#tumblr mess up my format one more time i dare you -

[enden-k]

speaking of language, ppl noticed how differently aventurine speaks to his child self yes but have you also noticed he speaks differently to ratio compared to the rest? more natural, all excited and bubbly (or insecure when he was shrunk) like a little kid, not as mischievous (?) confident? sly (?? i cant find the right words but uknow what i mean) he usually speaks with others. showing more of himself to ratio (the most, personal info we learn about him outside of his sequence is through his scenes with ratio!) the way his tone darkens when the doubts creep in and he thinks ratio wasnt acting and actually does hate him, and the way he lets out this relieved laugh when he opens the handwritten note of ratio, ridding him of his insecurity and showing him he does care, that he wants him to come back alive

(and speaking of ratio, how he indulged aventurine when he was in the sandpit. how his face had changed throughout the entire scene w sundays plan for aventurine, how annoyed he was w him and thats why he turns away whenever he cant keep his face straight when aventurine is abt to get hurt. the concern he showed afterwards. smn end me)

[breakfast-cereal]

Unlikely Allies 

pairing: Kotallo X Reader

pronouns: she/her

word count: 11k 

description: Blood runs thicker than water, but when your sister continues to make a string of poor decisions, you find yourself creating unlikely allies. 

warnings: canon-typical violence

requested by: @alicemadnessruturns​

notes: So sorry this took so long. This is probably one of the longest things I’ve written to date. Also, tumblr messed up the formatting so bad on this one so I’ll likely post it on ao3 as well for a better formatted version.

Regalla’s bitterness was carnivorous. It fed off the rage that blinded her vision. She sat next to you on a tall stone overlooking a canyon. She was sharpening her blade for the next Oseram caravan that had the misfortune of passing by. 

���You have that look in your eyes.” 

You shut your eyes tightly to avoid her harsh stare. “What look?”

“Judgement.” Regalla stood abruptly. She tightened her grip on her blade. Regalla came to the canyon’s edge, so close you were worried she would jump, and scowled. You lifted yourself from the rock and dusted your hands on your armour. You placed a firm hand on her shoulder, as if that would stop her from plummeting, before joining her on the edge. A scowl the same as hers spread across your lips. A flash of fiery red hair rode between the canyon on an overridden Charger. Since taking her first step into the West, the Saviour of Meridian has been working to take down the Rebels. 

“I should kill her for even daring to step foot into Tenakth territory.” Regalla pointed her blade forward, but you placed your hand on its tip. 

“Now is not the time, Regalla. And I would never judge you. You’re the only family I’ve got left, after all.” 

Regalla grunted and brought her blade back to her side. She placed the butt in the dust. “Then when is the time? Should I let her destroy my entire army before I take action?” 

Regalla readied her blade once again. Aloy stood at the side of her Charger, searching through the dust. It felt abnormal. Aloy was luring Regalla out with the only thing that compelled her: revenge. You grabbed Regalla’s blade and threw it to the ground. She spun to face you, anger burning in her eyes, and opened her mouth to accuse you. 

“Now is not the time,” you repeated. “There could be more of them. Doesn’t this seem like a setup to you? You were the best warrior I knew, but know you’re too blinded by your own rage to see the obvious! We can never fight back if you aren’t alive to lead the army.”

“You do not get to decide when my time is,” she bellowed. She grabbed her blade. Dust clouded her eyes, yet she didn’t blink. After the Red Raids, she was no longer driven by her senses. She was driven by the fire her blades were forged from and the blood of those who got in her way. 

“I can’t afford to lose you,” you shouted in return. “You’re the only one I have left. Please, Regalla, this isn’t worth it.” Regalla scoffed. It felt like you were battling a force of nature, an immovable wall. 

“Stop talking.” She ran to the canyon’s edge and propelled herself down. You chased her, coughing up dust from the handholds. 

“Prepare yourself, Saviour,” Regalla roared. 

Aloy spun to face you and Regalla with a determined look in her eyes. She held her spear out in a challenge. Regalla charged her and landed a swift kick to her stomach. Aloy stumbled, but rapidly regained her balance. She launched her spear forward and barely missed Regalla’s shoulder. Regalla got a slash of her blade into Aloy’s side. Aloy groaned in pain. Regalla swiped Aloy’s legs out from under her and kicked her spear to the side. She stood above Aloy with triumph blazing in her eyes. 

“This is for the blood of the Tenakth you and your allies have spilled.” Regalla pointed a shining blade to Aloy’s face. 

You watched in horror as Regalla failed to notice the Saviour grasping for her spear. In the blink of an eye, Aloy stabbed her spear through Regalla’s thigh and ran. You reached for your bow and aimed it at Aloy as she rode away on her Charger. You drew the string back and fired a flaming arrow. It hit the back of her Charger. You prepared another arrow, but Aloy was too far down the canyon. You turned your attention to Regalla, who was stumbling after Aloy. 

“I will kill you, Saviour. I will kill you and all those who opposed me and sided with the ones who butchered the Tenakth.” She spat, before collapsing onto the rocky, orange ground. 

You jogged to Regalla’s side and dropped onto your knees beside her. She held a dust covered hand to her bleeding thigh. The blood seeped through her fingers and stained a red line down her painted leg.  “There’s an outpost close-by. They should have the supplies to help,” you said. You stood up and offered a hand to Regalla. She smacked it away.

“You let the Saviour get away. The Ten would be disappointed in what you’ve become.” Pulling herself up, Regalla limped down the canyon toward Aloy.

You ignored the hurt blooming in your stomach and trailed after Regalla. “You will bleed out searching for her.”

“I would die a warrior’s death.”

You clenched your fists. “You would not die a warrior’s death, you would die of your own stupidity. And to insult me by saying the Ten would be disappointed is hypocritical. Look at yourself. You are about to leave your warrior’s behind.”

Regalla’s shoulders tensed. Her fists clenched and unclenched. “I will meet you at the outpost before sundown.”

You paced across the dirt in front of Regalla. She laid on a cot with one leg up and the other covered in a red-stained cloth bandage. 

“The traitors are on watch,” she began. “The Saviour must have alerted them of my presence. There is a small settlement near the outpost of about fifteen.” Regalla turned towards you. “Tell the soldiers to prepare their weapons.” 

“Is it the best idea to do that while you’re injured?”

“There is no time to waste. If we don’t strike first, they will ambush us while we sleep. My injury will not be the primary concern if a faction of my army is found dead,” Regalla said. 

You weren’t in the mood to fight. Your eyelids were heavy, and you wanted the comfortable embrace of a blanket, but you understood where Regalla was coming from. There was too much of a risk if you left them alive when they had the upper hand. 

You stepped onto the balcony overlooking the Rebels. Some laughed around fires; their hands dancing and beer spilling as they told stories of their greatest battles. Others laid on the ground, clutching injuries and staring into the abyss of the night sky. There was a vivid contrast between them, but in the end, they were all here for the same cause. 

You stood next to the guard railing and shouted, “We’re attacking. Prepare yourselves, soldiers!” 

The soldiers scrambled into place. Many of them were still putting on headgear by the time you reached them. Regalla was behind you. She had a faint limp you knew she would deny.

“We will ride out and take out these traitors that dare step foot into our territory. I would like you two,” she pointed at a dark-skinned person with tied back cornrows and a fair-skinned woman with a shaved head, “to join me. The rest of you will rain arrows onto them from above. Remember what we are here for; to destroy the Carja!” She let out a cry and raised her blade in the air. 

You crept through the tall grass. It tickled the side of your jaw. There were two Tenakth outside the settlement keeping watch. 

The woman with the shaved head grimaced. “I know them.”

“I hope that will not stop you from achieving our goal,” Regalla said. She pushed onward as a flaming arrow pierced the helmet of the taller guard. 

“It would never. Sacrifices have to be made,” she said, but her voice shook. 

The other guard peered around. Before the guard went to alert the settlement, another arrow hit them. 

The inside of the settlement was a bloodbath. Regalla shared no mercy with these Tenakth. They may have been your own kind, but to her, they were no better than Carja. Most of them were young fighters. It was obvious this was supposed to be a training mission. You felt bad seeing them beg because you knew Regalla didn’t care. 

You and Regalla pushed into a hole between two rocky ledges. She had sent the two others to clean up any remaining stragglers. 

“Why are we coming this way?” You questioned.

“I saw one of them run this way. Coward. Too scared to fight like a proper Tenakth. The alliance with the Carja has made them weak.” 

You advanced further. Someone was curled against the rock. She looked up at you. Your eyes widened with shock. It was Nettah. She was your training partner when you were in your teens. You had been close friends until Regalla swiped you away to fight against the Tenakth.

“Y/n,” she began, but Regalla cut her off.

“Nettah. It is disappointing to see you fighting against me when your own father died at the hands of the Carja.”

“I would never fight for someone like you.” She spat at Regalla’s feet. “You are nothing more than a traitor, led by your own selfish desires. It is not shocking to me you conned your own sister into fighting a war that never needed to happen.” Nettah stared defiantly. She was always brave. She would hold her head high against anyone that tried to disrespect you or her. 

“It is a shame you think of me like that. You would have been a valuable resource to my army.” Regalla sliced her blade into Nettah’s head. Her blood splashed across your face. Your hands shook on your thighs as you bent over and vomited into the grass. 

“You cannot let trivial things get to you, sister.” Regalla walked out of the rocks, leaving you to stare at your own vomit and bloody mess of a friend. You placed your hand tightly over your mouth to stop the sounds of your sobbing. 

You took a moment to compose yourself and left the rocks to survey the settlement. Bodies of Tenakth, Rebels and not, were strewn across the grass. Familiar faces stared at you. Even in death, their eyes held horror at who you’ve become. In Regalla’s attempt to destroy the Carja, she had destroyed the lives of innocent Tenakth. You allowed her to. She would storm into camps and slaughter them before the sun set. You did not dare stop her. You wanted to be sick again, but there was nothing left to throw up. It may have been too late to save the dead, but you had to save the living. You hoped the Ten would forgive your betrayal.

The rocky ledge dug into your stomach. You surveyed the desert. There was no sign of the Saviour like you hoped—only a cluster of Leaplashers. You frowned and lifted yourself off the edge, but saw movement near them. An arrow exploded the fire canister of one of the Leaplashers. The Leaplashers charged towards the shooter. A familiar spear pierced the power cell of a Leaplasher and it crumbled to the ground. You didn’t want to waste possibly your only chance to speak to the Saviour. You lept off the edge and pulled your charred iron blades from the leather pouch on your back. The Leaplasher’s power cell glowed an ugly yellow. You stabbed a blade through it, taking down the Leaplasher before it had time to retaliate. It leaked a greyish fluid onto your sandal. You flicked your foot with disgust. There was no time to wonder what that fluid even was. The Saviour took down the last Leaplasher and whipped her head towards you. You opened your mouth to speak, but someone quickly embedded an arrow into the rock behind you.

“By the Ten, I am trying to help you. I would have already killed you if I were going to.” You raised your hands in surrender as you spoke.

“Who says I need your help?” Aloy examined you and crossed her arms across her chest. 

You rubbed the back of your neck. A pang of guilt shot through you. “I have information you may need. Regalla will kill you—anyone—who is not ten steps ahead of her. I understand it’s unorthodox, but I could be a useful ally to you, Saviour.” 

“Why the sudden change of heart? Last time we spoke, you had a bowstring drawn at me.”

“The revenge Regalla is seeking is wasting the lives of the innocent. I fear she will become what she despises.” You took a deep breath. “I want to help you stop her. Before things go too far. That is what you are in the West for?”

Aloy raised an eyebrow. “And why should I trust you?”

“If I tell you where Regalla plans to go after next, will you trust me?”

Aloy hummed, “maybe.”

Regalla was in a sour mood this evening. She hunched over a yellowed map with outpost locations, her brows furrowed. The troops she sent out had not returned, and you had a feeling you knew why. 

A short, tan-skinned Tenakth cautiously knocked on the doorframe. Regalla didn’t bother looking up. 

“The faction you sent out has been killed, Chief. The others you sent looking for them just returned,” he said. 

Regalla nodded, but remained silent. The boy wrung his hands, about to speak, but decided against it. Regalla waited for the boy to leave and let out a curse. She clenched her hands into a fist and smashed it against the table. You bumped your hip against the table, causing the ink to splatter across the map. You prayed to the Ten that Regalla would think it was her own doing. Even if she didn’t, she smacked the map to the floor and stormed out of the room. You waited for her to be out of your sight and rolled the map. You placed it into a bag with your supplies that were hidden under a cot. 

The bag was heavy on your shoulder. You felt the map burning through the fabric of the bag and your armour. Aloy instructed you to meet at a Metal Devil near Scalding Spear. It was strange being in this area. You remembered visiting Scalding Spear as a child. To think you had become disconnected from it now. 

You spotted a clump of red in the distance, something you identified the Saviour with. It shocked you to see her on an overridden machine, but realized she must have the tools to do it as well. It was possible she even knew Sylens: the one who had taught Regalla a technological side of the world she never knew before. As Aloy approached, you realized she wasn’t alone. Behind her there was a tall, one-armed Tenakth. He wore Sky Clan face paint, which was probably why you couldn’t recognize him. It was abnormal for a member of Sky Clan to be so far into the desert, but you thought little of it. Everyone had their reasons for displacement. Your eldest brother brought you into the mountains the Sky Clan lived in once, though your parents frowned upon your exposure to their so called ‘cowardice.’ 

“You have the map with you?” Aloy asked as she huffed, wiping sand out of her eyes. The Tenakth guarded her and eyed you suspiciously. 

You unclasped your bag and laid the map into her outstretched hand. 

“It is covered in ink. How is it supposed to be useful to us if it is unreadable?” The Tenakth frowned, crossing his arms.

“I couldn’t just steal it. I had to ruin it somehow, so she—Regalla—would get rid of it. And the important parts are perfectly legible. I made sure of it.”

He seemed displeased, but made no further comment. Aloy laid it out on the sand and brushed her fingers across the inked marks. You could see the image of Regalla making the marks. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she planned out the next attack. Every mark made with the utmost thought. Terrible things could be said about her, but she was a dedicated warrior. You wanted to pull the map back into your chest and hide Regalla’s mind from them. You wondered if this was the right decision. If Regalla found out about your betrayal, you worried what would become of her. 

You pushed past your guilt and began explaining the map. “The lines are major routes. They’re the routes Regalla has deemed best fit to bring her army across the desert without suspicion. The circles represent traitor camps.” You thanked the Ten that they couldn't see the other side of the map. You would not stoop so low to sell out innocent people.

“I would not consider those who are not butchering their own people traitors,” the Tenakth said. You bit back a bitter comment.

Aloy placed the map into a pouch on her charger. She pulled a small triangle out of the pouch. 

“You can use this to contact me if anything major is going to happen by tapping it twice. Otherwise, we meet here weekly.” Aloy slides the triangular device on top of your ear. It was supposed that you would have to get used to wearing headgear. You tapped once it and your surroundings lit up in translucent blue. You tapped in a second time and the blue disappeared. It reminded you of the visions of the Ten in Memorial Grove.

You nodded, “thank you.” 

Sylens had contacted Regalla recently. The machines they had overridden had nearly tripled since the contact. Some Rebel outposts recently set up in the jungle began overriding Fireclaws. You sensed something major was happening, but Regalla avoided speaking of such details around you. 

You hated resorting to spying. It reminded you of lying beneath cots, listening in on the details of the Red Raids. Spying was how you found out about the death of your brothers. You doubted Regalla would have told you otherwise. This time, you did not hide you beneath a cot. You were pressed up against a straw wall, straining your ears to hear what Regalla said to the high-ranking soldier. 

“Are you sure we should do this?” The soldier said with uncertainty. 

“A false image of safety blinds Tekotteh. He would not dare involve himself. The machines would serve as an advantage for the camps.” 

There was a pause in the conversation. You leaned up closer to the straw to hear any whispers. Footsteps came from behind you, and you jumped away from the wall like it had burnt. 

“Y/n,” he greeted. “Regalla is busy at the moment. Wait if you need to speak to her.” 

You adjusted your headpiece. You were constantly aware of the weight of the device sitting on your ear. “There’s no need. I was coming by to collect some things.” 

He nodded and continued down the stairs. You sighed a sigh of relief, hurrying away from the other Rebels. Once you were in a secluded spot, you tapped your focus twice simultaneously. 

“Aloy,” you began, but were promptly interrupted. 

“Aloy is not available at the moment,” a voice said. The Tenakth. 

“Well, then I need to speak to whoever is available.”

“I assumed we were already speaking.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “You’re Sky Clan, aren’t you?”

He paused, uncertain. “I do not see why that information is important.”

“Regalla is planning to do something big there: at the Bulwark. I heard her speaking about it with a high-ranking soldier. I believe it is related to the machines she has learned to override”

“When,” he demanded. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Find out, quickly.” You went to speak, but the focus channel cut out. 

“By the Ten,” you hissed. 

Regalla arranged the troops. You heard her voice call, loud and booming, to get prepared to go out. You snuck off to the corner to contact Aloy. who seemed to still be gone. The only response you got was from the aggravating Tenakth. The only thing you did was give him the bare details. Whatever Regalla was doing, she was doing it now. 

Around the soldiers, you heard talk of the Wings of the Ten. You could find them in and around the Bulwark, which could only mean one thing. Regalla had learnt to control the Wings of the Ten. You took a deep breath to steady yourself and joined the other soldiers. Regalla looked at you, but said nothing, only pointing to a Bristleback. Her recent behaviour towards you made you worry she knew of your betrayal. It could be nothing. Regalla went through periods of coldness and distance. You still felt sick at the thought she figured it out so easily. 

The ride to the Bulwark was silent and filled with tension. Since you met with Aloy, there had been some Rebels who had attempted to leave the rebellion. Regalla had killed them. The death of the soldiers had created a rift between Rebels. Some believed Regalla had no right, but others stood with her fully. You heard of the fights that broke out in other outposts over it. No one in your outpost dared say a thing. They were too close to Regalla to speak out. 

Regalla stopped you at a mountain a few miles out from the Bulwark near a lake. You stepped away from the group to contact the Tenakth, but felt eyes heavy on you. You turned to see the soldier Regalla spoke to privately, staring at you. He would have clearly had to find his way over by himself. Regalla commanded some soldiers up the mountain with ropes. You went to follow, but she placed a hand on your chest, stopping you.

“Follow the others to the outpost nearby. You are needed there”

“And I am not needed here?”

Regalla sneered. She blocked the pathway with her body. You rolled your eyes and turned around. Internally, you couldn’t shake the anxiety. 

You stood away from the other Rebels at the outpost, looking for the one-armed man. It was possible he didn’t believe you and decided not to come, but you had the feeling the anxiousness lacing his voice was not fake. You used a stick in front of you to draw patterns aimlessly into the snow. Regalla sent you here to wait, nothing more. She wanted to get rid of you. Or maybe freeze you to death because your armour was not meant for the cold terrain of the Sky Clan territory. 

You heard rustling in the bushes ahead. You squinted and recognized the armour of the Tenakth. Clearly, someone else had as well. You watched as a Rebel snuck up behind him. They had their bowstring drawn back and aimed at his head. The blow would surely kill him. You reacted automatically. You ran and tackled the Rebel to the ground. Shock painted their features. The Tenakth spun around to look at the scene. It would probably look funny to any other. The Rebels, turning on each other already. You debated killing them. It would be easier and reduce the risk of them crawling back to Regalla, but you couldn’t bring yourself to it.

You climbed off them and pointed to the forest. “Go. If I see you around the Rebels again, I will kill you.” It was an empty threat, but it clearly hit them hard as they scampered off into the forest. 

You looked to the Tenakth. He seemed to be grateful. 

“Come, I’ll show you where the rest of them are.”

You walked along the stones leading to the mountain. The cold left goosebumps on your exposed skin 

“Why did you not kill them?” The Tenakth asked after a long bout of silence.

“The others would find the body,” you lied. He didn’t need to know the real reason: that you were a coward. 

“They will find out they ran away.”

“It’s not a concern. They’ll assume he disagreed with Regalla’s recent behaviour.”

“Infighting,” he laughed. “You are falling apart already. A bond built by revenge is weak.” 

“And the traitors are siding with the people who butchered and oppressed their people. There are problems everywhere.” He frowned, his wrinkles deepened by the face paint. “I heard the wall at the Bulwark fell,” you added and hoped it stung.

He smiled. “It humbled Tekotteh well. He is not as safe as he once thought.” 

You said nothing, annoyed that your insult did not upset him. 

“Here,” you motioned. “Regalla and the Rebels are up that mountain.”

His jaw tensed. “I did not realize Regalla would be here.” 

“Do you want to look or not?”

“Yes,” he responded immediately. 

You ducked into a bush on the mountains and surveyed the scene. Rebels were sneaking up on the Wings of the Ten, attempting to capture them with ropes. You noticed Regalla speaking to a holographic Sylens in the corner. Regalla seemed agitated. 

“They must be trying to override them. I have seen Aloy do it with Chargers,” the Tenakth said. 

“I assumed so. Regalla has recently learnt to override a lot of machines. I heard there’s even Fireclaws at some bases in the jungle.”

“And you did not think to tell us that?”

“I thought you could wait the week to find out,” you retorted. “What do you plan to do about this, anyway? We can’t run in there and stop it. That poses too much of a risk.”

“I know,” he huffed. “I will let Aloy know of what I see here.”

“I could’ve done that on my own. Sneaking around like this will raise suspicion.”

“Aloy would like a trusted source to tell her information like this.”

You pressed your lips tightly together. After what you had done for the Saviour, yet she still did not trust you. 

“Chief, I think I see movement in the bush!” A soldier shouted. Your breath halted. 

“Quickly, move. I’ll stand in front of you to block their view,” you said, pushing him in the opposite direction.

You stood up shakily and looked at the soldier. Regalla’s upper lip curled. 

