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xetlynn · 19 hours ago

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an artists muse- a viktor fic.

thirteen.

[twelve] [the end]

and both of them want the other to stay.

Staring in the mirror as your heart beats against your chest anxiously. Anxious but also hopeful as you wonder about the day ahead of you. Your fingers play with the ends of your black button up shirt that matches the slightly tight slacks that you bought last minute. As you had completely forgotten about the dress code until Ekko said something.

The only pop of brightness being on your face with the glittery gold eyeshadow upon your eyelids. Along with your light pink gloss that was kind of sticky as you pop your lips every now and then. A body comes up next to you and you force a smile, wiping the front of your shirt down. “Ready?” You beam with a false positive tone. Something that’s been so… frequent. Consistent, lately. Maybe you've been like this forever.

No one’s that happy. Well, that’s what everyone says but at some points in your life it was the truth. And nothing but the truth. “Mm, to get made fun of? For sure. But I’m so excited to see your masterpiece you’ve somehow hid from everyone.” Gert nudges you with their shoulder before checking herself out in your mirror.

The door slams open, Powder tripping into the dorm room with sweat dripping down her forehead. “I can’t find my bracelet!” She squeals and you raise a brow. “The one on your wrist?” You cock your head to the side and she glances down at her skin and she closes her eyes. Collapsing to the ground. “I’ve been looking for this thing for thirty minutes.” She grumbles causing you and Gert to laugh loudly.

She stands back up and eyes the two of you suddenly with a straight face. The two of you stiffen. “You guys look hot…” She murmurs, and you giggle, awing at her words. “You are so pretty, Pow!” You exclaim, motioning to her outfit. A white blouse with a black pencil skirt. The dress code was white for guests. Black for the artists. It was a very last minute thing but a very cute concept.

“Ugh, you’re going to make me blush.” Powder waves you away, pretending to be bashful. Gert scrunches her nose with a small chuckle. “We should get heading to the building, I got a text from Mylo saying they’re already there.” She speaks up and the two of you raise a brow at her. Gert rolls her eyes. “Knock it off, you know we’ve been texting a little bit.” She shoves you into Powder.

“Losers! We’re here!” You wave your arm in the air dramatically, feeling the cold breeze hit your face as your legs quickly move beneath you. Carrying you towards the large building with your two friends that all clinged onto one another. Claggor, Mylo and Ekko turn to see you three, hugging themselves as they shiver. “We’re going to be late, [Name]. Let’s go!” Ekko ignores your words and your jaw slacks open. “Why are you only acknowledging me, Gert’s gonna be late as well.” You pout your lips.

“It’s your fault and I know it, let’s go!” He grits his teeth against the cold, grabbing the both of you and hurrying inside. Not without blowing a kiss to his girlfriend in the process. She snickers, now in between her older brothers. Claggor shakes his head. “They still have ten minutes.” He informs the blue-haired girl and she gazes up to him. “I know my boyfriend. Trust me, I know.” She leans into the bigger man. He wraps his arms around his sister.

“C’mon, there’s a guest entrance where we can warm up.” Claggor leads the way, Mylo jogs ahead of them. “What are you doing?” Powder calls after him. “I’m cold! I’m not gonna walk at that slow, turtle pace like you two!” He shouts.

And as they wait in line, buying their tickets as well as flowers for their friends, four bodies make their way over to them. Violet reaches over her little sister, snatching the bouquet of flowers in her hands. Powder’s face drops and she goes to lecture the person who did it but stops as she realizes who it is.

Violet roars into laughter, teasing the girl who’s face turns a bright red. “Oh, you’re so irritating!” Powder takes the bouquet back, gently shoving Vi who goes back to standing beside her girlfriend. “Yeah. yeah. When do we go into the room?” Vi asks, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Five minutes.” Claggor answers.

“Why are you guys here?” Powder questions, her eyebrows furrowed at the four. Do they know people inside? Violet wouldn’t come just for [Name] nor Ekko. As close as they used to be as children they don’t speak much anymore. Either they know other people or they’re here with Viktor. Something only Powder was told about in detail. She knows how close these four are with the man that somehow has [Name] wrapped around his finger.

“Flyers are all around campus. Can’t we appreciate art like our peers around us?” Vi seems defensive with her answer. Caitlyn lets out a breath through her nose. “Right…? Where’s your fifth? The one with the cane?” Powder folds her arms, leaning on one leg. “Our fifth?” And now Vi just seems dumb as she attempts to act oblivious.

“Viktor wasn’t at his dorm, we assumed he’d be here.” Jayce butts into the conversation now. “He isn’t though, now we just decided to stay. See the art and judge everything.” He finishes. Powder still isn’t truly convinced but before she can say anything else Mylo speaks. “You want to see [Name]’s art too? Bitch has been hiding it from us like it’s some top secret. You haven’t heard anything about it, have you?” He quizzes them, pointing at all four of them.

Mel and Caitlyn snicker, shaking their heads ‘no.’ “She’s keeping it a secret?” Jayce asks.

“Yeah, I bet it’s not even that good. Acting all mysterious for no reason.” Mylo grunts, facing away from the group. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, My.” Powder sighs. “The doors are open, we can finally see what it is.” She points to the two people that look like professors standing by the heavy doors.

“Oh, I’m so seeing what’s been taking up her time that’s used to usually bake for me on Friday’s.” Mylo stomps past the professors, quietly muttering for a hello to them. A glare is stuck across his face as he scans the room through all the sculptures for your specific style. But it quickly falls once he sees Gert beside her own art piece talking with Ekko and some other guy… Jealousy beats in his chest, he tries to swallow it down.

He doesn’t even catch himself heading towards them, his heart racing. Someone stands in front of him, the girl he was originally searching for. “Wanna see my sculpture now?” You grin, cheesing ear to ear as you know he’s feeling quite envious right now. And you feel like being an asshole to your close friend. He stands on his tiptoes as he tries to peak over you but you lean your head in the way.

“I asked you a question Mylooo!” You sing, grabbing his hand and dragging him away. His mouth opens to mutter something but nothing comes out. “Yeah, sure.” He says in a distracted tone that was purposely disregarded.

The others were quickly behind the two of you, you notice the group talking behind you so you stop. “Vi? What are you guys doing here!?” You inquire with a smile laced upon your lips. “They say they’re here to appreciate their peers' art.” Powder chimes in with a smart ass tone. Vi gave her a look immediately.

“Yeah, aha… We noticed the flyers and I remembered you did sculpting. Had to come support.” Violet lies and you knew she was but you didn’t comment on it. “Well, I hope you enjoy what you see! Come find me when you see mine! Just remembered I have to go talk to my professor, see ya!” You found yourself growing nervous at the sight of Viktor’s friends. Almost embarrassed. You chirp a swift goodbye, letting go of Mylo and hurriedly walking away from the group.

You wished you had asked them where Viktor was but in the same breath that would’ve been horrible. Doing it in front of everyone. You’d get teased for days by Powder.

The group all look at one another, sort of shrugging your behavior off. All now searching for your sculpture.

You genuinely did have to talk to your professor, that part wasn’t a lie but it was definitely an excuse to get away from the group.

The seven search through each note, waiting until they spot your initials or your name. It was taking too long, anticipation filling their every nerve. Powder got too annoyed and decided to separate from the group, heading to her boyfriend and just leeching onto him. He had already shown her his sculpture.

“Is that her initials?” Mel points to the paper in front of a rather large sculpture, it was almost teasing the others because of what the creation was. It took them this long to spot it as well. It felt like a slap to the face.

Mylo lets out a snort, covering his mouth. “I should’ve guessed.” He admires his friend’s work. Jayce and Vi stand beside one another with knowing smiles. Claggor presses his lips together tightly as Mel and Caitlyn awe and coo at it. Mel picks up the paper that explains the muse. The others hurdled around her as they read it.

“What are you guys reading?” A voice startles them, Mel instantly placing the paper back down on the table. All of them stand in front of the sculpture. Hiding it from him. Do they know why they’re hiding it? Not really. “Oh heyyy Viktor!” Jayce drags out his words, fear adorning his face along with the others that stand on either side of him. “Hi, Jayce.” Viktor eyes him up and down, glancing at the five other figures.

“Oh my gosh, is that Gert’s sculpture, we should go see that guys.” Mylo points to a random area in the room. The others gasp, even though the four do not have a single clue who Gert is. Going along with the shorter boy’s words. “Yeah, we definitely should.” Caitlyn encourages, pushing her girlfriend ahead. All of them scurrying away like blind mice.

Viktor watches them with a scrunched expression, rolling his eyes and looking ahead at what they were hiding. And once his eyes land on it his mouth opens. Eyes dilating at the sight before him.

“Your sculpture seems to be quite popular tonight…” Your professor softly speaks, bowing their head over to your sculpture. You let out a small gasp, your gaze locked on his figure that stood alone in front of what you made. “He seems awfully familiar.” They whisper before stepping away from you.

You lift your shoulders, shimmying them slightly to shake away the anxiety that grew. Carefully walking to him. You can hear everyone’s chatter around you. Every noise echoing off the tall walls of the gymnasium. “Do you… like it?” You heard yourself speak but you don’t actually understand how you’re doing it. His focus doesn’t turn to you. Stuck on what’s in front of him.

“I don’t know if I got your nose quite right. I had to go off memory though so, you get what you get I guess. Did you feel me staring at you in class? Cause that’s like all I did-” Your voice is cut off by a stifled laugh coming from the boy beside you. “What?” You worriedly ask. “Did I weird you out?” You tilt your head and he finally looks over at you.

