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bellaxgiornata · 5 months ago

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You're Safe With Me [Chapter Seven]

Pairing: Frank Castle x Fem!Reader Word Count: 6.1k [Series Masterlist]

a/n: It's been so long since this series got a much needed update, but here y'all go. Enjoy... Feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

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Surrounded by darkness, it took a moment for your tired eyes to adjust to the dim light of the motel room. Blinking slowly as you lay along the stiff, uncomfortable mattress, you noticed a few streaks of moonlight pouring inside from behind the thin curtains that covered the window across the room. The pale light mixed with the faint red from the motel's sign outside, the slight neon glow that seeped its way inside once more drawing forth that uneasy feeling in your gut. The one you hadn't been able to shake ever since you and Frank had finished your greasy dinner before falling asleep.

Something just felt wrong.

Judging by how quiet and dark it currently was, you knew it was either still quite late or very early considering the sun hadn't risen yet. You wished you could see the alarm clock from where you lay on the bed, curious as to what time it actually was. But Frank had gone to sleep last night insisting that he place himself on the bed between you and the door across the room in the event something happened–which you'd been more than happy to agree to when he'd phrased it like that. Though that meant his large body was currently blocking the single alarm clock on the nightstand along the opposite side of the bed, making it impossible for you to know what time it was.

You knew he'd wanted to get an early start this morning, wanting to hit the road again and put even more distance between you both and this area as soon as the sun rose. But there was a large part of you–the part feeling that uneasiness in your stomach–that wished you could just wake him and leave right now. You were eager to go somewhere else that made you feel less on edge. Somewhere farther away from obvious Patriot Militia activity. You weren't sure if it was just in your head, but you’d felt like something was about to go wrong ever since Frank had stopped the van at that Walmart yesterday.

Shifting a bit along the mattress and readjusting your position, you were abruptly hit with the sudden urge to relieve your bladder, the feeling causing you to quickly realize why you'd woken in the first place. Drawing your attention away from the window, your eyes fell on Frank beside you in the dark. He was laying with his back towards you on the bed looking exactly as he had when you’d first fallen asleep together. Judging by the faint rise and fall of his broad shoulder peeking out from beneath the sheets, you assumed he was still currently asleep.

Admittedly it had taken you a while to fall asleep after you'd both eaten your dinner last night. Once you'd finally stopped focusing on that lingering feeling of dread, the feeling only calmed slightly by Frank's oddly comforting presence in the bed with you, you'd soon found it hard to ignore him . The way his body weight dipped the mattress had your own body struggling not to roll right into his solid back. For a long time you'd laid there being overly aware of where you placed your legs or your arms as you'd tried to get comfortable in the small bed. You were terrified of accidentally touching him and risking him turning around and shooting you one of his disapproving, surly looks. Or even worse–being scolded by him.

And the longer you laid beside him in the bed, unable to fall asleep, you’d noticed how he smelled like gasoline and cheap motel soap. Two scents that probably shouldn’t have mixed together but somehow felt just as oddly reassuring as the weight of him in the bed beside you. You’d laid awake staring at the back of him for far longer than you cared to admit just letting the scent fill your nose and taking further comfort in it.

But as you lay there staring at his back in the dark once more, his soft and steady exhales just loud enough for you to hear over the faint sounds of traffic on the nearby interstate, your bladder's need to be emptied grew more persistent. Biting your lip, you very slowly pulled the motel’s scratchy sheet and comforter off of yourself. You tried to move carefully as you uncovered yourself, not wanting to disturb Frank's sleeping form beside you. You figured he could use all the sleep he could get considering he was the one doing all of the driving and protecting. You knew he was exhausted, though you also feared how much grumpier he might be without a good rest.

The unforgiving chill of the motel room hit you the moment you’d removed the blankets, the loss of warmth from Frank's body heat becoming impossible to ignore. He was certainly like a furnace beneath the sheets–another thing you’d found strangely comforting about sharing the bed with him. But as you pushed yourself upright on the mattress slowly, your eyes on his back as you gnawed your bottom lip, you gradually sat upright and shoved those strange thoughts from your mind. Right now you just wanted to take a piss without incurring the wrath of accidentally waking the Punisher.

Moving one leg at a time, you gently lowered your right foot to the floor before your left one followed after it. Silently, you slid along the mattress before rising to your feet, your eyes focused on the bathroom door situated across the room and by the sink. Taking a quiet step in that direction through the dark, your mind entirely focused on your very full bladder, you were surprised when something abruptly caught your left wrist.

Startling in the darkness, you gasped audibly in surprise as your head darted over your shoulder. Frank was lying awake in the bed now, having somehow rolled noiselessly onto his other side towards you. In the dim light filtering past the motel curtains behind him, you could see his eyes were open and focused on where you stood beside the bed. Your own eyes soon dropped down to where his large hand was still holding onto you, the feel of his calloused and warm fingers lightly gripping your wrist causing goosebumps to raise along your bare forearms. Something strange stirred within you under his touch, especially with the look of concern written in his eyes and the slight furrow between his brows. But the deep and tired timbre of his voice breaking through the silence quickly distracted you from the strangely pleasant sensation that you’d felt at his touch.

“What’re you doin’?” he asked.

Swallowing hard, aware of his grip still on your left wrist, you gestured over your shoulder with your right hand. “I need to use the bathroom,” you told him awkwardly. “Was trying not to bother you. Figured you'd be…upset if I did.”

Frank's gaze held yours as he silently stared at you, his eyes narrowing a little. In the seconds that followed, you found yourself becoming increasingly aware of each of his individual fingers on your skin. Trying to steady your breathing, you attempted to shoot him a small smile while you simultaneously hoped that he couldn’t somehow feel the slight uptick in your pulse beneath the pads of his fingers.

“Trust me, I wasn't about to disappear,” you assured him. A sheepish smile slipped onto your mouth as you quietly added, “I sort of need you and all. Not exactly inclined to run from you anymore.”

His expression softened at your words, his hand gradually releasing its hold on your wrist before it fell back to the bed. Frank gave you a single, wordless nod in response. For a second more you watched as he began to settle back down on the mattress, tugging the sheets up and over himself before he rolled over onto his side with his back once more facing you. The moment he’d laid down, the desperate urge to relieve your bladder once more overtook you and you hurried towards the bathroom.

Stepping inside, you flipped on the light and shut the door softly behind yourself. You side-eyed the couple of dead moths laying on the floor beside the shower as you cautiously made your way over to the toilet. Half-awake you hurried to do your business in the bathroom, not wanting to run into any living insects–especially not after how Frank had reacted to you screaming over a spider in the previous motel.

When you left the bathroom, turning off the light and navigating your way to the nearby sink just outside, you were once more thrown into the darkness of the room. Your eyes took a minute to adjust as you felt your way to the sink, but once they did, you caught sight of Frank through the mirror. Turning on the faucet and beginning to wash your hands, you curiously eyed his reflection. He was sitting upright in the bed, his posture rigid and completely still. He looked anything but relaxed and ready to fall back asleep. A cold chill spread through you as you watched him, quickly feeling like his current alertness had nothing to do with you waking to use the bathroom.

After drying your hands on the towel, you set it back on the counter before nervously turning towards him. He sat still alert on the bed, his gaze fixed straight ahead and focused on the wallpapered wall across from him. Hesitantly you took a step towards him, nerves twisting in your stomach.

“What is it?” you whispered. “What's–”

Frank held up a hand immediately, cutting you clear off. Biting the inside of your cheek, you watched as he tilted his head towards the motel door as if he was focused hard on listening to something outside. Eyes narrowing, you practically held your breath as you tried to pick up on whatever it was that he had.

At first you didn't hear anything besides the distant sound of cars and trucks speeding past the motel parking lot, the noise a constant since you'd both shown up earlier. But then you thought you caught the faint sound of voices. Voices that were speaking in the slightest of hushed whispers. And it sounded like it was coming from just outside, not that far from your motel room.

You felt your heart jump into your throat, that nagging feeling of unease and dread washing back over you instantly. Frank's head spun towards you moments later, his hard gaze causing your palms to sweat as fear gripped you in a firm hold. You knew what he was about to say before he even said the words.

“Get under the bed,” he ordered, his voice barely above a whisper. “Stay there.”

Without a word you nodded, already obediently hurrying over towards the side of the bed. Frank rose from the mattress before you'd even lowered your knees to the dirty motel floor, and as you steadied your hands against the side of the bed, not even remotely thinking about how disgusting and unclean the floor that you were about to get quite intimate with certainly was, you watched as Frank grabbed the handgun from the nightstand beside where he'd been sleeping. Breath coming in sharper, the last thing you saw before laying down along the floor was Frank’s back as he quietly paced his way to the motel door.

With a racing heart, you shimmied your way beneath the bed frame, grateful that it was just wide enough to actually fit you beneath it. Though it was a tight fit, one that was quite uncomfortable and only adding to your increasingly terrified state. The tight, enclosed space was threatening to push you straight into a panic attack as you lay there attempting to remain calm. When you heard the door of your motel room open, you squeezed your eyes shut and held your breath.

The memory of the last time you’d hidden under the bed not that long ago was scratching at the surface of your memory. The gunshots and tang of coppery blood hanging in the air pushed at the edges of your mind as you did your best to fend them off. Though that became less of a difficult task the moment you heard the distinct shriek of a woman coming from what sounded like the room right next door.

Eyes flying wide open at the scream, you swore your heart stopped beating entirely at the sound. It wasn’t long before you heard the neighboring motel door fly open, slamming into the wall with such force that it caused the adjoining wall to shake. You assumed that had been Frank bursting into the room, probably driven even further into that protective mode of his due to the horrified scream.

Your mind was already racing as you lay beneath the bed, your heart now thudding so hard you could feel your pulse hammering away in your throat. Was it the Patriot Militia in the room next door? Had they just somehow gotten the wrong room and thought you had been staying in that one? Were they about to attack an innocent person? The thought of something horrible happening to someone else because of you had your stomach knotting and coiling with guilt.

But you didn’t have long to lay beneath the dusty bed frame worrying because the sound of a fight soon grew unmistakeable next door and you couldn’t focus on anything else. You heard loud crashes, the sound of glass shattering–the mirror above the sink possibly–and the occasional sharp bang of a gun firing which had you wincing every single time it went off. Every once and awhile the noises were accentuated by a feminine scream or something that sounded like Frank’s deep rumbling voice, but it was so muffled by the other sounds that you had no idea what he was saying.

Hands curling into fists at your sides, they ached from the tension of how tight you’d balled them. Your nails were digging into your palms while your teeth dug so hard into your bottom lip to keep you from violently shaking beneath the bed that you figured there’d soon be blood in your mouth. Part of you wanted to block out the sounds of the fight from next door, but another part of you was trying hard to decipher what the voices were saying above all the noise. And every time you heard Frank’s deadly tone making its way through the thin walls you felt a sense of comfort. It at least meant he was still alive.

You weren’t sure how long you’d laid on the floor beneath that bed while trying hard to keep your breath steady before the sound of the fight had finally died down. You figured that meant Frank had dealt with the neighboring intruders the only way you expected from the Punisher. Though you could hear him talking once more, his voice still too low and muffled for you to make out the words no matter how hard you strained to listen. The voice responding to him sounded male, though. Nothing at all like the initial screaming that had sounded like it had come from a woman. You found yourself hoping she was alright.

Curiosity eventually won out as you lay there in the cramped, tight space. Raising your head a fraction from off the floor, you craned your neck and tried hard to understand what was being said in the next room. There were two male voices, one distinctly that of Frank’s, but no matter how hard you strained to listen, you couldn’t quite make out the words. And then the sound of a loud thwap startled you seconds later before a very solid thump met your ears. The next thing you picked up on was a protesting, feminine voice that was quickly growing louder as it neared your room. Brows knitting together in confusion, you lowered your head back to the floor before rolling it towards what you could see of the motel door from beneath the bed. It soon burst loudly open seconds later, startling you at the abruptness. A set of shoes you didn’t recognize practically stumbled into the room before you spotted Frank’s familiar black boots following right behind.

“I don’t know who they were!” the unknown voice protested. “I swear! They just showed up when I was asleep right before you did!”

“Not buyin’ it, kid,” Frank’s familiar tone replied.

From beneath the bed you pulled a face at his words. Kid? What did he mean by kid ? Especially after all the violent noises you'd just overheard coming from the room over. And why had he brought them with him?

Frank called your name and you immediately stiffened under the bed, your thoughts entirely interrupted at the note of urgency in his voice. You focused back on the two sets of feet that were making their way further into the room, the motel door slamming closed a little harder than necessary.

“You can come out now,” Frank continued. “We gotta go. Grab your bag and get in the van.”

It took you a minute to uncomfortably squeeze your way out from beneath the bed frame. Gritting your teeth together, you tried to maneuver your way out but inevitably ended up hitting your shoulder on the frame as you did, grimacing slightly at the pain that shot through your arm as you finished crawling out from beneath the bed. You squinted when your eyes were hit with the light from the motel room that Frank must have turned on. Your back ached as you pulled yourself up from off of the floor, eyes adjusting to the brightness. On the opposite side of the bed you spotted Frank, one hand haphazardly swinging his bag onto his shoulder, the other roughly holding onto the back of a young woman’s sweatshirt.

“Frank, what’re you doing?” you asked, eyeing the young woman who you quickly recognized from the motel lobby when you’d arrived last night. “Why is she here?”

“Because she ain’t who she’s sayin’ she is, that’s why,” Frank snapped. “Look, we gotta go and she's gotta come with us. I can explain everything in the van when we're outta here. Alright?”

You shook your head immediately, the young girl now turning her terrified eyes on you. There was blood splattered along her face and bits of it in her blonde hair, though not remotely as much blood as what was currently covering Frank’s face. You tried to ignore the way your stomach lurched at the reason as to why they most likely had blood on themselves and why it was suddenly so quiet in the room next door.

“You–you can’t just kidnap a teenage girl from a motel, Frank,” you shot back, throwing a hand at the girl. “What about the father that she’s traveling with? You don’t think he’s going to file a police report when he sees she's missing? Have them looking for us nationwide?”

Frank rolled his eyes impatiently, his hold not letting up on the back of the girl’s pink sweatshirt. “She was lying. She isn’t here with her father. She's staying in that room alone. I'm not remotely buyin’ her innocent act and neither should you.”

“No, my–my dad just ran out for a bit,” the young blonde said, her voice wavering as her terrified eyes remained fixed on you, wide and pleading as they filled with tears. “He’s going to be back any minute and if he sees me missing he is going to freak out. Please, you have to let me go. I don’t know what’s going on! I swear!”

Your eyes darted to Frank at her side, her pleas and the tears in her eyes making you feel uneasy. Shaking your head gently at him, you said, “This isn’t what we do. We aren't going to kidnap people. They probably just had the wrong room, Frank. Mixed her up while looking for me. Just let her go and let’s get out of here.”

Frank shot you a look of disbelief, his head canting roughly to the side as his eyes narrowed at you. “Oh come on, are you really buyin’ this bullshit innocent act?” he retorted. “Only one bed was messed. There were no other bags but her backpack. No trace of anyone else in the room. And the asshole I questioned seemed pretty damn surprised when he saw me ‘cause he didn't realize you were here. The facts are in front of your face, Spunky,” he continued sharply. “Whatever the hell is goin’ on, she stepped into the same pile of shit you did. They’re after her, too. It's plain as day.”

Your eyes flew to the young woman who was still shooting you a pleading look, tears welling in her eyes as a couple slipped down her cheek. Uncertainty filled you as you studied her. She looked like she was barely even eighteen, how could the Patriot Militia have possibly been after her as well? What could they have wanted with her? The very idea of the terrorist organization targeting her seemed utterly ridiculous. It seemed more likely that she'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time, staying in a motel room that was neighboring yours and causing them to mistake her for you.

But yet, as you thought about it for a moment, you realized that her age alone should've been a complete giveaway to these people that they had the wrong person. If they'd thought she was the news reporter they were chasing down, seeing her should have made it quite obvious that she was far too young to even be a news reporter.

“Please,” the girl begged you. “ Please . I just want to go home. That’s all. I don’t know what’s going on or who those people are, I swear. I promise I won’t even tell the cops about either of you. Just let me go!”

“You either trust me or you don’t, Spunky,” Frank said, his impatience clear in his tone. “Cops are gonna be here any minute. We need to go. And I ain’t risking leaving her behind. So either you fall for her bullshit and we end up targets in a jail cell, or you grab your goddamn bag and we get the hell outta here. I need to call Madani.”

Inhaling a shuddering breath in, you couldn’t believe what you were about to do. Slowly you nodded at Frank, your stomach twisting as you headed over to the footboard of the bed and bent down to grab your bag from off of the floor. You shouldered the strap of it, your eyes meeting Frank’s as you straightened. A look of relief immediately washed over his face.

“Only because I…somehow trust you,” you told him softly. “Though, this seriously doesn’t feel right. She's just a kid.”

“I can see that,” Frank agreed, gesturing his head towards the door. “But we gotta go.”

With nerves and that sense of unease flooding your body, you walked past him, wincing as the young girl began sniffling softly behind you. It didn’t feel right dragging her along with the pair of you even if Frank seemed to believe she was somehow in danger herself. And you couldn't help but feel empathetic to her current situation, especially since only days ago Frank had practically kidnapped you, too.

Making your way out of the motel room, you couldn't resist shooting a glance at the room to your right. The room Frank and the girl had just come from. Thankfully the door was shut, blocking your view of whatever lay behind it. The thought of what it was hiding had your blood running cold, a shiver racing down your spine. The scent of gunpowder and the coppery tang of blood from what had happened in the motel just days ago filled your nose, the memory causing you to feel sick.

Forcing your attention to the parking lot ahead of you and tearing it away from the door, you focused your eyes on Frank's van as your feet led you towards it. You weren't going to think about what had happened in either of those motel rooms. Not right now, not if you didn't want to lose your shit in the motel parking lot. Because Frank was right, you needed to get out of here before the police appeared, and truthfully, you were grateful that you were still breathing.

As you approached the van, you could hear the young girl struggling against Frank's grip just behind you. Of course Frank remained silent despite her continued pleas, not remotely engaging with her now. That only seemed to upset her further, which in turn only increased your feeling of guilt for what you were both doing to her.

Opening the passenger door, you began to climb into the front of the van. You heard Frank leading the young woman around to the back of it before he roughly opened the doors. Cringing as you settled into the front seat, your arms hugging your little duffle bag to your chest, you heard the distinct sound of a zip tie tightening. Turning around in your seat, you frowned at the sight of one of the zip ties already secured around her right wrist.

“Please, don't,” the girl pleaded with Frank as he grabbed her other wrist. “Please don’t do this.”

“That's not necessary, is it?” you called back to Frank.

Frank's stern gaze shifted from the blonde to you, his hand still firmly gripping her wrist as he paused. In the distance your ears picked up on the sound of police sirens, the noise immediately increasing your panic. They were most certainly on their way here and you were both quickly running out of time. No doubt Frank knew that, too.

“We don’t know her,” Frank shot back, his head gesturing to the blonde. “You really want to leave her loose back here? Hands free so she can attack us?”

Your gaze shifted uneasily to the girl beside him. “You don’t really think a teenage girl is capable of that, do you?” you questioned back.

