#ugh i don't know i'm. grateful for the trust.

[swarmkeepers]

.

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 2, Unwanted - Pt. 5

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language,

Word Count: 1.8k

Previously On...: While on a mission with Steve, you two finally begin the process of healing and clearing the air between you.

A/N: This closes out Chapter 2! I have to say, I cannot wait to post Chapter 3; it's my personal favorite, and you'll see why soon enough! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, and I'm so grateful for all the likes, comments, and reblogs-- you don't know how much they mean to me! You guys are the greatest! <3

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!)  @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21 @buckybarnessimpp

When the Quinjet landed back at the Avengers’ Tower, Bucky was waiting for you in the landing bay. You'd only been gone for four days, but as soon as he saw you start down the gangplank, he ran to you, picking you up and spinning you in circles until you squealed.

"Buck! Put me down before I throw up on you!"

"Can't, Pocket," he said, though he did stop spinning you. "Missed you too much. Physically impossible to let you go."

Steve followed shortly behind you, rolling his eyes at his best friend's theatrics. "No love for your old war buddy, Barnes?"

Bucky laughed, finally putting you down to give Steve a brief, one-armed hug. "Glad you're back safe, too, Stevie," he said. "And thanks for bringing my Pocket home in one piece."

Steve pulled you close in a side hug, the earlier tension that had existed between the two of you having faded since you had a chance to clear the air. "You should be thanking her for bringing me home in one piece. The girl's deadly with plastic explosives."

You shoved him away from you playfully. "Please, Stevie," you teased. "If you just learned the first thing about computers, you could have done the whole mission on your own, you wouldn't even have needed me."

"Always gonna need you, Pocket," Steve said, ruffling your hair. "You're family." You gave each other stupid grins before he hefted his go-bag over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go grab a shower and get some sleep. I'll see you kids later." He walked off into the belly of the tower, leaving you and Bucky alone.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get out of this tac-suit," you moaned. "I always feel so filthy after a mission with explosives, you know?" Bucky gave you a curious look as he leaned down and grabbed your go-bag for you. "Such a gentleman," you smiled at him as you led the way back to your room.

You went straight into the bathroom and unzipped the top of your tac-suit, pulling it down over your arms until it was hanging from your waist. With a sigh of relief at being freed from the confines of the heavy poly-carbonate blended fabric, you washed your face and started brushing your teeth.

"So, how was the mission?" Bucky called from where he was sitting on your bed.

"Goo!" you managed to get out around a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Good, good." He paused. "So, um, it's not really my business or anything, but did something happen... between you and Steve? While you guys were gone? Like, did you guys, I dunno... sleep together?"

You nearly choked on your toothpaste and quickly spat it out in the sink before coming out of the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," you said, pointing your toothbrush at him accusingly. "Did you just ask me if I had sex with Steve Rogers?"

He wouldn't look at you. "Like I said, it's none of my business. It's just that, before you guys left, you were always kind of, I dunno, angry at him? And then you get off the plane and you're hugging and he's got his hands in your hair and you’re calling him ‘Stevie’. So, I was just wondering if something happened."

"And your brain immediately jumped to us sleeping together?" You asked him, incredulous. He looked up at you. "Seriously? We just talked. Lanced some bad blood that had been festering between us since Berlin, so we can work on being good again, be a family again." You noticed he was staring at you, mouth slightly opened. "What?" you asked him.

He motioned vaguely toward your chest, and you looked down to realize your tac-suit was still hanging half off of you and you were standing in front of him in just a purple push-up bra.

"Oh for fucks' sake, Barnes. They're just tits." You stalked over to your dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and slipped it over your head. "Better now?"

He shook his head as if a spell had been broken over him. "Uh, yeah. So, you didn't sleep with Steve," he reiterated.

"No, I did not. To begin with, he's family. There's a major ick factor. And second--, no. That's really it. The idea is super gross."

"Good," Bucky chuckled. "I love Steve like a brother, but I didn't love the idea of sharing you with him."

You started shimmying yourself out of the pants of your tac-suit and tossed it into your hamper. "Yes," you deadpanned, "because you know how much I love being compared to an object that can be owned and thus shared among friends. Not emotionally triggering for me at all."

Bucky had the decency to look chastised. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Relax, Barnes," you teased as you stepped into and pulled up a pair of shorts. "I'm just giving you shit." You ruffled his hair. "I may be emotionally scarred and have more baggage than the cargo hold on an airplane, but at least I can laugh about it."

Bucky rolled his eyes at you, but there was a smile on his lips. "You're something else, you know that?"

You grinned at him. "I'd like to think so. Makes your life so much more interesting, don't you think?"

Bucky nodded in agreement. "Definitely. You're never boring, that's for sure."

You chuckled and flopped down on your bed next to him. "So, what about you? Any juicy drama while I was gone?"

"Hmmm, let's see..." Bucky thought for a moment. "I'm pretty sure Nat and Banner were fucking in the lab the other day."

"No!" you gasped, sitting up.

"Yeah; I needed some calibration done on my arm, and since you weren't here, I went down to Bruce's lab to ask him to help, but the doors were locked. I was about to turn around and come back later, when the door opened up and Nat came rushing out, won’t acknowledge me or make eye contact, and I swear her shirt was on inside out. I get inside and Banner's actively tucking his shirt back into his pants."

You cackled at the mental image, kicking your legs in the air with delight. "Oh, that's amazing. Finally, those two crazy kids got together. I'll have to find some way to get Nat to give me all the dirty, dirty details."

"Ugh, if you do, please keep them to yourself," Bucky moaned. "Last thing I need is a mental picture of Banner's mini-Hulk."

"Hey now, I'm sure Bruce is perfectly proportionate," you teased. Then you got serious. "I gotta admit, I'm a bit jealous."

"You have a thing for Bruce?" Bucky asked, eyes wide with astonishment. "I would never have guessed he's your type."

"What?! No!" You playfully shoved him. "Same reason I'm jealous of Tony and Pepper, Wanda and Viz, Clint and Laura. You and your left hand, Sam and whoever he's dating this week. It just must be nice to be in a relationship, you know? To have someone to share that part of your life with."

Bucky cocked his eyebrow, but nodded, understanding your meaning and letting your joke about his left hand slide. "So, what's stopping you from going out and getting one for yourself, Pocket? You're smart, funny, gorgeous. You could date anyone you wanted."

You leaned back, making yourself comfortable against your pillows and heaved a heavy sigh. "Oh, you know, just the usual: Trauma, trust issues, fear of abandonment. All of that fun stuff." Bucky gave you a look, and you knew he wanted you to take the conversation seriously, for once.

"Finnne," you whined. "After I... Once I started out on my own, I was... Well, I did everything I could think of to try to reclaim sex for myself, you know? It wasn't healthy, it wasn't smart, but I was young and stupid and I didn't know what else to do. I can fuck someone without having a panic attack now, which, trust me, is a vast improvement from where I started, but making myself vulnerable for that emotional connection? To transcend something from just sex to a real relationship? I have no idea how to do that. It's like, I can open up one way, or the other; I can't do both. It's too much. If there’s even a hint of an emotional connection with a guy, I shut down. Close myself off. Like, it’s not worth the risk of getting hurt.”

"I understand," said Bucky, softly and simply, and you knew that he did. Your traumas were different, but the scars they had left on you were so similar. "I haven't been with a girl, physically, since 1944," he confided. "I don't know if I can trust anyone to be that open with, to share that part of me with. Not after everything that's been done to me. And I worry that I can't trust myself to let go, not without hurting someone."

You let out a long, low whistle. "That's gotta be some kinda celibacy record." You clapped your hand over your mouth. "You're a reborn virgin, James Buchanan Barnes!"

"Reached your quota for serious conversation, have you?" Bucky asked with a piqued eyebrow.

"You know it's not my strong suit," you conceded. "But seriously, man? 1944? Oof. Your balls must be black by now."

He gave you a look of disappointment, causing you to sigh.

"I know, I know," you said eventually. "You're trying to have a meaningful discussion with me and I'm being an immature ass, again. I'm sorry."

Bucky wrapped his arms around you and rested his chin on your shoulder. "You're not an ass, Pocket. You're just... I wish you could talk to me without feeling like you have to fall back onto your defense mechanisms, that's all. I want you to feel safe with me."

You turned your head to look at him. "Buck, I feel safer with you than anyone else on this entire fucking planet. You're my best friend and you know all of my deep, dark secrets. You know me better than anyone, but I���ve spent a lifetime building those defenses; they aren't all just going to fall down in a day, so that means an inappropriate joke or two is going to slip through every now and then.”

Bucky smiled at you and squeezed you a bit tighter. "I know, Pocket. And I adore you for it. But if you ever want to talk about anything serious, know that I'm here for you."

"I know," you said, leaning into him. "And thank you, for being so patient and understanding with me. I get that I can be... a lot."

"No, you're just enough," he said. "Never think otherwise."

<- Previous Part / Next Chapter ->

[aishangotome]

Elbert Greetia: Chapter 1

The sound of lapping waves fills the quiet room where I pierce a butterfly's back with a needle.

––Another beautiful thing acquired.

I gaze, as if in prayer, at the vivid scales of the butterfly, its wings spread wide within a frame.

With this, surely, the "two of us" can be happy.

Surely, surely––

-

One night and then another has passed since I witnessed a sight I shouldn't have in midnight London.

Though I escaped death by fulfilling my duty as a "Fairytale Keeper," time has passed without any sense of reality, and once again, I find myself in the darkness of night.

––I am about to accompany Crown on a mission for the first time.

-

Roger: Is the inn around the next corner the one in question?

Alfons: According to the information we received beforehand, yes.

Elbert: .......

Roger, Alfons, and Lord Elbert---

I was walking through London, shrouded in night, with my three companions.

Kate: A certain inn is being used as a temporary storage for stolen art... right?

As a "Fairytale Keeper," my role is to closely observe the actions of Crown, who is "cursed," and record their sins.

(I want to fulfill my duties properly, gain their trust, and be released.)

(My heart hasn't caught up yet... but I have to try.)

Roger: Lil lady, don't be so stiff.

Alfons: We're just going to investigate the situation, so there won't be any bloodshed.

... I'm sure of it.

Elbert: ..........

Kate: Thank you for your concern, Roger, Alfons.

(That's right... if my job is to record the sins of the "cursed," I need to know about their "curse.")

Kate: May I ask what kind of "curse" you all have...?

Alfons: Hehe, Miss Robin is quite the eager learner.

Alfons: Lord Elbert is the "Greedy Queen," Roger is the "Betrayer's Huntsman," and I am cursed by the "Mirror."

Kate: Queen, Huntsman, Mirror...

Alfons: Is it fate that those who appear in the same fairy tale should meet?

Roger: Haha. Team Snow White, eh?

Alfons: I find it very unpleasant to be lumped in with you.

Roger: Don't say that. Right, lil lady?

Kate: A-ahaha. Yes...

The two of them speak to me in a friendly manner.

I'm grateful for their kindness, but I can't help but force a smile.

(It's a fact that these people commit sins on a daily basis...)

(No matter what, I'm scared to look them in the eye and talk)

Elbert: ...What's wrong?

Kate: ...Huh?

Elbert: You stopped walking.

Lord Elbert's words made me realize that I had unknowingly created distance between myself and the others.

Except for Lord Elbert, who stopped for me, the other two kept walking ahead.

Elbert: ...Are you alright?

Kate: I'm sorry, I was spacing out...! I was lost in thought.

Elbert: I see. ...Be careful not to get lost.

Just as I was about to start walking again--

Elbert: ....!

A passerby bumped into Elbert.

Drunk Man: Hmm? What's this? A pretty boy, huh?

The man, barely able to stand upright, was clearly drunk.

Elbert: ........

Drunk Man: Let's have a drink, pretty boy. Your treat. Hahahaha!

Elbert: ...I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry.

Drunk Man: Oh? What's this? You wanna get that pretty face messed up?

Elbert was surprisingly unresisting as the drunk man clung to him.

(Something seems rather ominous...should I call Roger and Alfons back?)

Kate: U-Um...!

The next moment, anxiety and questions swirled in my head.

Drunk Man: Ugh...sob...why did you leave me...Eliza...sob...

Kate: ...Huh?

The man who was clinging to Elbert suddenly collapsed on the spot, crying.

(Why all of a sudden...?)

Alfons: What a ridiculous ability, as always.

Alfons, who had somehow turned back, approached Elbert and laughed, looking highly amused.

Kate: A ridiculous ability...you mean, Lord Elbert's?

Alfons: Yes. It awakens the saddest memories of the person whose shadow he steps on.

Alfons: In other words, it makes the person incredibly depressed and downcast.

Roger: The ability works better on people with painful experiences, but the difficulty lies in choosing the right target.

Kate: Downcast...

I stared at the man who still couldn't stand up, just crying on the roadside like a child.

(This is Lord Elbert's power.)

Having just witnessed William's devastating power that could force people to commit suicide, it seemed like a very small power.

But--.

Elbert: ...I'm in a hurry. ...I'm sorry.

Elbert, who had used that seemingly trivial power on the drunk man, looked sad, as if he had committed some cruel sin.

(...That's a bit unexpected.)

(I wonder if the cursed people aren't used to using their powers either.)

Elbert: ...Let's go.

As we passed each other, Elbert's hair gleamed under the streetlights.

I was unconsciously captivated by his golden hair flowing in the night breeze and his melancholic profile.

(...What a beautiful person.)

His beauty was so overwhelming that I momentarily forgot the fear I had for the upcoming mission.

Alfons: Now, it was the alley ahead, wasn't it? The inn we were aiming for.

Elbert: Yes.

It was Roger who tilted his head, looking at the dimly lit alley.

Roger: Something's strange. It should have been a cheap inn with quite a few guests.

Roger: ...There's only one heartbeat.

Kate: A heartbeat...?

Even if I strain my ears, all I can hear is the faint sound of the wind.

Alfons: Exceptional hearing is this man's ability.

Roger: Within a distance of about 100 yards, I can accurately tell who is where without even looking.

Kate: That's amazing... But does that mean there's only one person at the inn?

Roger: Well, that's what it comes down to.

Kate: How could that be...?

Alfons: There's only one way to find out.

As we turned the corner into the alley where the back entrance of the inn was located--

(...!!)

--a gruesome scene unfolded before us.

Several blood-soaked people were lying in the alley.

A vast expanse of blood stretched across the hallway, visible through the open back door of the inn.

Kate: ...Ah--

My instincts were screaming at me to run away.

But my feet were frozen in place, as if glued to the ground.

At that moment--

I was pulled back forcefully, and the blood-stained scene vanished.

Kate: ...!?

My cheek was pressed against a soft, high-quality fabric.

(A blue cravat.)

Kate: Lord Elbert...?

I finally realized Elbert was holding me and tried to look up, but his hand was stronger, restraining my movement.

Elbert: ––You don't need to see.

(Huh...?)

Elbert: ...Sad memories can easily kill you.

Elbert: You don't need to see.

A terribly sad voice whispered in my ear.

Elbert: You...have nothing to do with what's happening here.

Elbert: ...You don't have to carry burdens that you don't need to.

(Elbert...)

His voice was almost like a prayer.

I should be feeling protected by his arms, holding my head tightly, but for some reason, I felt like I was being clung to, and I hesitated to resist.

(Elbert...it's as if he's afraid of something.)

Roger: This is...the inn's employee and a guest.

Alfons: Judging by their clothes, there's no mistake.

As I listened to the two of them surveying the scene, still held in Elbert's embrace--

???: ...Ugh...sob...

(! A voice just now...!)

Roger's words, "There's only one heartbeat," came back to me.

Kate: E-Excuse me...!

Elbert: ....!

I instinctively pushed back against Elbert's chest and looked up.

As I glanced around, I could see a woman collapsed at the corner of the alley, faintly moving.

(It's her...!)

Kate: Are you alright...!?

Roger: She's not dead yet, but she's in danger.

Roger, who had rushed to her before me, frowned and coughed.

Roger: She needs immediate treatment. We need to get her to a nearby hospital--

Roger: .....!

Kate: Roger? What's wrong?

Roger: The police are coming. Two...no, three of them.

(Police...?)

Alfons: Then, there's no point in staying here. Let's get out of here.

(What!? )

Kate: What about this woman--?

Roger: Our mission is confidential. We have no choice but to hide for now.

Seeing his frustrated profile, I knew Roger didn't want this either, and I swallowed my protest.

(But what if the police don't notice her...?)

I quickly took out my handkerchief and hooked it onto the lamp directly above her.

(This shouldn't be enough to identify me. I hope they notice her soon...)

Praying for her safety, I followed the three of them into hiding.

-

After observing from a short distance for a while--

We saw the woman from earlier being quickly taken away by the police who had arrived.

Kate: ...Thank goodness...

(...I hope she's alright.)

Elbert: ..............

-

--That day's investigation had to be cut short, and we returned to the castle.

But I couldn't eat the food brought to my room, nor could I sleep...

To change my mood, I was walking alone in the vast garden.

(Tonight, I only witnessed the aftermath of someone committing a crime.)

(But someday, I might see such a scene created by the hands of Crown.)

(To write about that... Can I do it?)

While thinking about such things, I was walking along the path--

(...Elbert?)

I found Elbert, gazing absentmindedly at the flowers.

Bathed in the faint moonlight like a veil, his figure was like a painting, and I was once again captivated.

Elbert: Hmm...oh...it's you. Good evening.

Kate: Good evening, Lord Elbert...

Elbert seemed to sense something from my face and tilted his head melancholically.

