ruffled the tots hair and Shoyo noticed Mikey and stumbled back shocked "papa! It's him!"

"Yeah this is papas...friend"

"Whoa"

"You wanna see my bike?" Mikey asked the small boy who looked wide eyed "can I papa!"

"Sure but listen to everything he says ok?"

"Ok!"

[hannahbarberra162]

Country Mouse, City Mouse - Chapter 7

On Ao3

Sorry, no smut.

Also, we love a jealous Mihawk.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 7 - After A While

A few weeks came and went. The outfits Perona had ordered for you were absolutely stunning. Mihawk wanted to see you try on all of them, but you shooed him away. You and Perona decided on the one that best suited you, and you packed it with your things. 

Zoro had been put on farm duty while the two of you were gone. Perona’s duty was to get Zoro to the farm. You brought him down and explained everything that would need to be done in your absence. Luckily, it was only simple tasks like watering and weeding.

“So, that’s about all, got any questions?” you asked, handing him a list.

Zoro grunted. “No, got it. I can do it.”

“Thank you honey, I sure appreciate it.”

“Mihawk said he would dismember me if I messed up the farm.” Zoro was not laughing when he said this.

“He’s… not jokin’, is he?”

“No.”

“Hmmm….well, I’ll bring you back somethin’ nice as a carrot for that stick.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Sailing with Mihawk on Hitsugibune was an adventure all its own. The small craft was really only meant for one person, so you’d sat on his lap some of the time. You had always enjoyed sailing, and Mihawk was a phenomenal sailor…er, captain? You enjoyed good weather and good company on the way. Mihawk shared a lot of nautical knowledge that you were lacking, and you found him endlessly interesting to listen to.

After a few days, you reached the island you were journeying to. Crocodile had offered rooms at his estate for guests, but Mihawk had rented a hotel instead. Not a room, you realized as you both checked in at the desk. Mihawk had rented an entire hotel. He told you that the mere sounds of other patrons would “impede his romantic nature.” It seemed like a waste of money to you, but you weren’t one to tell others what to do.

That night was the gala, so you declared that you would be getting ready in a separate room. You and Perona had planned every detail of your outfit, down to the hairpins you would use, and you wanted to surprise Mihawk for the maximum effect. 

Mihawk POV

He and Crocodile were not friends. They were, at best, non-combative acquaintances. Mihawk did not mind Crocodile as much as some of the other members of the Warlords, like the irritating Boa or obnoxious Dolflamingo. However, he had a thought to thank Crocodile for inviting him to the gala. Because it allowed him the opportunity to see you like this.

You looked absolutely resplendent. The dress Perona had bought and you had selected made you look like a goddess incarnate. You looked like you had been poured into the dress - it accentuated everything he loved about your figure. Your hair was in a style that he hadn’t seen before, and it suited you. You had acquired jewelry, and it only served to highlight your already magnificent visage. You were a beautiful, sensual treat for the eyes. Though Mihawk knew the thought was foolish, he wanted to throw a cloak over you and hide your beauty from other eyes. He wanted to be the only one to bask in your feminine grace, not allow other filthy eyes to glance upon you. He had the brief thought of closing the door and simply ravishing you, gala forgotten. However, he knew you were excited for the event, and he didn’t want you to miss it.

He extended his hand to you, and when you took it, pulled you to him. He held you tight against his body. He brought his nose and mouth along your delicate neck, running his lips against the column of your throat. He simply had to have a small taste - he would have the full meal later. He heard you gasp and breathe harshly - a fitting punishment for doing the same to him. He continued on his ministrations until you put your hands against his chest and said “later, sunshine. Let’s get to the party first. We can always ditch early.” As always, your ideas were brilliant.

Y/N POV

The gala was unlike anything you’d ever been to before. Sure, you’d been to parties, formal gatherings, weddings, funerals, and every kind of social event in between. But nothing compared to the party at Sir Crocodile’s mansion. You could tell that the majority of the people there were movers and shakers. The way they handled themselves, the way they talked to others, they were clearly used to commanding a certain level of respect. Everyone was dressed to the nines, including Mihawk. Some attendees were socializing, some were drinking, and some were dancing to the live music.