“I don’t know who the damn hell she is, Spunky,” Frank growled. “And personally, I’d rather not risk finding out. You get me?”

Eyelids slowly lowering, you nodded in defeat. Turning back around in your seat, you felt sick to your stomach as you heard him finish securing her wrists before hefting her into the back of the van. Rather roughly he slammed the back doors shut before appearing at the driver’s side of the vehicle seconds later. He opened the door and climbed in, tossing his duffle bag down on the floor beside your feet before shoving the key into the ignition and starting the van. You shot him a questioning look, your feet shifting away from the bag.

“You want her sitting back there with the guns?” he snapped.

“No,” you admitted quietly.

Frank let out a grunt in response before he put the car in drive. As he began to peel out of the motel’s parking lot, he started shifting in the driver’s seat, one hand searching the pocket of his pants. Your head turned slightly over your shoulder, shamefully eyeing the young woman in the back. She was sitting on the floor of the van hunched over, her face buried in her hands. You’d been about to open your mouth to say something, but Frank had roughly bumped something against your arm to get your attention. Gaze returning back to him beside you, the sound of sirens growing even louder, you frowned at the phone in his hand.

“I’m gonna need you to call Madani,” he told you. “Put her on speakerphone. I need to focus on driving if you wanna get outta here.”

Wordlessly you accepted the phone from his hand and pulled up the contact list. The only other number saved in the phone that wasn’t your new burner phone was that of a Dinah Madani. Hitting the call button, you watched the phone screen change before you pressed the button to place it on speakerphone. The sound of the dial tone cut through the tension filling the van as you sat there quietly. The phone rang four times before she finally answered.

“What is it now, Castle?” Madani’s tired and irritated voice greeted from over the line. “It’s almost three in the morning.”

“We got another problem, Madani,” Frank answered, his eyes focused straight ahead. “Need you to clean up another mess for us.”

There was a curse on the other end of the line before Madani let out a sigh.

“You know,” she began, the sleep slowly leaving her voice, “just because I gave you the clearance to protect someone by any means necessary, that doesn’t mean you need to keep dropping bodies.”

“Wasn’t tryin’ to,” Frank replied, glancing in the rearview mirror as he spoke. “But they went after someone in the motel room next to ours and–”

“So help me, Castle,” Madani immediately began, “if you got an innocent bystander killed, the deal will be off.”

“No, I didin’t,” he countered. “They were actually after this girl. Barely looks to be eighteen. Apparently didn’t even know we were right there, too. Which is either coincidental or somethin’ else, I don’t know. But either way, I wasn’t just gonna sit back and let them take her.”

There was a pause before Madani answered.

“So what happened? Is she okay?” she asked. “Is she with you? Why are they after her?”

Frank glanced over his shoulder at the girl, your own eyes following his gaze. Her attention was focused on the both of you, clearly listening in to the phone call. There was a hard to read expression on her face, but something about it made her seem a little less innocent as you eyed her.

“She’s alive,” Frank replied, focusing back on the road. “Brought her with us. But she’s refusing to say why they want her.”

“Well let me know whatever you find out,” Madani told him. “But just…no torturing her, okay? She’s just a kid so treat her like one.”

You saw the way the muscle twitched in Frank’s cheek at her words, his eyes narrowing at the road. She’d touched on a nerve with that comment, it was obvious.

“Wouldn’t do that, Madani,” Frank ground out. “That’s not what I do.”

A loud sigh came from the other end of the phone before you heard the click of a pen.

“So where is the mess I need to clean up?” Madani asked.

“Sunny Daze Motel,” Frank told her.

Your attention shifted to the side mirror on the van as Frank repeated the motel’s address to her. Some of your nerves were eased by the fact that you couldn’t hear the police sirens anymore and you definitely couldn’t see any flashing blue and red lights. And that seemed like a good thing. It meant that you both had once more managed to get away with your lives intact. And now Madani would clean up the mess Frank left behind and keep the cops off of your back again, which was a relief even if you still felt sick at the thought of the dead bodies you knew were laying back in that motel room.

“There uh, was something else, Madani.”

The sound of unease in Frank’s tone caught your attention instantly. Head darting over your shoulder, your eyes immediately narrowed at him curiously. What else could there have been besides the dead bodies and the mysterious girl?

“What, Castle?” Madani asked carefully.

You could see the way Frank hesitated, his eyes determinedly focused on the road ahead of him. The shift in his demeanor had you studying him closely as he spoke, paying close attention to every word.

“The guy I questioned back at the motel,” Frank began slowly, “he mentioned something. Something that seemed…concerning.”

He paused, his hands readjusting their position on the steering wheel. His grip seemed tighter than usual when he was driving, almost as if he was…uncomfortable. Or nervous.

“Yeah?” Madani pressed.

“Not sure how much clearance you’ve got at Homeland, but have you uh,” Frank asked carefully, his eyes still straight ahead, “you ever heard of something called Project Chimera?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Your eyes narrowed even further as you studied Frank, certain he was intentionally avoiding looking at you now. Whatever the hell that was didn’t sound good, that much you could gauge.

“No,” Madani answered slowly, dragging the word out. “Should I know what that is?”

“Heard it mentioned a long time ago. Back when I was still in that special forces group,” Frank continued, still very much ignoring the way your eyes were boring into the side of his face. “S’posed to be something that doesn’t exist even though it does. Top secret government shit, y’know? Something I remember being asked to join. But I said no ‘cause it seemed…not quite right.”

“You got more than that to go on?” Madani questioned.

Frank’s mouth set into a hard line, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight you saw his knuckles whiten now. He was definitely nervous and that had you terrified. What could possibly scare the Punisher?

“All I remember hearing ‘bout it after the fact,” Frank answered, “was that they were making enhanced soldiers. Not training them– making them.”

Your blood ran cold as you stiffened in the seat. You didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t sound like a good thing. Over the line, you heard Madani clear her throat and you waited with bated breath, hoping you’d get something more from either of them.

“So you…you’re telling me that there might be some sort of…bigger threat after her now?” Madani hesitantly asked. “Is that what you’re saying? That it’s not just assholes with guns anymore?”

“Dunno,” Frank replied. “Dickhead mentioned his superiors weren’t a fan of mine. Managed to mention Chimera. Our girl here told me some higher up government shitbags are behind all this mess with the militia. So my guess?” he continued on. “The dickhead must’ve meant some higher ranking officials have access to these soldiers. I must be making enough trouble for them to need to call in somethin’ more…reliable.”

“Wonderful,” Madani muttered. “Alright, well, I’ll deal with your motel problem now, then I’ll do my best to dig around and see what I can find on some secret, nonexistent government project. In the meantime, you find out what’s up with the other girl and keep your goddamn head’s down, okay? I don’t need any of you dying on me before I can get this shit dealt with.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Frank said. “That’s always the plan, ain’t it?”

The call ended abruptly and for a moment you just sat there with the phone in your hand, trying to process what you’d just overheard. Eventually you cautiously reached your hand out, giving the phone back to Frank when he briefly glanced at you. You watched as he pocketed it once more, his attention remaining focused on the road. But you couldn’t stop staring at him after what you’d just learned, fear once more enveloping you where you sat.

“Are we just…not going to talk about that?” you whispered, voice shaking.

“Talk ‘bout what?” Frank asked, eyes still on the road.

“The bigger threat?” you replied. “Enhanced soldiers? Whatever Project Chimera is?”

At the sound of your quiet, terrified voice, Frank’s gaze finally landed on you in the seat beside him. His expression softened, sympathy shining back at you in his dark eyes. At the moment, he looked far more compassionate than you’d ever seen him before.

“Hey, ‘s’alright,” he assured you. “You don’t need to worry about it. No one is gonna hurt you, okay? I made you a promise. And I’m a stubborn asshole, remember? Nothing is gonna happen to you.”

Feeling tears prick at your eyes, your attention switched to the road. Arms hugging your duffle bag tighter to your chest, you once more felt the weight of everything crashing down on you. Frank was good– really good–at fighting. But neither of you even knew what this Project Chimera was or what an enhanced soldier was even capable of.

“You don’t know that,” you whispered back, shaking your head lightly. “You can’t possibly know that.”

“You’re gonna be alright, you got that?” Frank stated firmly. “We’re gonna take these assholes down. And at the end of it, you’ll be just fine, Spunky.”

A tear snuck its way out of the corner of your eye, slipping its way down your cheek. You wanted to believe him, you really did. But right now you felt like the odds were quickly stacking against you both.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” you whispered back.

#frank castle x reader #frank castle angst #frank castle x you #frank castle #the punisher

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taradactyls · 1 month ago

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Progress Update for Trying to Tread Water

Welp, we all got better, and then sick again within a week. So I didn't write enough to feel ready to post the chapter before illness got me. Pretty mildly, but fatigue is a big factor and when you combine that with caring for two toddlers... yeah.

So, below is a (largely unedited) sneak peak for you, of the chapter which has unintentionally turned into a little bit of a tour guide of the route from London to Derby.

I thought I would do a paragraph or two of the journey, but then I wanted to know a few villages I could name drop (the same way Jane Austen does with Oxford, Warwick, Kenilworth, etc in Pride and Prejudice) but that required research. Which led me into the research black hole. I ended up stitching together my own maps, comparing that to two or three other antique maps which focused on different information, plotting alternate routes, excessive use of the measuring tool in google maps, google street view, Wikipedia searches (why do so many villages list the amount of Indian restaurants they have??), and finally a four page document I made of each village they would pass through, with their distance, special features, etc. Most of it isn't relevant, but I needed to know it to feel that my writing had a solid foundation, and there was too much good stuff and potential scenes for me to be able to resist including some.

Here's the first glimpse of one of those locations I 'found' as I was doing this research. Dunstable Priory (with an image of it at the bottom).

They passed two more villages before the Dunstable Downs came into view, somewhat low as the road was, but Elizabeth did indeed reckon the walk to the top would be worth it. They resolved to undertake the climb, and explore Dunstable, the adjacent market town, for a considerable time. There was unlikely to be anything more enticing awaiting them in their final two stops for the day, so they had plenty of hours to spare.

At the inn where they were changing the horses, Elizabeth asked a maid within what might be seen around the village, and whether the downs were worth the exertion.

“There is the priory, if it please you ma’am. And the view from the hills is very fine. I have heard tell it is the highest point in this part of England, and indeed you can see farther in fine weather than I have ever travelled.”

Elizabeth settled it with Mr Darcy to climb the escarpment after their meal. While that was being prepared, they walked over to explore the church, which was considerably closer by and could be managed in a short time. It was far statelier than Elizabeth expected, with a very ancient façade which only grew more imposing the closer they got. Until, standing on the path sloping down from the doors and feeling entirely dwarfed by the ornate columns and pillars stretching many stories up to crenelations and yet a higher tower, she had to laugh. “I was expecting a country church,” said she. “I feel this place once might once have been of considerable importance.”

His brow furrowed slightly in thought, Mr Darcy mused “Yet there are many grand remnants of abbeys and priories about, after falling into ruin following the dissolution of the monasteries. Perhaps it was common for places of worship to be so impressive, and the only uncommon aspect is that it survived.”

“I will concede perhaps it once had more peers, and many larger, before so many other grand religious houses were lost. But I think it must have always been uncommon in its size and ornamentation. The sheer number of tiny country churches whose simple Norman bell towers cannot rival this surely show that.”

“They show this may never been considered modest, that is true,” Mr Darcy conceded. “But it does not necessarily follow that this particular priory had any great significance. It might have been rather average, or slightly above, for most of its life, until its fellows lost their roofs in the looting following Henry VIII’s decrees and his appropriation of the income which funded such splendour.”

Elizabeth turned to him with a smile. “I suppose I have not the knowledge to counter that fully” said she, “as we would need to compare it to a comprehensive list of everything that existed alongside it. But I cannot imagine something so impressive in appearance and preservation is irrelevant.”

“Luck, and relevance to the local people might be all that was needed to preserve it. Plenty of places of undisputed national importance have been lost,” countered Mr Darcy. “If there is anything significant about this particular priory, we might expect it to be an abbey, or have heard more about it.”

“If whole palaces and abbeys have been lost to ruin, I think it not unusual if we also lost the history of a place. It might still be important despite us knowing very little of it,” said Elizabeth empathically.

“One could claim the same of almost any hill in England – there have been ancient kingdoms and barrows enough to justify it.”

“Perhaps one would be right to do so! Maybe every mundane piece of earth we tread was once unfathomably important in a time immemorable.”

A faint smile came to the gentleman’s face. “You have a romantic’s heart, Mrs Darcy.”

“And just enough a mind for history to feel I can credibly support my claim,” rejoined Elizabeth.

“Not without leaning heavily on presumptions.”

“Do not forget, Mr Darcy,” she replied archly, “I have the liberty of being able to assert that a lack of evidence does not disprove my claim, since it hinges on such knowledge being lost. All the while being safe in the awareness that it is impossible to disapprove that a place has never been sacred in all the long years of the world.”

His smile seemed fonder, as he said “Ah, you are taking an unassailable and yet unprovable position.”

“Which is the cleverest stance to take” said Elizabeth, with sparkling eyes belying her serious tone, “if one never wishes to listen to anyone who disagrees with them.”

“And if they do not particularly care about being academic.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I cannot say being academic does matter to me; but listening to differing opinions and being open to changing my mind does. I should not seriously want to adopt such stances regularly.” Without her earlier jesting, she added “Truly though, there must be many locations forgotten. Between the Normans and the Saxons and Danes and Romans and all the Picts and the like who came before, if we overlaid all of their most important places atop one another I feel the isle would be fairly fully coloured.”

“Perhaps. But I think many of the sites would overlap,” said Mr Darcy thoughtfully. “Certain rivers and hills have attracted people for as long as people have existed to observe them. We cannot say the same for any random patch of dirt.”

“No, there may not be anything special about the dirt which draws people. But it only needs once to have been a hall, or a grave, or have been the location of a sacred tree, and then it has been important. Farmers in unremarkable fields are always finding old coins and shards of mosaic. Who is to say great things did not once happen on any random bit of soil?”

“No one living,” confirmed Mr Darcy. “But we have strayed far from the original premise of our conversation – and regardless of whether the soil its foundations descend into was once significant in ages past, that not does dictate whether this priory itself was ever particularly important beyond the local populace.”

“But we have established that it might have been, even though we have heard nothing of this priory before now,” replied she.

“Yes, which is to say that we established only that we know nothing at all and have no metrics by which to make fair assumptions.”

Apparently quite delighted by this ignorance, Elizabeth smiled, and leant against Mr Darcy. The familiar ground of their back-and-forth had done much for her in dispelling the anxiety treading the unfamiliar grounds a partiality for her husband had created. But before they could settle into their ignorance, one came along with the power to dispel it. The residing clergyman had perceived them from within, and, easily deducing them to be people of some importance on their way through, was eager to make their acquaintance and offer them a view of the interior.

They gratefully accepted, and as they were walking in Elizabeth said “Our first tour of a local church – we are proper travellers now, Mr Darcy.”

The gentleman made a slight noise of agreement. “In a place I have passed through dozens of times yet never truly explored. I have climbed the downs, but never investigated this priory.”

“Well, there you have it – something new for both of us on this journey.”

(To Be Continued in Chapter Forty)

The view Elizabeth and Darcy had of the priory:

A Wikipedia page for it here

#thank you for being so patient with the delay #it's nice some of us are because I AM NOT #I WANT TO WRRRRRIIIITTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEE #LOCK ME IN A ROOM FOR 48 HOURS WITH MY LAPTOP AND WATCH ME HAVE THE TIME OF MY LIFE SMASHING OUT 3 CHAPTERS #fic:t3w #trying to tread water

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shentm · 3 months ago

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outsider still doesn't feel complete to me but i'm leaving it here for now. blade pov, no beta we die like baiheng, check tags for trigger warnings

dreamwidth mirror, which by the way is the more updated and also likely more permanent version of this piece, as this tumblr post always runs the risk of deletion anytime i'm awake past 11pm

The dream catches itself on those at the center of the tragedy, locking on to the minds already half-emptied by mara. It watches, as the nights repeat, as the hunt grows farther from its purpose.

He's covered in it, clothes slick with blood, the moonlight sliding off of it and watching him through the reflection. Every time he shows up, Jing Yuan has to stay awake for hours afterward, scrubbing at the floors to rid his home of the stains and the stench of mara-stricken beasts. It doesn't help that he likes to trail his sword behind, leaving gouges that the blood flows through, pooling in divots and seeping into the cracks between. But it's not like Jing Yuan expected him to be different.

An Outsider, who participated in a horrific ritual, and became tethered to the merging of paths, a creation of a collector who found the occurrence too interesting to resist. Who was given the abundance emanator's blessing, transforming him into something thought of as prey by most of the Xianzhou Alliance. It's strange that he's still sane sometimes, occasionally managing to break the contradictory resonance of intertwined paths where the hunt and the abundance intersect.

In the shared dream he sees the echoes of those he once knew, dead beings recreated in a perfect recollection of the waking world. It's just how he remembers, an everlasting reminder of what they did. He's drawn in when asleep and awake, unable to escape the repetition of memory.

In that intersection of paths he sometimes finds the shadow of the Imbibitor Lunae running away and away, too afraid to face his crimes. He finds the corpse of a dragon protected by its unborn kin, and tears it apart instead of looking back. He fights through the same landscapes again and again, always waking up in front of the same dim lamp. The only reason he can think of for this endless repetition is that someone out there likes these memories, wants to see the moment of the sin done right.

Skin melts against skin, fire burning through hair. The wet noise of a blade squelching as it rips through meat is the only sound that interrupts the guttural screaming of those beasts, displacing the cries with blood down their throats. Their pathetic existences mirror his own. Eyes press against his brain where they grow inside his skull, amplifying the beats of his heart. A constant high pitched whine carries through the sky, staying with him wherever he goes. Physical discomfort keeps him in the dream, afraid of what deeper pain awaits with the dawn of wakefulness.

He sees her too, sometimes, guarding the path before the corpse. She sees him in return, and they always meet in a clash of swords, the moon almost close enough to touch. It watches next to them, the blue light of her own weapon brilliant against the clouded orange sky. There was never any other choice; a recreation can only travel down the path of the original, like wheels in a rut on a dried dirt road. They tell each other that the dream will end. He continues the hunt again.

The dream is an awful thing to endure. He wonders about its purpose when cleaning his blade that Jingliu so kindly returned.

Dan Feng never acknowledges him, never admits to what he did, never even calls him by name. But it's clear that despite the physical differences, he's still the same arrogant coward that lives in the dream. How else would Dan Feng manage to kill him every time with the weapon he forged with his own once-deft hands, buying useless time before his inevitable judgement?

When he wakes up it is only a brief moment of respite from the dream as clear-cutting pain reminds him of his immortality. Sleep comes with the soothing promise of comfort, but also with the knowledge that it will not be restless.

Later he joins the Stellaron Hunters, gets taken in despite being on the brink of insanity. Feels the frenzy slipping away with Kafka's words, feels the understanding leave his mind. Turns him into a docile puppet, waiting for the next command. He names himself Blade. She gives him the first genuine rest he's had in seven hundred years.

