#they simply are prince lovers. end of story!!!!!!!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kkongdakz · 10 months

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“ WE'RE SO CLICHÉ. ” ft. ot9

in which : i associate love tropes with members.

ot9 x gn!reader, genre : mostly fluff, warning : alcohol consumption in jiwoong's, bullying in hao's, swearing and blood in gunwook's, a little bit of jealousy in yujin's, word count : 3,164

kim jiwoong ♡⃗ exes to lovers

i feel like you and jiwoong had a little love story when you were younger, at the beginning of high school for example

so when you finished your high school studies, you lost touch and kind of.. break up

to meet up again later by chance, through a mutual friend you had and organized a "school memories" party where all former students gathered

and coming face to face with jiwoong brought back old feelings — he still looks the same, but in a more manly and mature way

and your heart suddenly raced, because seeing the love of your youth has made you all things again

and vice versa

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀« oh y/n ! i'm happy you're here ! » says your childhood friend as she welcomes you into her home with open arms. a smile on your lips, you embraced her, checking on her, recalling fond memories of the past. but as your eyes drifted over the other people in the room, they focused on one particular figure : your ex-boyfriend from highschool. apologizing to her, you walked away to gently approach jiwoong, who in turn laid eyes on you. he was always the same, but taller, more masculine, more mature, but always with the same deep gaze and prince charming smile. grabbing two glasses of champagne, he finally approached you, handing you one with a smirk that caused your heart to miss a beat. « hi y/n, it's been a long time.. » you nodded gently, watching him for a long minute, trying to understand why your heart was suddenly racing so fast. old memories resurfaced in your head as the evening progressed, until it was time to leave, finding the two of you in the entrance to the building. and when he placed a warm kiss on your cheek, innocently slipping a piece of paper into the palm of your hand, you thought that maybe, just maybe, the flame of your love wasn't totally extinguished.

other members under the cut !

zhang hao ♡⃗ rivals to lovers

listen, he's number one in everything he do

he's so so so so so competitive

so of course, when you're as good as him in everything, he understands he has competition

and oh boy, he is so determined to destroy you and so are you

so for many years, your relationship is based on arguments and repeated bickering — a competition the whole school knows about, even forming “team hao” and “team y/n”

but one thing's for sure : hao is the only one who can compete with you and make fun of your grades. so when someone decides to attack you, right in front of his eyes, he's the first to defend you

which surprises everyone

and create a new sensation in your heart

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀« who do you think you are, talking to them like that? » hao said suddenly, drawing the attention of the other students in the class. your eyes opened wide, observing his silhouette with his back to you, who had just slid in front of you — as if to protect you. the girl who had been trying to belittle you earlier suddenly found herself caught in the middle, with only one way out : to runaway. as she slipped away with a sigh, the other students around you commented in low voices, which didn't stop hao from turning to you, gently knocking the top of your skull. « don't let people put you down, okay? you know what you're worth. » — coming from the person who beats you all day long, it meant a lot. so you simply nodded, trying to ignore your heart pounding in your chest, but his hand grabbed your wrist, forcing you to get up and leave the classroom with him. which led you to end up in the library, studying in the company of the man you consider your rival. but well.. a cute one.

sung hanbin ♡⃗ soulmate

the invisible red string between you and hanbin is so real

ever since you were little, you've always felt that the love of your life, your soulmate, was not far from you

you pushed away every person who approached you in a loving way, to wait for the precise moment when you would meet the only one person who would be number one in your heart

and one day, as you entered the new cute and cosy café near your house

you saw it in the eyes of the pretty barista — the little spark that appeared when your eyes meet each other's for the first time

and instantly, your heart knew it, he knew hanbin (you still had the time to read his name on the nametag hanging on his apron) was the love of your life

your one and only soulmate

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀you were frozen, facing the cash register, your eyes completely hypnotized and stuck on the boy in front of you. he was pretty, handsome, he looked as soft as cotton, radiant as the sun, cute as a puppy. and he was watching you in exactly the same way : as if two wires had touched in your heads and you'd short-circuited. his eyes seemed like two deep wells, into which you suddenly lost yourself — your heart was pounding as you suddenly found yourself at a loss for words. this boy seemed to be the one you'd been waiting for all your life. but you were snapped out of your trance when the person behind you suddenly cleared his throat, leaving the cute barista to finally speak. « uh, mh, hi- welcome. i'm hanbin, what can we do for you? » after coming to your senses, looking everywhere but into his eyes, you gave him your order, paid, and waited patiently on the side. you couldn't help but observe him, the slightest of his delicate gestures and the smile that clung to his lips over and over again. until you received your order, and noticed a phone number on your cup. “ i'm hanbin, call me when you want :)xx ”

seok matthew ♡⃗ boy next door

he's the perfect cliché of the cute-hot boy who's just moved in next door to you

look at him, his smile, almost every morning when you're out to pick up your mails

and you just.. freeze, looking at him and his honey voice when he told you “hello neighbor”

and you just runaway — slightly embarrassed at having remained frozen in place without saying anything

and after that, every time you hear a noise near your door, you sneak a peek to catch a glimpse of him, watching him taking care of the plants around your shared balcony

until one day, when you suddenly need a carton of milk, and you have no choice but to ask your beloved next-door neighbor for help

..ending up cooking pancakes with him

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀you didn't know what to say, when he was standing in front of you, and you didn't look at all presentable. flour on your apron, and a spatula in your hands, you'd suddenly forgotten that you needed milk to make pancakes. « need help, neighbor? » he said suddenly, a chuckle escaping his lips, which brought you back down to earth. « hey, sorry, do you have milk? i want to make pancakes but i forgot the milk. » — nodding positively, he walked away for a few moments before returning with a carton of milk. but as you reached out to retrieve it, he gently pushed you as he closed the door to his apartment, pulling you into yours. « i'll help you, you seem to be having a hard time. » he announced, with a drop-dead smile that you didn't dare to refuse. following him to the kitchen, he helped you prepare the recipe, even taking the time to get to know you and make you laugh. finally, something interesting was happening between you.

kim taerae ♡⃗ first love

listen. taerae is so first love coded and you can't change my mind

he's the boy everyone secretly dreams about

the one you watch dreamily in class and who never fails to make your heart skip a beat every time he smiles

and when you finally get to date him, oh boi- you're in heaven

he's literally so sweet : always here for you, fingers that never miss an opportunity to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear, take you home after school, help you study, ect ect..

he's the one who makes you discover love : the butterflies in your stomach, the scenarios in your head that become real, the sweetness of a first kiss, the soft warmth that settles in your chest when he tells you you're beautiful

a smile and you're won over. taerae is and will always be your first love

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀it was a pretty warm afternoon, cherry blossom petals dancing in the air and the sun streaming through the classroom windows. you watched the clouds sail across the sky, tapping your fingers against the wood of your school table, when he entered the room. a gentle smile tugging at his lips as he caught sight of you, dreaming in your corner. then he moved towards you, settling into the chair opposite you before placing a light kiss on your cheek to bring you out of your reverie. taken aback by his action, millions of butterflies flew into your stomach, while your stunned eyes finally found the face of taerae. « i was looking for you, » he says, placing a carton of chocolate milk in front of you, « would you like to go for a walk with me after school? » — of course, you weren't going to turn down the chance to spend a special moment with the boy who was introducing you to all the emotions of first love. with your heart pounding in your chest, you nodded positively at the same time as his fingers clasped yours.

shen ricky ♡⃗ forbidden love

honestly i was thinking about a secretly rich trope but i feel like ricky really likes to tell people he actually is rich.. so naur

so my other option is. i can imagine him as a fake bad boy.

like he hates everyone but you..

so when you noticed him at school, he had already noticed you — but he played the unapproachable guy until you needed a hand with another guy who was getting a little too close to you

and suddenly you saw him from a different angle, and that menacing yet nonchalant look he had on his face made your heart miss a beat — pushing you closer and closer to the forbidden

obviously, the people around you don't approve of your relationship with him at all

but it's not like you care

he may be mean to others, but he's always been upright, courteous and gentle to you

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀midnight had just passed, as the clock on your bedroom wall told you, and yet you were still working on your homework for the next day. a sigh left your lips as you rubbed your eyes, and suddenly your peace was disturbed by a few almost inaudible knocks against your bedroom window. frowning, you approached it, hesitantly shifting your curtain to finally catch a glimpse of ricky's face. hurrying to open your window, the young boy entered your room in no time, before hooking his arms around your hips to press you against him. « what are you doing here? » you asked, whispering so as not to alert your parents about the intruder who was currently in your room at such a late hour. slipping your arms around your neck, ricky simply smiled, « i missed you. » he affirmed, placing a kiss on your cheek before deviating to your lips. even if you loved the fact that he'd show up at any hours just because he missed you, you still had to be careful and make sure you could continue to see him despite your parents' prohibition. « you know my parents are here? » — ricky shook his head, shrugged his shoulders and lifted you off the ground, kissing you passionately while telling you how much he didn't care.

kim gyuvin ♡⃗ fake dating

he can't be serious but trust me, he's the most perfect fake boyfriend you could ask for

just imagine that you've promised to bring someone to your sister's wedding — but unfortunately you are completely alone

your only option is to ask someone you trust to take on this role for the duration of a ceremony : and that's where gyuvin comes in

and he's perfect : his hand on your hip and his eyes attentive to your every word, having fun with your younger cousins and talking to your parents about anything and everything

he's charming, polite and gallant — the perfect son-in-law according to your mother and the hot jackpot according to your sister

and when you finally have a little moment alone together, and you're about to thank him for the perfect fulfillment of his role, you meet the gleam in his eyes and that silly little smile that hangs on his lips

and suddenly nothing exists around you anymore — all that's left is him, you, and the sun shining on his caramel skin.

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the sun passing through the leaves gently settles on gyuvin's face, who looks at you in the most tender way possible. his hand is naturally hooked on yours — which suddenly makes you realize that he doesn't have to put on an act when it's just the two of you. « you can stop pretending, you know? » you say softly, but his pupils don't move from yours. on the contrary, his free hand moves towards your face, grazing your skin, touching your cheeks with his fingertips, as if there were only the two of you left on earth. you thought your heart was going to escape from your chest, because he was no longer pretending — his hand gently tugged on yours, pulling you closer to him, spinning slowly to the rhythm of the background music. « i think we should be careful and always act like a couple so as not to arouse suspicion, don't you think? » he whispered in your ear, and you just love the way he makes you feel at that very moment. as if you two weren't just fake.

park gunwook ♡⃗ enemies to lovers

okay this is from a personal experience because my boys planet' story with gunwook is enemies to lovers

since you met him, your relationship with gunwook has been very complicated — he don't really like you, and you don't really like him either

he tends to play the big guy to show off his superiority and that's what annoyed you about him in the first place

so ever since, you've despised him and given him death glares at every opportunity — and he can't help but prank or scare you at every opportunity

until the day you get paired together for a school project.

and, even though you'd have liked to do the job yourself from start to finish, your teacher didn't agree with you at all, which forced you to tolerate him a little

and introduced you to a new side of gunwook that you'd never seen before — a cute and silly kitty

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀sitting on the floor of your living room, your work books covering every nook and cranny of the coffee table, not a word had left your lips or gunwook's since the start of the afternoon. but the atmosphere seemed heavy, this silence more distressing than relaxing, in the end. sighing as you got up to go to the kitchen, you tiptoed over to grab a glass from the top of the cupboard. but not everything went according to plan : and the next thing you know, the glass was on the floor, broken, and your finger was bleeding. « shit. » you say, running to the sink to put your wounded finger under the water, juggling from one foot to the other while holding back from swearing at how much it hurt. and suddenly gunwook was at your side, one hand on your shoulder and his eyes riveted on your wound, « do you have a first aid kit somewhere? » — nodding as you indicated where it was, you watched him grab the object and return to you, wrapping your finger in a clean cloth before guiding you into the living room. here, gunwook tended to your wound delicately, meticulously, asking you repeatedly if you weren't in pain. he was much gentler than most people you knew — he who tended to act tough in front of others, was actually an adorable kitten. with a smile on his lips, he lifted your hand and placed a magic kiss on top of the bandage he'd made, and that's probably when your heart decided to make room for him inside.

han yujin ♡⃗ childhood friends to lovers

he's still a child okay

so i can easily imagine yujin as a childhood friend

playing cards and video games as kids, right up to entering high school hand in hand

nevertheless, i imagine that you have different groups of friends, even if you remain each other's number one

and you meet up every day after class to go home together and tell each other about your day

obviously, you don't notice it, but yujin always keeps an eye on you — without showing the slight jealousy growing in his heart every time he sees you getting a little too close to your other friends

he's never shy about reminding you that he's right there and that he's still your favorite

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀waiting patiently in front of the school gate, yujin kicked a pebble before suddenly hearing your voice ring out. looking away from the road to observe you, he watched you walk up to him after you had greeted your new friends. as you reached your best friend, you planted yourself in front of him, a grandiose smile hanging on your lips, creating a slight reddish tinge at the tip of yujin's ears. squinting as you started to move forward, you hurried over to him and slipped your hands around his arm, pulling him closer to you, « yah. you walk too fast with your long legs. » — slowing down to walk at the same speed as you, he was content to listen attentively as you told him about your day, nodding from time to time and speaking up when necessary. but you could see that something was on his mind, so you stopped walking, forcing him to stop and turn to face you with a questioning expression. « what's on your mind, han yujin? » you say, your sun-filled eyes dazzling his. clearing his throat while looking away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, you tilted your head slightly to one side, watching yujin with a small smile on your lips. « i'm still your favorite, mh? » he asked, daring to look deep into your eyes, « because you'll always be mine. » — you couldn't explain, but it was like in the romance books, with butterflies in your stomach and your heart beating wildly.

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coralinnii · 1 year

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I love the villain scorned by the world feat: Malleus genre: drama, hurt/comfort, romance note: part 3 continuation of Being Reincarnated into a New World as the Bad Guy AU Malleus ver, not gender specific reader, no pronouns used, villain/ess!reader is human, insecure villain/ess!reader, use of non-canon characters, 1.6k word count

I'm scared that people aren't gonna like how the villain/ess!reader is portrayed but I wanted to write people who are hurt and are afraid, cuz that's what being alive is like, to sometimes be afraid. So, hope you enjoy!

There are requests with more specific topics or aspects of the story so they may get their own story post. I'm not ignoring you, I'm more story pacing ^^"

In one night alone, you’ve met your ex-fiancé and your former friends while you were with the fae that has asked to marry you. Then, said fae went on to antagonize your ex-fiancé who was a prince and low-key threatened to ruin him, his lover and those who supported the couple.

You were not built for this stress

In his defense, Malleus only did it because your former fiance started to mock you and your family over a crime that was proven false. You certainly weren’t ungrateful enough not to thank Malleus for his assistance. The powerful king simply smiled.

“This is but a mere glimpse of the things I would do for you, should you finally accept my proposal”

“T-this is not a decision you can rush”

You were hesitant and gave excuses to refuse the dragon king but he made efforts to rebuke your reasons one by one, destroying whatever obstacles that kept you from saying yes. Soon, it came down to one reason, your real reason.

You were scared

Not of Malleus, he has never done anything to warrant fear from you. But rather, his status as a “route target”.

Before the arrival of the heroine, you were friends with the other route targets and even felt happy enough to be engaged with the prince despite having only platonic feelings between each other. But the moment they all met her, your world became hers.

Your former fiancé grew irritated with you, then full out ignoring you. It was no better with the others as well when you expressed your worries to your mutual friends. Rather than consoling you or hearing you out, they took the heroine’s side and started ignoring you as well, calling you delusional and unreasonable.

Everyone changed (or perhaps you changed and this was how it was meant to be) and you were left ridiculed and soon villainized by those you felt close to. The look of disgust on their faces whenever you attempted to just speak to them, it hurt you.

Would Malleus be the same? Be kind to you then break your heart when the heroine comes in? You suffered because of it the first time but if it was Malleus…your last and maybe closest person in your life since reincarnating to this world… you don’t know how you could come back from that.

So you started to give up on your happy ending, refusing to answer Malleus’ proposal, avoiding to engage with the heroine at all, even escaping the party and retreating to your old hiding spot… in the royal garden.

Alone with your thoughts, you berated yourself over your cowardice as you hid in the tall rose bushes. Gently, you fidgeted with the rose petals and you reminisced about the past. You met Malleus here, didn’t you?

You were so clueless over your future. Back then, you still held hope that your fate was not predestined, that you could be content with stepping aside for the heroine and live happily with them. Yet despite your conflicted feelings, you managed a smile as you recalled one fateful night in the garden. It was the night that you met with your closest friend…

“Lord Malleus!”

…Did you say that out loud?

You looked around in confusion to see if you were truly alone as you thought and to your surprise, you saw beyond the tall hedges the very fae you were just thinking about and the person who called him…

The female protagonist.

“Do you like flowers, Lord Malleus?”

Your heart clenched painfully as you saw your worst nightmare come to be, the female lead with your friend(?) and they were alone in the gardens, where you realized where the player was supposed to meet Malleus in order to enter his route. Was the baron’s daughter aware of this? Did they meet like it was meant to be? Should you stay…or run away?

You could. Your engagement has been annulled and your family was cleared from accusations of treason. You haven't accepted Malleus' proposal so nothing is holding you or your family back from leaving this kingdom forever and starting a new life away from here. No need to follow this cursed story to the end. No need to ever see your ex-friends or the protagonist ever again.

No need to see Malleus again.

Just run away.

Malleus internally thanked the elders and Lilia for their lessons to conceal his emotions, or he could have done something as drastic as burning this garden to ashes due to the annoyance he felt at this moment. He noticed your escape from the party and assumed you wanted some fresh air so he left you on your own. But soon, the party attendees bore him and he soon ached to be by your side once more. So, he made his way to the one place he immediately thought of when thinking of you, the royal gardens.

It was his curiosity borne from boredom that brought him to the gardens that day. He found himself attracted with your kindness and obliviousness to his true identity. He found you charming, a delight and later an optimist when learning of your situation. He knew right away who you were, the child from a noble family betrothed to the young prince of this kingdom since young but that piece of information did not bother him…at first.

But you were turned from charming to tempting as time went on. He craved your attention, envisioning your smiling face with each letter he received from you via his attendant Lilia. He couldn’t count how many times he wanted to visit you personally but couldn’t. He was sure that if you knew his identity, you may cease your correspondence with him in fear of a scandal between the kingdoms. He at least could appreciate your tactfulness.

But he was greedy as any dragon fae would be once he heard your engagement was annulled. He may curse the foolish prince for his actions but Malleus suppose he should count himself lucky that your ex-fiancé was a fool. If he were a decent man then he may have to declare war by stealing you away.

But Malleus encountered another greedy individual, and she’s standing right in front of him.

“Do you like flowers, Lord Malleus?” The baron’s daughter asked, fluttering her eyelashes cutely.

“This garden and its flora has its charm” Malleus curtly replied, he can’t hate this garden afterall. He met you here.

“So do I! I guess fae and humans aren’t so different, huh”

Well, that’s a stretch of a comment. He couldn’t comprehend this human’s agenda. Constantly surrounded by young men, Malleus assumed she had better ways to spend her time, and not waste his.

Wait…was she reaching her hand to him?

“My wish is for humans and fae to get along. Wouldn’t that be great?” The female lead sweetly said with her best smile, stretching her fingers to reach for Malleus’ crossed arms.

To dare attempt to lay hands on him without his permission. No one would fault him for burning this woman’s audacious hands off, right?

“King Malleus!”

The dragon fae’s pointed ears perked up at the sound of his name. He turned immediately to the source, knowing exactly who just called him.

“My dear human” he responded back with a smile as he saw you walking quickly towards him.

In spite of your nervousness, you walked up to the duo and looked to share a gaze with the tall dragon fae before cautiously moving to hover your hand on his arm. Malleus did you one better and guided your hand to firmly rest on his arm, with his large hand kept over yours.

“Good evening, lady” you nodded your head at the heroine who seemed displeased with your presence but curtsied back, as is custom. You barely gave the woman’s much of your attention (your confidence may waver if you did) and turned directly to face Malleus.

“King Malleus, I had planned to retire early tonight and leave this party” you looked to Malleus, taking a deep breath before speaking once more. To let yourself be selfish and fight for the only man that mattered to you now. “Would you like to leave…with me?”

“Aren’t you being rude?” The female lead argued, barely hiding her annoyance with you. “Not only did you interrupt a conversation, you’re shamelessly asking Lord Malleus to leave-“

“Where would you like to go, my dear human?” Malleus’ deep voice interrupted the baron’s daughter, not that Malleus cared as his striking green eyes focused solely on you.

“If you’re willing…perhaps your manor’s garden?” You shocked yourself with your boldness, but you kept at it. “I much prefer your garden above all others, especially during our dates”

Whoosh

Your senses couldn’t keep up with the sudden shift as you were suddenly lifted by Malleus who quickly scooped you up into a bridal carry. You and the female lead both had looks of shock by the fae king’s sudden actions but Malleus paid attention to only one of you.

“I had made the false assumption that all humans were charming” Malleus’ eyes glinted a bright green, you compared them to gems, as he smirked amusingly at you, his fangs peeking from his lips. “But only you could evoke such feelings of greed within me"

Ignoring this world's protagonist, Malleus began to shroud the two of you in specks of green lights, a sign that you were going to be magically whisked away at Malleus' whim.

But before you did, you managed to meet the female lead's eyes which were filled with nothing but indignant rage. She looked ready to destroy you and everything you love, but you steeled yourself. Instead of flinching under her glare, you smiled at her while wrapping your arms around the dragon king's neck. Without a word, you made your decision.

I'm not giving him up

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland imagines #twst scenarios #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twst imagines #twisted wonderland scenarios #villainess au #malleus draconia #malleus x reader #twst malleus

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dat-town · 2 months

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yours truly

Characters: fate!Sunghoon (prince of hearts) & mortal!female reader

Setting & genre: caravalverse au, fantasy, forbidden romance

Summary: “... ballads don’t end happily, and neither do the two of us.” ‒ Stephanie Garber

Warnings: Sunghoon’s character is canon-typically mean and flirty in the beginning, blood, dagger and arrow-caused injuries, mentions of people dying, ambiguous ending

Words: 2.9k

Playlist: moonstruck, criminal love, fatal trouble, still monster, lucifer, fate

Author’s note: for those who haven’t read the books, just imagine a world where deity-like creatures called fates walk among mere humans; for those who did read the books, imagine this as an alternative for the plot, the worldbuilding is the same but the actual romance plays out different since Sunghoon is NOT Jacks, just a different Prince of Hearts. i know personality-wise it’s very not Sunghoon-like but i chose him for visual reasons #theplot

for @restlessmaknae because you worked hard and i believe that you will see its results <3

The Prince of Hearts was exactly how the stories described him: devastatingly handsome and infuriatingly wicked.

The first time you met him, he just broke a naive girl’s heart.

The Prince of Hearts was the hopeless lovers’ Fate. Many turned to him to fulfill their hearts’ desire or get revenge on their unfaithful significant other but there was a reason why he had always been portrayed with bloody tears running down his sculpture-like face and his perfect lips pulled up in a cunning smirk.

“What did you do?” You heard the girl’s trembling, frightened cry over the garden fountain’s lovely bubbling sound and you could tell she didn’t notice you on the other side of the installment. She must have dragged the young man out of the celebration to have a word with him privately. Too bad it was your hiding place.

