#the only complaint i really have is i just wish she had freckles | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

blue-slxt · 1 year ago

Text

Alrighty, let's get into this.

Amused, he decided to take a different approach, as he got on top of you and started trailing small, peppered kisses over your chest and neck, over your jaw and face, until eventually your eyes fluttered open and widened momentarily as you adjusted to the unexpected scene, until they melted in the mischievous, loving gaze Neteyam knew so well and loved so much. “This is one way to wake up, I suppose.” “A good way?” Your lips met in a kiss, soft and intimate, not at all resembling the boundaries both of you were supposed to abide by, and right in this moment, it didn’t seem either of you particularly cared. “The best way.”

Stoppppp my heart! I can’t take the cute!

He wasn't yours to lose. Not in the way you wanted him to be, not in the way you needed him to be. You tried to push the ugly thoughts from your mind as you felt him burying his head in your neck, just breathing you in. It doesn’t matter, you tell yourself. No matter what happened, no one would ever know him like you did, no one would ever be able to understand every nook and cranny of his soul the way you were able to. No matter what happened, he was yours right now. While you still had this, he will always be yours. While you could feel his heartbeat in your chest as he lay on top of you, while your body was moulded by his own and your lips knew to recite each one of his freckles like a prayer, he’ll always be yours.

Dammit, I’m already about to cry. The rest of this chapter is going to wreck me, isn’t it?

“Wake up, Vol! Are you blind?! He wants you, he wants you to be the next Tsa’hik of the Omaticaya. He’s not nice because you’re such a treat to be around. He’s nice because he wants to fuck you!”

The woman was too stunned to speak. It’s me, I’m the woman. I am too stunned to speak.

“I don’t know what Tarsem’s intentions are. You’re right. Maybe he really does just want to fuck me. But I realised something, all this time apart. You didn’t fight for me. None of you did. You were my family, all I had, and it took you leaving and him becoming Olo’eyktan to realise I’ve never had a family. It took losing everything to see how little I had to begin with. You could have done something. You could have fought it, you could screamed and shouted at the top of your lungs that you loved me, that what we had mattered more than the clan or your duty, mattered more than controllable and comfortable mirage of peace, but you didn’t. You were ashamed of me, of what we did. It wasn’t enough for you, that I was human. You let me go, you watched me leave, I watched you mate with someone else knowing I will carry these wounds for the rest of my life and I did it with no complaints. I understood you, as much as I could, and I let go of the one love I’ve always wanted to hold on to. You didn’t fight for me. So you don’t get to be jealous. Not anymore. It’s not fair to me, or to you, or to the pregnant mate you’ve left at home.” The door was open now, gripped tightly by your aching hand, the tears falling from your faces and onto the ground the only sound to help the torturous silence left behind by your words, so many of them you’ve needed to say, so many of them you wish you never had to. “Go, Neteyam.”

*uncontrollable sobbing* I’m okay, I promise.

“You know, Teyam…” you chuckle, still taken aback by the gesture, almost chocked up from the love you felt for him, that ran somehow deeper every day. You wondered if there was end to it all, to how much this love will grow, to how much your heart could possibly hold within itself before bursting at the seams. “I was gonna sleep with you anyway, you didn’t need to go to all this trouble.”

She is me. Me is she.

“You look so good - so good - wearing my choker. Now take it all off. I want to see you wear nothing else, my Vol.”

That just knocked me clean out!

“It was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, and it reminded me of you. Of us. As soon as I found it, I knew this could be it. Our place.” “Our place.”

*happy sobbing*

There was so much spoken between you and Neteyam in just a few moments. There was so much he can see in you, so much struggle in your soul. And eventually, he sees you turn away from him, from all of them, willing your ikran away. He watches as you leave, by yourself, desperately wanting to go after you, realising it’s better if he didn’t. And just like that, a huge chapter of his life, the longest one, the best one, was instantly over and Neteyam knows he just lost you, forever. You were never his to lose.

Dammit, Andra lol. I’m crying in my office at work. I seriously get so emotional about this story every single time. It’s so heart wrenching and like relatable (at least to me). Neteyam and Vol really have a death grip on my heart and I just want them to be together and happy and even though I know that this is about moving on and finding a way to make peace with all that’s happened, that understanding still doesn’t wipe away my tears lmao.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝟙 | ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕀𝕀: 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖'𝕝𝕝 𝔹𝕖 ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝔸𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕐𝕠𝕦

pairing: Neteyam x f!Human/Avatar Reader

warnings: angst, tragic love trope, the one that got away trope, some fluff, all the feels

wc: 7k words

a/n: surprise??? besties it's been too long, i know, but i hope you enjoy chapter 2 of the 1 x anyone who follows me knows how much this story means to me, and it felt so good to be able to visit it and be inspired for it again. i promise it will absolutely not be as long between this chapter and the next x i can't wait to hear your thoughts! i love you x

to clarify: this series will be following oceans and engines mostly, but both endings will make and appearance and play a part in this story x smooches x

♥ series masterlist ♥ cruel summer ♥ series playlist ♥ masterlist

Honey, when I’m above the trees, I see this for what it is But now I’m right down in it, All the years I’ve given Is just shit we’re dividing up

Neteyam let out a quiet chuckle as his gaze fell onto your unconscious form, splayed limbs over your head and over the edge of the bed, peaceful look on your face as deep slumber still washed over you, even as eclipse has been gone for quite a while. He made his way to the window, where the blinds were drawn, pulled them apart, and watched in shock as that didn’t even begin to wake you. You and Neteyam shared a lot of traits, a lot of similarities bound you together, but your sleeping habits were definitely not one of them.

“This is one way to wake up, I suppose.”

“A good way?”

Your lips met in a kiss, soft and intimate, not at all resembling the boundaries both of you were supposed to abide by, and right in this moment, it didn’t seem either of you particularly cared.

“The best way.”

You thought about it for a second longer, then pursed your lips in mock deliberation.

“Actually, there was another time you woke me up in an even more… pleasurable way, and I can’t say I’d object if you ever wanted to do that again.”

The memory of that morning made blood travel down south as quickly as it took for you to say the words, and he growled in your neck as his canines grazed it, as he watched you shudder under him, as he smelled your sweet aroma filling up the air he breathed.

“Vol, you have to stop talking if you want to get out of this room today.”

Neteyam could hear the smirk in your voice as you spoke.

“Who says I want to get out of this room today?”

“I do, because I want to show you something.”

Showed you all of my hiding spots I was dancing when the music stopped And in the disbelief, I can’t face reinvention I haven’t met the new me yet

Neteyam watched the door of your bathroom, intently listening for the constant hum of the shower to see if he could hear you, as if maybe by listening closely enough, he would be able to have a direct stream into your thoughts, the way it felt like he used to back when you were you and he was him and you were… well, whatever you were to each other. He probably shouldn’t have drank as much as he did - not enough to be fully intoxicated, but enough to know the filter between his mouth and brain was shaky at best, completely gone at worst, and very little good could come out of it. He knew all of that and yet, here he was, unable to stop his feet from moving to the labs, as soon as he felt like he could do so without attracting attention to himself. It was late, and most people were off to bed, so it wasn’t hard to do, even in this small settlement deep in the mountains the Omaticaya were forced to now call home.

When it became clear your thoughts would never make themselves known through the wall, his eyes wandered around, taking in every nook and cranny of this room that was an exact replica of the one you lived in all your life back in Hell’s Gate. He appreciated the humans for how much they cared for you, how much they were intent on making this little corner of the planet as homely for you as humanly possible. This room was loved and lived in; there were stains on the desk, crinkles on the chair, cracks in the walls… there were books and record players, pillows and comforters, plushies and knick knacks that Neteyam knew by heart, that screamed of you and the life you lived, that although not what you wanted or what you truly deserved, shone brightly all around you and illuminated even the darkest corners of the world.

Something caught the corner of his eyes, one of the few things he’s never seen before. A box, hidden deep in the corner beneath your desk, with a neat little label on it that said simply “Neteyam’s box. Do not open!”. If it was any other day, or any other circumstance, if his mind wasn’t clouded with the heady concoction that was way stronger than he remembered and probably the reason humans were as mindless as they were to begin with, he would have heeded the warning clearly showcased on the rectangular enclosure. But it was today, and it was these circumstances and he was intoxicated, so without dwelling on all the reasons he probably shouldn’t, he found himself reaching for it.

It was tiny in his hands, so tiny, it was hard to understand that something this small and this seemingly harmless could knock the breath out of his lungs with enough power to overcome and vanquish whatever self-control he still possessed. So many memories, all fighting for dominion over his consciousness, all painful enough to open every stitch his body’s been working so hard to craft in order to heal him. One memory in particular clearly won, one that’s already been percolating in his mind today, but now was all he could think of anymore. The keepsake he associated with it was missing from the box, which ironically made it stand out even more.

There’ll be happiness after you But there was happiness because of you Both of these things can be true There is happiness

“Mmm.. intrigue. The Omaticayan prince wants to show me something, I guess I have to oblige then.” At the roll of his eyes, you laugh and pull him by the back of the neck until your lips meet again. In these moments, it was easy to forget the reality of your circumstances, the impossibility of your relationship, the hidden aspect to it that made it so no one would ever be allowed to find out.

It’s only been a couple of months since your 19th birthday, and somehow, each day got better. Each day was a reminder that he was the best person that has ever lived, the man of your dreams, the most empathetic, unintentionally charismatic, intelligent, funniest, most beautiful person you knew… each day a dream, until the inevitable forced wake-up call that he’ll never be yours, as soon as you had to pretend in the village, in Hell’s Gate, as you had to watch the matriarchs search for an appropriate mate for him and know there was nothing you could do to stop it.

“You’re not as cute as you think you are, you know?” You snicker at his words, that you may believe if it wasn’t for the way he was almost purring under your touch, or the way he was fully sunk into your body, or the way you could tell he was smiling as he said them.

“Ha! 18 years of you falling for my every whim suggests otherwise, Teyam. Now scoot, if you want me to get ready.”

“So where are we going?” fastening your oxygen mask until it clicked, you made your way out of the living headquarters and were taken aback to see Seze waiting, her soft trills greeting you as she approached, her big frame almost knocking you down as she bumped her snout into your face. “Hey, girl. What are you doing here?”

You yelped slightly as Neteyam took you by the armpits and lifted you so you could mount the banshee easier, before getting on behind you and making tsaheylu, an arm fastened across your chest, pulling you tightly into his own, keeping you close to him. You’ve done this so many times in the 6 years since Neteyam passed his Iknimaya, and despite it all, it never stopped feeling magical, and fantastical and wondrous to you, like it was almost unfair that a mere human could experience such emotions and views, such exhilaration and freedom. You wished your whole life you could one day have your own ikran and really experience it the way one was meant to, but you were grateful for whatever moment you did get, and grateful for Neteyam for always being willing to share these things with you.

“You know the drill, ma Vol. You have to ho-“

“-hold onto you like I’ll never let you go again. I know.” This saying, that he said his father told him on his first ikran ride as a child, became almost a mantra in your life, with every moment you spent in his presence.

Hold on like you’ll never let me go again.

Past the blood and bruise, past the curses and cries Beyond the terror in the nightfall Haunted by the look in my eyes That would’ve loved you for a lifetime Leave it all behind

It was painful, the way the hot water was hitting your skin, in droplets that felt like spikes, in touches that felt like stings. Your mind was scattered after the momentous day that tried you, one which you never expected to live through again.

Neteyam… your ‘Teyam… someone else’s Neteyam. Different, so different and yet… still him. Painfully so. You hoped for more, more of a change, more of a departure - you hoped for a stranger, that could allow you to forget that the person you were looking at, despite adorning some new tattoos and a different hairstyle, was the man who knew you, down to the darkest, most intimate corners of your mind. You hoped that when you looked in his eyes, you wouldn’t see the stars be born and die, you wouldn’t see 21 years of your own life and the life you shared looking back at you. You hoped his stripes, that you could still feel on your fingerprints and on your tongue, would have shifted and become muted and dull. But none of that was true. Despite everything that stood against you, despite being worlds, galaxies, universes apart, he was still the same Neteyam. The question nagged at you, unwavering and incessant: were you still the same Vol?

You felt goosebumps appear on your skin as soon as you left the confines of the shower behind. Weird - it wasn’t cold, and yet here you were, near shaking, heartbeat caught in your throat in… anticipation? Fear? It was hard to say, but, with a deep sigh, you fastened your towel and opened the door to your bedroom.

Your heart almost jumped out of your chest as you took in the man sitting on your bed, that was way too big to comfortably fit in your tiny room, not that that’s ever stopped him in all the years you’ve known him. He looked almost out of place here now, so long after the last time, and you winced a little at the contrast between the memories in your mind and what was displayed so clearly in front of you.

“Fuck! Neteyam, you scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here?”

Neteyam looked lost in thought, almost unaware of your presence or your voice, glossy eyes fixed somewhere beneath your desk, on a specific box you wish he never got to see.

“This room hasn’t changed one bit in all this time. It’s so weird. Everything’s changed…” the sigh that tried him felt like it was expelled from deep within his soul, like a sigh he’s been holding for the last year and a half. “Everything… and yet this room, it’s like a portal to the past, like I woke up in a life that feels like a mere dream sometimes.”

You don’t interrupt his musings.

“The sheets, the books, the smell, the way the light flickers sometimes, the way the mattress dips on one side more than the other because you’ve always preferred the left side of the bed, and I always had to sleep on the right, even the broken vase I broke with my tail the night I left. It’s all the same.”

His gaze finally settles on you. He looks pained as he sees you, finally the human he remembers, that he loved. It hurts him being in this room. It hurts you, too. It was your turn to sigh, as you tried to remove the images of the past flashing in front of your eyes like a picture book, and tried to focus on the reality that was still weighing heavily on your heart, no matter how many counterweights you balanced it with.

Your sigh matched his earlier one as you spoke, your eyes darting to the room that you spent less time in with each passing day, that felt as much of a relic of the past as you sometimes felt in his life.

“Yeah. I guess nothing’s changed.”

Tell me, when did your winning smile Begin to look like a smirk? When did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?

He notices an ornate bow by the foot of the bed, clearly the make of a talented Omaticayan warrior. It annoys him to no end that he can recognise the work easily, having grown up seeing it, having been one of the few that could compare to his. It angers him further just how much the disdain doesn’t seem to want to melt away, regardless of how much he’s told himself to let it go, regardless of how he swore the reason he came here tonight had nothing to do with it. He had no right to pry, not anymore. No right to be jealous… not anymore.

“Well, at least some things have changed…”

You blush, and it takes every ounce of self-restraint not to start patting your cheeks, that feel like they caught fire.

“Tarsem made it for me. It’s cute.” You didn’t know why, it’s not like you owed him anything, but you couldn’t help the next words, that stumbled unceremoniously out of your mouth in a panicked hurry. You didn’t owe him anything, but you still needed him to know. “And platonic.”

“Yeah, so were we.” The words, and the bitterness in them, so thinly veiled despite what you assumed were his best efforts, shocked you. This wasn’t like Neteyam at all - Neteyam was kind, and careful with his words always, he was considerate and empathetic, and he was never mean, especially not to you. Especially not like this.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and the tears that threatened to spill, leaving his words to hang in the air, making it thick and heavy with heightened emotions you were both trying your best to suppress.

