#talked to my advisor about it and it should be fine though!

[katebihshop]

callout post for [redacted] university: names and numbers their courses weirdly so my new school didn't register them as college level classes

[parkerslatte]

Mutual Love

Eris Vanserra x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: alcohol consumption. mentions of beron's torture. scars.

Summary: After spending time with some friends, Y/N returns home to find Eris amongst a few of his trusted advisors. Though he is acting a little different then usual.

Prompt(s) Used: 14.They are drunk and they keep mumbling I love yous and how much they want to kiss you.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Masterlist

•••

When Y/N decided to visit some of her friends in the nearest village, she never thought she would return to the Autumn High Lord in the midst of a drunken ramble amongst his two most trusted advisors, really Eris’s only friends in the court– other than Y/N of course. 

As Y/N stepped into the room with an amused expression, she noticed the small smiles spread across the advisors faces. Eris's back was facing her as he talked, hands flying everywhere. Y/N smiled softly at the sight. 

“And you should have seen Y/N, she looked absolutely–”

Eris’s words were cut off by one of his advisors, Ansel, clearing his throat and gesturing to Y/N. Eris turned around and a lopsided grin appeared on his face. 

“Y/N!” he exclaimed happily. “Come and join us!”

Y/N dropped her small bag onto the floor by the door and walked over to Eris and the others. As she neared closer she noticed the nearly empty bottle of drink on the table. 

“We’ve had about a glass each of that,” Ansel said. “Eris has had the rest.”

Eris scoffed. “You have had more than that. Come and sit down, Y/N.”

“There isn’t another seat, Eris,” Y/N pointed out. 

Eris uncrossed his leg and gestured to his lap. “There is right here.”

Y/N flushed and looked away from Eris quickly. Ansel stifled a laugh. 

“I’m fine here Eris,” Y/N mumbled. 

Y/N shuffled her feet and winced as she did so. The heels she wore were a good idea earlier but after standing up nearly all night and walking back to the Forest House, Y/N was beginning to regret her decision. 

“I can get another chair–” Yvette, Eris’s other advisor offered. 

“It’s okay,” Y/N said and perched herself on the arm of Eris’s chair. “I’ll be okay here.”

As she turned to look at Eris, he was frowning. “You’re hurting.”

Y/N let out a quiet chuckle. “If you wore heels all night, your feet would be hurting too.”

Eris still continued to frown as Y/N reached forward and picked up his glass and took a sip from it. As she settled on the arm of the chair, Y/N felt an arm snake around her back until Eris had his arm securely around her, his hand resting upon her upper thigh. Y/N became flustered just at the sight. 

As she looked up Ansel and Yvette both hid their grins as they each took a sip from their glasses. Y/N only glared at them. 

“So what were you all talking about before I interrupted?” Y/N asked, trying to ignore the warmth of Eris’s hand. “I believe I heard a mention of my name.”

Eris lit up. “I was talking about how beautiful you looked at my coronation last month.” 

“You thought I looked beautiful?” Y/N questioned. 

“He always thinks you are beautiful,” Yvette chimed in.

Heat swarmed to Y/N’s face as she felt Eris’s hand grip tighter onto her thigh. “Is that true Eris?” she asked. 

Eris scoffed. “Of course I do! That dress you wore was exquisite. It only exemplified your beauty, my love,” He took his glass of alcohol from Y/N’s hand. “No one holds a candle to you.”

“Not even me?” Yvette teased. 

Eris’s lip curled. “Yvette, as much as I value our friendship and I like your company, please don’t ever say something like that again.”

Yvette only cackled and downed the rest of her drink. “I was only teasing, Eris. I know that I would never stand a chance when Y/N’s around.”

Y/N frowned. “What do you mean?”

Yvette’s eyes held an amused glint as she looked between Eris and Y/N. “Y/N, my love, if you are this oblivious, I don’t see what I can say to help.”

Eris shushed Yvette. “Stop telling Y/N my secrets.”

Yvette chuckled before standing from her chair. “They are far from secrets, Eris. I’m heading to bed and from the looks of it, you should take Eris before you get a headache in the morning. I don’t want to deal with your fathers old advisors so early in the morning.”

Eris rolled his eyes. “Goodnight Yvette.”

Y/N waved goodbye to Yvette and she only sent a small wink Y/N’s way before slipping out of the room. 

“I’ll head to bed too, I think,” Ansel said, also standing from his seat. “It seems like I am out of drink.”

Eris didn’t seem to hear as Ansel’s chair scraped back on the floor. He was too busy filling up his glass to do anything else. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Ansel,” Y/N said. 

Ansel bid a quick goodbye before slipping out of the room leaving Y/N and Eris alone. As soon as Eris placed the bottle down on the table, Y/N began to stand up from the arm of the chair. 

“Where are you going?” Eris asked, his hand gently gripping onto her. 

“Well there’s two free chairs now,” Y/N commented. 

For a very brief moment, Eris seemed to pout but it quickly faded away. Y/N only smiled. 

“Stay here,” Eris said. “I want to be close to you. I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“You saw me this morning,” Y/N replied. 

“That is too long,” Eris said, and offered Y/N his glass. “I wish to be by your side all the time.”

Y/N didn’t know what to say, words failed on her tongue. She hadn’t a clue what Eris meant by his words. The underlying romantic tone in them was mostly just wishful thinking on Y/N’s part. But if there was a possibility that they were true…

Y/N took a sip from Eris’s drink and handed it back to him. Eris took a long sip for himself. Y/N knew she should stop him from drinking any more. She was sure that if he got even more intoxicated, he would not remember anything in the morning. 

“I have a meeting with my father’s old advisors tomorrow,” Eris said. “Most of them want their old positions back.” 

Y/N wasn’t sure what to say. Despite being Eris’s friend, she was never involved in the politics of the court. She was only a seamstress after all. 

“I don’t want to give their positions back, they were the most despicable males I have ever met,” Eris continues. “I know that I will have Ansel and Yvette there but can you be there too? I don’t know if I can dismiss that many people without you.”

“Eris, you know that I don’t have a clue how court politics work outside of basic knowledge,” Y/N replied.

Eris clutched onto her hands tighter, seemingly afraid that she would walk away. Y/N had no intention to. “Please Y/N. All you need to do is sit there for me. I always feel better when you are around.”

“You’re only asking me because you are drunk,” Y/N said. “If you were sober you wouldn’t be asking.”

Eris frowned. “No, not at all!”

The arms wrapped around Y/N’s waist tightened and Eris pulled her closer until she was situated on his lap instead of the arm of the chair. Y/N let out a small gasp of surprise and clutched onto Eris. His arms circled her waist until she was securely seated in his lap, feeling warmer than she did a few moments ago. Though Y/N wasn’t sure if it was because of Eris himself or the rising heat spreading throughout her body. 

Eris had never been too physical with her. Occasionally he would hold her hand or give her a long comforting hug, but nothing ever went beyond that. This was entirely new territory. Y/N felt herself relaxing. 

“See,” Eris said, resting his chin on her shoulder. “I told you it was more comfortable.”

Y/N couldn't help but smile at the cheek of his tone. It felt nice to see him so relaxed. “I guess it is.”

Eris smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her bare shoulder. Y/N stilled. 

“What was that for?” she asked. 

Eris only did it again. “Just because I love you.”

Shock was evident on Y/N’s face as the words left Eris’s mouth. 

“What did you just say?” Y/N asked, wanting confirmation. 

“I said I love you,” Eris said, clinging to her tighter, burying his head into her neck. “I love you, Y/N.”

“You can’t mean that,” Y/N said. 

Eris didn’t reply. All he did was press small soft kisses against her neck. Y/N’s body felt as if it were on fire. And by now she knew that it wasn’t Eris. 

“Eris,” Y/N said, pulling away from him the smallest amount. “You are drunk. You don’t know what you are saying.” 

“I know perfectly well what I am saying,” Eris replied. “I love you, Y/N. I always have and I always will.”

“Are you being serious, Eris?” Y/N questioned, still not believing his words. 

“Deadly,” Eris replied and took a sip from his drink. 

The room was quiet and Y/N was worried that Eris was able to hear how fast her heart was beating. In his intoxicated state, Y/N hoped he didn’t. The two remained silent as Eris finished off the rest of his drink, his hand laying on Y/N’s thigh the whole time. Everytime Y/N moved, Eris’s grip only became tighter. 

Just as Eris went to reach for the bottle once more, Y/N stopped him. “Perhaps you have had enough for tonight.”

Eris looked at the bottle thoughtfully before pouring out a very small amount of drink. He downed it in one gulp. 

“For confidence,” he said, his words becoming increasingly slurred. 

Y/N didn’t get a chance to respond as Eris’s lips crashed onto hers. It caught Y/N off guard as she fell back slightly, though Eris held her up. Their teeth clashed and it was not like anything Y/N imagined a kiss with Eris like. Partly because when she imagined it, Eris preferably wasn’t intoxicated and was in complete control of his body. 

After her shock fell away, Y/N gently pushed Eris away. His lips only chased after hers as she did so. 

“Eris,” Y/N said softly. “Stop.”

The amber of Eris’s eyes met Y/N’s and she hated the look within them. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “That was stupid of me.”

“No,” Y/N said, gently cupping his face. “No it wasn’t. But perhaps we can talk about it tomorrow when all of your senses are intact.”

Y/N slipped from Eris’s lap and she instantly felt cold. She took her heels off of her feet and allowed her feet to rest on the cold floor. Eris remained in his seat, looking down at his hands. He twisted a ring around his middle finger. The ring Y/N had bought for him for his five hundredth birthday nearly forty years ago. He had never taken it off. 

“Well,” Y/N said, holding out her hand to him. “Are you coming?”

Eris looked up at Y/N, his eyes lightly glistened with unshed tears and Y/N’s heart broke. “Where are we going?”

“Bed,” Y/N said. “You need to sleep before the meeting tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Eris said and shakily clambered to his feet. 

As he stood up, he lightly swayed on his feet and Y/N quickly reached out to steady him. The moment her arms held onto his biceps, Eris reached out and pulled her body to his, enveloping her in a hug. Y/N hugged him back, her fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck. 

“I love you, Y/N,” Eris confessed. “I can’t keep it a secret anymore.”

“Eris,” Y/N whispered. “We can talk about this in the morning when you actually realise what you are saying.”

“I know what I am saying,” Eris said. “I just wished that I could have told you when I was sober.”

“You can tell me in the morning, Eris,” Y/N replied, pulling away from the hug. 

“I’m afraid I won’t have the confidence in the morning,” Eris admitted. 

Y/N caressed his face. “If your words are genuine I believe that there will be nothing to worry about. Now come on, before you fall over and drag both of us down.”

Y/N carefully and slowly helped Eris to his room. The doors were a struggle to open but as she did so, she was shocked at what she saw. It had been at least six months since Eris had become High Lord of Autumn and the most unexpected thing was how bare his room was. It was as if no one lived inside.

As Y/N helped Eris through the threshold of the room, Eris seemed to shrink into himself. “Can I sleep at your house tonight?”

“Eris, that is at least a two hour walk from here,” Y/N said. 

“I can winnow,” he replied.

“And possibly take us thousands of miles away in the state you are right now,” Y/N said. 

Eris sighed. “Okay, fine.” he let go of Y/N and began to stumble his way to the bed. The sheets were pristine, as if Eris hadn’t slept in them in ages. 

“Y/N,” Eris called out as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Can you stay with me? I don’t want to be alone in here.”

Y/N’s eyes softened. “Of course.”

Only a small smile appeared on Eris’s face before he began to dress down to his sleepwear. Which consisted of only his underwear. As she turned back around, she gasped at what she saw. 

Scars. Many of them. Large ones across his back that shone silver in the moonlight. Smaller ones littered his torso and chest, but none were as bad as the ones across his back. 

“Eris, what happened, my love?” Y/N asked, walking over to him. 

“My father is what happened,” Eris said. “Any act of disobedience and the scars are what I received. My mother had a healer who would always help me after any of my fathers beatings. The scars that remain were the worst of them. I received them just there.” Eris pointed over to the fireplace and the seating area surrounding it. “That is why I try to avoid sleeping here as much as possible.”

“If I knew that I wouldn’t have brought you here,” Y/N said, shifting on the bed. 

“It’s okay,” said Eris, looking at her for the first time since entering the room. “It feels better to be here now that you are here too.”

“Are you sure you want to sleep here tonight?” Y/N said. “I am sure that there are other rooms we can sleep in.”

“None of them have any bedding since I dismissed most of the staff my father hired,” Eris explained. “I will be fine here, with you.”

Y/N offered him a small smile. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Eris replied. 

Y/N nodded and took one of Eris' shirts to sleep in as he got comfortable on the bed. She watched him constantly move to find a comfortable position but it seemed as if he couldn’t. 

Once she slipped into one of Eris’s shirts, she moved over to the bed, slipping beneath the covers. Y/N could tell that they were brand new and had never been slept in. Y/N moved so she was laying behind Eris. The scars on his back were even worse up close and Y/N wished that she could rewind time to make Beron pay even more than he already did. Y/N wasn’t a particularly violent person but what she would do to Beron if she somehow found a way to time travel, she was sure it would even make the shadowsinger of the Night Court deathly afraid. 

Y/N shuffled closer to Eris and carefully wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing herself against his back. 

“What are you doing?” Eris asked. 

“What I should have been doing every single night since you became High Lord,” Y/N answered. 

She pressed soft and gentle kisses against the scar that ran across his upper back and she felt Eris sigh in contentment. 

“I am lucky to have you in my life,” Eris mumbled. 

“No, I’m lucky to have you,” Y/N said, holding onto him tighter. 

Eris threaded his fingers with hers and relaxed in her hold. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too,” Y/N said. “Now try to get some sleep.”

“You’ll be here in the morning?” Eris asked.

“Eris, I am never leaving you again,” Y/N replied. 

Eris didn’t respond as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Y/N made sure that he was fully asleep before drifting off herself, holding Eris within her arms. 