Elbert: ...Can't sleep?

Kate: ...Yes. So I'm taking a walk to change my mood.

Elbert: I see...

Kate: What are you doing here, Lord Elbert?

Elbert: Me too...something like that. I'm a light sleeper by nature.

Kate: I see...

Elbert: So...I can at least keep you company while you can't sleep.

Kate: .......!

His gentle, comforting words eased my mind.

(If it were last night, I might have been wary of this kindness and declined...)

Kate: ...Thank you.

Aware of my fading wariness, I took a step closer to Elbert.

(That's right...I haven't properly thanked him for earlier.)

Kate: Thank you for protecting me earlier.

Elbert: ...No. ...In the end, I showed you a cruel sight.

Kate: I wanted to see it. Don't worry about it.

I tried to sound cheerful, but Elbert looked at me and narrowed his eyes as if in pain.

Elbert: If you hadn't been taken to that place...you wouldn't have tried to see it.

Elbert: You're different from us. ...You shouldn't have come here.

Elbert: ...Sin doesn't suit you.

Elbert's emotions don't show much on the surface. Even so...

In his eyes, like the depths of a deep sea, I could see pure compassion, without a trace of cloudiness.

(You are the one who doesn't suit sin.)

At that time--

Even though there were no knives or bullets pointed at me, and there was no danger to my life, he tried to protect me.

(Surely...so that my heart wouldn't be hurt by the cruel sight.)

(The strength of his arms at that time.)

(It was as if he was afraid of me getting hurt.)

(If he were someone who felt nothing about that scene, he surely wouldn't have done that.)

I realized again the obvious fact that the people of Crown, just like me, feel fear, anxiety, and sadness.

Kate: You're kind, Lord Elbert.

Elbert: ...That's not true.

To value people's feelings. That was my goal in life.

(I chose the job of a mail carrier for that reason.)

(No matter what sins Elbert and the others may commit, I want to understand their feelings and--)

Kate: ...Thank you for your concern.

Kate: But this time, you don't have to protect me.

Elbert: ...Why?

Kate: I may learn many things that I'd be happier not knowing.

Kate: But I want to know...what you all are thinking, as you face those things.

I smiled, wanting to respond to Elbert's kindness in some way--

Elbert: .............

Elbert stared at me without blinking.

(...?)

His gaze was unusually intense, and I suddenly felt uneasy.

(Oh...was it rude of me to say "you don't have to protect me" when he's worried about me?)

His already overwhelming beauty seemed to become even more intimidating when he fell silent, and I unconsciously held my breath.

Kate: Um...

Elbert: ...Stay still.

Suddenly closing the distance between us, Elbert gently stroked my hair.

Elbert: ...There was a flower petal in your hair.

Kate: ...Oh.

Kate: Thank you...

(...I see. He was just looking at the flower petal.)

(That's good...)

Calming my racing heart, I quietly moved away from Elbert.

Kate: Well then, excuse me. I should get some sleep for tomorrow.

Elbert: .........Can you sleep?

Kate: Yes, thanks to you, Lord Elbert.

Elbert: I see...that's good.

Elbert: ...Good night, Kate.

Kate: Good night, Lord Elbert.

(...I wonder why.)

(I can't get Elbert's gaze from earlier out of my head...)

His deep blue eyes were burned into the back of my eyelids.

Even after I turned away, it felt like his gaze was following me from behind--

My chest felt strangely uneasy.

-

The next morning, my steps towards the dining hall were lighter than yesterday.

Kate: Good morning.

William: Good morning. ...You look well this morning.

Roger: See? She came, didn't she?

Alfons: I guess I lost the bet.

Kate: W-Were you betting on that...?

Alfons: Yes. I bet that you would be tearing up curtains and tying them together to escape through the window by now.

(He thought I'd be escaping...)

Liam: This morning, we have Victor's special extra buttery scones! Kate, are you hungry?

Kate: Yes! I missed dinner yesterday, so I'm starving.

Alfons: Hehe, you're surprisingly resilient.

(I'm still a little nervous...but I think I can manage.)

This morning, after deciding to face their feelings, I was able to look at everyone's faces more directly than yesterday.

As I started eating, talking with everyone, Elbert stared at me intently.

Elbert: ...Al, is she beautiful?

Alfons: No, not at all?

Elbert: ..............Is that so?

Alfons: ...........

Alfons: This could be a bit...troublesome.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 2

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[mc-lukanette]

As Ladybug, Marinette wasn't sensitive to the cold, but she still shuddered as the sun made way for the moon. Patrol had been particularly exhausting this time around, but now she was free to sit atop the Eiffel Tower with her partner, Viperion, and stare down at the city below.

“Ugh!” She tipped her head back and groaned. “I'm gonna be feeling all that in the morning. You?”

He chuckled, massaging one of his shoulders. “Definitely. I hope you don't have anything important to do tomorrow.”

“Nothing physical,” she replied, grateful for that fact, ”but I can't wait to get home and relax.”

“Me too—” Viperion stopped short, covering his mouth with a hand as he stared off at the sky.

Ladybug squinted at him, concerned. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I was supposed to get groceries today, but...”

“Patrol happened. Trust me, I get it.” Frowning, she asked, “So you don't have any food at home?”

“I have food,” he insisted, though in typical Viperion fashion of reassuring her first and thinking later. “...Fruit, vegetables...”

“That's not dinner,” she chided.

She considered for a moment that she was crossing a line, but they had always cared for each other. In-between fights, interviews, and all other matters, they asked vaguely about the other's personal lives, just deep enough to be considerate but not so much that they were giving away any important details that might reveal their identities. It was a vital part of bonding as a team, in their minds.

“...Listen,” she began, unable to let the matter go after he'd worked so hard alongside her that day, “what if you had dinner with me?”

He hummed, not entirely resistant to the idea but asking the obvious, “How are you going to do that without me knowing anything?”

She rubbed her cheek, thinking hard about it. She knew intuitively that it couldn't have been impossible to have dinner with him without risk involved, but leaving and then coming back with food seemed improper.

It did, however, give her a very funny mental image of her leaping across rooftops with a plate and silverware in her hands.

The biggest problem would be if they'd known each other in real life. Even disregarding her parents showing up to Viperion and Ladybug hanging out in her room, he'd be seeing where she lived and—

...Seeing.

“Ahah!” she exclaimed, grinning to herself as she grabbed the yoyo at her waist. She saw Viperion lean towards her curiously as she dug around inside the magical compartment, brushing aside object after object until she felt the one she wanted.

She made a mental note to talk to Tikki about the lack of advancement in something so magical, then managed to grab what she wanted and pulled it out: a long, red scarf.

She put her yoyo back, then grabbed both ends of the scarf and stretched it, staring at Viperion with purpose. “Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

—————

Carrying Viperion into the little studio of sorts was quite the task, but compared to dealing with whatever nonsense Hawk Moth threw their way, it was nothing. Closing the window behind her, she let Viperion down from her back and checked his face, reaching around to confirm that the knot on the scarf was still tight.

“How's it feel?”

“That's the third time you asked,” he noted with amusement. “It feels soft, and I can't see a thing.”

“Perfect!” She beamed. Extending a hand out to him, she offered, “Here, I'll lead you to the couch.

He reached out, missing on the first attempt, but she caught his hand and slowly took him across the floor, past the room they were in then into another.

“...It's quiet.” There was a hint of worry in his voice. “I hope you don't live alone.”

He was careful to phrase it as a statement rather than a question. Though they hadn't told each other personal details, it was obvious that they were both somewhere in their teens, too young to live on their own.

“Ahh, don't worry about it,” she responded easily. “Let's just call this the Ladybunker and leave it at that.”

It was the only real way she could describe it without outing herself. In reality, Jagged Stone had given her the space to work, far away from the bakery and most things that would serve as a distraction. At the time, she'd thought it was too generous a gift, but now she was feeling grateful for it.

Guiding Viperion to the couch, she gave him a second to bump it with his heel so he could gauge its position, then she helped him sit down. Trusting him, wholly and completely, she whispered, “Tikki, detransform me.”

She shut her eyes against the light, releasing Viperion's hand and taking a step back. When she was fully detransformed, Tikki was hovering in front of her, wide eyes swapping back and forth from her to Viperion.

“L-Ladybug! Why is he here?”

“I invited him here to eat. He's not going to look,” Marinette told her. “If you're worried, you can watch him.”

She didn't bother pointing out that it was showing a lack of trust to do so, knowing that Tikki already knew that.

Turning her attention back to Viperion, she wondered, “You're not going to be bored, are you? There's a TV if you...”

He shook his head. “I'll be alright. I can still help you too.” He reached behind him, retrieving the lyre at his back with a playful smile. “I'll set the mood for cooking.”

She snorted, but silently accepted the offer and turned around. She took one step, then a second step, but heard the plucking of a string on the second and another on the third.

He was playing a melody to her footsteps.

Stopping to face him, she pretended to glare even whilst failing to hold back her smile. He couldn't see it, but he smiled back, wholly aware of the reaction he was getting.

Rolling her eyes fondly, she departed for the kitchen and accepted the happy beats playing along to her walking. Tikki flew behind her at first, hesitated, then decided to stay somewhere between where Marinette and Viperion were, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Marinette took her time looking through each of the cupboards, knowing from the last time she was there that there'd be enough food for dinner yet unsure how of what to put together. She didn't consider herself a great cook, but she could certainly make something to satisfy a couple of teenagers whose meals consisted of cafeteria food and whatever they could manage to eat when they weren't busy doing hero work.

The ingredients available to her were mostly ones that wouldn't expire quickly, such as canned tomatoes instead of fresh, which was simply how it had to be when she couldn't guarantee when she'd have time to visit. Besides, fresh didn't always mean better, she reasoned like a poor college student in training.

She reached for a box of dried spaghetti noodles, then froze as something occurred to her. Turning her head to make sure her voice would project properly, she called out, “Viperion! Do you have any aller—“ She stopped short, debating if allergies would be too much information, then changed it to, “Is there anything you wouldn't want to eat?”

Rather than responding with words, the tune he'd been playing changed to something light, but lower-pitched than before. In other words, no.

Giggling to herself, she set the box of pasta on the counter and went about her search for sauce and anything else that might go well with it.

—————

Marinette honestly wouldn't have put it past her luck to somehow burn pasta of all things, yet getting the meal together went pleasantly well. Sure, she may have overshadowed the noodles with everything else she added to it - courtesy of a frozen bag of mixed vegetables, complete with onions and peppers - then oversauced the whole dish in a bit of miscalculation on her part, but it was far better than whatever Viperion would've had back at his house.

She thought better of only putting two plates together, remembering Tikki and pulling out a bowl to put some chocolate ice cream into. Despite being such a stickler for rules, Tikki was surprisingly easy to placate when sweets were involved.

Once she had the ice cream neatly scooped into the bowl, topped with a tiny spoon that even a kwami could manage, Marinette called Tikki out. Taking the two heaping plates of pasta in her arms, she passed by her kwami and headed back out to Viperion, safe in the knowledge that neither of them would be bothered by the world for a few precious minutes.

He was still playing his lyre, though only long enough to bring the music to a natural end. Directing his head towards the plates of food, he complimented, "It smells good."

"It helped that I only had to worry about the smell and taste," she said jokingly. "This could be the worst-looking dish you've ever had and you'll never know."

He put his lyre down, holding his hands out expectantly. "I'm sure it's not."

Slowly, she gave him the plate and sat next to him to get comfortable. While she couldn't tell him so, he was the first guest she'd ever brought there and she was glad it was him despite the invite having only been due to his lack of dinner. It was a shame, she felt, that they couldn't just do this all the time.

She was midway through her first bite of food when she noticed the inevitable issue Viperion was having. Basic awareness and feeling let him stab at the food, swirl the spaghetti using his fork, and lift it to his mouth, but it was uncertain from there. The food would bump just a little off from his lips, or one of the vegetables would fall off without him noticing, or he'd go in for another bite and get an awkward clink from the fork touching a bare part of the plate.

He didn't appear to mind, but it wouldn't be viable for the whole meal.

Setting her plate to her side, Marinette asked hesitantly, “Um... could I feed you?”

There was another clink, this time from his surprise at the sudden offer. He turned his head towards her and she could only imagine what the unseen part of his face must've looked like.

“You sure?”

All things considered, it was a promising reaction, as he didn't appear disgusted by the idea. She ran with it eagerly, replying, “Yeah! I invited you here, so it's my responsibility. What'll Paris think if they hear that the great hero Viperion kept dropping his food?”

His lips twitched into a smile at that. He gave in without any further argument, turning himself towards her and passing her his plate and fork. “Sorry I can't help with the dishes.”

She scoffed, “It's not that much. Now hush and open your mouth.”

He giggled, leaning in and obeying the playful order. Marinette fidgeted for a moment with his fork in her hand, noting that it was still warm from his touch, then twirled some spaghetti and made sure to get some of the other ingredients on top before raising it to his mouth.

A few noodles hung down from the fork, but it just made it all the easier for Viperion to tell when she'd gotten the food in his mouth. His lips clamped down, a soft “mm,” emanating from the back of his throat that she couldn't recall him making when he'd been feeding himself. She could feel the movement at the unseen end of the fork as took the food off of it with his tongue and teeth, even pulling back with a lick of his lips.

“It's really good,” he whispered. “You're a great cook.”

Marinette swallowed, suddenly realizing the kind of situation she was in. She'd genuinely invited him there as one partner-in-crime-fighting looking out for the other, but she hadn't known it would turn out to be so domestic. There they were, two teenagers all alone and having dinner that she made for them. Barring the makeshift blindfold and Viperion's bodysuit, it would've looked like a normal date between a couple.

“Ah... thanks,” she uttered. Part of her wanted to reject the compliment and point out all the obvious mistakes she'd made, but she couldn't bring herself to do it when he smiled at her like that.

This was dangerous, at least going off of what her heart was trying to communicate to her, but she was the one who'd offered to feed him, so she continued. It wasn't that she was unaware of how she felt about Viperion, but usually it could be ignored under the guise of worrying about akuma or looking out for danger on patrol. She didn't have any such excuse when they were having such a nice, quiet moment together.

A few minutes passed, Marinette swapping between feeding Viperion and feeding herself. She would've been perfectly willing to heat up her food later, but he'd insisted that she eat too, leading to her working out how to feed him with one hand and herself with the other. Most distracting of all was when she didn't swirl the spaghetti quite right and Viperion would slurp the loose-hanging noodles into his mouth with the rest of them.

It almost made it a relief when she looked down and saw that there wasn't any food left on his plate. She still had a couple bites' worth on her own, but they had fairly decisively finished having dinner together. Not wanting to delay him longer than needed since he was already done, she turned briefly to her plate to eat the remaining noodles, careful not to scarf them down or risk him hearing and gently scolding her for it.

As she stacked the plates and silverware on top of each other, she took one last glance at him, stopping short of heading off for the sink when she noticed a bit of sauce lingering on his face. It was right below his lips, just out of range for his tongue.

"Oh, you got..." She went to point, but remembered that he couldn't see and told him, "I'll get it."

She supposed she could've just went to grab a paper towel, tried to instruct him on the specific spot, or took his hand to show him physically where he needed to wipe away at, but she did none of those. Perhaps it was because she was already about to go back to the kitchen where she could've washed her hands, but she reached up to him, using the back of two bent fingers to wipe away the sauce on his face.

Unexpectedly, Viperion visibly froze, sucking in a breath and holding it in. Marinette pulled back, puzzled by the reaction, especially from someone who was typically so composed.

A few seconds passed before he let out the air in one exhale, the portion of his cheeks that she could see flushing a light pink. Faintly embarrassed, he said, "Sorry. I thought it was... something else."

Something else?

Marinette stared down at the sauce on her fingers, parsing together what he could've meant by that. She'd grant that he couldn't see, but all she'd done was touch near his lips to—

Ah.

She matched his blush, the mental image burning its way into her mind. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, thoughts racing to process that Viperion would even think about her kissing him. Did that mean it was something he would've considered, or hoped for?

“...You didn't pull away,” she noted, mostly to herself. She chewed at her bottom lip, debating on what she should do next. They were heroes, she reminded herself, but they were also teenagers and there was definitely something in the air that wasn't coming from just her.

Slowly, she leaned forward, placing a hand delicately on Viperion's shoulder and licking the sauce from her other before bringing her face a few inches in front of his. With her heart pounding in her ears, she experimentally let out a breath, ensuring he knew what was in front of him this time.

The reaction was immediate. Viperion's arm snagged her waist, Marinette gasping inaudibly as he pulled her in and took hold of her chin. She shuddered as his thumb brushed just underneath her lips, him gauging their exact position before tilting his head.

Then, he pulled her in and kissed her. She squeaked in delight, grabbing onto his other shoulder too and following his movements to bring her onto his lap without breaking the kiss. The hand behind her gently massaged her back, working at the knots that had accumulated over the course of patrol, and she repaid the favor by kneading his shoulders.

They might've spent longer tasting each other rather than her food, and she blushed at the loud clicking noise when they pulled apart, taking solace in that he had the exact same face as her. She hugged him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

They didn't talk about what had happened for the time being, lost in thoughts of what ifs and what it meant for their partnership, but she secretly hoped that he might want to join her for dinner again.

Especially if there'd be another kiss for dessert.

[codename-adler]

Oohhh a French speaking AFTG fan!

