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wisheslost · 1 year ago

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A most delightful first day.

Wherein you, a new nurse for the Fortress of Meropide, have quite the interesting meeting with the flirtatious Duke and Prison Warden, Wriothesley, only you find out much later he's the duke, and the interesting meeting unravels quickly into much more.

cws : fastburn? like the opposite of slowburn basically bc im impatient. violence, not described in detail but wriothesley gets injured pretty bad . if you find i should add more warnings please tell me

a/n : not beta read im sorry i abandoned this in the middle of writing then had the urge to come back. please tell me if theres any mistakes

wc : 3.2k

Now that all the trivial paperwork was out of the way and you were finally recognized as a nurse affiliated with the Fortress of Meropide, it was just the meeting with the Duke that was left. roaming around searching for him wasn't the best option— hell, it was probably the worst out of all of them. but what else were you supposed to do? ask someone? ...surely the Duke would send for you if you lingered here long enough no? but then again, you don't know what the duke was like, maybe he'd reprimand you for arriving late instead, so you thought to not take any risks, and simply ask the next person you see. it's your first day of work anyway, so it wouldn't be too bad to engage with people you'll be seeing on the daily now either.

Not soon after spotting a young man who seemed to have quite the height, a somewhat tan skin tone and seemed to be in possession of woah? a vision? in a place like this, was kind of a surprise to you. Nevertheless, you approached that man to ask of the duke's office, only for him to be the one to start conversation.

"Hey, you must be the new nurse, right? It's a pleasure to have you, I'm Wriothesley, D-"

"Could you please take me to the Duke 's office, wriothesley?" you didn't realise until it was too late that he was going to say something after,but since he didn't seem to mention it either, how about just move on?

A little chuckle managed to escape his lips, followed by a "Sure I can." to your question. On the way there to his office, he asked you an array of questions, like why you were here, what made you work here, yada yada, but most importantly, he said, "The Duke's honestly a menace. I wouldn't get too close to him if I were you." now, you won't lie to yourself, that did make you much more interested in that duke than you previously were.

And in no time did you reach the Duke's office. Wriothesley lead the way up the stairs of what seemed to be the most grand part of the fortress, asking if you want to have tea with him later after you're done talking to the duke, which you politely declined, not because you didn't like the man—he was quite fun, yes, but tea? that awfully bitter liquid isn't entering your body anytime soon. not with wriothesley, not even with the duke.

now here we are, up the stairs and finally near the, what you assumed to be, the Duke's desk. But the duke isn't there. on the desk nor anywhere near. up until Wriothesley sits down on his chair and speaks,

"Here is the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide,Wriothesley. Though i prefer if you called me 'Your Grace' instead, people here usually refer to me as such. Please, feel free to ask any questions you have, I have already asked mine."

Oh, OH—

"Oh sir i- Your Grace i am so very sorry!! Really i- That time.. I shouldn't have cut you off.. Again, im really sorry!"

While you're worried sick, Mister Wriothesley here, or rather His Grace, is laughing his ass off. Does he find joy seeing you like this? well, whatever. When his laughing fit finally ends, and he sighs "Oh dear", and hes now looking at you, waiting earnestly for you to speak and break the silence. Unfortunately for him.. you're far too indulged staring at that pretty face of his, not remembering you were just asked if you had any inquiries by him. and so his voice beams once more,

"So....? Any questions?"

"Oh. Sorry, I got distracted, wri- Your grace, I don't." you knew it was best to call him by what everyone else calls him by, but 'Wriothesley', though you spoke for very little time, just came out easier.

"Really? well, okay" his answer was quite non chalant, because obviously, why would he want to be asked questions anyway, but it didn't seem like him— "I'm honestly surprised you have nothing to ask about." and there it is.

"No really, I don't want to bother you anymore. I shall take my leave, Please, Have a good day your grace." you excused yourself out that awkward situation somehow, and soon after heard a faint "You're not a bother y'know!~" from his side.

Cut to 2 a.m. in the morning next day, and you're in the infirmary cleaning glass jars, while the Head Nurse is probably sleeping her time away in the overworld. Not that you were jealous, but really, no soul here gets injured that seriously *ever*,yet this one garde told you you still need to stay awake the whole night. However odd that was, it was definitely not odder than— you stopped thinking the instant you felt a pair of hands creeping up to your waist, scaring you into dropping that poor glass jar and shrieking for your life, only for the owner of those hands to shut you up with one of the very hands that was on your waist just a moment ago.

"Oh c'mon.. You're in a prison of all places. Should you not be the least bit aware of your surroundings? who knows what might happen any moment... I wouldn't like to lose my new nurse so quick." and detaching his hand from your mouth, not that that could garner a response from you... what did he mean by "his nurse" anyway ? was this an attempt at flirting ? whatever it was, it was not much of your concern right now, it was the fact his voice wasn't like the one you heard before on your way to the Duke's office, or even in there, instead now it had a fatigued intonation to it, a voice that practically screamed "i want to sleep.", almost... sultry in a way.

And so he sat down on one of the beds, taking you by the waist to sit down as well on the same while he made himself more comfortable and laid almost completely down, and spoke, "First day on the job and you're already breaking things and screaming in the middle of the night.. are you really fit for a prison?"

Obviously, you were not fully capable, definitely not as capable as Sigewinne, but still,having someone say something like that directly is quite discouraging. and so you retorted, "Your Grace, it is actually my 2nd day on the job. And also, i feel anyone, prison premise or not, would be scared to be suddenly caressed by cold hands at 2 in the night. Though mayhaps that's just my opinion."

"Ahh dear, you're so smart .. it's a shame i was merely joking, I know the fortress is not such a prison-ly place anyway, and most if not everyone is just trying to get by and make it to the end of their sentence peacefully. I was merely testing you." to which you only nodded, and spoke "Sure. Well.. why are you in here at such a late time anyway? From the looks of it you're not sick, and i dont see any injuries..."

"You want me sick and injured? aw c'mooon, dear, im not even that bad of a duke, am i?"

"Your grace, please don't be silly. Are you here because you feel sick or just to bother me?"

"Ha! after i said you weren't a bother! how disheartening... I was just curious why you were awake this time of the night, though. What's keeping you up so late? or should i say Who?"

"Am i not supposed to be?"

"Of course not dear, did someone tell you you do?"

"Ah.. uhm. Not really, just a mistake on my part.."

"Hm? One of the gardes didn't tell you your duty requires you to stay up all night?"

How he came to know about that was none of your concern right now, what he'd do about it mattered more. You didn't want some helpless garde to be scolded off by The Duke because you were stupid enough to believe him. Surely that's not going to make the people of meropide have a good impression of you? Amidst your train of thought, his voice interrupted—

"What? Don't want a garde scolded off because you believe it'll harm that reputation of yours? awh dear, how cute. just like your face." this nuisance of a man and his attempt at flirting was somehow worse than his constant teasing, and the fact he accurately guessed what you were thinking was completely overshadowed by that "dear" and "cute" he threw in in his sentence.

"Too flattered?" was his response to your speechlessness. Being honest, you were too flattered. I doubt even archons know why this man was so coyly talking to you, did he do this to everyone?

"I... am not sure how to respond to that." was all you could manage to put together in your flustered, confused, but flustered state.

"I can stop it, y'know. If you're not feeling comfortable, just tell me. Whether that be with my way of talking, or someone else's."

"No it's fine.. really- I don't have any problems."

"Oh? So you're enjoying this? Haha, didn't know i had such charm." saying this, he rose up he was laying on, to come face to face with you, still sitting on the bed, but now, his face a bit too close to yours.

"I'll stop bothering you now. Go to sleep, you're gonna need to stay awake tomorrow."

You didn't make much of that statement, and you simply bid him sweet dreams as he went off to, what you presume, to be his office. That is, until, tomorrow actually came by, and near evening, you were greeted by none other than The Duke himself leaning on the doorframe of the infirmary, who, instead of his usual state, was now in a much more... uh, ragged? state. His vest not even present, and half his shirt ripped away, with his fresh wounds on display along with his old scars. Ah.... and you thought the Pankration Ring didn't allow such incidents to take place. So that's why he told you you need to stay awake.

"Dear, I'm here again to bother you." came in his voice from the door, and you stood up in concern. As far as you were aware of, Pankration ring fights were not supposed to get this serious. So it was either outside of the ring, or maybe the duke was allowed to get more serious in the Pankration ring? That became less of your concern as you saw a drop of blood drip down his cheek from a fresh wound. Gods, he was in such a pathetic state, blood everywhere, vest barely intact.. "Hey, its not appropriate to stare at someone in this state, is it?" he said, making you suddenly aware to what you should be doing. You're a nurse here, you should be patching him up, not staring into his soul while he's standing there in pain. "Your grace- I- Please, come with me to the bed. Do you want help walking? Oh lord why am i asking- Forgive me, I'm so sorry-" and a chain of sorries followed as you wrapped your arm around his waist in your best attempt to provide support to his frame, as you walked over to the nearest bed in the infirmary with Wriothesley's arm on your shoulder, grabbing it for support, though maybe a bit too hard, you were sure, this would at the least leave a bruise.

Arriving to the bed, you sat him down and knelt down to take a few things out from a nearby drawer, bandage, antiseptic disinfectant and a pair of scissors. And Wriothesley had his eyes set on your figure the entire time, not that you had noticed.

When you came back to him, you had to get him to undress in order for you to wash away his wounds, and before you could think to form an appropriate sentence regarding that- your tongue had already mumbled out "Please undress." to that poor duke. Oh lord, this was going to be a long, looong day.

A smirk crept up Wriothesley's face as he looked up at you, "Dear, I'm not sure I can... 'tleast not in this state. Would you help me?" and so his sly little smile shifted to a more puppy eyed face, glancing at you oh so sweetly. "Yes, Your grace." and you started by first taking his tie off, "I'm being honest here, I'm not sure why i said that earlier. I apologise. It was definitely very.. stupid of me." were the words you spoke as you were unbuttoning his shirt— the last piece of clothing left. His vest was mostly torn apart, so you didn't need to unbutton it or even put much effort in taking it off. Wriothesley didn't respond to that. You knew, it was because you were right, he didn't say anything because it would make you feel worse, but silently, surely, he agreed. Or atleast that's what you thought. Now here he sat, his upper body completely rid of any clothing, the cold air hitting his wounds.

"I'll wash your wounds now." as you went back and forth between the infirmary's bathroom to get water, the process was a bit slower than should be.

"Shouldn't you take me to the bathroom? Would be faster, no?"

"It would, yes. But it would mean you would have to go there, you wouldn't like sitting on that tiny ass- I mean, very small stool in the bathroom, trust me. Would just be uncomfortable."

"Awh. Didn't know my nurse was so, so nice. Thank you dear."

You finally washed what seemed to be the last wound, and god was it big. On your way back to him from the bathroom, you thought you would finally ask, "By the way, Your grace... I've been meaning to ask— What's with the 'my nurse' ? I'm not only your nurse, you know. I am to tend to any person in this fortress." was the best you could express your curiosity as you applied antiseptic on his wounds, recieving a little wince from him along with the answer to your question, "Well- I said that only because you were taking care of me at that moment, so you'd be my nurse then, no?"

"That is true, yes, but then what about before that? Last night? And also, the use of 'dear', to my knowledge, you don't seem to use that language or rather i should say- that word for anyone around here. Unless of course I'd be wrong and would stand corrected."

"Oh you... I'll stop, if you wish. You could have told me before‐"

"No, no. I don't mind it at all. Just want to know. Do those words hold any weight to you or are you simply throwing them around?" you said as you took the bandage out it's paper packaging, rolling it around his wound, making him wince once more, this time squeezing your right thigh out of the urge to hold on to something.

"Fuck, Sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" was all he could manage to put together, and when you took his hand in yours to put it back on your right thigh, Lord, his expression was something to see. The way he looked at you so surprised yet so... lovingly? surely, not loving. But whatever it was, it was nice, to see him so in awe. You continued dressing his wounds as he stared at your face the whole time, and, from time to time, squeezed your thigh a bit. Not sure if it was from the pain, or just because he wanted to and could.

Done with dressing the last wound on his cheek, you got up and headed to a cabinet on the opposite side of the room. "That's all. I'll get you some pain relief medication for the internal bruising, just wait a bit. it's.. it's in here somewhere.." as you searched around the cabinet. "Ah! Here!"

You took the medication to Wriothesley, who was currently sitting upright on the bed, carrying along a glass of water. As you had poured the water in the glass, you heard him say something along the lines of "Don't break it again." with a light chuckle.

As you gave him his medicine and he swallowed it down, that was the last of your duties for now. "Anything else you want me to do?"

"Sit. Here" he said, patting on the space near him as he laid down on the bed. And so you sat, who were you to deny such a simple request?

It was pin drop silence for a while after that. Just you and him looking at each other. Well, up until he averted his gaze to your thigh, where you noticed his hand hovering over it. "May i .....?" and so you took his hand in yours, and it rested on your thigh.

Then you realized, he was on his side to face you, though he shouldn't be, one of his injuries was there, quite the big one at that, and it probably hurt like hell. "I don't think you should lie on your side. Your wound.. is it not paining?" He got up then, sitting upright, though now, your faces were a bit too close, and your noses touching slightly."Then, dear, do you want me to sit like this?" You were too flustered to manage a response for that. Both of your faces were so close– too close, actually that you could feel his warm breath, that, by the way, smelled of Earl Grey Tea, and that scent seemed to mix with the antiseptic's.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" You somehow couldn't reply to that either, and only stared into his eyes, and occasionally catch a glance at his lips.

"Can't speak already huh? I haven't even kissed you yet."

"K-kiss me??"

"Sure." and so he leans in, planting in a peck on your lips and caressing your chin with, what was currently, his good hand, as in it had way less injuries than the other.

"Satisfactory?" was all he asked, that smirk back on his face, and "Not.. really" in a low voice was all you could manage after that.

"Then show me what would be more satisfactory."

"This." and what followed was by far the boldest you had ever been in your life, and good lord, it was infront of- not even infront of, to your new, and well, the only boss you've had.

But damn did his lips on yours feel so good, and his slight biting, his hand tugging at your nape made you feel like you were dreaming. Unfortunately though, even dreams come to end.

When your lips separated, he was a exhilarated but exhausted mess, his chest heaving as his fought to breathe, and so were you, and all you both could do was stare at each other, until he leaned in once again to kiss you. This time, in a satisfactory way.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, for you two, this was about to escalate much further than just that satisfaction.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #wriothesley #wriothesley genshin #wriothesley x reader #genshin impact fanfics #wriothesley x you #wriothesley x gn! reader #genshin x reader #genshin wriothesley #[ mine 🐳 ]

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feeder86 · 2 years ago

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SNAP!

“Ow! Shit! What the hell…?” Joel shouted, turning around to see what had hit him hard on his backside. He could feel the skin on his rear stinging. Whatever it was that had smacked him, his ass hurt like hell! But as he looked around, he couldn’t see anyone there in the moonlit garden. “Shit!” he moaned again, rubbing his butt, hardly believing that it was still hurting so much.

“What’s the matter?” Harry drunkenly asked, walking into the garden himself, chuckling from his friend’s unknown misfortune. “Ow! SHIT!” he blasted himself a moment later. “Who the fuck was that?”

“Argh! Fuck me!” blasted Danny, as he too followed them both. Joel could just make him out, standing there on the path, rubbing his own rear. “What the fuck is going on?” He ripped his cell phone from his pocket, letting the screen light up and cast a dim glow on the garden as the boys all came together, back on the path.

There, standing in front of them, was an older, stern-looking woman, staring up angrily. She held a walking stick in her hand and the boys immediately knew that that was clearly the source of their current discomfort.

“What the hell are you doing, old woman?” Harry grumbled, still rubbing his ass. “That fucking hurt y’know!”