***

When Y/N awoke the next morning, she immediately knew where she was. Within the night, Y/N and Eris had switched positions and now she was wrapped within Eris’s arms. Y/N laced her fingers with his. 

“I was wondering when you would wake up,” Eris muttered against the top of her head. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You could have woken me,” Y/N said and shuffled around to face Eris. “I wouldn’t have minded. How is your head?”

“Surprisingly I haven’t woken up with as bad of a headache as everyone was expecting,” Eris said before some of the light left his eyes. “Y/N, I just wanted to say that I am sorry for last night. I shouldn’t have said all of those things. You must have been uncomfortable–”

“Eris, I am going to cut you off there,” Y/N said. “In no way, shape or form did you make me uncomfortable last night.”

“But I made you sit on my lap, I made you sleep in bed with me, I confessed– I confessed my feelings,” Eris said, avoiding eye contact.

“You also kissed me,” Y/N said.

Eris’s eyes widened. “I did? Gods, Y/N I am so sorry.”

“Eris,” Y/N said, caressing his cheek and forcing him to look at her. His beautiful amber eyes were full of regret. Y/N wanted to change that. “Do you remember exactly what happened last night?”

“Not all of it–”

“Not all of it, so do you remember what happened just before we fell asleep?” Y/N asked.

“No, I just remember falling asleep after you climbed into bed,” Eris answered.

“Well before we fell asleep, you said that you loved me,” Y/N said. 

Eris sighed. “If this is just a way to tell me that you don’t feel the same–”

“Eris you seriously don’t remember what I replied,” Y/N said, fighting the smile threatening to appear on her face. 

Eris shook his head.

“I told you that I loved you too,” Y/N confessed. 

“You did?” Eris asked, a small smile toying at the corner of his lips.

“I did,” Y/N said. “And I do mean it, Eris. I do love you. I am in love with you.”

Eris pulled Y/N’s body closer. “I am so glad to hear you say that.”

“I am so glad to finally say it out loud,” Y/N said. “I have loved you for a long time, Eris.”

“I have loved you even longer,” Eris said. “Possibly the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Y/N smiled. “Kiss me, Eris. And let us pretend that this was the first time.”

A tinge of red appeared on Eris’s cheeks. “Gladly.”

This time, the kiss was sweet and gentle as Eris seemed to pour all of his emotions into it. This was more what Y/N imagined what kissing Eris would feel like. Y/N could feel Eris smile into the kiss. 

“That felt like more of what I imagined,” Y/N mumbled against his lips.

“So you’ve imagined kissing me?” Eris questioned as he cupped her jaw. 

Y/N sheepishly glanced down for a brief moment and it was confirmation of her answer. 

“Well, it is only fair that I have fantasised about kissing you as well,” Eris muttered. 

“We still have a couple of hours until your meeting,” Y/N said. “We can stay here for as long as you like.”

Eris smiled. “I wish I didn’t need to go to the meeting so I could stay here for eternity with you.”

“Your meeting is for an hour, I’m sure you can survive that,” Y/N replied. 

Eris chuckled. “I am sure you are overestimating my restraint around you, Y/N. You have no idea how hard it has been keeping my feelings for you a secret. First it was because I didn’t want my father to know how much you meant to me. I never wanted him in the vicinity of you. And secondly, I just thought you would never return my feelings. You always mentioned never wanting to date or find a relationship.”

Y/N pecked his lips. “You can be so stupid sometimes, Eris. The reason why I didn’t date or find a relationship was because I was in love with you.”

Eris scoffed. “So you mean to tell me that I have been torturing myself ever since I became High Lord when we could have been sleeping together like this the whole time?”

“I’m afraid so, darling,” Y/N said, kissing the tip of his nose. 

Eris scrunched up his nose and chuckled. “Well now we have all the time in the world.”

Y/N smiled, her heart skipping a beat. “Yes we do.”

“How do you feel about moving in here? I’d like to finally feel comfortable in this room and I think a large redecoration is in order. Perhaps building a balcony to allow light inside. My father did always deteste natural light. We can decorate it so it feels homely, and not a torture chamber. A large ‘fuck you’ to my father,” Eris aid. 

“I would want nothing more,” Y/N said. 

“Perfect,” Eris said. “If we start after the meeting, we can get all of your things moved in by nightfall. And–”

“Eris,” Y/N said, cutting him off with a light chuckle. “Please shut up and kiss me again.”

Eris smiled. It was the most genuine and loving smile she had ever seen grace his beautiful features. “It would be my pleasure.”

Eris kissed Y/N once more and she felt herself falling in love with him all over again.

[walkingstackofbooks]

A 9-year-old Julian Bashir who has had nightmares about evil doctors in an alien hospital for as long as he can remember. He doesn't tell his parents though because "he's a big boy now" and nightmares are for little kids, so he knows he should deal with them alone. And even if he'd like a hug sometimes, his mum only gives him hugs for doing well, not for doing badly, so he figures there's no point bothering her

A 15-year-old Julian Bashir who realises that the nightmares he used to have were based on the apparently very real alien hospital his parents had taken him to as a kid, and spends hours trying to figure out what were real memories and what his mind had made up over the years as he slept. The nightmares come back with an intensity, but they're nothing compared with how he's feeling when he's awake, and pretty soon they become a normal background noise of his life.

A 19-year-old Julian Bashir who's finally been moved into a solitary room after his third roommate in as many weeks complained about the almost-nightly screams. His advisor asks if he wants to speak to anyone: he claims they're just night terrors and he doesn't actually remember them. Besides, even if he could talk about what was in them, he probably wouldn't, because he's fine - he's used to them by now.

A 24-year-old Julian Bashir who gets woken from his nightmares by warm hands and gentle kisses, and learns what is like to be soothed back to sleep by the soft voice of Palis Delon

A 32-year-old Julian Bashir who has a different nightmare every night. The last year's been difficult. But then, it's been difficult for everyone, and he knows he's far from the only one to be suffering from nightmares at the moment.

A 34-year-old Julian Bashir who can't stop dreaming about the torture he went through four weeks ago, who's missing Ezri and who Miles is increasingly concerned about. When the O'Briens offer him their spare room for a while, he warns them multiple times about his nightmares, and is pathetically grateful when that doesn't change their minds. "We have nightmares too, Julian," says Keiko. "We can cope with yours."

A 34-year-old Julian Bashir who is confused when, three days later, Miles remarks, "You are having a bad run of those nightmares, aren't you?"

"They've been better than usual, actually," he replies awkwardly. "It's been really nice being able to go back to sleep afterwards, for once -- you and Keiko have been so generous in coming and checking on me."

"Course we're gonna come and check on you," says Miles gruffly. "You woke up terrified. We're not letting you do that alone."

"I'd be fine, Miles," Julian reassures. "I'm hardly going to expect one of you to come in every night."

Miles pauses. "...How long are you expecting to have them 'every night' for?" he asks, with some concern. "I mean, after a thing like this, how long does it usually take them to settle down?"

Julian stares at Miles. "I... have nightmares, Miles," he replies, frowning. "Just like you. Nightmares happen every night."

"No, they don't," says Miles, equally confused. "Don't get me wrong, they can do: after something big then sure, they're like that for a few weeks - a couple of months, even. But eventually they fall down to once, twice a week..."

Julian is looking at Miles incredulously. "That might be how it works for you," he says. "I guess my brain's different to yours. Mine don't stop, they just... mix. Change. Get confused with one another, eventually. I've had more dreams about being genetically modified by Sloan in the Dominion camp than I care to remember, you know?"

Miles' concern has turned into abject dismay. "You're saying you've had nightmares every single night since the Dominion took you?" he exclaims.

"Well, maybe not every single night!" retorts Julian, a little unsure what Miles is getting so het up about. "I do have some days when I don't... But yeah, pretty much. I've had nightmares most nights since I was fifteen, it's just how my brain processes stuff."

"Fifteen?"

...

A 34-year-old Julian who finds out that having nightmares every night for two decades is, apparently, "not normal" and something he should be seeking help for.

If Ezri comes back alive, he supposes he might take it up with her.

[howi99]

Prince of Vale 5

Jaune: *getting out of the bullhead, looking pissed*

Pyrrha: *wincing* It didn't go well?

Jaune: *sigh of frustration* My family was fine, yes. And no, they don't hate me. *Pointing them* And it's nothing that have to do with any of you.

Nora: *worried* Then... What happened?

Jaune: Where should i start!? Atlas pressuring me to marry Weiss or her sister? Or, and hear me out on this one, MISTRAL ACCUSING ME OF PROTECTING A TERRORIST WHO IS ALSO THE PRINCESS OF MENAGERIE!?!

Pyrrha: *shocked* MARRYING WEISS!?

Ren: *nod* I'm assuming they are talking about Blake? Wouldn't that be Ozpin's responsibility?

Jaune: Yes marrying. *Turn to Ren* And you'd think so, right!? Besides, Vale doesn't recognize the White Fang as a terrorist organization since we are allied to Menagerie.

Ren: Want to get some tea at the cafeteria?

Jaune: *sigh of exasperation* I would love to, but i need to see Ozpin about 2 out of three of these problems. *Walk off*

Pyrrha: *dumbfounded* Marrying Weiss...

Nora: Pyrrha, get a hold of yourself!

___________________________________________

Ozpin: *seeing Jaune enter his office* Ah, mister Ar-

Jaune: *cutting him* It's Vallois now and you know it. *Sigh, taking a seat*

Ozpin: *perplexed* What happened?

Jaune: A diplomatic incident which may well lead to the expulsion of the SDC from Vale, the annulation of the Vytal Festival and an embargo from Mistral because of Blake's past.

Ozpin: *blink, surprised* ... Should i be worried for Miss Schnee well being? Or Miss Belladonna's?

Jaune: *shake his head* No. They are my friends and i wouldn't betray them because of some idiots thinking they can tell a king what to do. *Looking through the window* Concessions can be made, but their ultimatums were grave insults.

Ozpin: *nod* I see... May i advise you to refrain from any harsh decisions?

Jaune: You are the royal advisor, are you not? Isn't that your job? Aside from being Beacon headmaster of course. *Sigh* I need to invite General Ironwood, Jacques Schnee, the Belladonna's and the first minister of Mistral... Hell, i should also invite Vacuo's representative so they don't feel offended by not being involved.

Ozpin: Should i also invite the nobles?

Jaune: *shaking his head* I will deal with them later. They are all squabbling among themselves for my favors now that i'm technically king. Even though my father is the one who is in command of internal affairs until i'm out of Beacon...

[bisexuallsokka]

would love to read about the college husbands for the wip game 🤍

here are 3.5k words of sokka being a TA and flirting with one of his students (zuko) and korra and her friends realizing that actually there may be more going on than meets the eye

Korra clears her throat. 

“This seat is taken,” the stranger says, glancing at the empty seat next to him at the end of the row and not looking at her. 

“Good for you,” she says. “You’re in the way.”

He rolls his eyes and barely moves his legs from where he is attempting to stretch them out as much as possible in the cramped lecture hall seats. Korra doesn’t apologize for stepping on his toes when she shuffles past him and he doesn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction. 

She puts a few seats between them and is fine with ignoring him, but Bolin turns to the stranger pretty soon after he and Asami find Korra and sit next to her.

“Hey, I know you!” he says brightly. “You were my older brother’s TA for his Shakespeare course last semester! He took me to one of your shows, you make a great Hamlet.”

Korra remembers Mako talking about that course, how he was excited to have another trans guy in his class, especially one who was a great TA and stage actor. Well, the dude is sure putting on a great performance of “miserable and caffeine deficient college student”.

Asami looks at him curiously. “Are you one of the TA’s for this class now?”

His shoulders tense and he lets out a sigh. “No. I’m just a student.”

“Aren’t you now like, what, a junior or senior?” Bolin asks. 

“Senior,” he answers tersely. “This is my final semester.”

Korra snorts and looks around. “Why are you in a class with a bunch of freshmen?” 

“Because my academic advisor is an idiot,” he snaps immediately, then takes a deep breath. “There was some miscommunication. Now I’m stuck here to make up the credit so I can graduate.”

“Hey guys! Welcome to class!”

Korra recognizes the newcomer from the email he sent the class a week before the semester started. Sokka, the head TA, looks about as friendly as his overuse of exclamation marks made him seem to be. He grins at them before dropping in the seat that the stranger had supposedly been saving. He doesn’t say anything about it, though, and Korra is willing to bet that he lied about it being taken so he wouldn’t be stuck sitting next to a freshman. 

“I see you’re all getting to know each other, that’s great! It’s awesome making friends on the first day of class. You never know what it’ll lead to.”

The stranger gives Sokka a weird look, outwardly expressing the confusion that Korra is feeling in regards to his cryptic statement, and Sokka just beams back at him. “I’m Sokka,” he introduces.

They introduce themselves and then Sokka looks expectantly at the stranger, who mumbles, “Zuko.”

“I hope you are all ready for the best semester ever,” he says, his voice so enthusiastic that Korra has to remember that this is Physics 101 and not a class that is, well, actually exciting. 

Zuko seems to slump even more in his chair with a slight sigh as Sokka starts to ramble about his love for the course and how he was hooked since day one when he took it as a freshman himself.

“Come on, it won’t be that bad!” Sokka says, noticing Zuko’s withering attitude. “At the very least, you have a gorgeous TA to stare at when I give lectures or review sessions or whatever. And I have the pleasure of having a beautiful face in the audience.”

Zuko clears his throat loudly, his face in a scowl, but his cheeks are slightly pink. “Is it professional for TA’s to flirt with their students? Maybe I should have a talk with Professor Piandao.” 

“Eh, Piandao isn’t about to fire me or anything. I’m his favorite student and TA of all time, and he’s the best professor and coolest guy Republic City University has ever had. He’s the kind of guy you’d invite to your wedding, you know?”

Korra frowns. Strange way to describe a professor, but Zuko doesn’t seem fazed by it. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he says dryly. 