“Exactly what you asked from me. I made sure he can never look at another girl again,” the man replied in a silky smooth voice, his tone almost melodic. He must have sung lovely lullabies, you thought, but then he continued and his voice turned something dark, something poisoned and sickly amused. “Or at anything for that matter.”

There was a cruel laugh carried by the night breeze and your eyes widened, thoughts running wild.

“This isn’t what I wanted,” the girl protested weakly between sobs but no use, it didn’t seem to affect the man at all.

“Isn’t it? Then you should have asked more… precisely,” he scoffed and with a rustle of clothes you could tell he turned around, ready to leave.

“But… but I kept my side of the bargain. You are a Fate, you should keep your word, too!”

You sucked in a breath because you didn’t have to guess much to know which Fate she was talking about. There was an infamous one for broken hearts.

“Are you seriously accusing me of not fulfilling my part?” The Prince of Hearts spoke up again and this time you could hear anger bubbling up beneath the boredom in his tone. He spoke quietly yet every word of his punctured like bites of a viper. “You wanted your lover to not look at other girls, so I took his sight. Would you have preferred if I plunked his eyeballs out? Or even better, if I simply killed him? Is that it?”

The girl’s crying turned pathetic and you almost felt bad for her even if she should have known better than to make a deal like that. Fates tended to take more than what they had promised.

“Look at you, a sobbing mess. Is your great love really only enough for this? Will you leave him now that he’s blind? Who’s the unfaithful one now?” The ageless creature tsked, his harsh words enough to make the girl run, crying and devastated. The air was once again filled with silence and crickets chirping. Out of curiosity, you quietly stood up from where you sat in the fountain’s shadow but you could see nobody on the other side of the monument. You let out a small sigh, turning back around only to gasp in surprise.

Right in front of you, barely an arm-length away was the most beautiful man you had ever seen. He had porcelain skin and elegant features, artfully tousled raven black hair and almond shaped eyes reflecting the moon. His mouth was pulled into a lopsided smile as he leaned closer, resting his hand on the fountain’s rim beside your waist.

“You know, I can hear your heartbeat, love,” he said, syrupy sweet, and you had to deliberately remind yourself to breathe properly. “It beats rapidly like a trapped bird’s wings. Is it because of fear or attraction? Both?” The Fate arched a brow, provoking.

“I’m not playing your game,” you raised your chin with more confidence that you actually felt in yourself but you didn’t back down, not even when the young man’s eyes burned through you.

“Too bad. I didn’t even tell you the rules yet,” he pouted but he seemed more amused than anything else.

“Are all Fates this bored?”

“There’s a better question, love; are all Fates forgiving towards this blunt attitude of yours?” The Prince of Hearts raised a brow, challenging, his breath fanning over your cheek, his closeness painting it a rosy color. There was something predatory in the way he looked at you and your rabbit of a heart wished nothing but to run. Then he abruptly pulled away, his frown melting into an all too sweet smile. “But see, I’m a gentleman and I will let it go. For now.”

The threat was clear in his velvet voice and the shine of his midnight dark eyes. It took your breath away and you only let out the air you were holding in when he walked out of sight, your heart still beating crazily as you watched him disappear like smoke in the dark.

The next time you met him, you were smarter than to walk into his trap. This time you were actually looking for him because you were about to do what you had never imagined yourself to: gamble for a Fate’s help.

But really, this was your last resort. No matter how many reasons and proofs you had listed, your best friend was dead set on marrying a duke with no land and no morals. He just wanted her for her family’s money but she didn’t believe you. She even told you that if you weren’t happy for her, you weren’t welcome at the wedding. So you had to make sure the wedding didn’t happen, that she realized that her fiancé was a selfish bastard. It was the perfect kind of job for the Prince of Hearts since he seemed to hate other people’s happiness. No wonder even his Destiny Deck card’s meaning was unrequited love and irrevocable mistakes.

As you opened the church's gate, your sister’s voice echoed in your ears. She had told you not to make deals with Fates but if you must, always make sure to double guess the meaning behind their words and not let them have leverage over you. She had known after having her own deal with the Jester Mad. Fates weren’t evil nor saints but as ageless deities, they had different moral compasses than mere mortals. They also lived a long, long life, so what could have been more fun for them than playing with human feelings?

Back in the days, Fates had been private creatures hidden from plain sight. People had built churches and altars for them, waiting for their miracles to happen. But then one day, the Fates disappeared. Nobody knew why or where. There were countless rumors but it didn’t matter because eventually they returned and they weren’t hiding anymore. The Poisonmaker kept wreaking havoc at events where drinking was involved, the Maiden Death started warning people about their loved ones’ dying in the middle of the main square and the Prince of Hearts had heads turning at every noble gathering pretty much in the entire country based on the rumors. Whispers followed his trail, so you knew exactly where to find him.

“Looks like wind blew a little birdie my way,” you heard the familiar smooth voice from behind you once you dropped your golden coins into the well inside the old marble church. You spun around, facing the Fate and you hated the instant effect he had on you. The way his mere presence was enough to weaken you. You tried focusing on the tiniest details on his face to keep yourself grounded like the moles adorning his cheeks, his defined eyebrows or the way the skin around his pretty eyes wrinkled when his mouth pulled into an amused smile. Your heart was a traitor once again.

“Missed me?” He teased, further decreasing the distance between you. He didn’t even touch you yet his closeness set the air around you on fire and you desperately tried to find purchase on the edge of the well, your well kept nails digging into the stone.

“I have a favor to ask,” you forced out and recited the entire monologue you had practiced with all the details in order to make sure there was no loophole in your request. You couldn’t have your best friend getting hurt because of you. You just wanted to get rid of her fiancé subtly. So you came prepared and judging by the almost impressed look on the Fate’s face and the pondering tilt of his head, he must have noticed too.

“Oh, you’re actually a smart one,” he mused out loud, a chuckle escaping him. “It sounds exactly like my kind of fun but you don’t think I’m doing it without a price, right? So are you ready to pay, love?”

You expected it, of course, there was always a price to pay. A bargain with both parties committing to something. You thought you were ready for anything the Prince of Hearts could ask of you: your reputation tarnished, memories of your first love destroyed, cursing you to never love again but maybe you were naive. Because in that moment he looked at you hungrily, eyes dark and tempting. He darted out his tongue, wetting his lips as he angled his face over yours, still not even grazing against your skin, yet you could feel yourself shiver.

For a moment you were sure he would kiss you. That he would kill you.

Because the thing with Fates was that all of them were cursed in one way or another. As for the Prince of Hearts, his kiss was fatal to all but his one true love. They said it was worth dying for and so many naive girls wanted to be the one to break this hex, he left a trail of corpses behind him.

“Not yet, love,” the Fate taunted as he swiped his thumb across your lower lip, leaving tingles behind, and you felt incredibly embarrassed for thinking he would actually kiss you. Gosh, you weren’t normally like this.

“What do you want?” You found your voice after pushing the silently laughing man away from you. You needed space, you needed to focus. You came to save your best friend’s future, not to kiss murderers no matter how much they erupted a garden of butterflies in your stomach.

“Let me be your plus one for the wedding and I promise to make sure your precious friend realizes her mistake before tying the knot. No bodily harm, no future consequences, yadda yadda,” the Prince of Hearts mocked your way of negotiating your conditions and you squinted your eyes because it sounded too good to be true.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” he flashed you a charming smile before leaning in close again, this time his breath fanning over your ears, teeth grazing against your skin, leaving goosebumps behind. “Oh and call me Sunghoon.”

The Prince of Hearts kept his word and you started to wonder whether he wanted to accompany you to the wedding because he wanted to see the drama he caused in person. He seemed rather amused when both the duke’s creditors and mistresses showed up and your best friend threw a vase at him.

It was naive of you to think so though, of course the Fate came on his own accord for his own ulterior motives. You didn’t even know that the infamous Witch of North, holder of the Fated object of the Unbitten Fruit, would be at the wedding but Sunghoon sure knew. He disappeared from sight in the middle of the chaos and you could only find him after calming your best friend down. The wedding hall was empty and broken into pieces and in the middle of it all, surrounded by blackened rose petals, there he laid like a beautiful fallen angel. His white shirt was snug over his broad shoulders and where his wings would have laid, blood spread like wine on tragic days.

“Oh my fates,” you mumbled as you rushed to his side.

Fates had once been immortals but even since their re-appearance, they were merely ageless and could be killed and while you shouldn’t have cared, something didn’t let you let him bleed out. Maybe it was because he just helped your friend like he had promised or because you had always been weak for the helpless ones even if the Fate was nothing but one.

“What happened?” You asked with trembling lips, pressing a torn piece of your skirt onto the bleeding wound on his side.

“Somebody wasn’t too happy that I said hello,” Sunghoon croaked a smile, still all too arrogant even with blood on his lips and pain on his features when his own laughter made him hiss.

“Do you have many enemies?”

“Enemies is all I have,” he said, reaching for the buttons of his blood-soaked shirt to get rid of it and you could feel your face flush at the sudden exposure of bare skin and toned stomach. But trust the Prince of Hearts to tease you even in his stabbed state. “No need to be so shy, love, you can look.”

You cleared your throat and hardened your gaze, looking him in the eye, unwavering. You accidentally applied a bit more pressure on his injury though because his face suddenly distorted in agony.

“Actually, there’s a vial in my front pocket. Would you be kind enough to pour its content on the wound?” He spoke up again, softer, a bit of breathlessness in his usually smooth voice and if it wasn’t for that, you would have believed he was still teasing.

But you actually found a potion in his pocket and once the liquid contacted his torn skin, it started healing at an amazing speed. Oh, so he came prepared, you realized and it made you smack his chest hard. He made you worry for nothing. So stupid of you.

Sunghoon caught your wrist and pulled it over his unbeaten heart, laughing at you. You should have been angry and yet, it was the most beautiful chime of bells you had ever heard.

That should have been the last time you saw the Prince of Hearts but he kept showing up. He kept bothering you at balls, scaring away suitors, stealing apples at the market you had to pay for. He found your reluctance and annoyance amusing, poking fun at the way your heartbeat spiked in his company. He put flowers in your hair, called you love like he meant it and touched you briefly only to make you crave more. You thought it was all just a joke for him because he was bored and you weren’t as easy as the other girls but then you were bleeding out and he looked ready to burn the whole world down.

It was a typical case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You were just in the way. It wasn’t meant for you but the arrow pierced through your chest nevertheless.

You coughed up blood, barely catching your breath, when Sunghoon caught you in his arms before you could have fallen onto the flower bed beneath. Deliriously you looked up at him in wonder, at Death’s most beautiful angel.

“You’re not dying,” he told you through gritted teeth but his voice was torn, feelings you didn’t recognise scratching the surface.

“They say you can’t feel, not because you have no heart but because it stopped beating long ago. Is it true?” You forced out weakly as you put a hand over Sunghoon’s chest just over where his heart was still as always. “I wonder what kind of girl it was, the one who broke your heart.”

All Fates were humans once and their assigned traits and powers were aligned with how they had been once as mortals. It was silly but you couldn’t help being jealous of the girl who had once held his affection because the way he looked at you then made you feel like nothing else mattered to him but you.

You knew that Fates felt everything in extremes. They didn’t hold grudges, they took revenge. They didn’t know love, they only knew obsession. Yet so many made the mistake of falling in love with a Fate and you couldn’t find it in yourself to blame them. Not anymore. Not when the Prince of Hearts’ hands were stained with your blood but you wanted nothing more than to succumb to this overwhelming feeling of being held by him.

“Kiss me,” you whispered, feeling faint. You were dying anyways, it couldn’t have hurt more to try. Because what if it was true, what if true love’s kiss could cure all curses, what if he had been looking for you all this time?

“Love…” Sunghoon’s voice was ruined. It was just a word yet a plea at the same time. A simple word you associated with your name ever since you had first met him.

His eyes shining like bright stars in the night sky were the last thing you saw before your eyelids fluttered close. Tears streamed down your face or blood, you couldn’t tell, but the lips on yours tasted metallic like iron and the sweet taste of the forbidden fruit. Like sin and redemption at the same time. Like you were his in this fairytale and he was yours. Yours truly.

#stories #enhypen x reader #sunghoon x reader #enhypen angst #sunghoon angst

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laurenairay · 6 months

Text

Summer days pass me by - T. Jost

“I feel like I’m stuck, doing the same thing over and over with the same nothing at the end. I need to do something new. Wanna help me make this the best summer ever?”

“You do know that sounds like the start of a coming of age film, right?”

Summary: Mollie Thomas has been friends with Tyson Jost since they were children – but this summer by the lake could change everything.

Warnings: childhood friends to lovers, some bad language, a little angst

Word Count: 9.5k

A/N: I love Tyson Jost so much – this is a super indulgent fic that I started back in August 2020, and it’s been one hell of a journey writing it, including a complete rewrite about 2/3 through. This OC was actually the first one I ever attempted on hockeyblr, although I’ve since written a fair few in stories I've since posted over the years, and she holds a special place in my heart.

This Tyson blurb I wrote in July 2022 is what inspired me to rewrite this story (and thank you @bqstqnbruin for all the encouragement to finish it!).

If there was one thing about summer that Mollie Thomas loved the most, it was being by the lake. As soon as the weather was good enough, she would head up there with friends to relax, have barbecues and mess around on the water. Being by the lake simply was the epitome of summer, sunshine and friendship – she’d grown up doing it, her parents trusting her to go alone since the age of 15, and now 10 years later (despite some friends moving away), she still loved nothing more than watching the days roll on by from the lakeshore.

Utter bliss.

Mollie had been teaching history at the local Kelowna high school ever since graduating from the local college three years ago, and when the weather started getting consistently sunny, she even went up to the lake some evenings after work, depending on who was around. But now that the end of the school year was approaching, she would no longer be restricted to the occasional evening after work, and she honestly couldn’t wait.

Why? Because soon one of her best friends would be coming back to Kelowna for the summer. Tyson Jost.

Mollie had known Tyson ever since he’d moved to Kelowna to live with his grandparents when he was 13, his family's house being down the road from Mollie’s family. Her older brother John had been on the same hockey team as Tyson, so he’d always been around – but with John being a couple of years older than them, Tyson and Mollie had become fast friends.

Sure, things had become harder when Tyson had gotten more serious with ice hockey. When Mollie’s brother John had quit playing, choosing to focus on school instead, Mollie had been worried that they wouldn’t want to hang out any more – but that wasn’t the case. Hockey or no hockey, Tyson had always been there for her, and she knew she could count on him for anything.

He was the guy that encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone. He was the guy that turned to her for help asking out his first girlfriend Sarah Cooper. He was the guy that punched her first boyfriend for kissing Jenny Prince behind her back. He was the guy that made her laugh down the phone when college had been stressful. He was the only guy that she would wear another team’s colours for whenever he played against the Canucks. He was the guy that called her with a broken heart when the Avs had traded him. He was the guy that she looked forward to seeing most every summer, and she couldn’t wait to see him this year.

She missed him – who could blame her?

It was a Sunday afternoon, just about to head into the last week of the school year, and Mollie was soaking up the sun by the lake with some of her best friends; Bryony, Louis, Michael, Chase and Allison. There had been other people hanging out with them in the morning, including Mollie’s brother John and his wife Michelle, but the remaining six were the tightest group. So tight, that they’d all chipped in to rent a cottage together this summer, Allison’s uncle owning a couple in the area and offering them first dibs. Naturally, they’d all sprung at the chance of having a summer home base, even if not all of them were there all the time, so Mollie had that to look forward to starting next weekend, the moment that the school year ended. Bryony, Louis and Michael were also teachers, although across various different schools to Mollie, so at least she wouldn’t be the only one up at the cottage during the weekdays.

“Anyone for a refill?”

Mollie turned her head to the camping chair next to her, watching Bryony stand up and wiggle her empty can in the air. Mollie nodded, smiling at her friend, and a few others nodded too. As soon as Bryony walked away, Allison plunked down in the vacated seat, turning to Mollie with a grin.

Allison was probably Mollie’s closest girlfriend in Kelowna – also living on the same street as Mollie’s family – and while the two of them couldn’t have looked more different (Allison a curvaceous insta-airbushed blonde compared to Mollie’s chestnut hair and tomboy runner’s body), Allison had encouraged Mollie to be as confident and friendly as her, and Mollie was forever grateful. Sure, Allison was an incorrigible flirt and flitted between jobs, and sure Mollie had her moments where her anxiety got the better of her – but Allison was as close a friend to her as Tyson was, and Mollie loved that.

Even when Allison’s grin spelled troublemaker, like it did right now as Allison got comfy in Bryony’s vacated chair.

“So you know how my Uncle’s got me helping out with administration for his holiday home rentals this summer, in exchange for us getting our cottage for a lower price?” Allison prompted.

Mollie raised an eyebrow at the glee in her friend’s voice. Whatever it was, clearly she was excited about it – and considering that the cottage had been a good deal, clearly this was good gossip.

“Yeah, I remember…why?” Mollie mused.

“Well, a couple of cottages on this side of the lake have been rented…one of them by someone you know very well…”

Mollie knew her friend meant well, but this cryptic stuff was not helping.

“Out with it, Ally,” Mollie said bluntly.

“Tyson rented the cottage closest to ours for two months,” Allison grinned.

What?

Holy shit.

“He’s going to be here all summer?” Mollie asked, excited.

“Yep! As far as I’ve heard, Tyson’s got some buddies coming up to stay with him at various points, and probably his sister too. I don’t know when or for how long, but there’s definitely enough rooms for all of them in that cabin to be there together so it’s going to be so much fun!” Allison told her, “Now that I think about it, I probably wasn’t meant to tell you. Tyson was probably keeping it as a surprise. Oops.”

Mollie just giggled, too happy to care that Tyson hadn’t said anything to her about his plans. It had been too long since she’d seen her childhood friend – summers just weren’t enough time with him – and knowing that he was going to be around for two solid months just made her heart soar. This was everything.

“Oh man, this is going to be the best summer,” Mollie sighed happily.

“Maybe this summer you and Tyson will finally admit how much you love each other.”

Mollie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. For some reason, Allison (and the rest of their other friends) had it in their heads that her friendship with Tyson was more than platonic. Sometimes it got really annoying because honestly nothing had ever happened between them (not even a hint of an almost) but she tried not to let it bug her. She knew where she stood with Tyson – yeah, he was incredibly handsome, with a good heart and a wonderful smile, but she wouldn’t trade their friendship for anything. Ever.

“We’re just friends, Ally-cat,” Mollie sing-songed, rolling her eyes.

“We’ll see,” Allison sing-songed back.

Honestly. Troublemaker.

Mollie ignored her friend’s laughter as she pulled out her phone, opening up her text thread with Tyson.

From: Mollie

A little birdy tells me you’ve rented a cabin by the lake for the summer…

Mollie barely had to wait a couple of minutes before her phone buzzed with a reply.

From: Tyson

I swear Ally can’t keep her mouth shut.

I was trying to surprise you!

Mollie giggled to herself, ignoring Allison’s wriggling eyebrows.

From: Mollie

Trust me, I’m surprised.

School finishes next week – I can’t wait to see you!

It really had been too long.

“Tell your future husband we miss him!” Allison crowed.

“Oh you’re texting Tyson? Say hi from me!” Chase grinned from across the chair circle.

Mollie stuck her tongue out at him as Allison cackled next to her. Her friends were such dicks sometimes.

From: Mollie

The gang say hi and that they all miss you

“Done, happy?” Mollie said dryly.

“Extremely,” Allison grinned, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

“I don’t know why I like you at all,” Mollie said bluntly, although her smile gave away her lie.

Allison just wriggled her eyebrows again, earning laughter from the whole group and another eye roll from Mollie.

From: Tyson

Hi back from me!

I miss them too

I miss you the most

Mollie’s eyes widened slightly, a light flush warming her cheeks. What? Why was she reacting like this? Tyson said that all the time. Kind of. No, stop it. Mollie swallowed heavily, keeping her eyes down to avoid a reaction from their friends.

From: Mollie

I miss you too

With that, Mollie shoved her phone back into her pocket, just in time for Bryony to arrive with a fresh round of beers, which Mollie was more than grateful for. What was that all about?

“I am so ready for a drink.”

“Make it two,” Mollie mused, grinning at Allison’s words.

“Make it three,” Chase laughed, “I can’t wait to cool off in the lake, it’s too damn hot today.”

That was an understatement. The temperature was sweltering and even just thinking about jumping into the cold water was almost too much to bear. Mollie been waiting all week for this Friday evening – while the four of them who were teachers had been up at the lake during the week every day since their schools finished for the summer a week ago, Allison and Chase had weekday 9-5s, so Mollie had volunteered to drive back into town to bring them out for the weekend, finally bringing their big friendship group together in their rented cabin for the summer. Of course Mollie had visited her family (with her brother John and his wife Michelle reminding her they wouldn’t be up at the lake until next week) to fill the time while she waited for Allison and Chase to be ready, as well as stocking up on supplies, but now Mollie was more than ready to kick back and relax.

After she’d been in the water, of course.

Thankfully Mollie had put a bikini on underneath her clothes, just a simple little red thing, before picking up her friends today, so as soon as she’d parked outside their cabin, brought the cooler of drinks and snacks into the kitchen, and dumped her duffel bag by the stairs, she stripped off her clothes as she walked towards the tempting water. Bryony wolf-whistled as Mollie walked past the three who were already there, and Mollie just flipped them all off with a grin, kicking off her shoes quickly before taking off in a run down the dock and diving into the water.

Bliss.

Allison and Chase, both having stripped down to their swimsuits too, wasted no time in joining Mollie in the water, and all Mollie could do was smile as she resurfaced. This was summer. All of them together in glorious weather at the most beautiful place in Kelowna. What more could she ever want?

“LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN!”

Mollie turned her head at Michael’s hollering, grinning at the sight of the familiar figure walked over from the neighbouring cabin. Tyson. Mollie eagerly hauled herself back up onto the dock, slipping back into her shoes and picking up a towel from the stack at the beginning of the dock to dry herself off with as she walked back to the cabins, waving hello as she got closer.

“There you are.”

Mollie just grinned and threw her arms around Tyson’s neck, him just laughing as he picked her up, swinging her round in a circle, not seeming to care that she was getting him wet.

“You’d think you were happy to see me or something,” Tyson teased, setting her back on her feet.

“Oh hush, you know I am,” Mollie sighed happily, running the towel over her wet hair, “Are you happy to be back here?”

“You know it,” he nodded, smiling sweetly at her, “even more so knowing that I’m nowhere near Buffalo and that you’re here.”

Well Mollie would never say no to a bit of Tyson charm.

“Flattery gets you everywhere, Mr Jost,” she mused, trying to calm her racing heart.

It wasn’t fair that nothing about him had changed at all and yet somehow his pretty curls and pretty face were even more handsome since she’d last seen him. So unfair.

“HEY LOVEBIRDS!”

A shout from Bryony broke Mollie out of her thoughts, and she saw Tyson blush fiercely as they both looked at the group by the chairs to see them all smirking at the two of them. And to think it was usually Allison who was the troublemaker. Mollie just flipped them all double birds, earning laughter.

“We’d better go before people start talking eh?” she laughed, trying to hide her blush.

“Let them talk,” Tyson grinned, but starting walking over to the ring of chairs anyway.

It wasn’t fair that her stomach filled with butterflies at the simple sight of his smile.

As Louis handed Mollie a cold white claw, Tyson already having one in hand, she took the empty seat at Tyson’s side. By the time that Allison and Chase hauled themselves out the water to join the group, they were all well on their way to catching up.