“Don’t you talk to me like that!” the woman shot back, pointing the stick up at his face, so close that he went cross-eyed from following its swift movement. “You’re trespassing! I’ve seen you boys here every night this week; drunk on beer and taking a shortcut through my garden; trampling through all my plants!”

“This is assault, you know that?” Danny shot back, incensed by the pain he still felt. “You’re a fucking danger! Old hags like you should be in a nursing home!”

His head spinning from the beer, Joel put a hand on his buddy’s broad back,seeing that he was going a little far. The old lady was quite right after all, they weren’t supposed to be there in her garden.

“I was married to a jumped-up, arrogant pig, just like you three,” the woman began, still managing to make eye contact with all of them, even with Danny’s cell phone shining in her face. “He thought that the world should revolve around him too; that no one else mattered but him,” the lady continued, showing them all her contempt and disgust. “He was under the impression that his good looks were all he needed in life. And just like you three, he didn’t have any manners or respect for women either.” She paused; the garden becoming eerily quiet. “You’ll get what you deserve though. The way you treat people in life always has consequences.”

“Whatever!” Danny huffed, continuing to charge through the garden to jump the fence at the other end. “Come on guys. Just ignore her,” he called back to them both.

“You’ll see!” the old woman cried with a voice dripping with satisfaction. “Maybe tomorrow, maybe next month, or ten years from now, but one day everyone will see what arrogant pigs you really are.

Joel heard Harry begin to follow on. Feeling a pit of guilt about upsetting the old lady, he waited a moment longer. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, before turning and following the other two; climbing the fence and making that shortcut back to the frat house.

Over the following years, Joel looked back fondly on his time in college. He’d worked hard and played harder. But it had also got him to where he needed to be in life: a good job, with plenty of travel opportunities; perfect for someone with few aspirations to ever settle down. Back in the day, he would have said that Danny was a closer friend to him than Harry. However, it was only Harry that he remained in contact with these days. Sometimes that was just the way life worked out.

“There you are, you handsome bastard!” Harry cried; his face lighting up as soon as he saw Joel arriving at the wedding venue. “Have you ever seen a prettier face on a guy than this one here?” he joked to those around him as he embraced Joel for the first time since his stag party a couple of months earlier.

“How are you feeling? Nervous?” Joel asked his friend. He stepped back, feeling that something was different when he hugged Harry. “What’s this?” he asked, reaching a hand out to rub a small paunch that seemed to be sprouting from Harry’s middle. “Have you been stress eating?” he joked, finding it incomprehensible that fitness-obsessed Harry would ever carry a few extra pounds on his athletic frame.

Harry laughed, but immediately changed the subject, clearly embarrassed about his new shape. Joel looked on as his buddy nervously paced up and down, checking on things before his bride would be arriving. His suit was surprisingly ill-fitting. The pants were snug around his butt cheeks and Joel wasn’t altogether convinced that the top button was in place underneath the guy’s belt. It was clearly a fresh gain, for Harry had shown no signs of getting a little chunky at the stag party when he’d raved all night without a shirt on. In fact, even when his stunning bride arrived, walking down the aisle, her eyes were not filled with the loving adoration that most would expect. Instead, she frowned, seeming to silently scold Harry as she looked down at the tight stretch of his shirt buttons.

Joel’s attention soon started to wander as the day went on. Harry had clearly started early that morning, building his courage before the ceremony. So when the beers and champagne flowed later on, it was clear that he was struggling a little more than most. The chief bridesmaid was ridiculously sexy and as Joel made enquiring eyes over in her direction, he was pleased to see that the interest appeared to be mutual. There weren’t many people that Joel knew at the wedding, and aside from the guys he’d met at the stag party, he’d turned his charm up to full blast in order to make friends. But that bridesmaid was still looking over at him, getting Joel so aroused that he didn’t even notice a gluttonous Harry making his fifth tour of the buffet. The sex, when they eventually made it that far, was pretty decent for a one-night fling, and Joel lay back in bed feeling more than satisfied; content to stay there the entire night and enjoy a second round in the morning.

“It was a good wedding yesterday,” Joel rambled after they came. It was still too early in the morning to just take off; feeling that he needed to hang around for at least twenty minutes so that it didn’t seem rude. “I think they’ll be very happy together.”

The bridesmaid huffed sceptically. “Ya think?” she asked, as if she knew something Joel didn’t. Then, when Joel looked at her curiously, she rolled her eyes and told him everything. “Harry and I slept together a couple of nights ago. He told me he’d always had a thing for me and that he couldn’t get married without having me first… We were both drunk. He came in less than three minutes. It really wasn’t good!”

“Harry cheated?” Joel asked, completely shocked. He could hardly believe it. Then again, he’d been so turned on when he’d spotted this girl only yesterday. He couldn’t imagine having to stare at her for years and years and never getting to have any fun with her. It was the whole reason why Joel never did relationships, and he made thoroughly sure that everyone knew it. “Does anyone know that you two..?” he began asking.

“No. I’ve not told anyone. It doesn’t exactly make me look good, does it? Sleeping with my best friend’s husband!” She sighed and held her face in her hands.

Joel was soon putting his pants back on and making his escape. He slipped back into his own room and freshened up before heading down for breakfast in the hotel. It was still early and not many had made it down as yet. However, there was Harry, still dressed in his tight pants and shirt from the night before, greedily feasting from one of the many plates of food he’d brought back to his table.

“Hey, buddy!” Joel cried, slipping his hands onto Harry’s shoulders as if to massage him. “What’re you doing up so early? And where’s your wife?” he laughed, trying his best to forget about the guy’s infidelity.

Harry didn’t answer. He only ate.

“Is everything alright with you two?” Joel asked, setting aside his usual boyish bravado whilst he spoke to Harry now. The revelation of Harry’s cheating had unnerved him.

“I woke up feeling really hungry,” Harry replied between mouthfuls. “Has the fresh bacon come out yet?” he asked, looking up at the buffet tables. “They said it was coming.”

Joel could see several greasy plates, already emptied and waiting to be collected from Harry’s table. “Dude, it’s the morning after your wedding. Why are you worrying about bacon?”

“Is the bacon ready, or not?” Harry demanded aggressively.

“Harry!” Joel gasped in shock. “What the fuck is going on with you?”

Seeming to realise he’d overstepped, Harry looked ashamed, dropped his fork and put his hand to his surprisingly sweaty forehead. “Joel, I don’t know what’s happening to me!” he mumbled. “I did something, and now…”

Harry suddenly looked like he was fighting something inside of himself. His body jerked forwards slightly and it seemed almost as if something was trying to climb out of his throat. That was when it happened. He snorted quietly, as if making an impression of a baby pig. Immediately, the tension in his face seemed to retreat and he snorted twice more, just a little louder, before picking up his fork again and setting back to the copious amount of food still on his plate.

Joel suddenly found that his heart was racing. It wasn’t the fact that Harry had just done something so strange; it was the fact that he had done something that was actually unsettlingly familiar…

Eight years earlier, it had been the boys’ final weeks in college. Despite the beautiful sunshine that had arrived, everyone had grown strangely serious, studying and spending every last minute thinking about their final projects. Everyone, that was, apart from Danny. He’d always been the party-boy; the bad influence, always getting himself into trouble. But now the guy had seemed to drop off the face of the Earth. Perhaps it wasn’t all that surprising, given that everyone Joel knew had come to him and asked if he’d heard from Danny since it had all kicked off after the final football game of the season. There had been a huge party and, just like the other boys, Danny had become very drunk, very quickly.

“I hope he’s ashamed of himself,” Emma stated snootily. “Doing that to Jemma just before her final exams! It’s unforgivable.”

Joel tried not to take sides or nod in any way that might signal to Emma that he agreed with her. After all, Danny was his best friend. He’d made a mistake, getting so drunk and kissing Harriet like that. But we’re all human. Mistakes are what we’re best at.

“He’s not replied to any of my messages since last Tuesday,” Joel explained, trying to reframe the situation and let Emma see that he was currently more concerned about Danny’s safety than he was about Jemma’s broken heart. “Even his mom hasn’t heard from him since the weekend.”

“Hopefully he’s dead in a ditch somewhere!” Emma snapped unsympathetically, refusing to be drawn into the building crisis. Then she strutted away from Joel as if he too was contaminated by Danny’s deceit.

Joel tried not to let the worry overtake him. The guy in the dormroom next to Danny had reported hearing him going in and out at strange times. However, Danny hadn’t ever been in when Joel had tried to reach him. Either that, or he simply hadn’t opened the door.

“I need to get into my friend’s room,” Joel explained to the lady at the desk, flashing his devilishly handsome smile, whilst maintaining the doe-eyed look of concern. Even at that age, Joel was more than aware that his good looks were going to get him further in life than any college degree could “No one has heard from him in days. His mom is calling me up every couple of hours.”

“Oh, dear!” the lady replied, rising to her feet. “Well, it’s not really allowed. But this clearly isn’t a normal situation. I suppose, if I came with you, it should be okay…” she pondered aloud, stepping out from behind the desk, ready to follow Joel wherever he was leading her and trying her best not to stare at his cute little butt as she trotted on behind him.

The smell of stale sweat and old beer hit the nostrils hard as soon as Danny’s door was opened. Both of them recoiled a little as they entered the dark space, where the curtains had clearly been drawn for many days. Joel’s finger slid over the greasy light switch, illuminating the large body of the Quarterback sprawled, face down and naked over the bed.

Joel’s feet kicked through empty food cartons and beer bottles as he rushed over to check if Danny was okay. He pushed his hand against the guy’s broad back, surprised at how hot and almost feverish the skin felt to the touch. Breathing just fine, Joel knew that his buddy was most likely on the verge of one hell of a hangover. Perhaps he should have been more weirded out that his friend’s naked, meaty butt was on show, but Joel had seen Danny without his clothes on so many times before: in the changing rooms, or when he was irredemably drunk or high and letting his exhibitionist side out.

“I think we should open the window,” the lady suggested, holding her finger over her nose and looking like she had no intention of doing it herself; or even touching anything in the dirty room.

Feeling obliged to her for getting him inside, Joel immediately followed her suggestion. “I can look after him from here,” he offered, seeing how uncomfortable she was. “I think he might have just had a little bit too much to drink.”

“I think you need to pick your friends more wisely,” the lady whispered to Joel. She was looking over at Danny’s hunched over form; his naked rear pointing directly in her direction as he let rip in his sleep.

“I will,” Joel smiled, determined to remain polite but desperately wanting to get her out so that he could speak to Danny properly and find out what on earth was going on with him. He followed her to the door, closing it behind her, even though the smell of the room was really quite potent.

The mess all over the floor was unreal, like Danny had invited a hundred people over to party in his tiny bedroom.

“Danny! Come on, wake up!” Joel called to him, shaking the football player by the shoulder. He was so hot to the touch, with a thin layer of sweat all over him. “I need to check that you’re okay. Where the hell have you been?”

Danny suddenly stirred and slowly flopped over onto his front. His body on show, Joel instinctively jumped straight off the bed, thinking for a moment that this wasn’t Danny after all. Sitting beneath his mighty pecs was a rather large and distended gut, bloated to the extreme. Danny was groaning and reached his hand to hold it, like it was still expanding and hurting him.

“What the hell have you eaten?” Joel demanded, his eyes wide in shock.

“Everything!” a groggy Danny replied.

“Danny, look at your stomach!” Joel implored him, demanding that he snap out of his stupor. “Have you taken something?”

Despite shaking his head, Danny didn’t even open his eyes. Whilst rubbing his belly, his other hand went straight to his dick, stroking it up and down, even with Joel there in front of him.

That was when Joel heard it: the oinking sounds coming from Danny’s throat. Combined with the stomach rubs he was giving himself, it was as if Danny was making the sounds in order to help himself get off.

“Danny, stop!” Joel demanded, trying to rip Danny’s arm away from his dick. But Danny was strong and holding on tight.

“She did it,” Danny murmured. “This is what she wanted. She said.”

“Who did?” Joel asked, watching as Danny appeared to get closer and closer to coming with quite remarkable speed.

“That woman in the garden. She cursed us.” Danny mumbled, his voice getting deeper and deeper as the inevitable was approaching. “She’s turning me into a…” he tried, before the oinking sounded out once again. Huge jets erupted from his dick, landing all over the duvet and even on the sleeve of Joel’s jacket.

“Danny! What the fuck!” Joel shouted, filled with rage and anger now. But all he could see was his bloated friend, grinning with his eyes still closed tight and a look of contentment spreading over him. “That’s not cool!” Joel spat, trying not to look at the semen on his sleeve in fear that he might start gagging. The stench of the room wasn’t helping either. “Fine!” he stated at last. “If you don’t want my help, I’m just going to leave you like this.”

Joel knew he wasn’t making an empty threat. Why did Danny deserve his help when he’d got himself into a state like this?

“I’m going now,” he announced, hoping that Danny would rouse, even a little, to say something to him.

But Danny was silent and already falling blissfully back to sleep. As Joel left the room, he had no idea that he would actually never see his friend again.

“Harry,” Joel whispered quietly, sitting at the breakfast table with his buddy the morning after his wedding. “Do you remember that time in college when…” Joel began speculatively.

Harry’s face suddenly turned deadly serious, as if he too had been thinking about exactly the same thing. “Danny,” he mumbled; a name that had not passed his lips in years. He stood, as if in a sudden panic. “I’ve got to go!” he mumbled. “I can’t let this…”

The kitchen doors swung open and a steaming tray of fresh bacon was making its way to the buffet. Harry’s face calmed, grabbing his plate and rushing over to fill it up; forgetting everything.

Joel left with an uneasy feeling after the wedding and, against his usual policy, he took the bridesmaid’s phone number and asked her to let him know if things were okay with the newlyweds. He certainly wasn’t expecting to hear from her less than two weeks later, informing Joel that it was over. Just like that, Harry’s wife had left him, packing her bags and abandoning the apartment that they had lived in together to move back in with her mother.

It was a long drive to get there, but the feeling of dread at the pit of Joel’s stomach was almost too much for him to bear. He’d thought so much about the similarities between what had happened to Harry and Danny, enough to entertain the possibility that curses could actually come true. Perhaps it was the fact that the sting of the walking stick hitting his butt still twinged occasionally. As if the impact of it was sitting just beneath his skin after all these years. He had to see Harry. He had to rid himself of these doubts and worries in his mind. There was no choice in the matter.

Joel couldn’t get into the apartment block; there was no answer when he buzzed through or tried to call Danny’s cell phone. It was only when he caught the door as someone was leaving that he managed to enter and creep up to Harry’s floor. He knocked on the door, getting no response and feeling the strangest sense of deja vu.

“Hi,” Joel smiled at the middle aged lady who answered the door across the hall. He leaned himself into the doorframe and plastered his face with the boyish smile that always got him what he wanted with the ladies. “I’m supposed to be staying with my buddy, Harry, tonight,” he lied, pointing at the apartment door behind him. “I think he must have forgotten what time I was arriving though!” he sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically and widening his smile even more still. “I don’t suppose you know whether any of the neighbors keep a spare for that apartment, do they?”

The lady, who had already been beaming at him, nodded emphatically. “It’s Joel, isn’t it?” she asked. “I remember you from the wedding!”

Pretending to remember her, Joel nodded and told her how great it was to see her again. Most people he met seemed to remember him. And so it was that, within no time at all, he was holding the spare key in his hands, bracing himself for what he might find behind Harry’s closed door.