You were happy he had taught you to dance. Well, not really taught. You could kind of dance, he was a magnificent dancer. You just followed his lead as he spun you around the dance floor. He made it seem effortless and intimate, and you enjoyed every moment of it.  You’d have to ask him to dance later.

You walked around the room with Mihawk, your arm linked with his. Many people came up to him and began conversations of varying natures. You didn’t say anything unless spoken to, but you could tell there was a buzz around the fact that he had both attended and brought a date. Mihawk was disinterested in conversing with almost everyone. He dismissed most who spoke to him after a terse sentence or two. It didn’t deter other guests from trying to speak to him. At one point, he asked if you wanted a glass of wine, and you accepted. He left you momentarily sitting at a table, watching the dance floor.

Mihawk POV

Crocodile had a certain taste that did not fit Mihawk’s own. The former Baroque Works leader favored decadence and a kind of self indulgence that he found tacky. However, the gala was acceptable enough to bring you to. Many had sought to speak to him - and garner information about you- which he had no patience for. All he wanted was to dance, drink wine, and speak with you. He didn’t care about these fools. As he came back to you with two wine glasses, he nearly shattered them in his hands. 

That lout Crocodile was speaking to you, clearly interested in both the conversation and your body. He was leaning towards you, smiling at your words as he spoke to you, eyes roaming your lush figure. He should not kill Crocodile at his own gala - probably. It would cause more headache than it would solve. Depending on what Crocodile said to you would determine the outcome, he decided. 

He walked up next to you, handed you your glass, and put his arm once again around your waist. You accepted the glass, said “thank you, sugar” and kissed his cheek. 

“Sir Crocodile came by to introduce himself, and I thanked him for the invitation to this wonderful gala.”

“Mihawk, no wonder you’ve taken an interest in farming lately,” Crocodile said with a smirk, “this delightful Signora could make a flower bloom in the desert.” Mihawk’s demeanor turned even colder. He fixed his unnatural stare to Crocodile, who remained undeterred.

“Ain’t you sweet. Well, I’d love to go dance to the music you’ve so thoughtfully provided.” Mihawk did not speak to Crocodile as he turned with you to leave the conversation.

Over your shoulder you said “See you later, alligator,” to which Crocodile laughed. Crocodile was lucky you wanted to dance. Otherwise he would have lost more than just his other hand.

[dangermousie]

Ok, 13 eps in and it’s official - Lost You Forever is this year’s Love Between Fairy and Devil for me, and not just because I am unreasonably obsessed or because I love the design or because it features a protagonist horribly hurt by life and a love interest who gets to them by pure sunshine goodness.

No, it’s because they both are summer dramas that I mocked before they aired and whose cast gave me hives and then I had to eat crow dinner with crow coffee and crow dessert.

I thought the concept of LBFAD (demon king and fairy girl occasionally swap bodies) was risible. I thought anyone who cast Dylan Wang in anything, let alone as a terrifying demon lord, needed to have their head checked. I’ve seen that man in a number of dramas and he can’t act, thought I. Oh, and that trailer was simply awful. This is going to be a great terrible flop and I am gonna enjoy hate watching and mocking it, also thought I. I checked it out solely out of sheer morbid curiosity and I was a gone five minutes in. It ended up my favorite drama of 2022, made it into my top 10 cdramas of all time in fact, and if anyone said Dylan did anything but an amazing job in LBFAD, I’d fight them in the parking lot. Man tore my heart out.

Now comes 2023 and here is another anticipated summer drama, Lost You Forever. If you assume I learned anything from the LBFAD scenario, you would be wrong. (In my defense, in the overwhelming bulk of cases when I hate the concept, trailer and cast, I do not end up adoring the final product.) Nobody could explain the plot to me coherently (not their fault in retrospect, I can’t even explain it myself as it’s more character study than anything.) The concept screams reverse harem, something I am primed to enjoy about as much as I was primed to enjoy LBFAD body swap between female fairy and demon king or perhaps a toothache. The cast - yikes think I. The last Yang Zi drama and performance I enjoyed was the Battle of Changsha. A drama that is a bona fide masterpiece and in which she performed amazingly but was released in 2013, a whole decade ago. Ever since then she’s proceeded to play a range of cheery dimwits who only a mother could love, and only a mother in possession of earplugs and perhaps a gag at that. And to me she started sleepwalking through those roles to boot. Watching her and her dramas became the definition of elevator music. And her leading men here? Ooof! The guy who plays the cousin I’ve never seen in anything. Tan Jianci is good in the right role but I did not think that was going to be a good role and then we get Court Lady Tan Jianci which - shudder. And Deng Wei? Yikes! I’ve seen him in a bunch of dramas and he was the walking incarnation of color beige. And that trailer was a giant huh.

