#they immediately go to the mines as soon as the epilogue ends

[sleepyorchidmonster]

So, considering how Idia developed the cheat tool and broke the 4th wall into tiny pieces...

Does that mean that the events and vignettes are all thanks to Idia?!?

I mean, they do fit his brand of silly, though maybe the other students also join in to create the stories? Like a Friday night "let's brainstorm a new event" thing that they do after the third years moved to their internships, so as to keep the cast together??

I can see everyone trying to at least adapt the other main story chapters into the game (maybe using S.T.Y.X. tech to recreate the events by analyzing their memories) as a way to keep track of things/ identify a possible pattern or mastermind working behind the scenes...

Which would be quite funny, since they'll have to play the whole game again...

Some highlights include:

- General sense of despair at realizing just how bad Yuu's situation is, especially since the story is in their POV;

- Realization that there's an overblot phantom or more hanging out at the mines;

- Obligatory overblot flashback angst;

- Riddle's mom is worse than they thought;

- General anger at Octotrio for making Yuu homeless/ enslaving a good chunk of the student body;

- Suspicion at Crowley;

- Immediate plans to free Jamil from indentured servitude;

- General consensus that the first years are stupidly reckless;

- Everyone now ships Deuce and Epel and keep teasing them both;

- The whole cast now understands a bit more about S.T.Y.X. and their general role;

- Lots of theorizing about Yuu's dreams;

- Understanding the conflict between human and faes;

- Levan is Crowley theories;

- Everyone's embarassed at seeing their dream selves again.

I've already done a "cast play the game" post so this time I tried to focus more on their general interpretation of the main events, since they'd be playing the game as a way to recap what happened/ find clues about what's to come instead of mere entertainment.

Doesn't mean they don't have plenty of laughs with the sheer insanity of this school...

[scarletwinterxx]

i only think of you, will we be together soon? - choi seungcheol scenario

soooo hellooo ~ this is just a quick epilogue/pt 2 of the seungcheol scenario i wrote, you can read it here. I just thought i should atleast write their first kiss🥺🥺🥺 and it's soooo cute. anyways i hope you like it🤍

for my other svt fics, check them here

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2025 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

It was an unusual sight—Seungcheol sleeping in on a weekend.

Usually, he'd be up early, either at the gym or getting a head start on errands. But today, he was sprawled across his bed, face buried in his pillow, the blanket barely covering his bare back. His room was dim, the only light filtering through the gap in his curtains.

When you let yourself into his apartment, calling out his name and getting no response, you knew exactly where to find him. Quietly opening the door to his bedroom, you peeked in, finding him sound asleep. His hair was a mess, his broad shoulders rising and falling with his deep breaths.

A mischievous grin spread across your face. Creeping toward the bed, you carefully climbed onto it, trying not to wake him too soon. Then, without warning, you flopped onto his back, draping yourself over him like a blanket.

"Cheol," you called softly, your voice sing-song as you poked his shoulder. "Wake up~."

He groaned into his pillow, his voice muffled but clearly displeased. "Five more minutes..."

"Nope," you chirped, wiggling a little to get comfortable on top of him. "I need you to drive me somewhere!"

He cracked one eye open, groaning again as he turned his head slightly. "Where?" His voice was raspy, thick with sleep, and you couldn’t help but find it endearing.

"The dog café!" you announced, resting your chin on his shoulder. "I’ve been wanting to go, and you promised you’d take me!"

He sighed dramatically, though there was no real annoyance behind it. "Why can’t you let me sleep in peace?"

"Because you’re Seungcheol, and you love me,"

The smile on your face growing, since that moment at the beach there's this blanket of unspoken feelings that doesn't really need to said because at the end of the day he knows you and you know him.

At that, he cracked a small smile, though his eyes were still closed. "You’re lucky I do."

He shifted beneath you, effortlessly flipping over so you were lying on his chest instead of his back. His arms lazily wrapped around you, trapping you in place.

"Cheol, you’re supposed to be getting up," you protested, though you didn’t try to move

"Mm," he hummed, pulling you closer. "Five minutes. Then we’ll go to your dog café."

"That’s what you said before!"

He chuckled, his deep laugh rumbling through his chest. "Yeah, but this time I mean it."

You sighed, knowing you weren’t going to win. But as he held you, his warmth and steady heartbeat lulling you into comfort, you figured maybe five more minutes wouldn’t hurt.

After Seungcheol finally got out of bed (which, in reality, took more than just five minutes), the two of you headed out to the dog café you’d been pestering him about all week. He still looked groggy as he drove, his hair tousled and his hoodie lazily thrown on.

"You’re lucky I like dogs," he muttered, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye as you excitedly bounced in the passenger seat.

"You’re lucky you like *me*," you shot back with a grin, hugging your knees to your chest as you turned to face him.

He just shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

When you arrived, the café was bustling with happy barks and wagging tails. The moment you stepped inside, a small golden retriever puppy trotted up to you, wagging its tail so hard it looked like it might take off.

"Oh my God, Cheol, look at this baby!" you squealed, crouching down to pet the dog. The puppy immediately rolled onto its back, demanding belly rubs, which you happily obliged.

Seungcheol stood nearby, watching you with a fond expression as you giggled and cooed over the dog. "You’re worse than the dogs," he teased, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me? They’re adorable!" you retorted, looking up at him from your spot on the floor.

He crouched down beside you, scratching behind the puppy’s ears. "Yeah, they are," he admitted, his voice softer now.

You spent the next hour playing with various dogs, from energetic beagles to sleepy bulldogs, while Seungcheol alternated between joining in and watching you from a distance. At one point, a particularly bold corgi jumped into his lap, and you nearly cried laughing at the sight of big, tough Seungcheol awkwardly trying to balance the squirming dog.

"Cheol, you look so cute," you teased, snapping a picture on your phone.

He gave you a mock glare. "Delete that."

"Nope," you said, grinning mischievously.

When it was finally time to leave, you reluctantly said goodbye to the dogs, practically dragging your feet as Seungcheol led you back to the car.

"Happy now?" he asked as he opened the passenger door for you

"Very," you said, your face still lit up with joy.

As he got into the driver’s seat, he glanced over at you, shaking his head with a smile. "You’re such a kid."

"And yet, here you are," you replied, sticking your tongue out at him.

He laughed, shaking his head again. "Yeah, here I am," he said softly, as if to himself.

Then, with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the console, he added, "Let me know when you want to go again."

Your heart fluttered a little at his words, but you played it off, leaning your head back against the seat with a satisfied sigh. "You’re the best, Cheol."

He didn’t say anything, but the smile on his face as he drove you home spoke volumes.

Since he went with you to the dog cafe, it only felt right to go with him too if he wants to do something he likes. Unlucky for you, Seungcheol lives an active lifestyle.

Seungcheol chuckled as he watched you trudge behind him on the trail, your arms crossed and a dramatic pout plastered on your face.

The usually peaceful sound of nature was interrupted by the crunch of your footsteps and the occasional sigh you let out. He stopped to let you catch up, turning to look at your grumpy expression.

“You hate it that much?” he teased, a playful grin spreading across his face.

You nodded like a child, your bottom lip jutting out even more. “I hate it,” you grumbled. “The bugs, the sweating, the uphill part—ugh, especially the uphill part.”

He laughed softly and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “You could’ve just said so, baby. I wouldn’t have forced you.”

You shook your head, looking down at the ground. “But you wanted me to join you,” you mumbled. “And you always try out my hobbies, so I figured I should try yours too.”

Seungcheol’s grin softened into something warmer as he stepped closer, his hands gently settling on your shoulders. “Yah,” he said, his tone tender, “you didn’t have to do this just for me. I don’t want you to be miserable.”

“I’m not miserable,” you argued halfheartedly, though your pout betrayed you. “I’m just… not enjoying it.”

That made him laugh again. He bent down slightly to meet your eyes. “Let’s turn back, hmm? We can go grab something to eat instead. How does that sound?”

Your eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Really? You’re not upset?”

“How could I be upset when you’re this cute?” he said, pinching your cheek lightly. “You tried for me, and that means a lot. But next time, I’ll make sure we do something we both enjoy.”

You smiled, your pout finally replaced with a more genuine expression. “Okay. But no more hiking.”

“No more hiking,” he promised, taking your hand as the two of you turned back down the trail. “But I’ll probably still tease you about this for the rest of your life.”

“Cheol!” You groaned, and he laughed, his grip on your hand tightening as he led you back toward the car, already thinking of how to spoil you for putting up with his hobby.

It was one of those rare, lazy afternoons when the group was hanging out at Jeonghan’s place, sprawled across his living room in varying states of relaxation.

You were sitting cross-legged on the couch, quietly sipping on your drink, while Seungcheol sat beside you, one arm casually slung across the back of the couch, his fingers occasionally brushing your shoulder.

Jeonghan, ever the instigator, watched the two of you with a knowing glint in his eyes. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand as he smirked. “So,” he started, drawing out the word like it was some grand announcement. “Are you two, like, officially a couple now?”

You froze mid-sip, eyes darting to Seungcheol. He didn’t even flinch, just let out a small exhale through his nose as if he’d been expecting the question.

“I mean...” he began, his voice trailing off as he scratched the back of his neck, his gaze flicking to you for a split second before settling back on Jeonghan.

“What kind of answer is that?” Jeonghan said, feigning exasperation. “You either are or you aren’t.”

Seungkwan, perched on the armrest of a nearby chair, chimed in, his grin wide. “Yeah, hyung, spill it. The suspense is killing us.”

You shifted uncomfortably, suddenly hyperaware of Seungcheol’s hand now fully resting on your shoulder. “I—uh—” you stammered, unsure of what to say.

Seungcheol finally turned his head to look at you, his expression softening in a way that made your heart skip a beat. “Whatever she wants us to be,” he said simply, his tone steady but laced with something unspoken.

The room went silent for a beat before Jeonghan groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. “That’s not an answer, Cheol!”

Seungkwan burst into laughter, clapping his hands. “I swear, you two are impossible.”

You felt your cheeks heat up, but Seungcheol just chuckled, his thumb brushing lightly against your shoulder in reassurance.

“I think we’re doing just fine,” he said calmly, shooting Jeonghan a pointed look that clearly said, *drop it.*

Jeonghan raised his hands in surrender, though the smirk never left his face. “Fine, fine. But don’t think I’m not keeping an eye on you two.”

As the conversation shifted to another topic, you glanced at Seungcheol, your lips twitching into a small, shy smile. He caught your gaze and leaned in slightly, his voice low enough for only you to hear.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I’ve got this... whatever *this* is.”

And somehow, that was all the reassurance you needed.

Later he drives you home, the hum of the car engine was the only sound filling the space between you and Seungcheol. The evening air was cool, and the faint smell of his cologne lingered in the car, you fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket you were wearing, the fabric too big for you but warm and comforting, much like the man sitting next to you.

“So…” you started, your voice timid, breaking the silence. “Are we like… what are we…”

You trailed off, unsure how to word the question that had been buzzing in your head since Jeonghan’s teasing earlier.

Seungcheol glanced at you briefly, his expression calm, but you could see the flicker of something softer in his eyes. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on the armrest. “You don’t have to overthink their question,” he said gently. “No rush…”

“Yeah, but I want to know too,” you mumbled quietly, almost shyly, cutting him off before he could finish.

His grip on the wheel tightened just a fraction, and he let out a soft exhale. He pulled the car to a stop at a red light, finally turning his full attention to you.

You were twiddling with the sleeve of his jacket, your fingers nervously tugging at the fabric. That familiar pout was back, the one he could never seem to resist.

“Y/N…” he started, his voice softer now, almost hesitant.

You peeked up at him, your eyes big and vulnerable, and it hit him again—how deep he was, how there was no getting out of this even if he wanted to.

“You really want to know?” he asked, his voice dipping lower.

You nodded, your teeth catching your bottom lip nervously.

He leaned back in his seat, his gaze steady on yours. “You’re…” He hesitated for a brief second before letting the words fall out. “You’re the person I think about first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. You’re the one I’d drop everything for, no questions asked. And you’re the only one I want sitting next to me, wearing my jacket, pouting at me like that.”

Your lips parted slightly, caught off guard by his sudden honesty.

“So, what are we?” he continued, his lips quirking into the smallest smile. “We’re whatever you want us to be. But if it’s up to me…” He reached out, his hand gently brushing against yours. “We’re already everything.”

You felt your cheeks heat up, his words wrapping around your heart like a warm blanket. “Cheol…”

The light turned green, but he didn’t move the car immediately, his eyes still locked on you. “So?” he prompted, his tone lighter now. “What are we, Y/N?”

You gave him a shy smile, your fingers brushing against his. “I think we’re everything too,” you whispered.

He grinned then, that dimpled, boyish grin that made your chest feel tight. “Good,” he said simply, as if that was all he needed to hear.

And with that, he shifted gears and drove on, the air between you lighter but filled with an unspoken promise.

The quiet of the evening wrapped around you both as Seungcheol walked you to your apartment. The city was alive in the distance, but here, on the dimly lit stairs leading to your door, it was just the two of you.

You stopped at the top, turning to him as he stood a step below, his broad shoulders at perfect height for you to wrap your arms around his neck. Your fingers naturally found their way to the ends of his hair, twisting the soft strands between them.

He looked up at you, his dark eyes warm and fond, his dimples making an appearance as he gave you that small, knowing smile. “What?” he asked, his voice quiet but teasing, like he already knew what you were going to say.

You smiled back, tilting your head slightly as if studying his face. “Nothing,” you said, your voice soft, your heart full. “I love you.”

For a moment, his smile faltered—not from doubt, but from the overwhelming warmth that bloomed across his chest.

Then, without hesitation, he leaned closer, the space between you shrinking as his lips brushed yours in the softest, most tender kiss. It wasn’t rushed or uncertain. It was steady and gentle, like the beginning of something infinite.

He pulled back just enough to meet your gaze, his hand lifting to cup the side of your face, his thumb brushing against your cheek. “I love you,” he murmured, his voice low but certain.

You couldn’t help but smile again, leaning into his touch, your forehead resting lightly against his. “Good,” you whispered, your fingers still playing with his hair.

His lips quirked into another grin, his dimples deepening. “Good,” he echoed softly, his arms wrapping around your waist to pull you closer. Then he kisses you again.

And in that quiet moment, on the top of those stairs, it was as though the rest of the world ceased to exist. There was just you, Seungcheol, and the unspoken promise that this—whatever it was—was everything you’d both ever need.

[mavrintarou]

[4:38 PM] Oikawa Toru [10 & epilogue]

It is long, but you all deserve it.

Warning: miscarriage, angst, implied smut (nothing extreme explicit)

Ninth part

.

Toru pressed his forehead to the back of Y/n’s cold hand. He’s tried to warm up her fingers, blowing warm air at them for the past hour.

It’s been three hours and she still hasn’t stirred at all.

It was three hours ago when everything became a blur. Painful flashbacks came in cuts, but all he could clearly remember was catching Y/n before she lost consciousness.

“Call an ambulance!” Toru shouted at Woojin who quickly reached for his phone.

Toru blocked out Woojin shouting frantically at the emergency responder.

“Y/n… oh God, Y/n… wake up… open your eyes? Hmm? Please? Please open your eyes?” He shook her gently in his arms, cradling her carefully in the crook of his arm. “Don’t do this… please, wake up… open your eyes for me?”

Warm tears slipped down his cheeks as he recalled the painful memories of the doctor finally emerging from the Emergency Room.

The first three words were enough for them to understand Y/n’s condition. “I am sorry…”

She has been heavily sedated and is said to wake in a couple of hours.

“Wake up, Y/n…” Toru murmured, pressing the back of her hand to his cheek. “Please wake up…” He turned his head, remembering he was not alone with Y/n.

Woojin has been standing in the corner of the private room looking out the window to the cloudy sky. He had not said a single word after finding out that Y/n had lost the baby, yet he lingered like a ghost.

“How…” Toru’s hoarse voice spat, “how did you know she was pregnant?”

Slowly turning his head, he stared blankly at Toru before looking back out the window. “Her friend Naomi.” He inhaled softly, “apparently Y/n was supposed to come to Korea for me, her friend reached out to me to check in to see if she made it and if we discussed what to do with the baby…”

Toru shut his eyes, exhaling deeply. It was silent between them for a bit before he spoke, “there was a possibility that the baby she was carrying could have been mine, and we went forth with the test to see if I matched with the baby to avoid unnecessarily involving you.”

“It was my baby!” Woojin roared, spinning around. He slapped a hand against his chest, “I know it was my baby – “ his voice choked as he ended his sentence. A tear streaked down his cheek, “it was my baby... it has to be mine…”

Toru was speechless seeing this grown man in a state of distress. He couldn’t deny that deep down, he knew the baby was not his and was Woojin.

“I’m sorry.”

Meeting his eyes, Toru frowned, confused as to why he was apologizing.

“I love her, so much,” he confessed, “but it’s not reciprocated.” He looks at Toru with sad eyes, “the first time I saw you after Y/n came out from your apartment, I knew you were the one who had occupied her heart all this time.” His breath hitched before it was released quietly, “I never fully had her whole heart. She loved me the best she could but she couldn’t fully love me the way I fully loved her.” Woojin pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out another breath, this time, it sounded like a breath of relief. “I’ll leave you two alone, I’m going to go get some rest.”

Toru nodded in acknowledgment and watched the man leave and as soon as the door closed behind him, he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Turning his attention back to Y/n, he reached to adjust the blanket for the nth time. Sitting on the edge of the bed he leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. Quietly he whispered, “wake up, Y/n. Wake up for me.”

He prayed silently, prayed with his heart and soul.

“Toru?”

His head snapped up and Y/n groaned, her eyes fluttering until she finally saw him. Through it all, she still smiles at him.

“Why – why am I here?” she asked softly before her face morphed and eyes widened, her hands immediately placed over her flat belly. “My baby! Is something wrong with my baby?”

Toru towered over her, gently pressing her down into the bed to keep her still. “Calm down first, Y/n…” the straining in his voice was painful. “Let me call the doctor now that you’ve woken up.”

She listened and laid down, looking up at him with awaiting eyes. Their hands tightly gasped together as they waited for the doctor to arrive.

After evaluating her and confirming her vitals the doctor inhaled sharply before looking at Toru. “Ms. Y/L/N, I’m afraid you have miscarried.”

.

Toru took a deep breath before he entered Y/n’s private room again. It has been over 12 hours since she woke up and was made aware of the miscarriage.

As soon as the words left the doctor’s mouth, she closed her eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks and turned her head without a word.

She has not spoken to him or anyone, just staring out the window with her palms resting against her belly.

“I’m back,” Toru announced cheerfully with a gentle smile. Y/n glanced at him and managed a forced smile. “I brought your favorite food,” he said.

She watched silently and lifelessly as he set the food down before her.

“Where is Mateo?”

He almost didn’t catch her soft voice, his eyes widening momentarily before he smiled at her question and responded, “he’s with my mom. Should I bring him over later?” he suggested hopefully.

Y/n nodded and reached for the utensil. “Thank you for the food,” she murmurs before eating.

“You’re welcome,” he answered happily. “Let me know if there’s anything else you would like to eat, I’ll get it for you.”

He sat beside her bed and watched her eat, occasionally reaching over to push food aside or asking if she would like more rice or water.

“Toru, when can I go home?”

A shaky breath escapes before he replies, “I’ll ask the doctor and as soon as they say it’s okay, I’ll take you home.” He reached up to brush her hair behind her ear. “I’ll get you home soon, okay?”

She nodded and turned to look outside the window. Her hollow eyes that had no light in them staring off with a bleak expression made his heart ache.

Toru cleared the half-eaten food in front of her and waited a few minutes, long minutes before reaching for her hand. He runs his thumb over her knuckles before pressing his lips to them. “Talk to me, Y/n. I’m dying in your silence.” He pressed his forehead to her knuckles. “I’m trying to be patient and give you space and time but I want you to know I love you. I love you and I care about you. You are not alone, I’m right here with you and you don’t have to carry the burden alone. Let me in, let me help you.” His voice croaked, “please, Y/n.”

He looked up when he felt something drop on top of his head. With her eyes shut tightly, tears streamed down her cheeks as they dripped onto the top of his head. “Y/n,” he called her name softly, shifting to sit on the bed and pulling her into his embrace. “Cry, let it all out. I’m right here with you. I got you.”

.

Mateo sat quietly and obediently in Y/n’s lap as Toru pushed them in a wheelchair. They took a stroll outside, basking in the sun and fresh air.

“Look over there Teo – it’s a rabbit,” Y/n pointed ahead of them. Mateo observed the white fluffy animal, eyes staring intensely.

Putting the breaks in place, Toru stepped around and crouched down to their eye level. He gently poked his son’s chubby cheek before wiping the drool away. “Do you see the rabbit, Teo?”

Earlier when he went to pick up his son, he could tell that his son missed him just as much. When he picked him up from his playpen, he curled into his father’s embrace. He did the same the moment he saw Y/n in the hospital, together they hugged each other.

Toru’s smile faded as something moved from the corner of his eyes. His breath hitched slightly before he stood up, acknowledging Woojin.

Woojin has not returned since the day he left distraught. Toru also has not mentioned him to Y/n and she has not questioned him either, he wasn’t sure if she even remembered his presence before she had collapsed.

Looking up at Toru, she followed his line of sight and looked over her shoulders. “Woojin?”

.

“I wasn’t sure… if you were there that day or if I was hallucinating.” Y/n couldn’t admit that she had been thinking about Woojin the last few days until she collapsed.

Woojin sat on the bench and beside him was Y/n in her wheelchair.

“Why – why didn’t you tell me you were preg…” he inhaled sharply, “that you were pregnant?” Those words were much harder to say than he anticipated.  

Y/n’s fingers fumbled and she remained silent for a second before quietly answering, “I was scared. I truly did not know I was pregnant. I was…” she couldn’t tell him she was sleeping with Toru, it was none of his business. “The timing was too close and you and I weren’t talking. I… Since I am with Toru, I thought I would take a test to determine, if it wasn’t… Toru then it had to be yours…”

From beside him, Woojin handed her a white envelope. “Your result.”

Her fingers trembled but she opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet within. Her eyes scanned the sheet until she saw Toru’s name and the result was marked negative beside his name.

The baby was not Toru’s.

She had a hunch but to have official results gave her closure.

So, it was Woojin’s baby.

Was.

Uncontrollable tears slipped down her cheeks.

Her baby was gone.

It didn’t matter who the father was, her baby was gone.

And it was all her fault.

Had she not been so impatient in wanting to know who the father was… had she just waited until they were born… had she just… accepted them regardless of who the father was…

“It’s all – it’s all my fault…”

Woojin effortlessly scooped her out of the wheelchair and pulled her onto his lap, hugging her tightly. “No, it’s no one’s fault. The doctor said things like this happen… timing and… our baby wasn’t strong enough.”

Her fingers clenched his shirt tightly as her breath grew heavier, her tears soaking his shirt. “I… I wasn’t strong enough – for them…”

“Enough,” Woojin commanded softly, “it is okay to grieve but we have to move on.” He pressed his lips to her temple, enclosing her tighter in his embrace. He wished he could hold her forever in his arms. Y/n was truly someone he cared for and loved but he knew her heart was never his from the beginning.

.

Toru feels like he’s walking on eggshells with Y/n the following week after they’ve been discharged from the hospital. He has talked Y/n into staying with him so he can keep an eye on her. He didn’t know why he was surprised but he was when she agreed.

He thought of having Mateo stay with his parent during this time but Y/n was reluctant and wanted him home.

“It’s not your parent's responsibility,” she reasoned when he told her that Mateo would be staying with his parents as she recovered, he also reasoned that he wanted to give her his undivided attention.