The first thing that hit Joel was the empty space inside the apartment. It was immediately obvious that there had, until very recently, been a lot more furniture inside. The sofas were gone, with piles of papers and junk sitting in stacks around the space. There was a faint sound of heavy breathing coming from somewhere, but the lack of furniture seemed to disorintate Joel as he explored, looking for his friend. Finally, he swung open a door and found the tiny kitchen space. It was an absolute mess, with a large, stout and barely dressed man asleep on the tiled floor; his head propped back against the cupboards. It seemed as if Harry had been to the supermarket only that day, for one of the paper bags remained intact on the floor. The others, however, seemed to have been ripped to shreds the moment Harry had returned. The floor was covered with the evidence of it all; his mouth smeared with bits of everything; an ill-fitting t-shirt stained and stretched beyond anything that would have been acceptable to wear outside of the apartment.

Harry’s gut was monstrous, his belly button deep and highly visible. Still, he looked strong and broad, even intimidating considering the sheer mass of him. How much had he actually eaten to grow so enormous in such a short time? No wonder his marriage was over. He barely resembled the slightly overweight man he had been only a couple of weeks earlier. He’d fallen asleep with his right hand resting inside his overstretched boxers, giving the impression that he’d masturbated before he’d finally lost consciousness. What an absolute mess!

Joel poked at his friend until he started to rouse. “Get up,” he ordered, trying to hide his irritation that Harry had got himself into this state. “I’m here to look after you,” he stated, suddenly realising that this was never going to be a flying visit. There was no point in trying to ask what was going; no hope of getting any sense out of the man. “Go get yourself a shower and I’ll clean up in here.”

Harry barely seemed to register Joel’s presence as unusual. He rose to his feet clumsily, causing more crumbs and packaging to rain down on the already daunting floor that Joel would have to tidy. He stumbled, almost drunkenly into the door, then strutted, as if unsure of how to carry his own body weight, back into the lounge and disappeared into the bathroom.

“I never told you how bad it was last time I saw Danny,” Joel admitted a couple of hours later, having carried a chair from the bedroom for his buddy to sit on and opting for a short stool for himself. “At least, not the full details,” he admitted, feeling the same sense of shame he had carried with him for years now. How could he have ever abandoned a friend like that? “But, whatever you seem to be experiencing, I think he was going through the same thing. Whatever this is, he wasn’t able to control it either,” Joel stressed, trying to keep Harry’s eyes focused on him. “You’re the only other person in the world who could possibly understand what I’m about to say, but… I think this is all happening because of that night. The old woman in the garden.”

Harry nodded slowly, as if only just comprehending. He sat without a shirt on; his giant butt contained, at least for now, inside straining material that dug sharply into his hips. “She said we were…” Harry started, before Joel stopped him. He didn’t need to hear it.

“I think we need to go back. I think we need to find her. If she’s still alive that is.” He rubbed his forehead, hardly believing that he was saying this. It was all insane madness. Where had his rational brain vanished to? Nevertheless, it was the only course of action he could think of. “First thing in the morning, I’m taking you to that house. And we’re not returning until we have some proper answers.”

Joel made good on his promise, getting Harry out of the apartment bright and early the next day. It hadn’t been easy either; Joel had re-entered the apartment at six in the morning, having crashed in his car for the night as there hadn’t even been a sofa, or comfy chair for him to take inside. Immediately, he had heard the sounds of Harry gorging himself on whatever was left in the kitchen that Joel had spent so long cleaning the night before. He’d been furious and his harsh tone seemed to be the only thing that finally got Harry moving. They’d stopped very briefly for Joel to head quickly into a mall and buy something a little less fitted for Harry. The sight of his big ass crack had turned Joel’s stomach that morning, and there was simply no way he was prepared to let the guy out of the car until that gut of his was covered up.

Harry seemed to drift in and out of full awareness. For ten minutes, he could be bright and clear; explaining vividly why his marriage had so quickly broken down due to the strange urges he’d been experiencing. At these times, he appeared completely self-aware and disgusted with himself. Then, after this period ended, he seemed to become more animalistic. His urges built until he was growling for Joel to stop and let him buy more food. He’d rub his belly and stroke his dick, complaining bitterly that he couldn’t climax without feeling his belly stretching with food. Joel had yelled at him to put his dick away, fearing that those around them would see. It also made Harry sweat quite considerably. Joel could see the shimmer on the guy’s skin and tried not to retch as he imagined the sweat building under Harry’s armpits and within the folds of skin; all of it soaking into his car upholstery. He put his foot down, driving onwards at a steady pace and making good progress by midday.

At long last, the two men were pulling up outside the house that they had known so many years ago. There had been so many familiar places on the way in through the city; Joel’s mind singing with nostalgia. If only he was here under more pleasant circumstances.

“Maybe you should wait in the car?” Joel suggested, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a handful of protein bars to distract the glutton whilst he slipped out and locked him inside; knowing that Harry was a little too spaced out to find the unlocking button and that he had at least three minutes before the car alarm would sound. The knowledge of that made him move with a little more haste into the garden and up the stairs to the front door.

The garden still looked the same as it had back then: well tended and functional, vegetables and fruits growing in most of the spaces. He rang the bell, surprised at how fast his heart was beating. Despite knowing for quite some time that he was coming here, the reality of it only seemed to hit him at that moment, as he waited for someone to answer the door to him.

“Hello!” Joel called out after some time had passed without any response. “My name is Joel Rogerson. I used to go to college here a few years ago,” he tried, not wanting to have come all this way for nothing.

Suddenly there was movement from inside and Joel’s heart quickened again. Someone was coming to the door, one slow step at a time. He braced himself, swallowing hard and trying to look smart for reasons that he could not entirely explain to himself. When the door opened, Joel’s jaw dropped. Standing there was the one person he had least expected to see in the entire world; a face he had not looked upon in many years, but one that he strangely recognised with ease. Unmistakable, it was old buddy, Danny. His face was altered, swollen with fat that had enveloped his entire neck and shrunk his eyes back into his head. He was also shirtless; wide, with an enormous, apron-like gut falling lower than his crotch and a belly button that looked deeper than any Joel had ever seen. He couldn’t imagine the audacity and lack of pride Danny had to come to the door looking like he had.

“No shit!” Danny scoffed, gazing a little down at his old friend, standing there on the porch. “I remember you,” he chuckled, as if he had lived an entire lifetime since their old college days. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Joel replied, caught, almost speechless, at the sight of the monstrously large man Danny had become. Easily surpassing five hundred pounds, Danny loomed large and wide, yet his shoulders appeared strong and masculine, but for the sagging nipples that dripped from his broad chest.

Suddenly, Danny became more interested and his nose twitched, sniffing at the scent he was picking up from Joel. “Who have you brought with you?” he demanded; seemingly excited. He stepped out of the house and gazed into the street, just as Joel’s car alarm burst into life; Harry inside, tearing at Joel’s backpack in the hope of finding more snacks.

Sighing, Joel unlocked the car with a click and Harry immediately climbed out. Amazingly, Danny was charging across the street to meet him; the fat wobbling and the skin folds on his enormous back on show for all to see. He embraced Harry with a genuine delight that he hadn’t shown Joel, guiding him into the house eagerly.

“So, what’s happening to him then?” Joel asked a short while later, once Danny had set Harry up with a large stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that he was already making fast progress with. The whole house was a mess and the kitchen dirtier still. Joel couldn’t imagine accepting any food that came out of it, but Harry didn’t seem to even notice.

“The curse,” Danny chuckled, watching Harry gorging from across the room, like a proud father. “I’m guessing Harry cheated on someone, just like I did. Then, snap! The curse activates… But I’m sure you already worked that out.”

“It’s true then,” Joel sighed, losing all hope of this being one large and unfortunate coincidence.

“Of course it is!” Danny chuckled, unable to tear his eyes away from Harry as he attacked the stack of sandwiches with nothing but pure gluttony. His eyes seemed to sparkle with delight, or worse, nostalgia.

“Is this how it happened to you?” Joel asked, setting aside his own guilt for abandoning Danny all those years ago.

“Pretty much!” Danny nodded, smirking as Harry seemed to speed up with his eating. “The food’s not even important. The curse is what is making him fat, not the calories. But it’s still fun to watch, eh?” he smiled, nodding briefly at Joel.

“How do we stop it?” Joel asked with a little impatience.

“You don’t,” Danny replied, suddenly short-tempered. “I came here, trying to find the old lady who did this. She let me stay here; said she needed a good, strong fat boy to look after her garden whilst she’s away. That’s how I ended up staying here. She grows things in the garden; special things that draw power from the soli; something can only be found in this area.” He looked at Joel, sensing his disbelief. “I don’t know how it works. “I just do as I’m told. I live here, rent-free, and have a little security guard job that keeps me in food,” he grinned, patting the monstrous tank of belly fat he had amassed. “She’ll be so pleased when I tell her Harry has shown up here at long last as well.”

“He’s not staying here,” Joel stated with absolute conviction, realising that Danny had altered beyond anything he recognised now. He was no friend; not any more. “He’s not going to end up like you have. I’ll make sure of that.”

Danny simply smirked at Joel’s challenge and called over to Harry as he watched the man snaffle the last of the bread. “Did you enjoy that?” he teased patronisingly, as if speaking to a child. He raised himself slowly and Joel tried hard not to look at the enormous ass on the man; each glute pumped full of fat, yet remaining strong and capable. “I’ve left out another little treat for you,” he went on, heading to the pantry and returning with a large carton of ice cream. He handed it to Harry, and chose to sit next to him now, deliberately goading Joel as he slipped his fat arm over his old friend, as if claiming him for his own. “You get that down you. You’ll feel better then… I promise.”

As much as Joel had wanted them both to leave, he knew his best hope of getting in touch with the old lady who had created the curse was to hang around and pick from what he could in the house. He’d pretended to need the bathroom, knowing he wouldn’t be missed downstairs, then slowly went on the hunt for anything that might help him. He wouldn’t be missed downstairs, given how infatuated the enormous Danny seemed to be with watching Harry eat.

There were three bedrooms in the house. Danny’s one was obvious straight away. His bed had become a giant pit, sinking in the middle and smelling of stale sweat. Empty snack wrappers and cartons filled the space in much the same way they had the last time Joel had gone in his dorm room and it was obvious, by the simplest of glances, that this was the room of a very obese man. Joel had hoped to find something in the other rooms, but they were nothing but dusty, soulless spaces, devoid of anything interesting whatsoever. Still he tried, lifting the mattresses and searching behind the wardrobes for anything that might help him track down the old lady who had once lived here; something he knew Danny would never help him do.

“That’s it, Piggy!” Danny cried from downstairs, accompanied by loud, deep moans from Harry. “Get every last drop down!”

Joel raced down, wondering what on earth Danny was inflicting upon Harry and kicking himself for having left him alone in the first place. He arrived in the living room just as Harry ejaculated all over his now naked body. His dick was very firmly in Danny’s fist, even as the fat man held a giant gallon bottle of milk over his open mouth. “What are you doing?” Joel demanded. “Leave him alone!”

Danny smiled at Harry, then leant in for a kiss, which Harry gladly accepted and returned; their tongues fusing together as Joel could only watch on. Then, rising to his feet, Danny’s smile faded and he looked grim-faced at Joel. All of a sudden, Joel felt himself being grabbed by his t-shirt and pushed back over the sweaty sofa; his chin held by Danny’s arm and the rest of him pinned against the enormous man’s mass. At that moment, Danny’s part time job as a security guard seemed to make perfect sense. Joel hadn’t even seen it coming and he squirmed, finding it hard to catch his breath.

“You’re killing my mood,” Danny growled at him. “All I’m doing is playing with the pig.”

“Harry… Harry,” Joel gasped, trying to look up at his friend, only inches away from him; sitting on the sofa where he had been laid out flat by the gigantic fat man. “Get him off me!”

Danny chuckled, looking across at Harry himself. “Keep eating, Fat Boy!” he teased. “Grow nice and fat for me!”

To Joel’s astonishment, Harry did exactly as he was told, picking up more of the food Danny had brought in and feeding himself without a single concern about Joel’s ongoing attack.

“He’s mine now!” Danny declared. “But thank you for bringing him to me. You can go home now.”

Harry!” Joel tried one last time; practically begging for him to get up off his ass and get Danny away from him. “Please!”

“You think you’re so much better than us, don’t you?” Danny growled. “But there were three little piggies who were cursed that night, remember…”

Seeing that Harry was not coming to his aid, Joel stared hard into Danny’s eyes; his gaze stern and defiant. “I’m nothing like you!” he growled with all the energy he had left in him.

Danny seemed to lower his face down to him and Joel tried to shrink away as he felt the disgusting guy’s hot breath on his face. “Here piggy, piggy, piggy!” Danny whispered in an almost inaudible tone.

Joel felt like he was about to pass out. The room seemed to go dark and he had the strangest feeling of suddenly being outside of his own body. Someone, somewhere, had started oinking like a pig.

When the room came back into focus again, Danny was stood again, with a naked Harry and his stout little belly standing by his side. They were both laughing, very clearly, at him; as if he had just done something he wasn’t even aware of.

Joel rubbed his face and rose properly to his feet, surprised by how dizzy he felt. He grabbed at Harry’s newly bought clothes, empty and discarded on the floor and held them out to him. “Harry, get dressed!” he demanded, feeling physically afraid to stay here any longer. “Come with me now.”

The two men were laughing at him still; as if every word that came out of his mouth was gibberish.

“I mean it, Harry! We have to leave!”

Finally, with no other idea of what to do, Joel threw the clothes down and headed straight for the door. He didn’t look back as his car engine roared into life. He’d done it again; taken the easy option, just as he had eight years earlier. And in doing so, he’d just kissed any hope of saving Harry goodbye.

Joel’s experience played on his mind for months. He felt irritable and impatient with people. He now knew for certain that a curse lived within him, like a parasite waiting for the order to eat him up from the inside. There was no one in the entire world who could know what it was like to live like that; there was no one who would believe him if he tried to explain it. Joel had never really considered marriage and starting a family, but now he felt like those options no longer existed for him anyway. Why open up to someone properly when the temptation to cheat could have such disastrous consequences? Why start a family when his whole life could suddenly fall apart, like Harry’s had?

Going back to his old life was never going to work, and Joel knew it. He needed a fresh start; to get away and make new experiences for himself. Working for a global company, there were occasionally opportunities for someone to make a big leap, just like Joel needed now. When the Gold Coast position came up, it felt like it was meant to be. Joel could easily see himself living in Australia. He’d always been a keen surfer and the lifestyle out there seemed to match entirely with his personality. As such, he didn’t waste any time in submitting an application; already starting to plan his big move.

“May the best candidate win!” Sarah smiled as she passed Joel in the corridor. “I hear you’re going for the transfer too?”

Joel raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew that other people had the option to try out for the new job, but he hadn’t heard anyone else expressing an interest. If he was honest, he wouldn’t have minded all that much if someone else did go for it, but not Sarah. She had one of those formidable personalities: smart, alert and highly capable. She seemed to give off exactly the sort of energy and ethos the company liked best; it was clear to anyone who met her that she was climbing the ranks at rapid speed.

“How come you want to transfer to the Gold Coast?” Joel asked, trying not to let his longing for the job shine through. “I thought you’d want to be heading your way to head office and really start making a name for yourself?” he tried, hoping his words might make Sarah rethink.

“Oh, absolutely!” Sarah nodded. “But this job will be amazing for me, at least for a few months, don’t you think? Just imagine the experience I’ll get!” she beamed.

Joel bit his tongue. Sarah was willing to ruin this opportunity for him just to boost her CV. He could tell that she already knew she had the job, and why wouldn’t she? Everyone seemed to think the sun shone out of her ass. But she didn’t know how much Joel needed this move, and he doubted very much that an ambitious girl like her would even care if he ever tried to explain it to her.

It wasn’t Joel’s finest moment, but as he saw Sarah’s application form sitting there on their line-manager’s desk whilst she was out to lunch, he did the only thing he felt he could do to take back some sort of control in his life. Sifting through the papers, he took out the optional personal statement where Sarah always seemed to excel. He read it through, shaking his head. He’d spent hours trying to sell himself on his application, yet Sarah’s words were all so much better than his. Hell, if he was choosing, there’s no way he would give the job to anyone else after reading this. It was instinct: scrunching the personal statement into a ball and quickly scurrying out of the office, knowing that he had definitely given himself a much better chance: a last hope. There would be plenty more opportunities for the likes of Sarah. But, right now, Joel had to put himself first. He deserved this after all he had been through recently.

