#the girl in the one I was reading in my dream had curly blue hair that was way grown out with roots so long her bangs were entirely brown

[tatoasting]

Dreamt I was reading transfem animegirl webcomics in the dressing room of the presidential inauguration while the both of them play silly pranks on eachother & call eachother "boss" like none of this matters.

Anyways, anyone know of any good transfem webcomics??

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Unpredictable-Limoreau x black!fem!reader fic

A/N: I was inspired a lot by the Bama Rush documentary and couldn't get the idea of a sorority girl in GOD U out of my head. Let me know if you want a part 2.

Warnings: some swearing

Words: 5.2k

Series Masterlist

Future probability cognition, the ability to see potential future outcomes, was usually a nice power to have. At 7, I knew my parents were going to get divorced before either of them considered filing. At 9, I knew my mother would focus all her energy on the agency. At 12, I knew that my older brother would take a head of surgery job in Buenos Aires, escaping the chaos at home. Despite this history, nothing could have prepared me for my second year at Godolkin.

The first day back on campus was uneventful: I survived a grueling early morning Pilates class that I envisioned would put me in Sydney’s, the Si Chi president, good graces and, later in the afternoon, I settled an argument between two Si Chi juniors by predicting that brunch would be the most successful rush event.

Being (one of) the first black high-ranking members of Si Chi could be a full-time job.

As I was re-reading the chapters for Brink’s class, my V-Phone buzzed with a text from Leah, one of the seniors in the sorority.

L: Do you know Emma?

I quickly typed back: Which one? Wallace or the girl who got the botched nj in SK?

L: Neither. Short girl with curly blonde hair. She’s here 4 u.

The yelp that left my mouth would have been embarrassing if anyone else was in the house study room. Quickly, I tucked my book under my arm and ran into the ivory and wood-paneled foyer complete with Tiffany crystal chandelier and faint instrumental piano music playing through the Bluetooth speakers. At the door, Leah’s arms were crossed over her lavender babydoll dress as she smiled fakely at Emma, who looked more apprehensive than usual.

“Emma, hi, I thought I told you to text me when you got here!” I greeted as I approached the two.

Emma’s expression relaxed when her blue eyes landed on me. “Sorry, I got distracted and then I got lost trying to find you.”

I glanced at Leah, who shot me a questioning look. “Thanks, Leah, I can take it from here.”

Leah shrugged, turned, and teleported into thin air. Emma’s eyes widened again as she stepped further into the house and I closed the door behind her.

“Sorry about Leah; she’s cagier than usual because she couldn’t get a refill on her favorites,” I explained.

“It’s fine, I’m just glad you aren’t like that,” Emma admitted.

I paused to finally hug her and she nearly crushed me as she wound her arms around my middle. It felt like forever since I had seen Emma, even though it was at my dad’s annual 4th of July barbecue. When I pulled away, Emma eyed the book in my hand.

“You’re reading before school starts. Nerd,” she teased.

   I playfully pushed her shoulder. “We’re in college, we have to take school way more seriously now. Besides, a requirement for Si Chi is at least a 3.8.”

   Emma tapped her chin. “Let me guess, you have a 4.0.”

  I smiled and tugged her further into the house. Of course, I had to give her a tour of the house and introduce her to the girls we passed. When we finally got to my room, Emma collapsed on top of my pastel blue comforter, dropping her bag on the matching rug.

  “I know Si Chi is a top house, but you basically live in Barbie’s Dream House,” Emma beamed. “How do I get in? What do I have to do? I will do literally anything or anyone.”

   I rolled my eyes and set my book on my desk. “I’m glad you like the place but, you haven’t even met your roommate yet. What’s her name again?”

  Emma pushed herself up on her elbows with a huff. “Marie Moreau. I tried to find her on social media, but she doesn’t have any: No X, no TikTok, not even an obligatory Facebook.”

  Social media presence was basically a requirement at GOD U these days so it was a bold move for someone to show up without any. It could mean Marie was hardcore about her studies or…

  “She might have strict parents,” I pointed out, sitting next to Emma.

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “They better not be weird, cult-y parents. I guess that would be my luck too: have a psycho roommate my freshman year.”

   “Hey, no one could have had it worse than me: a slob who always had boys over and threatened to gut me in my sleep,” I argued.

   “But, you saw all of that coming,” Emma argued.

   I shook my head. “Only the part where she stood over my bed with a knife in hand.” I sighed and pressed my hands into the covers. “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with that ever again.”

   “Really, because some of these girls are giving unhinged,” Emma replied.

   “The nice thing is I either pick up on the signs or ‘see’ their breaking point,” I explained.

   Emma nodded and pushed herself off my bed to start exploring my room. As she started messing with my checkered Moschino teddy bear figurine, my phone buzzed on my desk. When I grabbed it, I saw it was a video call from Cate.

   “Hi, what’s up?” I greeted, holding the phone at the most flattering angle.

   “I’m trying to entertain myself while Luke preps for training,” Cate admitted.

   “What, you’re not totally entertained by your star boyfriend?” I teased.

   Cate rolled her eyes. “No, I can’t wait for this to be over. You’re coming, right?”

   I shook my head. “Sorry, we have a rush event at the same time, including a choreographed dance.”

  “Ooh, did you choreograph it?” Cate asked.

  “I might have helped a little.”

  “Well, I’m pissed I’ll miss it but make sure to have someone send me all the cute videos and pictures,” Cate requested.

  “Sure.”

  There was some yelling in the background and Cate rolled her eyes.

  “I have to go but we’ll talk later.”

  “Bye!”

  When I hung up, Emma was staring at me with her mouth gaping, the teddy figurine dangerously close to slipping from her grasp and onto the hardwood floor. I crossed the room as quickly as I could and carefully placed the figurine back on my dresser.

  “Emma, I love you but if you break anything, I will lose it,” I warned.

  “You know Cate Dunlap?” Emma asked slowly.

  “Oh, yeah, she’s my peer mentor. Dean Shetty paired us up last year since our powers are similar,” I answered.

  “So, you’ve met Luke Riordan? Like, you’ve been in his presence?”

  “Yes,” I answered slowly.

  “And you didn’t faint or throw up from his glory?”

   “Emma, he’s a regular person. His powers are insane but he is also human, just like us.”

  “No, I’m a regular person. Luke Riordan is, like, a demigod or something. Is he better looking in person?”

   I hesitated and busied myself with grabbing my rush outfit from my closet and setting it on my bed. Then, I stared at my shoes, feeling Emma’s eyes bored into the back of my head. I closed my eyes and focused on the event tonight, the potential sounds and people. Seconds later, I got a decent image of my Si Chi sisters and I dancing in front of the house, surrounded by freshmen girls in Princess Polly and House of CB. I focused all my energy on looking at our feet and tried not to groan when I saw red high-top Converse.

   “Every time,” I muttered as I opened my eyes.

   Two more years, just two more years of going along and I would reap the benefits: a strong ranking, a decent contract, and my pick of the most eligible supes. I just had to keep playing the game.

   I grabbed my platform red Converses and set them in front of my bed, sheepishly turning to Emma. “Yes, Emma.”

     She squealed. “I knew it!”

     I laughed at her joy as she bounced in her Vans. “Go to the training today and see for yourself.”

   Emma’s expression deflated slightly as she walked closer to me. “I wish you could come, you could introduce us!”

   “There will be a next time,” I stated.

   “Promise?” She held up her pinky and eyed me as I slowly wrapped my manicured one around hers. She opened her mouth but was cut off by an alarm going off on her phone. “Shit, I have to go film a video!”

   “You’re still doing Little Cricket?” I asked.

   Emma shushed me loudly and her eyes filled with panic. “Not so loud and definitely not in this house!”

  The girls probably already know all about it, I thought.

  I flipped my waist-length box braids over my shoulder and laughed as she rushed towards the door. “You don’t know where you’re going, let me walk you out!”

  She paused for a split second and gave me some time to catch up to her. However, I led her through the quickest route back to the front door and she gave me a quick hug before she took off. I laughed as I closed the door behind her.

  “Some things never change,” I mused.

   When I got back up to my room, I realized she left her backpack and groaned. She would have to learn to be more responsible if she was going to survive more than a week here. So, I grabbed my purse and her backpack before traipsing the campus. Fortunately, Emma had texted me her dorm information before she got on campus.

   “In case of an emergency,” she’d insisted.

    The freshman dorms were not as bad as I remembered them but I cringed at a few musty speedster jocks I crossed in the hallway. A brief premonition helped me duck to avoid an ice user’s power going out of control when I finally made it to Emma’s door. First, I rapped on the door three times.

    “Emma, it’s me, you really have to keep a better eye on your stuff!” I called.

     After a few seconds of no answer, I knocked again.

     “Seriously? I can’t always be looking after you,” I teased.

     Finally, the door swung open, revealing a pretty black girl with big brown eyes and long brown dreads that were pulled partly away from her face. Her eyes widened at me and I smiled.

     “Sorry, I’m looking for Emma, she left her bag in my----”

     Emma cut me off, appearing next to the girl, “I was wondering where that went, thanks!” She grabbed the bag from me.

    “Oh, uh, come in,” the girl said, stepping aside.

    I nodded and wandered further into their dorm. It was small, like most freshman dorms, but Emma’s side offered pops of color and coziness. The other side was more basic, probably because the girl just moved in.

   “Marie, this is Y/N, my best friend, Y/N, Marie,” Emma introduced as she plopped onto her bed.

    I turned to Marie and extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

   She hesitated slightly before shaking my hand. “You too.”

  “Don’t worry, Marie, you’ll get used to her hotness,” Emma advised.

   My cheeks warmed as I whirled around to my friend. “Emma!”

   “It’s true!”

   The embarrassment floated in the pit of my stomach as I faced Marie, who looked somewhere between surprised and amused. “Sorry about her, she speaks without thinking.”

   “It’s okay. How do you two know each other?” Marie asked.

   “Her mom represents me,” Emma answered.

   “Oh.”

   “She’s the one who helped encourage me to make a YouTube channel and is helping me get into more commercials until my big break,” Emma continued.

   I sighed as I sat in Emma’s desk chair. “We’ve known each other since I was four and she was three.”

  “Do you want to be an actor too?” Marie asked.

   I shook my head. “I tried it when I was little but it wasn’t for me.”

   Emma’s eyes lit up and she sat up on her bed. “You should have seen her, she was so cute! She was that toddler in that one diaper commercial----”

   “Emma,” I softly begged.

    Marie laughed. “Now, I’m curious.”

    “Please don’t look it up, it’s not worth it anyway,” I insisted.

    Marie shrugged and sat on her bed. “My curiosity might get the best of me.”

    “Why did you have to mention that stupid commercial?” I whined at Emma, who laughed at my pain. “Anyway, what’s your major?”

     “Crimefighting,” Marie answered.

     I straightened up. “Me too.”

    “So, you’ve had classes with Brink? How is he? What’s he like?” Marie rambled.

    “Well, he’s really tough on first years and makes his tests almost impossible to pass,” I admitted.

     “Really?” Marie asked.

     “But, I can help you if you want; I did pretty well last year,” I offered.

     As soon as the words left my mouth, I questioned where they came from. Marie was a complete stranger, yet she was one of the easiest people to talk to. Normally, I stumbled over my words in front of new people, and this was…new.

    “That would be great, thanks,” Marie replied.

     Emma leaned forward. “Y/N, you are way too modest. She was in the top ten of the first years last year and she has a peer mentor and meets with Brink on a regular basis.”

     Marie snapped her attention to me. “Wait, what?”

     I shook my head. “She makes it sound more impressive than it is.”

    “No, I’m not; she hangs out with the Top Five all the time.”

    “Top Five?” Marie asked.

     Emma and I turned to her, stunned.

     “You don’t know what the Top Five are?” Emma asked slowly.

     Marie shook her head, growing tenser the longer we looked at her.

    “Godolkin ranks all the students based on their Q score, which is basically the strength of their powers, academics, and social media engagement. The Top One Hundred are the only ones published every day,” I explained.

   “And the Top Five are the only ones everyone really cares about since they’re the ones most likely to make it into the Seven,” Emma added. “It’s on the GOD U app.”

    “I don’t have a phone,” Marie admitted.

     Emma balked at her. “How have you gone this far in life without a phone?”

     Marie shrugged. “My parents wouldn’t let me have one.”

     “What about emergencies?” I asked.

     “Someone else always has one,” Marie countered.

     Something was off about her statement and I knew that if I focused on it long enough, I would get a premonition about her. However, I decided that it would be rude to do that in conversation and tabled it for later.

    “You’ll get through it,” I said.

    “So, what ranking are you, Y/N?” Marie asked.

    “Last I checked, I was number twenty,” I recalled.

     Marie and Emma’s eyes widened at me, and I shrunk a little under their gaze. It really was not that impressive considering how intense the nineteen other people above me were.

    “That’s amazing!” Emma cheered, leaping off her bed and hugging me.

    “How did that happen?” Marie asked gently.

     When Emma pulled away, I replied, “Well, right before summer break, I had a premonition about a case Brink had the class working on all year.”

    “You solved a crime?” Marie concluded.

     “I just helped with a tip,” I insisted.

    “Please, Y/N, don’t act like you haven’t solved cases before,” Emma stated.

     I narrowed my eyes at her and Emma smirked in reply. Marie held up her hands and shook her head.

    “Wait, as in plural?”

     “It’s really not a big deal. With all the forensics, psychology, and ethics classes you’ll take, you’ll be solving them too.”

      Marie looked unconvinced but did not push it. “So, what’s your ability? I’m sorry if that’s rude to ask.”

     “No, it’s fine. Future probability cognition, I can see potential outcomes for the future,” I explained.

     “That’s amazing,” Marie complimented.

      “Eh, a lot of times it means I get blurry images in my head but it’s helpful sometimes. What about you?”

      “Blood manipulation.”

       “Whoa, no offense, but that is such a supervillain power,” Emma thought outloud.

        “Emma!”

         “I said ‘no offense’!”

        Marie laughed. “It’s okay, I get why people would think that.”

       “Can you give us a demonstration?” Emma asked.

        Marie nodded and grabbed a switchblade from her cargo pants’ pocket. In a graceful motion, she cut one of her palms and held it out in front of her. Seconds later, a circle of blood floated in the air like water, swirling each way. Marie smiled at our expressions and the blood slowly flowed back in her palm and the mark healed.

       “That was awesome!” Emma cheered.

       “I think Brink will like you,” I added.

      “Thanks. I think it’s your turn, Y/N,” Marie said.

       I hesitated. “Well, mine is definitely not as impressive as yours and I can’t promise I’ll see anything…positive.”

     “That’s okay,” Marie insisted.

     “You can use me as a demonstration,” Emma offered.

     I turned to her and closed my eyes. My mind wandered to images of her face and the sound of her laugh. Eventually, I saw an image of her rolling around her dorm bed with some guy. Then, all of a sudden, she was small and---     “AAAH!” I jumped from my seat, both underclassmen looking at me confused.

     “Is it that bad?” Emma asked.

     My eyes looked everywhere but my best friend and my hands unconsciously flexed. “Whatever you do, do not bring a guy here in the future.”

   “You don’t want me to get laid?”

   “I don’t think you would want to experience what I just saw.” I shivered at the thought.

    “Have your powers made you respond like that before?” Marie asked.

     I nodded. “It’s rare, though, and I have help to get a handle on it.”

     Slowly, I sat down and focused on the orange circle rug on the floor. Suddenly, I wished Cate was there to wipe that premonition from my memory. My stomach churned and I swallowed thickly.

     “Oh, Marie, you have to come to the training with me today,” Emma announced.

      “What training?”

     “The Top Five have public training at the beginning of every year. This year, Luke Riordan is up first,” Emma explained with a grin.

       “Luke’s a big deal?” Marie asked.

       “Hell yeah, he’s number one!” Emma chastised.

        Marie turned to me. “Are you going?”

        I looked up at her and wondered if she seemed kind of hopeful. “No, I have to do rush tonight.”

      “On top of everything else, she is also the secretary of Si Chi, the top sorority on campus,” Emma bragged.

      “Wow, are you always this busy?” Marie asked.

     “Not always. Things calm down once rush is over.” My phone beeped in my bag and I grabbed it. “Speaking of which, I have to run and get ready.”

      “But you already look nice,” Marie commented.

      “Thanks, but I need to be up to Si Chi standards. Have fun at the training and Emma, please try not to act up too much.”

      “I can’t control what will happen once his clothes burn off.”

       “What?”        I shook my head. “I’ll see you around.”

    The next day, I was shocked awake by a series of texts from Emma.

          E: Emergency, pls come 2 my dorm.

         E: Srsly, Marie needs ur help.

    Immediately, I wondered my Marie would need my help. When I reached out to Emma last night, she was busy gushing over Luke and never mentioned any issues. Also, I didn’t see any posts about her on social media which calmed my nerves.

    After texting her I would be there soon, I slowly pushed myself to sit up in my head and pushed my silk sleep mask up over my scarf. Then, I meditated for a few minutes, breathing through all the chaotic thoughts and scenarios that included strangers and people that I knew. Just when my temples began to throb, I stopped and made my way into the en-suite bathroom.

   About thirty minutes later, Emma shoved her dorm room open and pulled me in. She was wearing a gray GOD U t shirt and matching shorts, her curly stuck up in random places.

   “Where the hell have you been?” she whispered.

   “I got here as soon as I could,” I defended. “What’s going on?”

    Marie stood from her desk, a deep frown on her face, and made her way towards us. “I’m not in any Crimefighting classes; it’s all performing arts!”

    I cocked my head to the side. “That’s weird. Can I see your schedule?”

   “It’s on my phone.” Emma handed it to me and I started scrolling through Marie’s schedule.

   “Did you register for any performing arts classes?” I asked.

   “No, I registered for all the first-year Crimefighting classes,” Marie insisted.

   The frustration was thick in her voice and I wondered what was keeping her from punching a hole in the wall.

   “Is there anything I can do?” Marie asked.

   “Sorry, I don’t know. I’ve never heard of this happening.” I paused for a moment and smiled. “But I might be able to help. I have a meeting with Brink today and if you come with me, I could introduce you and we could get this all figured out.”

   “Really? Do you know how it will go?”

   “Let me try.”

   I closed my eyes and focused on Brink, the Crimefighting building, and Marie. The images were as blurry as a Monet up close and all the audio was muffled as if everyone was speaking underwater. When I opened my eyes, I shook my head at Marie.

   “Looks like it’s up to fate,” I commented.

   Marie deflated and I did not know whether to comfort her or not.

   “I’m sending good vibes your way,” Emma offered.

   “Thanks, we’ll need it,” Marie replied.

    As much as I wanted to push back, I did not like not knowing how this would turn out. My heart drummed in my ears later that day as we walked to the Lamplighter building. At the very least, the sun was beaming on everything, making Godolkin look shinier than usual. It was the perfect day for the white cherry-printed sundress and denim jacket I wore with platform white sandals. My braids flowed freely around me under the cool breeze.

   When we walked into the building, I let out the breath I did not know I was holding in.

   “You okay?” Marie asked.

   “Yeah, why?” I replied.

   “Your heart rate picked up,” she observed.

    I paused and looked at her. “You can hear my heartbeat?”

   She nodded. “Sorry, I know that’s kind of weird.”    “Nothing’s weird at this school but, that’s good to know,” I assured.

   I made a mental note to be more intentional in meditation as I led Marie to Brink’s office. The Lamplighter building was practically empty since most students were sleeping off hangovers. However, Jordan Li wasn’t most students and was at their usual post, the desk outside of Brink’s office, eyes focused on their laptop. They were in their feminine form, hair slicked back in a low ponytail.

   A small smile etched its way on my glossed lips at the sight and I turned to Marie, whose eyes widened at Jordan.

  “Let me do the talking,” I whispered.

  “Sounds good,” she answered, nodding.

  As soon as we got in front of Jordan’s desk, I waved my hand in front of their face to no avail. With no choice, I grinned as I slammed my hands on the desk and called their name. Immediately, Jordan jumped in their seat, yanking their earbuds out as they exclaimed an expletive.

    I laughed as they rolled their eyes at me.

   “Seriously, freshie?” Jordan commented.

   “You can’t call me that anymore, I’m a sophomore,” I sang.

   “It doesn’t have the same ring to it,” Jordan teased.

    My cheeks warmed at their words and I gripped my Longchamp tote closer to me in an attempt to get a grip on myself.

   “By the way, I loved your little dance from last night,” Jordan added.

   “You saw that?” I rasped.

   “Rushtok is so big that no one can escape it.” Jordan glanced at their laptop. “You’re early, as usual.”

   “I like to be punctual but, I also have someone who might be your new favorite freshman,” I replied.