They talked about Bryony and Louis still being together, their relationship going on 5 years strong. They talked about Allison losing another job, her uncle having taken pity on her and letting her do his administration for the summer cabins he owned. They talked about the school year, how parents and kids were a stressful nightmare most days now. They talked about Tyson’s season, sort of, Tyson just saying that he was happy to be back up from the AHL. They talked about Tyson’s sister Kacey, how she was kicking ass and taking names. They talked about Chase’s hard-earned promotion at work, finally getting the recognition he deserved. They talked about all the plans they had for the next two months here at the lake and the more they talked and drank and laughed, Mollie just sank back in her chair, taking everything in, soaking everything up.

This really was heaven.

Tyson noticed her relax back in her chair and just smiled at her, earning a genuine smile back. Yeah this was going to be a summer to remember, she could feel it.

Another couple of days passed at the lake cabin, Chase and Allison heading back into town while Tyson stayed at his place, and Mollie couldn’t be happier. Happy enough to make breakfast pancakes and bacon for Bryony, Louis and Michael after she showered following her early run around the lake, leaving it all in the oven for them with a note while she cleared up. Breakfast she could handle – it was the little things. She knew her friends would appreciate it anyway.

As she was taking out the trash though, she spotted Tyson doing exactly the same from his cabin, and waved enthusiastically at him, grinning as he laughed. He was clearly still adjusting to waking up early, same as she was – he still looked a little bleary eyed as they walked towards the end of their driveways.

“Good morning Tys!” she said cheerfully.

“Morning!” he mused.

She jogged over to him, Tyson catching her in a hug as she reached his side, making her laugh and squeeze him back tightly. Mornings like this were exactly what she had missed while he was away. As she pulled away though, her phone buzzed with a series of texts, and she pulled out her phone only to frown at the sender. Her ex. Ew. He really wasn’t getting the hint.

“Who’s making your face do that?”

Mollie cursed under her breath and tucked her phone away with.

“It’s no-one,” she said simply, willing him to let it go.

“No-one doesn’t make you grimace like that,” Tyson pointed out, “And it doesn’t make you hide it from me. So who is it?”

She really couldn’t pretend around him, could she? And it wasn’t like he hadn’t heard about her terrible ex boyfriends before.

“It’s my ex. Justin. It’s been six months since I caught him texting other girls with all the things he wanted to do to them, and while I don’t know if he physically cheated, I still kicked him to the curb the moment I found out. Every now and again he blows up my phone, even though I never answer him,” Mollie explained, “His mom even knows and yells at him for bugging me. He’ll get bored soon enough.”

Yeah, this latest ex wasn’t exactly one of her finest choices.

The deep frown that shifted onto Tyson’ face was an interesting reaction though.

“If he doesn’t leave you alone, tell me. I still know enough people in this town, and I can hunt him down and punch him if he doesn’t back off.”

A rush of heat went through her veins at his words, a flush spreading across her cheeks.

There was a flashback in her mind to when they were 15, when Tyson found out that her first boyfriend Todd kissed Jenny Prince behind her back, and sucker-punched him at school in her honour. It was a beautiful memory. And to know that he’d still defend her like that?

“You always were my knight in shining armour,” Mollie teased.

But Tyson just shrugged. “You know I’ve got your back no matter what. That’s what best friends are for.”

Such a sweetheart.

Something about his tone though, how seriously he’d taken her words, made Mollie keep her eye on Tyson throughout the day, and by the time that late afternoon rolled around when their barbecue was in full swing, she finally cornered him again. There was just something in his eyes that looked…tense. It wasn’t the Tyson she knew and it worried her that even in the most relaxing place in Kelowna, he still looked so stressed.

“Hey, Tys, fresh beer?”

Tyson smiled his thanks, taking it with a nod. There was no one else standing too closely so she didn’t feel bad for confronting him like this, not at all.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on with you?” she said softly.

Tyson’s eyes widened a little, before he huffed out a laugh.

“There’s no point hiding anything with you, is there?”

Just like her with him. But Mollie winced. “If there’s something you don’t actually want to talk about, then I’m not going to push. That’s the last thing I want.”

Tyson just nodded, taking a sip of his beer, as if to steel himself. Clearly this was more than passing worry. What was going on?

“Every summer I’ve ever had has been the same. Arrive back to Kelowna, get sympathy and pitying smiles for how shitty the season was, hanging about by the lake, train, start hockey again. I’m tired of it,” Tyson groaned.

“Tired of it?” she asked, confused, trying to understand what he meant.

Surely he didn’t mean he was tired of hockey? She knew how much the sport meant to him.

“I’m tired, Mollie. I feel like I’m stuck, doing the same thing over and over with the same nothing at the end. I need to do something new or I feel like I’m going to go crazy,” Tyson sighed.

Okay, okay that she could manage.

“It must be so frustrating, pouring your whole heart into the sport you love, and not getting the reward you deserve. And the fact that you still feel like this in the off season? That’s not good, Tys,” Mollie murmured, “What can I do to help?”

He sent her a sad smile.

“I’m not sure, really. If I don’t know what I can do, I don’t know what anyone else can do,” he said softly, “But being here with you right now, talking with you like this, I appreciate it. I don’t exactly trust many people with my full thoughts like this.”

That both saddened her and made her heart soar. The fact that he didn’t really have anyone else he could really talk to was devastating…but the fact that he trusted her enough? That was everything.

“Then we can talk and vent and rant and scream as much as you need. And we’ll build your happiness back up, just like you deserve. I’m here for you, Tyson,” she said firmly.

“Yeah?”

That smile would be the end of her, she just knew it.

“Yeah, I mean it,” she nodded, helpless to do anything but smile back.

“Wanna help me make this the best summer ever?” he grinned.

“You do know that sounds like the start of a coming of age film, right?” Mollie teased.

Tyson nudged her with his shoulder, earning a nudge back.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, hope filling his voice.

“Obviously,” she grinned.

How could she say no to him?

But as she looked into his eyes, there was something in his gaze that made her breath hitch in her chest, her grin sliding from her face. Tyson seemed to be caught in the moment too as his own face drifted into neutral, his eyes locked on hers in return. She didn’t realise how close they had shifted until her fingers brushed against his arm, Tyson’s eyes darting down to where they were touching before he looked back up at her. Her heart was pounding, ears full of a rushing sound, her thoughts filled with nothing but the dazed look on Tyson’s face.

It was when his gaze flicked down to her lips that she jolted out of her reverie, just in time for a couple of shrieks and splashes came from the end of the dock.

Fuck. Fuck.

What was that? What the hell was that?

“Mollie…” Tyson murmured, fingers brushing against hers finally.

“I’m going to get some more food,” she said quickly, stepping backwards.

It took all her strength to turn away from the confused hurt expression on Tyson’s face, and walk over to join Bryony and Louis at the barbecue, plastering a smile on her face as her head whirled, desperately trying not to panic. Tyson had almost kissed her. She had almost kissed Tyson. Tyson wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss Tyson. Did she want to kiss Tyson?

Of course she wanted to.

But since when did she give into fleeting desires around him? And since when did he ever look at her like that? No, she couldn’t deal with this. She wouldn’t, not tonight. Maybe not ever. What the hell, Tyson?

Tyson and Mollie didn’t talk about the moment they shared at all. The first two weeks of their two month summer, almost a full week since that fateful night, passed quickly and the longer they went not mentioning it, Mollie found herself burying the topic completely. From Wednesday morning to Friday midday, Mollie, Tyson, Bryony, Louis and Chase all quickly fell into a routine that she knew would carry on for the rest of the summer. Mollie did her usual run along the lake front each morning, with Bryony and Tyson joining her for a yoga session today, the Friday morning. She spent each day cycling through swimming, sunbathing, and reading, all of the group taking it in turns to cook dinner while sorting out their own lunches. She kayaked with Chase and Tyson for a couple of hours before lunch on Thursday, the three of them paddling in a comfortable silence most the way, taking pictures to make their friends jealous of the beautiful views.

And now Bryony and Louis were back from their grocery run for the barbecue tonight, to celebrate Mollie’s brother John and his wife Michelle coming up for the weekend, as well as Tyson’s friends Mat and Dante arriving ahead of their own week’s stay. They’d all met Mat and Dante before, the two of them joining Tyson for a few summer’s now (and Dante joining on his own the year before that started) so Mollie was well prepared for the chaos those two always seemed to bring. At least in comparison to the peace and calm that Tyson’s friend JT brought when he visited (which he would be doing for two weeks after Dante and Mat left).

It was going to be an interesting stretch of time, that was for sure.

After Tyson had gotten his friends settled in, they immediately joined Mollie’s group to chill on the clearing by the dock, relaxing for a few hours before they needed to start prepping for the barbecue tonight. Chase and Allison wouldn’t be joining them until later, and neither would John and Michelle, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have fun before then.

“We’ve got snacks and fresh fruit and cold beers, help yourselves,” Michael grinned, waving towards the coolers on the back decking of their cabin.

Mat, Dante, and Tyson saluted, making them all laugh, Tyson carrying over their own crate of beers to add to the coolers too. Mollie just stayed silent, offering Tyson a small smile, to which he sent a hesitant one back. Great. He was still going to be awkward around his friends too. With a quiet sigh, quiet enough that no-one else heard it, she laid back down on her deckchair, eager to let the sun wash away the underlying tension she was desperate to ignore.

Maybe with his friends here, Tyson would get over the awkwardness and they could return to normal. At least, she hoped they could. She didn’t know what she would do if they didn’t.

“So, Mollie looks good, huh?”

“Don’t even think about it Barzy,” Tyson scowled.

Dante and Mat looked at each other only briefly before bursting into laughter.

“We know she’s yours, Josty. Chill,” Dante snickered.

“She’s not mine,” Tyson shot back, narrowing his eyes.

His friends just laughed harder.

“Yeah okay, and you totally weren’t distracted when she was sunbathing in that tiny pink bikini this afternoon, right,” Mat teased.

“I swear, I will throw you in the lake.”

The weekend was…odd, to say the least. Mollie didn’t spend nearly as much time with Tyson as she normally did, mostly because he looked like he didn’t know what to say to her and she didn’t have a clue what to say to him. She got away with it though, having her brother and sister-in-law up at the cabin, and Tyson having his friends to distract him. She had to get over this weirdness. She needed to.

On the Sunday evening, when her brother John and Michelle drove back into town, she followed them back, staying at her apartment for a night ahead of a family dinner their mom had insisted on for the Monday night. It wasn’t a hardship to take a little break from the cabin, using the time to pamper herself with a long bath and a face mask, giving herself the time to refresh. And Monday she spent giving her apartment a giant deep clean, driving all thoughts from her mind until she only had enough time to shower and change before heading over to her parents house.

“Mollie! Baby! Are you eating enough?”

Mollie just rolled her eyes fondly at her mom’s greeting.

“Nice to see you too mom. I brought wine,” she mused, stepping into her childhood home.

“Ooh, I do love a good cabernet, thank you darling. John and Michelle are already here – they’re with your dad in the den,” her mom said cheerfully, “I’m just finishing up in here!”

“I’ll help you, mom. It’s been a while.”

Mollie’s mom just beamed at her, kissing her cheek before wandering back into the kitchen. She followed with a smile on her face, heart bursting with the love that only a mom could cause, her mom especially. Mollie put on the apron that her mom passed her, the two of them chopping vegetables for the salad in a comfortable silence, Mollie just enjoying her mom dancing along to the radio while they worked. True to her word, they didn’t take long to finish preparing everything, and in no time at all, her mom was calling everyone to the table for dinner.

Incredible chicken pot pie, with creamy mash, a variety of greens, and homemade gravy, with a fruit cobbler for dessert. This was exactly what she needed.

What she didn’t need was her brother opening his mouth the moment that they finished eating.

“So mom, has Mollie told you about Tyson yet?”

What the hell?

“No? Is everything okay?” her mom asked, voice full of concern as she turned to look at Mollie.

She kicked her brother under the table but he just smiled sweetly at her. Her older brother was such a child.

“He’s fine mom. A little stressed after the season, but fine,” Mollie said, as calmly as she could.

“I was talking about all the flirting actually,” John said innocently.

“Shut up, John! There hasn’t been any flirting!” she hissed.

He was a dead man. Michelle could move on happily.

“Flirting?” her dad frowned.

“Flirting?!” her mom cried happily.

For fuck’s sake. She needed to nip this in the bud before her mom pulled out her scrapbooks.

“There is no flirting. John is delusional, maybe a touch of heat stroke. You really check that out for him, Michelle,” Mollie said firmly, her sister-in-law just sending her a pitying smile, “Tyson and I don’t flirt with each other.”

“It’s been different this year and you know it,” John shot back.

Michelle elbowed him, but other than a grunt he didn’t react at all, his smirk staying put.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s one of my best friends and you know it,” Mollie scowled.

“Me thinks the lady doth protest too much,” John sing-songed.

“Oh you assho-”

“That’s enough,” their mom interrupted, gaze firm. Mollie snapped her mouth shut, John doing the same. “Johnathan Neil Thomas, cut it out. If Mollie says they’re still just friends, then that’s that.”

Mollie smiled triumphantly, earning an eye roll from her brother.

“And Mollie Eliza Thomas, if there ever is a change between you and Tyson then you know you can be open with us.”

Ugh.

“Mom!” Mollie hissed.

John just threw his head back and cackled, not even flinching at the elbow from his wife this time. How was he 27 years old?

“Alright, alright, I’m stopping,” their mom grinned, “and so is John.”

Seriously. It was bad enough that her head was messed up from whatever the hell had happened at the lake the other day, whatever the hell had been happening since Tyson came back this summer, but she didn’t need her family adding to it too.

“Cheer up buttercup. Whatever happens, happens,” her dad shrugged, smiling.

Mollie didn’t know if that made things better or worse. Sure, John could be doing the opposite, getting defensive and shutting down a ‘potential’ relationship between her and Tyson (not that there was anything) but this wasn’t helping.

“I’m disowning you all,” Mollie grumbled, “not you Michelle. As always, you’re an angel.”

Her brother’s wife just beamed. “If John doesn’t want to sleep on the sofa tonight, he’ll stop.”

What an angel she was indeed.

Her dad tactfully changed the topic to his upcoming fly fishing trip, finally giving Mollie some peace, but she was lost in her head from there on out, Michelle just filling up her wine glass in solidarity. By the time John and Michelle went home, Mollie had drunk a couple of glasses too many to safely drive home, so she crashed in her childhood bedroom, her mom thrilled that she got to fuss over her for another day.

Her dad promised to make her a hearty breakfast.

While she got ready for bed, doing her usual skincare routine after she changed, Mollie finally let herself embrace her thoughts. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, John’s teasing had gotten under her skin.

It’s been different this year and you know it.

Because it had been different this year. This summer had been full of all of this tension that hadn’t been there before that she didn’t know what to do with. This was her and Tyson. If she couldn’t figure out what it all meant to her, then where did that leave them?

Oh.

Oh no.

John was right. He’d been right all along. It was different this year. Everything with Tyson had felt different this year, the flirty teasing, the innocent touches, the way her heart had skipped at his smile. But why? What had changed?

And what could she do about it?

Tyson had never said anything to her about being more than friends in all of their years of knowing each other, not even as a joke in passing. There’d never been a moment like that almost moment before the barbecue the other day. There’d never been anything that had flared Mollie’s feelings into a tailspin like this, but now? Now she didn’t know what to think.

Breathe. Take a moment.

Mollie inhaled shakily, running her trembling hands through her chestnut hair. It was like a dam had burst, her emotions rushing over like a tidal wave, her heart racing and her breathing getting ragged. This had changed everything. How could she not think about Tyson differently now that the floodgates had opened? How could she ignore that he was her everything now that she’d admitted it to herself? What the hell was she supposed to do now?

“Mollie? Is everything alright?”

Mollie snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her mom’s voice through the door, clearly having seen her light was still on. Damn it. Damn it damn it damn it.

“Yeah mom, just doing some yoga!” Mollie called back, hoping that the lie wasn’t too obvious, that her voice wasn’t too shaky.

“Alright sweetheart, get some rest! I’ll see you in the morning,”

Mollie just squeezed her eyes shut tightly, balling her fists at her sides as she curled up under her duvet. This wasn’t fair. All these years she’d maintained an amazing friendship with Tyson, a constant steadiness that she cherished, but now…could it really stay the same? Could she stay the same, knowing her feelings were actually real, when he didn’t feel the same? Could she pretend to be normal?

Could they even stay friends?

At the lake, unbeknown to Mollie, Tyson was going through his own emotional turmoil, sitting with Dante and Mat in the living area of his cabin.

“What’s going on with you and Mollie?”

“It feels different this year,” was all Tyson could offer to Dante’s question.

“Different…how?” Dante frowned.

Tyson sighed, running a hand over his face, missing the look that his friends exchanged.

“Tys, seriously. You and Mollie have always been so close, and yeah we tease you about it…but has something happened?” Mat said softly.

“I don’t know. There have been some moments. Like, emotionally-charged moments. That first weekend when we first saw each other again, she was wearing this tiny red bikini and she just looked so carefree and beautiful and so goddamn hot that it completely blew past all my defences. I couldn’t help but flirting and she flirted back. Talking to her felt like my heart was clenching and there was something in her eyes that said it wasn’t just me. And the other day at the barbecue, I just…I don’t know. We almost kissed and then she basically ran away,” Tyson said miserably.

Mat laughed softly, making Tyson whine in protest.

“This isn’t funny!”

“Oh it’s kinda funny. Why is it that everyone can see the connection between you two other than you?” Mat mused.

“We’re just friends. That’s all she wants, clearly,” Tyson sighed.

“That’s all she wants? Are you saying that you want more?” Dante asked, grinning.

Tyson just whined again at his friend’s excitement, dropping his head to rest in his hands. He couldn’t deny it, not any more. Not now that things felt so different, so…new. How could he?

“So you’re admitting that you like her. Finally. Are you sure that friendship is all Mollie wants? Have you even said anything?” Mat asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Why would I say anything?!” Tyson yelped, lifting his head up again.

Was Mat crazy?

Both Mat and Dante rolled their eyes. “You literally said that it wasn’t just you that had that emotionally charged moment,” Mat pointed out.

“I know but…”

“If there’s another moment like that, why don’t you just take a chance?” Dante interrupted, before Tyson could spiral into a panic, “if things are stressing you out this much, then maybe she’s feeling the same.”

Tyson bit his bottom lip, contemplating his friend’s words. Could he really do that?

Mat sighed, seeing Tyson’s hesitation. “Look, bud, you never know until you try. The friendship that you and Mollie have is so solid – even if things don’t happen between you two, nothing will change that.”

“I guess you’re right. She wouldn’t be weird about it, even if it is just me with feelings,” Tyson murmured.

Mat frowned, opening his mouth to argue, but Dante just elbowed him in the ribs, making him grunt.

“I don’t think it is just you, but yeah, you really should act on this, before you get too in your head about things. I know it’s scary and I know that you’ve got to take a risk, but I honestly think it’s going to pay off. It’s Mollie, Tys. How can things not?” Dante said warmly.

Mat nodded enthusiastically, making Tyson laugh softly.

“You really think I could take a chance?”

“Absolutely. You’re Tyson fucking Jost – you’ve got this!” Dante grinned.

Tyson smiled weakly, trying to put on a brave face. He wasn’t convinced, not with how much was on the line. Mollie was too important for him to lose. But maybe, just maybe, he could gain even more?

The week went on with Mollie no closer to an answer to what her next steps should be. At least Tyson was a little more relaxed around her, offering her genuine smiles rather than the awkward ones he’d been giving her since their almost moment. On Mat and Dante’s penultimate day, Allison arranged for a four jet skis to be sent up to the lake as a surprise, and they all took turns in racing each other on them, no-one getting too drunk to make sure they stayed safe.

After a few races on the jet ski, Mollie took a break, letting Louis take over to race Bryony, Mat and Dante, while Michael cheered them on and took photos. She could see her phone lighting up with jealous messages from Allison and Chase – FOMO was a bitch – so she could already predict that Allison would be extending their rental until after the full weekend had passed so she could have a go herself.

Mollie headed back out of the cabin with a book, a bottle of water, and some sunscreen, ready to relax for a little while now that she’d pulled some shorts back on, only to see Tyson already sitting where she had been planning to sit. Maybe it was fate. Maybe this was the time they needed, apart from the others. Maybe this was a sign.

Then again, Tyson had been fairly quiet today so far, letting Mat and Dante take the reins in conversation.

“Hey Tys. Mind if I join you?”

He jolted, looking up at her like she’d surprised him, making her frown slightly.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Sure.”

Okay, not quite the reaction she’d been expecting. Even for him, this was weird. Still, she sat down in the chair next to him, reapplying her sunscreen before opening up her book. But the way that Tyson was sitting silently next to her, just staring out at the lake, was unsettling.

“Is everything okay?” she murmured, putting her bookmark in her book.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

His answer was so short, almost distant, unlike any way he’d ever spoken to her, and it hurt a little to hear that tone in his voice. Maybe she was just missing something, but him brushing her off like that on top of all of her emotional turmoil lately was just enough to make tears spring to her eyes.

It was all she could do to swallow heavily to keep her composure, and she stood up, dropping her book on her chair.

“Where are you going?” Tyson frowned.

“I don’t know. Just need to clear my head, I guess,” Mollie shrugged, attempting to keep her voice light.

“Can I come with you?” Tyson blurted.

That would be the opposite of helpful right now. But when he looked at her so hopefully, how could she say no? Maybe he’d actually open up, and his attitude was all a big misunderstanding? She could only hope. She couldn’t take him pulling away from her, if that��s what this was.

No, she had to have hope.

With a quick glance over her shoulder to check that their friends were all occupied, Mollie started to walk in the opposite direction down the lake front, knowing that Tyson would be following her. She wandered, a little aimlessly, trying to clear her head as she’d said to him, but nothing helped knowing that it was his footsteps following her.

Eventually she slowed to a stop at a little cove, ducking into it to get out of the harsh light of the sun, and Tyson stopped next to her, offering her a small smile. She had to return it – this was the place they’d dubbed ‘their spot’ after all. Back in Tyson’s first summer, she’d found him here after a difficult training session, full of frustration and homesickness, and it had been one of the things that bonded them so quickly. She’d never told anyone about this place, that it was hers and Tyson’s. Mollie hadn’t intended to come here, but clearly her subconscious had other plans.

Tyson took a step towards her, slipping slightly on a rock, and Mollie’s hands darted out to stead him, Tyson clinging to her forearms as he regained his balance. It was only when she laughed and looked back up at him that she realised they were standing so close that she could count his eyelashes, and she froze.

No, no she couldn’t do this. She needed less drama, less intensity, less…

“Mollie,” Tyson murmured, voice breathy.

“Tys, I…I can’t,” she choked.

Her head was swirling as she jerked out of his grip, trying not to slip herself as she stepped past him, but Tyson grabbed her hand to stop her leaving.

“Mollie, please don’t go! Just listen to me!” Tyson begged.

The desperation in his voice made her stop in her tracks. She closed her eyes, keeping her back to him as she tried to control her racing heartbeat, jumping slightly as his hand move to touch her shoulder. Against her better judgement, with a gentle squeeze of his hand, she turned back around to face him, biting her lip at the devastation in his face.

“Tys,” she whispered, a little helplessly.

He’d never looked at her like that before, like she had the power to destroy him completely. She wasn’t sure if she liked it.