Korra was banking on the first day to consist of the boring standard run through of the syllabus, but within a few minutes she realizes Sokka was right about Piandao being a pretty cool guy. Sokka jumps up to help him set up his powerpoint, and together the two of them introduce themselves to the whole class and talk about the course. Sokka explains that he has been a TA for Piandao since he took this class his freshmen year, and while he moved on to TA for the 300 level courses, one of the TAs unexpectedly had to leave and Sokka took up this class again as a nice way to tie up the end of his college experience before he graduates at the end of the semester.

“There is no way I’d rather end my pursuit of a degree in physics than by helping you all learn the ins and outs for yourselves, so please, don’t hesitate to let me help you,” Sokka says kindly, and damn, Korra thought classes with professors and TAs like these two only existed in the movies. “I am here if you have any questions.”

Zuko, Korra quickly learns, has lots of questions.

The first few classes, he raises his hand the most out of anyone. He asks good questions, the kind that Korra usually wouldn’t think of asking until she was reading over her notes to try and figure out the homework. Sokka answers each one with a great deal of patience, and whenever they are given time to work on a practice question, Korra notices how Sokka tends to linger on the side of the room closest to Zuko. 

It’s almost cute: Sokka’s eyes drifting toward Zuko while Zuko scowls down at his paper where Bolin is gently pointing out a mistake he made, Sokka telling Zuko that he can go to his office hours for extra help -- his voice quiet enough for only Korra to hear -- , Zuko trying to hide his smile whenever Sokka is being particularly ridiculous that day. Some days it makes Korra want to gag, but she manages to control herself. Besides, they have a good system going on. Sokka had suggested they make study groups that first day, and Bolin invited Zuko to theirs. 

“The dorms are kinda small, but I could ask my roommate to give us the room and we can sit on the floor?” Bolin winced as the four of them lingered after class to hash out the details to meet before their first exam.

“I’d offer my place, but unfortunately my roommate is a huge distraction,” Zuko had said. “I can show you guys how to reserve the best study rooms in the library before they’re all gone.”

Zuko always sits in the same seat with the aisle one on his left open, and Korra continues to sit in the same row with Bolin and Asami. Bolin and Asami are naturals at physics, judging by their high grades and the way that Piandao and Sokka beam at the two of them when they answer questions. It works well for their group: Bolin and Asami help Zuko and Korra, Korra helps Asami with her statistics homework and Bolin with his history class, and Zuko gives them college tips from a seasoned student that actually turn out to be very useful.

Plus, watching Zuko interact with Sokka is free entertainment.

“Any questions?” Sokka asks at the end of his powerpoint.

The room is silent. Korra doesn’t entirely understand everything that the midterm review session just covered, but she’s not sure she knows where to begin asking questions, so she taps her pen against her notebook and waits for them to be dismissed so she can ask Asami to explain everything to her.

“Yes, Zuko?”

Or not.

She manages to not groan out loud, but not everyone in the room is as successful. They’ve witnessed this same scenario play out several times before: Zuko asking questions that push them to the very end of the class hour and losing them the extra ten minutes that Piandao had offered if there were no more questions. Korra glances at her phone to see that it’s almost 8pm, and she is starving.

Sokka ignores the complaining students and continues to smile at Zuko.

Zuko, sitting on Korra’s left today, puts his hand down and opens his mouth, then closes it, flips his notebook back a few pages, then sighs. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“That’s not a question,” Sokka says sweetly.

“The practice problems in the textbook are completely different from what you just showed us.”

“Yes, well, science is often about learning formulas and knowing how to plug in different data.”

“But this one involved negatives. I thought I was getting it but those just make no sense.”

“I thought you were the expert at negatives, seeing you’re always correcting my use of double negatives,” Sokka says with a smirk.

“I don’t--” Zuko huffs. “I don’t correct you, I just enjoy pointing them out, you know my honors thesis is all about descriptivism in language…”

Korra glances between the two of them as Zuko continues ranting. She would remember hearing some dumbass conversation about double negatives in the middle of their physics work, and she feels like she’s missing something.

“Anyone else feel like we’re witnessing some weird kind of foreplay?” Asami mutters to her and Bolin. Bolin stifles his laughter, but her words have Korra’s mind spinning.

The rest of the class has had enough and has decided to start packing away their things, and Sokka tears his eyes away from Zuko to notice them.

“Zuko, I would love to discuss this with you some more,” Sokka says, interrupting him. “Everyone else, please email me if you have any more questions, I’ll be checking my inbox regularly so you don’t have to wait for a response! Good luck on the midterm!”

Zuko doesn’t move, his arms crossed across his chest as he impatiently waits for the class to clear. Korra gets up and follows Asami and Bolin out, but she throws one last look over her shoulder to see Sokka sliding into the seat next to Zuko with a soft smile that makes her pause.

…

“How did you all do on the midterm?” Zuko asks the day after the grades are posted online. He looks to be in a good mood, so Korra assumes he did well. She opens her mouth to respond, but then her eyes trail down to his neck and she finds another possible source for his good mood.

She tries to cover a laugh with a forced cough, but Zuko catches it and narrows his eyes.

“What?”

Asami takes pity on him. “You have a little something...” she gestures at her own neck with her hand. 

Zuko looks confused, but then his eyes widen and he slaps his hand over the assortment of hickeys on his neck. “Shit,” he hisses. 

“I have some makeup in my backpack,” Asami offers. 

Zuko sighs and slowly lowers his hand, accepting his fate with red cheeks. “Whatever. I have time to go home after this. But thanks.”

Korra snickers. “I guess that answers the question of if you had a good weekend.”

Zuko gives her a half-hearted glare, but before he can respond, Sokka is taking the open seat next to him. 

“Hey guys!” he greets, then frowns when he looks over at Zuko. “Is your neck okay, Zuko?” he asks, looking slightly concerned. 

He grunts when Zuko kicks him roughly in the leg, and Zuko smiles sweetly at him. “Oops, sorry, I hope that doesn’t leave a mark.” 

Korra glances to her right at Asami, who is already looking at her with a bewildered expression.

Zuko’s good mood doesn’t last. They start the next unit and only ten minutes into class, Korra can tell he has the same headache that she’s feeling. Even Bolin’s eyebrows are furrowed in confusion, and Korra glances at her girlfriend and breathes a sigh of relief to see that she seems to be absorbing all the new information like a sponge. Asami explains it in simpler terms, but even then Korra isn’t sure how they are supposed to solve this practice problem together.

“You guys doing good?”

Zuko’s hand tightens on his pen, and he doesn’t look up at Sokka as he hovers over their group. “We are doing well. You can leave us now.”

Sokka scoffs. “Oh, is that how this is going to be? And here I was going to tell you the simple mistake you made in your formula...”

Korra half expects Zuko to lash out again, but instead he sighs and slumps back in his chair, looking up at Sokka. “Please help?”

The smile on Sokka’s face makes Korra look away, feeling as if she is intruding on something, and he takes the seat next to Zuko and starts to walk them through the problem. Her gaze lands on Sokka’s left hand and she notices, not for the first time, the small but elegant tattoo on one of his fingers.

…

The second half of the semester is much harder than the first, and she wonders how and why on earth Sokka wanted to take more physics classes if this was supposed to be the introduction. Then again, Asami seems to be enjoying it, and after hearing about Sokka’s double major in physics and engineering, she’s pretty sure he becomes her personal hero. 

Korra has no choice but to pay more attention in lectures and stop wondering what the hell is going on between Sokka and Zuko. She wonders if Sokka will finally ask Zuko out once they finish the course. Judging by the way Zuko’s icy exterior thaws whenever Sokka is speaking or is within five feet of them, she’s betting he’ll say yes. Alas, she has more to keep her mind occupied than their odd path to courtship, and she tries to at least understand the basic concepts so Asami can walk her through the more complex parts later.

When Zuko arrives at their reserved study room a week before the final, he’s carrying a plate that may as well have rotten fish on it, judging by the expression on his face and the way he is carrying it.

“I brought cookies,” he says in the same tone that someone would use to announce “I lost all my possessions in a fire”.

He places it on the table, and when Bolin starts to say something about no food allowed in the library, Korra kicks him and grabs two.

“I didn’t think you were the baking type,” she tells him around a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.

“I’m not. My husband made them and insisted I bring them for motivation or something,” Zuko says.

Korra manages to not spit out her cookie everywhere, but carefully swallows it and clears her throat, exchanging wide-eyed looks with her friends. “You’re married?”

Zuko gives her a confused look and holds up his left hand. Sure enough, there’s a wedding band on his ring finger that managed to blend in with his other rings. “I have been for almost a year now.”

“Wow,” Bolin whistles. “Poor Sokka, he seemed really into you. You should let him know so he doesn’t get his hopes up.”

Zuko gives him a flat look. “I’ll be sure to tell him. Did you guys start filling out the study guide yet?”

The next hour drags on. Korra knows she should be focusing on studying for their final. Their schedules are too busy to meet together as much as they’d like to before they have to take it, and she needs to take advantage of the time she has. But she is too distracted by the puzzle in her mind that is coming together perfectly. 

Fortunately, Zuko gives her a break when his phone rings and he steps out to take it outside of the library. 

As soon as the door closes, Korra reaches over and locks it. 

Asami quirks an eyebrow at her. “Are you locking us in, or locking Zuko out?”

“The second one. You guys, I just realized something that’s going to blow your minds: Zuko and Sokka are married.”

It does not have the reaction she was hoping for. Bolin and Asami stare at her, then look at each other and start laughing. 

“Zuko and Sokka? As in, our TA Sokka? What makes you think that?” Asami giggles, and it’s too endearing to watch that Korra can’t get frustrated that they don’t believe her. 

She focuses and looks away, splaying her hands on the table and leaning forward. “No, trust me, I have been suspicious about them for a while now, but it didn’t add up until tonight, when I saw Zuko’s wedding band. It has a simple design, but I swear there is a similar pattern in the tattoo on Sokka’s hand, and I’m 90% sure it’s on his ring finger.”

“Sokka has a tattoo on his finger?” Bolin asks, brows furrowed.

Korra groans. This is going to be harder than she thought. “Listen, I know you two are like, the future Sokkas of this course, but you can’t tell me you haven’t been paying attention to anything else. Sokka helps us during class enough that I’ve noticed his tattoo when he points stuff out on our pages. Also, isn’t it a little suspicious just how often Sokka helps us, considering you two are the smartest people in that room? It’s because he’s helping his husband.”

Bolin and Asami share a glance, the wheels turning. “Has Sokka ever talked about being married?” Bolin frowns, grabbing another cookie.

Korra pauses, her mind racing. Sokka talks with his class about his love for physics more than his love for anything else, but then Asami gasps next to her.

“Does anyone still have his introductory email from the beginning of the semester?”

Korra’s eyes widen. “Babe, you’re a genius.” She pulls out her phone, aware that Zuko could come back any second, and searches Sokka’s name in her inbox. There are a few announcements, some responses to her questions, an email that he sent full of pictures of his cat to make them smile while studying for the midterm…

“I got it,” Korra whispers, opening the very first email from him. Asami and Bolin try to read over her shoulder, but she spots it first. 

“Oh my god, he said he’s a newly wed,” she tells them. 

Bolin’s jaw drops, and Asami sits back in her chair, the look of disbelief slowly fading from her features. 

“Oh my god. How have we never noticed?” Bolin wonders aloud.

“So that means Sokka made these?” Korra says, holding up a third cookie. “My compliments to the chef.”

“Why would they hide that, though?” Asami asks.

“Who says they’re hiding it? They both are pretty busy, I don’t think--”

“Zuko’s coming!” Bolin hisses, his eyes glancing over Korra to peer through the glass door. Korra launches herself forward to unlock it then sits back and tries to act normal. Unfortunately, Asami and Bolin are doing the same, and they’re not the best of liars.

Zuko is smiling at his phone when he walks in, and he glances up and freezes when he sees the three staring at him.

“What?” he asks slowly. “Did I miss anything?”

“Nothing at all,” Bolin says, his voice higher than normal. Korra sighs, but is grateful when Zuko mentions that he has to leave in two hours, and they get back to work.

…

i can't be fucked to give this an ending or to fix it up enough for me to like it and post it (i wrote it almost four years ago so the writing style feels too different) but i hope you enjoyed what i do have <3

[doodle-pops]

House of Fingolfin | Being Called ‘Daddy’ in Public

Request: Heyo Mina! I'd like to get headcanons for the House of Fingolfin where reader whispers "Daddy" in their ear in public. I can just picture Turgon fainting in public and Argon just "who me? Huh?" Thank you for considering 💖💖 – @rain-on-my-umbrella

A/N: I had lots of fun writing this headcanon, and yeah, Argon is definitely going to panic and get confused.

Warnings: suggestive content, humour

◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ ` Fingolfin

It’s a great prank to throw at him if you know what you’re setting yourself up for in the end, so a win is a win. With Fingolfin’s perfect stoic demeanour and ability to have self-control, you could whisper those words in his ear as much as you want, he isn’t cracking.

On a lovely chit-chat with one of his esteemed Lords and you at his side as you partake in the diplomatic conversation, you would grow bored and find the most inopportune moment to whisper, casually, in his ear, “Daddy.”

That’s it. No attachments, no questions, no extra phrases, just ‘Daddy’. Fingolfin is calm as always, his eyes relaxed, not even a clenched jaw as he takes in your words. You might get a small look of disappointment, but his exterior is like a calm sea, however, his interior reflects the opposite.

He’s already had you ten times over in his head and plotting on making the eleventh time a reality since you want to play games with him. You should know that he’s great at playing games like this one, and never loses.

You might take his lack of response insulting because he continues to chit-chat and drags you along with a respectable smile on his face. So what do you do, say it again and again and again. You’re just piling up your punishment right there because when this talk is over, the Kingdom won’t be seeing you for a week.

Fingolfin is a been too invested in teaching you a lesson, getting you to call him ‘Daddy’ so more and doing his damn hardest to bring the purpose of the name to life once more.

◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ ` Fingon

Everything was going great. He picked you up from your house, greeted you with flowers and a kiss before inviting you on a casual stroll through the city. Somewhere in between, he decided on an impromptu picnic which led him to dragging you around purchasing items.

You found it hilarious to embark on this prank, wanting to see if it would lead to something more…passionate. So what do you do? Wait until he’s about to order treats from the baker and whisper, “Daddy,” in his ear. Poor Fingon is confused because he swivelled his head around thinking that his father was here.

You’re in hysterics, he’s searching for his father and the baker is standing there waiting for his order. Fingon would ask why you’re laughing and where did you see his father. He might even ask if you meant your father and not his.

To keep up the prank, you would cling to his arm and whisper that you did see a daddy and it was him while calling him daddy all over again. Fingon would eventually catch on, and he was getting flustered that you would address him like that so openly. He can’t hide the blush and the heat rising.

Fingon would try to calm himself by telling you that he doesn’t even look like one though he’d like to be a father one day. He might even tease you a bit about how you want him and couldn’t get enough which doesn’t help because it leads to his thoughts slowly being consumed by images of you together.

As much as the term didn’t turn him on like you wanted to, the reason behind it did, and he makes use of his knowledge of the surroundings around the city to find the best spot for an impromptu picnic…with a bit of a physical activity.

◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ ` Turgon

Of all times possible, during a festival and when he was about to make his grand speech, you found nothing better than give him a lovely pep talk and ending it with a sweet kiss and the devious whisper of. ‘Daddy’ in his hear before you strutted your fine, innocent self away, leaving in disoriented.

His advisor is calling to him to take the stage while he’s choking on air and fighting with the internal images popping up one right after the other to prevent his boner from worsening. It’s already worse, thankfully his robs keep it hidden. Cue the advisor, “My King, are you alright?” “Yes I am” No, he isn’t.

Turgon is a mess during his speech, fumbling , shuffling on his feet and making a few stutters here and there as he spots you in the crowd mouthing ‘Daddy’ to him. You’re not helping, as if that was your plan from the start.

His eyes are honed on your every move during the speech. Successfully, he makes it to the end and leaves the stage as gracefully as he could before issuing one of his servants to request your presence to his chamber immediately.

He is disappointed by your display to behave so lowly and lack decorum that he finds it right to teach you a lesson. You don’t get to reason or beg once Turgon corners you, he immediately gets that innocent façade out the moment you arrive to his chambers.  

Like his father, Turgon enjoys hearing you refer to him as ‘Daddy’ and ensures that it’s all you’re mumbling all night (along with ‘sorry’) since you want to play games and test his patience. You aren’t leaving his chambers until the break of dawn.

◞ ꙳ ๋࣭ ⭑ ` Argon

He’s cheerfully engaging with his siblings and cousins as they are all out in public. Laughing and joking with one another as they decide on what to do with the rest of their day. While everyone is discussing ideas, Argon sits down on a bench with you at his side, enjoying the atmosphere.

That’s when you strike. When no one was looking, you ran your fingers along the inside of his thighs and leaned in to whisper ‘Daddy’. Never before had you seen him aroused and confused at the same time. He literally bit his tongue swallowing a moan as you touched his thigh.

Argon would slap your hands away and scoot over to the opposite end of the bench while staring at you flustered. He’s doing his best to keep his heart rate in check and the possible rise of a boner on the low. He’s fidgeting with his pants and tugging at it to bring relief, and it doesn’t because you keep giving him that look.

As much as he was turned on, it’s not for the name calling. “Don’t ever call me daddy!” “Do I look like a father, or even father material?!” “Please, call me something else!” “You’re cruel to me, Y/N!”

Just to tease him some more, you would call him ‘Daddy’ again, but louder since his family wasn’t too far away. He’s on the verge of jumping into the stream of water nearby to save himself the embarrassment.

Argon is in a whirlwind emotions because one minute he’s turned on and the next, he’s disgusted. His arousal is just fluctuating at this point, and it might end with him losing it all because of your name choice. Though, when you’re alone later, he might pick things up where it was left off because to him, since you owe him.

Masterlist

Taglist: @lilmelily @ranhanabi777 @mysticmoomin @rain-on-my-umbrella @asianbutnotjapanese @batsyforyou @involuntaryspasms  @aconstructofamind @addaigio @lamemaster @stormchaser819 @sakurayaxd

[akindplace]

Hi! I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing you usually answer so no worries if not. Your blog has been a big encouragement to me over the years and I really appreciate the love and care you put into it!

I'm a chronically ill/disabled college student trying to make it through premed, and recently when I was talking in an anonymous community about a rough patch with my health and how it affected my performance in school, another premed started telling me I should just drop out until I'm better (even though i'm chronically ill), that I'm being a bad doctor to my current patients by allowing myself to do poorly, that people like me shouldn't be wasting time trying to be doctors.

i've worked so hard on my self worth but i'm already having a rough patch and it really hurt especially since i've really valued good doctors in my life. my parents and academic advisor have only been putting more pressure on me and i thought i'd reach out and see if you might have any encouragement or advice, because right now i feel like no one believes in me.

yeah honestly that person would be the one who is a bad doctor because they’re saying stuff like that to someone who is chronically ill and seems to not get the chronic part of it. I think having a chronic illness might actually add value to what you want as your career since it gives you life experience that other doctors don’t have, as you said it yourself, you know the value of a good doctor when someone needs help and you want to do your best. I don’t know if your parents are putting pressure on you out of worry for your health or wanting you to push through or maybe both, but that pressure doesn’t really help so maybe if you talk to them and set some boundaries might get them to respect the fact that it is your life ultimately and you should get to make decisions about your career and to health.

Studying to be a doctor is brutal in my country and I imagine it is a lot of work in yours too, and you should put your health above everything else but even though you are having a rough time with your health, it seems that you want to keep going, and you are the one living in your body, you are the one who knows your needs, so if you feel like doing it, do it. I imagine you’re probably on a break from school since it’s the end of the year so hopefully you don’t have to study right now and can get a lot of rest during this time and maybe do things that are fun and relaxing (like watching a movie, reading, things that don’t take too many spoons) to also ease the pressure of your illness and the pressure from other people.

Ultimately, this is your decision, and if you’re evaluating your own situation and deciding to do it, then you should do it. I know you’ll do your best, probably even more than that discouraging person who said you wouldn’t be able to be a good doctor, since you value what you do and seem to put a lot of effort, and as I said, you have life experience that they don’t. You should try it out since that’s what you want, and you’re the one living in your body with your chronic illness. I really hope you take care of yourself if you’re on a break right now and don’t take in too much of this pressure and that resting and taking it easy this time of the year helps a little with your illness so you can start your next semester feeling a little better. Maybe things will be really rough, and if they are, take a break if it’s needed, but maybe you’ll be fine, and the only way to know how things will be like it is to try, though if you feel like you can do it, then I believe you can do it because you’re the one who knows what your body is going through.

Your heart seems to be in this career and you should try it. Only you know what you go through, and I’m honestly cheering for you that things get better with your health and cheering for you with your career. I think you’ll do good things as a doctor, you seem to care a lot and to put effort in it, just remember to prioritize your health, because often a lot of doctors don’t since the job can be so demanding. I think you know what you’re doing and I am sending you my best wishes for your health, for the new year, for your next semester, and I know you’re going to do your best, just try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

[elliethecat]

Say the Wrong Thing (SidLink): Chapter 1

TRIGGER WARNINGS: anxiety, mentions of death, amnesia, crying (uhhh I hope this is enough 😔)

Rain.

So. much. rain.

That's all that Link could focus on while walking to the domain of the Zora.

Link couldn’t help but think about something his mother used to say:

A storm

The wind could

be light

could pick you up or something

The water could rise

all of this, it's beautiful

That's not how it went, was it? It was at least… something about a storm. Link was still at odds with his fractured mind after being healed at that shrine. He wanted to remember, but he couldn't.

He was scared. He was confused. He didn't have time to think about it. Here he was, discombobulated and having to save the whole entire world because some old lady wanted him to.

Just then, a voice called out to him.

“Hey there!” The voice called before jumping down from the lookout spire on the bridge Link was on. “You're a Hylian, aren't you? I was hoping to have a moment to talk!”

Link was startled for a moment, but he was fine with talking; he didn't have anything to do really. Though, this person was… definitely more pretty than the average person.

“Alright! I am Prince Sidon, Prince of the Zora People, and I am here to ask for help,” The man said. “You see, the Divine Beast Vah Ruta has been pouring water over Lanayru, and if this water continues the dam holding back the East Reservoir Lake will break and flood Hyrule! Will you help us, brave Hylian?”

“Sure,” Link signed. “Why can't you stop it?”

“The only way to shut off the Beast is by striking four power cores with shock arrows. Zora cannot hold shock arrows without being electrocuted, a Rito will not be able to fly in the rain, a Goron would be too heavy for me to carry, and the Gerudo barely visit. Therefore, a Hylian must help us.”

“Okay, I'll help you. What do I need to do?”

“Usually I would ask you to travel up the bank of the Zora River, but I can tell you are very hurt. Would you—”

“I'm fine.”

“Okay… Well then, you must go up the bank of the Zora River and across the Oren and Great Zora Bridges and across Luto's Crossing.”

“Thank you.”

Link then set off on the journey.

It was a long and tiring one, but with Sidon encouraging him now and then, Link was able to conquer it easily. Link couldn’t help but think that Sidon was incredibly sweet for encouraging him throughout the journey.

Once Link had arrived at Zora's Domain, he walked to the throne room and saw a very excited Sidon.

“Father! Muzu! It is the hero I have told you about!” Sidon exclaimed. “Ah, I never asked your name, Hero! What do you call yourself?”

“Link.” the Hero signed.

“That is a very wonderful name, Link! It's so very nice to meet you!”

“Hello, I am King Dorephan. Your name is Link, and you are a hero?” King Dorephan said.

“Yes.”

“That is very similar to the man whom my daughter Mipha loved,” Dorephan said.

“My king, are you blind?!” Muzu, Dorephan's advisor said. “That is obviously Link! He's the one who killed Mipha!”

“That is not how it happened at all, Muzu! Mipha was killed by Ganon, not Link.” Dorephan retorted.

“Stop arguing!” Sidon hissed. “If this is my sister's boyfriend, then the Zora Armor that she made should fit him.” Sidon then turned to Link. “You do know who Mipha is, correct?”

“No,” Link signed.

“Well then, follow me.”

Sidon walked down to the statue of Mipha in the town square as Muzu attempted to find the Zora Armor.

“This is what she looked like in life,” Sidon said. “She passed away 100 years from now due to The Calamity… Link?”

Link was looking at the statue and began to cry.

“Oh, Link! I'm so sorry! Follow me, I'll take you somewhere where no one will watch you cry.”

Sidon took Link's hand and walked him to his room in the palace.

Sidon sat down with Link on the bed he had. Sidon grabbed some tissues and gave them to Link so that he could wipe his eyes or blow his nose. After Link stopped crying, Sidon hugged Link and the knight quickly hugged back.

“Link, do you still love my sister?” Sidon softly asked.

“No,” the knight whispered. “But I know that she was a friend of mine. That's… that's all I remember.”

“Your voice is beautiful, Link.”

“No, yours is.”

[felikatze]

roy is my boy. my beautiful boy who is so bad at combat which is also A DELIBERATE CHARACTERIZATION DECISION.

it's his support with lance, i believe, which questions why roy is at the front lines at all. and roy acknowledges that he sucks. he's weak compared to everyone else, he knows this, but he fights on the frontlines anyways because it's about respect. he doesn't want to be the commander giving orders from up high - he wants to fight together with his men, remain connected with the people he leads. he never wants to lose sight of them.

and it's a thing about self-confidence, too, and how little he has of it - this lad has some massive imposter syndrome. again, he knows all his faults intimately. his combat performance is poor, he's studied the art of war but lacks any actual experience, and he considers himself, well, a loser, overall. but people love him anyway, because he still gives it his all, and it's in his lance support, too - roy's charismatic. not in the bold way, but in his demure nature. he's a steady presence to draw people together, with an earnestness that inspires others to help him succeed. they can tell he just wants to make things better for everybody, and they want to be better for him, too.

also, he's not just a soldier on the battlefied. he's the tactician. you don't see mark sweeping maps, right? roy is canonically the tactical mind behind the entire campaign, and he's damn good at it, too. i forgot whether it's lalum or elffin route, but in one of the two, it's said that it was roy's decision to rebrand to the etrurian army. that name change alone shows keen political awareness. being the lycian army when you're just a hodgepodge of lycians is fine, but when a etrurian general starts backing you, and you've now got the the whole of the continent's biggest nation behind you, well - the snooty bastards from up high aren't gonna let tiny little lycia hog all the glory. roy's conceeding recognition of the war effort to etruria to appease the new etrurian soldiers under his watch who'd balk at being lead by a pheraen nobody. (they probably dont even know where pherae is).

roy's a scholar, not a warrior. he wasn't present when bandits attacked pherae's castle cuz he was on his way home from summer break at college. he's good at this shit cuz he studied it. he has elffin and cecilia as advisors later on, but the early game is all him.

and he still doesn't recognize that cuz it's not physical. he's not in the action. to him, he is just leading people to their deaths. it's his duty to prevent it. it's the inherent guilt of leadership. and how inferior he feels compared to his father and hector - both great warriors in their own right (even if eliwood's combat performance in fe7 is equally poor). this is the only way to prove himself to himself. agrh.

roy is also just so deeply deeply kind. he will give anyone the chance to change, but he's not softhearted. if he must kill, he will. still, though, he has to try. he's always searching for that silver lining, always searching for a way to spill less blood on all sides.

if there is one thing he believes in, it is the goodness of the heart. he's optimistic, but not naive. he knows the world is rotten. the history of the scouring proves that well enough. but the world is made of its people, and if people choose to improve, the world will, too. just as roy tries, anyone can try. anyone should be able to try. humans, dragons, he doesn't care. if you do good, you are good. i just. i know i'm talking vague but it's such a hard thing to pin down.

i really think fe6 is let down by it's lack of emotive portraits here. if you wanna get emotion out of the story you really need to read into it yourself and let your imagination do the work just because there's no portraits or voice acting to sell it for you.

i love my boy. if you mischaracterize him as "hehe dragon racist" ever again i'll kill you.