Smiling, speechless. “You… are something.” He huffs, running a hand through his hair. “I’m your muse?” He changes the subject and you purse out your lips. “I think you always have been.” You answer, going up to your sculpture, touching the copy of Viktor’s face that was partially covered by a crescent moon. All the imperfections of the moon perfectly sculptured. The craters and bumps that showed.

“You and the moon. The way you talked about the moon, putting it into perspective for me. How you can talk about it is how I can talk and feel about you.” You avoid his gaze. Your note that explained your muse was much more simplified to how you actually felt. He knew that too as you seemed to be holding back even now.

“How the moon is lit by the sun, getting to see its imperfections. The sun doesn’t care, doesn’t see it as imperfections. Still shining brightly upon it. The moon has its dark side, something the sun never truly gets to see. No matter how hard it tries. But from earth… you can. If you try hard enough.” You explain, loud enough for Viktor to hear.

“I always thought of you as my sun. I think you might be my Earth though.” You admit to him. “I thought the sun was what motivated the moon. But it’s the Earth, the gravitational pull that keeps it stuck around. Not caring for the brightness or the dark. They need one another. Whether they’d like to admit it or not.” You finally turn to face him. His face was in a softened expression as he limped toward you. Taking your hands. Dropping his cane.

Your eyes widened and you wanted to drop down to get it but he stopped you. It didn’t work though as you swiftly took it. He unexpectedly pulls you to a quiet section of the gym away from others, he forces you to lean the cane onto the wall. You were more worried about it than its owner who needed it.

“That was either the corniest, cheesiest thing anyone has ever said or the most romantic thing said to me.” Viktor teases you and your teeth bare as you make a face, ultimately agreeing with him. “Yeah, it definitely was.” You pick at your bottom lip awkwardly.

“You’re my moon. If we’re talking about this- seriously, I used to think of you as my sun. Perfectly no matter what. I’m filled with imperfections but I never thought the same for you. I still don’t.” He informs you and you grin up at him. “Why’d you stop speaking to me for so long then. I mean I understand, I deserved it no doubt. I just, if you felt that way for me..?” You question him, your hands loosen, nervous that he’s going to want to let go but he grips tighter, his thumb gently wiping back and forth over your knuckles.

“I was scared that the one person I thought could never do anything wrong thought of me the way everyone else did when I was younger. When those messages were sent years ago. My heart sank and I was devastated. I should’ve let you explain but I was blinded by a pain I’ve never felt before.” His voice broke just thinking back to that time of your lives and the guilt still washing over you.

“And I then met you– again, you felt familiar and I enjoyed your company. I enjoyed your presence and everything about it. To find out that you were the person who hurt me so deeply. Who made it so hard for me to trust people again. I needed the time to process it all.” Viktor was sincere with his words. You listened intently.

“During the time I had. I realized that you were willing to fight still. To wait for me. You never stopped thinking about what happened. someone who truly intended to hurt me would never do that. They also wouldn’t sculpt my face by memory.” He reminds you and you let out a small giggle. “I also realized I was utterly, limitlessly and irrevocably in love with you.” Viktor declares.

“Talk about corny.” You raise your brows but you can’t hide the tears that weld in your eyes. He hums. “It was quite corny… but it is the truth.” He quiets and you stare at him. Your eyes travel all around his face. You bit the inside of your cheeks, thinking. Your mind is spiraling on what to say. This is all you’ve ever wanted. This was never what you expected though. Especially tonight.

And as you pick your own confession two arms wrap around the both of you. “You two seem to be friendly again!” Jayce proudly states, squishing the two of you together. “Yeah…” You nod your head. Violet clapped her hands excitedly but Mel and Caitlyn both pinch the bridges of their noses. “You two are idiots.” Caitlyn grumbles.

“What?” Jayce and Violet falter and you smile over at Viktor’s annoyed face. “Let’s go.” Mel grabs her boyfriend by his shirt and he’s still confused, repeatedly asking what until his girlfriend whispers in his ear.

His face drops and his head snaps over to the two who were now walking back to your sculpture. “I’m such a dumbass!” He cries.

The rest of the night, you spend with everyone. Of course looking over to Viktor numerous times throughout the night as each of your friends seemed to have been taking turns pulling you further and further away from him.

You mouthed an apology and that you’ll talk later as you got separated. He shrugged his shoulders, telling you it was alright.

Inside though… it was far from alright. He needed you near him. To finish that conversation from before. Something about it just didn’t feel… done.

Viktor finds himself sitting outside upon a stone bench that the college had recently put in. He leans back, staring up at the sky. The clouds covered the one thing he was hoping to see. His cane rests between his legs. It was cold outside but unlike his friends he had brought a jacket. His nose still felt like ice nonetheless.

You noticed Viktor missing from the group. Excusing yourself from the conversation you were in the middle of you walked to the halls first. Only seeing a couple eating each others faces and three people sitting on the ground.

You then go outside, the doors loudly opening as you push them against the wind. It almost knocked the air out of you as you stepped out.

You wandered for a little bit until you spot him. Sitting alone and staring at the cloudy, dark sky that was still brightly lit by the moon.

“Out here all alone?” You plop down beside him and he looks at you, confused on why you’re out here. “Shouldn’t you be with everyone else?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” You lean your head onto his shoulder, he smiles down at you before looking back up to the sky.

And to his surprise the clouds moved to reveal what he had been wishing to see.

“Mm, it got stuffy in there. Wanted some fresh air.” He mumbles. “Makes sense.”

You closed your eyes, letting this moment sink in. Hearing the sounds of the wind blow against the trees. Viktor’s calm breathing. And your own heartbeat that felt like it was going to explode with giddiness.

You ignored the coldness that was quickly covering around you. Goosebumps erupting throughout your skin.

“I love you too, I hope you know that.” You suddenly say, cutting through the comfortable silence. A smile ghosts his lips. “I know.” He assures you.

THE END! teehee.

taglist:

@policedeer @ang3lz-lov3 @im-just-a-simp-le-whore @confusedgemposts @corpsepies @almostdrowningdown @obittwo @ren-ni @donnie-is-here @urmommt @julia-lestrade @up-l4te-4t-n1ght

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vyl3tpwny · 2 days ago

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genuine question: why is genesis so low on ur topsters?

also, if you can: could i hear why hawaii: part ii is rated 3.5 on ur rateyourmusic? (as opposed to like. anything higher)

(p. s. your music inspires me to be the sincerest version of myself, and for that i thank you. the impact you've had on my life is unforgettable.)

genesis isn't rated low. my number one album of all time is genesis' "the lamb lies down on broadway", for about 16 years running. my topster is organized by relative colour, it's not perfect but it just looks nice!

—

when it comes to talking about music, what i like and like about it, almost 100% of the time i NEVER want to discourage people, talk down to artists, or claim my opinion as fact. the only time i will actively talk down about art is if it's purposefully harmful (see artists like: Tom Macdonald, etc).

with that said, music by miracle musical - and by extension tally hall - often does this thing where there are a handful of really impressive, well written songs that just blow me away. but then the rest of the album outside of those handful of songs are either just ok/catchy or don't interest me very much. the tally hall gang's highs are very high, and equally their lows are just sort of pace-killers for the albums.

it's dynamics like these that prevent me from liking some of my other albums for similar problems! i think albums like queen of misfits and glitter are bogged down by an absurd amount of boring filler that could have just been left out or reworked to be more interesting, it makes it hard to ever listen to those albums front to back. ironically i don't feel that way about fairytails, my 40-song long ass album, almost everything in it still feels rather purposeful to me. i listen to my own music a lot, and once i've finished a project i tend to try and listen to it and enjoy it from an audience perspective rather than an artist one.

while i'm on the topic, i don't necessarily agree with even rating hawaii pt. ii 3.5 because in the past few years i've completely lost interest in the idea of weighing albums by arbitrary scores. nowadays i like to just give 4-5's to albums i like and then ignore anything else. it doesn't really make sense to me to assign a number score to something with good faith, other than to show that score to other people. interfacing with art is not a black and white process. despite the so-called 3.5/5.0 score i gave hawaii pt. ii whenever that was, the reality is that record has influenced me and i've enjoyed it. honestly that's what matters the most. we can sit here and talk album dynamics, technicalities, compositional proficiency, lyric profundity, and """""consistency"""""" (which is a word music critics love to throw around without actually realizing what the fuck they're talking about) all day, but what matters the most is:

Did you like the music? (Yes/No)

Did it inspire you in some way? (Yes/No) [Optional]

Does it seek to do harm? (Yes/No)

Do you respect the efforts and goals of the artist? (Yes/No) [Should always be the inverse of Question 3; i.e; if you answer No to 3, then you should answer Yes to 4]

honestly if you answer yes, yes, no, yes, then it's a good album. i really don't care. not every piece of art has to push the envelope to new heights and be the most innovative thing in the world - i mean wouldn't that be extremely fatiguing and overwhelming? everyone wants to be a critic and tear down shit that doesn't click with them within the first viewing/listen these days, i don't know why, it's probably an ego thing, bred by the echo chambers in the corners of the internet. but a lot of music criticism can be COMPLETELY discarded in favour of "this just isn't for me", and a lot of people go leaps and bounds, doing mental gymnastics over internal compensations, to just avoid saying the dreaded phrase of "this just isn't for me".

trust me, i'm someone who has immense experience with tearing other people down to compensate for my internal insecurities, it happens extremely often which is why a lot of art criticism makes ZERO fucking sense. it's never about making meaningful commentary about anything, it's always just trying to justify in the format of a dissertation - the subjective experience of "this just isn't for me".

so. do i like hawaii pt. ii? yep. is it a perfect album? no. why did i rate it 3.5? probably because at the time i wanted someone somewhere to perceive me as Very Articulated and Well Educated In The Realm of Discussing Art In Front of Other People, in Order to Appear Superior in Intellect and Refined in Taste, Because I'm Insecure Just Like Everyone Else.