His senses are diluted with her influence, not enough to render him completely useless, but enough to clear his mind. It's mostly just his sight that's a problem, and it's easy enough to counter with his other senses. The other one is touch, but he doesn't expect that to really be important. He does most of his hunting with a sword anyways, distanced enough from his prey.

He's never gone back to the Luofu personally. Once or twice through the years he hears news of its whereabouts, and soon has those reminders taken from his mind, rendering his sleep dreamless yet again.

He doesn't go back because he's not done hunting.

But at some point it was bound to happen, the meeting of three tragic sinners and that other guy who was also there.

A mission brings him back to the Luofu, and he doesn't complain because his mind is too empty to think. He tries to think of himself as just a simple vessel to help Elio carry out his plot. A stagehand for the endless show that they try to put on. It's quite nice, being like this, the desperately needed reprieve from the eyes that always try to crawl their way back into his brain. It's not easy to forget once your body has learned.

Kafka says the mission went well. Elio says he can break the tether now. He doesn't remember any of it, except from the brief moment of clarity when Jing Yuan asked him if he was done, and then the consciousness when he wakes up later.

Jing Yuan looks the same now as he did all those years ago, except for the young shadow he keeps at his side. He's still just as radiant as the sun, the center of everything he joins. Of course a comet like himself was never meant to stay long in Jing Yuan's orbit. The sun does not need to change when a dirty snowball cuts through its orbit after centuries of desolation in the universe; the sun burns bright on its own, without a need for a secondary light.

None of them are, were, like that, just a product that reflected their surroundings instead of the magnetic core that shaped their era. Maybe that's why they're all criminals wandering the stellar seas now, shot out from the gravity well and driven by their own definitions of the hunt.

But eventually he feels the searing pain start to fade when he chokes awake on drying blood, glances over at the dissolving bodies next to him. The eyes can no longer see. Kafka helps with her lightning, and soon the only physical links left are those burning wounds inside his brain.

Between puddles of blood and dripping black stone he wakes up, and the night grows deeper but the streetlights start burning. He collaborates, strangely, with Dan Heng (a new trailblazer) to force Jing Yuan back into his bed. He sees the artificial sunrise a few times, occasionally with Kafka, and sometimes just on his own. The sight of a celestial object rising behind the clouds has been one he's not seen for a while, even if it is still a false sun.

It's done, the dream has an end. The hunt is over, its conclusion long since found.

He meets the one who couldn't let go in the waking world, both of them more alive than they should be. Neither of them deserve to be here, yet they sully the Luofu with their presence anyways, carving and gouging out a place where they no longer belong.

She meets him with the same intensity she always carries, unable to be diminished by time or a dream's veil, and he feels alive as they dance the familiar battle once again, for what may be the last time. Unlike the cycles before them, this time it feels like a breaking of bonds, like something being set free.

On the last night of his stay on the Luofu he ends up at Jing Yuan's family home after he manages to separate from the dream, and he's lucky that Jing Yuan still stays here even after seven hundred years. Conveniently, Dan Heng mentions that Yanqing would be dragging the Luofu's heroic trailblazer on some sort of sword-hunting adventure on that day.

"Yingxing," Jing Yuan says when he enters civilly through the window, "please stop dripping blood on the floor."

It's that name that breaks him into the clearest state of mind he's had for centuries. That and the newfound control over his own mind, now that the moon no longer watches him. Jing Yuan still sounds the same, calls him with the same tone of voice. When's the last time anyone's referred to him as Yingxing? When's the last time he's been able to hear that name without his consciousness slipping through the cracks?

"Jing Yuan," he responds, and he's suddenly aware of the winds outside, carrying with them a fine mist of pollen that coats everything in a layer of grit, sticking to the drying blood on his clothes. He's aware of the artificial moonlight that gazes into the room, blue in tone and so much softer than the harsh orange red in his sleep. He can feel the silence of the home, where four others once gathered and where only one stays now.

"That's not my name."

The dream tries to call to him, but its voice is quiet here.

Jing Yuan reclines on the mass of pillows he calls a bed, and when he shifts he can hear the sound of feathers scratching at their confinements. He hears his pulse in his head, reviving nerves once thought to be dead, and he can feel the tingling sensation where it creeps through his limbs.

The air is cold where it hits his skin. It's been so long since he's been able to feel the temperature. He looks at Jing Yuan, and he can see the shine in his eyes, the strands of his hair where it was only a blurred image before. The world is clearer than it's ever been. It's like getting glasses. Do they still have those?

Jing Yuan grounds him in the present, the physicality distracting him from the broken link between his mind and that all-seeing eye disguised as the moon. The moon here on the Luofu is fake, as is the rest of the sky over most of the ship. The mara-stricken here do not scream as they claw at their faces, nor do they tear apart their prey with overwhelming strength.

He can touch and be touched now, acutely aware of the blood on his face, his body, his hands, the stains across the sheets and the fabric where he dares to rip them apart, but it doesn't matter in the moment. Cauterized wounds of foreign eyes that once grew inside his head start to make their presence known again, but they don't try to regrow. Flesh, not his own, knits itself together when he lets go, and the scent of iron permeates the air.

He's never been a particularly selfless lover. He bites down again.

"Ren," Jing Yuan says, quiet with an edge of something else. The false moon silently hangs behind the clouds, diffused into a hazy shower of light. The metallic taste of blood fills his mouth.

Jing Yuan is just as pliant for him now as he was centuries ago, body remembering and opening its vulnerabilities for him so readily. The heat in his head is easily ignored in favor of the heat beneath his hands. It's easy to get lost in the chase to consume and feed, but he reins himself in with the control he thought he'd lost a long time ago.

An Outsider, on equal ground with the Luofu's general, if only for one night. An Outsider, carving his own mark into the Xianzhou's history.

He finds Jing Yuan again after all these centuries, and he's still just as passionate as he's always been, fervent energy and primal fear driving him deeper into the desperate desire to stake a claim of his own.

#hsr #text post #tw blood #tw body horror #tw mental health #as in blade has really bad mental health #tell me if any others should be added #watch me delete it in 2 weeks and post it several months later after another round of editing #also i feel like this definitely veers off into mature territory by the last few paragraphs #i should also make it clear that this was written before we had much information on the foxian and borisin lore #like you can tell i wrote this in spring because the pollen dust was getting everywhere at that time #anyway this is just a background piece to my jingrenheng attempt to “vacation” in penacony wip #i don't think this will ever make it to ao3 officially so i'll just leave it on the sideblog for the rest of time #trying so hard to hit the sad old man yaoi vibes with the ending but like idk if that's good enough for what i want #but whatever! it's a background piece! the important part is that it establishes the context for the rest of my ramblings!#very bloodborne inspired. very. like i am this close 🤏 to directly quoting the game.#the vacation fic

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loremastering · 9 months ago

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Relationships (Daerhovan)

Note: Some names belong to another person on tumblr or lord of the rings online. Any who are so will be marked with a * beside their url, but not mentioned so this doesn’t appear in their feed.

Updated 2/27/2024

Main bio

-Blood-

Losdirith: Father. Named Halordin by. Deceased. Perished in a rock fall caused by goblins while patrolling the outskirts of Lothlorien. Doesn’t remember too much, only faint glimpses here and there. Daerhovan was only five when he died. Wishes he could have gotten to know him more, as he was greatly loved by his father.

Gaelwen: Mother. Named Telphindor by. Unconditionally loves, but can’t let go of the time she shut him in as a child, for extreme fear of losing him as she lost her eldest son and husband. Gaelwen wouldn’t let Daerhovan go no farther than twenty yards from the tree their flet was in. Insisted on supervising him at all times. Thought he would go mad. Although this lasted for several years, the restrictions placed upon him by Gaelwen eventually grew less and less, with help from the coaxing of his elder twin sisters. Now in his adult hood he still visits her occasionally.

Feels confused with his feelings towards his Naneth. Wants to be angry with for the extreme measures, despite her good intentions, to keep him safe. But his forgiving nature tells him other’s have had it harsher and that he shouldn’t be mad. Complicated.

Haldor: Elder brother. Deceased. Also perished in that rock fall that killed his Ada. Wishes he could have gotten to know more.

*Lossenduin: Elder sister. Twin to Losseneth. A march warden of The Golden Wood. Leads her own patrol to oversee the road to the Great River. Occasionally visits Thinglad to hear reports on the activities nearby. Stern and proud, but she loves her little brother and cannot be parted from her twin for too long. Daerhovan envied her often when he was younger, as she was allowed to roam beyond the borders. (@sewer-princess)

*Losseneth: Elder sister. Twin to Lossenduin. Brings messages to the march wardens from home. Loves reading about old tales and meditating within the circles of remembrance scattered across Lothlorien. He won’t admit it, but she is Daerhovan’s favorite. In his younger days Losseneth would take pity on her little brother and try to comfort him without being overbearing. Fondest memories of her are cuddling in hammocks under the stars while she read to him.

Lerdil: Brother-in-law. Husband of Lossenduin. A lore-master of herbs and healing, and quite proficient in it too. Likes a lot. Often went to him for tips and study.

Amdirvar: Son of Lossenduin and Arasdil. Nephew. Quick to anger and quite proud, but fiercely loyal to his family and Galadriel and Celeborn. A march warden and soldier. Was the elven equivalent of a teenager when Daerhovan was a kid, and often found Gaelwen’s son annoying. As Daerhovan grew, was less annoyed with, but finds his uncle weird. Loves him none the less, and Daer loves him back. The two often take walks with one another, trying to teach the other about beast or weapon lore. (Daerhovan only later realized that having a nephew who’s older than you is super weird among the mortal races.)

-Heart-

*Ilost: An enigmatic ellon whom he’s met various times in Eriador, and traveled with for a time. Thought of him as a good friend that he grew to love platonically, though a kiss made him confused, especially as he was still with another in a romantic way. Distanced himself from Ilost after, but thought of him from time to time. Reunited with in the Dale Lands while traveling with Nimardril. Greatly pleased to see an old friend, though he didn’t recognize him at first in Ilost’s disguise. Getting to know him better as they travel once again. The old fluttering of the heart from before awakening that grew larger the more they traveled together again. Has joined with Ilost since then. Doesn’t quite know his feelings for him save attraction in general, but is willing to let true love grow, if it can. (@sewer-princess)

*Mallovorel: A best friend. But also like a sister to him. He see’s in the Malladhrim elf a lot of himself, and often seeks her out. Loves. A lore-master like himself too, and often takes walks with, talking about life or the things and experiences they’ve had, or about their philosophies of life. @theoldsongsandtales

*Amruchil: Mallvorel and Maeglir’s son. Considers him a nephew. God-father of. (?) In the child’s early years he would teach Amru about the natural world and it’s wonders (and dangers of course). Would take him out on trips, much to the father’s chagrin. Backed off as he grew when Maeglir thought he was influencing Amru negatively. After his parents sailed west, Daerhovan grew even closer to his god-son who like him, desired to stay in Middle Earth @theoldsongsandtales

Verya: Out of all the numerous animal companions he would have in his life, Verya will forever have a special place in his heart.A mountain lynx he found orphaned in the White Mountains. Her mother had been killed by a rival lynx, and her siblings had died of starvation. She was hours away from death herself, but was found in time by Daerhovan and nursed back to health. (he debated about letting nature take it’s course, as he’s always believed should happen, but sometimes he breaks his own rules). While she grew and recovered to full strength, would wander away for so long that Daerhovan was convinced she left forever, but would always come back. One day it was his task to take down the new Great Goblin of Goblin-Town. During the tail end of the fight, was disarmed and incapacitated, unable to defend himself, Daerhovan braced for the death blow, until Verya unexpectedly leapt from the shadows and sank her teeth into the goblin’s throat. Their relationship has been a strong mutualism bond from then on. Heartbroken when she died of old aged eventually.

Rinion: A little white lynx cub found abandoned by his mother in the Ered Luin. Again, Daerhovan resisted the urge to let nature take it’s course, and adopted the little cub. Loves almost as much as Verya, and the elder lynx seems to consider the cub her own.

Valadhiel: A grey charger horse acquired from Rohan. Was lended to him while he passed through the region during the War of the Ring, with a payment to return the horse to Harwick once Sauron was defeated. Daerhovan however bonded with the animal, as he does. Vala has been with him through thick and thin, and he would not be parted from the mare. He pleaded his case to the newly crowned Eomer-King, who, despite some hesitation, paid the original owner a hefty sum of money to compensate for the loss of his horse. And was gifted a new one. The owner didn't mind one bit at least.

-Close-

Nimardril: A sweet but tenacious elleth he met in Bree. Helped to distract her from her divorce by traveling with her. Felt he had an instant connection to her that not even a severely awkward encounter with her uncle couldn’t break. Greatly enjoys her company. Got to know her better during their travels through the vales. Saddened to see her go a little bit after they met with Ilost.

Cwenthryd: A stern, proud woman of Rohan. Confides in her a lot, as she seems to have the answers to every problem, and takes everything in stride. They often joke that they’re secretly related somehow, as she tends to act like his mom sometimes. Trusts completely.

*Crea: A ranger of the north who Daerhovan likes a lot as a friend. Enjoys roaming Evendim with her and talking about the history of the Dunedain. Worries for her when she’s out and about, even though he knows she’s more than capable. @dunadaan

Orthir: The chief Scholar of the Tree’s in Lothlorien. Daerhovan learned much about nature, flora, and botany from him. Holds the elf in high respect. Will always pay a visit whenever he stops by Lothlorien. (lotro npc)

*Namadith: A dwarrowdam whom Daerhovan considers a great friend nowdays. Fond of teasing her, but at the end of the day loves nothing more than to bask in her company. @asgardian--angels

*Maironendil: A rather strange elf. Senses an air of darkness about the ellon, but ignores his better intuition most of the time and thinks of as a best friend nonetheless. Has had some, uh, interesting encounters with. @asgardian--angels

*Vaharion: Another long time friend. Trusts completely and seeks him out. Often goes on far ranging and high stakes adventures with. @landrovaling

-Friendship-

*Eolcin: A woman Daerhovan has gone on adventures with on occasion.Most of the time their relationship seems to be fueled by teasing and pretending to be exasperated at one another. Feels protective of, even though he knows Eolcin can take care of herself just fine. @theoldsongsandtales

*Meneladir: Got to know Nimardril’s cousin and Celebithil’s son through a mission to Angmar together. Experienced a lot of trials and tribulation with him, and found himself drawn to the ellon for his cheerfulness despite a grim situation. Considers him a good friend and brother in arms. Harbored a tiny crush on, but quickly quashed it after the mission. @elgaladwen

*Elgaladwen: Doesn’t know much about, but he’s happy that she and her husband seem to like his books on the flora of Middle-Earth. Most of the time. Would like to get to know more. @elgaladwen

*Gallorith: Husband to Elgaladwen. Finds him easy going and a calming presence to be around in. Would like to get to know more. @sewer-princess

*Eruingil: A ranger he met sometime ago, but is beginning to grow fond of. Would like to get to know more. @simbilmyne

*Elirianen: A trusted elven friend. Has helped her out in multiple skirmishes. Likes. @pursuer-of-hope

-Known-

Gelirn, Leodain, Elentauriel, Ellathos, Ayarmeniel, Aipiolohte,

- Missed -

Badari, Rubeniel, The Olk clan.

-Complicated-

Maeglir: Husband to Mallovorel. A high noldorin elf of Valinor. Was very intimidated by at first, but with his adopted sister’s help, managed to warm up to the noldo, and they had a warm, easy relationship most of the time. Their friendship became more rocky as Maeglir thought Daerhovan was influencing his son in a bad way. And even after they made their peace, something changed.

Badari: A dwarrowdam and Daerhovan’s former partner. Their relationship was forged in war and tribulation. With the end of the world as they knew it seemingly nigh, they experienced a whirlwind romance that Daerhovan was perhaps selfishly eager to experience before he lost the chance, thanks to Sauron’s probable reign. Then Sauron fell, and while they stayed together for a time, they eventually went their separate ways thanks to differing tasks and family matters. While Daerhovan wandered, began to realize he perhaps didn’t love Badari as he thought he should. Tried to make it work again, but the spark was gone. The two eventually and to his relief, amicably, went their separate ways for good. He wishes her nothing but happiness and a partner who is not so different and more compatible for her.

-Uneasy-

Ogborg, Celebithiel.

-Loathe-

#bio #daerhovan

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galactic-magick · 3 years ago

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Love the Unlovable: Bruno Madrigal x Reader Part 2

Previous: Part 1

Words: 800+

Warnings: none

Author’s Notes: Thank you so much for all the interest in this fic! And also thank you for your patience waiting for the next chapter. I’m guessing updates will be once a week since I’m balancing coursework now as well, but it might be more often than that if I have a week where I’m less busy. We’ll see.

If anyone noticed the two of you leave, they didn’t say anything.

You start walking down the road, the sounds of the party slowly getting quieter behind you. Eventually you pass by your family’s shop, and Bruno stops and points.

“This is where you work, right?”

“Mhmm. Have you been in there before?”

“I think once a long time ago. I don’t remember seeing you though,” he peers in the window, mostly dark now that the rest of your family has left. “It’s very nice. And I think a lot of people enjoy the things you sell,”

You smile, and dig out the key from your pocket, “Do you want to go in?”

“Oh! Well, if it’s okay, then sure-”

You laugh, and the door creaks open. You turn on a few lanterns to bring in some light and lead him in.

He’s quiet as he looks at things, with maybe a “Hmm” or “I like this” here and there. Quite frankly the shelves are a little more bare than usual from all the purchases earlier, but there’s still enough to see.

Anything your family can add a creative flair to, even if it’s a common item, it will be in your shop. Sometimes there’s more demand for decorative items, sometimes more practical, but everything there is handmade and unique. Colorful and painted kitchenware or designs carved into cast-iron pans, and marbleized clay dishes, each one looking completely different. Embroidered blankets, towels, and clothes, pictures all from your imagination. Uniquely scented candles and soaps are also a customer favorite, as well as customized jewelry and children’s toys.

Bruno seems to take a particular interest in a blanket collection you finished a little while ago, of which is almost completely sold out already. Each one has a different animal embroidered on the edges.

“Who made these?” he asks.

“I did,” you grin. “I might have to start working on some more soon, people seem to like them. No one’s bought those last few yet, though,”

“You’re amazing. I mean—these are amazing,” he picks up one with rats along the border. “You made one with rats?”

“Oh, well, I know a lot of people don’t like them, but I figured I should make a diverse group of animals. Plus they’re not as difficult to embroider,” you chuckle.

“I like it,” he unfolds it completely and stretches it out in front of him. “I’ll buy it,”

“Really?”

“Sure. It’s beautiful work, and I actually like rats. I have um...some in my room and around the house,”

“Well,” you say with a cheeky smile, sliding behind the front counter. “I technically shouldn’t be serving customers past closing,”

“True,” he shrugs.

“But I suppose a celebrity like one of the Madrigals should get special privileges,” you joke.

“Celebrity? Pffft,” he shakes his head. “I wouldn’t say that,”

“I’m kidding. But seriously, none of us would mind if you bought it now,”

You both laugh again, and he hands you the money.

“This was...nice,” he says as you close up again and lock the door. “It was nice to just talk to someone for once. Thank you,”

“You’re welcome,”

“Do you—I mean, would you like me to walk you home?”

“My house is just over there, you don’t have to,” you point to it, and sure enough it’s only a bit farther down the road.