“Mollie, sweetheart…”

Sweetheart. He trailed off at her whimper, running a shaky hand through his unruly curls before he looked into her eyes with such determination that butterflies erupted in her stomach.

“You’ve got to know how much I like you, Mollie. Seriously. You’re one of the only people I keep in touch with from home, one of the only true friends I can count on, and you know how much our friendship means to me. But you’ve got to know how our friendship has evolved. It’s…more now, right? You feel it too?”

Mollie’s breath caught in her throat. He…what?

How much I like you.

How much our friendship means to me.

Our friendship has evolved.

You feel it too?

“Please. Say something,” Tyson begged.

How could she deny him that? After everything she started admitting to herself? She closed her eyes, swallowing heavily, only opening them when her heart cracked open a little. If he could be honest, as much of a dream as it felt, then so could she.

“I do feel it, Tys. I just…I didn’t let myself hope that you felt the same,” she whispered.

There it was. She’d finally said the words out loud. Tyson let out a wounded noise, low and sad, but Mollie didn’t say anything. What else could she say without losing all composure?

“I’ve liked you for so long, Molls. I just never let myself act on it because I didn’t think you felt the same. But now…”

Tyson trailed off again into nothing, letting out a whoosh of breath. The hope and wonder in his voice sent a thrill through Mollie’s body, her heart beating a little bit faster. Tyson liked her. He really liked her! And she’d told him how she felt about him too? She’d never thought this moment would actually happen. Definitely not since her emotional realisation a few evenings ago. But now that it was? It felt mindblowing. Was this really happening?

But there was still that niggle of doubt she couldn’t deny. So Mollie gathered her thoughts while Tyson stayed silent, hoping they wouldn’t bite her in the ass.

“I can’t do this if it’s just for the summer,” Mollie blurted, “I can’t be only a fling for you, Tyson. I wouldn’t be able to cope with that. Not with you.”

Tyson quickly shook his head, reaching out to clasp both of her hands in his, making her gasp softly at the warmth in his grip.

“You could never be a fling. This is the real deal between us, Mollie. I know it is. You know it is,” Tyson said firmly.

Mollie just nodded, choking out a laugh, unable to stop the tears welling up in her eyes as she smiled at him, earning a hopeful smile back. He was right. Deep down, no matter how her insecurities whispered, she knew that their friendship meant a solid foundation. It wasn’t a temporary wavering summer-fun. It was…everything.

“So what are you saying?” Mollie murmured, trying to blink away the tears.

Was this really happening?

“Will you be my girl?” Tyson asked, his voice full of hope.

Mollie choked a laugh, her voice thick with the tears that wouldn’t leave. “Yeah, Tys. I’ll be your girl,”

Tyson let out a whoop, throwing his head back, making Mollie laugh again. What a ridiculous guy. She liked him so much. He rested his forehead against hers, one hand rising to cup her cheek, making her inhale sharply as his eyes went more serious.

“Can I kiss you now? Finally?”

Mollie tilted her head up to press her lips to his in answer.

Being with Tyson was easy, easier than Mollie could’ve ever imagined. Somehow that transition from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend was seamless, with not even a little awkwardness like she’d feared there would’ve been. She attributed that to Tyson mainly though – he was such a driving force of happiness, and now that she’d allowed herself to feel all those thoughts she’d subconsciously pushed down before, it was like everything had clicked into place. It was almost like it was fate.

Fate that she was seizing with both hands and never letting go.

The moment that they’d returned to the cabins from the cove, Dante had taken one look at them and demanded Mat to ‘pay up’. Bryony had immediately pulled out her phone, typing away furiously, until she groaned and admitted that Allison had won their pool. Tyson had just laughed when he realised that everyone had been betting on the two of them, Mollie hiding her face in his chest with a groan. Somehow she wasn’t surprised – it was their friends after all – but that didn’t make her feel any better in the moment.

Nor did John’s smug texts – Michelle’s happy ones soothed that a little. She wasn’t surprised either when Tyson came to her after the weekend and admitted that John had given him a shovel talk in private, one that he refused to share the details of (so she knew it had to be violent), but when she’d texted John to berate him, all her brother said was that he approved and that Tyson was a good guy.

That much she knew already, thank you very much.

The rest of their summer raced by. After Mat and Dante left, JT stayed for two weeks, just as thrilled for them as Tyson’s other friends had been (especially since he won the bet he had with Alex Kerfoot about them). After JT left, Kacey and Tyson’s mom came up to stay for a week, and their genuine heartfelt welcome to the family talks left Mollie more emotional than ever, Tyson just smiling with watery eyes (that he later denied).

And obviously her parents were thrilled, Tyson being dragged down to a couple of family dinner over the remaining six weeks of summer, in between his intense workouts, getting him ready for the upcoming season.

But those six weeks flew by faster than Mollie anticipated, the end of summer drawing closer, and Tyson only had few weeks before he needed to get back to Buffalo for training camp. His time at his cabin had come to an end, as had Mollie’s, so he’d come to stay at her apartment with her while he figured out what he wanted to for his remaining time.

The more time Mollie could spend with him, the better, so she wasn’t going to complain. Especially if it meant waking up in Tyson's arms in the mornings. Even if it meant Tyson watching her with adoring expressions as she shuffled through old lesson plans to see which she could spruce up ahead of the upcoming school year.

A few days into them living in her apartment together though, Tyson made breakfast for them both and sat down opposite her with a serious expression on his face, making her a little nervous. They ate mostly in silence, the radio playing in the background, and it wasn’t until he’d put their plates in the sink that Tyson was ready to talk.

“Everything’s been so good between us, right?” he blurted.

The nervous expression on his face made her heart twinge, and not in a fun way.

“It has for me?” she offered, wincing.

“It has for me too, I promise,” he said quickly, taking the edge off her anxiety, “I just…I’ve been thinking a lot. About our future. Where we could end up. Where I want our relationship to end up.”

She tried valiantly to ignore how her heart started beating a little faster.

“What have you been thinking?” she prompted, hoping her voice didn’t sound too shaky.

“I don’t know where I’m going to end up with hockey in the future. The Avs didn’t want me, it didn’t work out with the Wild, and who knows where I’ll be after this coming year with the Sabres after all the up and down this past season. I don’t know where I’ll be playing or what city I’ll be in, but…will you come with me?”

Mollie’s jaw dropped slightly, her breath catching in her throat. He wanted her to go with him? To leave Kelowna? Tyson saw her shock and immediately reached across the island counter to take both of her hands in his, desperate to ground her as he knew she needed.

“I know this is fast, or at least it would be by normal relationship standards, but with how long we’ve known each other and with how right this feels…I just can’t bear the thought of another 9 months without you. Especially not in Buffalo,” Tyson said, his eyes wide and honest.

Go with Tyson? Uproot everything she’d ever known, move away from all her friends, her job, her life?

“Tyson, I…”

She trailed off, biting her lip, unsure of how to continue as her thoughts swirled. But as soon as she did, she noticed how Tyson’s shoulders slumped slightly, his grip on her hands going limp.

“No, you’re right. It’s too soon, isn’t it? I couldn’t ask you to give up your whole life, just like that, that's not fair on you,” Tyson sighed, finally dropping her hands.

Her breath caught in her throat at the defeat in his eyes. That, more than anything else, she hated. How he second guessed himself? His lack of self confidence? That devastation, it just wasn’t right. So Mollie shook her head, taking his hands back in hers.

“Tys, I need a moment to process, yeah?”

He nodded, a glimmer of hope entering his eyes again, making her smile slightly. Mollie huffed out a breath, running her thumbs over his knuckles, as she tried to process his words. Moving with Tyson – moving in with Tyson fully – would change everything. It would be the biggest step she’d ever taken with a relationship, but with Tyson it would be…

“Tell me what’s going through your mind,” Tyson begged, interrupting her flow.

“You just can’t stand the silence huh,” she teased, unable to resist.

“You know I can’t,” he laughed.

But the laugh was strained, making her sigh. Time to be honest.

“I guess…the main thing going through my mind is that this is such a big step,” she admitted.

“Yeah it is. But it’s also exciting? And I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t sure it would work,” Tyson said honestly.

She couldn’t help but blush slightly. The fact that he was so certain about their relationship was refreshing. And she knew that Tyson always put his whole heart into everything, which was exciting - no-one else had ever had this conviction.

“What about my job? My friends? My family? And a visa? I’ve never even left BC, you know I haven’t,” Mollie prompted, going through all her doubts.

Tyson tilted his head back slightly, averting his eyes as he chewed his lip, clearly deep in thought. She couldn’t help but smile – he really was putting so much effort into this.

“I know you love teaching, even though the school you’re at right now has terrible parents…but I know you’d also smash any teaching job in any place, so I think that part is solvable? Family and friends though…that’s the big sacrifice. And I know, because it sucks leaving mine at the end of every summer. It’s sucked leaving you at the end of every summer, even though we were only ever just friends before. I don’t want to leave you again, but I understand if only seeing everyone else a few times a year outside of summer is a deal breaker,” Tyson sighed, “The visa thing I can work out with my agent, so that shouldn’t be an issue. And I know that you haven’t ever left BC – but there’s so much of the world I want to show you, even if that starts with Buffalo.”

Mollie huffed out a breath at his words, knowing he was speaking from the heart. But what should she do? Tyson watched the frustration play out across her face and smiled sadly, squeezing her hands in comfort.

“Hey, whatever you decide, just know that it won’t change how much I love you, yeah?” he said softly.

He loves her? Of all the times to drop that declaration, so simple and sweet. How could her heart not sing at that?

“My god, Tys, I love you too. So much. And you’re right, it would suck to watch you leave again because everything is so different this year. I finally have you and to lose you?”

Mollie frowned, shaking her head as she cut herself off. How could she let him go?

Tyson saw the change in her expression, a wide smile spreading across his lips. “So…?” he asked hopefully.

She laughed at his prompting, and squeezed his hands back.

“Yeah, Tyson, I’m willing to try this, to try us,” Mollie nodded, smiling, “I’ll move with you, to Buffalo, and then wherever you go after that.”

Tyson whooped and stood up from his chair, making her laugh again as he ran around to her side of the island, which quickly turned into a squeal as he threw his arms around her and picked her up to spin her in a circle. The joy in his face was just pure happiness, and Mollie knew right then that she’d made the right decision.

“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us,” Tyson grinned, resting his forehead against hers.

There was so much to think about, with moving, with getting a visa, with her job, with her apartment in Kelowna. But a future with Tyson? That was all Mollie wanted - and she couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them either.

#my writing #tyson jost fic #summer days pass me by #tyson jost imagine #tyson jost fanfic #tyson jost x oc #nhl fic #nhl imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine

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twstbookclub · 6 months

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Faded Away

SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 INCLUDED; THIS IS AN AU. THIS IS SIDE A OF A TWO PART STORY. HERE IS SIDE B.

This is side A.

Inspired by Fade Away by Riley Baron Summary: Childhood friends with Malleus, you were even supposed to marry him. You'd call him your fiancé, but he'd shoot you down with a smile. One day, Maleficia would announce that you would no longer be engaged to Malleus, but you had already decided to renounce that before, so it was okay. For Malleus, after experiencing loss in his life, everything he adored before began to fade away. Pronouns: Gender Neutral POV: 2nd Admin/Writer: Kai⚔️ Tags: Malleus Draconia, Changed fate, Childhood friends to lovers, lovers to strangers, angst with a sad ending, hurt no comfort Word count: 3,961

A/N: … sigh. If someone had told me a year ago that I would write nearly 4,000 words for Malleus Draconia angst, I would've laughed in their face. Despite that, I wrote this for two days and edited it for another two. I fixated on this man for FOUR DAYS nonstop, listening to playlists about falling in love with your comfort character but then saying goodbye, and I am still not done. I am genuinely proud of this work. Out of the 7 years I have been writing fanfiction, I have never been so happy to say this is one of my best works. And I don't really like Malleus like that. Attack me all y'all want, I know book 7 spoilers, and I was his stan(not simp) until I found out the truth and had to take a step BACK. I don't know what I feel about him now, but as a Silver girlie, I need someone to take the pen away from Yana Toboso.

Regardless of my feelings, I am glad I could write this and that the story turned out amazing. As I said, I'm not done, and I have another fic posting as soon as this one drops, so don't stray too far.

On that note, thank you for waiting and reading this long, longer than I would like to admit story. Enjoy.

The horns of this child were small, but the eyes of another child were fascinated at the sight of such a mature boy. The boy’s name was Malleus Draconia, the future King of Briar Valley. You were told that you would become his fiance when you grew up. You could feel your heart instantly pound and become fond of this young royal. You had already known him prior, growing up around the same time, and your families were somewhat close. Still, you couldn’t have imagined being able to marry him later down the line. He was aloof and neutral as a child, speaking to you when you would talk to him and only if he had a response. You loved him that way, anyway.

“You’re my… fiance?”

“I am! Don’t worry; I won’t go anywhere if it’s not with you!”

“Hmm… Then I can accept that.”

Growing up as teenagers was slightly different. It took some years, but he would begin to warm up to you. He would smile occasionally and accept the way you would call him “my fiance”, but still turn you down for the time being. Witnessing him become stressed caused a pang of guilt in your heart. Still, you’d quickly dissipate the feeling by messing around and seeing him feel better with your company.

“My fiance should be calm the way he usually is. How can his kingdom stay calm if he is not?”

Malleus would usually stare at you after you said things like that, then respond with, “You’re right… Alright. I will do that, but I’m not your fiance.”

Then, like clockwork, you’d laugh at him before responding, “Okay, okay, Prince Malleus. Whatever you say.”

Now, Malleus finally returned from studying at Night Raven College and settled back into his past routine. It took some months, since now there were new things he needed to learn before he could become king. He would follow without a complaint, though.

He was standing in a throne room, checking on documents and plans for the kingdom. You would simply trot in with your hands behind your back as you would often do, admiring him as your shoes would click against the floor.

“My fiance is working so hard already?” You teased, being playful and wanting to catch his attention.

“I’m not your fiance.” Malleus would say with a concentrated tone, his gruff voice echoing through the large room as the sound of documents being flipped echoed.

“Right. King Malleus.” You stopped walking to give him a bow and then approached his side. You moved your hand to cling to his arm, but knowing your behavior, he already had an arm out for you.

“Not king either. I haven’t had my coronation yet. Queen Malecifia is planning that as we speak,” Malleus spoke again, then set down the documents and turned to you, his hair slightly swaying with his movement. His green eyes stared down at you, and then he captured a slight smile on his lips. “What is it that you need from me?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to see you and waste your time. I truly hope I am a bother,” you spoke playfully and took one of the loose documents into your hands to read through it. Malleus quickly took the paper before you could get too far into reading it. Right. Kingdom affairs.

Malleus gives you a look before sighing and pulling a chair out. “If I let you touch my horns, could you let me work?” He spoke, moving to sit down beside where you were standing. You grew excited at the opportunity to play with his horns and instantly went quiet to do so. You stood behind him and carefully adjusted his hair while examining every detail of the feature in front of you.

The atmosphere was quiet yet peaceful. Time felt like it was still, pen scratching paper occasionally sounds through the large room. Your hands gently held his horns, caressing them to remind yourself of its sharp and enticing structure.

Memories of childhood played through your mind as you watched him read these documents, soft breaths coming from him as his focus never broke. You did this exact thing all the time with him, especially during his study hours.

“Why do you like my horns so much?” Malleus spoke, suddenly breaking the silence and surprising you out of your trance. You thought about it momentarily, trying to find the right words to explain it, but you couldn't find a single word for how. Instead, you explained it the best you could.

“Hmm… I don’t know. There’s something about seeing these horns that gives me some reassurance. Relief that I can still be your future beloved.” you answered before fixing his hair again. Messing with him like this felt right. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, being his future partner was something of fate. There were others out there with royal status just like you. Queen Maleficia could’ve replaced or sent you away, but she hadn’t. You were thankful every time you saw his grandmother.

“I see… You’re an odd one,” Malleus spoke softly, a faint breath being heard from him as he felt your hands let go of him. “You let go. Is something the matter?”

Malleus noticed you stayed quiet but didn’t hear you move either. So, he turned around, his breath catching at what he saw. His eyes were met with your side profile, your lips curling into a grin. Your eyes reflected the light like glass, and your hands fell to his shoulders.

“It’s the first snow of the season,” you said, mesmerized by the view. Your quiet voice showed just how enchanted you were. Malleus had an idea of how others felt about the first snow. All he took in from when you explained the moment to him was how special it could be for lovers.

Every time the first snow would fall, he’d watch from the window of his study how you admired the snowflakes as if you’d never seen them before. He watched you do this for years as if it was routine. Hell, it would be weird if he didn’t see you out there.

Malleus took your wrist and made his way out towards the courtyard. He’s the one taking you out there this time? You could only follow and keep your excitement at bay from his behavior.

Arriving outside, Malleus fixed your winter cape, ensuring you wouldn’t feel too cold. He leaned against a wall as you played and tried to catch the snowflakes. Your smile was as bright as the white sky, and he would just stand there, watching you without a word, but more as if he was in thought.

You noticed this and took a moment to gather some snow from the ground, putting it behind your back before moving towards him. “Are you alright? You seem to be lost in thought,” you asked, making him snap out of his trance to look at you.

“I’m fine. I’m simply reminded of my time at the college from seeing all this snow. Why do you a—”

Crunch.

He sighed, keeping his eyes closed before saying one thing. “... Why?’

Malleus was cut off by the impact of a snowball hitting his face. The icy crystals caused his skin to feel colder than it already was. He wiped the snow off his face as he witnessed you begin to back away. Every step back from you was a step forward for him, and you noticed how he had a straight-faced expression. You laughed nervously and grabbed his wrists, trying to hold him back.

“I just wanted to get your attention, Malleus!” You tried to explain, yelping when he would tower over you, but you would only find it all amusing. Malleus would chuckle, grabbing and throwing snow at you, not aiming for your face like you had done to him.

This went on for a few minutes, enjoying the back-and-forth attacks, while the snow piled onto the ground through the mid-winter day. At one point, Malleus would grab you by the waist to keep you from straying too far away from him. The gesture felt nice, but also intimate as he’d only do this to stop you from being clumsy.

You held onto his arms and stepped back slowly, moving towards a stone pillar, while your eyes didn’t leave him. You glanced between his eyes, lips, and the horns you loved seeing. Even after he held you against the cold stone, there wasn’t anything to worry about, but him.

You felt nervous while giving his arms a light squeeze, and he carefully brushed his cold fingertips against your cheek, making you relax with your head leaning into his slight touch. Soon, his hand cupped your cheek to tilt your head, keeping you in place this time.

Finally, your eyes stayed on his lips. His green eyes admired your features to remember them down to the last detail. Your mingled breaths hit each other’s faces from the close proximity, then Malleus leaned close, his lips inching closer to yours.

It was cut short, though. You turned to the sound of someone clearing their throat, but your body would stop what it was doing and let go of Malleus, instantly bowing at the sight of a familiar lady.

Malleus would turn around next. His breathing was slightly uneven from getting caught in the act, but he’d still bow and greet the woman in the courtyard with them.

“Queen Maleficia, what brings you out here during this weather?” Malleus began first, slowly coming up with you to stand correctly.

“It is good to see you, Queen Maleficia.” You followed after, giving Malleus’s grandmother a warm smile.

“Not much, my dear. I’m glad to see you taking a break,” Maleficia returned the greeting and gave a smile as well. She’d soon drop that expression, though. “I need to speak to you about something important.”

Your body would tense up again, and you took that as a cue to leave them alone, so you bowed and took a step forward. “I’ll leave you be, then—”

“You aren’t going anywhere. You are part of this too.” Maleficia spoke earnestly, and she rarely had to speak in such a way to you. The last time you heard those words was when she scolded you and Malleus for disappearing to Lilia’s home.

Those words always made you nervous, especially since they usually meant something was wrong. You could only turn around and smile again.

“Right. I apologize for my assumption, Your Majesty,” you said carefully, instantly seeing Malleus turn to you with a look of curiosity.

Standing before Queen Maleficia, now in her study, you held your hands as Malleus stood near the high bookshelves. His grandmother stared out of her window briefly before taking a breath.

“Malleus.” Queen Maleficia began to speak, turning around to face you and Malleus somberly. “Your coronation is being planned, as you know, but something must be done before you can become king. You know what that is, correct?”

Malleus grew confused, but his eyes would widen slightly once he understood. “Marriage. What of it?”

As soon as Malleus answered, the woman would look towards you and smile lightly. “That’s correct. What do you plan to do about that?”

You stare at Malleus briefly before looking at Maleficia again, then smile softly. “I do want to marry the prince. That has not changed since we were children.”

Maleficia looked away from you, and then she made her way to stand in front of you. “That, my child, is what I can no longer allow. I am sorry.”

Your eyes widened, and you saw Malleus perk up at the corner of your eye. He was shocked as well. “What…?” Is that the only thing you could say?

“What are you talking about?” Malleus sounded off. You couldn’t look at him. Your eyes would stay on the Queen before you, still in disbelief.

“This is the best course of action. Forgive me, my child.”

“Queen M—No. Grandmother, what in the world are you referring to? Answer me!” Malleus began to demand, moving you back and getting ahead of Maleficia.

“Malleus, believe me, this was not easy.”

“I did not ask if it was easy. I did not ask if you’ve thought of this for weeks or months. I asked for an explanation, grandmother,” Malleus spoke sternly, going against Maleficia, which he had not done before. Maleficia was growing angry, but she remained calm regardless.

“I am doing this for you, for the kingdom of Briar Valley; to end a war before it could begin. You will do your duty as the future ruler of this kingdom.”

“You think the kingdom can decide who will be my partner in marriage for the rest of my life? You did that when I was a child! I went along with it and accepted it the first time as it was!” Malleus also grew angry at the way the events were unfolding. He had accepted everything without complaint, but he couldn’t keep his mouth shut this time. This isn’t what he wanted.

“Now, Queen Maleficia, you wish to choose someone new? Someone I haven’t known my entire life and someone I cannot trust?”

“You will understand that as the future king. You do not need them as your fiance, and that is final. You will be marrying someone from another kingdom to stop us from going to war.” Maleficia had grown strict, firm even. Anyone else wouldn’t dare argue, not even you. You could only stay quiet from the words you were hearing. Your heart began to feel heavy from guilt as if it were a burden.

“What good will that do!? I do not need someone to help me run my life or the kingdom that will be under my wing some time from now!”

“I did it for you! I do not wish to see you become like your parents! You are my only grandson, and I lost your mother to war and the son, your father, I never had just before that. I raised you! Lilia and I were the ones who kept you alive. So, as your grandmother, I want you to keep yourself safe. Do this for yourself.” Maleficia was like a pleading mother. She needed Malleus to understand.

It was all so confusing to you. Malleus was trying to fight, but was it for you or him? Was it for his freedom? Did he love you? No. That couldn’t be it. You had to do something before he would do something drastic. You had to stop him before he could argue more.

Silence.

Your hand wrapped around his own. Malleus froze from the sudden touch. “It’s okay,” you began softly, putting on a smile before looking up at Malleus.

The touch reminded you of when you snuck into his study as a teenager. You felt stressed once due to your studies and responsibilities becoming a large pile, and Malleus would hold your hand to put you at ease. He helped you with your studies by tutoring and keeping you focused, but concentrating was still difficult with your distant lover just inches away from you during that time.

That short-lived memory was enough to make you agree to this. You loved him, but it was confusing. He was distant, but sometimes not. You loved him, but it was time.

“Hey, Malleus?”

“Hmm?”