It was the Friday of that week when it happened. The clock ticked to midday and Joel suddenly felt an almighty, thunderous slap on his butt. He was sitting down at his desk at the time and he jumped up shouting a loud expletive. Everyone looked up at him from their computers, some scowling and sheltering their phones to protect customers from hearing any more unprofessional workplace language.

Joel didn’t care. He rubbed his ass, wondering what the fuck had hit him like a sharp, stinging cane travelling at a hundred miles an hour. Had no one else heard the loud SNAP as it had connected with him?

He sat back down, still grumbling as the busy office continued on regardless.

“Are you all right?” asked one of Joel’s colleagues. “You were in the bathroom for like, half an hour.”

Joel shook his head. “Was I?” he asked, squinting to see the time on his computer. It was almost the end of the day and he was nowhere near done with everything he needed to do. He rubbed his forehead, feeling how sweaty and warm he felt. “Have they turned the heat up or something?”

Surveying him from a distance, Joel’s colleague felt confident in her diagnosis. “I think you’re coming down with something,” she declared, before insisting that he went home a little early.

Although Joel remembered agreeing to leave work, it was gone eight in the evening before he found himself finally getting into his apartment. He felt so hungry, deciding that he was going to grab something and then head straight to bed in order to shake off whatever this strange funk was.

Joel was woken by a knock at his door. He looked around, seeing he’d drifted off on his couch and he slowly got himself up. He brushed his hand through his hair, still feeling that he had a temperature. He almost forgot what he was getting up for, until he heard the knock again; louder and more impatient.

“Hey there!” smiled Freya, leaning seductively against the doorframe. “Did I interrupt a workout?” she teased, seeming to appreciate the sweaty sheen on him and the way Joel’s t-shirt was clinging to his toned chest.

Joel knew what Freya wanted. She only ever came round when she was bored and horny. Then, most of the time, being the gentleman that he was, joel would sort her out and have some fun along the way. As occasional fuck-buddies went, Freya was a smoking hot choice. Her hand slipped onto his shoulders and they began smooching right there on the doorstep.

Freya must have peeked during their kiss, for she pulled out of the kiss suddenly. “Jeez, Joel! Your apartment is a mess!” she laughed. “I’ve never seen it like this!”

Joel knew he hadn’t hoovered since last weekend and he shrugged, not wanting to turn around and look when he was holding Freya’s beautiful hips in his hands. “Shall we go straight to the bedroom then?” he asked.

Freya smiled back at him, glad that their foreplay time was getting shorter and shorter these days. They both had an itch to scratch, so why waste time?

Twenty minutes later, Joel had never felt more embarrassed in his life as he came out of his bedroom, trying to convince Freya to stay a little longer. He’d never had these issues before. He was young, fit and very accomplished in the bedroom. These sorts of things didn’t happen to guys like him.

Freya didn’t seem to have any patience and actually seemed deeply offended. No matter what she had done, where she had put Joel’s dick, or how much effort she put in, Joel just wasn’t getting hard with her. “Maybe we could try again tomorrow?” Joel asked, keen not to lose his occasional bed companion, or for her to spread the word that he hadn’t been able to get it up. But Freya was not stopping for a chat. She’d made her frustration quite plain in the bedroom and, within a moment, Joel found himself alone, looking down at his dick, wondering what the hell had just happened. Whatever lurgy he was suffering from today, he wasn’t feeling at all himself.

“Joel? Where are you, buddy? It’s gone 9am.”

Joel shook his head and tried to make sense of why his boss was calling him. He looked across at the clock on the wall. It was twenty past nine, but he had no idea whether that was morning or night. It certainly couldn’t be Monday morning, surely?

Sensing his grogginess, Joel’s boss blundered on, filling the silent void where Joel was still trying to think of what to say. “Angela said you looked like you were coming down with the flu on Friday before you left? I’m guessing you haven’t had much of a weekend?”

“No,” Joel replied, rubbing his sweaty face, finally ready to believe that he was actually late for work. “I’ve been pretty spaced out. I don’t know what’s wrong. It’s like some sort of fever. I didn’t even realise it was Monday already.”

“Joel, it’s absolutely fine,” his boss replied; her voice full of understanding and concern. “Five years you’ve worked here and never taken a sick day. I was starting to think you were super-human or something. Please look after yourself, go see a doctor and give me a call when you think you’ll be ready to come back in.”

“Thanks,” Joel mumbled, already losing track of what his boss was saying: too much information all in one go.

“When you come back, I’ll want to talk to you about your application for the transfer too,” she went on. “You were by far the strongest candidate with your personal statement. Even Sarah failed to sell herself on her application form. I’ll be sorry to see you go.”

“You mean, I got it?” Joel asked, suddenly brought back to life by the news.

“We’ll talk about it when you’re feeling better,” his boss chuckled. “But, yes. Well done, Joel. You did it!”

After putting the phone down, Joel felt a burst of energy and clarity that he hadn’t experienced in some time. He’d got the job! Even Sarah hadn’t been able to outdo him this time!

But then Joel’s smile faded. He began to think back to the week before, when he had slipped out part of Sarah’s application and kept it. He’d got the job by cheating; he knew that. And if no one had noticed before the midday deadline last Friday, her application would have been seriously weakened. But, he’d cheated, Joel’s mind kept on reminding him, and Sarah had suffered for it. He remembered the weird thwack he’d felt on his butt that lunchtime, bringing back that awful memory of the night he, Harry and Danny had been caught in the old lady’s garden, back in college. That was the last time he’d experienced pain like that before. He’d cheated, his mind repeated. Like a selfish pig.

Joel felt his heart sink like an anchor plunging into icy seawater; yet it began beating faster than he had ever felt it before. He shifted from this way to that, not knowing where to go. He eventually found himself in the bathroom, feeling the sudden urge to pour cold water over his face to try and keep his mind focused. It was the first time he’d noticed that he was still naked after getting frisky with Freya. Had that been Friday night? Saturday? Time had gotten away from him. Then, in the reflection, he saw it for the first time. The masking of his abs with a budding layer of fat. It had surreptiously built, thickening his waistline as Joel twisted to see if what he was actually seeing was true. He looked like he’d gained twenty pounds in a single weekend. “No, no, no, no!” he panicked, twisting further to see his small, tight buns also looking thicker and beefier. Then he pushed his face into the mirror, observing the start of a small chin under his handsome jawline. “No! Fuck!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. It was all so unfair! This was all happening because of fucking Sarah? Where the fuck was the justice in that?

Joel needed to do something. He could explain! He probably still had Sarah’s personal statement scrunched up in his pocket somewhere. He could take it to his boss and confess to what he had done. It didn’t have to be too late!

But just as soon as this thought came to him, Joel suddenly felt a sharp pain attacking his stomach. With his fingers, he gripped the edges of the sink and lowered his head, growling with discomfort. It almost seemed like his insides were being rearranged, his stomach tying itself in knots. Joel tried to push against the unpleasantness, to squeeze it back from wherever it came from. But there was a feeling, like something trying to creep its way up his throat. He opened his eyes and looked at his reflection in the mirror to see what it was as he couldn’t hold onto it anymore. “Oink, oink!” he heard himself snort. The feeling of relief was instantaneous. “Oink, oink!” he cried again, not fighting the urge this time; the pressure in his stomach decreasing dramatically.

Within a few more seconds, the episode seemed to be over. He gazed at his body once more, surprised to see that his little paunch had appeared to gain a few more pounds again. He was getting love handles, curving out to the sides! Yet, there it was: the erection that had so evaded him during his evening with Freya. Pumped full of blood, it tingled with wild sexual energy, like he had never felt before. His train of thought lost, Joel put his hand to it and fell even further.

Joel couldn’t remember going out for supplies, but he cringed as he saw how he had dressed himself. Having planned to go to the gym on Saturday morning, his tight shorts, fitted sleeveless t-shirt and trainers were the only things he had left out for himself. Now they all seemed to fit horrifyingly badly. In the last couple of days, his stomach had been swelling up, becoming like a small tire around his waist. He’d developed love handles like he’d never seen before, soft and doughy to the touch, whilst his belly button had seemed to deepen with each passing hour. He gazed in horror at himself, seeing how he had the appearance of a man who had no comprehension of how dreadful he looked; his fleshy stomach peeking out below his t-shirt, his underwear and shorts not quite large enough to cover his rear; a sweaty ass crack on display for all to see. Had he bumped into someone he knew as well? He couldn’t quite remember properly. All his memories seemed shrouded in a fog. He’d offended someone. There had been shouting. Now there was cake, or chocolate sauce, or something along those lines, all smeared around his face.

How long had it been since the curse had activated? All sense of time was lost and Joel seemed incapable of remaining level-headed for more than a few minutes at a time. He now understood why Harry had been behaving in the way that he had. He couldn’t imagine the mental effort it must have taken for him to recite his wedding vows after this had all started.

But what about Danny? How had he done it? He may not have been anything like the guy Joel remembered, but he didn’t seem to have the same difficulties with staying lucid. He even had a job! Was that because he wasn’t trying to fight it anymore?

As he thought, Joel suddenly realised his hand was in his pants, tugging at his dick; his other hand sliding across the fresh fat in his middle. He growled angrily in frustration that he barely seemed able to do anything for more than two minutes before he was gorging himself on something, or trying to pleasure his body in other ways. He needed to work past this stage and quickly. He needed his mind back and to end the mental exertion of fighting this.

“I’m giving into this curse. I surrender,” Joel told himself in the mirror, looking straight into his own eyes as if speaking to the curse within. “You win!” he told it. “I’m a…” he hesitated, finding it hard to say the word. “I’m a pig!”

Afterwards, Joel couldn’t remember a thing. He seemed to have skipped days and days. He looked at his body, all bloated with pounds and pounds of even more fat. He’d developed a gut, fleshier nipples and a rounded double chin. His ass appeared to have doubled in width; his thighs fleshy but strong. There wouldn’t be a thing in his whole apartment that would conver his body now and yet, there were larger pants and t-shirts waiting in parcels that he didn’t remember ordering.

Joel pinched and grabbed at the flesh, feeling his hardness throbbing as he did so. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he didn’t need to worry about work anymore and there was a nagging feeling that he would have to leave his apartment soon. Had something happened? He chuckled at the vague memories that passed through his mind. He would need to find somewhere else to go…

“Well, well, well!” Danny sniggered as Joel let himself into the house near their old college campus. “What have we here?” he chirped, standing up and admiring the changed form of Joel.

It had taken so much training for Joel to handle the long journey up here, but he’d managed it at long last. His mind had needed sharpening, his attention span building up once more. He’d spent hours choosing to be on all fours, gorging himself in order to support the transition. He had stuffed himself beyond feeling full and masturbated more times than he ever had as a teenager. But it had all been for the best. He felt, for the most part, alert once again; remembering most, if not all, of his days. He matched Danny’s stare and held it confidently, letting the guy know that he wasn’t about to be pushed around by him again. He grinned, snorting like a pig and then watched as Danny lost a little of his own composure, leaning forwards slightly and echoing the sounds, whether he meant to or not.

“Where’s the othe pig?” Joel asked; his dick hard and excited to see the transformation. Already he was kicking off his shoes and removing his shirt, letting Danny know that he was here to stay.

“Upstairs, sleeping,” Danny reluctantly replied. “He’s still pushing against it. At least, some part of him is,” he explained. “Jeez! Fuck, Joel! You got fat!” he then suddenly excliamed, seeing Joel’s enormous gut and sounding rather jealous.

“I triggered the curse three months ago,” Joel smirked, tapping his large gut and enjoying the wobble of the softest underside of it.

“Like fuck you only triggered the curse three months ago,” Danny shot back. “Bullshit! Even Harry isn’t as big as you yet.”

“Well that will need to change, won’t it?” Joel laughed with pride. “That old lady had cursed three fat pigs; not two. He’s going to have to catch up now I’m back here. He can’t keep fighting against this forever.”

Joel deliberately sat himself down in Danny’s chair, resting his large butt and sighing in appreciation of being off his feet. Danny, the former quarterback may have been the biggest now, but he wouldn’t always hold that title; Joel knew that with absolute certainty.

“What do you think you can do to get Harry fattening faster than I have?” Danny grunted, seeming put out by the insinuation that he hadn’t been doing a good enough job with their mutual friend.

“You’ll soon see,” Joel smiled, rubbing his large gut and feeling it expand with the confidence he felt in embracing his new personality. What a life this would be; living here, rent-free, with two other fat guys. He jiggled his gut to catch Danny’s attention, knowing that he’d have sex on tap with both of the horny pigs that lived here. Then, just like that, the enormous man came striding over to rub and caress Joel’s gut, as if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Even with all his bravado, Danny was a slave to the fat, every bit as much as Joel was.

“Where’s good for pizza around here?” Joel asked. He put his sweaty feet up on the table knocking over everything that had been left on there. Then he spread his legs as Danny slipped his hands into Joel’s sweatpants and began tugging him off. “I’m absolutely starving!”

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gemini-sensei · 1 year ago

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Biggest Surprise | Cobra Kai x Chubby!Fem!Reader

Request: I was wondering if you could do any headcanons or maybe a blurb on Reader having a cryptic pregnancy? And she out of the blue goes into labor or has the baby/s?

CW: secret relationship, mentioned sneaking out, hospitals, cryptic/stealth pregnancy, labor pains, very brief discussion of miscarriage, surprise baby,

Reader was walking into the kitchen of her shared apartment to grab a snack on the afternoon her life changed forever. She greeted Moon as she walked past, both wearing pretty smiles. It was a regular day of the week as far as they were concerned, rather chill and uneventful so far.

Except when she opened the fridge, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She threw the door away to grab her stomach, making everything in the door rattle. It caught Moon's attention and she stood up.

"Are you okay?" she asked, walking over as Reader groaned in pain.

"I don't know," she mumbled.

The pain passed and Reader let out a heavy breath. She took a moment to calm down, but it was a little hard with Moon fussing over her. Whatever that pain was, it wasn't anything to get worked up over. So she shrugged her roommate off with a little smile and thanks, then grabbed the snack she'd initially come in there for.

Moon watched her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Reader nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was probably nothing."

They let it go and Reader went to her room, But about thirty minutes later, the same pain shot through her again. She was lying in bed, groaning as she withered on the sheets, texting Moon that it was happening again.

It didn't take long for Moon to get to her room but by the time she got to Reader, her roommate was halfway curled up on her side, holding her pudgy belly. She saw the tears in her eyes and the pained look on her face, making Moon feel horrible as she wanted nothing more than for her friend to be okay.

As she rubbed Reader's arm, trying to comfort her, she said, "We should go to the hospital."

"Yeah, probably," Reader groaned. The idea scared her, but what choice did they really have? "What could this be?"

"You could have a ruptured spleen or something," Moon suggested.

They waited for the pain to pass again before Moon helped Reader up and into her shoes. They walked down to Moon's car, where Reader got another shock of pain as soon as she sat down and started crying.

"Oh, God, Moon, please hurry!" she begged.

Moon helped buckle her in and rushed to the driver's side. She drove them to the hospital as fast as she possibly could without getting pulled over, though they got pretty lucky with green lights and little traffic. It was an agonizing ride for Reader as she dealt with the pain with loud groans; it was unlike anything she had ever felt before and it was hard not to scream.

When they arrived at the hospital, Reader hobbled up to the door until a nurse saw them coming in and brought over a wheelchair. Moon explained what was going on and they took Reader into a room quickly so they could figure out what was wrong with her. They took her vitals and asked her questions about her previous health and any sicknesses, and then they took her blood and promised to come back. It took a while and everything was up in the air until the doctor came in.