“That’s not fair.”

Another sigh.

“You’re right. It’s not.”

I can’t make it go away by making you a villain I guess it’s the price I pay for seven years in heaven And I pulled your body into mine every goddamn night now I get fake niceties

“Are you drunk?” One exhale was enough for the stench of bourbon to hit you like a truck, and all of a sudden, it was clear enough - why he was here, why he was saying these things, why it felt like all the bitterness in his soul, that you assume has been as deeply buried as your own, was coming out in unsightly manners, and you were the one who had to stomach it. You forget, sometimes, it was easy to - that Neteyam suffered as much as you, that he lost just as much as you did, that dreaded July 9th.

When your question was met with silence, you continued.

“Why are you here, Neteyam?”

“I came to see you. The real you. At least while I still get the chance.” His gaze hardens looking at your body. He’s yet to look at your face - whether he doesn’t want to or can’t, you can’t tell. “Grandmother tells me you’re going to go for the consciousness transfer.”

You shift uncomfortably in place. His tone was distant and once more not like the one you loved at all.

“We all are. It’s the only way forward.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes it is.” He scoffs, rolling his beautiful golden eyes, picking a spot on the wall to grimace at.

“I’m not arguing with you on this.”

“Didn’t realise there was anything to argue about.”

“You shouldn’t do it.”

It was your turn to scoff, feeling irate despite your best efforts, despite knowing it was the alcohol talking, despite knowing you should tell him to leave, that nothing productive could possibly come out of this. There was anger in you, you realise - bubbling just beneath the surface, anger you’ve buried so deep, you didn’t even know it was nestled in your soul like a parasite, looming in latency, until it was time to come to light.

“And why the hell not?”

“Because you just shouldn’t.” his glare was harsh as it snapped to finally look at you, melting a little when his eyes found yours, the ones he's loved his whole entire life.

“Oh, I see we’re being mature. I’m doing this, we all are. It’s the only way. End of discussion, Neteyam.”

“… you could die.”

Your eyes widen. There's tears in his eyes, a lump in his throat. You sigh, placated a little by the realisation that all of this, although it could have been done better, was just his way of telling you he’s worried about you. You’re grateful, so grateful, that he still is - worried, that is. Your voice softens a little as you say the next words.

“Or I could finally live.”

“Why take the chance, it makes no sense. Just stay as an Avatar.”

“No. I will never fully live in either of these bodies unless I give one up. I’ve made my decision.”

“It’s a stupid decision. It’s a rash decision.”

“Rash? Are you serious? I’ve had 21 years to make this decision, Neteyam. Twenty-one years of feeling like an outcast, like an alien - of feeling like there’s no place for me in this world. I can finally be one of the people, I can finally have a purpose, and you want me to give that up?”

There was more, so much more - it was a complicated decision, the one you took, and so much thought has gone into it, so many sleepless nights went into this… but how could you say that to him? How can you tell him that he’s part of the reason you need to do this, that you need to be rid of this body, the body he’s known and he’s touched, the body that memorised every ounce of him by heart, that still felt phantom pains from the lack of his fingers on your skin? How can you tell him you will never be free until the body he knew and loved so intimately is gone… forever?

“I hate this body, Neteyam. I hate it. This body is useless, and weak. I have nothing in this body, I lost everything because of it. Everything… You have no fucking idea what it’s like. What any of this is like.” You urged him silently, pleading for him to understand. To stop asking you questions that would dig up a grave long dug and settled, that should remain untouched, that he was unwittingly desecrating. You were scared of what would come out when he did.

“And who does? Tarsem?”

“What?” You couldn’t believe your ears, the spiteful words coming out of Neteyam’s mouth like they were nothing, like it meant nothing when it hurt and burned and ached, when the seams with which you’ve become so acquainted starting splitting with every syllable uttered, when the anger that has been bubbling up in your chest for years, that you didn’t even know you still held onto was threatening to spill and poison this room and all its inhabitants.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? Are you actually saying these words out loud? I can’t believe you, Neteyam. So this is what this whole thing is about, huh? You came all this way and act like you’re worried about my safety, about the transfer, when the whole time you were just jealous of Tarsem? Jealous about something that’s not even there? He’s a friend, Neteyam. A friend.”

You’re both shouting at each other, screaming and hoping that will alleviate the pain, that will push the tears back in your tear ducts and not let them spill all over your face. You’re panting, the hurt burning holes in your chest, the anger cauterising them and making you push forward, for another blow, and then another… and then another.

Silence. Silence that deafens, that echoes in your eardrums a lot more than the yells, roaring like a crashing waterfall. Silence. No silence can fix this. Nothing can fix this.

“Get out.”

His eyes are pits of guilt and despair, shock and terror at the words he would have never said out loud normally - you knew that. You knew he regretted them as soon as they came out of his mouth, but you didn’t care. Not right now. Not when he made the last night before your iknimaya, a night you were supposed to rest through so you can face whatever was waiting for you tomorrow, a bad memory that will only bitter with time.

“Vol, I -”

“No. Vol nothing. You don’t get to call me that anymore. That nickname was reserved for the child I grew up with, the teenager who looked out for me, the man who loved me - it’s not for you. You don’t get to come back to my life after so long just so you could try to ruin whatever little happiness I’ve managed to scrounge up from the scraps I was left with. Leave.”

“Please…”

No one teaches you what to do When a good man hurts you And you know you hurt him, too

The night was painful and never ending, the conversation pulsating in your ears like a terrible migraine. Why did he come back? You were doing well. Well enough. Why did he have to come and ruin whatever little joy you had? Why now, the night before the most important trial of your life, why now, so you can question and overanalyse every little interaction you and Tarsem ever had in order to prove him wrong, when all your mind can do is scour for reasons why he was right. Was he right?

He was right, wasn’t he? Why else would he be so kind to a demon? Why else would he train you, and accept you? Nobody ever had, not fully. Nobody ever had…

“Damn you, Neteyam.”

Honey, when I’m above the trees I see it for what it is But now my eyes leak acid rain On the pillow where you used to lay your head

Eventually, sleep did find you. And in it, so did dreams - memories, as they usually did, at your most vulnerable, nothing but your shaky psyche and a desperate desire to relive your happiest times to stand in their way.

“Why did you make Seze land where she did if you’re gonna make me walk so much?”

With a deep sigh, he stopped in his tracks and kneeled, and you smiled knowingly as you jumped on his back, your chin resting on his shoulder.

“You’re such a pain in the ass.”

“Eh, you’ve always known this about me, Teyam. And you still love me, anyway. What does that say about you, huh?”

“That I can’t resist a pretty face, especially when it’s yours, my Vol.”

Well, that shut you up. Neteyam could always shut you up like this, by saying things you both knew he shouldn’t say, and while you wanted to admonish him, while you wanted to tell him off because this wasn’t helping, this would never help this already convoluted situationship you found yourself in, you couldn’t. Not when your heart was beating out of your chest, not when your blush was so strong it was making you feel like your cheeks caught fire, not when it made you want to scream confessions that have settled in your chest a while ago, that would never see the light of day, as long as you could help it.

He laughed at your silence, and pushed past thick shrubbery to unveil the most beautiful sight you have ever seen.

“Surprise!”

If your heart hadn’t dampened the rest of the world and all its thunderous sounds, you would have noticed the waterfall crashing into the river below, but as it was, the sight laid bare in front of you was, truly, a surprise, and God… what a surprise it was. A sight almost too good to be true, the beauty of it all almost surreal. The cliff was remote and secluded, surrounded by tall colorful plants and hedges - perfect for activities no one should ever be privy to. The backdrop was something out of a fairy tale, down to the fish jumping from the waterfall and straight into the water below, and the rainbow that formed with every blow of the wind. But somehow, even despite every natural advantage that was so graciously displayed almost as if especially for you, still, the thing that made it all feel almost transcendent was just a simple blanket, woven in a pattern you knew was his own, on top of which sat a basket filled to the brim with your favourite fruits and culinary delicacies.

You watched as his head swung backwards as he laughed, nuzzling itself in your belly, his braids tickling your thighs with every inadvertent move. A squeal left your body as his much larger arms reached above him and picked you up, manhandling you like a little doll, until you were on the ground, at the foot of the blanket. He said nothing, but bent down until his lips made contact with the top of your head, the romantic and intimate gesture enough to turn your insides gooey and your brain to mush. His voice was saccharine and velvet smooth when he eventually spoke.

“You look so good - so good - wearing my choker. Now take it all off. I want to see you wear nothing else, my Vol.”

After giving you the best I had Tell me what to give after that All you want from me now Is the green light of forgiveness

The morning was dragging and slow. Your mind was scattered and numb, perfectly complementing your burning eyes and heavy heart. You were angry, and sad, hopeless and forlorn, all of the things you shouldn’t be on the brink of your iknimaya. You needed your focus and your wits, both of which felt as far away as the ikran rookery you were on your way to.

“Ma Tawtute!”

You cringe at the nickname you’ve become fond of in time, that you hated right now, and the voice that spoke it. You try to no avail to leave, but you’re trapped when he catches you by the hand, willing you in place.

“Let go of me, Tarsem.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

You huff, rolling your eyes and tugging at your trapped wrist.

“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I can’t help until I know what it is.”

“Why are you nice to me?” you were angry again, almost eager to be proven right, eager to know for a fact what Neteyam told you was true.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I’m asking. Why? Why are you nice to me? Why do you smile at me, and train me… why are you making the People accept us?

Tarsem looked confused and taken aback at your barrage of questions, at your misplaced anger and your sudden skepticism of his actions. You couldn’t blame him.

“Because… you deserve it. Because if there’s one thing I learnt in time, is that good people, good humans, are hard to come by. And you, and the scientists, Spider… all the people who chose to stay behind in the way so many years ago… you’re it. You are good. You are kind, and knowledgeable, and you have devoted your whole life to the Omaticaya and to this planet, without ever asking for anything in return. The least I can do is make sure you live a life worth remembering, that you receive your well-earned place amongst the People.”

You were so content, so at peace, whenever your head was rested on Neteyam’s chest. You were home in his arms, home when your fingers were free to roam his chest, free to draw the constellations his tanhi made up when connected, free when his breath was fanning over your face with each kiss on your forehead.

“I’m so full.”

“Are you, now?”

“Of food, you freak.”

“Mm, I’m not doing my job well enough then. Guess I just need to try harder.”

You laugh, happiness enveloping like a shroud. You were scared of it, of your next question, but you knew you needed to know.

“Why did you bring me here, Neteyam?”

A shrug. Seemingly nonchalant, but there was purple in his cheeks, a flutter in his heart, loud and booming against your ear.

“It was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, and it reminded me of you. Of us. As soon as I found it, I knew this could be it. Our place.”

“Our place.”

Neteyam’s head throbbed painfully, a nefarious mixture between a hangover and guilt making the world spin and his heart ache. Why? Why did he do that, say that? And before your Iknimaya, too. It was an important day, one of the most important days - important enough to determine the rest of your life within the Omaticaya and he managed to ruin it for you.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Norm.

“You look like you need this.” Whatever Norm handed him looked like it had already been eaten and thrown up before making its way into his hands, but he accepted it anyway. Norm knew best, and whatever it was, probably was going to help.

“It smells disgusting.”

“It is disgusting. But it will help. The hangover, that is. Everything else, I guess that’s what I’m here for.”

“Listen… I heard you, in her room last night. It was muffled enough, but the walls can only muffle screams so much, you know?”

“I fucked up, Norm. So badly. I said… horrible things to her last night. I was drunk, and sad… I was stupid and jea-“ He catches himself before he can finish, but it was too late.

“Jealous. You can say it, it’s ok.”

“I know… about you two. She told me. So you don’t have to hide. Not with me.”

Neteyam’s eyes go wide at Norm’s words, but he was relieved that he knew - that someone knew. Someone he could talk to. Someone to confess to.

“She’s right. About everything, she was right. I abandoned her. Over and over. I let my mum treat her and Spider like they were pariahs, and stood by as my dad did nothing about it for years. I always thought that’s just how it was always going to be, that nothing I could have done would have prevented it, but I look at her life now, and how Tarsem treats her, and I realise I was wrong. And they were wrong. And we failed her. So many years, my whole life… I failed her.”

Norm sighs, both of them looking at you, talking to Max, who would also be taking his Iknimaya today, smiling and motioning at how you were planning on subduing your ikran. You were lively and animated, but your eyes didn’t reflect it, and Neteyam hurt at the blame he bore for it.

“Kid… you did your best. You both did. And you loved her, and stood by her, even in the face of everything that stood against you. You didn’t fail her. The world did. The world failed you both.”

You haven’t met the new me yet And I think she’ll give you that

It went by in a blur; in a mess of worry and distress. It’s like he blinked and here you were, the first one to go, the first one to succeed. He was so proud of you, prouder than he’s ever been about anything in this life. His heart was beaming with happiness and love, his head swirling with all the way he’s imagined this day in his mind and thought it would never come, but here it was. He was living through it, and had to come to terms with the fact it was never going to be quite how he envisioned. But he still had you, and he still had today. And at least some of it, he felt, could be the same. In his dreams, you passed, and you shared the first flight, and he got to see you fully blossom, the way you deserved, the way he always knew you would. In his dreams, your ikran intertwined in flight, and you spent so much time exploring, laughing, yelling, living. In his dreams, both your ikran perched at the top of the Hallelujah mountain, trilling softly would be the only witnesses to your love, to the way he’d make sure to not let you go until the second he absolutely had to, until you were both spent, looking upwards at the unending and star-filled sky. He would never get that, but your first flight - he still could. He could still be it.

“First fly seals the bond, kid. You gotta go, now!”

You couldn’t believe it. You actually did it. All the training, and the fantasies, all the nights you spent as a little kid imagining what it would be like to actually fly on top of one, all the days you spent on Neteyam’s, while he told you about the bond, while you shed tears from the pain that came with knowing you would never experience it… they all led you to this. This one moment. Your ikran was beautiful, just like you always pictured her to be. She was cooing happily and moving slowly towards the edge of the cliff, almost as if heeding Jake’s words, or itching to further your newfound connection.

For one second, you look backwards, at all the people clapping and beaming with excitement, and your eyes, as they always seemed to, immediately drifted to Neteyam. They filled with tears at his pride, at the way his body radiated it, at the way he called his ikran, undoubtedly just as excited as you to share a moment you’ve always envisioned in dreams and reveries, one that seemed like a rare occasion by which your fairytale ideal life could come true. But your life wasn’t a fairytale - it would never be, it couldn’t be. And that dream, you had to leave behind. That dream, just like everything did when it came to him, speaks to a love long gone, an uncertain future, so much helplessness and hopelessness and dread, so much fleeting happiness that dissipated when reality struck. It speaks to the past, a past neither of you related to anymore.

Another second, for your gaze to reach Tarsem. In him, you saw a future. In it, you saw stability and comfort, a love worth harbouring and cherishing. In it, you saw the Omaticaya, and the forest, a destiny that always seemed out of your reach, but which was now closer than ever. In it, you saw kids, running around, calling you mother. You saw the People, reaching for you for help and guidance, a feather jacket and pilgrimages that would decipher Eywa’s will.