“Don’t,” she croaked, “don’t treat me any differently than before.” She reached for the end of his t-shirt. “I need him as much as I need you too.”

He sighed, understanding, and brought Mateo home.

Everything about her was making him anxious, he felt like he was more on edge than her.

She carried on about her day. They would spend time together with Mateo, cuddle on the couch or if she were not in his unit, she would be at hers playing the piano, which seemed to be her source of solace.

Y/n began seeing a therapist, the only time Toru was reluctant to allow Y/n out of his sight alone.

“Toru.”

Y/n called his name quietly as he exited Mateo’s room after putting him down for the night. His eyes connected with hers as she was seated at the dinner table.

A rush of anxiety began clouding him.

In a flash, Y/n is in front of him with a look of concern. Her mouth is moving but he can’t hear her.

His vision blurred as if he was looking at Y/n through an inverted lens. A loud, annoying screech filled his ears, drowning out her words, though he could see Y/n’s mouth moving.

“Toru!” She shouted his name, cupping his face and forcing him to snap out of his trance. “Toru, look at me,” she begged, pulling his forehead down to hers. “Come back to me…”

Toru blinked, alternately closing and reopening his eyes. He felt both hot and cold. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, he tried to push the dizziness away.

He released a breath and wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her close. “Don’t… don’t leave me… don’t leave us.”

.

Opening his eyes, he let it adjust to the lowly dimmed room. It was his living room.

He shifts and sees Y/n asleep leaning against the couch. He was lying on her lap. Turning his body, he nuzzles into Y/n’s belly. He will never get tired of her scent.

“Toru?” Y/n’s quiet voice called his name. She sits up and touches his forehead, “how are you feeling?”

“Yeah,” his voice croak, remembering the events earlier. “How – how long have we been sleeping?”

Y/n glanced at her watch, “maybe an hour or two? It’s just a little after midnight.” She exhales softly, “Toru, what happened?’

He swallowed, feeling shamed and embarrassed rush over him.

“Hey,” Y/n said, pulling him out of the darkness. “Don’t be ashamed that you had a panic attack… I’m here for you.”

Toru blinked, was that what it was? A panic attack? He’s never had one before.

“I was scared,” he finally uttered. “I was scared you were going to leave me, Teo, and me.”

“I won’t lie that I did not contemplate that –  no – wait listen to me,” she saw how fast his eyes widened. “During therapy, Dr. Tsuchiya suggested maybe I need to take a vacation and get some fresh air outside my circle.” Her thumb smoothed the crease on his forehead, “I was going to visit a colleague in Vienna since that’s where I first stayed when I began my career after leaving Japan. This might help spark a new love for the piano.” She smiles down at him.

Closing his eyes, Toru inhales and exhales.

“I was going to bring it up with you but I can see how edgy you were and was going to wait…” She brushed his hair like how she often did with Mateo during feeding or trying to put him down for a nap. “I was only going to take a three-week vacation.”

 Rolling onto his stomach, he buried his face against her tummy once again and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Three weeks is awfully a long time…”

“Toru, I think you should also find your love with volleyball again too. You don’t need to go back to playing professionally, but you should keep that passion alive.” She urges him to sit up, then crawls into his lap, straddling him. “We both put our careers on hold if you haven’t noticed and for the longest time, they were all we had – until we found each other. Don’t you agree?”

He nodded, “agreed.”

“And we should find that spark again.”

He nodded, “agreed.”

“Baby steps, it’ll be a little different but we’ll get there.”

He looks into her eyes for a few seconds, “together?”

She nodded, pressing her forehead against his. Closing her eyes, she cherished the intimacy of the moment.  “Yes, together,” she promised, pressing a light kiss to his lips.

.

[Weeks later]

Y/n counted the long seconds as the elevator rode up to her floor.

As soon as the door dinged and opened, she rushed out. Instead of turning left to her unit as she had for years, she turned to the unit to the right.

Toru and Mateo had no idea she was arriving earlier than expected, that was her surprise to them.

It was nearly four in the morning in Japan, she was sure neither of them were up yet.

She entered the apartment as quietly as she could, setting aside her luggage, she hurried toward Toru’s bedroom.

She longed for this moment, to return to the two people she missed and loved most.

The three and a half weeks away from Toru and Mateo was treacherous but she needed it. She cried her eyes out the first night she arrived in Vienna, missing them two dearly. She needed this moment away for herself and she constantly reminded herself that it was to better herself, for herself, and Toru and Mateo.

She wanted to be the best version of herself for them.

On her second day in Vienna, Y/n dedicated herself to rediscovering her passion and connection with the piano. She collaborated with other pianists who also experienced stagnation, and with their help, she began to find herself again.

Toru’s room was dark but even in the dark, she could navigate through his room. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, but she could see the lump on the bed. She walked over to the bedside table where she knew there would be a lamp and switched it on, the warm yellow light dimly lit up the room.

With his back facing her, Y/n knelt on the bed and leaned over to press a kiss to his temple. “Toru, I’m home.”

He rolled over quickly, shifting himself on his elbow and rubbing his eyes, blinking as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “Y/n?”

She was about to hug him but something else caught her eyes, something else besides Toru began shifting and whining.

“Mateo,” she cooed, pulling back the covers. The baby, who had grown so much in her eyes, scrunched up his face ready to cry for being disturbed. “Mateo,” she cooed again, rubbing his head. “I’m home baby.” Her voice only lulled him back to sleep, nestling closer into his father’s arm.  

“You said you weren’t going to be home until tomorrow?” Toru said in a low tired voice.

Focusing her gaze on the man she loves wholeheartedly, “I missed you two too much and couldn’t wait another day to be home.”

He smiled, reaching to cup her face with one palm. “We missed you every second you were away, welcome home. Now, come sleep with us.”

. . .

Epilogue

.

“Oops,” Mateo’s finger stopped moving over the piano keys. He looked up at Y/n with wide eyes, “momma I hit the wrong note.”

“It’s okay baby, try again.” Y/n smiled, encouraging him to begin where he left off.

At two years old, Y/n began teaching him the piano and now at three almost four years old, he was able to play over a handful of piano pieces on his own.

Y/n watched her boy play with admiration and pride.

After her return from Vienna, she and Toru tied the knot in front of a handful of family members and friends. As an official family of three, they enjoyed traveling together and watching Mateo grow each day.

Toru found his new spark and accepted the role of coaching the boys’ volleyball team at their old high school.

Y/n wanted to focus her attention on Mateo, but any free time she had, she volunteered as an instructor to educate and inspire new pianists at the School of Piano in their hometown.

Y/n rubbed her pregnant belly, and at almost eight months, the unborn baby girl was quite active in her womb and had only calmed down when her brother began his piano practice for the evening.

She wasn’t going to deny the fear and anxiousness she felt when she discovered she was pregnant. They had been trying to conceive, wanting to give Mateo a sibling.  

“I’ll be here with you, every step of the way,” Toru promised.

He rocked his hips, his cock slowly rubbing inside her tight pussy. The thought of trying to have another baby, one with Y/n, made Toru feel many different things. He was damn excited. He couldn’t wait to have a child or three with Y/n.

It was four months later when tears pooled her eyes when she saw the positive pregnancy test.

“I’m home!” Toru’s voice rang through their place. He walked through his unit and through the wide doorway that led into Y/n’s unit. They had reconstructed and turned their units into one.

Walking over to them, he pressed a kiss to Y/n’s lip, then Mateo’s head, and lastly, dropped down to one knee and pressed a kiss to Y/n’s belly. “I missed you guys.”

Mateo giggled and wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck, “hi daddy, I missed you too.”

Y/n rubbed her thumb against the stubble of his jaw while her other hand rubbed her belly, “we missed you too.”

. . .

E/n: Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU. For all your patience with me, and your kind and encouraging words. Thank you for hanging on this ship with me. We have reached our destination. I tried to make this chapter as realistic as possible, there's a handful of things that I'm like... "hmm, that wouldn't slide here in the US..." but needed to remind myself otherwise.

Now, one story done, going to wrap up Lord Gojo part 3. Stay tune - I have some spicy Lords coming soon.

@queenelleee @mfreedomstuff @erintaro @callmeraider @chaotic-fangirl-blog @wolffmaiden @cloud-lyy @rukia-uchia-98 @anejuuuuoy @tooruchiiscribs @mommyourcall420 @haikyuubiggestsimp @lilguycoded @random-734 @ghostlyneckoaftoad @abcde12345 @shotenvinsoot @princess-sunshyn @anonymoussimper @junglewoos @basically-an-anime-stan-acct @mih311 @m1nt-3lla @qualitygiantshoepsychic @whatamidoing89 @ssc7514 @lupita97lm @ushygushybaby @appepel @kozumiie @yakuswifeeeeeee @chxrv

[thelongestway]

So, I've started putting the first story on AO3. For those that know me there under a different name, that account still stands, but since it was originally intended for more than just my own stories (and since I plan to come back to that eventually, now that I've had enough of a breather to write and translate for fun again) - I decided to make a new one, specifically for fan-made stuff I originally published on Tumblr.

I'll be staggering the release there - even the edited version needs a bit more thinking (timelines and such), so this gives me both a bit of time for more editing, and getting to try out posting something that's mostly done, which is an entirely new experience!

But for now, we have an epilogue to finish. :)

Chapter 13

This Friend regained consciousness on familiar shores. It reached out and felt a languid wave meet its touch.

The prisoners?

They are well, if a little disoriented by their new situation. SecUnit is talking to them about it.

It felt itself smiling.

Then--good morning, Dandelion.

Good morning to you too, Friend, a warm sunray slid across its brow. Your vital signs read normal, but I would ask you to kindly take it slow for now. You have suffered extensive trauma, and while this new medbay is excellent, you will still need time to properly recover.

Noted and heeded, sensation returned as she released it, and the Friend sat up in an only partially-unpacked, but working medbay.

As it got up and dressed with the help of a medical drone, then ate a mostly liquid breakfast, Dandelion filled it in on what had happened after the Friend got shot. As it trusted the SecUnit to do, it got the refugees off-station, then assessed the situation and managed to come back for the Friend. The SecUnit did not have enough medical modules to deal with the level of injury the Friend had acquired on the way, so it had called on Dandelion for help.

"And I've always specialized in trauma surgery," she said, extending an arm so it could try out walking. "I kept you alive long enough to get here, and as soon as everyone was back on board, we made the next immediate jump on our route. We will release SecUnit on the next transit station and continue on towards Trellin and your drop off point, going slower from the next jump. We are running out of false identities."

The corridors they walked through were surprisingly empty for a ship this size.

"Captain Reed has reinstated this Friend's punishment?"

"Ke has, although ke has loosened it somewhat. We always build somewhat larger ships than the crew needs, for emergencies and for cases such as this, and secrecy remains paramount, so you and your five rescuees are confined to ring rather than cabin and remain under my watch for the duration."

"Cases such as this?" It ribbed. "Do you rescue people often?"

"I am a medical research ship," she said with a dignified flourish. "That, and I am who I am, so we are usually one of the first ships on the scene of a disaster. Any captain of mine knows ke may end up with rescuees on board at any time."

"That is good to hear."

"We do need to figure out what to pay SecUnit. With how loud you were, it had to jump away with us and will need to travel back to Parallax on its own, which increases the time frame for its return beyond what we agreed on, and I would not leave it without thanks. It's very fond of movies and such. Would you have any recommendations for it, by chance?"

Ah. So that's what it had been doing in the shuttle. The Friend had caught glimpses of a background process with some sort of serial, but it was too busy with its own preparations to pay it any mind.

"This Friend isn't certain. What does it like?"

Dandelion showed it a list. The Friend read through it and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What, no Super SecUnit Defender? Or Protect and Serve?"

"Those names do not tell me anything."

"Eh, these serials are practically ancient by Rim standards. And kind of corny. By which this Friend means that they were basically advertisements for various security companies. But this Friend loved them when it was younger. Those SecUnits in the shows were unstoppable--sort of like this one, honestly!" It found itself smiling again. "You know, Dandelion, by the time this Friend took its vows it already knew what working security was really like. That one did not get dramatic rescues, or incredibly lucky breaks, or, well, undercover SecUnits that help you rescue innocent people. Regular SecUnits answer to people with a profit motive, and are used to kill enough that it made this Friend sick, but it did not know what else to do. It was slowly turning into the sort of monster it wanted to fight against when it ran across the Friends. This Friend broke ranks to help them, and they saved it in turn by giving it purpose again."

"It is a familiar story. The Friends may have changed, but some things do not. Although I mostly handled Aspirants who were medically inclined, and that work comes with its own challenges and oaths."

They were coming up on a very loud conversation somewhere ahead, in what seemed to be a mess hall.

"…at least we had a legal status! And now we're outlaws! What exactly are we supposed to do now?!"

The SecUnit stared at a wall past the arguing father. Its drones buzzed angrily around it.

"You didn't have legal status," it said finally. "If you were unlucky, you had a few decades of 16-hour labor."

"It's still better than being hunted!"

The Friend tapped the SecUnit's feed.

Thank you for handling them thus far. This Friend's got this.

[mcufan72]

Cold winter days, a woman on a bench, a stranger in the park...

An Encounter in Winter ❄️

Loki and female reader (18+)

Chapter 17

Chapter 16

18+/adult themes/talking/flirting/slow burn/fluff/angst/smut

Warnings: angst, irritation, trust issues, not much smut, some cockwarming, soft!dom/sub vibes, some dirty talk, unprotected sex, fluff, sweet romantic stuff because I needed it, maybe still some secrets and life-changing decisions …

A/N: This is the penultimate chapter... there will be just one more chapter and/or an epilogue, I haven't decided yet. In advance, a big thank you to everyone who read, liked, commented (publicly or privately) and reblogged my story! I saw and see all of you guys and I love and appreciate you!🫶🏻💖

'Please meet me tomorrow in the park at our bench, my love'

"Sure, but why are you afraid to ask me for it?" and while questioning him you turned your head again towards him when you heard him say:

'In the afternoon, Snowflake. Same time, same place…'

The thing was, you heard him, loud and clear…but his lips didn't move an inch…

"Lo, what is going on here?" You tossed the magazine onto the table, your eyes widening fearingly.

"I don't know", Loki answered hesitantly. His last plea to meet him tomorrow in the afternoon he sent willingly to your mind to check if it really works. And to his astonishment, it did.

"Why…why can I… I mean how? How do you speak to me without… talking? Do I…do I hear your… thoughts? Can…can you hear mine? Oh my goodness…", and you jumped off the sofa and walked a few steps toward the window, away from Loki. It scared you and you felt nauseous.

"I swear, Snowflake, I don't know what's going on. You…you can hear me? In your head? I didn't know…"

"What did you not know? And come on, Lo… answer my question! Can you read or see or hear the thoughts and minds of others? Can you read or hear mine? Can you? And why didn't you tell me about it?"

You almost yelled at him. You didn't want to yell at him but you were so scared right now.

"Snowflake…"

"Tell me, Laufeyson…can you?"

Your face hardening you stared at him, anxiety in your eyes. You knew he had a lot of magical abilities and you knew, reading minds was one of them. But you never had any reason to think further about it and never discussed it. Until now.

Loki felt your insecurity and upcoming panic. He wanted to hug and comfort you, he didn't want to be the reason for you feeling that bad.

"My love please… yes, yes I can but…"

"Did you ever…ever read mine? Did you ever infiltrate my mind or my head?" You growled at him, your voice shaking with anger and fear and you locked up your tears. You never wanted to be manipulated again.

"No, my love, never. Why should I? I can't even do that without permission and physical contact. I just can manipulate someone with spoken words…and I never intended to manipulate you! I know how harmful and destructive this can be from my own experience. I would never do this to you! Please, darling, don't back away from me. You know I love you…"

"We had a lot of physical contact in the last months, Laufeyson!"

Tears were brimming in your eyes. Could you still trust him? He was very secretive since he came back from the mission. The phone call when you came back from the bathroom, he ended immediately as soon as he recognised you were entering the room. The delayed return from the recent mission and also it seemed he hid something from you. What did it all mean? Were you wrong about him? Everything with him was perfect, felt perfect. Maybe too perfect to be true or to be everlasting? But the things you've shared so far, the feelings you had for each other, the bond… all of this couldn't be a lie, could it?

The way you addressed him was painful for Loki. You never talked to him like this and never have you been that cold. Nonetheless, Loki made a step forward to take your hands in his to comfort you. But you backed away from him. You had never done it before and it hurt him deeply.

"Snowflake please, I don't know why you can hear me in your head. It…it must be our bond. I didn't even know that it would be that strong, that it could give you this ability. Please believe me, I'm as surprised as you are…", he made another step towards you and you backed away again.

"Surprised? Surprised?", you said hysterically. "Are you fucking kidding me, Loki? Surprised? So you want to tell me you didn't know about it? I'm not that naive anymore. I don't believe in everything that anyone else tells me about. I just don't know what I should believe in right now or not…or if I can still trust you." You regretted your words exactly the moment you fired them at Loki.

Loki felt like you had cut his heart out of his ribcage. Your words hit him like the sharpest swords. But he held his composure. He knew you didn't mean it…he hoped you did not. You told him every day how much you loved him and he was convinced this love wouldn't just fade away because of this difficult situation. If so, what would be the value of the love you had for each other? You both knew difficult times would come sooner or later. The honeymoon phase of your relationship wouldn't last forever…not to talk about the span of 4000 years. But maybe you never wanted to spend such a long time with him. He still didn't know if you had made a decision yet. Maybe this crisis would end everything you two shared.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Snowflake! I did it just with my last request, asking you to meet me tomorrow at our bench. Just to test us. To see if it really works. Please believe me. Please trust me, my love, I beg you…", he said desperately.

You shook your head vehemently and made further steps backwards.

"I need to be alone… I need…some alone time… don't…don't touch me, Lo. Please, leave me alone…"

"I won't leave you alone, my love. Not when you're in a state like this…"

"Okay, then I go…I go and you won't follow me, okay? Don't. Follow. Me!" You raised both hands in defiance.

"Snowflake… no…where…where are you going?"

"Away…I go … away… just away", you gestured with one hand toward the door, turned around and left the apartment.

"Snowflake, nooo…don't go, please!", but you ignored him and closed the entrance door behind you.

You didn't intend to leave the tower, not alone in the middle of the night. You headed to the elevator and pressed the button to the top floor where the roof terrace was. You needed fresh air. Lots of it. You didn't really know why you reacted how you reacted. It wasn't Loki's fault but you treated him like it was his. You knew you did him wrong and that you had hurt him deeply. But the feeling of maybe being manipulated again triggered old anxieties and feelings of emotionally depending on a man again and made you act wrong. Stephen Strange, the most manipulative asshole you had met in your life, had broken so much inside of you when you were engaged to him and the only thing you knew was that no man would do this to you ever again. At the same time, you knew Loki would never do something like this to you. He loved and adored you in a way you never expected someone would ever love and adore you.

You were just confused and overwhelmed, close to freaking out. Everything was too much today and this made you react unfairly. Your sister was back in your life, Loki's return from the mission which took longer than planned, the breathtaking sex with him after a long time disconnected because of the mission, and then finally you found out that you were able to hear his thoughts. It was just too much.

Even so, could you still trust him? Did he really not know that you might be able to hear his thoughts? Was the bond that strong? But why didn't Loki know about that fact? Did no one before him have this experience? Maybe not, because maybe never before a Jotun was in a relationship and shared a bond with an ordinary mortal like you. A mortal girl from Earth without any magical abilities, without any magic at all. The only thing that might make you special was your gut feeling that mostly never betrayed you. And this gut feeling told you now, Loki didn't know anything about that matter, that he had told you the truth. And you felt his heartbeat, nervous, strong, beating faster than usual and full of pain. He was hurting and you were causing it and you knew he didn't deserve your cruel behaviour.

Nothing of this was your fault but neither was Loki's. You tried to breathe through the fist squeezing your heart and swallowed down your tears. You decided to go back to your apartment and talk to him. You had to clear the whole situation. You needed to understand what had happened and what it would mean for the future now. A future you still wanted to spend together with Loki, your lover, the only worthy owner of your body, soul, heart… and thoughts. You loved and trusted him endlessly and you just hoped he'd understand your feelings, insecurities and anxieties and your motives for why you had been so mean to him.

Loki's eyes welled up with tears when you had left. The urge to follow you overtook him but he knew it was better to leave you alone now. He was afraid you could leave the tower and would walk to the park, the place you loved most and that always calmed you down. But you'd never go there alone in the middle of the night. You weren't that careless. He felt your heartbeat. It was thumping fast, restless, anxious. Of course, you were close to freaking out. Abilities like this could be frightening especially when you're not used to it. He was used to those abilities since he was a child, you were not. His mother told and taught him everything he knew about magic and magical abilities and now it was his turn to help you with it. He just hoped you would come back to him soon so you two could clear the issue.

He went to the bedroom and took the snow globe into his hand and shook it. He loved to watch the flakes twirling inside of it and got deeply lost in thoughts. Loki never expected this could ever happen, that you could be such a sensitive, good receiver of his thoughts. He had never heard about this and that a Midgardian inhabitant would be able to develop this ability. Maybe he still didn't know enough about Midgardians. And maybe it was the bond he had with you that had opened up your mind to it. He was restless and helpless, and he felt guilty too. He never wanted to cause any harm or trouble to you. He put the snowglobe back onto his bedside table and opened its drawer. He took out a small wooden box and ran his fingers over it.

He knew it was a risk and he might overwhelm you again. But he had to, there was no way to wait any longer. You were already suspicious and he didn't know how to hide it any longer. He might ruin it all but he had to take this risk. It seems your relationship has to be like this, no detours, no secrets, always straight to the point.

"Loki, can we talk?"

He flinched when he heard your voice and turned quickly around to face you, hastily hiding the box behind his back.

"You're back… thanks to the Norns you're back. Of course, we can talk, my love."

"What are you hiding from me, Loki?" you asked him quietly and tilted your chin up as walking slowly toward him.

"Nothing, my love", he answered quickly and instead of the wooden box he now held the snow globe in his hand, showing it to you. Magic could be such a wonderful gift.

"I just watched the flakes twirling around … you know how much I love this gift of yours."

"Yes, I do…", you answered softly. What for God's sake was he hiding?

"I'm sorry for freaking out and being mean to you…but I became anxious and worried. I still trust you, Lo… I'm just so afraid. Please forgive me…I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you, I love you, Lo!"

"I know my Lady Snowflake. There's nothing to forgive. I get that you're scared… but please don't be afraid. I won't leave you alone with that", he said softly and put the snow globe back onto the bedside table before he made some steps towards the spot you were standing. This time you didn't back away.

"May I hug you, my love?"

You just nodded silently because tears and a lump in your throat were disabling you to speak. The moment you felt his arms around you, you let your tears flow and nuzzled your face into his chest, his soft chest hair tickling your nose. His warmth and his familiar scent were calming you down immediately in a way only he could do it. You slung your arms around his waist and hugged him tightly while he comforted you gently.

"Shhhh shh, my love, I'm here…I'm here. I'll help you to handle it, I promise. It's not as terrifying as you might think right now. I'll teach you everything and you'll be able to control it."

"Why do I have this ability, Lo? I don't understand it but I want to understand it", you asked him with a tear-choked voice.

"I'm not sure, Snowflake. I just think you have a talent for it and you're a good and sensitive receiver…and I'll teach you to be a good sender as well. And I think our bond triggered your talent. We'll find a way to make you feel comfortable with it."

"Yeah, Lo. With your help I'll make it", you answered sobbingly.

"You will", Loki whispered against the crown of your head and pressed a tender kiss to your forehead.

"I'm so exhausted, Lo. Can we go to sleep? I just want to go to sleep."