“Okay,” he nods. “Will I see you around, then?”

“I hope so,” you smile as you skip across the street.

-PRESENT DAY-

“When did you see him next?” Mirabel scoots to the edge of her seat.

“I started seeing him at least a few times a week, I’d say,” you laugh. “He started coming to town a lot more often, into my shop and other shops nearby. Mostly just to say hi or check out my new items,”

“I think I remember that. Well, at least I remember him being gone from the house a lot when I was really little,” she says. “And sometimes he’d give some of the things he bought to me and the other kids,”

“Oh really?” you smile. “I actually didn’t know that,”

“Mhmm,” she nods. “So? What happened next?”

You sigh and shake your head, “Oh, no. We should probably stop for today. You need to get back home,”

“What? No!” Mirabel bursts out. “Not now. Not until I get answers. I can’t go back there until I can save it-”

She stops herself, and your face falls.

“...What are you talking about?” a few seconds and no response. “Mirabel-”

“THE HOUSE IS CRACKING AND I FOUND BRUNO’S LAST VISION AND IT’S ABOUT ME AND THE FAMILY SAYS ALL HIS VISIONS ARE BAD SO WE’RE ALL DOOMED!” she blurts.

Oh.

You take a deep breath, “I wish I could help Mirabel, I really do. But I wouldn’t know any more about what the vision means than you do,”

“I’m sorry. I know that. It’s just-” she starts. “I just feel like talking to you and hearing your story will help me find him or something. Maybe there’s clues, you know? He couldn’t possibly have left without any trace,”

The thought of finding him again—seeing him again, is a bit too much to hope for. You can tell Mirabel is clearly worried about the situation, and you’ve been hearing some whispers in town about the magic weakening the past few days, although you didn’t go to Antonio’s ceremony so you weren’t there when it supposedly happened. But maybe there’s something Mirabel can see that you couldn’t, maybe she’s the key to reuniting you with Bruno.

“Alright,” you finally say. “I still doubt I’ll be any help, but I’ll finish the story,”

Taglist: @deniedmysign @tickytheoristd @the-blood-god @kitphi @itscheybaby @alexlovesskili @qttiekittie @abliafina-18782 @levitsumu @sug4r-sp1c3 @bettabeauty01 @scrumptiousalmonddragonpeach @amoalasmadrigals

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#bruno madrigal x reader #bruno madrigal imagine #bruno madrigal #encanto #encanto imagine #encanto x reader

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witchywrter · 3 years ago

Text

“Home” (Part 5/?)

Paul Lahote x reader

Part 4

Summary: y/n returns from college in California to her hometown in Forks to find things are not as she left them. She soon discovers that a lot more things have changed then she initially thought.

Warnings: mentions of death, car accident, verbal fighting, cussing, i think that covers it

A/N: i am literally so sorry for not updating sooner guys lmao i’m trying to update all my fics now, especially this one bc i love it. i’ll get the next one out next week. love you all!_______________________________________________

You felt so much pain as you began to regain consciousness and could make out someone calling your name.

“Y/n?”

You turned your head to the source of the sound to see a Doctor at your side, his hand on your arm. He was very handsome. Not exactly your type, but still. He looked to be around your age, far too young to be a Doctor already.

“Hello Y/n, my name is Dr.Cullen. You’ve been in an accident”

Your head was throbbing and you felt pain radiating from your stomach and leg. You looked around to find that you were indeed in the hospital.

You looked down at his hand on your arm. It was ice cold, absolutely freezing. He must have noticed you looking because he removed his hand.

“How long have I been here?” you asked, looking back to the Doctor.

“About a day and a half. Do you remember anything?” he asked kindly.

“There was a man in the road, he came out of nowhere. I swerved to try to avoid him” you said trying to remember.

“Your car flipped four times and caught fire. A piece of glass punctured your abdomen and another your left thigh, narrowly missing your femoral artery. We were able to stop the bleeding and stabilize your condition. You’re lucky to be alive, if your friend hadn’t been there to pull you out when he did, you could have died” he finished, shaking his head.

“My friend?” you asked.

“He’s from the reservation, one of Jacob Black’s friends I believe” he said.

Well that didn’t exactly narrow it done much. Your car was totaled most likely. You’re dad’s car, the one thing you had left of him.

“You’ll be okay, but you need your rest. You can be discharged tomorrow morning and the stitches will dissolve on their own in two weeks” he said has he picked up your chart and began walking away.

“Oh, one more thing. Sherif Swan called me, if you still want that internship, send over your resume and you can start after your two weeks” he said with a slight smile on his lips.

“Thank you Dr.Cullen” you called out as he left to check on other patients.

You looked over to your side to see an array of gifts on the beside table and chair. There seemed to be something from everyone. Flowers with cards from Leah, Sam, Emily and even Charlie and his daughter Bella and a big card from Quill, Embry, Collin, and Brady with all their own little messages and signatures.

The huge, brown bear sat on the chair with a red ribbon around its neck didn’t seem to have a card accompanying it.

You grabbed your phone from the side table and unlocked it. There were a few messages from friends and one from your mom. You opened up your mom’s message and read:

“Why did I have to find out from the Sherif that my daughters been in a car accident. You know what it was like for me when your father passed and the fact that you’d put me through that again is appalling”

This was followed by multiple messages about how horrible of a daughter you were and how you have no excuse for ignoring her text messages.

She had no right to bring up your dad like that. As if you got into an accident to hurt her, as if you were unconscious and not responding on purpose.

Your dad was driving home one night after a long night at the hospital when he was hit by a drunk driver. He was pronounced dead at the scene. You never got to say goodbye. Never got to tell him you loved him one last time.

You turned your phone off and set it on the side table and laid back down. Although you were out for a day and a half, you felt utterly exhausted, mentally and physically. You pulled your blankets back up and closed your eyes, hoping for a full nights rest.

You woke up to the curtains flying back, sunlight flooding the room. Your eyes stung as you were blinded.

“Wake up loser, it’s time for a jail break” Leah said in a very cheerful voice.

“No Leah, I’m not dead and feel amazing” you say in a sarcastic voice.

“That’s exactly what i wanted to hear. Seriously though, are you okay? You scared the shit out of everyone” she said, her voice taking on a concerned tone.

“Yeah, just beat up. Should be at healed up in two weeks” you say, sitting up.

“Here, I brought these from Emily’s house” she said, tossing a long sleeve, pants, socks, undergarments and shoes onto the bed.

After you changed and signed the discharge papers, you and Leah headed back to Emily’s place.

“What a bitch,” Leah said with disgust as she climbed the steps.

“I know, I still can’t believe I’m related to her” you say shaking your head.

Leah opened the front door and you hear “Surprise!” as you walk through. Everyone but Collin, Brady, Quill and Paul were there for your second homecoming.

Jake ran up to hug you, but Leah stepped in front of him.

“You wanna rip her stitches dumbass?” she said like a mother correcting her child.

“Oh shut it Leah” Jacob said, but gave you a much gentler hug than he originally intended.

“How are you?” Jake asked.

“Well I think I might fall over and die if one more person asks how I am” you say laughing. You stop as a stabbing pain shoots from your abdomen.

Sam, Emily and Seth hug you as well before you finally make it to the couch to sit down.

“What happened?” Embry asked taking a seat next to you with Leah on the other side.

“I was driving back here and I looked down at my phone for barely a second and when I looked back up there was a man in the road” you said.

“Well you know what they say about texting and driving” Seth said but the joke fell flat as no one laughed.

“What did the man look like?” Jake asked in a serious tone.

“Pale I guess, black hair, I’m not really sure. Why?” you asked, confused.

“No reason, just wondering” he said looking over to Sam who was sitting on a stool by the counter talking to Emily.

“Do you know who pulled me out?” you asked Jacob.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Dr.Cullen said one of our friends pulled me out of the car before it caught fire”

“Oh, uh, Paul did” he said.

Paul. Of all of your friends you had thought it might have been, that was the absolute last person you’d think would save you. If anything he’d probably be the one to toss you right into the flames.

“Oh” was all you said.

The front door opened and in walked Quill and Paul.

“Well I’ve gotta get back to..work” Jacob said standing up.

“Me too” said Seth as he followed Jacob to the door.

“Heal up Y/n!” Jacob yelled over his should and he and Seth left.

Quill came over and sat where Seth had just been and gave you a hug and Paul went straight to Sam without even acknowledging you.

Not like it mattered anyway.

“How are y-“ Quill started.

“Fine” you cut him off.

Through the rest of the day, people started to leave one by one as they had work, school or other things to get to. Eventually Paul said his goodbyes to Sam and Emily and began walking out the door, again without saying a word to you.

You got up as quickly as you could without hurting yourself and momentarily excused yourself from your board game that you were beating Embry in. You walked out the door just as Paul was off the steps.

“Hey!” you called to him.

Paul stopped and slowly turned back to you.

“What?” he asked rudely, not fully meeting your gaze.

Instead of responding with the same attitude, you walked down some of the steps.

“I just wanted to say thank you. Jacob told me what you did” you said gently.

“It wasn’t exactly like there was a choice in the matter” he spat.

“Could you just not be a complete asshole for once in your life? I’m trying to thank you for saving my life” you said, anger getting the best of you.

“Well it would have saved me a world of trouble had I not” he said.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” you ask, raising your voice.

“Nothing. I-I can’t do this right now, I won’t do this right now” he said, voice equal to yours now.

“No, come on Paul, let it out. Say what you need to say!”

Paul started shaking with anger and as much as you knew you should stop, your anger wouldn’t let you.

“Say. It.” you seethed.

“Paul!” you heard as the front door swung open.

You turned around to see Quill come running down and barreling into Paul, pushing him away from you. Sam came running out too.

“Get him out of here!” Sam yelled.

Quill grabbed Paul and pulled him out into the woods.

“What the hell?” you asked

“Get inside Y/n!” Sam yelled.

“You don’t tell me what to do” you said angrily

“Get. Inside. Now.” he said sternly.

You scoffed but turned on your heal and went inside and upstairs, waking right passed Emily and ignoring her as she called out to you.

Who did they think they were, telling you to get inside. Paul always had anger problems, this wasn’t anything new.

You hate him.

“Well it would have saved me a world of trouble had I not” replayed again and again in your head. You hated him for making you feel less than, for making you feel worthless.

Him saving you meant nothing. He was a dick to you your entire life and you didn’t care that Sam asked you to lighten up on him. No one bit.

As you laid down to sleep, not even bothering to take off your clothes or change, you wiped the single tear that escaped. You hated him and always would.

//////////////

You were walking through the woods to get to your favorite spot again. It was the middle of the night, but Jacob asked to meet you there. The moonlight shown through the thick trees, illuminating your path.

Everything was so green and beautiful, you missed being home.

You walked a little farther when your foot hit something, stopping you in your tracks. You looked down to see a rock jutting up from the ground. It was the same one you fell on the other day. It still had blood on it, fresh and bright and not at all dried. That wasn’t right. You fell days ago, it should be dried or the rain should have washed it off.

*Snap*

You spun around. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest, that same feeling of being watched returning. You shouldn’t be out here. Emily warned you.

You scanned your surroundings, but it was too dark. What happened to the moonlight? You squinted your eyes and saw him-it.

The man from the road, eyes blood red, skin pale as snow, hair dark as the night around him. He cocked his head to the side, watching you.

Where did he come from? Had he been watching you the whole time? Was he in the woods that first day?

You could try to outrun him, you didn’t know how far into the woods you were, you didn’t even remember how you got here. You went to take a step back but he was in front of you instantly and attacked, grabbing your arm.

You jolted upright, breathing heavily. You looked around. You were in your room, at Sam and Emily’s. You were safe. You ran your fingers through your hair as you looked out the window. It was the middle of the night.

There were things that weren’t adding up. Everyone has been acting weird, telling you to avoid the woods, saying that whatever has been attacking people isn’t animal or human, the man in the road, even Paul’s behavior has been worse than normal…something wasn’t right, you could feel it in your gut.

You knew what they told you, the warnings, but with everything that happened with Paul and your mom, you didn’t care anymore. You were gonna find out what was going on, no matter what.

_______________________________________________

A/N: hey guys! i hope you enjoyed this chapter! lots of stuff happened and i swear we’re gonna get more paulxreader interactions from now on. love you all❤️❤️

@that-animebitch @fangirlanotherjust @justdidabadthing @scuzmunkie @ccosmic-illusion

@xthefuckerysquaredx @destroyed-and-damned @classyunknownlover @hglyu @blackloveangel13

@champagnesugamama @bshelley322

#paul lahote x reader #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote #twilight saga #twilight #new moon #twilight: new moon #paul lahote could kill me and i’d literally say thank you

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retrievablememories · 3 years ago

Text

what happens at night | taeyong

title: what happens at night

characters: vampire!taeyong, reader, BP jisoo, side character ocs

genre: vampire!au, fantasy, angst

summary: There has been a vampire sighting in a nearby town. You and a few other amateur vampire hunters flock to the area for fun, but are soon in over your heads when you come face to face with a real vampire.

word count: 2.6k

warnings: some violence, use of weapons, mentions of blood and blood drinking, cursing

a/n: i got the prompt for this fic from this writing prompt post

writing vampire fic just reveals that i am maybe a little too intrigued with finding different ways to describe blood, lmao

also, this picture...are you fuckin kidding me

"Y/N, look. You aren’t gonna believe this.”

Adrienne holds the digital ledger out in front of you, and you look at it with tired, uninterested eyes until your brain registers what you’re seeing. Your eyes light up as you recognize whose face is on the screen.

“Taeyong.”

You take the ledger from her as she offers it to you, holding it tight with both hands.

“The Vampire King?” Jisoo perks up and gets up from her seat to rush over to see the ledger, peering wildly over your shoulder. Likewise, Percy makes his way over to the rest of you at a slightly speedier gait than his usual unaffected amble.

“Can’t be,” he says, shaking his head in quiet disbelief even as he looks over your other shoulder.

“But it is.”

The ledger’s screen displays the seal of Hawthorn Academy and its vampire registry, which holds the name, age, suspected location, and family lineage of every registered vampire in the world, along with a plethora of other pertinent details. On Taeyong’s profile, there is the familiar portrait of him you’ve always seen—his hair styled perfectly and curling over his forehead, and his eyes dark, piercing, and shining vermillion.

Under the list of Status Updates, there is a new entry from yesterday—a sighting nearby in the city of Dresden. Within that entry, there is a blurry, zoomed-in photo of a man in a dark trench coat and black boots, walking away from the viewer and down a shadowy street lit up with lampposts, almost too vague to be worth deciphering to the average viewer; but that silhouette is unmistakable.

“When was the last time Taeyong was seen out in public? I can hardly believe it,” Jisoo says, her voice practically trembling with awe.

“If he’s letting himself be seen, he must have specific intentions...whatever those are,” Percy notes.

“Let’s go pay Dresden a visit,” Adrienne announces, darting off to her desk and starting to gather up her essentials—phone and silver staff among them.

“Go? Pay it a visit?” Percy echoes, his mouth rounding on the word go and his eyes widening.

“Of course! Why not? Isn’t this exciting? A sighting of the Vampire King so nearby, and so recently,” Jisoo replies, grinning with all her teeth.

Percy narrows his eyes at her, uncertainty marring his features. “Yes, but what about dangerous?”

“Come on Percy, it’ll be fun,” you chime in. “Think of it as a field trip for baby vampire hunters. Dresden is huge, anyway, there’s like zero chance we’ll actually find him.”

“Just take it as more skills training,” Adrienne adds, grabbing her backpack and heading off to her quarters to get the rest of her things. “Except this time, we’re actually in the field instead of that same boring facility.”

Percy grumbles to himself, but he knows there’s nothing much left to argue about; when the three of you outvote him on a topic, he has no choice left.

By the time the four of you arrive at Dresden, it’s dusk. The perfect witching hour for the vampires to be out, with the last bleeding streaks of the sun fading out of the sky. The lack of sunlight unnerves Percy even more—you can tell by his disturbed countenance—but he says nothing. He quietly follows you out of the train once it stops.

On the outside, you all look like four regular sight-seeing young adults, taking a trip from the next city over and ready for a night on the town; but most of your weapons and gear are concealed within your clothes and the backpacks you wear.

“There’s a slight blood scent here,” you note, taking in a deep lungful of air once you notice it. Indeed, there is the lingering hint of sweetness and iron, and something more musky and earthy underneath it—like decaying organic matter. The smell every vampire hunter is trained to be able to recognize—the odor of a vampire who hasn’t taken their scent blockers.

“There is, though I’m just barely picking up on it,” Jisoo agrees, waving her hand across her nose and screwing her eyebrows up. “God, I’ll never get used to that.”

“Do you think he’s been here?” Adrienne asks, leading the pack as you all walk through the train station.

“I would think a high-ranking, old-ass vamp would know better than to leave their funk trailing everywhere,” Percy disagrees. “Maybe it’s a younger one.”

“Maybe we could get an actual kill tonight, then. Our first,” Adrienne suggests, and though her tone is nonchalant, her expression betrays her enthusiasm.

You chuckle. “Wishful thinking, but maybe that would make the seniors stop treating us like children for once.”

Your group ends up bouncing from the train station to a pub and then to a nearby park, where a festival is being held. There’s bright lanterns, food, dancing, singing, and little kids running around galore, which makes you think these citizens either don’t know about the recent vampire sighting in their area or don’t care.

You all spend an hour mingling around and checking out the festival’s fun-filled offerings, chatting in low tones about the recent vampire appearance and trying to put your skills to the test to scout out any other vampires that might be hiding in plain sight within this mass of people.

“Hey!” Adrienne’s shout rings across the area, and you whip your head around in shock as you watch her take off running behind some teenage boy, maybe 12 or 13 at most, who has managed to nip the digital ledger from her belt and take off with it.

“What the fuck?” Percy barks, and you all shoot each other a wild, surprised look before you and him follow behind her.

“Guys, really? Don’t leave me here!” Jisoo calls out from behind you. “You don’t need three people just to get the ledger back!”

You and Percy round the alley corner that Adrienne disappeared behind and spot her farther up ahead, still hot on the boy’s trail and cursing him profusely. He’s a lot faster than he looks. Just before you can get a good look at him, he’s turning down another road with her behind him.

“Maybe we can cut him off. I’ll go down one of the connecting streets,” Percy suggests.

“Wait, what? Shouldn’t we stay together?”

“That ledger is too important to lose to some street urchin, and the seniors will never let us leave campus again if we come back without it. You go that way, I’ll be down here.” He’s ducking into an adjacent alley before you can even respond.

“Shit…” you sigh and shake your head before running down the road he indicated.

You unstrap your silver staff from a hidden section of your pants and extend it, just to be safe.

This land is not overly familiar to you, with you only having been to Dresden a couple times before. You carefully navigate your way through the maze of interconnecting streets, listening for Percy’s and Adrienne’s footfalls, which have become distinctive to you by now, and the sounds of Adrienne’s yelling. There are few people on the streets, most of them at the festival or in their homes, which makes it easier to navigate and watch for the others as you catch glimpses of them rushing past neighboring alleys.

Percy bursts into the same alleyway Adrienne is running down, finally trapping the boy between them on either end of the narrow passageway. However, the boy remains undeterred from Percy charging toward him as he deftly jumps up onto a nearby closed dumpster and uses it to launch himself over the older man.