And now here we are. The story is exquisite and I feel so deeply for everyone in it (now, in case of cousin the feeling is the desire to barbecue him but still.) The acting is uniformly good and so is the story. And Yang Zi does not play a cheerful dimwit but a haunted old soul and she does it so well my heart breaks for her and I am so invested in her it becomes ridiculous as I feel her slightest joy or disappointment so intensely. And oh Deng Wei is my other revelation. If someone told me I’d be swooning over a character played by him I would have told them to sleep off all the booze they must have just consumed. But guuh, his 17 just might end up being my favorite male character in 2023 cdramas and I feel for him so deeply and remain amazed how he makes goodness layered and not boring or cloying at all.

That crow feast is sooo delicious!

Am I gonna learn? Hell no! Provided we are not all murdered by a giant asteroid, come back to this space in 2024 to see what other drama that I was prepared to hate I am now obsessing about.

[epicthemusical]

Sunshine and Flowers

okay so enjoy some Polites in a sun dress being his usual sunshine self! Did sun dresses exist in ancient Greece? No. Do I care? Also no lol. And here is the art I found from the main EPIC server that inspired this idea!

Odysseus waits with a smirk outside of the changing room for Polites to finish. Polites had lost a bet and is now required to wear a dress for a full day. Odysseus intends to make full use of today.

Finally Polites comes out in a long bright yellow sundress. Polites fidgets a bit clearly not used to wearing a dress. Odysseus can only gape at his friend. Polites actually pulled off the dress really well.

"That's not fair you're not supposed to look good in the dress!” No Odysseus is not pouting the prince of Ithaca does not-

“Awww are you pouting?” Odysseus glares at his traitor of a friend

“No i am not!” Polites simply laughed bright like the sun as always. Odysseus is dragged out to the flower field by Polites. While the field is usually empty this time a group of young girls are busy braiding flowers into each other's hair and creating flower crowns.

A little bit away from the girls, Polites flops down leaning against a tree.

“Come on my friend, let's relax here for a bit!” Odysseus just sighs before sitting down next to Polites. They spend some time chatting until one of the little girls walks up to Polites.

“Hello, me and my friends want to know if you would be okay with us putting flowers in your hair to make you pretty.” The little girl fidgets with her hands, obviously shy.Polites gives her a genuine smile

“of course sunshine!” Polites gently boops her nose causing her to giggle as she grabs his hand tugging over to the group of little girls.He lays down on his stomach to let the girls be able to reach his hair and they get to work adding a bunch of colorful flowers to his hair.

Polites talks and laughs with the girls as he starts creating flower crowns, one for each other girls. Odysseus watches from the side until Polites beams up at him like sunshine incarnate and he feels himself blush a little at how cute he was

“Ody come on over and join us!” Odysseus smiles and heads over to join them. Polites teaches Odysseus and some of the girls how to make the best flower crowns. One of the girls finishes their flower crown and holds it out shyly to Odysseus.

“Here it's for you so you can be pretty too.” Odysseus smiles and takes the crown placing it on his head

“thank you.” Time goes on until eventually the girls have to leave and the two are left alone. They watch the sunset together and Odysseus can't help but smile. Today might not have ended up the way he had planned but he wouldn't change a thing.

[stilliwait]

So I'm writing a Varric x Fem!Hawke fanfic...