“Sneaking around to spy on me like you did when we were children, Y/n,” she scowled. Regalla swirled her finger in the air. “Collect everyone. There is nothing more we need here.” 

“Are you alone?” Aloy asked through the focus. You stumbled back at the sudden noise. You looked around. There were Rebels eating meals around you.

“No.”Regalla

She hummed. “I need you to get something. It’s a small piece of metal. It looks a little like a key to a chest. Regalla most likely has it stored in her bedroom. When you find it, bring it to our meeting today.”

You sighed. If you were lucky, Regalla would be out. 

The Ten must have been looking upon you. Regalla was out on what was seemingly a hunting trip. Her blades and armour were missing from their usual place. You crept into her room like a thief sneaking into a palace. There was a snubbed out a candle on her desk next to a partially empty map. You pulled open the desk drawers and ran your hands along the inside. There was nothing but a quill and some ink. You went over to the wooden chest lying on the floor. It had a heavy lock on it, but you weren’t unfamiliar with lock picking. You took two arrows out of the quiver on your back and hesitated before breaking off the tips. It was awful to ruin arrows like this. You used the metal on your chest plate to file the stone tips of the arrows down into a point. You inserted one into the lock and used the other to pick. The lock clicked, and you pulled it off. Inside the chest was a collection of scrolls, a map, and a small burlap sack. There was a small piece of metal in the sack. It resembled a key. You rolled it in your hands and stuffed it up your vambrace. This had to be the piece Aloy was looking for. If not, you had wasted two perfectly good arrows. You put the tip of one arrow you used to open the chest into the sack to mimic the previous weight. As you clicked the lock closed, you heard someone clearing their throat. You froze. 

“What are you doing here, Y/n?” It was the soldier that Regalla conspired with.

You scratched the back of your neck. “I was looking for something. Am I not allowed to enter my sister’s room?”

He pursed his lips, but continued walking. You clutched the vambrace the metal was in 

Aloy was not there. Instead, she sent the Tenakth to meet you. He watched you as you walked up the mountain, a permanent scowl embedded on his face. 

“Do you have it?” He asked.

You rolled your eyes. “No, I left it with some Scroungers and thought they’d take care of it. Better go searching.”

“So you do not have it? If you do not have the component, what is the point of you being here?” 

You pulled it out of your vambrace and handed it to him. You debated mentioning the fact you were nearly caught taking it, but decided against it. He seemed to be pleased by it. You made your way back down the mountain. You noticed movement out of the corner of your eye. Before you could react, a Fanghorn’s horn pierced your torso. You turned and stabbed its power cell with your blade. There was an entire herd of them barely 100 metres out. You close your eyes, took a deep breath and charged into the herd holding both your blades. Your wound stung, but you were taught at a young age that a true warrior doesn’t let their injuries stop them. You grunted as you took down the first Fanghorn. A second Fanghorn charged at you. You stabbed your blade into it, but only hit its resource container. You turned around rapidly to kill it and felt a sharp pull at the site of your injury. Wincing, you placed a hand over it. It wasn’t deep enough to cause any major damage; your armour had done a good job of protecting you, but it was noticeable. The Fanghorn you stabbed collapsed to the ground. Confused, you looked around. The Tenakth had his spear dug into the Fanghorn. You watched the flex of his bicep as he pulled his spear from the Fanghorn’s body. He came closer to you and pierced his spear into a Fanghorn behind you. For a moment, you were convinced he was going to stab you. 

“Are you able to fight?” He looked down at your hand covering your wound.

“Not as bad as it looks,” you said through gritted teeth. 

You lifted a blade into your available hand and met the rest of the Fanghorns. Together, you killed the rest of the pack. His hand worked skillfully to change the grip of his spear when needed. His brow furrowed and lips closed tightly in concentration. You would begrudgingly admit that the way he fought was impressive. You wiped sweat from your forehead and sat down against the mountainside. He sat down beside you, wheezing. 

“You fight well. It may be your only good quality,” you said. 

“As do you. I see why Aloy considered you a valuable resource.” 

“I don’t think my fighting abilities are what she sees in me.” You placed a hand over your eyes to block out the sun.

“It is always useful to have an ally who knows her way around a weapon.” He took another look at your hand on your torso. “May I look at your injury?”

“If you’d like. It’s not that bad. I’m more upset that my armour is ruined.” You took your hand away from the wound. It was sticky with your blood. He touched his hand to the hole in your armour. 

“It is fixable. Your armour will be fine.” You felt the ghost of his fingers on your skin. They were warm, most likely due to the fighting you were just doing. “Your wound will heal, but it must be stitched.” You could nearly feel his breath on your ear with how close he was. 

You pushed yourself up and away from him. “I’ve had worse. I’ll stitch it myself later.” You picked up your blades from beside you. “Thank you.”

He nodded. You felt the need to say more. 

“What’s your name?” you blurted. 

He stared at you. “Kotallo.” You recognized the name. He was a Marshal. Regalla disliked him even before the rebellion. 

You considered telling him your name, but it risked revealing your relation to Regalla. He might know already. You took his silence as your cue to leave. 

The medical supplies the Tenakth had on hand were lacking. You searched across camp to find thread and bandages. Thankfully, there was a small tin of salve and a clean sewing needle hidden deep in a drawer of the understocked medical area. You had your full waterskin next to you to wash off any lingering dirt and a small knife to cut the thread. There would be no point in sewing up the area to die of infection. 

You settled yourself on to your cot, removing the leather skirt and belt of your armour. The skirt was thick and settled just below your waist. Your cropped chest piece revealed the clan paint across your midriff and arms. You held up the skirt and belt to assess the damage. There was a sizeable hole in both of them. You were lucky the Fanghorn pierced you where it did. Any higher and it would have hit unprotected skin or your lungs. You could deal with the damage done to your armour later. Your main priority was to clean and suture your wound. You uncorked your waterskin and doused your wound with the water. You hissed as you scrubbed at the wound to remove any crusted blood and clan paint. You threaded the needle with shaky hands, missing the eye of the needle multiple times. Once the needle was threaded, you looked down at your cut to find the best spot to begin. One side of the injury was split longer than the other and you decided it would be best to start there. Wincing, you slid the needle into your skin and stitched. You had done this multiple times before, but it was always an uncomfortable process. You finished your last stitch and tied a knot at the end of the thread, cutting away the excess with the knife next to you. You admired your handy work. It would leave a scar, but you already had many of those. Tenakth wore their scars with pride. They showed the battles they faced. You opened the tin of salve and slathered some over the sutured wound. It would calm the inflammation and help with pain. You would have to avoid putting paint over it until it healed. You ran your fingers along it, still feeling Kotallo’s touch even hours later. There was no point thinking too much of it. You had not been touched with care, if you could even call it that, in a while. Your mind was making too much of it because it was foreign. Still, as you put your skirt and belt back on, you could almost feel the way his breath hit your ear. You involuntarily shivered. Perhaps a nap would help you get over this. 

You dreamt of Kotallo. It was an uncomfortable realization to make for an even more uncomfortable awakening. Regalla shook you awake. She leaned over you with a panicked expression. You had not seen that panic in Regalla’s eyes since she was begging for your brothers’ mercy. 

“The Saviour. She is on the Wings of the Ten and is attacking camps. She has taken out three of our major outposts.” ‘And I fear we are next,’ was left unsaid, but you could tell she thought about it. 

You grimaced. The component you gave Aloy must have been the override to the Wings of the Ten. You almost felt hurt that she was attacking camps like this, but even if you were helping her, you were still on opposite sides of this battle. This could be your moment to fight against Regalla and show her that there is something better, but you felt obligated to stay with her. She was your sister. You hadn’t known Aloy for over two months. You slid off your cot and stood next to Regalla. She handed you your weapons. 

“Now is the time. I waited to kill the Saviour, and she has fallen right into my hands. I hope she will not die a coward’s death.” You felt a deep worry settle in the pit of your stomach. There was so much that could go wrong in this situation. You wanted to tell Regalla to leave it, but Aloy was murdering innocent Rebels and you would not stand for it. 

You heard a loud crash. You and Regalla looked at each other simultaneously and rushed down the stairs. There were bodies of Rebels and sounds of battle outside the outpost. It reminded you of the Tenakth camp Regalla raided. Regalla had done the same as Aloy. Maybe even for the same reasons. You felt ill and suddenly could not stand to face Regalla, but you could not stand to face Aloy either. 

Relief washed over you as Regalla spoke. “I’m going to search for the Saviour. Search for any remaining survivors.” 

The relief faded when you registered the amount of injured Rebels and lack of medical supplies. Even if there were survivors, they would die of their untreated injuries. Not that there were many survivors. It was disheartening to look down and see many familiar faces lying dead in the sand. Nearly identical to the Tenakth camp raid, to Nettah. You prayed to the Ten the Rebels that hunted Aloy would survive. You even prayed that Aloy would survive. Suddenly, a hand grasped your ankle. You looked down to see the face of the dark-skinned soldier Regalla called for during the camp raid. 

“Please,” they murmured. “She put the Wings of the Ten against us.” They had claw marks lining their back. You grabbed on to their arms and hauled them up. 

“I’ll bring you somewhere more comfortable.” You had no time to patch them up. It made you feel intensely guilty as you laid them down, face first, onto a cot. The most you could do was hope for the best. 

There was no point sticking around to search through more dead bodies. You reminded yourself that you can’t stew on death when there are living people in danger. You rushed out of the gates in search of the Saviour, hoping you could talk her down. The fighting in the distance had silenced. It was not a comforting silence. You feared the worst happened. You followed a trail of heavy footsteps on the ground until you saw Regalla by the Wings of the Ten. She rooted through a saddlebag with a deep frown on her face. She noticed your presence and turned to face you. You saw her holding the stained map in her fist. Your eyes widened, and she tensed her fist around the map. She walked to you, like storm clouds rolling over the sky, and shoved the map so viciously into your chest you nearly fell. 

“Coward,” she hissed. Her voice was filled with venom as she shoved you again. “To think my own sister betrayed me!”

“Regalla, please. It’s not what you think.” Your words sounded hollow. 

“You disgust me. You are no different from the Carja.” She spat at your feet. 

“You were killing your own people! You can’t see what your actions have done.” There was no point in denying it any further. If Regalla wanted to spit venom at you, you would spit it back. 

“They were not my people. They were traitors. The same as you. We lost everything to the Carja, yet you side with them.”

“You are only hurting people, Regalla! You have butchered entire camps, the same the Saviour has done to us.” Regalla clenched her jaw so tightly you worried her teeth would snap.

“Leave,” she said, eerily calm. “You have chosen your side. There is no place for a traitor with the Rebels.” Regalla brushed past you. 

You stood and watched Regalla leave with a blank look. You wondered where you were supposed to find shelter. You could not return to Arrowhand or Scalding Spear as if you were not—had not been—in the rebellion that fought against them. You doubted the Saviour would entrust you enough to even merely suggest the location of her camp. Perhaps one of the Oseram caravans would take pity on you. There was grunting behind you. You turned around to see the Saviour, doubled over, wiping sweat off her brow. You wanted to shout at Aloy for the massacre she had committed, but you knew she was doing what she thought was right. She didn’t know the Rebels like you did. She only thought of them as people who murdered and pillaged anyone who stepped into the West, which wasn’t exactly false. You understood she did what she had to survive, but her actions weren’t without hurt. 

“Regalla has found out I’m working with you,” you said. You weren’t sure if you said it because you thought she deserved to know or if you just felt the need to tell someone. 

Aloy cringed. “She didn’t take it well, did she? At least she didn’t kill you.”

You clenched your jaw, feeling the need to defend Regalla’s honour. “You may think poorly of Regalla, but she would stoop so low to kill her own family.” After you said it, you realized what you said. You covered your mouth to stop anymore information from spilling out 

Aloy’s eyes went wide in shock. “I thought you were one of her Marshals.” She squinted at you like Regalla’s face would appear as your own. 

“I never deceived you, if that’s what you’re suggesting.” You heard the venom in your voice. You wanted to remain calm, to keep your head clear, but your sister had practically disowned you and you spoke to the person who slaughtered Rebels. 

“You aren’t your family. You’ve been a useful ally, Regalla has not. What will she do to you now that she found out you’re working against her?” Aloy’s response shocked you. You expected her to renounce your allyship.

“She might tell the other Rebels. I won’t be able to get you information from her as easily as I used to. I don’t think she’d appreciate seeing me spying around.” 

Aloy chewed on her lip, visibly considering something. “Regalla doesn’t want you around?”

“I don’t hold it against her. I knew my betrayal would hurt her, but I naively thought she wouldn’t figure it out,” you said. 

“I could use your help if you’re willing to stay at my base. There are bigger issues than Regalla that I believe you would be an important ally on.” 

You weighed your options. “It depends who you want me to fight against.” You crossed your arms. 

Aloy taped her focus and scrolled to show you a man in a futuristic-looking silver suit. “The old ones.”

You bit down on your lip. “You start fights with anyone, don’t you?” 

Aloy raised a brow at you. “Is that a no?”

“It’s not. If you think I can help, I will.” Aloy motioned you to follow her onto the Wings of the Ten. You carefully swung your legs onto it. Never in your life did you expect to be this close to one, let alone ride it. 

“Hold on,” Aloy said. “It’s a rough takeoff.” 

Aloy’s base hid in the side of a mountain. You felt the cold from the snowy tips of the mountain brushing against your exposed skin. You were not made for mountains. Aloy placed her palm to the middle of the door and it gradually opened. The hallway was stainless steel with Tenakth armour strewn about. It felt unnatural. You searched for the scorching sun beating down on your skin, and the sand that clung to your armour. 

“Are you coming?” Aloy crossed her arms at the door. You still felt a twinge of resentment when you looked at her. You saw the faces of the Rebels she slaughtered in her eyes. 

You walked through the open door and were shocked to see a myriad of faces staring at you. Kotallo sat at a Strike board with a man wearing Oseram armour. The Oseram was losing. Leaning against a counter was a tall Nora man and an Utaru woman. They were too deep in conversation to notice you. A woman poked her head out of a room with a shocked expression on her face. She wore armour you couldn’t recognize and sported a triangle similar to Aloy’s.

Kotallo moved a piece on the board, and the man across from him groaned and placed his head in his hands. Kotallo turned to face you and seemed confused. You tightened your grip on the sheathed knife on your waist. You felt exposed in this unfamiliar place. The woman in the door opened her mouth to say something to Aloy, but Aloy shot her a look that made her promptly retreat. Aloy brought you further into the base to the sleeping quarters. They decorated the cots with artifacts. One cot had plants surrounding it, which you could immediately tell was the Utaru’s. 

“You can put your stuff down on a bed. I’ll fill you in when you’re done.” 

You had nothing to put away, but you couldn’t face walking out and seeing strange faces scrutinizing you. You sat down on the furthest cot on the left side. The walls were the same stainless steel that coated the rest of the base. The absence of any natural light made you feel claustrophobic. How did Kotallo tolerate this? You had barely been there for ten minutes, and you were already itching to run back into the desert. You were thankful Aloy let you into her base, though. She put more trust in you than you could ever imagine without even knowing your name. You took a deep breath and went to leave, but heard whispering by the door. You ducked behind a cot and placed your ear against the wall.

“Do you even realize who that is?” Someone said in an agitated voice. 

“Yes, and she is a useful ally to us. We need anyone we can get, Alva. It’s not like the Quen were very friendly to me originally either,” Aloy said. The Quen were new to you. You heard the stories of Rebels fighting against a high-tech tribe, but assumed they were just liars. Maybe that tribe was the Quen?

“The Quen are not Regalla’s sister! How can you put your trust in her when she is related and is working under someone who wants to kill you?” You winced. 

“Worked under,” she corrected. “I don’t care who she’s related to if she can help us fight the Zeniths.” Alva sighed. Her footsteps sounded off the metal floor. 

You pressed your full body against the wall and tilted your head backwards. You ran a hand down your face. There was a subconscious need to fight back. You wanted to take your blades out and challenge her to really show her how similar you and Regalla were. There was no point ruminating on what these people thought of you. You were here to help Aloy fight, not make friends. You walked out into the hallway next to Aloy.

“I’m ready.”

Aloy nodded and brought you to a door that led to the basement. Another fiery-headed person came out of the storage room. She was identical to Aloy. 

“This is Beta. She can probably explain better than I can.” Beta shrunk away from you and crossed her arms across her chest uncomfortably. 

Beta pulled a set of files up on her focus and scrolled through them. She nervously opened a file that had multiple people in the same futuristic armour as the man. 

“These are the Far Zeniths.” You took a seat on the stairs. This seemed like it would be a long explanation. Beta explained how the Far Zeniths had gotten to earth and why they were here. It was a shock to think that the people who were here originally wanted to destroy this planet. You wouldn’t question why Beta was involved with them. You knew how it felt to be outcasted by others because of those you had no choice but to be around. 

“How are we supposed to fight them if their armour is indestructible?” You asked. 

Aloy sighed, “we’re working on that. I’m bringing some others out to search for information tonight. Beta relayed a dig site to me earlier. I need you to stay back with Kotallo to show him Rebel sites in the desert.” 

You grimaced. As much as you appreciated not being left with a stranger, the tall Tenakth grated on your nerves. Not only that, but your feelings were still muddled from the last time you spoke. You wanted to add a snarky comment about her actions at Rebel camps, but held your tongue. She let you stay with her. It would be a problem if you got on her bad side.

You heard your breath ricocheting off the walls of the sleeping quarters. It was eerily quiet once Aloy and her group left. Silence itself did not bother you, but what came with it. Silence in what you knew most of your life, war, meant an impending attack. You blew a puff of air out of your mouth and heard it bounce off the walls just to remind yourself you were alive. You could easily do as Aloy said and sell out every Rebel encampment from here to the marshes, but you knew that would leave the Rebels defenseless to Aloy’s fury. Though the Rebels were no longer your people, your moral compass kept you from endangering them. It’s what made you feel distant from the people of the base. These people saw the Rebels as nothing other than Regalla’s pawns, another enemy to take down, another roadblock keeping them from success. The quiet kept you stuck in your own head. 

You adjusted your shoulders in the main foyer. The Strike game placed in front of you showed a clear losing side. You were never very good at Strike, and never attempted to get good at it. Regalla was, but maybe she wasn’t. When you watched her play as a child, it was an idolized version of her. Maybe you’d win against her if you played today. Kotallo came out of a room, which you assumed to be his, holding his spear.

“Where are you going?” You felt the need to ask.

“Sparring. There are Sungwings on the mountain above.” 

You joined him at the door leading outside. He eyed you suspiciously. 

“What are you doing?”

“I’m joining you. It’s too quiet inside.” Kotallo seemed agitated, but opened the door for you. The sound of the wind off the mountain peaks was a relief. You could no longer hear the rasp of your breath and the hum of your thoughts. 

He led you up the mountainside. The snow crunched under your sandals and pricked at the tips of your toes. The burn of the cold made you shiver, but you were glad to feel something other than distrust and fear. He pulled you into snow covered tall grass and placed a finger to his lips. The grass clouded your vision, but you could make out the form of the machine. It was fitting for Kotallo to fight a machine sacred to the Tenakth. 

“Are you able to fight with your injury?” You barely thought of that with what had gone on the past few days. There was still a hole in your skirt that you made a mental note to patch up.

“I’ve fought with worse.”

“We strike on my count, then.” He began counting down from three. You felt your anticipation build. He reached zero, and you sprung out of the grass. 

Kotallo landed a hit to the Sunwing’s plasma fin. It flapped its wings and rose. You threw a blade. It sank into the Sunwings sparker. 

“It is not fun when they fly,” Kotallo murmured. 

“I can fix that,” you responded, pulling your bow from your back. 

You shot arrows into its wings. It tried to stabilize itself, but quickly returned to the ground. The Sunwing swiped its damaged wing at you and clipped the armour covering your shin. It shot a burst of plasma at Kotallo that he expertly dodged before landing a strike to the Sunwings sparker. You took the chance to stab the Sunwings body with your second blade. Before you could remove your blades, the Sunwing swung its wings and sent you flying backwards. You landed with a thump on the frozen ground. Your head pounded at the impact. You felt a pull at your stitches when you tried to stand up. Kotallo glanced at you with a worried expression. 

“Give me a second.” You placed a hand on the stitched wound and staggered up. 

Kotallo stabbed the resource container of the Sunwing. It hunched its body forwards, and you took the chance to shoot an arrow into its head. The Sunwing toppled backwards. You pulled your blades from the Sunwing. You heard commotion from behind you and turned to see Kotallo wrestling with a Scrounger that snuck up on him. The Sunwing just died, and the thing had already come to collect its parts. You stabbed your blade into the Scrounger and pulled it off Kotallo. He quickly got to his feet and ran to another Scrounger near the Sunwing. The ground shook beneath you. You tried to move, but it was too late. A Scrounger popped out of the ground with you on top of it and threw you into the fight Kotallo was having. You rolled just in time to miss the end of Kotallo’s spear piercing the Scrounger. He offered you his hand, and you gratefully took it. You dusted off the snow accumulating on your pants and went for the last Scrounger. 

By the time you cleared out the area, you were covered in sweat. The cold made it feel worse. Breathing heavily, you laid on the ground. Kotallo sat next to you. Sweat dripped in rivulets from his forehead, leaving traces down the clan paint. He panted and tilted his head back, revealing the skin of his neck and Adam’s apple. The snow clung to his bare forearm. He glanced at you, something heavy in his eyes. Adrenaline coursed through your body. You sat up and returned his gaze, both of you panting. You felt warm all over despite the cold. There was a hint of stubble on his jaw. Your fingers itched to brush against it. It felt wrong seeing him in this light. He despised you; he despised your people, and you felt the same. Something in you craved the soft touch he gave you when you were injured. You leaned in to him. He didn’t move. His breath fanned against your lips. He placed his hand on the side of your face. You leaned in closer, closing the gap and pressing your lips against his. His lips were rough like the rest of him. You tasted the faint hint of plant from his clan paint. You wondered if he tasted the same from yours. He pressed harder into the kiss. You pressed back, trying to win. This was a battle, and you were afraid of what would happen if you lost. Your teeth clacked together. You winced and pulled away from him. Immediately, you felt your stomach turn with guilt. You couldn’t do this with him. 