Can I ask what’s the general opinion on the Marseille accent? What do Canadians think of it? Is it fancy? Or rough?

ouhh what a question anon! i'm tagging @givemethedamnflowers so she can help me out too if u want to <3

also i don't speak for all Franco Canadians / Québécois. fiy. ya know.

as a Québécoise first and foremost (Canadian comes 2nd in how i view my identity), and as someone WHO HAS A MOREAU FROM MARSEILLES in my close family, i love the accent. to me it's somehow much less grating than the Parisian accent (not the international French accent, that one's ok) despite being much more pronounced and how do you say... quirky? not weird, but like it's definitely peculiar. special! i like it a lot. it also makes me love Jean Moreau even more because it adds character, an edge, another area of fondness. i personally think it's very easy to spot, but contrary to the north of France, it's easier to understand.

i would say the most northern accents are much rougher, more difficult to understand than Marseilles or Paris, also because of the disparity in colloquialisms and regional expressions. but i do love them so. Bourgogne?? Normandie?? oh how lovely. and then down down down down south, neighbor to Marseilles, l'Occitanie (a fave)!!! oh and la Corse!!! so so beautiful to me. music to my ears. maybe bc, as Québécoise, like i said, i feel a little kinship with those regions' accents, bc the Paris/Île-de-France spit upon our accents as shitty, ridiculous, "not real French" or generally make fun of us, like we're somehow less smart bc of the way we pronounce things and speak with our accent. in my experience! and trust me, i've had a lottttttt of 'em. so the little scene where Jean keeps being annoyed by Thea calling him 'Paris' when he's from Marseilles? ACCURATE & GOLDEN! made me smile.

that being said, as it has been discussed many many times in the fandom, characters like Neil, Kevin and Jean, and even Andrew and Nicky, have such wild backgrounds, with how much they move around geographically + their mixed heritage, that all of them must have unique accents you can't really pin down. Jean left Marseilles at 14, was homeschooled, then forced to learn Japanese then English, in West Virginia, from native Japanese speakers. he doesn't have the Marseilles slang, the refs; his French is stuck at that level and it can't progress, and he also probably loses a lot of it, breaking down over time. finding his words must be a a nightmare. imagine trying to translate a word that isn't even considered French nor translatable outside of Marseilles' region!!! also, how old were his parents? what generation of slang has he picked up by default? or was he, sadly, taught international French?

SO MANY QUESTIONS! UGH! aftg & languages, French specifically, give me a headache (and heartache) every time.

i would say, watch films and series! please! from every part of the Francophonie around the world! Belgium, Louisiana Cajun, Acadia, Québec, Marseilles, Niger... it's a beautiful language, despite his devastating shameful hand in colonization and racism. the way the people forced to learn and speak it to survive have all found ways to make it theirs in infinite ways that help the language evolve and become richer. French is as much theirs now, if not more. French is much more that than the Republic. French is not Paris.

thank you again anon for allowing me to go off on a tangent, and apologies if there are any mistakes, misinformation or harmful things. please let me know kindly and i'll own to it and correct anything that needs correcting!

[lemotmo]

Don't know if you feel like sharing it but this made a lot of sense to me so I thought others might like it as well. Hope you have a great day!

Q. Why now? Ugh

A. Because now we have confirmation that he is part of the story it looks like they're setting up. Given all the interviews, the framing of all of their scenes last season, and their one scene together in 8x1 they're setting up a triangle. They are going to show Eddie coming between them. It makes sense to include him in stuff as long as he is canonically part of the narrative, and for now, he is. None of what occurred yesterday changes anything. That video was old. None of the BTS we have seen so far was filmed after 8x3. Everything simce the start of 8x4 has been put on lockdown. And truthfully their breakup needs to be about Eddie instead of Gerard. I mean he can still play a part in Buck realizing how different they are but the main reason needs to be Buck realizing his feelings for Eddie. That is the better story in the build up to Buddie. If episodes 5 and 6 show both of them finally acknowledging and examining that their friendship is not a typical friendship and the fact that there is clearly something there that neither one of them has been willing to examine up to this point, it makes narrative sense to use Buck's current relationship as part of that story. You don't have to like it but it makes perfect sense to use him in some capacity. We are one episode into the season. They have just begun to set the story up. Everyone needs to take a breath and not spiral over absolutely everything. Nothing bad has happened. Nothing. Given the fact that he's now able to answer cameo questions again it most likely means his contract with them has ended and he has filmed is last scene already. We have 17 episodes to go. Stop expecting to get everything in one episode.

Thank you Nonny! Of course I'd love to share this. 🤗

While I would looooove for Buck to break up with Tommy because they are a bad match and he chooses to end the relationship for himself and no one else, not even Eddie, I do think that the more interesting dramatic storyline from a TV-showrunner's point of view lies with Buck realising some truths about his feelings for Eddie and this leading to the BT break up.

The show locked down from the moment that they started filming 8x04. We have plenty of bts from 8x01-8x03, but suddenly from 8x04 on? Total lock-down. This makes me think that 8x04 and the following episodes will be important for Eddie and Buck's seperate journeys of coming to grips with feelings they might have repressed for some time now.

And yes, I do know that 911 isn't the 'Buck & Eddie' show, but the way they have been promoting Ryan and his 'journey of self-discovery' in so many interviews? And how they have been talking about Oliver's unwavering trust and love for Eddie and Chris? Well yeah... I do expect something big to happen for both of them. 🤷‍♀️

Now, I know that nothing is set in stone and I'm not the 911 showrunner, so I have no 'inside information' whatsoever. So yeah, I'm fully aware that I could be wrong here. But somehow I'm strangely confident about this. The timeline might turn out to be very wrong, but the story they're telling? Pretty sure about that one.

We've seen one single episode, so 17 more to go. Let's just sit back, relax and watch it all unfold. Let's be grateful our WeeWoo show is finally back and just take it from there. 😋

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my wonderful fandom :) Thank you for all your lovely comments on me being delayed. Not my usual M.O. but I definitely needed the extra time to process. I was GUTTED and absolutely wrecked. Poor D had to deal with my panic spiral for most of Wednesday. (love you lol) I'll be honest I'm still little shook up and sad. Kinda grateful for the 3 week break tbh between episodes. This was a gut punch I wasn't in the least expecting. Hoping we'll get a S7 announcement during this hiatus. *fingers crossed* Get it together ABC. This took me awhile to unpack emotionally so thank you all again for being so patient.

So I want to preface this post. There will be ZERO And I mean ZERO bashing of Tim in this review from me. Would appreciate that in comments as well. I love conversation you know I love comments. What I don't like is hate being spread. Also nothing on Eric either. I've also seen this which is utter madness. Don't touch our captain. Man loves this fandom so much. Deserves respect. If you came to this review for either of those things please promptly exit stage left. I mean that in the kindest way possible but I love Tim/Eric so it's a non starter with me.

I’ve never so deeply related with a character in all my life as I have with Tim Bradford. I’ll be dissecting this ep to best of my ability. I love both these characters so very much. Why I was knocked out for a couple days before could tackle this. I imagine my thoughts will change when I do my summer in depth one. When we have the rest of the season in pocket. I have to say this won't be mini at all. LOL So lets get rid of that concept right now ha I can't be mini with this ep. I am not brief so thanks for reading. Also hats off to Eric my god he was incredible in this episode. Melissa too killing me left, right and center you two. Let us get started.

6x06 Secret and Lies.

Poor Lucy looks like me when I’m stressed and drained af. Tamara asking how stressed she currently is? Lucy answering 19.....She looks like a 19 if not worse tbh. This is probably the most time they've spent apart since they got together. Basically living together at this point let's be honest. Other than 6x01 they haven't really spent time apart aside from that UC op in 5x21. *sigh*

Tamara asking if Tim is still ghosting her? Lucy trying so hard to keep it together with her answer. My heart. What a wreck she is without Tim. Do love that we get to see her pin-up board btw. Good shot of her room we don’t usually get. That cupcake poster I love it so much. Although now it makes me sad...

Lucy asking what's wrong? Tamara telling her she wants to move out with some friends from school. Crap. Her moving is the last thing she needs…. But it's good for her even though the idea makes me sad. End of an era. Lucy is right she needs to live with people her own age. Doesn’t make it hurt less though. This is a ROUGH season for Lucy my god. The hits keep coming for our girl and I wanna hug her. Shield her somehow....

Lucy touching near her tattoo when she reaches Angela. (Mini gut punch.) I do love her coming to Angela about this. If there is anyone who knows Tim like she does it's Angela. Does help she finds his behavior alarming too. I mean of course she does. You can see the immediate worry. The empathy she has for Lucy is there but she holds her cards close in her advice. Telling her to trust him even though it's literally killing her. Not the council Lucy needed to hear or was looking for.

Lucy wanted more action than 'Just wait and trust him.' She has been trusting him but she’s so insanely worried. Going out of her mind with anxiety for her person. It's exuding out of of her and she looks like she wants to cry…Ugh me too Lucy. I’m an empath and an anxious one at that. I would be going out of my mind too…. Angela looks worried as hell though. Even though she isn't conveying that to Lucy at this point. Breaking my heart as she takes off from their convo. Because if she doesn't she'll lose it right then and there.

God I love Angela Lopez. First off well done on tracking him down. She's just a bad ass. I mean it's one of the reason's Lucy reached out to her tbh. Just gets into his car, drinking his soda, calling him out right away. I love her reasoning saying she can live off Wesley’s trust fund. Lmao. Doesn’t matter as much if she get's fired. 'Wine o'clock.' for her. Gotta love the confidence. I truly hope we get more Tim/Angela scenes the rest of this season. I always adore their dynamic.

Tim is sold on her reasoning and starts to explain the current situation he's trapped in. Angela taking it all in and assessing everything as he explains. Once Tim has succinctly summed up his current predicament Angela's reply is the best. 'I’m in.' lmao I love this woman. ‘I got your back boo.’ That she does. In more ways than he even realizes at this point.

Gotta commend Angela calling him out for walking away from Lucy. Not only that but his job to arrest a guy hasn’t thought of in a decade…. Ain’t no one better than her to be there to call him out his crap right now. Not only that but to really dig deep. To know this is far more than what he's sharing. This is why Angela is an incredible detective rooting things out like this. Saying this is more than just protecting Lucy. Her intuition is out of this world.

I mean she's not wrong. Lucy would understand if it was just about the benefits. She would be proud really. Thing is it's about protecting himself too. Which really just scratches the surface of why he is doing this. Tim knows he's caught even if he shrugs it off. She has him dead to rights and he knows it. 'I’m your BFF. I know you.' Ha it’s true whether you like it or not Timothy…Just like Lucy she has your number.

Angela giving him crap with how they're following Ray. Worried he isn't being smart about this. This is so unlike him to be this sloppy and unfocused. She was right he was tailing too close… Ray catches on to their tail quickly. When he scanned the vehicle made me so nervous. Doing it while he's taunting Tim. He's so detail oriented blows my mind Tim let that get by him. This SL gave me such MASSIVE anxiety as I watched it. Oh my lord.

The minute they get back to Angela's place she calls him out once again. Asking why he thinks this is ALL his fault? Tim shrugs it off and she refuses to take that as his final answer. Of course Angela was right there is far more to this story. Tim finally opens up to her about what happened. He had been leading his squadron for some time. Looking to move up to Sergeant.

The catch was he couldn’t be promoted if there was rampant criminality in his unit. Ray clearly was in the way of him moving up. Tim figured he could keep it within his unit if they went after him.. Oh Tim…. It was an unsanctioned mission too. Thinking if he could accomplish this would be easy fast track to his promotion.

Kills me to know he was there during the air strike ugh… Details missing from the last episode. The Humvee saved him and Mark but not his other men… I can't imagine what Tim felt in that moment. The immense amount of guilt laid on his soul from here on out. I mean it makes sense why he never left patrol before Lucy. The last time he tried to advance his career this happened. My broken boy.

Eric CRUSHES this scene. I wanna cry. My poor Timothy. He was more focused more on his career than his oath...Got two of his men killed. My damn heart. He’s so ashamed of himself. The way he points at himself when he says 'leadership.' I knew his military past would be dark but holy crap. I wanted more of his backstory and they delivered that in spades. What a gut punch this had to be for him. No doubt his men were loyal af to him. Would've followed him anywhere and did.

He carries leading those men to their deaths because they followed his leadership. Oof. That is quite the weight to keep on your soul. Also gives us insight to why he shoulders everything. Even when he doesn't have to. Punishing himself for past transgressions such as this. I'm sure when we get to the other side of this season, I will have an even deeper respect for the writers going into his backstory like this. Giving us even more insight to this man.

This hurts so good to get this kind of info. I have no doubt that’s why he shut Lucy out. The shame he feels is overwhelming. I totally get it. Nothing scarier than someone knowing your darkest secrets. Not only that but worrying they’ll think less of you due to it. Tim already struggles with self loathing. Been a theme for him his entire arc on this series. Something I've touched on a lot. This is truly bringing that to light in the most painful way.

We see Ray scanned Tim's car in order to gain access to it. To check his GPS to see where he's been. How he's been tracking him. When he scrolls down to Lucy's address. Made my stomach sink. Legit felt sick to my stomach....

I do love Lucy coming home and having Tamara there. Saying she ordered pizza for them. This is exactly what she needs. Do you really have to go Tamara? I wonder if she'll delay leaving now after this ep. There is a knock at the door and of course it's not the pizza. It's Ray. Hair's on the back of my neck stood up from the moment he entered that apt.

I know Melissa stated in her interview she was nervous about this scene. That she came off awkward in her anger. You are incorrect madam. Holy hell Lucy is a BAMF. Telling him the only call she's gonna make is for the ambulance. Because when she's done with him he's going to need it to wheel him out. Holds her ground like the confident bad ass we've all loved seeing her become.

Lucy calling him shaking and demanding where he was. Ooh lord hell fire coming with her through that front door. I love Angela grabbing Tamara to another room. Like let's go mom and dad are about to have a big blow out. Let's give them some space...

Tim asking if she's ok? Truly concerned but Lucy isn't having ANY of it. 'Do I look ok?' Damn no she doesn't....Ripping into him saying how that creep could've showed up when she wasn't there. Lucy is not wrong....Oh my lord I’ve never seen her so damn mad. She is RAGING at him and rightfully so. Her home was violated, Tamara was put in danger and threatened. All because Tim was trying to protect her. phew.

Tim FINALLY concedes to telling her something. It only seems to enrage her more. She is literally vibrating with anger in this scene with him. The more he tells her the more it doesn't explain why he left her in the dark. Lucy begging him to read her in. I mean she has earned that my love. ..Telling him to stop protecting her. Gah Tim is a deep loyalist who would protect anyone he loves even if it's not the right thing. His reply is a reflection of that.

'I can't. I won't.' He's so driven to keep her safe. His instinct is to protect her but doesn't see he's hurting her in the process. I knew she was going to be pissed he let Angela in and not her. But Tim was right she has a lot less to lose. Which doesn't seem pertinent in this moment...I do love her placing her hands on his when she also replies. 'I can't. I won't.'

Mirroring his words from moments ago. Just like he will never stop protecting her. Lucy will never stop fighting for him or longing to help him. That man is her entire world. The most important person in her life. It makes perfect sense she would help with this. Career be damned. I mean she risked her career to get him a shot at Metro. Of course she would do the same thing in order to shoulder his burden with him.

Love her standing her ground in this moment. Like damnit I love you and you are going to let me in. Whether you like it or not I am here and I'm going to help. If this wasn't a reflection of the communication problems that still painfully exist between them I don't know what is. I mean she tried to be patient and trust him. But honestly he needed this kick in the ass to let her in. Which is a problem. Lucy needs to be the first person he goes to. It shouldn't have to come to this. *sigh*

Their OP goes off without a hitch. Except Ray saying he was going to be an air strike on Tim's life.... God I had no idea as I was watching that scene how true it would be. Tim gets his interview and lies to protect Angela and Lucy. While keeping his own job intact as well. Also welcome back to Jackson’s dad. Hello there Percy. This is not how I wanted to see him again.

But he is IA him returning was never gonna be a good thing tbh in a post Jackson world. Regardless it was nice to see him again. The scene is Grey's office is ROUGH. Never seen Wade so disappointed in Tim. It hurts to watch. Just like this entire gut punch of an episode. Tim is just standing there in utter shame of everything. Ashamed Wade is looking at him like this.

Kills me Grey has to inform Pine of what he did. It makes sense he has to but damn that sucks. The amount of respect Tim has for Wade is immense. To watch him tear Tim apart and just stand there like a puppy being scolded hurts my soul. Especially when he tries to fight Pine knowing. Just dismissing him without further comment or argument...

So I will say this and it's not at all fair to Lucy that I thought this I'm sure. But I felt like if there was gonna be a breakup it would be coming from her. Not Tim in this moment. That's the part of this moment that really knocked the wind out of me. She had every damn right to be the one too btw. Instead she is there waiting for him with open arms. Honestly I took a breath for the first time this entire episode when she welcomed him in.

Wrapping him up in her arms. Encasing him, rubbing his back, her fingers in his hair. Gently cradling him against her. I thought ok maybe we'll be alright. Since Lucy isn't nearly as angry as she was earlier. Maybe they can get through this together. Cause she loved on him regardless of what happened. The unconditional love she has for this man blows me away. I honestly thought with her loving on him maybe they'd make it out. That they’d work through it together.

Tim looks so very defeated. On the verge of an actual breakdown as he explains that he lied about everything. Saying it saved his job...protected Angela and her. It doesn't seem like enough of a win to him. He looks so very destroyed and this is just the beginning of his downward spiral.