I'm REALLY struggling to figure out a title for it though. It's going to be long, spanning from Hawke's childhood all the way to post-Trespasser. I have a rough outline of how I want it to go, but a title is tricky. SO I'm posting the beginning of the story here to see if I can get some inspo from ya'll. It's like the first 1/3rd of chapter one, though I'm open to cutting it here if anyone thinks this would be a good stopping point. I haven't published anything I've written in the better part of a decade, and I'm rusty.

Things to note pre-reading:

I've rewritten the canon slightly. Marian Hawke is a twin to Garrett Hawke, and they shoulder the burden of Champion together. The children all grew up in Kirkwall before Bethany's magic manifested and they had to run for Ferelden. Bethany and Carver both survive the trip back to Kirkwall.

Marian and Varric will, obviously, end up together, but it's a slow-ish burn. Still deciding how I want the story to flesh out in terms of timing on some of the scenes I've written, but they'll probably get together in secret pre-Deep Roads.

Varric's nickname for Marian is Rosie because she's thorny on the outside (with sarcasm) but soft on the inside. Rosie is when she's being a jackass, Rosebud for when she's showing her sweet and vulnerable side, which is rare.

Okay, thank you and happy reading! I will be posting this to AO3 eventually, but not without a title.

The Hawke children were always told magic ran in their family. With a mage for a father and a mother who’s ancestry held many mages as well, it wasn’t a surprise when one of their children was born with magic, though their father always joked that it ‘had to be the youngest’.

Maybe magic ran in their family, but Marian thought twins must too.  How else could someone explain two sets to the same parents?  First came herself and Garrett, older than her by two minutes.  They split the burden of being the eldest child, with Garrett shouldering the brunt of the family burden, and Marian housing all the guilt.  As they got older, she joked he had sucked all the energy from their mother, and that was why he sprang up over six feet tall, and she barely made it past five.  They both had a penchant for recklessness, though Marian was the first to point out flaws in a plan - ever cautious - while Garrett liked to run head-first and ask questions later.

Then came their younger siblings; Carver and Bethany.  Carver seemed to house all the middle child issues - brash, quick to anger, always trying to one-up Garrett with his competitiveness.  He was also the best at calming their mother when any fights happened, and his devotion to his own twin was unparalleled.  Bethany was born sunshine incarnate, and Carver did his best to protect his little sister from the horrors of the world. They all did. Bethany was the perfect youngest child, all smiles and joy and fun.  She could charm a Qunari if she tried hard enough, and she gave her kindness like a gift to everyone around her.  Marian wished she was more like her.

That’s how they survived fleeing Kirkwall as children; Bethany’s kindness.  Marian had grown up in the Amell estate with her siblings, and parents.  The story she was told by Leandra was thus:

Her grandparents were angry - Code for utterly pissed according to Garrett - that their mother had thrown away her engagement to Guillaume de Launcet, a Comte’s son no less, to be with a Circle Mage.  They were furious when they found out Gamlen had helped the couple be together out of love for his sister and her happiness.  Eventually, when Leandra wrote to them letting them know she was with child, they welcomed her home, their father Malcolm in tow.

Marian’s earliest childhood memories were of the estate.  Her grandparents doted on herself and Garrett with unabashed affection, and she remembered them even acting warm to her father.  Her grandmother Bethann would make cookies with her in the kitchen, smearing flour on the both of them as they laughed, and the cook would shake her head at them and pretend the cookies were delicious before secretly swapping them for an edible batch.  Her grandfather Ariside spent hours with her and Garrett in the library, teaching the twins to read and telling them stories of dragons and heroes and true love’s kiss. Her mother was happy to live in society, and her father did well for himself, working for her grandfather and hiding from the Templars.

When Bethany and Carver came along, it seemed that joy would continue.  “Two sets of twins!” her grandmother would exclaim to anyone they met.  “How did we get so lucky?!”  Despite the five-year age gap between them, Marian and Garrett adored their younger siblings, teaching them to walk and talk, and sneak treats whenever they were left to their own devices.  When the younger twins were toddlers, and she and Garrett were nearly ten, their grandfather started teaching them about martial weapons, just to pass the time and give their unending energy a healthy outlet.  He was pleased when they both threw themselves into it, spending hours sparring with wooden daggers, and even more thrilled when Marian showed promise in archery, his favorite pastime.