“I’m sorry.”

He looked hurt, but it left his face as quickly as it appeared. “We do not have to talk about it.” He stood up and offered you his hand. You did not take it.

“We should go inside. I’m losing feeling in my fingers,” you laughed nervously. 

“Go, I would like to stay here. Perhaps another Sunwing will come along.” 

The base was quieter than when you left. You secretly wished that Kotallo would come back. If you were supposed to hate him so much, why did he make you feel this way?

When Aloy returned with her group, their conversation held a joyous lilt. Clearly, whatever they did went well. Kotallo placed himself on a soft, plush couch. He was sharpening his spear as Aloy came up to him. You found yourself stood awkwardly in the corner.

“We found it,” she began. Kotallo’s eyebrows perked with interest. “Apparently, there’s some important document in a Rebel outpost nearby. With the information Y/n gave you, I think you can help us find it.” Your blood ran cold at the use of your name. Kotallo stared at you, his expression a mix of confusion and shock. The others stared at you with varying expressions. 

“What information?” Kotallo no longer held any expression towards you. His lips settled into their usual thin line. You couldn’t tell if this was his way of saying he didn’t care or if he regretted ever looking in your direction. 

The Oseram looked displeased. He murmured something under his breath. 

Aloy turned to face you. “Did you not tell him?”

“I didn’t think it would be that important.” It was a lie. A poor one at that. 

Aloy grimaced. “The Rebels are not innocent. They butchered Tenakth. Why defend them? Unless you’re still too interested in pleasing Regalla to make the right decision.” 

You clenched your fists. She was right. You understood that everything you did was to please Regalla, to protect her. Her statement still hit a nerve. The Rebels were not Regalla. 

“We have all done things to survive. What makes you above them? You have killed as well. Far more than any of them!” You stormed out of the base in a fit. It made you feel childish. Frankly, it was childish. It was the behaviour you pulled as a teenager when Regalla made nasty comments towards you. 

You felt the cold against your skin again, this time an uncomfortable reminder of how out of place you were. You climbed the mountain Kotallo brought you to, but stopped before you reached their nest. You felt embarrassed at how childish you reacted. Easily, you could’ve brushed the comment off and pretended that Aloy hadn’t said it. You weren’t sure where your loyalties lay. On one hand, you knew Aloy fought for a good cause. She looked at the greater good, though sometimes she was single-minded in her pursuit of it. On the other hand, you understood the pain Regalla felt. She was doing what she thought had to be done. 

“Can I sit?” You looked up and saw the Utaru.

“Okay.” 

“Zo,” she offered her hand. You took it. Her hand was soft and warm. 

“I would tell you my name, but I’m sure you already know.” 

She laughed lightly. You didn’t think your comment was very funny. “I understand how you feel.”

You laughed as well, but your laugh was cold. “You know how it feels to betray your own people?”

“No, but I understand why you did. It is wasteful to sit around and do nothing while you watch people around you get hurt at the cost of your inaction.”

You glanced at her, shocked to hear her words. “I worry that I’m not doing the right thing. No matter what I do, people will get hurt anyway.” You couldn’t tell why you admitted this to her. She had an accepting air to her that made you feel unjudged. 

“The right does not always mean there aren’t consequences.” Zo thought for a moment. “Maybe there is a way to get the Rebels to come to a truce.”

Regalla was never one to deny her own defeat. “How?”

“We could get them to work together. They may not have the same motivations, but they are fighting similar battles.”

You gave her a confused look. “Again, how?”

“If we could speak to Regalla, we could explain. I know you know she is not heartless. Regalla fights battles she believes to be right.” Zo got to her feet. “Come, I will tell Aloy our plan.” She gave you another glance. “You are not wrong to feel hurt by what she has done to the Rebels and you do not need to forgive her, but it’s important we work together. Our fighting is only propelling the Zeniths to victory.” 

While Zo spoke to Aloy in the base, Aloy threw glances towards you. You couldn’t read the emotions mixed on her face. You lay back on a cot, staring into the hard metal of a second one on top. 

“We can leave tomorrow,” Aloy said. You expected to feel some relief, but only felt a growing pit in your stomach. 

Regalla was at a base you didn’t regularly frequent. It was in the desert, but it laid close to the mountains of the Sky Clan territory. Aloy brought you and Kotallo along, hoping you could talk Regalla into joining. The tension could’ve been cut with a knife on the way over. The air was heavy with the argument you had with Aloy and the kiss with Kotallo. It was like your own personal hell.

You nervously scaled the wall, making fast work of getting into the compound. The sky was overcast with dark, shadowy clouds. You heard Regalla speaking, but couldn’t make out the words. You slunk across the wood on the second level, remaining close to the wall in case you needed a fast way out. The conversation Regalla had lulled into silence and the person she was speaking to stepped out of the hut. The nervousness from earlier settled in your stomach once again. You couldn’t face Regalla’s rejection, but you had to. As Zo said, sometimes the right way has consequences, and you were willing to have Regalla hate you if it meant saving people. You took a deep breath and stepped into the hut. Regalla’s back was turned as she searched through a drawer. 

“Regalla,” you announced. She spun to face you, her brows drawn tightly. 

“I did not expect you to have the courage to show your face anywhere near me,” she spat venomously. 

“We have a common goal.” Every word felt forced, like you were talking with food in your mouth. 

“Yet you betrayed me. If you are running back to me because the Saviour discarded you, I will not take you back.” Regalla went to leave, but you grabbed her shoulder. She yanked herself from you and glowered.

“You will lose this battle by yourself, Regalla. Aloy understands the Zeniths better than you. I understand what I did, but I do not regret it. The right choice comes with consequences, and I am willing to have you hate me if it means saving innocent lives.” A lump was forming in your throat. You weren’t willing to have Regalla hate you. You wanted the comfort of her familiar presence. Regalla stalled, almost considering, and sat back down.

“I do not trust you.” The words stung deeply. “But my army cannot face the Zeniths alone. If Aloy will make a compromise, I will fight with her.”

Regalla stood tall next to Aloy with her arms crossed tightly on her chest. Kotallo had a scowl staining his clan paint.

“I will fight with you if you agree to not bother with the Rebels.”

Aloy tapped her spear against the sand. The dark clouds still loomed over the sky, but they had dissipated slightly, leaving a faint shadow. “Only if you stop fighting the Tenakth. Your army is useless if it’s dead.”

Regalla contemplated. She let her arms fall to her side. “For the time being, I will agree to it.” 

You let out a sigh of relief. You had never been more glad in Regalla’s ability to admit defeat. 

It was strange with Regalla at the base. There was a tinge of familiarity to this otherwise foreign place. Your relationship with Regalla was strained. You doubted it would ever return to normal. She held you at a distance. The times you spoke had been brief, clinical even. It hurt to see the distrust in her eyes when you would pass by her, but you’d accepted your decision. You would rather her be alive and hate you than dead. 

You had gotten closer to the others in the base. Most of them held the same distrust as Regalla, but your conversations with them became less spoiled with fear. You’d become close with Zo. Without judgement, she was kind to you. She’d recently helped you decide regarding Kotallo. When you mentioned the kiss, she had no anger in her eyes. She advised you to speak to him as she did with her boyfriend, Varl. 

Kotallo was in his room, studying a map, when you walked in. The tension still hung heavy between you and Kotallo. 

You observed the room before blurting out, “I liked kissing you.” He stared at you, shocked. This was not how you planned this would go. “Sorry, that was too forward.”

“I like forward,” he said, stepping closer to you. “Besides, I did not mind kissing you, either. You are not only good at fighting.”

You rubbed the back of your neck. “Are things okay between us?”

“I was a little shocked to find out you are related to Regalla.” You waited for the rejection. “It does not matter to me. You are not defined by your family,” he clarified. 

You stared at him, realizing now he had stunning blue eyes. His lips pulled faintly into a smile and formed lines around his eyes. He was pretty, you’d admit, with no guilt behind it. You placed a hand on his cheek. You kissed, this time soft. It was not a battle between you, but an allyship. He put his hand on your waist and pulled you close. You moved with him. Why fight against someone with a common goal?

[misscorn]

Day 2 Confusion/Blush

My second submission for @takaritsuweek a friend has informed me that for some reason Tumblr is messing with some of the formatting (italics in particular) but on my end it looks totally normal :( so I can't really do anything about it :( if you notice weird italics, I promise it's not me, it's Tumblr. Enjoy anyway!

**

Ritsu blinked at the screen of his flip phone a couple times. Then he rubbed his eyes and blinked again. He had to be seeing things, right? He was hallucinating this text message? It was ridiculous to even entertain the idea of it being real.

There was a message from Saga currently staring back at him. Ritsu had only just recently gained his contact information a week ago. Ritsu hadn't dared tried to text or call him out of fear of annoying Saga - Ritsu already spent nearly every day with him, so surely his Senpai would want a break sometimes. There was also the risk of being caught talking to his crush by his parents. Ritsu knew he wouldn't be able to get away with saying he was talking to 'just a friend'. His blushing face would give away quickly that it was in fact not 'just a friend' on the other end of the phone.

This was the first message that Saga had sent to Ritsu outside of an initial 'hey' just to make sure Ritsu had his number. The text was a little...confusing to say the least.

'Come let me in, I'm outside. Do you really live here? This place is huge.'

Outside? Outside, outside? As in, outside Ritsu's home? It was currently ten o'clock at night with their weekend off from school just beginning. Why would Saga be here? Was this...some kind of prank?

'I don't understand', Ritsu texted back honestly. He was currently in his bedroom, previously relaxing in bed with a book.

'What about my message was confusing', came Saga's lightning fast reply.

'You're outside my house?'

'Yes. Though house is an understatement.'

Ritsu wanted to scream. Why?! Why would he be here?! How was he here?! Ritsu sprung up from his bed quickly, but quietly. He knew his mother had retired to her and her husband's room at this point, but if he caused enough of a commotion then she would certainly stick her head out to investigate. His father was likely down the hall in his study still and would probably be there for a couple more hours. Ritsu peeked his head out into the hallway quietly just to ensure its emptiness before he nearly tripped over his own feet going so fast down the stairs. He managed to stay upright somehow and hurriedly went to the front door, unlocking it. He cracked it open very slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Despite Saga's texts, Ritsu was still flabbergasted to see him on the porch.

Saga himself was looking a little awestruck, not quite meeting Ritsu's gaze as he continued looking at the house.

"What are you doing here?" Ritsu asked, as quiet as he possibly could be in his panic.

"Is this a joke?" Saga asked, still looking at the house.

"I-I should be asking that!" Ritsu stepped out to stand on the porch with him, quietly closing the door behind him.

"No, I mean your house is..." Saga trailed off. "Are you a little prince or something?"

Ritsu turned red at the question, crossing his arms both in displeasure and due to the fact that it was a bit chilly out here.

"How do you even know where I live?" Ritsu asked.

"You have a tag on your backpack with your home address on it if it gets lost." Saga answered as if that were a completely normal response, putting his hands in his pockets, having seen that tag repeatedly during their time together.

"And you just....memorized it?" Ritsu asked, shocked to be on the receiving end of more stalkerish behavior.

Saga was silent for a good, long moment, staring off blankly as his actions started to dawn on him. "....Can we go inside?" He said instead of answering the question.

Ritsu huffed, surprisingly a little grumpy with his Senpai. "N-No we cannot go inside! My parents are home for one and my mother would absolutely kill me for sneaking a friend in-"

"A friend?"

"-and since I didn't know you would decide to randomly drop by tonight my room is an absolute mess. There's books everywhere and clothes-"

"What, you don't have staff for that?" Saga asked sarcastically, cutting off Ritsu's ranting rather sharply. Ritsu looked away and Saga held back a laugh of disbelief. "Holy shit."

"Th-They've gone back home for the day."

"And you managed to wreck your room that quickly? That's almost impressive. Oh my God, my boyfriend lives in a massive mansion with staff attending to him." If Saga hadn't already expected a certain level of wealth, he might have completely doubled over in shock. Still, there was a confusing amusement that accompanied his disbelief over Ritsu's living situation.

Despite the chill, Ritsu felt his whole body go warm at the word 'boyfriend', not used to being called that yet, but he couldn't allow his soft heart to distract him from his displeasure!

"Senpai, why are you even here? It's getting late and I could get in serious trouble." Ritsu complained.

"I just missed you." Saga said. "I didn't want to wait till Monday to see you. You're not happy to see me?" He asked, the slightest tilt to his voice making him sound just a tiny bit pathetic.

Ritsu was stunned, looking at Saga's frowning face with his own baffled expression. "I-I-"

"Come on, Ritsu-sama," Saga said with a smirk, making Ritsu cringe a bit, "live a little. Break a rule for once and sneak your boyfriend into your parents' big fancy house."

"...W-We can't do anything." Ritsu warned.

Saga raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" He echoed with confusion.

"Y-You know! That." Ritsu whisper-yelled.

"Okay." Saga agreed way too easily.

"Senpai, I'm serious! I can't - I c-can't stay quiet." Ritsu said, mortified at such a confession, but it was important that Saga understood.

"I said okay." Saga replied. "Can we please go inside now?"

Ritsu hesitated, looking pained at the question before he slowly turned back toward the door and gently opened it as an answer. Saga stepped inside behind him, Ritsu closing the door and locking it. He held a finger up to his lips to indicate to Saga to remain silent before taking his hand and leading him upstairs to his room. He hurriedly ushered him inside, shutting and locking his own door.

"I don't get a tour of the place?" Saga whispered once the door was closed.

"If you wanted that then you should've come during the day after my parents okayed a visit from a friend." Ritsu whispered back.

"A visit from a what?" Saga pressed, just to be an asshole.

"A friend." Ritsu repeated, not having quite picked up on Saga's meaning yet.

How many times was Ritsu going to use that word tonight? It was starting to piss Saga off a bit.

"Ah. A friend. Quick question, do friends usually do this?" Saga asked, wrapping his arms around Ritsu's waist and standing way too close for someone who just agreed five minutes ago not to try anything.

"S-Senpai-" Ritsu's hands found their way to Saga's shoulders, weakly attempting to push him away, but finding himself soon swept up into a kiss.

Despite Ritsu still being just a tiny bit annoyed - which was surprising and new, he didn't know he could be annoyed with Senpai - he couldn't help but to follow his lead, instinctively parting his lips the way Saga had taught him. That alone made his face burn, but he fought past the embarrassment, one hand shyly moving up to bury itself in Saga's hair.

The slightest touch from Ritsu was enough to make Saga completely disregard any risk that fooling around may bring and he gripped Ritsu tighter, starting to move toward the bed with him. However, in a moment of uncharacteristic clumsiness, Saga miscalculated a step and ended up tripping over one of the hazardous piles of books on the floor. He ended up falling to the ground, accidentally bringing Ritsu down with him, who let out an unintentionally loud yelp as he fell on top of Saga.

"S-Sorry, I'm so sorry-!" Ritsu hurriedly tried to stand back up without causing damage to the upperclassman. Saga was still a little dazed from the fall - and from having Ritsu's body weight suddenly coming down on top of him - but otherwise was relatively unharmed. Maybe there'd be some bruising, but he decided it was worth it. Now, Saga got to witness such a cute, cherry-red expression on Ritsu's face as he held out a hand to help Saga up.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? I told you my room was a total mess-" Ritsu fussed over him and Saga considered faking some kind of injury to have even more of his attention, but the moment was unfortunately cut short.

"Ritsu? I can see your light is on. I thought I heard a big thud. Is everything okay?" A woman called out from behind Ritsu's door, the knob jiggling as she attempted to open it.

Ritsu nearly screamed.

"I'm fine, everything's fine mom, one second!" Ritsu called out, quickly pushing Saga toward his closet. Saga hardly had time to resist as he was unceremoniously shoved inside, Ritsu saying a quiet 'sorry' before he closed the door.

Well, shit, Saga thought, standing there with his arms crossed. That hadn't gone as planned.

Ritsu ripped his door open, smiling in an attempt to alleviate suspicion, but it was far too wide and unnatural. "Sorry for waking you up mom. I just tripped over some of my stuff." He said.

Youko clicked her tongue in disapproval, shuffling inside Ritsu's room and picking up some of the clothes he had lying around. "Of course you're tripping over things, your room is a mess! The least you could do is hang up some of your clothes!" She exclaimed, turning toward Ritsu's closet.

"M-Mom! Y-You don't have to worry about that, I'll do it, I promise! J-Just go back to bed!" Ritsu exclaimed, taking the clothes from her quickly.

Youko narrowed her eyes at his eagerness to get her to leave. "Are you doing something you shouldn't be, Ritsu?" She asked.

"No! No, I just - um - I would feel bad if I made you clean up my mess. I can take care of it." Ritsu said, trying to calm down and behave normally for once.

"Hm. I don't mind helping." She said, though her tone suggested she wasn't so much helping as she was investigating. She turned to start picking up some books instead, examining them curiously as she did so.

Ritsu took the opportunity to shuffle over to the closet, waiting to make sure she was faced away before he opened it quickly. He shoved the clothes into Saga's arms in a panic before closing the door and blocking it with his body as he turned back toward his mom.

His mother put a few books she had gathered back on to his book shelf, going to continue her task before she noticed Ritsu's empty hands. "Where are your clothes?"

"I put them away." Ritsu said.

Youko put her hands on her hips and gave Ritsu an impatient look. "You put them away too fast. You couldn't have possibly put them away properly." She said.

"I-I did!" Ritsu insisted.

"Let me see." She replied, taking a couple strides to stand in front of him. Ritsu remained firmly planted in front of the closet.

"I-I put them away." Ritsu repeated.

"Onodera Ritsu, move away from the closet immediately." She ordered.

Ritsu winced, but accepted defeat as he stepped out of her way.

Youko opened the closet door, only to find Saga standing there with Ritsu's clothes still in his arms. She jumped back at the sight of a stranger in her son's closet and screamed.

"M-Mom, it's okay-!"

"Police! Ritsu, go call the police!"

"Mom-!"

"What do you think you're doing in my son's room, you hooligan?!" She demanded.

"Uh..." Saga blanked, understandably not sure how to handle this situation.

"Youko, is everything okay?!" Ritsu's father - Onodera Tatsuo - rushed in from down the hall, having heard his wife scream.

"We have a home intruder!" Youko shouted.

"Mom! He's my friend!" Ritsu said in a desperate attempt to cut through the panic. Saga awkwardly shuffled out of the closet and set the clothes down.

"Yup. I'm...a friend." Saga said through gritted teeth as Ritsu came to stand at his side.

"A-A friend? Why in the world do you have a friend over at this hour?!" Youko demanded.

"I..." Ritsu's mouth became dry.

"It was my idea. Ritsu didn't know I was coming over, I just showed up wanting to hang out. Sorry." Saga shoved his hands into his pockets, currently wishing he could just go back into the closet.

"Well, Ritsu, I'm very disappointed that you haven't picked better friends. I mean really, hanging around a delinquent who sneaks around at night!" Youko said, scandalized.

Ritsu looked down, tensing as he tried to fight back the tears that wanted to form. It was already embarrassing to be scolded by his mother in front of Saga, but the thought of his parents' first impression of his beloved Senpai being so terrible broke his heart.

"Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself young man?" Youko pressed.

"I..." Ritsu faltered, still trying not to cry.

"Youko, I'll handle this. You should go back to bed." Tatsuo said.

Youko hmphed and hesitated, but ultimately turned to head off, irritated at having her sleep interrupted for such a silly reason.

"Dad, I'm really sorry-"

"It's not Ritsu's fault, sir-"

Both teens tried to speak at the same time, but Tatsuo held up a hand to stop them.

"I never once snuck out to go hang out with a friend." Tatsuo said, slowly crossing his arms as a small smirk came to his face. "But, I snuck out all the time to see your mother."

Ritsu stared at his father for a few seconds before the implication fully hit him. "E-Eh?! W-What are you suggesting, dad? Hahaha!" Ritsu exclaimed with forced, panicked laughter.

Tatsuo chuckled at Ritsu's response. "Listen, your 'friend' can't stay the night, but we'll just let your mom think you're grounded for a week, okay?" He said. Honestly, he was a little relieved that Ritsu had harmlessly broken a rule. That was a part of growing up, after all. Tatsuo then looked to Saga, making the older teen stand a little straighter. "What's your name?"

"Saga Masamune, sir." He answered. Oh God, he had so not been prepared to meet Ritsu's parents, especially not like this.

Tatsuo gave a nod. "We'll have to meet again soon under more proper circumstances. Get home safe, alright? Ritsu, please show him out." He said before he left the bedroom to let the teens say their goodbyes.

"...Well, your dad seems cool." Saga said after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Oh my God, I could die right now." Ritsu said miserably.

"Did your mom call you Onodera Ritsu, by the way?"

Now Ritsu really could die.

[myevilmouse]

Thrawn:Alliances is the only one of the three canon Thrawn(2017) books that I do not own. It is my silent protest over the loose ends & roads left unexplored that embodied that hot mess of a book.

At the same time, I consider Alliances to be Zahn’s gift to the fertile minds of the fan fic authors of Thrawn Fandom. It is basically the Thrawn repository of What If’s.

Welcome back to the Asker’s Studio™️, Mouse, it’s been a while.

In your fic Uneasy Alliance, you do exactly this: you explore a stream of consciousness that Zahn comes so close to developing, but instead, drops it…at your feet. He suggests an attraction of Padme to Thrawn at every turn, but never allows it to surface. You, my friend do the heavy-lifting for us.

A brief summary for those of you unfamiliar with the fic:

This fic draws VERY heavily on the actual scenes and dialogue in the book Thrawn: Alliances.