[goodboyaudios]

(untitled vampire hunter story)

"Why did you do that!?"

"I told you before, its not my fault."

"You wiped out the entirety of House Dirk! And now you're going to look at me like this is no issue!?"

Dorse breathed deeply, try to maintain composure. "Are you going to let me explain, or are you just here to storm around my office and scream in my face?"

Servoss stared back at Dorse with visceral anger and disgust for the angel of death. He took a few moments to think on what the end result would be if he did just storm around and scream in Dorse's face. It would be quite satisfying, but it might upset Kayne to learn his personal advisor was equally as dead as the old vampire house.

Servoss did hate Dorse, but he feared him far more.

"Fine", he said at last, "explain to me how you went after one vampire, and killed an entire house of them."

"I went there," started Dorse, "with the intention to ask for the location of Cirrian Dirk. I was polite, they were not."

"That's your excuse?" Snapped Servoss.

"Tell me, Grand Advisor, what do you do when someone knocks on the Blood Emperor's front door? Do you hurl insults, and threaten them with violence? Because that's what they did! It was my understanding that the Blood Emperor wished for there to be stable relations between humans and vampires. So I'm led to believe one of three things. One, House Dirk didn't get the memo on that. Two, this whole thing was a conspiracy to kill me, which obviously didn't work. Or three, House Dirk just didn't care and the entire house of vampires was planning, or were going to plan, something treasonous against your precious Kayne. If you spin it that way, I've done you blood suckers a favor."

Servoss was speechless.

Dorse quickly opened his desk draw, irritably. "I will accept", he began, grabbing his checkbook from the draw and writing down a ludicrous amount of money, "partial responsibilities as to the damage done to the estate."

He ripped the check out of the book with a focused aggression, handing it to Servoss. "It was a nice place", Dorse said with a dry smile. "This should cover it."

Servoss hesitantly took the check and read it over. For a brief moment, the grief of this great loss of life slipped his mind as he thought about why a man would live in this rundown building in downtown Los Angeles, when he had this kind of money to swing around.

"Oh, and by the way", Servoss turn his head upward to see Dorse sliding over to him another scrap of paper, torn from a composition notebook. "I did find your Cirrian."

Servoss' eyes widened. "Then why haven't you caught him yet!? Why isn't HE dead!?" He snapped, suddenly finding his anger again.

Dorse shrugged. "I thought you'd want to talk with him first. He is your target after all. I'm not sure what happened between you two, but I do know, when something like this happens, my client always gets remorseful for some reason."

Servoss stood there, blankly. He'd lost his anger yet again. This was getting annoying. Cirrian was still alive. Was there anything he wanted to say to him? Would there be any convincing him to stop with this disloyalty to the Blood Emperor? Surely he'd be fearful of the Blood Emperor's might where once before he'd thought him a weak excuse for leadership! There was no way to know that though. None at all, except to go to where Cirrian was and confront him.

Dorse swiveled his chair around and opened a minifridge door disguised as gothic wood paneling. It was filled with cheap beer. Despite it all being the same brand, Dorse was rather picky about which one he wanted.

"Thank you". Said Servoss, quietly.

Dorse turned to see Servoss opening the front door. He noticed the paper on his desk had been taken. In its place was the check Dorse had written. In Servoss' free hand, the torn, scrap paper danced violently at the exposure to the wind and rain outside, trying to escape his grip. Servoss quickly pocketed the paper.

"Kayne will be pleased with your work. He'll send you the money and you need for a new office." Servoss put one foot outside.

Dorse suddenly slammed down a bottle on the desk. "I don't want his shit!" Responded Dorse angrily.

Servoss turned to look at Dorse with an offended frown.

"I want him to use his many connections and resources to find my fucking father." Dorse's eyes felt like hot knives to Servoss. He'd never seen him like this. Is this what it felt like to be confronted with the legendary angel of death?

Servoss looked away and thought for a moment. Distant thunder crackled overhead. "I'll...see what I can do."

The rain began to blow in from the open front door and Dorse frowned at the sight of it. He leaned back in his chair, gesturing for Servoss to get out and not let in the rain.

Servoss complied. He fluffed his coat and shivered, trying not to think of Dorse's piercing gaze.

Meanwhile, in his office, Dorse finished the beer he'd picked out from his minifridge. After the last drop was drank, he thought for a moment. The he rolled his eyes as he quickly got up and stuck his head over a nearby trashcan to throw up. The bottle, after being placed haphazardly, rolled off the desk, hit Dorse quite painfully in the back of the head and eventually found it's resting place on the floor in front of him, with the expiration date now staring back at Dorse's remorseful eyes.

"wrong...one..." coughed Dorse between sessions of vomiting, "wrong...fucking...one...!"

(what do you guys think? It's my first time so I'm sorry if it's not up to the Tumblr industry standard! Always looking for tips to improve formatting!)

[honouredsnakeprincess]

against my better judgement, i followed arcane season 2. because people will jump down my throat if i spoil things, i will keep my descriptions light and put them under a cut, but needless to say i was disappointed though not terribly surprised.

I went into this with reservations. I watched the first season around when it came out, and my takeaway was that it was pretty-looking, but not particularly impressive in terms of actual writing.

Initially, however, season 2 seemed to be taking things in an interesting new direction, exploring Jinx's role as a Zaunite political figure (and her reservations in that role) and Caitlyn's appointment as a sort of Caesar-type of figure (this is a way i saw it described elsewhere on this site and felt it was apt, initially). I assumed, wrongly, that the show was going to deal more directly with its larger political themes, especially with regards to the oppression of Zaun.

For the first couple of episodes, they were clearly doing this. Then they stopped to do the Viktor transhumanism thing, almost entirely abandoning Jinx's political symbol stuff in favour of her trying to save Vander and restore her bonds with her sister, and moved Caitlyn's whole deal into the background somewhat. This was questionable, but we'd had a couple reasonably strong moments so it seemed plausible they were introducing additional elements that the writers planned to tie in somehow in the third act. Fine.

Caitlyn had led a series of unethical raids into Zaun searching for Jinx, and I assumed we were watching a story about how Caitlyn-as-dictator willingly damns herself, in part from the whispering of her nefarious advisor and in part from her own desperation and desires. Viktor has constructed his utopian commune among the poor and sick, and these things seem driven to come into conflict with each other.

Then the child that's been following Jinx around the whole season dies (and gets like a minute in the first episode of the third act, and nothing thereafter), Caitlyn and Viktor switch their respective sides as Viktor attempts to ally with the Noxians in order to pursue forceful transhumanism before being dissuaded by Jace telepathically telling him that Viktor's future self said this was a bad goal, several of the protagonists die in explosions, including Jinx who effectively kills herself after having been just recently talked down from suicide by Ekko.

Nothing is resolved, and the status quo is largely maintained in its broad layout, except now Zaun has a single representative in government, and they fought robots together, so the ending narration just has to say something to the effect of there probably being more conflicts in the future to hedge off criticisms that nothing has really been resolved.

Also, they did the thing with Ekko again where he's not really in most of the show, except for one episode where he gets a pretty substantial chunk of the screentime, a sort of Ekkosode. The writers don't seem to know if he's meant to be a major character (in which case he should probably appear more throughout the season, not just his dedicated episode) or not (in which he probably should not have a dedicated episode). I don't remember for sure, but I'm pretty sure they did this in the first season too.

[takami-takami]

I mean to sound rude, but anon you should shut the fuck up instead of assuming that everyone has the means to do what they need to.

You do have hobbies, right? You do go outside, right? You do have a modicum of common sense and critical thinking skills and decency, ri– oh...

Hey blunt reminder to people who follow this blog, especially to random anons who don't interact directly with V that much: We literally only know as much about their life as they choose to tell us.

I don't mean that to say "V owes us every detail of their life," I mean that to say YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW.

You don't know the whole of their situation, you don't know the whole of their needs, you don't know the whole of their day-to-day life.

And that's fine, you don't need to know, and you don't need to know everything to be friends with someone or treat them kindly. But if you don't even know enough about them to be aware that they have an internship, then you SHOULD know enough to be aware it's not your place to question them as if you're some omniscient fucking shithead who has all the ins and outs.

Touch grass. You're not a financial advisor, you're some fucking guy. ♡

- magpie anon ✦

THANK YOU.

Like genuinely thank you because like... The thing is, they already took a second to think about it because clearly that prompted them to preface with a "not to be rude". It's just. The sheer entitlement to come in here and pry and insert their opinion in a backhanded way when I am quite literally a stranger to them astounds me.

I was talking about this with my sibling but like. When people ask for help, they open themselves up to a position where people in some weird social phenomenon feel as though they have the right to assume a position above the person. When someone asks for help, they are being open and vulnerable. This opens the avenue for people assume that this means they are entitled to certain things. It is a power trip to stand on your box and send something like "I don't mean to be rude but you do have a job right?" to the inbox of someone asking for help.

The thing is. It is because of this vulnerability that said anon took the privillege upon themselves to assume they had something I'm not privy too. Like, what did they expect me to say? "Ah! Yes of course! Why didn't I think of that? Oh, thank you!!!" Clearly, I'm asking for help for a reason.

Or— and this is my opinion— they were talking down to me and asking in bad faith. To make a point on an opinion they had internally that made them go "hmm..." in their head that they felt entitled to voice in my askbox. Hence, the hesitancy to "be rude". They would not have led with that if they were confident in being kind. They knew they were being intrusive. That's what fuckin' irritated me.

I can tell when I am being spoken down to and it irritates me. I will not accept such behavior from someone who cannot even put what they really mean to words and instead relies on loaded questions.

[who-knows130]

I was going to wait to post the second chapter of my rewrite until at least next Saturday but I couldn't help myself. I'm still trying to figure what day's I should but, here's the second chapter of my rewrite!

Chapter 2

On a cloudy day in O’Khasis. The jury Of Nine met in Zane's house. Today most of us would get new missions. Since everyone was back from their old missions.

“Lea, how are you doing kid?”

I turned around. To be met with Janus the Silver Death.

“I'm fine, Janus. How may you be doing on this fine day?”

As I said that, a loud crackling thunder spawned out of nowhere. How ironic.

“Hm, I'm alright.”

“What do you think your next mission will be?”

“Probably killing someone.”

In retrospect, that's an odd thing to say so nonchalantly. It's Janus though. He's like those kinds of thoughts you get in the most random places as a person.

“Lea, Zane requests your presence.”

I turned towards Lillian and nodded. I knocked on Zane's office door.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and walked in. Zane was seated on his stupidly lavish chair. It was practically a throne. His feet were up on his desk. While he was looking at papers. I stood straight and tall. A good posture goes a long way. Especially in a workplace.

“You called.”

“Lea, your next task isn't your usual one. I need someone to go to the village of Bright Port and talk with their Lord, O'Khasis is trying to get allies over in the area of Bright Port.”

“I am not meaning to be disrespectful when I say this, but wouldn't it be smarter to send one of your advisors?”

“It's not exactly your forte but it's an order.”

“When must I go?”

“5 days time.”

I nodded and walked out. I had no more use in staying anymore. That was the whole Jury meeting, at least this time. Jury meetings are odd. Sometimes it's just a calling of missions, reviews of missions, or reviews of performance. One meeting, Lillian and Ivy spiked the drinks. Zane got drunk. The most fun meeting of all. Very easily the most memorable. It started raining. Walking home without an umbrella Isn't the best. My hair was drenched. I opened the door to my house. I was freezing. I would need to warm up so I wouldn't get sick. I got out of my armor, cleaned up, dressed in warmer clothes and threw blankets on me. If I were to go to Bright Port in 5 days. I could….visit someone….

The bright Port area was somewhat close to Meteli. The village of Meteil was swampy, I hadn't properly visited Meteli. My brother lived there but whenever I saw him, it was in our home village. Their home village was named Neapolitan. Neapolitan was a village split up into three sections. Chocolate unit, where the farms and food shops are. Strawberry unit, where the library is located, schooling, Shops not related to food. Vanilla unit, generally where the rich people lived, and a blacksmith was located there. Neapolitan has gone to shit though. The old Lord randomly died and they got replaced by a pig for money, apparently. That's what I heard from letters.

I could go to Meteil and then get on a boat after visiting Davison. After all, I haven't seen him for a while. I got a map from the table. It's possible. If I were to use a boat to get to Meteil, that's be useless because I'd have to go around the region. I'd have to arrange a horse. I should probably pack too. Ughhh, I don't want to get out of the blankets. I ended up getting out of the blankets. To my dismay. They are the best blankets after all. I walked into my room. I'd have to pack clothes,(More so Pj's, I walk around in my armor most of the time) and etc. Now that I think about it, I'd pass by Kikrill. Which was a shabby small village. A village nonetheless, Kikrill did just lose its lord….not my doing! A-lot of villages have been losing lords as of recently.

I got my stuff into packs. At this moment, I wonder what my brother was doing. I also wonder if he has friends. My brother has developed a major drinking issue. I wonder….if he's been getting away from the bottle. The last time I saw him he was drunk enough to barely walk. It's difficult seeing my little brother like that. I still see him as a little kid. The defenseless little kid….the little kid I've beat the shit out of people for….I sighed quietly. What happened to my little brother…I know my relationship with Davison doesn't seem like the typical sibling bond. I do tease the crap out of him, it's funny. Being an older sibling, at least a good one. No matter how much you fight, Mock, or just K.O each other. You still care. Seeing each other in such a bad state…leaves a rotten taste in your mouth. I walked up to the table in the kitchen. I kept a picture on it. The picture of my family. Not extended, I'd need a bigger picture frame. My dad had 6 siblings. My mom had 4 but her family invaded like a plague. Also, I avoid them like the plague.