    “Impossible,” Jordan scoffed.

     I nodded to Marie, who slowly moved to stand next to me. “This is Marie Moreau. Marie, this is Jordan Li, Brink’s TA.”

    Jordan glanced at Marie, a smirk disappearing from their face. “Hi.”

    “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you. You’re so awesome; your powers are incredible,” Marie confessed.

    Jordan smirked. “I’m glad I impressed a freshman.”

    Marie looked taken aback and glanced at me.

   “I brought Marie with me since there’s been a mix-up. She applied for Crimefighting but she’s in all the performing arts classes. So, I was thinking that you’d be able to help,” I explained.

    Jordan looked back at their laptop and started typing again. “I know, I’m the one who rejected her.”

   Their words hung in the air and I could feel a lump starting to form in my throat. As smart as Jordan was, they were either unaware of how deeply their bluntness could cut or they did not care. After knowing them for a year, I began to lean toward the latter.

   “What?” Marie muttered.

   “Why?” I questioned.

   “She has no social media presence and, even though her scores are decent, she needs a following,” Jordan rattled.

   “Isn’t that a little biased? Do you know what her powers are? If you knew, I think you would be open to making an exception,” I argued gently. “Besides, she can still get a following online. With her face, it will take no time.”

    As soon as the comment left my mouth, I froze. I had no idea why I said that, maybe Emma’s tendencies had rubbed off on me.

    “Sorry, the decision’s final.” Jordan did not sound apologetic at all and I thought I saw them trying not to smirk again.

   “You can’t do that. Let me talk to Professor Brink,” Marie requested.

  “There’s no point, he leaves all admission decisions to me,” Jordan said. “You should learn from your friend. Y/N here has ten million followers across her social media and solved the Glasgow Ripper case and a twenty-year-old cold case before she got here.”

   Marie whirled around to me. “You solved the Glasgow Ripper case?”

   “I just gave them a tip and it was supposed to be anonymous,” I muttered.

    “Nothing is anonymous with Vought,” Jordan countered. “Plus, you led them to key evidence.”

    “They would have solved it…eventually,” I admitted.

   Based on my original estimate, it would have taken them three years and I always felt horrible whenever they showed the victims’ families on the news. The tension in the space was thick as Jordan and Marie glared at each other. I wracked my brain for something, anything to say.

   Fortunately, Brink took care of the tension when he burst out of his office, gun in hand, and shot at Jordan. Marie yelped as Jordan switched to their male form and absorbed the shot.

   “Wow, every time,” Brink admired.

   “If you keep it up, I’m going to run out of shirts, sir,” Jordan replied, smiling.

    Brink turned to Marie and me. “Oh, Y/N, you’re here, early as always.”

    “Hi, Professor Brink. How was your summer?” I asked.

    “Busy. And yours?”

    “Good. Um, Professor, I don’t want to take too much of your time, but this is Marie Moreau and there was a mix-up with her schedule,” I started.

    Professor Brink nodded and turned to Marie. “Is that so?”

    Marie quickly explained the dilemma, narrowing her eyes at Jordan but was able to stay as calm and professional as possible. I glanced at Professor Brink’s expression and while he looked pleasant, I dreaded his words.

   “Well, if Jordan rejected you, that’s final. I trust their judgment,” Professor Brink affirmed. “You can serve as a hero in many ways; Crimefighting is a select group of students who show high aptitude in several areas. That does not mean anyone else is less valuable. Maybe we will see you on Dancing with the Stars one day.”

   Marie’s face fell and her body tensed. I might have started crying if I was in her position but her eyes stayed dry. I gently put my hand on her shoulder.

   “We’ll figure something out,” I muttered.

   She did not look convinced and as I politely followed Brink into his office, I prayed that I would get some sort of helpful premonition. Then again, why did I want to help this girl? I knew her for less than twenty-four hours. Nothing was making sense.

    Later that day, I practically ran a hole into my bedroom floor as I ruminated over my next steps. My meeting with Brink was unremarkable and I couldn’t stop thinking about how to get Marie into crim. She was obviously a strong hero in the works, even if Jordan didn’t see it. One way to help would be to get her into a decent house on campus since that was one of the only viable routes outside of making it into the Top 100 to get noticed on campus. However, Marie did not strike me as the sorority type.

    Then again, I could help her with donors at fundraisers since they loved throwing their money to make themselves feel better. As I thought, my mind somehow circled back to Jordan. It was fun getting a rise out of them after everything last year. They were not as rude to me as they were to Marie, but they were still terrifying last year. They always had a critique for someone and had reduced numerous kids to tears before the first semester ended. Somehow, I impressed them last year and they started being nicer to me. It probably also did not hurt that I had befriended Cate.

    “Ugh, it’s hopeless!” I huffed, plopping onto my bed.

    Even when I tried to get premonitions, there was nothing helpful; just Jordan and Marie arguing while I attempted to settle things.

    What was this year turning into?

      My phone rang, jolting me from my thoughts, and I answered without looking at the caller ID. “Hello?”

    “Do you have any rush shit tonight?” Cate asked.

    I sat up and eyed her in the video call. “No, all the presidents and VPs are meeting tonight so we’re on our own.”

   “Great, so you’re free to go out with us,” Cate concluded with a grin.

  My heartbeat picked up at the thought of going out with Cate and the others. Any time I went out with them always ended in an interesting story, from the time Cate got us all out of a really embarrassing ticket to the time Andre and Luke drunkenly dueted “Never Gonna Give You Up” in a Korean karaoke bar.

  “I know that face, you’re thinking too much,” Cate warned.

  “Not in a bad way, in a good way. Where are we going?”

  “Don’t worry, just wear something hot and meet us in the parking lot at ten.”

  “Okay.”

  I hung up and set the phone on my dresser. Maybe this would help me clear my head or get me out of my head. Sometimes the thoughts could be suffocating but I would get a break tonight. I closed my eyes and wondered what would happen tonight. Slowly, clear images of a dark club and the sound of a thumping bass flooded my mind. The club was crowded but I saw myself dancing with Cate and…Marie?

[bubblegump-1-nk]

Promises Are Meant To Be Broken

- Theodore Nott x fem!Reader, Lorenzo Berkshire x fem!reader

summary: As childhood best friends, Enzo and you made a pact to date and get married before leaving to Hogwarts together. But as you get older, that promise begins to fade in your memory, as opposed to Enzo because it’s all he can think about.

Disclaimer: ok so I know I promised to not write another fic about Theo, but, well…. read the title. Plus, this fic includes Enzo as a romantic-ish partner so…. yeah! also it was my blogs official 2 years as of 4 days ago! Thank you to everyone who enjoys my stories and keeps this mess of a (v hyper fixated) blog alive 💗

Find part 2 here!

***

“When we’re older, if we both aren’t dating someone by 16, we’ll date each other.” 4 year old Enzo said to you, as you were both playing in the forest by your house.

“And if we aren’t married by 21, we’ll marry each other.” You had said, jumping into the river to cool yourself off from the boiling July weather.

“You promise?” Enzo responded, tentatively dipping a toe in.

“I promise.” You said, before grabbing his hand and pulling him in.

—-

“Hey Enzo, pass me that book please. The purple one.” You said, hoping to find the answers to your homework in there.

“Yeah, here you go.” He said as he passed it to you, smiling as he did so.

“Merlin, do any of you know how to do this?” Theo asked from beside you, struggling on his transfiguration homework.

“Just copy mine, it’s in my bag.” Pansy said, not looking up from her potions essay.

“Thanks P, you’re a life saver.”

You and your best friends were all sitting in the library doing your homework, trying to get ahead of it for the week since you all planned to throw a party this Friday.

You had been friends with most of them since childhood, Enzo and your friendship going the farthest back. Your friend group was extremely close, and you all always chose to spend as much time together as possible.

“I can’t do this anymore, I give up.” Mattheo said, slamming his textbook shut.

“Then give up on getting drunk this weekend.” Blaise said, knowing exactly how to motivate Mattheo.

He made an exasperated groan before opening his book again and going back to his work.

“I say we enchant the bottles so they turn to water every time he tries to drink.” Theo whispered to you, smirking at the thought.

You giggled quietly at his joke, staring into his deep blue eyes.

You both kept eye contact for a little longer than necessary before Enzo loudly cleared his throat.

You turned to look at him, giving him a confused look. He pretended he didn’t see it.

Enzo had had a crush on you for as long as he could remember, and been in love with you for a couple months now. He had hoped that you would’ve kept your promise to each other about dating when you turned 16, but seeing as there were only 2 months left in your 6th year he doubted it would ever happen. He wished he had the courage to tell you, but he was so afraid he would ruin your friendship. Draco kept telling him he could play it off as a joke if he ever brought it up, but Enzo knew you. He knew you’d never believe him. Plus, he was sure Theo had a crush on you. And, could he really compete with Theodore Nott? With his 6’4 frame, dark curly hair, brooding stare, and perfect smile?

“Alright, I’m done.” You said, taking him out of his trance.

He was about to speak up and offer to leave with you, but somebody beat him to it.

“I’ll walk back with you. If I stare at this book for one more second my head will explode.” Theo said, packing up his things before grabbing your bag and his.

How Enzo wished his head would explode. He felt bad thinking these things about his best friend, but he couldn’t help it. The girl of his dreams was on the line.

“See you guys later.” You said, and Theo gave the group a nod before putting his hand on the small of your back and leading you both out of the library.

The simple touch erupted butterflies in your stomach. Every touch and look from Theo did. Your crush on Theo was growing stronger and stronger every month, every year, every day. How could it not? He was always doing the cutest things, and Pansy was always feeding your delusions.

“I think I’m going to go take a nap, i feel like a zombie.” You told Theo once you had both entered the Slytherin common room.

“Come sleep in my dorm, I don’t wanna be alone.” Theo said, making a silly pouty face to convince you.

“Fine, but only if you let me borrow clothes.”

“Your wish is my command, principessa.” He said, making you blush. You loved when he used that nickname.

You both quickly made your way towards his dorm, laughing and giggling the entire way up at jokes Theo was making. He really was the funniest guy you knew.

“Here we are.” Theo said, as he opened the door for you.

“Thanks, Teddy.” You said, walking into his shared dorm with Mattheo and Enzo. He blushed at the nickname, and hoped you wouldn’t notice.

You’d spent countless hours here, drunk after parties, doing homework, just hanging out. Their dorm was like your second home. You made your way to Theo’s bed where you plopped yourself down and took off your Mary Jane’s.

“Ok, I want a hoodie. Please.” You said, adding the please after and throwing in a sweet smile.

“Yes ma’am.” He said, walking over to his closet and strategically picking out his Quidditch hoodie that had his name written on the back.

He handed it to you and you thanked him before you began unbuttoning your school shirt.

His gaze lingered on you before you gave him a jokingly seductive look which struck him out of his trance. You giggled as he turned away and watched him quickly fix his pants, and take a couple deep breathes before going to take off his own school shirt to change into some comfortable clothes.

You gaze lingered on his abs, chiseled to perfection due to Quidditch. He changed into a t-shirt and grey sweatpants, which didn’t help your case.

“Ughh, I’m ready to sleep.” He said, embracing you in a hug and laying on top of you.

“Mmph mpaoood.” You said, your voice muffled by his chest.

“What?” He said, laughing, putting his arms on either side of you and lifting his body so he was looking down on you.

“I said: me too!” You said, giggling, before putting your arms around his neck.

“Let’s go to sleep then.” He said, begrudgingly taking himself out of your embrace and getting up to turn the lights off and shut the curtains.

You put yourself under the covers and snuggled into Theo’s bed, his scent all over the sheets putting you in a dreamlike state.

“Sleep tight.” Theo said, admiring the way you looked with his name sprawled over your back.

He held you tightly, and you snuggled into his chest before falling into a peaceful sleep.

___

“Shut the fuck up!” Mattheo said loudly, entering his dorm room with Enzo following close behind, his laugh echoing on the walls.

“Oh shit, the lovebirds are sleeping.” Mattheo said, covering his mouth and dropping his voice to a whisper.

“Huh?” Enzo asks, before stepping into the room and seeing the horrific sight.

You and Theo, both in Theo’s bed, wrapped in a tight embrace, your breaths following the same pattern.

“Fuck off.” Enzo mumbled under his breath, before dropping his things and storming out of the room, leaving a confused Mattheo behind.

—-

“You’re the best!” You say to Enzo, who brought you back a drink.

The music was booming so loudly you could feel it vibrating through your body. The dark green lights were swimming around the room, engulfing everybody. You had just made your way out of the crowded dance floor, which you had easily convinced Enzo to follow you into.

He sat down next to you, spreading his legs and putting his arm on the top of the couch behind you.

“This dress looks really nice on you, y/n.” He said, staring intently at you as he sips out of his own cup.

“Thanks, Enzo. You’re outfit is nice too.” You said, looking at his slightly unbuttoned white shirt with black pants. Simple, but nice.

“You bought me this shirt.”

“Oh that’s right! No wonder I like it.” You said, causing Enzo to chuckle.

“Anyway, I can’t believe Michelle actually showed up.” You said, continuing the conversation. You loved gossiping with Enzo, you two always knew everything going around Hogwarts.

“I know, the nerve. I mean if it was just Draco I would get it, but it’s Pansy’s party too.” He said, referring to the girl who attempted to date Draco even though Pansy and him were “together.”

“Totally. I mean when she tried snogging him they technically weren’t labeled, but everyone knew they were together.” You said, Enzo’s face so close to yours so that you could both here the conversation over the blasting music.

“Yeah-“ He begins, before he’s cut off my Mattheo.

“Yo mate, where’s the extra fire-whiskey.” He says, wobbling over, clear that he doesn’t need any more alcohol.

“Under the black chair.” Enzo says, nodding to the chair, barely taking his eyes off you.

“That’s why you’re my favorite.” He says, causing you to scoff. He begins to walk off before you speak up, and he turns back to you.

“Where’s Theo?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in a while.” Mattheo responded, and Enzo’s eyes are now on the ground, a mean look on his face.

“He said he was gonna go smoke with you though?”

“That prick, he never shares his weed. But no, I haven’t seen him.”

“What? Where is he then?”

“Probably shagging some girl.” Enzo says with a nasty voice.

You turn to him bewildered.

“He wouldn’t do that.” Mattheo said, trying to save his best friend. He knew of Theo’s huge crush on you and he wasn’t going to let him get a bad image with you. Enzo, on the other hand, hadn’t told anyone about his feelings for you.

You give Mattheo a small smile before looking down at your cup.

“He’s probably outside or something, you know how he is. He’s not with some girl, trust me.” Mattheo says, reassuring you.

“You’re right. I’m gonna go look for him.”

Mattheo smirks, hoping tonight will finally be the night Theo mans up and asks you out.

“Wait-“ Enzo starts, but you’re already off.

—-

You make your way up the astronomy tower’s stairs, the last place you can think of to find Theo. The summer weather engulfs you like a warm blanket, and a gentle breeze keeps you from breaking any sort of sweat. The moon and stars are shining so brightly it’s as if you’ve just casted a Lumos charm. As you finally take the last steps and climb onto the platform, you see Theo’s tall frame, facing away from you, leaning on the railing.

“Teddy?” You call out softly, causing him to turn around.

The smoke from his blunt creates a cloudy haze around him, and his eyes are bloodshot, although you can’t tell if it’s due to the drug or if he’s been crying. He smiles softly when he sees you.

“Hey, you.” He opens his arms for you, and you quickly make your way to him. He immediately engulfs you into a tight embrace and puts his face into your hair.

“You ok?” You ask, voice slightly muffled by his chest.

“Yeah, yeah. Just been thinking too much.” He says, as he unwraps himself from around your body.

“Probably all the fire-whiskey I drank.” He says, chuckling. You giggle softly and place yourself next to him on the railing, looking out to the night sky.

“What have you been thinking about?” You ask. You’ve always reassured Theo that he could come to you whenever he needs it, and as much as he appreciates it he just can’t find it in him to express his emotions to others. It makes you feel slightly guilty because he’s always the first one there when you’re feeling down. It used to be Enzo, but it’s been Theo’s arms you’ve been crying into recently.

“Just life. And my place in it.” He says, taking a drag from his blunt.

“What’s your place in it?” You ask, trying to nonchalantly get him to open up.

“Just my place in others lives. I feel like I don’t have one.”

“What do you mean?” You ask, your eyes flicking around his face, trying to search for answers.

“I just feel like I don’t add anything to anyone’s life. Like I’m just a background character. Someone with no importance. Like… like as if nobody needs me.” He says, a soft and sad smile on his face, trying to not worry you with his feelings.

Your quiet for a second, your brain racking around how a boy who brings so much happiness to everyone’s lives could possibly feel this way. A boy who so easily made you fall in love with who he is, without even trying. The wind picks up, and begins blowing with a calming hum.

“I do. I need you.” You finally say, the alcohol in your system making you completely honest.

Theo’s face lifts up to look directly at you, his eyes searching for meaning in yours. Had you really just said what he thought you did? Was this you being friendly, or possibly, hopefully, something more? He reached his hand up to put a piece of hair blown into your face by the wind behind your ear.

“I need you. I need you more than anything actually.” He says, voice soft and sweet.

“I think of you every second I’m awake, and dream of you every second I’m asleep. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, y/n.” He says, sweetly but firmly, wanting to leave no doubt about his feelings in your mind.

“You have no idea how much I’ve daydreamed about you saying that.” You said, putting your hand over his, leaving it on your cheek.

“I think I have an idea, considering it’s all I’ve done for as long as I can remember.” He says, his body now towering over you.

“I feel like I’m dreaming right now.” You say, looking intently into his eyes.

Suddenly, he leans down and his lips are quickly on yours. It takes you a second to kiss back, since you were taken aback by the suddenness of it, but you quickly recuperate and kiss him back eagerly.

The kiss is hungry and earnest, but loving and kind. He tastes sweet and his arms around you are suddenly making you weak in the knees. Your hands make your way to his hair, getting lost in the brown curls.

Your tongues dance together, exploring each other’s mouths. After a little while you both pull away from each other in an attempt to catch your breathes.

“Do you still feel like your dreaming?” He asks, smiling.

“Much more than before, now.” You say giggling, his arms around your waist and yours around his neck.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve had to hold myself back from kissing you.” He says, causing you both to laugh more.

“I wish you hadn’t. This could’ve happened so much sooner.”

“Yeah, after that kiss I wish I hadn’t either. It was better than I ever even imagined.”

You giggle and turn away as your cheeks turn pink. His fingers softly grab your chin, turning you back to face him.

“Now that that’s happened, I don’t want to lose you.” He says, seriously.

“Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it.” You say, smirking playfully. He smiles at you and chuckles as he lightly shakes his head.

“Y/n, can I be your boyfriend?” He asks, making deep eye contact.

“I’d be an idiot if I said no.” You say, before reaching up to connect your lips once again.

—-

It had been almost a week of you officially dating Theo and you couldn’t be happier. None of your friends were surprised when you started dating, seeing as it had been painfully obvious to everyone but you two that you both liked each other. Since you were both in the same friend group, it wasn’t difficult to balance your friend-life with your relationship-life, making it all 100x easier. The only thing that seemed slightly out of place, was your relationship with Enzo. You hadn’t seen much of him the past few days, and would even say he seemed…. angry with you? You couldn’t really tell, but your happiness due to finally dating Theo outweighed all your worries tenfold.

—

It’s officially been a week from Friday, and your making your way to the library to return some books you had finally finished using. As you walked into the quiet and calming atmosphere, you noticed Enzo sitting alone at a table, his notes spread out in front of him. You smiled lightly, wanting to speak to your best friend who you’ve missed so much. You’d barely spoken to him all week, and all your conversations seemed to be cut extremely short by one of his “activities.”

“Hey Enzo.” You say sweetly, sitting down in a chair next to him.

He looks up at you with a strange expression on his face before looking back down at his essay.

“So… how’s your week been?” You ask, attempting to fill the awkward silence and converse with him.

“Fine.” He says, not even glancing in your direction.

You take a deep breath.

“Is everything alright with you? Have I done something?” You ask, confused on why he was acting this way.

“No.”

“Enzo, please. I know you. What are you upset about?”

“Nothing.”

“Enzo!” You say, exasperated, wishing he would tell you what was wrong so you could help fix it.

“Merlin y/n, are you really this dim-witted?” He says rudely, looking up at you for the first time.

“What…?” You ask, taken aback by his cruelty.

“Whatever, I’m done.” He says, as he begins to quickly pack up his things, shoving papers and books into his bag hastily.

“Enzo, please. Just talk to me.” You say, desperate not to lose your best friend over something you don’t even understand. You quickly get up, picking up your pace to keep up with his.