Lucy is doing everything to be his rock in this moment. To assuage him of his guilt… Most vulnerable ever seen Tim *pre tears*…. Lucy telling him it was an impossible situation. She would've done the same thing. It’s so very clear she was willing to work through this. To build them back to where they were before he got that phone call. Everything Lucy was in this scene represented her unconditional love for him. Tim is just too destroyed at the moment to see it….Also for him to accept it. It's so hard to truly accept unconditional love if you've never had it before. To truly trust in it.

Lucy is watching him spiral out of control. The way he's talking about himself with such loathing. How she never would've been in a place where she put her self interest over her team like him. She is trying her damndest to right his wrong. But Tim is having none of it. It pains me to see it... Pains Lucy too. It's the way she grabs onto him while he continues his verbal self flogging that get's me.

Trying to ground him in this moment with her touch. Bring him back to her. Something that has worked so well in the past. Sadly not having the intended affect this time around. Tim is too damn gone at this point. He feels he’s betrayed everything he thought he was. THOUGHT he was. *heart clutch* Tim has such a deep moral compass. That's why this is rocking him so very much. Ugh my heart. I too have a crazy deep moral compass. I can't say I wouldn't be spiraling out like him as well.

This was his greatest sin brought to light. To Tim exposing him for the fraud he feels he is. Him saying he's been lying to himself for a long time is a reflection of this. That imposter syndrome coming out real strong here. Something he buried deep down came rushing to the forefront and he is imploding. Says as much above. He no longer feels worthy to be in her life now. I get this anytime I screw up with a friend or my sister. I have this deep sense of shame attached to it. Like I no longer deserve that friend or my sister cause I messed up or if a past sin comes up. That they'll no longer love me or will forever look at me differently cause of it.

It's not logical but it's deeply ingrained from my mom shaming me for doing anything wrong growing up. As it is for Tim. His father literally beat the hell out of him for ever being out of line. He has suffered emotional and physical abuse. Unless confronted and treated comes out like this. Demons making their way to the surface. I was bawling by the time he said 'I'm sorry.' He’s never seen himself worthy of Lucy’s love that much has always been evident. But to see it this raw and visceral ripped my heart out. It’s on the ground where they're both standing.

I think this is something that has been brewing in the background for Tim for a long time. Now that I've had time away to decompress and think. I'm actually very excited they're tackling this. It's clear Tim is not in a place where he thinks he deserves her anymore. Low key never has been. He acts before he thinks. Eric had a great quote from his interview about Tim "He is impulsive and he reacts instead of thinking things through, and it can come out a bit too strong.” That is this decision in a nutshell. He feels he is a burden therefore he is removing himself without thinking it through. The regret that is going to come with this is going to be immense for him.

'You deserve so much better.' Better than me basically. He feels immense shame and that shame is launching him away from her. You know I learned something in therapy about this. About not being perfect and feeling like I'm too much. i.e. a burden. My therapist told me and it made me cry. 'You are worthy of the space you take up in people's lives. They want you there.' Tim does not think he is worthy of the space he is taking up in Lucy's life now. All his sins on the table laid out for her to see. He can't handle it. That much is very clear here. I will say I haven’t let a ship hurt me like this in a long time.

This absolutely crushed me. I couldn't even fathom assembling my thoughts. Cut me very deep. Been with this ship since day one. Also what a crushing blow this is for Lucy. Our poor girl. I mean she gave everything to this relationship. I mean EVERYTHING. She was all in from the moment Tim said ‘Unless it is.’ This was her first real relationship. First real leap into being serious. Thinking about marriage and kids. She gave her all to Tim my god. Her career took a hit for him and she never complained. Knew he was worth it (he still is btw) Fought every step of the way for him. For them.

When he was pulling back above it was an absolute panic for her. She could see him slipping through her fingers. Idk what broke my heart more Tim thinking he’s not worthy of her any longer or her begging him not to do this. She literally can't fathom how he can let go of her like this. Thought she was his person. Tim feels he’s gone back to who he was pre-Lucy and that scares him. He feels undeserving of the love she has to give him. Lucy knows everything and in his mind he can’t imagine her still loving him.

Lucy was as we all were in this scene. In disbelief... Even though Tim put her though absolute hell she was still there to comfort and support him. Because to her he is worth it even in the hard times. We all know Tim isn’t the best with his emotions. In his trauma damaged brain he thinks he’s doing the right thing here. That he’s radioactive, she deserves better than being around him and his reckless behavior.

The kiss on her head. Lucy trying to physically push away his rejection. Stomping all over my damn heart...However this ends up playing out Tim is going to have to address his emotional instability. How he charges forward and doesn’t think things through. Ruled by his emotions in the worst way. He’s impulsive and he’s gonna have to fight to get her back when he’s in a better mindset. Her trust has been obliterated by this. She fought and clawed for them and this was her reward. He’s gonna have to do some serious healing to get back to her. Lucy has loved him the best she can but he needs to put in some work now. We see next ep he's meeting with Aaron's therapist. Don't love that but I’ve wanted Tim to go to therapy for years. He needs this. Therapy doesn’t work unless you put the effort in though.

That will be a challenge for him. When I get out of the purview of this hurt I’m feeling...I’m actually going to be really impressed and happy they had Tim go through this. Do I think this is the end of them? No I think this is some serious growing pains. It was issues that have been percolating since Lucy did that 5 player trade. Hell probably back in 5x12 when Tim sacrificed himself without telling her so they could stay together. I still think that was romantic because of it's intended nature. BUT was the beginning of the communication problems. They’ve grown so very much in that regard. We’ve seen it but there is still work to be done on that front. It just came to a very gutting painful head.