They are to put it simply. Way too much drama for my taste. The rain had seemed to stop. Which means I'd have to make it to the stables. Also means I need to put back on my armor….oh well! I did such and made my way towards the stables. The stable boy was cleaning up the stables. As a stable boy does.

“Do you need any help?”

The stable boy dropped his shovel in a panic. The shovel slamming on his foot.

“Oh my Irene, Wills. I'm sorry for frightening you. Is your foot okay?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine. Why are you here, Lady Lea?”

“I want to arrange a horse. I am traveling somewhere.”

“Alright, which one would you like? The usual?”

“Very much, Wills. Are you sure your foot is alright? You may not want to walk on it.”

“It hurts, but I'll have to manage…”

“I shall help! You relax your foot for a moment.”

Wills sighed and sat down. I picked up the shovel. I had horses growing up. I knew all about this crap. No pun intended. Something I happened to forget was the smell…oh well!

“Lady Lea, you really didn't need to do this.”

“I know, but I want to.”

Wills eventually took over shoveling again. I left. In the morning I came back, got the horse and packed it up. I led the horse outside the gates. As soon as I got out of O'Khasis. I hopped onto the horse. The horse was a Ru’uan Coin horse, just so you know. The forest was a common sight to see on my way. Eventually I made it to Kikrill. I let the horse drink and rest.

“Hey, you there. What's the best way to Meteil from here?”

The villager looked at me in terror. Obviously knowing my status as a person.

“Probably, South from here.”

“Thank you kind sir.”

The man trembled away. I let out a sigh and went back up to the horse. The only creature that didn't seem to run away in terror.

“How ya doin pretty thing?”

The horse neighed in response and went back to drinking the water. I laughed slightly and leaned against a wooden beam. I pulled out an Apple I packed for the horse. The horse looked at it and accepted it gratefully. Animals were kinder than most humans. If we are supposed to be the species with the most brain power, why do we use it to be cruel? It's stupid to be quite frank.

I got back on the trail, if you might say. Meteil was most likely still quite the ways away. If I'd had a hat, I would just lay back and take a nap. But I don't have a hat, nor a piece of straw. I'd gotten sick of the silence and started rambling on about things to the horse. Which seemed unbothered.

I wonder how Meteli is. The people must be different. How different, I can't say. It'd be funny if I met some creep there. I've had very few people try to court me. Not successful, I'm focused on my job as of right now. I want a relationship and a family eventually. Things are too complicated for that right now. If I had any more family, that means more danger…One day when I'm off the Jury, I'll have family. Unless I die beforehand. Sickness is awful and takes many people. Healing and medicine can only do so much.

I started to notice buildings in the far distance after hours of horse back. I must have finally made it to Meteli. No kidding, the swamp environment was no joke. The trees started to change the color of grass. There were interesting choices in building houses…holy Xavier, there was a shit load of people! These people started turning heads when I rode in. I hate crowds. It's so intense and there are so many people. Talking In Front of crowds is worse! What if you trip, or say a word incorrectly? Tomatoes get thrown. The worst fruit of all time gets thrown. Or lettuce, which is not watery. Broccoli is the superior vegetable! It's little green trees for Irene's sake. Who isn't happy when they think about it? I'm happier when I eat them cooked! Broccoli that is cooked and has some pepper on them, is the most fabulous of foods.

As well as-I need to stop discussing foods. I have problems in my head. I located a place to tie my horse. I was happy to get off the horse. My legs needed to move around. The horse happily agreed when I got myself of it and started eating the grass. It was time to locate my younger brother, Davison. Wherever he may live…because I don't know....

[dawndelion-winery]

Just Sign Here

Contract Marriage AU - [5]

Childe × GN! Reader

"Thought of what you'd like to order yet?"

"Don't rush me, Ajax," you'd mumbled offhandedly out of habit. You hadn't even noticed it until you heard Ajax laughing to himself as he smiled fondly at you.

"Ah wait, your lo-"

"No, 'Ajax' is fine." He insisted, a faint twinkle in his eye as he said so. You were sure you imagined it, because it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Ajax talked your ear off the same way he had all those years ago, running his thoughts by you as though you'd always been his most trusted advisor - as though you'd never been disposed of.

"Say, comrade, you never really seemed the type to want to settle down this quickly - don't lie, I know - so what's the rush?"

"You say that like you're unfamiliar with my current situation, yo- Ajax."

You'd corrected yourself as you saw his eyes narrow when you were about to address him as "your lordship". His mood seemed to instantaneously improve at your use of his name. And so casually, he'd reached across the table to rest his hand atop yours.

"So you knew I was keeping tabs on you?" He asked rhetorically with a cheeky grin. "Then you should know there's no need for that anymore. You're reinstated."

Ajax wasn't stupid, you knew that much. But it was a hard fact to remember when he tended to do whatever he liked regardless. You'd been banished from the grounds before, so reinstating you just like that was bound to start talk, and not the kind you'd enjoy. Ajax wasn't the sort of person to concern himself with the opinions of people he didn't care for; if you wanted to live comfortably, he'd tell you to go for it, even if it came at the price of his reputation for defying his father's decree. So, truly, what better choice had you than to lie?

"Maybe I've changed in the time we've been apart. It's not like you'd know me personally in that time...maybe I've come to dream of marrying a doting spouse who so happens to be rich."

"Well that's just perfect, I happen to be both doting and rich."

By god you missed that self satisfied smirk of his...yet you had to fight down every urge to slap it off him in the moment.

Taglist [ @yinyinggie @ayatoforlife @eowinthetraveler @tartaglia-apologist @who-is-saylynn @theblueblub @stcrfeesh @boundedbyfate ]

[ivyprism]

A Brother's Regrets (Tenebrous AU)

Warning: Implied bad childhood, implied terrifying powers, etc.

Uncle Draven appears!

POV is from a child!

--------

*You tap Draven's arm. *You ask about his childhood, you ask about Morte, you ask about their powers.

"You ask a lot of things for a human. Though, really is it any of your business?"

*His denial only fills you with Determination. *You begin to say "please" repeatedly until he says yes.

"Alright, alright, stop saying 'please'. I'll talk, I'll talk."

*You smugly smile at the skeleton. *He looks positively bemused by your antics. *...What a scoundrel you are.

"Yeah, yeah, you can be smug all you want, human. So you want to know about my stubborn little brother, Morte?"

*You nod eagerly. *You scoot closer as you look up at the skeleton.

"Mm... Well, ain't much to say about that, kid."

*You huff as he scratches the back of his neck in thought. *You begin to talk about how he and his brothers have powers over shadows and Morte was sort of evil. *How very polite of you to say about his brother.

"I'm serious, kiddo. My bro and I don't talk much anymore. Morte is too busy with whatever the fuck he does and I'm trying to help my Nite run a kingdom."

*You protest saying there has to be something to talk about from his childhood. *He stares at you before he takes a long swig from his alcohol and he puts it down. *Yay, you drove him to alcoholism....?

"So, what is there to talk about? My childhood was fine, I suppose. I mean. Lots of expectations and stress for tiny kids like me and my older brother…"

*You notice he pauses as he thinks.

"Well, things were really different when Morte was born."

*You ask him to elaborate. *You notice he sighs as he thinks about it.

"I'm not sure if a kid like you should hear that."

*You loudly argue, "I'm not a kid!" *Even though, you definitely are a kid. *He snorts and cracks a smile. *But his smile instantly fades.

"Fine, kiddo. You win."

*You watch the skeleton closely as some shadows wrap around his wrist.

"My family comes from a long line of successful and powerful shadow sorcerers." We could manipulate the shadows and the darkness at will. It was sort of our thing. My father believed that Nite would take over one day since he was more powerful with his shadow magic than mine… But then Morte was born."

*You tilt your head at the skeleton.

"Nite was powerful, don't get me wrong… But Morte? Morte was born a natural at it. He had the most powerful magic in our family, although being the youngest."

*What a twist! *....Just kidding, you knew that. *You tell Draven "I already know that."

"Yeah, everybody knows that. Morte is a beast—literally."

*The Skeleton shrugs... *You notice he's trying to distract you from the task at hand. *You ask him to go on. *He runs his hand down his face... *He sighs.

"Clearly, he would be the one to take over the kingdom, right? A talented and powerful sorcerer like that? My father… He should've been so proud, right?"

*The skeleton sighs deeply again. *You notice his eyes flicker a bit as he thinks back.

"No, he wasn't. He despised--no, he was afraid of Morte and his abilities. I had never seen my father look at someone with such intensity… I don't know, contempt? Terror? All I know is that everyone in the kingdom looked at him that way."

*He can't seem to find the right words to say... *You understand though. *I mean, how would you describe your father viscerally fearing and hating your little brother?

"So, rather than simply accepting my brother and allowing him to become the next heir, my father and the people chose to completely disregard him. He'd start preparing Nite to take over the throne, with me as his advisor, and he never showed Morte any affection."

*You grip your chest. *How alone Morte must've felt... *It makes you tear up.

"And Morte? Morte was many things, but he was not foolish. He could sense that our father despised and scared him. So Nite and I attempted to show him the love his father never showed, but it turned into a hole that began to engulf him. And a kid like that? So gifted, so fucking powerful. It was only a matter of time before Morte put my father in checkmate."

*Draven scratched his skull as he leaned back.

"Morte gained allies and, well, he became resentful. His birthright was taken away from him… I guess that's what made him who he is now… So he took it back. He recovered the power that had been stolen from him. And the kingdom and our father suffered the price for their negligence…"

*Draven sighs and closes his eyes.

"I just wish I'd done more to stop him from doing all of that… I think you could say not assisting him was my greatest regret… But, you see how he is now? He doesn't need his brother anymore."

*You stare at him as he smiles weakly. *You can see his regrets soak through that plastered smile. *A brother's regrets... *You feel there is more to the story. *However, when you open your mouth-

"That's enough for today, kiddo. Let's get you to bed. Your uncle Draven can only handle so much storytelling."

*You protest, but he begins to rush you to bed. *Well, we'll get more answers later, you fiend. *Time for bed.

-------

[mirisss]

You Belong with Me

wordcount ≈ 7k

warnings: Siren hunt (aka, luring people into the water to take their souls so some people die though it isn’t really described), Jun threatening (Y/n), talking about someone’s existence being erased, sort of mentioning suicide (sacrificing oneself for others, though no suicide happens), Jun being crazy powerful, being on a boat, a storm, being out on the ocean, being underwater, possessive behavior, jealousy, biting, pet names (mostly darling), kidnapping, Stockholm-syndrome in a way, let me know if I should add anything else,

Pairing: Siren! King of the seven seas! Wen Junhui x afab! human reader

summary: After being attacked by mythical creatures of the sea, known as Sirens, one unfortunate human girl has caught the eye of the siren king. At first, it seems like death had been the better option, but maybe one shouldn’t be so quick at judging. 

Please reblog! Requests are open! 

Third person POV

“Guys, I really don’t think this is a good idea. The weather forecast said that a bad storm is going to break out in a few hours, maybe we should do this some other day,” “Oh come on, (Y/n), stop being such a scaredy cat. It’s fine, look, there’s not a single cloud in the sky, the forecast is wrong. This is going to be super fun!” Seungkwan was trying to persuade one of his best friends, (Y/n), that having a party on a Yacht, out on the sea, was a good idea. “Loosen up, (Y/n), nothing is going to happen. Dad’s yacht is sturdy, the captain has driven her through a storm before, so even if this storm breaks out, we’ll be fine,” Mingyu walked over and draped an arm around (Y/n)’s shoulders as a form of comfort. “Okay, but if something bad happens, just know that I was right, this was, and is, a bad idea,” And so the trio along with a bunch of other people boarded the yacht and left the pier. 

As the party began, most people were happily drinking, dancing, eating, chatting, and who knows what else. But (Y/n), was just sitting on a chair with her untouched drink in front of her. She couldn’t shake off the bad feeling she had, and oh how right she was. 

Deep underwater, in the lost city of the ocean creatures, the siren king, the king of the seven seas, Junhui was preparing for a hunt. His people had waited for a brutal storm to break out close to their hidden city under the surface, and finally, the storm was coming. Junhui was a powerful siren who not only held the power of his seductive siren song but also the power to rule the seven seas, from birth he had been gifted with immense power that the ocean seemed to follow, so even if Junhui had not been born into the royal family he was still crowned as the ruler once he was old enough. Junhui was a just ruler, his people admired his strength, as long as you kept on his good side Junhui would be the sweetest being in the world but make one wrong move and he would shift into the brutal siren who would destroy the world in the blink of an eye. “My lord, the storm is close. We should move out, the scouts have spotted countless boats close to us,” Jun turned toward Wonwoo, one of his officers and advisor, not to mention, one of his closest friends. “This is going to be quite the prosperous hunt, I can feel this entire body of water shaking at the rage of it,” Jun’s eyes shifted from his warm brown to their terrifying, glowing yellow, as the corners of his mouth turned up into a chilling and sinister smile, that revealed his white teeth and sharp fangs. “Let’s go, brother, it’s time to hunt,” Wonwoo gave a slight bow to his king before they both walked out of the throne room. Even though Jun had countless times told Wonwoo that he did not need to bow to him or call him ‘my lord’ or like, Wonwoo still did. Wonwoo was a man who followed all the rules, he is highly intelligent, which was one of the reasons why Jun had appointed him an officer and his first advisor. The siren king and two of his officers, Wonwoo and Soonyoung, had gathered 50 of their best hunters to go hunt for souls for the people. The sirens didn’t hunt for souls very often, at most 3 times a year, they had developed beyond needing many souls to thrive but every now and then, why not treat yourself? 