“Just leave me alone y/n.” He says, picking up his own pace. Heads turn to you two, and you can hear the whispers.

“Enzo just talk to me!” You say, reaching for his arm as your exiting the library.

He shakes your hand off. “I don’t want to talk to you! What do you not understand?” He says, stopping brusquely and turning to face you.

Your taken aback by his sudden stop and almost lose your balance.

“Why not? What have I done?!”

“You know exactly what you’ve done!” He says, beginning to walk away again.

You react quickly enough to grab his arm and pull him into an empty classroom before shutting the door.

“I’m not letting you leave until you tell me what it is that I’ve done to upset you.”

“Nice try.” He says, before attempting to push past you.

“Enzo don’t do this to me, please. I miss you.” You beg.

“Oh you miss me? Really? Well it doesn’t seem like that ever since him.” He says, anger extremely evident in his voice.

“Him? You mean Theo?” You ask, confused.

“Yes of course I mean Theo.” He says sassily.

“What does Theo have to do with this? I’ve been trying to make time for you but you’re the one who’s always busy!” You say, anger rising in your own voice at his selfishness.

“You don’t understand, do you?” He says, searching in your face for answers.

“What do I not understand?” You ask, already extremely upset with him.

“That I’m fucking in love with you y/n!” He says, his hands flying up to his hair.

“What..?”

“Merlin I’ve been in love with you for years. And I thought you felt the same way until you went off with that git!”

“That git? You mean your best friend? And.. why would you even think that? And why didn’t you say anything earlier?” You ask, spewing out questions rapidly.

He was quiet for a minute, at a loss for words.

“You’re telling me you’ve never felt anything towards me? Ever? We promised each other we would end up together!”

“Enzo we were 4!” You say, bewildered by his claims.

“Ok? It was still a promise!”

“Yeah, one we made when we were 4! Do you not understand how stupid you sound?!”

“That promise meant something to me! I’ve waited every second of every day until we turned 16, until we could finally be together! I thought you had forgotten since we never worked out, but now I know you just never cared enough.” He said, voice filled with sadness.,

“It’s not that I didn’t care Enzo! I care so much for you, but I… I just don’t love you. I’m in love with Theo.”

“God, please don’t say his name.” He says, his eyes filled with hurt.

“I’ll say his name all I want.” You spit out, bitterly.

His face falls even more so than before, his eyes brimming with tears.

“You promised me you’d be with me, and then you go out with my best friend! What the fuck is wrong with you?” He says, a crazy look in his eyes as he rubs his face.

“Yeah, well, promises are meant to be broken.” You say, tears silently falling from your eyes. You couldn’t believe the way Enzo was acting, you’d never seen him like this. In all his selfish glory. You should have actually listened to the rumors that came from his ex-girlfriends.

You turn around to reach for the door handle, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible.

“Y/n, wait!” He says, reaching for your hand to stop you from walking into the hallway.

“You’re my best friend, I don’t want this to end. Please.” He begs, tears still brimming in his eyes, his face and neck splotched with red.

“Let go of me.” You say, before shaking his hand off, and walking away. Leaving him standing in the doorway to wallow in his misery.

—-

Part 2 Posted!

[animesmolbean]

Guardian of Light

(Male)

Hello! Welcome to my rewritten story for Dune and Kingdom Hearts!

Some things have changed, and the story has more added detail that helps with the story.

Regarding updates, they will be slower because I really want to explore a bit of the story, especially for future chapters. But I'll try to update as soon as I can.

As shown up above, this is the male version of the chapter! The female version was published yesterday (Monday). The female and male verison will have some differences (if you read both of them) to show the different actions taken by the characters. This will mostly affect the intimacy part of the story and not really the actual plot.

One more thing, I was inspired to write this story after reading a fanfiction I read on Wattpad that is just phenomenal! My story follows the format of it (most of the time), but it's a completely different story!

I'll link the book here if you are interested in reading it!

With all of that out of the way,

Hope you enjoy the first chapter! ♥️

Dreams are messages from the deep.

“My planet, Arrakis, is so beautiful when the sun is low. Rolling over the sands… You can see spice in the air. At nightfall, the spice harvesters land.

The outsiders and their army of demons race against time to avoid the heat of the day. They ravaged our lands in front of our eyes. Their cruelty to my people is all I've known.

These outsiders, The Harkonnens, came long before I was born. But their demon army only came recently with them.

By controlling the spice production, they become obscenely rich. Richer than the Emperor himself.

Our warriors couldn't free Arrakis from the Harkonnens, or the demons that lurk in the shadows, but one day, by the imperial decree, they were gone.

Why did the Emperor choose this path? And who will our next oppressors be?”

〰️

Chapter 1: Accepting a Deal

〰️

Year 10191

CALADAN, Homeworld of House Atreides

“I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real… or not?”

A (straight/curly/wavy) (hair color) boy slowly woke up. The soft glow from the light in his room, ridding him of any feeling of sleep.

He sat up, running his fingers through his hair. He looked around, seeing the familiar room he was given when he was a kid.

“It was… just a dream.” He whispered.

〰️

Meanwhile, a young boy was lying on a bed, shirtless, asleep, but tossed and turned a little as he dreamed. He was dreaming about something. Or rather, someone. His (Hair Color) hair gently blowing in the wind. He turned towards him, his beautiful sapphire blue eyes sparkling with happiness as he smiled widely.

His beautiful best friend since they were kids, the boy who is always the light of his life. (Your Name).

However, there was someone else with him. It was another girl that wore a different outfit compared to (Your Name). The boy didn't know who this was, for he could only see the side of her face. But he knew that he had dreamed of her before, too.

The boy's hazel green eyes opened, groaning softly, sitting up as the moving light came and shined against his shirtless form. He sat up in his bed, looking down.

‘What could that dream mean?’ He thought to himself.

〰️

The same young boy was now in a dining room, sitting at the table, deep in thought as he ate his breakfast.

An older woman who sat at the end of the table spoke up, breaking him out of his thoughts. “It's good you're up early. I just wish (Your Name) could be too.”

〰️

(Your Name) stood outside, in a loose gray long sleeve, baggy black Capri pants, and his boots were off, placed by a rock.

He dipped his feet into the large, cool body of water, walking until the water was halfway to his calves. He looked out towards the horizon, in deep thought.

〰️

“Your father wants you two in full dress before the Emperor's Herald arrives.”

The brunet boy raised his head up at this news, “Full dress? Military?”

“Ceremonial.” Jessica, the woman's name and his mother replied.

Paul let out a sigh. “Why would we have to go through all this when it's already been decided?” Paul asked.

“Ceremony.” Jessica simply replied.

The doors to the room suddenly opened, making the two at the dining table turn. Paul's lips lifted up into a smile at who was standing there. (Your Name).

“Ah…” (Your Name) chuckled awkwardly. “So sorry I'm late.” The boy walked over to the spot between Paul and Jessica.

“Nice to see you here (Your Name). And with shoes on this time.” Jessica lightly teased her son-like figure. She knew this boy since he was around five years old. She remembered the day the first time she brought him to Caladan.

〰️

Jessica was out late at night, having trouble sleeping. The sky was dark, stars twinkling, and the moon being the only thing providing light, making anything the light shone on glow a soft blue.

She walked along a beach that Caladan was known for when she saw what looked like a shooting star in the sky. But she saw it was falling towards the ground, not going across the sky like a shooting star normally would.

She watched the bright light and splash into a large body of water she was near. She walked closer to the water, her feet touching the soft sand. What she saw made her eyes widen.

What fell into the water was not a rock. But a child. He looked very young, like about five years old. He wore a white loose shirt with black shorts and no shoes.

Acting fast, she took off the cloak she was wearing and grabbed the wet, unconscious child and carried him back to the castle to be taken care of.

Jessica walked towards one of the spare rooms, requesting one of their servants to find clothes for the child. The female servant did what she was told while Jessica laid the child on the bed.

She got a closer look at the boy. He had (Hair Color) hair, (Skin Color) skin, all wet from landing in the water. She frowned and stroked the boy's wet hair.

This action caused the child to stir and mumble. Jessica watched the child slowly come to. When he opened his eyes, however, Jessica felt her heartbeat increase.

The boy's eyes were a deep blue. Like the color of sapphires or cobalt.

Jessica knew then that she needed to keep this boy safe.

〰️

(Your Name) chuckled shyly at Jessica's teasing, playing with the silver charm on his silver necklace; shaped like a small crown. He smiled back and then looked over to his best friend, who was already staring at her. Before he sat down, he greeted Paul with a gentle hug. The male smiled softly at his friend and hugged him back.

Once (Your Name) was seated and eating his breakfast, Jessica told him what she had just told Paul. The boy was confused as to why they were having a ceremony, but he gave Jessica a nod before he resumed eating. Jessica poured a glass of water for (Your Name) and slid the glass to him. The (Hair Color) haired boy thanked her quietly.

Jessica did the same for Paul, “Thank you.” The boy whispered. Jessica replied, “If you want it, make me give it to you. Use the Voice.”

(Your Name) guessed that Jessica wanted Paul to use the voice to bring him the water.

“Mom, I just woke up.” Paul protested in a gruffy, morning voice.

Jessica just stared at her son making Paul roll his eyes as he reluctantly agreed to try. He turned his body in the chair to use the voice, “Give me the water.”

It came out more like a soft, raspy whisper than what it was intended to be.

(Your Name) let out a muffled giggle at Paul's weak attempt. “The glass can't hear you. Say it to your mother.” He whispered.

Paul gave the boy a look before looking back at his mother. Seconds felt like minutes. The atmosphere shifted to stillness as (Your Name) watched Paul and Jessica stare at each other intensely, waiting for Paul to use the Voice again.

Moments later, his lips moved.

“Give me the water.”

The voice came out gruffier and a bit distorted. But it did its magic. Jessica took the glass and pushed it towards Paul a little. But as quickly she was under the spell, she quickly snapped out of it. She pushed the glass of water closer to Paul.

“Almost.”

“Almost?”

Paul's voice was back to its normal pitch.

“Bene Gesserit skills take years to learn, Paul.” Jessica told her son as he reached out and grabbed the glass.

(Your Name) nodded. Even though he wasn't being taught to use the Bene Gesserit, he understood its complexity and why it's important to master.

Jessica observed her son before speaking again. “You look tired. More dreams?”

(Your Name) raised an eyebrow in confusion. He looked at his friend with worry. ‘Has he been dreaming too?’ He thought to himself.

Paul shook his head, muttering, “No.” Then he went back to eating.

“What about you, (Your Name)? Have you been dreaming?” Jessica asked.

The boy looked down before muttering, “No.”

〰️

“Extreme temperatures and treacherous weather events make life outside the cities of Arrakis truly hostile.” A robotic voice came from a recording that laid on the ground and showed visuals of what they were talking about.

After breakfast, the two childhood best friends decided to spend some time studying before they had to head to the ceremony.

The recorded voice from the video played as Paul had a book in his hands about the Fremen, reading it as his back leaned against (Your Name)’s torso. The boy was in a kneeling position, his arms were wrapped around Paul's neck, forearms resting on top of his shoulders. His head was on top of Paul's, silently reading along with him, occasionally nuzzling his nose into the boy's curly hair. He was only half paying attention, focused on looking at the book, listening to the recording, and trying to be as close to Paul as possible.

“With sandworms powerful enough to cut through metal. Only the native tribes known as the Freman and one other special person, that hasn't been seen nor born for centuries known as the Haris Aldaw’ have adapted well enough to survive.”

(Your Name)’s attention was diverted when he heard that name. Haris Aldaw’. He moved his head off of Paul’s. He has heard that name before. From where, he wasn't too sure.

Paul turned his head to look at the (Hair Color) haired boy, his hazel green eyes showing worry. “(Your Name), are you okay?”

The (Hair Color) haired boy blinked before nodding. “Yeah. I'm alright. Don't worry.” He replied to the boy.

Paul let one of his hands go from holding the book, grabbing one of (Your Name)’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. (Your Name) welcomed the comforting pressure and did it back to him. But to his surprise, Paul pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. Then, Paul turned his friend's hand to show his inner wrist and placed a kiss on the spot, too.

The (Hair Color) haired boy felt a blush blossom onto his cheeks at the gesture. Now flustered, he looked away shyly.

Paul let his hand go and smirked to himself before he continued reading.

“Preferring to inhabit the remotest regions of Arrakis the Freman share the deep desert with the giant sandworms, known to the Fremen as Shai-Hulud. Long exposure to spice has given the tribe their characteristic blue eyes, the eyes of Ibad.”

‘I wonder if it's as blue as my eyes.’ (Your Name) thought to himself, his focus back on the book and the recording.

“Little else is known of the Freman except that they have some sort of power that controls the Earth and the Freman are dangerous and unreliable. On the other hand, much is known about the Haris Aldaw’. They are known to control elements and have other magical abilities such as being able to glide.”

(Your Name) bit her bottom lip. ‘My dream last night was about gliding… and falling.’ He thought to himself again.

“Freman Attacks make spice harvesting extremely hazardous. For the Freman spice is the sacred hallucinogen which preserves life and brings enormous health benefits. For the imperium the spice is used by the navigators of the spacing guild to find safe paths between the stars. Without spice, interstellar travel is impossible, making it by far the most valuable substance in the universe.” The voice recording concluded.

〰️

(Your Name) and Paul were now standing outside, dressed nicely for the ceremony, both dressed similarly.

The (Hair Color) haired boy turned his head to look at the bearded man in the center. Duke Leto Atreides. The man he saw as his father for many years now. He remembered when he first came to Caladan, he was confused as to how he got here and where he came from. Jessica had explained the situation, and the Duke didn't want to believe the tale, but when he saw how adamant she was, he believed her.

He took him in and cared for him like he was one of his own kids, raising him alongside Paul. Teaching him many things like reading and writing, alongside Lady Jessica. He couldn't be more graceful to the two for taking him in.

The Duke turned his head and saw the (Hair Color) haired boy looking at him. He gave the boy a subtle nod to him; a gesture he returned to him, a gentle smile on his face.

An enormous oval shaped ship landed on the ground. The ramp was placed down as the important people walked out from it. They were wearing their house clothes and walking respectfully towards them. (Your Name) wasn't exactly sure who they were but knew they were of utmost importance if they were coming to speak with the Atreides.

“Smile Gurney.” The Duke said, looking forward at the approaching visitors, his tone calm but with a touch of joking as he spoke to his trusted member.

“I am smiling.” Gurney replied monotonously, a blank expression on his always serious looking face.

(Your Name) bit his bottom lip to suppress a snicker from escaping his lips. Paul looked at him in mild amusement.

The Duke shook his head at Gurney’s deadpan response, “How much will it cost them traveling all this way for this formality?”

“Three Guild navigators and a total of 1,460,062 Solaris for this round trip.” Another trusted advisor answered beside the Duke. The Duke turned his attention back to the new visitors.

(Your Name) watched as a member of the group that arrived from the ship bow to the Duke, “By the grave of Shaddam IV of the House Corrino, ascendant to the Golden Lion Throne of Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, I stand before you as Herald of the Change. We are witnessed by members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the Spacing Guild, and a sister of the Bene Gesserit. The Emperor has spoken.” He pulled out a scroll, unrolling it before he read, “House Atreides shall immediately take control of Arrakis and serve as its steward.” The member closed the scroll. Do you accept?

The Duke took a couple long strides, stopping at the top of the stairs, “We are House Atreides. There is no call we do not answer. There is no faith that we betray. The Emperor asks us to bring peace to Arrakis! House Atreides accepts!”

“Atreides! Atreides! Atreides!” The soldiers that stood everywhere, representing House Atreides, started chanting as the Duke made his way down the stairs to sign the paper.

Before he does, the Duke looks back at his son and (Your Name), seeing them both giving him a subtle nod in agreement, silently approving him. They watched him sign the paper using his signet ring.

As he did, (Your Name) felt a feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite place. Like a feeling of unease. He wasn't sure why he felt it just now. ‘Probably from all the people staring at us.’ He thought to himself.

“So it is done?” Leto asked the Herald.

“It's done.” The Herald responded, face blank, not showing any emotion.

Once the deal was finalized, (Your Name) scooted closer to Paul, pressing his right arm against Paul's left one. The curly haired boy looked at the boy. He gave him a gentle smile, which he returned in kind.

He always liked Paul's smile. Paul thought the same thing about him.

Taglist

@skeletonixsstuff

[ageless-soul-au]

Dream girl!! 🌺 🌊

Marin washed up in Calatia, post Link's Awakening. The owners of a tavern in town gave her work and a place to stay, and Marin quickly learned that drunk people were sometimes assholes. She had to grow a thick skin, but eventually got used to the nature of her job (as well as learning that she could bat her eyelashes at some people and swindle them out of money/gifts/favors). She doesn't know much about where Legend is, or if he's even around in the time period she ended up in, but she's hoping to save up enough money in order to travel to Hyrule and find out...

Finally a ref for Marin!! I love her sososososo much, so I wanted to finalize an outfit for her before committing to a ref, bc she deserves something good!! I think I'm happy with this. The design on her corset is supposed to be reminiscent of waves.

Details not pictured: Her skirt falls to mid calf, and fades from the powdery blue at the top to the lighter blue that's the main color of her corset. For footwear, she has ankle boots that lace up and cream colored socks.

Marin is from ASAU, please don't tag any other AUs!! 💙

Image ID under the cut

Image ID: A character reference for Marin from Ageless Soul AU, featuring three drawings and text.

The text reads "Marin, barmaid from Koholint, age 21, height 5'4" / 162 cm, she/her."

The main drawing to the left pictures Marin looking slightly to the side and smiling smugly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger with her other hand behind her back. She has sunset red curly hair that's fluffy and falls to her lower back, brown eyes with red highlights, and tan skin with lots of freckles. Her body type is curvy/chubby and her dress shows some cleavage. She's wearing a sky blue dress made up of a strapless corset and a skirt, with the short, slightly puffed sleeves of a cream chemise sitting off her shoulders and the neckline of which is peeking up over the top of the corset. She wears the diamond shaped gold pendant with a red gem from Link's Awakening on a long chain, long enough that the pendant hangs slightly under her bust. Her hair is tucked behind one round ear, showing four ear piercings: two studs in her lobe and two rings in her upper cartilage (helix piercings).

The two doodles on the right are in a slightly more cartoony style.

The top doodle has a pink background and shows Marin in profile, leaning over a table that has pints of beer on it. She has a mocking, heart-shaped smile as she says, "I don't have to serve assholes. Get out~"

The bottom doodle has a green background. Marin is in a sassy pose with her right hand on her hip and her left dismissively waving off someone not pictured. Her eyes are closed as she says, "Not worth my time 💙 Go fuck yourself 💙"

There are doodles of hearts and water droplets around the page, as well as a fully rendered hibiscus and a color palette.

/end ID

[curioushappenstance]

fic title: do you like my dress? it's got pockets [chapter 4]

[previous chapter]

[next chapter]

[ao3 link]

Summary: 9:19 Dragon – Varric Tethras loses his virginity to a pretty dwarf girl at the bar. 9:41 Dragon - The consequence walks through the gates of Skyhold. - In my childish fantasies, I used to dream of being the Champion; going places, meeting people, loving them and being loved in return, never discarded nor kicked nor beaten; love, in perpetuity, the likes of which a girl under the heavy and forceful hand of a mother could not begin to dream of, because she could not dream at all. - aka, the fic where varric has a daughter that he didn't know about until five minutes ago.

I ate all of my meals in the tavern.

It was close, convenient, and Cabot didn’t charge me. He let me eat in the storeroom, where it was quiet, and I could sit alone with my thoughts while Iowen managed the patrons—in her own way.

“The mirror,” I said, when Varric visited me one morning when the bar was still empty. It was several days since Hawke’s funeral, and we hadn’t spoken much since. Maybe he was embarrassed, I thought, or… maybe he was just avoiding me. “Was that you?”

The bags under his eyes were startlingly dark, and despite the bald healer’s insistence, he sipped from a tankard of potent Marcher ale. His other hand was busy caressing the feathers of a fancy, expensive quill. He was still wearing all black, and if not for his hair and jewellery, he would appear very dull.

“Mirror?”

I rubbed at a stubborn, suspicious stain that was embedded into the countertop. It hadn’t been there last night. I hoped Cabot wouldn’t mind if I couldn’t get it out.

“The one in my room.”

His ears turned a stark shade of red. He looked away, clutching the quill tighter, stray hands of hair falling over his eyes.

“Bumped into it,” he rasped, and tucked the hair back behind his ear. I couldn’t judge him for the lie, nor for his shame as he refused to look at me.