I still have faith in the writers. I still have faith they’ll be ok. It might not be right away and I'm already feeling impatient tbh. But this is some serious realism being applied to them. It wasn't some random BS angst. Honestly we’re lucky our ship gets the most attention, the best SL’s and two people who LOVE these characters. They absolutely adore them and this ship. If you haven’t read Melissa and Eric’s interviews for this episode I highly recommend. This sucks right now. No two ways about it. But we will survive this storm. They’ll come out stronger than ever. Truly believe that. But for now let's rally around each other and get through this together. There will be brighter days ahead just doesn't feel like it right now. We got this.

~~~

Side notes non Chenford.

Do love Aaron working with Harper all if of all I cared about other than their SL in this one. Nolan's I fast forwarded which I normally don't do but I had no patience for his BS in this ep lol My anxiety was rampant in this ep and had no space for him.

Also RIP Metro Tim for the 6x07 promo. This hurts to see not just cause I enjoyed him in that outfit lol But to see his career take a nosedive like this. I wanted more Tim back story. Didn’t think would hurt like this though....Feel free to comment I love you all for any interaction I get with these. <3

[abitterboy]

Somno with jisung? 🫠

ugh I think about this all the time! excuse me while I write more than necessary for this request.

You play innocent in public. You never say anything lewd, you don't curse much, and you're usually in big clothes courtesy of Jisung's closet. In private though, in your house with Jisung, you're anything but innocent. You make it a point to tease him often, always buying the smallest clothes possible to wear around the house, thongs and lacy underwear a staple of yours. Your ass and thighs are constantly on display and Jisung wouldn't have it any other way. At night, you usually have some sort of pants on though along with a top of some sort so you don't get cold but tonight you didn't have either. There you were, sleeping in just a lacy thong and no shirt on. Your tits were out on display along with your thighs. He had come home late from some errands and just wanted to rest but seeing you this way made his tiredness melt away. He had expected to see you in pajamas of some sort when he lifted the blanket but this was much better. Your skin called to him and he put out his hand to touch those plush thighs of yours. You shivered a little under his touch but it didn't wake you. Jisung crept over you slowly and started kissing your chest as he brought his hand to your barely clothed core, using his fingers to play with you rhythmically. You made a small noise in your sleep and it just caused Jisungs dick to strain against his pants. He slowly stripped you of the one article of clothing you had on before he made his way down. His tongue teased at your folds before dipping in to poke at your clit. He had to stop himself from roughly attaching his mouth to you and thrusting his tongue in you to taste you all over his tongue because he didn't want to wake you. Jisung kept his slow pace, simply wishing to make you feel good in whatever dream you were in along with lubing you up for his dick. He slid in a finger in slowly and started stretching you out gently before adding another one. He kept checking to see if you were awake every time you made a noise but no, you were still asleep. He knew you were a heavy sleeper and was grateful for that fact at this moment more than ever. He removed his clothes to feel your body against his while he fucked you and positioned you on your side to fuck you from behind. He laid behind you and peppered your neck with gentle kisses as he slowly led his dick into you. You moved and Jisung held back his moan so he wouldn't wake you further. Once you stilled he started his movements, fucking his dick into you slowly. Feeling the way your walls wrapped around him made him euphoric as he moaned out breathily behind your ear. You whimpered in your sleep and clenched around him ushering a hiss out of him. Jisung started moving faster, knowing he could risk waking you but just needing you way too much right now.

"Jisung-ie?

You had woken up but Jisung's pace didn't slow, it sped up. Hearing your little sleepy voice call out his name and feeling you press your butt up against him accidentally caused his control to falter.

"Go back to sleep baby, I'm not done with you yet."

You trusted him and tried your best to go back to sleep as he thrust his dick into you. If it wasn't for the tiredness that took over you, you for sure wouldn't have been able to sleep with the way he pumped himself into you. Alas, your eyes closed and you drifted back to sleep as Jisung felt his orgasm approaching. He kept his pace and once he knew he was gonna cum he thrusted into you especially hard and filled you up with his cum. All of his day's troubles washed away with his climax as he held you close to him. He wanted to stay inside of you forever but his softening dick eventually started slipping so he pulled out. He lifted your leg to watch the cum spill out of you onto your thigh as he licked his lips. He would have to reward you tomorrow but right now he needed some rest. He quickly cleaned you up before laying in the bed. The heat of your body was enough to make him sleepy but he knew you'd be cold so he wrapped you in his arms and then threw the blanket over the both of you.

"I love you. Sweet dreams, baby."

He kissed you softly on your head before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Treading On Thin Ice

Word Count: 8,000+

Warnings: Some language, insanity, frightening sequences???

Summary: A little bit of peppermint bark goes a long, long way.  || Kol x reader || Here lies my Masterlist || Christmas At The Compound 2022 ||

A/N: This fic was requested on Wattpad. The books mentioned and quoted in this fic are The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I do not own them. Thanks for reading!

☃️Story Begins Below☃️

Generosity - The spirit and action of freely and frequently giving to others.

"Y/N/N!" 

Rebekah's voice carried your name across the compound and you glanced up from wrapping garland around the railing of one of the Mikaelson's many stairwells. You knew you should have been prepared for when the blonde girl just appeared at the top of the stairs as if having teleported, yet the sight still made you jump. It wasn't your fault though, despite having been raised in the house of a witch. You were really only used to the concept of vampires - not the reality.

"Y/N/N," She repeated. "I need to ask you something."

"Hi, Bekah." You offered her a small smile to show that you were listening. The girl waved her hand dismissively.

"Yes, hello. I-" She paused, regarding the decorations you'd been working on. "Oh, darling, that's coming along splendid!"

You let go of a chuckle at her attitude. Oftentimes Rebekah would forget that she didn't have to be terse with you. "Why thank you, Bex," You said, moving into a mock bow.

"You're welcome." The girl smiled, grateful you understood her behavior. So few did. "Anyway, I wanted to ask if you intended to make any more of those thin mints by chance?" 

You raised a brow. "Are they gone already?" You wondered, amused but not surprised. "Man, I knew those were gonna be popular but I didn't know they were gonna be that popular. I should've made a bigger batch."

Rebekah's smile turned a little sheepish. "Could you make another one? Please?" She turned her pleading eyes on you and though you hadn't intended on refuting her request, you most certainly weren't going to now. You couldn't deny that girl anything. "I don't mean to be demanding, but they were so fantastic."

You snorted and turned back to your decorating with a slight shake of your head. Mass murderers or not, her family was way too good to you. "You're not being demanding, Bekah. Honestly, I don't think you guys ask enough of me, all things considered."

She frowned. "But you're-"

"Pregnant! I know. Trust me, I'm well aware." You cut her off, holding up a finger. "However, one month pregnant is not dead. I'm fine and I feel great. So as long as you guys are providing room and board for me, the least I can do is help out and cater to y’all’s raging sweet tooth's. Savvy?"

Rebekah groaned playfully. "Ugh! I suppose if you must," She huffed. 

“Oh, I must.”

The blonde original's face softened affectionately and she sighed. "Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are, Y/N?"

"No, not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" You tossed her a wink and she rolled her eyes. "I'll get on those thin mints as soon as I'm done here," You said. "Who knows? Maybe I'll make some Chex Mix too."

The girl's expression lit up and she skipped down the stairs to pull you into a hug. "You're the best Christmas present ever!" She cheered. 

You couldn't help but laugh. Turns out, all those stories about the youngest Mikaelson were completely wrong. She wasn't outright cruel and snide, she was just cautious. She didn't like being betrayed and thus didn't trust easily. However, you had quickly worn down her defenses with your sugary confections.

You pulled away from her arms upon hearing the familiar squeal of the front gates. Elijah was back! Though you turned to greet him with a smile on your face, that excitement quickly dimmed as you caught sight of the grim expression he wore. Beside him, Josh - one of your closest friends since you'd moved in - looked equally disturbed. Something was very wrong.

"Joshua, in the basement you'll find what we need. Fetch them quickly please," Elijah said. His tone was polite as always but it carried an undercurrent that made it clear he wasn't asking. Josh nodded, quick to comply.

Worried, you cast a quick glance at Rebekah - a question evident in your eyes. The blonde just shook her head, lips pursed and brows drawn together.

"Rebekah?" Elijah called from below. Something in his voice was urgent.

"What is it, brother?" The girl demanded, pushing passed you. "What's going on?"

A scowl twisted your good friend's lips and his eyes darkened. "It's Kol."

Rebekah inhaled sharply. "What?"

"He's come back." Elijah's frown deepened. "Kol is here in the quarter and he appears to be in the midst of one of his episodes."

"Oh bloody hell." That was the first time you'd seen Rebekah look truly frightened.

"I know," Elijah sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We have to get Y/N out of here. Now."

You blinked, feeling a spike of dread slash through your chest. You-you couldn't leave. You couldn't. He was out there. He would find you. You couldn't let him get to you. You didn’t care what sort of danger you were in now, getting torn to shreds by an original vampire would be preferable to allowing that disgusting excuse for a man to ever lay his beady eyes on you again. Elijah had promised.

"It's too late for that!" Rebekah argued faster than you could open your mouth. "If he's already in the city, then he'll be watching us, brother. The second we try to send Y/N anywhere, knowing Kol, he'll probably try to eat her!"

Alright, admittedly that didn't sound like a great option.

"Then what?" The dark-haired original questioned. "What do we do with her, Rebekah? Because, by the old gods, I will not allow that girl and her child to be hurt by anyone, especially Kol."

"And I appreciate that!" You called down to them timidly. "Excuse me, just so we're on the same page, is this the super insane brother who likes to snack on people like I snack on cheese and crackers?"

"That would be the one," Rebekah huffed, frowning. She turned back to Elijah. "If we caught him, could we keep him contained until he rides it out?" She suggested.

Your friend shook his head. "I don't like the idea of Kol and Y/N under the same roof."

"I don't think we have another option," Rebekah said.

“It’s too risky,” Elijah insisted.

“I’ll take that risk,” You spoke up. Your voice shook only slightly and you clutched the railing for support but you stood your ground. You would be brave. 

Elijah sighed again - he’d always taken such good care of you and you loathed to ask him for one more favor but you had to. “Y/N, you know I respect you, but I don’t think you comprehend how dangerous my brother truly is.” 

“Maybe not,” You admitted, shrugging. “But you’ve beaten him before, haven’t you?”

“Only with the help of Niklaus, and only when we’ve managed to catch him by surprise,” He pointed out with a shake of his head. “But Niklaus is miles away, and Kol is expecting us to retaliate.”

“Expecting?” Rebekah scoffed. “He’s not expecting us to retaliate, Elijah. You make him sound passive. This is Kol! You know as well as I that he intends to force us! I’d bet he’s already dropping bodies, so either we subdue him or we lose the quarter!”

Grim realization cast a shadow over your dearest friend’s expression and he nodded his weary agreement. “It’s a trap,” He conceded. The deceptively young man raised his eyes to you again. “Now do you see why you must go?”

“If I leave, then that just plays into his hand doesn’t it?” You noted. “If his whole goal is to bait you into reacting, then-” you jabbed a finger toward your chest “- let’s not hand him extra bait!”

“You know she’s right,” Rebekah pressed softly. He clenched his jaw.

“Please don’t make me leave?” You whispered. “Please don’t break your promise.”

He held your eyes for a moment, then Elijah cursed under his breath and turned to his sister. "Fine, we do it your way," He reluctantly agreed. "Y/N, go to your room and stay there please. Don't come out unless Rebekah, Josh, or myself come to collect you. This is for your own safety, do you understand?"

You could sense the seriousness of the situation in the depths of his pine bark eyes. You decided it best not to question.

"Okay."

It wasn't as though you'd been living with the Mikaelsons for very long - no more than a few weeks really - but even in such a short time, the three siblings you were familiar with had told you plenty about their youngest brother. Horror stories, that was what you'd been told. Even Rebekah, who spoke of the wild Original with the most fondness among her family couldn't deny his thirst for mass slaughter. According to his siblings, Kol liked hurting people. 

That wasn't a concept you could really understand. While it was true that you didn't know him personally and that you had a tendency to see the best in people, you found it hard to believe that Kol could be quite as horrid as his siblings claimed. From what you had been told about their kind by your mother, the Mikaelsons themselves, and Josh, Kol sounded more like a raging addict than a raging psychotic. Though you were probably wrong. Again, your familiarity with the nature of vampires was purely theoretical.

That was why you decided to heed Elijah's orders.

All danger aside, being confined to your room for a few hours didn't bother you so much. After all, you had the entire Stormlight Archive sitting on your shelf, so it wasn't as if you could really get bored. Funnily enough, it was only after Elijah and his sister returned that you found it much harder to remain behind your locked door.

Your head shot up when the first scream tore through the air. Ear piercing, shrill, bloodcurdling, and ominous, the sound alone was enough to set your heart racing. That scream was followed by several shouts.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Get that away from him!" That voice belonged to Josh - he sounded worried, disturbed.

"No!" A different voice cried. "No, Ethan! Don't do it!"

Then that scream came again. It morphed into words. 

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" 

"Ethan, no!" Josh yelled desperately.

The scream came once more, intense and unremitting, rising to a crescendo that chilled you to your very bones. Then, all at once, the sound cut off.

You sat there on your bed, frozen. Your back ramrod straight as you clutched your book to your chest and waited. For eight beats of your pounding heart, silence permeated the compound - a shocked, absolute sort of silence. The kind that follows death like a shadow.

Then like a crack of thunder in the night, there was laughter. Sick, horrid laughter. It was rasping and manic, crazed and deranged - unfeelingly cold and slick like ice, there was a hoarse, retching quality to it, lurking just beneath the surface. It echoed off the walls and through your skull, sending a shiver down your spine. The sensation of a thousand invisible eyes descended upon you and your breathing turned harsh and frantic.

The laughing stalled.

"Oh, what fun this is!" A new voice exclaimed, you'd never heard it before and you would have been satisfied never to hear it again. "I do so love a little jaunt through an inferior mind. Perhaps you should mandate vervain intake for your lackeys, Elijah. After all, the least you could do is make it a challenge for me, eh?"

That voice… That voice! It was repulsive - downright sickening. There was no warmth in it whatsoever - no life - only stone-cold death and wretched, scathing, venom. It stole the warmth of the room you resided in. Yet, at the same time, something about the sound was so smooth, so alluring and playful, that you almost felt inclined to listen. Something in his voice nearly goaded you to relax, to trust whoever welded it like a gleaming silver blade. That voice didn't sound dangerous. 

It sounded… tempting.

Perhaps that was what made it so bloody terrifying. You had never felt more unsettled in your life. Not even when he had been shadowing your every step. That man's obsession with you was nothing compared to the stark horror now flooding your senses.

What was going on out there?

The calm timbre of Elijah's voice cut through the air soon after, but his words didn't do much to calm you.

"Why do insist on this bloodshed, brother?" He demanded, voice ragged - patience worn thin.

"Because. It's. Fun."

And that awful laughter came again, seeming to fold in on itself and multiply. Growing louder, almost gleeful, it was manic and maddening, like a pack of hyenas encircling their prey. Locked in your room, you felt trapped yet exposed. What was going on out there? You had to know.

So you did something undeniably stupid. You got up and opened your door. Stealing out into the hall, you swiftly ducked behind a pillar and peeked through the second-floor railing, taking in the courtyard below. There in the center of the compound, a ring of vampires stood around a young dark-haired man. 

He both scared and fascinated you. 

Perhaps you would have thought the boy to be beautiful had his features not been tainted with madness. His thick dark hair seemed soft and you might have liked to run a hand through it had those locks not been disheveled and flecked with blood. His lips might have distracted you had they not been twisted into a vile sneer. His teeth were perfectly white but the terrible, deadly fangs he displayed ruined the illusion. Perhaps his eyes might have been deep enough to lose yourself in, but the curse in his blood and the rage in his heart had corrupted them with a horrific blackness that seemed to overflow, fracturing his otherwise innocent features into the visage of a monster.

Two steel cuffs clad his forearms, these attached to hulking, robust chains that looked strong enough to hold the weight of an ocean liner. Those cuffs burned the skin beneath them, rendering his arms a repulsive mess of scorching red flesh and blood. He hissed and laughed, purely demented, as he tugged and tore at the chains but, positioned on either side, each holding fast to a chain, stood Rebekah and Elijah. Both of your friends had their respective chains wrapped around their arms, struggling despite their teamwork to restrain their brother.

The vampires circled around them each kept hold of their own ropes. The thick cords were wrapped around his throat, others around his arms and legs and yet, all of them together couldn't seem to bring him down. There was one rope, you noted, that had gone slack. You followed the line with your eyes and quickly stifled a scream. A bloody corpse lay sprawled on the ground with a jagged length of wood impaled through his heart - self-inflicted. 

Above you, a clap of thunder shook the sky and the heavens opened, raining down vicious hail though the day had been cloudless only minutes before. This was New Orleans - it doesn’t hail in Louisiana. You shuddered from the cold and the horror, but that disgusting, unhinged laughter only re-doubled.

"No matter what you see or hear, know that it is merely an illusion!" Elijah's voice rang through the courtyard. Bold and commanding, it rose over the unnatural icefall. "Keep him out and you will not be deceived." 

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," The awful voice drawled, sounding so clearly from the boy at the center of it all. He merely grinned.

Within moments, a second scream - not the first you'd heard - erupted from the courtyard. Then another, seconds later. And another one again after that! One by one, shrieks permeated the atmosphere until the cries of the undead were all you could hear. Several of the surrounding vampires collapsed to their knees. There was retching and sobbing, some were choking while others gasped for breath.

Amidst the pain and the chaos, Kol lifted his face to the sky, eyes closed and mouth warping into a grin. And that monster kept on laughing. "I don't think they can help it, Elijah!" He taunted, sadistically gleeful.

"Josh?" Rebekah called over the gathering storm. "Josh, you have to fight it!"

Of all the others surrounding the siblings, Josh was the only one left standing. He screwed his eyes shut, his expression drawn with effort. 

"I-I'm trying!" He bit out between clenched teeth.

You drew in a sharp breath, wishing you could reach out and take your friend away from this insanity. "Josh…" You whispered, still crouched as you watched from your hiding place. 

The monster in the courtyard heard you. His eyes snapped open and locked onto your own. It all happened so fast. 

You had never wanted to imagine what a lobotomy might feel like, but you were certain you received a taste of one then as something - some powerful, vile force worked itself into your mind with all the delicate touch of an ice-pick driven by a sledgehammer. You squeezed your eyes shut, shaking your head in an attempt to wrest his consciousness away from yours but your feeble inexperience was pathetic in the face of this practiced maniac, backed by enough raw power to rival that of Klaus. An unnatural chill ran down your spine as any mental barrier you had shattered like stained glass in a storm and the last glimpse of reality you caught was that demented grin of his widening into a bleeding gash across his face. 

"Now, now, now… What do we have here?" That terrible voice whispered into your ear. A pair of hands - soft and warm though you didn't want them to be - settled on your shoulders and you froze. You didn't move. You couldn't move as his hands trailed down your arms and he knelt just behind you. Those hands slid to your wrists, thumbs pressing in to find your pulse. "Human," He hummed a second later, blunt teeth tugging gently at your earlobe, nipping almost teasingly. "How interesting." You didn't understand why you couldn't move! Your body simply refused to respond. "You know, I've torn through quite a few of your kind today…" Kol's mouth moved lower, leaving soft kisses along your throat as his hands shifted to your hips. Two sharp points scraped over your jugular. "Yet, not one of them smelled so sweet," He murmured, that insatiable hunger more than evident in his tone. "What are you going to taste like, I wonder?" 

Finally, you could react. (He let you react. He was the one in control here. Kol wanted to see you run scared.) You cried out, jabbing your elbow backward into his chest and scrambling away from him as fast as you could. The monster just watched, amused, and tilted his head. "Who are you, sweet-thing?"