Up on the yacht, the party was still going strong, most of the people there were too drunk to notice that the sun had been covered by angry dark clouds. (Y/n) was trying to find Mingyu or Seungkwan to tell them that they needed to turn the yacht around and go back to shore. As she went out on deck she felt the raindrops beginning to come down. Soon enough, the winds had picked up, the rain was coming down in sheets, making it difficult to see more than a few feet, the waves were getting bigger with every second, making it difficult for the captain to keep the yacht steady. The drunk people didn’t seem to mind it, (Y/n), however, were in a full-blown panic mood. The sound of the rain hitting the water was deafening, the occasional clap of thunder only adding to her worry, and the lightning strikes didn’t make it any better either. 

“Mingyu! Seungkwan! Where are you?” (Y/n) tried to find her friends but they seemed to have disappeared. Suddenly, a particularly big wave pushed the yacht around causing (Y/n) to lose her balance and almost fall overboard, luckily she manage to grab onto the railing just in time. She looked down into the deep dark water, expecting to find nothing as the water made anything beneath the surface unintelligible, however, to her shock, she was met with the face of a person. At first, she thought it was someone who had fallen from the yacht, but she quickly realized that it was not a human, as the creature dove down into the water, (Y/n) saw that it had a tail instead of legs. She found more and more creatures popping out of the water, they were locating the different boats around the surface. Some began singing, it was a beautiful sound but (Y/n) couldn’t focus on it, no, (Y/n) was focusing on the way some people began moving closer to the edge of the boats, and then getting into the water. Once they had gone under the surface, they did not come back up. Suddenly, some of the creatures began climbing onto the yacht and other boats around them. (Y/n) was still sitting, frozen as she held onto the railing. One of the creatures had jumped onto the yacht, landing just a few steps away from her, the second that the female-looking creature had landed on the boat her tail turned to legs. She then began moving toward (Y/n), who was crying harder and harder, imagining that she would die here, on this stupid yacht. “Please, don’t, I don’t want to die. I beg of you, please don’t kill me,” The creature just looked at (Y/n), laughed, and then began singing her melody again, causing some of the drunk people on the yacht to come toward her, hypnotized by her song. 

Junhui had stayed beneath the surface for some time, allowing his people to have fun. Jun did quite enjoy hunting, but his people enjoyed it far more, for some reason, he wasn’t that hungry for souls so he didn’t mind staying in the background. After a few minutes, he decided that it was time for him to join the hunt, thus also, signaling that it was ending. The second he broke through the surface of the water, he laid his eyes on a girl who was holding on to the railing of a boat, she was crying, begging for her life as one of his hunters approached. As the hunter came closer to the girl, the terrified human turned her head, and Jun met her eyes. Something in him seemed to click, suddenly he was overcome with a yearning for that girl. With a simple flick of his wrist, a large wave was created to swiftly move him up onto that boat, he landed right in front of the human, facing his hunter. The siren immediately stopped once she faced her king. “My lord,” The siren bowed, terrified of the look Jun gave her, “Leave,” Was all Jun said, though it was a low command, all sirens around them froze before beginning to dive back into the water. All 50 hunters had gone back under the surface within a minute of the king’s command, only leaving Wonwoo, Soonyoung, and Jun. Wonwoo approached Junhui but stopped the second his king glared at him, the look in Jun’s eyes was horrifying, his eyes glowed stronger than ever, his fangs protruding past his lips, the waves were crashing harsher and harsher against the yacht. Wonwoo understood that whoever the human behind the Siren King was, they were special and he nor Soonyoung were allowed to come close to them. “We’ll be leaving, my lord,” Wonwoo dove back into the water after signaling to Soonyoung that it was time to leave. 

From the second that Junhui had appeared before her, (Y/n) had been mesmerized even though she could only see the creature’s backside. (Y/n) concluded that whoever this man was, he was of high status, the way everyone followed his command and not to mention, his robes. The black clothes with gold embroidered details screamed wealth and importance. Nothing could have prepared (Y/n) for the beauty of the man who had seemingly saved her. As the king turned around to face her, (Y/n)’s breath got caught in her throat, his well-sculpted face, his two-toned hair, though the detail that had her shaking was his sharp, glowing, yellow eyes that seemed to suck her in. 

“Please don’t kill me,” Jun chuckled arrogantly at her begging. “Darling, if I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have sent my hunters away,” The siren crouched down in front of (Y/n) and he reached his hand out toward her face, “Please, don’t hurt me,” (Y/n) tried to hide her face away from the mysterious and handsome man, though her attempt was futile, he grabbed a hold of her cheek and turned her face back toward his own. “Once, again. If I wanted you dead, my hunters would have dealt with you,” “Then, can I go? Will you let me live?” Jun sighed before lightly shaking his head, for some reason he was filled with an unknown rage as the human asked if she could leave. “No, you are not leaving. You will come with me. I have spared your life therefore it now belongs to me,” He spoke with a malicious tone, one he rarely used unless speaking with someone who had broken the laws in his kingdom. “No, please, please let me go, please, I beg of you,” Jun grew angrier as (Y/n) kept asking to be left behind, his unstable emotions caused the storm to worsen, the waves became harsher and bigger, the thunder and the lightning seemed to come closer. Just then, Seungkwan came out of the yacht's lower deck, still very drunk, he seemed to have missed the hunt as the mysterious creature had called it. “(Y/n)!” “Seungkwan, help!” Seungkwan noticed the man dressed in traditional clothing who was crouched by his friend and he saw how scared (Y/n) looked as the man held her cheek in his hand. Jun didn’t need to turn his head to know that the man who had appeared behind him, was drunk, and no match for the siren king of the seven seas. Jun’s smirk grew as he snapped the fingers of the hand that weren’t holding onto (Y/n), causing a string of water to grab a hold of Seungkwan, lifting him in the air. “NO! Let him down,” (Y/n) tried to break free of the hold that Jun had on her, however, the second that she seemed to have been freed, the string moved Seungkwan to be held over the raging water causing her to freeze once again. “If you fight me, your friend will die, I will throw him in the water and my hunters will take care of him, and not in the way you would like. However, if you come with me, I will let him live. I will stop the storm, and calm the water. No one else will be hurt. It’s your choice, either you come with me, or everyone here dies and you still come with me,” No matter how angry (Y/n) was with Seungkwan and Mingyu for still going through with this yacht party even though she had warned them of the storm, she couldn’t watch him die knowing she could have saved him. “Alright, I’ll go with you, but I want proof of you stopping the storm and everything,” Jun smiled and lightly petted (Y/n)’s head. “Good choice, darling,” The siren snapped his fingers twice, the string of water moved back to be over the yacht, and carefully put Seungkwan down on the deck again. Seungkwan had passed out from the experience, or perhaps, that was also the doing of the siren. After her friend had been returned to safety, the rain began letting up, the thunder and lightning disappeared, and the waves became smaller and smaller, soon enough, the sky was blue once again, the sunset as pretty as ever, and no trace of the magical creatures were left, except for the man with the yellow eyes. “There, I returned your friend and stopped the storm. Let us go now,” (Y/n) was shaking like a leaf, both out of fear and also from the icy water that had rained down on her. “I can’t breathe underwater,” (Y/n) hoped that when the man remembered that she wasn’t like him, he would let her go. “Darling, I’m the king of Sirens, I’m the king of the seven seas, if I want to bring a human with me under the surface, then the water will allow them to breathe. The ocean follows my every command, so don’t you worry. It will be very kind to you, you belong to its king now,” (Y/n) swallowed the lump in her throat, there was no way out of this. She would have to go with this terrifying man, siren, siren king. (Y/n) wasn’t surprised to hear that he was in fact someone of royal status, but hearing that he was a siren only made her more afraid. Jun noticed the hesitant look on the human’s face, which once again awakened an unknown anger within him. “Remember, if you don’t go with me, I will kill your friend and everyone else around us right now and then forcefully bring you with me,” The sinister smile was still spread across his lips, (Y/n) was looking into his sharp eyes that made her dread for her life, though they were still so captivating that she couldn’t look away. “So, human, how’s it going to be?” “You promise no one else is going to be hurt?” “Yes, you have my word. I pride myself on being quite honest, it’s the best way to rule a kingdom,” “Alright, then I’ll go with you,” (Y/n) whispered out the last sentence, before she remembered another detail that might complicate this deal. “Won’t people come looking for me? And for everyone else who disappeared here today?” Jun looked around them before he clenched his jaw, making (Y/n) cling to the railing even harder, as he relaxed his jaw again, a foggy mist began covering the surface of the ocean, it made her feel quite sleepy. “This mist will make everyone forget who was out here with them or what happened, they won’t even remember the storm. As far as they know, the gaps in their memory are all because of the alcohol, and anyone who goes into the water with a siren is forever erased, no one will remember that you existed, and any photo you have been in will be rearranged so that you are removed from them,” “So going with you means that no one will remember me?” “Yes, however, it was inevitable, had I not stopped the hunt, then you too would have been a lost soul. Thanks to me, you get to live. I promise you, darling, with me you will be treated like a queen,” (Y/n) finally looked away from Junhui and her sad eyes landed on Seungkwan’s unconscious form that lay a few meters away, maybe it was a big price to pay for his, and hopefully Mingyu’s, safety but if she could save them then it was worth it. “Okay, I’ll come with you,” “Good, come on. Hold onto me,” “Why?” “If you want the travel to my kingdom to be smooth, then you’ll hold onto me, however, if you want to be thrown around like a piece of paper in the wind then you don’t,” (Y/n) did not like the sound of that so she let go of the railing and took a step closer to the man, whose name she had yet to know, and then lightly laid her hand around his bicep. “Hold on tight,” (Y/n) did not dare think he was joking with her so she did as he said, and held onto his arm as hard as she could. Jun put an arm around the human’s waist before he jumped into the water. (Y/n) couldn’t hold back the scream that escaped her, she wondered if maybe the siren had lied to her and she would die the second she went under the surface, however, she found that once the water covered her head and they kept sinking, she could breathe just fine. (Y/n) had always been quite afraid of the water, though now as she saw everything from beside the alleged king of the seven seas, it seemed quite peaceful and pretty. The way that all the fishes were floating around, the coral flowers that seemed so vibrant, and even the majestic whale that usually would have her fearing for her life, now just seemed so beautiful as it was swimming around. Jun looked down at the girl who was still clinging to him as they kept descending toward his palace, he saw the wonder, and admiration in her eyes as she looked around them. The siren felt a sense of pride at the fact that this little human was admiring his kingdom, his once cold and sharp eyes now softened and went back to their warm and welcoming brown. 

A few minutes later, (Y/n) found a big structure on the bottom of the ocean, a large castle, or perhaps a palace, it was tall, and shining just like the scales of some fishes, though it was deep down, the palace seemed to shine as bright as a diamond in direct sunlight. “Woah,” “Do you like it?” (Y/n) was taken aback by the soft tone her mysterious kidnapper used, just a few minutes ago he was speaking so maliciously as he threatened her into following with him, now all of a sudden, he was speaking as soft as a person might do to a newborn puppy or a kitten. “It’s pretty but it’s not my home,” “It is from now on,” There it was once again, that sharp tone, the tone that didn’t leave any room for arguments. Jun himself didn’t know what this foreign feeling was, the yearning, the need to have this human for himself. Jun moved them toward the doors and once they were inside, they were met by Wonwoo and Soonyoung. 

“My lord, welcome back,” Wonwoo, as usual, bowed to Jun while Soonyoung just smiled and sent a little salute to him, earning him a little nudge from Wonwoo. “Who’s this?” Soonyoung was far more interested in the human that was clinging to the side of his king than the king himself. (Y/n) immediately stepped behind Jun, using him as a shield from the prying eyes of the man who happened to be holding a sword-like weapon, and (Y/n) did not trust that he wouldn’t hurt her with it. Jun’s heart fluttered at the act, a warm feeling spread throughout his body, and his heart seemed to be doing a happy dance inside his chest. And that’s when it clicked, that’s when Jun finally understood why he had been so adamant about bringing the human with him. This little human was his destined soulmate. “That is not something you need to know right now. Besides, don’t the two of you have any duties to do?” Junhui spoke with a soft tone, these were two of his closest friends, there was no need to be sharp with them, or it was never needed with Wonwoo, with Soonyoung however, it was necessary every now and then. “Yeah yeah, we do. But I, or, we, was curious as to why you stayed behind and ordered us to leave so abruptly,” “Come on, Soonyoung, we are leaving his majesty to go carry out our duties. Do you wish to have your dinner in the dining hall or in your chambers? And will your guest be needing dinner too?” “Thank you, Wonwoo. In my chambers, and yes, prepare food for her too, make sure it is something appropriate for humans,” “Of course,” After that Wonwoo dragged Soonyoung away by the collar of his shirt. “Alright, you can come out again, they are gone,” Junhui couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation, if the human was supposed to be afraid of anyone, it should be him yet she had opted to use him as her protector. (Y/n) carefully stepped out from behind him to face him once again. “Sorry,” “It’s alright, I understand. We sirens can be quite intimidating, though I promised you, didn’t I? that you would be treated like a queen?” “Well yeah, but I don’t know how sirens treat their royals,” “Mostly, we treat them similarly to how humans would, except, we rarely ever indulge in wars and we have never had someone trying to overthrow the one sitting on the throne. If the ocean has acknowledged a person as the ruler, then that person will become the ruler without question,” “So, basically, you’re a very peaceful species that hunt humans?” “I know that the part of us hunting humans isn’t ideal but there was a time when we needed to hunt souls every single day, now we only do it 2-3 times a year,” “I still don’t understand why you kidnapped me,” “I’ll explain that soon, let’s go to my chambers first, you’re still cold from the rain, you can warm up in there, it’s the warmest room in the entire palace,” “Alright,” Jun began leading the way and (Y/n) followed him, she figured that if she were to live her she might as well make it easy on herself and not fight her siren captor. “Um, could I ask you a question?” “You just did, darling, but of course, ask away,” “How come there is no water inside the palace? Or do I just not notice it?” “There is no water inside, despite what some people believe, we sirens are not only creatures of the water but we are also creatures of the land. We can live both in the water and on land, however, we prefer to live under the surface yet keep our homes dry, hence there is no water inside the palace,” “Oh, I’ve always heard that sirens and all other mythical beings of the water only lived in the water,” “Well, that is the truth for some like mermaids and merman, they need to be in the water 90% of the day, while sirens can go without a drop of water for a month, after that we will begin showing scales until we have to go back in the water,” “I thought sirens and mermaids were the same things,” “We’re similar to each other, but very different too. Mermaids don’t have our captivating song, nor do they have the choice of choosing between a tail and legs when in the water, on land they too can have legs but the second a drop of water touches them their legs turn into a tail. Sirens, like you just saw me doing, can keep our legs when swimming or we can choose to have a tail too. And, sirens have more powers than mermaids in general,” Just as (Y/n) was about to ask another question, Jun stopped and (Y/n) walked right into him. “Sorry,” “No worries, I’m quite sturdy, I can take a hit or two. Anyway, here we are, my chambers,” Jun opened the doors and gestured for (Y/n) to walk inside. 