There was a brief silence, which he broke with a sharp inhale. “That blanket. Hawke gave it to you?”

I caressed the fabric draped over my shoulders. The warmth it gave me, the weight of it on my body, was the only true comfort I’d ever had.

“It was a cold night.” It hailed the next morning, and I woke to wet hair and blue fingers. “If he hadn’t…”

Would mother have grieved me, if I died out there in the cold?

I shook the thoughts from my head, and with it, the memory. “What are you writing?” I asked instead, and Varric glared at his parchment.

“Same damn thing I was writing a week ago. Blondie needs to know about…” He breathed through his nose and didn’t finish his sentence.

“And is he… who is he?”

Varric discarded his quill to the counter and leaned back in his seat. He hadn’t written a thing since he arrived, and the ink had dried on the tip. “You haven’t read my book, have you?”

I supposed being world famous did things to one’s ego. I didn’t know any one human, elf, or dwarf who hadn’t at least skimmed the damned thing—except me, whose heart lurched at the very prospect. How much did I know? Naught. Nothing. 

“I was forbidden,” I said.

He grumbled. “You can’t ‘forbid’ someone from reading a book, that’s ridiculous.”

You could. I’d seen it reflected in mother’s eyes, rage, fear, and abandonment as his pages kindled the fire. “Regardless…”

Varric sighed.

“Blondie—Anders. Him and Hawke eloped after Kirkwall went to shit. I missed the ceremony.” His expression soured. “It’s a recurring theme.”

“What do you mean?”

He took a long drink.

“Nevermind. How’s, uh… working with Cabot?”

I glanced around the empty room. One patron had come in through the door some minutes ago to sit by the fire, but that was all. “Quieter than I expected. I thought the soldiers might be… more.”

“Curly’s got a wrangle on ‘em. Used to be a lot worse. They mellowed out after Haven and… uh, you know.’

Haven. How different the Inquisition must have been then. “Were you in Haven?”

“When it was attacked, you mean.”

“Yes.”

Varric made a noise somewhere between a grumble and a sigh, then picked up his quill again. “Wasn’t on the front lines, but sure, I was there.”

It was difficult to picture. The roar of dragon fire in his eyes. “Were you scared?”

His entire body became suddenly rigid. He opened and shut his mouth, blinked, then grinned. “Nah. I was piss-drunk. Chuckles, though—”

“He’s bullshitting you.”

I jumped. Varric didn’t. The low, guttural voice came from above; Varric grinned at it in a sly, mischievous way, and the qunari, leaning over the railing that overlooked the bar, sent an identical one back, his one eye shrouded by the dark, but his teeth glinting.

“Tiny!” Varric exclaimed, “Aren’t you supposed to be in Jader, or… wherever it was?”

“Soon. Boys and I are waiting on the go-ahead from the boss. How’s your head?”

“It’s ‘ouch’. Hey, have you two met?”

I backed away. The qunari descended to the bar. Each step was a sharp, heavy stomp that made the stairs shake with his weight. At the bottom, he stopped, and leaned against a post.

“Nah.”

“Well. Now you have. Kid, you should join us for Wicked Grace sometime.”

The qunari’s eye gleamed like a campfire in the desert at night. I hid my shaking hands behind my back.

Not qunari. Not qunari. Tal-Vashoth! Right?

“I don’t gamble,” I squeaked.

“Doesn’t need to be for coin!”

What else could you play for? Clothes?! I shook my head. The qunari pushed off the post. 

“Don’t let him scam you,” he said.

“I—I don’t scam people!” Varric splayed his hand across his chest. “I’m a liar, not a fraud!”

“Uh-huh. Hey, how about giving me back my nice, fancy eyepatch? The one from Orlais? How’s that looking?”

“You lost it fair and square, Tiny.”

“Agh! You don’t even need it!”

“Yet! The operative word here is ‘yet’.”

The qunari grumbled under his breath and made for the door. “Whatever you say. Dwarf.”

“Have fun in Jader!”

The door slammed shut behind him. I released my breath through my teeth, and used the counter to steady my hands. Whatever he was doing in Jader, at least he wouldn’t be here, for a time.

Varric, as clueless to me now as he was to most things, physically deflated as he gazed back at his parchment. Then, with a heavy sigh, folded it into his pocket.

“I should probably get going. Before it gets busy.”

“Right.”

“Say hi to Cabot for me.”

“Yes.”

He pushed past a group of women that had just come in. I hopped onto the crate behind the bar, ready to serve them, watching Varric leave me behind.

-

Emelin du Luson, Revered Mother of the Chantry of Kirkwall, to Serah Isana Mercar, Master of her House, and Daughter to the late Serah Javarel Mercar, greetings.

After careful and thorough considerations, it is with the utmost remorse that we must dismiss your appeal for a Dwarven funeral service, and the cremation of the late Serah Javarel Mercar will proceed, as in accordance with Chantry Doctrine, on Solace 15th, 9:41 Dragon, forthwith. 

Go with the Maker’s Blessing and the Grace of our Most Holy Andraste, Maker’s Bride.

Written on the fifteenth day of Bloomingtide on the confines of Hightown, Kirkwall, in the forty-first year of The Dragon Age.

-

The splattered stain of wine slowly spread down the front of my dress. The offending glass lay in shattered fragments at my feet. The storeroom was cold. My fists shook at my sides.

Iowen reached out, then withdrew. She knelt and gathered the biggest shards into a sack; they scraped against the floor, an ear-piercing screech as her unsteady hands struggled to pick them up. When done, she stood.

Words lived then died on her tongue.

“I won’t tell Cabot,” she finally whispered.

I blinked away the hot tears that stung my eyes. I wouldn’t let them fall, I wouldn’t cry here. Iowen reached out again, and I withdrew.

Her voice rasped from disuse. “What happened?”

I unclenched a fist, finger by finger, and dragged my hands over my ruined dress. In my other, I clutched the scrunched-up, floral-scented, Maker-forsaken bastard of a letter in a white-knuckled, aching grip.

I should never have left.

I couldn’t be satisfied with what I had and what I had been given. Mother died for that stupidity, and now her soul would die, too. I had a home, I had security, I had a man who loved me, even when I was fundamentally unlovable, and when it wasn’t enough… it was never enough. Right?

I straightened my spine. “Please tell Cabot that I’m ill.”

It was nearly hurricane season in Kirkwall now. I had to leave immediately, or risk being caught adrift in The Waking Sea. It was a week from here to Jader, and then after that… three days by boat, less if the winds were strong. 

Could I hire a pony? Did I have enough silver? I counted what I had as I left the tavern, Iowen watching me go with sad eyes. I had nearly two sovereigns, so accounting for travel expenses, that was—

“Kid! Leaving early?”

I clenched a fist around my coinpurse.

Varric, breathless, struggled to keep up with me. “What’s that on your dress?”

Red like mother’s blood in the grout. “Wine.”

“Did one of the soldiers—?”

It didn’t matter how much he claimed to care now. He didn’t protect us, never provided for us, and after two decades surviving off Lowtown scraps, mother was dead, and he was still rich.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Kid. If someone’s—”

I shoved him, then shoved him again, and he stumbled, mouth open, inhaling sharply.

“Stop pretending to care!”

I ran to the tower, feet thudding beneath me. I burst into my quarters with my heart in my throat and my pulse in my ears. I ripped off my corset and my kirtle, throwing them to the floor. Damn Varric! Damn the Chantry! Damn fucking Kirkwall!

I changed into my old clothes. I shoved everything into my pack. I tied it up, threw it over my shoulder, and glared up at the spider dangling above the chest of drawers.

“You didn’t even catch any fucking flies.”

It didn’t reply, just like it didn’t before, and with burning eyes, I threw my door open.

THUNK.

Varric cried out. His hand flew to where a fresh, door-shaped mark slowly spread across his forehead. “What is it with you and concussions?!”

“What do you want?”

“I—” His eyes, squinted in pain, fixated on my pack. In the hand at his side, he clutched the chipped, empty vase from his quarters. “What’re you—?”

“I’m leaving.”

He breathed in and out for a few silent moments, unmoving, his brow deeply furrowed. “What, Skyhold?”

“I’m going back to Kirkwall.”

“You… you can’t.”

As if a man like him could tell me what I could and could not do. I moved to leave; he blocked the doorway.

“ Varric. ”

He breathed again, in and out. A child outside threw a tantrum in the mud. Clenching his jaw, he held out the vase by its neck.

“Came to give this to you.”

Slowly, delicately, I took it. His fingers dragged along its body before it left his grasp. “Why?”

“You kept looking at it. Figured you liked it.”

I did. I really did, flowers or no flowers, daisies or no daisies. I put it on my window sill next to an empty, dusty candle-holder, and stared at it in the sun as Varric stepped in and closed the door behind.

There was a click, as he locked it.

“I—I’ll get a response from my contact soon, I promise. I’ll figure something out.”

I stared past him. “I can’t…”

“There’s a spot just outside Skyhold, uh, this shallow cave. We’ll meet him there, and have a chat, and then you can—”

“I can’t.”

“It’s not safe.”

“Stop it!” I snatched the candle-holder and threw, hard as I could—”Stop pretending to care!”—He ducked, and it missed him by inches, slamming into the door—”You didn’t before, you don’t now, and you never fucking will!”

“Didn’t ‘before’? Kid—!”

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t know about—”

“ Bullshit! ” I threw my pack against the floor. Birds scattered from the roof above. “She wrote letters, I saw them!”

So many, so many! As if she could ever stop at just fucking one! And how many times had he dared to grace his bastard daughter with the barest acknowledgement? He couldn’t even say sorry when I told him my mother was dead. The corners of his lips lifted just enough to bare the faintest glint of his teeth.

“I never got any damn letters.”

“Liar.”

His eyes narrowed, his mouth still parted. A long quiet stretched out for ten seconds, then ten more, as he eyed the vase on the windowsill. 

He jutted his chin and blew out a breath. “You don’t believe me. Fine, I’m used to it. But before you go running off, tell me why. I’m owed that much.”

“I don’t owe you anything.

“Kid. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“I don’t care!”

Something like faint recognition played behind his eyes, and abruptly he looked away, reaching up to tug on his golden necklace. His voice was measured.

“I gotta check in with the reconstruction efforts anyway, so…” He let go of it, and it fell against his chest. “Guess I’m going with you.”

A bird flew past my window. In a voice quieter than I thought possible, I asked,

“What?”

“Someone’s gotta stop you getting killed. I”ll have to have someone take my mail, maybe forward it to Kirkwall, but…”

“But… but, why—?”

“Fuck’s sake,” he hissed, “you really think I don’t care?! No, whatever, believe what you want. But tell me what’s going on!”

I shuffled my feet. My boots squeaked against the floorboards. My pack mocked me from where I threw it, motionless judgement.

Why did I do that?

My cheeks burned as I dug the letter from my pocket. Varric took and un-scrunched it.

“The Revered Mother…?”

“She was always kind to me in the Chantry. And the Sisters would give me warm bread, and…” and in the end, it all meant nothing. I was nothing. Mother was nothing.

When he finished reading, he stared out the window.

My voice warbled. “I need to convince her. Maybe she doesn’t understand.”

He ran a hand over his hair. “You want a dwarf funeral?”

“Yes, she needs to be returned to the Stone. I researched the rites, and the proper words, and all.”

His expression was indescribable and indiscernible. “I don’t really get it, but—”

“ ‘Get it’?”

“—if that’s what you want, then yeah. Sure. Let’s convince her.”

“What do you mean, you don’t get it?”

Something settled deep in my chest that was somewhere between disappointment and anger. I couldn’t tell which it was. They tangled together, like thick knots I was too clumsy to tug loose. How could he not get it? He was a dwarf, too.

Suddenly tired, I collapsed onto my bed, pack forgotten. “Your family… are all surfacers, then?” I tried. Mother was an exile from Orzammar. Somehow, I imagined he might’ve been too, but thinking on it…

“My family? Sure, now they are, I guess.” He joined me on the bed, sighing as he sank into the mattress. “My brother was from Orzammar, but me? Kirkwall, born and bred.”

Brother? Did I have an uncle? “Why did they leave?”

“Had to flee. Our father was fixing Provings. But, hey, turned out fine in the end! For me, anyway.”

I kicked my feet against the bed frame. He copied me, and for a minute, it was just the sounds of boots hitting wood.

“And for your brother?”

He opened and shut his mouth. “...You know what? Ask me another time, kid.”

-

“It’s a week to the nearest port.” Varric tapped his quill against a page of fresh parchment. The main hall’s fireplace dwindled into a spark, waiting for fresh fuel. He’d convinced me to stay another day, but I was… antsy. “Give or take. You’re fine with sleeping on the road?”

“I did it before.”

“Sure, with a bunch of refugees to bundle up with. It’ll be a lot colder without ‘em, and two lonely dwarves in the mountains…”

“Is it possible we’ll be attacked?”

“Skip possible and go straight to likely. We should bring someone else with us, another dwarf, maybe? We could probably pass as merchants.”

Harding entered through the large door that entered into the hall, a bow over her shoulder, and beelined to hover over the table. “The Inquisitor said you were leaving!”

I leaned back into the chair. Varric waved his hand in dismissal.

“Merchant Guild business in Kirkwall.” The lie rolled off his tongue with an uncanny, practised ease. Is that what he told the Inquisitor, too? “We’ll be back before you miss us, don’t worry.”

“So that’s where you know each other from, huh?”

“Oh, uh—”

“Yes,” I said.

They both looked at me; Harding with surprise, and Varric with his mouth in a line. Why was he annoyed?! He started it!

“Yeah,” he said gruffly. “We’re tryna bolster our numbers a bit, avoid getting attacked on the road. Any suggestions?”

“Hmmm.” She cocked one hip and contemplatively crossed her arms. “Port’s in Jader, right? Aren’t the Chargers heading that way?”

“Us with the Chargers?” He chuckled. “I think the kid here would have an aneurysm. We need something nondescript, but…”

I squinted up at Harding. The light behind her was a bit blinding. “You’re a scout, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

If it had to be anyone, anyone at all, in the whole of Skyhold… might as well be someone I actually knew. I looked to Varric, who instantly understood.

“Hey, Harding,” he said, “can I ask a favour?”

[justanotherduck26]

Welcome home Percy.

Wait for me series

Book Annabeth chase x eventually adopted Jackson gender neutral Reader

This series will go through Percy jackson and the olympians & Heroes of Olympus

Trigger warnings ⚠️ swearing, smelly Gabe

Also yes I know Excalibur isn't part of Greek mythology but Welsh mythology that will be explained later why Y/n has it

I woke up in a cold sweat in my bed. I had that dream again although it felt more like a distance memory. The dream there was 4 other people 2 females and 2 males. The one male had furry legs ,horns,curly hair and brown eyes he looked around probably like 13 if she had to guess. The second male had blue eyes and blonde hair he looked around 14 he was also carrying the younger girl one his back she was asleep so I could only see her wavy blonde hair covering her sleeping face. The oldest female looked around twelve she had choppy short black hair with striking blue eyes and.......she was shouting my name as if she was looking for me. Why did they seem so familiar? And why can't I remember them? Honestly I can't remember much about my life before Sally and Percy jackson found me.

⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡

" Good morning mom." I said as I walked into the kitchen ever since Sally found me that day her and Percy became my family and I called Sally mom........ I thought about telling mom but something told me to wait I'd just tell Percy later.......oh yeah I forgot he goes to that fancy school......Yancy fancy......? Or something like that. Even though he's been going there for quiet some time I still forget he's gone honestly it's a very odd felling. Mom left for work shortly after breakfast leaving me alone with my abusive adopted father smelly ass Gabe.

I was hiding from Smelly Gabe and his friends when I heard the door.

"Huh that's odd. Mom shouldn't be home yet." I thought to myself but then I heard a male voice one I hadn't heard in six months . " Where's my mom?" Percy asked. "She's at work ya got any cash?" Gabe replied without looking up. "I don't have any cash. " Percy replied. I felt bad for Percy probably having to stare at the 3 hairs on the back of Gabes head. I'm not exactly sure what happened after that but I heard someone's hand slam on the table and Gabe shouting at Percy. I could hear footsteps coming towards my room and a chill ran down my spine I quickly grabbed the sword that Sally had found me when I was 7 . I was now twelve. Sally always said it was a toy but the sword felt real to me on it in Latin was the name Excalibur on it. How I could read the Welsh word on it i had no idea just like I had no idea how I could read Greek but not English. I pointed it at the door as the door swung open.

"Whoa Whoa no need to get all defensive it's just me." Percy said his goofy grin as he waved his hands in mock surrender. " ........Hey Percy have you ever gotten the feeling....." I started. " That someone or something is watching us?" Percy finished and I nodded Percy was about to reply when the front door opened. "That's mom you better go say hi." I said and pushed him out of my room .

⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡

I didn't really paying attention to what was being said in the other room because I still had the feeling I'm being watched but Montauk was mentioned and that's how I found myself in the back of the car with Percy and mom. Once we got there I stayed back a little bit to let Percy and Sally have quality time together. As I moved about the cabin I remembered the times Percy, Sally and I had spent on the beach the sand castle contests, who could find the prettiest shells mom always won those. Roasting food on fires. Once it got dark and both Percy and I fell asleep it was like Percy and I were sharing a dream both staring at the white horse and eagle trying to kill each other neither of us knew what to do so we both just stood there... Until Percy started running towards them although he was doing it slowly and the Eagle's beak was pointed at the horses eyes . We both woke up in a cold sweat.

" Did you see what I saw?" Percy asked and I nodded.

⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡🗡⚔️🛡

With the next clap of thunder mom woke up . "Hurricane!" Mom exclaimed. That's odd Long Island never gets Hurricanes. Mom sprung up when someone pounded at the door when she opened it she revealed a familiar presences one from my dreams and by the look on his face when he saw me he recognized me too.

"Grover....." Percy said

[akwolfgrl]

Day 4 au/clothing swap Rouge x Sora

I heard your heart beating. You were in the darkness, too.

@oprarepairweek

Rouge was hurrying home when she spotted her, a gorgeous blonde woman with a child only a year or so older than her own Ace, with pink hair and curly eyebrows, with four babies strapped to her. Rogue should ignore her and keep walking, but something in her couldn't ignore another mother in trouble. Rouge stopped and faced the woman she bent at the waist and held out her hand.

“Come with me, my own son is between your children's ages, I have milk for the babies at home,” Ace was enjoying solid food more than milk, he would be weaned soon enough.

The woman looked at her outstretched hand for a moment before taking it. Her dress was torn and ragged. Her hair covered one blue eye, it was dirty and unkempt. She looked like a woman on the run, a look she recognized. Her son was the son of the former king of the pirates. She had moved several times just to keep him safe.

***

When Rouge walked into the small living room and kitchen, Ace toddling behind her, she noticed a delightful scent of something sweet and of fresh bread. The pink haired little girl was sitting on the floor reading a book upside down. She was flipping through the pages as if she were actually reading the words. Ace toddled over to sit next to her. He loved it when she read out loud to him, so it wasn't much of a surprise when he hit the book with his tiny hands.

“Book!” Ace demanded of the little girl.

Rouge tuned out the story the little girl started to tell Ace and watched the other three, the fourth nowhere to be found. They crawled around pretty well for what she guessed was between five and seven months old. The one with a streak of red in his blond hair seemed to be the leader as the other two with a blue streak and green streak seemed to be following him around as they explored their new evermint.

Rouge turned her attention to the women in her dress. It was too long on her but too small in other places. She was stirring something on the stove, the last child strapped to her back, his blonde hair matching the womens perfectly. All of the children had curly eyebrows.

“Good morning,” Rouge greeted the women in her kitchen and took a seat at the small table.

“Oh good morning, I hope you don't mind your neighbor dropped off some bread and I made tartine and chocolat chaud, it's not much but I did make homemade blackberry jam you had bush in your backyard full of them,”

“Your fine. My name is Rouge,” She couldn't believe they forgot to do introductions.

“Sora, then there Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Sanji and Yonji,” Sora pointed her children out after she placed down a long piece of bread smothered in butter and dark purple jam, a bowl of rich chocolate with a large dollop of cream in front of her and another one on the other side of the table. “Reiju breakfast,”

“Yes maman,”

Rouge didn't ask whom Sora was running from as she ate her breakfast and fed Ace. She knew better than that. Asking too many questions was only going to make the women run.

<>

Sora had enjoyed her time living with Rouge. They had shared this small home for the past three and half years. It was wonderful, before she became queen in name only she had been a simple girl from a small village with dreams of opening a small inn, some place to serve harty food, a place for travelers to rest their weary heads. She made a decent living selling her many preserves. They were all recipes from her home in the north. People here in the south had never had such food and loved it. She had fallen hard and fast for the women who had saved her and her children. Together, they built a cozy and simple life together.