"Sure, my love. Come, lay down with me… or do you prefer to sleep alone tonight?"

"Are you kidding me, baby? You know how bad my sleep is without you by my side."

Loki's face stretched in a smile of relief and you both took off your clothes and crawled into the bed under the duvets. Like every night he was spooning you and you were happy and grateful to have him back. Still, it was the first night together after the mission and nothing felt better than his skin on yours and the feeling of his muscled body wrapping yours was irreplaceable. You were already very sleepy but you needed to feel him again. You had recognised his boner nudging against your buttocks and you craved for him. You always craved your adorable lover.

"Lo?"

"Hmmhmm?"

"I need you."

"Aren't you too tired, Snowflake?"

"Yeesss…." ,you nearly drifted away into slumber. "Don't want to move… just wanna feel…you….Let me…warm you", you murmured tiredly.

"Are you sure, my love? Do you really want to do that? Because I can't promise I won't cum when I'm inside of you while you might already sleep." He would never take advantage of your sleepiness.

"…I want it, Lo…please…enter me, please…", you mumbled silently and sleepy.

"Snowflake…"

"Lo, please…"

You were dripping wet and slick so Loki had no problems slipping his erect length into your tunnel. Your cunt flattered his cock and your contractions, caused by him tenderly playing with your nipples, made him even harder. You must still trust and love him, otherwise, you wouldn't have allowed him to own you this way. He never dared ask you to warm his cock but secretly it was one of the things he had dreamt of. But he was insecure if you would accept such possessiveness.

"Norns, Snowflake…you feel so good."

He moaned whispering to your ear and kissed your nape. His ass tensed up delightfully though he barely moved. He just bathed in the feeling of your warm cunt engulfing and convulsing about his sensitive tip and enjoyed the blissful feeling of your beautiful body in his arms.

"You're being such a good girl for me" he whispered, close to tipple over the edge.

He wasn't able to stand this feeling any longer and despite all efforts to hold himself back, he came inside of you. He gasped and moaned silently but violently. His orgasm was intense and he tightened his grip around you. A silent, content sigh escaped your throat and from your light slumber, you drifted into a deep sleep as if you just had waited for him to find his relief in you.

"I love you so much, Snowflake." Still buried inside of you Loki fell asleep too, hoping the things he had planned would be successful.

In the morning when you woke up, Loki had already left the bed and the apartment. You stretched your limbs and yawned heartily. You missed the warmth of Loki's body but you still felt his seed dripping out of you and a familiar stickiness between your thighs. You looked at the empty space next to you but Loki had left something for you on his pillow. A smile curved your lips. There was a green rose and a note.

Good morning, my love.

I hope you slept well. I definitely did. With you in my arms, my sleep is always the best. I'm sorry for the mess I've left between your beautiful legs but you were so cute while still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb my Goddess' sleep. Also…you must know it was fantastic with you and you didn't dream it…if you know what I mean. You've been such a good girl for me and I have to thank you for last night. Thank you for letting me be possessive over you. I adore you, my Queen and next time I'll worship you and every little inch of your gorgeous body as you deserve to be worshipped!

Please don't be mad at me that I've already left but I have some things to be done before we have our date in the park.

I love you endlessly, my Goddess and I can't wait to see you in the afternoon. Same time, same place. Please come, my love, my pretty Snowflake. I'll be waiting for you.

In eternal, devoted love,

Loki

His words were so sweet and the thought about what had happened last night while cuddling naked to sleep, made you blush. You absolutely enjoyed it and you were utterly happy that Loki enjoyed it, too. You two definitely have to do it again. You sniffed at the beautiful rose, left the bed and took a long hot shower. You got dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and headed to the kitchen.

Thor and Jane, Tony and Bruce were already there and you were happy that you weren't alone and could have breakfast with them together. Yesterday's events still lingered in your mind. You couldn't wait for the afternoon when you would see Loki again and hopefully, you were getting some answers to your questions…and to your special request, you had for Loki. The only thing that bothered you was Jane and Thor stared at you grinning and exchanging knowing gazes. But you didn't want to ask them why they behaved like that, maybe you would do it later, in the evening after dinner with your sister and her family.

The day until afternoon went by quickly and was filled with lots of work in the lab like always when your friends had returned from a mission. After finishing work you changed your clothes. It was a warm autumn afternoon and you put on a flowery dress, which exposed your cleavage and your legs just the way Loki loved it and combined it with colour-fitting green ballerinas. You wanted to look pretty for him. This date was going to be very important, so it seemed.

You tidied your hair, put Loki's rose behind your ear and fixed it with a hairpin, diffused some of your favourite perfume behind your ears and on your wrists, grabbed your purse and left the building and walked to the park. You hadn't seen Loki all day and now you were excited to meet him. Something mysterious lingered in the air, something meaningful and changing.

After a short walk, you arrived at the park, your bench and Loki already in sight. You became nervous as a teenager who was going to meet her first crush for the first time and your cheeks blushed. You could already see from afar how stunning he looked, sitting on the bench, waiting for you as promised and you swallowed thickly.

Loki was dressed in black trousers, black patent shoes, the waistcoat with the snake motif woven into the fabric, an emerald green tie with a gold tie pin and a crisp white shirt. You would love to see it halfway open with rolled-up sleeves but today he wore it super chic and with golden cufflinks. You preferred his hair all curly and soft but today his black mane was properly styled and more wavy than curly. His perfect side profile, his straight nose, the chiselled jaw and cheekbones, his soft lips and celestial blue eyes, his slender long legs, one crossed over the other and the most important reason why you loved him so much, his big soft heart, his loving nature, his mentally and physically strength, his will to be together with you and endure you …this whole package made your legs wobbly and your heart flutters and you gasped inwardly.

If you weren't already in love with him, you would fall for him here and now. You still couldn't believe that this gorgeous man was yours and still… he had a secret and suddenly you were afraid he would want to end your relationship. It was an irrational worry but what if not? Concern overtook you and the smile you had on your face slowly faded away.

"May I?" You asked him shyly when you had arrived at your bench where he was waiting for you. Your hands were sweaty as if you would address him for the very first time.

"Snowflake!… of course, please take a seat!"

He was as nervous as you were and he rose from the bench to welcome you. His smooth dark voice caused goosebumps on your skin like whenever he spoke to you like this but it also calms you down a little bit. He took your hand in his and gave a soft kiss on your knuckles. He was still a perfect gentleman and treated you like his princess and goddess. A tear ran down your cheek and you were shaking with excitement. You felt how nervous he was, his hands were trembling and you wanted to hug him so badly.

"Thank you, Sir. Normally I don't do that…" you chuckled and squeezed his hand gently.

"Normally you don't… but now you do!", and Loki grinned smugly at you.

Your familiar scent and the powdery aroma of your perfume calmed him down a little bit. He tried to hide his growing insecurity and upcoming panic and also the feeling of what nestled in his pocket, burning a hole into his flesh. Not literally, of course, but the urge to make his wishes come true grew with every second.

"Please, let us sit down, my Lady!"

"I love to, Sir!"

You both sat down simultaneously, facing each other and Loki caressed the back of your hands. With his thumb, he wiped away the tear from your cheek.

"Do you feel good, my love?"

"I'm not sure. There's something going on, I guess." You could barely breathe.

"Yeah, maybe…" Loki's mouth was drier than the Gobi Desert and his heart thumped fast against his chest. He still held your hands in his and he felt you trembling.

"You look gorgeous, my love!"

"You look ravishing, my beautiful god. It seems you have something special in mind…"

"Yes, I have. I want to tell… no… ask you something…for…quite a while now."

"Oh…me too, Lo"

"Oh…really?"

You looked at each other curiously, quizzically and shyly smiling at each other, not knowing what to say next.

"Well, please you first, my Lady!"

"Noo, you first. You asked me for this date so you have the privilege to begin. What I've to tell you can wait, Sir."

You were close to crying because maybe your request wasn't relevant anymore. Why were you so afraid?

Loki took a deep breath before he spoke again.

"You…you know how much I love you, don't you?" He stammered.

Why was this so difficult? He just wanted to ask you something so why was he so nervous? He was a prince, a warrior, a god but now he was scared like a little boy. Why? It couldn't be that hard to ask you a simple question!

You just nodded silently, smiling at your lover. The lump in your throat and the dryness in your mouth made you unable to speak. Loki mustered all of his courage and began to talk.

"I still remember the day when you addressed me for the first time. Here, last winter, the lonely woman from the bench next to me. You looked so cute with your beanie with the green bobble and you were so sweet and nervous. Right from the beginning I felt drawn to you and you trusted me that much without knowing me. The way you listened and talked to me, the way you accepted me with all my insecurities and flaws was and still is incredible.

I never thought I would find someone like you. A woman who allows me to be my true self. You never judged me, never hated me for my past and the things I did. The greatest gift ever is that you love me for who I am. I always thought I'm a monster but you showed me I am not, that I'm worthy of love and acceptance. You make me feel safe and content and I also found the courage to walk around in my true form…yeah, just in Norway and in private but…I don't feel bad about it anymore and to know that you love and appreciate me in both appearances means the universe to me.

As you know before I met you I didn't believe in love anymore or that I would ever share the bond with someone but now I do believe in love and I never want to lose you. I already wanted to ask you when we were in Norway. Everything was perfect there. You, I, the evenings with you on the jetty… but there was a little detail missing and I couldn't ask you without it.

I'm still sure I'm not worthy of you, I don't deserve you but I know I don't want to live without you anymore. I belong to you and you own me in every way, my heart is yours forever. The only thing I can ask you for is… my Lady please allow me… allow me to be your husband. I would love to be your husband."

Your eyes widened and teared up like his. All those lovely things he just had said. Did he just propose? He did, right? Your face lit up and you fell around his neck.

"Yes, yes, yes, thousand times yes Lo!", you answered him overjoyed.

You cupped his face with your hands and kissed him longingly, again and again. Loki wrapped his arms tightly around your waist, pulled you closer to him and reciprocated your kisses. When you both had your fill of each other you broke the kiss to catch some breath and you smiled brightly at each other.

"I absolutely allow you to be my husband I insist! …and I want to be your wife and I want to belong to you forever. Words cannot express what I feel right now, Lo. All I can say now is thank you. Thank you for loving me and thank you for making me happy and I can believe in love again. I love you so much, my precious baby, Norns I love you…"

He slid down from the bench and knelt on one knee in front of you. He fidgeted something out of his pocket and presented it to you in his palm.

"This is for you, my Queen. I would be honored if you accept my little gift."

In front of you knelt the love of your life, and never before it has been clearer than now that he was a prince. His proposal was perfect, elegant and respectful. How could you ever doubt his love? How could you not accept this beautiful gift? It was a wooden box, nearly black like ebony, decorated with delicate carvings of snakes and creatures you had never seen before and also different lines that reminded you of the lines which adorned Loki's skin when he was in his Jotun form. It was wonderfully crafted and it seemed to be ancient and not from this planet. Realization slowly hit you why Loki had returned from the mission later than expected.

"This is amazing, Lo! Thank you so much. Never before have I seen something as beautiful!"

You smiled brightly and caressed his cheek. He leaned into your hand but the look in his eyes was a mixture of tenderness and waiting. You looked quizzically at him. What was he waiting for?

'Open it my love'

You heard his voice in your head and did what he asked you for. When you had opened the lid a loud gasp escaped your throat and you covered your mouth with one hand. In the box was the most beautiful ring you had ever seen, embedded in black velvet. It was made of pure gold, with a big diamond in the centre, surrounded by small white diamonds which looked like little snowflakes. The big diamond in the middle was turquoise-blue with a shimmer of green, depending on the lighting. It seemed the Northern Lights were caught in it.

'Like my dress…it has the colour of my ball gown'

'You've worn it when I kissed you for the very first time…I'll never forget this moment '

"I don't deserve such a lovely ring, Lo" you whispered.

"The ring is worthy of a queen. And you, my love are a queen and more than this, you're my goddess and no woman in the nine realms could be more worthy of wearing my ring. And you deserve so much more. Am I allowed to put this ring on your finger?"

"Yesss, Lo my love, you're allowed to do it!" you answered quietly and smiled reassuringly and brightly. With trembling hands, Loki took the ring and put it on your also trembling ring finger and kissed your knuckles before he stood up to sit by your side again. You stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

"So this gorgeous gift was the reason for your delayed return?"

"Yes, Snowflake. I let the best jewellers of Jotunheim craft it for you from Jotunheim's finest diamonds and gold. The wooden box belonged to my ancestors and I always wanted to give it to the woman I want to marry and share the bond with. And as you know, this woman is you. So I asked our friends to make this roundabout way before we would fly back home to get these items for you. I let the jewellers manufacture it some time ago when I was on a former mission."

"So all of our friends knew about this but me! You mischievous guy!" and you slapped his upper arm playfully and he laughed.

"Yes…no, not every detail. Just Thor knew everything I had planned."

Now every reaction and question of Jane and Thor made sense.

'Sneaky brothers' you thought.

"Don't forget, my love… I can hear you!"

"Dammit…", and you winked at him. "Hmm, maybe this mind-reading-thing isn't that bad…I could ask you for filthy things or talk dirty to you…", and a mischievous smile curved your lips.

"You little minx…" 'and naughty girl, my sweet little whore'... don't you dare…',

and he ran a finger from your throat down to your cleavage.

"Loki, behave! We're in public!" You scolded him playfully while a shiver ran down your spine.

"Do you really want me to be your husband?" Loki asked you more seriously now.

"Do you really want me to be your wife?" You questioned him and grabbed his hand and caressed it.

"There's nothing I want more, my love! You said, there's something you wanted to tell me. Please, what is it, my love?"

You took a deep breath, pressed a soft kiss to his lips and leaned your forehead against his.

"I'm ready, Lo. Take me to Jotunheim whenever you see fit. I want eternity with you!"

"So shall it be, my Lady!"

Loki smiled blissfully. He had never been sure what your final decision might be. He was so utterly, indescribably happy and captured your mouth in a devouring kiss. When he deepened it, passionately, demandingly, possessively, with you in his arms melting into his kiss and embrace, his skin turned blue. He felt so content and safe in your arms. You would be his, and his alone. Forever. And he would be yours, forever and irreversible. A warrior for his one and only Queen, a lifelong devoted servant for his goddess.

People walked by, benevolent smiles on their faces, seeing you and him showing off your love for each other in a breathtaking kiss…and no one cared. No one was astonished about an alien King with blue skin kissing an earth girl. They all saw a beautiful couple, sitting on a bench, utterly in love. And perhaps some of them were a bit jealous because they wanted to have what you and Loki had.

"Do you still like hot chocolate, my Lady?" He asked you and his skin turned pale again.

"Of course, I do Sir!"

"Then let's go to our cafe, my love. I'd never want to miss one of our coffee-cocoa dates!"

When you arrived there you immediately knew why Loki had left you early in the morning. Every table and chair in the cafe was placed aside. You two were the only guests here this afternoon and your waiter was already waiting for you. He escorted you both to your table at the window and served some of the best champagne Loki could find in the city and also your beloved hot chocolate and Loki's espresso was served soon. In a shimmer of green a big bouquet of green roses appeared in Loki's hands and he passed them to you. You thanked him and you kept the bouquet in your arms like a treasure until the waiter brought a vase.

"Lo, please tell me this is not a dream."

"It's not a dream Snowflake. And if it's a dream, we both dream about the same things at the same time."

He held your hands tightly in his as if he was afraid you could leave if he didn't. But you were glued to him and your glance was fixed on his eyes.

"I love you, Lo!"

"And I love you, Snowflake!"

Music began to play in the café, a waltz and Loki rose from his stool.

"May I have this dance, my Lady?" And he bowed and offered you his hand.

"I'd love to dance with you, my King" and you put your hand in his.

Loki walked you to the middle of the room, brought you two in the correct dance position, pulled you gently closer to him and danced the perfect waltz with you. You couldn't take your eyes off each other. Nothing else around you mattered. It was just him and you and you danced and kissed until the time had come to go back home for the family dinner.

There was still one thing you were suspicious about. Loki's phone call. With whom did he talk? When would he tell you about it? One thing was for sure, he didn't call someone from Jotunheim, this kind of technical communication was impossible. You just had to wait and see if you would ever get an answer.

But you trusted him. Endless. And you knew the day would come when he would tell you about it. At least this was what your gut feeling was telling you…and it never betrayed you.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Tags:

@lokisprettygirl @wheredafandomat @anukulee @stupidthoughtsinwriting @lovingchoices14 @smolvenger @fictive-sl0th @huntress-artemiss @lokixryss @tactac286

[annwrites]

Billy Hargrove Masterlist | Fandom Tag

· Being In-Love With You Would Include | AO3

—Born in the USA | (upcoming) Preview The year is 1968 and Billy serves as VP of an outlaw—1%er—motorcycle gang, a title he quickly earned after climbing his way through the ranks after returning from Vietnam the year prior; searching for a like-minded family which would understand the things he'd been through in the Vietnamese jungles and paddy fields, all in the name of trying to make something of himself. Still angry and reeling from the war, however, he has a deep, seething hatred for any 'peace-loving' hippy he comes across—which is the epitome of who you are at-heart. The mantra of 'make love, not war' are words you strive to live by every day. Including the one where the two of you meet at his MC's clubhouse. You stoke his ire immediately—as he can tell just by your attire what you are—but when he confronts you with his explosive temper, you take him completely by surprise with what you do next, near-instantly wrapping him around your finger. And so begins your summer of love...

—Thoroughfare (complete): Inspo | Quotes | Gifset | AO3 | Playlist After your dad has gone far enough with abusing you—finally threatening your life—you decide to leave Hawkins in the middle of the night to go out West to start anew. Unexpectedly, Billy finds you on the side of the road & makes a split-second decision to come with you. Across multiple state lines, something more begins to grow, as a constant push-and-pull is created between the two of you, until it all comes to a head near the end of the road...or, perhaps, the beginning of it. ⁀➷Tags: angst, enemies-to-lovers, smut, wanderlust, motels, diners, road trip · Hey, Sweetheart, Need a Ride? · Because I'm Coming With You. · See Somethin' You Like, Darlin'? · Fine, Yeah, I'm Fuckin' Jealous! · You're Stuck with Me, Baby. · You Should See Me Under the Hood of This Thing, Sweetheart. · You Need a Hand with That, Baby? · I'm Fuckin' Begging You. · You're My Girl, and I'm Your Man. · My Lil' Cherry Pie. · Please, God, Please, Take Him Instead. · Forever · We're Home. · Epilogue —Outtakes | AO3: · Happy Birthday, Billy. · This Isn't You. · Dance With Me. · Mine.

—Punish (ongoing): Inspo Tina, a classmate of yours from Hawkins High, is dead. A young woman being found brutally murdered in the woods puts your small town on high alert, even if everyone is trying to convince themselves that it had to have only been an outsider passing through, because things like this don't happen here. You attend the funeral with a grieving Nancy, who's distraught over the loss of her friend, and under such grisly circumstances, at that. and while you're reluctant to feed yourself possible faux comfort of it being a one-time horrid occurrence like so many others, you fail to fathom in your imagination who the killer just might be—and that his reign of terror over the town is far from over as the bodies begin to pile up...and that he's soon to set his sickening sights upon you. But it's not your blood he thirsts for. What he has planned...will end with a new face upon milk cartons across the country. One you never would've imagined would grace the 6 o' clock news with the headline reading...'missing', and the question inevitably becomes: will you be found? ⁀➷Tags: dead dove, murder, lit grit, southern gothic, psychological horror, misogyny, sex, abuse Part One: August Underground · Chapter One · Chapter Two Part Two: Western Nights

—Married at Mount Airy (ongoing): Inspo Life atop Mount Airy is perfect; safe. The only safe place left within a world of debauchery and sin, even. God truly blessed you by being born into it. And, so long as you follow the covenants of the Bible and obey Prophet Aaron—God's chosen—to lead all of you, you will one day be rewarded with the Kingdom of Heaven. Newcomers are a rare occurrence on the mountain. None have been admitted through its gates within your lifetime of sixteen tender years. Until a man and his teenage son step onto holy ground—hand-picked to be saved from the broken system below. While Neil, the father, is more forthcoming and open to all life upon the mountain has to offer, his son is far more reluctant, if not combative, to embrace it. Until Prophet Aaron makes an arrangement to have another's loving, faithful hand lead him into the light that the Lord has chosen to shine down upon him. ⁀➷Tags: religious cult, religion, brainwashing, angst, arranged marriage · Part One · Part Two · Part Three

♡ UPCOMING! ♡ :

—American Teenager series: Preview Initially, Billy can't stand you as your two families merge into one and his home state is left in the rearview. But, before long, an unhealthy obsession begins to grow. You're everything he's not—but everything he wants—innocent, naïve, sickly-sweet, virginal, and all-around fucking perfect. It's wrong—illegal, even—what he wants from you. what the two of you do together when you're all alone at home, or in his car... But neither of you is willing—or, much more, want—to stop when you experience just how good something so bad can feel.

—Long Black Road series: Preview 1980s rock band, Billy & the Hard Grove, are at the top of the music charts, as well as the world. Billy—the lead singer and a guitarist—has everything he could ever ask for, but never could've imagined he'd one day have when he left that podunk Indiana town: drugs, money, women, and worldwide fame. But not what he needs, even if he doesn't know it—is reluctant to admit to desiring it in fear of seeming weak, pathetic, or, much more: fucking it up like he does every other facet of his life in due time—someone who loves him. Along comes you, who he spots backstage after one of the band's shows in Indianapolis, quietly standing off to the side, not requesting so much as an autograph from him as groupies and fans gather round. So, he goes to you instead—refusing to leave you be until you give him your number—and for the first time in his life, he gradually comes to find that he's discovered something that he has no idea how to live without. Through Billy, you discover a world you never knew existed. One full of passion, excitement, and maybe even love. One where you can step outside the box you've tried to desperately to shove yourself into for so many years, until your heart is broken, and you finally remember why you'd kept it so carefully protected all your life. In turn, Billy loses not just his soulmate, but himself as he rapidly goes off the rails with no end in sight, until he, like all natural disasters, finally crashes and burns.

—Nine Ball series: Inspo | Preview The night you leave one man behind is the same night you meet another: Billy Hargrove. Some consider him a bit of a drunkard. What, with the fact he’s at the local bar nearly every night—twelve-year-old son in-tow to win him games of pool he’s bet on with money he doesn’t have—trying to merely drink away the pain of being let down, and left behind by each person he’s ever cared for, with countless bottles of Corona. Until one comes to return to him time and again to chat and laugh over beer and pizza. Then comes the night you’re instead the one to be betrayed. And in an instant, your entire world shifts in the worst possible way yet again, leaving you with nothing. But it’s another chance meeting on the side of the road that allows Billy to right a terrible wrong, but only with much convincing over dinner at a diner, and with his son’s blessing. In turn, those same things that each of you have lost: Billy a wife, Zach a mother, and you a man to love, you each come to find yet again, even if you each tell yourselves that you’re not looking. But that’s the phrase, isn’t it? It’s only once you’ve stopped searching that you finally find it—whatever it may be.