She introduced herself and smiled calmly, hoping to keep the air in the room as easy as possible. "I just have to ask you a few questions. When was the last time you were sexually active?"

Reader felt a little embarrassed as the topic came up. She glanced over at Moon, who had no idea of anything she'd been up to over the last year or so. She'd firmly told all of her friends that she wasn't interested in seeing anyone, but that really wasn't the case at all... However, she knew better than to lie to the doctor.

"A few weeks ago, why?" she asked. She couldn't have gotten an STI or anything like that. She didn't get hurt, at least that she could remember. So that left one final option. "Oh my god! Am I pregnant?"

The doctor maintained a calm demeanor. "Yes, yes you are. We were so shocked by the results, we had to run the tests two more times just to make sure."

Moon gasped softly, but didn't give any judgment or words about the secret Reader had been keeping. If anything, her dating life was the last thing on everyone's mind and Moon had her priorities in the right places. "Is the baby okay? I mean, Reader is in a lot of pain. Is she...?"

The doctor quickly shook her head. "No, no. Nothing like that. In fact, Reader... you're in labor. Those pains you're feeling are contractions, you're body preparing to deliver the baby."

"What? But that can't be right. I never even knew about it!" Reader cried out desperately. She was nowhere near ready to have a baby. She'd only just found out she was pregnant. She shook her head, crying harshly, and Moon tried to wipe away her tears. "This can't be happening! I can't have a baby!"

The doctor came over to comfort her as well, shushing her gently. She had a very maternal nature to her that helped ease Reader as her sobs turned into soft whimpers. "Hey, hey, I know this is scary. This is a lot for you to find out in just a few minutes, but you're going to be okay. My staff and I are going to take care of you two and you're going to be just fine, alright?"

Reader nodded, though she had a few questions about all of this. "How is this even possible?"

The doctor sighed. "It's fairly rare. It's called a cryptic pregnancy. Usually, very few or no symptoms present themselves and you're body doesn't change much. For the most part, some women will learn of the pregnancy halfway through. You're one of the ones that have made it to full term it seems."

They all fell silent as the information sank in. Then Moon asked, "So what now?"

"We'll, you're pretty close to giving birth. We're going to move you to the maternity ward before that happens and we're going to give you the rundown of what's going to happen," the doctor explained. "We're going to try and prepare you for this as much as we can before the baby comes."

"Okay," Reader said, laying her head back as she had to sit with the reality of the situation.

She was about to have a baby. A baby she didn't know about, a baby conceived months ago, a baby wasn't even slightly prepared for. She put a hand over her stomach, feeling nothing but soft, plush fat. It was hard to imagine there was a baby somewhere behind it, ready to be born nonetheless. And it scared the crap out of her. Where was she going to put a baby? How was she going to raise a baby? How was she going to tell the father?

Before she could think of any solutions, another wave of contractions rushed through her and she grit her teeth, groaning. She knew that the closer they got to each other, the closer her baby was to being born, and she was terrified. What was she going to do?

xxx

After being moved to the maternity ward, Reader was taken through some brief albeit helpful coaching. She listened to the doctor carefully and had Moon at her side the whole time. Though it was a startling and scary experience, Moon was optimistic throughout the whole situation. She held Reader's hand through contractions and promised that she was going to stay there with her for the whole thing. It made Reader feel ten times better.

When they were left alone, Moon finally asked, "Is there anyone you want me to call?"

She didn't ask who the father was. She didn't pry. She only asked if Reader wanted him there. It was so simple and sweet of her, and Reader appreciated it. If only it helped her figure out what to do.

"I don't know," she mumbled, thinking of her boyfriend. They'd been dating for almost a year, albeit in secret.

They hadn't wanted to make a big deal out of their relationship, thinking that if they started dating, it could meddle with their friend group. It was already hard enough with the whole backstory of Tory and Miguel and Sam and Robby thing always in the past. No one ever mentioned it, but they all knew it was there. What was the sense in making things harder? Then things just happened and she and her boyfriend liked being alone together, no one asking them dumb questions or getting in their way. It was easy, simple, lovely. So they snuck around and told some little white lies to see each other. No harm, no foul. Neither of them could have predicted where it would lead them.

Moon nodded in understanding. "Okay." She stood up and came to sit at Reader's side, showing her roommate her phone as her mood brightened. "Well, I started a list of things we're going to need. Obvious diapers and clothes and blankets and bottles-"

"Whoa, Moon, slow down," Reader said, looking between her and the long list she curated. "We don't even know what's going to happen. I mean, I haven't taken any prenatal meds or anything like that. I mean, what if the baby is sick or I'm not even allowed to keep them?"

"The hospital isn't going to take your baby from you, Reader," Moon told her, wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her shoulder. "And secondly, it isn't like you drink or do drugs, so I bet the baby is fine. And if they are sick, we can figure it out."

"We?"

"I told you, I'm here for you. For all of this, not just the birth."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to. That's what best friends are for."

It wasn't long after that when the doctor and nurses came in and Reader was being instructed to push. Moon held her hand through the whole process, telling her that she was doing a great job. The delivery didn't take very long either. Reader pushed all of four times before the little one slid out and the doctor caught them.

Moon was encouraging her and telling her how proud she was of her when the loud wail of a baby broke the air. Both young women looked up to see the doctor holding up the messy infant with happy eyes.

"It's a boy."

"He's so little," Reader said as her baby was laid on her chest. She smiled at him, through the tears and sweat that poured down her face. Overcome with pride and love, she cried. "Hi there."

He nestled up to her, wailing and fussy. They were given a minute before a nurse scooped him up to be cleaned and evaluated. Reader watched from her position on the bed, her smile never leaving her face. Suddenly, her whole world had changed and it was all because of that little boy, whom she loved so much.

Once he was declared healthy, things moved quickly after that. Reader was cleaned up and checked on, her baby boy was dressed and given a bassinet to rest in, and things calmed down after that. Moon and Reader talked for a little bit about what to do and how they were going to do things, but as soon as Reader yawned, Moon told her that they would pick up the conversation later. Before she fell asleep, though, Reader asked Moon to tell their friends to come by the next day. She wanted them all to meet her son. Moon told her she'd let them know and with that, Reader fell asleep.

xxx

The following day, when everyone showed up at the hospital, they were a little confused as to where they were going and why they were there. Moon hadn't been very specific in the details, as she'd been almost as tired as Reader when she'd sent the text to the group chat, so everyone arrived a little worried.

They were chatting in the waiting, trying to figure out what they were doing there and what was going on. Yasmine had texted Moon that they were there, all having shown up within minutes of each other because as soon as visiting hours started, they were all pretty much there. Moon came out to get them and she was smiling wide.

"Oh, you all made it. Reader is going to be so happy to see you," she said.

Miguel asked, rather concerned. "Is she okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, you all you said was that Reader was in the hospital and wanted to see us," Sam said, just as worried. "Then we all texted you and you never texted back."

Moon got a guilty and apologetic look on her face. "Oops. I'm sorry. So much has happened. We've pretty much been here since yesterday afternoon and last night I fell asleep. My bad."

"Reader isn't dying, is she?" Robby asked.

"What? No, nothing like that," Moon said, shaking her head. She waved for them to follow her and she started walking. "Just follow me. It's something you kind of have to see to believe."

They walked down a few halls and as they approached the room, Moon slowed down and put a finger to her lips. "Shh. You have to be quiet when you walk in. I'm looking at you, Hawk."

"I can be quiet," he said defensively.

Moon playfully rolled her eyes as Sam elbowed him in the side, then she opened the door and led them inside. No one was ready for what they saw inside.

Reader was sitting on the bed with a small bundle wrapped up in her arms. She was smiling and talking softly, not noticing the group coming into the room at first. They were in a state of shock as they watched her, not at all believing what they were seeing until a tiny hand lifted from the blue blanket in her arms and reached for her. She reached back and let the little hand take hold of her finger.

"Oh my god," Yasmine let out.

Tory scoffed. "Well, that's the last thing I expected."

"What were you actually expecting?" Demetri asked.

"Stitches," she asked.

Reader looked up and smiled at her friends. "Hey."

Sam hurried over and stood at the end of the bed, as if to get a closer look but was scared to get too close. For as shocked as she was, she kept her voice calm and steady, not wanting to tighten the baby. "Reader, I didn't even know you were pregnant."

"Neither did I."

Everyone's jaws dropped at that.

"Are you serious?" Tory asked, walking over with Yasmine close behind.

The guys followed, too, but let the ladies go to Reader first, as they were obviously far more excited and ready to face the reality of the situation than they were.

Reader nodded to Tory. "Yeah. No symptoms, no changes. No indication at all. And yet, he's as healthy as can be."

She looked back down at her baby, who was looking up at her with big, pretty eyes. She couldn't help but think that he had his father's eyes, but she kept that thought to herself. They were beautiful and she loved them.

"It's a boy?" Yasmine asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Reader giggled.

The ladies - mostly Moon, Sam, and Yasmine - engaged Reader and talked about the baby, fussing over him and his mere existence. They talked a little about how it had happened and what was going to happen next, which was when Demetri and Miguel stepped in and asked the harder-hitting and logical questions - how was she going to pay for a baby? Where was he going to stay and sleep? Where was she going to get everything she needed for a baby? It was a lot to think about and they within good reason to be asking such questions.

Robby and Hawk stayed close to the wall, both a little awkward in the situation. Robby was a little uneasy around babies and though Hawk worked with young kids at the dojo, he had little experience with babies. They didn't say much but congratulated Reader.

When asked if anyone wanted to hold him, Yasmine and Sam got into a small argument over who should get to hold him first, failing to realize Moon had been the first person after Reader to get to hold him. Ultimately, the honor went to Miguel, who was just as eager to hold the little guy.

It was a night moment, all of them together, celebrating this new life. Reader was absolutely scared shitless but her friends assured her that she wasn't going to be alone in this. As far as they were concerned, the baby was one of them now. They were their own little family after all.

But her stomach still fluttered with butterflies as she looked out at the room, knowing she was going to have to face the father sooner rather than later. That was why she wanted this little meet and greet organized in the first place so that he would show up and meet his son. Reader wouldn't have to tell him one-on-one, even though she knew that perhaps that'd be the best way to do it. She was young and scared and in her mind, this was the easiest way to rip the bandaid off. She knew she'd be talking with him alone soon, but until that time came, she'd enjoy this moment.

Who's the father of Reader's baby? Let me know who you want it to be and I'll write a part two! Or if you want multiple endings and you just choose who you want it to be, I can do that too.

Choose: Hawk | Miguel | Robby | Demetri

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chrisevansonly · 1 year ago

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Violet and Nana (harry’s angel au)

pairing: harry styles x female reader ft. anne and violet

summary: it’s time for Anne to meet baby Violet, but what Nana will soon find out, is the surprise Angel and Harry have for her, when it comes to her middle name…

warnings: none, very fluffy and sweet

a/n: i wanted to write a little moment about anne meeting violet, so i hope you guys enjoy 🥹

Compared to a mere 2 hours ago the room was silent, long gone was the encouragement from your doctor and nurses as you worked hard to bring your baby girl into the world. Now the hospital room was quiet, the sound of Harry’s voice as he spoke on the phone with his mother and sister replaced the once was urgency with the welcomed softness of silence. Resting peacefully on your chest was 2 hour old baby Violet Anne Styles, head full of brown hair which would only gain H’s curls as she got older. She had her daddy’s eyes, something you loved so much about her already.

Harry was enamoured with her, one look at her and he knew she had him wrapped around her tiny finger, Violet was the apple of H’s eye, he finally had his baby girl with him, and he had you to thank for it. Although she’d arrived a few hours ago, you were adamant on inviting Anne and Gemma to see you three, Harry was the one that held some reservation, wanting you to rest and take everything in. After a few rough weeks with your parents, things had somewhat crumbled slightly and all you wanted was Anne there; you needed your mum, and Anne would always step up and take that place if you asked her too.

“Mum should be here in about ten minutes, Gem will be here a bit after her, you sure you’re not too tired?”

shaking your head you smiled, a hand ever so gently rubbing Violets back as she slept

“I promise H, I want to see mum…”

Harry could see in your eyes you were holding back some emotion obviously about your parents, having going through a long labour he was not about to force you to overexert yourself or cause you additional hurt when he didn’t have too

“She’s excited to see you, can’t wait till she hears bee’s name…she’s gonna be so happy”

“I’m happy we could include her in someway, she’s so special not only to you but to me as well…it wouldn’t have been right not too”

Smiling he leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead, admiring his two girls who looked more than content to be cuddled up with one another, this memory would be worth everything to Harry, and always would be.

You’d just put Violet down in the small bassinet beside the bed, which let you sit up against the pillows more, allowing yourself a good stretch, when a knock at the door was heard. Harry smiled leaving a kiss to your temple before going over to open it, Anne bringing him in for a hug straight away

“Oh how are you doing H? Everything alright? How’s my girl?”

Harry smiled

“I’m doing good mum, your girl is doing well too, think she’s waiting for you”

The second Anne looked in your direction it was tears from the both of you

“My darling”

She came over to wrap her arms around you gently, whispering sweet words into your ear, almost as if knowing you needed a little extra love

“Hi mum”

“How’re you feeling?”

Pulling back she smiled quickly swiping some of the runaway tears off your cheek

“Tired and a bit sore, but so so happy mum…she’s perfect, looks just like H”

The minute Anne saw Violet she let out a soft gasp, her hands holding yours tightly

“Oh isn’t she just the sweetest thing…”

“H, will you help your mom get settled with her?”

You felt a bit helpless knowing you couldn’t really offer the help you wanted, but Harry was quick to do whatever he could for you, never batting an eyelash to any request or question. He gently picked Violet up, letting his mum get settled into the rocking chair they’d placed beside your bed, a smile on her face as Harry handed Violet over to her.

“Sweet little girl…you’re so tiny aren’t you..?”

You laughed quietly

“Yeah she’s a teeny thing isn’t she?”

Harry sat down on the bed with you, his hand finding yours as you both watched Violet and Anne get acquainted with one another.

“So I do have to ask…does this little petal have a name yet?”

“She does…”

Anne looked at you as you squeezed Harry’s hand

“Her name is Violet Anne Styles…”

Harry could notice the tears in his mothers eyes almost instantly as she carefully used one hand to wipe them away, while still holding onto Violet carefully

“We knew, well I knew right away I wanted her to carry a piece of you everywhere she went, you’ve not just been Harry and Gem’s mum, you’ve also been a mum to me as well…you’re so special to us, it just felt right..”

Anne shook her head tearfully, Harry getting up to hug her and press a kiss to her cheek, seeing as you couldn’t move much

“I’m so honoured…really y/n you’ve made Harry and this family so happy…to be apart of my first grandchild’s name means so much to me…she’s got the best mummy in the world.”

You smiled, your heart filling with nothing but warmth which is what you were begging for in this moment, never failing to feel better amongst your husband and his family. Harry then leaned down, pressing a kiss to your lips, a soft smile on his face

“I love you.”

Three words that meant everything to you, that held so many emotions, stories and memories, those three worlds that in this moment, felt even more special, like they held more meaning. Watching Anne rock back and forth with Violet as she slept soundly, seeing Harry step into the role of becoming a dad, this was where you were meant to be.

You’d found your family and you’d found your home, one that would always be with Harry and now little Violet.

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chronicbeans · 2 years ago

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Welcome Home Fae AU x Human Reader (Prologue? Concept?)