“Shit!” Percy makes a mad grab for the end of the boy’s shirt, but the boy is a few seconds faster and narrowly gives him the slip.

“Are you serious? You can’t catch a damn kid?!” Adrienne shouts; Percy only curses again and whips around to follow the boy.

You hear the commotion from a few roads over, and you make a beeline for the area.

Just before you make it there, Adrienne screams. The sound almost startles you into dropping your staff, and you tighten your grip around it. “Adrienne?! What’s happened?”

You reach the alleyway, your shoes skidding on the ground as you nearly overshoot it, but Adrienne is nowhere in sight. You look around confused and alarmed with your chest heaving, but there is no trace of her — when she was there only seconds ago. “Adrienne?” Repeating her name still doesn’t bring her out, and you see nothing as you walk farther into the narrow back street and search every shadow and corner. Something dark and distressing settles in your stomach, and when you catch a whiff of that blood-decay smell on the night breeze, your unease turns into an avalanche of fear.

“Percy,” you whisper, and you take off again. “Percy!”

Your heartbeat rushes in your ears, nearly blocking out all other sounds, and your legs and arms burn as you run. You are abruptly stopped in your tracks as there is another shorter sound, like someone suddenly being cut off in the middle of a scream.

You desperately want to call out for him, and the syllables of his name crawl up your throat though you struggle to contain them. The blood-decay smell still inundates your senses, and whatever vampire is skulking around this maze of streets with you is likely still present somewhere. You don’t want to call any attention to yourself with a shout, though it may already be too late.

With a spiny chill driving itself down your back, you realize everything is suddenly silent. No insects, no night birds, no other people on the streets surrounding you.

Pushing the button on your staff ejects the silver blades from both ends, and you hold it for dear life as you stand in the middle of the dim alley, shivering despite your sweat and waiting for any hint that the monster is approaching you.

It happens so quickly that it’s almost outside of your perception.

The air around you grows significantly colder even with the existing chill from the early-winter season, and you shudder once more, your jaw clenching and molars chattering against each other. When you blink again, he is standing in front of you.

Taeyong.

Melting out of the shadows and becoming one with them all at the same time, a strange liminality similar to his existence—being alive and dead in the same time and space.

His mouth and chin are wet and red from blood, presumably that of your friends and teammates, which sends an intense ache through your stomach. The newness and excitement of the vampire sighting has drained out of you, replaced with stone cold dread. You’re not sure what any of you were thinking. Percy tried to warn you, but now he is likely dead for it.

Maybe it’s a foolish move. All your training has gone out the window in your panic and fear. You make a sloppy, sudden swipe at his front with the blade of your staff; and the next thing you know, it’s flying out of your hand and clattering feet away. Behind him, and out of reach.

It takes a second for you to realize he’s knocked it out of your hand without even touching it or you; his own hand is still raised with the movement of telekinetically shifting the object. “You came terribly unprepared. I guess I shouldn’t expect anything more from you fledglings.”

Your sweaty palm slides against the other leg of your pants where a smaller silver dagger is concealed in a tearaway pocket, but that idea is useless. In the time it’d take to get any weapon out, he could kill you.

“The Academy has really been in decline the last few decades. This is the caliber of hunters they’re putting out now?” Taeyong sucks his teeth, and he takes a step closer to you. Your entire body is on high-alert, but you feel too stiff to move a muscle, and you vaguely wonder if this is somehow his doing, too. Only in the stillness of this moment do you realize that you cannot detect any of that blood scent coming directly from him, though the putridness of it still lingers in your nose. It’s coming from somewhere else, then. This confuses you more.

When he realizes you aren’t going to speak, he stops approaching you and takes a moment to really study your face, his big and curious eyes blinking slowly. The redness of his irises and the shiny, pale quality of his skin from the moonlight shining on it make him look just as surreal as he truly is.

“You’re a pretty thing. Maybe I could make you one of mine.”

“Never,” you blurt out, and it’s the first thing you can bring yourself to say to the Vampire King.

“Oh, so you can speak.” Taeyong reaches for your chin. His fingers brush the underside of it, the coolness of his skin freezing you, before you snatch away from his touch, stumbling backwards. A flash of irritation sparks on his face.

His hand reaches for you again, this time clasping at the back of your neck, and it is impossible to move away quickly enough. “Don’t waste any more of your time fighting. This will all be over soon. Well—this life, anyway.”

His teeth in your neck are sharper than needles, making your nerves twinge with stabbing pain; and then it’s strangely pleasant, like having painkillers injected into your veins. You can’t feel anything anymore except warmth and endorphins and his fangs inside you as the alley around you smears into a bunch of incomprehensible shapes—bricks, streetlights, strewn trash, Taeyong.

When you wake up, you’re in an unfamiliar place. An unfamiliar bed. You startle out of unconsciousness sweating and frightened, but with barely enough strength to push yourself up on your elbows. Looking around doesn’t provide you with many more clues; this space is murky with darkness, and your vision is foggy. You think you can make out the rectangular shape of a large curtained window, but it’s unclear.

You’re still wearing your clothes from the trip, although your backpack is now gone. Your throat has never felt drier in your life, and the pounding in your head threatens to split it clean apart.

You feel sick and feverish, like your body is trying to fight against some virus it’s picked up, but you haven’t the slightest idea where you could’ve contracted anything—you didn’t even eat at the festival—until you remember—

A door opens with a bang somewhere in the distance, and it isn’t until the footsteps grow nearer and a blurry figure approaches the bed that you realize the door is the entrance of the room you're in.

“You’ll want to feed soon.” As soon as those words break the quiet, you’re struck by the pungent smell of blood. Unlike the relative lack of response it would elicit any other time, its aroma pokes at a sudden and peculiar craving inside of you, and you find yourself futilely scrabbling on the bed to reach the source. “Lucky you. I have just what you need.”

There is a cold hand tilting your face up, the press of equally cold glass against your bottom lip, then the tang of blood entering your mouth. It is the best thing you have ever tasted, and a slowly dying, still-human part of you is horrified.

You finish the blood quickly. It doesn’t really seem like enough, but it does make you feel a little less like you’re actively decomposing. Despite your hazy vision, there is no misreading the small smile on Taeyong’s face.

“Happy Birthday, little one.”

#taeyong scenarios #taeyong imagines #taeyong angst #nct vampire au #vampire au #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct fic #taeyong fic #nct angst #superm fic #superm scenarios #superm imagines #superm angst

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falcqns · 4 years ago

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Medicine

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Reader

Summary: You finally get drunk enough to admit your feelings to Henry

Warnings: smut, bodily fluids, swearing

A/N: my hand slipped omg. I was inspired to write this while listening to Medicine by Harry Styles and this is the result. Hope you enjoy!

Here to take my medicine, take my medicine

you took another shot of vodka while eyeing Henry from where he was across the dance floor.

As usual, he was completely oblivious to the horde of women basically throwing themselves at his feet. Like, come on, he had to know how attractive he is, right?

Treat you like a gentleman

His eyes met yours from where he was standing, and he gave you a charming smile, which you very reluctantly returned.

Sure, you had a crush on him. Who didn't?

You, however, considered yourself unlucky because you had to work with him everyday, which didn't help your feelings.

You downed a shot once more, before tearing your eyes away from Henry and scanning around the room for others you knew.

To your surprise, you didn't see anyone else that you knew.

Fucking of course, you thought to yourself.

Give me that adrenaline, that adrenaline

As you swallowed one more shot, you made a decision.

You were tired of him not knowing how you felt. You were tired of feeling jealous watching him flirt with other females and desperately wishing that was you.

So, instead of wallowing in your own pity, you decided to do something about it.

You stood up, and walked towards him. You cut through the horde of women, and right past him. You smiled and traced your hand from his right pec to his bicep, eyes locked on his blue ones.

I think I'm gonna stick with you

You felt his eyes follow you to where you were walking towards the bathroom.

You were getting to him.

Here to take my medicine, take my medicine

You checked your makeup in the mirror before pulling out for phone.

You opened messages and began to compose a message to your best friend.

‘I’m making a move tonight,’ is all the message said, knowing your best friend would understand the context.

In reality, she was supposed to come with you, but ended up not being able to take the weekend off of work to fly out to England to be with you. So, you’d settled for updating her through text.

She texted back almost immediately.

‘thank god, its only been a year and a half,’

You laughed and typed out a response before dropping your phone back into your pocket.

‘I'll let you know how it goes,’

Rest it on your fingertips Up to your mouth, feeling it out Feeling it out

Henry was waiting for you as you exited the bathroom. He had that annoyingly charming smile on his face again.

“Can we dance?” Was all he said, giving you his hand. You nodded, and accepted, allowing him to lead you away from the bathrooms and onto the dance floor.

I had a few, got drunk on you and now I'm wasted

His hands wrapped around your waist, and tour hands landed on his shoulder.

Your eyes connected as another song started. You didn't know what one, but you could feel the melody pulsing through the spaced between yours and Henry’s bodies, almost acting as a magnet.

Henry pulled you closer, so you were flush against him, and you tried to ignore the butterflies swirling in your stomach.

And when I sleep I'm gonna dream of how you tasted

Henry dropped his mouth to graze against your ear, and he breathed out the lyrics to the unknown song, sending a shiver down your spine.

As the music grew, so did your need for him.

Was it from the multiple shots you took, or was it from Henry himself? You had no idea, but suspected it was the latter.

You dropped your head slightly to give him access to your neck, hoping he’d get the message.

If you go out tonight, I'm going out 'cause I know you're persuasive You got that something, I got me an appetite, now I can taste it We're getting dizzy

His head dropped to your neck, and inhaled your scent before letting out a breathy moan.

His hands tightened on your back and tried to pull you closer, which caused even more arousal to pool in your panties, if that was possible.

“Fuck, you kill me,” He rasped.

The only thing that came out of your mouth was a moan.

“I’ve been dead since I met you, Hen.” You teased, and watched as his eyes darkened.

He tightened his grip on your hips even more, and began to grind his hips into yours.

You felt his erection straining through his dress pants, so much so that you were amazed the pants hadn't ripped yet.

Tingle running through my bones, fingers to my toes

His mouth moved from your neck to you ear.

“Will you let me take you home?” He grunted out. “Because if we stay like this any longer I’m going to end up Fucking you right here on the dance floor.

You're entire body trembled and groaned in response.

“Fuck, of course,”

He grabbed your hand pulled you toward the door. The two of you didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone, your need for each other too urgent.

As soon as his white BMW was in reaching distance, you were pushed up against it.

His hands roamed your body, and his mouth nipped at your neck.

You let out a strangled yelp of pleasure, and attempted to grind against him, desperate for pleasure, but he stopped you.

“My place or yours?” He purred.

“Yours,” You said without hesitation. His place was bigger, and closer, and wasn't right beside a nursing home after all.

Tingle running through my bones

His left hand never left your thigh. It stayed there, warmth spreading through your body from it, squeezing your thigh.

You eventually placed your hand on top of his, and stroked the veins popping out.

You saw him let out a small smile as you traced the veins, his eyes still focused on the road.

As soon as his house came into view, he was unbuckling yours and his seatbelts, very eager for the events about to unfold.

The car was parked, and turned off. You and Henry all but jumped from the vehicle before your hands were all over each other once more.

The boys and the girls are in

His hands came to rest underneath your bum, and you were lifted up. You wrapped your arms around his neck for stability.

Your centre was pressed against his, and your breasts were pressed just under his chin, his stubble tickling the sensitive skin.

He carried you in the house, and into his room, before laying you in the bed. He shrugged his jacket off of his body, allowing it to fall to the floor, before he reached to free your sore feet from the stilettos you had decided to wear that night.

Not that he was complaining, your legs looked fucking incredible.

He kicked his dress shoes off before climbing on the bed with you.

I mess around with him

He positioned himself above your body, his right leg pushing your two legs apart, his arms coming to rest on either side of your head, and his mouth firmly attached to yours.

He kissed you hard, before swiping your bottom lip. You immediately opened your mouth, and his tongue was swirling around yours in seconds.

He rolled onto his side, then to his back, pulling you with him so you were straddling his hips.

You splayed your hands over his pecs to give yourself some leverage, before you thrusted your hips against his, eliciting a desperate moan from both you and Henry’s lips.

“Fuck,” He exclaimed shakily, his hands gripping your waist and hold g you down against his erection. “If you don't stop, I’m going to cum right here.” You smiled down at him softly, teasing him. “Isn’t that what you want?”

He groaned before pushing his right hand underneath your dress material and onto your mound that was currently covered by your lace panties, which were the same colour as your dress.

And I'm okay with it

His hands moved over your hips, and trailed up your back to the zipper of your dress.

He looked you dead in the eyes, searching them with his for consent.

“You want this?” He asked slowly.

You moaned out, and ground your hips into his hand, attempting to make him feel how wet you were. “If I didn’t, would I be this wet?”

Henry cried out, and zipped your dress before pulling it over your head. The second your arms were freed from the fabric, your fingers were working to undo all the buttons on his dress shirt.

Moments later, the rest of his clothes, along with your remaining lingerie were thrown on the floor, and Henry had flipped you over once more.

He pressed another hard kiss to your lips before trailing them down your neck, littering hickies across your skin.

His hands spread your thighs apart even farther, and his eyes met yours, before he dove into you, licking, and sucking.

“FUCK!” You sobbed out, and his tongue swiped over your clit over and over again.

Your hands flew to his head, and you tugged on his brown curls as he continued his assault on your pussy.

Just as you felt your climax approaching, he pulled his mouth away, and came back to hover over you once more.

His hand was fisted around his hard cock, as he stroked it back and forth.

“You ready?” He asked, and you nodded, spreading your legs apart even more to show how you were dripping for him.

He whimpered at the sight, and slowly eased himself in.

The two of you immediately cried out at the sensation. Henry bottomed out moments later, and you begged him to move.

“Fuck, Henry, please move.” You begged, grinding your hips against is.

You watched as a shutter pulsed through his body, before began to move.

I'm coming down, I figured out I kinda like it

His head fell to your shoulder as his hips rolled into yours.

You gripped your hands on his back as he slid in and out at an alarming speed.

His lips brushed your ear with every thrust, pouring moan after moan directly into your ear.

“You’re such a good girl. My good girl.” He cooed into your ear.

“Wanted this so long,” You sobbed out, and Henry moaned back in acknowledgement.

“S-same. Holy fuck.”

You hooked your right leg around his hip and flipped so you were on top, before moving yourself off of him slightly and then slamming yourself back down on him.

“FUCK!” He shouted, and his hands started their journey your hips before you stopped them.

You gripped his wrists' and pinned them above his head.

“I’ve wanted this longer, let me have my fun,” You grunted at him, as you felt your orgasm approaching.

Now it was his turn to sob. “B-baby, please,”

You ground your hips into his before resuming your harsh pace on top of him, and crying out.

“So close,” You cried. He growled and threw his head back.

“S-same baby. Oh god,” He groaned. “Fuck, you gonna come on my cock?” “YES!” you sobbed out, and he continued to talk.

“Fuck yeah you are, baby, fucking come all over me,”

And with that, your orgasm ripped through you, and you came with a scream on top of him.

He flipped you over and pushed himself all the way inside of you, before stilling, and filling you up with his release.

And when I sleep I'm gonna dream of how you ride it

He pulled out of you with a grunt, and laid beside you. He pulled you into his arms, and the two of you drifted off to sleep in the afterglow.

Just before you fell asleep, however, you remembered the name of the song I the club.

it was Medicine by Harry Styles.

#henry cavill #henry cavill smut #henry!holmes #harry styles #medicine #smut #oops #myhandsslipped

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isthisclever · 4 years ago

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The Other Side | Outlander Fanfiction

Chapter 23: Where There’s Smoke

February 7, 1754

Hurry up and wait.

Claire had said that once during the time they spent awaiting Mabon to return through the stones. In the weeks since arriving in Ayr, the phrase had popped into Jamie's mind again and again. Apt enough, but it seemed a bit too...cheeky to fully encapsulate the anticipation, dread, and helplessness that had plagued them then.

Then, and now.

After nearly two weeks on the road, they'd finally ridden into the port city the second week of January, but there were no ships to board. Of course, there wouldn't be. It wasn't the time of year for sailing, and even short excursions to Europe were fewer and farther between than they would be come spring and summer.

They'd been debating next steps when nearly a dozen Redcoats had marched in their third day in Ayr and effectively made their decision for them. The company had patrolled with fervor, driving the Frasers to flee to the first village they found with an inn, a stable, and a decent market.

Three weeks were thus passed in Dundonald, eight or so miles north. Ten days previous, Murtagh and Fergus had returned to Ayr on one of the horses in order to ensure passage at the absolute first opportunity. Every few days, Fergus returned to Jamie and Claire with updates (or lack thereof) before looping back to Ayr the next morning.

Each time the lad waved goodbye, Claire would lean into Jamie's shoulder and sigh, worry marring her countenance. He had to remind her that Fergus had faced far worse without them than a few hours alone on the road. Besides, the lad positively beamed with pride at the responsibility and trust placed in him. Never would Jamie steal that from him.

Keep reading on AO3

Start from the beginning

#and the arc ramps up #posting then hiding #trust the process my lovelies #fanfiction #outlander #fanfic #jamie fraser #diana gabaldon #ao3 #alternate universe #jamie and claire #claire beauchamp #craigh na dun #the other side

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holycatsandrabbits · 3 years ago

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Tollense, an original serial romance by Dannye Chase, Chapter 1

A history professor falls in love with his best friend, a 3000-year-old vampire.

READ FROM THE BEGINNING: You are here!

Chapter 1

1993

Professor Liam Beyer was born a decade after the deaths of the last soldiers to fight in the US Civil War. Thus, he was not expecting to meet a Union Army veteran in his 4 o’clock symposium on the Battle of Antietam.

Liam noticed the man as soon as he walked in, and not just because it was odd for a member of the public to show up for a faculty lecture at the university. No, the man caught Liam’s attention because he was distractingly handsome. Literally, Liam was distracted enough to drop his pen onto the overhead projector, causing a giant shadow to loom over the map of Maryland on the screen behind him, as if a third army had materialized there in a dense offensive line.

The man was of average height, with a slender build. He had dark hair in a short, modern cut and wore a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a faded label. He looked like he might be thirty, which was about the age Liam was, and so Liam did not immediately assume that the man had seen action in the Civil War. But there was something faintly strange about him, just in the way that he walked, light on his feet like a dancer, but stepping firmly, without a dancer’s well-practiced grace.

“General Lee,” Liam continued, in a slightly strangled voice, “of the Confederate Army, was, of course, outnumbered, but the battle was Union General McClellan’s to lose. Had he understood how superior his force was, had he taken more risks, he might have been able to deal a decisive blow to Lee’s army as it retreated. In fact, McClellan’s performance at Antietam was part of the reason that President Lincoln later removed him from duty.”

Liam put up a transparency of a white church with peeling paint, standing alone on a grassy rise. “On September 17, 1862, 7,650 soldiers died at Antietam, making it the bloodiest day for Americans in history. Two days later, a man named Alexander Gardner took some of the first widely-seen battlefield photographs of dead soldiers. Some were awaiting burial, and some were still lying where they fell. It was very difficult at the time to take photographs of battles themselves, as the technology involved careful treatment of glass negatives, and that was nearly impossible under battlefield conditions. But the dead do not move, and these photographs were so clear that when displayed in New York, family members recognized their fallen sons.”