“What would it be like if I was only your friend, but never your fiance?”

A young Malleus had to think about that, but only one answer came to his mind.

“I would’ve figured out how to become your fiance again.”

Back to the decision before you, you smiled more before looking at Maleficia and squeezing Malleus’ hand lightly.

“I understand, Queen Maleficia. I apologize for no longer meeting your expectations,” you said respectfully. Malleus stared down at you with wide eyes, his hand starting to squeeze yours while it was still in his grasp.

“Don’t say that. You don’t need to do that—”

You shook your head and looked at him, clenching your free hand around his arm to cling to him. “I… wanted to talk to you, anyway. I’d call you my fiance, but you always turned me down. You said you simply accepted the necessity of my obligation as your lover. Now that we have to say our goodbyes, it worked out fine, did it not? I won’t fuss about this decision, as I have no say in the kingdom’s political matters. So, I will simply wish you happiness and good fortune in your marriage, Prince Malleus.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t know a thing.” Malleus whispered and took both of your hands into his, trying to keep himself calm in the midst of all of the mess. “I only rejected you because I wanted to properly propose to you. Only at the right moment between us and—”

“Hey… you don’t have to say any of that. You don’t need to. This is your kingdom. I am simply someone who had to be your lover.” Those words hurt for you to say, and Malleus looked… scared for once. In the time that you’d ever known him, he was the only person you loved. Malleus couldn’t let go of your hand or look away from you. You would disappear, he felt. Hearing those words come out of your mouth was painful enough as is.

You could only give him a bitter smile and force him to let go. “It’s okay. You’ll be okay,” you whisper and bow to Maleficia, then to Malleus. “Thank you. If you’ll excuse me.”

You smile once more before swiftly leaving before anything else could happen. The longer you walked, the more your legs felt like jelly. You didn’t know where you were going, but you just wanted to leave. You wanted nothing more but to go back and take back your words. To fight for Malleus. Yet, you would never go against the crown.

Malleus simply stood there in disbelief with his eyes glued to the door. Maleficia reached out to her grandson, but as soon as her hand landed on his shoulder, he slapped it off. He looked at his grandmother with a look of nothing. Agony. A heart-wrenching anguish clouded his mind and judgment once you had left the room.

He didn’t want the touch of anyone else but you. How could he lose you so easily? His whole life, he had always gotten what he wanted. Yet, the one time he asked, begged, and pleaded for something in his life, it was stripped away right before his fingertips. Malleus’ body was on auto-pilot from the harsh reality. Then, he moved out of the study, but when he looked up, his body froze at the sight of you running out of the castle.

It was all his fault. He didn’t fight hard enough. Now, he had lost you. How could the Seven betray him so? He never thought that it would be so easy to leave him. To abandon the memories just because someone else requested it.

Once you felt the harsh wind and snow, your eyes began to water. Soon, your heavy breaths turned into heaving sobs. Before you knew it, you found yourself in the forest. How did you even get here? How far did your tired legs get you? What torture could you endure in this state? Then…

Every memory with Malleus started to flash through your head.

Every dance.

Every laugh.

Every touch.

Every look.

Everything.

Your heaving sobs became screams of heartbreak. Agonized cries echoed throughout the quiet and dark forest of Briar Valley. You couldn’t feel the cold anymore. The cold didn’t matter when it felt like you left a piece of yourself in the castle.

Malleus leaned against the wall from the window that he watched you disappear from, closing his eyes when he could hear your cries despite how far you actually were. He couldn’t do anything to fix it this time, not when you were convinced.

Meeting his new fiance was unbearable for Malleus, but he tolerated it. He never remembered any interaction he had with the woman he was supposed to marry now. The wedding was memorable for everyone but him, and you weren’t there. He knew you wouldn’t be there, but he would still smile to himself when he remembered things.

But then it wasn’t too long, maybe a couple of years, until the kingdom celebrated Malleus and his coronation. Everyone with royal status and Malleus' close friends were invited to the after-party celebration. You went alone and stood on the balcony outside, listening to everyone enjoy their festivities. You hadn’t heard about Malleus since you last stepped foot here. It felt like forever ago.

“I didn’t think you would show up. Not after what happened the last time.”

The familiar voice made you perk up and turn around, seeing his tall figure standing at the curtain’s frame. You stood at the stone barricade and smiled slightly at Malleus, bowing to him.

“I didn’t think you would seek my company, King Malleus.”

“That title sounds… weird coming from you,” he admitted, making you both laugh. You look at the horizon to watch the setting sun, going quiet along with him. You had to break the silence.

“So, how are you and your queen?” You asked, causing Malleus to look at you.

“She is fine. She’s expecting, so she’s taking care of herself instead,” Malleus said, being careful with his words, but you wanted to hide behind your old, playful attitude.

“You were quite fast, weren’t you?” You responded with a laugh, but you could feel your heart breaking already.

“It’s been about two years since we last conversed. I don’t think that’s too fast,” Malleus spoke casually, but you would notice how he looked at you somberly, almost as if he didn’t like it as much as you did.

“I see. I wish the Queen and your child a safe and easy journey.” You said quietly, sounding a bit melancholic. You had to force those words out, and Malleus simply nodded to accept your wishes.

His look made you narrow your eyes towards the ground, not wanting to look at him as you knew it would only cause you more heartbreak.

“Malleus…” You called out quietly, sighing and leaning against the stone.

“Don’t say anything,” he whispered, looking out into the horizon just like you did moments ago.

After a few minutes of silence, the sun had finally set, turning the sky dark with the moon’s light shining down on you and Malleus.

“Thank you,” you broke the silence first amidst the faint clamor of festivities behind you, “for the chance to be with you for so long.”

Malleus looked at you, then you looked at him in return. These looks turned into stares. Stares felt like time froze. It was you and him again, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

You engraved the details of his face into your head, and he was doing the same for you. When he broke the silence, the bubble around you two still hadn’t popped.

“You were a wonderful experience,” he said sincerely, giving you a smile.

You smiled back, but before you could respond, others called Malleus over. He tried to stay there, but he was forced away. He was only able to take one more look at you before he disappeared. He faded away like a light swallowed by a deep darkness, which was so strange. It was only a change.

You still kept your smile after he left. Now, you could say what you wanted.

“You were… everything.”

#twst malleus #malleus draconia #twisted wonderland malleus #malleus x reader #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #twst wonderland #disney #writing #romance #angst #twst angst #angst with a sad ending #hurt no comfort #im hurtin #hurt #no comfort

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ltrllynbdy · 7 months

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So a few years ago I bought this trilogy called captive prince but after reading a few chapters of the first book I kind of gave up on it. I normally don't have a problem with exploring darker themes in a story but captive prince in particular was unenjoyable for me at that time

Later, I was bored with nothing much to do, so I decided to check my bookshelves, found captive prince and started reading and boy I am so glad that I did! I finished the books in a few days and proceeded to read all the short stories.

First of all, before I get to praise the book, I want to say my main criticism about the books: "the slavery stuff in the first book is badly written". Don't get me wrong, Captive prince does not glorify slavery like some haters suggest. I'm not exactly opposed to writing slavery in fiction and there are many political/historical fictional stories that have main characters trying to abolish slavery. It's a common theme.

Captive prince is not much different from the main character ,Damen ,who used to be a slaver himself, gets turned into a slave and tries to abolish it by the end of the series.

It's a fine idea on surface level but there's one big problem with it , I'd like to call it the "Erasmus problem". The first book of captive prince heavily suggested that there were slaves like Erasmus who liked to have a master and I want to believe it's Damen being biased and bigoted because of his privileged upbringing but the story itself still falls apart. There are also instances where sexual slavery becomes apparent and uncomfortable. So if any of these bothers you like it bothered me, the first book of CP is definitely not for you.

OK now for the positives:

From the second book onward, this trilogy becomes a masterpiece.

This story is truly an enemy to love. Most of the other enemies to lovers stories that I have read are just characters either having a simple rivalry or a petty misunderstanding. They dislike each other because one character ignored the other when they were kids , or because they are simply on a different sports team. Captive prince does not shy away from giving the main characters good and logical reasons to hate each other and even hurt each other to an extreme for great and understandably human reasons. They have hurt each other a lot and have no business ever falling in love and still somehow manage to grow and understand and develop something special and unique and I think it's beautiful.

The slow burn: The romance starts only after the entire first book (in which they just hate each other) and most of the second book (where they get to know and understand each other), it's not the slowest burn I've ever read but for a book with characters like these two, it's necessary. and well written

Captive prince's author is extremely brave in making the first book and one of the main characters deliberately hateable with a seemingly unreliable narrator: I don't think I've ever read a story where I hate the first book and enjoy the rest. First impressions are very important and when people don't like an entire first book they probably wouldn't try to continue. I have no idea how and why this author managed to make people still invested enough to publish the second and third book but I'm glad that it happened. It was so enjoyable reading the story from one character's perspective and going from absolutely hating the other character to loving him and understanding him. with the unreliable narrator that is Damen.

The world building, writing and the political story: This may not be the greatest political story with the greatest worldbuilding I've ever read but considering the genre that is m/m romance, I think it's excellent. Let's face it, it's not common for m/m romance to do worldbuilding and politics well. I don't want to seem mean but I've read a decent amount of books and m/m romance and very few of them were actually satisfying to me in terms of politics. Captive prince was one of the rare gems. There might be a few plot holes for me here and there but seeing the characters struggle with each other and plan things out , helping each other or getting fooled by each other in a romance story focusing on mostly only two characters was great to see. I also found some aspects of Homonormativity in the world hilarious. Unless you are married, you are not allowed to be straight in Vere because they hate bastards lol

Despicable villain: This story has the worst and most hateable villain I've ever read in an m/m story. This again goes back to the author being brave enough to write the story the way it is since a lot of romance writers don't dare tackle some really darker aspects.

Subversion of Tropes and Exploration of Power Dynamics : This one was a little hard for me to put into words but basically the series delves into power dynamics in relationships, politics, and society, offering nuanced portrayals of domination, submission, and consent and I don't necessarily mean sexually. In most romance stories, whenever character 1 goes to character 2's kingdom as a lover or sex slave (usually character 1 is the female character in a straight romance) you'd almost always see them have one specific power dynamic. In Captive prince, their characters and their dynamics clashes and changes rapidly and as the story goes on, Damen as a king becomes almost equal to Lauren (I would argue he even becomes politically more powerful than Laurent during certain parts of the story considering Laurent remains a prince for the most part but I digress)

Flawed and human characters who hurt each other without actually romanticizing toxicity: One thing that some people criticize about captive prince and I disagree with, is that it has a toxic relationship. I have to mention that there's basically no actual relationship between the characters until the end of the story and when they do get into a relationship they are a very sweet couple. I think people call them toxic because they were flawed and literal enemies who hurt each other because of it but that's not what I call toxic. Toxicity implies that them being together (they were not together) poisons their life. Both characters manage to grow and understand each other. Damen in particular is a character who you don't see his flaws at first but it becomes more evident how privileged and naive he was and he changes a lot as well as Laurent.

Overall I think excluding the slavery aspects of book 1 which are badly written, this story hits the mark of everything I need in a romance book and I just needed to talk about it. Thanks for coming to my ted talk!

#captiveprince #Captive prince #damen x laurent #laurent de vere #damianos of akielos #damen of akielos #Damen #Laurent #Book review #lgbtq #Prince gambit #kings rising #c s pacat #lamen #Capri #prince's gambit

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murfpersonalblog · 3 months

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IWTV S2 Ep7 Musings - Martyrdom & Lestat's Character Development (TVC Spoilers)

Even though IWTV is Louis' story & his arc as the MC, The Vampire Chronicles are ultimately about how all of these vampires affected & impacted Lestat. (Especially since by the end of the series he's not only the MC, protagonist, and (anti-)hero; but he's also the former host for the Sacred Core that created the vampiric race (after Akasha & Mekare); and the elected king of the Vampire Court, affectionately/officially called "(Brat) Prince Lestat" in the final trilogy.) So, even though we're seeing Louis' struggles play out, we're also seeing Lestat's; and one of the big moments is this Trial in 2x7.

Even though the most important thing that happens is ofc Claudia's death, an underrated moment is Madeleine's death.

Lestat callously mocks Madeleine's choice to die with HER "coven"--her companion, Claudia--rather than keep living (ostensibly: keeps fighting, but I'll get to that in a bit), and join Santiago's coven. "The martyr skips her way to Hell."

I was initially booing & hissing at Lestat for being a heartless a-hole, still spiteful against Claudia and failing to fathom how anyone could risk their lives for her; when even HE sat there and let his own daughter/fledgling burn to ash right in front of him.

But on the other hand, I actually love this moment for Les as he mocks Madeleine's choice; not only cuz it's ironic AF, considering Les LITERALLY skipped his way to Hell in Memnoch the Devil; but most importantly cuz this is all (hopefully) contributing to Lestat's character development later on. 🙏

Claudia's death affected Les deeply--nowhere near as deeply as it did Louis, ofc, but she was still his daughter/fledgling. AR never focused on Madeleine past IWTV, but hopefully the show makes Les realize later that THIS moment b/t Madz & Claudia is what TRUE love is--not ultimatums & conditions & ownership; trying to "crush what you cannot own"--but martyrdom & sacrifice & loyalty. Laying your life down for someone else. Eff would you love me if I was a worm--would you CATCH A BULLET FOR ME? Would you BURN for me? That's Claudeleine's love; but in the IWTV timeframe Lestat's just not at the point where he gets it--yet.

Loustat vs Claudeleine: What it Means to Love Someone

TVC also tracks the development/progression/evolution of Loustat's love; struggling to grow & thrive in the weeds of dark eternal damnation. They totally failed e/o in IWTV. Loustat's rekindled relationship was first demonstrated/tested in QotD, when Akasha spared Lou simply cuz Les loved him; rather than burning Lou up w/ the other weak AF vamps she'd slaughtered.

But Akasha also used Louis as collateral if Les refused to serve her.

Les had to risk his life to try making a move on Akasha & save Louis & the other vampires from Akasha's plans for world domination. But that was largely out of self-preservation; not selflessness; as Les was basically her captive, Stockholmed into being her lover.

Les committed horrible atrocities as Akasha's consort, butchering innocents & unleashing hell on earth, slaughtering whole cities--just cuz he was too scared to die. Despite how much he hated himself for what he was doing, no matter what, Les wanted to "fight for life, even when there is no real justification. I wanted to live; I always had."

So OF COURSE Lestat wouldn't understand/appreciate Madeleine's decision to lay down her life and die; not just for Claudia's sake, but also to die for her principles.

Lestat thinks his "capacity for enduring" makes him brave, but compared to Madeleine, he's a hypocritical coward. Madeleine refused to join Santiago's coven, or participate in their shams & farces. She stood on her principles, AND she stood by her companion; even at the cost of them dying--at least they're together.

Ofc, an argument can be made that by becoming Akasha's consort, Les WAS martyring/sacrificing himself for Louis' sake; because Les DID know what true love was, and loved Lou more than he loved himself. And I might agree with that--had AR not written TotBT.

TotBT & MtD: Lestat Skips His Way to Hell

In MtD, Lestat is recruited by the Devil/Satan/Lucifer (who calls himself Memnoch the Devil); and is taken Dante's Inferno style on a tour of Heaven and Hell, in the hopes that Les will hate God enough to join the eternal war against Heaven as the Devil's right-hand. SPOILER: Lestat rejects Memnoch (cuz Les wanted to be a priest--he still LOVES God, despite the "ocean" b/t him & Christ); and as punishment he is trapped in a coma for years, as he's psychologically/spiritually tortured in Hell until he finally breaks the spell & wakes up in Merrick, when Louis tries to kill himself (which AMC pushed up to 2x5).

Lestat had followed Memnoch after a depressive spell of deep self-loathing; feeling guilty for how he'd Turned David in TotBT (raping him into vampirism to be his new companion when Louis rejected him); and still haunted by the memory of Claudia in IWTV. Memnoch showed Les the Divine Plan, when God told his favorite (fallen) angel Memnoch/Lucifer that He would let Himself be crucified as Jesus in the flesh, for His love of humanity.

But Memnoch is horrified, and thinks God's plan is not only a futile failure, but also cheating (cuz being an immortal, He can never really "die" or be sacrificed/martyred). Memnoch appeals to Lestat's own experiences having temporarily come down into flesh in TotBT, body-switching with Raglan James for the desperate love of being human--and then hypocritically wanting to be an immortal vampire again when Les realized being human actually sucks. 😅

At the start of MtD, Les was VERY salty towards all the other vampires (especially Louis) for having refused to help him when he was stuck in Raglan's body in TotBT.

Loustat's love, as genuine as it is, was marred & tainted with ultimatums & conditions & ownership. As much as Les hated being human again, Louis refused to turn Les into a vampire and put him back on the Devil's Road as one of the damned undead.

Les DEEPLY resented Lou for not making him a vampire again. Les assumed that because of their relationship, Lou would HAVE TO do this favor for him; that as his companion/Maker, Lou OWED Les, and by refusing/rejecting him Lou'd BETRAYED/ABANDONED him.

Lestat didn't understand that in Lou's eyes, refusing to Turn Les was Lou's greatest act OF LOVE, the best favor; keeping Les human so his soul wouldn't be damned anymore as an evil blood-drinking serial killer. Lou said "You have triumphed in this as only you could;" but Les (like Memnoch) only saw this as a massive failure. This was Lou's SACRIFICE for Les, putting their love/relationship on the line; as Louis ordered Les to never look for him or talk to him again--to go live as a redeemed human and leave the damned alone--or else. 💀

For all the strides Loustat had made to repair their relationship, Lestat was still UNWORTHY of Louis' love in TotBT; and hadn't appreciated the sacrifices Louis made for him out of love--the kind of martyrdom it took to WILLINGLY sacrifice something precious for someone else's sake. Lestat thought the Maker/Fledgling bond was a stamp of ownership, cuz he'd been Turned by Magnus UNWILLINGLY; out of rape and violence & captivity/enslavement.

Les became a vampire as an act of SURVIVAL; shaking his fists at God the whole time; a chip on his shoulder cuz he never asked to me born into darkness (like Claudia). Louis, however, was made out of LOVE, and WILLINGLY gave up his life to be with Les (yes, we know he was drunk AF & suicidal, but still--he nodded his head cuz he HAPPILY & LOVINGLY CHOSE Les).

Loustat both see Lou's turning as their wedding, but for Les it's still a marriage CONTRACT--a transaction with terms & conditions. He is Louis husband, yes, but God Complex de Lioncourt declared "I AM YOUR MAKER!" Louis was still just a "Fledgling/Slave" under Coven Master ("Massa") Lestat's shingled roof, just like Claudia said.

As much as he loves being a vampire, and as cavalier & devil-may-care as he approaches existence forsaken by God in the Savage Garden; Lestat is fully aware of what it means to be culpable & deserve punishment. Memnoch asked Lestat what he thought Hell should be like for sinners & Evil Doers both human & vampire alike, and at first Les hesitated, "I'm afraid to answer. Because I belong there."

It's not until well after Louis' final rebirth in Merrick that Lestat finally earns back Louis' forgiveness in PLatRoA, and agrees to (re)marry Les & be his consort at Chateau de Lioncourt, Lestat's birthplace. And it's not until Blood Communion, AR's final TVC book, that Lestat risks his life for his loved ones (Gabrielle, Louis, & Marius) for THEIR sake, not his own; going up against Rhoshamandes in the ultimate showdown to save them.

AR is VERY/overly explicit about the Christ-like martyrdom her messianic Prince Lestat undergoes in order to save Gab, Lou & Marius; his killing Rhosh ultimately saving all the vampires & ending the civil war. Les fought Rhosh "with speed and surprise;" going in blindly with the only thing that could get the jump on this SUPER Ancient vampire (Lestat's great-grandfather in the Blood) who would've otherwise overpowered Les as easily as he overpowered Marius. Les fully intended to die fighting Rhosh, but he fought him regardless, hoping to somehow get his loved ones back or join them in death.

Lestat and Louis were reunited, dancing happily at the celebratory ball AMC was clearly inspired by Blood Communion in the Mardi Gras scene from 1x7. And they're obviously lifting from BC in 2x7, too, with the red velvet chair/throne Lestat sits on at the Trial, directly paralleling the numerous Trials & executions Prince Lestat presides over in BC, as he destroys Rhosh's fledglings & minions--and the love THEY showed their Coven Master Rhosh, being willing to die for THEIR principles and refusing to join LESTAT'S Vampire Court.

So hopefully, if AMC gets as far as the Prince Lestat trilogy, Les will remember this moment at the Trial; and hopefully they'll continue using parallels so Les realizes what it means for Madeleine to have martyred herself for love.

#interview with the vampire #loustat #the vampire lestat #the vampire chronicles #memnoch the devil #justice for claudia #religion #prince lestat trilogy & the chateau era #the hype is real #must see tv #lestat de lioncourt

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mymainwastoocluttered · 2 years

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When Vil Doesn’t Play The Villain (Vil)

Vil gets transmigrated into his favorite novel.

NOTE: I only write for female reader but everyone is welcome to read it!

Another indulgent, low effort thing to distract me from my allergies

— (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

“Vil… no… I’m–ah! Mhn… I’m still married!”

“To a man who will never love you as you deserve.”

Vil blows on her sensitive neck, enjoying the shivers that shake her body, enjoying the knowledge that he’s the only man that has made her do that. After weeks, months trying to win her affections, he finally has her; her mind, her body, her heart are all his, and soon the band on her finger will be his too.

To think he’d die a terrible death, only to transmigrate into his favorite novel. Vil hadn’t known if it was good or bad luck, until he met his favorite character, and now he knows for sure that it is the best of luck. To be able to share an existence with her, to be able to see her hair dance with the wind and her skin be kissed by the sun, to be able to hear her sweet voice directed to him…

Vil had fallen fast and hard.

(Y/N) went from his favorite character to his favorite person faster than the chandelier that fell on him in his past life hit his head.

Now, if only she weren’t married to that repugnant male lead.

Princess (Y/N) Branco, the ultimate villainess of the novel named “Wishing By The Well”. The villainess who, contrary to most in the genre, actually keeps her role until the very bitter end thanks to her incredibly sharp mind and outstanding skills, a woman who needed to be killed off in her sleep for no legal means could ever touch her. A woman who could’ve ruled the world, but only wished for her husband to not disgrace her with a public affair.

Vil had loved her from the very beginning of the story, and only finished the novel because of her. (Y/N) had been raised to marry the prince from a very young age, being born in a ducal house. She never had any problems rising to the demands of the people around her, her diligence and hard work trampling any difficulties she encountered. And as a noble, she had long abandoned the sweet dreams of love and adventure.

She admitted multiple times through the book that she would not mind if her husband had a secret lover, or got himself a concubine. All she wanted was to be respected as the first and main wife, so she had less to worry when she rose to the throne with the prince—who undoubtedly needed a woman like her to reign in his stupidity. But that disgusting fool simply refused to do something so small like keeping his pants on.

He practically worshipped the ground the “Main Character” walked on, gifted her dresses and jewelry and many other luxuries. He went everywhere with her, and gave in to her silly commoner whims easily like a sheep follows a shepherd. And in the end, it all reflected terribly on the princess, who quickly got ridiculed for being “incapable of keeping her husband interested”. For every dress he gave the mistress that became a trend, it was a new designer that taunted the princess by trying to sell her the same design. For every jewelry he gave the mistress that blinded the passersby, it was a new jewelry store that told the princess her chosen piece wasn’t available anymore. For every gesture of love he showed towards the mistress, it was a new line of mockery thrown the princess’ way.