“Woah, it’s so big!” “Haha, yeah, fitting for a king don’t you think?” “Definitely, it seems like something out of a fairy tale,” “Come on, let’s sit down on the couch,” Jun led (Y/n) over to what seemed to be the living room part of his chambers. The two sat down, not too close to each other but still quite close. “Um, could I know your name or am I supposed to call you ‘my lord’ or something?” “My name is Wen Junhui, you can call me Junhui or Jun. May I also know your name? Or, well, hear it from you, your friend kind of already spoiled it earlier,” “My name is (Y/n) (L/n),” “Pretty name for a pretty girl. Now, I’ll explain to you why I brought you here,” (Y/n) turned so she was facing Jun and he moved to face her. “When I emerged from the water and I saw you, something in me appeared, a feeling, a yearning, and all I could think was that I needed to have you, that you belong to me, with me,” “So you became obsessed with me from just seeing me once?” “No, not really. In a way yes, but I didn’t understand it first until we came here, just like wolf-shifters, also known as werewolves, have predestined soulmates, so do we, though sirens rarely find theirs and we can live without them, however life with a soulmate is much better,” (Y/n) pointed to herself, “And, I’m your soulmate?” “Yeah, I’m sorry about how I acted. I rarely ever go full malicious siren but seeing you awoke some very strong instincts in me,” (Y/n) saw how sincere Jun was as he looked into her eyes. “It’s okay, you did scare me, but since we came here to the palace you seemed soft so I’m not as scared now,” “You shouldn’t have any fear of me, I would never hurt you, not intentionally at least,” “What does it mean, being your soulmate?” “Well, usually soulmates end up becoming a couple, but sirens can suffice with just having them close by as friends, though I am going to have to mark you, which means I have to bite you somewhere,” (Y/n) looked possibly terrified at his last statement. “Bite me?” Jun awkwardly scratched his neck as he looked away from (Y/n). “Yeah, it’s unconventional but from what I have heard it usually doesn’t hurt too badly, though it depends on where the mark is placed,” “Would I have to be with you as a romantic partner?” “No, I wouldn’t force you to be that. I would love it if it became that but if you don’t want that, then it will be enough just having you around the palace as my friend,” (Y/n) pondered for a few minutes over what Jun had said. “I can’t promise that I’ll fall in love with you, but I’ll give you a chance. Do you have to bite me now or can we wait a little?” “Thank you, I promise I won’t waste this chance. And I will have to mark you within a week, I wish it was longer but with me being the king my instincts are heightened and the stronger the instinct, the sooner the mark has to be placed,” “Alright, well can we wait until a week has gone by?” “Of course, no pressure,” The two continued getting to know each other while sitting on the couch. Suddenly, (Y/n)’s eyes zeroed in on Jun’s hair, when they were on the yacht his hair had been two-toned, part blonde, part black, however, now it was fully blond. Without thinking, (Y/n) raised her hand and touched his hair, Jun sat frozen as the human petted his head, her lips turned up in an innocent smile and her eyes glimmered with happiness. When (Y/n) suddenly found her senses again and realized what she was doing, she quickly removed her hand from his face. “Sorry, your hair just looked so soft and I was wondering, wasn’t your hair a different color when we were above the surface?” “It’s alright, darling, you can touch my hair whenever you want, and, yes, when I’m in my full siren mood, and above the surface my hair is two-toned, while under the surface and when I’m in my civil mood or whatever I should call it, it’s fully blonde,” “You look really handsome with both,” “Thank you, you are very pretty,” 

And so the next couple of days went by, the king and his soulmate got to know each other, and perhaps a spark of love was starting to kindle between the two. Jun had given his bed to (Y/n) and he himself slept on the couch, it was comfortable enough for him, and he just needed to let his maids prepare a guest room for (Y/n). And before they knew it, 7 days had passed and it was time for Jun to mark (Y/n). 

*knock knock* (Y/n) knocked on the door to Jun’s office, not wanting to just barge in while he was busy. “Come on in,” “Hey, how’s it going?” “Good, I’m almost done for the day. Just, umm, 3 papers left to sign,” “Sweet, Wonwoo asked if we wanted to eat dinner in the dining room or here in your chambers and I might have answered for you,” “That’s alright, I’m fine with eating in either room,” (Y/n) let out a sigh of relief, “Okay, that’s good, I said we’d eat here,” “That sounds perfect,” “Okay, see you later,” “Bye, darling,” (Y/n) left the office and went back to the living room where Wonwoo was still waiting, the human hadn’t actually answered him yet but she didn’t want Jun to decide for them, however, she didn’t think Wonwoo would take her word seriously unless it was a ‘message’ from the king. “He wishes to have his dinner here, and so do I,” “Of course,” Wonwoo bowed before he turned around, ready to leave, yet he was stopped by (Y/n). “Wait!” “What can I do for you?” “Um, do you know anything about marking?” “It is not my expertise, I’m afraid, though I do know someone who knows a lot about it. If you want, I can send him here to talk with you. I understand that you must have many questions and that you might not wish to ask his majesty,” “If you could send that person I would be very grateful,” “As you wish,” “Wonwoo, you know you don’t have to speak like that with me, right?” “Of course, but it is out of respect for my king that I do, his majesty is one of my closest friends, however, when I am working he is not my friend but my king, and you are his soulmate, ultimately making you our queen, and right now I am working therefore, I must speak this way with you,” “You really treasure this job, don’t you?” “Yes, I love it,” “You’re very good at it, thank you, Wonwoo,” “No problem, (Y/n). I’ll have Jihoon stop by so that you can ask him about the marking and everything,” Wonwoo gave (Y/n) a kind smile, before bowing once again and then leaving. 

Not even a minute later, a knock landed on the door and (Y/n) ran to open it before Jun noticed it. Once she had opened the door she was met with a man who was significantly shorter than most of the other men she had seen around the palace, though he still held a lot of authority in his presence and he was jaked with muscles. “Hi,” “Hey, I’m Jihoon. Wonwoo said that you had some questions regarding marking,” “Yes, I’m (Y/n). Please come in, though be a bit quiet, I don’t want Jun to know about me asking about this,” “I’m afraid he already knows,” “What? How?” “He’s the king of the seven seas, he hears everything that’s going around in the castle, especially things involving his officers, or his soulmate,” “So, he can hear our conversation now?” “Not exactly, it’s more like he can hear when someone speaks outside of his chambers, the second someone says his name, your name, or one of us officer’s name then he can tune into the conversation,” “I think I understand, anyway, I don’t think we have too much time before he is done with his work for the day,” They sat down on the couch, (Y/n) was very nervous, while Jihoon seemed as cool as a block of ice. “So, what are you wondering about?” “Um, well, does it hurt? Being marked,” “It varies from person to person and also depends on the placement. Some people have a higher pain tolerance and therefore it doesn’t hurt as much, others have a lower pain tolerance and for them, it will hurt more. Placement can also vary from person to person but most people choose to be marked on the spot right where your shoulder meets your neck, it’s usually somewhere in the middle of the pain scale, however, it is one of the more intimate spots which is why many people like it, others go for the wrist or the ankles, it’s not as intimate and usually doesn’t hurt as much, and finally some people go for the thighs, it’s one of the most intimate spots, however, the pain level is very uncertain. I know of some who said it didn’t hurt one bit while others screamed for hours from the pain,” “Woah, Wonwoo wasn’t kidding, you do know a lot,” “Yeah, I studied soulmates and marking when I was younger, it is also a part of my duties here in the palace, to give advice regarding soulmates and relationships,” “I have one more question. How will the mark affect me?” “The mark is powerful, not to mention a mark from the king, however, the mark can’t create feelings, it can only intensify pre-existing feelings, so if you do not have any romantic feelings for Jun, the mark won’t change that. For a few days, you will need to be close to Jun while the mark is settling down, if you are too far away from each other for longer than 5 minutes, you will feel sick and be in pain, however, the mark will settle down in 3 days and once those days have passed, the mark will not bother you anymore. The mark has a function that allows Jun to know when you are in danger and it also allows him to know where you are so that he can find you and protect you in case anything happens,” “So, it won’t change me in any way?” “No, it won’t,” “Thank you, Jihoon, I think that’s all the questions I had unless you can think of anything else to say,” “No, that’s all. Fortunately, our marks are not as complicated as werewolf marks. Well, I’ll take my leave then. Say hi to the king from me,” Jihoon waved as he got up from the couch and then left the king’s chambers. 

Seconds after Jihoon left, Jun emerged from his office with a lovesick smile. “Hi, darling,” “Hey, Junnie,” Jun looked around, a little confused, “Jihoon was here?” “Uh, yeah,” (Y/n) answered shyly, a blush creeping up on her face. “I guess Wonwoo sent him here so you could ask about the mark, right?” “Yeah, he did,” “You know you could have asked me,” “I know, but I couldn’t because I didn’t want you to know about it,” Jun walked over to (Y/n) and leaned his forehead against hers. “I understand, well, did Jihoon answer all your questions?” “Yeah, all the ones I asked,” “Okay, have you made any decision?” “Not exactly, I know more about it now, but I don’t want to make the decision without you,” Jun stepped back to look (Y/n) in the eyes. “I’m not the one that’s going to be bitten and possibly go through pain, so my opinion really doesn’t matter,” “Of course, it matters, it will be intimate no matter how you look at it and that affects us both, so it’s not a decision I can take on my own,” “Darling, during this week I have fallen in love with you, it’s affected by the pull I feel toward you but as I assume Jihoon explained, it can’t create feelings, it’s all you, so whatever you decide I will do,” “But what if it changes everything?” “What would it change?” “Us,” “Honey, (Y/n), darling, it won’t change anything unless you want it to,” “But what if I already feel something for you?” “You feel something for me?” “How could I not? Jun, you’ve treated me better than anyone ever has, you’re so sweet and nice, not to mention handsome, and I just, and I think I understand why the universe paired us up,” Jun took a chance and leaned in to kiss (Y/n), he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Their bodies were pressed together, their lips locked in a fiery embrace, time seemed to stop and they were the only two people left in the world, and it really seemed like fireworks went off as Jun’s happy emotions set off some electric currents in the room causing sparks to appear around the couple. (Y/n)’s heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it would break through her ribcage any second, she didn’t pull away until her lip got caught on one of Jun’s fangs, it didn’t pierce her but it did wake her up from the moment. She was heavily out of breath and she held a hand to her lip as she whispered out an ‘ow’. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you? Are you bleeding? Should I call for a doctor?” “No it’s fine, I’m just not used to kissing someone with fangs, sharp fangs, I’m not bleeding, it’s just throbbing a little,” “Here, an ice cube to keep it from swelling,” Jun snapped his fingers and then a small ice cube appeared in his hand that he gave to (Y/n). “Thank you,” (Y/n) took the ice cube from his hand and held it against her lip. 

“Alright, now that we have the first kiss out of the way, why don’t we go back to talking about the mark?” “Yeah, we should talk about,” “What are you most worried about, (Y/n)?” “The pain, I think” “I understand that, pain is scary, I’m sure Jihoon told you that the wrist and the ankles hurt the least, always, the thighs, are a gamble, and the shoulder’s somewhere in the middle if you wonder about any other placement just ask,” “What I’m wondering the most is actually, where would you like to mark me?” Jun’s eyes soften even more, his heart happily fluttering at the fact that (Y/n) wanted to make him happy. “I don’t really care but I’d prefer a more intimate spot, so not the wrist or the ankle, though it is up to you,” “After thinking about I think I would want it on the shoulder,” Jun’s smile brightened as he hugged (Y/n) once again. “That would be perfect,” “So, when are you doing it?” “After dinner, the bite takes up a lot of energy, you will feel very sleepy after it and you will need the energy from the food, it will help you feel less pain. Jihoon didn’t tell you this?” “No, I’m sure he didn’t because I hurried him along,” “Don’t worry, I’m not angry, I’m actually surprised, Jihoon rarely ever misses these things,” “Maybe he didn’t, I think he might have left that out intentionally so that you could tell me,” “He probably did,” Jun pecked (Y/n)’s lips again, “I love you,” “I love you too, even though you kidnapped me,” “Hey, would you have come with me had I not kidnapped you?” “Um, probably not, or actually who knows, maybe I would have met you somewhere else? I mean, just because I wouldn’t have remembered you or that night doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have, right?” “Yeah, that’s true but I’m also afraid that my instincts wouldn’t have let me leave without you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you belonged to me, um, with me,” “Is that also a siren thing or is it a Jun thing?” “What is?” “The possessiveness, the ‘you belong to me’,” “Both I think, it’s definitely a siren thing but I can’t say it isn’t a me thing either,” “Well, luckily for you, I don’t mind it as long as it doesn’t turn into anything worse than you saying that,” “It won’t have to, once my mark is on you no creature in the world, except for humans I guess, would dare try anything with you,” “Give me another kiss, my king,” “As you wish, my queen,” And so Jun gave (Y/n) another breathtakingly passionate kiss that had them both lost in the moment. 

Please reblog! Requests are open!