100% of Anakin's actions and dialogue are directly lifted, I made up absolutely nothing where he is concerned except in description and perception. Perhaps 80% of Padmé's and Thrawn's dialogue and actions are directly from the book, with slightly more liberties (necessarily) taken.

The story is built around Padmé's introspection and reactions, and I have added detail and dialogue to already existing scenes where they were alone and Zahn didn't tell us what they were up to... with the aim of making the scenario as possible as...possible. This could have happened in the book, so if you ship it, I get why!

This summary does not do justice to the passages and the sensual overload that is Padme’s Thrawn (as we see him through her eyes) or the just plain too-hot-handle moment when the the hormones finally seize control:

Defiant, Padmé lunged for his mouth, lips biting and tugging at his, daring him to stop her. With a growl, Thrawn slammed her hard to the wall, drawing a grunt from her throat. One knee drove between hers, his thigh shoving and pressing against her crotch. Instead of stopping her this time, Thrawn’s kiss turned savage.

Okay, now that I have everyone’s attention, let’s get to it!

I discovered this fic quite accidentally when another Tumblr post was lamenting one of my many complaints about Alliances: how could Padme not be attracted to Thrawn?!

Our lamentations were answered with a simple paste of this fic address. All was good in the universe 😁

So, let’s talk about Alliances, this fic, and revisions in general.

Did you read Alliances as I, and come away with the same unsatiated feeling that I did?

There were many avenues one could have explored with this book (a bane & a boon it was) What made you decide on the Thrawn/Padme theme?

This was an unusual approach for fic: it was almost line and verse accuracy to the original text! In your notes, you specify that this format was quite intentional. Do I interpret correctly that this was done to emphasize that, indeed, Zahn was suggesting the same thing all along: there was chemistry between Thrawn & Padme?

As I thought about it, perhaps the same scenario could be explored with Thrawn/Thalias? (I’m not a huge fan of Ascendancy Thrawn, so maybe leave that 🤣)

Finally, was it harder to write this fic with the stricter format hugging so close to the actual text of the book?

In conclusion, I vote that we replace the original Alliances your version, because it was such a more satisfying meal.

It’s been too long, Mouse, I hope to have you as a guest more frequently (when I finish this move 😖)

Dear @beebee-76! 

This is a fabulous ask and a wonderful break from the holiday prep for me this morning.  Thank you first of all as always for reading my stories.  We have a lot in common (this was already known) and obviously that now extends to our opinions on Thrawn:  Alliances.  And it’s always a pleasure to be featured on the Asker’s Studio™️ 😊

So let’s jump to it 😊  And thank you again for the very kind words about my fic.  It’s fabulous that you loved it so much and it inspired this ask.

Did you read Alliances as I, and come away with the same unsatiated feeling that I did?

I know I still have an unanswered ask from you in my inbox about the differences between “the Thrawns” as in Rebels Thrawn, Ascendancy Thrawn, The Thrawn Trilogy Thrawn, and what I would call 2017 Thrawn.  Someday I will have the mental fortitude to tackle all that, but let it be known that Thrawn:  Alliances really disappointed me when it came out.  It was, as I said earlier, unforgivably boring, or as you say up above “a hot mess.”  Hard agree there.  I thought all the bits with Padme were just excruciatingly slow, and saw the entire story as squandered opportunity and a waste of time.  After 2017 Thrawn, who is my favorite Thrawn, to call this followup a letdown is an enormous understatement.

There were many avenues one could have explored with this book (a bane & a boon it was) What made you decide on the Thrawn/Padme theme?

I don’t write gen fic really, I’m all about my men (Luke and Thrawn) getting with the ladies.  And I’m always open to exactly who those lucky women may be…Rare pairs are a fun place to play for finding new partners.  I used to participate more frequently in fic exchanges, and naturally one of my faves is the Star Wars Rare Pairs, as often the requests there fired the imagination.  Some of my favorite stories started because of prompts there, including my Aesthetics series and my Luke/Guri fic, which wasn’t an assignment got, I but the ship haunted me until I wrote it for the requester anyway.

Another rare pairing on the list was Padme/Thrawn.  I found this intriguing (although I wasn’t ultimately assigned it) because they do actually meet in nu!canon… I read a few frustrated fans’ comments (like the tumblr post that I responded to) about how Padme would never choose Anakin over Thrawn, and why didn’t she just get on Thrawn’s ship and leave behind her loser husband at the end, etc. and I thought hmmm….maybe maybe maybe…

Whenever I write a fic I try to make it as plausible as possible.  I find spots for missing scenes (like in my Luke Skywalker/Mon Mothma fic) where we know people were in the same place at the same time, or find a canon-divergent way to set a story in a believable timeline (like Luke/Sabine or even Thrawn/Sabine).  So I went to my copy of Alliances with nothing more than this goal:  find a spot in the book where Thrawn/Padme could happen, or find something—a hint, a clue of a future opportunity for Thrawn/Padme to happen.  I’m not a fan of cheating in real life or in fic, so the latter option was my preference at the time.  A Padme Lives AU, perhaps, where Chiss envoy Thrawn comes to rock her world after her husband is out of the picture. 

In short, I had no idea what I was going to write, but was looking for openings.

And boy, the openings I found.  As you righteously point out, when you are LOOKING for it, you realize that Zahn has basically already written the fic between the lines.  He gives us SO many opportunities to read an attraction, while also helpfully making Anakin the most annoying, unsympathetic, and immature he’s ever been.  Zahn keeps separating them—Anakin going off his way and Thrawn and Padme having another adventure together.  Sometimes he tells us what they were up to, sometimes he doesn’t.  Imagine my eyes growing comically wider as I scanned the text and realized I didn’t have to write a missing scene, I just had to tell you what happened when Zahn didn’t.

This was an unusual approach for fic: it was almost line and verse accuracy to the original text! In your notes, you specify that this format was quite intentional. Do I interpret correctly that this was done to emphasize that, indeed, Zahn was suggesting the same thing all along: there was chemistry between Thrawn & Padme?

You do interpret correctly.  Instead of my original concept, I decided to simply remix the novel, filling in those blanks and using Padme’s pregnancy (which is not at all mentioned or implied in the book) as an excuse for her oversexed response to the handsome alien that is repeatedly shoved in her direction.  (Much as I am not a real believer in the Padme/Anakin chemistry, I didn’t really want to make Padme an unfaithful hussy, so the prenatal hormones were a convenient way to abet her reactions.)

I think Zahn has progressively fallen more and more in love with his blue man, to the point where Thrawn has gone from Villain to Antihero to straight up Hero in some of the newer books (which is why I find him less and less interesting to be honest).  It’s clear in Alliances that he wants Thrawn to outshine Anakin in every way.  I couldn’t believe Disney let him get away with it.  Anakin’s decisions are wrong, Thrawn is always right—even Padme sees this and acknowledges it in the text.  Anakin isn’t as smart/rational/creative/cool etc.  Zahn gets to hold up Thrawn as capable, honorable, resourceful.  All things Padme recognizes.  He even has Anakin confront her at one point with the “now you’re taking his side”.

In order to achieve this—and let’s be clear, I’m not a huge Anakin fan—I think Zahn did some serious character bashing/warping of Anakin in the book.  After working so hard to find his wife, do I think right away he would send her off with a guy he barely knew to retrieve his lightsaber?  Hell no I don’t.  I think the “real” Anakin would be more jealous, more possessive, and more cautious than this version.  Zahn’s Anakin is stubborn when it suits the story, and relents just as conveniently.  In my fic, Padme has quite a bit of introspection about this—WHY is her husband sending her off with this stranger so often?  She was in mortal danger, he came to save her, but is more concerned with destroying shit and having some weird revenge against no one in particular than overseeing her personal safety. 

Sorry Zahn, your motives are super transparent here.

…was it harder to write this fic with the stricter format hugging so close to the actual text of the book?

It was the opposite!  I loved uncovering this story from the clues in the novel.  It didn’t take long to write at all, once I got started.  I scanned the book, identified the key scenes I could use to make Padme/Thrawn happen, and the bones of the fic was done in about a day.  The research/rereading took longer than the writing, I think.  I found out in the meantime that one of my talented artists friends @sometimesartmostlychaos, was a low-key Padme/Thrawn shipper, so the story was a gift to her upon its completion.

Zahn’s version of Anakin allowed my fic to take shape, as you mention, using total accuracy to the text, dialogue, and repeated separations he inflicts upon the newlyweds.  While I don’t 100% buy it (more reasons why the novel just was an overall mess), I certainly see what Zahn was doing, and what he was doing was making Thrawn better in all aspects than Anakin.  How could a smart woman like Padme NOT notice, particularly when she’s having so many traumatic experiences? 

I compounded it with hormones to serve my own nefarious purposes, but as I said in the author’s note, I didn’t really have to do a lot of work to get there.  Zahn laid it all out and I just had to massage the attraction from latent to overt.  It was a super fun exercise and I absolutely enjoyed it.  Making it better, making it INTERESTING, if I do say so myself.

As I thought about it, perhaps the same scenario could be explored with Thrawn/Thalias? (I’m not a huge fan of Ascendancy Thrawn, so maybe leave that 🤣)

I too am not a huge fan of Ascendancy Thrawn (understatement, I kind of hate him) see above about how the more perfect and heroic he gets the less interesting I think he is… I don’t care at all about these new books although I read them out of a completist sense of obligation…I don’t know.  I loved Outbound Flight Thrass… and Aralani was cool and all (not anymore though ugh) but Thalias is SO ANNOYING and always has been, I’m sorry.  She has this hero worship thing going on with Thrawn and it’s sort of icky and not inspiring for smut.  And clearly Zahn is trying to use her to swat away the slash fanfic but it’s not working.  I mean…he LITERALLY SHIPPED THEM in a shipping container overnight I can’t even…

In general, I find Thrawn’s solicitude towards Thalias contrived, I don’t like daddy!Thrawn to Cheri (god really?! That’s the name we’re going with?!), and I should probably just stop there.  But in brief, I’m not the person to write Thalias/Thrawn.  If I did, it would be super dark, not this let’s drink hot cocoa and eat cheese platters playing cards in a little shipping container.  Maybe have him be like “oh you think you want this?! Muwahahah evil laugh proceeds to wreck her completely in every sense” ah what a digression.

In conclusion, I vote that we replace the original Alliances your version, because it was such a more satisfying meal.

I adore you for voting this way, and am humbled by that assessment!  I have threatened at times to remix my remix, in essence write a “what if” where Padme jumps on Thrawn’s ship last minute instead of just wistfully watching its departure.  I probably will never write it, but I think it could be done and done well.  Thrawn in this case would be the hardest to twist (he was, as  you see in my story, under no illusions about what was going on with those wacky humans), but in fanfic all things are possible.  Which is why we love it!

Thank you again so much for this ask @beebee-76!  I am grateful for the chance to explain my process for this fic.  Never wrote anything like it before but absolutely loved the chance and the writing exercise and ESPECIALLY the reactions of readers who, like us, saw the plausibility and enjoyed what I did with it.

[ashthemadwriter-archived]

Their reaction when you fake an orgasm

Fandom: Multi Fandom

Pairings: Various Characters X Gn!reader

Genre: Smut

Format: Scenario

Warnings: NSFW content, Not Proofread

Word Count: 0.3K

A/n: the page goes blank while im writing one more time and me and tumblr are gonna have a problem =|

youre under him, your feet pressed on your belly as hes pounding into you harshly. you arent really in the mood for it today but you dint want to turn him down, and you also know that he wont let go of you unless you cum; therefore, you decide to do something you have never done in your life before, which is faking as orgasm. you start loudenning your moans as you shake your legs, pretending like youre cumming; but unfortunately, he knows you too much to fall for that, so he notices this.

↬ok this guy is mad, and when i say he's mad, i mean it. hes like "bitch! im getting my ass kicked giving you pleasure, and then you go and do this!? so what? am i not good enough to you?"

hes so upset that he might just pull out of you and start jerking himself up in front of your eyes. and dont you even dare touch yourself! or else you wont be seeing him naked for months.

yup! thats how upset he is.

Bungou Stray Dogs:Kunikida(he thinks its a shameful action but hes pissed so who gives a shit), Chuuya Nakahara (mad baby), Akutagawa, Tachihara, Ranpo( petty boy hehe)

Death Note:Light (god bless your soul, your names written in the damn book after this), Mello

The Case Study Of Vanitas:Vanitas (idk why but i always picture him getting mad in these situations)

Jujutsu Kaisen:Megumi (hehe)

Haikyuu:Tsukishima (was literally thinking of him while writing this, Kageyama, Sugawara (only if he had a bad day), Kenma (another petty baby), Atsumu, Iwaizumi, Kunimi

↬well hes not exactly happy! i mean, oh really? so thats how it works now huh? ok then! prepare yourself Belladonna!

hes a tease, and he found the perfect opportunity, so why not teach you a lesson?

prepare yourself to be fucked up real bad, without reaching any orgasms.

he goes down on you real quick while focusing on your sensitive parts with his hands, and when your legs start shaking for real this time and youre about to reach your cervix?immediately stops whatever hes doing and smirks at the sight of you being frustrated while begging him to let you cum.

Bungou Stray Dogs:Dazai (i literally said belladonna in the text), Fyodor, Mori, Kajii, Tachihara

Death Note:L Lawliet, Also Mello

The Case Study Of Vanitas:Roland (will let you cum eventually tho)

Jujutsu Kaisen:Itadori, Sukuna, Geto, Gojo

Haikyuu:Tsukishima, Daichi, Sugawara, Kuroo, Tendou, Osamu holy fuck, Suna motherfucking Rintarou, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kunimi

↬boy is shocked, bur pretends like he didnt notice it, and will tell you that he came too actually, and that you dont need to take care of him and you should just take some rest. but when you do go to sleep hes awake, being sad while thinking to himself how messed up he is in bed that you had to do that, and how youre going to leave him in the future for someone who can give you pleasure for real.

this is so cruel just dont do this to them-

Bungou Stray Dogs:Atsushi (please just be honest with him), Akutagawa (insecure baby), Chuuya, Fukuzawa, Tanizaki

Death Note:Matsuda, Near (is it weird that i see him as a softie...?)

The Case Study Of Vanitas:Noe :')

Haikyuu:Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, Nishinoya, Asahi, Lev, Bokuto, Akaashi, Ushijima, Kita

Reblogs are appreciated! :)

[iznsfw]

One Year!

One year ago today, at 2:05 AM Philippine time, I made my Tumblr writing debut with Midnight Moans. It was my first ever fanfiction that I dared publish, and one of the first pieces of writing I made besides defense papers. Right now, it stands at over 400 notes, and is listed alongside 62 other fics that feature other 10 girl groups!

I was also able to meet an incredibly kind and welcoming community. I have to admit that I was scared to talk to people here in fears that I would come off as rude or unapproachable, but when I finally took the opportunity to do so, I did not regret it. This community led me to a world full of talented writers and unique fanfictions, and introduced me to K-pop girl groups I was not familiar with before.

So, even with my detoriating consistency in publishing diverse fictions, I want to say thank you. Thank you to anyone who has read, liked, reblogged, and followed! Thank you for appreciating what I write! I promise there will be much more exciting stories to look forward to.

I give a lot of thanks to the following people:

@fillinforlater, for always supporting me, submitting my first request, and for always releasing such excellent fictions (love you Smito);

@kaedewrites, for inviting my cowardly self to the Discord server, sparking my first Minjoo fic, and being a good friend in general;

@friskyriskywhisky for your fun asks and coaxing me to cheat with Gaeul (not that those rumors of my disloyalty are true);

@eunbisrabbit for being my fellow Eunbi breeder and birthday twin;

@brokennightmares01 for collaborating with me and being my favorite Chaeyeon stan...

And a lot more! I can't list every person I'm grateful for because I can't even tag more than six without the formatting messing up, so if you're a writer or reader, know that I'm incredibly grateful for your friendship and talent. I love you guys! ❤

Some stats because everyone is doing it at the end of their posts and it seems fun:

As of 1:55 PM October 4, I have 3,193 followers

Consequences is my fiction with the highest notes at 1,065, with WINTER-010101 being the second at 996 notes

My fic with the lowest notes is Parallel Universe, with 67 notes

Thank you so much! I love you guys and appreciate you! 😄

[teletogami]

komaeda/reader week, day 6: arts and crafts

words: 1594

synopsis: both you and nagito take designing your house in The Sims very seriously.

contains: gender-neutral reader, fluff, childhood best friends (probably young teens here), platonic or romantic it doesn’t matter you guys are together forever, yes the sims is an art and craft

a/n: this is my first time posting any fic on tumblr bc of eli’s komaeda/reader week :)) forgive me if the formatting is bad, I’m unfamiliar with the text editor.

---

You yawned as you returned to your bedroom, closing the door behind you after you slipped inside. It was warmer and darker than the rest of the house; a cave of your own making, with a space heater running close to your bed, and the ceiling lights turned off in favour of some dainty string lights haphazardly pinned to the walls. You didn’t mind the ceiling lights, but Nagito despised them for reasons you didn’t understand, preferring something more soft and ambient instead. You were fine to concede. If it made your room feel more like home to him, you’d do anything.

Poking around the corner of your doorway, you spotted him in the centre of your bed. He was in the same position as you’d left him in; hunched forward with the hood of his sweater pulled over a head of messy white hair, one of his knees pulled up to his chest while the other leg stretched out in front of him. He was illuminated by the bright light from your laptop, which was resting on the bed as close to him as he could get it. You could see just how focused he appeared to be in that glow, with his light green eyes narrowed as they flicked around from corner to corner of the screen, a bit of his tongue sticking out as he messed with the trackpad carefully. You recognized the tongue thing well. He was definitely trying to move some furniture or something.

“You better not be screwing with my sitting room.” You threatened sarcastically, shoving your hands in the pockets of your own hoodie as you began to pad over to him. He raised his head, seemingly a bit caught off guard by your reappearance. When his eyes met yours in the dimly lit room though, he smiled so widely that the corners of his eyes began to crinkle in the way they always did. It made the room feel even warmer somehow. Perhaps that was a result of your heart rate picking up in your chest. He was so cute.

“I wouldn’t dare.” He assured you happily, straightening up a bit and placing his hand on his lower back while he stretched it out. Sitting hunched over like this was not good for either of you, and yet you’d been building this house for hours now. It didn’t matter. You were having too much fun to care. “I’m just trying to figure out how I want this chair in my little reading nook.” 

You reached the bed and slid on top of the comforter next to him, laying your legs across his own as you leaned forward to get a look at the screen. Nagito had made a small room adjacent to the sitting room, not much larger than an average walk-in closet, walls lined with bookshelves. The wallpaper was an olive green colour, something that felt cosy, and the armchair he was currently messing with was plush and coloured deep brown, a few throw pillows added on top of it. 

“You know, we can make anything in this game.” You noted, leaning your head down on his shoulder as you watched him move the mouse around the chair. “You could give yourself a whole library if you wanted to.” 

“Mm. But I don’t want a library.” His voice sounded somewhat melodic. You wanted to wrap yourself in it. Instead, you settled for his free arm, which wrapped itself around your shoulders and gave you a squeeze. “I want a nook. Warm, little. Like a cocoon but it’s a room. And it smells like books!” The excitement in his tone gave it a unique lilt, as if he was dancing you across the words, through the vivid picture. 

The Sims didn’t do it justice, but you could see this nook, and him in it. Blanket strewn over his lanky legs as they were strewn across the side of the armchair, awkwardly holding the book above him. When he really got into a story, he usually never sat up properly. It suited him somehow, as if such a thing was more of a natural state for limbs that seemed almost liquid at times. 

“What if I want to join you in this hypothetical nook? Or is it off limits?” Ah, did you sound too dreamy when you said that? The two of you had been friends for years. Your lives were intertwined with one another in such a way that never allowed for them to separate. The idea that you’d live together when you were old enough wasn’t a shocking one; you would always be together, even when you were all grown up. That was the way it was, and the way it would always be. Still, whether or not that would remain platonic was something you frequently questioned. A part of you wished for it to change. A part of you was scared of anything new. But in the end, you knew you didn’t have to worry, or rush. For now, you could just design your dream house in the Sims for an embarrassingly long time, and not worry about such things. You were together. That was what mattered.

“It’s our house. Nothing would be off limits to you.” He replied with a sage smile.

“But it’s quite small. I wouldn’t fit.” You posited teasingly, reaching up to give his hand a squeeze. 

“You would if we snuggled.” He began to chuckle, and you watched the mouse freeze on the right side of the screen as he looked away to nuzzle his nose against your cheek. You began to giggle almost reluctantly, shoving at his chest to push him off of you. Your cheeks were too warm for this. You wondered if he’d noticed. 

“Gross.” You muttered, though you didn’t mean it. When you glanced back at him, the look on his face told you that he was well aware you didn’t mean it either. Oh well. 

“I mean, it would be better if I could fit a bigger armchair in here.” He switched the subject, perhaps for your sake. It didn’t change the fact that you were practically snuggling right now, though it did make your blush fade. You leaned your head back against his shoulder again as he clicked on the object, attempting to turn it around. The box around it turned red when he twisted it into the perfect orientation, and you could hear him swear a bit under his breath. “But I can’t. And the controls are so limiting!”

You snorted a bit at his frustration. It was adorable. “Just leave it as it was before. When we make the real nook, I’m sure we’ll be able to squish it in there.” 

“We set out this morning to make this thing perfect!” He sounded like he was scolding you for your suggestion, but you could tell he was mostly trying to tease you. This whole thing had been your idea, after all, even if he was the one taking it more seriously by now.

“And now it’s almost 7pm, Nagito. We have to make compromises.” You drawled sarcastically, lolling your head backward onto his shoulder to see his expression as he stared down at the screen again. You could see him attempting to sneak a glance at you in a way that he thought you wouldn’t notice. You did. It made you smile.

“Says the person who spent who knows how long on the paint colour for the sitting room.” He retorted with a grin, biting it back a bit on his bottom lip. Cute.

“It needed to be the right shade of maroon.” You defended yourself, beginning to laugh. 