—Saved! series: Inspo | Inspo You know sorrow well. It visits you each night as screams emanate from the other side of your bedroom door, and fragile things crash against the walls and scratched, hardwood floors. The one place of solace you have left to sooth your ragged soul is found deep in the woods of your small Appalachian town. An abandoned church so many tales exist of, to the point where one questions what is fact and what is fiction, if not a conglomeration of it all. They say Old Nick takes the pulpit at midnight. They say it is not there, and only those with addled minds even think to see it. They say it's a cursed place, and whosoever should step foot on its grounds loses any chance of salvation when they do. "They used to drink strychnine and handle serpents between their bloody hands," some say. "Somethin' ain't right up in them hills," another remarks. "Even they couldn't stand what they done, so they fled, leavin' nothin' but an empty church not even Christ would walk inside." You've gone many times yourself, and always emerged unscathed, thus deeming their judgmental stories as pure ignorance. Initially, your visits began out of a sense of morbid curiosity. Then, it was because it was quiet, and safe—an absolute escape from the daily torment a broken home sees fit to inflict upon you. Then comes the day you find a nearly-ruined cassette tape in the downstairs portion of the mostly empty structure. You take it home, and that is when something new takes hold as the reels begin to spin, and distorted music begins to play above a background of indecipherable tongues being cried out amongst a euphoric congregation. Before long, in your ceaseless efforts to unravel the mystery which is Perpetual Flame Ministries, do you find a message left for you, to join them. Join them where they now reside. A retreat from the outside world, where your sins may be washed clean, and those who would seek ever to harm you again, will be burned away by Holy Hell Fire. So, on a whim one evening, which feels more suffocating than all the rest you've thus far endured, you crawl out your bedroom window and head on foot to a place you may never return from.

—Solitary Road (miniseries): Inspo | Preview Billy spends all his time on the road as a long-haul trucker, the cab of his sleeper the only home he has left. It's a lonely life on a solitary road, until he finds you selling yourself outside of a truck stop one evening. Unable to help himself, he pays for half-an-hour of your time and comes to quickly realize it won't nearly be enough for him. So, he returns time and again, when able, until something more develops and you decide to see what more can be found on the highway in his passenger seat.

[outerbankies]

new light epilogue: new world — rafe cameron

new light series masterlist

summary: a year after you went out for drinks with rafe cameron, you’re building a life together.

pairing: rafe x reader

warnings: swearing, alcohol, mentions of sex

a/n: i’m not crying ur crying!!! for anyone who’s following along with the blurbs: i’m probably going to go back and fill in some things that take place during the time skip between part 12 and this, but this is really how i wanted to end the story for now because i always pictured it ending like this. so i hope you like it! probably going to take a tumblr break after this and focus on the shit i have going on in my life rn, so if i don’t get to any asks/comments on this right away that’s why! can't wait to read them when i get back, love youuu

my writing

and make a new world together, babe

JUNE

you’re absolutely sure he doesn’t know this time?

Um… I’d say pretty sure

graham. i swear to god

We’ve been really busy with grad shit, I promise he’ll be surprised! He acts a certain way whenever he knows you’re coming

Nora agrees with me

and he hasn’t been acting that way?

Nope. Been kinda mopey since he came back from California actually

fuck i love him

okay thanks! let me know if anything changes

Sure thing. See you soon Y/n/n

You finally put your phone in airplane mode, slipping it into your bag and trying to take a deep breath and relax. You double-checked that your heels were still in your bag, ready to be switched into once you were in the car on the way to Rafe’s ceremony.

It’d been quite the journey to this point. You, Davis, and McCall had all overslept that morning, getting a little too wrapped up in the previous night’s graduation festivities. Your friends had been packing up and trickling out of your college town in a steady stream since graduation last weekend, but last night was the big hurrah with your core group before your senior trips and new jobs took you all in separate directions, much like the rest of your lives from that point.

You’d all sleepily stumbled into the car that morning, you begging McCall to push the speed limit in her Tesla while you attempted to sort your carry-on bag out in the backseat. They’d dropped you off with cheek kisses and promises to see you in Hawaii the next day, Davis sneaking a few condoms into your purse that were very embarrassing to watch the TSA agents sort through when a stray bottle of primer had flagged you for inspection.

But you were here, in the first-class seat paid for by none other than Ward Cameron, the dress you’d shimmied into in the last plane’s bathroom not nearly as wrinkled as you’d expected, your sneakers laced tightly (after serving you well when you had to book it through the Denver airport to make your connecting flight). You were on the plane, you were headed to Georgia, you were going to make it to Rafe’s graduation ceremony just in time.

And he had no idea.

You hadn’t originally planned to come at all. Timing wasn’t on your side, because your graduation trip that you’d booked months ago started the exact day of his ceremony.

When Rafe told you his date, you hadn’t even blinked, already setting a reminder to tell Davis his travel agent would need to book you a different flight for the day after. But your boyfriend had tugged your phone out of your hand immediately, using his height advantage to hold it out if your reach.

“No. Baby, we talked about this. We wanted to enjoy our last months of college separately with our friends because we’re spending summer together anyways,” he reminded you. “You’re not missing your senior trip for me.”

“But Rafe, you’re coming to mine. And it’s your graduation,” you said. “I wouldn’t miss the trip, just be a day or two late.”

“You guys are all moving apart. I don’t want to be in the way. We can just celebrate when I come out to California after, alright?” he’d said, kissing your forehead. “It’s really not that big of a deal, sweetheart. Just another stupid weekend with my family, except I’ll be wearing a cap and gown this time.”

That was the exact second you decided to pack the issue up and pretend you were over it—looking into Rafe’s eyes while he shrugged off his achievement. You’d already wanted to be there for him, but that conversation solidified it for you, especially since you hadn’t been able to pull off a surprise trip yet.

You failed miserably in February, trying to sneak into his house for Valentine’s Day. Imagine your surprise when you came down the escalator, expecting Graham and Nora to be waiting for you. Which they were, just with Rafe at their side, holding a bouquet of roses with a shit-eating grin on his face because he’d figured it out.

You’d resolved yourself to missing his big day, prepared to watch through Sarah’s FaceTime footage, making sure Nora would send you a million pictures of him in his regalia. But the weekend before, when Rafe came to your graduation, your mom on his arm as he helped her down the stadium steps, his other hand holding onto Beckham’s while Agnes was wrangling Barron because Beau walked off on a work call, proudly wearing the pocket square you’d had made for him that matched your blue dress—you literally had no choice. Rafe waited for your entire entourage to congratulate you before he wrapped you up tight in his arms, twirling you around and whispering praises and dreams of your futures together, but you were listening with one ear while your mind raced to put a plan in place.

You called Sarah that same night, when you were able to sneak away from your dinner long enough.

“Hey, Sarah. So, I was thinking of coming out for Rafe’s grad—”

“Shut up,” she gasped immediately. “You have to. He’s literally gonna love it.”

“Really? Is… is your family gonna be okay with it?” you asked, really referring to one person in particular. “I’m not looking to intrude.”

“Oh, my dad’s right here, let me ask—”

“Oh, no, Sarah—”

Sarah’s voice faded into the background for a bit, and you could hear Ward’s timbre faintly for a little while, your nerves building.

“Thanks, dad, I’ll let her know,” Sarah said, before redirecting her attention back to you. “He says he’ll buy your ticket.”

You had to refrain from gasping. “No. That’s—I was gonna fly straight to Hawaii after. For my senior trip.”

“Yeah, he says not a problem. Can you text me your email so he can book it ASAP?” Sarah asked. “He’s looking at the flights right now.”

“Um, yeah? Yeah. Yes, I can do that. Please tell him thank you for me.”

“Cool. See you there!”

And that was that—Ward booked you the ticket and sent it over with absolutely no questions asked, first-class from California to Georgia and then from Georgia to Hawaii. Rafe had already committed to continuing his work at Cameron Development like he always planned, but Ward was still laying it on pretty thick these days.

You loved feeling like the source of Rafe’s courage to stand up to him, even if you knew he always had it in him, all on his own.

—

“You don’t think he saw me, did you?”

“Y/n, we were literally a hundred rows up in the stands. And I’m sure he’s half-drunk, there’s no way,” Sarah laughed, arm linked in yours as you both hobbled through the grass in your heels in search of Rafe. You’d both had your fair share of champagne at the hotel before the ceremony.

“I just want him to be surprised,” you reply. “So bad. He got me so good when he came out to surprise me in April.”

“He’ll be surprised, I promise. He’s been moping all—there he is!”

Rafe looks up from where he’s shaking Ward’s hand and accepting a hug from Wheezie, smiling and waving at his other sister.

It takes no time at all for him to see you then, his mouth dropping open.

“What are you doing here?” he calls, cutting through the group around him to wrap you up in his arms. He knocks into you so hard you have to hold his cap on his head for him, laughing giddily when he lifts you off the ground. He sets you down, surveying your face, hands brushing your shoulders and hair and back like he’s trying to memorize you. “You’re not here right now. This isn’t real.”

“I’m here, I’m here! You didn’t think I’d actually miss your graduation, did you RC?” you tease.

“No fucking way. Baby, your trip,” he says, face falling.

“I know. I came straight from the airport, and I have to catch a red-eye to Hawaii in about five hours,” you say, shrugging. “But it’s worth it. I’m so, so proud of you.”

“Y/n/n,” he groans, blushing.

“And after two failed attempts, I had to get in at least one surprise before you left Georgia for good,” you tease, flicking his tassel. “I’ve owed you since your birthday.”

“You never owe me anything,” he sighs, hand slipping to the small of your back. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. You’re really surprised, right? Graham didn’t let it slip?”

“Fucking Graham knew?”

“And Nora, and Cody, and Sawyer. Sarah and your dad,” you list, smirking at his blush. “Everyone but you.”

“I swear I had no idea. When did you even book it? It must’ve cost a fortune this close, sweetheart,” he murmurs, finally leaning in to plant a kiss on your lips. “Let me cover it.”

“Actually,” you say, voice dropping to a whisper after you plant a kiss on his cheek. “Your dad took care of it.”

Rafe just rolls his eyes, kissing you again, a bit longer this time but still wary of his family around him. “I guess we’ve moved officially into the bribery stage.”

“Yep.”

“Whatever. I don’t care. I’m so happy you’re here,” he says, smiling down at you, arms locking around your waist. “You know you didn’t have to come.”

“Will you stop? I wasn’t gonna miss it, Rafe,” you remind him. “My boyfriend’s a college grad, I’m not dating down anymore.”

“Oh, give me a break. You have one week on me, Einstein. Besides…” You look up at him in confusion as he trails off, fitting into his side as he walks you back toward his family. He takes his cap off, reaching over and placing it on your head instead. “You’re always gonna be dating down when you’re with me, baby.”

—

After a stuffy dinner with the Camerons, you and Rafe had just enough time to sneak away and grab a drink with Rafe’s roommates and some of his friends before you had to head back to the airport.

But Rafe seems unconcerned about time, making you both stop over at his house and marching you right upstairs, the two of you dodging half-packed moving boxes and knocking into spare beer cans when Rafe practically slams you into the kitchen counter the second you’re both inside.

“Sorry, would’ve made everyone clean if I knew you were coming,” Rafe says, cheeks bright red.

“No, I like it. Cody told me you all cleaned for a straight week before I came last time,” you laugh, breath hitching when he bites at your neck, dress strap already sliding off of your shoulder. “This is the more authentic college boyfriend experience.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t get that last time. You texted me two days after you left that you were still hungover,” he laughs, leading you up the stairs. You’re thankful that at least his bed is still made, your favorite blanket of his tucked to one side. Your side. “And sore.”

“Yeah, hadn’t drank like that or hooked up with a frat boy that many times since I was a freshman,” you say, laughing loudly when he pouts. “C’mon, we’re on a time crunch if I still wanna see Nora before I leave.”

“Oh, excuse me,” he laughs. “Forgot she’s the real reason you come out here.”

“Exactly, that’s my girl.”

“Well you’re my girl,” he says, finally getting your dress up and over your arms. He pauses, leaning back on his haunches when he sees the lingerie that’s underneath. “Are you wearing my school colors?”

—

You both stumble down the street to the bar, you wearing the leggings and sneakers you’d shoved to the bottom of your bag plus one more of Rafe’s shirts—a favorite you’d been eyeing for a while, waiting for the right moment to take it.

“You owed me anyways,” you tell him, swinging your hands back and forth, tucking in close to him as you dodge more and more drunk graduates the closer you get to town. “I was the only one who had protection on hand.”

“Oh, sorry I already packed my condoms because I didn’t think my girlfriend was going to come spend five hours in my city,” he laughs, pulling you under his arm with a kiss on your forehead. “But remind me to write Davis a thank you card.”

“There he is! Cameron!”

Rafe’s roommates and a couple friends you recognize are on the patio when you both arrive at their favorite bar, all dressed in varied forms of their regalia, and all drunk. Graham waves the two of you over, eyes lit up as he accepts a hug from you. “Did you get him, Y/n/n?”

“You fucking idiot, dude,” Rafe laughs, dapping him up. He looks accusingly at his other roommates, Cody and Saywer. “Guys, our place is a mess right now.”

“She wanted you to be surprised!” Nora says, sidling up to you with two White Claws and a hug. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks, I can’t,” you say, accepting the hug but not the drink, waving at his other roommates. “Have to get back to the airport in like an hour.”

“Oh come on, that’s enough time for a drink,” Cody says, grabbing the can out of Nora’s hand and popping the tab before shoving it into yours. “You only graduate college once, Y/n/n.”

“Hey, man. Ease up on her—” Rafe starts, only to stop himself when you take a long swig, shrugging. “Alright. Never mind.”

“One won’t hurt,” you say.

Rafe settles into a bar chair, arms around your shoulders so he can tuck you in between his legs while you both talk to his friends. You check in with him every now and then while you, Saywer, and Nora talk post-grad, always getting a blissful smile and usually a sloppy kiss in return (“I’m good, baby”), especially the more shots he accepts as the night wears on. You knew he and Cody were going shot for shot tonight, which never ended well for either of them.

Nora walks off once a friend from the other side of the patio announces that Graham just ate shit, dragging Saywer with her to help, and you finally turn around in Rafe’s arms, knowing your time together is running out.

“How are you? Sad?” you ask, rolling your eyes when he downs the rest of his beer, throwing the cup into a recycling can nearby—a far cry from the way he’d crushed it and thrown it on the ground last time he brought you to this bar. You had set him straight pretty quickly.

“Mm. A little,” he says. “But how can I be that sad when you’re here?”

“Sap,” you say. “Love you.”

“Love you, too. Can’t believe we get to spend the summer together. And the rest of our lives,” he says, eyes glassy while he thumbs at your cheek. “We finally got to the good part.”

“It hasn’t all been the good part?” you tease, leaning up to kiss him.

He hums against your lips, pulling off and looking at you in consideration. “Of course it has. But everything’s better when I’m with you for real. Just feel right whenever I’m next to you, baby girl.”

“You keep sweet-talking me like that and I’m gonna make you call your dad to tell him he needs to change my ticket.”

Rafe stands up straight, digging around in his pockets for his phone. “Say the word.”

“Stop,” you laugh. “We’re not doing that.”

“Alright, alright. Did he get you a car? I’ll call it,” he says, nudging you back so he can stand up. You say bye to his roommates and friends, stumbling back against Rafe when Cody literally slams his entire body weight into you, making Nora and Graham promise to come to visit you both in California that summer.

Rafe confirms the driver’s coming before pulling you back into his arms on the sidewalk outside the bar. “My California girl. All the way out here for me.”

“Just for you.”

“Love you so much, seriously,” he says. “My dream girl.”

You roll your eyes at his lessened filter, even if it makes your heart sing. “Love you, too. Now go celebrate with your friends.”

He groans. “Do I have to? I can probably just book the seat next to yours. We’d have fun in Hawaii.”

“Rafe, you’re drunk. You’re coming out in a week to spend the whole summer with me.”

“So? Think about it,” he says, snapping excitedly. “And we still haven’t fucked on a plane.”

“Rafe!”

He laughs, kissing your forehead. “I’m sorry. That was out of pocket. I’m really drunk.”

“Oh my god,” you laugh, extracting yourself from him as a black car pulls up. “Please get home in one piece and take some painkillers before you go to sleep tonight.”

“Maybe,” he shrugs. “Safe flight. Thanks for coming, baby. It means a lot to me.”

“You mean a lot to me.”

“Now I’m blushing, Y/l/n,” he groans. “Seriously. Have a good trip, I expect at least one bikini picture a day. But that’s a minimum.”

“Yes, sir,” you say, getting in one more kiss before slipping into the car, body on fire when his hand rests over the front of your throat, pulling off once he’s had enough. You roll the window down once you’re settled into the SUV, blowing him a kiss as your driver pulls away. “Love you!”

Rafe pretends the kiss knocked him back forcefully, definitely aided by the alcohol in his system, catching it in his hand and putting it in his pocket. He smiles big, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout after you. “Love you more!”

—

JULY

“I think I owe you an apology, Rafe.”

Rafe looks over where Beau had approached him, begrudgingly tearing his eyes away from where you’d been pushing Beckham on the swing in the backyard.

You’d been nothing short of a wreck all week leading up to the last time you’d get to see the kids before you left them for good. They’d known for a while—Rafe recalls the night in early May where he’d left a party when you called him sobbing because the day came where you explained to them that you wouldn’t be with them forever. Apparently, they had both cried, which made you cry, and then Agnes cried—it was an entire mess. Rafe felt helpless in comforting you, and if he hadn’t just surprised you in California a month before that, he would’ve been on the next flight. He definitely checked after he heard the wobble in your voice when you said good night to him.

He knew tonight was going to be hard, so he’d been watching you like a hawk because of it, asking Beau to repeat himself.

“Sorry, what’s that?”

“When we first met, last fall?” Beau reminds him. “I feel like I came on too strong.”

“Oh,” Rafe nods, shaking his head like that conversation hadn’t partially led to him breaking up with you. “No worries. At all.”

“I never told you this, but I got a bit of a scolding from my lady over that one,” he laughs. “And yours, actually. I’m surprised she even let you shadow me this summer.”

He has Rafe’s full attention now. You stood up to your boss for him? “Really?”

“I could tell she hated it,” Beau laughs, sipping from his whiskey tumbler. “She tip-toed around it for as long as she could.”

“Well, I’m sorry if that was—”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s one of the reasons we liked having her around for so long,” he says, smiling fondly. “So, back home you both go?”

“Yeah,” Rafe smiles, turning back to watch you. You’re sitting in the grass now, talking with Agnes, both boys running around the two of you. You switch between keeping an eye on the kids and listening to Agnes like it’s second nature. He catches your gaze momentarily and you shoot him a half-smile; he can tell by the look in your eyes that you’re just barely holding it together. “Moving her home in two weeks.”

“Very nice. Well, I loved having you at the company this summer,” he says, shaking Rafe’s hand now. “And you probably don’t want to hear this, but I have a job waiting for you anytime you want.”

“I—can I be honest? I love it out here,” Rafe admits. “And I love Y/n, and Y/n loves it out here. But I really just can’t picture us settling down anywhere but home.”

Beau laughs. “Settling down? You two are what, 22?”

“Yeah,” Rafe blushes.

“You have plenty of time to settle down. You could spend a few years out here, go somewhere else. Travel, go back to school. Then go home, have your babies, work for your dad, whatever,” he says, patting him on the back. “You two have a whole life ahead of you. Don’t ever rule anything out.”

“Yeah,” Rafe says, considering. “You’re probably right. I mean, we’re gonna go home for now, but. It’s not like we have to stay there?”

“Absolutely not,” Beau agrees.

“Thanks for everything, man. Really, for the guidance, for taking care of my girlfriend for all these years,” he says. “She loves you guys, really.”

“Anytime. Good luck back home with your dad,” he says. “We plan to sail by there in April, I think? Let’s talk again then.”

—

Rafe all but chases you to the car after you’re both done saying goodbye, a little underwhelmed by your reaction if he’s honest. You’d just squeezed them both extra tight, hugged Agnes and Beau, and started right down the path outside, barely giving him time to catch up after he bid them all goodbye as well.

“Y/n,” he calls, racing to catch up with you as you pace down the walkway. He grabs your hand but you shake him off instantly, making his heart sink. “Are you okay?”

“Please unlock the door.”

“Shit, yeah. Sorry, baby,” he says, fumbling with your keys in his pocket. You don’t even wait for him to open the door for you, slipping into the car so quickly he almost misses it, sighing before walking around to get in the driver’s seat.

“You need to drive now,” you say quietly.

“What?”

“I really don’t want them to see me cry again, Rafe,” you say, voice wobbling. “Please.”

You finally face him, giving Rafe a clear view of your red-rimmed eyes, and he’s backing out within seconds. Not without pressing a kiss to the side of your head first. “Of course, alright. Let’s go.”

You’re barely out of the gate before he hears sniffles. He looks over and you’re not even blotting your tears as soon as they fall, just letting them stream down your face, which is how Rafe knows you’re really upset. He reaches over to rest a hand on your leg and you clutch it immediately, and he can feel your tremors. He gives it a few blocks before he’s pulling over.

“Rafe, what are you—”

He’s rounding the front of your Jeep and coming to open your door back up in an instant.

“Rafe.”

“Stop, are you okay?” he asks.

You immediately shake your head. “No.”

You click your seatbelt off, falling into his arms immediately when he tugs you out of

the car. He’s sure the two of you look crazy, pulled over in this nice neighborhood, holding each other on the side of the road. And Rafe couldn’t care less, only focused on the way you’re breaking down in his arms currently. He can’t remember the last time he saw you cry like this, but it was probably because of him.

“They’re never gonna forget you, sweet girl. You probably made such a difference in their lives, you don’t even know.”

“Rafe,” you sob, just digging your head into his chest more. “Beckham won’t remember anything about me. Barron might, but—”

“Breathe, Y/n/n. I’m serious, you’re scaring me,” he says softly.

“I know, I know,” you say, pushing out of his arms to collect yourself for a second. You fan your eyes, wiping some of the mascara streaks you’d accumulated as much as you can, Rafe reaching out to help. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just want you to be okay.” Rafe tucks some hair behind your ear, pleased at the way your shoulders are less shaky, your cheeks a bit drier. “Are you?”

“I will be. They were just my little buddies, you know? When I got the job, I just never thought…” you trail off, your face crumpling again. “I didn’t think I could love anyone that much besides my family.”

The joke falls off his lips as a reflex, before he can even think it through. “Not even me?”

“You don’t count,” you reply quickly.

“I don’t count?” he asks, grabbing your chin.

You shrug, a little smile finally gracing your features. “Wouldn’t really be fair to anyone else.”

Rafe’s body goes warm from head to toe, and he pulls you back into his arms for his own reasons, pressing kisses to the top of your head over and over. “Can I take you home, now? Or do you still need some time?”

“No, no. I’m good,” you sigh, shaking out your shoulders and getting back into the car. “Thanks.”

Rafe kisses your forehead once he’s back in the driver’s seat.

“I love you, Y/n/n.”

“How much?” you ask.

He laughs despite himself. “How much? What kind of a question is that?”

“Enough to give me a baby?”

Rafe’s mouth goes dry, he nearly slams on the breaks, arm instinctively reaching out to catch your body against the seat if he needed to. “Excuse me?”

“A baby.”

“A baby? Like… a human baby?”

“Yeah. I could give you one like right now,” you say matter-of-factly.

Rafe laughs again. “Jesus Christ, Y/n/n.”

“I’m serious! What am I gonna do without them?”

“Can we at least start with a dog?” he says, pulling up to a stoplight. You have a sly smile on your face when he looks over, and he just rolls his eyes. “Or a fish, or something, like—fuck. You can’t just say shit like that to me without warning, sweetheart.”

“Okay,” you nod. “Warning: I’m about to tell you that I want to have your baby.”

“Y/n.”

“Rafe, give me a baby.”

“We’re 22.”

“And?”

“We’re babies.”

—

“I’m gonna miss these tacos so much.”

“Me too. Should we book our first visit with Wren and Delilah now, or…” Rafe trails off, smiling.