In them, you saw yourself. One one hand, your past self, a human, broken and unmoored, born in a planet that didn’t make accommodations for the likes of her. You saw love that ran so deep it formed endless canyons in the pit of your soul, that emptied when the love was so ruthlessly taken away from you. You saw your mother, wicked and disinterested, and your father, evil and dangerous. On the other, you saw a warrior. Na'vi. Omaticaya, through and through. Tough and seasoned, healed and ready to heal. A mother. A mate.

You were neither of those.

There’ll be happiness after you But there was happiness because of you too Both of these things can be true There is happiness in our history

“There’s been talk, you know.”

“Oh?”

“About you.”

“I must be getting pretty good at it, this whole climbing and sneaking thing. I was hanging on an upper branch of a tree back in the village the other day. Managed to somehow catch the end tail of a conversation between a few girls. Didn’t hear me, too busy talking… about you, the Omaticayan Prince.” You snickered at the title, one of many titles reserved for Neteyam alone. You knew he hated it, all of it - the attention, and the pressure, the sacrifices that came with being worthy of all of them.

“Talking about how hot you are, how much they would kill to be the one you get to get take home at night. Theorising about who could it be. Going on and on about how lucky whoever you will choose as a mate will be, how there’s not a single girl in the village that wouldn’t die to have that honour bestowed upon them.“

Neteyam sighed and shrugged, brushing off the comments for only one of his own. “Only one girl I care about.”

You smiled in his chest, abundantly relieved and terrified all at once. This wasn’t good, this was so dangerous, the way he was playing the strings of your heart like he was a world-renowned harpist… but oh, it felt so necessary right now - the validation, the promise that, at least for a while, you still get to keep him just to yourself.

“She’s a lucky girl. Whoever she is.”

“I’m the lucky one. Because she’s… everything. And I work every day, try my hardest every day, to be worthy of her. And I want to make her a promise. For as long as i can help it, I promise I’ll hold on to her like I’ll ne-“

“Never let her go again.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, but he heard and hummed approvingly in return. You hoped he couldn’t feel the tears rolling down his side. You hoped he couldn’t tell that breaking this promise will break you. You hoped he never has to.

“Good.”

“She’ll do the same.”

Across our great divide There is a glorious sunrise Dappled with the flickers of light From the dress I wore at midnight

You were never his to lose.

Leave it all behind

taglist: rebeccao03 @i-live-in-a-fantasy-daydream @eywaeveng @midnight1812@fanboyluvr @narwhal-swimmingintheocean @daddysmurfslefttoenail @neteyamsikran @blue-slxt @elenamoncada-ibarra @spicymayyo @eyweveng @itsjazzsworld @eyrina-avatar @iameatingmyhair @pandoraslxna @sulieykte @neteyamyawne @kasai-https @dvxsja @midnight1812

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araumii · 3 years ago

Text

𖥻 CAT LUCK. ft. camilo madrigal w/ gn!reader

— tw/cw: none!

— synopsis: dubbed as the gem of encanto, nobody was really surprised when have both men and women at your feet practically begging to be the lucky star that you’ll choose to be your partner. this, of course, was quite a nuisance to you. afterall, you have your eyes on something much brighter than a gem.

A black cat. All you need is to catch Y/n’s beloved companion and bring it back to them. That’s all you need to do in order for you to snatch the keys to their heart.

This golden news spread fast amongst people of Encanto. Even parents were helping their children catch the damned feline just for the one and only Y/n L/n. Traps were scattered everywhere, from ropes to cages, everyone did everything they could in order to have you.

How could they not? You were perfect! Dare they say, even more so than Isabela. Though the said Madrigal had no complaints, who was she to object? You do hold up to your title afterall.

Everyone was absolutely smitten by you. And Camilo Madrigal was no exception.

“Y/n!” You turned around, meeting a familiar figure running towards you. Letting a smile creep out, you stayed put until the freckled boy was finally infront of you. “Hola, Camilo. Is there something you need help with?” You spoke, tone dripping with your usual kindness. And of course, he couldn’t miss how you said his name, it’s was an indescribable melody.

Noticing the boy starting at you without a word, you waved a hand infront of his face, trying to catch his attention. “I know I’m amazing and all, but you need to answer my question, perrito.”

At this, Camilo’s cheeks dusted pink, turning away from you with a pout. “Don’t call me that.” He rolled his eyes, playfully acting annoyed which caused a light laugh from you.

“Ay, so the teaser can’t be teased?” You let out another amused chuckle.

“Whatever,” he mumbled, before pulling an envelope from under his ruana. “I’m just here to tell you that you’ve received a letter.” He reached his arm out, an evident earger glint in his eyes. “Guess it’s from one of your many suitors.” He spoke, growing anxious once he noticed how your brows quickly furrowed and how your lips tugged into a frown. Clearly not pleased.

“Oh.” Was the only thing you said, clearly giving no signs of wanting to take the piece of paper.

So you two just stood there for a moment, before Camilo swiftly shoved it down his pocket with an embarrassed look. “S-so... I heard people out here were trying to catch your cat.” He tried to ease the on coming awkwardness, shifting the topic away from the letter.

“Yeah. They’ve been pretty brutal about it too.” You sighed, remembering the large mouse trap shaped trap you saw sitting in the middle of the woods, clearly waiting for your feline companion to aimlessly get caught in it.

Though luckily, he’s smarter than that.

“But Celesto can handle it, he’s a great boy.” You added with a proud smile etched onto your lips. “Though i do hope they’ll stop obsessing over me. I have my eye on someone already, afterall.”

And with that, Camilo only deflated more than before. “Oh, you do?” He spoke solemnly, looking at you, he could tell you’re very serious about this person. The passionate gleam in your eyes says it all. “Mhm, I consider them as my sun. It sounds weird, but they just brighten up my day like no other.” You gushed, heat rising to your cheek.

“They’re a lucky fella, huh?” He forced out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

You were about to reply, but the call of his name cut your conversation short. He swore he saw a disappointed expression flash on your face. But it might just be wishful thinking. “Well, you’re needed out there.” You nudged him, a warm smile evident on your lips before finally walking away. “Talk to you later!”

And with that, he could only watch you walk away from him with a love sick look on his face.

The freckled boy was tired, with all the chores he had just finished, he thought he deserved a well needed break. And what better place to relax than in the comfort of mother nature.

He was about to doze off on one of the forest trees, when a sudden rustling was heard just beside him. He jolted up, eyes narrowing at the rustling bush.

As seconds passed by he grew anxious, what if it’s something dangerous? A wolf? A bear? Hell, a rabid rabbit?!

The bush shook more violently than before, so with that, he clutched the ends of his ruana tightly, crinckling the envelope that was hidden under it. Grabbing a nearby stick, he pointed it defensively at the possible offender.

But then, without a warning, it pounced. It leaped towards him with such quickness he wasn’t able to defend himself. Falling back he noticed a black blurr in his vision, the deadly animal was atop of him. Though it was small, it was terrible, its paws gripped on his ruana before letting out a deadly, bloodcurdling-... purr?

He opened his eyes, focusing at the creature infront of him. It wasn’t a deadly animal, but rather.. a black cat?

Camilos eyes widened. It looked exactly like your beloved pet. He didn’t even question his scared behavior prior to his realization, all he had in mind was that he currently has the token to your heart.

If he returns him to you then you’ll be his.

He sat up, careful as to not startle him away. But as he was about to go on with his plan of returning him. A thought flashed in his mind. “I...don’t think I should give you back.” He smiled sadly which caused the cat to look at him, confused.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It just.. doesn’t feel right. They already have their eyes on someone. They told me so. It’d be selfish if I did. Plus, they seem serious about this person, i mean, they didn’t even want to accept my letter!”

The felines eyes dilated, he almost looks like a blob of darkness because of this. Camilo stared at his black orbs before letting out a chuckle, resting his back against a tree while he stroked Celesto. “You know what? Lets stop at that. You probably also had a rough day. I don’t think it’s fun hearing about someones love proble—.” His sentence was cut short when something- someone near him fell.

He hears a groan as he whipped his head to the side. “Antoñio!” A voice followed. But more importantly, it was your voice. He saw you come out of your hiding spot, hurriedly rushing towards his brother who accidentally leaned ahead a bit too much causing his fall.

“I’m okay!” The little boy exclaimed before quickly covering his mouth. Camilo was dumbfounded. He just saw his brother come out of nowhere and then you?

The both of you slowly crained your head towards where the other Madrigal who sat comfortably with your pet. “Oops.” The younger said before quickly standing up and grabbing the cat off Camilo.

“Celesto says it’s going to get awkward soon. So.. bye!” He scurried off. Leaving the two of you alone.

You cleared your throat, dusting your pants/skirt off of any debri. “S-.. sorry about that.” You stuttered out, stroking your arm for some sort of comfort while your gaze shifted to everywhere but him.

“So, you were spying on me, huh?” Camilo teased, finally regaining some of his confidence. You can only let out a sheepish smirk as he stood up and slowly made his way towards you. “It wasn’t my intention.... wellmaybeitwas, but that’s besides the point!”

With heated cheeks, you slowly looked up at him. “I didn’t know it was your letter.” You sighed, “If i knew then I would’ve accepted it.” At this, Camilo’s face grew red, putting Isabela’s roses to shame. “Y-you, what? I mean- you also? Am- am I the-“ A melodic string of laughter cut him off, causing the boy to stare at you with awe.

“Yes. You are the lucky person.”

He couldn’t even react. All he felt at that moment was indescribable joy and pure love spilling out of him.

Though he couldn’t react now, you could see the mess of emotions that swirled in his beautiful green eyes. And at that moment, he truly felt as if he’s the luckiest man ever.

𖥻 THIS WAS FUN TO WRITE! I got inspired by a comic abt smth similar to this. (catching a cat to be able to be with them) So it might be familiar to some of you!

#camilo madrigal x reader #camilo madrigal #camilo x reader #camilo x y/n #camilo x you #camilo fluff #camilo fanfic #camilo madrigal fanfic #camilo x gn reader #camilo encanto #encanto #encanto x reader #isabela madrigal #encanto disney #disney #madrigal x reader

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fanmoose12 · 3 years ago

Note

can u pls pls make a prompt of this / this :(( when youre not busy that is

thanks for @rainystripe for creating that awesome fanart and coming up with the idea!

Glasses had been Hange's constant companion ever since they remembered themself.

They were a part of their childhood, same as skinned knees and unruly pigtails.

Hange wasn't quite themself without ever present specs on their face. The long, curved nose, big brown eyes and freckled cheeks with faint dimples - they just didn't look the same when Hange took the glasses off. They didn't look, didn't feel the same when they weren't wearing the glasses.

Glasses were the first thing Hange touched in the morning and they were the last thing Hange took off before going to sleep.

And despite all limitations that accompanied their poor vision, Hange didn't wish to part with their glasses.

It wasn't just an accessory or a part of their look. It was a part of Hange themself, and an essential one at that.

And just as the glasses were a constant, so were the visits to opthalmologist's office.

Picking up new glasses, fixing the old ones, routine checkups... Hange had been visiting the opthalmologist's office all their life. They met lots of doctors - good ones, bad ones, mediocre.

But it was the first time in their life that they came across an ophthalmologist who was so... handsome.

Now, of course, Hange had seen their fair share of attractive doctors - open faces, intelligent eyes, kind smiles... Who wouldn't like a doctor like that?

But there was something unique about doctor Levi Ackerman, something that inevitably pulled Hange in, something that intrigued them.

Doctor Ackerman was very different from the picture of ordinary doctor. Scowling face, curt manner of speaking, short stature... By all means, he was supposed to be an unpleasant person.

And, Hange supposed, he really was. Perhaps, for others people, though, but not for them.

For them, doctor Ackerman was an enigma they longed to get more familiar with.

Before meeting him, Hange never thought that eyesight checks could be so... well, sensual, for lack of better word.

But when doctor Ackerman gripped their chin and moved their head back to administer the eye drops, when he flippantly, but carefully tucked away their hair, when their fingers brushed as he handed them a new pair of glasses, Hange felt heat spread onto their face and their pulse racing that much faster.

It was embarrassing to even entertain the idea, but Hange was never good at lying to themself, and soon they had to admit - they developed a crush on their ophthalmologist.

The accident at their lab, the small explosion that broke their glasses, their usual ophthalmologist going on a vacation, Erwin recommending Hange his university friend, Hange going to a small clinic to see him, a small retinal tear watchful doctor Ackerman noticed during a checkup, the need to have it seal with laser coagulation and then his insistence for Hange to come a week later to make sure that the tear is sealed... It was all a bunch of unexpected happenings that inconvenienced Hange terribly, and... let them meet a man as interesting as doctor Ackerman.

"The tear seems to be healing properly," doctor Ackerman said during Hange's fourth visit. He continued to speak, explaining the intricacies of a new eye regime, what Hange had to do and what they absolutely couldn't do for another week or so. Hange tried listening to him, they really did, but doctor Ackerman was writing something down as he talked, and Hange became somewhat transfixed by precise and quick movements of his hand, by the way light from a desk lamp made his features seem even sharper and his deep, quiet voice sent shivers down their spine.

"Four-eyes?" doctor called, bringing Hange back to the present. They blinked, staring owlishly at him. "Is there something you don't understand?"

"Um..." Hange contemplated saying yes, just to have doctor Ackerman explain it all once again. There wasn't anything he said Hange wasn't already familiar with, they've been dealing with problems like that their whole life, but at the same time... Hange wanted to spend a little more time with him.

You're becoming way too pathetic, a voice in their head whispered. Unfortunately, Hange had to agree with it.

"No," they forced on a smile. "Everything is clear, thank you for your time. Do I need to schedule another visit?"

Looking at them a bit warily, doctor Ackerman shook his head. "You have to come back in half a year or so, for another routine checkup, but for now there is no need for us to meet again."

Hange couldn't help a twitch of disappointment that his words provoked.

"If you have any issues or complaints, just contact my assistant, she'll organise an appointment."

"Alright," Hange stood up and picked up their backpack. "I'll be going then."

Doctor Ackerman slowly nodded, his eyes intently studying their face. "Get some rest, four-eyes," he mumbled. "These circles under your eyes can't be good for your eyesight."

Despite themself, Hange snickered. Their mood brightened even more, when they noticed a slight smile on doctor's handsome face.

They were still smiling when they approached doctor's assistant - a young, pretty woman called Petra.

"Was everything to your satisfaction?" she wondered with a kind smile.

Leaning against Petra's desk, Hange nodded with a low chuckle. "Even more than I expected."

"That's good, now before you go, I need you to sign this form..."

Petra lowered her head, shifting through the documents on her desk.

Hange patiently waited, their eyes wondering around the room. When the door to doctor Ackerman's office opened and he came rushing in the hallway, Hange smiled. The smile grew bigger, as they realized doctor was approaching to them.

"Petra has a lot of work on her hands as it is," he said before Hange could even ask. His words were quick, but sure like he had rehearsed them. "So here," he handed Hange a rectangular piece of paper. "Call me if you need anything."

He wasn't meeting their eyes and his cheeks were slightly red... Hange felt their heart beat with twice its usual speed as his words finally settled.