You thought you saw him smile wider at the sound. 

“Guys!” Your father’s voice coming from down the hall made you sit up in place, steading yourself with a hand on Nagito’s knee. “Dinner!”

You looked back at Nagito, and he looked down at you, appearing apprehensive. You were already rolling your eyes as you slid off of him and the bed, hand slipping down to his wrist to pull him along with you. “Ah! Just five more minutes. I’m almost done with this room.” He whined, resisting your hold as his hands grasped at the sides of your laptop.

“We can pick out lighting fixtures ‘til the sun comes up, Nagito. But right now we need to eat!” You protested, giving him a good yank. He let out a short squeal, but instead of falling as he did on many occasions, your arms scooped him up and set him straight on his feet. After years of being his friend, you were very used to the act of Komaeda-catching. 

He grumbled a little bit as you pushed him forwards, but, as with most things, he went along with it because you were you. You reached ahead to open the door for him, and watched with a stupid grin on your face as he quickly began to squint into the hallway light, having been holed away in the darkness of your room for far too long. “Too bright.” He groaned.

“You can do it, my little hermit crab.” You teased, rubbing his shoulder as the two of you began to walk towards the kitchen, your matching fuzzy socks barely making any noise at all during the journey.

The house wasn’t completed until the early hours of the morning, and was quickly destroyed by a house fire caused by Nagito’s sim attempting to cook a grilled cheese. 

Thankfully, you had a save file.

[dreamsoflevi]

Love Was Not Enough | Part 1

Summary: A titan shifter is working in the Scout Regiment with a plan. Growing up with hate for Paradis takes a complete turn when falling for a certain Captain and developing friendships. Is it too late to make a change?

Word Count: 4.2k

CW: Some fluff, angst, mentions of violence, description of an emotional breakdown, stress.

Author’s Note: My first post on Tumblr! I’m so slow when it comes to using Tumblr lol. Starting off with an angsty story because it's raining and gloomy. It was supposed to be an one-shot but it ended up being super long. There will be 1-2 more parts. Hope you enjoy! ♡

You loved him.

You really did.

You still do.

When you first met him, you were surprised this was the person everyone was referring to when they would mention Humanity's strongest soldier, Captain Levi. His aloof and brash attitude would prove those thoughts drilled in your head about the devils in disguise living amongst the lands as you. He didn't care for anything and he wouldn’t hesitate to remind you of that. “You will become titan shit.” His exact words spat to your face. Who does he think he is?

You were exceptional at what you did, full of intellect and skills landed you on his squad along with a group of newer cadets. The 104th cadets. You were all replacements for his previous squad who were killed by the female titan, your comrade Annie during the 57th expedition. You were trained for this after all. You were prepared and you had a plan along with a few others. Secret glances, nods, and meetings were shared amongst you four any chance you could get.

You ended up befriending a few too. A shy yet wise Armin, an extremely passionate Eren, a wild and resourceful Sasha, and some others. A bunch of children putting their lives on the line for a better tomorrow, a hopeful future. Aren’t you doing the same too?

During expeditions, you would watch Captain Levi swinging through trees on his ODM gear, slicing through the napes of every titan he landed his eyes on. Now you understand why he is humanity’s strongest. Slicing through titans without a struggle and with immense strength and speed.

He'd frantically look around making sure the others were okay. He'd shout the names of his squad and any other names he could remember hoping to get a shout in return. The panicked look on this face when he would hear screams and race to the source of them. Maybe he does care. When returning to the walls, you could see him grimace watching the gates open only for it to quickly change back to his normal neutral expression.

-

“L/N!” A voice breaking your thoughts as you walk back inside the headquarters after training. You turn around to see Captain Levi standing behind you with a small stack of papers in his hand.

“Yes, Captain?” You wiped the sweat off your forehead with your sleeve.

“Are you doing anything after this?”

You shook your head. “No, sir. Do you need anything?”

“Yes. Deliver this paperwork to Commander Erwin. He should be in his office now.” He handed you the small stack of papers he was holding.

“Yes, sir.” You nodded your head grabbing the papers and walking in the direction of Commander Erwin’s office.

Approaching his office, you knocked on his door. You heard a deep voice respond and turned the knob to enter. Opening the door, you see the distressed Commander sitting at his desk. One hand resting on his forehead and the other scribbling away. He glances up and sees the stack in your hands.

“Ah, thank you (Y/N), I was waiting for these.” Raising his hand in anticipation of the papers.

You walked up to his desk handing it to him. “No problem, Commander.”

You look around his messy desk. Papers spread all around, empty teacups resting on the side, and two ink bottles sitting on his desk. Your eyes take a peek at his face, dark circles under his eyes, and his hair slightly messed up. You couldn’t help but feel bad for him. No. You try shaking those thoughts away. They are the devils and we are paying for their actions.

But you take another look at him. Imagine being in his position. Are you aware of what your ancestors did, Commander? He’s shuffling through the small stack of papers that were just handed to him. You can see the squares and circles in the form of a large triangle. The formations. The lives and the future of thousands rest upon this single man’s shoulders. Of course, he has to spend hours on end meticulously planning the expeditions and making sure the formations are properly formed. A plan for a better tomorrow, a hopeful future. Don’t you want that too?

You internally sigh in defeat. “Um... Commander?” You nervously play with your fingers.

“Yes, (Y/N)?” He looks up at you, hand still holding the quill and the other now resting on the desk.

“Do.. do you need help? I just finished training and If you need help, I…” You bite your lip, your nerves getting the best of you as his eyes remain in contact with yours.

The curves of his mouth turn upwards. “If you can, please.” He gestures to the seat in front of him.

You flash him a smile, nod your head and take a seat. He hands you a stack of papers. “For these, you just need to write today’s date under the line where it says date received. Then organize them alphabetically.”

That’s where you found yourself at least twice a week. Helping the commander out whenever you could, organizing his paperwork, and filling them out whenever he needed you to. Sometimes you would work in complete silence. The sounds of pens scribbling, paper shuffling, and the sips the Commander took of his tea. Sometimes he would tell you a little story about his life and of his childhood. He would speak of his father being a major inspiration in his life and the reason he pushes forward every day. He had a sudden death, though the Commander never told you why, you can imagine it was a traumatic one for him.

A couple of months pass by and you are now sitting in the Captain's office. Coming into Commander’s office one day and seeing his surprisingly organized desk for once and him telling you that he didn’t need any assistance today. However, Captain Levi might need help with the reports from a previous expedition. Nodding your head and giving a quick salute, you made your way to Captain Levi’s office.

Working with Captain Levi was soothing. His office was very neat. Paperwork in his office sitting on his desk in organized piles. You can smell the faint scent of lemon which was refreshing. You visiting his office became a more frequent occurrence since he appreciated the assistance he would receive though he’d never tell you that. He would have a stack ready for you set up on the side table in his office. He was not much of a talker like Commander Erwin nor was he someone who reminisces his life it seems.

However, you would still have conversations here and there. He would ask about how you were feeling with training and if you dared to complain about the exercises he was giving, he would simply tell you to get better with the exercises or get eaten. Then realizing his bluntness and the silence that filled the room after, he would elaborate on his statement.

What he means is, he would say, these exercises help with increasing stamina and balance that will aid us on the battlefield. Outside the walls, anything can happen. Titans pop out of nowhere catching you off guard and little mishaps like getting tangled, being too slow, or even aiming your anchor wrong can lead to a fatal mistake. You could agree with that.

“(L/n), why did you decide to join the scouts?” He asked without looking up from what he was doing.

You stilled for a second and looked up at him. His eyes were still on the paper in front of him. This question always catches you off guard even if you rehearsed it so many times. It makes you nervous and vulnerable as if the person asking can see right through you and your facade.

“Same reason as everyone else, sir.” He glanced at you now and you immediately looked back down at the paper in front of you. You tried to avoid as much eye contact as you can.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Which is?”

“F-freedom.. from the titans.” You heard a scoff.

“Now you sound like Eren.” He was still looking at you. You dared to meet your eyes with his. He still had a stoic look on his face but there was curiosity simmering in his eyes. He was waiting for an answer. You had no choice but to give one. How would you say it though? You don’t want to lie. Captain Levi can be very perceptive and you’re sure he could see through your facade.

You bit your lip. “I… I want a better future for myself, my loved ones, and future generations. All my life, I’ve experienced confinement and.. oppression. But I have been given the power- er, the opportunity I should say to aid in defeating our e-enemies and... and I hope to accomplish that to live a more liberating life.”

He remained in eye contact with you without saying anything. The silence was deafening in the room and you hoped he would say something. Each second of silence was building the temperature in your body as your nerves were starting to get the best of you. Your chest was burning and you could feel a bit of sweat forming on your scalp. Did you say the wrong thing? Or maybe you said too much? Why isn’t he saying anything?

Your lips parted in anticipation to say something. But what else were you going to say? Before you can process what you are going to say, he hummed and looked back down at his work.

“You are right. We all have the same reason, more or less. To break out of these confined and oppressive walls and defeat these shitty titans. Whatever is out there must be better than what we live in now.”

You internally sighed. It’s not better but hopefully, it will get better. I guess we have the same mission, just different targets. You and everyone else here being mine Captain. You felt your throat dry up. Can you imagine killing these people? Watching Captain struggling on his last breath? Commander Erwin? Hange? Connie, Sasha, Jean, Armin? But your ancestors... Now you are suffering because of these devils.

Shaking your head of these thoughts, you try to focus back on the paper in front of you. “Ar-” You cleared your throat. “Armin believes there’s a sea out there.”

He snorted. “That kid and his shitty dream...” You could see a hint of a smile forming on his face. “Who knows, maybe there is.”

You come to realize that he’s not rude, he just doesn’t know how to express himself. His actions speak louder than words and you can’t help but grow a lot of respect for him. But he’s still a devil. But he has a heart and he cares for every single person in this regiment, including you. It doesn’t matter. They caused your people pain and betrayed them.

-

A perk of being on Captain Levi’s squad is getting to sit on meetings planning the expeditions. Commander Erwin would call these meetings for input on observations made from previous missions. Armin enthusiastically shares what he learns from the missions. Plans are being formed around Eren and his abilities. He’s learning new things about what he can do every day and recently he learned about hardening abilities from Annie. Working with Hange to train how to harden properly to be able to plug walls in the future.

They have no idea though. No idea what is beyond these walls, where these titans come from, where do they go, or anything else. They are risking their lives for the answers, the answers that you already know.

Walking through the dark hallways, you step into the mess hall. There sitting on a table in the dimly lit corner were Reiner and Bertholdt. The ones on the mission with you alongside Annie.

“Where have you been lately?” Reiner asked as you sat down on the bench. You usually had these meetings at least once or twice a week, but since Annie was captured, things have gotten more hectic. In fear of getting caught or being busy with so many tasks, you haven’t had the chance to meet with them as often as you should.

“Sorry.. I’ve just been swamped with training, meetings, and helping the higher-ups with their paperwork.”

Reiner narrows his eyes at you. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with them lately.”

“Yeah but I’ve managed to learn a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, Eren is close to figuring out his hardening abilities. Hange had taken the sample from Annie but she didn’t get far with that. Now she and Eren are working together to see how Eren can unlock his own ability.”

Reiner hummed. “If Eren learns how to harden, he could start landing attacks on me. He’d still be no match for Bertholdt though.”

You nodded in response. There was an awkward silence. No one had much to say which was a huge difference from before when you had to plot your next moves and practice your stories together. Usually, Reiner was the one who would come up with the plans and assign tasks to the rest of you three. This was before the fight between Eren and Annie. You didn’t expect Annie to lock herself into the crystal.

You looked at Reiner who seemed to be deep in thought. “What are you thinking?”

He sighed. “I think another attack is coming soon.”

Bertholdt and your eyes widen. “Are you sure? Isn’t it a little too quick, Reiner?” Bertholdt wearily asks. You nod your head in agreement.

“They already have Annie. We need to get Eren and try to get Annie out of there as well.”

“Yes!” Bertholdt interjects. “We do need to save Annie.” Bertholdt always had a soft spot for Annie. You have an inkling he has a crush on her because he gets flustered and avoids the topic every time it’s brought up.

You don’t know if you’re ready for another attack. The last one was devastating. The fight between Eren and Annie destroyed so many homes and lost lives. Children losing their parents, parents losing their children, lovers lost… It is heartbreaking. You don’t know if you can stomach another attack at this point. What are you saying? That is what you’re here for. You need to do this for your people back home. You let out a long exhale and close your eyes.

“It bothers you too, doesn’t it?” You open your eyes to Bertholdt looking at you.

“They are people… just like us.”

You nod your head meekly. “Just like us.” You repeated in a whisper.

Reiner sighs. “And they have no clue what is happening.”

“No clue.” You and Bertholdt breathe simultaneously. You three sit in silence, all three of you lost in your own thoughts. Why did it have to be us?

-

During training you noticed Captain Levi limping a little more than usual. Since the 57th expedition, his leg has been in bad shape. He still supervises your training and some days, he can walk properly and some days he’s limping. You turn back to your task at hand, slicing through the titan dummies set up.

“(Y/n)! Straighten your back!” He yells from the field and you obey, straightening your back while you and Connie swing to the titan dummy.

“Oi Sasha! You have to aim your anchors a bit higher!”

“Mikasa, don't go too fast!”

The comments usually went like that for the entire training session. Watching all of you train and critique your performances. You’re not going to lie, it was a pain in the ass. But you noticed it does help you outside of the walls. Captain Levi is good at what he does. He’s perceptive and knows exactly what to do and when. He is a natural titan killer. Being able to take down small to abnormal and maybe even ones like you. After you were done, you all were panting and sweating while walking back to the field.

“Phew! That was some training today,” Connie wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Jean clicked his tongue. “That was nothing! Probably too much for you right Yeager?” He smirked at Eren.

Eren rolled his eyes. “You wish, Jean boy. That’s why you’re drenched in sweat.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

You all groaned as Eren and Jean started arguing for the fifth time today. The first two times Armin tried to interject to try and diffuse the argument but at this point, even he gave up.

“You’re on Yeager. After dinner, we’ll have an arm wrestling match.”

“After dinner,” Eren confirmed. “Don’t horse around Kirstein.”

“Shut up titan freak.”

“Are you ladies done bickering?” Captain Levi glared at them with his arms crossed. Eren clicked his tongue and Jean muttered under his breath. Captain narrowed his eyes at them, a warning to fix their attitudes. They immediately straightened their backs.

“Yes sir!” A few of you silently giggled watching them get scolded by Captain Levi.

Watching them with a smile, you loved the banter between Eren and Jean. Despite the arguments, you know deep down they have respect and admiration for one another. It’s distinctly shown during battle when they are looking out for another. Even during Eren’s fits of rage, Jean is understanding and never attacks Eren for his impulsive decisions. He might get a little bit of teasing though.

They were very friendly with you too. Always giving you a pat on the back or a cheesy grin whenever they see you. Looking back at you when riding through the gates to make sure you’re okay or screaming your name to make sure you are fine when fighting titans. And let’s not forget Jean’s flirty nature. His love for Mikasa is strong but he can’t help it when he sees any walking and breathing female. Just kidding. He’s not that girl crazy.. maybe. It’s too soon to decide that.

I think another attack is coming soon. You heard Reiner’s voice suddenly appeared in your mind. You suddenly started feeling a bit nauseous. Another attack on these people. These people you are considering your friends. You felt the salty taste in the back of your throat. Trying to calm your nerves, you took some deep quiet breaths. It wasn’t helping. It was getting harder to swallow with your throat tightening. You silently walked back hoping no one starts a conversation with you. As soon as you get back, you were planning on taking a very, very cold shower.

Grabbing your clothes, you ran into the showers. Breathing hard and with shaking hands, you turned the shower knob. The cold water hitting you and startling you for the first few seconds. You can’t. You can. You can’t. You have to. But these people, you can’t do that to them now. Not when they are just started to grow on you. They were normal people with normal feelings. They’re not… devils? Yes, they are.

You remember the attack in Trost. The chaos that spread through the walls. These same cadets hopelessly try to fight the titans. You were all newly graduated. Thomas getting eaten by a titan. Screams and cries filled your ears along with the sounds of loud thumps and bone-crunching.

When you were discussing things with Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie, poor Marco being in the wrong place at the wrong time. How devastated Jean was losing his best friend and not knowing ultimately it was you three that led to his death. Not only his but everyone else’s. The way Armin looked when Eren sacrificed himself to save him.

Can you do this again?

A sob escaped from your throat. Tears flew down your cheeks getting mixed in with the water. You are no different than them, aren't you? The blood of these innocent lives on your hands. But they were the reason for all this, no? Except they don’t know. Is it justifiable blaming them for something that happened so many years ago? While you are oppressed by the Marleyeans, they are oppressed by these titans. Aren’t you any different from the Marleyans then? Punishing innocent people for things out of their control?

Leaning your head on the tiled wall, you needed to make a decision. Whose side are you on? No, whose side do you want to be on? Do you want to continue the same treatment you received? Do you want to be the reason a child loses their mother? Their father? You need to make a decision and make it quick. You grabbed the soap bar and cleaned yourself off. You will make a decision. You just need time.

After your shower, you remembered you were going to go to Captain Levi’s office to help him with his paperwork. You also remembered how he was limping badly today. Before going into his office, you decided to make a trip to the infirmary.

Asking the nurses for some balm for Captain Levi’s leg, you grabbed a small jar and made your way to his office. What’s the reason for this? Are you trying to relieve some of the guilt eating away at your conscience?

Entering his office, he offered a small greeting before pointing to the paperwork that needed to be done today. Before getting seated at the table, you walked over to his desk and held out the small jar. With an eyebrow raised, he looked at the jar in your hand.

“It’s for your leg. You were limping today and I thought this might help sir.”

He took the jar from your hand. The curves of his mouth turned upward, not enough to call it a smile since he hardly ever did. “Thank you.”

Thank you. You felt your heart flutter. You barely hear words of acknowledgment from him and you can’t help but feel happy that you were on the receiving end of them. So what? Why do you care? Because you do admire him. After all, he was your Captain and you respect him. And he is looking nicer than usual in his black suit and cravat. What? Are you okay? You’re just acknowledging his looks. It means nothing-

Wait, he said thank you. You need to answer him instead of disputing with your own self.

“It’s no problem.” You smiled at him and walked over to your seat and began working.

-

That is how things went for a while. You have been avoiding Reiner and Bertholdt any chance you can get because you were unsure of how to explain the inner turmoil you are having with yourself. You are close to walking away from it all, officially dedicating your heart to the Scouts, to Commander Erwin, to Paradis. You are willing to throw it away. Your family, friends, and everyone else back home. They don’t understand what you’re going through. The struggle you are facing. It’s easy to be on the other side of things but when having to see these losses head-on, it’s gut-wrenching.

You managed to get even closer to everyone. Sharing laughs and jokes with your squad during breakfast and dinner, working with Commander Erwin more closely and offering suggestions when he’s planning the formations, engaging in more conversations with Captain Levi, and even spending time in Hange’s office.

“Oh! Hello again (Y/n)! Guess what Eren is doing today!” Hange exclaimed while wrapping her arm around Eren’s neck. Eren holding onto her arm trying to relieve some pressure on his neck.

“What is he doing today?” You gave Eren a little smirk.

“Drinking a lot of water. We’re testing out his pee!” She shoved a large canteen into Eren’s chest.

“Pee? Wait, why?”

“Because Eren, we’re tested your blood but we haven’t received consistent results. So we are going to try your bladder. So drink up! We need at least a liter.”

“A liter?!” Eren squeaked.

Hange cackled. “A liter indeed!”

“(Y/n), do you want to help Eren out?” She flashed a grin at you.

“Sure,” you shrugged. “What do I have to do?”

“Just make sure he drinks this entire canteen of water. And if he doesn’t..” her smile dropped and she grimly looked at you, “Force him.”

Eren managed to drink the canteen of water and he also managed to give a liter of urine samples. Unfortunately, Eren had to run to the bathroom every half hour for the rest of the day. This resulted in a very irritated Captain Levi and a snickering Jean.

“What experiment did four eyes do on the shit head today?” He asked you when you walked into his office.

“She needed urine samples from Eren so she forced him to drink an entire canteen which is a gallon of water in one hour.” You grinned while grabbing your stack of papers.

He cringed. “Poor Eren.”

You snapped your neck to look at him in shock. “Did you just have sympathy for someone, Captain?”

“Oi, shut it. Don’t get mouthy with me.” He teasingly pointed a finger at you.

You snickered, taking your usual seat at the table. “I mean… It’s Hange. I always have sympathy for anyone who works with her. Look at poor Moblit.” He chuckled.

His chuckle rang through your head. He chuckled. You quickly caught your thoughts and felt heat rushing up to your cheeks for getting flustered about him chuckling. Why are you feeling like this?

“Captain, what’s the occasion? I don’t think anyone has ever heard you laugh.” You grinned at him.

“That wasn’t a laugh.” He immediately responded while scribbling on papers.

“Fine. A chuckle.” You rolled your eyes and began shuffling through the papers and organizing them.

“Well feel special I guess. You heard your captain chuckle.” He mockingly repeats the word in your tone.

Special. You smile. I do feel special.

[the-mad-starker]

Starker Smut: Perks and Quirks of Being Tony Stark's Bestie

Based off this ask sent by @starkeristheendgame :

Are you even friends if you don't try to out-cum each other? (Could also be out-fuck)

Ty for sending that ask! It really got me inspired and motivated to write (which hasn't happened in so long so 😭💗) I feel like this fic is a bit odd but 🤷🤷 also, if the formatting's weird, sorry 😭 Tumblr fighting me on this

Notes: College AU, same age Starker, porn watching (some straight porn then gay porn), handjob, friends with benefits? Friends to lovers? (I also like to think Oblivious Idiots in love 😅)

WC: 3674 (AO3) 💗💗💗 There are certainly perks to being Tony Stark's best friend. Peter knows it well but he's never taken advantage. It's always been Tony that pushes him into accepting things or just drags him along for the ride. It'd been that way since they met in high school and while Peter got into MIT on his own merit, he never would've been able to afford the cozy two bedroom apartment five minutes away from campus on his own.