You roll your eyes from your position on the floor, sitting across from Rafe in your empty living room. Davis and McCall had both moved out last week, and Rafe had been helping you slowly but surely sell all of your furniture and ship back your things, so the townhouse was practically empty at this point. There were just a few more things to pack up tonight before you left the keys for your landlord and headed off. Rafe was gonna miss it out here, too. He loved visiting you when you were still in school and loved spending the summer living with you even more. Rafe really felt like he made a place from himself in this part of your life, which was hard for him at the beginning. But you’d made all of your favorite places his favorite places too, cleared out half of your bathroom so he could fill it with his stuff—way too much room for him, he ended up letting you reclaim almost all of it. You both joked about it being practice for when you moved in together one day, but to Rafe the joke became less and less funny every time he woke up to you pressed up against him, your hair a mess. Every time he came home from a day in Beau’s office to you answering emails at your desk, reaching up to give him a kiss before you wrapped up for the day and you two went to dinner. Every time you brushed your teeth together or planned recipes to make and went to buy the groceries for it, bickering over organic produce or vegan substitutes.

He loved every single second. All of it.

Rafe shakes his head. “Are you sad?”

“Yeah,” you admit easily, shrugging. “I dunno. Think I’m done crying.”

“No, you’re not,” Rafe laughs.

“No, I’m not. You might have to physically drag me onto that plane tomorrow.”

Rafe smiles as he finishes his food, but he can’t help the sinking feeling he gets watching you look around, taking in your empty college apartment.

“You’re sure about this, right?”

“What?”

“Moving. Leaving.”

“Rafe…” you say, frowning.

“Don’t—don’t do anything just for me, I mean it, Y/n/n,” he says. “Say the word and I can help you find a place out here, I’m sure Beau has something he can rent to you, or—”

“Woah, woah,” you say, scooting closer to him. “What are you talking about? I’m not staying out here, Rafe.”

“But do you want to?”

“What are you saying right now?”

“I just, fuck.” He sighs and takes his hat off, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand and running his fingers through his hair a few times before settling it back on his head. “I don’t want to feel like I’m forcing you to move home. ‘Cause, I know when we broke up—baby, you know I’d long distance you from like, Bali at this point, right?”

“Bali.”

“Yeah, or like. I dunno. Somewhere really far. Complete opposite time zones,” he says. “I know I could handle it. If it’s what you wanted.”

“I want,” to say, knocking your knee into his, “to move home. At least for now.”

“You’re just so sad,” he says. “I don’t want to make you sad.”

“You’re not making me sad,” you reply. “Well, you kind of are right now, actually.”

“Sweetheart.”

“No, stop.” You nudge his knee with yours again, resting your head on his shoulder. “I wanna be with you, Rafe. Of course I do. But I promise you being home too is just a bonus.”

“I didn’t think it’d be this hard for you to leave, I guess. I hate seeing you this upset, and if I had any hand in it, I’d hate that even more,” he murmurs.

“Well of course I’m sad, Rafe. I made a life here, I made friends, a home. And now it’s time to move on,” you explain. “It’s sad, but that’s how it works.”

“But that’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“No regrets?” he says, finally facing you.

“Not one. Plus—I dunno.”

“What?”

“I feel like this might not be the last time I live out here. Or… we live out here?” you shrug, voice going quieter. “If that’s something you’d want one day.”

“Yeah?”

“Just have a feeling. When Agnes and Beau get back, I dunno. We can see what happens.”

“Beau practically hired me already,” he admits.

You roll your eyes, kissing his cheek. “I’m sure he did.”

“I liked working for him. I could see it. One day,” Rafe shrugs, not wanting to put too much stock into it right now.

“Wherever I go, Rafe… you know you’re part of my plan now, right? Am I part of yours?”

You are my plan, he thinks. “Of course. Always, from here on out.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

You finally lean in to kiss him, seemingly satisfied with how that conversation ended up. But then you groan. “God, can’t believe we got to spend the entire summer living together and now we have to go back to sneaking into each other’s parents' houses.”

Rafe clears his throat, huffing a laugh before going to kiss your head.

“Yeah, that’s crazy.”

—

AUGUST

“You said we’re gonna be quick right? I already told Blythe we were on the way.“

“You guys are like, besties now, huh?” Rafe smiles, turning into the neighborhood.

“I think dragging both of our inebriated boyfriends out of that club in St. Bart’s while she talked the police down from citing both of you for public intoxication really brought us together,” you deadpan.

Rafe grins while he faces the road. “That was a fun trip, wasn’t it?”

“Baby, we literally lost Kelce in a foreign country for three hours. And had to send the deckhands to look for him because we were all too drunk.”

“They found him though, right? He was fine. And they got their tip,” Rafe shrugs. He pulls up to the listing he wanted to swing by before the wedding you were en route to—some friend of Ward’s, you think. Or maybe one of Topper’s cousins. You’d been back in Kildare less than a month but you were already settling back into your bustling social calendar, now combined with Rafe’s. Wedding season was always busy, but you don’t see yourself getting sick of twinkly-lit, champagne-clouded dances with your boyfriend to old love songs anytime soon. “Anyways. We’re here, come inside?”

You reach over the console, putting a hand on his chest in shock. “Are you asking me to come up for a drink? Rafe, I’m usually more of a fourth or fifth date kinda girl.”

His eyes narrow. “Hold on, I bedded you in between our second and third date. Who were you waiting for the fourth date with?”

“Let’s go inside!” you announce, kissing his cheek and undoing your seatbelt.

Rafe doesn’t let you get far, bringing your face back to his with a firm hand under your jaw. “Easy just for me, huh?”

“I will literally stay in the car,” you warn him.

“No, no,” he rushes firmly, almost startling you as he scrambles out of his own seat. “C’mon, I want you to see this one. Need your opinion.”

He comes around to open your door, and you can’t help but notice the nervous look on his face as he stares at the house. It’s white, one story with a nice front porch. It’s a little south of where you two grew up near the Island Club, tucked into a nice neighborhood of mismatched houses instead of in one of the newer subdivisions that were popping up in this area of town. You’ve always liked this area of Kildare—it can feel really homey compared to Figure 8.

“Rafe,” you say, calling for his attention. His head whips back around, holding his hand out for you as you step down from his truck.

“Sorry, you got it?”

“Yeah, just,” you say, adjusting your dress around you so it falls how it’s supposed to. “Okay, there.”

“You ready?”

You look at him oddly, still slowly nodding your head.

“Alright, come take a look.”

“Why are we here again?”

“Rose just wanted me to check on some staging stuff for her,” he says quickly. “Her assistant was supposed to finish up yesterday and she hasn’t had time to come see for herself.”

“Oh, alright,” you nod as he unlocks the front door, hand on your back guiding you inside. You glance around briefly before instinctively grabbing his arm, steadying yourself as you slip off your shoes.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about shoes for this one,” he says. You pause.

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. We’ll only be here for a second,” he says.

“Okay,” you shrug, leaving them as is.

Rafe grabs your hand, leading you through the entryway and into the main area of the house. “It’s a rental. What do you think?”

“The windows are gorgeous,” you say, looking out to where they overlook the water in the distance. It’s tucked a bit further into the neighborhood, but you can still see the horizon past the rest of the houses. “So much light in here. And Rose did a great job with the staging.”

“I’ll tell her you said that,” Rafe smiles.

“How many bedrooms is it?” you ask, peeking around to the hallway leading to the other side of the house.

“Just one, and then there’s a sunroom up front,” he gestures. “You really like it?”

“Yeah,” you nod, smiling at him. “It’d be so cute for a young family or something. The backyard and everything. I like the white cabinets.”

“Or,” Rafe starts, taking a deep breath, squeezing your hand tightly. You cock your head, waiting for him to continue. “It might be perfect for two college grads who just moved back home, and are already sick of sneaking into each other’s parent’s houses after waiting a year to finally live in the same city again?”

You freeze mid-nod as Rafe pulls a spare key out of his pocket. He lifts your connected hands, placing the key in your palm and closing your fingers around it.

“Rafe Cameron.”

And then you take one more look around, everything shifting into place. There’s no flyers on the counter, no water bottles or any freebies for any prospective renters.

Rafe hadn’t used the coded door lock (you should’ve noticed, it made your heart flutter the few times Rafe took you to check on listings for Rose and Ward and tried to hide the fact that he used your birthday as his entry code), the key already on his key ring. He didn’t make you take off your shoes, or even wear the little covers like you do sometimes so you won’t track in dirt. You glance over his shoulder to the hallway again, noticing his golf clubs leaning up against the closet door.

This isn’t for show—this house is leased.

“You—you didn’t.”

“It’s totally fine if it’s too fast. I told my dad I wanted to rent a property because I’m more than ready to move out, and of course you’re welcome any time if you still want to live at home or, I don’t know, find your own place maybe?” he says all in one breath. “But, sweetheart… I’d love to have you here with me. Permanently.”

“Rafe fucking Cameron,” you say, tears already building on your waterline. “Are you sure?”

“Baby, of course I’m sure,” he tuts, hands on your shoulders. “Like I said, it’s just a rental. Month-to-month, so nothing serious if we ever wanna move back to the mainland or find a new place here or—“

“No, Rafe, don’t—this is serious. I want it.”

“You do? You wanna move in together?”

You throw your arms around his shoulders, giggling when he lifts you off the ground. “Of course I do. I was thinking—I thought you didn’t wanna move in with me.”

“Wait, what? Why?”

“I dunno,” you say, fanning your eyes where tears had collected. “After we came home, it just never came up and I thought maybe our trial run in California scared you off because of my skincare or my smoothies or how much I cry—”

“Are you crazy? No. I loved living with you,” he says quickly. “I haven’t slept right in weeks unless you let me come over.”

“The sweetest boy,” you croon, squeezing him tight. “I’m literally so in love with you right now.”

He hugs you for a second longer, letting you down when he hears a sniffle. “Baby, you spent so long on your makeup.”

He blots his thumb under your waterline like you’d taught him, wiping any mascara residue on his black pants.

“Because I didn’t know my perfect boyfriend was going to surprise me with a perfect house on the way to this wedding,” you huff, pulling out of his hold and taking a deep breath. You look around, taking the place in with fresh eyes. Your first home with Rafe, the beginning of your life together. “I can’t believe this.”

“Believe it. C’mon, let me show you our bedroom.”

—

“What would you have done if I just absolutely hated the place?”

Rafe laughs, tugging you in closer as the two of you sway around the dance floor at the reception. “Pretended it actually was a listing, then gone and found a place you liked. And probably died a little inside.”

“Nice, that makes sense.”

“You do actually like it though, right? If not, I can—“

“Nope, I already have plans for that sunroom,” you smile, leaning up to kiss him. “Our sunroom. All the plants you’ve got me are gonna look so cute in there.”

“I think the porch could fit a swing,” he says, cheeks red.

“And the backyard will be perfect for our future dog.”

“Dogs. Plural.”

“Plural?”

“Yeah. Like at least six,” he laughs, kissing your head. “I can’t believe this is it now, baby. We’re just doing life together from now on.”

You reach up and push some strands of hair that had fallen out of his gel back for him, fingers tugging at the ends where they’re flipping up near his shirt collar.

“Rafe, I’m not sure I wanna stay here forever.”

He nods, hand tightening on your back. “I know, me either.”

“You mean it?”

“I mean it. Maybe one day, yeah. I’d wanna stay here for good,” he explains. “Especially if Dylan or Sarah and Wheez stick around, too. I just want—this is our home, sweetheart. It’s where I fell in love with you. I want to end up here one day, I want our kids to grow up with their cousins and grandparents.”

You lean up and kiss him, because that’s the first time he’s ever brought up kids on his own. And he still meant way in the future, but it was something to confirm he’d thought about it, too. “Me too.”

“And I have to give it a shot with my dad. If I ever want our relationship to work in the long run,” he sighs.

“I get it,” you assure him. “I’m gonna worry about you, but. As long as you know I’m here for you.”

“I do. And I love you.”

“I love you. I’m going wherever you go from now on, Cameron.”

He twirls you around. “Like I’d go anywhere without you, anyway.”

“True.”

“Can’t let you out of my sight. Somehow I tricked you into falling in love with me, now I just have to keep an eye on it.”

“Think that might’ve been the other way around,” you protest. “I’m pretty sure I’ve somehow had you on lock for years, RC.”

“But there were no tricks. I’m actually surprised that not everyone who’s ever met you isn’t in love with you.”

“Even if they were, none of it would matter,” you say. “Not if I have you.”

“You do have me. You always have.”

—

@moniamaybank @downbytheouterbanks @littlementalpolaroids @fangirlvoice @chicagoblackhawkslover96 @pogueslandia @loveylangdon @oopsiedoopsie23 @sodasback @rafeseggplant @cooper8224 @rafeyybabyy @lemur46 @cameronsrafe @judayyyw @irlpadfoot @synonymforlame @mildkleptomaniac @ilymarkchan @sofiatheseconf @hockeyshmockey @supersouthy @coffeeandcrimeshows @emptyloverofmine @gublerspublers @infinitleyethereal @nerdypartytrashpsychic @mrs-cameron @tcmhollnd @nicavass @sakikos @catonthesideoftheroad @jemimah-b99 @depressinq @svechnibrock @lostaurorax @wildflower98 @babygirl2022 @lieswithoutfairytales @painlesslies @messagesinthesky @orrsoared @destourtereaux @sammywilscn @tylernagle @anonymousobxfan @lilacsandwhiskey @mardema @princesspogue @alwaysclassyeagle

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS DAYLIGHT Vol.9 Mukami Yuma [TRACK 5 + EPILOGUE]

Original title: 冷たい雨 & エピローグ

Source: Diabolik Lovers Daylight Vol. 9 Mukami Yuma

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Translator’s note: I have very conflicting feelings about this CD. I really liked the build up and Tatsuhisa delivered the emotional lines flawlessly, it sent actual shivers up my spine. However, you guys should know by now that I’m not a huge fan of the ‘love cures everything’ endings where the MC is magically healed. :p At least they made it fit with Yuma as a character so I’ll give it a pass this once. 

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5 + Epilogue

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 5: The Cold Rain

*Rustle rustle*

[00:05] “Phew…It’s gotten totally dark. Oh well, I put out the tarps, so it can start pourin’ whenever it wants.”

Thunder roars in the distance.

…Heh. I want to be able to provide her with delicious and nutritious veggies after all. …Ahー The sky’s not lookin’ good. I better hurry back soon.”

Yuma runs towards the house.

*TIMESKIP*

He enters the bedroom.

[01:07] “...Hm? The fuck’s this?”

*Flip*

“It’s her handwritin’... …!! She went out shoppin’ by herself!? You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me…!? That idiot! She feels a bit better and immediately pulls this kinda reckless shit! …!!”

Yuma turns around and bolts out of the room. 

*TIMESKIP*

[01:44] “Haah, haah, haah…Where…!? …Where is she…!?”

He spots you in the distance and walks over.

“...Oi!!”

*Rustle*

“Oi! Wake up, Sow…!! Wake up, I say!! I won’t forgive ya if ya don’t!”

You slowly wake up.

[02:14] “...Haah, haah…You fool! Leavin’ the house without tellin’ me, then collapsin’ on me like this…Cut it out already!”

You explain.

“Who gives a damn ‘bout some groceries!? What are ya doin’, for real!? What is it ya needed so badly? …Haah? Inside this bag?”

*Rustle rustle*

[02:39] “...Oi. This…Don’t tell me…Ya wanted to knit me a pair of gloves…?”

You nod.

“...Tsk, you really are an utter fool…For someone like me…For the hands of some filthy Vampire…Ugh…”

*TIMESKIP*

*Rustle*

[03:27] “...Haah. Are you awake?”

You look around.

“We’re in my room. It’s just the two of us here.”

You apologize for doing something reckless in your condition.

“Haah…You knew?”

You admit to knowing about your heart.

[04:06] “...Right. I guess you’d figure it out at some point. ーー You’re not suffering from a cold. Yer heart has gone to shit…I can’t tell ya how exactly it happened, but it can’t be cured. That’s what I was told.

[04:48] …I’m sorry for keeping quiet about it this whole time. …But I just didn’t want to. If ya weren’t aware, I wanted ya to remain ignorant till the very end. All I wanted…Was for ya to be there by my side, smiling brightly. I didn’t want to cause ya any pain.”

He takes a deep breath.

[05:35] “...My bad. It was selfish on my part.”

You wince in pain.

“...!? …Eh?”

You slowly close your eyes. 

“...Oi, Sow. Don’t sleep…Don’t fall asleep, oi!!”

*Rustle* 

[05:59] “W-Wait…Don’t go…! You can’t die…!! (1) Come back…! You always prioritize my wishes, don’t ya!? I’m tellin’ ya to come back, so get yer ass over here! …Hey, weren’t ya gonna knit me a pair of gloves? …You said so! I won’t call ya annoyin’ ever again so please, knit them for me! I promise I’ll wear them every night! …Please…I’m beggin’ ya…! …Kuh…Uu…” 

*TIMESKIP*

*Tweet tweet*

[07:05] ( I lost track of how many hours had passed. It might have been a couple of days by now. …I had lost all sense of time. No matter how many times I shook her body, or called out her name, she would not open her eyes. …My repeated attempts at pressing our lips together to breathe life into her were futile. Right now…Her hands are even colder than mine, even though I’m a Vampire. )

[07:54] “...She has gone away to a distant place, hasn’t she…? Am I supposed to live on forever…here in this world without her? …Haah…No thank you. I no longer want to be alive. 

[08:38] …Haha…Hahaha…Ahー …To think I once begged that man because I was so desperate to stay alive. It no longer matters whether I’m alive or dead. 

[09:05] …Huh? Hold up. …! They’re both basically the same darn thing. Hahaha…Hahaha! Ah…I get it. I figured it out. I know what I have to do.”

*TIMESKIP*

The wind blows harshly in the background.

[09:54] “Well then…How am I gonna do this? A Vampire Hunter would be the quickest and easiest way. It’d only take one shot with one of their silver bullets. Hold upー There’s the option of goin’ back to bein’ human as well. I’m sure that man would be capable of…

[10:20] ーー Hey, Sow. Ya didn’t care that I was a Vampire, and loved me regardless. In that case, you’d accept me either way, right? As a human…or a Vampire…What truly matters is that we’re together.”

Yuma looks up at the sky.

“Take a look. The sun has appeared in the sky. Right now, we’re the very first people on this earth to witness the sunrise.”

*Rustle*

[11:25] “...!! …Oi…Did ya…move just now?”

You open your eyes.

“...Haah…I can’t believe it…Is this a miracle?”

You note that the sunlight is blinding. 

[11:53] “…Haha…Hahaha…Really? You’ve just come back to life and the first thing ya do is complain ‘bout how bright the sun is? Pfft…Couldn’t ya have at least said my name or somethin’? God…Hahaha…Ya never fail to make me laugh.”

[12:24] ( The sun is a blessing. It helps all living things on earth grow. Both humans, and plants ーー All the same. I laughed as tears rolled down my cheeks. While deep inside my heart, I repeatedly expressed my gratitude towards the morning sun. )

Track 6: Epilogue

The scene starts outside in the forest.

[00:34] “...Haah. I guess this should do?”

He walks over to you.

“Ah-aaah…I’m finally done.”

Yuma plops down as you pour him a drink.

*Pshhh*

“Ah, thanks. Very considerate of ya. …Well, I managed to repair pretty much everythin’ I destroyed.”

You offer your help. 

[01:11] “Aah…? I gotta fix my own shit, don’t ya think? Ya can just sit here and watch. No need to help out. …The trees in this forest are no different from the vegetables I grow in my garden. They’re all plants. It’d be hella unfair if I were to carefully raise one, while beatin’ the other to pulp. I dealt a lot of damage by snapping their branches or tearing off the bark. …Even if I can’t turn back time, I gotta at least make an effort to patch them up.”

You note that he is nice.

[01:58] “Haha…I’m not nice. I’m just atonin’ for my crimes. Ya really are a simpleton, aren’t ya?”

You chuckle and point out that he’s just being dishonest with him. 

“Ahー Shut up already. God! Chew on this instead!”

*Rustle*

“Haha…What’s with that face? Is the sugar cube that good?”

You nod.

[02:27] “Haha! ‘Course! It’s my Sugar-chan, remember?”

You explain that it gives you an energy boost. 

“...Then get a good taste of it so it’ll give ya even more energy. Ya have to get better soon, so I can toy ‘round with ya~ Or else it gets borin’ for me.”

You chuckle. 

[02:55] “Haha…Ya really are so carefree, aren’t ya? Why would ya laugh at that? …Hey, Sow.”

You look at him.

“Ya know…What would ya do…If ya knew that I had a negative effect on yer health?”

You burst out laughing. 

[03:24] “Oi! Why are ya laughin’...!? I’m askin’ a serious question over heーー”

You say that you thought he was joking.

“...No. I mean, for a joke that’d be…”

You tilt your head to the side.

“...Ahー Right. There’s no way ya could ever catch a cold from me. It was a joke to make ya laugh. God, you’re so…”

Yuma embraces you.

*Rustle*

[03:58] “I’ll take yer illness instead.”

*Smooch*

“Hey…Transfer it to me…”

*Smooch*

“Just give all of it to me…”

He continues kissing you.

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) The verb いく or ‘iku’ can have different meanings depending on which kanji/character you write it with. The most basic meaning would be ‘to go’, but it can imply ‘to die/pass away’ as well.

[buckyownsmylife]

daddy issues - chapter xv

The one where Ransom doesn’t feel ready to become a father, but he should have thought about it before sleeping with a complete stranger.

When Ransom’s latest one night stand lets him know that he’s going to become a father, he finds himself looking for the qualities he never believed to have so he can become the parent he never got to witness as a child.

for general warnings and author’s notes, please go to the fic’s masterlist.

A/N for this chapter: this is 3.2k of unedited drama and I am so fucking proud of it. I wrote this entire thing today, and it’s easily one of the pieces I’m most proud of. So I haven’t been able to fit a proper conversation between the reader and Harlan - I couldn’t make the scene justified if his presence was there, since he does seem to be the one thing that keeps the family on the line - but that means I had some ideas of how I can make up for it in the future! Extra chapter? Perhaps. We are approaching the end though. I only have two more chapter planned for this fic and an epilogue. We’ll see how that goes!

Y/N’s P.O.V.

“Hey!” I got into the car excited to see him again, but I tried to reason with myself that it was all because of his visit to his grandfather’s publishing company, of course. I wanted to know how that went and I was curious as to what Harlan’s plans were, that was mostly it.

The fact that I had genuinely missed the man by my side after spending just four hours away from him had very little to do with it, or so I tried to tell myself. I didn’t know how to deal with depending so much on someone yet.

But I was trying to.

Ransom’s silence alerted me that something was different. I stopped trying to fix myself to look to the side and find him staring out the window, face expressionless and eyes void of any sentiment.

“Ransom, what’s wrong?” Reaching over, I squeezed his thigh to get his attention, and he jerked as if he was genuinely surprise by my presence in the small vehicle. “You look stressed,” I clarified, eyebrows furrowed in worry as I reached over to push away a strand of hair that had fallen out of place.

He just stared at me for a while and still I couldn’t read what he was thinking. Was he mad at me? Had I done something wrong? After what felt like eternity, he sighed, gripping the steering wheel as he looked on his lap and admitted, “I’m gonna have to go to this family dinner on Friday.”

Immediately, I breathed deeply in relief, suddenly realizing just how worried I actually was that his mood had something to do with me. But then I was reminded of the little that Ransom had told me about this family - even that little felt like too much.

I could only imagine the anxiety he was feeling, and my heart ached to soothe him as best as I could. “Do you want me to go with you?” I asked, running my digits over his nape calmly, keeping my voice as soft as possible to help him relax.