#vyop

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thebreakfastgenie · 2 days ago

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I looked the Virgin vs Chad one and while it did originate on 4chan, the Chad walk was apparently one of several submitted in response to the original virgin image. I suspect the Chad was already making fun of the concept a bit, because of details like the shape of Chad's head being the outline of the country Chad, but since it's 4chan and we don't know anything about the original poster it's hard to say for sure. That would explain why that one is generally more consistently used to make fun of the original incel premise, though, if half of it was parody to begin with.

Anyway I wanted to add this and forgot in my last comment (because I had to stop midway through writing it to have a zoom meeting with my professor lol), but the virgin vs Chad walk meme generally only uses those characters or other "walks" unrelated to that premise, but the incel framework Chad comes from also invented another character called Tyrone and that one is legitimately just racist. I think the reason Tyrone hasn't escaped into popular awareness as much is that it's really obviously racist in a way people are going to notice. It's basically a bunch of stereotypes about Black men and sexual relationships between Black men and white women, it's not creative so if you've seen that in any context you know what I'm talking about. I just wanted to bring this up to emphasize that these things are never far from racism.

When did the South Park "it's cringe to care about things" sentiment win on the left? When did that happen??

#racism gets by the masses all the time it's like. old-fashioned blatant racism

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willalove75 · 23 hours ago

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Alcina's New Maid Pt. 25 Lady Dimitrescu x Reader

Summary: Alcina and the girls take care of business. After that, they dive head first into planning your birthday party!

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI.

Tags: Just some fluff, maybe the tiniest hint of angst if you squint

Notes: Part 25! Heyyyyyy long time no see! I am SO, SO sorry it took me almost a goddamn year to update this fic!!!😭 I really didn't expect to not update this for so long. I was really only hoping to be away for a few months. For those who missed my latest life update in the notes of the last chapter, or if you forgot (lets be real that's totally what happened lmaoo) I had a baby!!! He was born in May and is truly the best thing in the entire world. Labor was ROUGH, I was in labor for 36 hours but he was perfect and healthy and a big chonk! (Almost 9lbs!) Postpartum has definitely been difficult, especially the first few months (PPD decided to BODY me four months in😅) but things are starting to finally calm down a bit and I've had the time, motivation AND energy to write lately!! WOO!!! I was NOT expecting this birthday party scene to be so damn long when I first pictured it. But it'll probably end up being about three chapters. Is it too long? Maybe. Probably. But I don't have the energy to nit-pick it to death and I'm afraid if I did, I'd think it's shit, lose all motivation, and take even longer to update this thing lmaooo Was this proofread? Kinda, but not really. Is it my favorite chapter I've ever written? Also no. But it does lay a bit of foundation for some other things later on! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it! Pls leave me a comment with your thoughts!

Click here for the rest of the series

The following evening, Alcina and the girls made their way down to the village. Alcina insisted that you didn’t wait up for them so you begrudgingly got yourself ready and fell asleep in Alcina’s massive bed, alone. What you assume was a few hours later, you awoke when the mattress dipped on Alcina’s side of the bed. Turning towards her, she smiled at you and pulled you into her chest.

“It’s done?” You asked, your voice still thick with sleep.

“Yes. Go back to sleep, draga.” She replied.

As you opened your mouth to ask more questions, Alcina shushed you and ran her long fingers through your hair. “Sleep.”

Knowing you weren’t going to win, coupled with your half-asleep state, you cuddled further into her and quickly fell back asleep.

Neither Alcina or the girls gave you details of what happened but they did tell you that the one child in the house was left unharmed and dropped at the doorstep of a neighbors house. For the rest of the occupants, only a few were brought back to the castle and taken straight into the dungeon. The rest never made it out. It was the one and only time that night was discussed, which frankly was fine with you. Guilt still ate at you, but you understood why things had to happen the way they did. Even if a small part of you still believed they should have been left alone.

After that night, the girls put all of their energy towards your birthday party. Once Alcina realized how out of hand things were getting she ended up taking over the majority of the planning - just as Cassandra had predicted.

It was decided that the party would be a black tie affair and the ballroom would be decorated with white and gold accents. Alcina asked you to come up with a list of guests you would want invited, even though the majority of the village would be invited anyway. It didn’t take you long to give her your list since you didn’t have many friends in the village. Your list consisted of your aunt, uncle, and cousins, a few acquaintances, and your best friend, Alexi.

“And who is this Alexi?” Alcina asked as she looked over your list.

“Oh, he’s my best friend.”

“Your best friend?” She asks, crinkling her nose at the fact that your best friend was a guy. “And why have you never spoken of him before?”

“I don’t know,” you replied with a shrug. “I guess it just never came up.”

“And I presume there’s no swaying you into not inviting this man-thing?”

“No! Alcina he has to be there, he’s my best friend!” She grumbles something about how many men will be in attendance, clearly unhappy with it given her usual “no men in the castle” rule that was lifted for the party.

“So how long have you been friends with this man-thing for, then?”

“Since we were little kids, I met him before my parents died. We basically grew up together. We even made a pact that if we were both single by the time we were 30 we would just marry each other.” You say with a laugh.

Alcina however, did not find your pact with Alexi nearly as amusing as you did if the clenching of her jaw was any indication. You immediately picked up on her reaction and raised your eyebrows at her.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” She says with a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I just find it quite interesting you bargained to marry a man.”

Her suddenly cold attitude caught you off guard and was confusing until a thought dawned on you.

“Oh my god, Alcina, are you jealous?” You say with a smile growing on your face.

Her eyes flash with something akin to anger and they narrow at you as she scoffs. “Hah! Jealous? Of a stupid man-thing? Please, don’t offend me.”

Alcina turns her attention back towards the list. You can see how tight her jaw still is and the vein in her neck pulse like it does when she gets worked up.

“You’re so jealous!”

“I am not. I just don’t enjoy the thought of you marrying a man.” The tension in her body was palpable. Alcina would never admit that she was jealous. Possessive? Sure. But jealousy? That was a hideous trait, but Alcina couldn’t help but feel horribly jealous deep down.

Sensing her change in demeanor, you stood up and walked around her desk and crawled into her lap. Alcina sat back in her chair and looked down at you, a slight furrow in her brows still visible.

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about, or be jealous of. I promise. Alexi is just a friend, never anything more.” Alcina’s hands slide to your hips with a firm grip. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours.”

A low purr erupts from deep in her chest as you play to her possessiveness. Her pupils dilate and she leans down into your space, just barely brushing her lips against yours.

“Mine.” She growls.

“Yours. Forever.”

Alcina’s grip on you tightens as she surges forward, crashing her lips into yours with a growl. Her tongue pries your lips open and she claims your mouth, making you whimper in response. One of her hands leaves your hips and tightly grips the hair on the back of your head and her other hand digs into your hip, no doubt leaving bruises behind. As you pull back to take a breath, Alcina nips at your bottom lip, sucking on it before letting it snap back into place.

Your half-lidded eyes meet hers, a smoldering gold, and she guides your lips back to hers. Just as your lips touch once more, the shrill ring of the telephone snaps you out of the lust-filled moment. Alcina growls against your lips, clearly unhappy with the sudden interruption, and releases the grip in your hair to pick up the receiver.

“Yes?” She all but growls. Her eyes roll as she lets out a huff through her nose. You can tell that this is probably an important business call she’s going to have to take, instead of telling them to call back later so the two of you can continue what you’ve started - which is likely what she would prefer to do right now. “Ah, Mr. Botezatu, I’ve been expecting your call. No, this isn’t a bad time at all.” She says practically through her teeth.

Alcina looks down at you and pulls away the hand she’s been mindlessly caressing your hip with to cover the end of the receiver.

“I’m sorry.” She mouths before leaning into your ear. “I must take this, draga mea. But we shall continue this later. Understood?” She nips at your neck, catching you by surprise as you try to silence the small squeal you let out. Alcina’s chest rumbles with a deep chuckle as she pulls away and turns her attention back to the phone call.

Giving her a nod, you climb off of her lap and just before you’re out of reach, Alcina lands a firm smack to your behind. You turn to give her a playful glare and all you receive back is a wink and a smirk before you turn and leave her office.

The rest of the day was spent with the girls going over more plans for the party. They did their best to keep as much of it a secret as they could, but they caved and let you in on some of the ideas they had. There was also plenty of complaining about how Alcina ended up taking over the majority of the planning. They batted their eyelashes at you, hoping to sway you in convincing Alcina to let them back in on the bigger plans; but even you knew that once Alcina had a vision, nothing you could do would get her to relent.

Dinner came and went and Alcina was still cooped up in her office. You decided to bring her a bottle of wine and her favorite glass so she would at least have something to eat.

“Enter.” She said after you knocked on the door.

When you walked into the room, Alcina looked up and her demeanor brightened significantly.

“One moment.” She mouthed, holding up a finger, turning her attention back to the phone. “Yes, thank you. Yes, the next batch is set to ship next week and the following will ship early spring. Excellent. Have a wonderful evening.”

She returns the phone to its cradle and lets out a sigh before shifting her gaze back to you.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, draga?” She says, resting her chin in her hand.

“You missed dinner, so I figured I’d bring you something to drink while you were working.”

Alcina looks over at the clock and exhales as she reads the time. Her eyes flick back to you, with an apologetic look.

“I am sorry, draga. I’ve been so wrapped up with work I didn’t even realize the time.”

“It’s alright. The girls and I understand.” You say as you place the wine and glass on her desk.