But with all joy comes strife, and the Hawke family was no different.  Bethany was six when her magic manifested, to the horror and shock of her grandparents.  Malcolm was heartbroken for his daughter.  There were only two choices for the family of a mage too young to control their power: Turn her in to The Circle, or go into hiding.  The Hawkes chose the latter, unable to part from their daughter.

Marian remembered leaving her grandparents home in the night, with tears down her face and her twin’s hand in hers, a promise from their grandparents that this was not forever, and they could come home soon.  That was the first time Garrett came up with a secret code, just for the two of them.  In the hold of the ship they boarded to Ferelden, he silently squeezed her hand three times, a stoic look on his young face, a silent I love you to his sister.  It was a promise between the siblings that they would survive this and come out okay on the other side.

They ran for months before finally settling on the outskirts of Lothering, a small but solid home waiting for them. Marian never thought to ask how they were able to secure such a place so close to a village, but as she got older she assumed her grandparents may have had something to do with it. It just made her miss them more.

Their father started tutoring Bethany, and Carver became jealous at how much time Malcolm devoted to the young mage.  Marian and Garrett did their best to distract him, dragging him to the local Chantry and asking the Templars and soldiers to teach them how to fight.  Carver was nine when he first held a shield, and the elder twins couldn’t have been prouder. He was a fighter like them, and the three of them sparred regularly, practicing the knowledge the villagers gave them.  As the years wore on, the militia became more and more impressed with them, and started to give the three ideas of joining the army.

When the children grew into teenagers, the Templars started to take notice of their little family, particularly their youngest daughter.  Marian did her best to distract the young men with her wit, charm, and no small amount of flirting. While Bethany never knew exactly why the Templars never took her in, Garrett quickly figured out what his sister was doing and was horrified.  He threatened several of the men within an inch of their lives, and they left the family alone.  Bethany started spending more time in the Chantry, much to their mother’s chagrin and anxiety, and she befriended the Sisters and Brothers of the church.  Her sweet voice singing the chant and her sparkling eyes when they read religious stories made her endearing, and if anyone noticed there was something special about her, they said nothing.

For a time, the family knew peace in their little village. But peace did not last for Hawkes for long.

When the family’s fourteenth summer in Lothering ended, so too did Malcolm Hawke’s life.

No one was quite sure what the illness was that took him, but it was quick, and it was devastating.  Leandra was broken at the loss of her beloved husband, and could hardly get out of bed.  Bethany cried for days after his pyre was burned, scared of being the lone mage of the family.  Carver retreated into himself, anger and guilt plaguing his features.  He barked at anyone who tried to talk to him besides his twin for weeks before settling into a resigned state.  Marian and Garrett both mourned quietly, taking care of their family in lieu of talking about (or even acknowledging) their feelings on the matter.  They kept the family fed, kept their mother from caving in on herself, kept Carver from starting too many fights in town.  Slowly, they pieced together their small lives, and Leandra began talking about returning to Kirkwall when they were able.  Surely if Malcolm could hide from Templars in plain sight, Bethany could too? None of her children agreed though, for their grandparents had long passed away, and the idea of returning to their ancestral home without the people that made it so was too painful so close to their father’s passing.

Life went on. A new sister joined the local Chantry, her lilting Orleasian accent so different and beautiful, and it was a big deal in such a small village.  Marian gravitated towards the girl, both for her sweet personality and her red hair, so similar to her own they could be siblings. Leliana was a breath of fresh air in the family’s life, and they often went to town to spend time with her, though she and Marian quickly became fast friends.  They would talk about the world around them, the Maker (Marian was skeptical and they had many kind-hearted debates), and even mage rights, though the latter was tip-toed around.  Marian knew her friend was observant, and it didn’t surprise her when Leliana made the occasional comment about Bethany.  But the secret was kept, and a strong friendship forged.