"As if I'd let my best friend stay in the dorms," Tony had scoffed with a roll of his eyes, "You'd think you'd know better by now, Petey baby. You're stuck with me so just shut up and say yes." There are certainly perks but then there's… other stuff. Tony's been called the genius of their generation but he also has a few weird quirks that Peter's not sure anyone else would understand. Or at least there'd be a few raised eyebrows if they knew.

When Peter walks into their apartment, he expects Tony to be furiously working on something in the kitchen or living room. If he's in the kitchen, whatever he's working on would definitely not be food.When Peter walks into their apartment, he expects Tony to be furiously working on something in the kitchen or living room. If he's in the kitchen, whatever he's working on would definitely not be food. He's not in either of the rooms so Peter pads over to Tony's bedroom. The door's unlocked and Peter unsuspectingly walks in. As expected, he finds Tony there and the other boy is sitting on his bed. Given the heat, it's not surprising that he's wearing a white tank top but little else. His pants are in a crumpled mess on the floor which leaves him in just his boxers. This is where most people would jump back or run away because Tony isn't just lazing around in bed. Nope, Tony has his headphones in and he's lazily jerking off, eyes fixed on the laptop screen in front of him. Peter's attention is caught by the slow, captivating strokes his friend makes as he plays with himself. It's only natural that that's where Peter's eyes go. The way Tony touches himself is almost hypnotic. His cock is flushed pink and Peter can see that swollen tip poke out whenever the other boy strokes downwards, squeezing along the length until he reaches the base. Peter enjoys the view because Tony makes an attractive sight. Neither of them are really into sports but Tony's body is still solid with hard earned muscles. While Peter has his hyped up metabolism to thank for his lean body, Tony's probably earned his from all the hands-on work he does fixing cars and engineering. Watching Tony like this… It has to be a pavlovian response because this isn't anything new. It's actually become a habit, someone walking in on the other and casually inviting the intruder for a jerk off porn session. Once he sees what Tony's doing, his own body quickly heats up in anticipation. Peter huffs and leans against the doorway, angling his body to hide the evidence away. His arms cross over his chest and he feels his heart beating in excitement. "Do you have any decency?" Peter quips, voice pitched loud enough to get Tony's attention. "Should I come back later?" The other boy pauses and pulls off one of his headphones. Instead of being embarrassed like a normal human being, he grins at Peter. He looks happy to see him which probably isn't the normal response someone should have when their jerkoff session gets interrupted. "Hey, Peter," Tony says and gives his cock a few slow tugs while he talks. "How was class?" He lets go of his cock and gives a nice, slow stretch as though he'd been in that position for a while. It bobs in the air, slick with lube and still achingly hard. Peter sympathizes because his own cock has taken an interest and it's now straining against his pants. Peter then notices the wad of tissues in the small trash can by the bed and his nose wrinkles. "It was alright," he answers. "How many times did you do it already?" Tony follows his gaze and it's only then that he ruefully smiles at Peter. "Do it? You mean, come?" He laughs a little, "You're so weird, Peter. Can't even say come?" Peter blushes but doesn't back down. "You're the one jerking off in front of me," he retaliates. "If it's more than five, I'm leaving." "No, no, don't go," Tony protests. "It was, hmm, twice?" He

shrugs, "You can still catch up." Twice. Tony has already jerked off two times. There's no rule that they have to wait for each other to start but Peter considers saying there should be. "I have homework," Peter hedges, a clumsy excuse because when do they not have homework? Tony rolls his eyes and pats the space next to him. "All the better to get it all out of your system. C'mon, sit down already," he says in an attempt to convince Peter. "Besides, I want your opinion on this vid." Peter pretends to consider it for a second but he's never needed much convincing. It's as he thought earlier, there are certainly perks to being Tony's best friend but then there's this… thing they have going on. Peter doesn't know what to classify it because it's not like they have sex with each other and they're definitely not dating. Tony's just like this, so carefree, curious, and wild. The older boy shows no hesitation when it comes to talking about porn or sex with Peter. It might just be Peter, though, because he's never caught Tony doing it with anyone else. Maybe mildly flirting but then, that's just Tony's personality. He likes to joke around, likes to flirt, and apparently likes to watch porn with Peter. Maybe Peter's the only one that isn't weird about this, about watching porn with a friend. He kind of likes that idea, that he's the only friend Tony does this with. "Okay, fine, fine," Peter says as he unbuttons his pants. Tony smirks at him once he sees how hard he is but Peter just rolls his eyes. What does Tony expect, really? It's pointless to try to hide it now. He does, however, nearly fold his pants and sets them aside because May taught him better. He moves closer and Tony scoots over to give him space. There's ample room on the bed, Tony has a king for some reason, but since they're watching the porno on Tony's laptop, Peter remains close enough that their knees touch. "Ready?" Tony asks but he immediately tugs the plugged headphones out. The telltale sounds of an adult film immediately spills into the room. High pitched moans and the dirty wet sounds of a mouth sucking on a cock. Tony's been on an oral fixation lately. The last two videos they've watched were blowjobs. They never really watch the same video twice because that defeats the purpose of Peter being there to critique it. He settles down in his spot, his left knee and elbow brushing Tony's while his right forearm rests on his thigh. His hand barely brushes against the bulge his erection makes in his boxers. "I'll give you a head start," Tony says to which Peter shushes him. The video that Tony's picked out today has a woman on her knees. She's working on her partner's cock, stroking whatever part of it that isn't in her mouth. Drool drips down her chin and her red lipstick is smeared on her face as she sucks her partner off. It's not exactly Peter's taste but he can tell the woman is Tony's type. Curly honey brown hair cut short to her shoulders. She reminds him of a girl next door type of person, someone he could bump into on the street and never realize she does these kinds of videos. He almost startles when he feels Tony nudge the bottle of lube against his arm. "Thanks," Peter says absentmindedly as he takes it. He's watching the video and his body is slowly starting to heat up. He only knows Tony's returned to jerking off because he feels the other boy's elbow bump against him. A glance to his side confirms it but when he looks up, a shock of heat sears through his body when their eyes meet. Tony doesn't look away so Peter has to. Heat blooms across his cheeks and crawls down his neck. He's always had a hard time looking Tony in the eye while they're doing this. The other boy's gaze is just always so intense like the subject to be investigated isn't the video but Peter. It's a silly thought though. "She's not as loud as the last one," Peter says to offset the awkwardness. His voice is calm and collected but inside, he's shivering from the memory of Tony's eyes on him. Peter squeezes his cock through his boxers. He's already so

hard that just touching himself like this has him trembling in pleasure. Without looking at his friend, he takes himself out. "Yeah," Tony agrees. He already sounds breathless and Peter dares to take a peek at him again. "It was a little distracting last time, all that moaning sounded really fake so I thought this might be better." Fortunately or unfortunately, Tony isn't looking at him this time. He's back to watching the screen, his hand curled around his erection and giving it the same slow teasing strokes as before. Maybe he's pacing himself since Peter still has to catch up. Peter hums in agreement and forces his eyes back to the video. It doesn't really keep his attention though and his mind wanders, eyes glazing over as he focuses more on the sounds filling the room. His mind seems more in tune with what's happening around him though and he zeros in on the sound of Tony's breathing as it turns into soft panting. His own breathing escalates to match his friend's and Peter jerks himself off to the sound of Tony's breathless panting, to the wet sound of flesh sliding against flesh next to him. He lets out a moan himself. It feels good to touch himself after a long day of classes and with Tony next to him, it feels even better. A sharp inhale next to him has Peter's back straightening as he looks at Tony who's biting down on his lip while watching the screen. Tony's eyes flicker to him and his white teeth press down on his bottom lip. "You better not come," Peter grits out even as he's holding back from releasing. "You– ah– You said you'd let me catch up." "Yeah, I won't," Tony grunts, "don't take too long though, I've been holding back for a while now." "Literally no one told you to," Peter says. His voice has lowered into a strained, breathy murmur. "I'm almost there so just– just wait, okay? You're distracting me." Tony rolls his eyes but ends up chuckling breathlessly. He stops stroking but starts massaging his balls. He lets out a moan as soon as he starts and that has Peter squeezing his eyes shut, his hips stuttering as he fucks his cock into his fist. His heart is going crazy and he stops fighting it. He spills right there, his load coming out hard and fast. It ends up getting over his stomach and he milks it out, squeezing the tip of the last few drops. When Peter finally finished, his nose wrinkles at the mess. "Should've taken your shirt off," Tony says, voice strained. Peter shoots him a friendly glare which softens when he finds that his friend is still holding back. Tony's face is flushed, his eyes bright with desperation. And yet, he hasn't come even when it's obvious he's ready to pop off. On the screen, the video is still playing but Tony grimaces. "Let's switch it up," he says while absentmindedly fondling his balls. "Sure." Tony leans forward a bit and uses the touchpad on his laptop to search around. Peter's trying his hardest not to stare at the other boy's erection. It doesn't soften in the least and Peter just wants to reach out and touch it. He wants to feel the warmth of Tony's skin, wants to hear what kind of noises Tony will make if he dares to do it. To touch Tony… "Okay, this'll be a little different," Tony says when he leans back into position. "But I don't think you'll mind. Tell me if you do and I'll find something else." A new video starts and Peter glances at it without much interest. Then he almost does a double take when he sees it's two men on the screen. Tony's never put in a gay porno before, he couldn't have chosen one now… Could he? "A threesome?" Peter says curiously. His heart is pounding and then it goes into overdrive when the two men start making out. "I can look for one next time if you want?" Tony offers. When Peter looks at him, the other boy has a lazy smirk. He's not bothered at all by the two men kissing on screen and Peter swallows down the spit in his mouth. "No, this is… this is good. It's fine," Peter says. He tears his eyes away and returns to the video. "You're hard again," Tony comments nonchalantly. Peter looks down and yeah…

Yeah, he's hard. He's watching a gay porno with his friend. Tony either picked up that this is more to Peter's preference or… Or this is Tony's preference, too. Either option makes Peter want to run away or hide under a blanket. He does neither because he's not going to make this weird. "You have good taste," Peter says, "They're both really hot." Tony chuckles beside him. "Damn right, I do." They both fall silent and they're both more engrossed in this film. Peter actually takes the time to invest in what's going on. Both men are attractive and hot as hell. They don't waste any time stripping each other off and the expanse of newly exposed skin has Peter squeezing his cock. Despite this, he can't help glancing at Tony. He can't help wondering. Their eyes keep meeting and this time, Peter doesn't look away. Neither does Tony. He greedily takes everything in, admiring the way Tony's hair, previously slicked back, is falling into his eyes. Tony's mouth is also slightly parted and a quick pink tongue flicks out to wet dry lips. Peter wants to bite at them. Something changes between them at this moment. They're watching both the film and each other. For Peter, his attention is clearly on Tony and it's Tony that's making his cock hard. But even if it feels like something's changed, Peter still toes the line of their friendship. "Are you getting close again?" Tony pants. He's struggling not to come. Peter can tell by how he's gently tugging on his balls in an attempt to hold off. Peter bites down on his lip cause he's not quite there yet but he wants to so badly. He wants to come with Tony watching him but he just can't seem to do it. "I don't think I can," Peter groans. "Ugh, Tony, I'm getting tired…" Something in his expression must give his frustration away because Tony shuffles closer which makes Peter's heart go berserk. Not only does Tony come closer but he moves behind Peter. His legs stretch out, bracketing Peter's body. Suddenly, Tony's so much closer. Too close for comfort because Peter had just said he couldn't come but like this, it'd be so easy. It fuels all sorts of dirty imaginations that he shouldn't be having about his friend but... "I got an idea," Tony says, pressed so close against Peter's back. Surely, he can feel Peter's heart thumping like crazy? "What do you– Oh…!" Peter's entire body would've basically jumped in the air if it isn't for Tony's arms around him. "It's not fun if I win all the time, so we should at least end this in a tie, right, Pete?" Tony says. "Lemme help, okay?" Peter's wide-eyed and his hips buck uncontrollably when Tony's hand settles over his own. There's no mistaking what Tony wants to do. He shudders when Tony grips his cock. Those sturdy fingers that Peter often admires press down on him causing him to tighten his grip on his cock. Tony's touching him… Tony's touching his cock. Tony wants to help jerk him off. Peter might just come right then and there. "Tony– You're… touching me…" The words come out as an embarrassing squeak but Peter can scarcely believe it. "Mhmm…" Tony murmurs, amusement in that one single hum. Peter had just started the obvious so of course, he'd be amused. In any other circumstances, maybe Peter would be too. Instead, he feels like he's dreaming. He's looking down at his body, specifically between his legs where Tony's tanned hand is curled around his. "C'mon, Pete, either move your hand or I'll move it for you," Tony says right into his ear. That gets Peter moving and he starts stroking again, clumsy with the added weight of another hand. It shouldn't feel good because their hands are bumping and Tony being pressed against him is making him so… so flustered. But it does feel good. it feels so good that Peter's fighting tooth and nail not to come right away. He doesn't want this to end yet. Eventually, Tony does take over. When he pulls Peter's hand off by the wrist, Peter just shudders and lets him. His hand falls to the side and he grabs the bed sheets just to have some sort of anchor. He squeaks when Tony adds more

lube. "Sorry. Here, I'll make you feel good…" Tony promises him and he keeps true to his word. He practices those smooth steady strokes on Peter's cock and Peter recognizes the motion. It turns him on so much, he's clenching his teeth to hold back all those embarrassing moans that want to escape. "Tony…" Peter gasps. "I-It feels..." "Too slow? Too soft?" Tony chuckles. "I got you, Pete. Relax and lemme take care of it." Peter squeezes his eyes shut as Tony increases his pace. His grip tightens a little but it's enough to have Peter gasping out his name again. It's exactly what Peter needs and he whimpers, hips twitching toward the delicious friction Tony's hand provides. His ears burn from the wet sounds Tony's hand makes while he's jerking him off, all those embarrassing squelches and not to mention the feeling… Tony's grilling him just right, giving him a warm, wet hole to thrust his cock into… How can something so simple as another person touching him feel so much better than his own hand? His hips continue to move, thrusting into his friend's tight grip. He's so aware of every point of contact between their bodies. "Isn't this weird?" Peter starts to babble, "The porn was one thing but Tony– You're touching my– Isn't this too much?" "Is it? I'm just trying to get you caught up," Tony says as though it's entirely reasonable. Then he chuckles and Peter shivers at the warmth of his breath fanning across his nape, "Are you even friends if you don't try to out-come each other?" It's so ridiculous that it makes Peter huff out a laugh even while his cock is now a leaking mess in Tony's fist. "You're ridiculous–" he gasps. "And you're about to cum," Tony says. Peter can hear the triumph in his voice. It's the last thought he has before Tony's hand squeezes him just right. He's coming before he even realizes it and the outpouring of pleasure has him arching his back, gasping and shuddering in ecstasy. Tony's arms keep him grounded, pressed as he is against the front of his friend's body. "Oh, fuck, yeah," Tony breathes. His head hangs between his shoulders and it's in the perfect position to see how his load comes spilling out of his cockhead, all messy and being milked out by his friend in gentle squeezes. He feels something hot and hard poke against his back. Oh, yeah… Tony still hasn't come. Despite having his orgasm milked out of him, Peter's body is still hot. Actually, it's even worse now because Tony's arms are still around him. Tony's face is still buried against his neck, his breath adding fuel to the heat inside him with every puff of warm air against his sensitive skin. The video has long since ended and Tony doesn't seem to care about putting another one on. It's just them now with no excuse for what they're doing. Peter leans back and he can feel Tony's cock rub against him, so hot and demanding. Tony grumbles when Peter pulls away but he doesn't get the chance to complain. Peter shoves him so he's lying flat on his back, those familiar brown eyes wide with surprise and arousal. "Since we're trying new things," Peter says, breathless and barely containing the urge to straddle Tony's hips. "Mind if I try something?" Tony's hands curl into loose fists before they relax and he gives Peter a look that he's never seen before. Bedroom eyes… Now Peter understands what those words mean. By the curve of his smart mouth and the dark, hungry look in his eyes, he's inviting Peter to do whatever he wants with him. "I'm always up for new things," he says then smirks, "Quite literally this time." The amused look on Tony's face quickly fades when Peter settles between his legs. He leans down, takes a hold of the other boy's cock by the base to steady it. It twitches in his hand and Tony's eyes are fixated on Peter's lips hovering over his tip. Peter loves the way Tony's watching him. "I don't mind if you win this time, Tones," he says, "so don't hold back, okay?" With that said, he closes the distance and takes Tony's cock into his mouth.

[armenelols]

For @tolkiengenweek

Rating: Gen Warnings: None Relationships: Manwendil & Tindómiel Characters: Manwendil, Tindómiel Words: 1104, complete (1326 words on AO3 because I put the full version of the poem at the end there. I couldn’t include it here because Tumblr likes messing with formating) Summary: On a hot spring day, Manwendil goes into the streets of Rómenna

Read also on AO3

"We have time yet!" he called. People cheered. "Come on, sing with me! Ere the sunset comes, we can rejoice."

The child laughed. Manwendil steadied the small boy on his shoulders, grasping the feet hanging over his chest. He smiled. Sun rays were on his face. The sea was roaring.

He squirmed in his seat before sending another smile to the children sitting on the ground around him. Then he opened his mouth and sang.

"Vása shines down on Númenor, the waves are rising high. So take your ship, raise sails and go." He paused. "Come on, you know the words." And as he sang again, more people started to join him. "Sun Maiden hear my cry, Sun Maiden hear my cry!"

As he said the last words, the boy on his shoulders started bouncing. Manwendil carefully put him on the ground. When the child protested, liking his seat on the prince's shoulders, Manwendil gave him a sweet kiss on his brow. The boy giggled.

Manwendil stood up and started clapping to the rhythm of the song, encouraging others to do the same.

"Arien! Glorious on a bright day of spring, I call to thee rejoiced! Will you show me the far west and east, as I take my ship and go." He ruffled the hair of two children near him. They laughed and joined in song, their voices high and joyful. "As I take my ship and go!"

The next came the chorus and by that time, everyone was singing. He felt the light wind messing with his golden hair. The sand was between his bare toes. He spun around a dark-haired girl who couldn't be older than ten, then he took the hands of two children and nodded at others to do the same and form a circle. With their hands full, they couldn't clap anymore and settled for stomping to the beat instead. They have started dancing - moving closer to each other, raising joined hands, walking around to both left and right.

"Can you hear the wistful melody, the beauty of these shores," he sang again. A few feet away from him, a child fell on the ground and was quickly picked up by an older stranger who stood next to them. "Can you see me dance and trill, Daystar of Númenor? Daystar of Númenor!"

Suddenly, there was a new person. Before he could realize what was happening, instead of a child's hand, he was holding Tindómiel's. His sister had her golden hair let loose, her dress of red and blue and gold was glistening in the sun, shimmering as the waves of the sea.

"Sneaking in, are you?" he asked her with a grin while others continued to sing.

"I am not missing out on all the fun," she smirked at him. Then they both have raised their voices in song.

"I find myself being rejoiced at the sight of the sun. At the sight of the sun!"

A large wave rose, splashing the legs of the ones standing nearest to the sea. Manwendil laughed out loud, and with him many others. Then in the heat of joy, he let go of the hands he was holding, and run towards the water. Soon he could feel it hugging his feet, then calves, then his knees.

"Don't stop singing! We have yet the last verse!" he called to others. He felt as some child crushed into him and, laughing, picked them up, and held them close to his chest.

"I stand on the board, I wait for a sign to pull the anchor out of the sea. I sing joyful songs, I listen to the sound of blue water bubbling!"

He pinched the child's nose, ruffled the messy hair, and got out of the water. The boy grinned at him.

"Sunset isn't here yet," he said.

Manwendil laughed in answer.

"Nay, it is not, though it is getting near," he agreed. "Do you want another song?"

"Yes!"

And so they have raised their voices again.

By the time they were done, the sun had almost set. The sea was coloured in red, orange, and yellow hues. Manwendil was drenched to the bone - even though he never went deeper than his thighs, the children greatly enjoyed splashing him with water. One mother kept apologizing to him until he waved it off with a laugh and told her it was no issue.

Once everyone left, only Tindómiel remained behind. Somehow, miraculously, she managed to stay mostly dry, despite being almost just as much engaged with the children as he was.

"It is a talent," she told him.

"Sure it is," he snorted. "There is still time to get you soaked."

"You would not dare."

He grinned. "Watch me." And before Tindómiel could realize what was happening, Manwendil run to her and gave her a tight wet hug. She moaned in displeasure.

"My dress, Manwendil. It is new. From Mithlond. You will pay for this."

"Your dress can not survive a little water?"

"You and I have a different definition of what a little water means."

And indeed, when he pulled back, she was almost just as soaked as he was. He grinned at her again.

"Back to the city?"

She gave him a displeased look before turning her gaze towards the sea.

"No, to the port. Atanalcar will be there soon."

"Atanalcar?" He blinked. "He is here?"

"Not yet, but we had seen his ship. I actually came to get you to greet him, but I got distracted."

"Why did you not say so sooner?!" Manwendil asked quickly, already walking towards the port.

Tindómiel rolled her eyes and quickly followed him.

"Because I know you. You would go straight to the port and then you would feel bad about leaving the children behind without spending ages of having fun with them before. There was still enough time to wait for Atanalcar; I did not see the need to hurry. I am sure we still have at least half an hour."

She had a point, but-

"Tindómiel, it has been three years! Of course I would go straight to the port - his return is the only reason why I am here in the first place instead of hiking in Forostar. The mountains! The children could have waited until tomorrow."

Tindómiel gave him an unimpressed look.

"If it helps you sleep at night."