"Doctor Ackerman, I-"

"Levi," he corrected. "Call me Levi, four-eyes, and if you want to- well," he softly cursed, running a hand through his hair. "You can just call."

He turned on his heels and headed back to his office, disappearing behind the oak door before Hange could utter a single sound.

Holding the note with Levi's phone number between their fingers, they slowly turned back to Petra, who was sporting a sly, wicked grin.

"Isn't it weird?" Hange asked, their voice more breathy than they intended. "That he calls me four-eyes? He's an ophthalmologist, does he call everyone like that?"

"Nope," Petra gave Hange a subtle wink. "As far as I'm aware, you're the only one."

Oh... Hange curled their lips in a grin. Well, that was certainly very intriguing.

#levihan

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bellakitse · 4 years ago

Text

Carlos and Grace save the world

Carlos is surprised at first when Grace seeks him out, but when she explains that she’s worried about her neighbor possibly being abused by her husband, Carlos instantly agrees to help.

They become friends.

The story I wish they had in 2x05

(I started working on this about two weeks ago when we heard that Grace and Carlos would have a story together in the last episode. I then put it on hold to work on the tarlos valentine’s event. At the time, I was worried that the story would be pointless after the episode, and then the episode happened, and the story was given about a minute of airtime, so I figured I would finish this.)

Warnings for: Mentions of Domestic Abuse, Threats of Violence, and Knife injury.

Carlos will admit he’s a little surprised when Grace seeks him out. They don’t really know each other that well. The only interaction they really have is when he’s answering one of her dispatch calls. Or when the 126 is having some kind of gathering at the station like now.

Still, they don’t really talk.

“Officer Reyes?” she greets him with a tentative smile, coming up to him as he pours himself a glass of water. Around them, the 126 and extended friends and family mingle. They’d finally come together to honor Tim the way they couldn’t when the wildfires were roaring.

“Mrs. Ryder, hello,” he answers politely. He points at the pitcher of cold water in his hand, offering to pour her some.

“I’m good,” she answers with a shake of her head and another smile. “And please, call me Grace.”

“Only if you call me Carlos, ma’am,” he gives her a smile of his own; it grows as she lets out an amused chuckle and nods in agreement.

“Okay, that’s a deal.”

“Good,” he says jokingly. He puts the pitcher back in the fridge before turning to give her his full attention, frowning when he finds her fidgeting, shifting from foot to foot nervously. “Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” Grace blurts out, looking as surprised as him. “I wanted to talk to you about something, but now I’m not sure if I should, or if it’s any of my business – or if I’m even just imagining things and overreacting.”

Carlos raises an eyebrow at the woman’s run-on sentence. “Well,” he starts off slowly and with caution. “I know we don’t know each other very well – ”

“We should change that,” Grace interrupts him with a kind smile on her pretty face.

“I completely agree,” Carlos concurs, liking Grace’s welcoming presence even before this conversation. “But what I do know about you is that you just don’t seem like the type of person who overreacts. So why don’t you tell me what’s going on, and we’ll see if I can help,” he finishes with what he hopes is an encouraging look.

“TK got himself a good one,” she says with a fondness that makes him blush slightly. “Okay, so I have this new neighbor, Rosie,” she starts to tell him.

Carlos listens as Grace explains about the newly married couple on her block, Rosie, a jumpy young thing, and her husband, Derek. He frowns as Grace tells him about her first encounter with them, the way the girl went from friendly and lively when they were alone in her front yard to subdued the moment her husband showed up.

“I can’t explain it,” Grace lets out a frustrated exhale. “He was friendly enough; he didn’t grab her in any way that would raise concerns, and yet alarm bells went off the moment he walked up to us. Even as she was smiling, there was something in her eyes that has stuck with me.” Grace sighs again. “Like I said, maybe I’m overreacting, looking for trouble where there isn’t any.”

“Grace,” Carlos starts with a shake of his head. “I have been on a number of your calls, and I hear you over the radio. You are an amazing operator because you have good instincts. If you’re worried about this girl, I don’t doubt you saw a reason for it. What does Judd say?”

Grace’s expression softens at the mention of her husband, her eyes shining with love and affection. “I haven’t told him yet. Judd, bless him, is so tenderhearted and protective. If I said to him that I think something is wrong with this slip of a girl, you better believe he would be pounding down their door before we even find out if something is really wrong.”

Carlos gives her an understanding smile. “Sounds like TK,” he tells her, earning a chuckle in return.

“Why do you think they clashed when they first started working together?” she questions with a twinkle in her eye that lets him know she’s heard as many complaints about TK from Judd as he’s heard from TK about her husband. “Those two are reckless softies who want to save the whole world, and if no one is there to check them, they dive in headfirst,” she says with a pointed look at him.

“Is that supposed to be us?” he questions jokingly. “We’re going to keep them in check?”

Grace shrugs easily. “Well, I married mine, so I pretty much signed up for the job. You’re still dating, so that’s up to you to decide.”

“Can you be my support group?” he questions. It’s not like he really needs to decide after all. He might not be married to TK yet, but he has known since the night of the solar flares and maybe even before that, that it’s his job to keep TK safe.

Grace grins at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners from her smile. “We can meet on Wednesdays for pie.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Carlos says easily, only half-joking. He likes Grace’s easy energy and can see himself becoming good friends with her. “Now, how do I help you with Rosie?”

֎֎֎

“You and Grace were talking for a while back at the station.”

Carlos looks up from the book in his hand over at TK as he comes out of the bathroom into his bedroom. He licks his lips as he takes his boyfriend in, dressed only in a pair of grey sweats that rest low on his hips.

“Carlos?” TK questions as he runs a towel over his hair, a smile taking over his face when Carlos jerks his gaze from all the tantalizing skin.

“Huh?” he questions, blinking a few times, hoping to focus. He blushes slightly at the knowing chuckle TK gives him in response.

TK throws the towel in the hamper before he crosses the distance to him. He presses a knee on the bed by his thigh, throwing the other over him.

Carlos quickly drops his book on the bedside table, freeing his hands to place them on TK’s hips as he comes to sit on his lap. He runs his thumbs over the soft skin right at the edge of TK’s sweats. This time it’s his turn to smile in satisfaction as the simple touch causes TK to shiver under it, his eyes going hazy and soft as he looks down at him.

“Don’t think you’re distracting me,” TK accuses him softly, even as he sits more firmly on Carlos’ lap, arching into his touch as he moves his hands from his hips to his back, fingers touching the constellation of freckles he now knows by memory. “You two looked deep in conversation. Is everything okay?”

“Grace has a neighbor she’s worried about,” he tells him, watching as TK goes from soft to tense and alert. “She has a bad feeling about the woman’s husband and asked for my opinion as a cop.”

TK frowns, concern replacing the previously touch-induced daze on his face. It’s not surprising to Carlos in the least. He’s pretty sure he’s never met anyone more empathetic than his boyfriend.

“Does she think he’s hurting her?” he asks, worrying his bottom lip in distress.

Carlos runs his hands up and down TK’s back once more, this time not to arouse but comfort. “Maybe,” he says with caution. From everything Grace told him, he understands her worry, but he also doesn’t want to make up an opinion before having all the facts. “She’s going to visit her tomorrow with some food as a late ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ thing, and asked me to tag along.”

TK bites down on his lip even harder, causing Carlos to reach up and press his thumb against it until he releases it. “Hey,” he starts softly. He tips TK’s chin to look at him in the eyes. “It’s fine. I’m just going for support and to offer a helping hand if there’s something to Grace’s concerns.”

“You’ll be careful?” TK questions, his voice low and worried. “Domestic situations have a way of spiraling out of control quickly.”

“Of course,” he answers, tugging TK forward. He lets out a content sound as TK settles on top of him. He turns his face into TK’s damp hair, giving it a kiss. “Everything will be fine, I promise,” he whispers, holding his boyfriend close.

Later, the promise will ring loudly in his ears.

֎֎֎

“Relax,” he says to Grace quietly as they stand on Rosie’s front steps. He arrived at the Ryder’s home thirty minutes earlier and waited as Grace finished her peach cobbler before they crossed the street, food in hand. “You’re just being friendly, and I’m tagging along for the ride.”

“Right,” Grace murmurs back as she presses the doorbell. She spares him a look with a raised brow. “That’s a nice shirt, by the way.”

“TK got it for me a few weeks ago,” he says, running a hand down the light-weight cream color polo. “The color makes me look less intimidating, don’t you think?”

Grace’s mouth quirks upward in amusement. “Carlos, sweetheart, you’re massive. I don’t think a soft-colored shirt will hide what you’re packing. Luckily you have a kind, gentle face to balance out all those muscles.”

Carlos grins at her, his smile growing when she rolls her eyes at him. “Yeah, you’re cute,” she mocks sarcastically, her dimples winking at him.

Carlos laughs at the begrudging compliment and Grace’s teasing ways. It reminds him a lot of his sisters and the way they gently like to mess with him. He’s still mid-laugh when a young woman with long light-brown hair and big green eyes opens the door. Her eyes remind him of TK, and he instantly feels protective of her. He remembers Grace calling her a slip of a girl, and he understands why. She’s small and sweet-looking in a heavy long sleeve shirt and print leggings.

“Grace?” she questions curiously, her eyes shifting quickly from Grace to him and back again.

“Hi Rosie,” Grace greets her with a bright smile that convincingly hides the tension she had moments ago. “This is my friend Carlos,” she points to him, not adding anything else. Better to keep her attention off him as he studies her. He takes in her clothes again, the shirt so big the sleeves come down to her fingertips, the thickness odd for the current warm weather. “He was visiting, and I mentioned I hadn’t had a chance to properly welcome you to the neighborhood, so we made you cobbler. Can we come in?”

Carlos smiles in what he hopes is friendly and reassuring as Rosie sneaks a look at him again. She looks over her shoulder towards the inside of the house before giving them a nod. “Sure, Derek is not home anyway,” she says, stepping aside to let them in.

He lets Grace cross the threshold first, but not before sharing a pointed look with his friend. The mention of her husband and her being comfortable with letting them in because he isn’t home already setting an alarm off for him.

“Sorry about the mess,” she says as she follows them into the living room, where there are still a few moving boxes on the floor. “I haven’t had a chance to put everything away,” she says with a self-conscious chuckle. “I can’t make up my mind where I want things to go. It drives Derek crazy.”

“It’s fine,” he tells her with an understanding smile, speaking for the first time. “When I first moved into my place, it took me a month to put up curtains because I couldn’t decide what color I wanted.”

Rosie gives him a small smile, her shoulders relaxing slightly at his comment. It only makes Carlos more tense and aware. He’s already starting to see what Grace was talking about. Even with the friendly smile on the girl’s face, there is an air of tension around her as she moves – the slightest shake of her hands as she takes the cobbler from Grace while she asks where Derek is.

“Oh, who knows,” she answers with a smile that looks more like a grimace. “He likes to wander about. This looks delicious Grace, thank you. I can’t bake to save my life,” she says with an awkward laugh. “I’ll serve some up, be right back.”

They watch Rosie walk into the kitchen silently before they turn to each other.

“Okay,” he starts once they’re alone. “You’re right something is up. She’s nervous, even scared. She only let us in because he’s not here, and I don’t like how she put herself down twice already, like someone who’s used to hearing negative things about themselves.”

“It’s pretty warm for a sweater today,” Grace comments quietly, her brow wrinkling in the middle as she frowns. “I don’t want to be right about this, Carlos,” she whispers, obviously pained by the idea.

Carlos has only known Rosie for a few minutes, and he knows exactly how she feels. He opens his mouth to reassure her that they will not leave without helping the young woman when the front door opens and the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

Derek – is almost as tall as him but slimmer, with limp, dirty blond hair and cold blue eyes. He has a mean look on his face that Carlos doesn’t like one bit.

“Who the fuck are you?” he sneers at them, making zero effort to hide the fact that he is not happy they’re in his home.

“Derek!” Rosie exclaims as she walks back into the living room with two small plates in her hands. Her eyes are wide as she looks at her husband. “Hi, baby,” she says, trying to smooth her expression out but failing as her eyes dart back and forth rapidly. “You remember Grace, right? She’s our neighbor from across the street.”

“Hello again, Derek,” Grace greets him, but there isn’t a hint of a smile on her face as she looks at him like a bug.

Derek notices if the way his eyes narrow is anything to go by. He turns to him with a raised eyebrow. “And you? Who are you?”

Carlos wonders for a second how he should play this, but as he catches Derek’s angry looks at his wife and how Rosie seems to be shrinking into herself the longer she stands by the archway of the room, he decides to rip the bandaid off and let the chips fall where they may. “I’m a friend of Grace’s, Officer Carlos Reyes with Austin Police.”

The reactions are, unfortunately, instant. Rosie drops one of the plates she’s holding in fright while Derek snaps his neck to look at her.

“What the fuck have you been saying?” he questions her, taking a menacing step forward.

Carlos moves too, getting in the space between them, holding up his hands defensively to Derek. “Back up, man,” he warns him, his voice hardening.

The ugly twist of Derek’s face grows nastier, meaner, and now that he’s closer, Carlos can smell the bourbon coming off him.

“Seriously, Derek, back the fuck up,” he grits out through clenched teeth when the guy takes another step forward, ignoring his warnings.

“You don’t tell me what to do,” Derek all but shouts angrily. “This is my house, and I’ll do whatever the hell I want.”

“Like hurt Rosie?” Grace asks him with a stern look, and while Carlos understands the sentiment, he groans internally at the question and the way it takes Derek’s focus off him to Grace. Behind him, he can hear Rosie quietly crying.

“And what if I do,” Derek questions with another sneer. “What are you or anyone else going to do about it? She’s my wife. I can do what I want with her.”

Grace looks at Derek with the same look of disgust he feels. Quietly he pulls out his phone and sends a quick message to his partner, grateful he had the forethought of mentioning the situation to her before he came.

“Only cowards hurt their wives,” Grace answers with another nauseated look and shake of her head.

Carlos admires her bravery. It proves the wrong thing to say, though, as Derek sticks his hand in his pocket and Carlos catches a flash of silver.

“You have a smart mouth on you, don’t ya?” Derek snarls at Grace with a switchblade in his hand.

He moves, and Carlos does too without really thinking. Like with Rosie, he gets between Derek and Grace, only this time Derek is ready, and he swings his knife-carrying hand at him.

Grace and Rosie both shout, Grace quickly moving out of the way and towards the young woman when she tries to step forward to intervene.

“Derek, stop!”

“Put the knife down, Derek! He’s a cop!”

Derek doesn’t listen to either of them, and neither can Carlos, as he jumps back to avoid the knife being lunged at him. The fight happens for Carlos in a blur as he tries to avoid the blade, disarm Derek and keep him from turning his rage toward Rosie or Grace.

“Please stop!” Rosie screams again, loud, and so scared it breaks Carlos’ focus for a moment. Unfortunately, it’s a moment too long, and he lets out a shout of his own as the knife pierces his skin on the left side of his flank.

Grace shouts, alarmed. “Carlos!”

He holds her back with one hand as she rushes towards him. She shoves it away, placing hers on his wound to put pressure as his shirt quickly stains with his blood.

Derek stares wide at him, the realization of what he’s done coming over his face. He doesn’t have a chance to react further than that as Austin Police barges through the door, Carlos’ partner at the front.