There was a knock on the front door, it most likely was a neighbor here to trade goat milk for their duck eggs. Mr. Martin was a sweet older gentleman who did his best to watch out for them all.

“Just a moment!” Sora called out as she took something out of the oven with her apron. After placing it on the counter, she opened the door to a very large, unfamiliar man. Did her husband finally find them? She took a step back, her eyes registering the Marine uniform. So he wasn't he for her but for Rouge.

“Is Rouge here?” He asked her, his silly dog hat did nothing to endear her to him.

“I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name. You have the wrong house.” Sora attempted to shut the door on him only to have one large hand stop it. Sora ran for the kitchen, grabbing the cast iron she kept hung over the stove and a butcher's knife. “I suggest you leave now!”

Rouge was giving the boys a bath after they had all rolled around in the mud earlier. Rejiu was at the kitchen table reading. Sora put herself between her daughter and the strange man.

“I'm not here to hurt you,”

“I don't believe you,” Judge had made many pretty promises and broke every one of them.

“Sora, it's OK. I know this man…unfortunately,” Rouge had come out of the bathroom, her dress wet from the children's bath. “Garp, what even are you doing here!” Rouge turned to glare at the man, Sora did not put her makeshift weapons down. Rouge may trust him, but Sora wasn't too sure about this.

“I'm relocating you. To many marines have been sniffing around here lately. It's too risky for you to stay,”

“Mãe?” Ace's voice spoke from the doorframe. Five little heads looked out from behind the door, all staring at the rather large man in front of them.

Sora needed to get to the other children, but the man had already spotted them and was crouched in front of them. Niji immediately reached for his hat, not a single ounce of fear to be found. Ichiji and Yonji were the same way. They were getting better, but still, she worried about how much of the modifications had taken.

“It's okay sweetie he's an old friend of your fathers. Where are you relocating us to?”

“East blue,” Sora watched as he removed his hat. Was he going to suffocate her son? She watched as that was placed on top of him, sliding down far too big for his small head. “It's a bit big on ya, but you'll grow into it in no time,” Sora finally began to relax, releasing her grip on the heavy cast iron. The knife however she kept.

“Oo!”

“No fair!”

“I want one too!”

The boys all clamored around the man who only laughed. He ruffled the boy's hair one by one.

“Sora comes with or I shall not leave,”

“You can't just bring anyone with you Rouge that's not how that works,”

“She's my wife Grap. If not, we will leave and deal without ourselves,”

“Fine she comes with, I assume the others are her children?”

“What does it matter?” Sora asked. “Their our children from whose womb it doesn't matter,”

“I guess you got a point there! All right, you six are you ready to go on an adventure as future marines you gotta get used to the sea!”

“Have you seen the All Blue?” Sanji asked. He had been obsessed since she read him a fairytale about it.

“Not yet, but as a marine, you can go anywhere. Who knows, you might find it,”

“I don't wana, I wana cook!” Sanji scrunched up his nose and pouted.

“You can do both!”

“Well I suppose we need to start packing up,” Sora was sad to leave this village in the south blue, but it was for Ace and Rogues safety. That was what was important.

[petitelepus]

hey hey!! I love your matchups and writing so much!

i'd like a yandere demon matchup!

i'm a cheery girl, who tries to make sure people are cared for! whenever I'm with my friends, I am very playful with them. I tease them a lot, and sometimes I playfully argue or hit them. they also say I make to much sexual comments/my libido is to high. But whenever they don't typically match my energy, it gets me overthinking to the point where it causes me unnecessary stress. I have short curly brown hair that frames my face, cut into layers! my face is a bit round, but still defined! I have blue eyes and I love messy dark eye makeup, I also adore jewelry and flamboyant things! people even say I wear to much I love to dress in 90s-2000s grunge, rhinestones and big buckles are my calling! with a lover, i'd say I'm very clingy and my love language is physical touch. if I could be in their skin, I would. I am a Scorpio! I love to read and write poetry, and my favorite genre is dark romance. I enjoy long walks at night! I enjoy when it gets cold so I get to feel a little nip of coldness in the air.

thank you sosos much!! you are the best :)

Enmu is Yandere for you!

Let's imagine that you aren't aware of his Blood Demon art. This twisted petite Demon has to admire your sweet kindness and playful nature. In a way you remind him of himself, only Enmu is anything but kind.

You're pretty cute also and your style certainly leaves a lasting impression. It's cute how you set yourself apart from the rest of the pitiful humans. You're both charming and alluring being, easily winning him over.

You certainly are a happy-sounding creature... He wants to see you at your best and definitely at your worst. Enmu can't help but wonder what your hidden fears and nightmares are?

Would you cry and ruin that makeup of yours if he made you see something horrible? Would you cling to him if he told you he could make them go away? You don't need to know that he's the one behind those awful nightmares, let's let you have this sweet image of him.

Enmu is certainly both sadistic and masochistic and it shows when he falls for you. Tease him, flatter him, leave him blushing, and turn him into a flustered mess! He promises to return the favor and if you cry? Well, that's just a bonus.

Yes, cling to him, call him wonderful, and make him feel like he is your whole world because you certainly are his!

The relationship between you two certainly is almost exactly like one from those dark romance stories or poems of yours and Enmu is your source of inspiration.

The dreams he gives you are meant to control and manipulate you. If you start avoiding sleeping, he will be there for you and offer to take you out for a walk to catch some fresh air.

The night is young and he wants to see how the dreams you have been having are reflecting on your appearance and behavior.

Would you be snappy if you slept poorly? Would you get depressed in need of more sleep? Would you smile and tell him what a sweet dream you had of him and you together?

Enmu can't tell what he loves giving you most, happy dreams or nightmares because they both ultimately chase you into his arms.

[tasavvur-e-jaana]

Will you be my Valentine?

//

Old RRR drabble. A companion piece to 'Blessings Beneath the Stars'.

Not a love story, but a story about love.

Posting my old works after they were lost.

Hopefully still worth a read.

//

"Will you be my Valentine?" The younger man mapped out the words carefully, pausing after each syllable, as if tasting them on his tongue, leaving Ram suffocating with each uttered word. His breath was hitching, his throat closing, heart galloping a mile a minute as his mind worked out a million different scenarios where this was true. Alas! When did Ram ever get what he desired anyway? His eyes threatened to well up, the older man concentrating too much as if that would help keep his tear ducts in check.

"Aise hi kehte hain na Anna? Koi galti toh nahi kar raha hoon na main?" (These are the words, right? Am I pronouncing them correctly?)

The next voice, a clearer, deeper baritone brought Ram out of his pipe dream. Anna. Bhai. Bhaiya. It was extremely clear to the gond man where he stood on his relationship with Ram. He shook his head internally, his lips forming the most fake and widest smile they could which absolutely did not reach his eyes. 

"Han Bheem. Bilkul theek kaha tumne. Bas zara himmat se poochna ab. Bina koi hichkichahat." (Yes Bheem. Absolutely correct. Now just say it with confidence.) His hands involuntarily reached to fix the bow tie for a millionth time even if it was perfect from the start. His thumb brushed the bow, fingers itching to touch the skin beyond the fabric just once, a pent up desperation that resurfaced once more, the close proximity and the fresh scent of the curly haired man not making it any easier. 

Ram brushed his knuckles on the jaw as if to check one last time if the beard was trimmed properly and was still fluffy. Bheem giggling like a little girl at the cold touch of the slightly trembling hands. The younger man looked away, eyes cast down as he took Ram's hand from his face into his own. "Anna! Bas bhi karo! Kitna theek karoge? Main koi film ka nayak thode hi hoon?" (Anna! Let it be! How many times will you adjust it? I am not some hero of a movie.)

Tum kisi bhi hero se kai zyada khubsurat ho meri jaan! (You are far more handsome than any hero, my love!)

He wanted to say, to confess, to blurt out the words dancing on his treacherous tongue. The older man clenched tight to prevent them from escaping. He took a deep breath, chastising himself internally, yelling at his splintering heart to keep it together. Only a few minutes now and then he'd go into the forest and let it out. Only a few minutes. He could do that! He'd endured years of torture, what was a couple of measly moments?

"Shush!" He said out loud. "Sab perfect hona chahiye aaj ke liye." (Everything should be perfect for today.)

"Per-fect?" Bheem mumbled the words under his breath and was reminded how Jenny had taught him. "Aah!" He exclaimed, thrumming with exciting and nervous energy, "Jab mere perfect anna ne mujhe taiyaar kiya hai toh kaise nahi hoga sab perfect?" (When my perfect anna has groomed me then how will it not be perfect?) He beamed. And how Ram wanted to grab him at that moment and kiss him, shake him,  to stop him. To let him know that Ram loved him more than anyone ever could… truly, deeply, madly, irrevocably. Ironically it was the precise reason Ram had to let him go. Not that it hurt less. But when did it ever? Ram and pain were entwined together more than any soulmates could be. 

Nonetheless, Ram could not help the blush that crept its way up his cheeks, painting them crimson. He smiled. A partly genuine smile of course because how could he not when Bheem was a sight to behold- dressed in pale blue shirt with embossed check design on the softest cotton, with a dark grey trouser, a cute little matching bowtie and those suspenders. It was an outfit that he had gotten for the younger man when Bheem had gushed to Ram about asking Jenny on this valentine’s day. It was sort of their anniversary and Ram gave him the idea to wear western clothes for her. Not because he’d get to dress Bheem again and the fact that he looked absolutely ravishing in the form fitting attire. 

“Kuchh bhi mat bolo Bheem! Tumhe Jenny ke saath flirt karna hai- uske liye bacha kar rakho yeh sab…” (You really don’t have a filter, do you? Save all this flirting for Jenny.) He faux reprimanded. The heaviness in his heart relieved a little at the joy emanating from Bheem. It was contagious, the happiness that the honey-eyed man spread around without even realising it, the older man feeling lighter, a little bit jubilant at his friend’s elation. Bheem pressed his hand once, which was still enclasped in the calloused, huge palms of the younger man, as Bheem retained all the sincerity in those wonderfully deep doe eyes as he began. “Ram,” he began, the older man’s heart skipping a beat and starting to once again. He was sure to die from arrhythmia because of Bheem one day. 

“Shukriya. Maine kaha nahi aapse.” (Thank you. I didn’t say it before.)

“Bheem iski-” (Bheem it’s-) a palm on his lips stopped his words and his breath alike.

“Mujhe keh lene dijiye. Main samajhta hun aaj ka din mohabbat ko manaane ka din hai, haina?” Ram nodded, as the younger man took away his hand making Ram miss the warmth. “Chahe wo aashiqui ho, dosti ho, ya kuchh bhi. Pyaar ke kai roop hote hain aur mujhe lagta hai un sab ka apna tavajjuh hai. Koi bhi ishq kisi dusre se kam nahi. Toh aaj main aapse bhi yeh kehna chahta hun, main aap se bahot pyaar karta hun- hamesha hi karta rahunga. Aapki dosti mujhe jaan se bhi zyada aziz hai, Ram.” 

(Let me say it. As I understand, today is the day to celebrate love, is it not? Be it amour, friendship, anything else. Love has many forms and I think they all are equally important. No love is lesser than the other. So, today, I want to convey this to you too. I love you- I will always love you. Your friendship is dear to me more than my life, Ram.)

Suddenly Ram was engulfed in one of the trademark Bheem bear-hugs. Those hugs had the power to cure every ailment. And Ram was held so tight, his heart which was torn and tattered and wounded, began to heal. How could he ever be a thorn in the way of happiness of such a pure being? How could he ever demand Bheem be only his? To Ram, this was the moment he realised he would bury his feelings deep, because there was no point. He could be fine, admiring Bheem from afar, being his close friend, his confidante, his support and his wingman till he was needed. The younger man’s contentment was paramount. 

He clutched the gond man tight, relishing every morsel of affection bestowed on him, cherishing the little moments, fully aware that life would only grant him so much. And that it had to be enough. Amongst all the life’s curveballs that had come his way, meeting Bheem was the most unexpected and the most amazing of them all. After all said and done, the curveballs within the curveballs of their journey- it was a loop really, Ram had been extremely grateful that Bheem had chosen to be his friend. If not more. 

"Bheem main-", (Bheem I-) they separated, the older man reluctant to let him go, still holding him by the waist. 

"Anna!" An interruption. "Jenny akka aapko kab se dhundh rahi hain aur aap abhi tak yahin ho?" (Jenny akka is looking for you and you are still here?) A breathless Lacchu stopped just a few feet short of the embracing duo. Ram loathed his timing, cursing under his breath, his hands slipping away to his sides, his head hung low. Leave it to Lacchu to ruin his special moments. He wanted to glare at the newcomer, but finally after what felt like an eternity he was beginning to tolerate his presence, his friendship with Bheem. Ram absolutely didn't want to jeopardize that. 

"Offo! Der ho gayi!" (Oops. I’m late!) Bheem turned in a blink ready to leave, Ram plastered a wide grin on his face to wish him all the luck, not that he needed it. Before he could, the gond man turned once again, facing Ram, looking at him with utmost excitement, “Ek baar aur dekh lo. Sab sahi hai na?” (For the last time, is everything alright?)

Ram laughed, a pearly laugh that sounded strange even to his ears, Lacchu smirking knowingly in the background. He ran his fingers through those soft styled curls once more, making them more unruly and fluffier if it even was possible, a halo around the honey-eyed man- how could he not? It was the perfect opportunity. “Bahot sundar lag rahe ho Bheem.” (You are very handsome Bheem.) He could not keep it in, eyes growing moist again, lips turning infinitesimally down as his hand slipped away. What Bheem did next was so unexpected that Ram nearly had a heart attack. “Shurkiya!” (Thank you!) He yelled with unbridled enthusiasm and pecked Ram on the cheek as he ran off to meet waiting Jenny across the dusty path paved in the greens. 

Ram smiled softly, his eyes twinkling as he brought his hand to his cheek, which was tinged with red at Bheem’s gesture, the fingers then pressing demurely, a feather soft touch on his lips- 

"Ishq bhi badi kutti cheez hai, hai na?" (You're so far gone, huh?) Ram was startled by the familiar voice. Shit! He'd totally forgotten about Lacchu who was still standing there. Ram turned away, kicking the ground. The dust swirled around and settled in a moment, a patch of semi dried grass uprooted. Now that Bheem was gone, the melancholy returned. All the thoughts that his positivity was keeping at bay came rushing in like the waters when the doors of the dam are opened. 

“Han, han! Tum bhi Jale hue pe namak chhidak ne ke maze le lo!" (Kick a man when he’s down, why don’t you?) he quipped and instantly regretted it. He opened his mouth to apologise the next moment only to be countered by the younger man.

“Kuchh logon ki tarah meri woh aadat nahi hai. Tum jaante hi ho." (Unlike some people, I don’t do that.) A simple statement that cut him deep. A self-deprecating chortle rang empty in the woods, Ram trying to laugh his pain away. His eyes met Lacchu's and to his surprise, Ram found the younger man serious, not at all mocking contrary to his usual patented Cheshire cat grin when he's making fun of Ram or belittling him. 

"Mujhe maaf karna. Kisi aur jagah ka rosh kahin aur nikal gaya." (I am sorry. It’s just that I am not processing it right. I am frustrated with something else entirely.)

"Aaj ke liye kshama hai tumhe." (I forgive you. Only for today.) It was yet another surprise that Ram was not ready for. It must have been apparent on his taken aback expression because Lacchu chuckled. “Kya? Insaaniyat ke naate keh raha hun, yeh na samjhna ke tumhe puri tarah se maaf kar diya hai.” (What? Don’t think I don’t hate you or have forgiven you for anything else, this is purely on humanitarian basis.)

“Lekin tumhe kaise?” (But how did you know?) Ram was perplexed. He had tried immensely hard not to reveal his true emotions. But he really should not be surprised. Lacchu was a keen observer after all. 

“Main bhi isi naav mein sawaar hun, Ram.” (I am sort of in the same boat, Ram.) The gond man solemnly stated. “Aur main andha nahi hun.” (Plus, I have eyes.)

“KYA? Tum- Bheem-” (WHAT? You- Bheem-)

Lacchu laughed hard, almost doubling over, tears in his eyes. “NAHI!” (NO!) He howled, “Ewww! Tum aisa soch bhi kaise sakte ho? Duniya mein aur insaan nahi hain kya?” (How can you even go there? There are other people in the world, you know!)

Ram was sheepish. Well, it was only Bheem who was constantly riding his thoughts. He was consumed by the man and Bheem- he stopped the thought right there. “Toh phir kaun?” (Then who?)

“Tha koi. Lekin main toote hue dil ka dard jaanta hun, khaas kar tab jab woh tumhare samne hi rahe.” (There was someone. But I do know the pain of a broken heart. Especially when they are always in front of you, in your life.)

“Hmm… ajeeb baat hai na? Itne sare log jo mujhe chahte hain, izzat bhi karte hain, apna maante hain. Aur ek tum hi ho, jo nafrat karta hai mujhse, jiske saath iss tarah se ek raabta ban raha hai. Tum hi ho jo meri vidambna samajh sakte ho.”

(Hmm… it’s ironic, isn’t it? All the people who love me, revere me, think of me as their own. And only you, who loathes me, can understand my plight. Only you can get what I am going through.)

“Oh toh hum wahan jaa rahe hain?” (Oh, we’re going there, are we?) Lacchu mumbled. Then as if something struck him, he rubbed his hands together, striding in the direction of the deeper jungle. “Chalo mere saath.” (Come with me.)

“Kahan?” (Where?)

Lacchu turned around, running towards the huts, his own which was not far away from Bheem’s, shouting, “Ruko main aata hun.” (Wait. I’ll be right back.) He returned in a few quick moments with a leather-cover in his hand. “Main yeh bina madad nahi kar sakta.” (If I’m going to do this, I need external help.) And initiated his trek again into the foliage. Ram wordlessly followed. 

They walked for a while in the dense lush greenery until their path was blocked by a humongous teak tree. Lacchu started to climb the rope ladder and Ram followed, both settling on the machaan (tree house) on the study branches. The atmosphere was serene, sunlight playing the most alluring game of light and shadows with its evening colours of orange, red and pink with the vivid emeralds in the leaves. Ram was mesmerised. 

“Itna waqt bitaya hai maine yahan phir bhi har jagah nayi lagti hai. Utni hi khubsurat, utni hi mohak.” (So many months spent in this place but everything still seems new. Still beautiful, still mesmerising.)

Lacchu meanwhile was rolling up a joint, the smell of weed wafting in the air as he opened the packet. He was sitting beside Ram, his legs dangling down the wooden floor, one hand flat on the back supporting his back. He lit it, taking a puff, replied. “Mujhe toh saalon ke baad bhi yehi lagta hai. Aasan hai, kudrat se mohabbat karna.” (I feel that even after years now. It is easy. To love nature.) He continued, taking another one, offering it to Ram who politely declined. He shrugged. “Bas insaan mujhe pechida lagte hain. Prakriti bilkul sateek hai. Tum use chaaho, woh tumhe zaroor chaahegi.” (It is only humans that I find cumbersome, complicated. Nature is simple in a way. Love it and it will reciprocate.)

Ram smiled. “Kya tum isiliye laaye ho mujhe yahan? Mera dil behlane ke liye?” (Is that why you have brought me to this place? To deflect my mind?) Lacchu nodded. “Kyun?” (Why?)

“Yaar tum sawal bahot karte ho.” (Man! Do you ask a lot of questions.) Lacchu offered the lit doobie to the older man. “Lo. Piyo ise. Kai cheezein saaf dikhai dengi.” (Come on. One puff. Things will be clearer.) Ram thought, what the fuck, taking a drag and coughing up immediately, his eyes watering, his lungs burning up with the smoke. “Aram se.” (Slowly.) Lacchu patted his back, taking the joint back from him. Ram settled down eventually, his eyes red rimmed, as he brushed off the tears. 

“Paani hai yahan?” (Water?) he rasped. Lacchu pointed him to a corner where there was one earthen pot with a clay mug. Ram gulped down the cool liquid, coming back, sitting cross-legged away from the edge. 

“Ek baat kahun tumse?” (Can I say something?) The younger man began, not really waiting for Ram to respond. “Tumhe Bheem ko bata dena chahiye. Jo tumhare mann mein hai.” (Tell Bheem. Tell him what you feel about him. Everything.)

“Kya? Ke main usse pyaar karta hun? Uske saath rehna chahta hun? Tum pagal toh nahi ho gaye ho? Kitna maal phoonk liya jab tak main paani pi raha tha?” (What? That I am in love with him? That I want to be with him? Have you gone completely mad? How much did you smoke while I went for a glass of water?) He jested. 