"Y-you're not real," You stammered, trying to sound brave. 

"Are you sure?" His tone was playful, mocking as he grinned and stalked closer. "I think you should guess again."

He seemed real, he felt real but it was all in your head. Elijah had said so. You could always trust Elijah.

"You're not real! " You shouted, voice growing firm. "Get out of my head and leave me alone!"

His expression soured into a scowl. "Perhaps you're right," He said. Then, in a split second, Kol was behind you. "But I'm not too far away, am I?" 

Your eyes snapped open and you knew he had let you go because those haunting black abysses stared back at you with a promise.

Yet, in the moments you had grabbed Kol's attention, Josh had found his opening. He raced up from behind and jabbed a syringe directly into that monster's neck, injecting him with enough vervain to down three original vampires. Kol roared and threw his head back, clipping Josh's skull with an impact that would have killed any human instantly, but it was too late. His legs soon gave out and he fell to the ground - out cold.

Yet, you found yourself unable to truly process what had happened. You got to your feet, clinging to the railing for support but you didn’t move beyond that. Below you, the other vampires recovered from whatever attack Kol had unleashed on their sanity. 

“Take him to the basement,” Rebekah ordered, letting go of a long breath as she collapsed into a chair. The others nodded and got to work. You just watched them, seemingly unable to tear your eyes from her brother as they dragged the temporarily lifeless corpse away.

“Would you like to tell me exactly what you were thinking,” Elijah’s voice sounded from behind you, effectively shocking you from your stupor. You jumped, turning to face his displeased expression. Yeah, you were in trouble all right.

“I can honestly say I have no idea,” You replied, pressing your lips into a thin line. “It just sort of… happened.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Do you have any idea what my brother could have done to you if he had broken free?” 

“I don’t think I want to imagine that, thank you.” You rocked back and forth on your heels nervously as Elijah’s glare intensified. “But, hey! He’s out for the count, so it’s all fine!” He crossed his arms over his chest and you let go of a nervous chuckle. “How was he so powerful anyway, huh? I mean, that was weird,” You pointed out, gesturing to the storm overhead. Its intensity was rapidly waning.

“The dude was higher than a kite, that’s how!” Josh called up to you. He’d begun cleaning up the body of his fallen friend.

You raised a brow. “What does that have anything to do with it?”

“Kol’s been snacking his way through several states on his way here, and with our father dead, its not like he had to worry about avoiding attention,” Rebekah sighed, rubbing at her temples.

“I mean, we’re talking a kill count higher than my carrer best in Call of Duty,” Josh added. “And that’s saying a lot!”

“Is it though?” You teased.

“It is actually,” He sassed. “Anyway, running on that much death is like running on a concoction of jet fuel, monster energy, red bull, sixty three pounds of sugar, eight tablespoons of the essence of Dwane Johnson, a five hour energy, seven triple espresso shots, and gorilla testosterone… with just a dash of peppermint.”

You blinked. “Interesting metaphore,” You admitted. “Please never say that again.”

He just shrugged grinning. You turned back to Elijah. “So if your brother is that doped up, then what’s going to stop him from tearing his way outta’ this joint as soon as he wakes up?”

“We'll keep injecting him with vervain on the hour until he regains a grasp on his fragile sanity,” Rebekah answered for her brother.

“And if that fails we’ve raised a barrier spell to keep him contained,” Elijah said. His expression softened and he placed a hand on your shoulder, meeting your gaze. “As long as you stay out of the basement, Kol will be unable to harm you.”

Nodding, you bit your lip. “I sure hope so.” Unwittingly you cast your eyes toward the doorway through which Kol had disappeared, and a thread of curiosity tugged on the corner of your mind. You shook it away. “I’m gonna go make those thin mints now.”

For the next week and a half, you did a rather excellent job of putting Kol out of your mind. It was no easy task, mind you, considering the occasional screams of outrage, strings of profanity, and creative death threats that rang through the compound every now and again. (That boy had quite the set of lungs on him.) The death threats especially gave you a good reason not to go wandering into the basement. It wasn't until the tenth day of administering hourly vervain injections, that Josh finally declared the guy "moderately chill". 

"Define, moderately chill?" Rebekah demanded. Elijah had forbidden her from seeing their brother - knowing their presence was only likely to rile him up. But that couldn't keep her from worrying.

Josh shrugged. "I mean, he's not trying to impale me on my own rib cage anymore."

"Wait, I thought you guys said he was restrained!" You said, a slight note of panic rising into your voice.

"Oh, he is," Josh assured you. "Doesn't stop him from trying though."

You grimaced, reminding yourself yet again why going down to see the wild Original was a less-than-intelligent idea.

But two days after that, your curiosity began to outweigh your common sense. You started to pity the guy, he must have been lonely down there all alone - not to mention bored… and hungry. As a person who was quite fond of food, you didn't want to imagine what going without it for a week would have to be like.

Thus, you decided to pay him a little visit and came up with every justification in the book as to why because morbid curiosity was an awful reason. Rebekah had told you that Kol could be really sweet when he wanted to be, so you figured that it certainly couldn't hurt to earn yourself a place in his good graces. Bringing him something to eat sounded like an excellent way to do just that. Besides, you had found a new recipe for peppermint bark and you needed a guinea pig. Elijah and Rebekah were off doing whatever it was they did to keep the peace in the French Quarter, and Josh was on a date. You wouldn't have a better chance.

So, you pushed all thoughts of self-preservation aside and ventured down into the basement, armed with a cookie sheet, a billiard cue, two blood bags, a plate of peppermint bark, and Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings.

There wasn't exactly a cell down there per se - just a dingy alcove behind a small archway with a cot set up in the center. Despite it being invisible, you could instantly tell where the barrier spell was. Apparently, Kol had been entertaining himself by attempting to spit past it. He clearly hadn't had much luck as there was a semi-consistent line of dried blood marring the stone floor. It reminded you of something out of Lilo and Stich. Well, you'd been right about the boredom.

Peering through the archway, you studied the boy inside. His wrists were still clasped in those shackles you'd seen before, except now those had been secured to opposite walls. The skin beneath the cuffs was still red and raw, in fact, you thought you could see smoke curling off of it. That had to be painful, though you tried very hard not to pity him. Shifting your attention to his face you were shocked at how peaceful and innocent his expression seemed. He was sprawled across the cot, fast asleep and you couldn't help but find him… cute. This boy looked nothing like the monster you had seen two weeks ago.

You sat down on the floor just beyond the magic barrier and watched him for a bit. Not in a creepy way. You just didn't want to wake him and if you did, you had no idea what to say.

Turns out, you didn't need to worry about that because Kol woke up on his own. He groaned, lifting his head and his eyes fixed on yours. 

"It's you…" His voice was dry and scratchy, though you couldn't expect much less from a person who hadn't had anything to drink in two weeks. Confusion colored his expression initially but within seconds, dark veins crawled outwards from his eyes, spilling down his cheeks and you caught a glimpse of his fangs. You froze as he stared at you longingly. Then he groaned and curled himself into a ball like a child with a stomach ache. Only then did you notice the shadows beneath his eyes and the profound lack of color in his skin. 

"Are you hungry?" What a stupid question.

"Starving," Kol growled miserably. "Come to torture me, have you?"

"No, actually I brought you a snack."

He glanced up, raising a brow. "Excuse me?"

You held up one of the blood bags and his eyes widened. In a split second, he was off the cot and straining against the chains. Their length allowed him within a mere three feet of where you sat and you jumped back. Kol hissed, his pitch-black eyes singularly focused on the bag in your hand. He struggled and thrashed, gleaming fangs on full display.

The color in your face drained away.

There was the monster you'd seen in the courtyard.

"Scared, are we?" He growled, sneering. Those teeth snapped at you with all the power of a hyena.

You didn't reply. You just backed away.

"DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!"

But that's exactly what you did. You turned and ran from that place as fast as you could, clamping your hands over your ears to block out his voice as Kol screamed insults at your back.

Yet, you found yourself returning two days later. Apparently, Josh's date had gone well and there was some problem across the river that Bekah and Elijah had to take care of. You knew you had absolutely no reason to extend your kindness to that monster in the basement again, especially after he'd so completely rejected it the last time; however, you were a generous person and if he wanted to be a jerk to you then that was his problem. You would keep being kind regardless of how he decided to treat you because really Kol was only hurting himself. He was growing weaker by the minute - starvation had to be excruciating and you were offering him a respite from that pain. He was sure to concede eventually.

So down the steps, you descended once again, moving to sit on the floor just beyond the barrier spell. This time, Kol was already awake. He struggled to sit up, arms shaking, and glared at you viciously. 

"Ah, she's back," He snarled, lip curling with disgust. But it wasn't entirely genuine, you could see the curiosity and surprise shining through his eyes.

"I am." You nodded, holding up the blood bag as you had done before. "And I brought you something."

Kol's eyes immediately turned black, but this time he remained carefully still. "What do you want?"

You shrugged. "I wanna give this to you."

His eyes narrowed as he forced himself to look at you - not the crimson substance in your hand. "What do you really want?" He pressed.

"I really want to give this to you! Unless you try to attack me again, in which case I'll leave and come back tomorrow and the next day and the next until you get over your ego and take the hand that's being offered to you."

Kol scoffed, rolling his eyes. "And why would you want to help me get out of here, darling? First thing I'd do is rip into that pretty little neck of yours."

"Oh, heavens no," You snorted, grinning wryly. "I don't want you out of there any more than you want to be in there."

"Then why offer?" He demanded.

You shrugged. "Well, starvation doesn't sound too pleasant. You must be feeling pretty sick by now."

The vampire's eyes darkened and he scowled. "I don't want, nor do I need your pity, bug," He spat. If looks could kill, you would have been drawn and quartered.

"Good thing this isn't pity."

"Then what is it?" He mocked.

"The fruit of generosity," You answered, “which you have long denied your fellow men.” 

“That’s Charles Dickens,” Kol hummed. “Never did like him.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. "Well, in that case, think of it as a Christmas present."

"Generosity…" Kol hummed the word, watching you appraisingly. "People will take advantage of that, you know."

You huffed a laugh but there was no humor in it. "Believe me… I know." You knew better than most. You quickly met his eyes again. "But you won't."

He seemed to find that deceleration extremely amusing. "Oh, is that what you think?" He chuckled. "Darling, with that in your hand, I could easily find my way back into your head. I could do whatever I wanted. I could drive you mad."

"You could. But I know you won't."

"Do you have faith in my humanity, sweetheart?" He teased. His grin was a sharp row of gleaming teeth.

"Nope!" You exclaimed. You held up your hand exposing a ring. It wasn't really your vervain jewelry - that was the new ankle bracelet that Elijah had bought you - but Kol didn't need to know that. "I got an upgrade. Smart bug."

He huffed a laugh, amused by your cheek. "The possession of a brain does not make you intelligent."

You just rolled your eyes. "Look, do you want this or not?" You asked, gesturing to the blood bags again. Kol's attention was once again enamored with it. You watched him try to hold back, try to retain his pride but it wasn't long before he broke.

"Fine," He bit out. His eyes flicked to meet yours. "I want it."

"Next time I'll teach you to say please." You smirked and tossed him the bag.

He caught it easily and for the briefest of moments, you thought you caught him watching you. Then that moment was gone and he tore into it, groaning voraciously as he practically inhaled its contents. As soon as he was done with it, you tossed him the next, wordlessly. He downed it without a second thought, and though he tried to keep up the spiteful, angry facade, you could see Kol's relief visible in his posture. 

"Is that better?" You asked as soon as he finished. He just glared and tossed the empty bags back at you. 

Shrugging, you scooped those up and opened the Tupperware container you'd brought with you - the one full of peppermint bark - and shook it.

He watched you for a moment, seething. "Now what?"

You grinned cheekily. "Want some? I made it just yesterday."

Kol rolled his eyes, moving to sit on the cot where he rested his arms on his knees. He watched you with narrowed eyes but took his time to reply. "What I want, darling, is to know who the hell you are."

"Me?" You raised a brow. "I'm Y/N Y/LN."

Kol huffed. "What's a bloody name mean to me?"

"Not too much, apparently," You muttered.

"Who are you? What are you? Why are you here?" The boy in the cell demanded, seeming more curious now than furious. 

"Well, I already told you my name. I'm pretty human as far as I know, and I'm here because I make poor life decisions," You said. It was no crime that you didn't want to tell Kol your life story. He didn't need to know any of it.

"Poor life decisions, eh?" He offered you a wry grin. "Would you mind elaborating on that?"

"Yes," You deadpanned. "Look, I did something stupid and Elijah brought me here. That's all you need to know."

"Why would my brother bother himself with you?" His tone was somewhat accusatory, though you couldn't comprehend why.

You shrugged. "I dunno. I guess it's because Elijah's sorta like my… cousin."

"Cousin?"

"One can never have too many cousins," You said, smirking.

Kol scoffed. "I beg to differ. One can absolutely have too much family."

"True, however, cousins are not immediate family," You countered. "They're more like friends who feel obligated to do you favors."

"Ahh…" He nodded. "I see. So you're a manipulative bitch then, eh?"

Your face soured though it was mostly theatrics because Kol was entirely right. Beneath that frown, you were smirking. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. I prefer the term: opportunist. Plus, I'm not a complete leech. I help out here and there. I dust shelves, sweep floors…" You shook that container of peppermint bark again and shrugged. "I bake... I'm helping."

Kol snorted. "It's cute that you think that."

"Oh, so you admit that I'm cute?" You teased, winking at him.

He raised a brow. "Flirting are we? When you're so fond of my brother? Darling!" He shook his head reprovingly. "That'll get you onto Santa's naughty list for sure. Then again, my brother does have a thing for women who take advantage of him…"

"Elijah?" You balked. "Dude! I just said he's like my cousin… This ain't Alabama!"

Kol chuckled darkly and once again, he was in control of the conversation. The guy was quite good at gaining the upper hand. "Well, in that case, sweetheart, I'd be infinitely more worried."

"Why?" You questioned, narrowing your eyes.

"Because you won't be able to keep this little ruse of yours up forever," He reasoned. There was a sick gleam that didn't belong in such innocent eyes. "Niklaus or my sister - one of them will figure out what really drives you, then you'll be wishing you had the romantic affections of that noble stag to protect you when the claws and teeth come out. My family is not one to be manipulated."

Kol was good at intimidation, that much was true, and his inferences were logical but he needed to work on his humility. That boy had jumped the gun. 

You smirked. "Who said it's them I'm manipulating?"

He blinked, tilting his head. His eyes flicked along your frame, inspecting you again. "Clever bug." He grinned. "This isn't generosity, is it? No, not at all. You're just trying to butter me up."

"Is it working?" You hummed.

"Nah."

"Alright!" You shrugged. You didn't need it to work. Not right away. "I've got some time, want me to read to you?"

"Certainly not!" Kol said. "I want more answers."

"Then ask more questions." You shrugged, mostly indifferent. "But at least be a decent person and try the treats." You loaded up the cookie sheet with a few pieces of peppermint bark and, using the billiard cue, pushed it past the boundary spell. Kol got up, regarding you somewhat distrustfully. Despite the restraints, he managed to get close enough to hook his foot around the lip of the cookie sheet, pulling it closer to himself before bending down and picking up a shard of the treat. He inspected it carefully, then after a moment, cast his eyes back up to yours.

"It's poisoned, isn't it?" He accused. 

You scowled, taken aback. "Of course not! I'm offended, Kol. Honestly, what do you take me for? I wouldn't waste perfectly good vervain on you! Not to mention, that's a vile misuse of perfectly good peppermint bark!"

"Then why are you so desperate for me to ingest this?" He challenged with a sneer.

"Because it's a new recipe," You reasoned, tossing your hair over your shoulder with an indignant huff. "What if it turns out to be nasty? I wouldn't want to feed my friends something subpar, now would I?"

He rolled his eyes leaning back against his cot. "I thought you said Elijah was like your cousin," He said. Kol popped one of the pieces into his mouth idly. He probably wouldn't have done it had he not been so hungry - anything to at least provide the illusion of comfort, you supposed. Yet, he couldn't hide his genuinely surprised reaction when he tried the treat. 

The boy did a double take and a small, yet radiant smile overtook his face. You grinned. Though, a second later, he caught your eyes and wiped that expression away. 

It didn't bother you, however. It couldn't bother you because, though it had been for just a moment, Kol had proven you right. There was more to him than that horrid monstrosity of an exterior. There was more to him than the villain he played. Under all of that, there was a boy - scared and hungry, upset and alone. Beneath the monster, there was a person with the same desires as any other. 

Because this month was December and December is the time when all people just want the same things. Generosity and companionship are the two things everyone wants for Christmas and deep down, Kol was no different.

A few beats passed and Kol reached for another shard of peppermint bark as silence settled between you. Tilting your head, you watched him and, after a moment, you opened your mouth. 

"Bravado," You said, smiling just slightly.

Kol's head shot up. His eyes were wide and weary but not near as sharp nor as threatening as they'd been merely a moment before. He looked more like a child who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar because you'd seen him. You'd seen past his front and he knew it.

"What?" Kol's voice was hardly more than a whisper. 

You leaned forward, settling with your elbows on your knees. 

"Bravado," You repeated, gesturing minutely to his hands which still shook, though not as severely. "Bravado is the hallmark of insecurity."

It was the wrong thing to say.

Whatever warmth you had seen in his eyes drained away in hardly an instant, his expression growing hard as obsidian as his posture closed off to you yet again. You cursed yourself. You should have known better than to push.

"Get out," Kol hissed, teeth and fists clenched tight.

"Kol I didn't-"

He spoke again, voice taught with barely constrained rage. "I. Said. Get. Out." He kicked the cookie sheet back at you with force and it skidded across the stone floor, nailing your knee hard enough to make you wince.

"Fine," You said, quietly. Then, you gathered your things and left.

Yet, Kol's ire didn't stop you from coming back. You returned, again and again, every day and though Kol continued to take the blood bags from you, he refused to engage you in conversation. This went on for days. Though it wasn't long before you grew tired of it. You had seen something in him that day, and he was trying to forget it existed but you weren't going to let him. 

The next time you descended those stairs and sat on the floor, you waited for him to down the blood bags just as you had every other time. Kol grew weaker by the day, though he was in less pain than he would have been thanks to you. He sat facing you, with his back resting against the far wall of the cellar. You knew he expected you to leave, but you didn't. You held your ground and said what he needed to hear.

"I'm not mad at you, Kol."

The boy slowly raised his head, it lolled to the side as though he hadn't the strength to keep it up. His skin was ashen and his eyes were dull, sunken into his face as though there was some black hole inside him. The breaths he took were shallow and unstable. He was falling apart, yet still, a bitter smirk spread across his face.

"Well that's a first." Somehow his voice, raw and quiet, was more unsettling than the screams you'd heard weeks ago in the courtyard. The hollow whisper worried you more than that unholy laughter had. It made you empathize with him.

"I'm not mad, because it wasn't your fault," You continued.

"Another first."

You sighed, shrugging. "Your reaction was only natural. I would have done the same thing."

"I'm sure you would have."

You took a deep breath. You were about to do the dumbest thing you would ever attempt, yet you weren't all that afraid. Getting to your feet, you approached the barrier spell - the only thing guaranteeing that Kol could not harm you - and crossed over the invisible boundary. Those deep brown eyes followed you, trailing your every step with suspicion and disbelief as you crossed his cell and knelt beside him. 

Kol, starving as he was, didn't attack you. So you offered him a gentle smile.

"It's okay, Kol. It was my fault," You said quietly. Kol froze. "I just got too close, didn't I?"

His eyes grew wide, pupils dilating as he stared at you with an uncomprehending expression. Reaching out slowly, you ran a hand through his hair. The dark locks were dirty and tangled, but soft all the same. Kol hesitated, but leaned into your touch as though he simply couldn't stop himself. 

Leaning in, you pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I forgive you."