She was right, of course. Manwendil would feel bad about leaving the children without entertainment after promising them fun.

"You are a nightmare," he told her.

"Thank you, I try. Now stop complaining about me not telling you about our dear brother finally deciding to see his family instead of endless bodies of water. Vardamir should be waiting for us at the port - I told him we had seen the ship on my way to you. He said he would be there at sunset."

[dayseternal-blog]

Hello, Days8! Could you tell us about your most favorite recent reads?

Oh? My personal favorite recent reads?!  Okay!  I have 5 I want to talk about!

So, in case I didn’t RAVE enough about these two socmed!AUs on Twitter, here we go again.

“Catalyst” by @himatauzumaki - Rated T, Celebrity AU, Socmed format, Ongoing.  Giant entertainment idols Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki are invited to the highest-profile performance of the year: MAMA, the Mnet Asian Music Awards.  With rising media attention, amid behind-the-scenes trouble brewing among friends, family, and ex-lovers, Hinata and Naruto need to somehow maintain their picture-perfect reputations.

“A Little White Lie” by Trinity (bakugousbby) - Rated M, High School AU, Socmed format, Ongoing. Hinata posts a picture of a boy to ward off her creepy stalker. The only problem? She chose the wrong boy.

I was obsessed with these for a solid two weeks, was completely considering how to stop ficcing like old news and create a social media au, and then I finally decided that it’s too much work.  I don’t have enough investment to go searching for the perfect photographs, edit them, create text threads and posts on top of creating a plot, writing the actual story, and figuring out how to post it.  But himatauzumaki and trinity are up for the challenge!!!  And they do it so beautifully!!

“Catalyst” has THICK plot.  As a fanfiction on its own, it would have been wonderful to read.  As a socmed AU, I feel like I’m watching a Jdrama or Kdrama???  It’s like watching a movie!!  The characterization feels beautiful and realistic, too!

“A Little White Lie” is literally the funniest NaruHina story I’ve ever read.  I’ve never laughed so much while reading a story.  I can just tell that Trinity has a lot of fun with her characters, and so it’s SO FUN to read.  Angst is just, like, not a thing??  The situations are stereotypically high school “angsty” but trinity resolves them with humor, and I love it!!!

Truly those are the best reads I’ve had recently.  They’re everything that I’ve ever wanted to see, combining my love for NaruHina with aesthetic photography and Asian models/musicians.  Reading those fics are like scrolling through my own Tumblr blog.

Since then, hmmmmmmm,,,,

I think my recent favorite reads were both by @badluckbrebis!

“A Shirt, a Neckerchief and my Bag on my Shoulders” - Rated E, High School Summer Camp AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Hinata is freezing cold as she washes up in a nearby stream despite the poor weather, until Naruto unexpectedly shows up to shelter her...

“Hold Me in Your Memory” - Rated E, Police/Crime/Time Travel AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. When 2008 rookie Detective Uzumaki Naruto discovers that he can communicate with 2019 Crime analyst Hyūga Hinata, they embark together on a manhunt that defies space and time. But, can the two of them really face the Rinnegan Killer, the serial killer that destroyed both their lives?

So the summer camp AU is totally up my ally.  Imanga really knew what she was doing when she gifted me that fic 😂💖

Thank you💘

It’s awkward teens pining and flirting ❤️, and I swear that half my own works are exactly that.  Still, it includes aspects of French/camping culture, so it’s something that’s completely different!!  It has that 🙊 kinkiness with the outdoor aspect, and the daring smut reminds me of bunnyhoodlum’s or breakfastinbed’s style.  Awkward & flirty first love + culture + kinky smut is the perfect combination to me!

I read “Hold Me in Your Memory” last night while answering the Time Travel AU recommendations ask, and time travel is not something that I’d normally read, but!  This story reminded me of utsus’ unfinished Detective AU “Stolen Beginnings”, but with the time travel twist, and of course, this time Naruto is one of the detectives rather than suspects.  It also reminded me of bunnyhoodlum’s “Powerless” because of the gruesome and high-stakes murders.  Like, Imanga really went there.  The plot is bold and the characterization of Naruto and Hinata is a little different from the usual, taking into account how the murders messed up their lives.  SOOOOOOooooo, yeah.  This one’s going to be on my mind....considering how I just compared it to two of my Top 5s, I’m looking forward to seeing how this story turns out!

Last, I came across a Boxer!Naruto and Nurse!Hinata AU :DDDDD  Ever since I read martial artist!Naruto in katarinahime’s “(common side effects)”, I’ve wanted to read more!  This one is very sweet!!!

“Seeing Stars” by Free Mentality - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. They had been attending the same boxing gym for months before he noticed her, and the first time they met was a bit of a disaster, to say the least.

Thank you for asking, anon!  I love talking about good fanfiction :D

[unforth]

Ko-Fi Commission for Diminuel

@diminuel here you go love! <3 (sorry it’s not Naga Dean, I got it written before I saw your reply)

Fandom: Supernatural

Ship: Destiel

Rating: Explicit

Tags: A/B/O dynamics, canon adjacent, omega bottom Cas, alpha top Dean, mutual pining and idiots kinda sorta using their words, heat, mentions of Dean/Kevin (in a platonic “alpha helping an omega friend through a heat” way.)

Word count: 1,646 words.

Read on AO3 or read more...(ugh Tumblr is being impossible about formatting sorry it ate all the italics, sigh...you’re probably better off just reading it on AO3)

“Where is he?” Dean demanded, slamming open the door of bunker library and storming into the room. 

Startled, Sam jumped up from his chair, hand reaching for a pistol he didn’t actually have at his side when they were at the Bunker, and then relaxed. “Who, Cas? How did you kn--?”

“No, I mean the fucking Easter Bunny - of course I mean Cas!” Anger and arousal and anger about the arousal simmered beneath Dean’s skin. “And he’s been lighting my phone up with texts like you wouldn’t believe.” This was all wrong. “I didn’t even know he knew how to use the goddamn camera on his phone, much less how to send me a dick pic.” Cas didn’t - couldn’t - want Dean. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Oh, um.” Swallowing, Sam looked away, cheeks flushing. “Maybe you should, uh...I mean, he’s in his room. I thought you two…”

Dean glared, eyes narrowing. “We...what?” 

Come on, Sammy, I dare you to say you legit thought we were a couple, when you know better. He’s a fucking angel, and I’m a fucking mess, and he’d never…

“Nothing! I...look, Dean, I’m not involved. I offered, but he said it had to be you, so...go.”

...I’d never…

“What had to be me?!”

...that’s a total lie, I would if there was even a prayer that he’d want…

“Just go,” ordered Sam, gesturing toward the door and dropping back into his chair to hunch over whatever esoteric nonsense he was reading today.

...but he never would.

Grumbling, Dean obeyed, leaving the library and navigating the tunnels of the Bunker. His nose tickled, an unfamiliar scent permeating the air, and he tried to place it. It smelled a little like Charlie, with the soothing aspect of her betaness easing Dean’s tension even when he didn’t want his tension eased. It smelled a little like Kevin, especially that one annoying time he’d gone into heat, spicy and clinging and inescapable. It didn’t smell like Cas, who never smelled like anything. Jimmy had been an omega, Dean thought, but if Cas had a presentation type, Dean had never caught a whiff of it.

It smelled good, tempting, taunting. An itch teased down Dean’s spine, a whisper of desire thickening his dick.

It smelled wrong, like it didn’t belong, like Dean shouldn’t be following it.

Except he had to check on Cas.

Except the scent intensified the closer he drew to Cas’ room.

Except that Dean didn’t think he could stop himself pursuing the source of that enticing aroma if his life fucking depended on it.

Finally, he stood before Cas’ door. The mystery aroma suffused the air, and the explicit selfies Cas had sent him suggested intriguing possibilities, and Dean stood there, paralyzed.

If he added all the pieces up, it was hard to imagine anything other than that, somehow, Cas was an omega and had gone into heat.

And, if that was the case...the last thing Dean should be doing was knocking on that door.

Cas did not want Dean...but apparently, when he was in heat, maybe he did. Dean would never be that alpha. He would never--

“Dean?” Cas’ shout, frantic and deep and raspy and fucking sex incarnate, was barely muffled by the door. “Dean, you came! Please...oh, please…”

“Yeah,” Dean replied, heart aching. “I’m here.” He should walk away. “But I can’t…”

“I know,” Cas moaned, the scent intensifying. “...I know, I know, you don’t want...I mean...but…” The air was awash with musk and a heavy scent like a thick fog descending, and Dean’s erection stiffened. ��...but just this once...please…”

Catching a lip between his teeth, Dean furious debated in his head as Cas continued to beg. On the one hand, Dean was never one to take advantage of an omega in heat. On the other hand, there was a world of difference between scenting a stranger and getting a dumbass alpha boner, and helping a friend through a difficult time. When Kevin had been desperate, Dean had offered himself up, after all...consent was a bitch in cases like those but friends were friends, and working it out after the fact was a time honored tradition...if Dean went in and helped Cas, it wouldn’t be any different.

“...Dean, I’m begging...I need you so badly...need you...only you…”

Right. Not a bit of difference. Nope. Not like Kevin really is just a friend, whereas Cas is…

“...I’ll do anything…”

...is everything...

“...I’m so hot…”

...is nothing...nothing to me...we’re nothing to each other…there’s nothing between us...

“I can’t,” Dean muttered, hoping like hell Cas could hear him, hoping like hell Cas couldn’t hear him and might stop babbling enticingly long enough for Dean to escape. “Cas...look...I get you feel all...some kinda way...right now...but you don’t actually…” Dean laid an arm over the door, leaned his forehead against it, and took a deep breath despite himself. “...you don’t actually want me…” 

Fuck, Cas smelled amazing.

“I do!” said Cas frantically. “I do, please - I need you.” He sounded like he was sobbing, and Dean’s heart could have broken - he wanted to help so badly, wanted to believe Cas so, so badly. 

But...

“...you don’t…”

...he couldn’t.

“I’ll show you!”

Surprised, Dean took a step back from the door and blinked as if the dull gray would tell him what the fuck Cas meant.

Naw, don’t need X-Ray vision to know what he means. He’s horny, and of course between Sam and I’d pick me, I’m hung, and Sam’s a little bitch. When I open this door, he’ll be on his bed, presenting a slick hole, and if my willpower doesn’t snap it’ll be a fucking miracle.

“Please!”

And even knowing all that, Dean couldn’t resist the desperate catch in Cas’ voice.

Fuck, but Dean was gonna hate himself when this was over.

Fuck, but I already hate myself…

With a resigned sigh, Dean pushed the door open and stared.

He’d been partially right - Cas was on the bed presenting a slick hole.

The wings were a surprise, though.

And Cas’ scent was fucking insane, powerful, unearthly, drawing Dean into the room like a siren’s call. He’d heard some nonsense about how a true mate might smell and had never believed a lick of it, and he didn’t believe it now, no matter how amazing Cas smelled, no matter how drawn to him Dean felt - this had to be some bizarre angel mojo, no “meant to be” involved, for all that Cas moaned like a damn pornstar when the first gust of Dean’s scent swept before him into the room. There was no fucking way this was Jimmy’s humanity at work. This was pure angel grace insanity, complete with black feathers, and Dean wanted...Dean needed…

“Bedside table!” Cas gasped, craning his neck to look back at Dean. His eyes were wide, his pupils blown, his cheeks coated with sweat and tears.

Who’d’a thought Cas would have protection next to the bed...good thinking though, I’m about 2.3 seconds from sinking in balls deep, and--

Dean tugged the drawer open.

There weren’t any condoms in the drawer.

There was a book with a leather cover and all the hallmarks of being a journal. 

“Read it - please read it - and then help me, if you still want to - I’ll understand if you don’t - but I need...need...and it can only be you, it has to be you, has to be…” Cas’ supplications dissolved into sobs as, confused, Dean withdrew the book and leafed through the pages…

...Dean, it said on one page...my mortal love, it said on another...anything for him, it said on yet another...doesn’t want me, on another page...here for him no matter what, on another...don’t need more than this, on another...but I want him, on another...page upon page of devotion and care written in Cas’ unmistakable neat handwriting.

Impossible.

The book dropped from Dean’s numbed fingers.

He can’t want me.

He can’t think I don’t want him.

“Dean!”

He couldn’t possibly…

Slowly, Dean turned toward the bed. Cas panted desperately, rocking back against nothing, eyes fixed on Dean...no, fixed on the bulge in Dean’s pants, his gaze was definitely directed down with the look of a starving man...and Dean stared.

...why would he…

“...need you…” Cas whimpered pathetically.

...but he does.

Certain this must be a dream, Dean crossed the scant steps separating them, fumbling hands undoing his belt on the first step, letting his pants drop on the second, stepping out of them on the third and fourth, and then he was beside the bed, and Cas was displayed before him like a banquet, and Dean’s cock was so hard it ached, and the scent of angel heat made him dizzy, and there was nothing, nothing between them except years of devotion and uncountable words of near-confessions that never said everything and desperation and pining and need and devotion…

...there was nothing between them, not a shred of cloth, not a single inhibition, not a hint of uncertainty.

Dean climbed onto the bed.

Though...they would have a fuckton to talk about once Cas’ heat was over.

Or it’s a dream, and I’ll wake up...either way, awkward feels talks can wait...hell, they can wait forever if I’m lucky...and Cas needs me now.

“Don’t worry,” murmured Dean as he pushed forward and the head of his dick breached that perfect, tight pucker for the first time. “I’ll take care of you.”

Everything could wait until Cas was sated - until Dean had been the alpha that Cas deserved.

“I know you will,” Cas whispered, rocking back against him. “You always do...always...always…”

Yes, Cas...always...always here for you...always your alpha...always your Dean…

...always yours.

[besanii]

shattered mirrors 50

WangXian ; 1368 words

[follows part 05]

He watches from the parapets as the soldiers assemble in the courtyard below, the foot soldiers arranging themselves into neat formations and the cavalry gently nudging their horses in line. There are wagons laden with supplies—food, water, weapons for use on the road—although the majority had been sent ahead in batches to replenish the supplies on the front lines. Overhead, the blue clouds of Gusu Lan curl across white silk banners fluttering in the breeze, the same shade of blue as the soldier’s robes beneath their polished lamellar armour.

It is easy to spot Lan Wangji and Lan Guoyan amongst the crowd: they are the only ones with helmets decorated with plumes of Gusu Lan blue, and their polished armour gleams silver in the sunlight.

“Wei-gongzi.”

He turns and bows with his fingers clasped before him.

“Taizi-dianxia,” he says in greeting.

“You may rise,” Lan Xichen says, waving him to his feet with a smile. He is alone, his personal attendants standing further away and just out of earshot, their heads bowed to offer them privacy. “I am surprised to see you here, and not down there with Wangji and Guoyan.”

In the courtyard below, Lan Guoyan is shouting orders at the men and gesturing towards the wagons while Lan Wangji frowns beside him, his attention focused on the map in his hands. Wei Wuxian shakes his head.

“I thought it would be best if I let them work undisturbed,” he says. “I fear I would only hinder their task and delay their departure.”

“Would that not be a good thing?” Lan Xichen asks, a twinkle in his eye.

Wei Wuxian ducks his head, his cheeks heating.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Taizi-dianxia,” he says carefully.

Lan Xichen laughs softly, no more than a quiet exhale accompanied by the faintest of smiles and a shake of his head; he walks over to the edge of the parapet, his hands tucked behind his back as he surveys the preparations.

“Jing-junwang withdrew his petition for your hand this morning,” he says, voice deceptively light. When Wei Wuxian does not reply, he continues: “I must admit, Wei-gongzi, I was surprised to receive his petition in the first place.”

“Jing-junwang has shown me great favour,” Wei Wuxian replies without raising his head. “I am unworthy of his affections.”

“I’m sure that isn’t the case,” Lan Xichen tells him magnanimously. He turns away from the parapet finally and looks at Wei Wuxian with a critical eye. “Forgive me, Wei-gongzi, but I had always been under the impression you and Wangji…or was I mistaken?”

Wei Wuxian takes a step back and bows low at the waist.

“Taizi-dianxia,” he says. “Wei Wuxian asks for your forgiveness.”

Lan Xichen looks surprised. “Whatever for, Wei-gongzi?”

Wei Wuxian straights, but keeps his head bowed, his cheeks flushed. This far above the ground, the noise from the soldier’s preparations down below is little more than a constant buzz punctuated by the occasional horse’s whinny or the clash of metal, but it is familiar enough to soothe Wei Wuxian’s nerves as he formulates his reply to Lan Xichen with care.

“Wei Wuxian has been fortunate to receive Er-dianxia’s affections,” he says. “For that, I am eternally thankful.”

“But you do not share the sentiment?” Lan Xichen asks, keeping his voice level. Wei Wuxian shakes his head quickly to disabuse him of the notion.

“Please do not misunderstand, Taizi-dianxia,” he says. “I am unworthy of such high regard from Er-dianxia. But…I hope to be.”

The last words are spoken softly, hesitantly, and he dares not raise his eyes from where they are fixed on the ground at Lan Xichen’s feet. He has not had many personal dealings with the Crown Prince during his time in Gusu; the Crown Prince no longer lives within the Palace now that he is of age and married, and Wei Wuxian had been preoccupied with lessons,but he knows enough—not just from Lan Wangji’s deep-seated respect and love for his brother, but also what he overhears from ministers and servants alike—to know that he is just and fair, and unfailingly kind. Such men are rare, and he would very much prefer to win his favour than cause offence. Gusu is a powerful ally, after all, and he is here to strengthen that alliance.

There is also the fact that he is Lan Wangji’s brother. If nothing else, Wei Wuxian would like to win his approval for Lan Wangji’s sake.

“Wei-gongzi,” Lan Xichen says now. “Please raise your head.”

His eyes—a darker shade of hazel than Lan Wangji’s, more of a light brown than a honey-gold—are kind when Wei Wuxian lifts his head to meet his gaze. A small, knowing smile plays at the corner of his lips.

“I am glad to hear that, Wei-gongzi,” he tells him. “Although it is customary for men of power to take multiple concubines—especially those of us in the Imperial Family, in order to secure the lineage—neither my brother nor myself, or even our Fuhuang, is very much inclined towards the practice.”

He takes a step towards Wei Wuxian, the light in his eyes turning serious, more meaningful. In that moment, Wei Wuxian glimpses the statesman, the future Emperor, behind the brother: the self-assurance, the confidence, and the commanding presence in the set of his shoulders, the tilt of his chin, and the sharpness of his gaze.

“Wei-gongzi, you’ll find my brother can be quite single-minded in his devotion,” he says seriously. “Once he has set his heart and his mind on something—or someone—it is there to stay, for better or for worse. There will be troubling times ahead for all of us and the future is uncertain, but I sincerely hope my brother’s affections are not misplaced.”

Do not break my brother’s heart.

As if Wei Wuxian would even entertain the idea.

“Taizi-dianxia, please be assured,” he says, sinking into a formal bow as expected of a courtier to his future Emperor. “I would sooner cut off my own head than betray Er-dianxia and your faith in me.”

This seems to mollify Lan Xichen’s concerns; the severity of his expression clears into something lighter, friendlier, and the smile returns to his lips. He nods his head slowly and motions for Wei Wuxian to rise.

“I am glad, Wei-gongzi,” he says, and turns back to the view over the parapet. “And I am sure Wangji will also be thrilled to hear it. Have you spoken to him?”

“Ah…we’ve come to an understanding of sorts, Taizi-dianxia,” Wei Wuxian replies, scratching the bridge of his nose with an awkward chuckle. “With the current state of affairs, we agreed it would be best to wait until after everything has settled before we make anything official. We both have our duties, and they must come first. But afterwards…” he trails off with a wistful sigh. “I guess we’ll see.”

Lan Xichen hums thoughtfully.

“And you will be returning to Yunmeng in Wangji’s absence.”

“Yes, Taizi-dianxia,” Wei Wuxian replies with a short bow. “I will be leaving later today, once the troops have departed and I have settled my affairs here.”

“Very well then.” Lan Xichen walks towards him in measured steps until they are shoulder-to-shoulder. “Safe travels, Wei-gongzi. I look forward to seeing more of you after the war.”

He leaves as Wei Wuxian turns and bows low in farewell. When he is alone again, he leans over the parapets, his folded arms resting on the stone walls. Down below, Lan Wangji looks up amid the crowd of people surrounding him and catches his eye; Wei Wuxian smiles and waves.

Yunping attacked. Heavy casualties. Return immediately.

Lan Wangji gives him the slightest of nods in return, but there is a hint of a smile tugging at his mouth, and turns back to his work. Wei Wuxian allows his smile to fade.

Everything will be alright, he thinks, echoing Lan Wangji’s words from last night as his heart sinks. The war will be over soon.

--

Notes:

Fuhuang (父皇) - Imperial Father, used by children of the Emperor when talking to/referring to their father.

--

ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to Tumblr messing with the way things show up in tags, there are some changes I’ll be making in hopes of circumventing those issues until I work out how best to do this.

Tracked tag: originally was “shattered mirrors au”, now I’ll also be tagging posts with:

shattered mirrors fic - for fic updates

shattered mirrors verse - for non-update, verse-related posts

The existing tag will still be used just in case, but from what I can see nothing is showing up in it regardless of whether or not I’ve removed the links, so I’m being extra cautious.

Master Post is available on the sidebar of my blog. 

You can also copy the following and append it to the end of my tumblr homepage: shattered-mirrors-master-post

Ko-Fi link is available on the sidebar of my blog.

If you want to look me up directly, my username is besanii

This information is also pinned at the top of my blog for reference.

[coldshrugs]

20 First Lines Meme!

No one tagged me but I saw @cassandra-pentughasst and @red-hot-chili-tiefling do this and it looked fun so I’m pretending I was tagged.

The challenge is to list the first lines of your 20 latest fanfics.

Since I mostly write short fic, my first lines work overtime in establishing setting or mood, imo.