“Thank you, my sweet.” She says as she leans down and pecks your lips. The phone rings and Alcina rolls her eyes. “One moment, draga.” She says before picking up the phone. “House Dimi- Ugh. Karl. Yes?” She says with an even more exaggerated eye roll. “Well, it’s about time you gave me your RSVP. They were due over a week ago! Although I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s not like a mutt like you can read.”

You hear Karl yell something over the phone and Alcina pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales.

“Of course you were the last one to respond!” She says. “Yes, even Moreau responded, on time.” Alcina looks at you and shakes her head at whatever Karl says. “Yes, Mother Miranda was the very first person to respond - of course she is attending!” She yells.

Your eyes widen and you freeze in place. Why it had never occurred to you that Mother Miranda would also be invited and possibly attend was beyond you, but the thought of being in the same room again as her scares you and your fingers absent-mindedly trace the light scar on your chest from her claws.

Alcina notices your thousand yard stare and rushes Karl off of the phone.

“Draga?” She says, cupping your cheek. “Are you alright?”

Snapping out of your daze, you meet her eyes. “Yeah, I just didn’t think about the fact that Mother Miranda will be there.”

Alcina takes the hand you’re tracing the scar with and places a kiss across your knuckles.

“Fret not, draga mea. She won’t harm you again. I promise.”

“Are you sure?” You ask.

“Yes, draga, I’m sure.”

Alcina cups your cheek and pulls you in for a soft yet passionate kiss. You feel the tension melt away at the touch of her lips and your shoulders relax.

“Are you almost finished?”

“Nearly. I just have one more call I have to make.”

Alcina glares at the phone, ready to be done for the day and you bite back a giggle.

“Is it an important call?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s important but it does have to be done today. Although I am anticipating it to be boring, it will likely be a short call, thank the Black God.”

“Well, I can keep you company if you’d like.”

“I’d always like your company, draga.” She says with a smile as she goes to pour herself a glass of wine.

Alcina drinks half the glass before refilling it and picking up the phone once more to dial the number. She motions for you to come closer and scoops you up into one of her arms and you settle onto her lap. Curling into her, you rest your head on her chest and she keeps a protective arm around you as the person on the other end of the line answers.

Her fingers dance mindlessly across the tops of your thighs while she speaks to whoever it is on the other end of the line. She only removes her hand once in a while to write in her ledger laid out on the desk in front of her or to take a sip of her wine.

The conversation only lasts about half an hour before Alcina finally hangs up. As soon as she returns the phone to its cradle, Alcina stands with you in her arms and whisks you out of the office, towards her chambers. After ducking through the door to her chambers, she kicks it closed behind her and lays you down on her bed. Without saying a word she captures your lips in a passionate kiss and strips you bare.

“Now,” she says as she looks up and down your naked form. “Where were we earlier?”

A faint blush covers your chest, neck, and face and Alcina picks up right where the two of you left off earlier in the day, making sure there are no interruptions this time as she takes you over and over again.

The party grows closer and closer, with deliveries arriving nearly every day, even Donna stops by and takes your measurements for a custom dress. The two of you talk about what you want the dress to look like and settle on a design and what fabric to use. You also got to finally meet The Duke when he visited the castle and Donna placed an order with him for the fabric. Whatever you expected the Duke to look like, you were not expecting him to look like that. The aura he gave off was mildly unsettling, but he also seemed incredibly cheerful. Truthfully, you weren’t sure what you thought of the large man, but you decided not to think too much into it for your sanity. He seemed like he was the kind of person that was nearly impossible to figure out.

Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra grow more and more excited each day, especially since it’s starting to grow colder at night and their time outside is limited to the afternoons. They continue to pester you about what you want for your birthday, even though you insist that they don’t have to get you any presents. They, like their mother, are as stubborn as they come.

As much stress this party is causing the staff, you notice that as the party gets closer, they also grow more excited. Aside from the dedicated servers, most of the staff will be allowed to enjoy the party at their leisure, something you insisted Alcina allowed, and you can feel the anticipation in the air. Zina seems eager for the event as well, even though she will be manning the serving team. You can almost hear the excitement in her voice when she talks about it.

Finally, the morning of the party arrives and the castle is buzzing with excitement. Maids are scurrying around with last minute preparations and the girls can hardly contain themselves. So much so that the three of them are actually ready early - hours early at that. Alcina’s already building anxiety nearly skyrockets when they show up to her study nearly three hours before the start time dressed and ready. The girls have never been able to keep themselves presentable for more than an hour at most, but they promise up and down that they won’t ruin their dresses or hair and makeup before the party.

She sends them out with a wave of her hand as she goes back to finish the little bit of paperwork she has left for the day.

Meanwhile, you try to help with final preparations but every time you try, Zina or one of the maids shoo you away. Apparently it’s frowned upon to help to set up for your own party so you decide to distract yourself with a new book in the library.

Luckily, the new book sucks you in and before you know it, Daniela flies into the library.

“Dani, you look so pretty!” You say after you look up from your book and take in the girl before you.

“Thank you! Aunt Donna made my dress and Cass and Bela helped me with my hair and makeup!”

Daniela is in a form fitting floor length emerald green dress with long sleeves and a plunging neckline. Her red hair, as usual, is shaved on one side but the other side has near-perfect beachy waves. Her makeup isn’t subtle, but not heavy either and her eyeshadow beautifully accents her golden eyes.

“Come on!” She says as she grabs your hand. “We have to get you ready!”

“I thought Zina was gonna help me get ready?” You assumed since she helped you get ready for your date with Alcina a few weeks ago that she would also be the one helping you get ready tonight.

“Nope! She’s super busy making sure everything is perfect, so mother asked us to help you.”

“Oh,” it’s not that you don’t trust the girls to help you, but you know how chaotic they can get, especially if they start fighting and you don’t want to end up looking insane because all three of them wanted to do something different. “Alright.”

“Don’t worry, we already promised mother we wouldn’t fight and you get the final say on everything!” She says, as if she read your mind.

“If you say so.” You say with a playful chuckle.

Daniela takes you to Bela’s room where Bela and Cassandra are already waiting to help you get ready. Both girls look absolutely stunning. Bela is in a strapless a-line burgundy dress with her hair half up-half down. The parts of her hair that are half up are braided beautifully across the back of her head and the rest hangs down in pretty waves. Her makeup is minimal and she looks like a natural beauty. Cassandra is in a floor length metallic gold dress with a slit up the side, a straight neckline and thin straps. Unlike Bela, her makeup is heavier with dark eyes, winged eyeliner, and a bold lip. But she still looks just as gorgeous as her sisters. Her thick black hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail.

You take a moment to engrain the way all three girls look into your memory. Not only is it so special to you that they would get all dressed up for your party, but this is the first and probably last time that you’ll see all three of them dressed so nicely without a hair out of place or blood splatter anywhere. They all look truly gorgeous and it warms your heart to see them like this.

“Ready?” Daniela asks, practically vibrating with excitement.

Sensing the excitement in the girls brings a smile to your face, you’re really looking forward to spending this time with them.

“You bet! Let’s do this!”

The three of you discuss what you want to do with your hair and makeup and once a plan is set in place, the girls get to work.

Cassandra paints your nails as Daniela does your makeup and Bela does your hair. You’ve never been pampered like this before and as unusual as the feeling is, you’re truly enjoying yourself. As you look at the mirror while the girls work on you, your eyes travel down to the light scar on your chest and the much more noticeable one on your neck.

“Hey Dani, are you able to cover these up at all?” You ask quietly as your free hand runs over the scars.

The chatter amongst the girls stops and they try not to look at you with pity in their eyes. Daniela takes a look at them with sad eyes and meets your gaze.

“I can definitely cover the ones on your chest.” She says, dabbing concealer onto your skin. “But this one,” she says, gesturing to your neck scar. “I can put some makeup on it to make it less noticeable but I don’t think I’ll be able to completely cover it.”

Meeting her gaze, you see the sadness in her eyes. Looking back into the mirror, you see Bela focusing herself on your hair and Cassandra is staring at your nails as if they personally offended her. It’s always so interesting to see how differently the girls react to that day. Daniela wears her heart on her sleeve, Bela will almost always focus on something else so she doesn’t have to think about it, and Cassandra is still angry about what happened. Even though she’s forgiven Alcina, she still harbors some resentment about the whole thing.

“That’s fine, whatever you can do. Thanks Dani.” You say with a smile.

Daniela smiles and continues working on your makeup. After a few minutes, the chatter picks back up and the four of you go back to laughing and poking fun at each other.

Finally, your hair, makeup, and nails are done. The four of you decided on leaving your hair down in curls, pinning one side back and allowing the rest to fall down your back and a little over your other shoulder. It also helps to hide what the makeup couldn’t of the scar on your neck. For makeup, you settled on a natural, but not minimal, look with a red lip to match the red Cassandra painted your nails with.

“Now for the dress!” Daniela says as she flies to Bela’s wardrobe and pulls out the garment bag.

Daniela unzips it and reveals the dress you and Donna spent hours discussing. It’s the first time any of you have seen it and you are stunned at her work. The black sequins sparkle beautifully in the light and you can’t wait to try it on.

You can hear the girls flies buzzing in excitement as you change into the dress and when you step out from behind the dressing screen, the three of them let out an audible gasp. Turning to look in the mirror, the biggest smile pulls across your face.

“You look beautiful.” Bela says as she stands next to you and fixes a stray hair.

Looking over, you can see Daniela covering her mouth with tears in her eyes and you pull her in for a hug.

“Oh, bug! Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your makeup.” You say with a laugh.

Daniela pulls herself together and wraps her arms around you, giving you too tight of a squeeze before letting go.

“It’s a shame really,” Cassandra begins to say and Bela immediately stares daggers at her. “It’s such a pretty dress and there’s no way mom isn’t literally tearing it off of you later tonight.” She says almost too casually.