Still, his head snapped up so he could meet my eyes, his wide as two saucers as he struggled to process what I’d said. “… You’d do that?” He sounded so surprised, so genuinely shocked by my offer, that I couldn’t stop myself from giggling, taking both of his hands on mine and squeezing them gently.

“Of course I would, honey.” Ransom’s eyes were so soft as they stared into mine, even as my heart doubled its size in its effort to reach out for his, I found myself justifying, “You went with me to see my parents!”

The way his smile dropped at my explanation had me feeling cold and empty, desperate to see him look at me the same way he was doing only seconds ago.

“Besides,” I forced myself to admit it, trying not to sound as breathless as I felt while I opened my heart to him. “I-I don’t want you to go through that alone. I wanna be there for you, like you were for me.”

Immediately, I felt rewarded on my effort to open up by the smile he gave me. “Thank you, baby.” He squeezed my hand this time, and when he leaned over and connected our lips on a quick peck, my heart skipped a beat.

I was in love with this man.

Ransom’s P.O.V.

I sighed as we stood in front of my grandfather’s front door, trying to adjust my sweater that suddenly felt uncomfortable. Beside me, she seemed to be doing the exact same thing, fingers pulling on the end of the dress she was wearing, making me smile.

The dress highlighted her bump - it was now undeniable that she was pregnant and even if I’d never been particularly attracted to women in this stage of life, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her now.

It was like she shined from within. Her beauty amazed me, and so when she noticed me staring and stopped fiddling with her clothes, straightening herself up to ask, “Do I look okay?” I had to stop myself from laughing.

“Yes.” More than okay. “But are you sure you won’t be cold?” We’d gone through this argument before leaving the house, so I was prepared to see her rolling her eyes as she reached out to take my hand in hers.

“Unless your family has the habit of dining outdoors regardless of the weather, I think we’ll be alright.” I chuckled, rubbing my thumb on the back of her hand, but it sounded nervous even to my own ears. It didn’t surprise me that she noticed it. “Are you ready?” She questioned, voice in that soothing tone she used whenever she noticed my stress.

“Not at all,” I admitted, but in all honesty, the prospect of joining my family for dinner didn’t seem as bad as it usually did. Not with her by my side.

“I’m here for you.” Hearing her say those words meant more to me than I was able to properly express at that moment so I just stared at her, taking in the fact that this incredible person actually cared about me.

“Just… don’t leave me alone, okay?” Her immediate nod had me smiling. It prompted me to once again lean over and connect our lips, only this time, when I tried to pull away, she kept me close with her hand on the back of my neck.

Who knows where this kiss might have led us if the door hadn’t open right at that moment, revealing my lousy uncle who stared from me to her with wide eyes?

“… She’s pregnant? With your baby?” A groan was all I could muster as a response, tugging her into the house with me. “When were you going to tell your family?”

“For fuck’s sake,” I cursed, looking around the living room for the bar. “Where’s the goddamn alcohol?” There was no way I’d be able to survive this night without it, as much as I wanted to be supportive of Y/N.

“I think that’s a bottle of scotch,” I heard her whispering next to me, pointing towards a corner of the room, and I sighed in relief at her understanding.

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

Y/N’s P.O.V.

An hour into the evening and I had already understood why Ransom was the way that he was - and why he liked his grandfather so much, despite how he felt about the rest of the family.

Harlan was gentle where all of his children were… prickly. In fact, he was the only one who addressed me at all, but I found myself feeling grateful for it, since when the dinner actually started, I wanted the rest of the family to forget about me completely.

“I am so sorry,” Harlan apologized, rubbing his hands nervously as he stared at the rest of the family who was walking towards the dining room. “I sleep early, everyone knows that, but this is the only time they could all gather and since they didn’t know you were coming…”

I waved away his apologies, offering him a hug as I wished him good night. “Just as long as you’ve had your dinner, Harlan. Thanks for welcoming me into your home.”

He accepted my embrace easily, taking advantage of the proximity to whisper in my ear, “Just hang on to him, dear. I promise it’ll be worth it.” I smiled when we parted, nodding in confirmation to his words.

“It already is,” I assured him, but he only sighed.

“Make sure to remember that during dinner…” Now I understood why. It started with a simple question, one of the maids offered me some meat, and when I hesitated to answer…

“God, are you daft, girl? Have you never eaten lamb?” My eyes widened in surprise, but before Ransom could have the chance to throw himself at his mother, I just squeezed his thigh.

“I was going to ask her if there was any oregano in the sauce. It’s been making me feel sick.” I didn’t need to add why - the reminder of my situation, of what led me to be there with them in this dining room was very clear in me.

And still, that didn’t stop them.

“That’s a pretty necklace…” Ransom’s father commented before we could even grab a bite. I chuckled to myself, immediately catching onto what he wasn’t saying.

“Thanks, I got it at a little boutique back home. It was a gift for myself after I got my first paycheck.” I could feel Ransom’s gaze on me, the waves of pride rolling from him in waves. It made me smile, but it was just the calm before the storm.

“Ransom, have you contacted a lawyer?”  This question came from his uncle’s wife, Donna - I think that’s what she was called. Not that she tried to introduce herself to me or anything, but Harlan made sure I knew everyone’s name as soon as I stepped inside the house.

“Why?” Ransom’s tone was vicious and his squinted eyes alerted everyone that he was prepared for a strike, but the fact that he still hadn’t anticipated what was coming almost made me laugh.

Even Donna herself hesitated, unbelieving that he was going to make her say it. “There’s no way you’re that stupid.” And just like that, the doors to hell were opened up.

Ransom’s P.O.V.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but then again, was I really surprised?

“You should make sure to draw a prenup,” Donna insisted, while the rest of the family pretended not to hear, undoubtedly coming up with their own ways to insult Y/N. “Something that will assure only your kid has access to your money.”

I could hear Y/N quietly laughing to herself next to me, but while she was able to find the irony in the situation amusing, all I felt was blinding rage.

“God, do you even hear the shit you say? I never asked for your input, this, right here, is precisely why I didn’t tell any of you all about my baby.” I saw Y/N flinch from the corner of my eyes before I heard my mother’s fork drop against the precious porcelain dish she was pretending to eat from. I knew this was the sorest topic of discussion for her. I knew this was why she had been pretending Y/N wasn’t even there, hadn’t even been invited to dinner with me.

“Fair enough,” she spoke, lying back against her chair as she finally raised her eyes to meet mine. “I don’t know if we even should learn anything about this child, considering it most likely isn’t even yours.”

It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice over me. Y/N was oddly quiet now, seemingly as frozen as me - and when I realized that, my anger returned with twice its power.

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I warned, just as my mother retorted, “Don’t you talk like that to me.” I didn’t even have the chance to talk back when she stroke again. “You fuck so many ransom desperate chicks, I’m surprised this is the first you knocked up.”

This was as insulting to her as it was to me, and it also struck a chord in me because of how I feared this was just reinforcing Y/N’s views of me. “Don’t say shit like that,” I threatened, to no avail. “Don’t talk about her like that.”

“Ransom…” Her sweet voice tried to intervene, but I was too far gone to hold myself back now. I couldn’t stand the thought that I was hurting her because I was the reason she was here in the first place.

“You know nothing about her, and yet you feel comfortable judging her,” I continued, ignoring her completely. “She’s a lawyer, actually. You would know it if you had even bothered to talk to her. If there was ever the need for a prenup, I’d have her draw it.”

Maybe they thought I’d stop at that - I thought so myself, until I realized there was still so much I wanted to get out, and I was going to do that now.

“And you know what? I trust her more than I trust you, and I came out of you. So maybe you should consider that before you attack the one person I try to introduce to my family.” I hated everything about this. I hated how they still managed to get to me, how the fact that my own mother, who I didn’t even respect, still managed to make me feel inadequate about the one thing in my life that made me excited.

I knew I’d always lose with them. They just had this way of inciting the beast in me - they brought out the worst in me, and I felt helpless to fight it.

“Okay, so she’s not some random skank,” my uncle oh-so-helplessly interrupted, immediately making me want to punch him in his stupid face. “But this just means she’s the one playing you.”

“Oh, shut up!” I threw my hands up, pushing my chair away from the table, fully intended to storm out of the room until Meg was the one who stopped me dead in my tracks.

“Did you even get a paternity test, Ransom?” She seemed almost uncomfortable to voice it, eyes darting from me to Y/N, but I could read her apologetic smile perfectly.

She just didn’t want someone else to get Harlan’s attention and interest because that would potentially mean less money to each and everyone of the people in this room, as he’d add one more person to his aid list.

My father took advantage of what Meg said, waving in her direction. “Don’t you know how important this family is? How quickly she could rise in any job because of a connection to us?”

My mother scoffed, finally ready to interfere again. “Knowing she’s actually smart leaves me even more surprised that you’ve relented and decided to become someone’s little plaything until this baby pops out. I’m assuming a few months with a screaming kid and you’re just gonna abandon her anyway. Which is fine by me, I won’t have to pretend to be a grandmother for long.”

Y/N’s P.O.V.

All I could think was how grateful I was that I had accompanied him to this dinner tonight. As I watched his chest heaving with fury, I could not imagine how he would have felt having to deal with all of this on his own.

“Ransom,” I tried to catch his attention, pulling him back to his seat. “Ransom, it’s okay,” I tried to appease him, but he was too fucking gone to care.

“No, it’s not okay, he pushed my hand away, getting up from his chair to lean over the table, both hands on top of it as he stared at his mother.  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He yelled, making me flinch, although Linda hardly seemed bothered by it.

Then, much to my surprise, Ransom straightened up, running a hand through his hair as an emotionless chuckle escaped him. “No, you know what? You’re right. You’re not gonna be a grandmother. I’m gonna be a father, Harlan’s gonna be a great-grandfather, but that’s it. I’m not gonna keep taking your shit anymore, Linda, you know why? Even if this child wasn’t mine, I’d still want her and this kid.”

My heartbeat pumped out of control as he continued, “She’s not just someone who’s carrying my child. I care about her. And if you can’t respect her, than I guess I was right in keeping this pregnancy from you.”

I held my breath as Ransom apparently caught his, my head swirling with the different emotions running through me - my infatuation for this man, who had so fiercely defended me from his entire family, the adrenaline from witnessing such a vicious argument.

I truly believed this would be the end of it. I didn’t know where they could go from here - that was, of course, until Linda decided to attack him.

“Oh, and you think you’re going to be so great with it?” My blood boiled when her words turned against her own son so easily. Attack me and my dignity? That was okay, these people didn’t know me.

But seeing her attack Ransom was just too much for me.

“Do you think she’ll want to keep you around once she realizes she’ll be raising two children with you to weigh her down?” Ransom visibly faltered, like she had slapped him, and that’s when I had enough. “You’ll never be able to give her the emotional support that she needs and you know that.”

I rose to my feet at that, holding onto my lower back as I softly slapped Ransom’s back in an attempt to calm him down. “I got this, babe.” He was so surprised - and still so hurt by his mother’s statements - that he didn’t even try to stop me. In fact, I think he didn’t even realize what was going on until I turned to Linda and started talking.

“Do you really think that poorly of your son that you can’t believe he has anything to offer in a relationship?” Now she was the one who looked up at me with an expression that looked like I had physically hurt her.

“Is it that unbelievable to you, that someone would be able to like him for him?” She didn’t seem to be able to find anything to answer to me, and when I turned to Richard, I was also met with silence.

Ransom’s P.O.V.

“Well, I do,” she announced, like it was the single most obvious thing, the simplest fact to deduce in the world, while I stood back watching her with my mouth hanging open. “I like him enough to be willing to open up to him even if one day he might leave me because to me, he is worth any possibility of future pain.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’d never had anyone defend me like this, not even Harlan - not even my parents, when I was a kid and the bigger children decided to bully me.

No, back then all I got was a talk about how “real men don’t cry” and if my father ever caught me cowering from someone else again he’d give me a real reason to be afraid.

“And I do say possibility,” she continued, not having raised her voice for even a second and still to effortlessly able to catch the attention of everyone in the room, assure herself the ground to speak her mind without the fear of interruptions. “Because Ransom’s actions have never given me any reason to think that outcome is even remotely probable.”

“So maybe you think about your own opinions of your son’s character and see if they don’t reflect your own more than they reflect his actions.” She turned around after that, tiny hand encircling my wrist as she began to yank me in the direction of the front door.

“Let’s go.”

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Monstrous Secrets Chapter 16

Eris Vanserra x reader

Word Count: 959

Summary: Epilogue!!

In the end it was almost too easy, watching Beron’s support fall down around his ears. Once Feyre started aiding in Eris’s efforts to turn the whole place against its morally corrupt leader, everything seemed to fall into place within days. Known as she was among low fae coupled with your own status as proof that Eris did not think lesser of that lower class, that was one half of the Autumn Court covered. Then the years of worming his way into the minds of the high fae did the rest of the job so that, when Eris was finally ready, there was no way he could lose.

And it was magnificent.

It happened at a normal, post-war meeting where the High Lords were all gathered to discuss the idea of a unified Prythian. There’d been several such gatherings already, each at a different court, and Autumn had been the last on the list since Spring was still . . . unavailable to the public. You’d arrived with Rhysand and Feyre shortly before lunch, only to immediately be met with scorn from Autumn’s current High Lord while surrounded by a group of his highest nobles that were present to greet the other Courts’ leaderships. Curiously, the rest of the Vanserra clan was absent.

“Perfect,” he’d muttered with a roll of his eyes. “At least I can teach that worthless son of mine a lesson since you’re here.”

Around you, the other High Lords went silent, clearly curious how this would play out given how open you and Eris had been about your relationship at previous meetings since Beron hadn’t bothered to go.

“Boy!” he called, oblivious to the incredulous stares he was receiving even from his own people.

You could see the hate literally burning in Eris’s eyes as he moved to stand before his father, only feet from you. “Yes?”

“You’ll watch your tone with me, boy,” Beron snapped. “Or should I just save myself the trouble and kill you now so one of your brothers can take your place?”

A murmur of wary uncertainty rippled through the people of Autumn. You noticed a familiar head of long, red hair skulk into the room from some hidden, back entrance.

“Why don’t you save us all the trouble and stop pretending like you could do something to me that you haven’t already done?” Eris mouthed off to the man for the first time since his youth.

Only to be promptly met with a ring-covered hand to his cheek.

Your nose twitched and your jaw clenched in barely concealed rage at the sight of the blood now running down his pale skin.

“I should have killed her the moment I found out about your little bond,” the lord snarled. “Then again, I couldn’t have you running off like your worthless brother.”

“No,” Lucien’s voice was practically frigid when he spoke. Suddenly, the blade of a sword was sticking out of Beron’s chest after having been run through the shriveled excuse of an organ he called a heart. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

The man was stunned silent, and could only groan weakly when Lucien twisted the blade to guarantee his death.

You could barely hear the younger man whisper, “I promised you’d pay for her life eventually.”

In the same instant the former Lord went totally limp, a rush of power filled the gilded hall. The murmur and occasional gasping of the crowd turned to a total roar of approval when that swirl of power settled into Eris, making his amber eyes glow like never before.

“Thank you,” Lucien mouthed to his eldest brother before stepping down from the dais.

Eris only tipped his head back slightly in acknowledgement; they still had much to discuss after all had settled.

Eventually, it was Helion’s raised hand that silenced the room once more. “It seems congratulations are in order, Vanserra. Let’s hope you prove to be a better male than your father.”

A cruel smirk played at the redhead’s lips. “If I don’t, you’ve got my permission to help my wife off me.” Face becoming more serious, he added, “Please stay after this is all over; there is much we need to discuss.”

Day’s Lord quirked a dark brow. 

“Nothing bad,” you rushed to say, “but it’s quite important.”

“I’d listen to them,” Rhys advised, offering his friend a half smile.

“Wait, you know about . . . whatever this is?”

Your cousin’s answer was cut off by Eris addressing his--your people. “I hope that this is a satisfactory development for you all?”

Cacophonous cheering. It was a truly impressive wall of sound for such a prim and proper group of citizens.

“Good. Then my first act as your new Lord is to state that the separation between ‘low’ and ‘high’ fae is no more. We are all one people, and we shall act accordingly.” He glanced over at you before taking your hand in his. “I doubt that will surprise most of you.”

Quiet laughter.

“Second, I will state my intentions with my wife.” Your eyes widened, but Eris continued regardless. “The High Lord and Lady of the Night Court set a fine example that I intend on following. As soon as we have the time to take the oaths, my wife will become your High Lady. If you have any complaints on the matter,” golden flames danced in his gaze, “I suggest you keep them to yourselves.”

Again, quiet laughter was the crowd’s response; though you knew there was little doubt they knew just how serious their new leader was.

“Wonderful,” Helion clapped his hands together. “Shall we get started?”

You brought Eris’s hand to your lips in the open display of affection you’d longed to do for centuries. “We shall.”

[write-orflight]

Galileo: Chapter 8

**Gif Not Mine**

Prev -  Next

Pairings: SpencerXReader, enemies to friends to lovers trope

Rating: M

Words: 2.1K

Warnings:  None, just painfully fluff.

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary:  Y/N  is an astronomer with her head constantly in the stars. But when a   serial killer is threatening NASA’s top scientists, she is left in the   protective custody of a man who’s gravitational pull threatens to pull   her back down to earth. 

A.N: Unedited. Well guys we’re here. I kinda really like how I ended this chapter so IF I do write an Epilogue it’ll be very very small. So for that reason I’m closing the taglist for Galileo. Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. Check out my other fics if you haven’t. And shoot me an inbox saying what you think! much love, Cia.

                                Chapter 8: Pluto 

Life with Spencer wasn’t easier but it sure was better. 

It had been about 9 months now since the two of you started dating and you knew it would be rough. The two of you traveled a lot for work so it was a lot of missed calls, texts, and video chats in the beginning but now you’d say the two of you got a grip on what you both wanted which was each other. Around month 6, Spencer asks you to move in with him. At first you say no, and you keep saying no until around month 8 when Spencer gets shot on the job and you take care of him and just never leave. Not that he was complaining, it was what he’s wanted since Month 2. 

You met the team officially and without impending danger around month 2 as well. Emily and Derek who you already knew through the investigation welcomed you back with open arms and tequila shots at the bar you met them at. JJ took a while to warm up to you which you completely understood from how you left but she warmed up to you when she realized just how much you loved Spencer and how much you regretted pushing him away. 

You and Penelope Garcia got along like a house on fire which everyone expected the two genius women to. Though her sunny, social disposition and your quiet, mellow one didn’t mix on paper pretty soon you guys were trading baked goods and having sleepovers. It was nice, you never had girl friends you could be yourself around but you found that in them. 

Spencer was still Spencer. 

In some ways, he was still the man you met in the observatory of your job, and in some ways he was very different. He was definitely a lot more touchy than you thought he’d be, seemingly unable to be in the same room as you without touching you in some way. Not that that was unwelcome, you loved him all the same. He was still that nerdy guy who whenever he read something or found out something new about your field he’d call you up and immediately to tell you about it. And you would sit and listen intently, never having the heart to tell him it was something you already knew. You liked to hear him talk anyway. 

You still found out a couple of things too. One being that Spencer gets extremely jealous and you found this out around Month 7 of your relationship, your first official fight. He had come to surprise you at work and you were helping the new Doctor hired on the Terra-Mora project get acclimated with the space. You didn’t think anything of the guy other than he was overly friendly but when Spencer came in and saw the fairly attractive man lingering a hand on your back he became livid. 

The car ride home was awkward because you could tell something was up with Spencer though he wasn’t saying anything. “What’s wrong?” You asked. 

“Nothing, bunny.” He says, you can’t help the smile that crosses  your face at the nickname but you knew there was something wrong. 

“Okay so there has to be something up. So out with it.” 

He’s silent for a moment. “How’s working with Dr. Sutton?” 

“Landon?” You ask. He gives you a look when you refer to the man by first name but you choose to ignore it.  “It’s fine. He’s better at math and he’s been nice.” 

“Bet he has.” Spencer mutters under his breath. 

“Ok, what is that?” You ask. 

“Why did you just call him Landon just now?” 

“His name is Landon….?” 

“Every person you work with you refer to as Doctor, you even refer to yourself as Dr. L/N when talking about work.” He points out. “In fact, the only other person you didn’t do that for was Jonathan, who you had feelings for. So why is he ‘Landon’?” 

“He asked me to call him Landon.” You shrug. “You almost sound jealous, Spence.” You can’t help the small chuckle that leaves you when you say it because it was ridiculous to even think about. You loved Spencer. You couldn’t imagine your life without him or even fathom wanting anyone but him but when you saw the look he gave you back when you said it you knew that was exactly the case. 

“You wanna tell me what this is actually about now?” You question. 

“Why didn’t you say I was your boyfriend?” He whispers. 

“What?” You say, confused. You park the car in front of your apartment and turn fully towards Spencer.   

“You didn’t say I was your boyfriend, you called him Landon…” 

“Baby, I didn’t even realize I didn’t do that.” You say, looking into his eyes. “If I did it’s because everyone knows who you are.” You say, cupping the side of his face with one of your hands, he instantly leans into the touch. “My genius boyfriend, who works for the FBI and saved my life. I talk about you constantly because I am happy and proud to be yours. That you still took a chance on me even though I pushed you away and treated you like shit in the beginning. I am never trying to hide you and you have no reason to be jealous because I don’t see anyone else when I’m with you, ok?” You say, Spencer smiles and leans over the center console to kiss you and just like every time Spencer kisses you, you contemplate the likelihood that the earth could stop its rotation because it seemed that the world stood still every time you were together like this.When you pulled away, you leaned your forehead against Spencers for a second, catching your breath. 

“Plus you really have no reason to be jealous.” You add. “Me and Landon spent most of the morning talking about our boyfriends.” 

Spencer looks at you with a wide eyed expression. “You mean, he’s--” 

“Yup.” You cut off. Getting out of the car, Spencer follows you. “You should get jealous more though. It’s kinda hot.” You shrug. Spencer rolls his eyes at you. 

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

     On your one year anniversary, you go to your first date spot which was the Planetarium. You rolled your eyes at the time when Spencer suggested the date saying that you’d both just end up annoying the tour guide. In the end, you ended up with a 16  year old named Anna, who had the same twinkle in her eye when she talked about Space that you had as a child. You ended up shushing Spencer every now and again so you could listen to the young girl tell you about the planets you both knew so much about. At the end of the tour, you told her who you were and that if she wanted an internship at NASA after high school to give you a call. She smiled excitedly at you and hugged you, which you returned before apologizing profusely for hugging you. When you and Spencer were walking to get food after that he asked the question. 

“Do you want kids?” He says. 

“Whoa!” You laugh. “Big ask for a first date.” 

“I’m sorry, you were just so cute with the tour guide that--It’ll come up eventually is all.” 

“I do want kids someday.” You say, smiling at the man. “I never thought it was in the cards for me but I would love kids someday. What about you?” 

“I never thought it was in the cards for me either but I like the idea of having a family.” He says, reaching for your hand. You smile at him again and the topic never comes back up. 

You guys head to the Planetarium again and Anna is still working there, finishing up her senior year. She lets you guys venture around without a guide this time and you and Spencer just sit in the auditorium alone, talking softly at the fake constellations that pass by. 

After, you ask if you guys can skip dinner to go to the observatory just to see if you can get a peak at Gaia tonight as the sky seemed pretty clear. Spencer smiles and obliges you as the two of you head over to your job. The night security guard just nods at the two of you as you walk in, having come accustomed to your late nights and Spencer accompanying you. 

Spencer sits a ways while you set everything up, booting up your computer and positioning your telescope. The two of you settle into a comfortable silence as you often did around each other. You felt slightly bad, it was your anniversary and Spencer was indulging you just like always. He was really way too good for you. You look up at him and smile, which he instantly returns before you turn your attention to the telescope. 