I’ll tag @apostatetabris @lavampira @impossible-rat-babies if y’all feel like it 💗

Untitled UB Goes Camping Fic that I just started today

"Did we bring a map?" "Yep." "Compass?" "It's with the map." "Tents? Sleeping bags?" "Yes." "What about swimsuits?"

WIP that I may never finish of Mason doing some roof pining

Mason tried not to smoke this week. He really did.

Prompt fill: Alone, Finally

The walk from the station to Alma's apartment is an unusually talkative one considering her partner in conversation is Mason, and there's a rush to their steps that she's not sure which of them initiated. It doesn't really matter.

Prompt fill: Sea Change

Alma sits alone on the dock of the lake, and for once- for just a moment- she’s well and truly alone.

Prompt fill: Harsh Whisper

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Aeran asks from Ephyra’s side, the words coming out so quietly she almost thinks she imagined them and starts to get annoyed with herself over them. “There’s an exit on the west side of the building if you can’t get back through this way and I’ll be-”

Negative Phototaxis | Alma Greene/Mason | 625 words

He wouldn’t even look at me. Alma sighs under the weight of her conflicted heart and grabs the fresh pot of coffee to refill her cup.

Prompt fill: Something About [Her]

Ephyra’s heard the story so many times she’s bored with it: during her first week of life, her mother attempted to soothe her crying with a hand gently warmed by magic and the spell broke upon her skin.

Prompt fill

Life at sea isn’t so bad, Effie thinks as she leans against the railing of the main deck, relishing the fine, salty mist in her face. As long as she doesn’t have to walk too far, and when she’s not receiving glares from the crew for stumbling into their work formations. ...And now that her wounds are healed enough for the bumps into the walls and rails to only kind of, sort of sting.

Prompt fill: How Dare You?

“Are you gonna finish that?” Aeran eyes Effie’s last roll. They’re tucked into one of the quieter corners of the Spire’s dining hall, having lunch before they split for training.

Prompt fill

The rural farming community of Gralle is a fucking mess. The formerly well-worn dirt paths are ripped up as if some wayward farmer started sleepwalking while tilling the fields; milk jugs are overturned, leaving rancid clots in the door of one of the barns; a brood of hens and their chicks lay dead outside their hutch, bodies a little mangled but uneaten.

WIP of the BG3 crew

“If I never see a goblin again, it’ll be too fucking soon.” Ulysse groaned as they made for the ruin’s exit on weary legs.

Blood, entrails, and pungent homebrew squelched underfoot, already taking on the stench of rot in the hot afternoon sun. The party couldn’t bother with being disgusted - they were already covered in the stuff. 

Prompt fill: A Kiss on the Temple

Julian Devorak is going to die.

Cleo knows this.

Boats and Birds | Cleo Espree/Julian Devorak | 1.7k words

Cleo's eyes blink open to a thick canopy of tropical-looking leaves, shimmering pink-gold light winking through here and there. The air is thick with magic, but there's no real hostility here.

Prompt fill: Drastic/How Dare You?

Cleo came to the market for vegetables, milk, and, if she's lucky, that delicious spice mix from Firent that elevated her stews from "pretty good" to "Cleo, what is this recipe?" She did not come to the market to run into Julian Devorak yet again, but that seems to be a hobby for her lately.

Prompt fill: Crave

Pixies make for decent company, to be sure, but like the rest of the fae folk, they adhere to stiff archetypes. Conversation, though entertaining at times, is predictable but it's all Urianger manages these days since his friends are busy or... reasonably displeased with him.

Prompt fill: Sunbathing

Astarion smiles more in the daylight, Ulysse notices, marble-white skin creasing into lines around his mouth.

Starving | Ulysse/Astarion | 800 words

“You didn’t do it,” Ulysse whispered, fingers combing through recently-mussed curls. Astarion lay on her chest, a novel experience but not an unwelcome one.

Saccharine | Ulysse/Astarion | 250 words

“If you promise not to kill me,” she pulled back with a smirk, hips pressing into his, “you may drink from my neck. I know you want to.”

If his heart still beat, it would’ve skipped at the invitation.

Wayfarer WIP that’s not been entirely posted to tumblr

The tavern is crowded for such a small town, as if every person in a ten-mile radius of this backwater decided they craved cheap ale and the sound of the off-key bard in the corner.

WIP in which Julian moves in with Cleo

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can-" Julian pauses to reposition the precarious stack of boxes in his grip, "I can make other arrangements. Mazelinka really doesn't mind having me around, no matter what she says. Or I'm sure Pasha could make space. And I do have my own place back in South End, you know!"

"Mm, is that so? The landlord just let you skip out on rent for three years?"

[charliesradiodemon]

Arranged Marriage AU (Part 1)

AU where Lucifer arranges Alastor with Charlie to help strengthen the royal family and ensure the safety of the house. It’s just business.

(This was sent from my phone, sorry if the format is messed up. I came up with this idea and I just had to write about it. I’ll probably continue it, we’ll see!)

(EDIT 2/10/2020: So I’ve been rereading old chapters and I’m still not satisfied with them. I’ve decided to edit the chapters on Tumblr so they now line up with the AO3 version. Sorry for making ya’ll wait so long, I just want to get this right ^.^)

It was an average, quiet morning at the Happy Hotel. The fiery red hue of Hell's skies had just lightened and most of the few denizens of the old hotel were still fast asleep.

 However Charlie was already up, eager and ready for the day with a smile. Every morning she had to coordinate and prepare for breakfast. Afterward, she'd set up the various events and activities for the tenants to occupy themselves with. Today there would be a group therapy session after breakfast and some physical activities to let the guests blow off some stream.

 It was going to be another nice and quiet day for her. At least it was supposed to be.

 She heard the front door of the hotel ring from the kitchen so she put on her happiest face and marched out to greet her next potential guest.

 However what met her were two of the most powerful wide-grinning demons in Hell.

 “Charlotte, how I missed you!” Lucifer cried out and leaned down to give his only daughter the biggest hug she’d ever received from him. The abruptness of it made her whole body tense.

 Charlie tentatively returned the hug “D-dad?” as soon as she spoke, Lucifer pulled away but kept his hand on either of Charlie’s shoulders. “Uh what are you doing with Alastor?” She leaned to look around her father to point at Alastor, who stood close by just observing the interaction with his signature grin splayed over his face.

 Alastor made frequent visits to the hotel to check up on it whenever he had nothing else to do. That was fairly often, but recently he'd been away and seemingly busy. This was the first time Charlie's seen him in a little over a week. And he showed up with her father nonetheless. With how busy the King of Hell always was, it made Charlie wonder how a mortal soul like Alastor managed to get him away from his duties. Hell, he never even bothered to come visit his own daughter until today.

 Lucifer nearly pushed Charlie away to move back to Alastor’s side. “Dear, you are getting older now and I know you have this dream thing… or whatever, but I think it’s time for you to think of the future!” He gestured his cane toward Alastor, who still stood there, saying nothing. “I know he’s a lot younger than you but what is a few centuries or two?” He leaned on his cane and chuckled.

 Charlie had no words and only looked back and forth at the two looming figures as if it was her way of processing. In reality her mind was blank. It was too early for this and suddenly Charlie felt like it was a mistake getting up this morning.

 Alastor finally chimed in with his chipper radio-backed voice. “What your father is trying to say is that we should get hitched! Tie the knot! Take the plunge! Conjugate-“

 “What?!” Charlie’s exclamation startled Lucifer enough to where he nearly fell off his apple-topped cane. Charlie's heart dropped to her gut. Was this really happening? “D-dad you can’t be serious right?” Charlie’s laughed nervously. When she looked back to her father with a concerned smile, he did not look amused in the slightest. He stared her down with a stern glare that she knew all too well. “This is just a jo-…” she stopped and shut her mouth when the elder demon's frown deepened. She looked away from her father and she felt whatever confidence she had melt away in an instance.

 It was really happening. She feared this day would come, but not so soon! Charlie knew that one day her parents could possibly urge her into an emergency marriage at any point in her life. With their warning, they loosely promised her the freedom to live as she wished as long as she would answer to her duty when they needed her to. But this was over a century ago. And as a young, eager and very naive young demoness, Charlie happily accepted. They even gave her time to think it over, but she was young and stupid- something neither Lilith or Lucifer understood. 

 Alastor’s laugh track pulled Charlie’s attention back to him. “My dear this is certainly not a joke. I’m afraid I’m deathly serious,” Alastor’s impossibly wide smile widened even further and it sent chills down Charlie’s spine. How could he be so calm and nonchalant about this? He was entering a role far beyond his station as a mortal soul. Alastor was always impulsive and acted on anything he thought could entertain him; he could be making a huge mistake.

 “Al, why are you doing this? I know you have no interest in me, you don’t even give a damn about me!” She shot an accusatory finger toward him which, to Charlie’s surprise worked well enough to make him back off with an amused smile. Charlie knew her father would disapprove of this behavior but she didn’t care. But she dared not look at her father. If she even glanced at him, she’d lose this momentum.

 Alastor only seemed more intrigued and amused at the situation. They'd known each other for six months and despite his intimidating nature, Charlie warmed up to him fairly quickly. It was always interesting how confident Charlie could be around him when no one else could. If he were honest to himself, Alastor could say that he'd warmed up to the unusually warm demon princess. She was one of the few that he could bear to be around for longer than five minutes despite her raging naivety and cheerful nature. Charlie awoke something unusual within him and he wanted to explore this pleasant feeling he would always have around her even further. It was as if Lucifer answered his prayers when the King of Hell himself showed up to his front door with a proposition. 

 “On the contrary dear Charlie, you do catch my interest in a way. I just think this arrangement can better solidify our partnership into something more permanent,” he bent close to whisper in her ear. “Your father proposed this arrangement and I think it’s an excellent idea. I believe the both of us will benefit from this.” He straightened his back and the pair turned their gazes to Lucifer who even seemed to be a tad nervous himself with both eyes on him. 

 Charlie sighed. 'This must be important then if dad's this spooked...'  Her father was the most feared demon in Hell. He'd ruled Hell for over countless millennia and over those millennia he'd come across many bumps in the road. Whatever was happening now, it was important for Charlie to marry Alastor.  

 Charlie turned her gaze back to the taller demon and caught his attention again by stretching up closer to his ear. “What are you scheming?” She hissed through her teeth so only Alastor could hear.

 The taller demon’s smile didn’t waver. In fact, he chuckled with an accompanying audience laughing with him. He reached down to grasp her hand and held it up between them. This was a secret he couldn't disclose, no matter how much he liked Charlie. He wanted to figure out the secret to his odd notions around her all by himself. “Nothing! Like I said, your father proposed this. My guess is that he wants to prevent me from harming you and your family,” he said nonchalantly. Charlie shivered at the ease of his words. It was as if the man had indeed considered it at one point. “He’s quite the businessman. Offering his daughter in exchange for peace!” he belted a strong chortle “Oh… how wonderful. I couldn’t help but accept. It was certainly a wild turn of events even I couldn’t have anticipated!” His wide smile grew in size and Charlie felt his tight grip tighten. 

 He mixed in a bit of truth to his lie. He truly didn't know exactly why Lucifer came to him asking to be his son-in-law nor did he ever foresee this wild turn of events.  

 She tugged a couple of times before slipping from his grasp and took a step back. “Right… Al you know this is a big deal right? And I’m not exactly single either you know!” Charlie explained with a strained smile and a nervous chuckle. “Do you really want to marry me because you’re bored?”

 “Yes!” He immediately answered. His face lit up like a child in a candy store. “It’s nothing I could have imagined! It’s nothing anyone could have imagined! Who would have ever thought that I would become part of the royal family of Hell! Hahaha! We haven’t even announced the news to the denizens of Hell yet and I’m already simply elated!” He clasped his hands together as the sound of the laugh track came and went once more. He continued on a tangent of something when Charlie began tuning him out.

 The young demon heiress leaned over to look at her father’s reaction to all of this. His apparent nervousness seemed to dissipate, but he still held onto the apple atop his cane tightly. He shot her a look of expectancy and nodded his head at her.

 'I know...' Charlie internally sighed.

 Charlie crossed her arms and sighed warily. It was still early and yet she already felt drained. Too many thoughts spun in her head and she didn’t know how to feel. Devastated? Angry? Sad? All of the above maybe? It didn’t matter. She knew this day was going to come, but she didn't know that it was going to be so soon- or with a mortal soul like Alastor. Though she guessed it could have been worse. She could be engaged to Harold Von Eldritch, her absolutely abhorrent ex-boyfriend in a political marriage.

It was strange how the engagement didn't feel so heavy. Charlie almost felt like laughing it off. Maybe it was because of the ridiculousness of the situation? Her father and her business partner walked into her hotel and imposed a marriage on her. That was pretty crazy already. Or maybe it was because she was engaged to one of the most powerful demons in Hell and he was marrying her all because he was bored.

Part 2 HERE

[pvrkacciosan]

♤The NEO Chronicles♤

Part 1

Description: The NEO bloodline is said to be decendant from the gods, that is why they rule as royals in a place known as The NEO kingdom.

The bloodline has always tried to stay pure to it's blood heritage but with the next generation growing up and no NEO bloodline females being born, the king and queen turn to drastic measures which eventually landed them with not one, but four NEO female heirs, all who were gifted with abilities of the elements.

Wind, Fire, Earth and Water

But when you tip a scale one way, it always has to dip in the other direction before levelling out again.

this must happen

But at what cost?

SIDE NOTE: This is my first post on Tumblr, I have this book of wattpad as well, I apologise if this is bad...I'm not confident in my writing yet so I was debating if I should even post this but anyway...

《The Calm before the storm》

The feeling of the old book bindings brushed against her finger tips as she looked along the bookshelves for a book that could peak her interest.

Haru huffed as her fingers rap around a spine of a book's leather binding, she let out a sigh of satisfaction at the familiar feeling.

Turning around she walked further back into the vast library, She came across three elegant figure all sat upon long lounge chairs, dressed in smooth flowing dresses, one a misty grey colour, one a deep red, the other ocean blue.

One of the figures look up from her book as Haru continued her way towards them, the girl's light brown hair fell in front of her face. Brushing it back her eyes connected with Haru's.

Haru looked into the ocean blue eyes of her sister Mirae, Mirae gave Haru a kind smile as she tucked another strand of hair behind her ear.

Haru smiled back as she lowered herself down onto her own lounge chair, which was positioned across the room from her sister's, placing a hand of the arm of the chair, her fingers curling into the fabric of the chair.

She leaned back, opening the book a sigh of contentment leaving her lips. The feeling of the pages transported her into the world of green gables, with Anne and Gilbert.

Haru loved how Anne always imagined her self as a princess, oh how Haru wishes she could switch lives with the red headed girl, the book acted as an escape for Haru, it allowed her to escape all the responsibilities and expectations people had given to her as her time as one of the four NEO princesses.

The noise of someone clamping a book shut repels Haru to look up, her sisters Eui and Mirae had also looked up from their books, The oldest, Ara, sat directly across from Haru, she was now sitting up straight with her hands placed on top of a book which vacated the space on her lap.

"I must speak with you all" Ara spoke, she looked up to her sisters as she placed the book on the table which was positioned next to her lounge chair.

Haru closes her book, Mirae following suit also closes over her book, Eui had already done so, Haru watched closely as Eui closed her eyes, upon re-opening them Haru could see the red haze that usually filled them.

This was the only way Eui was able to see, if she used her other eye she could see heat signatures, unlike her three sister Eui had been gifted with fire but not with the gift of sight, and there for was partially blind.

Haru had never really asked her sister what her world looked like through her eyes, but Haru imagined it looked totally different to the one she looked at everyday.

But the fact of her sisters partial blindness was not the important topic right now, Haru looks towards Ara, Haru sits herself up preparing herself for what Ara may say.

The three youngest princesses looked to the oldest, who almost seemed lost for her words. She takes in a breath before she begins to talk.

"the king and queen" Ara said as she paused for a second, the room fell silent, Ara opened her mouth to continue with what she was saying.

"why do you address them like that?" Haru interrupted, Eui and Mirae both look to Haru

Mirae being the youngest looks uncertain of the the outcome to Haru's interruption while Eui held an emotionless expression as she looked at the floor.

"The king and queen" Ara starts again in a more demanding tone.

Haru catches Ara's glares, Haru just glares difinelty back at her, she held her chin up as she kept her gaze on her oldest sister. Haru never did understood Ara's ways.

Haru knew Ara always had trouble with impressing their parents but to go as far as using their royal titles to address them.

"Haru!, are you listening?" Ara spoke up in an attempt to gather up her younger sister's scrambled thoughts.

"what?" Haru stated raising an eyebrow at her older sister.

"I beg your pardon?" Ara quipped an even more annoyed look on her face.

"oh for the good of my sanity" Haru muttered under her breath as Ara continued to stare at her.

"Excuse me, what was that?" Ara spoke up, harshly trying to coax her sister to repeat her words.

"nothing" Haru mumbled as she turned away from Ara, Eui and Mirae both sat in silence, both refusing to make a single sound.

"As I was saying, the King and Queen have made some new arrangements" Ara started again, placing her hand back on her lap, she pulled her shoulders back as she turned towards Haru.

Haru, who refused to make eye contact with any of her three sisters had turned her head away, she looked away, towards a stacks of book waiting to be put away.

Her attention was drawn to the window, outside she could see the clear blue sky, she watched a small cluster of birds swarmed around in a group in the middle of the air moving around gracefully and with formation. They worked together, not against each other.

From where she was sat Haru could feel the light draft coming from the window. Haru's thoughts begin to drift off, like the cloud in the sky,

She reminded herself of all the countless days she would lay outside on the grass in the gardens, with only a loose fitted dress covering her slender body, though she wore the outfit much to her mother's disapproval, she found it far more comfortable than the outfits suited for the torture device know as a corset.

"They have arranged to have the five youngest princes come to fight for your hand"

Those words were like a cold slap to the face. Pulling her from her daydream, Haru whipped her head back around to the three other figures in the spacious room.

Haru scans their faces, Ara holds a hard stare, Mirae looks half confused while Eui has an emotionless expression which indicates she is probably deeply embedded in her thoughts.

"who's hand?, mine?" Haru screeches as she points a finger at her chest for emphasis. Haru sees Mirae look to Ara then to Eui, while the two oldest still have their attention fixated on Haru.

Haru takes a breath in, before she gets her words out Eui brings a hand up to silence her. Calmly Eui turns to the maid who was stationed at the door of the library.

"please could you give us a moment?" she spoke in a soft tone. " of course madam" the maid spoke obediently, she removed herself from the room as asked, the door shutting quietly behind her, closing with a click.

Haru didn't dare say anything until Eui had turned back to face her direction.

"I'M NOT GETTING MARRIED!" Haru yells placing both her hand on the seat next to her on the chair.

"Its not really up for debate, Haru" Ara adds, Eui sent a look in Ara direction.

Haru pushes herself up from her lounge chair, she moves across the room towards the window, she looked out of it, she watched as the gardens were attended by people as they moved around the hedges and great bushes of colourful flowers.

"Its not fair, I didn't get a choice" Haru uttered in a broken tone, she turned back around to face her sisters.

Ara held a stone cold look, while Eui face contorted into one of sympathy.

"we never get a choice we are princesses, choices are not in our royal duties" Ara stated, standing up from her chair to be at level with Haru.

Ara was taller then them all but that did not stop Haru from putting up a fight when one was needed, Ara did not intimidate her.

"Screw royal duties!" Haru exclaimed as she strutted her way towards the doors which exits the library.

"Haru!, don't you dare walk away" Ara commanded to the younger girl, who would not here the voice of reasons right now as she reached out for the brass door handle.

Without even looking over in Ara's direction Haru heaved the big heavy wooden door open.

She didn't even spare a second to close it properly she just let it swing open into the hall, as she thundered her way down, getting as far away from Ara and her problems as she could.

She stormed her way through the hallway, flying past the abundance of painting strung up on the walls, her shoes thudding against the wooden flooring as she walked.

Turning a corner Haru wasn't paying attention as she collided straight into another body.

Both individuals stumbled backwards, she gasped as she looked up, her eye meeting with the other person's.

Haru found herself staring into the familiar eyes of a boy she sees far too often.

"oh hello, Haru, is everything okay?" The boy asked holding a hand out for the girl, who sat sprawled out on the floor in a not so lady-like manner, reaching up she grabbed his hand, as he pulled her up from the floor.

"peachy" Haru replied sarcastically, while smoothing out the folds in her light green dress.

"oh no, Ara told you didn't she?" He questioned

"YOU KNEW?!" Haru all but yelled, the boy in question jumped at her sudden outburst.

Haru had turned to walk away when he leaned forward grabbing onto her elbow.

Haru spun to look back at him , she paused staring down at his hand which gripped her arm, the boy refused to say anything his sudden burst of confidence disappearing.

He may be one of Haru's older brothers, but out of his four sisters Haru was the one he didnt like to mess with.

Ara was always too stuck up in impressing their parents, she was too well behaved all the time, she would always thinks 'what would a queen do'.

Eui the second oldest has a more realistic and fair way of doing things, she always had to hear both sides of a story before deciding on a course of action.

Mirae the youngest out of the four was super caring and sweet, she would never hurt a fly. she was very gentle in everything she does.

Haru on the other hand has never liked to follow the orders she was given, she didn't want to grow up and become queen one day, she wanted to go out into the world and live free of all rule and expectations, her whole life she had been fighting.

Haru did wonder what her life would be like if she wasn't fighting it, she had thought about succumbing to the life she had been given, and she felt there would be a time were she grew too tired to put up a fight, but that day was not today.

"let me go Mark" Haru spoke in a calm voice, the tranquillity in her tone put Mark on edge, Haru very rarely goes from being upset to calm, Mirae often calls it "the calm before the storm"

Mark just calls it "the moment before the volcano erupts" but both phrases work the same way.

" no, come on, I wish to speak with you" Mark said, giving Haru's arm a light tug before walking off.

Next Part》