“Cassandra!” You say as your face turns bright red.

“Tell me I’m wrong?” She deadpans.

“Cass! Gross!” Daniela whines.

“Alright, enough!” Bela says. “You look absolutely stunning and mother is going to be beside herself when she sees you.”

“Thank you so much, girls. I really, really appreciate you guys helping me get ready tonight.”

“Of course!” Bela says.

“I can’t wait for your entrance! You’re gonna knock everyone dead!” Daniela exclaims and you feel your face drop.

“My… entrance? What do you mean?”

“Your entrance! You know, when you enter the party in front of everyone?” Daniela says.

“I - I don’t get it. Are we not just greeting people as they come in?” You ask nervously.

“What?! No!” Daniela says.

“All of the guests are currently arriving. We’re supposed to let Zina know when you’re ready so they can prepare for your entrance.” Bela explains.

“So everyone is going to be looking at me?”

“Duh, it's your party.” Cassandra says.

“Oh god, I don’t want to do that! Why didn’t Alcina tell me about this?”

“Probably because she didn’t want you to freak yourself out too much beforehand.” Daniela says with a shrug.

You start pacing as your nerves skyrocket.

“Oh god, I - I can’t do that! I’m gonna fall down the stairs or something and completely embarrass myself! I don’t want to be the center of attention like that in front of the entire village!”

“You’ll be fine! Just breathe.” Bela says as she tries, and fails, to comfort you.

“Hey!” Cassandra yells, snapping you out of your near meltdown and grabs your shoulders. “You’re going to go out there and woo the shit out of everyone, our mother included. You look hot as shit and you won’t make an ass of yourself. Don’t worry, you got this.”

“Do I?”

“You do.”

Taking a deep breath, just barely settling your nerves, you give Cassandra a nod and Daniela flies out of the room to tell Zina you’re ready.

A few moments later, Zina knocks on the door and walks in. Your jaw drops when you first see her. You’ve never seen her in anything other than her uniform before, no less all dressed up. She’s wearing a long sleeve black dress with her salt and pepper hair tied up into a perfect bun at the back of her neck. She’s wearing minimal makeup, but more than she wears on an average day. She looks so pretty and you can’t help but smile.

“Zina, you look beautiful!” You say.

“Oh, this old thing? Thank you. You look absolutely beautiful yourself, dear.” She says with a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

“Alright girls, your mother is waiting for you. Off you go!” She says as she waves the girls away. They give you each one last “you got this” before flying out of the room.

“Ready?” Zina asks.

“I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting to have to do a whole entrance.” You say nervously.

“Don’t worry, the Countess will be right there. Just focus on her and all will be fine.” She says.

“Alright, if you say so.”

“Let's get going, we don’t want to miss your cue.”

In the main hall most of the guests are gathered and the last of them make their way in. Some have already gone into the ballroom where the party will be hosted, the rest wait in the hall to watch your entrance. Zina stops you before you turn the corner and has you wait as she goes to tell Alcina you’re ready to go.

Alcina nods and bends through the doorway and heads to the stairs. The guests all applaud as she makes her way down, stopping at the landing to address the crowd.

“Thank you all so very much for accepting the invitation to Castle Dimitrescu for this wonderful event.” She says and the audience applauds. “This is the first time in decades that House Dimitrescu has opened its doors for such an event, and I am proud and honored to be your host this evening.” As she begins to descend down the stairs, Bela, Cassandra and Daniela appear at the top and make their way down, meeting their mother at the foot of the stairs.

She cups each of their faces as they pass her and tells them how absolutely beautiful they all are.

Zina leads you around the corner to the door Alcina stepped through and makes you wait before sending you through.

“And now, our guest of honor, Y/N.” Alcina says.

Zina gives you a little nudge and you freeze in place. Nearly the entire village is waiting at the bottom of those stairs to see you. Mother Miranda will be in that crowd and that thought alone is nearly enough to have you turn and run away.

Noticing the panic surging in your eyes, Zina takes hold of your hand and you snap out of your spiral. Your eyes meet her kind, blue eyes and she smiles at you.

“Go on, dear. You will be fine. Just look at the Lady, you’ll be great.”

With the ounce of confidence she gave you, you take a step through the door before it vanishes. As you step towards the stairs, gasps fill the room as the crowd sees you for the first time and applause fills the air. Your eyes nervously scan the faces, desperately looking for a familiar one. Unfortunately, the first person you see is Mother Miranda and her eyes are locked onto you with a cold gaze. Your heartbeat begins to pick up and you grip the bannister harder trying to steady yourself at the top of the stairs. It seems almost impossible to take your eyes off of hers until you feel another set on you. Looking down, you see Alcina at the bottom of the stairs and you immediately relax.

The look of shock on her face melts into pure happiness as her smile grows wide and you start making your way down the stairs towards her. Even if you tried, even if you wanted to, there was no way you would ever be able to take your eyes off of her. The eggplant gown she’s wearing compliments her complexion beautifully. It’s almost impossible to pull your eyes away from the deep v cut of her dress but your eyes travel down lower and you’re enamored by how perfectly the fabric clings to every one of her curves.

By some miracle, you make it to the landing without tripping or making a fool of yourself and Alcina reaches her hand out for you to take hold of. It takes all of your self control to not throw yourself into her arms and kiss her in front of everyone, but you find the strength to keep your composure. After walking down a few more steps, you take her hand in yours and once you're close enough she leans in.

“You look absolutely stunning, draga mea.” Alcina whispers to you.

“So do you, Alci.” You whisper back.

The applause fades and Alcina turns her attention back to the crowd, your hand still in hers.

“It is truly an honor to reopen my home to celebrate one of the very finest women this village has to offer. Ever since Y/N walked through these castle doors she has brought nothing but light to our once dark home. To show my appreciation for her, I have a gift that very few have had the honor of receiving in House Dimitrescu.” On command, a maid steps forward with a black box in her hand and gives it to Alcina. Alcina lets go of your hand to take the box and faces you once more. “My gift to you, draga mea, will not only offer you protection everywhere you go, but it is also a token of my love and my appreciation for you and I truly hope you will love it.”

Looking into Alcina’s eyes, you see a hint of nervousness and your stomach churns, unsure of why she’s nervous. Alcina opens the box and a sparkle immediately catches your eye. Sitting on pristine black velvet is an absolutely stunning silver and diamond choker necklace. In the center sits the Dimitrescu crest, a beautiful rose with two swords crossed through it. Your jaw drops at the sight of it and you can’t help but cover your mouth with your hands.

“Alcina,” you say. “This is absolutely beautiful.”

Your eyes begin to mist and you look up to meet hers, only to notice hers have begun to water as well.

“Do you really like it?” She whispers.

“I love it. I love it so much. Thank you.” You say.

Without even thinking the both of you lean in and your lips meet in a loving kiss. You can hear a few gasps from the crowd but the both of you ignore it as you pull apart.

“May I?” She asks, gesturing to the necklace.

“Of course.”

Alcina removes the necklace from the box and you turn around and move your hair to allow her to put the necklace on you. The jewelry is ice cold against your skin but quickly warms as she fastens it effortlessly despite the size of her fingers. You trace the crest with your fingers as you turn back around and Alcina looks at you with so much love it takes everything in you not to grab her face and kiss her again.

“Perfect. Absolutely beautiful.” She says.

The two of you stare into each other's eyes for another moment before she addresses the crowd once more.

“Let the celebration commence!”

Right on cue, the music starts up and the serving staff begins to weave in and out of the crowd with trays full of champagne. Alcina guides you down the rest of the stairs and the girls gush over the necklace. The sound of tiny footsteps takes your attention away and you turn around just in time for Elena to jump into your arms, squealing your name.

“Hi my sweet girl!” You say with excitement. “Look at you!” You say as you pull back to look at her. “You look so beautiful!”

“Mommy picked out my dress!” She says as she kicks her feet.

“She picked out such a beautiful one! You must be one of the prettiest girls at the party.”

“Not prettier than you!”

“Somehow I doubt that.” You say as you nuzzle your nose against hers.

Anna and Crina walk up to you, each of them holding onto one of the boys hands, with huge smiles on their faces. You hug and kiss each of them with one arm as Elena continues to cling to you before you greet your aunt and uncle.

Both of them seem wildly uncomfortable and your aunt tries and fails to hide the look of displeasure on her face when she looks at you and Alcina. Your uncle doesn’t even try to hide his scowl.

“Elena, come here please.” Your aunt says, taking the girl from your arms. She stares at the choker necklace Alcina gifted you and glares at you.

The look she gives you takes you aback and you unconsciously step backwards into Alcina. Alcina’s large hand settles on your shoulder and grounds you.

“I do hope the trip from the village this evening was pleasant.” Alcina says, feigning politeness.

“It was.” Your aunt says.

Your uncle steps up to you and leans in to get a better look at your necklace. He lets out a scoff and looks you in the eyes.

“I never thought you would be one to whore yourself out.” He says quietly enough so the kids can’t hear him. “And to this monster? You are a disgrace. It’s a good thing your parents are dead. Because this would surely kill them.”

Your heart sinks into your chest and the grip Alcina has on your shoulder tightens. A low growl erupts from deep in her chest and your uncle looks up to glare at her. He’s only able to hold her stare for a couple of seconds before the death glare she’s sending his way is too much for him to bear and he walks away. The girls’ flies buzz angrily as they seethe, all three of them staring up at their mother waiting for her to give them permission to tear him limb from limb. Alcina raises her hand to silence them. They open their mouths to protest but one look from Alcina stops them.

The sound of someone clearing their throats takes your attention away and you look over to see Mother Miranda standing next to the group. She’s sporting a smile yet the icy blue of her eyes is as frightening as ever. Her eyes drift over towards your aunt and Elena and your aunt bows your head.