While trying to figure out what type of fae folk the other neighbors would be, I kinda came up with this idea if how an x Reader fic might start out. It only really has Wally and the Reader interact, since he is the only fae character I have made, and Eddie is stuck in the Fairy Realm. I just wanted to write it down before I lost it in all my other thoughts. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated! OwO

TW: Small Mention of Threatened Harm

You watch your father cradle the small baby in his arms, which, in all the years that it has spent in your family, has never grown at all. How many years has it been? Fifteen? Twenty? It doesn't matter exactly. It disturbs and saddens you that this baby, who was acquired before you were even born, has not grown an inch, while you are now an adult.

Your father sighs, rocking in his rocking chair. His hair is a mess and his shirt covered in dirt. "It will be okay, little fella," he says, letting the small babe in his arms grab onto his finger "the wet nurse should be here, soon. Mom may have left, but we can still feed you once the nurse arrives. Isn't that right, (Y/N)?" You weakly smile, nodding "Yeah. She should be here in a couple of minutes. Let me light some candles to warm you up, Liam. I know you don't like fire, so the candles will be a bit better than the fireplace." You hurry over, lighting a few candles as your father mutters a soft "Thank you, sweetie. That would be lovely."

Once you return with the candles, you set them down on the table near your father's rocking chair. He hums, seemingly trying to soothe the now crying baby in his arms. Then, he looks over to you as he asks "Did I ever tell you why I never leave Liam alone?" You nod in response "People want to hurt him, right? They want to hurt him because he never grows." "Yes... but there is more. You see-" the front door to your little cottage resounds as the nurse knocks on it. "I will tell you later. Would you be a dear and go pick some berries from the forest? Some mushrooms, too. I will make us some dinner to eat while we talk."

With that, you take your daily stroll through the woods. Your cartage is close to Faeshire, but not so close as to be able to see the village. There is no path to and from the village from your cottage, either. Your father explained it as a way to protect Liam from the people who wish to hurt him. He even said that it was why he left his mother. She wanted to hurt him, too. The only situation you have heard about that is similar to Liam's is... well, fae folk got involved somehow and messed things up. Despite this, it is clear that your father loves Liam very much, despite his oddities. Who wouldn't? Liam is so sweet and has done nothing wrong...

You are so lost in though, you didn't realize that you were also physically lost in the woods. You look left and right, unable to spot your cottage or Faeshire. You do, however, see a berry bush nearby, deciding that you might as well check them out. They... LOOK edible, but you have never seen them before. Neither have you seen the oddly colored mushroom ring a few feet from the bush, or the singular apple tree a few feet further. Stepping closer the the strange ring, you instantly recognize it as a fairy ring. Blues, reds, yellows and even purples and greens all dust the mushroom tops. You stand a few feet away from the fairy ring, knowing full well that it acts as a transport to the Fairy Realm.

A rustle in the apple tree catches your attention. You look up, expecting to see a squirrel getting ready for winter. It is late autumn, after all. Instead, you see a pair of dark eyes peering through the leaves, as well as a few specks of yellow and blue peeking through. Letting out a yelp, you step back a few paces, causing a snicker to emit from whatever is in the tree. "Hello, human!" A monotone voice says, followed by a few more rustles as the creature climbs down the tree to a lower branch.

Within moments, you finally get to see what it is. A man... no... thing is sitting on a branch. Its yellow skin contrasts its blue hair, which has a few tree branches seemingly tangled or growing alongside it, neatly styled alongside the hair itself. The large, dark eyes stare you down as it grins, a set of pearly white teeth seeming out of place for this clearly inhuman creature. You point to it, your hand shaking as you ask "You are a fae, right? What are you" "Wally Darling, dear human! Do not be afraid. I'm a simple dryad. A kindly dryad. Much better than a pixie or a troll."

You relax slightly. Yes... The dryad are naturally kind, as long as you do not harm the trees. You haven't done so, so this dryad should be kind to you, right? Might as well shoot your shot and see if it can point you in the direction of home, or to Faeshire. Either one is good. "Okay... I am so sorry for asking, Wally, but... Can you help me home? I live in a cottage not far from Faeshire. I lost my way while searching for berries and mushrooms for my father. I am not asking for much more than a simple point of the finger towards either place." He leans back in the tree, resting his back against the bark of the trunk as his legs lie along a large branch. "Hmmm... That should be easy. Too easy. There is something else on your mind, I can tell. A little-big brother, perhaps?" Your eyes widen. How does he know?

He then chuckles as your expression, pointing to you "Here's a little deal for you, human! I know that you want help with his situation. I'll point you in the direction of your cottage, like you asked so kindly for. Once you get home, I'll give you... let's say three days to bring your little-big brother to me. After that, we shall make another deal that gives me something proper in return. The first two days should be spent getting both yourself and your brother prepared for the cold. Then, on the third, simply walk in a straight line through the woods, and I shall put you on course to this exact location. Got it?"

You stand as still as stone, staring up at him. This deal is a bad idea, you know for sure. Deals between humans and fae almost always go wrong. In fact, you are pretty sure they never go right for the human, which... well, you are the human in this deal. The sky is growing darker, though, and the cold is slowly seeping through your cloak to the very marrow of your bones. You didn't dress for the weather, due to only expecting to be out for an hour or so. Soon enough, when the sky goes pitch black with night, the air will freeze you as you wander blindly through the forest. Not only that, but this dryad seems determined to make a deal. Yes, the dryad's are naturally kind to good humans... but what if this one doesn't see you as kind? It may use whatever powers it has to make you even more lost if you don't agree.

"Okay... I agree." It grins, with a smile as wide and sly as a cheshire cat. "Good human. Now, let me see... Over there is the best path. It has the most edible berries and mushrooms, and will lead you straight to your cottage." It points somewhere behind you. As you take a few steps in the direction it pointed in, the dryad calls out "I'll be sure to keep you safe on your way." Then, you hear it scuttle back up its tree.

It was right, as within a mere minute, you have mysteriously arrived home, your basket full of berries and mushrooms and your father holding you tightly. "Never go missing like that again, (Y/N)! I was worried someone might have hurt you, or worse..." "Don't worry, dad. I was just a bit lost. On the bright side, I have brought us a lot of berries and mushrooms for dinner. I don't know what you would make with these... but whatever you make is fine."

You look down into your basket to count how many mushrooms you got, only to be surprised by an odd fruit in the basket. Picking it up, you see a nice, ripe, red delicious apple has somehow found its way into your basket.

#welcome home #welcome home arg #welcome home au #wally darling #wally darling x reader #fae au

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sinsandsweetness · 2 years ago

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Sultry (sex and zombies- chapter 5)

pairing- {Rick x fem!reader)

summary- Rick sneaks you away for some much needed alone time.

warnings- 18+ content. seriously. MDNI! smut, oral (reader receiving), squirting, overstimulation...

Fuck it was hot out.

And you would have loved nothing more than to run through a sprinkler or jump in a lake. It’s what you’d been fantasizing about all morning.

Along with a few other things involving the man working just ten feet beside you. You were on garden duty. Again. And the heat was almost intolerable. Though Daryl had found you an awesome, and rather vulgar, ball cap for when you were forced into manual labor in the blistering Georgia sun.

Rick didn’t seem to notice your obvious need to cool down. He wiped his brow with his forearm and glanced your way. Only making you redder from the blush on your cheeks.

But he caught you looking and had started to approach. It was just so much easier to focus on him than the carrots.

The way his sweat made his shirt cling to his body. The veins in his arms, so apparent as he raked or shovelled or did whatever the hell he was doing. And then that look he gave you. That look. Full of connotations and meaning. Telling you everything and nothing all at the same time. Almost a smirk but holding back. And maybe you were the only one who could see it.

“Why don’t you go inside and wash up,” he stood over you blocking the sun. You looked up at him. Secretly loving this angle.

He continued, “Daryl caught a deer earlier. Think supper should be ready soon.” He sort of half pointed in the direction of the courtyard. Where Carol and Daryl could be seen prepping the deer for cooking.

“Okay,” you nodded and stood to your feet. Rick stepped closer, looked around and when he decided that either no one was looking, or that he didn’t care who was, leaned in and whispered in your ear.

“I’ll uh… see you later right?”

Yes. Yes he would. Crawling into his bed and begging him to touch you all over. For weeks he’d been taking any chance he could to get you alone.

“Mhm,” you nod and avoid his tempting glare, making your way to the prison.

You took a cold shower and did everything in your power not to touch yourself. Saving that pent up need for later when you knew that Rick would take care of it. You ate the venison, carrots and potatoes. An actual meal. You’d been having lots of those lately. Daryl’s traps were working and the runs were successful. You sat in the courtyard that night and the heat from the fire was nothing compared to the heat of Ricks stare. He wouldn’t look anywhere else. Even as he rocked his baby to sleep, his gaze was fixed on you.

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

At night the prison was pretty quiet. Snoring sounds and giggles here and there were normal. But there really wasn’t much privacy in terms of noise. What was being done in one cell could often be heard in the ones next to it. Sometimes even further.

When you snuck into Rick's cell that night, he put a finger to your mouth, shushing you. He grabbed your hand and took you on a little field trip. It was in a different wing of the prison and you regretted not wearing real shoes instead of your flip flops.

“Rick where are we-”

“Shh” he pulled on your arm and tugged you even further away from the main cells. Finally taking some stairs and arriving at a room way on the other side of the prison. You weren’t even sure this wing of the prison was completely safe. At least you’d never have been a part of clearing it. But Rick would never risk your safety by bringing you here if it wasn’t.

“What do you think?” Rick raised an eyebrow at you when he finally came to a stop.

“W-what is this?” You asked him. Stepping into the room.

“The blueprints say that it's an employee break room. For the guards and nurses I'm assuming.”

It was set up similar to the cells. A bunk bed with two mattresses against the one wall. Except there was real paint on the walls and a writing desk under a window. Plus a small couch on the other side of the room. It felt much cozier than the cell blocks.

“I just thought you might like to escape once in a while. Somewhere that the others don’t know about.” Rick sat on the bed and looked up at you.

“It’s so much nicer than our rooms,” you marveled. Running your hand on the soft duvet. It was so much nicer than your room. And Rick’s. And anyone else’s. It smelled fresh and it was clear that he had cleaned it up just for you.

“I love it,” you smiled as you sat down right next to him.

“I thought you might,” his fingers grazed at your pj shorts. Pulling lightly on the fabric. His touch sent goosebumps down your legs.

It seemed innocent but you knew better.

“You’re getting so tanned,” he traced a pattern onto your thigh. You looked down at your bronzed skin against the white comforter. Watched him trace letters that your eyes couldn't decipher. Butterflies from his touch erupted in your belly.

“Cause you always got me cooking to death out there,” you shot back with a little grin. He smiled.

“You can have tomorrow off,” he offered.

Your eyes widened.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“If I'm not working my ass off tending to the carrots, then what on earth will I do all day?” You left your flip flops on the floor and shifted on the bed, falling back, and down onto the cool, cushiony duvet. Rick kicked his boots off and laid down next to you, propping himself up on an elbow.

“Maybe I’ll take the day off too. We can hangout.”

“Hangout?”

“Sure.” He brushed a strand of hair from your face. Looking at you so intently it made you blush.

“Like old times?” you teased. Referencing your friendship back at the farm. A friendship that from day one you hoped would blossom into something more.

“Something like that,” his voice was a low whisper and he leaned in to kiss you. Starting off as an innocent peck. Then when you kissed him back he took that as permission for more, and his hand went to the back of your neck, pulling you in even closer. Pressing his mouth onto yours and tracing your lips with his tongue. Almost immediately both of your hands found themselves grabbing any part of him accessible. He had one on your waist and your face, and yours were wrapped around his neck, and grasping his arms, pulling him on top of you.

He shifted and cemented a knee in between your legs. Practically grinding into you. The feeling of his denim clad thigh against your thin fabric shorts almost made you moan. To which Rick was able to slip his tongue in your mouth. Massaging your mouth with his own. When he added even more pressure between your legs you actually did moan. Quietly of course.

Rick leaned back and started to undo the buttons on his shirt. “You don’t have to be so quiet in here you know,”

You were used to suppressing your sounds. And honestly that was part of the reason you hadn’t gone too far yet. After he made you come with just two fingers, you didn’t know if you’d be able to take anymore. Not with other people around. As much as the thought of getting caught was somewhat exhilarating, you couldn’t fully relax. And he could feel that.

“Okay,” you pant. Already out of breath. Once Rick's shirt was off his body and on the floor, you reached for his belt but he stopped you.

“Just let me, alright?” He came back down and kissed you again, pausing only to strip you of your own shirt. The cool air made your nipples rise into little buds. He kissed his way down your neck and chest, nipping at the skin to make you gasp. Something he clearly seemed to enjoy.

Finally he made his way down to your shorts, kissing along the waist line and hooking his fingers under the band, he pulled them down gently. Leaving you in just a pair of panties.

“So wet for me already,” he placed a gentle kiss on the fabric covering your clit. You were. And he could see it.

He kept kissing the fabric, putting more or less pressure depending on the reaction he was getting.

“Rick please,” you raised up on your elbow in order to watch him better.

“Nuhuh. Lay back down.” He pushed a hand on your chest, shoving you back down.

He gently tugged at your panties and slid them off. Discarding them alongside the other pile of clothes on the floor. He nestled back in between your legs, propping them up on his shoulders. He blew cold air onto your pussy. Earning a gaspy little moan.

He kissed your inner thighs, nipping and teasing and paying attention to everything except what you needed. Not that you’d stop him. You whined his name.

“You want me to lick you sweetheart?” He whispered, placing another kiss on your sensitive skin.

“Uhuh” you nodded. Hands letting go of the grip they had on the duvet and moving to Rick's head, fingers lacing into his wavy locks.

“Tell me.” He kissed your clit again. More pressure this time.

“So bad. I want it so bad Rick, please,” you whined.

You couldn’t be bothered with the fact that you were begging him. You’d needed a release since well before this morning and his teasing was becoming an actual form of torture.

“Such a good girl, asking so nicely,” then he licked you. Fucking finally.

Your legs tightened around his head.

He flattened his tongue and gave your cunt no mercy. He licked and sucked and ate you as your moans filled the room. Unbothered at the noise this time.

Your hands in his hair pulled him even closer, so that his nose ground against your clit when he started to fuck you with his tongue. That earned him a sob.

He moaned against you and nothing felt as good as that. Knowing how much he enjoyed making you squirm.

He went to focus his attention on your clit and you felt two fingers tracing the wetness at your entrance. He pushed them in with ease and curled upward. Hitting exactly the spot that they needed to.

You cried out and Rick looked up at you. Fingers still curling upward but his mouth was no longer on you.

“You like that?”

You couldn’t even answer as his fingers continued to work. You were so close and his talking made it so much worse. Or better. A drawn-out moan was all you could offer.

“Tell me how much you like it when I touch you,”

“Fuck,” your breathing was heavy but you just wanted a tongue back on your clit. “I love it- I love it when you touch me-” you cried out again at the feeling of him sucking your clit. “When you -oh fuck. Rick I-I-” and your sentence trailed off into a cry. Your orgasm took over and you could feel your thighs starting to shake.

He didn’t stop the assault on your cunt. Despite your hands pushing him away, he continued. Still sucking at your clit and fucking you with his fingers just right. Almost immediately another orgasm hit you and your moans turned into screams. Fuck that felt good.

You pushed at his head and he stopped once he could tell that it was really too much. Leaning up on your elbows, your eyes widened. His face was soaked and so was the blanket beneath him.

“Oh my god,” You could feel the redness on your face “did I -”

He nodded. His pupils were dilated in a way that told you exactly how much he loved that. And while you may have been a little embarrassed about cumming like that, something you didn’t even know you could do, he obviously didn’t care. Actually, he liked it. He dipped his head back down and started to lick you again. Slowly and sensually.

“Rick I can’t it’s- ” you pushed at his head. “It’s too much,”

“I am not stopping until you do that again,” but he moved his assault over to your thigh. Kissing and biting. Giving you a minute to recover at least.