Carlos leans on Grace heavily, and Rosie comes forward to help him stay up as the three of them watch Derek be dragged to his knees and handcuffed.

“You can’t stay out of trouble even on your day off, Reyes,” his partner shakes his head at him before signaling for EMS to come in.

He tries to roll his eyes at her, but he’s starting to feel lightheaded, and he’s just grateful when the gurney rumbles in.

Rosie and Grace hand him off, but not before Rosie apologizes, he tries to reassure her, but he finds it hard to speak as he gets sleepier. He thinks he hears Grace tell her it’s not her fault, and he nods tiredly in agreement.

Looking over at Grace, he smiles, hoping it will ease the worried look on her face. “TK is gonna be pissed about the shirt,” he jokes right before he passes out.

֎֎֎

Carlos wakes up to bright lights in his eyes. He groans, annoyed at them as he tries to cover his face and finds that he’s tugging on his IV.

The hospital, shit.

“Everything will be fine, I promise,” says a soft mocking voice to his right, and when he turns his head, he’s not at all surprised to find TK sitting there with a raised eyebrow, trying to hide his worry behind a sarcastic look. “Getting stabbed, needing surgery, and having your spleen removed doesn’t scream ‘everything is fine’ Carlos Reyes.”

“Hey, baby,” he rasps out, his throat dry like the Sahara. “Sorry about that.”

TK gets up with a deep sigh. He crosses the distance to him and leans down, pressing a kiss on his forehead before he lays his against Carlos’. “You were being a big damn hero, so I forgive you,” he whispers as he touches his nose to Carlos’. “But if you can please avoid getting hurt while you save the world next time, I would appreciate it.”

Carlos makes a humming noise in the back of his throat, closing his eyes for a moment as he basks in TK’s closeness.

“I would have to agree.”

Carlos opens his eyes to find two other people in the room he didn’t notice before. Grace and Judd sit on the other two chairs of the room, both standing when he looks over at them. They walk together to the foot of his bed, and Grace wraps her hand around his ankle, giving it a squeeze.

“If we are going to be friends and go on adventures together, you can’t end up stabbed, honey,” she says with a sweet smile on her face.

“Carlos and Grace save the world,” TK says with a proud but dry smile. He looks over at Judd, sharing a look with the older man. “God help us, brother,” he says, getting a severe nod in return from the cowboy, while Grace scoffs at both of them.

“We didn’t save the world,” Carlos protests at the repeat of those words.

“Tell that to that sweet, scared little thing you two helped get away from her abusive husband,” Judd answers, still somber.

“Yeah,” TK agrees with a nod. He combs a soothing hand through Carlos’ curls. “Pretty sure Rosie would tell you differently.”

“Is she okay?” He asks, seeking Grace’s eyes, letting a relieved exhale when she nods.

“Your partner had a social worker ready, and they are setting her up as we speak,” Grace assures him. “She said thank you.”

Carlos lets out another deep breath. “That’s good.”

Grace looks at him for a moment with a small frown on her face. “You had them ready, even when we weren’t sure if I was right – “

“I trust your judgment, Grace,” he interrupts, answering her silent question. “You knew – so I prepared.”

Grace gives his ankle another squeeze, and Carlos nods at her in understanding.

“We should go,” she says with a smile. “I’m sure TK wants to scold you some more and then smother you with kisses.”

TK lets out a sound of protest that has Judd snorting. It makes Carlos chuckle despite the pain it causes.

“Pie on Wednesday?” he asks Grace, grinning at the twinkle that enters her eyes as she smiles back widely at him.

“I’ll see you in my kitchen – 4ish?” she points at him. She starts to turn with Judd after he agrees, but the older man stands still, looking at him.

“Thanks for keeping my baby safe, brother,” Judd says to him quietly.

Carlos swallows hard, the weight of the words impacting him. He looks up at TK to find him staring at him with a soft loving look on his face. “You keep mine safe all the time, just returning the favor.”

The Ryders both smile at him as they leave; Grace makes a signal that she’ll call him, blowing him and TK a kiss before closing the door, leaving them alone.

“So you and Grace are friends now.”

“Yeah,” Carlos answers, smiling at the comment and how true it is. They’re friends now.

“That’s cool,” TK says, smiling as he sits at the edge of his bed. “But for mine and Judd’s sake, can you two keep the dangerous situations to a minimum?”

Carlos snorts at the comment, grinning when TK rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, I know,” he grumbles sarcastically. “Look who’s talking, right?”

“You said it, not me.”

TK shakes his head, but his expression goes soft as he looks at him. “I was so scared when Grace called me,” he tells him with a trembling smile. “But then she told us how you kept her and Rosie safe, and I was so proud of you, baby.”

Carlos reaches for him, tugging on his hand until TK gets the hint, and lies next to him on the small bed, resting his head on Carlos’ shoulder, his arm going around him, careful of his wound.

“I love you,” TK whispers into the slope of his neck.

Carlos closes his eyes as tiredness starts to take over again. He’s in some mild pain, and he’s sure there is gonna be a mountain of paperwork later waiting for him, but Grace and Rosie are safe, and he’s in TK’s arms, so everything is okay in his book.

He turns his face towards TK’s, finding it inches away as TK looks up at him.

Pressing a kiss against his lips, swallowing the soft, peaceful sigh TK lets out, he whispers back. “I love you too.”

#911 lone star #carlos reyes #grace ryder #tarlos #tarlos fic #grace & carlos fic #911 lone star fic #my writing

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vanilla-vivillon · 4 years ago

Text

On November 14th Zoya and Nikolai had welcomed there third child into this world

Prince Koloda Grigori Nazyalensky 5Koda for short

He had warm brown skin and a smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks

he had inherited his fathers blond locks in cute ringlets

And had the deep watchful brown eyes Zoya remembered her father had

He was rather quiet

And now that Myca was five and Nazariy was three

They could actually have an opinion about a new sibling

“How come he has blond hair? I want blonde hair!” Nazariy whined pulled at an ebony lock

Nikolai, Myca, and Nazariy were in Koda’s nursery

Nikolai wanted to let Zoya rest

And he adored his sons but saints they were annoying and Zoya needed a break

“Ask Aunt Genya to tailor your hair then” Myca swiftly replied

A new habit of Mycas was trying to fix Nazariys complaints

It seems Myca hasn’t realized that Nazariy like many three year olds complains for the sake of complaining

“Hey Dad I have a question” Myca stated

“What’s up Myca?” Nikolai had been to infatuated with Koda to fully Pay attention to his other sons

Nikolai felt the guilt creep in

The Old King mostly ignored Nikolai his entire upbringing

It was always Vasily

Nikolai swore that he would never make his children feel like that

“What’s up Myca?” Nikolai asked

“Why did you give Koda the middle name Grigori?” Myca wondered

“After an old friend me and Mommy had” Nikolai gave an easy reaponse

Apparently bored of complaining Nazariy piped up “who’s this friend?”

“A bear” Nikolai said with a wink

“Now way!” Myca explained as Nazariys eyes went wide

“You can’t be friends with a bear!” Myca stated

“Well if you don’t believe... I don’t think I can tell you the story...” Nikolai said feigning indecision

“What! No! We believe you Daddy! Please tell us the story” Nazariy begged glaring at Myca

“Well it started with a sandstorm....”

Nazariy was four now and his testing date was coming up

His mother and father were off on a two month emergency peace visit with the Shu

And Naza was glad

It started at Breakfast

He was doing what he usually would do

Try to get Koda to laugh

Annoy Myca

The usual

But when Myca got the last cup of orange juice Naza thought it was unfair

He wished he could make that cup tip over and spill over Mycas kefta

It was so unfair Myca could train at The Little Palace and Nazariy couldn’t

He felt something deep inside him

Something odd and funny

That thing that came whenever he saw Mom or Dad praise Myca at summoning

Nazariy always ignored it

But now Nazariy directed the weird feeling towards his older brothers juice

“What the-”the orange juice tipped over and spilled on Mycas homework

“Delano is gonna kill me! We need these for the big project!” Myca exclaimed while trying to dry it with wind

A tiny part of Nazariy felt bad

But he should’ve given me that orange juice

Nazariy learned he could do many things

Like push someone to trip

Or float a cookie over to him

And one day he wanted to try something bigger

Nazariy and his brothers were strictly forbidden from going into the meeting room

He didn’t know why

But the thrill of trouble made him want to do it more

He found some Kerch etherrealki to help him

When you needed a job done Amani Patel was the girl to talk to

She gave him easy enough plans to get in and was able to sneak inside

It was a cozy room with plush leather sofas and a display case of alcohol

Nazariy wandered around a bit

It had a fireplace he was able to set ablaze using his newfound abilities

By now Nazariy figured out that he was a Squaller

But he hadn’t told anyone yet

He would eventually but for now this was just a him thing

Nazariy didn’t have a lot of secrets

So it was nice to have one

He started looking around and it seemed like a normal looking living room

Some cards

A fireplace

Dreadfully boring

But what was real interesting was an odd contraption

It must’ve been one of David Kostyk’s inventions

It had a yellow horn and a disk in a box

And Nazairy gave in to the urge to touch it

He started poking around at it and nothing seemed to happen

Until it started playing music

“Wooooow” Nazariy said astonished as smooth jazz began to play

He got on the table and started jumping up and down dancing

Nazariy then started creating some wind causing the cards and checkers to fly up(like that one scene In Matilda)

The breeze was nice

“You having a dance party Nazariy?”

Nazariy instantly dropped everything and turned towards the door

There stood his parents and the triumvirate mouths agape

Nazariy looked at his father the speaker In question

“I thought you would be gone for three more weeks” Nazariy stuttered sneaking glances at his mother to see how much trouble he’s in

Blue eyes wide and mouth agape the Queen seemed to stunned to talk

“Yeah, Makhi was more agreeable then we thought” Genya replied agasht

In fact the only one who seemed unfazed was David Kostyk

He nonchalantly went an turned off the weird music box

Adrik Zhabin seemed to regain his composure

Nazariy and Adrik never really got along

Nazariy was the type who enjoyed a good ruckous

And Adrik was the type who despised shenanigans

“You aren’t allowed to be in here” Adrik glared “And I hope you know your the one who’s going to clean this up”

“Oh come on, the kid was just having fun!” Tamar said picking Nazariy up and placing him off the table

“He ruined by poetry” Tolya sighed staring at the mess of a bookshelf

Books were torn and haphazard around the room

“Is that really a travesty” Nazariy murmured under his breath

It seemed everyone was still in shock

Especially his mother

She regained her composure

“So your also a Squaller?” Zoya questioned

But she wasn’t happy either

“Uhhhhhhhh...” Nazariy squeaked

“A prince doesn’t stutter Nazariy” Zoya scolded raising a brow

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m Grisha” Nazariy stated now raising his head and straightening his back

Nazariy couldn’t read his mother

She didn’t look mad

But she definitely wasn’t happy

At that Nikolai picked up Nazariy

“You couldn’t have a nice and easy testing to find out huh?” Nikolai laughed

Whenever his dad laughed Nazariy had to laugh to

They were quite close those two

While Myca and his father could have trouble sometimes

Nazariy was always easier

Whiny Nikolai could handle

But dead serious was trickier

“He wants to keep us on our toes”Tamar replied smoothly

Zoya who seemed to be done deliberating exclaimed “Everyone out except Nikolai and Nazariy”

Everyone shuffled out of the room shooting him putting looks

And patting him on the back

Once the door closed Zoya turned her eyes on him

They weren’t silver so it wasn’t like she was enraged

“How long have you known?” Zoya questioned

Nikolai stood behind Nazariy

In times like this when Nazariy messes up his dad was kinda like his lawyer

“Three weeks”

“And does anyone else know?” Nikolai asked

Nazariy shook his head “not even Myca"

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Zoya wondered

“I don’t know” Nazariy replied to quickly

Zoya raised a brow

“Well.... it’s just” Nazariy started grasping for words “I don’t really have a lot of me things that are just mine... now I always have to share everything with Koda and Mycas always super busy. I was gonna tell you i swear!”

His parents exchanged glances

“We’re not mad Nazariy” His father finally said

“But we want you to know you can tell us anything” Zoya finished

“Okay Mommy” Nazariy said with a smile

I can’t even pretend I’m doing this for anyone but myself. I don’t know if anyone actually reads these but yolo lol.

As always, my ask box is open and I take any Grishaverse requests

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albino-whumpee · 3 years ago

Text

The Master´s party

A little teaser for you.

A grin quirked the man´s lips up when he held his chin in a bruising grip. Sann let out a pathetic yelp as the man pulled his face closer to his.

“You´re an awful liar”

(This one´s long, just heads up for that and just so you know what Albus is taking about at the end, read Of secrets and memories )

This is a series, here´s the Masterlist

Taglist: @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @giggly-evil-puppy @cowboysrappin @haro-whumps @burtlederp @neuro-whump @comfortforthepain @whumps-the-word @whole-and-apart-and-between @broken-horn @ashintheairlikesnow @rosesareviolentlyread @starnight-whump @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @as-a-matter-of-whump @whumpasaurus101 @grizzlie70 @twistedcaretaker

TW// Dehumanization, slavery, all the box boy jazz, past abuse, shock collars, defiant whumpee, torture, past abuse, conditioning, anxiety, desrealization, humilliation and dissoci@tion.

The invitation came in a golden envelope.

Albus silently waited for Zarai to read it. He didn´t expect her face to turn from taciturn to horror in the split of a second.

“Absolutely not” she shouted, taking her phone and furiously typing a number as she walked to the studio. Albus glanced at Momo who meowed to be fed.

He was petting the cat while it ate, when he saw Zarai steaming from rage and straightened up in instinct, bracing for a hit that never came.

Zarai let out a loud groan before putting her phone back on the table with a slam that made Albus jump. Slowly his muscles relaxed as he watched the woman rub her temples. He waited a second, just to be sure.

“I can’t believe it. They’re nuts!” She shot her hands up suddenly “Uniform etiquette? That’s- I don’t even know where to start on how wrong that is!” She continued before exhaling a loud, long sigh.

Albus extended her coffee and gulped when he saw her drink it in one go. “I-Is there something wrong with mistress Heleba’s party, ma’am?” He ventured, catching her attention and glad it didn´t come off as misbehaving. She had simply let her chin rest on her hand as she stared at the envelope.

“They want pets to attend the party with uniforms”

Albus frowned. Wasn´t that normal?

“Would ma´am prefer me to stay then?” he tried, picking up the cup to clean it. He knew she wasn´t exactly a fan of pets in the first place, but her discomfort was aimed more at their owners, so a party with too many of them around? He could smell her complaints from miles.

Albus was surprised to hear her sigh instead.

“No, I need you there. I wanted you to meet other potential clients and the agencies we will form partnership bonds with in the future. Especially Dune´s executives, but…” she tapped the envelope with bottled anger. His eyes drifted down to the letter.

“Pets are required to use shock collars as uniform etiquette and security measures to our dear guests”

The man at the party´s reception told Zarai as Albus lifted his chin. The man´s partner putting the leather white collar on Zarai´s hand, as the other checked the electrodes against his neck.

Ah, what a familiar sensation, he thought to himself.