“Mother Miranda. It is an honor.” She says as her voice shakes.

Mother Miranda nods at your aunt and doesn’t take her eyes away from her or Elena. The look she gives them makes your stomach twist and Alcina can feel the nerves rippling off of you.

“I hope you enjoy the party.” She says to your aunt with a smile that doesn’t even begin to reach her eyes.

Your aunt nods, taking that as her exit and quickly gathers the kids, beelining it out of the main hall after your uncle.

Mother Miranda’s cold eyes meet yours and she gives you a sickly sweet smile.

“Happy birthday, my child.”

“Thank you, Mother Miranda.” You say as you bow your head.

“Mother Miranda, thank you for gracing us with your presence this evening.” Alcina says, mustering up as much sincerity as possible.

“And miss such a noteworthy event?” Miranda responds. “I see you were gifted the Dimitrescu crest.” She says as she looks at your necklace. “Very rarely is something so valuable gifted to others. You indeed must be quite special to my daughter.”

You swallow and take in a shaky breath.

“I am honored to have been gifted something so meaningful. It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.” You say as you try to keep your voice steady.

“As you should.” Miranda says. “Enjoy your party. Alcina.” She says, nodding at Alcina who returns the gesture before disappearing into the crowd.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and Alcina turns you around to face her.

“Are you alright?” She asks as she cups your face.

“Yeah. It’s just - that was a lot.”

“I know. I’m so sorry that this is how your night started, draga mea. Is there anything I can do?”

“No, I don’t think so. I just need a moment.”

“Take all the time you need, iubirea mea.”

Alcina caresses your cheek before pulling her hand away. Zina walks up to Alcina and whispers something and Alcina nods at her.

“There’s something that needs my attention, will you be alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, I promise.”

“Don’t let them spoil your evening my love. You deserve the world, go have fun.”

Alcina and Zina walk away and you take a minute to calm your nerves before weaving through the crowd of people. A few villagers nod at you, some wish you a happy birthday, others try to hide the look of disgust on their faces. It’s truly a mixed bag of faces and reactions.

After a few minutes of wandering around you hear a voice behind you.

“Oh my God! Who’s that hot piece of ass in the black dress?!”

Quickly turning around, you see Alexi with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

“Alexi!” You squeal as you run towards him and jump into his arms.

He hugs you tight and spins you around before setting you back down on the ground.

“Holy shit look at you!” He says as he eyes you up and down. “You look amazing!” His eyes move back to your face and they soften. “I can’t believe you’re real, that you’re here! Alive!”

Tears prick at his eyes as he pulls you in for another bone-crushing hug. You hug him back just as tightly.

“When I heard what happened I thought the worst was gonna happen. I thought you were - I never thought I’d see you again.” He says into your shoulder. Tears start to well in your eyes, just before they fall he says “Fuck! You even smell good!” and you begin to laugh.

“I missed you so much.” You say as you part.

“Why didn’t you write?! I saw Anna and she told me she saw you a few months ago and said that you were happy and safe but I didn’t believe it!”

“I know, I’m so sorry. Things have been so crazy here. I should have let you know I was okay. I’m so sorry, Alexi.”

“Well, you’re a bitch for not writing, but I’m so relieved that you’re okay so I guess you’re forgiven.”

The two of you laugh and hug once more. A server comes by and offers you champagne and you each take a glass.

“Oh my god!” Alexi says as he goes to take a sip, pulling the glass away from his lips. “Okay was I hallucinating or did you and Lady D actually kiss?” You nearly spit out your drink as he continues. “I was so far back but I saw you lean in and then heard a gasp and unless you happened to fall and eat shit, you definitely kissed that giant.” Your cheeks turn bright red and Alexi’s jaw drops. “Oh my god you did! Was that the first time you’ve kissed her?! Shit, I knew you liked older women but damn.”

“I - we -”

“Oh my god that wasn’t the first time you kissed her was it?!” You continue to flounder and Alexi gets louder and more excited. “Bitch I can’t believe you didn’t write to me and tell me you kissed her! You’re unforgiven.” He says as he takes a sip of his champagne. “Fuck, this is delicious. Okay, so how many times have you kissed her? Have you done more than just kiss? Did you two hook up?”

You get more flustered and cover your burning face with your hands and Alexi’s jaw hits the floor.

“Oh my god.” He says more quietly. “Have you two like,” he makes a scissoring motion with his fingers.

“Alexi!” You yell and smack his arm. Mortified, you look around to see if anyone else has their eyes on the two of you.

“OH MY GOD!” Alexi yells, gaining the attention of guests in your immediate vicinity and you slap your hand over his mouth and shush him.

“Shut up!” You say as you pull him to a secluded corner of the main hall. “Come here.”

When you finally get away from most of the crowd you pull your hand away from his mouth and it hangs open.

“Oh my god you two totally fucked!” The gears in his brain turn and you see a lightbulb go off. “She took your virginity?!” He says a little too loudly and your skin burns with embarrassment as a couple villagers walking by look over at the two of you. You flash them a polite smile before you glare at your best friend.

“Will you be quiet?!”

“Sorry! Sorry. But holy shit, girl, that gigantic woman took your v-card?!” Unable to verbally answer, you cover your face with your hands and shake your head. “Oh my god, how did she not split you in half?!”

“Alexi! She’s doesn’t have a -”

“She doesn’t need to with fingers that big! God, her strap must be huge. You poor, poor girl.”

“Oh my god. We haven’t - I don’t know if she even - we haven’t gotten that far, yet.”

“What the hell have you been waiting for?!”

“Things got complicated! I’m fine, but it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows since I got here, okay?”

“And you’re gonna sit here and act like I’m not going to have you explain that further?” He says as he finishes his champagne with an eyebrow raised at you.

“I can’t get into all of that right now, okay? But I promise I will later.”

“Bitch, you better.”

“I will, I promise.” You say as you grab his hands and give them a squeeze.

“Ahem.”

You hear someone clear their throat behind you and jump, releasing Alexi’s hand and turning around. Behind you, Alcina is standing there with a hand on her hip and her eyes narrowed at Alexi.

“Alcina! You scared me.”

“Are you enjoying your party, draga?” She asks you, yet her eyes continue to glare at Alexi.

“Yes! It’s so beautiful. Alexi and I were just catching up. Alcina, this is my best friend, Alexi. Alexi, this is Alcina.” You say, trying to diffuse the tension.

Alexi stands there, pinned by her glare and you nudge him to break him out of the spell.

“Oh, uh, it’s an honor to meet you, my Lady.” He says with a shaky voice as he gives a small bow.

Alcina purses her lips and looks down at you. Before she goes to speak, one of the stablehands steps in and addresses Alcina. He’s a bit taller than you, about the same height as Alexi with ash blonde hair and broad shoulders. You can tell by the way Alexi is looking at him that he completely forgot about you and Alcina.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt my Lady.” He says with a bow. “But may I borrow a servant or two? One of the horses stepped on one of the vineyard workers' feet and potentially broke his foot. We are having a difficult time dealing with all the horses with one less worker.”

Alcina sighs and you look over at Alexi and nudge him, nodding your head towards the stablehand.

“Oh! Uh, I - I can help!” He says almost too eagerly. Alcina looks at him and he clears his throat and gathers himself. “I mean, I tend to my fathers horses all the time. I can lend a hand, if you need.” You nudge him again. “My Lady.”

Alcina looks at you and you give her a nod and smile at Alexi.

“Well, if you have experience with horses, I don’t see why not.”

“Oh shit, really?” Alexi says and Alcina glares at him. “I - I mean, thank you my Lady.”

You smile at Alexi who introduces himself to the stablehand and they walk towards the doors together. With a laugh, you shake your head at your friend.

“That is your best friend?”

“Alcina!” You say with a laugh. “Be nice, he was nervous.”

“Mhm. Yet he still seemed quite friendly with you.” She says as her eyes stay on the two men as they exit the main hall.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You two seemed awfully touchy, when I approached.” Alcina crosses her arms across her chest and purses her lips.

“What are you - I was just holding his hands?”

“He knows you are mine. Yet he put his hands on you anyway.”

“Alcina, what’s going on?”

“I understand he is your best friend, but I do not trust those man-things. Especially around you. There is only one thing they want and they will do anything to get it.”

You stand there with your eyebrows furrowed. On one hand, you know what she means, but on the other - you realize she’s missing a key piece to the puzzle and you bark out a laugh and cover your mouth.

“Draga, this is no laughing matter.”

“Oh my god, Alcina, do you think he was hitting on me?”

“In all my years of life, men have only ever wanted one thing -”

“Alcina!” You say, abruptly ending her rant. Her eyes narrow at you as you continue to laugh. “He wasn’t hitting on me! Alcina, Alexi is gay. He’s not into women!”

Alcina opens her mouth to speak and closes it. She does this a few more times as a light blush dusts across her cheeks and you continue to laugh.

“I - I was not made aware of his preferences.”

As hard as you try to stifle your laughter, it still comes out from between your fingers as your hand is clasped over your mouth. Alcina is embarrassed as it is, you don’t want to make it any worse, but you can’t help but find this situation hysterical.

“It is not funny, draga.” Alcina says as she tries to hold back her smile. Despite her embarrassment, she too finds the situation amusing.

“Oh come on, it’s a little funny.” You say as you start to gather yourself.

Alcina shakes her head at you.

“Come, you haven’t even made it into the main event yet, draga.”