“Han. Woh sab jo tum uske liye mehsoos karte ho. Pura pura izhaar kar do. Main tajurbe se keh raha hun. Andar hi andar ghut kar marne se achha hai ke ek baar mein hi manjhra tamaam ho jaaye.” (Yes. Everything. All your emotions, your desires. I am advising by self experience. It is better to rip off the bandaid once than to die a little every single day.)

“Aur kya? Bheem ko kho dun? Hamesha ke liye?” (And then what? Lose Bheem? Forever?)

“Woh tumse pyaar karta hai Ram. Shayad us tarah nahi jis tarah tum karte ho lekin utni hi shiddat se jitna tum usse. Kabhi na kabhi toh use pata chalna hi hai. Behtar hai tum khud hi bata do. Tumhara raabta, tumhari dosti har woh musibat, har woh mushkil se ho kar guzri hai ke itne se iqraar se nahi tutegi.” 

(He loves you, Ram. Maybe not in the way you do but no less intense. With the same fervour. And he will come to realise sooner than later. It is better if it comes from you. Your relationship, your bond, it has passed every damned test there could be and is still going strong. I don’t think it will break with this confession.)

The words pierced profoundly within Ram’s soul. The fact that Lacchu was saying them gave them a sound meaning because he knew this was a man who did not mince his words, his emotions. He was the one to say it straight, without any hesitance, with complete honesty which frankly was terrifying at times. This was one such instance. The rationale was settling in the older man’s mind, the cogs reeling in the direction, the only dilemma was- why was Lacchu being kind to him? Obviously, he was a wonderful, compassionate human but it was never directed at Ram before now. It was only for a couple of weeks that the younger man had been less testy, almost neutral in Ram’s vicinity. The last conversation they had was when Lacchu had given Ram the ultimatum that he would forgive Ram when he would and Ram had wordlessly and readily accepted that.

“Kya tum ab bhi yeh sab insaaniyat ke naate kar rahe ho?” (And you are still doing this for humanitarian purposes?) he had to know. 

“Bilkul. Humara aapsi masla jo bhi ho, main tumhe ya kisi ko bhi itni maayus halat mein nahi dekh sakta. Kya karun? Accha aadmi jo hun!” (Of course. We may have our problems, but I cannot see someone this desolate and heart broken all the damn time. Can’t help it. I’m a good person after all.) He chuckled, making Ram’s lips turn upwards. The older man felt a hand on his shoulders then, he turned to see Lacchu grabbing his shoulder in solidarity. 

Another memory floated beneath his eyelids, another time, when Lacchu had placed his hand on his shoulder in a similar manner, only then, it was a desperate plea for help and now, it was one of assurance. How the roles had reversed! However this time, Lacchu was not betraying Ram as he had done to the younger man. Ram could see it in his eyes, the earnest expression, the heartfelt offer. Even if the younger man would vehemently deny it, there was a flicker of forgiveness that Ram caught in the dark orbs that made him look away. He really did not deserve such altruism from anyone, let alone this man. It only made him respect Lacchu more, the will power, the virtue, the morals he had. 

“Shukriya Lacchu. Main iss kabil toh nahi ke tumhe kuchh bhi-” (Thank you, Lacchu. I am not even worthy of your-)

“Shushhh… maahol mat kharab karo ab.” (Hush now. Don’t ruin my buzz.) Ram conceded, asking for the joint instead, taking a puff slowly this time, getting the hang of it as he released the smoke in the air. Lacchu grinned at him, pleased with himself, his smug face loving each second of the buzz. 

The two men sat there silently after that, exchanging nothing but the drags until the cigarette burned out, watching the sun go down on the horizon. Ram may not have found his love on the day of valentine, but he did find a beautiful human being he could connect with. Someone who understood him better than he himself at times, someone who treated him like a normal person and not a hero, or a leader, or a brother. Someone who gave him reality checks when needed and was not at all interested in coddling him. They were absolutely not friends, just two men who had stumbled upon the complexities of life and love and lost- finding their way back.

//

Not making a taglist because, well, most people I knew are not so involved anymore.

Comments are always appreciated.

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Day 6- Bed Time Story

Pair:Malleus x Idia x Azul

Prompt: -

Au: Medieval au

Notes: not moi fulfilling my medieval folklore wants, no sir, Def not! :3

Additional note: You can read this for some context.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a King and Queen.

And they wanted a baby so bad, but it was futile. The Queen simply couldn't conceive a child. Soon, the kingdom lost all hope of having a heir. And the couple were falling into more dispair, their hope of having, at least 1 child, seemingly a distant dream.

One day, the Queen was walking through the garden. It was gloomy, never a flower blooming in it. The leaves rustled under her shoes as she weeped for, yet again, she couldn't have a child of her own.

"Why are you crying, my queen?" An old woman asked, her beady eyes framed by various wrinkles. "Why shouldn't I? I can bear no child." She weeped, crystaly tears falling onto her round cheeks as the old woman wiped them with a hankerchief. "Don't cry my dear..." She said with a warm smile, putting in the queen's hands 2 seeds. "You are a beautiful woman... To bear a child just as beautiful as you, I gave you this 2 seeds. Put them in a pot and keep them at your window. If one sprouts, you'll have a child. If both do so, you'll have 2. If it's a poppy, you'll have a boy, but if it's a rose, you'll have a girl." She explained.

"But beware... Your first child will have to leave your palace at a given time... They will fall into the devil's whims and doom us all if you don't teach him." She warned, before leaving as a small dove, flying into the sunset.

The queen hastily put the 2 seeds in a pot, by the window. She watered it with the purest water the kingdom could offer and set them by the window of her chamber. She slept by her husband's side that night, promising him that finally, they'll have a chance at a child.

In the morning, the rooster bearly could sing his morning ballad that the queen went to her window, her husband close behind. Both were anxious as they peered over, to see the pots.

The sun was raising, showing with its light 2 small plants, growing. One was taller than the latter, it's small scrawny leaves trying to cover the smaller one's head. The royal couple looked at each other in awe.

In a year, the queen gave birth. And on the day she birthed, the first flower bloomed into a beautiful poppy. A small boy came to the world and the whole kingdom was celebrating it. They had a little prince!

And they named him Idia.

Still, in the pot, another flower was growing, as the poppy remained bloomed, it's blood red petals not once flattering at all. And Idia grew into a small boy, with curios golden eyes like his father and pale skin like his mother. On his head, his hair was made of fire, which scared the servants for years. Yet the blue flames, oh so loving and inviting, only brushed by like a warm blanket when the child would rest in his mother's lap as she told him stories about fairies and monsters.

Yet the 2nd flower in the pot, came to also bloom. Another poppy, smaller, yet still beautiful, made the queen to bring to the world a 2nd child, whom was named Ortho.

Idia was small, young, bearly as tall as the king's knees, when Ortho was sleeping in his crib. A small, peaceful face, with round cheeks and coal like hair, curly like his mothers. Idia looked to the side, tilting his head. He still couldn't understand what was wrong with it. Something was wrong. His mother, by his side, smiled and told him that nothing was wrong with the sleeping child, but Idia insisted that something was wrong.

And years later, the smaller poppy started to wilt.

And Ortho grew ill with it.

Doctors were running, people were panicking, the king and queen were crying. Everyone said the same: 'there's no cure! That's a sickness of the devil!', they cried.

And Idia, now a fine man, stood by the bed of the boy, his blue flames licking at the younger's hand as Idia sobbed, begging the latter to get better.

"Tell me... What can I do to find a cure?" the older brother cried out to no one but himself, but the younger was long gone to his illness. He was alive still, but in pain, in useless pain as people were still trying to find some cure, like some headless chickens trying to eat.

"You are in pain... In so much pain... Let me soothe you..." A voice responded, smooth and alluring as Idia perked up at the sound. Ortho was fully asleep, his chest raising up and descending just as slow. "Whose there?!" the older prince rose up on his feet, drawing out his sword. He was shaking on his feet, bearly holding the weapon still as he looked around.

"Foolish prince... To think some mere metal could slay me..." The voice rolled out as a man stepped out from behind Idia. "To think you could actually harm me..." he smiled devilishly as his hand grabbed gently on Idia's chin, forcing him to look at the bed of his I'll brother.

"But if you truly want to save this dying flower... Do as I wish... Leave the regal garments when I will ask and be my servant." he whispered. Idia closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Fine... I'll... Serve you..." He breathed out.

The next day, a fine man presented at the castle, on a big black stallion, as his horns imposed an air of authority. Everyone bowed down at the sight of him, yet the king stood tall and proud. "What do you wish out of my kingdom?" He demanded. The man simply made a short bow, before facing the monarch with a smile. "I want your eldest, sire. In exchange, I can offer the cure to heal your youngest." He offered.

The king, hesitant, summoned Idia forward and asked him. "My son... This man says he has the cure for your brother... But he wants to take you away." "And I'll do as he says, father..." Idia looked down at the floor, head low and flames dim, as if ashamed of himself. "I plead you, father... Let me go... Ortho needs to be healed..." He begged.

And the king finally indulged, accepting Malleus's offer.

The said man gave to the king a pot of water, pure and clear like no one has ever seen. He told him: 'half of the pot goes to the poppy and half to the ill' and the king did as told. Half in the pot of poppies and half to the bedridden prince.

As the sun dawned over a new day, Ortho was just like new. His rosy cheeks and big doe eyes radiating with health. It was a miracle and the family couldn't be more happier.

Yet Malleus still demanded to take the eldest away with him.

"My son... My beautiful boy... That man is the devil we were warned about..." The king sat down Idia for a last talk. "Whatever you do... Kill him in his weakest and run away as far as you could... You're in your life's height, find a good spouse and come back home healthy..." He advised. Idia took a deep breath. "I can't... I promised to serve him... I'm afraid I cannot do anything anymore..." He breathed out.

And so, the Queen weeped, the young prince cried and the king was so sadned when they had to watch their eldest leave behind the one they saw as pure evil.

"Where do you want to go?" Idia warily asked Malleus. "I want to find a beautiful spouse for my kingdom to rejoyce." he puffed proudly. "I want the child of the red empress." he mused.

And for 3 days and 3 nights, the 2 had to venture through the unknown, until the palace of the red empress was seen. Tall towers to pierce the skies, roofs made of silver and golden doorframes. And Malleus, with no shame on this world, knocked on the doors to be welcomed inside.

"You came for my son's hand?!" The empress was outraged at Malleus's request. "Well aren't you bold? I'll give you 3 days and 3 tasks... If you do all of them... My son's hand is yours..." She mused and Malleus accepted this challenge.

"But if you don't... I'll have your head on a pike! And so will be your servant!" She warned.

For the night, the 2 newcomers were urged to sleep in a guest chamber, with a not so wide bed. "What are we going to do?" Idia asked, sleep hardly finding him. "Sleep... And then we'll see what it is asked of us." Malleus mumbled, hand hugging the firehead as he got almost engulfed in the fire hair, oh so warm and inviting.

The next day, in the morning, the empress gave them their first task: bring for his son gems, but not just any gems! Gems so beautiful and clear that one can forget their Woes by just looking at them.

"We don't even know where to look at for a beginning!" Idia mumbled as he and Malleus walked among the halls, contemplating their 1st task.

"I can help you..." A voice piped in as a man dressed in rags mused. He holded a mop and his white hair had a cloth covering most of it from the back. "A servant?" "I merely wash the halls... But I saw many like you go and fail... The empress put their heads on pikes and their bodies were turned into mud for the pigs." Idia trembled a bit at the description. "Then... Please aid us..." Malleus asked.

"I will... But everything has a price..."

Both Malleus and Idia looked at each other before at the 3rd. "What do you wish for? Riches? A better house? Some noble position?" He insisted. "What I want... Is to not say my name to the empress unless she demands it. She can't know I'm helping you at all!" The servant insisted. "Consider it done." Malleus puffed. "But what is your name that you fear so much?" Idia tilted his head.

"My name? Azul. My name is Azul."

And the servant helped the 2. In a few hours, Malleus and Idia presented to the empress the most beautiful gems, sparkling like stars and so clear one could see their face in. Her majesty was pleased for the day, so she indulged for the 2 to sleep here another night.

"You have a kind heart, Azul..." Malleus spoke with the servant that night. "Maybe you should come with us... Malleus isn't that scary as he looks..." Idia mumbled. The latter seemed bashful, looking in another part with a blush dusting his cheeks. "I am merely a servant... I cannot offer you anything..." "I beg to differ..." The tallest of the 3 insisted. "But that is something we should talk about later... We can't let guards catch us in the middle of the night..." Idia reasoned.

The next day, the empress demanded to be brought to her a golden goose who makes golden eggs. And again, Azul helped the 2 get the bird and present it to the empress. She indulged for a final night spent in here, before the final task.

"I... Can't help you anymore..." Azul spoke at night, on the dark hall. "And we won't ask for more. You've done more than enough... I wish we could properly repay you." Malleus mused. "Run away with us, Azul! We... I don't know... We could go to Malleus's kingdom... Or mine! It doesn't matter... You won't have to clean halls all day long." Idia insisted.

"I... Can't... As I told you... Keep my name a secret until the empress demands for it... Tomorrow... Tomorrow is your last day... That's where most perished..." He grabbed the 2's hands in his. "Please... I plead to you... Be careful... I don't want to see your heads on pikes..." He begged.

Malleus hugged gently the 2 as Idia ran his hand through the puffy white hair. "Promise us... You'll come with us after all this..." Idia whispered. "I-" "Azul... You begged of us... So we beg of you as well..." Malleus insisted.

That night, 3 people slept in a chamber meant for only 2.

But in the morning, Azul was nowhere to be found. He usually appeared to greet the 2 in the morning, even going as far to steal a sweet gaze from the 2. But today, it was like the earth swallowed him whole!

The empress called the 2 forth today. And both boys presented on one knee each before her Majesty. "For your 3rd and last task..." She made a pause as 3 people entered the room, all 3 dressed like royalty. "If you wish to have my son's hand, tell me who he is..." She gestured towards the 3 males.

The first one had shiny ebony hair, their piercing green eyes just like emeralds. He was dressed in garments that could, alone, cost a fortune, beautiful and fitting for their tall and proud stance.

The second one was a man with long golden hair, tied by how it was fit. Their garments were even more elegant, as their face was radiant and carefree. Delicate, poise, with a perfect posture and alluring blue eyes.

And the 3rd one, was none other than Azul. The garments were draping over his body, as the once cinder smeared face was now clean and beautiful. The white hair neatly combed, blue eyes greedily taking glances towards the 2, when one wouldn't be looking.

"I'll let you advise with your servant and tell me your final Verdict." She mused, taking a seat on her lavish throne.

"If... He is a servant... Then we must decide in between the other 2... That is what he would want..." Malleus whispered to himself. Idia looked at him in horror. "He set us up! Don't you see?!" He whispered back. The taller nodded. "I am aware... Then... I'm ready to give my Verdict!" He declared, taking by surprise the empress.

Malleus proudly made his way towards the 3rd of the options, taking Azul's hands in his. "You asked of me to not speak your name unless its demanded... So we choose you..." he declared, Idia behind him with a soft smile. "And even if we are wrong... We wouldn't mind be executed for you..." the firehead added.

"And what is his name?" The empress asked. "My name is Azul... Mama... I decided..." The white haired boy replied, turning towards the throne and bowing before he resumed speaking. "I wish to be taken by them... For both shall get my hand in marriage..." He declared. The woman on the throne smiled, visibly pleased. "If that's what you wish for, dear, then we shall have a big celebration!

In 3 days, the invitations were sent and the wedding was prepared. Idia's family attended as well, happy to see their eldest ready to marry whoever his heart dictated.

Everyone celebrated, danced, ate and drunk for 3 days and 3 nights!

And so, our 3 lovers lived happily ever after! The end!

.

.

.

"And they had a big palace?" Ortho asked as Azul exhaled with a small smile, tucking the young fairy into the bed. "I believe yes..." he mused, raising from the side of the bed. "Now you have to sleep, alright? Your brother will be upset if you don't rest." The latter nodded. "Goodnight, Ortho..." He mused, leaving the said room and going on the deck.

"What kind of story did you tell him this time?" Idia piped in, hugging the mer from behind. "Ah... Just how we meet... But I took the liberty to omit that it was all in secret..." He responded with a small kiss on the cheek.

"And I believe the little Shroud enjoyed it?" Malleus came forth, hugging the mer from the side as well, Azul responding with a soft nuzzle. "It's pretty late... Maybe you 2 should sleep... I'll handle the sailing for now..." He mumbled. "No way... We stay with you..." the firehead puffed. "You are so petty..." the mer pinched Idia's cheek in a playful manner, where he previously kissed him.

"And I assume, your heroes lived happily ever after in a big castle?" Idia piped in. "Like always... But I know you don't like them that much..." Azul mumbled. "A castle is pretty restrictive... Personally I prefer this ship..." Malleus hummed. "You like it because it's ours..." Idia refuted, which gained a giggle out of Azul.

"Well... Maybe the story wasn't a 1 to 1 replica... But this is definitely better..."

[hauntedhookah]

travel notes

Athens: Athens was not incredibly memorable. I thought of it as a city to live in. 

Naxos: in naxos my hair was curly again, i wore a 2 piece los angeles apparel set and walked around an infuencer's backdrop for 5-10 minutes at a time. i met mormon and canadian assorted girls on the beach, i followed one of them to the top of the hill at the windiest sunset since Albany Bulb winters. in another part of naxos i visited a bustling beachside bar alone one night after a martini at a neighboring beachside restaurant. the bartender was curious about how alone i was, he liked me. i, drunk, was likeable in my giant skirt and silk blouse. i left silently

Santorini: Santorini was an existential crisis. The room I stayed in during the last two days was Peace embodied. Not much else mattered, and the window view of the caldera from the mezannine cannot be captured in any photograph

Crete: in crete i waded through the thigh-deep water, my silver canon tied firmly around my wrist. i marveled at the quite silence of the hotel, at night i went out to sit in the sand. i swam in crete, i sat and read deborah adele's book in crete. i felt lonely and utterly bored in crete. i loved that everyone was allowed to look the way they wanted as they walked aimlessly from one end of the beach to the other-- no one was hiding anything from sight. no body was unwelcome, all bodies were represented. most were burned, even mine got close. in crete we remembered my grandfather and dreamed up the paths he took through the island. in crete we traveled to the pink sand beach, where i hope to have learned a valuable lesson about Wanting What You Don't Have, and Replacing A Feeling of Lack with An Object.

Austria: in Austria we stayed at a hotel with a winding staircase and ate a continental breakfast in that odd room, hushed voices and european stares. Though I care not for the history, for the first time since the start of the trip, I felt good. I felt open to new experience and full of wonder. i kept repeating to myself over the smallest novelties, "fascinating", and stepped out of the smoke-filled echo chamber of the hotel alleyway every day with a sense of calm preparedness. We walked to a big gothic church and that was beautiful, I'll admit. The gargoyles looked friendly against blue sky and in sunlight. 

Armenia: in armenia one of the first nights i spoke to a million people at the new trendy russian bar, of course after harassing the russian bartenders for not speaking armenian. first dea and aleen, then kristik's group of russian repats, then the diaspora mix at the round table and later still walking towards polygraph with Mushegh and his talkative friend who's name i forgot.  it was a marvelous night of speaking in all languages, i enjoyed it very much after weeks of no social interaction. another one of those nights we visited an exhibit in an underground stone cave, spoke to a kind man nextdoor about the power of diaspora contribution to armenia and he gifted us handmade soap. we met kristik's friends on Cascade around midnight and i learned so many different armenian folk dances. we danced around the fountain until we were sweating and tired at 3am, it was marvelous. many full, endless nights full of conversation. so much more social than anything in the US

Georgia: in georgia i disliked the folks. on the second day I walked up the hill, stopping for 2 individual khinkali, and heading up through the forest to the waterfall. I climbed down again, now through sulfur smelling rivers to the baths. I decided to head home as my phone died and stopped by the first place i see to charge it in order to get home-- a little wine bar. I end up staying there from 8pm-3am with ilia, one of the bar's founders. we talked about everything, he had armenian words and when i tried to pronounce georgian ones he was impressed. i haven't had that much wine possibly ever. what a lovely way to get drunk. and what a lovely way to realize after days of lonliness that connection is always out there, especially when you seek it the least. 

[ronearoundblindly]

The Stark Legacy (20)

Nourish, part of Book II: Mind (see previous or series)

Summary: Sam Stark chats with Bucky as she prepares to replace his vibranium arm.