And despite all that, (Y/N) kept herself beautiful, and showed herself ruthless. Even cruel at points. It was glorious to read as she’d finally let go of the shackles she kept around herself so she could become the perfect princess, and showed the dangerous, poisonous black widow that hid behind a fan.

And it had been even more breathtaking to watch it with his own eyes.

Duke Vil—the original owner of the body, conveniently also named Vil—was supposed to be the second male lead, to follow the protagonist like a good little lap poodle; jumping and barking when she asked, and then obediently stepping back and whining in sadness while she threw herself at the arms of another man. Vil—the one who took over the body—had despised the character, thinking he’d be better off devoting himself to the villainess–

And now he can correct that plot hole with his own lips.

“Soon, my dear, everything will fall into place, and the ring on your finger will carry my name instead, and the crown you deserve will be yours,” he promises her in a feverish whisper, drunk on her presence.

“Won’t royalty be too burdensome to you?” (Y/N) asks, meeting his searing kisses with her own. To be the one to see this monument of a woman soften and relax, that’s why Vil got his second life.

“My dear, I’m already killing a future monarch, nothing can burden me if I have you.”

“How villainous~”

“If anything, we’re saving this country.”

She laughs, resting fully against him, giving him the permission to pick her up and take her to his room, and Vil does so quickly, not one second to waste when he has her in his arms.

The one time he isn’t a villain, he’s usurping a throne for his beloved.

Maybe there was some rhyme to those castings back in his first life.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst imagines #twst x reader #x fem reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader

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cyn-write · 4 months

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The Little Cecelia - Chapter 3: A Change in Tides

Summary - Every 100 years, the spirits of the Great Seven and their Rivals return. Sometimes, they attempt to right the wrongs of the past, get revenge, or relive the same story, but it all is the same - only one spirit gets their Happily Ever After. Azul has always been fascinated with the human world, which only intensified once he met a human girl, Grace Trien. He desires to become a Great Mage of both Land and Sea and to explore the human world and all its wonders with the Tweels and Grace by his side, but Prince Rielle is willing to do whatever it takes to stop the little Cecelia from getting his Happy Ending.

Chapter 3- After Seven years, a lot of things have changed. Azul has become the "Merchant of the Deep" and Grace has become a Lady of High Society, and their feelings have grown as well. Upon Grace's return, Azul is determined to confess his feelings but his plans change when Grace shares troubling news with the trio.

Prev - Master List

Pairing - Azul Ashengrotto x F!Oc (Grace Trein)

Tags/Warning - Pinning, Scheming, and Childhood Friends to Lovers!

Notes - After a long (unplanned) break, I've finally returned! Thank you everyone for your patience! This chapter took a long time to write but I hope you enjoy it as things start to heat up. Just an FYI: Grace Trein is based on my Oc Grace Wilde so if you want to learn more about her click the link, but you can replace her name when reading if you want to read it as Yuu or another name. This is only the third chapter of 11, so if you enjoy this and want to be tagged or have questions, please let me know! This is also on Ao3 if you want to follow it over there. Comments, likes, and Reblogs are appreciated!

Seven summers come and go like the shifting tides.

Azul spent his days and nights perfecting himself and his magic. He swore to become a powerful Mage and that he did. Every waking moment was spent studying every book in the grotto. From potions to spells, he had mastered his craft. In the midst of the magic books were books on business and trade which he poured over every night. In a few short summers, Azul had become a master merchant, selling potions and restored treasures.

The twins became Azul’s partners in crime and aided in growing his business. They helped him gather information and ingredients to use to his advantage. They found mermaids, mermen, and some truly desperate humans who had no one else to turn to and led them to his doors. In seven years, Azul had gone from being a whimpering no one to the mysterious and powerful “Merchant of the Deep.”

Despite his growing business, he still set aside time each night to talk to Grace. It was the part of his day he treasured most as he would put down his work and simply talk to the person he treasured most. Her voice would take him out of his business guise and remind him why he was doing all of this. She also became a business asset as she had a good understanding of finance and trade due to her schooling and training under her father. Azul often found himself running his plans by Grace and she would provide honest feedback or return the next day with information that would aid him.

Beyond business, the two would talk about anything under the sea. From books they read to random musings, these simple moments brought both out of their heads and let them just be. For a few moments they were not “The Merchant of the Deep” or “Lady Trein of High Society,” they could simply be Azul and Grace, two teens dreaming of a better future.

One conversation that would often lull them to sleep was the conversation of “what if…”

“I wish you could be here Azul,” Grace mused, “You would have loved it…”

“The more we talk the more I wish I was born human.” He would hum.

“Being human isn’t all its cracked up to be,” She would say, “If you’re born into the right station and gender, your fine. Honestly, I feel more like a bird than a person at times. All I’m supposed to do is sit pretty, speak when I’m spoken too… smile and nod as people talk about my worth... To be honest I wish I could have been born a mermaid, then I could swim away with you and the tweels.” She sounded like she was dreaming again, but they did that often.

“If you are born the right mer maybe… the sea is a dangerous place, and if you’re not the right kind of mer or swim into the wrong places… you could end up shark bait.” Azul had a dark tone to his voice, as much as he enjoyed picturing Grace as a Mer, he didn’t want her to face the monsters larking in the sea. “Besides, I think we can do better… We could run things. Create something that last centuries after we’re gone.”

“And what would that be? A potions business? Trade business?” Grace pondered, “I would love to create something, but sadly women of my status are not usually able to… We usually have to marry for wealth or diplomatic reasons and run our husband’s estate, birth heirs, and raise them to do the same… But I’m hoping to be different. Mama and Papa promised me when I was little that I would have a say in my hand and my future. They even promised that I would get the villa and part of the estate once he retires.”

“I hope so to…” Azul looked at the bracelet on his wrist and dream that the hand she would choose was his. “Do you ever wish you could just... run away from everything? Start somewhere new where no one knew who you were and could just…be?”

Grace was quiet for a moment. Azul thought he scared her away, but when she spoke again, it sent all three heart a flutter, “I would, if you would go with me.”

Ever since that conversation, Azul made it his mission to become human and be with her as more than a friend, but a partner.

Grace kept her promise and returned to the grotto each summer. The three short months she spent with them each year were filled with joy and fun. She showed them everything she learned at school and brought them a variety of land treasures (much to Floyd’s delight). She also taught them everything she could about life on land from human etiquette to fashion to food. By the time she left for her final year of schooling, the trio had a good grasp on the ins and outs of high land culture.

When the day came for Grace to finally return to the grotto, the three were anxious for her return for different reasons and Jade found it entertaining.

Floyd was impatiently waiting for Grace as he anticipated the gifts she promised to bring. How did he cope with the impatience and boredom? He messed with Azul who was a nervous wreck.

Azul was always a nervous wreck when Grace returned from boarding school, but this year it was amplified for a singular reason. Azul (after relentless Bullying from the Tweels) made a bet with the twins that was finally going to confess his feelings to Grace and present her with the human transformation potion he made. This “bet” amplified his nerves and the tweels found it entertaining to tease him about it.

By the time mid-day came around, Azul was pacing in the water and Floyd was trying to catch his tentacles as he passed. “Why isn’t she here yet?” Azul muttered, “She said she would be here by high noon. What if shes- AK! FLOYD!”

“hehehe~ I got Zuuul!” Floyd waved Azul’s captured tentacle around until Azul used that tentacle to slap him in the back of the head. “Owwie!”

“Azul you’re overthinking this, her Father is probably just keeping her.” Jade sat in the back corner of the cave re-reading one of the books Grace had given him years ago.

“I know. I know.” Azul muttered and returned to pacing, “But what if-“

“What if, What if, that’s all you’ve been saying for WEEKS.” Floyd dramatically flopped over Jade’s rock, “She’s a strong Shrimpy and any fish with eyes can see she’s liked you for YEARS!”

Jade nodded as he pushed his brother off his rock, “Besides, if you don’t tell her. We will. That’s the deal~”

Azul shook his head at the brothers’ antics. He knew they were right, but his hearts were still beating rapidly. Before Floyd could launch himself at Jade, the three heard the fast shifting of sand, shifting of fabric, and the signal whistle of their dear human.

Floyd shifted his launch towards the caves shore and bolted towards the entrance. Azul tried to calm his beating hearts as Grace entered the cave.

She certainly has grown over the years, but she has changed a lot over the last nine months. Her features had refined, her hair darkened to a golden hue, and her figure was no longer “boyish” (a term her brothers used to torment her) but full. She was even dressed differently from last summer. Instead of the flowing dresses and bows in her hair, she entered the cave in a structured summer dress, gloves, and woven sun hat.

“SHRIMPY!” Floyd launched himself onto the beach and into Grace’s outstretched arms.

“Floyd!” Grace kneeled so Floyd could give her his signature hug properly. “Oh, I’ve missed your squeezes!”

As she welcomed Floyd, Jade took his time crawling up the beach and was more gentlemanly in his greeting… until he pulled Floyd’s tail.

“Floyd, it’s rude to hog attention.” He reprimanded his brother with a teasing smile.

“Hey!” Floyd lost his balance and fell back, loosening his grip on Grace just in time for Jade to steal her.

“Ahh! Jade!” Grace laughed as she fell into his embrace. “I’ve missed you too!”

“Welcome Home, Grace,” Jade said, helping Grace steady herself as she stood up.

Azul never felt more self-conscious then when he made his way onto the shore to greet Grace. His arms felt weighted, his stomach felt bloated, he could feel all his imperfections highlighted on his body. The guppies in his stomach swam rapidly as she finally stood and looked his way. She set down her basket and walked over to Azul with arms open and bright smile.

Azul felt his lips turn up as he wrapped his arms around her and she returned his embrace, “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” She gave him a quick squeeze before stepping back, hands in his. Her bright eyes scanned his figure and she looked at him in awe, “You’ve certainly changed though! Look at you!” She smiled so brightly. “You look wonderful, Azul, truly you hard work has paid off!”

Azul felt the guppies settle and his cheeks warm, “You’ve changed a lot yourself. This is certainly a new look.”

“Thank you,” Grace smiled. He lifted a hand for her to spin and she did with a laugh, “Ever since my birthday, Father has insisted I dress ‘properly.’ Honestly, I never thought I would say this but father has been exhausting.” She shook her head. “Actually, that’s why I’m late.”

Azul’s worry resurfaced and he squeezed her hand still in his. “What’s going on?”

“It’s a long story,” Grace’s smile returned, and she said, “We should get settled first before I get into that mess. Why don’t I give you your gifts first before Floyd tares my basket?”

“Too late,” Azul nodded over to Floyd and Jade already shuffling through her discarded basket. Her blanket, snacks, and some books were already spread around them with Jade placing the objects to the side before Floyd threw them in his search for the gifts.

Grace just shook her head at the two and chuckled, “What am I going to do with you two?”

Floyd’s head shot up from his search and said, “Hand over the shinnies!”

Azul let himself genuinely laugh for the first time in what felt like years. He followed Grace as she spread out her picnic blanket and settled on it. Floyd had all of her attention as she reached into her skirt pockets and brought out three wrapped items. “I guess, I guess.” Floyd reached for them but Grace quickly moved them out of reach. “Na-ah-ah! Patience Floyd! You’d think you would’ve learned after last year!”

“How many times do I have say sorry!” Floyd whined as Jade held his brother back.

“Once more as always.” Jade gave Floyd the stink eye. Last year Grace got Jade a terrarium with small figurines of woodland creatures and Floyd ended up breaking it in his search for his gift. She got Jade another and Floyd felt terrible, but Jade still holds it over his head whenever he can.

Grace handed the objects to them one at a time starting with Jade. She gave him a small jar shaped object which he delicately unwrapped to Floyd’s dismay, “There was a small shop in town that finds these, I described your fascinations to him and the shopkeep assured me you would like this!” Inside the package was a clear glass jar terrarium with rotting wood inside dotted with small white umbrellas, “He said since they are already growing, as long as you keep them in dark, moist places they should keep growing.”

Jade’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the jar. He looked like a child given a seabunny during Winterfest. He gingerly placed the jar down before giving Grace a hug. “Thank you.” He said softly, letting a few happy trills slip through. “It’s perfect.”

“Ya, ya, you got plants gimmie mine!!” Floyd pouted and his tail twitched in annoyance. Grace giggled at his childlike annoyance.

“Alright, hold your horses,” Grace said as she picked up a small rectangular object. The moment it grazed Floyd’s skin, he snatched it and shredded the wrapping paper. “I saw this in a traveling shop and had to get it for you!” The rectangular object was a case and inside the case was a small instrument, “It’s called a harmonica! You blow into this side and it makes music!”

Floyd picked up the instrument and smiled wide, “A LAND SNARFLUCS!” He put it to his lips and blew a few notes, rolling his tail in glee. After sliding it across his lip a few times, Floyd put the harmonica down and wrapped Grace in a big squeeze. “THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! Mom never let me keep these!”

“Ya. Thanks a lot.” Azul sighed knowing he will never know peace again.

“Don’t worry, I got you and Jade earplugs too.” Grace said, patting Floyds back as she returned the squeeze.

Once Floyd let Grace go so he could admire his new shiny, she finally turned to Azul. Azul way always the last to receive his gift, and he was fine with it. He liked to think it was because she was saving the best for last. Grace took out a slim case and handed it to him.

“I know you don’t need these, but when I saw them I couldn’t help but think of you.” Grace said as Azul took the wrapped case. He unwrapped it and felt the smooth leather of the case on his fingers, tracing the Bell logo imprinted lid. When he opened the case and saw a pair of round spectacles. The golden frames were decorated simply with a white chain connecting the two ends so the seer my put them down for a moment without losing them. They were a simple, sleek, ordinary pair of frames, but the fact that she thought of him when she saw them made his hearts beat faster.

“Go ahead, put them on! I want to see how you look!” Grace said as she reached into her pocket for her hand mirror.

Azul did as she asked and put on the spectacles. There were clear lenses so he could see his image in the mirror clearly. He looked… older, more sophisticated, like the merchants in stories. It felt odd to look at the reflection, his reflection. The person staring back looked like him, but with confidence and charm.

He looked up to ask her thoughts and Grace was blushing. Her mouth was slightly ajar and she was flush. When their eyes met, she held his gaze. That is one thing Azul always admired, she always looked him in the eyes.

“S-see. I knew they would look good on you,” She said softly as she put the mirror away.

Azul smirked at her remark, “You’ve always had impeccable taste.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Grace chuckled and shook her head, “that’s a rare opinion according to my brothers and their wives. They’ve criticized my every move since I’ve returned.”

“Speaking of, why don’t we return to the subject of your tardiness?” Azul said, settling beside Grace, spectacles still on. “What happened?”

She sighed and picked at her gloves, removing them as she spoke, “The short explanation is… a lot happened while I was gone leading to father pushing my debut.” Azul felt his hearts stop. Her Debut? Doesn’t that mean… no. Grace continued as she picked at her dress. “The Long of it is… complicated.”

Azul’s tentacle moved its way to her mid-back and his hand covered hers, “I can take complicated.”

Grace sighed and the tweels turned their attentions away from their gifts as she spoke. “While I was at school, apparently my brothers and their wives decided to squander their portion of the family fortune and their dowries. Against my advisement, Father has housebound them and limited their spending ability, but by that point they had already made a sizable dent in the coffers. He doesn’t want to strain our people more than he has to so Father has turned to other methods of regaining funds.” She squeezed Azul’s hand for reassurance as she continued, “He is holding my debut ball the Friday. The invitations were sent out already, and this morning while I was getting my gown tailored, Father gave me the rundown of the ‘most suitable candidates’ attending. Apparently, I must choose a husband at this ball or else.” She laced her fingers through his, holding it close as tears threatened her eyes, “When I reminded him of the promise, he said I did have a choice, but it must be made by the end of the ball or else its moot…” She started shaking.

There was a thick silence between the four. Azul’s tentacle wrapped around her midsection in a comforting hug. “So, you’ll be engaged by Saturday?”

She placed her free hand on top of the tentacle and rubbed her thumb along his skin, “According to father I should be… but it is still my choice. A-and who knows, I could meet the one. A plethora of fairytale romances happen that way…” She looked him in the eyes as she said this. She was looking for reassurance, to convince herself that everything will be okay. “Maybe… my Prince Charming will come sweep me off my feet.”

That’s when it hit him. A plan. A glorious, beautiful plan. His tentacles slithered as it formed and Grace caught on to him.

“What?” She asked, “I know that twinkle in your eye, you’re scheming.”

“I certainly am,” Azul ran the rudimentary plan in his mind and there were some kinks, but it should work. “It’s risky, but it just might work.”

“Ooooo! This is gonna be fun,” Floyd said chuckling.

“Mind sharing?” Jade asked slithering to the water.

Azul’s tentacle’s started drawing out a plan in the sand, “Your Father said you just had to chose a suitor correct? He never said it had to be from his list, correct?”

“Technically, yes. Where are you going with this?” Grace asked, curiosity twinkling in her eyes.

“Well, if you already had a suitor with wealth. You could hold off your father for a while until you decide to marry.” Azul offered up.

“That would be wonderful, except father would want to meet the mysterious suitor and know why it is being delayed.” Grace said.

Azul had to take a deep breath before he said the next part, “Didn’t you say you wanted us to meet him one day?”

“You mean-”

“Around 11 o’clock on the night of the party. You will introduce your father to me as your…Chosen Fiancé. I have enough gold and treasure to appease him for a long time. The excuse will be we are waiting till I finish a human transformation potion so I can be with you on land. If your father is the man you say he is, then that should hold him for at least a season. Enough time for you to truly chose someone to marry.” He took both her hands in his and squeezed them, “As I said, its risky, but it just might work. But I won’t do anything without your approval.”

Grace returned the squeeze and looked at him with those lovely green eyes, “Are you sure? This could put you and the tweels in so much danger. And I-”

“I-we care about you and your happiness. There is no need to worry about us. We can handle the danger.” Azul’s tentacle came up and caressed her cheek, “You mean the world to us, and we will do anything for your happiness.” Azul felt his face heat up and he turned away to look at the tweels smirking at him, “isn’t that right?”

Thankfully, the tweels played along. “Ya! We’d do anything for our shrimpy!”

“We are happy to help a dear friend~”

Grace looked at the tweels then turned back to Azul, “Promise me you’ll keep me in the loop, and stay safe?”

Azul nodded, “I promise.”

She sighed and a sly smile grew on her face, “Well then, I guess we should flesh out this plan then, shouldn’t we?”

The rest of the evening, Grace, Azul, Jade, and Floyd developed the plan down to the minute. Every move was plotted out and obstacles considered. By the time the sun touched the sea, they had a foolproof plan prepared for the ball.

After Grace left, Jade approached Azul whispered, “What are you truly planning Azul? I’ve never seen you make a one-sided deal like this before.”

“Oh, that’s where your wrong, Jade.” Azul smirked as one tentacle brought up a golden glowing potion to his eyes, “Once this deal is done, not only will I have won our bet, but I will have everything I’ve ever wanted in my grasp.” He turned to Floyd trying out his harmonica, “Floyd, I think its time we pay Sam a visit. I’m going to need a suit for Friday’s ball.”

“Hehehe, I knew this was gonna be fun~” Floyd’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“It certainly will,” Azul peaked around the cave and gazed at the manor lights. There his dearest pearl was having dinner with her family, unbeknownst to her that her Prince Charming would sweep her off her feet at the ball, and right into his tentacles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List: @twistedcece @thisisafish123 @coffee-or-hot-cocoa

Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more or want to get tagged, please let me know! Comments, likes, and Reblogs are appreciated! (Do not Steal)

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countrymusiclover · 1 month

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6 - How Daemon Targaryen Sees Me

Part 7

A Wolf Among Dragons

Tag list ( just ask to be added ) @tallrock35 @kmc1989 @starkleila @noirrose21-blog @lover-of-books-and-tea @immyowndefender @iamavailablesstuff

If y'all have any suggestions or something you'd like to see happen I am totally down to taking requests for this story

“The little wolf finally shows her teeth.” Daemon smirked down at me seeing a vengeance brewing in my northern eyes.

Clutching the dagger handle in my right hand I gripped his shoulder with my left hand sniffing back some angry tears falling down my face. “Ohh yes. Wolves are more stubborn than I have let you believe about me.”

“You’re in a room full of dragons, little wolf. I must say your odds are too great at the moment.” Daemon teased me, not fazed by the blade drawing some blood from his neck.

I croaked through heavy tears thinking back to the day I was forced to marry the Rogue Prince before me. “Have you ever cared for me at all after we were wed?”

My feet slowly moved forward taking me down the aisle to the man who would be my husband. A man I had never met until today that is. I knew he was the King's brother and a great swordsman but other than that nothing else was provided to me. My hair was curled and falling loose over my shoulders with a cloak hood covering the top of my head. My gown was the gray and white colors with the Stark sigil of the Direwolf covering the back of my cloak that I had draped over my shoulders.

Finally reaching my husband I stood beside the Rogue Prince who was dressed in an all black outfit with red sleeves. His white Targaryen hair was styled with some of it being pulled back out of his face and the rest of it falling over his shoulders. He truly did look like the perfect prince before me.

"You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection." The sept wrapped a white ribbon around our intertwined hands. "In the sight of the seven. I hereby seal these two souls. Binding them as one for eternity. Look upon each other and say the words."

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crown, Stranger. I am hers ( his ) and she ( he ) is mine from this day until the end of my days." Blinking my eyes open I didn’t dare look him in the eye until we had to say the words back to one another that would seal the marriage between our two houses.

I knew every young girl probably would have chosen my position if they could marry a prince of the Seven Kingdoms. But I certainly wasn’t one of them. I was content with my life back in Winterfell with my brother Cregon. I didn’t need a husband. I didn’t want a husband or children, unfortunately it was my duty as the eldest lady of my household.

Unknown to me back then I was meant to marry a Dragon Prince, just not the one I called my husband at the current moment.

“Have you ever cared for me even now? Have you cared about me or our children or are we just simply the duty you had to do for your family!” I raised my voice pressing my nose against his, baring my teeth tightly down together.

King Viserys rose from his chair wearing the golden crown on top of his head while he attempted to gain my attention. “Lady Lehna, release the blade.”

“Remove the blade from the lord before we have to make you, my lady.” One of the Kingsguard was standing behind me with his sword drawn.

Rhaenyra was standing beside Alicent who was shielding her daughter Helaena and a somewhat drunk Aegon behind her body. While everyone else in the room had their eyes focused on me and my husband waiting to see what would happen next given that my outburst had stopped the celebration so easily.

Daemon dryly spoke down at me like I was a commoner to him or someone even lower. “I have enjoyed our time together when we go through the streets. Fucking each other without any care for the others around us. But I don't dare love you. You are no match for a dragon.”

“You ungrateful cunt!” I screamed, raising the blade and slicing his left hand when someone attempted to yank me backwards by the fabric of my gown.

I recognized Aemond's voice while he tries his best to snag his arms around my small waist. “Lehna! Lehna, that's enough”

“Get your hands off of me!” I raised my elbow hitting him in the gut charging at the rouge prince. Snatching the dagger up from the floor I gripped it about to stab him in the chair till Daemon noticed.

“Mommy.” Caraxes and Visenya both whimpered, still sitting in their chairs at the table.

Daemon snatched my wrist seeing the blade tip right above his chest where if I moved forward I could stab him near the heart but he teased me with a wicked smirk playing on his lips. “It truly is laughable what you’ve attempting to do right now. That you think that you can strike me.”