#willalove75 #lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu #re8 alcina #re8 lady dimitrescu #re8 fanfiction #re8 village #re8 #resident evil #wlw #wlw fanfic

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shegatsby · 1 day ago

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Hey,

may I request a Hannibal soulmate au one-shot, where he has to touch his soulmate in order to see the world in colour. One day at the FBI headquaters Jack invites an FBI agent and friend from another state, to help with the case. While she‘s walking towards Jack she accidentaly brushes Hannibal and their world explodes in colour? After that he goes all out courting her

A/N Hi! Kept you waiting I knowww but I was going through a shitty break up. He did me dirty and he has to pay. Anyways enjoy! Love you all, im gonna be more consistent i promise.

Y/N got a ticket to Baltimore Maryland in a rush because her long time friend, the head of the FBI’s Maryland branch had requested her insights and expertise on the matter. There was a killer on the loose and he had already taken 3 lives. Jack wasn’t a man who usually would ask for help so if it came to that it means that the situation was getting out of control and it also means that if they can’t solve it soon the citizens of Maryland would protest, it would look bad on the FBI. She was thinking about these things as she was gazing around, she was used to seeing things in black and white, that’s what she was born with anyways so she wasn’t complaining. She had a can drive her to her hotel which FBI provided. After freshening up she decided to get few cups of coffee to make a good impression. There was a possibility that she might spend weeks with them. She remembered a café shop she used to go to so she called another cab and gave the address.

The café was the same which gave her comfort, she ordered 5 cups and as she was waiting she looked around her, couples drinking coffee together and eating dessert, if only she could see them in colors… over the years she had relationships but none of them were her soulmate of course they were nice but just nice nothing more. She was losing hope inside, maybe her soulmate had died before she could meet him, deep down she envied people who were in a soulmate bond, of course she had married friends and she could see that they were sorry for her which made her hate and detest this shoulmate bond, she found it useless and a myth. It had been years she stopped searching and she was having casual hook ups, just to satisfy her needs.

‘’Thank you.’’ She smiled kindly to the barista and got the cup carrier and left the place, thankfully the driver waited for her to take her to the FBI quarters.

As she entered the building she was greeted by Alana Bloom, she had met Alana years ago and they never lost contact, ‘’I feel sorry to meet in such circumstances Y/N, but I’m glad you’re here.’’ She looked so professional every time Y/N saw her and it amazed her, Alana was a kind of woman who was always put together, professional and formal. Y/N just smiled and nodded at her comment, ‘’Here, I brought coffee.’’ Alana got one of the cups and drank as they got on the elevator, ‘’Hmm delicious.’’ They were making small conversation as the elevator door opened to Jack’s floor. ‘’How is he?’’ Y/N asked before entering the room, ‘’Pissed off.’’ She simply put it, just as Y/N thought. Alana opened the door to Jack’s office, he was placed on his black chair, in a suit. He had his colleagues he had mentioned in the email, Will Graham and Doctor Hannibal Lecter. They both stood up as they saw Elena and Y/N, ‘’Hi guys.’’ She greeted them, ‘’I brought coffee.’’

The one with the glasses she assumed Will huffed, ‘’I needed that.’’ And got his cup, extended one to Jack, Doctor Lecter was a bit standing far so Y/N approached, ‘’Here you go.’’ She extended the cup, ‘’Thank you so much Ms. Y/L/N, I am Doctor Hannibal Lecter. It is a pleasure finally meeting you in flesh.’’ His smile was small, she noticed how formal he was and how dominant. As he raised his hand to get the cup from her their fingers lightly brushed and with that Y/N noticed the color of his eyes, deep maroon, and his brown suit, her eyes went wide in that moment, she felt something warm on her stomach, how was this possible? She could see colors after years of seeing everything and everyone black and white. That tiny moment felt like it lasted for eternity, they all heard Jack’s cough and turned to him, ‘’Thank you so much for coming Y/N, we appreciate you made time for us. Please take a seat.’’ At Jack’s kind words she was only able to nod and sit next to Doctor Lecter, the man who made her see colors. It was all so strange to her, did he experience the same thing or he could already see because his soulmate was someone else? It wasn’t easy to read his face because he was good at putting on a mask, especially at work.

Jack Crawford gave everyone some files which consisted of pictures, addresses and analytics of medical examining of the victims. He then went on, explaining the whole situation but Y/N’s mind was somewhere else, this was the first time she couldn’t focus on her job which she loved.

The meeting lasted for 45 minutes, however for Hannibal it felt like a thousand years had past him by, he was startled by the sudden exchange of colors between him and Y/N, he wondered if she also experienced the same thing. During the meeting he had opportunity of observing her up close, thanks to his knowledge of the case he could just ignore Jack and completely deduce this young woman. She was wearing black pants, black high heels and a dark red turtle neck, she had light make up on, her hair was tied in an elegant way, she was sitting straight, her posture was one of the things he had noticed, he was a licensed psychiatrist so he could make a profile when he wanted to. She was definitely an independent woman who had to deal with a lot of things alone and yet she also had a certain femininity to her.

‘’Thank you for your time, you can contact me or any of my staff if you have any questions.’’ Jack’s last words were heard by everyone.

Hannibal Lecter was a man of calculation and then action, somehow he had to figure out if she had the same experience, ‘’Miss Y/N?’’ he found himself call out for her as she was about to leave, ‘’Yes doctor?’’ Y/N wanted to keep it professional, other members turned to them when they say them communicate, ‘’May we speak in private?’’ to his request she only nodded and walked up to him on the corridor, ‘’Tonight I am hosting a dinner party. Maybe Jack had mentioned before, I would love for you to join us.’’

She knew his dinner parties, they were famous. ‘’I would love to.’’ She responded in a calm and kindly manner, ‘’May I have your phone number so that I can send you my home address?’’ he asked, testing the waters. ‘’Of course.’’ And they exchanged numbers, ‘’See you tonight.’’ She smiled and turned to leave, Hannibal found himself watching her leave with a strange feeling hammering on his chest, it felt like a warm liquid.

It was 8.10, most of his guests arrived but his maroon eyes were searching for a particular dove, she reminded him of a pure white dove, elegant yet fragile. ‘’Looking for someone?’’ his fellow colleague Dr. Frederick Chilton snapped Hannibal from his thoughts, ‘’Frederick, thank you for coming.’’ And they started to make small talk when he saw her.

She walked in holding her head high, a tight black dress surrounding her divine body, her red lips made him bit his bottom lip.

‘’Excuse me Frederick.’’ He said without even looking at him and his legs moved to her, ‘’Good evening.’’ He announced himself, ‘’Hello doctor.’’ She smiled warmly and he felt the same thing on his chest again, ‘’Excuse me but I have to say, you look ravishing on that dress.’’ And he saw the pink blush covering her cheeks, ‘’Thank you.’’ She looked at him up and down, noticing his three piece expensive suit. ‘’You don’t look so bad.’’ She replied which earned her a wide smile from him, ‘’Please, join us.’’ He guided her, his hand on the small of her back.

He gracefully introduced her to his colleagues, together they ate and drank, she liked the sparkling conversations she had, she found herself wanting to join more of his dinner parties. She had time to observe him in his home, being a host and she like dhow assertive and dominant he was. He was in control of everything and did it so calmly that she wanted to spend more time with him. Now that she could see the colors, tonight was something special for her not knowing he felt the same way.

When the guests left Y/N found herself being the only one who is sitting next to her and drinking an old wine, having a conversation of art and literature. They didn’t have the same taste because Hannibal loved baroque she admired impressionism but they could see from each others’ point of view. His hand was on her knee as they laughed together and she could feel her stomach turning in an exciting way, ‘’Oh, I do apologies, I wouldn’t want to cross the line.’’ He pulled his hand back but Y/N did something she shocked herself… she held his hand and placed it back on her knee. Hannibal, in that moment he knew that she had the same feelings towards him.

‘’Be careful, once I hold.. I won’t let go.’’ Hannibal said with a dark tone, ‘’What if I don’t want you to let go.’’ She replied back. Looking under her eyes. He smiled wickedly and leaned in to give her a kiss.

Thank you for reading. :)

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http-shield · 18 hours ago

Text

twilight? -bucky barnes

~ bucky barnes x fem!reader ~tags/cw: pre-civil war (bucky is in Romania and finds a friend in the local supermarket girl) they finally have their first coffee date! angst! bucky thinking about his past. honey is a replacement for y/n ~ wc: 2.4k ~ not proofread

For fifty years, the soldier had been the active mind in the body of James Buchanan Barnes. For that half a century, Bucky’s actions had not been his own, which in some aspects soothes the guilt that gnaws at his chest like a raven ravaging a corpse, picking at his decaying organs till his bones shine bright and clean, but in some other regards bolsters the powers of the monster made of shame and regret because he had been there, albeit locked in the deep, deep recesses of the soldier’s mind without any way of breaking free of the prison, but he was still there. James saw everything, felt every wound that tore at his skin, heard every cry and plea, the weight of the knife in his palm as he plunged into the neck of the soldier’s mission. He was there. Was. A key verb Bucky reminds himself of every morning as he spills the contents of his stomach into the sink after a new nightmare wretches him awake. Was. The word he writes in his journal over and over again until the script begins to look like chicken scratching. Was. Written in steam on the mirror as he dresses after a shower. A faint mark on his hand. The slip of paper in his wallet. A consistent reminder of his current reality. It has been working well this far, each time he feels that familiar pull of guilt's spindly fingers gripping his shoulders, he opens his journal or reads the slip of paper, a way to redirect his thoughts away from the feeling in the pit of his stomach that does not conjure any distinct memories, but fills his body with dread.

Was. Was. Was.

The slip of paper sits neatly in the second card slot in the tattered (and stolen) wallet. Beneath it is a metro card (also stolen) and another slip of paper.