That’s when you see it. 

Gaia. 

Fully visible from earth for the first time in what could have been a millennium. 

You scream out of happiness and Spencer looks up at you raising a brow as you run for your tape recorder.  Gesturing for him to come look. He looks into the telescope as you type into your computer for a second, making sure your telescope was taking the pictures you needed, before speaking into your recorder. 

“This is Dr. Y/N L/N. I am accompanied by Dr. Spencer Reid. The date is April 12th 2014. For the first time ever Planet KXSY-1029 or Alias Gaia is Fully visible from earth!” You turn off the recorder and jump into your boyfriend’s arms. He instantly catches you and spins you around before kissing you fully on your lips. You moan into his mouth slightly as his tongue meets yours but eventually he pulls away but he is still lifting you fully. 

“Do you realize how big tonight is? This is probably the only time anyone in centuries will be able to see her until we actually start human trials and it’s the only time it’ll probably ever be visible from earth and WE were here for it! This is amazing! This night cannot get bette--” 

“Marry me.” Spencer says, looking into your eyes. 

Your eyes widen, as Spencer sets you down on the ground. “What?” You ask. 

“I was going to ask at dinner.” He says pulling a ring out of his jacket pocket and getting down on one knee. You feel tears welling in your eyes. 

“I ruined your whole plan.” You say. 

“No! No, you didn’t. Because seeing you react to seeing Gaia just now reminded me exactly why I wanted to marry you.” Spencer says, grabbing your hands. “Did you know the greek goddess Gaia in creating the earth, gave humans four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. And Zeus, fearing their power, split them in half and that’s where the soulmates come from?” He asks, you shake your head and more tears fall as he rubs small circles with his thumb on the back of your hand. “Y/N, you are the single most caring, passionate, amazing person I know. And if I could go back and change anything about how we met and when we met, I wouldn’t. If I could take away your hurt and tragedy, I would but I feel like everything I’ve ever done, everything that’s ever happened to me, was designed to lead me to you. Meeting you, loving you was the first time in my life I felt truly like myself, like I was half a person until meeting you made me whole again.” He tears up as he looks you in the eyes. “So, Y/N… Will you marry me? Please.” He adds softly. 

You nod fast, tears falling more than they were before as you give him a wet smile. “Yes, Spencer! Of course!” You laugh as Spencer smiles up at you as he slides the ring onto your finger. He gets up and kisses you passionately, hands cradling your face. When you pull apart, he hugs you tightly. You breathe in his scent and look behind him at the images of Gaia on your screens. You thought back to the story Spencer had just told you about soulmates and how before you met Spencer you were just going through the motions of life, feeling incomplete and never knowing what was missing. You seemed to have everything you wanted. Your dream job and life. It wasn’t until being with Spencer you realized what was missing. That he was missing.   

In the end, you were just two halves. 

Made whole by Gaia.  

Taglist: @lokislilslut​ @spencerreidslove​ @evelyncade @ceeellewrites​ @diesinspanishbcimhispanic​ @eevee0722​ @fiftyshadesof-reid​ @cielo1984​ @differentkettleoffishalltogether​ @criminalmindzjunkie​ @bbygirlq2020​ @quillanpie​ @themanwiththreephds​ @itshatertatertotblog​ @bihoeofmanyfandoms​ @baby-i-am-fireproof​ @graciehams​ @no-honey-no​ @capricornmashmallow​ @itsarayofsunshine​ @big-galaxy-chaos​ @findmedontlooseme​ @justanothetfangirl​ @chelseyjoyce​ @starlight-boo​ @artzic​

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[psalloacappella]

Flight crew AU - snippet

Finding inspo lately has kind of been like pulling teeth so I’m digging back through WIP’s and snips ✈️This deserved edits since I wrote it on the fly in that tiny twitter box lol. OG snip

In which Sakura is the best pilot from her class and Sasuke is crew + Ino best copilot/wingwoman.

“You did,” he whispers, breathing hard against her temple, feeling her coat against her chest, between them. “But not the job - I don’t care about that.”

Desperate, the way he takes her face in his hands, thinking if he holds on she can’t flit away into the bright blue world.

“It’s that you’ll always love me second.” 

.

.

.

“You know they’re separated for a reason? Pilots and crew?” 

Lingering by the cockpit near the crew rest quarters is the height of pathetic, he knows. In the aftermath, the chaotic fireworks of an illicit fling, it feels like a smoldering fire the whole route’s crew can see. 

Ino’s glower cuts deep.

“Sniffing around isn’t a good look,” she says, raising her eyes up to the crew rest area above first class. “You’re so obvious.” 

Sasuke sighs, expression pained. No matter the roles, he still feels responsible. He was the catalyst; in his life he’s never been “that guy.”

“It’s ending.” Voice harsh, a knife’s curt cut to drive home his point. Bitterness.

“It better be,” she hisses, folding her arms across her uniform. “I can’t stick my neck out for crew that doesn’t know their place.” 

He glances at her stripes, jaw clenched.

“This is the last time. I’m . . . saying goodbye.” Dark eyes boring into Ino’s, he acutely feels the weight and tenor of his disrespect. 

“She’s too good to be disgraced. This could end her career. She’s an idiot for overstepping.”

“I wanted her,” he says simply. “It’s me, too.”

The longest pause:  First class dishes clinking softly, the murmurs of the engines and gentle waves of passenger conversation. 

A few feet above him, she sleeps. Sasuke prepares to leave the only woman that’s ever made him feel a thing. 

Pilot and cabin crew:  A timeless cliche.

“You’re a mess, Uchiha.” Turning her ocean eyes back to the ceiling, she stretches tall and reaches for the ladder latch. Enters a code. “I’d better not see you on this route again. Go close the book on this.” 

She sweeps past him, gifting him a hard nudge to the shoulder. He deserves it.

Pilots and crew always have separate quarters for a reason — it didn’t manage to keep their hurricane love apart. 

Ascending the ladder, aware of the risk to him and the copilot, he curses himself for it all:  The utter cliche of it. The drunk layovers. Whispers. Loneliness.

The lifestyle’s a difficult one, holidays and milestones celebrated on crash couches, the new year rung in halfway over a dark ocean with only your crew and passengers for company. But he jeopardized her one true love, and for that, he owed it to her to go.

Dim rest quarters, plush bunks for the pilots; long-haul routes offered comfortable accommodations, and he’d been around the world on them, whipped into a whirlwind by one of the best and youngest pilots of her flight class. 

“Sasuke?” Her eyes trap him, glitter and green.

“You’re almost up again,” he says quietly, staying near the ladder. “Approach is soon.” 

Sakura sits up, swings her legs to the bunkside. “But that’s not why you’re here.” 

Unraveling, the frayed threads of their silence. 

“I’ll make this easy for you,” he says. “I’m going.”

“Absolutely not.” 

Watching one another askew, reflections bouncing at odd angles off the mirrors; seems they can only watch with distance. 

“I’m taking a commuter route,” he mutters to the carpet. “I’ll work out of—”

“So that’s it, hm?” She stands, eyes blazing, feet planted. Looking every bit the charming, vivacious, undaunted young pilot he took an off-duty drink with not long after FA training. Did he know he was doomed then? “The mistakes were all mine,” she rasps, shaking her head. “This power dynamic — I disrespected that. Became a cliche.”

“And I begged you to,” he hisses. “I’m not about to ruin your career for this — for me.” 

Aloud, it’s too fraught:  He will take the hit, alter his course to stay out of hers and keep that runway clear. 

“Don’t you see, Sasuke? I don’t deserve this position. I’m a mess.”

He snatches her jacket off a hook and tosses it at her with force. Catching it, she squares her jaw in anger. 

“That’s what I want to see,” Sasuke says, acknowledging her with a handsome jerk of his chin. “The fire. You love what you do. So take it. Be the best.”

She feels the fabric in her hands, fingertips tracing delicate stitches in winding curves — her long-haul journeys, her thousands of hours in the sky. Mapping the world, her one true love. 

Ah, and don’t they both know it, as their last flight ticks down to the approach.

“I’ve destroyed you,” she whispers, trailing her fingers over the epaulets. Four stripes — the culmination of her life’s work. 

He crosses the small space in a few swift steps, crushing his lips on hers without pausing to breathe, tasting her for the last time, their epilogue.

“You did,” he whispers, breathing hard against her temple, feeling her coat against her chest, trapped between them. “But not the job — I don’t care about that.” 

Desperate, the way he takes her face in his hands, thinking if he holds on she can’t flit away into the bright blue world.

“It’s that you’ll always love me second.” 

He steps back, feels the ache and loss immediately, a stitch in the chest. “But to love you, Sakura, even second has been worth it.” 

And he retreats, turning his back on her because her sorrow will absolutely ruin him. 

“You’re up.”

.

.

.

Ten minutes later, crew and passengers alike enjoy a smooth descent and taxi, like slipping into a warm bath. 

Sasuke lingers, nodding as people disembark, avoiding the blonde copilot’s sharp eyes while hating the soft warmth in his chest as he watches Sakura smile at the departures, taking compliments with grace.

When people shake hands with her, thank her, marvel at her, he knows in his heart she was born with wings.

This is what she’s made for. A thing not easily articulated but apparent the minute you meet her.

A great love, destiny at 20,000 feet.

And Sasuke knows it’s impossible to compete with a fate like this. 

“We’re off-duty now, you know.” 

She’s staring at him, handle of her rolling suitcase in hand. Of course he knows, and feels her gaze, unwavering. 

That hunger, consuming.

“If you changed airlines,” she says, turning on her heel in a way that always manages to make him fall into line, “it could be less of a mess.”

And she starts walking, heels tapping the dirge of their great love undone, echoing across the airport floors.

He doesn’t hesitate to follow.

“Perhaps,” she says, “your name’s already been brought up at another legacy.”

“So then what would I do?” He catches up, watching the top of her pink head. Cap tucked under her arm. “Chase you around the world, meeting up when our schedules cross?” 

Sakura shrugs, eyes ahead.

“Is that not what we’ve been doing anyway?” 

They arrive at street-level, standing on hard concrete, bereft of words. 

Then—

Sakura hands him a business card, a number scribbled on the back in a gorgeous, looping hand. “Go to your hotel,” she says. “Call her. Discuss it.”

“Sakura—”

“If you like the terms, I’ll see you at 7:00 p.m. in your finest, non-crew dress. I’ll be a stranger, and so will you. Endings and beginnings, you know.” 

Her smile could power a city with its light and magic. It could chase away every cranny, small and dark.

“I’m sorry you’ve been second.” Summoning a taxi with a wave of the hand, she lets the driver take her luggage and lowers herself into the back seat. Pauses before continuing,

“But I have two great loves, and I don’t want to let go of either.” 

Leaves him standing there on the curb, contemplating his fate.

.

.

.

Two strangers meet in a bar.

With his dark hair and eyes and hers so fair, they paint complementary shadows in the thrown curtain of dim candlelight; a new and foreign city. 

They speak of everything and nothing, her considerably chattier than him, but upon taking her hand, she sinks into a companionable silence.

The bartender’s used to seeing this play out:  International crews criss-crossing the globe, anonymous in a place like this. Flickering sparks of two kindred souls catching fire. 

Unsurprised when they leave together, sailing into the night giddy on desire.

Watching a stern man chase a soft love. 

Embarking on their star-crossed life in perpetuum, circling infinity. 

[radiantmists]

pjo + rqg?

(send me two+ fandoms and I’ll give you some thoughts about a crossover!)

Okay, juicy! I ended up spending way longer on this than 10 minutes but I had fun...

The obvious point of meeting is the greek gods being real in both settings, but the challenge with using that approach is that the gods in PJO function as actual characters, albeit powerful ones, whereas in RQG they're very removed forces of nature. They don't have specific interests for which they give quests; they have a sort of general value set and as long as you live by that, you have their favor. And compare the glimpse of Hades we get in RQG Rome with the portrayal of him in PJO-- very different, yeah?

(at this point i got distracted by something and when i came back i didn’t remember where the above was going, so i’m just gonna leave it there to contemplate)

But! I’m now thinking about the rqg cast as demigods, and specifically the fact that Zolf is like, older, which is established in PJO as an unusual thing for demigods and especially kids of the big three. And like, his brother died in a mining accident, so maybe that was Hades or some other god trying to kill him and getting Feryn instead. And so Zolf goes to sea where he’s not constantly harassed by Hades like he would be in a mine, and miraculously survives a shipwreck (or two?), probably thanks to his powers, and maybe one of those wrecks is partially caused by a monster that’s attracted to his demigod-ness so he’s got some more self-blame attached to that, but he’s also  got this weird relationship with Poseidon where he doesn’t want to be ungrateful for his own life being saved and his powers, but he also resents him for all the suffering that’s happened  around him because of his heritage, and that Poseidon hadn’t shielded his family and friends at all.

So he comes on shore after his last shipwreck, having lost the leg to whatever monster there is, and he decides that now that he’s got no one he’s really attached to, he’s going to just fight some monsters. And one day he comes upon some girl getting attacked, and wades in.

Sasha  in this scenario would be a child of Hermes, which I especially like because iirc children of Hermes get basically no powers, they just tend to be sneaky and have the base demigod build. She never knew her mortal parent, and instead got picked up by Barrett, who’s most likely a mortal who can see through the Mist and keeps some monsters on the payroll as well as some demigods to keep them in line. he doesn’t tell her a lot about the grander system, just makes use of her abilities. At some point she’d encountered Eldarion, who’s some kind of minor immortal, maybe a dryad or something, who plays the role of Chiron but... worse. 

Sasha gets away, but out of Eldarion’s protection the monsters who work for Barrett track her down, and this is when she meets Zolf. She’s a bit leery of him at first because the other fully-adult demigods she’s met have all worked for Barret and made questionable compromises of morality in  order to stay alive, but she’s  starting to realize that she genuinely can’t make it on her own, so she agrees to travel with him when he asks. For his part, Zolf is like gdi I can’t believe I’m getting attached to someone again, this always ends badly, but he can hardly leave her to fend for herself either, right?

Within a fairly short window of meeting each other, maybe the same encounter actually, they come across Hamid, who has no idea about any of this myth stuff. Neither of them can figure out who his godly parent is bc he manifests some accidental fire powers, but he really doesn’t seem like any child of Hephaestus they’ve met. Zolf also really can’t leave this one to fend for himself because he has no freaking clue what’s going on and is horrified by killing monsters. He’s not sure how Hamid survived this long by himself.

So they go off together and eventually encounter Wilde, who’s mortal but the Oracle of Apollo. The idea of prophecies and fate has always vaguely infuriated Zolf, plus Wilde is still Wilde, so they don’t get off on a good note, but you also can’t ignore prophecies, so when he says he’s been  guided to them and then goes all funny and vomits a poem that, when recited back to him, he scoffs at the quality of, they don’t much have a choice.

The prophecy probably involves them foiling some plot by a child of Hades, which is maybe why Hades has been so aggressive toward Zolf in the past; along the way they discover that Hamid is actually the child of a monster, specifically a dragon, which iirc is a thing in actual greek myth even if i can’t remember it coming up in PJO. (this is how he’s survived so long; monsters aren’t drawn to him bc he’s not a demigod). 

hamid, i think, figures this out a bit before the rest of the group, and is very freaked out by how his friends will react to it so he keeps it secret. the secret gets blown wide open soon after they meet grizzop, who joined the hunters of artemis bc she’s cool and because immortality and is now off away from the others, tracking some monster involved in the main plot. i think when they reconvene with the hunters, one of them recognizes what hamid is, and then there’s a whole drama where the others have to deal with the revelation while also preventing him from being killed.

wilde manages to be pretty useful despite being mortal and they all get attached to their squishy poet friend, especially when the fact that he never quite asked to be an Oracle and the way it messes with him becomes clear to them.

azu is a child of aphrodite and probably comes from a place where there is a more camp half-blood claiming, group training structure, but she’s definitely the black sheep of the aphrodite group because while love is important to her, she’s really interested in fighting. when whatever oracle they have tells them an aphrodite person has to go on a quest she’s pretty universally nominated, not that she has a problem with that.

cel is a sorceror person along the lines of medea or circe but less evil; i’m not sure where exactly they fit into the plot though. ed is also definitely a child of Apollo in this, and the things with dyslexia and adhd from PJO canon definitely come into play in his backstory as the black sheep of his own family.

zolf and,  to a lesser extent, sasha, tend to come into conflict with grizzop and azu who buy into the whole ‘greatness of gods’ and ‘fate’ stuff a lot more. azu starts to get somewhat disillusioned of all this as the quest goes on and she sees what being a hero actually means. zolf gets into a lot of shouting matches with poseidon, though i think in this universe it would be reparable bc poseidon is a bit more like PJO poseidon who isn’t perfect but is less of a remote dickhead.

i don’t exactly know how things resolve immediately, but an epilogue would definitely be sasha establishing a sort of school/home/camp for demigods that doesn’t push them into roles the way the ones azu and she knew tended to do, and focuses more on giving them a safe place and enough fighting skill to survive, as well as a community who understand, the way zolf helped her. 

[pkg4mumtown]

Signs of Attachment (Ch. 3)

Summary: Having an auditory processing disorder never slowed you down, but it mean you were confined to the Temple when the Clone Wars started. Will the frustration of not understanding people at times make for a rather lonely existence?

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

Pairing: Obi-Wan/Reader (Gender Neutral)

Rating: G (for now)

Warnings: Hard of Hearing Reader, Fluff, Gender Neutral Reader

Taglist: @trash-dino-5000

A/N: Thank you, again, for everyone who’s read. This is the tentative end, but I may add an epilogue at some point!!

Just a reminder:

“Text.” Means someone is speaking.

“Text.” Means someone is speaking and signing.

Text, Means someone is signing.

Chapter 3 - Falling

I mulled over a data pad in my examination room, counting down the seconds until I could run to the mess hall for lunch. I felt an all too familiar signature approaching my door, making me look up before it had even opened. It had been a couple months since that spar with Obi-Wan, but we had both enjoyed it so much that we made a habit of it at least once a week. Though, not as intensely as that first one that left both of us rather sore the next day.

“Good afternoon,” Obi-Wan signed immediately upon seeing my eyes fixed on him. His voice rang out melodically, so I basked in it before it would inevitably become muddled.

My eyes widened when I saw his hair, “You got a hair cut?”

He paused, embarrassed because I’d noticed.

“Yes, yesterday,” he ran a hand through his hair, which was brushed over to the side, his mullet long gone.

“It looks good, I love it, Obi-Wan,” I complimented, his cheeks tinting pink almost immediately.

“Have you had—lunch?” He asked, stumbling over the sign at the end.

“No, not yet,” I stood and stretched.

“Come with me,” he nodded his head toward the door with a bright smile.

“What are you up to?” I squinted my eyes at him.

“You’ll see,” he winked.

I followed him, impressed with his progress every day. Obi-Wan led us away from the direction of the mess hall, toward the entrance to one of the gardens.

I smacked his arm to get his attention, “Where are we going? The mess hall is that way.”

“Patience,” he smirked and patted my shoulder. He led me with his hand still firmly on my shoulder while we entered the gardens. We weaved our way through to the back until we stopped at a sort of clearing. I felt him tap my shoulder before he dropped his hand.

“My Master and I used to—have mid-meal here often,” he explained.

“It’s beautiful, Obi-Wan,” I sighed in awe at my surroundings. I had been in the gardens hundreds of times but never in this specific spot, hidden just for Obi-Wan and his Master. I looked down, seeing a small blanket, just barely big enough for us to sit on, and lunch already spread out for us, my head snapping to him in question.

“You planned this?” I questioned.

“Yes,” he signed, then waved his hand for me to sit down. “An excuse to get you alone, nothing compares to conversation.”

“I agree.”

We sat facing one another so signing would be easier, our legs crossed and knees nearly touching each other. The food was off to the side of us for us to grab. As we dug in to the food he had brought, my involuntary sigh of happiness at finally being able to eat made him laugh softly, something so much easier to hear here where it was relatively quiet and low distraction. I waved my fingers up and down at him to get his attention as he looked off elsewhere.

“Obi-Wan, did you make this?

A laugh bubbled from his lips and his head shook, “Stars, no, ask Ana—kin, I can’t cook.”

I felt a smile tug my lips as I watched him stumble over fingerspelling, “That’s not good!”

He just shrugged, “He survived.”

“How is your Padawan?” I wondered, not having seen him in a couple weeks.

“He was knighted,” Obi was signed, mimicking the cutting of a Padawan braid with his fingers behind his ear.

My eyes widened in shock, “That’s amazing, Obi-Wan, congratulations!”

“Thank you,” he signed, then bowed his head.

He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth, “What does this mean?” He asked and mimicked a sign I had just used.

My cheeks burned a little at having to explain it, “It’s your name.”

“But, my name is signed,” O-B-I- — -W-A-N? He finger spelled his name.

“Yes, you’re right, but see how long that took?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

Yes, “It was a lot,” Obi-Wan half signed and half spoke.

“Of course, if it’s okay with you, I shortened it to that. It’s just your hand making an ‘O’ and a couple swipes to your jaw,” I explained and demonstrated it again.

“That’s so much easier,” he repeated the sign. “Why here, though?” He asked, gesturing to his jaw.

“Um, your…beard,” I stuttered slightly.

“Interesting,” Obi-Wan murmured, running his hand over said beard.

I stared at the way his fingers sifted and twisted in the hair. I snapped myself out of a trance and continued on explaining.

“Usually, personal signs like that have your initial and something distinctive about you. Something you wear, your favorite animal, your occupation…”

“I see, so what would Anakin’s be? Because spelling his was exhausting, too,” Obi-Wan chuckled. I smiled involuntarily at the sound of his laughter, not always able to hear it so clearly in our brief passings.

“You’ll get better at it in time,” I nudged his knee with mine and finger-spelled “Anakin” quickly.

“That’s not fair,” he nudged back.

“Well, Anakin has a scar, right? That’s identifiable, so maybe this?” I made an “A” and drew a line down over my right eye with my thumb.

“That’s…genius, how did I not think of that?” Obi-Wan sighed.

“It can be hard to come up with them sometimes,” I shrugged.

“What did you use for Master Plo?” Obi-Wan wondered.

The words decided, then, to muddle together making me look at him strangely, Repeat, I signed to him.

“Sorry, what sign did you use for Master Plo,” he repeated and added sign.

“I made a ‘P’ with both hands and did the gesture for teacher, pretty much,” I demonstrated it for him. “It got the point across as him being my teacher. Similarly, he made my initial and did the gesture for student for me.”

“Clever, though you’re not my student, so what would you use now?” His hand made its way back to his beard, letting his fingers smooth over the chin area. And he wondered why I chose that area for his name.

“Mmm…the closest thing we have to ‘healer’ is ‘doctor’ so maybe…” I trailed off as I formed my initial with my dominant hand and tapped the inner part of my wrist on my non-dominant hand with that palm facing up. “I’d never really needed it before, but that works pretty well.”

I watched Obi-Wan repeat the sign a few times to commit it to memory.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he signed.

“Nice to meet you, too, Obi-Wan,” my shoulders jumped with laughter.

“How long do you have left on—your break?”

“Thirty minutes,” I answered after checking my comm for the time. I groaned and let myself fall backwards, my feet unfolding to land on either side of Obi-Wan. Most of my body was now in the grass behind me, not that I minded.

“Hey, you can’t nap, I can’t sign if you’re laying down!” Obi-Wan protested at my dramatic gesture.

“Relax, Obi, you’re doing well,” I rolled my eyes.

“But I’d like to get practice in!”

“We’re you a master’s pet? Because you sound like one. Oh, who am I kidding, of course you were,” I closed my eyes and rested my hands on my stomach.