"Why?" He demanded, watching you with wonder. 

You just smirked. "Think of it as a Christmas present."

"For me?" He coughed, grimacing. "Or for Elijah?"

You sighed. "I'm not here for Elijah."

"Then why are you here?" He looked at you, desperation for understanding showing clearly through those eyes. "My brother hardly bothers with his own siblings if he deems them unworthy of his limitless time." 

"I'm in over my head," You said simply, shrugging. "I think it's what got me in so deep that maybe he saw something in."

"And what was that?"

"Generosity." You smiled - thin as a strand of hair. "I showed someone too much and he turned out to be a creep who took advantage of me. Elijah's making sure it doesn't happen again. That's all."

Kol's expression twisted with confusion, then cleared with understanding. "A-are you-" He trailed off, unsure.

"Oh come on," You said, chuckling slightly. "I know you've heard it by now."

Your baby's heart had started beating three days before.

The boy's bright grin confirmed your statement. He laughed, though the sound was tired. "You're going to make an excellent mother," He said.

You smiled. "Thanks."

Kol leaned his head back against the wall, weak but grinning, and sighed. "So, what's that book you brought with you?"

With a bubbling laugh, you stood and wandered back to the boundary spell where you'd left your stuff. 

"Wait, don't-" 

"I'm not going anywhere, Kol," You snickered, bending down to snatch the book. Then you made your way back to sit beside him. The boy leaned against your shoulder and though it made you just a tad bit nervous, you let him. Carding a hand through his hair, you opened the book and began to read aloud.

"Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king."

It wasn't long before you lost track of time. Unfortunately, reading out loud ensured that you couldn't hear the footsteps of your friends when Elijah, Rebekah, and Josh returned. If Kol had heard them, he didn't inform you.

The door to the dungeon swung open on hinges that protested rather loudly and your head shot up from your reading.

"Y/N, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from him," Elijah's cold, commanding voice sounded from the entrance.

You bit your lip. "You know, uh… I can explain this," You promised.

"Can you?" Elijah's glare was a frigid sort of rage and it was concentrated entirely on Kol.

You opened your mouth. "No. No, I cannot."

"I see," Your friend hummed. His eyes flicked to you and you thought you felt just a little of what it might be like to jump into a freezing lake. "Y/N, return to your room at once, please. I would like to speak to my brother."

"Okay." You weren't going to object, not when Elijah was providing your room and board. Though, that didn't stop you from looking back at the boy you'd finally brought to the surface. Picking up the tray off the floor, you gave him a small smile and slid the Tupperware container full of peppermint bark back toward him. Then you left without another word.

You didn't hear anything from Elijah, Rebekah, or even Josh for the rest of the day. You sat on your bed and waited, but the only sound that came from downstairs was an exasperated Elijah's indistinct yelling. Whatever discussion took place in the basement lasted for a few hours, but no matter how many times you texted Josh, all he would tell you was how reckless your actions had been.

The following day, you ventured to the kitchen. You weren't going to stay in your room the entire day. If Elijah wanted to stay put, then you would do so while being productive via baking. That day, you decided to bake thin mints. Tasting one, you hummed as the chocolate melted on your tongue. You didn't even hear the kitchen door open. 

"Might I try one of those?" 

You shrieked, jumping nearly a foot into the air. Whirling around, you were rather surprised to find Kol standing in the kitchen doorway, smiling at you - not smirking, just smiling. He looked a lot better

 "I dunno," You said, returning the expression. "I think you're gonna have to say the magic word."

Kol stepped closer, crossing the room until he stood directly in front of you. He reached out and took your hands in his own, pulling them to his chest. “Please?” He said, in the sweetest tone you’d ever heard. The puppy-dog eyes he gave you were the color of melted chocolate. You grinned.

“Here-” You held up one of the squares. “-Catch!”

Tossing the mint up in the air, you giggled as Kol threw his head back and caught it between his teeth. He winked at you, biting a piece off as he leaned against the counter.

“These are fantastic,” He said. “Thank you.”

“Ah… So he does have some manners - good to know.” You nodded to yourself sarcastically and he rolled his eyes.

“Only for you, sweetheart,” He hummed. “Only for you.”

You chuckled. “I see. Now, do you wanna tell me how you convinced Elijah to let you out on - what I’m assuming is - vampire parole?”

Kol shrugged and tried to steal a second mint but you slapped his hand away. “We made a deal,” He said simply. 

“You promised to behave?” You questioned, raising a brow. “You? Just like that?”

“You seem surprised,” He chuckled. 

“Oh. Well, then I’m not being expressive enough because I am astounded!”

Kol waved a hand dismissivly. “Eh, shouldn’t be too hard, I don’t think - not with you manipulating me and all that.”

You blushed. “Is that permission to keep making sweets?”

“Oh, yes. Absolutely.” 

Snickering, you passed him another thin mint. “Well, in that case, Merry Christmas, Kol.” 

He took it. Then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss sweeter than chocolate to your cheek. “Merry Christmas, darling.”

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[itsscromp]

Hi, I have a Rocket request. Can you do something before vol 1 where he meets reader and they are really kind to him, but no one's never be this kind except from Groot, so it takes some time for him to trust them and "get used" to it.

Kindness goes a long way

AWWWW, this is a super cute anon, I love this idea so much. Rocket don't you worry buddy, you'll have another best friend and you won't even know it. Word count:1K

All his life, all Rocket knew was pain... He lost his friends in the worst way possible, which made him closed off and angry. Pushing away anyone who tried to get close to him as he always knew they would just hurt them again. He then met Groot and then began to slowly open up. He knew because Groot wasn't the type to judge anyone. But then he met you.

He and Groot were trying to nab a bounty one night before they were beaten to it by you.

"Hey come on kid, that was our bounty" He snarled at you.

"I didn't see your name on it" You smirked at him.

He growled at you before Groot placed a hand on his shoulder, to make sure he didn't lunge at you and hurt you.

"Tell you what, I'm feeling generous tonight. How about we claim it together, split the reward evenly" You offered them.

Groot happily accepted it, but Rocket was hesitant, No one, especially in bounty hunting shared the reward with him. Usually, it was every man for themself, but it didn't seem to be that with you. But for now, he agreed.

"If as so you change your mind on this humie..."

"I never back away on my promises furball" You playfully scolded.

He grumbled to himself as you three then went to collect the reward, when you split the amount with the two, Groot then suggested...

"I am Groot" (Maybe They should join us)

"What absolutely no way driftwood, we ain't adding no more to the crew" Rocket shot the idea down as soon as he did.

"But I mean... He's kinda right though, I have seen you two in action before. Your brains, He's the brawn and I could potentially be your eyes to new bounties that you two probably would never get" You counter offered.

"Ok first off you understand what he's saying ??"

"Universal translator" You tapped the side of your head.

"I am Groot" (Rocket they would be a valuable asset with us) Groot continued to convince him.

Rocket rolled his eyes and thought about it for a bit.

"You got a name kid ??"

"Y/n L/n"

"Well... Don't get too comfortable, cause If I see you doing anything funny, I will shoot you"

But nevertheless, you were now officially a part of their little group, looking out for more bounties. But you pulled your weight along the ship too, Sometimes Rocket would be taken aback by your random acts of kindess.

"Oh flark I forgot to fix the cooler" He quickly tried to rush for it.

"It's ok, I fixed it earlier. I thought it'll help take the load off of you" You kindly smiled at him.

"Whatever I could've done it anyway" He scoffed.

Or when one morning you made him breakfast.

"Here you go" You handed him a plate of bacon and eggs.

"I ain't hungry humie" He shoved the plate away from him.

"Dude we got a huge bounty to collect tonight, you can't do that on an empty stomach can we ??" You once again kindly smiled at him.

"Ugh... fine" He muttered as he began to slowly eat.

And when you helped find his missing bomb project.

"Come on come on where did I put it !!!!" He growled as he tore almost half the ship apart to find it.

"What's wrong buddy ??" You tilted your head in confusion.

"First of you and I ain't buddies or pals. Secondly I need to find the bomb I was working on before it blows the damn ship in half !!"

"Ok calm down... Where did you leave it last ??"

"I put it right their next to the crate and when I came back it was gone.

"Oooh was that it ??, I thought it was some sort of gadget, I just moved it to the gadgets cabinet just in case, Sorry about that"

He grumbled a bit as he went to retrieve the bomb, but he was... kinda grateful that it didn't become a tripping hazard to neither you or Groot.

As this went on, he began to very slowly warm up to you and your gestures. Maybe he was wrong about you. Maybe you weren't like the other people he had faced in his life... you were different...

One night when it was your turn for rotation on the cockpit, he then went to join you.

"Seat taken ??" He tried to joke.

"It's ok" You chuckled as an indicator that he could sit.

He joined in with you gazing at the cosmos and fiddling with his thumbs for a little bit until finally gathering the courage.

"Y/n... I'm sorry for the way I treated ya during the beginning, It's just... No one has ever been this... kind to me in my life before... It made me... Really scared.."

"Scared ??" You turned to him, asking in a non judgmental way.

"Scared that..." He hesitated to say it. this was already big for him enough, as soon as he began his sentence, he began to stutter.

"Hey hey... It's ok... If you're not ready to talk about it then that's ok, I'm not forcing you to. You kindly smiled at him.

He then took a deep breath in relief. "What I'm trying to get at kid is... I'm sorry for the way I treated you from the start... Do you think we can start over ??" He looked at you.

You could see it in his eyes he really misjudged you, He really wanted to start over again. "Of course... Partner" You raised your fist for a fist bump.

He grinned soon after and gladly returned it. "Yeah, partner"

For the rest of the night, the two got to know each other properly and even engaged in some playful banter with each other, which made Rocket smile, something that very rarely happens.

Then soon after that, what turned from a simple partnership was turned into an amazing friendship. You two would have each other's backs for life.

Taglist: @callofdudes @fun-k-board

[jotunvali02]

Playing Ace Attorney, Rise from the Ashes part 3

Hallelujah my brothers & sisters! Feenie is having some empathy again!🥳

"Hey, Gant-jerk! You NEVER hurt my sweet boyfriend again, bitch!"

DON'T remind me of Von Karma, a giant monstrous asshole who hurt my baby Edgey just like you!

My baby did NOTHING wrong, asshole! He's the purest, most righteous and most beautiful angel I know!! 😭👼🏻

"Knock yourself out", huh?

"I'll always believe in Mr Edgeworth! No matter what happens!" Daddy...😭

"Why is the award broken?" Idk, maybe Edgey smashed it?? After seeing VON KARMA name on it????

Daddy is an artist like Fee-Fee.

Noooo… the vase gluing, is that a joke??😩

Wait. Why can't I go see Edgey after talking to Gumshoe like in all the other let's play videos?? What did I miss??? Why am I STUCK??? I'm going fucking crazy!! Why can't I go see my baby????

Gumshoe FUCKS the police too! 🖕🖕

Ugh!! I just had to EXAMINE the blood prints!! God, thank the Lord!

"Who needs enemies when you have friends like Gumshoe?" OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!!

Fuck you, Phoenix. He's a waaay better friend than you. 😊

The fuck is HE doing here?? Does Edgey require all the hottest men in town to work for him?🌈

Can't I kiss him to make him less sad??😢

Edgey loves his Daddy so much! 😭

I can't read numbers anymore. Gant, you motherfucking, manipulative son of a sick bitch!!🤬

"You are the man who revived the worst memory of my life."😭💔💔

Nooo… just HOW many fuckers bullied my baby Edgey all this time?? 😭💔💔💔💔

"All along, I've done only what I believe is right. I have nothing to be ashamed of! And yet…" = (do I?) 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔

Edgey don't give a shit anymore.

"Edgeworth… I'm really--" Really WHAT?? ?? Grateful? Sorry? Worried? In love??

"Why don't you give that to Gumshoe?" Fee-Fee's brains are baaaaack!! Woohoooo!!

Why can't we hug Edgey goodbye before going back to the investigation???😭

"Capital punishment"?? For ONE murder???

Ema, only 16 and complete stranger, figured out Edgey waaaay better than anyone else his trustful Gumshoe or the "only person who really knows him".

"Looks on top of the things while he actually doesn't know what's going on", a way better actor than Feenie himself then.

"And that's supposed to be an admirable trait?" Fuck you, Phoenix! Did you actually quitted arts because you despised everyone in there, like the bitter misanthropic bitch you are??

You'll need this unadmirable trait later, bitch!

"You're not the kind of guy s/o would want to "run into"."

OMG, FUCK YOU Phoenix! You and your high bisexual standards! You're really in good shape today, huh??

Wow, these "security cameras" are so shitty.

Ooooh! Fee-Fee is roasting himself too! He's a competitive bitch!

STOP BULLYING MY SWEET & ALREADY SELF-HATING & HEAVILY TRAUMATIZED BAYBY!!

YOU ALL GOLDFISH-BRAINED FUCKERS!!

[oliversrarebooks]

The Rare Bookseller Part 21: Jameson's Threat

Masterlist

September 1925

TW: Captivity, mind control, hypnosis, abusive language, dehumanization

"Oh, he's much too rich for me. I just wanted to take a look at him, see how the ultra-wealthy eat."

"It's nice to see such a high-quality thrall. I'll admit, I'm impressed."

"I think he'd be a bit wasted on me. The sort of thrall you only bring out when there's fancy company, if you catch my meaning."

"I'm always on the lookout for a thrall that can be trusted with household matters, and I think he'd get along well with my Daisy."

Oliver spent what seemed like an eternity being poked and examined and remarked upon by vampire after vampire, all dressed in their Sunday best (not that vampires, he supposed, went to church) and all eager to catch a glimpse of the marquee merchandise. He bowed and introduced himself and tried to make himself appealing and subservient, and every time he wavered even slightly, Miss Lily was there to quiet him. He couldn't count on Lord Alexander, and he had to be sold, or risk a worse fate. That much was more than clear to him.

He derived at least some small comfort by the fact that he was in such high demand. He'd never experienced anything like it, always being the sort of person who was small and quiet and overlooked, even as far back as grade school.

"So this garbage is what passes for a luxury thrall in this city?" The vampire was pale as a ghost, with watery brown eyes and an expensive looking suit.

Distress shot through Oliver at the growled question. "I'm -- I'm sorry, sir, if I've offended --"

"Ugh, the thing talks," he said with a look of utter disgust. "I don't know why they allow this at a high-end auction. I don't need my livestock begging for their lives."

"Many of the patrons of our auction are looking for thralls capable of handling household chores, so we always offer some with their minds intact," said Miss Lily, in a tone that didn't fully mask her annoyance. "You're welcome to look at some of our other offerings if you're interested in fully erased humans."

"All the erased here are low grade, barely fit for a gutter leech. I'm not paying good money for bad blood. I could just have this one erased after I buy him," said Lord Jameson.

No level of trance was going to keep Oliver from panicking at that. "Sir -- but --"

"Quiet," said Lord Jameson, and the word sank Oliver -- not like when Miss Lily did it, but like being pulled under quicksand, chest constricted, struggling to breathe. "You'll be erased, rendered mute and illiterate, and live in my pens, and you'll be grateful for it. Dumb cattle."

Oliver gasped for air, the room spinning around him. He thought he'd escaped that fate. He'd consoled himself that was going to end up a servant, not necessarily the life he would have chosen, but a tolerable one. He thought he'd avoided having his precious intelligence stolen from him, being turned into nothing more than an animal. He was a fool. He'd always be in that sort of danger as long as he lived among vampires.

His knees hurt. He realized the reason why a second later -- he'd hit them on the wooden floor as he'd collapsed.

"Lord Jameson, I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from traumatizing the merchandise until you've paid for it!"

"As if he --"

Oliver's head was swimming. The voices around him became muffled. He felt as if he was outside his body, watching himself faint. Then everything went black.

"Oliver. Oliver!"

His eyes snapped open. Miss Lily was pulling him to a sitting position. He looked around frantically, but --

"I saw Lord Jameson out. He's gone," she said. "Damn him! You were doing so well."

"Is he --" said Oliver, coughing, his mouth dry. "Is he going to -- is he going to buy me, sir?"

"Here. Water," said Miss Lily, offering him a cup. She rubbed his back soothingly as he drank. "He may try. I can't promise you he won't. And he is rich. But there are others interested in buying you as well."

"I'm sorry, Miss Lily, but I don't want him to -- "

"I know. I understand. Take a deep breath for me, Oliver, and be quiet."

He did as she instructed and welcomed the blankness that invaded his mind.

"Oliver, dear, look at me," she said, and her fingers were fluttering in front of his face. "Watch. Back and forth. You're so tired. Sleepy. Watch my fingers. Making you sleepy," she said in a rapid patter. "Relax. Sleepy. Back and forth. Eyes are closing. Watch my fingers. Getting sleepy. Shut your eyes. Go to sleep."

The hypnotic commands overwhelmed Oliver's already overwhelmed mind, and his eyes fell shut, his head resting on Miss Lily's shoulder.

"That's it, Oliver. Just take a little nap and you'll feel so much better. Forget about what just happened. Let it grow hazy in your mind. Sleep and forget, dear, sleep and forget."

There wasn't any real comfort here, just a vampire hypnotizing him into complacency, but even an artificial peace was better than none. He allowed his thoughts to slip, the memory of what had just occurred to dull. He curled against Miss Lily, who patted his hair with a cold hand and whispered suggestions of sleep in his ear.

"Oliver, Oliver dear, are you feeling better now?" Miss Lily's voice sounded like it was coming from far away. "I have an old friend who wants to see you. Wake up."

He rubbed at his eyes, wondering how long he'd been out for. He was still in a showroom, Miss Lily holding the chain of his handcuffs, and he wasn't... quite... sure what had just happened, only that it had been awful.

Miss Lily helped him to his feet. "Thanks for waiting, Ruth. He's normally a doll, but we ran into a little trouble with Jameson."

"Oh, it's no trouble!" The nearby vampire was wearing a well-tailored suit and had a fashionable bob cut. "Jameson also makes me wish to curl up into a ball and die, so I fully understand." The two laughed.

Lord Jameson. Yes. That had been it. He had threatened Oliver with a fate far worse than death. Thanks to Miss Lily, it seemed further away, bearable. After all, Lord Jameson was only one of several people who were interested in buying him.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Oliver said, bowing to Miss Ruth.

"How polite and dapper," Miss Ruth said. "Let me take a good look at you." She took Oliver's chin and turned it back and forth, looked him deep in the eye, then grasped his arms to have him turn around in a circle, his ball gown swishing. "Fine stock. Excellent blood. And you say he has his intelligence still?"

"Yes, his mind is well-preserved, if I do say so myself," said Miss Lily. 

"Excellent." Miss Ruth had an odd gleam in her eye as she addressed Oliver. "I'm a lawyer, boy, and my thralls pull double duty as my clerks. If I buy you, I'll work you to the bone. Paperwork up to your neck, filing as far as the eye can see. You won't get that with any other vampire here. What do you think of that?"

So, effectively the opposite of Lord Jameson -- but the normal unappealing prospect of spending the rest of his life doing unpaid clerical work for a vampire seemed like paradise compared to having his mind wiped and living in an animal pen. "I'd be honored that you appreciate my intelligence, sir."

She nodded approvingly. "Good answer, boy. Let's see how well trained you are. Eyes on me. Name and date of birth."

"Oliver Pines, July 1, 1899, sir."

"What's the capital of Vermont, New York, Florida?"

"Montpelier, Albany, and uh -- Tallahassee. Sir."

"Three branches of the government."

"Legislative, executive, judicial, sir."

"Stand on one foot and hop three times."

He dutifully did so, thankful that he hadn't been given women's shoes to wear as his stockinged foot thumped on the floor. There was something strangely nice about being commanded like this, of having his simple obedience rewarded.

"Well done. Now go to sleep." She snapped near his ear, and Oliver was out like a light, caught in Miss Ruth's arms. "Awake." And he was up again, blinking.

"Yes, he'd do, he'd do quite well. I'm sure he'd easily pick up the training he needs," she said. "Shame about the price, but we'll see."

"I hope I can be of service to you, sir," said Oliver. Any option in the mix that reduced his chances of being purchased by Lord Jameson was fine by him.

Part 20 >> Masterlist >> Part 22

Thanks for reading this story of Oliver's distress.

@d-cs @latenightcupsofcoffee @thecyrulik @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @wanderinggoblin @whumpyourdamnpears @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are @pressedpenn @pigeonwhumps @amusedmuralist @snakebites-and-ink @sl33py-pup @diamond-blade-blog @ivycloak @ladyjaye13 @irregular-book

[raccoonfallsharder]

hi!! it's been a while lol. college has been kicking my ass but I finally got around to finishing window across the galaxy and oh my god. dude. it's so good. u are so good. my god. amazing outstanding u are the glitter in the snow on a moonlit night u are the crunch in the leaves and the squirrels in the trees and the sweetness in sugar and i appreciate u so, so much.

also i have my cat up here as an emotional support animal now :3 her name is honeybee cause she looks exactly like my older cat bumblebee whom I named after the transformer when I was like 7 I would send a picture but I kind of don't know how x-x