“I don’t think I can I didn't even kn- ”

“You will. Just relax.” He grabbed the back of your thighs and pushed them upwards, opening you up completely to him. Everything on display.

“So fucking pretty,” he whispered against your cunt.

He kept his promise and he didn’t let up until you came again, shaking and whimpering and begging him to stop.

He dressed you after, using the duvet to dry both of you off. Then he swapped it with the one on the top bunk and laid next to you, kissing down your neck.

“You alright?” He asked into your shoulder. You were spent. You’d never orgasmed like that before. Never that intense and never that many times in one sitting.

“Mhm” you started to move and pulled at his belt buckle, giving him those eyes you knew he couldn’t resist. Ready to return the favor no matter how tired you were.

But he shook his head and gently grabbed your wrist, halting your attempt at undressing him any further.

“We have all day tomorrow, remember?” he pulled the duvet up to cover you both, and pulled you against his body. And though you would have taken him then and there, sleeping in his arms was just as tempting.

#rick grimes fanfiction #rick grimes smut #rick grimes x y/n #twd #twd fanfiction #smut #twd x reader #rick grimes #sexandzombies #sinsandsweetness

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sepicriting · 1 year ago

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yandere selection poll

―for your most favorite yandere concepts to come.

notes: as a little thank-you for bringing the yandere twins intro to 200 notes and getting me to 30 followers, you get to vote on which yandere concept i should work on next from a list of ideas i've got brewing! the winner of this poll will guarantee an early release, but please do note that just because other concepts didn't win does not mean that they're no longer going to be published! some of these concepts aren't fully fleshed out either, and are subject to change whenever i find it necessary.

A Yandere Princess, whose every action and word is judged by all. She then meets you, darling reader, who looks past her status as a princess and doesn't bat an eye for any mistake she commits. She, who holds the weight of her people on her shoulders, is willing to drop and set aside everything for you.

A Yandere Milf who moves in next door with her children as a recently-widowed, single mother. To cope with her loss, she runs a small garden out front, causing her to frequently have brief interactions with you whenever you leave your home. Over time she takes a liking to you, finding little similarities that connect you to her husband, and she invites you for family dinners. And after numerous times spent with you, she concludes in her mind that you are not her husband, but definitely should be her lover.

A Yandere Nurse who feels a little perverted for the feelings he's beginning to harbor towards the hospital's most recent patient ― you. He constantly can't quite look you in the eye out of guilt for his unprofessional attitude and treatment. You notice that he's especially skittish whenever he tends to you, but you quickly come to realize that he's the only nurse who consistently comes when you call for someone. He hopes that by intentionally causing your sickness to worsen, you'd come to rely on him for a long time.

A Yandere Tattoo Artist who is quite promiscuous with everyone, showing off much of his skin until you decide to come to his shop. He can't trust himself to hold back from hitting on you, especially when you go under the pain of his needle. He keeps his excitement down whenever he sees your first session, and makes sure you somehow always bump into him when you go out. After all, he's wondering if you'll drop by his shop anytime soon.

Yandere Zombie Boyfriend whose dying wish was to spend forever with you and it became true, coming back from the dead to unintentionally scare you out of your wits when you mistake him for a burglar. While it was quite nice that he loves you beyond death, his inability to talk and his mobility need to be worked on again...

Yandere Trickster God who enjoys playing what he thinks are silly pranks on you, pranks that effectively destroy your day and perhaps ruin your life. You've always thought that you've had an unlucky streak, even if initially you didn't believe in superstitions. But really, every day seems to be going wrong in some capacity ― thunderstorms pour when you leave without an umbrella, your house keys mysteriously go missing when you arrive at your front door in the dead of night, your online deliveries never seem to arrive, etc. ― little inconveniences pile up to prevent you from enjoying something nice, essentially. It wasn't until you came across an abandoned shrine and prayed to whatever god is out there to give you a breather did the happenings stop, and an oddly charming, ethereal asshole comes into your life to physically cause your frustrations.

#sepicriting #sepiposting #yandere poll #yandere x reader #x reader #yandere x you #yandere x darling #yandere scenarios #yandere imagines #yandere post #yandere

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darkhymns-fic · 6 months ago

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A Show of Strength

When Seles challenges one of her brother's companions in the coliseum, she only has one goal in mind: To achieve victory and earn Zelos' respect.

But Colette, the current Champion of the coliseum, has a put a little dent in her plans. Why offer kindness during a fight?

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Seles Wilder, Tokunaga, Colette Brunel, Zelos Wilder (mentioned) Rating: G Word Count: 5866 Mirror: AO3 Notes: Finished up a fic I started last year for @unsungtalesweek! Initially came up with the idea because I did the Seles fight with Colette and it made me think of their unexplored dynamic.

Seles was already out of breath.

The lobbies were oddly cramped here, she noticed. Despite its size to house several waiting fighters for their chance at glory, there were too many of them, along with the weapons that took up spaces in the corners, and the beds on the right wall to hold the injured as they waited to be healed. The smell of polished metal and leather, the unsettling way the floor seemed to wobble at her feet, and the shouts of the crowd just outside those walls—it was…

Overwhelming.

“Ma’am? Are you well?”

Still, Seles felt the age-old frustration. She resented the pity she saw in the nurse’s eyes. Her gaze flicked to the blood-soaked bandages the woman held. “I think you should have more pressing matters to attend to. I’m perfectly fine.”

“I just wanted to check if you needed any aid—”

“I said ,” Seles spoke again, knowing how petulant she must have sounded. “Leave me alone.”

“It’s quite alright.” Tokunaga appeared from the side of the room, as if from thin air. He shooed away the nurse with a gloved hand. “I will see to her, thank you.”

Seles perhaps was a little ashamed at the relief she felt, like a child grateful that their parent intervened. Tokunaga wasted little time, already pulling out a chair from a hidden corner, brushing away dust and whatever debris that had been left over the years.

She took the opportunity to seat herself, keeping her gratitude silent. Tokunaga would know how she felt regardless. “Where have you been?” she asked instead.

“Perusing who’s fighting for the Champion title,” Tokunaga explained. He provided a handkerchief succinctly, Seles taking it to wipe away the cold sweat at her brow. “The last match is currently underway. It is one of the Chosen’s companions.”

She made sure to keep her face expressionless, though she knew such a thing to be useless. Tokunaga could read her like a beloved novel, perhaps already knowing how she went through all the faces of those companions in her head. From that witch from Mizuho, to that loud boy in red, to even the president of the Lezareno Company. Her brother had such an odd array of attendants helping him on the journey.

“So this all depends if they win.” She fiddled with the handle of her bag. “If only I had challenged my brother when he had been competing.”

But of course, she had been too fatigued, barely making it in time to watch his matches. And even then, she had been content to simply see him there, fighting skillfully with sword and shield. Of course he may have ruined the imagery of him being a skilled warrior whenever he opened his mouth to brag after every fight, she still wanted to see all that he did.

All that she had missed by being shut away in the Abbey.

But for these matches, she ensured she would arrive earlier, no matter who was taking place in the row of battles. I won’t let my weakness take over again.

“This will still be a good opportunity. Zelos will have no choice but to accept you, I am sure of it.” Tokunaga tried to appear complacent, but she could hear the tremble in his voice. “And if he somehow doesn’t, I will make him see reason.”

“Please don’t trouble yourself, Tokunaga. This is up to me now.” Still, she felt touched. Tokunaga had been one of the very few to not let her wallow alone in her feelings.

He had been the one to come up with this plan, after all.

Soon, the cheering within the coliseum got even louder, so much that it pierced through the stone walls of the lobby. It seemed that perhaps the battle was close to its end.

Her legs were no longer shaking, and she found it easier to breathe. She felt the Exsphere press against her cuff, its luster hidden away underneath her clothes. Its effects were finally working again…or maybe it was simply the chair that provided her a brief respite.

“I want to see it,” she said, making the effort to stand. Her footing was firm. “Show me.”

“Of course. Right this way.” Tokunaga knew how to be efficient when necessary. He lent her the crook of his elbow, and she took hold without comment. To others, it would look just as a lady holding onto the arm of a polite gentleman—and not the stability that she relied on just in case her health once again gave out.

Even so, she couldn’t afford that now.

Tokunaga led her to an alcove, a hidden door near to the side that was meant for the coliseum employees. Over here, there was also a small open window, showcasing the very center of the structure, along with a section of the crowd, their faces numerous and their waving arms like that of a multi-legged creature. It was only then she could finally understand their excitement.

The first thing Seles noticed was the brilliant light that flashed inside the coliseum. At first, she thought it belonged to the enemy, and it was a great thing indeed—a fierce dragon warrior that had been tamed just enough to battle inside Meltokio's walls, and to, maybe, halt its own killing blow. But anyone could very well trip into the end of its axe by mistake and split open their head.

It almost seemed like that girl might very well do so.

Seles had only met Colette once. Sylvarant's very own Chosen. She had said very little then, seeming to sink into the background as Zelos, in his constant smile, asked for his crystal. There wasn't much she could glean from that one meeting alone. Just another one of big brother's attendants, she had thought. Then, with even more ire, Or is she just one of his stupid floozies?

The girl hadn't shown off her wings, but now they were on display, uplifting her away from the swing of that weapon. And even when it seemed she would trip again in the very air, it seemed to be done in safety. A flash of pink, followed by white, and it seemed the very wrath of heaven rained down from above.

Quick, yet awe-inspiring. The great dragon fell on its backs, its own wings outstretched uselessly. Axe and shield dropped from its claws, while the girl—Colette—held onto her chakrams with a worried expression.

"Oh whoops! Did I hurt it too much?"

Seles thought she could hear the girl's name being shouted. The crowd? No. To the side of her somewhere within the lobby, she could see one boy in that garish red waving his arms from another window, cheering her on. All while Colette dusted away her dress, giving that same boy a cheerful wave back.

The air still hummed from the angelic arte. Seles could feel it on her skin, even in here, electric and terrifying. "So, this is the true power of the Chosen…" she heard Tokunaga whisper beside her. Perhaps he was reconsidering their mission. She gripped the handle of her bag tightly in both hands.

"Let's go. They'll be done congratulating her soon."

That seemed to shock some life back in her servant. His lips pressed into a thin line, then he gave a nod. He held out his hand. "I will lead you then."

But already, she reached for the door handle. The sunlight beamed down at her as she opened it to a wave of incredible sound and heat. “You told me before. I need to issue her the challenge myself.”

And if big brother will ever respect me, I need to finally prove myself to him.

Seles had always been so small, even as a child. The kind of smallness where even adults would have trouble seeing her until she was already at their feet. No matter her bright red hair, or even when she cried. Once, she had collapsed onto the stone stairs, breaking her nose, and it had taken nearly an hour for someone to find her.

In the Abbey, she was seen even less. The Papal Knights avoided staring at her when they could, their helmets turned to the side whenever she passed them. Other church members would barely speak with her, ensuring only that she would have food and clothing. For much of her days, Seles would simply sit outside to watch the ocean lap at the shore, a book in her hands to read through. She had re-read her books several times over, enough that their bindings began to fall apart.

It was why Zelos’ visits had meant so much to her. For at least, for a very brief time, someone was seeing her. Acknowledging her. Speaking to her. Only him and Tokunaga, and even those attendants of his, who gawked at her like she was up on display. But it was better than being flat-out ignored. Better than being forgotten completely.

Her boots trampled along the dirt of the coliseum, eyes set on her goal. The girl’s wings were like a beacon almost, beckoning her to move forward despite the rapid beating of her heart and her shortened breath from exertion.

“And for her victory, let’s give a big congratulations to Super Girl!” yelled the announcer, though his voice petered out once he saw Seles marching forward.

Out there, in the middle of the coliseum pit, Seles suddenly got the complete reaction that she had been wanting for all her life. All eyes were now on her, noticing her as she made her way to the center. All eyes saw her exist.

And that included the strange Chosen from Sylvarant, who turned to her with bright, confused eyes.

Suddenly, Seles was struck and forgot all that she had been about to say. So once again, Tokunaga had to go to her rescue.

“Wait just a moment!” Her butler, her one confidant in all that she wanted and feared for, stepped forward with a steady voice. She envied that, noting how he didn’t sound at all weakened. “Your next opponent is…Seles!”

The announcer was looking at a piece of paper that he pulled from his pocket. “Uh, isn’t the surprise team for next week…?”

“Oh! Seles!” Colette fluttered her wings, moving slightly closer. Though her hair was just a bit tangled from her fights, and there was a bit of dirt on her clothes, she rarely looked worse for wear. She hardly seemed tired out at all. “Are you here to see Zelos?”

And at the mention of her brother’s name, it was as if something clicked. If he was here, he would be watching the fight. He would see her. She straightened, taking a step past Tokunaga, ignoring the cheers from the crowd, the hundreds of mouths hungry for another fight.

“You’re the Chosen of the declining world, correct? A Chosen like my brother. And since you serve him, you must have confidence in your skill.”

The girl blinked at the observation, as if she had no idea she had just been fighting teams of warriors and monsters, including a giant dragon. “Ah, I am! A Chosen, I mean. I don’t know about serving…”

A small shout from the side, cutting through all the cheering. The voice was incredibly loud to be heard past the multitudes of others. “We’re not his servants! Stop calling us that!”

Seles narrowed her eyes. She had her resolve. Maybe it was the cheers of the crowd, urging her on. So different from the secret training sessions she had endured, where all she heard was the clang of steel and her own labored breaths.

“As Tokunaga already stated, I’m your next opponent.” Then, with demand in her voice, “Now, fight me!”

Another great cheer, and even the announcer decided to go along with it, raising up his hand to gesture to Seles. “So, we have Seles fighting against our Super Girl champion! An unexpected turn of events!”

Colette's hands didn't seem to know where to go at first. They fidgeted with each other, then clasped tightly as the Chosen, savior of the dying world of Sylvarant, stuttered. "Ah, um-um, do…do we really have to fight?"

Seles felt a sharp stinging in her head at that, a shortness of breath in her lungs. Was this a strategy of the other girl's? To make her weak?

Or was what happened with the dragon had just been a fluke?

"..Silence!" Seles shouted back. She gritted her teeth, already frustrated beyond belief. "I’ll prove that I’m stronger than you!"

If such a girl like this can be a Chosen, then so could she!

The announcer took that as his cue to officially start the fight, cutting his arm in between the two girls and then effectively leaping back to avoid any flying sharp objects. “Begin!”

“Ah, wait!” Colette still hadn’t taken out her weapons, which Seles knew she still held somewhere on her person. “If you wanted to just talk with your brother, we could—”

“That is not what I asked of you!” How stubborn was this girl? Seles gripped the handle of her bag tightly, recalling to her mind an arte. If this girl refused to fight, then she would just have to force her.

And she knew how few would expect her to know any of the skills she had tirelessly learned over the years.

For a moment, it looked like Colette would protest again. But Seles raised her hand, a shining flare hovering just above the girl’s head.

Light magic had been one of the first things she learned, ever since she was a child. It was her mother who had taught her the Ray arte specifically.

She had hoped that the glaring light would prompt Colette to move, to accidentally rush right into a beam of magic that circled around her spot. But the girl, still with her wings out, remained still, watching the magic take place, and then raised her arms above her head.

The light hit something transparent that surrounded her for a moment, glittering with a green tint before fading away completely. Colette then raised her head. Her weapons, rings of metals that were as brilliant as her golden hair, were already clutched in her hands.

“If…if you want to fight, then okay! But just so you know, I’m going to try really, really hard!”

Seles wavered just then. She was befuddled, looking towards Colette who just had her eyebrows slightly lowered, her mouth barely in a frown. Was this girl making fun of her?

For a moment, it felt like the gleeful shouts of the crowd around her turned to jeers.

“Argh, then just fight me already!”