“Is it really necessary? He´s not dangerous…” She asked putting the leather collar on her purse with a deep frown on her face.

“Orders from above ma’am” the security guard limited himself to answer.

Zarai whipped her head back at the boy when she heard the buckles click. His hands twitched but he clasped them tightly over his lap, directing a small smile at his owner.

“It´s fine ma´am. Is just a security measure” he said, but a lump formed on his throat when he saw the remote. Squeezing his wrists tight, he held back the impulse to take the collar off himself.

“This button allows you control the intensity and this one is to make it shoot the electricity. Like this” It was already on the lowest voltage so when the man pressed the button, the collar’s box little LED lights turned red for a second as a short wheeze was forced out of Albus.

You forced me to do this 778900. You keep trying to run off somewhere… Don’t be so impatient. Someone will buy you, eventually. This is for your own good.

Zarai yanked the remote from the man “Enough!” He stared at her in confusion as Albus caught his breath. “There was no need for a demonstration” she shot a glare at the man who offered an apologetic smile before she walked away, dragging the boy with her by the arm. “C’mon, Claude will be waiting inside” she whispered, not expecting to not hear a reply. She stopped a few steps away, noticing Albus trembling figure. She looked around the sea of people and dragged both to a small spot besides the pet’s bathroom.

“Can…can you lift your neck Albus?” The boy complied without fighting. Almost robotically. He blinked surprised, however, when he felt her fingers searching for something on his neck. “There” she said with a triumphant click. “They never said anything about it being on” she said, putting the remote into his own hands “I don´t have a use for this. Keep it hidden for me, would you?” she smiled.

Albus eyes softened as he clenched his hand on the remote. “Thank you ma’am”.

Zarai recomposed after giving him a short squeeze on the shoulder “Let´s go. I don´t want to be here more than necessary. Oh, Claude!” she said, calling the doctor talking with some businesswoman and waving at him as Albus hid the remote on his coat´s pocket.

—-

“Mister Serra! I-I didn´t know” some of the guests told him upon seeing the collar on his neck. He was glad none of the people he considered close was there to see him sport the tag he had tried so very hard to keep hidden.

“I apologize for the confusion” he would say in a bow.

“A pet that can read and work, quite unheard of” a man with a funny mustache said reflexively. Albus recognized him from the archives Zarai had made him memorize about the party´s guests. The vice-president of the adjacent company of the many, Rupert Glass owned. “Pretty interesting tactic from Miss Montenegro to keep your status hidden. Never understood her very well… I might try buy one like you. Normal pets are mostly just for show and I want one that can be useful” he said brushing Albus from head to toe. The boy knew better than to keep his eyes at the same level and shyly let down his gaze.

He wished they could go back home soon.

Even if Zarai treated him well, for most of the attendants he was at the same level of importance as the fine glass on their hands.

A luxury they could afford to break.

They only didn´t because it wasn´t theirs. He, wasn´t theirs. It would be rude if they injured or broke someone else´s property. But they didn´t shy from dragging around by a leash their half-naked, bruised pets.

Some of their eyes nailed on him with anger, but quickly lifted up at their owners pull on their necks.

Albus could still feel the glares the other pets shot at him and tilted his head only to catch a glimpse of light brown hair. Sann was wearing a tuxedo with a white rose on his chest. But as soon as he spotted him, Sann disappeared into the sea of people taking Albus´ breath with him. “I…It has been a pleasure to meet you Mister Darcy, but I must attend some…matters. Miss Zarai gives you her greeting and wishes you good health” he said, offering his hand to stretch. The older man only gave it a look before wrinkling his nose.

“I don´t handshake pets” he said. Albus backed his hand slowly.

“Excuse me. Thank you for your time, sir” he bowed as he had learnt back on the facility before he dismissed him with a flick of his hand.

He quickly walked away to scan the crowd, not finding the freckled boy among them. He tried searching by the special drink fountain for pets in the back, next to the bathrooms. It only served water and tasteless crackers. A clear contrast with the tables overflowing with delicious looking pastries and varied choices of drinks for their masters. But he wasn´t there or at tables, laying his head on Robert´s knees either.

The man sat with another man, carding his fingers through a shivering girl´s hair sitting by his knees with a charming smile on. Albus backed away slowly when the girl convulsed forward and the man next to Robert laughed along him.

He thought maybe he had imagined him, when he felt a tug on his neck.

“Hey, this one´s collar´s turned off” a man with a security uniform told his partner. The man tightened his grip around Albus´ wrist

“What? Did it turn it off?” the man harshly made Albus whip his head to a side. A whimper escaped his lungs. “Ugh, delicate pet alert” He slapped him repeatedly “Did you turn off your collar? Thought you could get away with it? Do you want us to tell your owner what you did? Hm?”

“N-No, no sir” Albus heaved as both men laughed like jackals “Please, let me explain-Ah!” The man holding him twisted his arms to his back.

“Stay, boy, stay. Don´t make us hurt you more than necessary” He yanked his head up so his partner had free way to the collar. He heard it click on again “What a good boy” he cooed, wrapping a zip tie around his wrists “We can´t let this slip, though. We got to tell your owner” he said, holding his head down by the neck and forcing him to walk.

The man roughly shoved him to his knees besides the guard station, a few steps away from the entrance. His breathing got shallow as his eyes darted through the crowd trying to find the familiar black long hair and the blue suit of her partner.

He saw the man talking to the microphone to announce him as if he was a lost child on a supermarket. No. It was more similar to the announcement of a lost wallet.

People stared at him with indignation. Pets stared with apologetic looks before they clung to their master´s arms.

He pulled his knees closer to his chest.

It was like he was back at the facility. Being disciplined in front of other trainees because his handlers were getting bored of him. Getting pushed to the front at the smallest inconvenience to make an example out of him to encourage the others to follow every order their handlers gave them through his own tearing screams.

He felt hands on his shoulders and jerked back so hard he banged his head against the wall.

“It´s me Albus, I´m sorry for scaring you” Zarai said, helping him up as a few spots invaded his sight “Didn´t expect this to happen…I´m sorry” she whispered as he felt the release of the zip tie on his wrists. He rubbed his bruising wrists, which infuriated the woman. “What´s the meaning of this?” She yelled at the guards.

One of them sighed “Ma´am, this is just standard procedure. It shouldn´t leave marks. Maybe albinos bruise too easily”

Albus heard those words and his brain turned off.

Everything was below a thick curtain of fog, the sounds were slurred and his limbs moved involuntarily. It was like living a dream. Was he actually awake? He didn´t know.

He felt his legs walk, his mouth speak and his hand write as Zarai talked. But he wasn´t sure if it was real. He wasn´t sure if the people around him were really there.

Their voices sounded as if they were underwater. Unclear and foggy. A fog, thick as a veil covered the world around him as he walked. After a while, he suddenly found himself leaning against a wall. Just hearing the noise of conversations on the distance, when he allowed himself to wrap his arms around his knees on the floor of a balcony.

He tried to pull air into his suddenly too tight chest.

He hated it.

He hated not knowing why exactly those words put him off like that. Having the feeling he hated to hear it in a certain specific voice. He hated the laughter inside his head that filled his senses. He buried his head in his arms.

“Fuck off” he hissed, not expecting to feel a hand on his back.

He jumped up when he saw Sann on his tuxedo, letting out a lame squeak that made the other grin.

The boy stood up “Sorry…” Sann signed with a frown, his hands twitching in front of his chest as if wanting to say something else but not knowing how, he only stared at him.

Albus waited, just in case, before he looked away and set his eyes on the city “Don´t be, you just surprised me” He opened his mouth and then closed it with a sigh “I´m sorry… Just...give me a second” he said, biting his lip when Sann held his hand.

He brushed his thumbs against his pale hand as if saying “It´s ok, just breathe”

Albus made his lips a fine line before letting it out.

“I might always say hello with food, but you always try to hold my hand” he said in a half giggle, squeezing on Sann´s hand slightly tighter. A smile came to his face and somehow, couldn´t shake it away.

“…Can we stay like this for a bit?” he asked, feeling the fog on his head dissipate slowly.

“Yes” Sann signed before curling his fingers around Albus´ hand.

Albus looked above at the night sky feeling the warmth of the boy´s hand leak into his before he took a deep breath. Despite the sound of the party inside where most likely Zarai was searching for him, it melted with the usual sounds of the city and the rumble of the sea in the distance. He let out his breath slowly, calm settling on his chest.

He wondered since when he had started to feel that way around the other boy. The other pet looked at the cars below with a little smile hanging on his lips. His hair was mussed up, pulled back in a way that framed his face and made his features pop. The sleek attire with the rose delicately set on his chest, was a look that couldn´t be ruined even by the shock collar on his neck intermittently lighting up.

“You look stunning” the words rolled out of his mouth and didn´t notice he had said it out loud until Sann turned to him with wide eyes. He pulled his free hand to his chin to sign a thank you with an even wider smile.

“You. Too” Sann signed as the albino felt his cheeks burn and tried to hide it by fixing his glasses. He squinted when he noticed something about his hand.

“What´s this?” he asked, fishing Sann´s hand and inspecting the new pink circles around his knuckles. Cigarette burns, he identified bitterly. “What happened? A punishment?” His tone urgent as he lifted his eyes and found Sann´s smile had ran away from his face.

He shook his head.

“No? Then why…” Albus asked as Sann pulled his hand away to lean on the balcony, watching the traffic below with a lost gaze and hiding the injured hand. Albus joined him a second later “…just because?” Sann nodded with a shrug that pulled a string on his heart. Albus wondered if that was normal treatment for Sann and felt a sting of guilt.

It was a possibility to end up with an owner like that, the handlers had told them as much enough times, but Sann deserved someone better as owner. He deserved to be able to smile without fear of not looking pretty and eager enough to avoid being hurt.

The thoughts raced through his head before being interrupted when Sann looked up at the fireworks popping in the distance, putting that beautiful smile on his face yet again. He turned to him and finding his worried frown, his gray eyes softened.

He moved his hands up to sign, but then had second thoughts and simply smiled with slightly worried eyebrows.

“I´ll be fine” Albus could almost hear him say as he pointed his head at the fireworks.

As Albus watched the show of colors a dread began to grown in his heart. He was to act as a person, but that didn´t change he was a Pet. Just like Sann and the many others inside. They looked at him with envy and resentment, but Sann...Sann didn´t. Despite the scars on his neck and the rest of his body; the sadness behind his eyes, he still would let him hold his hand and smile at fireworks. The pleasant memories of his time with Zarai began to pop into his mind like the blue and yellow and red lights shining in the night sky.

How could he even change that for him if he couldn´t be free from it himself?

Albus felt Sann tap on his shoulder and he turned, only to find him smiling at him holding the rose of his chest and gently put it on him. He blinked perplexed at the rose, now on his chest, before his eyes found him shrugging playfully.

“Gift. For you” Sann signed as he watched Albus take out his small notebook and pen and extend it for him. It took him a second, but Sann pulled it up so Albus could read it.

“My Master can be very explosive, but he´s a man of his word. He promised me he would give me a bouquet of roses if I could stand the burns…“ Albus eyes widened in horror before Sann smiled again and tapped on the note, urging him to continue “I only got one flower, but do you like it?”

Albus was speechless for a long moment that made Sann tense up and shrink into his shoulders. Albus hand gently guided him to look at him again.

“I love it” he said as Sann´s face lit up “But, the best gift you can give me is your smile” at that, Sann´s cheeks flared up. “S-So, please, don´t do something like that for me ever again. Please...” Sann was stunned by his words and only could looked down as Albus let down his hand and Sann noticed the wild blush expanding on the albino´s cheeks, right before he felt a shock on his neck.

Sann wheezed, bent over the balcony, before he felt yet another shock. As he gasped for air, Sann worried if his Master was hidden in the shadows. The terror of it being true made him step forward, a primal fear screaming at him to rush to his side.

“Wait!” Albus caught his wrist before he could run off. Sann stared at him for a second, heart drumming loudly in fear, agitated, so much more than the composure the albino put as front to his worry as he looked up at him could calm him. Ruby eyes full of determination nailed on him through long, white eyelashes. “Before you go, can I give you a kiss?”

Sann was thrown off the loop and glared back inside, darting his eyes through the crowd in fear of another shock, but when he felt Albus hand on his, his heart eased.

He asked.

He asked a toy like him who couldn´t say no.

Sann returned the squeeze and took one step closer. His hands were small and thin, a bit rough around the edges but so soft. Sann looked at his lips and waited for them to seal with his, but to his surprise, Albus pulled his hand and pressed his lips into his knuckles.

It was a light kiss. Soft and soothing, Sann´s heart melted when he didn´t step closer to kiss him somewhere else and instead only saw Albus pull away.

“See you later”

Sann stared at him for a moment, longing for more, but as Albus let go whispering, “Take care” he knew he couldn´t be greedy. He had to hang on to it until there was a chance they could meet again.

His Master glared at him when he came running to kneel besides him and then tugged on his collar, lifting his chin up as he checked his chest pocket and found it empty. He gripped on either side of his cheeks and pressed just enough on his throat with a severe look on his eyes that made Sann recoil before he clipped his leash to his collar and took him outside.

Sann slowed down when they passed through the security line to return the shock collar, but when the man only tugged on it for him to keep walking, he knew the collar would stay on that night.

When the man opened the trunk for him to crawl and sit on, he saw something grim shine on his eyes.

“Where did your rose go?” the man asked, stroking Sann´s cheek. “Did he like it?”

For the split of a second Sann stopped knowing how to breathe, but the next he was leaning into the man´s hand, shaking his head and then tilting it as if he didn´t understand the question.

A grin quirked the man´s lips

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noire-pandora · 3 years ago

Note

Super late to sending prompts lol but for dadwc, “I told you to bring a coat!”

Hey! Thanks for the prompt. I can't help it but fo full cheesy with them. Hope you like it. For @dadrunkwriting Also the kind @morganlefaye79 send me the same prompt. Thank you!

Elluin's teeth chattered as a gust of wind flung snow in her face, messing up her hair. An elven curse escaped her lips, goosebumps prickling her skin as the linen shit she wore did nothing to protect her from the biting cold of the Emprise du Lion.

They trudged through the wild woods, moving slower than a snail, only to observe a dragon Elluin had no intention of killing. Still, the people who lived there demanded that the powerful Inquisitor inspected the creature. As if she could tame it just by staring at it.

"Sparks, are you all right?" Varric's question made her jump and she slipped on a path of ice hidden behind the snow. In seconds, a pair of strong hands grabbed her shoulders and kept her from falling face-first into the snow.

"Careful, Inquisitor," the shadow of a smile lingered on Solas ‘lips, but it quickly disappeared as his fingers moved from her shoulder to her arm. "You are freezing."

"I'm fine Solas, a little cold wind won't kill me."

She took a step forward to put distance between herself and Solas as his touch sent a jolt of adrenaline through her body. A traitorous thought flashed through her mind: what would Solas' fingers feel like against her bare skin?

Shut up, she thought, trying to push the thought away. I don't have time for this now.

She sighed, her breath clouding in the cool air. Lately, his presence brought delicious but dangerous thoughts at random moments, making almost every conversation with him awkward. How was she supposed to look him in the eye when she dreamed of kissing every freckle adorning her skin?