“I’m holding a dagger near your heart. From my vantage point I have the upper hand compared to you.”

Daemon shakes his head snorting out a thick laugh. “You won’t kill me, little wolf. You don’t have it in you.”

“Argh!” I grunted, taking a quick step away from him, dropping the blade from my hand hearing it clink onto the stone floor.

A Kingsguard raised his sword, putting himself in between Daemon and I worried that I might charge at him again. My hair was a tousled mess and I had some of my husband's blood on the front of my gown but I had no care about it. King Viserys strides through the crowd causing me to gulp nervously, not sure if he would be the normal gentleman he usually was since I had struck an attack on his little brother. “Your grace, please forgive me. I shouldn’t have-“ I curtsy to him till he raised his hand telling me not to do such a thing.

“My brother should have treated you better, Lady Stark. For his rudeness I humbly apologize.” The king put a hand over his heart giving me a sympathetic look back at me. “You may move your and the children’s things into a separate chamber until you get your marriage sorted out.”

I sent him a soft smile. “Thank you for your hospitality, my King.”

“Lady Lehna and her children can bunk in my chambers with me if she wishes to.” The young princess Helaena Targaryen softly offered to step around her mother and keep her hands together in front of her stomach.

Daemon had Rhaenyra standing by him while he was eyeing his bleeding hand. “I can escort the children and Lady Lehna now if you do not wish to return to your chambers yet, sister.” Aemond’s footsteps approached and I felt his fingers gently touch my forearm.

“I believe I can escort my children myself, my prince.” I addressed him with his title on purpose and he raised a brow clearly noting it.

“Lehna, I thought we talked about this-“

Barely meeting his deep gaze I drew my arm away from his grasp holding my hand out for the dragon princess Helaena. “Shall we retire for the night, princess.” She looped her arm through mine and I waved for my twins to follow us and they did, leaving Aemond slightly stunned while watching the four of us exit the large room.

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divine-knight-hand · 11 months

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The Ball of the Red Death

Loki Masterlist || Full Masterlist || Read on AO3 Halloween Triple Feature Masterlist

Pairing: Prince!Loki Laufeyson x Enchantress!Female Reader

Summary: A royal feast being converted to a royal ball at the last minute by the god of mischief's mad magic-wielding lover, who just so happens to have an Edgar Allen Poe obsession. What could possibly go wrong?

Content Warnings: Descriptions of violence, discussions of death and mortality at length, implied major character death (you just really have to squint), use of enchantment, unprotected sex, mind reading/communication during sex, use of magic during sex, momentary clothed sex, porn with way way too much plot

Notes: I started writing this because I originally wanted Loki and the reader to have a kind of Gomez and Morticia vibe, but this ended up going in a very different direction.

I reccomend listening to this (TikTok Video) or this (Spotify) during the waltz scene. You can thank me later~

Word Count: 6,905 (Sorry about that, but I believe in y’all!)

Dividers by @chachachannah

“…‘And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.’” I closed the book I was holding and let out a satisfied sigh. “Poe’s commentary on mortality never disappoints.”

Loki and I were resting comfortably in our shared bedroom in the castle. Sometimes, when we had idle time together, I would read aloud from my collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories as he attentively listened, closing his eyes as if he could hang on to my every word. This time, I had just finished reading The Masque of the Red Death —a short story that I’d read about a million times prior to this. Needless to say, it was my favorite one in the collection.

“I find Prince Prospero rather insufferable.” Loki frowned, his head comfortably nestled in my lap. “He didn’t even hesitate to shut the sick out to die. He cared not for his kingdom. He merely cared for the throne. His methods are those born of blatant greed and ignorance.”

I dropped my book on a nearby nightstand before reaching down to softly scratch his raven locks. “Lest we forget, you were once mad for power.”

The god sighed under my touch, closing his eyes. “And I would have done well with it. Asgard would truly prosper with me as its king.”

“I’m sure it would.” I smirked at his witty response. “Enough with the scary stories, anyway. I have more important things to tend to.” I let go of his hair, waiting for him to move his head from my lap. He didn’t budge.

“‘More important things to tend to’?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I would choose your words more carefully, darling.”

I instantly felt guilty for my poor choice of words. “Loki, as much as I love spending time with you, you know I have to meet with Frigga to discuss-”

“The royal feast preparations.” He finished for me. “I’m aware.” He looked up at me, his blue eyes filled with longing. “Each moment I’m without you brings me closer to madness. Perhaps you’ve managed to enchant me, after all.”

“You know I couldn’t possibly do that, no matter how much experience I earn in my craft.” I tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. “I promise you, my absence will only last as long as the blink of an eye.”

Loki sat up beside me. “I’m doubtful, but I will concede.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek before he continued. “Stop tempting me and go before I change my mind and keep you here for myself.”

I chuckled to myself as I finally rose from the bed and strolled over to the door. “You won’t even have the time to miss me.”

Loki simply let out a low hum in response as I shut the door behind me.

.·:*¨༺♚༻¨*:·.

I made sure to keep in step alongside Frigga as we strolled through the palace gardens. She wore an expression of immense confusion. “Are you absolutely sure you wish to convert the feast to a ball? You do realize the event is tomorrow, and a ball requires much more preparation than a feast, correct?”

“Have you no faith in my planning prowess?” I teased. “I’m absolutely positive. I have grand ideas, and I feel a simple feast wouldn’t do them justice at all.”

“I suppose that makes sense…” Frigga seemed hesitant to agree with me.

“Oh! There’s one more thing I feel inclined to add.” I twiddled my fingers in front of me as we walked. “I wish to plan this event on my own from here on out.”

Frigga’s eyes widened. “You wish to make this event your own? This is a royal event, lest you forget!”

“I’m well aware, my queen.” I reassured her. “I simply wish to take matters into my own hands and allow for the royal family to indulge in the resulting revelry.”

A strange, uncharacteristic darkness crept over her features. “Something tells me this isn’t your true intention.”

“Nonsense!” I waved my hand. “It’s all in good fun, I assure you.”

Frigga froze for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. “I’ll be speaking with the Allfather. We need his approval for this change in arrangements, after all.”

We both stopped in our tracks, and I flashed her the sweetest smile I could muster. “Lovely! I thank you for your consideration on the matter.”

Frigga met me with a frightened look. “Sure… Yes- Well, I’ll be on my way!” With that, she hurried out of the gardens, as if she couldn’t get away from me quickly enough.

What a shame. I sighed as I watched her go. I do hope I didn’t let on too much…

.·:*¨༺♚༻¨*:·.

Odin grumbled at the documents in front of him. He hated signing laws into action, but they were a responsibility of his. He took pride in his work, no matter how mundane it became.

Tap! Tap! Tap! He rubbed the bridge of his nose as a soft rapping sounded at the door. He wasn’t as pleased with distractions.

“Enter!” He called, sitting up straight in his chair.

Frigga entered the room, clutching the front of her dress in an anxious disposition. “Allfather! There’s something important I must discuss with you.”

“Of course!” His booming voice practically rattled the castle walls. “What must we discuss, my dear?”

“It’s about the royal feast.” She nervously wrung her hands. “Lady Y/N wishes for it to be a ball instead…” Odin arched an eyebrow at her before she continued, “and she wishes to take on sole responsibility of planning it.”

“THE GALL!” He roared. “She’s casting you from the planning council? Who does that woman think she is?!”

“She claims it to be all in good fun…” Frigga’s voice trailed off into uncertainty.

“Yet you seem apprehensive.” Odin observed.

Frigga took a deep breath. “I sensed malicious intent in her. I fear the worst for our family. I fear the worst for our people.”

Odin sighed. He wanted nothing more than to have Loki’s concubine of a lover locked away in the dungeons for the rest of her days. There was something about her that just irked him, but he could never place his finger on it.

However, as the conversation drew on, Odin felt a change in him, and new thoughts began to creep into his mind. Lady Y/N didn’t seem as repulsive to him. If anything, he was curious as to what she had in store for the ball. She said it was all in good fun, after all. What would be the harm in giving his wife some time to relax? In front of him, Frigga’s eyes darted around the room as if she was searching for something.

Odin cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him. “Give the lady full control of the event. I want every event planner in Asgard at her disposal. Her ideas deserve to be realized, and I wish to see what she has in store for us.”

Frigga audibly gasped. “But, Allfather-”

“Silence!” He waved her off. “I’ve made my decision. Now be off! I have duties to attend to.”

Frigga looked dumbfounded, her mouth opening and closing in an attempt to formulate a response. She never found her voice. She respectfully curtsied and rushed out of the room, leaving Odin to tend to his papers.

My fingers tingled with magic and excitement as I observed the scene from the rafters. This was all coming together too perfectly. Enchanting the Allfather was the easy part. It was no simple task to fool a master sorceress, however. Especially one as experienced and well-versed in Asgardian magic as Frigga. The thrill of almost being caught sent another jolt of electricity coursing under my skin. This is just too perfect!

.·:*¨༺♚༻¨*:·.

The following night, Fandral stood at the bottom of the grand staircase in the ballroom, which was decorated in elegant shades of red and gold. He himself was outfitted in crimson fabrics, and the attention of every partygoer was fixed on him.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Red Ball.” His voice projected throughout the room. “I see most of you abided by the dress code ordained by the coordinator of this event. Others… not so much.” He passive-aggressively cleared his throat. “Before we proceed with the festivities, it is my utmost honor and privilege to introduce the royal family, as well as their partners. I first present to you the Allfather, Asgard’s king, Odin, with his wife, our beloved queen, Frigga.”

The partygoers roared as Fandral stepped aside, leaving Odin and Frigga space to descend the stairs, arms interlocked. Odin was decorated in gold armor, and Frigga in a large and flowy red dress, a crown adorned in blood-red jewels resting atop her neatly coiled hair. The two were a paragon of a royal couple, descending the stairs in an air of grace and power.

Fandral bowed to the couple as they made their way off of the staircase before resituating himself where he stood prior. “Now I present their eldest son, and prince of Asgard, Thor Odinson, with his partner, hailing from Midgard, Jane Foster.”

Fandral stepped aside as Thor and Jane made their way down the stairs holding hands. The crowd roared again as the couple approached. Thor wore a tunic of red and silver, while Jane wore an equally red hoopless ball gown.

Once again, Fandral bowed and returned to the center of the bottom step to announce the final pair. “And now, last but not least, I present the youngest prince of Asgard, Loki Odinson, with his partner, who attended to planning this very ball, Y/N L/N.”

Atop the stairs, I felt my heart leap into my throat at the sound of my name. This was it. This was the moment everything would be set in motion. I smoothed my hands over the front of my crimson velvet dress before Loki locked one of my arms in his. He wore a tunic similar to his traditional choice, the only difference being that he swapped the green hue for red, as per my request. He tried to argue his way out of giving up his favorite color, but caved when I insisted.

“Don’t worry yourself.” He leaned in to whisper, merely inches from my ear. “Your beauty would make the very stars themselves whisper in envy, my enchantress. If nothing else, you are not the problem.”

I smiled before whispering back, “Thank you, my love. Never does a moment go by where you’re at a loss for the perfect words.”

He motioned his hand towards the stairs. “Shall we?”

I made a small nod. “We shall.”

With that, we began our descent on the stairs, turning onto the grand staircase, where the crowd could finally set their eyes on us. Scattered cheers erupted into loud applause as I set my hand in a delicate wave.

Loki gently nudged my shoulder as we neared the bottom step. “See, darling? They love you.”

“Nonsense, my prince.” I smirked. “Your royal visage is distracting them from mine.”

He lightly sighed. “Must you always evade my reassurance?”

“Not at all.” I responded, taking the opportunity to glance in his direction. “I just stand to reason that your approval is the only one that matters to me. I don’t need that of others.”

Loki and I stood alongside the rest of the royal family as Fandral wrapped up his introductions. “Now that I’ve introduced our esteemed royal family, let the festivities begin!”

At his words, the ballroom came alive. A band in the corner of the room began playing a slow orchestral waltz and couples began pairing up and swaying to the music, forming a sea of red with the occasional off-color sprinkled in. Black-suited figures entered the room carrying trays of drinks and finger foods to pass to hungry dancers. As I observed the scene, I felt a sense of pride swelling inside of me. Any minute now. It’ll be any minute now. I felt the corners of my lips upturn as my fingers began to tingle.

My gaze met Loki’s. “I can’t believe this is really happening!”

I fought to keep my smile from growing too wide. Damnit! Tone it down before you appear suspicious. Then again, it would be safe to consider that anyone in the room would assume that my excitement came from enjoyment of the party.

Loki warmly smiled at me. “You did well in planning this event.”

“The best is yet to come.” I winked, noticing Frigga stiffen in the corner of my eye. The song changed to one with a bit of a quicker tempo, eliciting the same change in speed from the dancers.

Odin clapped his hands, bringing the attention of the royal family and their partners to him. “I believe it is time for us to enjoy a dance as well.” He held a hand out to Frigga. “My wife.” She took his outstretched hand in hers with a small smile before he led her away from the rest of us.

“I’m assuming that’s my cue.” Thor held a hand out for Jane, who let out a small chuckle as she took his hand.

“Well done! This is amazing!” She called out to me before disappearing with her lover among the sea of dancers.

I turned to Loki with an eyebrow raised, and he quickly understood what I wanted from him, extending a hand towards me. “Care to dance, darling?”

I couldn’t hide the grin spreading across my mouth this time. “Let’s!”

I took his hand and he led me to the center of the dance floor. He then held his hands at my waist and I rested mine on his shoulders. We fell into step, dancing something similar to a formal ballroom dance, but with some elements that were more casual than traditional.

As we danced, Loki leaned in to mutter, “Darling, may I ask you a question?”

“What’s plaguing your mind, my love?” I gave one of his shoulders a squeeze.

“Your guest list seems rather…” His voice trailed off as his eyes quickly scanned the room before returning to mine. “How did you manage to gather so many people from the dungeon? This doesn’t seem safe, nor plausible.”

I waved my hand at his concern before returning it to his shoulder. “Worry not about that. They won’t be stirring any trouble tonight.”

“And you can guarantee that?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Indeed, I can.” I warmly smiled at him. “Besides, everyone deserves a chance to enjoy the festivities, don’t they?”

“I suppose…” Then, a look of realization crossed his features, and he sighed, a disappointed sound coming from a suddenly amused expression. “You’ve enchanted them, haven’t you?”

A small smirk tugged at my lips. “Guilty as charged.”

He lightly chuckled, his amusement pulling a grin from his lips. “I see no harm in the matter, then.”

We continued to dance to the music, my dress swishing with each movement as he held me, spun me, and dipped me. As extravagant as our dancing may have seemed, he never attempted a move that would be too much for me. He knew all the moves I could comfortably perform, and would always dance accordingly. Sometimes, I worried that I was holding him back, but he always assured me that there was no one he’d rather dance with than me. He really knew how to make me feel special.

All things considered, it was a wonder I didn’t trip over myself. My eyes remained glued to his, and his to mine. He was gorgeous, and I didn’t want him out of my sight for a second. Each moment I danced with him was a moment where everything else faded away. It was as if we were alone in the ballroom, dancing simply for our own enjoyment. I would stay with him like this forever if I could.

Unfortunately, forever didn’t last, and the song ended up changing to a more lively piece, sending the rest of the dancers into a frenzy.

I decided I wanted to take this moment to step away. “Loki?”

“Yes, darling?” He slowed to a stop as I did.

“Can we go to the balcony?” I gave his shoulders an affectionate squeeze. “There’s something I’d like to show you.”

I could almost see the gears in his mind turning as he considered this. “Of course.”

We interlocked arms and made our way back towards the grand staircase, Fandral spying us on the way. “Leaving so soon?” He called, unceasing in his dance with his partner.

“We will return, of course!” I waved with my free arm. “The night isn’t nearly over.”

Loki and I practically dashed up the stairs and down the hall to an inner balcony, which overlooked the ballroom dance floor. We had an overhead view of the sea of dancers below, each creating their own wave of crimson.

I let go of Loki to grab the banister, sighing as I looked on. “It’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.”

I felt his arms wrap around my waist as his head came to a rest on my shoulder. “This is all your doing, my dear. I have not the words to describe my pride in you, both for the event you carefully planned and for your great magical improvement.”

“Thank you, my love.” My lips curved into another smile as his pride filled me with my own. “Do you know why I chose the theme that I did?”

Loki hummed thoughtfully before answering. “I couldn’t possibly say.”

I stretched my arm over the party below. “Look at all those people. Every single one in here has something they’re trying to escape. Something they’re trying to avoid . They bide their time ignoring a malignant problem that doesn’t fade away. It festers, it grows, and someday, it drowns them.”

“How delightful…” Loki didn’t seem amused in the slightest.

“I know it’s morbid.” I lightly chuckled. “But inspiration struck, and that, I couldn’t ignore. Consider this an escape from what is a tiresome reality.”

“Alright,” A moment of silence passed between us as he let go of me and situated himself next to me. He spoke up again, “Why, then, did you ask a majority of us to wear red?” His hands reached forward to grab the banister.

I softly placed one of mine over one of his. “I believe you should instead be asking why some didn’t.”

Loki seemed to carefully consider this as he examined the dancers below. “It seems all the nobles and most of the royalty in attendance are wearing other colors.” He pointed out the wealthy and the royals from other realms, who were, in fact, devoid of the red color that everyone else wore in abundance.

“Very good.” I slid behind him and snaked my arms around his waist, pulling myself into him as I neared his cheek with my lips–which I conveniently left unpainted–and lowered my voice to just above a whisper. “You’re so observant, my love.”

Loki shuddered. “Darling… I’m still unclear on your motives.”

“All will be revealed in due time.” I coaxed his face in the direction of mine. “Be patient, my prince.”

The air between us seemed to crackle with electricity. I brought my forehead to his, closing some of the distance between us.

“We’ve been gone for some time,” Loki breathed. “The others will talk.”

“Let them.” I finally closed the distance between us with a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him like it would be my last time. I wanted to drink him in. I never wanted to forget this feeling.

When we broke our kiss, Loki breathily asked, “And what of having patience?”

“You, my love, are the only thing that can make waiting feel torturous.” I sighed, leaning in to kiss him again.

This time, I heard a low hum escape him as we connected. His arms reciprocated my embrace, warming my body and heart.

When we broke our kiss again for air, Loki’s cheeks were dusted a light pink, and his lips were curved into the smallest smirk.

“You little minx.” He teased. “Have you no intention of returning to the event you planned?”

“Of course, I do!” I playfully scoffed, letting go of him and turning to walk away. “But, if you wish to hurry me off, then…”

“Wait!” Loki grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him. “Just once more.” He insisted before pulling me into a final, hungry kiss.

I felt his hand work its way into my hair, the other playing at my waist. I slid mine up his chest until I interlocked them behind his neck.

He sighed against my mouth before breaking the kiss. We were left gasping in each other’s arms, smiling like fools. But, we knew we weren’t fools. We were in love.

“I hope you know, I didn’t actually intend on walking away from you.” I breathlessly admitted.

“I know.” Loki smirked. “I simply enjoy indulging in your little games.”

My ears perked at the sound of a glass chiming. “Oh! I genuinely must be away now.”

“Allow me to escort you back to the festivities, darling.” Loki kissed the crown of my head before we rushed to fix our hair and return to the ball.

Fandral stood at the bottom of the stairs, the attention of the partygoers on him once again, with a glass in one hand and a silver spoon in the other. “There she is! The delicate and fair princess chooses to grace us with her presence once again… and Lady Y/N appears, as well.”

Loki rolled his eyes as I stifled a giggle at Fandral’s dramatic foolishness. “You two can save your childish banter for later. I believe I must take care of something now.”

“But, of course, my lady!” Fandral turned back to the crowd, tapping his spoon against the glass to make another chiming sound. “Now I ask for your attention as we hear a few words from Lady Y/N.”

The crowd applauded as Fandral and Loki walked off, leaving me at the bottom of the grand staircase. Loki glared daggers at the giddy blonde. He would remember that insult for a long time to come.

I had to stifle another giggle by clearing my throat before addressing the audience. “Thank you all so kindly for attending this ball. I worked very hard to put all of this together.” I opened my arms in a grand gesture and the partygoers erupted into applause.

I only spoke again once the applause died down. “With the creation of the Red Ball, I had a vision.” I began to pace in front of the bottom step. “A vision that no one has ever dared to enact before. I’ve brought together royals and delinquents alike in a display of unity.” More cheers filled the ballroom before I could continue. “But one question remains. Unity through what? What unites us? How can royals, commonfolk, and dungeon convicts be linked in any way?” The room went silent, the only sound filling the hall being my voice. “Well, there’s one thing that unites us. One thing that the royals gleefully ignore, but it looms over the heads of commoners. It’s punctuated by each ticking of the clock. It creeps in with every breath we take. It sweeps through every corridor we dare to step through, and it… is… red.”

Whoosh! All of the lights in the hall were suddenly extinguished, and a few screams were heard before the room came alive with scattered whispers and mutters.

“Please remain calm!” Odin’s voice reverberated around the room. “The lights will return shortly.”

A large pair of arms wrapped around me and I let out a surprised yelp. “Darling! Are you alright?”

“Loki?” I let out a relieved chuckle and settled into his embrace. “I’m okay. I just… What happened to the lights?”

“We’ve got servants looking into it.” Loki reassured me. “Odin believes the lights will return soon.”

“How soon?” My voice oozed with feux concern. I was relieved that the darkness was enough to hide the smirk playing at my lips.

A blood-curdling scream sounded from across the room before quickly tapering off into a gurgling cough, followed by a dull thud. The room plummeted into another silence before more screams of the same fashion filled the void of sound.

Loki’s arms tightened around me. “We need to get out of here.” He growled in my ear. “Now.”

“I don’t believe that will be necessary.” I reassured him.

“What?” He sounded flabbergasted.

“‘And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death.’” I quoted. “‘He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel,’.”

Loki began to sound desperate. “Please, darling, begin to make sense again. I know not what you’re speaking of.”

With that, the lights returned, revealing the red splatters of blood around the ballroom. The dungeon escapees I invited were gone, replaced with figures wearing masks–ghoulish pale faces covered in red blotches—that resembled victims of the Red Death from Poe’s short story. Each one carried a knife, as instructed… Well, as instructed by the enchantment they were under.

The only partygoers left alive were those who wore red. They screamed and sobbed at the carnage that was created around them.

“What the Hel is going on?!” Loki squeezed me tighter to his chest, shock coloring his tone.

“I suppose the name of the ball was a tad misleading.” I mused, “I do believe The Ball of the Red Death would be a much more appropriate title.”

“I beg your pardon?” Loki released me from his grip. I turned to face him as his hands ghosted my upper arms. His eyes were blown with disbelief at my commentary. “Did you have something to do with this?”

I darkly chuckled. “No, my love. I had everything to do with this.”

His eyes grew wide. “Wh- What?”

I walked my fingers up his shoulder. “In a world where the privileged forget their place, someone has to act to remind them that even they can’t escape their demise. Consider this a wake up call.”

Loki seemed puzzled. “You’re still speaking in fragments.” His brow creased in concentration before he spoke again. “While we were alone, you mentioned that people escaped something that only festered. Is this what you meant? Death?!” I responded with a silent nod as he scanned the room. “And the victims… They weren’t wearing red. None of them were.”