Liam put up a transparency of one of Gardner’s photographs, young men lying on the ground in an oddly perfect line. The unknown man looked away.

oOo

Liam had grading to do after his symposium, but he walked to the campus union to grab a sandwich first. He was definitely not expecting Handsome Unknown Lecture Man to appear out of the crowd and drop into the seat opposite him. Liam was very proud that he did not choke on his bite of ham and swiss.

“I hope you don’t mind,” said the man. “I enjoyed your lecture. My name is Kurt.”

Liam put his hand out to shake. Kurt’s touch was faintly cold. “Liam,” he said.

Kurt cocked his head slightly to the side, as if assessing him. “I know. Liam Beyer, 27, assistant professor of history, specializing in battles. Is Antietam your favorite?”

“Um— one of them. I did my dissertation on it. On McClellan, specifically.” Liam felt slightly odd about the fact that this stranger knew who he was, but of course, it was all publicly accessible information. “Are you a Civil War buff?”

“Somewhat.” Kurt leaned back in his chair. “Antietam, god. I remember Bloody Lane— that’s what they called it after. The road was sunken in because so many wagons had gone by over the years. It was like trying to fight your way out of your own grave trench.” Kurt spoke with a faint accent that Liam could not place, something that seemed to shift from one place to another.

“You talk like you were there,” Liam said, smiling. “Are you a reenactor?”

Kurt gave a sharp laugh. “No. You?”

“I’ve been a technical advisor. It’s nice to meet other people who share my strange obsession.”

“Those pictures you showed,” Kurt said. “Photography is such a bewitching art. Those boys are long gone, but remain ever present in death.”

“You know, the war helped make Spiritualism popular,” Liam said. “It was so hard on the families back home to lose contact with their soldiers, not knowing what happened to them, or when, or where. They couldn’t bear it, and turned to mediums.”

Kurt smiled, and it made his bright green eyes sparkle with amusement. “Have you ever been to a seance?” he asked. Liam shook his head. “Most I’ve been to were quite boring,” Kurt said. “But every once in awhile—”

“That sounds like a good story.”

“I’ll tell you sometime.” Liam’s brain was already far too occupied with how attractive he found this poor man, and that was probably why the sentence sounded more like a salacious promise than it really was.

“So what do you do?” Liam asked faintly, crumpling his empty sandwich wrapper. “Are you a student?”

“Not at the moment. Just a fan of history. Of battles, actually.” Kurt leaned forward a little. “Liam, would you mind if I came to your office tomorrow to talk more? I have some questions and I think you might be the one to help me answer them.”

“I— of course.” Liam told himself that he agreed solely because he liked to talk about history with people, and that it didn’t matter whether or not said people were ridiculously attractive.

Kurt smiled at him again. “Until tomorrow then.”

On his way out of the dining hall, Liam was stopped by a student with a question about an assignment on Gettysburg. “I didn’t want to interrupt your dinner,” she said.

“Oh, it would have been fine,” Liam told her. “We were talking about the Civil War ourselves.”

The student gave him a confused look. “Dr. Beyer— weren’t you eating alone?”

oOo

In the end, Liam decided that as he’d never dreamed up a handsome man in quite so much detail before, that the student had been mistaken and simply had not noticed Kurt’s presence at Liam’s table.

And yet. There really was something very strange about the man. Liam couldn’t quite pin it down, just that there was a disconnect between what Liam was seeing and what he was feeling about him. For example, Kurt appeared to be thirty, but Liam would swear he was older. Kurt had looked perfectly natural at dinner, but it had also seemed like he didn’t quite fit in with his surroundings. Like if you’d taken a photograph of him at the table, he would have been slightly too bright, out of focus, or without a shadow.

Kurt’s knock on Liam’s office door finally came around eleven, and Liam was, he realized, far too happy to see him again. At first, nothing about the visit seemed terribly odd. They discussed Antietam again, then traveled forward to the Somme, and then much farther back, Megiddo and Kadesh. Kurt seemed to know less about those battles, Liam noted, but he was quite familiar with things taking place after Thermopylae in the 5th century BC.

It was easy to talk to Kurt, especially about interests they had in common, and as the conversation went on, Kurt seemed to relax a bit, which made Liam do the same. The day before, Liam had thought Kurt moved without grace, but that wasn’t exactly right. Kurt had a different kind of grace, a fluidity of small movements instead of large ones, an artistry shown in the fluttering of fingers while the rest of the man kept entirely still. The emphasis on such small motions seemed to draw Liam in, narrowing his focus away from his surroundings and onto his visitor. But at the same time, Kurt had such an air of other about him, that it was almost like Liam was looking at him through beveled glass, never quite getting the whole image at once.

However, Liam’s sense of ease around Kurt vanished entirely when another student knocked on Liam’s door with a question about an assignment. That in itself was perfectly normal, but during the whole time that the student was in Liam’s office, she didn’t speak to Kurt or apologize for interrupting their conversation. She didn’t give a single look to the chair that Kurt occupied beside Liam’s desk.

When the student had left, Liam leaned back in his chair, trying to fake the calmness that he no longer felt. “All right,” he said, watching his visitor carefully. “You want to tell me why I’m the only person who can see you?”

********

READ FROM THE BEGINNING: You are here!

Updates Fridays on Ao3 and DannyeChase.com (rated E), and Tumblr (rated T)

Want to create fic, art, or other works based on this series? Please do! Just dm or tag me.

My previous serials are for Good Omens: Mr. Fell's Bookshop and Love's Endless Light

My Carrd

#Dannye writes #original fiction #serial fiction #tollense #vampires #romance

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rdrthingies · 3 years ago

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Yeehawgust Day 11: Wild Hare

I told y’all not to expect regular updates from me lmao

anyway here’s some gay idiots being dumb

A rabbit grazes in the shade of a tree, nibbling on grass and twitching its ears. It stops for a moment, turning its head, sensing for danger, and returns to his meal when he deems he is safe.

An arrow zips through the trees and impales the neck of the rabbit before it even has time to blink.

“Not too bad, Arthur.” Charles praises, going to the fresh kill and carefully taking out the arrow. “Didn’t damage the pelt too badly or anything.”

Arthur stands from his crouched position in the underbrush, slowly making his way towards the other man with his bow slung over his shoulder. “Well I did have a pretty good teacher.” His smile is cheeky and crooked, a playfulness in his eyes.

Charles faces him now, his dark eyes getting brighter with joy as he returns the smile. “A patient teacher, you mean.”

“Hey now I wasn’t all that bad to start out with!” Arthur retorts, fighting back a laugh.

“You’re right, you were abysmal.” Charles replied calmly as he tied the hare to Taima’s saddle, only able to hear the undignified choked sound Arthur made behind him.

“Well now that is just plain rude, Mister Smith.” He is next to him now, close, he can smell the bag balm on him. That hint of old books and heated oil.

The man turns to him, his eyes now darker, but not with any anger or sadness behind it. “Well sometimes you need a little meanness to get the lesson across, Mister Morgan.” He smirks, it pulls on his scar just a little.

“Well now that’s true,” Arthur barely gets his words out before they’re kissing, holding each other close. No rush, no lust, simply... there. Being together, enjoying the peace and quiet away from camp.

But then there’s horse hooves pounding in the dirt, getting louder, closer. They pull away quickly, faces hard as they have a hand over their guns, ready for the intruders.

The intruder comes in the form of five O’Driscolls on horseback, one pointing with a wicked smile. “See! I told y’all it was Morgan!”

“Well then why we waitin’ ‘round let’s get ‘em!” Another scoffs and a shot rings out, hitting the tree by Arthur’s head.

Both he and Charles pull their guns and fire blindly, causing enough gunsmoke and chaos so they can run. Taima gets spooked with the shot being so close and bolts, Atlas still by the road.

“This way Arthur!” Charles leads the way, running through the woods, weaving in and out of trees.

Arthur can do nothing but follow, breathing heavily as he tries to not lose track of the man. He can hear the horses behind him, faster but not able to get through the trees as nimbly. Still, he can’t help but feel much like that rabbit he had just shot. Running wildly in hopes for an escape.

“Down here!” Charles orders, all but pushing Arthur into the crevice between some rocks, Charles quickly following. There’s barely enough room for one, let alone two large men. Charles is half on top of Arthur, the smaller man wrapping his arms around his waist to keep him steady.

The horses get closer, then farther, then closer again as the O’Driscolls search for them. When they finally stop, Charles and Arthur can hear them arguing above him.

“I swear t’ey went this way!”

“Yer full of shite! There’s no tracks that way!”

“Well where else could they’ve gone?!”

“They probably doubled back ‘round the cliff there an’ into the trees. C’mon!” And just like that they were off again, hooves getting quieter and quieter, before there was silence.

The two still didn’t dare make a sound, breathing heavy from the chase and sweat quickly soaking them.

“Well...” Arthur finally speaks up, barely above a whisper. “Not what I expected this day to turn out like.” Charles’ laugh echoes in the crevice, Arthur can feel his gut shaking with his hand.

“Me neither,” Charles finally speaks up. “But I’d say not a... bad unexpected turn of events.”

Arthur can’t help but scoff and laugh, “We was just chased by some O’Driscolls lookin’ to fill us with holes!”

“That’s true,” Charles manages to turn, now facing Arthur. “But now we have this little secluded place...” His voice is very much hinting, damn near shouting at Arthur, and he enjoyed seeing the man’s flushed face practically glow in the little light they had.

“Ah... why don’t we uh... find a more comfortable place then,” Arthur suggested. “Don’t think this li’l nook will... do us any good.”

“Hm, you’re right.” Charles sits up and slowly climbs his way out, offering a hand to Arthur to help him. Once the two were out they set off to collect their horses and find another... secluded spot to spend the day in.

#yeehawgust #yeehawgust 2021 #thingy writes thingies #charles smith #arthur morgan #charthur #rdr2 #Red Dead Redemption #they're gay your honor #my writing

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horansqueen · 4 years ago

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Stuck With You - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Wonderwall

🡪chapter 1 🡪chapter 2 🡪chapter 3 🡪chapter 4 🡪chapter 5 🡪chapter 6 🡪chapter 7 🡪chapter 8 🡪chapter 9 🡪chapter 10 🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20 🡪chapter 21 🡪chapter 22 🡪chapter 23 🡪chapter 24 🡪chapter 25 🡪chapter 26 🡪chapter 27 🡪chapter 28 🡪chapter 29

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

Backbeat, the word is on the street That the fire in your heart is out I'm sure you've heard it all before But you never really had a doubt I don't believe that anybody Feels the way I do about you now

And all the roads we have to walk are winding And all the lights that lead us there are blinding There are many things that I Would like to say to you but I don't know how

Because maybe You're gonna be the one that saves me And after all You're my wonderwall

click here to be on the update list

(check the characters page, i updated it with all the characters!)

NIALL

It was a sad day when we packed, and I could read in Devon's eyes, even if they met mine only a few times on that day, that she wanted to stay. We gathered our stuff very slowly and even when I cooked lunch, I did it as slowly as possible. I was dreading going back to college and get back into reality, but I also couldn't stop thinking about all the work we would have to catch on. I was also hoping Henry would have left by then and I wouldn't see why he'd still be there but it was still popping in my mind from time to time.

The sun was already setting when we finally left and I sat behind the wheel as she sat next to me, leaning her head on the back of the seat and closing her eyes. I stared at her for a few minutes and she finally swallowed but kept her eyes closed.

"You should start the car and drive, or I'll just jump out of that car and run back to your apartment."

I wasn't sure if she didn't want to go back because she wanted to stay with me or because she was scared to see her ex boyfriend back there but I didn't dare asking. I brought my hand to her thigh and licked my lips.

"Hey.." I whispered, squeezing her thigh gently as her eyes fluttered open. "We can come back here whenever you want. It's only a few hours away."

I didn't expect it but she moved closer and pressed her mouth against mine. Her lips were soft and when she moved them on mine, my grip on her thigh tightened.

"I wish we could live here." she admitted so low I wouldn't have heard if her mouth was not less than an inch away from mine. "We could have sex in the morning, eat together, go to a museum, grab a coffee on our way back, have sex again, make food, watch a movie, and have sex before falling asleep."

"Every day?"

"Every day."

A smile appeared on my lips and I kissed her again, pressing my lips on hers for longer than she expected. She chuckled against my mouth and finally backed away a bit.

"Drive, please."

I let my eyes roam on her face for a while and then just nodded before taking my hand back and starting the car. We drove in complete silence. She didn't even turn on the radio, she just stared at the road, sighing from time to time, and the only other thing I could hear was the thumping of my heart against my rib cage.

I glanced in my rearview mirror and felt my heart jump in my chest when I thought of turning around and driving back to my place. The thought of locking ourselves in my apartment for weeks was making my whole body throb and it was not just because of all the sex we'd have. It was so much more than that, as if being only us two and away from everything and everyone would preserve what we had. It was still so new and fragile, I didn't want to break it or lose it, and it was scaring the fuck out of me.

I was a bit lost in my thoughts when I felt Devon move on the seat next to me.

"Oh my god, stop the car."

I blinked a few times, realizing it was actually snowing, and my lips curled on the right. "Here? It's the middle of nowhere."

"The middle of nowhere is my favorite place." she argued, straightening her back and stretching her neck to see outside better.

"I thought your favorite place was my apartment." I joked as I parked on the side of the road, making her glance at me with a smile.

"They're both in my top 5."

I was about to ask her what her number one was but she quickly opened the door and walked outside. I followed her as she stood on the side of the road, a bit farther from my car, and smiled fondly when she moved her chin up to look at the sky. We were on a small road where barely any car passed and I couldn't see a house when I looked on the horizon. We were alone, with no other living souls than ours, and fuck, ours were connecting with each other in a way I never felt before.

I stood next to her and instead to dive my hands in my pockets the way I normally did, i reached for hers and she immediately squeezed my fingers.

"I thought you didn't like winter."

"I don't, but there's something a bit magical that comes with the first snow of the year, don't you think?" she asked, turning to me and sending me an amused smile.

I glanced at her and looked up slightly again to watch the snow falling slowly in the fields and on the road, covering the ground.

"If you see this as a sign, just tell me. I'll turn around and we can go back to my place."

There was a silence but my heartbeats seemed to echo inside me. Devon moved slowly to stand in front of me and one of her hands slid on my chest. I couldn't help it and looked down, meeting her eyes and making her lips curl a bit.

"We'll be fine, Niall."

My lips parted, a bit surprised that she knew exactly how I felt, as if she could read my mind. "You don't know that." I whispered, swallowing hard.

"Look, Niall." she licked her lips as snowflakes danced around her face, and something twisted in my stomach at how pretty she was. "I know I said I wanted to keep this thing between the walls of your apartment but, we don't have to stop."

"What does that mean?" I asked low with a frown, holding her fingers tighter.

"I still plan to remain single all my life but, we don't have to stop."

"Stop what?"

I was desperate to hear her say she had feelings for me. I was desperate to tell her about mine. I knew it was a bad idea but I had no patience and I wanted everything right now.

"This."

She moved on her tiptoes and pressed her lips on mine as she gripped the front of my shirt. It was a new habit of hers and I liked it. It felt possessive but that's exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be hers, and I wanted her to be mine. Not in a controlling and freaky way, but in a loving way.

"I don't want that to end." I admitted in a murmur before kissing her again but deeper this time. Her tongue slipped in my mouth and I brought my free hand behind her head, pushing her harder against me to kiss her more.

"It doesn't have to." she pointed out, brushing her lips against mine when our kiss finally broke.

I felt snowflakes fall on my skin and melt immediately and I smiled fondly when I opened my eyes and watched one do the same on her cheek.

"Devie, you're beautiful."

She smiled a bit and then chuckled, shaking her head. "No, don't say that." She took a step back and wrapped her arms around herself. It was starting to be a bit cold and she was just wearing a hoodie. I reached for her arm placed on her stomach and pulled on it gently to bring her closer. She allowed me to take her in my arms and leaned my chin on her head.

"You are." I argued after a few minutes.

"I've seen the girl you were shagging, and your ex girlfriend." she explained slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I'm nowhere near that level of beautiful. It's okay, I am the way I am and that's life. But don't tell me I'm beautiful after you've been with these girls."

I frowned a bit and moved my upper body back to look in her eyes but still kept my arms around her. Was that what was happening in her head?

"Why do you want to compare yourself to them?" I asked, genuinely curious. "They're beautiful, and you're beautiful. They're not mutually exclusive." I brought my hand to her face and brushed my thumb on her cheekbone as a snowflake got stuck in her eyelash. "There's something about you, Devie.. Something I can't explain."

I stood there, staring at her, and I saw her swallow hard as her eyes watered. I hated thinking she didn't like herself. She should love herself as much as I loved her. My heart jumped in my chest at that thought but it shouldn't have been a surprise. Yes, I loved her. It was obvious, wasn't it?

"If we were in a room full of beautiful people, it's you I'd stare at." I let out clumsily, closing my eyes. "Because you're beautiful, and because you're the only one I care about. My eyes immediately find you at all times. Because my heart is always looking for you."

When I opened my eyes again, I noticed her lips were parted and the way she was looking at me made my heart twist. She seemed surprised and confused all at once and before she could say anything that would break my heart, I bent down and kissed her again. She relaxed in my arms and answered my kiss as I pulled her closer again. We kissed for a while and when she shivered in my arms, I pulled away and sent her a small smile.

"We should go."

She nodded and I took a step forward before holding my hand out for her. We walked to the car and she waited near the passenger's door as I jogged to the other side.

"Devie, you didn't tell me." I asked low as she opened the door. She looked up and raised her eyebrows. "You favorite place, your number one... where is it?"

Her lips curled into a smile and she tilted her head. I loved the sight of her with her hair dancing slightly and a lock falling over her eyes, smiling at me with snowflakes all around her, and I blinked a few times before grabbing my phone and opening it without looking away from her. Quickly, I snapped a picture and she started chuckling.

"With you, Niall Horan. That's my favorite place." she finally said, her amused smile turning into a fond one. "Wherever you are."

---

"So," Louis asked, looking behind me to make sure Devon was not near. "You two are dating now?"

"No, we're not." I shrugged, pretending it didn't matter before taking a sip of my beer. "We're just... close."

"I don't get it." Louis argued, shaking his head with a frown. "You love her, she loves you, but you two are still too stupid to admit it to each other. This is a bad romcom, Neil."

"Okay first off, this isn't a romcom, it's my life. It's not supposed to entertain you, okay?" I let out, raising my eyebrows. "And also, I tried telling her like 5 times. She doesn't want me to tell her."

Louis opened his mouth to say something else just as Devon and Lewis appeared. Lewis took place next to Louis while Devon let herself fall next to me on the couch. I didn't really want to to come to this small party. In fact, I would have preferred to stay in our room to cuddle in bed and make out while watching a movie but Louis had insisted and Devon couldn't say no. We had agreed to leave early though and I swallowed what was left in my beer before putting it on the coffee table. I turned my head to look at Devon who was struggling to open hers and sent her an amused smile.

"Need help?"