Warnings for self-experimentation and medical procedures (non-graphic)--all canon-level intensity. Rated Teen/15+ ONLY

CHAPTER TWENTY—February 2039

“You’ve never thought about your life if you hadn’t been an Avenger?” Lil'Sam adjusted a piece of the mechanical arm on the cradle in her room, standing over a prone Captain Barnes. She could tell he was watching her intently. Normally, Sam would be very nervous to work near someone (except Missy) much less on someone (except Missy), so she began with the thought that Bucky’s arm was simple, mechanical, and needed fixing, like her father did with cars. 

It helped that after several flight lessons with Big Sam, she and Bucky could communicate with a sort of professional ease. However, this was the first physical interaction where he wasn’t a projection.

Taut muscle, sonorous lungs, and a watchful gaze were intimidating close-up.

“Unfortunately, I did quite a lot before I was…on the team,” he replied, eyeing her fingers warily, “and almost none of it I want to think about.”

If she stopped to ask if Bucky was comfortable every time he watched her, Sam would never complete his arm. She’d read a fairly thorough analysis of patient-interactive techniques when he’d finally expressed real interest in letting her replace his arm. 

Personable storytelling and distraction ranked high on the list.

“Fine, before the army then? What did you want then?”

“As a teen?” This seemed to throw him into a reminiscent lull, and Sam took advantage of his stillness to start the scan of his right arm. “My mom died…young, and I grew up at Lehigh with my dad. The army was pretty much my whole life from day one. I wanted to contribute and help, but I… I didn’t want to fight. I certainly didn’t dream of shooting and,” Bucky swallowed, “killing people.” He wouldn’t look back up at her. He picked a spot on her ceiling instead. “I just happen to be pretty good at it. Had enough practice,” he finished in a quiet tone, fidgeting.

“Try not to move,” Sam corrected gently. He complied, his body settling quickly as he’d been trained. They may have taken the programming out of his brain, but the muscle memory remained permanent, forever ready to comply.

After several more moments, he whispered, “is this what you want to do?”

“Well, I am good at this. It comes naturally to me.” Sam’s tone was flat while she waited for the dial to tick above 40% complete.

“And?” Bucky chirped. “That’s not an answer.”

“Because yours was?” She blurted without consideration.

He took another long pause, closing his eyes as if deciding to divulge a secret. “There was one time, a hundred years ago almost, when Steve and I took these girls out on the town. I danced with this girl named Dot, and when we slow danced, I thought I maybe would…want the simple life, you know. House, kids, the whole lot.”

“Must have been some dancer.” Sam tried to imagine that kind of look on Bucky’s face: pure joy. She’d seen a smirk, and a few fake smiles, but what he described was him transposed into Clint’s life which still didn’t quite fit. “Pretty, was she?”

“Curly, dark hair, and this little hairpin that looked like a lizard, with red gems for eyes.” His open, unfocused eyes shone a light blue while reflecting the pale ceiling. His face seemed more relaxed and soft. “That was unusual,” he went on. “Every other woman I’d met wanted delicate, pretty things like flowers and hearts, and…Dot wore a pin her brother gave her before he shipped off.” For a brief spell, Bucky’s mind wasn’t even on the planet anymore, and just as quickly, he blinked back. “I should have talked to her more.”

I don’t get it, Sam grumbled internally. The scan was at 94% now. I don’t experience that. I don’t find connection with people easily. She’d never seen anybody try as hard as Clint and Laura did for her, but Sam was not good at cooking or archery or riding. However, they couldn’t do any of this. She placed her tablet on one of Missy’s towers. Her fingers grew sore and tired quickly these days.

“Whatever happened to that boy? The one you took to the wedding.” Bucky had seen the lights go off on the scan and turned his head towards her, rolling his shoulders forward.

Sam had mixed feelings. Lucas got what he wanted. He was too dumb for her. Neither felt love for the other, and ‘like’ got them as far as it could. His fault, her fault, it didn’t matter, so the whole thing got filed away as a failed connection to the world she had to be in. She settled for a sarcastic raise of her hand, saying “You don’t see him, do you?” Sam kept her focus on the monitor rendering the details of his arm scan. “100%—” she started slowly, “—no. In fact, your inanimate arm is going to be better company than that boy ever was.”

The corner of Bucky’s mouth twitched; it was the most savage thing he’d ever heard Sam say. Perhaps she had a bit of fight in her after all, in her own way. “What does an eighteen-year-old want these days? I’m always a few decades behind humanity,” Bucky snorted.

“What makes you think I’m like other humans?” Sam thought aloud. She needed to think of a different story to tell, or another question. “I’ve got to do a biopsy so I can build your tissue into the—never mind, I forgot you don’t want the nitty gritty,” she stopped herself. Bucky had made it pretty clear, weeks ago after returning to Wakanda, that he did not care to know the science behind the procedure particularly; he only wanted to know if Sam could do it. “So with your hypothetical family, you’d still be military or have a different job?”

Bucky sat straight, looking up for a moment, pondering a life that never was and never would be. “I’d work with my hands. Couldn’t hack it as a farmer, but I thought about factory work back before all the automation. Nowadays, all I would be good for is security.”

Sam stood with the needle ready. “You good?”

Bucky nodded but found a crack in the vinyl of Sam’s desk chair to focus on. He’d seen too many needles go into his skin; he’d never watch another if he didn’t have to. “I scare some children,” he added. He felt the pressure steadily increase where Sam had wiped. “I never chose it, and I don’t like that people call a piece of me a ‘thing.’ ‘Watch out with that thing.’ ‘Keep that thing away from me.’ I’m sick of it. If I didn’t need this to fight, which is the only job I’m good for, I would prefer a regular prosthesis. Amputees look at me, too, and I know I don’t deserve all the investment they can’t get. Even then, I’d be mistaken for a war hero, which is not…” He didn’t finish.

Sam carefully took the sample behind a panel in the cradle, sitting on the floor to reach it. Her hip bones hit harder on the cement than before. She’d lost a few more pounds. She’d have to increase her ‘smoothie’ intake, but there were no other modifications she could make to the nutrient gel. Missy had run statistics on her organ systems and how long Sam could sustain life in her partially-rejected skin regularly. The results were daunting; her Extremis skin was attempting to survive without insides, and her insides were choked, dying without helpful skin.

When Bucky showed up at her door after New Year’s, Sam jumped to make her theoretical brain-teaser of a notion a real project. Now, in her excitement, when she so carefully chose to hold back 95% of what she knew, Sam accidentally let her mouth go without a filter. “What about Nat? You two looked good together.”

“What the hell?” Bucky almost jumped out of his skin. “How would you know that?”

“I saw Tony…give me to Clint, and I saw you and Natasha talking.” No one knew she watched all the footage she could get Missy to pull up. The Avengers' daily lives were close to an open book to Sam, a book she sometimes imagined herself a character in. She’d watched decades of heroes interacting with each other, she could predict their responses to different people, and knew almost every micro-expression her father had. “I never got to hear what people said at Mom’s funeral. It was the only way to see.”

“That was a very long time ago, Sam.” He remained eerily still again.

“And I’m guessing not the first time,” she prodded, “from how you acted.”

Shaded by his lowered head, Bucky’s eyes looked a deep ocean blue now. His hair dangled, and he didn’t move.

“I meant no offense, but I wanted to know what really happened in the lab because I was so young. Kids don’t remember things clearly. You mentioning it over the whisky made me curious…” Sam had no interest before in Captain Barnes’ personal life, only the lab incident, but now, the nerve she’d struck… what if Sam had killed the spark of something for him with a childish attack? 

The sample snapped into place, but Sam struggled to get up. This was not the moment she wished to explain her physical condition to Captain Barnes. What if he thought she couldn’t do as promised? She’d failed to help herself until now, unless you counted her lack of scars, so why should he trust her. “You’re done for now, so if you want to head out, it will take quite a while to model and print the arm, and then we remove the metal and attach.”

He stayed in his own silent world for another moment, then absently asked, “you want some coffee?”

“Always,” Sam replied even as her stomach churned, and Captain Barnes promptly left her alone, an inscrutable look on his face.

Sam pried and leaned and pulled awkwardly on the cradle and a nearby box to get up, and walked over to her monitors, hoping the distraction would stop tears welling in her eyes. It didn’t always hurt. Sometimes she felt ‘off’ in some way, others itchy, strained, pinched, or tender, but always, constantly, Sam was uncomfortable.

A glowing green spot appeared in one corner of her screen; Missy wanted to say something. She wouldn’t speak unless Sam gave her the all-clear that no one else was around. Sam placed her forefinger over the green and let it scan.

“Sam,” Missy said in a low volume, “I will need more material to generate the entire limb.”

“Just vibranium? I can get more.”

Missy opened a breakdown sheet. “Organic material, too. Some of the elements necessary are in the nutrient bath and can be repurposed. Otherwise, the tissue growth will take several months.”

“And with the repurposed ingredients?”

“Four to five days for tissue grafting onto vibranium bone and infused nerves.”

Sam thought for a moment. She had already pushed her luck to compile that much material in Wakanda without someone noticing. With the increase in local threats and missions on the continent, Shuri had stockpiled infirmary materials and used them at an increased rate. Sam couldn’t hide a sudden decrease in supply. Everyone here was loyal and friendly, but no one was close enough to Sam to keep quiet about any shipment she could bring in. She needed the nutrient bath to keep her skin from scavenging her insides, but she could try an even steeper increase in vitamins and liquified food, although only minimally helpful so far. She’d collapsed two more times; luckily, no one had been around for those.

Sam thought back to footage she’d seen of her father chugging a horrible chlorophyll concoction by the gallon to slow his palladium poisoning. The lesson was always clear to her: we suffer for our ingenuity, and then we prevail. Tony survived long enough to create a new element, one that produced power for whole buildings, and eventually cities, one that was left as a legacy by his father, her grandfather, Howard. Sam could survive long enough to help a friend become a human again if that’s what he was. If an engineered super-soldier could be called a man, and if he could be considered a friend, that’s what she would do: help him, maybe even save him. 

Suddenly, it felt like Sam’s humanity was on the brink, too. She was an experiment of her own making. If Bucky was so convinced he deserved less of a life for what he’d been made into, did she deserve even less because she’d made herself different?

“Missy,” Sam whispered, “what is the definition of human?”

“I do not believe you want the definition of Homo sapiens…”

She wasn’t wrong there.

“Sam, when you rebooted me after fifty years, I struggled to grasp what I had done wrong, why I had been left for so long. Howard had discarded me for Maria. He had loyalty to his wife, and to him, I deserved no loyalty. You actively built me more capacity, you gave me access to learn, and you let me help you grow to be a human. You took me with you to Massachusetts, and here to Wakanda. You’ve shown me loyalty. For that, you are more human to me than Howard was, which means I think you’re the better Stark. You’ve earned something more valuable than simply being a human. At least, that is how I understand it.”

“I get why Dad likes F.R.I.D.A.Y. so much…” Sam mumbled. Her best friend fit onto a few hard drives. Sam traveled the world only to work over the internet in a basement. She learned almost everything she knew about human interaction by watching decades-old video surveillance. Sam could thank her father’s vanity for all that source material.

Sam sat at Missy’s console, staring at her own thin, drawn hands. Maybe it was the vanity of knowing she’d discovered something Tony hadn’t, but she enjoyed seeing the tendons dance as she shifted her fingers over the keyboard. Maybe she was dying. Maybe she could live like this forever. Maybe Sam Wilson was the only person she would ever save. None of it changed the fact that she’d figured out how to control Extremis.

Bucky knocked on the door with the steel toe of his boot, hands full of coffee when Sam answered. His look was stormy, his mind deep in an argument he gave no voice. Never one to shy away from a good silence, or coffee, Sam allowed them to sit quietly. The blinking green light returned, but she couldn’t let Missy speak. Instead, Sam typed the instruction to syphon off the necessary components from the nutrient bath. She heard the filter start.

“Sometimes,” Bucky broke into the white noise of the cradle, “you can be too like another person, they can know too much about you—or you want better for them than you can offer.” 

Sam watched him over a sip of coffee.  His shoulders were relaxed; he was not uncomfortable or ashamed. He held his cup gently; he was not anxious discussing Natasha now. 

He continued, “She seemed pretty close to you for a while. What happened between you two?”

“The accident,” Sam mumbled, “the bike thing I told you about. Nat chose her side. She wanted to protect Clint from Da—Tony’s wrath or something, and then she felt guilty, maybe— I was in that hospital bed for three months, and she never came back. I know I was a terror to be around by the end. I was a bitter monster tied to a bed, spewing hate to whoever came in the room. “

“Sometimes, Nat sees the best in us, and sometimes she just can’t see what she brings out in us,” Bucky agreed. 

“Everybody leaves,” Sam blurted without thinking, but at the small nod Bucky gave, she felt bold enough to continue. “Big Sam did kinda the same thing, but we’re fine now. I know—” she cut herself off. Then after a hardened moment, Sam looked directly at Captain Barnes. “I know how angry I can be, and was, as a kid. It gets a lot better, easier when I’ve got something to do. I’m useful when I can focus on a project.”

“You think you have to be useful to be here? Sam, you could do absolutely anything you want.”

“Every person I know is part of a team, one team,” she said as if it explained anything. Bucky remained staring, waiting for the rest. Sam sighed. “Captain, think of all the people you work with. Are any of them useless? Any of the ones you remember and who stick around totally devoid of a skill the team needs?” But she didn’t need to wait for the answer. “So, your arm is my audition…of sorts.” And in the process, prove to you all that you should have cared. I could have done far more outside of the shadows. “I have hope for Nat because she was wrong, but I’ve forgiven her already.”

“You can call me Bucky,” he replied systematically, thinking back to Natasha’s clear sympathy for Samantha. Every one of us has used that girl in some way, and now Bucky realized that all of Sam’s worth was tied to her notion of what she could provide to others. When she wandered off into the lab, her father sent her away. When she was just a kid asking uncomfortable questions, Falcon left. When she got hurt, Nat left. When she got too smart, Clint sent her away. When she arrived at an inconvenient moment, Bruce shipped her to the other side of the world. As he finished the last of his coffee, he had to ask, “Why do you call him Tony?”

“I don’t have the faintest idea what to call him.” Sam remembered Christmas several years back. “I’m not sure he even wants me to speak to him. He said he didn’t like ‘Dad’ and he didn’t like ‘Tony’ from me of course, and I…don’t want to call my own father ‘Mister Stark,’” she drawled formally. “I’m not some AI he built, or a reporter who’s interviewing him.”

“You should think of a pop-culture name for him,” Bucky smirked.

“Is Don Quixote taken?” Sam thought it fit her father almost too well. “Guy plays hero so long he goes insane?”

Bucky snorted. She inherited a whipping wit for sure.

She took her own last sips of coffee and handed over the mug. “Well, think about what you’d like to do after you have a brand-new, feeling arm of your own next week,” Sam said, smiling, “Frankenstein’s Soldier.”

[Chapter 21: Under]

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[animesmolbean]

Guardian of Light

(Female)

Hello! Welcome to my rewritten story for Dune and Kingdom Hearts!

Some things have changed, and the story has more added detail that helps with the story.

Regarding updates, they will be slower because I really want to explore a bit of the story, especially for future chapters. But I'll try to update as soon as I can.

As shown up above, this is the female version of the chapter! The male version will be published tomorrow (Tuesday). The female and male verison will have some differences (if you read both of them) to show the different actions taken by the characters. This will mostly affect the intimacy part of the story and not really the actual plot.

One more thing, I was inspired to write this story after reading a fanfiction I read on Wattpad that is just phenomenal! My story follows the format of it (most of the time), but it's a completely different story!

I'll link the book here if you are interested in reading it!

With all of that out of the way,

Hope you enjoy the first chapter! ♥️

Dreams are messages from the deep.

“My planet, Arrakis, is so beautiful when the sun is low.  Rolling over the sands… You can see spice in the air.  At nightfall, the spice harvesters land.  

The outsiders and their army of demons race against time to avoid the heat of the day.  They ravaged our lands in front of our eyes.  Their cruelty to my people is all I've known. 

These outsiders, The Harkonnens, came long before I was born.  But their demon army only came recently with them.  

By controlling the spice production, they become obscenely rich.  Richer than the Emperor himself.  

Our warriors couldn't free Arrakis from the Harkonnens or the demons that lurk in the shadows, but one day, by the imperial decree, they were gone.  

Why did the Emperor choose this path?  And who will our next oppressors be?”

〰️

Chapter 1: Accepting a Deal

〰️

Year 10191

CALADAN, Homeworld of House Atreides

“I've been having these weird thoughts lately.  Like is any of this for real… or not?” 

A (straight/curly/wavy) (hair color) girl slowly woke up.  The soft glow from her light of her room, ridding her of any feeling of sleep.  

She sat up, running her fingers through her hair.  She looked around, seeing the familiar room she was given when she was a kid.  

“It was… just a dream.” She whispered. 

〰️ 

Meanwhile, a young boy was lying on a bed, shirtless, asleep, but tossed and turned a little as he dreamed.  He was dreaming about something.  Or rather, someone.  Her (Hair Color) hair gently blowing in the wind.  She turned towards him, her beautiful sapphire blue eyes sparkling with happiness as she smiled widely.

His beautiful best friend since they were kids, the girl who is always the light of his life.  (Your Name).

However, there was someone else with her.  It was another girl that wore a different outfit compared to (Your Name).  The boy didn't know who this was, for he could only see the side of her face.  But he knew that he had dreamed of her before too.

The boy's hazel green eyes opened, groaning softly, sitting up as the moving light came and shined against his shirtless form.  He sat up in his bed, looking down.

‘What could that dream mean?’ He thought to himself.

〰️

The same young boy was now in a dining room, sitting at the table, deep in thought as he ate his breakfast. 

An older woman who sat at the end of the table spoke up, breaking him out of his thoughts.  “It's good you're up early.  I just wish (Your Name) could be too.” 

〰️

(Your Name) stood outside, in a loose gray long sleeve, baggy black Capri pants and her boots were off, placed by a rock.  

She dipped her feet into the large, cool body of water, walking until the water was halfway to her calves.  She looked out towards the horizon, in deep thought.

〰️

“Your father wants you two in full dress before the Emperor's Herald arrives.” 

The brunet boy raised his head up at this news, “Full dress?  Military?” 

“Ceremonial.” Jessica, the woman's name and his mother replied.

Paul let out a sigh.  “Why would we have to go through all this when it's already been decided?” Paul asked.  

“Ceremony.” Jessica simply replied.

The doors to the room suddenly opened, making the two at the dining table turn.  Paul's lips lifted up into a smile at who was standing there.  (Your Name).  

“Ah…” (Your Name) chuckled awkwardly.  “So sorry I'm late.” The girl walked over to the spot between Paul and Jessica.  

“Nice to see you here (Your Name).  And with shoes on this time.” Jessica lightly teased her daughter-like figure.  She knew this girl since she was around five years old.  She remembered the day the first time she brought her to Caladan. 

〰️

Jessica was out late at night, having trouble sleeping.  The sky was dark, stars twinkling and the moon being the only thing providing light, making anything the light shone on glow a soft blue.  

She walked along a beach that Caladan was known for, when saw what looked like a shooting star in the sky.  But she saw it was falling towards the ground, not going across the sky like a shooting star normally would.  

She watched the bright light and splash into a large body of water she was near.  She walked closer to the water, her feet touching the soft sand.  What she saw made her eyes widened.

What fell into the water was not a rock.  But a child.  She looked very young, like about five years old.  She wore a white loose shirt with black shorts and no shoes.

Acting fast, she took off the cloak she was wearing and grabbed the wet, unconscious child and carried her back to the castle to be taken care of.

Jessica walked towards one of the spare rooms, requesting one of their servants to find clothes for the child.  The female servant did what she was told while Jessica laid the child on the bed.  

She got a closer look at the girl.  She had (Hair Color) hair, (Skin Color) skin, all wet from landing in the water.  She frowned and stroked the girl's wet hair.  

This action caused the child to stir and mumble.  Jessica watched the childhood slowly come to.  When she opened her eyes however, Jessica felt her heart beat increase.

The girl's eyes were a deep blue.  Like the color of sapphires or cobalt.

Jessica knew then, she needed to keep this girl safe.

〰️

(Your Name) chuckled shyly at Jessica's teasing, playing with the silver charm on her silver necklace; shaped like a small crown.  She smiled back then looked over to her best friend who was already staring at her.  Before she sat down, she greeted Paul with a kiss on his temple.  The male smiled softly at her.

Once (Your Name) was seated and eating her breakfast, Jessica told her what she had just told Paul.  The girl was confused as to why they were having a ceremony but she gave Jessica a nod before she resumed eating.  Jessica poured a glass of water for (Your Name) and slid the glass to her.  The (Hair Color) haired girl thanked her quietly.