“Using the term ‘victims’ to refer to these over-privileged assholes is a bit of a stretch, if I do say so myself.” I insisted, “But, yes. The dead attempted to avoid the red… Well, they weren’t ordered to wear red in the first place, but my metaphor still stands.”

“I- I-” Loki was at a loss for words.

“I can understand your confusion, but I assure you there’s a method to my perceived madness.” I slowly approached him and caressed his cheek. “Commoners face death and ailment every day, only for their problems to be ignored and even trivialized by the royally and monetarily privileged. I’m merely reminding them that they’re no farther above the rest of their people. Is that so foul?”

The god puzzled this over for a moment before another scream filled the room. It was then that Thor found us, with Jane at his side.

The two ran up to us, Jane’s voice wavering with panic. “We have to get out of here!”

“Brother, get Jane and Y/N to safety!” Thor commanded, sounding as loud as his father would as he summoned his hammer. “I’ll hold off the murderers until your return.” The blonde sped off before Loki could respond.

I gingerly rested a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “Jane seems shaken. Take her away, then come find me again.”

Loki considered this, his jaw clenching as he rapidly scanned the room, before swiftly leaving with Jane. I smiled as I watched him leave, sounds of thunder and violence crescendoing behind me as I drew a knife from under the skirts of my dress. There was one more thing I had to take care of.

.·:*¨༺♚༻¨*:·.

It didn’t take long for me to tie up that last loose end. After discarding the knife and cleaning all the blood off of my skin, I was strolling through the halls–the sounds of metal clanging and bodies thudding fading into background noise–when Loki nearly ran into me.

“Gods!” He exclaimed in surprise. “I was just looking for you.”

“Loki!” I smiled warmly. “It was about time you found me.”

A moment of charged silence hung between us before he spoke up again. “You did all of this by yourself?”

“Hardly.” I waved my hand dismissively at the idea. “I had the entire planning committee, as well as those confined to the dungeons, at my disposal… with a little convincing, of course.” I held up my hand and let small tendrils of magic play at my fingertips to emphasize my point.

“You amaze me.” He breathlessly chuckled. “Truly, you amaze me.”

“You don’t despise me for the chaos I’ve caused?” This time, I was surprised.

“Darling,” He cupped my face in his hands, and I felt sparks tingle to life under my skin. “You’re speaking to the god of mischief. I’m not averse to chaos in the slightest. Yes, your planning was a bit bold… and unorthodox, if I do say so myself… but I could never despise you.” I cupped one of his hands in mine as he continued. “Besides, I do believe I’ve figured out the theme behind your little games.”

A smirk tugged at my lips. “Oh, really? Do tell, then, what my true motives were.”

“You’ve had quite the obsession with Edgar Allen Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death . I have reason to believe our reading of that little story inspired you to act on your own beliefs.” He leaned in until our noses were nearly touching. “And after listening to you speak tonight, I have reason to believe that your motivation is rather agreeable.”

“Oh, Loki,” I let out a sigh as my eyes fluttered shut. “I’m glad we ended up on the same page. Truly, I worried-”

Loki cut off my sentence by slamming into me with a passionate kiss. I let out a soft moan as my hands trailed up his back to tangle themselves in his soft inky locks.

When we broke from the kiss, gasping for air, he reassured me between breaths. “You have no reason to worry. The royal court will have no knowledge of what transpired tonight. To them, this will be an uprising planned by the criminals who will be heading back to the dungeons after the battle dies down.” I silently nodded, my hand reaching up to trace his jawline.

He softly chuckled at my suddenly diverted attention. “You’ve been getting distracted so easily.”

“Your elegance is distracting.” I remarked, bringing my body closer to his.

“Then, forget the ball entirely.” He closed the gap between us with a quick kiss before continuing. “Let us retire to our chambers, hm?”

“I like the way you think~” At my words, Loki picked me up and carried me bridal-style all the way to our shared room, the sounds of violence fading away into complete silence as we swiftly moved through each palace hall.

I couldn’t help but giggle as our bedroom door slammed shut behind him, his stride unbreaking until he laid me down onto the bed. “You’ve done a great deal of work up until now, haven’t you?” He crawled on top of me, his hair falling around our faces, before pulling me into another kiss.

As his trail of kisses moved down along my neck, I shuddered. “I’m still surprised my strange methods for change haven’t turned you away.”

“Oh, darling,” Loki groaned. “I am no stranger to the madness you’re exploring. The darkness you entertain… Its allure is strong.” His kisses were unceasing, making their way back up to my lips before whispering. “I fear it not. In fact, I revere it.”

I reached a hand up to cup his cheek as my own burned warm in feel and in hue. “Loki…”

He pulled me into another kiss, his hips grinding into mine, the growing bulge in his trousers drawing a soft moan from my lips as it made friction with my core through the mountains of fabric between us. My hands were eager, and I felt the pull of magic threatening my fingertips as they desperately grasped at his back. He shuddered under my touch, clearly sensing my energy through the leathers that separated his skin from mine.

With no lack of grace, Loki hiked up the skirts of my dress, granting himself access to the lace panties I wore underneath. I hissed as he brought the fingers of his free hand against the damp fabric, the other creating a dip in the bed as he held himself up on it.

“Already so wet for me?” He hummed in approval. “Your desire for me is nothing short of glorious~”

“My prince,” I breathed as I resisted the urge to buck my hips against his hand. “Please, let me have you tonight.”

I heard the shifting of leathers before feeling Loki move my panties aside and tease the tip of his cock against my slick folds. “I will give you whatever you desire, darling.” Quickly growing impatient, he tore the intruding piece of fabric off of my legs, granting himself full access to my cunt.

I still felt the magic and excitement dancing in my fingertips when he grabbed one of my hands in his, interlocking our fingers. “I can feel this power of yours, my dear.” He brought my hand up to his mouth, unceasing in his teasing as his lips lightly brushed my fingers. “Normally, I’d warn you to exercise caution in allowing your emotions to control your magic… but, seeing as I’m immune to your enchantment, I’ll encourage you to remember the way it courses through your veins as I pleasure you tonight.”

I shivered under his touch, despite feeling extremely warm. “And you’re absolutely positive that you’re immune to my enchantment?”

Loki thoughtfully hummed. “Only your magical enchantment, it would seem. Your enchanting allure, on the other hand?” He leaned in and softly kissed me on the lips before continuing. “I fall weak to it every time.”

“Oh, Loki…” I moaned as I pulled him into another passionate kiss, feeling his magic beckon to mine.

It was playful. It teased at my fingertips, as if it was asking the sparks under my skin to come out and play. I’d never felt Loki’s seidr have energy this light-hearted before. Even when he was using it for tricks and games, it always had some sort of reserved and orderly feel to it. It only ever moved with a purpose. Nothing more, nothing less. But, not tonight. Tonight, it was almost as wild and eager as mine. Tonight, it was carefree.

Can you blame me? Loki’s voice mischievously chuckled in my mind. I have the most radiant woman in all the nine realms all to myself, at last.

You’ve always had me, my love. I sighed against his mouth, my free hand trailing up his back. I’m yours, for as long as you wish to have me.

Then, I’ll have you until the very end of days. Loki’s lust came through in his message, and I reached for his cock, eager to satisfy his hunger for me. Normally, he would softly reproach me for being so impatient, but tonight, he just shuddered when my fingers made contact with his length. Take me now, darling.

With pleasure~ I lined him up with my entrance and slowly let him slide in.

He let his kisses trail along my jaw as he bottomed out, whispering, “Gods, you feel divine…”

Loki’s breath against the shell of my ear sent a shiver down my spine, and my inner walls instinctively clenched around his cock, earning a soft, breathy moan from him in response. Without wasting another second, he began slowly thrusting in and out of me, setting a steady pace.

“Loki…” I groaned, my hand returning to his back to desperately claw at the leather that still covered it. “I want to feel all of you. Please…”

He softly chuckled at my eagerness, allowing his seidr to dissolve our clothes into thin air. A small draft washed over my now bare body, giving my skin a short-lived break from the warmth Loki’s body sent into mine. The delicious warmth…

“How ironic that I should provide you with such warmth.” He purred. “On account of my heritage being so frigid.”

“Yet, that’s the only cold thing about you.” I hissed as he brushed my sweet spot. “You’ve always been so warm and loving to me.”

“You’re the only one who’s proved worthy of that thus far.” He growled.

I felt my impatience heightening at his slow pace, the energy thrumming in my fingers growing equally restless. “Loki…”

“Yes, darling?” He mumbled.

“Harder,” I breathed. “Please… Harder.”

Loki’s low, mischievous chuckle sounded in my ear. “As you wish, my enchantress~”

He sped up his movements, slamming his hips into mine at a bruising pace. He relentlessly targeted my sweet spot, and I could almost hear my own moans rattling off the castle walls as he blended pleasure and pain into a beautiful experience just for me.

“Oh, Loki…” I felt my eyes roll back as my nails dug into his back.

Yes, darling... Loki’s voice broke through my mess of incoherent thoughts. Mark me just like that. Lay your claim on me and me alone.

“Loki…” His name spilled from my lips like a prayer. It was the only word I could speak coherently anymore. “Oh, Loki…”

“That’s it,” He praised me. “Let anyone who might overhear us know who you belong to. Yes, just like that.”

It felt so good. God, he knew just how to please me. Everything about the moment was so intimate. I never shied away from baring myself to Loki, and he happily did the same for me. Our thoughts were aligned, our magic played, and his body was fully available to me, pleasuring me in all the ways he knew I loved.

I felt my peak quickly approaching. “Loki… ’M cumming…”

“Do it, my enchantress,” He grunted. “Cum for me. Let me feel you clench around my cock. Show me how I truly make you feel.”

Loki’s words sent me over the edge, and he helped me ride out my nearly blinding climax. As I came down from my high, I noticed his thrusts becoming sloppier. Needier.

“D- Darling…” He hissed, his jaw clenching as he quickly approached his peak.

“Cum inside me, my love.” I mewled, still sensitive from my release. “Fill me- Ah!”

Before I could finish my pleas, I felt Loki’s cock twitch, spilling its seed inside me as his cries of pleasure filled my ears. I rocked my hips against his, attempting to help him ride out his high.

Oh, my enchantress~ Loki’s voice moaned in my mind, his real voice still occupied as he lost himself in ecstasy.

Once he finished, we were both panting. Energy still thrummed in my fingertips, but I noticed Loki’s slowly slipping away from mine. I willed mine to calm down, as well, feeling the sparks under my skin slowly fade away.

He then slowly pulled out, and a whine escaped the back of my throat at my sudden empty feeling. He didn’t, however, move from on top of me. I took the opportunity to pull him into a quick kiss.

Loki sighed against my mouth before pulling away. “Your temptation is going to be the death of me.”

“I beg to differ.” I breathlessly responded. “Your touch brings me to life, my love.”

Loki sharply rolled over, moving me to rest on top of his chest. I yelped in surprise before succumbing to a fit of giggles and pecking him on the lips. He held me in his arms, and I even began drifting off to sleep before a sharp knock sounded at the door.

“Brother!” Thor’s voice boomed as the doors rattled. “The prisoners have been defeated. We require your assistance in the filing of documents on the uprising.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Brother, it’s late. For the love of Valhalla, allow me some rest after this eventful night before I toil away alongside you and Odin in an excruciatingly lengthy meeting.”

A heavy silence hung in the air before Thor’s voice responded in an unusually low tone. “…Very well, Loki.”

After the sound of retreating footsteps, Loki rubbed my back, softly groaning, “Do feel free to enchant my brother the next time he insists on poking at my nerves.”

“As you wish, my prince.” I softly giggled before pulling him into another sweet kiss.

As gleeful as I might have seemed, the conversation left me with a small pang of guilt. I rested my face in the crook of Loki’s neck and breathed him in, willing the lull of sleep to pull me under.

I would have to break the horrific news to him in the morning.

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smokerswifey · 2 months

Text

Edited version of first chapter of Persiens Bound!

To all my persiens moots and followers and even just persiens lovers who don't know meI need y'all to read this and also if any of y'all have any idea of how I could start the new chapter, it would be much appreciated! Please send it to me in dms 🫶

I'll try and post this on ao3 too btw my username is VioletKaminari

Anyways I'll shut up please enjoy the read!

Have a blessed day and thanks for reading in advance you have no idea how happy it makes me feel.

BOUND

Nasiens let out another muffled sob into his handkerchief, letting another torrent of tears drip onto his mother’s skirt.

Diane hiccupped, hugging her son even tighter, throwing her husband a helpless look .

King sighed trembly, wiping the trail of tears off of Nasiens’s soft cheeks before clasping Nasiens’s hands in his own .

Nasiens tired, tear filled eyes met his father’s

“ I’m sorry son, I’m so, so sorry…” King whispered, rubbing his thumbs over Nasiens trembling knuckles.

The prince wept softly, his golden eyes shining with desperation.

“ Please Dad, please don’t do this, please dad-I don’t- I don’t want to-please!” Nasiens said fiercely, shaking his head.

King felt his heart break in as he heard his eldest son address him as Dad, something that Nasiens hadn’t called him since he was a young lad . And now today, at freshly seventeen, Nasiens was crying and begging in his arms once again, just as how he used to do when he would plead King to read him one more bedtime story. If only this matter could be solved so simply…

“ I’m sorry…” King croaked, looking down in shame as Nasiens let out a strangled whine.

The prince snatched his hands away from King’s and pulled away from his mother abruptly eliciting a shocked gasp from Diane . He rose to his feet rapidly and backed away from them, his eyes narrowed in accusation.

“ Sorry ? You’re sorry ?! Is that the best you can do ? A simple apology ?” Nasiens spat his hands balled into fists.

King only hung his head earning a disgusted glare from Nasiens .

The prince turned to his mother .

“ M-Mother!” Nasiens cried desperately, his voice cracking. “ Please tell me you don’t agree with this-this-asinine idea, right ?!”

Diane’s purple eyes filled with tears as she fiddled with her fingers nervously.

“…right…?”

“ I’m so sorry my Love…” Diane whispered, ashamed.

Nasiens felt his heart sink into his stomach.

He slowly sat back down, winded.

King sat next to him, placing a complacent but ultimately useless hand on his shoulder.

“ I know your mother and I are asking a tremendous amount of strength and maturity from you, but Nasiens, this… arrangement shall not be for naught. You and that boy will be ensuring eternal peace, friendship and prosperity between both of our nations-“

“ If you and King Zeldris want to ensure peace between our nations so badly, why don’t the both of you end this barbaric war yourselves instead of forcing me-and his son to wed!” Nasiens interrupted hotly, his golden eyes ablaze.

King sighed tiredly, running a hand through his hair.

He looked tired. Exhausted even.

But Nasiens was to angry, to hurt, to even care.

“ Because even if we end this war, nothing can garrantee us that the temporary peace between our nations shall last. A union between you and that boy shall solidify our diplomatic relations and will seal the alliance between both of our nations. Forever! That is why this marriage is essential for the future alliance of our clans, don’t you understand my love ?”

Nasiens stayed silent, digging his nails into the soft skin of his palms.

“ I know this entire situation is awful Nasiens-“King started.

“ It’s ghastly, Father Nasiens interrupted softly, looking up at the king with wet eyes.

“ I always thought that I would wed for love… Not to someone I do not know-with whom I’ll spend the rest of my days in a kingdom that I do not know - away from all my friends and family-away from my siblings-away from Oslo-“ He let out a sharp intake of breath, completely horrified at the idea that he may never see his dog again.

“ I know, my love, I know…” King whispered, pulling Nasiens into an embrace.

“ Do you father ?”Nasiens rasped, pulling away from his father’s embrace.,

“ I know that this union is for the sake of our country and I despite everything, I do understand why you accepted this arrangement-“ And Nasiens actually did understand!

Even though he still was furious over King’s decision, he still understood why King took it. He knew that his father hated the idea of him being married off to a stranger just as much as he did.

But as the king of the fairy and giant clan, his father didn’t have the luxury to take all of his decisions as a dad .

He had to take them as a king and being king meant taking care of the of the country and the people.

Even if you have to put your country and your people before your own flesh and blood .

And despite his anger, Nasiens couldn’t help but slightly sympathise with his father.

But…

“ But…I’m just so scared…” Nasiens hiccupped, hugging himself, “ I can’t bear to imagine leaving all of you-and being alone in some strange kingdom-with some strange and probably dreadful husband…” He trailed off before bursting into tears again.

Both King and Diane threw their arms around him, engulfing him into a warm hug, letting him sob helplessly into their arms as he clung onto their robes tightly.

Nasiens burrowed himself in his parents embrace, sniffling loudly.

He was absolutely terrified at the prospect of having to get married to the prince of the Demon Realm-for the love of the gods, he didn’t even know the lad��s name and now he was expected to marry him in five months ?

In five months, the entire land of Brittania expected him to leave his homeland and his entire family to live with some stranger-in some strange kingdom-never to return-

“ Oh gods..” He whispered, terrified wrapping his arms around his middle.

Diane’s purple eyes met his and softened at his horrified expression.

She gently cupped his face before pressing a long kiss on Nasiens’s brow.

“ Hush, my love, do not fret,” Diane said firmly, “ Although the situation, may not be ideal, you are definitely going through this alone.”

Nasiens sniffed as she wiped the trail of tears off of his cheeks.

“ Your father, your siblings, your family, your friends and I are here for you and will be by your side every step of the way.”

“ And even when you eventually leave for the Demon Realm you won’t be unaccompanied.” King said, giving Nasiens a small smile.

Nasiens hiccupped.

“ W-what do you mean, I thought that the bride was supposed to leave their homeland alone ?”

King’s smile widened .

“ Well you’re half right my love. The bride is obligated to leave her natal kingdom without being accompanied by any of her subjects, friends or family member- however the bride is still permitted to be escorted to her new kingdom by her lady in waiting since a lady in waiting’s duty is to be a companion and a helping hand to their prince or princess.”

“ B-but, I don’t have a lady in waiting…” Nasiens said nervously, wringing his hands together.

He had never felt the need to have a lady in waiting to keep him company since he had always had his siblings and his friends and he was definitely to shy to have someone bathe him or apply oil on his bare body. So his parents had agreed to not get him a lady in waiting, deeming it to not be necessary.

Diane smiled.

“ Actually, you do dear.”

“Tioreh advocated-well more like insisted to on being your lady in waiting when she heard about the engagement so when you do eventually go to live in the Demon Realm, I can assure you, you won’t be alone.”

Nasiens golden eyes lit up, feeling his heart swell at the mention of his sister .

“ She really did that..?” He asked softly, feeling a great surge of affection for his pink haired sister course through his veins.

She was probably the sibling with whom he was the closest to . They had always been a silly little duo, she was the hyper, mischievous troublemaker and he was the level headed, cautious goody two shoes.

They both balanced each other out and were ultimately inseparable but the fact that she had actually insisted to accompany him to the Demon Realm and was also leaving everything behind just so he wouldn’t have to go through it alone brought a small fond smile on his face.

“ Silly girl…” He smiled wistfully, wiping his tears .

King and Diane exchanged a knowing look, smiling at each other before turning to Nasiens once more .

“ And…” Diane continued “ We want you take Oslo with you.”

Nasiens blinked, stunned.

“ Really…?” He gasped, his eyes wide.

His parents smiled at him softly .

“ Really. I think you need him more than we need him right now and beside the poor boy would die of heartbreak if you left.” King said wistfully.

Nasiens eyes gleamed again before he quickly wiped them with his sleeve, giving King a grateful look .

“ Thank you father…” He breathed. Oslo had been his father’s companion ever since he was a young boy and he always had trouble being separated from the dog. He never imagined that King would actually let Oslo go.

King smiled sadly, clasping his hand .

“ It’s really the least I can do, besides I need someone else watching over you besides Tioreh anyways-“

Nasiens let out a small snort, covering his mouth which earned him a pair of hopeful smiles from his parents.

“ I think this was the first time we’ve heard you laugh today .” Diane chuckled mournfully, running her hand through Nasiens hair, relishing in the way the ends curled.

Nasiens let out a soft sigh, nestling into his mother’s warm hand, appreciating her comforting touch even more, now that he knew that their time together was limited.

“ Probably one of the last times, I’ll laugh after I get…married.” He said softly, rubbing his arm .

Diane let out a sad sigh, throwing an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“ I’m just so scared and sad Mother… I always thought that I would marry for love, just like you and father. I’ve always dreamed of having a beautiful marriage just like yours…” Nasiens murmured mournfully, resting his head on his mother’s shoulders.

Diane let out a small sob, holding Nasiens even tighter.

“ That could still happen Nasiens, it could still happen-“ She whispered desperately.

Nasiens didn’t answer. He just continued to stay in Diane’s embrace, his golden eyes clouded and distant.

The queen sniffed loudly, throwing King a helpless look.

“ Son-” King tried but before he could Nasiens gently disentangled himself from Diane’s embrace and stood up, swaying slightly.

“ Father.” Nasiens interrupted quietly.

“ I need some time alone. To rest. To think. And to process this entire situation. May I please retire to my quarters ?”

“ Nasiens, please-“ Diane protested tearfully.

Nasiens ignored her and continued to look at his father.

“ Son…” King tried again.

“ Please…” Nasiens whispered, his voice cracking in pain.

He looked so small.

So tired.

It seemed as if he had lost all the fight in him and all that was left was unheartening resignation.

And as a father King felt so ashamed that he was one of the primary causes of that defeated look on Nasiens face.

He had to let him go.

“ You can go son.” King whispered back.

“ No! Harlequin-“

“ Thank you…” Nasiens choked, giving his parents a small curtesy before pulling the doors open and bursting out of the room.

Diane rose to her feet.

“ Nasiens, no! Come back here, please ! We still need to talk about Perc-“ She screeched, getting ready to pursue him herself until King caught her wrist.

“ Leave the lad be, love.” He said softly, pulling Diane towards him.

She resisted, trying to twist her wrist out of his grip to no avail as she watched Nasiens disappear out of view.

“ No-no-he needs me-we need to talk through this-together-“ She gasped as tears filled her purple eyes.

King managed to eventually tug Diane against his chest, wrapping a securing arm around her waist.

“ He needs space, love…” He sighed sadly, cupping Diane’s red cheek and wiping the tears out of her eyes.

“ We’ll talk to him later but right now the boy needs to be left alone, we have to let him go.”

“ BUT-“ Diane protested loudly, her tears flowing down her cheeks

“ We have to let him go.” King repeated firmly, despite having tears in his eyes as well.

Diane let out a small noise before finally relenting and hugging King back, muffling her sobs into his robes .

King rubbed her back complacently, burying his face in her long wavy hair to hide his own cries as well .

Outside, the skies and clouds darkened and a heavy rain started to pour in the Fairy King’s forest.

The forest was crying alongside it’s king and queen.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Nasiens burst into his room before slamming the big white doors close.

He angrily tore of his gown ( a simple yet beautiful, white and pale pink short dress made of the softest and lightest fabric with a flowy skirt which was cinched tightly at his waist by a gorgeous golden belt adorned of multiple butterflies of various shapes and sizes ) throwing it uncaringly on his dresser.

He let himself fall onto his bed, not even bothering to change into a decent nightgown before curling into a ball and finally letting the loud wails and cries that he had been holding back escape .

He weeped and sobbed and yelled and screeched until he was laying in a puddle of his own tears and snot.

He wailed until his throat had gone sore and his voice had grown hoarse and his eyes had turned blood red

He cried so so hard and for so long that he eventually cried himself to sleep....

Drifting into a dreamless slumber.

End of chapter one of Bounds.

Thanks for reading, leave your comments, opinions or advice in the comments :D

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