"Hurry up," she beckoned to the companions who had fallen behind. "I don't want to spend another minute in this cursed land."

"Inquisitor, do you remember I advised you to bring a cloak?" said Solas behind her, but the smugness pinching his voice did not escape her ears.

"You did, but since when do I like to follow orders?"

"That was not an order. Marley, I was just expressing concern for you."

A squeak of surprise almost left Elluin's throat when Solas' cloak touched her shoulders. The cloak was too big for her, but it enclosed her body in a warm embrace, protecting her from the bitter cold.

Her breath caught in her throat as his scent tickled her nose: a faint hint of ozone lingered on the fabric, the same scent that followed every mage; slowly, another smell, one she knew to well, followed: the smell of bitter healing tinctures, one she grew to love as it lingered nearby every time he was present.

"I see you are enjoying the benefits of owning a cloak," Solas said, his voice breaking through the spell of his scent.

The warmth of the cloak brought a pleasant numbness to her mind that instantly dispelled the annoyance of the harsh surroundings. The silky fabric caressed her skin with each step, a gentle touch on her suffering skin. A tinge of pleasure left her lips.

"Ah, you noticed that. Very well, Inquisitor, I suspected your keen mind would recognize my spell. Yes, I found a spell in the ancient books of Skyhold and enchanted my cloak."

"I, yes, of course," she stammered between her words, embarrassed at the thought of the stupid grin and the silly blush that graced her face. "But your cloak feels different, almost like it's keeping the warmth inside."

Elluin stopped in the middle of the path, and her sudden decision elicited a few protesting grunts from Varric. "Can you two lovebirds hurry up? I'm freezing over here."

But Lavellan did not hear his complaint, for curiosity at Solas' spell caught her attention. "What kind of spell? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Fret not, Inquisitor, I enchanted the cloak yesterday. I used it for the first time today. If you wish, I can teach it to you."

Solas motioned Elluin to move as Varric trudged forward in the snow.

''If I want? Of course I want to learn a spell that will protect me from the cold!"

"Unfortunately, that spell only works on silk cloth. An expensive choice, but I suspect the inventor of this spell did not know how the poor live."

"Hmmmm, I can imagine that. But this spell will help us on our travels and--," a thought flashed through her mind that amused her. "Wait, were you using me as a test subject?

She saw him raise an eyebrow, a gesture that had infuriated her at first, but now she could not help but find it endearing. "I do not understand what you mean."

"Did you offer me your coat to see if the spell would work on other people?"

“Sure it did”, she grinned, slapping her thigh. Elluin knew he was not lying, but teasing him brought her a high level of pleasure nowadays. And that smirk curling his lips as they played their little teasing game. "I can't believe it! And here I thought you really cared about me."

"No, I did not. The spell slipped my mind when I offered you the cloak."

As the lines of his face creased into a smile, her heart backflipped in her chest and she tripped on air. Solas hands reached for her again, but this time he lingered with his touch and the smell of bitter tinctures increased.

"Ah, but I do care, Inquisitor."

Elluin giggled like a young girl struck by love. "You're lucky I like you."

"I know that."

"Oh, look at you two cuties," Varric's voice sounded from above as he climbed up the side of the hill. "I'd almost sit here in silence and watch you two go at it romantically if my butt wasn’t freezing off. Hurry up!"

Solas' hands left Elluin's thighs, inviting her to continue. His manners never failed him, even in the middle of nowhere.

#dragon age #solas #lavellan #solavellan #DADWC #prompt

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gayestnerdsinfiction · 3 years ago

Note

For a request and/or inspiration... idk scriddler and to be alone by hozier? I'm feeling melancholic. If you feel like it! Also hi!! I love your stuff ♡

hell yeah i can dig it and thank you! i just read a few of your works on AO3 the other day and i absolutely love what I've seen so far <3

There are plenty of things to hate about Arkham, but the one that has been most irksome to Jonathan as of late is the lack of privacy. Jonathan doesn’t function well when he feels he’s being watched, and the effect is even worse when he knows it’s true. Whether he’s eating, sleeping, reading a book, taking a shit—anything he does is witnessed by someone, monitored, logged. The cells are glass. The common rooms have no doors. They are only allowed to eat in the designated cafeteria area, surrounded by every other wretched soul in this Godforsaken place. In his opinion, it’s only one step above the panopticon model.

Obviously, his fellow inmates share at least some of his disdain from the forced exposure that comes with institutionalization. However, few of them seem to feel as strongly about it as Jonathan does. Harley often compares it to living in dorms during college, another experience Jonathan despised. He supposes he never quite learned how to be around people. He’d almost rather be in solitary confinement, but the only thing keeping him even remotely sane is the few hours he spends reading in the common rooms, completing menial tasks, playing chess with Edward. Keeping the boredom at bay is pretty much the only thing he can do.

He’s in the laundry room today, watching the bundle of sheets and grey Arkham uniforms tumble in the washing machine from his seat on the linoleum floor. Laundry is probably his favorite chore out of everything he’s been assigned. Four hours spent in a dark, musty basement by himself? He’s never felt more at home here.

Jonathan hears the sound of feet pattering down the stairs and he turns, annoyed to have his rare moment of peace interrupted. But as he sees a small man descending the staircase he can’t help but feel a small jolt of something resembling excitement.

“What are you doing down here?” he asks, getting up from the floor with a groan as his joints ache in protest.

“I came to see you,” Edward says with a lopsided grin. “I checked the schedule. Thought you might get lonely in here all by yourself.”

“Please, don’t act like this visit is for my benefit,” he replies, rolling his eyes. “You just wanted to see me.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“I didn’t say that.” He can’t bring himself to approach Edward. He doesn’t know how. He always forgets how to do these things when he’s been locked away for long enough. “I thought you had therapy.”

“Skipped it.” Edward takes a confident step forward. “I’d much rather be here with you.”

Typical Edward, always trying so hard to come off smooth and suave and secure. “You might benefit more from going to therapy.”

He scoffs. “That’s rich. I mean, you’re probably the most competent psychologist that’s ever come out of this place and I don’t even let you psychoanalyze me. If you think the quacks they have working here are ever getting anything out of me, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Fair.” The compliment embedded in his complaint is not lost on Jonathan. “Well. You’ve seen me. What now?”

Edward steps forward again, closing the distance between them. “What now, indeed. It’s been so long and there are so many things I’d like to do. I don’t know where to begin.” He reaches for Jonathan, small, soft hand settling on his chest.

Jonathan can’t help but flinch as he feels the weight of Edward’s palm against him, but he doesn’t move away.

“It’s okay,” Edward murmurs, his other hand coming up to settle on Jonathan’s shoulder. “It’s just me.”

“I know it’s you,” he says tensely. “I’m traumatized, not blind.”

“Well, I thought maybe with your glasses off you thought I was some other redhead trying to seduce you in a laundry room,” he says lightly.

“I might have, if I didn’t possess the common sense necessary to realize you are the only redhead I know who would ever even attempt such a thing.” Tentatively, he lifts his hand to touch Edward’s waist gingerly. “I mean, what, do you expect me to believe that Pamela changed her mind and she isn’t a lesbian anymore? Hell would sooner freeze over.”

“Stranger things have happened.” The hand on Jonathan’s shoulder creeps up his neck and into his hair, pulling him down towards Edward’s face. “May I?” he asks softly, touching Jonathan’s lips with the pad of his index finger. “Or do you need a little more time to warm up?”

“No. I mean, yes, you may. No I don’t need more time.” Great, now he can’t even remember how to speak like a normal person.

Edward chuckles, running his fingers through Jonathan’s hair. “Nervous?”

“No. Just socially inept.” And nervous. “Poor interpersonal skills.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t understand how you ever got licensed as a therapist.”

“Giving therapy is not like this.”

“No, I suppose it isn’t,” Edward murmurs. He tips his freckled face up towards Jonathan’s, pressing a firm kiss to his lips, another on the corner of his mouth. “At least, I would certainly hope none of your therapists have tried to kiss you.”

“Not that I can recall.” He loops his arms around Edward’s waist, allowing the smaller man to press closer against his chest. He kisses Edward, grabbing tightly at fistfuls of his coarse shirt. He tries to remember what he had been nervous about in the first place, but all he can think of is how good it feels to be touched, to be kissed after all this time. He wishes he had Edward’s memory, wishes he could memorize the feeling of Edward’s body against his, tattoo this moment inside his eyelids. It’s the closest he’s come to feeling really, properly human the entire time he’s been in Arkham.

But he doesn’t have Edward’s memory. No, he has a memory that has been warped and jumbled from years of trauma, drug abuse, head injuries. And the memory of this moment will go the same way all the others do, turning to mush and mixing in with every other scattered, nonsensical thought in his mind. All he can do is enjoy it while it lasts, do his best to be here, in this moment, with Edward.

#scriddler #scarecrow #riddler #jonathan crane #edward nygma #batman #dc #fic #my fic #writing #my writing #korereapers #thanks for the request! i had fun writing this #prompts are so much more fun when i'm not insecure abt my writing ability lol

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stoney-siren · 4 years ago

Text

Just A Bad Dream (Marco x Reader)

Authors Note: This is gonna be the first fanfiction I’ve posted in a while, I hope you enjoy it!

Summary: Marco takes notice in the reader and their tired behavior, and suspects they haven’t been sleeping. The reader is suffering from PTSD and relives the events of Shiganshina in their dreams whenever they try to sleep.

TW: Mentions of death, PTSD, sleep deprivation, possibly swearing idk.

I’ll admit that sleep has been getting harder to achieve lately, since I had joined the Training Corps, my memories of Shiganshina had begun to resurface as other survivors from that day shared their stories. When they asked me, I stayed silent, never was I the most social person there, but I wasn’t as anti-social as Annie or anything, I had a group of people to hang around. One of my close friends, Marco, had approached me our first day with his other friend, Jean, stating I looked lonely and that I could use a bit of company, I was too nice to turn them down. Ever since that day I had developed some feelings for the freckled sweetie, it had been a while since I had opened up to anyone, and he was able to win me over within the snap of his fingers.

“(Y/N), you’ve been awfully quiet lately.” Although his voice was quiet, it reached me clearer than freshly cleaned glass.

“I’m sorry, Marco. I’m just a little tired.” My response was just as quiet as his comment, I could feel his eyes trained on me while mine gazed at the wooden table I sat in front of.

“Yeah, no shit. Honestly you look terrible, and you’ve been moping around for the past few weeks as if you were a sick horse.” Jean commented, taking a bite out of his bread shortly after, only to almost choke on it as Marco gave him a quick elbow to the waist.

“You’re one to talk, horse face.” Despite how tired I was, my comebacks were always quick and always something I was proud of. Jean only gave me the stink eye before turning his attention back to his dinner.

“Jean is right though, not that you look bad! It’s just we’re expressing our worry for you.. Not only have you been unlike yourself, the Instructor has been giving you earfuls of lectures almost every day now! And honestly it doesn’t even look like you’re listening to him anymore!” His rambling continued on, but his voice got more and more faint as he tried to get through to me. My gaze also began to turn upward to the ceiling, all I could think about was getting a nice full time of peaceful sleep for once.

“Listen, Marco, Jean,” I began, taking a long pause as I slowly looked back down towards them. “I’m fine, really, everyone goes through little rough patches now and then.” There was a long silence between us after that, until Marco sighed and stood up from his seat.

“Fine, just.. Try to get some sleep tonight, for me?” Those last few words stuck to me, I knows how much I truly care for him, and I’d do anything to make him happy. His eyes didn’t leave mine, not even when Jean followed his lead and stood up.

“Alright, I’ll try.” Soon after, we exchanged goodnights and headed towards our baracks, mine was a bit far from where Jean and Marco slept with their roommates, I on the other hand did not have any due to complaints of my ever so often ‘sleep talking.’ When really I’d wake in the night, a sobbing and screaming mess.

- Time Skip -

There were screamings ringing from all around me, as I scrambled to seak safety, so scared and desperate for the safety in my mothers arms again, something I knew I’d never have again as I watched her get violently crushed under the weight of our home as it collapsed. Being shoved around constantly by fleeing civilians as my cries fell upon deaf ears, I soon met myself at my knees where I could feel those cold, dead eyes staring down at me. Looking up, I saw that strange facial expression most titans held, always similar but different, it had crouched down to get a good look at me before one of its massive hands reached for my small body. I felt hopeless, I couldn’t scream or move, all I could do was watch my end slowly creep closer.

“NO!” My entire upper half shot out of bed, I couldn’t even register my shouting as my own voice for a second as hot tears streamed down my face, my nightwear was wet with my own tears, implicating that I had been crying for quite a while in my sleep. It was only safe to assume that it was late at night, although my nightmare had not lasted long, it felt like an eternity, anticipating the feeling of that hand on me, and lifting me from the floor.

Attempting to compose myself, I reached for my face and frantically began to wipe my tears before bending my legs close to my chest and hugging them tightly. It was always the same thing over and over, but this time it just seemed more realistic for some reason. I continued to sob into my knees, confident that nobody could hear me, and of course I was wrong when I heard my door creak open.

“(Y/N)?” There was a sense of urgancy in Marco’s voice this time as he peaked his head into the room, still hesitant though, as if he was worried of being shouted at. “Is everything okay?”

“What the hell does it look like!?” I snapped back without thought, I watched him flinch as he put a hand up in defense. I could only feel more guilty for my sudden actions, returning to my ball of tears.

“I- I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to-” Quickly I interrupted through my soft cries.

“No- I- I’m sorry.. You didn’t deserve that..” Using my sleeve to wipe away the new set of tears I had produced, I heard Marco’s boots tap against the floor as he made his way closer to my bed. He was also in his pajamas, but he put on his boots to come to my room.

“Can I sit?” He questioned softly, motioning to the spot next to me in my bed, I only responded with a small nod of my head. Soon I could feel the bed dip under his weight next to me as he slid his boots off.

“Why are you here..” I cringed at how shaky my voice sounded, it was strange how fast I felt myself calm down as the warmth of his arm met with my back as he pulled me closer.

“I had a bad feeling, I was worried that you weren’t sleeping again, guess I was right.. But there’s something else too, isn’t there?” He looked at me with a caring gaze as his other hand gently wiped away the tears that continued to roll down my face. His skin was soft, everything about him was so welcoming and kind. The tension between us grew thick as I struggled to talk about my struggle to sleep.

“Lately, I- I’ve been struggling to sleep.. I keep having nightmares about wh- what happened in.. Shiganshina.” It was hard to get the last word out of my mouth, I hated thinking about that place, after all that has happened there.

“You know, sometimes talking about it makes people feel better. I completely understand if you don’t want to, it’s a heavy subject..” Marco made me feel like I could do anything, when I look at him I feel like my whole world is in my hands, and mine to bend. He made me want to try.

“I- I want to talk about it..” There was a long pause, as Marco gave a quiet nod, watching me patiently. “I.. I was just a kid. Sh- She.. My mom.. We were making dinner together, I always wanted to be a cook when I was younger, a- and she asked me to get some ingredients that we were missing..” I stopped for a moment, visualizing my mother and that day she sent me away from our home, how I wish I had stayed there with her.

“It’s okay, take your time.” The hand on my shoulder began to gently rub its thumb in circles, soothing me just a bit more.