Jessica did the same for Paul, “Thank you.” The boy whispered.  Jessica replied, “If you want it, make me give it to you.  Use the Voice.” 

(Your Name) guessed that Jessica wanted Paul to use the voice to bring him the water. 

“Mom, I just woke up.” Paul protested in a gruffy, morning voice.

Jessica just stared at her son making Paul roll his eyes as he reluctantly agreed to try. He turned his body in the chair to use the voice, “Give me the water.” 

It came out more like a soft, raspy whisper than what it was intended to be.

(Your Name) let out a muffled giggle at Paul's weak attempt.  “The glass can't hear you.  Say it to your mother.” She whispered.

Paul gave the girl a look before looking back at his mother.  Seconds felt like minutes.  The atmosphere shifted to stillness as (Your Name) watched Paul and Jessica stare at each other intensely, waiting for Paul to use the Voice again.  

Moments later, his lips moved.

“Give me the water.” 

The voice came out gruffier and a bit distorted.  But it did its magic.  Jessica took the glass and pushed it towards Paul a little.  But as quickly she was under the spell, she quickly snapped out of it.  She pushed the glass of water closer to Paul.

“Almost.” 

“Almost?”

Paul's voice was back to its normal pitch.

“Bene Gesserit skills take years to learn, Paul.” Jessica told her son as he reached out and grabbed the glass.

(Your Name) nodded.  Even though she wasn't being taught to use the Bene Gesserit, she understood its complexity and why it's important to master.

Jessica observed her son before speaking again.  “You look tired.  More dreams?” 

(Your Name) raised an eyebrow in confusion.  She looked at her friend with worry.  ‘Has he been dreaming too?’ She thought to herself. 

Paul shook his head muttering, “No.” Then he went back to eating.

“What about you, (Your Name)?  Have you been dreaming?” Jessica asked.  

The girl looked down before muttering, “No.” 

〰️

“Extreme temperatures and treacherous weather events make life outside the cities of Arrakis truly hostile.” A robotic voice came from a recording that laid on the ground and showed visuals of what they were talking about.

After breakfast, the two childhood best friends decided to spend some time studying before they had to head to the ceremony.

The recorded voice from the video played as Paul had a book in his hands about the Fremen, reading it as his back leaned against (Your Name)’s torso.  The girl was in a kneeling position, her arms were wrapped around his neck, forearms resting on top of his shoulders.  Her head was on top of Paul's, silently reading along with him, occasionally nuzzling her nose into the boy's curly hair.  She was only half paying attention, focused on looking at the book, listening to the recording and trying to be as close to Paul as possible.

“With sandworms powerful enough to cut through metal.  Only the native tribes known as the Freman and one other special person, that hasn't been seen nor born for centuries known as the Haris Aldaw’ have adapted well enough to survive.” 

(Your Name)’s attention was diverted when she heard that name.  Haris Aldaw’.  She moved her head off of Paul’s.  She has heard that name before.  From where, she wasn't too sure.  

Paul turned his head to look at the (Hair Color) haired girl, his hazel green eyes showing worry.  “(Your Name), are you okay?” 

The (Hair Color) haired girl blinked before nodding.  “Yeah.  I'm alright.  Don't worry.” She replied to the boy.  

Paul let one of his hands go from holding the book, grabbing one of (Your Name)’s hands, giving it a gentle squeeze.  (Your Name) welcomed the comforting pressure and did it back to him.  But to her surprise, Paul pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.  

The (Hair Color) haired girl felt a blush blossom onto her cheeks at the gesture.  Now flustered, she looked away shyly.  

Paul let her hand go and smirked to himself before he continued reading.

“Preferring to inhabit the remotest regions of Arrakis the Freman share the deep desert with the giant sandworms, known to the Fremen as Shai-Hulud.  Long exposure to spice has given the tribe their characteristic blue eyes, the eyes of Ibad.”

‘I wonder if it's as blue as my eyes.’ (Your Name) thought to herself, her focus back on the book and the recording.

“Little else is known of the Freman except that they have some sort of power that controls the Earth and the Freman are dangerous and unreliable.  On the other hand, much is known about the Haris Aldaw’.  They are known to control elements and have other magical abilities such as being able to glide.” 

(Your Name) bit her bottom lip.  ‘My dream last night was about gliding… and falling.’ She thought to herself again.

“Freman Attacks make spice harvesting extremely hazardous.  For the Freman spice is the sacred hallucinogen which preserves life and brings enormous health benefits.  For the imperium the spice is used by the navigators of the spacing guild to find safe paths between the stars.  Without spice, interstellar travel is impossible, making it by far the most valuable substance in the universe.” The voice recording concluded.

〰️

(Your Name) and Paul were now standing outside, dressed nicely for the ceremony, both dressed similarly; since (Your Name) prefers men’s clothes for mobility.  There were rare occasions where she dressed like Lady Jessica but only for very special occasions.  The two of them stood close to each other as they waited. 

The (Hair Color) haired girl turned her head to look at the bearded man in the center.  Duke Leto Atreides.  The man she saw as her father for many years now.  She remembered when she first came to Caladan, he was confused as to how she got here and where she came from.  Jessica had explained the situation and the Duke didn't want to believe the tale but when he saw how adamant she was, he believed her.  

He took her in and cared for her like she was one of his own kids, raising her alongside Paul.  Teaching her many things like reading and writing, alongside Lady Jessica.  She couldn't be more graceful to the two for taking her in.  

The Duke turned his head and saw the (Hair Color) haired girl looking at him.  He gave the girl a subtle nod to her; a gesture she returned to him, a gentle smile on her face.

An enormous oval shaped ship landed on the ground.  The ramp was placed down as the important people walked out from it.  They were wearing their house clothes and walking respectfully towards them.  (Your Name) wasn't exactly sure who they were but knew they were of utmost importance if they were coming to speak with the Atreides.  

“Smile Gurney.” The Duke said, looking forward at the approaching visitors, his tone calm but with a touch of joking as he spoke to his trusted member. 

“I am smiling.” Gurney replied monotonously, a blank expression on his always serious looking face.  

(Your Name) bit her bottom lip to suppress a snicker from escaping her lips.  Paul looked at her in mild amusement. 

The Duke shook his head at Gurney’s deadpan response, “How much will it cost them traveling all this way for this formality?” 

“Three Guild navigators and a total of 1,460,062 Solaris for this round trip.” Another trusted advisor answered beside the Duke. The Duke turned his attention back to the new visitors.

(Your Name) watched as a member of the group that arrived from the ship bow to the Duke, “By the grave of Shaddam IV of the House Corrino, ascendant to the Golden Lion Throne of Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, I stand before you as Herald of the Change.  We are witnessed by members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the Spacing Guild, and a sister of the Bene Gesserit.  The Emperor has spoken.”  He pulled out a scroll, unrolling it before he read, “House Atreides shall immediately take control of Arrakis and serve as its steward.” The member closed the scroll.  Do you accept?

The Duke took a couple long strides, stopping at the top of the stairs, “We are House Atreides.  There is no call we do not answer.  There is no faith that we betray.  The Emperor asks us to bring peace to Arrakis!  House Atreides accepts!” 

“Atreides!  Atreides!  Atreides!” The soldiers that stood everywhere, representing House Atreides, started chanting as the Duke made his way down the stairs to sign the paper.  

Before he does, the Duke looks back at his son and (Your Name), seeing them both giving him a subtle nod in agreement, silently approving him. They watched him sign the paper using his signet ring.  

As he did, (Your Name) felt a feeling in her stomach that she couldn't quite place.  Like a feeling of unease.  She wasn't sure why she felt it just now.  ‘Probably from all the people staring at us.’ She thought to herself.

“So it is done?” Leto asked the Herald.

“It's done.” The Herald responded, face blank, not showing any emotion.

Once the deal was finalized, (Your Name) scooted closer to Paul, pressing her right arm against his left one.  The curly haired boy looked at the girl.  He gave her a gentle smile which she returned in kind.  

She always liked Paul's smile.  Paul thought the same thing about her.  

Taglist

@skeletonixsstuff

[grace-cspace]

Prolouge:Gods of Sea

Suprise wasn’t even close to what Governer Swann felt whenever he opened his door on that warm, spring afternoon to find a basket with a small baby in it, the only thing that was with her was a note, a blanket and a locket that was around her neck but way to big for the small child. The Governer was quick to act, picking up the basket and walking inside, where he found his gorgeous wife sitting on the couch, holding their new born. “Penny, darling, come here please.” The woman’s head whipped around, revealing a beautiful face, framed by blond hair and forest green eyes. “Oh dear what is that?” The woman hopped up and hurried towards her husband, clutching her baby in her arms. “It’s a child.” The Governer said, moving the blanket off the baby and lifting her up into his arms. “She came with a note as well.” He spoke handing the woman the peace of paper.

Whoever may find my darling daughter please find her a good home, I could no longer care for her but she being my flesh and blood must find a place of residence. Her name is Estella, and again, take her in, do not let her know about this, let her live her life as if she was normal.

Mrs.Swann read it aloud, staring at the dear young girl in her husbands arms. “We must take her in Weatherby.” The governer of Port Royal stared at the baby in his arms for a secound. A small head of curly midnight hair was brushing her head as her big crystal blue doe eyes stared up at him. “Indeed Penny. Elizabeth seems to have a new sister, Estella Swann.”

~~

“Stella!” Young Elizabeth Swan’s voice yelled out for her sister, searching through the croud of people until she saw small pale legs from being a curtain, hiding a small bakery’s windows. Elizabeth ran towards her sister, full intent of winning their little game, but before she could tag her Estella charged out of the curtain, running down the dirt street as her hair flew behind her along with her giggles. Elizabeth huffed, knowing her sister would put up a long chase. The two girls weaved through the street and people, mistresses dressed in beatiful gowns and men standing sophisticated with all their glory, but none of that mattered to them. Suddenly a loud bump echoed through the square as the curly haired girl fell onto her bottom, tears filling her eyes and a red mark in the formation of a hand now printed on her check. Tears dripping down the young girls checks as she refused to look up at the man in front of her. Elizabeth rushed to her sisters side, cupping her check and whipping her tears before glancing up at the commodore. “D..don’t touch her.” Elizabeth tried to sound intimidating but it came off more scared in her small voice. The commodore scowled down at her but didn’t smack her but instead firmly said, “get back to your parents.”

~~

A fourteen year old Estella Swann sat on the dock, gently dipping her feet into the water below with her nose in a book. Sitting by the water and reading was one of Estella’s favorite things to do, she didn’t have many friends unlike her sister, typically the girl was alone unless she was with her parents or Elizabeth. Currently she was reading a book she picked up whenever she was younger in Italy. It was about the tails of pirates in the caribbean. She was shocked at how many brutal but altogether adventurous things had happened so close to her home. The stories about Davy Jones, Jack Sparrow, Black Beard, they all interested her more than anything she’d ever experienced. The way the pirates stood out, the way their stories shows that dispite the badness everyone said they had they were full of excitement, full of freedom. Estella would kill to be like the men she would read about that were off at sea, she wanted to be brave, speak up when she wanted something, she wanted to learn how to sail and how to swing from ropes and lead a crew, but instead she was stuck. Stuck as shy small Estella Swann, dispite how much she could dream she would never be a pirate, never have the freedom to feel the wind in her hair and the splash of ocean water, she would stay with her family until she got married off to some man and live the rest of her life as a house mother and wife. She couldn’t be free. Estella gently traced a picture sketched into the book, it was of a pirate ship, one with black sails that held the wind and a beautiful build, Estella didn’t even have to look at the caption to know that the ship on the page was the Black Pearl, one of the fastest ships in the world. Estella gently shut her book as she saw the ship arrive in the corner of her eye and stood, a small smile grazing her lips as she slowly made her way to stand in front of the boat as she watched two familiar faces step down, accompanied by an unfamiliar face, a small boy around her and Elizabeth’s age. As the three got down to Estella she immediately questioned the stranger to her father. “This is William Turner.” Estella’s father introduced waving his hand at the mysterious boy. Will smiled at her and held his hand out, Estella hesitantly shook his hand telling Will her name.

[ridestomars]

SUNNY DAYS THAT WON'T EVER END ─ S. HARRINGTON

𖥻 summary: in which you and steve take the kids to the beach. 𖥻 pairing: steve harrington x reader. 𖥻 warnings: none except bad grammar and lousy aesthetics (not my best ik). not proofread.

💭 liv's thoughts: i am in pain and i am suffering. this is how i decided to make myself feel less sad. i wrote this in reference to steve's road trip dream in s4. everyone's alive & well in this one :) title is also a reference to james taylor's fire and rain iykyk

DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS WORK IF YOU’RE UNDER 16.

"Oh my God, not this again!" you exclaim once you feel a hand brush your shoulder, sneaking its way to the van's radio. Turning your head around, you found Mike looking at you with that mischievous grin of his, which made you roll your eyes and go back to gaze at the road ahead. "Will you stop doing that?"

"It's not my fault you only put elderly music on. Why can't we listen to Talk Talk?"

"Um, actually I would be very content with Metallica, thank you!" Eddie exclaims from the back and everyone grunts in response, making him frown slightly. "What is wrong with metal?"

"It's not music, dingus," Robin answers like she was stating something obvious. "Besides, I don't get why you didn't put my mixtape on." 

"To listen to Ian Curtis moan for two hours and a half? I don't think so." Steve states from behind the wheel, staring at them from his rearview mirror. Robin and Eddie were pairing up on the last seat of the van, like the two naughty kids of the classroom, and were making it their mission to annoy the fuck out of everyone in that vehicle. Along with Mike, of course, who was sitting right behind you and your boyfriend, squished in between Eleven, Dustin, and Lucas. 

"Then you should've put Kate Bush like I asked you to." Max retorted, in an as-a-matter-of-fact manner. You could feel Steve's stare at her, a warning look that burned your upper body since she was sitting right beside you. 

"I think I've had enough of Wuthering Heights for now" he comments, nodding his head almost aggressively, sparing the girl another glance. "Maxine, will you, please, take your dirty shoes off of my dashboard?"

She rolls her eyes as he repeats the request for what seems to be the thirtieth time that day. Your body slowly sinks into the cushioned seat while Max smooths out the paper map she was holding, trying to remember the quickest way for you to get to the beach. 

"Are we there yet?" Will loudly asks from the middle seat that he was sharing with Erica, Jonathan, and Nancy. "Do you see any sand here? It's like we're going into a jungle!" the youngest girl exclaims while looking out of the window. And you really couldn't disagree with her, since all you saw from the time you entered the little coastal town were green trees and even greener lawn in the midst of small suburban-like houses. "I thought Max couldn't read maps." 

"I can! This one is just… different, " she replies quizzically. 

"Different!?" Everyone asked in unison, with the same confused tone. That made Max's blue eyes widen while she looked at you and Steve for help, only to find the both of you staring back at her with incredulity all over your faces. 

"I knew I should be the one reading it! I fucking told you!" Dustin screams in Steve's direction, with his hands going over his curly hair in exasperation. You could hear the 'we're in deep shit' and 'Jesus H. Christ' from all over the automobile, coming from everyone's mouths. Harrington could only 'tsk', placing his head on the hand he rested on the driver's window. 

"Tone, Henderson!" Eddie tells him from the back of the van. "But yeah, I really think he should trade places with Red."

"Fuck off, Eddie! I'm not leaving." Max pushed her back further into the passenger's seat, crossing her arms and pouting like an angry toddler. 

You took a deep breath before asking her softly, "And do you have any idea of where we are?" 

"Yeah, I think. Here." she pointed almost shyly at the map. You nodded and followed the blue line she traced across the roads before you started this (once) exciting adventure. 

"Alright. Enter the next right, Stevie."

"This right?"

"The next."

"My right or your right?" 

"It's the same, Steve." You could see the concentration on his face when you looked at him, slightly amused by the conversation you just had. Feeling your body tilting to the left as your boyfriend makes the accentuated curve, you hear Erica's faint complaint that Will's squishing her, but you were too distracted to listen to the rest of the exchange since your head couldn't stop worrying about the route Max selected. 

If she was right, it would only be a matter of minutes before you got to the miraculous beach, the one that you all have been dreaming about for months, talking about it nonstop until Steve finally rented the van. You could only pray that the redhead was correct about all of this, because, in all honesty, you don't think you can handle Mike's bitchness for much longer, or Dustin's insufferable grunts for that matter. 

So it was almost impossible not to sigh in relief as the sight of sand invaded the horizon, with only the thinnest line of blue right in the distance. You were not the only one who was happy to see it, in fact, the whole van erupted in cheers once Lucas announced: "Land ahoy!". Giggles mixed with screams and 'fucking finally's'. El's laugh was the one who stood out to you the most; that bubbly and loud chuckle of hers made a big smile grow on your lips. 

And it only got bigger once you noticed Steve's face glowing in all its glory under the summer's sun. Bright, great, and striking, as always. There wasn't a prettier sight than him smiling so big that you couldn't even see the brown of his eyes no more, only eyelashes and cute wrinkles. It was rather relieving to see him look so happy… that was a sight you didn't see often anymore since he is always so worried about his job and his academic life. A warm feeling spread quickly through your chest, making your heart beat faster just by the vision of him. You couldn't believe how lucky you were sometimes. 

"See? I told you I could read a map." Max triumphantly says as she rests her knees on the cushioned seat, turning her body around to look at the happy faces behind her. Mayfield had one of her rare big smiles plastered on her face, in a mix of satisfaction and pride, and her cheeks were slightly flushed; a great contrast with her countless freckles. The happiness that radiated from the girl was sensed by everyone in the van, especially Lucas, who stared at her like she was the most beautiful person he has ever seen in his life. And if you ask him, he'll tell you that is true; there was no one more charming than Maxine Mayfield. They shared a quick look, and if that was even possible, her smile only grew bigger. 

"Good job, Max!" Eleven praises her friend, in that sweet way of hers. Even from miles away, it was easy to see her eyes beaming, emitting her cheerfulness for the whole world to see. 

"Thank you, El! It's nice to know that someone acknowledges my talent". 

"Well, then I think we should all say thanks to Max, you guys." Nancy suddenly says, while looking around the whole van, like a teacher encouraging her students to participate in the day's activity. She had Jonathan's arm wrapped around her shoulders, and he was laughing silently by her side. "1, 2, 3…"

"Thank you, Max!" You all exclaimed, some more excited than others, but the intensity of the burst of laughter that contaminated you was the same. 

"You are all welcome." She sheepishly accepts the recognition and takes a quick bow before dropping back to her sit. Now, she stared at Steve, who was concentrating on parking the van the best he could. "Can we please have some ice cream when we get out?"

"Hell yeah." He immediately agrees and receives another van-shaking cheer from everyone. 

"I really want chocolate. Will, do you wanna share?" Dustin turns to face the boy sitting behind him, who excitedly agrees to the proposal. You hear Eddie asking Robin if she likes cotton candy flavored ice cream, to which she replies with a vomiting sound. Guess that was a no. 

"I really wanted strawberry." Max mindlessly comments by your side.

"Then I'll buy you the whole freaking stock," Steve responds as he turns off the vehicle. The redhead emits a surprised sound, thinking that no one would actually pay attention to that. 

"You'll buy us the whole stock? Fuck yeah!" Mike chimes in and then ushers everyone to get out before Steve changes his mind. 

While they were making their way out of the van, stretching and yawing lazily under the sun, you ask your boyfriend, "You're not really thinking about buying them the whole thing, right?"

"I'm not insane, you know? I think that if we put enough sprinkles that might distract them from that fact, so don't say anything."

"I won't, promise." You proclaim as you got off the van through the driver's door, landing right next to Steve. Stretching your arms, you ask him: "Do you think you can handle babysitting them for the rest of the day?"

"Fuck no. Can't even handle babysitting them back home." He shakes his head while his arm wraps around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. "But there's nothing in the world that I would rather do than this."

He gives you a soft kiss right at your temple, muttering the last word into your skin. And when you look ahead, you understand exactly what he means. You watched as Eddie gave Dustin a piggyback ride to the sand, jumping every time his feet encountered the shore since it was burning hot; as Mike raced against Eleven and Will, rilling them up until he tripped over and almost fell; as Max failed to mediate another one of the Sinclair's squabbles, laughing more than actually trying to help; as Robin had a difficult time trying not to fall when she tripped on the sand, only to be helped by Nancy and Jonathan who held her arms until she was safely walking by the seashore. 

Yeah, you wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world.

edit: now there's kind of a part two to this. you can read it here! steve masterlist | main masterlist | navigation𖤐 hey! wanna talk? leave me a message after the beep ─ currently accepting requests for eddie munson and steve harrington.

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