The girls would practice archery together, a surprising delight for Marian.  She hadn’t had anyone to shoot with since her grandfather in Kirkwall, and getting to learn how someone else pulled a bowstring and aimed the barrel was a welcome distraction from the stress of her day-to-day life.  Garrett would occasionally join in, Bethany even less so, and both were far inferior in skill to the red-headed girls.  They would laugh good naturedly, and Marian tried to help her brother improve where she could, but he was hopeless with anything that wasn’t a blade.  Carver continued to practice swords and shields with the local militia, and she caught him staring longingly at her friend more than once. If Leli noticed, she did not let on, but Marian kept an eye on his crush. She would kill her brother if he ruined the one friendship she had outside her family.

Three years passed, and the two sets of twins fell into their proverbial roles in the family.  Marian was the caretaker, making sure they had enough to eat and their home was relatively clean. Bethany was the peace keeper, smoothing over any fights and tiffs they had and charming the village into forgetting her potentially magical aura.  And the boys continued to hone their martial skills, until one day news of a potential Blight reached their ears.  Garrett and Carver were conscripted in the army, with Marian staying behind to protect their mother and sister.  She would never admit it, but the idea of war made her stomach churn.  Killing animals for food or bandits to protect her family was one thing, but monsters?  She wasn’t so sure she could keep her sanity in the face of darkspawn.

The day before her brothers left, Marian pulled her twin aside.  She and Garrett rarely tried to push their family into doing what they wanted, but in the face of a Blight desperate times called for desperate measures.  The evening found the siblings on the roof, laying back to look at the stars as they spoke.

“How hard do you think it’ll be to keep Carver alive on a battlefield?” Garrett asked, trying to spot the constellations their father had taught them.

“The most hard-headed man alive? I give you ten minutes before he tries to run at an ogre,” Marian drawled, lifting his hand to point to Tenebrium, their favourite set of stars.  It laid out above them in the shape of a great owl, though Marian always argued it more closely resembled a hawk.  “Do try to keep him from running head-first into danger, won’t you?”

Garrett shook his head at his sister, a smirk perched on his lips. “That’s like asking me to keep him from nailing Bethany’s braid to the bed posts.” They both snickered at countless memories of Carver doing just that, and Bethany shooting ice at his feet in retaliation.  When the laughter died down, a serious silence stretched between them, and Marian felt her brother lace his fingers through hers.

“What do we do if the Blight comes here?” she asked quietly.  She’d tried to bring it up before, but Garrett couldn’t be swayed.

“It’s not going to come here,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’m not even sure this is a real Blight, no one’s even seen a dragon yet!” He had a pout on his face, like not seeing a dragon was somehow a personal offense to him, and Marian’s hand twitched to smack him, resisting only because he was leaving early the next morning.

“Garrett, I’m serious! We need a plan! Where do we meet up if something happens? I know you’re stupidly confident, but we’re Hawkes.” Her voice was quieter now, a little sadness peeking through.  “Shit seems to find us wherever we go.  I don’t want to be separated from you just because we didn’t discuss something.”  She felt Garrett shift beside her, and turned her head to face his, taking in his somber expression.

“I don’t know Mare, honestly.  Where could we go if a Blight was truly upon us? Denerim, I suppose, though I hear it smells like shit.” He still had a teasing lilt in his voice, and she tried not to huff that he wasn’t taking her seriously.

“Fine, don’t help me plan. All it’ll mean is you’ll be scrambling to find us when the world falls apart,” she sniped, annoyed.  Garrett reached over and ruffled her hair with his free hand, getting a squawk in return as she slapped his hands away.

“You worry too much, little sister.  Nothing bad is going to happen to us or our precious little village. Just breathe, spend time with your Chantry friend, and try not to get into any trouble while we’re gone. We’ll be back before you know it.” He was grinning at her, his tongue slightly sticking out between his teeth.  Marian pinched his side in retaliation, earning a yelp from him.  She tried to stay annoyed, but it was hard to be mad at her other half.  Mostly she was nervous. They’d never been apart for more than a few days, and the idea of him being gone for weeks with only Carver for company terrified her, both for his safety and sanity.

She deflected from her worries, ever the Hawke. “Stop calling me little sister Garrett, you’re two minutes older. It barely counts.”  She poked at him again, but he caught her hand in his and held it tightly. Three squeezes.

“I love you too, you prat,” she teased, and the two fell into companionable silence, watching the stars above them.