If you ever get a phone x

0763 389 295

Your handwriting is neat, slanting slightly to the right as you quickly scrawled the message on a larger piece of paper before ripping it and slipping it into Bucky’s shopping bag. He hadn’t noticed the note until he had gotten home and began to unpack the groceries. Squished between two cans of fruit sat the delicate white piece, the black ink had leaked slightly due to the condensation off the fruit you had ‘sold’ him quickly before you shoved him out the door in case your manager caught on to the suspiciously low sale price and rectified the ‘mistake’.

“I don’t want you to get fired, I can pay for the fruit.” Bucky had whispered as you pushed him out the door, your hands on his backpack shoving him towards the automatic doors. He was letting you push him, allowing you the small victory of feeling as though you had power over him in this moment just because he liked the way you smiled when you noticed his lack of apprehension to the touch.

You shushed him and continued to press forward. “It’s not that expensive, I’ll just label it as a mistake.”

Bucky stopped, rooting his feet to the floor and preventing you from shoving him another inch. He felt your body slam into his back at the sudden halt, a small huff coming from you at the sudden bump. He turned to face you. You looked even cuter as you pouted.

“Exactly, so let me pay for them.” He began to reach for the wallet but your hand on his wrist stopped him.

Panic paralysed the ex-assassin for a moment as your fingers wrapped around his arm, your pinky dangerously low to the edge of his jacket sleeve, to the sliver of metal that sometimes peeked out from under the layers. Bucky’s heart began to race, thudding in his chest and filling his head with loud thumps, his breathing turned shallow, chest heaving rapidly. He should run. Wretch his arm away from you and run the entire way home, then get on a train and move.

Run, you moron! Run!

But he couldn’t. The grip on his wrist softened as you noticed his change in demeanour. You pulled back breaking all contact in a fraction of a second and stepping back, giving him a wide berth to move if need be.

“Are you-?” You asked, face softening in concern.

Bucky nodded, inhaled a short sharp breath and squared his shoulder. “Yeah.” he slipped the wallet into the plastic bag. “I’ve gotta go, see ya.”

And he was out the door. The whooshing in his brain didn’t stop until he was safely inside his apartment, the door barricaded with a plank of wood and the sound of the television playing softly in the background. The metal of his arm flashed in his peripheral vision, and god did he want to rip it from his body. To tear the faux appendage and throw it into a river, off a mountain, in the dump, anywhere that I would not be attached to him. Tears pricked at Bucky’s eyes as he felt his throat tighten with impending tears. He had already cried this morning and had hoped he would not again for the rest of the day but as he slid down the the door, the tears began to flow and Bucky was once again alone.

—---

Bucky’s apology for the abrupt exit came a day later. In the form of a letter left for you at the front desk. A coworker hands it to you, clearly very annoyed that he had been tasked with something other than work.

“Some guy left it for you.” he sighs, shoves his hands into jacket pockets and starts to walk down the aisle.

“Some guy? And you took it?” You shout at him in disbelief. “Did you even ask his name?”

Your co-worker shakes his head, still with his back to you and answers. “Didn’t care enough to.”

The envelope itself is clean. No weird marks or stains, nothing that could indicate that there would be anything creepy or dangerous inside. It isn’t heavy or bulky so no weird gift concealed in it, so maybe it’s safe? You slowly open the paper careful to avoid spilling any powder or whatever may be inside but as you open it and find a note, your fears begin to subside.

Inside there is a handwritten note addressed to you.

Honey,

I’m sorry that I left so quickly the other day. You did nothing wrong, I just got a bit overwhelmed and had to leave. I’ve left extra money in here to pay for the plums so please put it in the register or use it for something you want, I don’t mind, I just don't want you to get fired.

I might not be in for a few days (there is a big job coming up a town away) but I'll see you when I get back. I still don’t have a phone so I’ll come in and see you. I hope you still want to get coffee.

Bucky x

---

"So why are you in Bucharest?”

The question is simple enough that a non-detailed answer could be given, and neither one would be the wiser, Yet you both sit in the booth, eyes trained on the steaming cups of coffee, in complete silence.

You're the first to break the silence.

"Did you get the plums?”

Bucky looks up from his coffee, lines of worry melting. “I did.” he reaches into his backpack, the same one you had seen on him each time he came into the store, and pulls out two perfectly purple plums. His large, gloved hand dwarfs the small fruits, looking like tiny river stones in his palm.

For a moment he is no longer the man who had saved you from certain death. He is a boy you had met long ago in the village square with eyes of endless blue and a smile of summer sunshine, whose hand slipped in yours as you ran through fields of wheat and barley, hiding in empty fox holes and climbing the great oak trees. He is a child, unburdened and carefree, suffering and heartbreak unknown.

You sit straighter, leaning in to get a good look at the fruit before you and match the small smile on his face.

“You want one?” Bucky offers.

The action itself does nothing to shake the aura of innocence surrounding him at that moment. It was too kind, too well-intentioned to reignite that ember of apprehension that lives in each interaction you have, but there is something off about him, not sinister or unpleasant, just something that isn’t quite as obvious as it should be.

You shake your head at the generous act.

“Oh, it's okay. They must been expensive, not being in season. Thank you, though. You’re very sweet.”

Bucky nods and retracts his hand, the fruit disappearing back into the backpack. His cheeks are pinker than before, ears tinting red and you wonder if it's because of your compliment, though not at all your intention, but it has your heart racing a beat faster.

“Have you always lived in Bucharest?” he asks, gloved fingers picking up the mug of steaming coffee.

“Not always.” You trace the lip of your mug with a finger, taking the time to formulate a concise response without trauma dumping. “I lived in a few Yugoslavian countries until I was around five then moved to the US ‘till around a year ago. Travelled around for a bit before finally settling here.”

“Didn’t like any of the other places?” Bucky takes a sip of his coffee.

“London was good, Ireland even better but I missed the feeling of home. I wanted something that made me feel safe and ended up in Serbia for a bit before coming here.”

“What made you choose Romania?” his interest in your story seems sincere.

You look up from the foam of your cappuccino to find Bucky watching you intently.

“Wanna hear the dorky truth or a cooler answer?”

“Dorky truth.”

You sigh and square your shoulders. “Vampires.”

“Vampires?” Bucky laughs, covering his mouth with his hand to stifle the rest of his amusement.

“I know, it’s stupid. I just-” You can't help the laugh that escapes you as you begin to gush over the creatures you had obsessed over as a teen. “I was obsessed with vampires when I was a kid and promised myself I would visit Bran Castle when I got older, which I did see on my first week here, and then ended up finding a really nice apartment and a decent job so here I am.”

“You were obsessed with vampires as a kid?” Bucky fixes you with a look of pure astonishment.

You nod, taking another sip of your coffee to hide the blush creeping over your face.

“You, a child, were obsessed with a terrifying creature of the night?”

“I wasn’t a child. Okay, a kid is an exaggeration, I was, around fourteen, fifteen maybe. And I read this book and the vampire was attractive and it just spiralled from there.”

“The vampire was attractive?”

“Yes, as attractive as words on a page can be.” you shrug,

“Are you admitting to finding old bald men with creepy ears attractive?”

Old bald man? Creepy ears? Oh!

“Bucky no! Not Dracula!” the volume of your exclamation is a tad too loud for the small cafe.

“What other popular novel about vampires is there? He’s the only one I can think of.”

“You’ve never heard of Twilight?”

“As the time of day, yes.” he looks at you as though you're the stupid one for thinking that Twilight could be anything other than that.

“Not the vampire series with the mortal girl and vampire lover?”

Bucky shakes his head.

“You need to watch it.” you rub your temples in mock frustration. “We’re watching it, I’m going to force you to watch it so you can see the appeal that is the modern-day vampire.”

“I’m not going to-” he begins his protest.

“Why are you acting like you have a choice in any of this? As your friend, I must educate you on the wonders of the Twilight Saga, the fate of our friendship depends on it.”

“As my friend?” the corners of his mouth twitch downwards in a sad smile. “We’re friends?”

“Yeah. What other word would you use to describe two people who are gonna spend the next week watching the best and worst movie franchise in the history of mankind?”

“A kidnapping victim?”

You gasp in shock, hand pressing against your heart in offence. “How dare you? I was about to open my home to you but no longer, Bucky….” You trail off not realising you don’t know his last name.

“Rogers,” he answers and you continue your tirade.

“Bucky Rogers, you are no longer invited to my twilight marathon.” you can’t stop the smile from spreading over your face despite your futile attempts at mock anger.

Bucky just shakes his head and laughs, his eyes crinkling up as he smiles at you. “You’re a weird kid.”

“Kid?” You laugh and pick up the mug you had almost forgotten about. “How old are you?”

“Older than you think.” there is a hint of humour in his answer but you're not sure why. It had not been a funny question or any kind of innuendo yet the glimmer in his eyes alludes to a fact you are not yet privy to.

“That’s ominous,” the cup returns to the table but your fingers do not leave the mug. “Are you secretly a hundred-year-old vampire? Are you here to seduce me into joining your army of the undead?”

“I am but I’m not bald with long ears and creepy nails so I don’t think anything I do is gonna work on you?”

“It wasn’t Dracula!” you throw your hands up exasperated and sigh, your cheeks hurting from the constant smiling.

Bucky hums his refusals to accept your truth. He is prettier now, especially as he relaxes into the soft cushion beneath him, all tension eased as you both laughed at your ridiculous life choices. The blue in his eyes seems brighter and you like the way his lips look as you smile. Fuck, he is beautiful.

“Imagining me bald with pointy ears?” Bucky teases, tucking his hair behind human ears.

You cannot help the rolls of your eyes as you shake your head. “Nope, just thinking about how you don’t really look like a Rogers.”

#http shield ♡ ‧₊˚ ⋅ ౨ৎ ‧₊ .ᐟ #draft dump #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky x you

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