“So I went.. I.. I didn’t even have time to get to the shop wh- when I heard that god awful explosion. T- The floor shook and next thing I knew.. Screams were heard all around me, a- and I didn’t know what was happening.” My voice grew shakier, my eyes welled with more tears as Marco rushed to brush them away.

“You can stop if you want to, I’m so proud of you, (Y/N). I know this is something you struggle to talk about..” Never had I met somebody so caring and understanding like Marco Bodt, he made me feel safe, protected, I wanted to make him feel the same way.

“Marco,” I shakily reached for his hand and took it, holding it rather tight but not enough to hurt. “Stay, please.” His expression changed to slight shock as he lightly squeezed my hand.

“O- Okay.. I’ll stay.” He smiled a little as he held me closer, I didn’t realize how much I craved affection until I actually recieved it. My head rested against his chest as he rested his chin on the top of my head, we were cuddling.

“Thank you, Marco..” My voice trailed off as sleep began to overcome my mind again.

“I’m going to stay here, (Y/N).. I’m always gonna be here when you need me.” He continued to quietly assure me as I felt his lips press against my forehead, my face heated up as his chin returned to the top of my head. Slowly I could feel his heartbeat slow as he fell asleep, and soon I did too.

I didn’t have anymore nightmares for the rest of the night, and for the first time in forever, I felt like I could take one step closer to overcoming my past, now that I knew Marco would be by my side.

#marco bodt #attack on titan #marco bodt x reader #snk #fanfiction #jean kirschtein #marco deserved better

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snapdragon-mina · 4 years ago

Text

Enchanted Pt. 2

Kuroo x GN!Reader

A/N: AYOOOO it's finally out! Part 3 up vv soon.

Warnings: No beta we die like men, swearing, implied death, poisoning, attempted murder, etc Crack treated seriously.

Word Count: 2.7k

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

A snake could be seen inside of Tetsurou's bag, though nobody looked hard enough to notice it.

Prince Tetsurou was allowed to travel alongside (y/n) and Shoyo, who had each been given a horse to help with their travels.

Tetsurou decided to pick up conversation. "So... Travelling with an elf. Your boyfriend couldn't make it?"

"Nope. Mostly because I don't have one." they answered.

"Oh? I would've thought for sure you had one." He grinned.

Rolling their eyes (y/n) asked him a question. "What about you? Your girlfriend okay with you leaving her alone?"

He glanced to the side and coughed. "I uh, don't have one."

"Oh?"

"I have many."

(y/n) started at him blankly as if their brain was still lagging from that. Tetsurou snorted at the look. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You shouldn't believe everything you read in a magazine."

As they chatted the moment was interrupted by a loud "Excuse me!" coming from Shoyo. They both glanced back at him and he rides his horse up to the two.

"Excuse me, Prince Tetsurou. Permission to speak?" He looked up.

"Sure, go for it."

"Well... it's a weird coincidence but I was going to the Royal Palace to discuss a few... career options that I-" The elf was cut off from his rambling.

"Shoyo wants to petition the kingdom so that he can become an Athlete." (y/n) told him.

The prince seemed comtemplative but ultimately advised Shoyo to speak to his uncle about it. (y/n) stopped talking to him after that and they eventually came across giants working in the fields. One of them stood up to take a break, only to be whipped and forced to continue working.

Tetsurou stared at the sight in absolute shock. His eyes wide open. "The... The giants have always been gentle. Why are they being treated like slaves? I'm... I'm sure my uncle doesn't know about this. There's no way."

They continue on their way to the wedding. Upon entering they're instantly greeted with loud music and dancing. The giants seemed to be having a great time.

"I hope they don't get to upset with me here, I know they must hate the Royal Family." Tetsurou looked around.

"Nah, They'd respect you having the balls to show up here. Plus, they don't hold grudges... They're bigger than that." They grinned at the sound Tetsu made once he realized the joke.

A giant noticed them. "Prince Tetsurou, what are you doing here?"

"I came to have a little chat, but I think I'll come back when there's been less drinki- OW." He got cut off by an elbow jabbing his side.

"He's here as a friend to hear your complaints." (y/n) told the giant. She nodded and smiled.

"Well then, welcome."

Before anything else, (y/n) asked for Satori and was pointed in his direction. They thanked the giant and rushed off, leaving Tetsurou and Shoyo behind.

They rushed over and asked around, only to be told that He'd left over an hour ago. They had no helpful information to give, So they turned to Ryuu. "Ryunosuke, can you show me Satori?"

The book opened up and he spoke. "Yeah he's getting an FWI. Flying while Intoxicated."

----⭐----

"I had no idea things were so bad. I promise the first thing I do after coronation is help you buy your farms back." Tetsurou told the giant.

"I'll hold you to that."

(y/n) hesitantly stepped in. "Excuse me, sorry if I'm interrupting."

"No problem, we were done," the giant told them. "That's a fine young man you have there."

Almost immediately (y/n) began denying and rambling before giving up. They turned to Tetsu and spoke. "Have you seen Shoyo? We need to leave, My fairy godfather isn't here."

"Leave? But it's the middle of the night, you have to at least stay for the party."

With a sigh, they reluctantly agreed. Tetsu furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't... have to stay. I don't wanna force you to do something you don't want to do." He spoke gently.

A small smile appeared on their lips. "Thank you, Tetsu... For everything. So, I'll see you around?"

Before they could get far, Tetsu spoke again. "But... I wish you would stay."

Turning to face the prince they smiled a bit bigger. "I guess one more night couldn't hurt."

A few minutes later, they sat on a giant's table, explaining their situation to Tetsurou casually when he suggested something way too good to pass up.

"You could always check the hall of records? I could pull a few strings to get you in there."

A huge smile was formed. "Really? You have no idea how much that would mean to me, thank you so much, Tetsu."

----💫----

After an impromptu performance that resulted in (y/n) and Tetsurou getting closer, they sat near a fireplace and just talked. Tetsu revealed that his mother had passed away a long time ago and (y/n) revealed the same. They talked about their memories with their parents and bonded more because of it. The conversation ended up going back to politics and (y/n) spoke of how easily Tetsu could win over the kingdom's subject, no matter what species.

"Wow was that, almost a compliment? From you? I must've died." He laughs.

"Yeah yeah. Don't get a big head over it. Your stupid crown won't fit." They smiled at him.

He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Tomorrow. I'm going to go to my uncle and ask for the Elven restriction law to be removed. I'm going to make sure I get to watch one of shoyo's games."

They stared at him for a moment before leaning in closer. "I think you're gonna be a great king someday. Your father... He would've been proud."

"Thanks. He would've really liked you."

They sat in silence for a moment, just basking in the comfortable atmosphere before Tetsu spoke again. "Kiss me."

They leaned in even closer towards him but he paused. "That... wasn't an order." He spoke hesitantly, almost as if he were afraid. But they just smiled at him.

"I know." And with that, the gap between them closed.

----💫----

When they reached the town the next morning, Tetsurou couldn't stop stealing small glances at (y/n) that seemed to be so full of love and adoration that anyone could see how much he cared for them. They approached castle, being let in easily by the guards, but Shoyo didn't have the same luck. Being an elf, one of the guards forced him out of the castle.

The two of them walked in, hand in hand, only to instantly freeze once they realized that his fanclub was taking a tour of the castle. Tooru notice the two of them first and the gradually, everyone else did. A beat of silence passed before Tetsu booked it, dragging (y/n) with him.

They'd found an area where they were safe from the mob and were greeted by none other than Kei.

"Tetsu, I've been looking all over for you." He spoke calmly. As Tetsu prepared his answer another question arose from the shorter man beside Kei. "And who might thiss... Charming young lady be?"

"This is (y/n). (y/n), this is my uncle, Kei and this is his... Tadashi." He gestured to the man with blond hair and glasses first and then the dark haired man with freckles covering his face.

"I assume your journey went well?" Kei asked.

"We ran into a few ogres but other than that, everything was good." They responded.

Kei raised an eyebrow. "You could've been killed." He glanced towards Tetsurou. "Oh well, you just have to grin and bare it, as I say." He turned and looked towards (y/n). "Grin and bare it."

Within less than a second, they had a grin on their face. This caught both his and Tadashi's attention but they said nothing of it. Kei turned back to Tetsu. "Can I speak with you for a moment? The crown maker needs to see you for a fitting."

"Cool, well I need to take (y/n) to the Hall of records."

"Fine, hop to it then." once again, (y/n) did as they were told.

The moment the two were out of sight, Kei spoke to Tadashi. "You were right about them."

"And they've been filling the Prince'ss head with "dangerouss" ideologiess." Tadashi hissed.

----⭐----

"(y/n) has lots of interesting ideas about the kingdom. I think you should hear them." Tetsu told Kei as he stood in front of the crown maker.

"Can't wait." He faked a smile.

"Giant's working conditions are just an example, it's unbelievable how shitty they're treated. I've talked with them though, and it seems like they're open for negotiations." Tetsu said.

"The only negotiations between me and the giants will be over vegetable deliveries." His voice was cold and Tadashi laughed.

"This isn't a joke, uncle Kei." Tetsu watched the blond get closer through the mirror.

He placed his hand on his shoulder. "We'll talk about it after your coronation, yes?"

"Fine. But we will talk."

"Of course." Kei confirmed.

A moment of silence passed before Tetsu took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask them to marry me."

Kei paused in his tracks and turned to face Tetsu. "Who? This (y/n) of frell?"

"Yes. Tonight at the ball. At the same place and same time as my father when he proposed to my mother."

Kei and Tadashi looked at each other. Tadashi walked off and Kei turned to stare at Tetsu as if he'd grown a second head.

----❌----

If (y/n) was getting sold out by their step brothers for the prince's hand in marriage, then that was between those two and who ever they sold (y/n) out to.

----💫----

"I can't find him in any of these books. Ryuu, show me Satori."

The book opened at their words, flipping until it showed Satori, blacked out on a bed. No luck. Not until they took a magnifying glass to one of the pages and read a flyer in his area that pointed him out perfectly. Before they could get too excited, Kei walked in.

"I... Hope you've found everything to your satisfaction?" He approached them slowly.

"Yes, thank you."

"Good." He glanced at a book on a desk and forced it off of it. "Oh no, how clumsy of me. Pick it up." He commanded.

A yelp left them as they were forced to pick up the book that he'd thrown down. "Very good. Now touch your toes."

They did as told, only to realize what was going on with a groan. "Oh no."

"Oh yes." Kei forced them to do a multitude of things, mostly testing the waters before the big one came. "As you know, tonight is the coronation ball. At some point, Prince Tetsu will sweep you away to the Hall of mirrors. Then, just before midnight strikes, he'll take you by the hand and ask you a question."

"How do you know all of this?" They cut in.

Tadashi spoke. "We know everything."

"The one thing we know with most certainty... Is that at the stroke of midnight, you will take this dagger and plunge it through his heart and kill him." Kei told them, holding the dagger out.

As much as (y/n) tried to argue and fight the curse, they could do only do so much before it kicked it.

"It's actually rather lucky your here. That way I wont have to do it myself." Kei sat down.

Shaking, they asked. "You would kill your own nephew?"

"Well why not? I killed my own brother."

"What? Why?!"

"I want to be king."

"Now leave, but before you go... You will not tell a single soul about this plan."

-----💫-----

"Can I help you?" A fairy asked.

"Yes I'm looking for Satori Tendou, it's extremely important." (y/n) told the fairy.

"Yeah sorry, he got kicked out last week."

"Do you know where I could find him?"

"Nuh uh."

The fairy walked away leaving (y/n) to do whatever it was going to do. (y/n) took a seat a a nearby table and wrote a goodbye letter to Tetsu.

Hours later, they found Shoyo and asked him to chain them to the trunk of a dead tree outside of the city. Once it had been done, they gave him instructions. "Look. I need you to rally all the elves and giants you can find. You'll need all the help you can get. Someone needs to sneak into the castle, steal Ryunosuke back, and keep Tetsu away from Kei."

"...Why? What's going on?"

"I can't tell you. But if you don't you'll be stuck singing and dancing for the rest of your life." They scowled.

"Fine! Into the stupid forest I go." Shoyo huffed, grumbling under his breath as he walked away.

----⭐----

The ball began and Tetsu sat alone on his throne. Tadashi slithered up to Tetsurou's right side. "Where'ss your little friend?" he mused.

"Yes, She should be here by now." Kei followed.

"I don't wanna talk about it." He walked away leaving the two of them there.

He walked up to Tooru and very hesitantly asked him to dance.

----💫----

As (y/n) remained chained to the tree, a light began to glow in the sky. No less than a moment later, Satori Tendou appeared. They called out his name in desperation until he approached them.

"Hmm? Do I know you?" He tilted his head.

"(y/n) of frell, you gave me a gift?" They explained frantically.

Recognition shone in his eyes. "Ahhh yes, the obedient one."

"I'm so happy to see you, I've been look everywhere for you. I need you to take the gift back."

He narrowed his eyes. "Take it back? Nope!"

"It's not that I'm not grateful, it's just, If I keep the gift I might do something horrible to this guy that I really, really like."

"Get rid of it yourself." He told them. "Ah but I will help you out this once. I'll unchain you." Despite their begging as pleading, Satori got rid of the chains that held them against the tree.

"Y'know what? Let's change your clothes and send you off, yeah?" A poof a smoke and They were in a shimmering sliver outfit and sent to the ball.

----⭐----

As he danced with Tooru, a loud crash was heard. Tetsurou turned to see (y/n) desperately trying not to get to him.

"Tetsu, tell me you never want to see me again." Was the first thing out of their mouth to him. Immediately, he shook his head.

"Why did you write that letter? Tell me how you really feel about me."

Unable to stop their words, "I love you" came out shaky and nervous. Quickly followed by "But I... I'm wrong for you and wrong for the kingdom."

His eyes softened and he placed a hand on their cheek. "Is that what this is about? (Y/n), that's crazy. Follow me."

As soon as the words left his mouth they started panicking again but they couldn't choose not to follow him. From the throne, Kei and Tadashi watched on with sick interest as Tetsurou led (y/n) down to the Hall of mirrors. "Thiss sshould be fun." Tadashi grinned while a grandfather clock ticked on in the background.

They reached the Hall of Mirrors and The prince stepped away from them for a moment. "When I was little, my dad brought me down here. Told me to look in the mirror and see myself as a great leader. I never could, at least, not until I met you." He stopped speaking and held them the moment he heard sniffling. "What's wrong?"

"I... I wish I Could- I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't." They all but sobbed.

"These last few days have been perfect, I mean, excluding the whole almost getting eaten alive, or that letter you wrote that made me die a little inside, and then I had to dance with TOORU, of all people. But none of that matters anymore. We're together now, aren't we?" He pulled them to the center of the room after he finished speaking. "I don't want it to end."

"I know, I know," they sniffled. "I feel the same but I—"

"I brought you here— I know you're scared and I'm scared too. This is... a big step." He held eye contact and slowly got on one knee, despite (y/n) shaking their head softly, with tears in their eyes. "(Y/n), will you marry me?" He stared up at them with big, hopeful eyes that shone brighter as they smiled at him.

Too bad the clock struck midnight.

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