LITTLE FOX. i missed you and at the same time i trust you have been doing what you needed to do to survive (and hopefully take care of yourself) in this crazy world. i'm so sorry college has been kicking your ass, and so happy that you have your little kitty ESA with you to help make sure you are taken care of (i imagine that this is SERIOUS BUSINESS for honeybee, who makes sure to look extra cuddlable when she knows you need to look at something cuddlable, and to be endearingly annoying when she thinks you need a little bit of a challenge). i would LOVE to see a picture of honeybee and you probably just couldn't send one because my settings didn't allow for media posts. but they do now! i changed them just for honeybee.

i will ALWAYS be excited to see photos of cats just fyi. and most animals tbh

i am so glad and grateful that you liked window *:･ﾟ✧ the fact that you've stayed committed to it this long is IMPRESSIVE in the current climate of fandom at large, which i feel like moves SO fast. (╥﹏╥) literally making me tear up bby. thank you for sticking with it, thank you for reading it, thank you SO much for coming here to tell me you liked it. ♡♡ it truly means so much and ugh now i just wanna cry. you are a perfectly twirly maple seed and a shiny acorn and the crystals that form in maple syrup. and i'm so grateful.

i hope this semester wraps up smoothly for you. that your exams and final projects and papers are challenging enough that you get to flex, and easy enough that you don't miss even one minute of rest or fun. i hope your mornings are lovely, your beverages are the right temperature and sweetness, and that honeybee gives you a gentle little headbump whenever you need it. i hope you get all those special autumn moments with friends ~ late night walks and shared coffee. may all the blessings of this cozy season be upon you, my dear friend ♡♡♡♡

[vilevenom]

Part five of the ficlet collection for "Hello My Old Heart"!~

Wedding vows are hard to write. I'm just gonna say that much. I also won't lie - I struggled a bit with this one, for some reason. Hope y'all enjoy it, anyway! Previous parts: Let's Be Us Again | Suddenly, Everything Has Changed | Sleeping In | Early Birdie | Smother Me | Marry You

((Hopefully the links work. I will be forever sad if they don't))

Wedding planning should not be difficult. Mind, wedding planning was not John Dory's forte. He and Hickory had discussed a couple of ideas; primarily wanting a smaller guest list and how they would write their own vows, but that was about it. He truly had no idea how to go about inviting the guests, book a venue, arrange food…none of it. But then Poppy had caught wind of how abysmally his planning had been going, and it had been taken right out of his hands completely. He was infinitely grateful to her, really. However, Poppy's idea of what his wedding should be like and his own were quite different.

"Honestly, Popstar, it's fine. Hickory and I are good even just standing in the middle of a field and saying our vows, if it comes down to it. We don't need all this fan fare," John said quickly, watching as Poppy flipped through several wedding scrapbooks, going back and forth between them all while making notes. She looked up at him with a little frown.

"No way. You're Branch's oldest brother, and you were a member of BroZone! This is going to be big, and amazing! Trust me," Poppy said, waving a dismissive hand through the air.

John frowned and glanced at Branch, who was busy fiddling with some new invention of his off to the side. "Branch! Tell her to stop."

Branch spared John a short glance, only to roll his eyes and go back to his tools. "You're a big troll now, John Dory. Use your words."

John huffed out a breath, turning back to Poppy. She had color swatches out now and was holding them up near John's face to compare to his fur color. He grimaced, gently pushing her hands away. "Look, Poppy," he sighed, trying to put as much sincerity into his tone as he could muster, "I appreciate what you want to do. Really, I do. But Hickory and I just don't want a huge event made of this. Neither of us really like a big crowd, and we don't want some massive ragger of a party. And, before you say it, I know how that sounds coming from me. Please. If you want to plan our wedding, I won't stop you, because I really appreciate you taking all of this over for me. But can we keep it small?"

Poppy made a couple of abortive motions with the swatches in her hands, before finally deflating and nodding slightly. "Okay, fine. Family and close friends, only. But I will be making the flower arrangements as big as I want!"

"Deal," John snorted, holding out his hand, Poppy grinning widely as she shook it.

~

John had been ready to say his vows to Hickory withing a week of Hickory's awkward half-proposal. However, Poppy apparently needed at least three months to make the arrangements for everything she had planned. She told him, at one point, that what she had originally wanted to do would've taken six months, but after John's haggling she knocked her plans down to something she could put together in three. Plus, she had pointed out, John and Hickory's guests would need time to make appropriate travel plans and arrangements.

Needless to say, John was getting restless waiting. Two months into it, and even Sky was getting agitated.

"Why can't you do it now?" the trolling whined, flopping himself dramatically onto the ground. He kicked his little feet into the floor, his face smushed into the carpet, "Waiting feels like forever."

John snorted, elbow deep in the sink as he washed dishes, glancing over his shoulder to watch Sky briefly. "Because your aunt Poppy wants everything to be special. Plus, it hasn't been that long since your uncle Bruce visited. He's gotta make sure the restaurant is gonna be okay if he leaves again."

"UGH," Sky whined, rolling over to stare up at the ceiling. "Fine, I guess."

"Such a generous boy," Hickory laughed, taking a dish from John to dry and put away.

"Mmm. What's got your hair in a twist, anyway? It's not like anything will change around here after the wedding," John hummed, pulling the plug in the sink as he finished the last dish.

"No, I know," Sky sighed, tilting his head so he could watch his parents in the kitchen, "But, some of the kids at school were talking about aunt Poppy and uncle Branch's wedding, and some of them said only trolls in true love get married. And I know you and Papa are in true love, but a girl at school told me you couldn't be, 'cause you weren't married."

John snorted in mild offense, while Hickory simply frowned as he put the last of the dishes away.

"You tell that girl at school that anyone can be in true love, marriage or not," Hickory said as he turned to his son, hands on his hips, earning a surprised look from John, who'd had a snarky remark at the tip of his tongue. "As a matter of fact, sometimes true love just smacks ya right in the face, an' ya don't even realize it. Other times, it's real slow and creeps up on ya while yer not lookin'. True love can happen anytime, an' anywhere. You don't need no fancy ceremony an' a ring to show you've got true love."

Sky had sat up on the floor to pay better attention to his father while he spoke, little sparkles in his eyes at the impassioned speech. "Which one happened with you and Dad?"

"Well," Hickory chuckled, "The smack in the face sure happened to me." He glanced at John with a fond look on his face, "An' I'm pretty sure the slow creep happened to yer Dad."

"You big sap," John snorted, though he had to hide his face behind a hand to try and block the view of the dark flush that had spread across his cheeks.

~

"John?"

"Muh?!" John jerked awake, blinking muzzily into the darkness as he sat up, looking around in a daze.

"Sorry, schatz," Hickory murmured, rubbing at John's shoulder to calm him down. John let out a little sigh, settling back down into the pillows.

"What's up?" John murmured, squinting through the dark at Hickory.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"…And it couldn't wait until morning?"

Hickory let out a breathy little laugh, petting at John's jaw gently. "I don't think so."

John waited for Hickory to speak, his brain slowly trying to pull him back down into sleep, before he forced himself into wakefulness again. "Well?" he grunted, rubbing at his face.

"Sorry. It's just…hard. It's hard to say," Hickory muttered. Another moment passed before Hickory sighed, shifting against the bed to lay flat on his back, his gaze focused on the ceiling. "I would like to extend an invitation to the wedding to Dickory."

John immediately sat up again, his mind now wide awake. "You what?"

Hickory sat up as well, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, although John could barely tell he was doing so. "I know! I know how that sounds, but…He's my brother."

"Yeah! Your brother who tried to-what was it he said? Oh, right. MAIM me? Because apparently, he wasn't actively trying to kill me. Just came real close," John seethed, trying to keep his voice quiet. "He called me a whore on multiple occasions!"

Hickory seemingly floundered for words for a few minutes as they sat in the dark in silence, while Hickory audibly fiddled with the blankets in his lap. "I'm sorry. I know he was terrible. To both of us, but especially you. But…he is the only family I have left, liebling. I want him to at least know that I'm happy. That we're happy, despite everything…This is why I wanted to talk to you now. I didn't want to argue in front of Sky."

"Oh, yes. Because waking me up in the middle of the night is going to lead to a really productive conversation," John groused, flopping back down into the pillows. He could hear Hickory continue to fiddle with the blankets for a long moment, before laying down next to him again. He groaned while throwing an arm over his eyes, already feeling the guilt welling up in his chest at Hickory's silence. "Okay, fine! You can send him an invitation. But you're going to need to talk to Poppy, since y'know…he got banished and all that."

John grunted as Hickory practically rolled on top of him and pulled his arm away from his face. "Thank you, schatz! If Poppy agrees, and he shows up, I will make sure to keep him on tight reins," Hickory hummed, pressing a smile into John's cheek.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm pretty great," John grumbled, wrapping his arms around Hickory. "Now, let me go back to sleep before our kid comes banging at our door to get up."

~

Finally, after months of waiting, the day of the wedding arrived.

John was nervous, to say the least. He and Hickory had agreed to Poppy's weird rule that the couple needed to spend the night before the wedding apart. It had been the first night in four years that John hadn't slept next to Hickory, and that alone had been enough to set him on edge for the day. And now, only a few scant hours before the wedding, he was stood in the little tent Poppy had had set up as a makeshift dressing room, in front of a mirror, staring at himself forlornly. His outfit was impeccable; a dark purple suit that Branch had, surprisingly, picked out with black and gold accents, and a black headband to replace his goggles. Certainly not his usual color scheme or style, but definitely complimentary to his natural colors. He knew he looked good (Poppy wouldn't let him walk out in something tacky. He hoped, anyway), but that didn't stop the thrill of nerves making him sweat.

"You look like you swallowed a lemon."

Bruce's voice startled John out of his silent revere, causing the teal troll to finally turn away from the mirror.

"And what if I did?" John tried to joke, but it fell flat as Bruce walked into the tent proper, a concerned little frown on his face. He shifted under his younger brothers scrutiny, before finally letting out a puff of air, while wiping his palms on the bottom of his suit jacket. "I'm just nervous."

"Whatever for?" Bruce chuckled, moving forward to fix the lapels of John's suit jacket.

"I genuinely have no idea," John laughed, already beginning to feel ridiculous as he thought about the conversation he'd had with Bruce previously, back when Sky's egg had first appeared in his hair. "I know he loves me, no matter what."

"And he's definitely in it for the long haul," Bruce agreed, stepping back from John with an easy smile. "You've got nothing to worry about. Today is really more of a formality, then anything else."

"I bet you were still nervous when you and Brandy got married, even if you knew she was in it for the long haul," John pointed out with a cheeky grin, laughing as Bruce flushed.

"Oh, I was a wreck," Bruce admitted with a little shrug and a nod, "I'm surprised I didn't trip over my own feet while walking up the aisle." He paused for a moment, fiddling with the bright orange rose bud on his lapel. "This probably isn't the best time to say this, but I wish you'd been there."

John chewed on the inside of his cheek to stop himself from starting to cry already, and gave a little nod. "I do, too."

Bruce nodded, clearing his throat as he not so subtly wiped at his eyes. "Right, well! Break a leg out there, Johnny," the purple troll declared, spinning on his heel to walk out of the tent.

"Bruce, wait!"

Bruce paused, turning to offer his brother a questioning glance.

"I know this is probably gonna sound weird, and Poppy might lose her marbles, because we didn't rehearse it, but, uhm," John cleared his throat, tugging at the hem of his jacket to straighten it, "Will you…walk me down the aisle?"

That was enough to get Bruce to burst into tears, his hands quickly shooting up to cover his face. "Oh my god, John!" he sniffed, shaking his head, "Right before the wedding?! I'm gonna be all blotchy."

"Oh, uh, sorry!" John scooped a tissue box up from his little vanity, offering it to Bruce, "Is that a 'no', then?"

"Is that a 'no'," Bruce mocked, snatching up tissues, "Of course it's a YES, you idiot. Glitter and cupcakes, you have the worst timing known to troll kind,"

"Ha, yeah…"

~

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess."

The music queue began to play, notifying John that he should be walking down the aisle now. The teal troll turned to his brother, his smile crooked as they linked arms.

"It'll be great."

"I know."

~

"As I've been informed, the couple has written vows for each other. You may now recite them. Hickory, you may go first."

Hickory grinned brightly at John as the two stood at the alter, barely a foot apart but both feeling like they were still an ocean away, unable to reach out and touch. Sky was stood between them, just in front of the officiator, a little pillow that had previously held the rings they'd exchanged clutched in his hands as he watched his parents with stars in his eyes.

The country troll dug into the pocket of the black and gold floral pattern suit he wore, pulling a well worn, dog eared piece of paper out. He cleared his throat as he unfolded it carefully, glancing up at John with a smitten little smile, before he began to read.

"John Dory…I will never forget the day I first laid eyes on ya. Time felt like it stopped, an' my world suddenly felt like it could be so much bigger. Ya made me realize that I could be more than what other folks told me I should be, or what I should want. You gave me hope, an' I thought that was the most precious gift any troll had ever given me. But then ya gave me yer love, an' I realized that nothin' in this world or the next would ever compare. An' then you gave me a child…an' I don't think anythin' I can say or do will ever truly express just how grateful I am to receive all of the gifts you have given me, an' to have you in my life. I love you, with all a' my heart. An' I promise to keep tryin', every day of my life, to show ya just how much ya truly mean to me."

Hickory lifted his gaze from his speech, tears in his eyes, only to let out a wet laugh at the tears already streaking down John's cheeks.

"Oh, you're good," John whispered, sniffing loudly and wiping quickly at his eyes as Hickory chuckled. "I don't have proper vows written," he admitted, reaching out to take one of Hickory's hands, once the country troll had tucked his little piece of paper back into his pocket, "But, I thought I'd do something a little unconventional. Since we've always been a bit unconventional." He turned his head to nod at Branch, who quickly pulled a microphone out of his hair to hand over to John. "Hopefully my voice isn't too mucked up from crying," he added with a chuckle into the microphone, earning a smattering of laughter from the guests.

"There goes my heat beatin', cause you are the reason…" ((click here to listen to John's song))

Cheers broke out from the guests as John finished his song, a little grin on his face as Hickory openly wept in front of him. "Haha, I win," he said quickly into the microphone, before handing it back to Branch, earning a light punch in the arm from his youngest brother.

"And with that, I now pronounce you husband and husband," the officiator announced, with another round of cheering from the crowd as Hickory yanked John into a kiss.

[ifideliadaworld-blog]

Dragon Hunters: GLACIER OF MADNESS

(PART 7)

Main characters & setting by: © Arthur Qwak, Valérie Hadida, Guillaume Ivernel © Futurikon Screenplay and artwork: Fideliada

Part1--Part2--Part3--Part4--Part5--Part6--Part7--Part8--Part9(end)

(Lian-Chu) I think an explanation is unnecessary now, Gwizdo...

(Cracking of crushed branches)

(Blade clinking in ice)

(Zoria) I can go by myself! (Lian-Chu) Take care of your strength, you're underweight now… (Gwizdo) It's a good thing we still didn't eat anything, Hector?! (Hector) ZDO RIGHT!

(The rustle of a graceful bounce off the wall)

(Lian-Chu) It's better to crawl out of his sight. (Zoria) I thought that monster was you, Lian-Chu… I trusted him! (Lian-Chu) No need to be ashamed, anyone could be in your place… (Zoria) Lian-Chu wouldn't get caught. Gwizdo, get away from me and think about yourself! (Gwizdo) But you... Yeah, you know better… (Lian-Chu) Your legs are wavering: lean on Gwizdo and Hector.

(Zoria) Why did you follow Lian-Chu here? Looking for treasures? (Gwizdo) Here we go again... (turns sarcastic) Yes, it's true! How else? Don't stumble, watch your shaky feet... (Zoria) Okay, boys! As soon as we get there, I'll choose my own route! (Gwizdo) What a great idea: you can't imagine HOW PATIENTLY the local "population" is waiting for your "freedom" now!

(The shelter is cracked from pinpoint strikes with probes)

(Lian-Chu) Now you guys can speed up!

(The menacing rasp of a crumbling old branch obscures the sounds of running.)

(Hector) Ugh! UGH!  (Zoria) What's gotten into you?! Let me go! (Gwizdo) Hector, move your hooves, it's not time to save your strength on the way back!

(Zoria) So this little sun can talk? (Gwizdo) If only that!.. Hector, take the bandages off her belt, or you'll go blind! (Zoria) No, let me do it. I still want to be grateful.

(Zoria) That's better! Illuminated places stand out, and we can use them as our guide! (Gwizdo) Phew!.. Lian-Chu, finally! How are you?  (Lian-Chu) Fibramorio's chewing wood chips at the bottom, which gives us a head start. But his eyes are immune to the light. (Gwizdo) Clear... Do you need a bandage?

(The crunch of wood fragments being quickly ground)

(Gwizdo) Soon he'll be done with snacking… So what do we do next? (Zoria) Thanks, Lian-Chu. I haven't forgotten how to walk, my hands will remember how to fence! (Lian-Chu) If we weaken our vision, we connect other senses. Let your ear lead you where the whispers are louder: captive souls are ready to get freed, I've heard their longing.

(Zoria) I'm in, boys! Let's release them right away! (Gwizdo) What? Are we going to destroy an entire heater here?! (Zoria) If I understand correctly, the course is for the crown... with the main heat-conducting branches! Can you get us there, Lian-Chu?

(Hector) Started looking here! (Zoria) The chorus of voices increased! We're about to arrive! (Lian-Chu) On the latest resources, everything should work out fine… (Gwizdo) We always fight dragons back-to-back in time! Look, since I can see better than anyone else at this height, do you mind if I tell you to fall back?

(Gwizdo) But what kind of navigator am I if I don't finish drawing the Map of the Isle of Tears?

(Zoria) You're kind of calm now… (Gwizdo) The main reason for joy has been completed, Mrs. Purple Tears: my manuscript can now be patented and sold to the Archeologists ' Guild for the price of a five-story villa in the area of blooming beaches! (Zoria) Thinking about big money even in this situation? (Gwizdo) Don't be so furious, everyone takes care of their nerves in their own way.

(But what a personable scoundrel he is: even his hysterical chirping manages to sound pompous and masculine!)

(Lian-Chu) This tree couldn't have grown like that just from human bodies and souls... It was based on someone really huge and smart… someone whom Fibramorio trusted the most in his long life!

(Gwizdo) AH! So, that's where the rest of the fibramorios have gone?! (Lian-Chu) The background of the Chorus was voices similar to his. (Zoria) The crown burns, we can only push off from it with a sword! (Gwizdo) An overheated trap! Does anyone have a better plan?!(Zoria) Not at all, Gwizdo! Let's try to get to the place where the whispers are louder!

(Zoria) What can you see? (Gwizdo) A sea of frightening organic light bubbles. Do you like this? (Zoria) Sounds nice. Is there anything to push with a sword?

(An angry sibilant squawk from fibramorio)

(Lian-Chu) Guys, he's re-growing his moustache: the sun is fueling his powers!

(Gwizdo) Go back! I have a lot of dirt on you with me now: One more movement, and I'll send it to the Scientific Community! (Zoria) Gwizdo, first we must free all these souls and save ourselves!(Gwizdo) Zoe, I conduct aggressive negotiations, so don't interfere!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Part1--Part2--Part3--Part4--Part5--Part6--Part7--Part8--Part9(end)

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hey Cas, Arista here - i saw that you answered some asks so I was wondering if I could receive some big sisterly advice from you <333 because mood rn is LASKDHFSALJFHALSJHFSD and I just want to rant!!

I really don't know how to stop comparing myself to other people around me - I'm in my senior year and about to apply to university, and I KNOW i have to stop it because it's a losing game always always always, but then I don't know how to find peace within myself

Especially because we're in the midst of exams, where EVERYTHING is given a percentage, everyone will end up with universities with some better than others, and it's harder and harder to blur the lines between what's me and what's my scores and stuff. And, I'm quite ambitious and high achieving, but I feel like I always fall short of my goals and I just don't know how to STOP COMPARING MYSELF TO OTHER PEOPLE! I want to get good scores, I want to get into a good university, I want to be top of my class, but it seems like I can NEVER get there, and I don't even know what I want. I also think I crave validation from other poeople - it's all a big fucking mess and I really just don't know what to do!??!

I can't talk about this with anyone really - the second I mention something to my mum she quips back with the fact that I should be grateful for the opportunity to study etcetc which I AM I REALLY AM!!! but that doesn't make the pressure and my feelings any less valid? Like, ahhh literally about to cry AGAIN

Sorry for the long message :((( but I just needed to get it out to SOMEONE at least!!!

Ugh I understand this so much. It's hard because so much of high school and even university is based on numbers- your grades, your spot in your class, etc. But the thing I realized real fast is that after University, numbers don't matter nearly as much. I mean it depends on your career, but not once, in many job interviews, have I been asked about my GPA. Yes, these things matter. But only relatively. When you feel pressured, try to remind yourself of the big picture, you know? You, as a person, are more than the numbers that are used to define you.

But trust me, I get it <3