I felt Obi-Wan move next to me and lay down, “I resent that.”

“But, was I not correct?” I opened my eyes and turned my head in his direction, seeing his head propped on his hand and looking down at me.

All he did in response was squint. Obi-Wan huffed and laid on his back, playfully bitter about not being able to practice, as if he hadn’t set up a whole lunch date. His hand fell into the grass, softly picking at the blades while the other rested on his chest.

“Obi, huh?” He commented turning his head slightly to raise an eyebrow at me.

“Sorry,” I murmured back, letting a hand slide off my stomach and fall into the grass, my pinky landing on his.

“I wasn’t complaining.”

“Your name is just so tedious that I have to shorten it in speech and sign,” I stressed the “and” by poking the back of his hand with my index finger.

“Yes, well I didn’t choose it, dear.”

“‘Dear’? How old are you?” I snorted.

“Our Temple Days are only five months apart, don’t insult me!”

“Says the man with gray hairs,” I mumbled.

“You’re insufferable. It’s a wonder I don’t have more, now,” he ripped a few blades of grass and used the force to fling them at me.

“You’re the one who invited me,” I sent the grass back at him, hearing him bat the grass off his face with his other hand.

I felt his hand shift under mine, taking it as a sign for me to move my hand, but as soon as I did his palm turned up and grabbed my hand back. I felt a blush rising up my neck, that I could probably pass off as a reaction to the grass, but probably not well. I could feel the contentment he was pushing through the force where our hands met, only making my blush rise faster.

What in the world was he doing?

He settled his hand when he was sure I wasn’t going to take mine back and let his fingertips barely pass through mine. Enough so, that if I squeezed my fingertips together just slightly, I could feel his next to mine.

“Why are you learning BSL, Obi-Wan?” I blurted out.

I did my best to shield my feelings, especially since we were touching, but I couldn’t help wondering why he was doing this. In the back of my mind, I knew it was for me but the fact of the matter is he was a model Jedi. He had no business growing so close to me these last seven months, learning a whole new language for me, and quite literally holding my hand in this moment.

I was too nervous to turn my head all the way but saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed anxiously. I could no longer feel contentment though his hand, but a nervous, vibrating energy instead. Obi-Wan’s fingers slipped entirely passed mine, lacing our fingers together purposefully.

I could read into it without him saying anything, but I was not going to be the reason one of the Order’s greatest Jedi would be expelled, or worse, fall to the dark side. Not that I was entirely without fault here, either. I had definitely fallen victim to attachment toward him, as well; hard.

“Obi-Wan, I can’t d—,” I moved to sit-up, but Obi-Wan sat up faster.

Please, wait, he let go of my hand very briefly to sign.

“Not now, I—.”

Please.

I could see the urgency in his eyes and hear it desperately in his voice as he plead with me, so I paused my hasty exit.

You’re—important to me, he signed slowly, foregoing speech because of the topic, trying to figure out what he wanted to confess as he went.

This isn’t good, Obi-Wan, the Council—

—Can’t understand BSL, he interrupted.

No, but they can read the force. You forget my old Master is also on the Council, I let my arms flop down in frustration.

I’m on the Council, too, now, or have you forgotten? He challenged with a playful twinkle in his eye.

Regardless, they are very set in their ways and my shields aren’t as impeccable as yours, my signing was more erratic than normal, his eyes tracking everything and trying to understand as quickly as possible. If I wasn’t so terrified, I would have said it was good practice for him.

I’ll help you, he took one of my hands in his tightly.

I scoffed and shook my head, No.

I quickly stood up, dropping Obi-Wan’s hand, only to be stopped by a single string of signs.

I’ve fallen in love with you, he finally signed, almost defeatedly dropping his hands in his lap. His eyes were downcast, my entire body frozen as I stared down at him sitting on the blanket. That’s why I’ve kept learning, because I…, he trailed off.

I didn’t even try to pretend that I didn’t feel the same way in that moment, he was just brave enough to say it first. I stared at him for ages, in tune with how his signature had wilted ever so slightly during this extended silence. I finally stuck my hand out to him, to which he looked at and then up at me. I waved my fingers impatiently, so he grabbed my hand and pulled himself up.

We stood almost chest to chest, neither of us moving. I held his gaze, trying to bring myself to sign but my hands were shaking next to me. Obi-Wan brought his hand up, brushing his thumb along my cheek. He didn’t rush me but seemed content to just watch my nervous face. Finally, I brought my hands up, his eyes immediately focusing on them out of habit.

I—I’ve fallen for you, too, I’m…sorry. I shouldn’t feel like this, we shouldn’t…, I looked down, feeling guilt wash over me like a tidal wave.

“No, no, no,” Obi-Wan murmured, pulling me into a tight embrace. “Never be sorry, not for this.”

I allowed myself to sink into his arms, the guilt barely subsiding at the contact. At least until Obi-Wan metaphorically opened the floodgates and pushed through the feelings he had kept hidden from me. I gasped against his tabards, a warmth surrounding me and taking my breath away. I pulled my head back to look at him, running my hand over his beard and smiling as he nuzzled into my palm. Obi-Wan let go of me with one hand, taking my hand in his own so he could bring it to his lips. With his eyes closed and a desperate kiss to my knuckles, he let my hand go and dropped his other from around me.

Can I kiss you? He signed shyly, his cheeks reddening ever so slightly.

Pleas—

He barely let me finish the full sign before he was pulling me back into his arms. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his shoulders as his mouth descended on mine.

There was nothing complicated or urgent about it, just a simple, exploratory meeting. I pulled away first, the location of this scandalous occurrence suddenly hitting me.

“I need to get back to the Halls of Healing,” I sighed as he pressed his forehead against mine.

“Let me walk you.”

I nodded, allowing him to hold me close as we walked until we got to the busy hallways. In the semi-safe enclosure of my examination room, Obi-Wan pulled me close and kissed me again. This time, more urgently than before, his tongue swiping along my bottom lip and making me clutch his tunics tighter.

I smiled into the kiss but pushed him back by his chest, You’re getting too excited.

Sorry, he replied shyly.

I’ll see you later, I signed, punctuated with a quick kiss.

I’ll be waiting, he stepped backwards toward the door until the door swooshed open. I love you, he signed with his back to the hallway.

I love you, too.

With that, Obi-Wan left the doorway, giving me a passing sign for “ILY” while waving with that index finder at the same time.

[ashthewaterghoul]

“What if Ahsoka Went to Mustafar”

Chapter 7

Rex’s voice came over the comm link, “The Chancellor is here with a division of the Coruscant guard led by Fox”

“We’ll be right there.” Anakin replied. He looked at Padmé, confusion on her face made him feel guilty; he kissed her and said “I love you, never forget that.” Then he ran out of the room with Obi-Wan. Ahsoka and Yoda were in the hallway and joined them in running to the front of the station. When they got there, Rex was stationed with Organa’s men and they had already engaged the enemy.

“Well, you’ll need these!” Ahsoka said while tossing Anakin and Obi-Wan their weapons. All the force wielders, including Palpatine, had their lightsabers ignited, ready for battle.

“Come, Lord Vader.” Sidious demanded.

“No.” Anakin replied “You lied to me!”

He ran at Sidious and started to attack him.

“Your hatred is giving you strength, you aren’t even trying to supress it, see how powerful the dark side can be?”

Sidious knew what he was doing been as this made Anakin so angry that his eyes glowed red. From then, flashes of red and blue replaced the two men. The fight went on for some time, Palpatine’s acrobatics and Anakin’s lightning fast strikes caused both to start losing their stamina. As Yoda witnessed this, he quickly came up with an idea.

“Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, apart help me push them!”

The two nodded as they all called upon the force to separate the two. Yoda brought Anakin back over to them but the success was short lived as the clone battalion’s incredible combat training paid off and quickly started to overwhelm the opposition. The Jedi’s team were doing their best to keep the clones at bay but it was taking its toll on the Alderaan troops. Being in close proximity to Fox allowed Rex to tune in the frequencies only carried in clone helmets.

“This is Commander Fox to Commander Cody, we need your help, I repeat, we need your help.

“Cody?” Rex thought, but before he could relay the message, Yoda stated his new plan.

“Attack Sidious I will, join one by one you will to assist.” he said.

He used the force and jumped over to Sidious. The Sith was surprised to see the little green Jedi was alive, which briefly played to Yoda’s advantage. The momentary surprise allowed Yoda to slide past Sidious and take his gaze away from the station. Sidious called his second lightsaber down his sleeve to his hand and ignited it, the crimson blade illuminating his disfigured face under his hood. He was determined to finish their business. As his back was turned, Ahsoka ran to join in but Sidious used the force and held Ahsoka back, but she was soon released when Obi- Wan jumped in to attack also. Ahsoka ran to aid the Jedi masters. Even though it was 3 vs 1, Sidious was somehow still getting the upper hand.

“Any time… now… Anakin!” Obi-Wan said struggling and panting.

The flashes of the lightsabers clashing made it almost impossible for Anakin to see where he should jump in. He remembered what Qui-Gon said about staying on the light, he pulled himself into a brief meditation and used the force to see the action. He saw what to do but all the clones were in the way. He couldn’t get past them without killing them, which he didn’t want to do. He looked at Rex who seemed to know what he was thinking.

“You have my permission, if that’s what you were going to say.” He said, after what happened to Fives and Ahsoka, the Coruscant Guard had a lot less respect from Rex.

Anakin nodded at his friend, gripped his lightsaber tighter and practically ran through them, slicing each one of them like a Tusken Raider. It took some time to get through them but in the end he saw his friends becoming more and more fatigued by the very quick combat of the sith. He didn’t know how to do this while staying on the light, he couldn’t, it was impossible; he just dipped back into the dark then, Anakin could already feel it’s seductive nature intoxicating him, clouding his conscious.

“Don’t worry. I am with you, Anakin.” Qui-Gon said through the force. Anakin swore he felt his master’s large hand on his back like he did all those years ago. While he had the courage to do it, he leaped up and flipped over the lightsaber caused chaos. As he landed, he sliced Palpatine in vertically in half. Palpatine grunted before he could take his last breath, and fell to the ground. The three of them stared at Anakin with complete and utter shock. Ahsoka couldn’t look at the mutilated corpse so she turned and ran back to Rex’s aid. Yoda, Obi-Wan and Anakin’s gazes went from each other to the body, all were expressionless. The moment was over powered by the LAAT’s of the 212th legion arriving. Obi-Wan saw his old battalion and flashes of what happened on Utapau invaded his mind.

“Oh, not good.” He said as the orange clad clones descended from the gunships and immediately started to attack.

Rex saw his brother, Cody, for the first time in weeks and decided to try and talk some sense into him. He tried to act like his chip was still in to blend in with the rest.

“Cody!” he shouted,

“Rex!” he replied, happy to see his brother alive. “Or should I say Commander? I do believe that congratulations are in order!”

“Not anymore, demoted.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you another time but for now, what do we do now the Chancellor is, well, dead?” he motioned to the decapitated body. Cody hadn’t even noticed, he was shocked at the sight and left speechless. Before he could respond, Fox ran towards them and said “We carry out Order 66 and execute the people responsible for treason.”

The mention of the command made Rex wince. He saw Cody straighten up and look almost robotic, just like the droids they fought against, programmed to do whatever is needed of them.

“Yes sir!” Cody said and started to run off but stopped when he realised that Rex wasn’t following.

“Aren’t you coming?” He asked.

“What? Oh right yeah.” Rex started to follow Cody, but while he wasn’t looking, he ran to the Jedi generals.

“Order 66 has been activated again for yours and Ahsoka’s termination.” The Captain said.

“Lovely.” Obi-Wan said completely monotone.

“A laughing matter this is not, Obi-Wan.” Yoda scolded “Stop this how do we, Captain?”

“All the clones have an inhibitor chip implanted in their brains; Ahsoka was smart enough to remove mine, but the rest of my men weren’t as lucky.” He turned to Skywalker “Remember when Fives told us about them?”

“He was right?” Anakin responded.

Rex nodded.

“How do we remove these chips?” Obi-Wan asked.

“We need a scanner and a surgery droid or capsule, it’s a short procedure and then they can function normally right after.”

“Look for one of these capsules inside, I will.” Yoda said, he then quickly ran through the commotion and into the station.

The three men ran back to help the other troops, Rex wanted to fight alongside Cody again, but he couldn’t betray his General. He could feel Cody’s confusion as he ran past him to the man-made trench.

“Rex, what are you doing?!” Cody shouted over the comm. Rex quickly thought of an excuse for his behaviour, “Doing it from the inside.” He shouted back.

“Smart move!”

Rex hated that his brother’s unique personality had dissolved to become just like all the other clones. The laser bolts flew between the two sides for a long time until Yoda’s voice finally came through the comm.

“Found the resources for the surgeries I have. Many of the capsules are there.”

“Understood, Master” Obi-Wan replied.

“How do we get them in?” Ahsoka said while blocking rounds of blaster fire.

“Try to pull them over with the force while Rex stuns them. Then Anakin, put them inside and the droids will get to work.” The Jedi master replied.

They all nodded their heads in agreement.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka called to Rex as a trooper flew his way, Anakin dragged them one by one into the lobby onto a gurney which was quickly whisked away to a med-bay.

The clones started to see that there brothers were being forced behind enemy lines.

“They’re taking hostages!” Fox yelled out.

“We need to recue our brothers!” replied Cody.

They started to charge at the station.

“Rex! Get out of there!” Cody shouted.

“No can do, Cody.” He stunned his brother and dragged him in to Skywalker.

“There are too many of them!” Ahsoka said.

“Fall back!” Kenobi ordered.

Everyone went into the station and held the doors shut.

“How many are left out there?” Anakin asked.

“About half, sir.” Rex said.

“That’s too many.”

Bail Organa ran around the corner, “We have clones coming in the south entrance by some of the other med-bays.” he said.

“That’s where Padmé is!” Anakin said “Rex, how many are out of surgery?”

“We have around 20 left to go.” The Captain responded.

“Take them to the south entrance and get ready to evacuate the place if we need to.” he ordered.

“Yes sir.”

Yoda came round the corner.

“Skywalker.” Yoda called

“Master.” Anakin responded.

“Subdue the clones from here we can. Together we must work to do this. All their heads, hit against each other make them, but not too hard or kill them it will.”

Anakin nodded and they both held their hands out, reaching deep into the force. The clones all rose up in the air and all crumpled into a pile on the floor with a loud clang.

“To the med-bays, get them.” Yoda ordered. Everyone there obliged and carried a trooper onto a gurney. Rex ran back from the south entrance.

“All the troops are ready for the procedure.” He reported.

“And Padmé and the twins?” Anakin asked.

“I … I couldn’t see them sir.”

Fear once again rose in Anakin.

I’m sorry this chapter is so long, I couldn’t condense it or find a place to split it into 2. But I guess it makes up for how short the last chapter was😅. Also there is one chapter left of this and then its the epilogue! I hope you enjoyed it and please leave any feedback or suggestions for future fics. Please interact with my posts as much as you can! You can follow me on Instagram if you want @siriusly_a_jedi.

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[mostlycompetentwriter]

You Can STAY - Part 12

Pairing: Y/N x Felix (Side Pairing: Y/N x Stray Kids)

Genre: Fantasy AU; OT8; Scarlet Heart AU

Warnings: Lots of Angst; Major Character Death

A/N: This is the final part of You Can STAY. I have determined that I am very bad at writing series, and I apologize for the ending...I imagine that many of you will express mixed emotions.

However, there is a epilogue coming soon in the future! And I will, of course, add all of the parts together into one easily accessible story for future readers!

Nine Months Later

If I were to tell the end of my story, I would want it to go something like this: “At the edge of the Kingdom, secluded in the northernmost woods, a former Castle Mage lived with her husband and unborn son, dreaming about the King who stole her heart.”

I don’t like sad endings, but sometimes there are sacrifices whose consequences are too grave to ignore. While Felix ruled the Kingdom exactly as I had once urged him, I did my part by spending long hours tucked away inside a little cabin as my stomach grew rounder and the days grew shorter.

Jisung was good company, when he was around. In between his visits, he worked on the margins, watching over Felix and working with Chan to secure our borders and alliances. He was still very much ostracized from political life, and Felix, to my knowledge, had never forgave his brothers for their part in the rebellion that changed the Kingdom. 

“I can deal with his wrath,” Jisung told me one morning. “I’m perfectly content.”

I managed a smile in return, but it was half-hearted. I knew that Jisung was referring to our marriage, one that only existed on paper, so that he could support me in isolation. He was more than content to live with me and provide anything that my heart desired.

But my heart’s most fervent wish lived in the Castle beyond the horizon, and I could easily glimpse the tops of the tallest towers, wondering if Felix ever looked out from the balcony and thought of the woman he once loved.

Of course he does, a voice at the back of my head reminded me.

“Hyunjin tells me that Felix speaks of you often,” Jisung added, even though it didn’t do much to assuage my guilt. 

Thankfully, Felix had accepted Hyunjin back into the Castle as a personal advisor, likely because Hyunjin had nothing to do with Jisung, Jeongin, and Chan’s plan to overtake the Kingdom and dispose Changbin.

It seemed like a distant memory, and I sighed at the nostalgia of those memories: occasions where I walked through the hallways of the Castle, exploring the gardens and distant grounds, thinking of the day when Felix and I would finally both be free to love without constraint.

It belongs in that past, those sort of thoughts, and I had long ago given up on the prospect of a complete family where I could simply exist as someone who wanted to love and be loved.

Of course, there was also the issue of my health.

Despite early good reports on my pregnancy, our doctor had recently decided that my prognosis wasn’t as easy as he had initially perceived: “You might have difficulties,” he told me. “During the birth.”

“Oh,” was all I could manage, and I barely felt Jisung squeezing my hand as everything changed in a single moment. 

One day, along the bright edges of the morning, Hyunjin came to visit.

“You look well,” he told me, accepting a drink from Jisung who then came to sit next to me.

“I feel good,” I said, even though there was still a prickling of doubt at the furthest reaches of my subconscious - a reminder that my future was suddenly difficult to presume.

“I’m glad,” Hyunjin replied sincerely, and he turned his attention to Jisung. “I just got back from a meeting with a Southern convoy. Things are turning around.”

“Good,” Jisung said, reaching out to take my hand. “We were worried for a while.”

I forced a smile, barely listening as they continued talking, discussing the same politics that I could barely stand since they had cost me everything. 

“Where are you going this weekend?” Jisung asked, and I was faintly aware of Hyunjin’s response, but more than anything, my attention was suddenly preoccupied with a sharp pain in my abdomen.

I winced immediately, and Jisung noticed my discomfort, falling down onto his knees in front of me. “Y/N?” he asked, tone hesitant.

“Hurts,” I managed, and I could see Hyunjin getting up from the corner of my eye.

“Do you need the doctor?” Jisung asked, and I managed a nod, keeling over when it felt like a thousand knives were piercing me all at once. 

“I’ll go,” Hyunjin volunteered, but his voice sounded distant, like I had abruptly been submerged beneath the water, struggling to hear.

“Y/N!” Jisung repeated, and his eyes were frantic as they found mine. “You’ll stay with me, right?”

I tried to say something, but there was a peculiar pull to the dark that was far more compelling, and I fell under its spell while Jisung became nothing more than a distant shadow.

When I woke back up again, the shapes and figures surrounding me were difficult to discern.

My stomach rolled and my skin felt like it burning! I groaned at the discomfort, attracting the attention of the two men standing at the door. “Y/N,” Jisung’s familiar voice spoke through the reverie, and he was at my side within moments, taking my hand in his own. 

“Hello again, dear,” another voice said, and I recognized the doctor as he released a tired sigh. “Seems like we’re at a difficult point.”

I nodded, opening my mouth to speak, but ultimately deciding to remain silent. “I’m so sorry, Y/N,” Jisung whispered to me, and my heart ached at the pain in his eyes. “Do you feel like seeing a visitor?”

Not really, but I agreed nonetheless, expecting Hyunjin to enter the room. But nothing could’ve prepared me for the sight of a familiar mess of red hair and bright green eyes. “Y/N.”

“Felix,” I said, voice hoarse and gravelly, but there were tears falling even without my awareness, and I quickly noticed that Jisung and the doctor had vacated the room.

It was a little awkward though, after all this time, looking back at Felix as he looked back at me, gaze heavy with something striking. “Y/N,” he whispered, and I was shocked to see him breakdown, making it to my bedside before falling onto the edge of the mattress. 

“Are you okay?” I asked, instinctively, reaching out without hesitation to card my fingers through his hair.

He sniffled in response, looking up at me with tear-streaked eyes and a beautiful smile. “I am now.”

My heart stuttered at his sentiment, and I wanted nothing more than to curl myself into Felix and lose myself there in his embrace. “I missed you,” I whimpered. 

“I know, love,” Felix said, and he pressed a kiss to the back of my hand. 

“I’m sorry I left,” I whispered - as if it were an afterthought.

“I understand,” he replied, looking at me to expose the truth - he was aware, despite what I had burdened myself with believing. He knew why I had to leave, and there was nothing but peace left between us.

Peace and Love.

“At first, I was angry and confused,” Felix said. “But I read your letter, and I had Hyunjin to help guide me. He helped me realize that you left so that I could fulfill the destiny I had been denied as a child. It was painful without you, but our circumstances were far from trivial.”

“Yes,” I exhaled, tightening my grip on him. “I never wanted to leave.”

“It’s okay,” Felix reassured me, and his eyes were soft as they paused on my lips. “We’ve always been tethered at the soul. Together, even if it couldn’t be in the way we truly desired.”

He kissed me then, igniting a furious passion that had laid dormant inside of me for months. “It’s yours, you know,” I said, pulling back to graze the pretty line of his lashes. “The child is ours.”

Felix inhaled abruptly, looking down at my swollen stomach. “Truly? Hyunjin said that you were pregnant, but I didn’t want to assume-”

“It could’ve never belonged to anyone else,” I interrupted him. “It’s always been you.”

Felix nodded, allowing one hand to smooth down over the sheets, following the outline of my stomach. “This is more than I could ever ask for.”

I smiled at his pretty words, but then I felt a cold sweat break out against the back of my neck. “Felix,” I said. “The doctor told me that the pregnancy might bring some complications.”

He shivered, and I was surprised by the unfiltered grief written across his expression. “I know that too.”

“If I don’t survive-”

“If,” Felix growled, emphasizing that nothing could ever be certain.

“If,” I agreed. “I want you to raise our child. He deserves to be with his father.”

Felix visibly swallowed, looking away as if having trouble completing such a promise, but I forced him to look at me again. “Alright,” he eventually conceded. “If such things manifest.”

“And you need to forgive your brothers,” I said, holding him at attention in case he tried to move away again. “After all this time...”

“Y/N,” Felix sighed. “Why does this sound like a goodbye?”

I held my tongue, glancing down at our intertwined hands. “Think of it as a start to the next chapter.”

Felix chuckled, affectionate gaze meeting mine. “I’ll be here until it’s over. When you can rest for as long as you want.” 

“Thank you,” I said. “And you will always have me. In one way or another.”

“I can rest easy,” Felix said, and he started murmuring something soft and sweet to the unborn child inside of me, and I found myself able to breathe a lit bit easier for the first time in months.

I even managed a smile, knowing that I could still give Felix a piece of me after I was gone. Unlike our complicated time together at the Castle, our unborn son would be free of those heavy restrictions, and perhaps it was the better outcome. Because, when I really thought about it, our son wouldn’t just be a piece of me. It would be a little part of Felix as well, and I felt nothing short of triumphant when I imagined a world with the right combination of Y/N and Felix. Together at long last. 

Victorious until the bittersweet end.