She glanced at me and finally focused again on her beer and after a few seconds, she opened it and threw the cap on the table.

"I can take care of myself, thank you!"

I bent down slightly with a smirk, my arm on the back of the couch where she was sitting. "But don't you prefer when I do?"

Her lips curled and she chuckled low, tilting her head. "You know I do."

"Then meet me in the bathroom in two minutes."

I didn't give her time to answer and got up quickly, walking along the hall to reach the bathroom. I was lucky there weren't too many people and it was free. I walked inside and leaned my hands on the counter, closing my eyes. I couldn't stop thinking about what Louis had told me a few minutes earlier. Did Devon really love me? Was she simply scared to be hurt again the way Henry had hurt her? Was I really unlucky enough to fall for an other girl who would break my heart despite loving me for real this time?

A soft knock took me out of my thoughts and I quickly reached for the knob, my lips curling when I noticed Devon behind the door. She walked in and I closed and locked it behind her before bringing her closer and pressed my mouth on hers.

"If we had stayed in our room, there would be plenty more of that." I pointed out, kissing her again.

She chuckled against my mouth and I felt her hands grip the front of my pants, her fingers slipping between them and my boxers. I didn't know how she did that but every single time we ended up alone together, she touched me in a way I've never been touched before, and I loved it.

"Are you trying to guilt trip me?" she asked in an amused tone.

"Yea, is it working?"

As an answer, she chuckled louder and her lips found mine again. She pulled me closer by my pants a bit roughly and my lips curled slightly and parted.

"Someone's horny."

"You said you'd take care of me." she just replied in a whisper.

"And I keep my promises."

I started working on her belt and unzipped her jeans as she grabbed my cap and let it fall next to her. She passed her hand in my hair and I pulled down her pants, bringing her panties along despite myself.

The fact that we became fuck buddies didn't really bother me because I knew it was more than that. It was more than what I had with Mandy, and it was more than just sex. I was not even friends with Mandy but I was friends with Devon. Not only that, but we also had feelings for each other, even if we didn't want to put a name on them, even if we didn't want to label ourselves. We could pretend whatever we wanted, but this thing we had going on was very similar to a romantic relationship and I loved it. I kept hope alive inside me that maybe, at some point, she'd realize she can't be without me. Because I couldn't be without her, and I was pretty sure she knew that.

She shook her leg a few times to take her pants off and I laughed, pulling on it to help her. I stayed on my knees and placed my hands on her thighs gently before turning her around, exposing her ass to me.

"Bend down on the counter."

Without waiting, I spread her cheeks and brought my mouth to her pussy, running my tongue on her slit until her ass. She squirmed a bit but it's only when I pushed my tongue inside her that she let out a whimper. I kept alternating between her pussy and her ass and when her knees got week, I let out a chuckle.

"You like that?" I whispered, spanking her hard enough that it echoed on the walls.

She didn't answer, she just turned around and pulled on my arm to get me up. I did as she wanted and when her lips pressed on mine, I closed my eyes. Her hands played with my jeans and pushed them down to my knees before taking a step closer, forcing me to take one back. I glanced behind me and sat on the side of the bath as she straddled my thighs. I looked up at her and my heart jumped in my chest when I noticed she was biting her bottom lip, looking down at my cock and I let my hands slide on her naked thighs.

"You're gonna ride me, petal?"

"Until you cum deep inside me, yes."

"I was supposed to take care of you." I pointed out.

I barely heard her answer and let my head fall back on my shoulders with my eyes closed when I felt my cock slip quickly inside her. She throbbed around me, making me grip her thighs harder.

"You did. Never thought a tongue could feel so good between my legs."

Her lips found mine and I answered her deep kiss as she started moving slowly over me. It was an uncomfortable position for me and I couldn't imagine how even worse it was for her, but the way she whimpered a few curse words told me she was not going to last very long anyway.

"Oh my god..."

I moved my upper body slightly back, enjoying the sight of my cock disappearing inside her over and over again, and when I felt myself get closer to an orgasm, I wrapped my arms around her and helped her move over me. My lips reached for her neck and I started panting as my lips brushed on her skin.

"You want me to fill your pretty little cunt with my cum?"

"Mm yes, please do it, please."

I normally wait until she gets an orgasm before giving in on mine but her words and the vulnerability in her voice made me reach my peak and I held her closer against me as I kept moving her over me, thrusting my hips up as much as I could in this position. I came and groaned low, biting her neck a bit too hard and after a few seconds, she started shaking over me. I moved my body away slightly and brought both my hands on her pussy, spreading her lips slightly and licking my thumb to rub her clit quickly.

"Fuck!"

I brought one of my hands to her mouth, trying to smother her screams but kept touching her through her orgasm. I felt her wet my thighs and cursed low as I stared at her thighs quivering from pleasure. Her body relaxed suddenly but I kept brushing my thumb gently and slowly on her clit as she was panting. From time to time, she had a spasm and after about a minute, she whimpered again.

"Stop, I can't take it anymore." she admitted in a whisper, making me smirk.

I brought my hand to her face and brushed my thumb on her bottom lip. Quickly, she wrapped her lips around it and sucked on it gently, making me smile more. She smiled back and bit her bottom lip before getting up. She bent down to grab her pants and I groaned when she once again exposed her ass and pussy to me. I could see my cum drip slightly and without thinking, I pushed two fingers inside her, making her tense. When I took them out, more of my cum dripped down her thighs and she turned around, shaking her head.

"You're perfect, you know that?" I asked, staring in her eyes.

"You know that's not true." she replied with a shy smile.

I got up and pulled my jeans up, zipping them without ever breaking eye contact with her. I moved closer as she remained motionless, her hands gripping her pants tight.

"You're perfect to me." I whispered, kissing her lips gently. "You're perfect for me."

We stared at each other for a few seconds and I finally took a step back, pushing my hands in my pockets.

"Come on." I just said, moving my chin up. "Dress up or they'll wonder what we're doing."

She laughed and rolled her eyes as she put her panties back on. "They know, there's no doubt."

I shrugged and chuckled, knowing she was probably right, and we finally got out of the bathroom together. A few people turned to look at us and I just cleared my throat, wrapping my arm around Devon's shoulders to walk back to the living room.

I didn't expect Louis to literally run to us and it made me frown as I pulled Devon slightly closer. I thought he'd comment on the fact that we were gone together for a while but I frowned when I noticed how uneasy he looked.

"Mate, what's wrong?" I asked, feeling Devon grip my shirt in the back.

"Niall, I think you should leave." he expressed in a low tone, glancing at Devon. "Trust me."

I opened my mouth to ask him why but I saw someone in the corner of my eyes and my heart immediately twisted in my chest. My arm fell slowly from Devon's shoulders and my lips parted. It was impossible and I came to the conclusion that I was probably hallucinating, but when the girl smiled at me and walked closer quickly, I realized it was true.

"Abby?"

#niall horan #niall horan smut #niall horan fluff #niall horan story #niall horan writing #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fan fic #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan fan fiction #niall horan college au #niall horan au #niall horan uni au #niall horan enemies to lovers #my fanfics #swy #no one asked but its here anyway

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stonefreeak · 4 years ago

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*shows up 15 minutes late with Starbucks*

SO UHHHHH.... WELL. SOMEHOW. WELL. Yeah, I’m really sorry I haven’t updated since literally august. My bad.

I’ll just say this: moving is stressful, especially when you have literally no furniture and need to get everything, but there’s a pandemic and you kiiinda don’t want to visit shops.

Thank you all so much for having patience with me and waiting for the update! I love you all! Also I’m gonna give you an extra update tomorrow because it’s my birthday soooo

Ahsoka feels her blades clash against Barriss's. It's been so long since they last saw each other. She's still not feeling up to talking about what happened with Master Obi-Wan with a mind healer or any of the adults in the Order but... She's sure that if she talks to Barriss, she'll understand.

After all, Barriss is still a Padawan too—though Ahsoka knows that she's getting close to being Knighted—so she'll understand the fear of losing your master better than anyone else. Not that Master Obi-Wan is Ahsoka's Master, exactly, but he's like an extra pseudo-Master, and that's more than enough to make it painful. He's close enough to Anakin, and involved enough in Ahsoka's training, that losing him would have been a much harsher blow than losing another Master of the Order.

Ahsoka just barely manages to dodge Barriss's blade, the feeling of its passing like a caress across her face.

"Pay attention, Ahsoka!" Barriss says with a small laugh. "I don't want to have to explain to Master Luminara why my sparring partner got a hole singed in her montrals!"

Shaking her head, Ahsoka laughs and dodges another swing from Barriss.

"We can't have that! How would you explain that to Master Luminara!"

They don't dissolve into giggles like little Initiates, but it is a near thing.

~~~~

"You know that wasn't your fault, Ahsoka," Barriss says in a low voice, her face calm but grave.

Ahsoka shrugs one shoulder with a small sigh. "That's what Master Yoda and Master Anakin said too, but... I don't know, the guilt is hard to shake for some reason. I don't really know why."

Barriss nods. "It's like that sometimes." She bites her lip briefly, seemingly conflicted, before she nods to herself. "I once made a bad call in the field, and Master Luminara ended up having to rescue me from an ambush. We almost lost the battle, and her arm was so badly injured that they were close to needing to amputate it entirely and give her a robotic prosthetic instead."

Ahsoka draws in a sharp breath.

"Oh Barriss, I'm sorry." She can't imagine how scary that must have been. She never wants to make that sort of mistake, not ever.

"Master Luminara has never blamed me for it, and in fact has said that mistakes are unavoidable. That all you can do is learn and grow from them, and try your best to not repeat them." Barriss looks down at the floor. "But it's hard sometimes, to deal with the guilt. No matter how much you meditate and reflect on it, sometimes it's just hard to shut off that knowledge of what you could have, should have, done instead."

"Yeah... it is..." Ahsoka carefully moves closer until their shoulders press together. She does it slowly enough that Barriss can move away if she wants to, if she doesn't want Ahsoka's attempt at comfort.

"But I suppose that's part of what being a Jedi is all about. Learning, striving towards becoming a better version of yourself." She tilts her head up, looking up from the floor and through the windows to the Coruscanti skyline instead. "Perhaps it's something you understand by the time you're a Master..."

Ahsoka grins. "Or maybe not even then!"

They laugh again and it feels good. Good to have shared, and good to laugh.

Ahsoka feels so lucky that she has a friend like Barriss, someone who is on a similar journey, if a bit farther ahead on the road.

She thinks of Master Obi-Wan and all of his friends from the creché, and finds herself hoping that she and Barriss will stick together like that for years to come. All the way through their Knighthood and when they take their own Padawans... Unless one of them decides to take a different path—like Doctor Nema.

"How about we go get some lunch, Ahsoka." Barriss gets to her feet. "I feel like we have a lot more to talk about, but I'm also quite famished.

Getting to her feet Ahsoka grins. "I can always eat!"

They head off together, and for the first time in weeks, Ahsoka feels as if a load has been lifted off her shoulders.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

#Supreme Chancellor Obi Wan Kenobi #star wars #ahsoka tano #Barriss Offee #update #my writing #oops

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bex-la-get · 3 years ago

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This Unpredictable World (Adam x f!Detective)

Book: The Wayhaven Chronicles

Pairing: Adam du Mortain x Alma Cunningham

Word count: 2808

Summary: “We’ve spent so long trying to protect her from our world, that we never once thought about protecting her from her own.” Adam grapples with the dangers of the human world when Alma is in an accident.

Author’s Note: So, I threw my back out last week (always warm up before working out kids; it’s not worth the injury) and I thought “Ooh, how would UB react if the detective was injured?” And this was supposed to be fluffy, I swear... but then it wasn’t and here we are. Sorry? 😅

TW: Car accident, drunk driving, mentions of blood and injury.

Laughter. That was the sound he missed most.

Alma’s laugh had always been infectious. From the moment he met her, her laughter had drawn him in like a moth to a flame. He had resisted it, at first; fighting the urge to say things that might have elicited that laughter from her. But as time went on, he began to give in. He began to relish the sound of her laugh. The one that made her throw her head back and close her eyes as she reveled in the thing bringing her joy. The one that made his heart skip a beat every time he heard it.

Now, he’d give anything to hear it again. To see that bright smile of hers and watch as her face lit up; to hear her laugh that always reminded him of windchimes echoing throughout the sky. All he wanted was to hear that laugh, to see her smile. If he could just have that, then he knew everything would be okay...

Instead, Adam was stuck staring at the walls of the facility common room, desperately waiting to hear something, anything. The lack of answers was slowly killing him. He needed to know she’d make it out of this. That she was going to live.

Alma had been in a car accident; a bad one. She had been hit by a drunk driver causing her to skid off the road and crash into some nearby trees. She’d sustained some serious head trauma, several broken ribs, and internal bleeding in her lower abdomen. She had lost consciousness almost immediately but not before quickly calling her mother stating she was in trouble.

The Agency had moved fast; faster than normal emergency services would have been able to. One word from Agent Cunningham and several medical units were on their way to the crash site, Rebecca hot on their tail. Unit Bravo, having walked into the chaos that was surrounding the facility, barely had any idea of what was going on until Nate heard someone mention Alma’s name in the same sentence as “car crash.”

Adam’s world had come to a standstill at the news, his heart pounding so hard, he thought it might burst. When he met Nate’s eyes, his old friend nodded once and the four vampires piled into the car, following the medical units to where Alma was. “We don’t know how bad it is, Adam,” Nate had said, attempting to soothe Adam’s nerves. “She could be completely fine for all we know.”

Adam had nodded, but he wasn’t convinced.

When they had arrived at the crash site, his stomach dropped. Alma’s car was crushed in on several sides, smoke emitting from the hood. He couldn’t see her but he could hear the medics attempting to talk to her as they wriggled the door open. He didn’t hear her respond to them.

With a grunt, the medics opened the battered car door and Adam had watched in horror as Alma’s body slumped, nearly falling out of the vehicle. The medics converged over her blocking his view and he moved to get closer. He had to see her up close, he had to know she was okay.

A hand on his shoulder had stopped him and he turned to find Mason looking at him, a look of distress on his face. “Adam, don’t; her blood’s too strong. I can smell it all the way over here.”

Adam looked back at Alma, now being moved onto a gurney, and realized how bloodied she was. He could smell her now too; the smell of her mutated blood reaching him even as he stood yards away. He turned around and took a few steps farther away in an attempt to get away from the overwhelming scent of her. He needed to keep a clear head and, as much as it pained him, the farther away he was from her at the moment, the easier that would be.

The sound of footsteps gained their attention and they turned to find Agent Cunningham walking towards them, her face sullen and pale. “Agent Cunningham,” Nate had said, “we came as soon as we heard. Is Alma going to be alright?”

Rebecca gave them a sad smile. “Thank you for coming; to answer your question, I don’t know. They’re going to rush her back to the facility and assess her injuries there. She might need surgery. I don’t know much beyond that right now.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Felix asked, his usual cheery demeanor replaced with worry.

Rebecca shook her head. “Thank you, but no. Unfortunately, all we can do right now is wait.”

And wait they would. After Alma had been rushed to the facility and the intoxicated driver taken into custody-- their injuries far less severe and life-threatening-- Unit Bravo returned to the facility, the air around them heavy as they waited for an update on their detective. Some time after their return, Agent Cunningham entered the room notifying the vampires that, as of right now, Alma would not need surgery, much to everyone’s relief. But she wasn’t out of the woods yet. “The doctors are keeping her under close monitoring for the next twenty-four hours; they think the internal bleeding will stop on its own but if it doesn’t, they’re going to take her into emergency surgery. Same with her head injury.”

“When is she expected to wake up?” Adam asked.

Rebecca shrugged, the gesture taking more effort than normal. “I don’t know; she’s currently under a lot of medication. She could be out for a few hours or a day.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a ragged breath. “I’m sorry, I wish I had more information.” It was unclear if she was speaking to Unit Bravo or herself.

Nate stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You have nothing to apologize for; we understand how difficult this must be for you.”

She looked at Nate sadly and nodded. “Thank you.” Her phone chirruped and she moved to exit, muttering a small “Excuse me,” as she left. Unit Bravo looked at each other, the same looks on all of their faces. Worry. Distress. Anxious.

Adam was the first to break away from the group, moving to a nearby sofa and dropping onto it heavily. He pulled a small photo-- the one he and Alma had taken when undercover at the carnival-- from his pocket and stared at it, his fingers running over the image of her. It had just been for show, he had told himself at the time; but the way she stared at him in this photo told him otherwise. It had never been for show for her.

And, if he was honest, it had never been for show for him either.

“Are you alright?” a familiar voice asked from next to him. He hadn’t even noticed Nate had sat down with him.

Adam closed his eyes and folded the photo closed. “No.”

Nate rested a hand on his shoulder and Adam looked at him. “We have to believe she’s going to be okay, Adam. Entertaining any alternative isn’t going to help anyone.”

Adam dropped his shoulders. “I know.”

“But?”

Adam reopened the photo and looked down at it sadly. “We’ve spent so long trying to protect her from our world,” he began, “that we never once thought about protecting her from her own.”

“No one could have predicted this, Adam,” Nate reasoned. “Try as we might, we can’t protect her from everything.”

“It’s our job to protect her from everything,” Adam argued. “I-- we should have been there, with her. We could have--”

Nate tightened his hold on Adam’s shoulder. “It was an accident, Adam. A preventable one, yes, but an accident nonetheless. We’re not seers; we can’t predict what’s going to happen every time we walk out the front door. You can’t beat yourself up over that.” Adam sighed and said nothing but Nate knew he had heard him. He squeezed his shoulder once more then stood up. “She’s in the best care possible; and she’s strong. She’ll pull through.”

As Nate walked away, Adam returned his attention to the small photo, once again tracing Alma’s image. “She’ll pull through,” he repeated, in a whisper. “She has to.”

------------------------

Twenty-four hours passed slowly. And with very little update.

Rebecca had been allowed into the room around the eight-hour mark and Unit Bravo had been allowed in a few hours later. If Adam had thought seeing the detective would ease his nerves, he had been wrong. Her blood had been long cleaned off and any open wounds had been cleaned and stitched but she still looked so small. So fragile.

Alma laid unconscious on the hospital bed, her arms and face covered with bruises and scratches. There was an IV attached to one arm while the heart monitor beeped consistently in the corner; not that it was necessary. Adam had been listening for her heartbeat ever since they had returned to the facility. He was reassured that it remained as steady and strong as always. Still, the current sight of her made his heart ache.

He watched the rise and fall of her chest, her breathing steady, then looked over her face, eyes relaxed in sleep. He hoped she was having a good dream; she had mentioned once that she still had nightmares of Murphy. The idea that that monster still haunts her made Adam’s fists clench; he hoped, above all else, that she wasn’t dreaming of him at this time. May she never dream of him ever again.

As the hours ticked on, Unit Bravo began to retire to their rooms, after reassurances from the doctors that Alma wasn’t likely to wake until tomorrow. Even Rebecca eventually retired, emotionally drained from the day. Eventually, the only person to remain in the room was Adam.

When he was alone, Adam moved from his place in the corner to a nearby chair. He dragged it over until it was right next to Alma’s bedside and took a seat. For a long moment, he sat in silence, listening to the sound of Alma’s heartbeat and the quiet sounds of her breathing. Then, he reached for her hand and took it in both of his, his fingers resting on the pulse point on her wrist. It was one thing to hear it, but upon feeling her heartbeat, his shoulders dropped from their tense position and he released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Come back, Alma,” he said, quietly. He was positive she couldn’t hear him but he still felt the need to say something. Anything, really. He just… needed to talk to her. “Come back to me. Please.” He clasped her hand in his and he placed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “We need you. I need you. Please.”

The night passed slowly, the hours feeling more like days. With the exception of the occasional check-up from Elidor, Adam remained Alma’s only visitor for the entirety of the night, his hand never leaving hers. He would occasionally talk to her, sharing mindless thoughts with her, ranging from a book he had recently read to Felix’s recent antics with Mason’s laundry. He had hoped that by talking to her, she might be able to hear him and know he was there. That he would always be there.

It was nearing sunrise now; the early hours were quiet and undisturbed. Adam’s hand still held Alma’s tightly as he watched her heart monitor, her heartbeat still strong and steady as it always was. A small smile on his lips, he became so focused on the monitor that he almost missed Alma’s hand tightening around his. Almost.

He looked down at their clasped hands before looking to her face to find her hazel eyes fluttering open. He sucked in a breath as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the hospital room before locking with his. “Adam?”

He released a sound that was a mix between a laugh and a sob and used his free hand to brush some stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Good morning.”

She leaned into his touch. “What happened?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

He frowned. “You were in an accident. You were--” he hesitated to speak his next words-- “you were hit by an intoxicated driver.”

Alma released a breath. “Shit. Are-- are they okay?”

There she went again, worrying about others before herself. Adam fought the urge to shake his head at her kindness; she was too good with people sometimes. “They do not deserve your concern; as far as I care, they’ve been arrested and incarcerated. That is all that matters.”

Alma frowned in disagreement but didn’t argue the point further. Instead, she tightened her grip on his hand. “Where’s everyone else? Mum?”

“They retired for the evening last night. I should alert them that you’re awake.” He began to slide his hand from hers as he shifted out of the chair but she held on tightly.

“Don’t go,” she whispered. “I-- I don’t really wanna be alone.”

His eyes met hers and a small smile settled onto his lips before sinking back into the chair. Instead, he pulled out his phone, sent off a quick text to the rest of Unit Bravo and Agent Cunningham, then returned his attention to Alma. She was studying his face, a thoughtful look on her face.

“What is it?” he asked.

Tentatively, she reached with her free hand and cupped his cheek. He leaned into her touch almost on instinct. “You look tired. Did you sleep?”

He chuckled dryly. “No. I don’t need to sleep, remember?”

“Adam--” she began, the sound of disapproval in her voice.

He shook his head. “I’m alright, Detective,” he told her, quietly. “I-- I didn’t want to miss an update on your condition. I--we were worried about you.”

She brushed her thumb across his cheek. “Thank you for staying.”

He closed his eyes and relished in the feel of her hand on his cheek. He covered her hand with his free one, as if holding it there. “I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you, Alma,” he said, softly. It was so quiet Alma almost missed it; but she was grateful she hadn’t.

“I’m here now,” she reassured. “And I’m safe. That’s the important thing.”

He nodded. “That it is.”

“Tu omnia,” she whispered.

He smiled. Then, acting off of instinct rather than logic, he removed his cheek from her hand only to turn his face and place a soft kiss on the inside of her wrist, right above her pulse point. Her pulse sped up at his gesture and he placed one more kiss higher up on her palm. “Tu omnia,” he repeated.

Just then, he could hear the sound of several sets of feet rushing their way towards the hospital room and he stood up from the chair, giving Alma’s fingers one last squeeze, then moved away to the corner of the room. Alma gazed at him confused but understanding soon flickered across her features when the door opened and her mother appeared.

“Alma!” Rebecca practically ran to her daughter’s bedside, pulling her into a tight hug as the rest of Unit Bravo trailed in after her. Alma returned her mother’s hug before looking to the rest of Unit Bravo and smiling. Within seconds, Felix and Nate had her wrapped in a bear hug, Mason standing nearby with his signature smirk, making Alma laugh in response.

Adam’s heart skipped a beat. There was that laugh again; the one he had missed so much, the one he had craved to hear when she had been unconscious. Hearing it now was like hearing a beautiful piece of music for the first time after being unable to hear anything; his shoulders released their usual tension and he smiled softly.

“So, no one’s bothered to tell me what happened to my car,” Alma said, looking at her mother.

Rebecca grimaced. “Uh--”

“Your car’s totaled,” Mason interjected. “But on the plus side, the forest now has a nice shiny fender element to it.”

“Mason!” Nate reprimanded.

Alma shook her head, smiling. “I should’ve known.”

“You can use one of the Agency’s vehicles while we find you a replacement,” Rebecca offered.

“Preferably something that doesn’t look like it’ll break upon getting into it,” Mason muttered.

Nate groaned. “Mason!”

Alma laughed again, making Adam’s heart swell at the sound. There were still some loose ends that needed tying up: Alma would still need time to fully recover and the intoxicated driver would need to be taken care of at some point. But for now, she was smiling and laughing and safe. For now, that was all that mattered.

Tag List: @sanguineverefae @little-flowers-on-heaven @mia143 @takemyopenheart @jamespotterthefirst

#bexwritesstuff #the wayhaven chronicles #twc fic #adam du mortain #a du mortain #adam x detective #adam x alma #alma cunningham #f!detective #twc mc

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kkaebsongtypo · 4 years ago

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why wont you love me // hrj [01]

pairing: renjun x reader

genre: friends to lovers, slow burn, fluff, slight angst

wanings/notes: alcohol consumption (all parties are of legal age, drink responsibly!), mentions/symptoms of anxiety, mentions/signs of abandonment issues (very brief), jealousy (also very brief), inspired by the song Why Won't You Love Me by 5sos

(warnings/notes are subject to change and updates if needed.)

word count: 2.86k

Renjun and y/n are an inseparable pair; they know each other like the back of their own hands. For the most part. Renjun keeps his true feelings hidden; y/n refuses to acknowledge their own. Both hold the fear of losing each other. But will one night out and a little too much to drink change everything?

a/n: here's part oneeee! this will likely be posted in 4 or 5 parts im not 100% sure yet but yeah ! also im so sorry about that summary kashfslkd- lmk if you want to be in a taglist ^-^

You walked through the airport doors with Renjun at your side, Jisung and Chenle following close behind. You were pulling Renjun’s suitcase (despite his multiple protests) behind you as you met up with Jeno, Jaemin, and Donghyuck. Renjun took his suitcase from you and thanked you before following the group towards the luggage check-in line.

You waited for the boys at the end of the check-in area as they all put their luggage on the conveyor belt. Jisung was the first to come towards you and engulf you in a tight hug. Though the boy was excited for their trip, he had been pouting the whole drive to the airport about how he wished you were going with them. Unfortunately, you didn’t have the time to leave town for too long. Jisung had grown very fond of you soon after you met and vice versa; he had a habit of clinging to you, especially at times like these. You hugged the boy equally as tight, letting him know that you’d miss him too. When you pulled away, you patted his shoulder gently before Chenle shoved him out of the way with a wide smile and pulled you into his own arms. Each of your friends gave you a parting hug, saying their temporary farewells. Renjun was the last to approach you, immediately wrapping his arms around you.

“Don’t miss me too much.” You moved your arms from around your best friend's neck and rested your hands on his shoulders. He had a small smile on his lips as his gaze shifted between your eyes. You hummed gently at his words and plastered a mock-thinking face before meeting his gaze once more and responding.

“Hm, I think I should be the one saying that to you, mister. We both know that you’re the clingy one~” Renjun rolled his eyes at you and wrapped his arms back around your waist, pulling you into a final hug.

“Right right, because you totally weren’t clinging to me like a koala to a tree over the last few days while I was packing.” You smacked his back at this comment and tried to push him away, but ultimately failed when he tightened his hold around you.

“I’ll pick you up when you get back. Have fun and text me when you land.” Renjun closed his eyes and hummed softly into your shoulder.

“Only two weeks and a couple days, but I’ll miss you.” His voice was just above a whisper, not wanting the other boys to hear him. You smiled slightly at the lack of sarcasm in his voice. A soft sigh fell from your lips and you shook your head slightly.

“...I’ll miss you too dummy.” Renjun chuckled and pulled away, a soft smile on his lips to match your own.

“Oh my GOD, let’s GO Renjun. We still have to get through security.” Renjun bowed his head and exhaled deeply at the voice. You peeked around him to see Donghyuck swinging his bag back and forth impatiently, an over exaggerated look of annoyance displayed over his features. His face lit up with his signature bright smile when he caught your eye. He stopped swinging his bag and stood up straight before waving to you, almost as if he was trying to pretend he wasn’t just groaning in annoyance at your best friend. You giggled softly and waved back.

“You better get going before Hyuck throws his backpack at your skull.” Renjun laughed quietly at your warning and grabbed his suitcase.

“Alright, don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.” He narrowed his eyes at you as he started making his way into the security screening line with the others.

“Don’t worry about me, I’d never do anything stupid without you~” You smiled innocently and Renjun rolled his eyes for the hundredth time in the last hour, his smile remaining on his lips. He waved to you one last time before disappearing farther into the line for the bag check. Once he was out of sight, you crossed your arms over your chest and turned towards the exit of the airport. You pulled out your phone when you got into your car and sent Renjun a quick text before pulling out of your parking space.

Renjun walked alongside Jeno ahead of the others after going through security. A small squeak echoed from Renjun’s pocket and he swiftly pulled out his phone, knowing it was you from the text tone. A simple “Have a safe flight!” flashed across the screen accompanied by an airplane and blue heart emoji. He scanned the message over his lockscreen, a faint warmth crept onto his cheeks and the same small smile frome before found his lips.

“Okay lover boy, we got a long flight ahead of us. Don’t want to run out of battery too fast.” He looked up from his phone and met Jeno’s eyes that were bent into crescent shapes from the smile he wore. Renjun’s blush deepened at the nickname Jeno started calling him months ago. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

“Two weeks dude. You two can facetime all you want because we all know you can’t go more than 5 hours without talking to each other; plus it’s not a huge time difference. You’ll be fine.” He nodded at Jeno’s words.

“Honestly though, why aren’t you together yet? You spend 95% of your time together, you basically live at each other’s places, everyone already thinks you’re together. You’re both clearly into each other-” Renjun sighed loudly and threw his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“No, Jeno. We’re not ‘clearly into each other.’ We’ve acted like this for years, it’s nothing new. Yeah, maybe I caught feelings but that’s it. It’s one sided. It always will be.” Jeno shook his head and subtly rolled his eyes at his friend's attitude.

“Fine man, if that’s what you want to believe then I won’t argue any further. But just hear me out, the guys and I know both of you well enough to see things that you both always seem to miss. But you keep on doubting it if you really want to, I won’t stop you.” Renjun looked straight ahead, refusing to meet Jeno’s brief glance.

The group gathered together once again at the terminal; they discussed their seating for the plane, what the rough plan would be after arrival, and all the other random questions that popped up. The six boys sat in the chairs and on the floor, playing video games or mindlessly scrolling through their feeds. They boarded their flight in no time and quickly got settled in their seats as the other passengers filed in.

Renjun glanced out the window; the now setting sun painted the sky like a canvas in warm colours. He reached for his phone and snapped a picture before opening your contact. “About to take off, I’ll text you in a few hours when we land.” He sent the message along with the photo before switching his phone to airplane mode.

He pressed his head to the cabin wall and looked down at his home screen. His gaze rested on your smiling face, and he smiled at the memory. A photo of the two of you from a road trip you had taken together with Jaemin and Jeno the previous summer was displayed in front of him. You were sitting on the wide edge of a stone wall with Renjun directly in front of you. You had your arms draped over his shoulders and your head resting against his. His hands covered yours, holding them together over his chest.

His smile quickly faded as the conversation he had with Jeno played through his head again. ‘...keep on doubting it if you really want to, I won’t stop you.’ He locked his phone and placed it face down in his lap. He fought back tears of frustration. He knew you didn’t have any feelings for him. Right? Or, did he only tell himself that to avoid the heartbreak he believed to be inevitable?

‘...the guys and I know both of you well enough to see things that you both always seem to miss.’ Jeno’s words were causing a frenzy of questions and feelings that quickly overwhelmed Renjun. He did his best to shake everything from his thoughts as the safety instructions sounded throughout the cabin. He focused on the colours in the sky as the plane started lifting off the ground. As the ground disappeared beneath the clouds, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the one, lingering question that always seemed to sit at the back of his mind, “Why won’t you love me?”

Despite Renjun’s protests, Donghyuck insisted on watching a cheesy romcom with him. Renjun tried to drown out the swarm of thoughts that continued circling his mind with the movie but it only made him yearn for you more. A typical story of love at first sight with the cutest and fluffiest meetings, the leads parting ways, but ultimately coming back to each other for a happy ending. Renjun could hardly handle watching such a relationship bloom on the small screen, the ache he was feeling in his heart only got worse with every loving smile the characters shared.

Part of him despised that Jeno had chosen to point out his feelings for you right before a rather long flight. He had nowhere to go, almost no way to escape his own thoughts. The idea of unrequited love was eating away at him with each passing minute. He was frustrated. Frustrated with Donghyuck for picking a movie that mocked him. Frustrated with Jeno for kick starting his overthinking. Frustrated with you for being so incredible and making him fall for you. Most of all, he was frustrated with himself for falling in love with his best friend.

It wasn’t long until he grabbed his ipad to draw. If there was one way he could get his emotions out, it was through art. He peeked out the window and observed the fluffy clouds passing by, illuminated by a soft orange glow from the setting sun. There was his reference. The movie served as background noise as he immersed himself in his craft. His stress poured through his pencil, the overwhelming thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind. The only remaining thoughts he had were about how much he wished you could see the sunset from above the clouds like he was.

As he finished his first sketch, he snapped a quick photo with his phone to send to you once they landed. There you were again. The thought of you alone made his heart flutter and a smile appear on his lips. The feeling in his chest was almost unbearable; he felt like he could explode. Opening a blank canvas, he pulled up a photo of the two of you for reference and started sketching.

Donghyuck had fallen asleep by the time the credits of the movie rolled, so Renjun took the opportunity to choose something else to watch. He threw on an old Disney film and continued his portrait.

The completed piece caused a warm feeling to bubble in Renjuns chest. His colour pallet felt comforting and cozy; like a reflection of how he felt with you. Not wanting to get too caught up in his feelings again, he opened another fresh canvas and turned his attention to the movie. He settled on making his own interpretation of the scene and what the characters were saying, wanting to exercise his skills and creativity.

He created one, and then another, yawning softly with the last couple details. Fatigue had been creeping up on Renjun as the Disney film neared its end. He tucked his ipad back into his small carry-on and pulled the shade over the window. Sleeping for the last hour and a half of the flight wouldn’t hurt. After putting some music on, he shifted into a relatively comfortable sleeping position and began to doze off.

Slight turbulence jolted Renjun awake as the plane began its descent. He gently rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and lifted the blind to peek out the window. The sky was a deep blue and the stars sparkled throughout. The city below was bright with lights as they cascaded closer to the runway. Renjun carefully shook Donghyuck awake, making sure the other boy was prepared for arrival.

Renjun fiddled with the edges of his phone case, waiting for the go-ahead to turn off airplane mode as the plane taxied towards the terminal. When the approval came through the intercom, he was quick to switch it off and text you that they had landed safely.

: Hey, we just landed!

y/nieeee: That’s great!! How was the flight?

: Pretty good

: Watched a few movies with hyuck and did

some drawing

: I slept for the last bit of the flight also

A bright smile found his lips and he selected the photos he took of his creations, skipping over the portrait, and hit send.

y/nieeee: Oooohh can i see ur drawings?

: [3 attachments]

y/nieeee: Ouuuu the sunset one is really

pretty

: Thank youuuuu

:We’re about to start getting off the plane,

wanna vc while we wait for our luggage?

Renjun threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Donghyuck into the aisle. Jeno and Jaemin handed the group their few larger carry-ons from the overhead compartments before Jeno led the way out of the plane. Renjun’s phone vibrated in his hand, a short text from you popping up on the screen, “ready when you are :)” The second they stepped off the plane, Renjun pressed the call button.

grab my earbuds!

You smiled at the sight of your best friend on your phone screen, his brown hair was slightly tousled from sleeping, you assumed. His brown cardigan was draped over his tee-shirt, and his smile was soft but his eyes still sparkled. Even after a 6 hour flight, he somehow still managed to look so handsome. What?

y/nieeee: Sureeee just give me a sec to

“Hey, y/n!” You shook your head slightly to silence your thoughts and laughed when Jisung hopped into frame when he heard Renjun say your name. You waved back with a sweet smile.

“Jun, let Jisungie into frame more, I want to talk to him too!” Jisung moved closer into view when Renjun motioned for him and waved to you excitedly. Renjun repeated your questions to Jisung (due to the fact that only Renjun could hear you through his earbuds) as they walked through the airport.

The other boys moved in and out of frame to say their hellos when they reached the luggage carousel. You rested your chin in your palm as you continued conversing with Renjun.

"How was the rest of your night? What did you get up to after dropping us off?" Renjun moved to lean against a wall, glancing at the carousel for a second before looking back at you. You hummed in thought for a second.

"Hmm, it was good, I guess? I didn't do much really." You fiddled with the cord of your earbuds, threading it between your fingers before elaborating.

"I got bubble tea on the way home and then I just watched a couple movies; just a lazy night."

"Ooh, bubble tea sounds amazing. Maybe I'll convince the guys to get some tomorrow or something." Renjun’s eyes lit up slightly when you giggled.

"That shouldn't be hard at all." You said with a smile. Renjun chuckled and nodded his head.

"Oh totally, they’ll agree in a split second- oh shoot,” His sentence was cut short and his eyes widened when he noticed you yawn softly.

“Isn't it like 1am now??” He furrowed his eyebrows as you checked the little alarm clock on your bedside table, seeing that it was in fact 1 in the morning.

“Yeah, just a little past 1.” Another yawn slipped through your lips as you laid back onto your pillows. You saw Renjun frown slightly and you sent him a tired smile.

“You should get to sleep, we’re going to head to the hotel right away anyway. I can call you again tomorrow!” Just as he said that, Donghyuck came by with Renjun’s suitcase and patted his back, informing him that their ride was outside. The lights outside of the airport contrasted with the night sky behind him.

“Are you sure?” You asked, raising your eyebrows for a second. Renjun nodded as they piled into the van.

“Yes, 100%! Here, say bye to the guys.” When they all got settled into their seats, Renjun held his phone up higher to get everyone in frame and removed his earbuds. You sat up again and waved at the camera.

“Good night everyone, have a good rest!”

The replies were a mess of ‘good night’s, ‘miss you’s, and wishes of sweet dreams. You bid one final farewell to Renjun before hanging up and plugging your phone in. A quiet huff left your lips after tucking yourself under the blanket and laying down, a deep slumber quickly washing over you.

Taglist: @lolibaaae @currentlyraisinghell

a/n: let me know if you want to be part of a tag list ^-^

disclaimer: i will try to update every 1-2 weeks but updates could potentially be stagnant. thank you for understanding :)

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