Not a spell this time, but she reached into her bag. The item was another gift from her mother, it’s magical properties giving her the ability to house what she needed, and to summon them at will. The star-stitched pattern on it glowed as it gave her what she seeked.

The staff of the wand was nearly as large as her body, and the star atop it kept growing and growing, until it seemed impossible for someone such as her to wield it.

But her Exsphere made so many things possible for her. It gave her strength when she needed it, it let her breathe in the air more easily, and it let her move her legs when before, on her worse days, she’d have to rest on her knees.

Even if the Exsphere could not cure her, it gave her the appearance of someone who could hold her own. She had to make such a thing real.

She swung the wand right in front of her, stars falling all around her in a terrific storm, until it engulfed the girl in front of her. Just a flash of her violet wings, the shine of her weapons against the light of Seles’ wand. The stars were just a distraction, and her wand grazed Colette’s arm, prompting a surprised shout from her.

She took a quick glance. There was a tear in Colette’s sleeve, but no sign of a full injury. Seles huffed in frustration, putting the wand away back in her bag.

Colette watched the motion, somehow completely forgetting about the near scuffle from before. “Oh wow! That’s amazing! How does it fit in there?”

“Wh—That’s none of your business!” Why did this girl keep asking so many stupid questions!?

Seles needed to fight better, be more aggressive, lean more into what she had been training for. That was all there was to it.

She could hear the crowd’s shouts growing louder when she reached back into her bag. There was clear excitement in the air, the people already catching onto her abilities. Even Colette seemed to stare, which did instill a bit of nervousness within Seles. It doesn’t matter! I just have to beat her! The weapon she pulled out emitted a metallic sound, the blade scraping against its magical hold.

Her sword’s hilt had been specially designed to fit her own hands—one of the few benefits of being part of the Mana Lineage, even for one who was banished to an island in the southern seas. She only lingered for a moment, getting used to the weight of the blade.

With a lunge, Seles aimed her strike at Colette, and yet, the girl already seemed to block it so easily? The chakrams may have been weapons, but they paled in comparison to the giant sword Seles wielded. They looked as frail as gold foil, and should have bent underneath her strength.

Because Seles knew she was strong—from her Exsphere, from her training, from her own will. Even the swordsmen Tokunaga had hired to train her had trouble deflecting her blows when she sparred with them. But instead, Colette knocked aside her attack, nearly upending her balance. It was those wings, bright and distracting, filling the air with trails of stardust in their wake.

“I’m so sorry,” Colette was saying. She still held fast to her chakrams, arms up in defense. “Are you hurt?”

Incredible words from her, when she had just been fighting a dragon, when her overcoat was still slightly frayed from Seles’ earlier attacks. But otherwise, this seemed to be a walk in the park for her.

Seles felt a strange wave of jealousy run through her, directed at this girl who probably didn’t feel her lungs burn. With a quick sheathe of the sword, Seles commanded the mana to store within her hands again. “Don’t you dare go easy on me!”

Pillars of ice erupted from where Colette stood. Sharp and tall, refracting the sunlight to blind the eyes. Seles felt the chill within her throat, controlling herself from coughing. For a moment, wings flickered away from existence.

But it was only because Colette tripped away from the spell.

This has to be a joke, Seles thought with disbelief.

Yet instead, the girl quickly got to her feet, brushing away the dirt from her dress. As if she had just fallen over a bend in the road instead of fighting for her life in battle.

She wasn’t taking Seles seriously!

“That was so quick!” Colette was now complimenting—complimenting!!—on her spellwork, still not using her chakrams to actually take the offense. “How did you—?”

“No! That’s enough!” Seles shouted, already calling forth another arte. “Stop asking me questions during our fight! You didn’t do this for anyone else!”

Colette paused. She still hovered above the ground, wings fluttering before her. The unforgiving sunlight made her golden hair burn.

“If you truly don’t want to fight me, then forfeit right now, instead of trying to so clearly stall it.” Seles clutched her bag handle so tightly that it hurt, that it made her palm ache so much. “Don’t treat my challenge as something so trivial.”

Her whole existence has been both trivial and troublesome to many. In the coliseum, it shouldn’t have no longer mattered. The only importance was knowing who was stronger, and that was it.

Even with the crowd still cheering, some of them chanting for Colette, the other for Seles, (though some must have not known who Seles truly was, or they would never cheer for her in the first place) both girls stood their ground, facing the other. The arte was ready on Seles’ tongue, her right hand held up to the sky, waiting.

Then, after an eternity, Colette nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry.” She held out her weapons, and in that moment, there was something different in her eyes, a resolve that didn’t feel unfamiliar. “I’ll fight you if it’s the only way.”

Seles didn’t answer her. She already had the chant for Prism Sword, circling over and over in her mind. The arte descended onto Colette almost immediately, but she had seen the Sylvaranti Chosen endure much more than that.

She still needed to win.

But soon, Seles understood what it meant to fight against true angelic strength.

It was what the dragon had faced before with Colette, and now Seles had taken the dragon’s place. The forceful barrage of chakram thrusts, and the occasional spell of light that rained down from the sky kept Seles on her toes, kept her rushing across the field of the coliseum, dirt staining her dress, her hair already matted with sweat beneath her hat.

The Sylvaranti Chosen still said the occasional ‘Oops!’ and ‘Uh oh’ throughout their battle, but fought with more precision now. She was relentless, her wings framing her as she met Seles’ sword strikes with her circular blades. Seles noticed how the girl’s arms didn’t tremble, even as blood leaked from her palms from where the chakrams bit at her skin.

Occasionally, Seles would switch to her other weapons; her wand, her giant hammer, the shape of a planet as its head, but her sword was the most reliable. She met Colette’s strikes, and quickly put it away when she would revert to her spellcasting.

But the problem was that Seles’ endurance, even with her Exsphere, had never been that strong. She was getting exhausted.

“Looks like Super Girl has her opponent on the ropes!” The announcer’s voice was unexpected, surprising Seles out of her stance and aiming her Freeze Lancer to the wrong side. She groaned in frustration and restarted her spell.

The noise was getting to be too much, and that annoying host was not helping at all!

Just keep going. Another arte…then I can catch her off guard!

Then, she heard someone call out to her.

“...eles! Seles!!”

What? Seles couldn’t help but turn to the right, to the seats that faced them and the people waving, eager to see the pandemonium that was occurring. On one of those seats, she saw a familiar face, the figure wearing an awful red coat, his brown hair unkempt as he was watching the scene and cheering. Was that not one of her brother’s attendants? He must have left the lobby to get a better view of the fight. But then who was—

“Hey! Seles!”

Another quick glance to the right, near the bottom of the circular row of seats, and she saw Zelos. He was gripping the edge of the coliseum wall, his red hair tumbling past his face. “What are you doing?!”

He looked worried. He looked frightened for her. Seeing him in the crowd, that look froze her in place, made her forget the words to her arte.

Zelos looked at her as if she would break apart at any moment.

“Judgment!”

The call for the spell was the only thing that brought Seles back to the battlefield, even if for a second too late. As beams of light rained down, she quickly pulled out another item from her bag; a giant shield with a star engraved in the center, and wings fanning out at the sides. It was as large as her entire body, and she lifted the metal over her head to withstand the magic attacks that rained down from the skies, like the wrath of heaven. The force of it was intense, enough to blow away the hat off her head and flutter off in an unseen direction.

And then, before the spell was even finished, she saw Colette fly towards her to attack.

Seles was going to lose.

Still, with shaking arms, she placed the shield back in front of her to block the girl’s chakram blows. They felt as heavy as iron sledges against her shield, and she saw how the weapons glowed with angelic power. This really is the power of the Chosen, she thought to herself in both awe and fear. I can’t fight against it.

And with that thought, the ache in her arms became nigh overwhelming. Another attack from Colette, a thrust from her chakram to leave a cut against the star design of her shield, and Seles crumpled to the ground. She let go of both the shield and bag, the latter spilling out her sword up to middle part of the blade from its opening. The bag’s insides were full of dazzling colors, the magic still trying to work but with no wielder to guide it.

“No! Not…not yet, I…” Seles could only lift herself to her knees, but couldn’t push herself further. Colette was still a bit of distance away, her weapons held before her, and her wings still shining so brilliantly.

Seles shut her eyes to the sight and her ears to the crowd. She didn’t want to hear the referee announce her defeat, and simply knelt there to wait. It’s over. I didn’t win. She pressed her hands to her knees, crumpling the dress in her fingers. Zelos won’t ever accept me now.

“Seles?” Another call for her name, but this was time, it was calm. It was sincere. A mixture of shadow and light fell over her. “Are you okay?”

A hand reached out to her, the palms slightly callused, with a sharp cut drawn across. The red was almost blinding.

“No! Just…leave me alone. You won.” You’re stronger than me…better than me. It was no wonder then that this girl was the Chosen in her own right.

Seles’ hands were hurting. They ached, and they stung. Her palms felt raw, as if the skin would break at any moment. Except… Colette’s hands are already bleeding.

“Seles! This…this must be some kind of mistake.” Tokuaga was already by her side, kneeling in the dirt with her. A hand gently pressed on her shoulder.

The man had so much faith in her that she could not live up to. For a moment, she couldn’t even look at him. “I wasn’t strong enough. That’s all.” With shaking knees, Seles got to her feet, making sure to grab both her bag, all items pushed inside it, and her hat. She was already out of breath. The crowd around her was too much now, making her want to hide.

Colette was still looking at her, the hand she had offered now lowered. But she didn’t move away.

“Maybe… we can talk now? Since we’re done fighting?” Colette quickly sheathed her chakrams, both her hands already empty though they must have ached terribly.

Seles tried to steady her voice even as her lungs struggled. That and the crowd’s constant yelling was giving her a headache. “I don’t want to talk! You’ve gotten your victory. Is that not enough?”

She was further weakening herself this way, so she rushed back to the walls of the coliseum. She didn’t hear Tokunaga go after her. Perhaps he realized this plan was foolish now that she couldn’t fulfill her part no matter what.

“Please, understand Seles’ feelings…”

Already she was through the door, rushing past some badgering guards, past the nurse who had been looking at her like she would fall apart at the seams. But at some point, she must have stopped to catch her breath, placing a hand over her chest and waiting for her body to finally calm down.

Instead, it only worsened, her body shaking from the strain of all the fighting. She had pushed herself beyond what she was used to, and even her Exsphere wasn’t enough to keep her from feeling the effects. If just one fight was enough to get her this winded, then how could she think she would be able to travel with her brother?

“Seles?”

It wasn’t Tokunaga’s voice that called out to her, like she expected. It wasn’t even Zelos’ voice, even though he had called out to her in the coliseum.

She turned to see Colette rushing up to her. Her wings had vanished, leaving just a girl in her white overcoat, and her hair a little frayed from the fight.

Apparently, challenging this girl had been her poorest decision yet.

“Why are you… Go away!” Seles snapped before Colette could even reach her. She felt so sick and lightheaded. She needed to close her eyes. “What more do you want? Can’t you see I can barely even stand now?”

Just a weak girl that everyone just wanted to shut away in the Abbey. Out of sight, out of mind.

When someone clasped her hand, she flinched, but she didn’t pull away. The hand had a roughness to it, and she felt the fresh cut over her own palm. Opening her eyes, Colette was holding her hand with a smile on her face.

“There was a time, not long ago, that I was barely able to walk on my own. I felt like I was letting everyone down.” Colette’s voice was gentle, held with patience that Seles had trouble understanding just why. “I’m sorry you’re feeling the same… But, in our fight, you were strong. And I think a lot of people can see that.”

The way the Chosen drove to the core of Seles’ fears unnerved her. But she no longer felt as sick as before, though her head still occasionally pounded. She didn’t even feel in danger of falling anymore, somehow more calm than what she felt just minutes before.

“Tokunaga told me why you’re here. And that you wanted to join Zelos on our journey. I think that would be amazing if you could!” Colette gripped her hand warmly, and the grin she had on her face didn’t seem to be false.

“But…why would you care about that? You barely know me.”

Colette blinked, but she seemed to consider her answer, going by the soft ‘um’ sound she uttered. “Well, it’s fun to make new friends. And I’ve made so many on this journey. Maybe you can, too.”

Seles had no idea what Colette meant by all this. She wondered then what Zelos really thought about this girl.

She shook her head. “I doubt big brother would want me to join…especially after I lost.” The plan was for me to win, so he would have to accept me. But since Colette beat me, there’s no way that—

“I can ask him if you can join!”

Seles raised her head. “What?”

“I can ask him!” Colette nodded. “And maybe Lloyd can, too. And Genis, and everyone else! I’m sure Zelos is just worried about your health, but if we all look out for each other like we always do, then it should be okay.”

“Do you really think it would be that easy?” Seles asked pointedly. She didn’t want false hope, after a life of denial. “If there’s one thing I know about my big brother, it’s that he’s stubborn.”

“Hm, but he might change his mind on something if a girl asks him to? At least, that’s what he’s said before!”

“...He said that?” Seles seethed inwardly. So she IS a floozie!

“Yes! Or he might have been joking. It’s hard to tell with him sometimes.” Colette still hadn’t let go of her hand, seemingly so insistent on staying connected.

“I don’t… I’m not sure.” But she was feeling better, somehow. Just talking about this seemed to lift away the weight from her chest. A question soon nagged at her, demanding an answer. “How did you get better? If you were also weak?”

“It took…a while,” Colette answered. The color in her eyes seemed muted then, at the mention of a past Seles didn’t know of. “And, not everything has been fixed, if that’s what you mean. The noises of the crowds here are actually a lot for me still. And I still get ill sometimes whenever I push myself. It’s…a balancing act, almost.”

Something about that made Seles a little saddened. Maybe this weakness was not something one could fully escape from.

“But that’s why I think I can convince Zelos to let you come along! He knows I get this way too, and that I’m still trying my best. He’ll understand that you’re doing the same!”

“Are you sure?” Seles had to ask once more, but the hope was strong. “I shouldn’t let others talk for me. I need to ask him myself.”

“Would it still be okay if I was with you when you ask him?”

Colette was looking at her like some eager puppy, with her constant questions and encouragement. Seles was not used to such a thing. “I…I suppose so! Also, you can let go of my hand now.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Colette immediately let go with a nervous giggle. “I didn’t realize I was doing that.”

“...How did you not—Never mind.” Seles flexed the hand Colette had been holding. She couldn’t recall the last time someone had held her hand for such a time, except for when she was a child.

“I don’t understand why you’re being so kind to me,” she said without meaning to. Instantly, she regretted it. The words made her sound so petulant and young.

But Colette answered her with sincerity, still.

“I think it’s important to be kind. More than anything.” Colette turned slightly to her left, down back to the lobby where Seles had initially waited. “I think I heard Zelos and Lloyd just now. They’re looking for you.”

Seles noted how Colette didn’t mention how they were searching for the both of them. It would make sense they would seek out their companion. But for Seles?

Maybe she could do this.

“Okay, let’s go talk to them before I change my mind about this,” she said with quickness. “And… I would appreciate if you were there with me.”

“Of course! I’m so glad we’re friends now.”

Seles didn’t exactly admit to that, but she couldn’t deny that the idea was a bit tempting. She never had another friend her age…

Before she knew it, Colette linked her arm with Seles, and with a strength that belied her appearance, she guided the other girl back to the lobby. “Let’s go then!”

“I… Is this what friends do?!” she asked, already being dragged away.

But she didn’t pull out of the hold, or refuse Colette’s help when she felt her own steps begin to falter.

Perhaps asking for aid wasn’t as much of a weakness as she once feared.

#tales of symphonia #seles wilder #colette brunel #tokunaga symphonia #zelos wilder #fanfiction #one shot

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charmedtodeath · 2 years ago

Text

These Traps We Fall Into (Part 3)

TW/CW: stalking, obsession, obsessive behavior, abuse of authority, abuse of power, possessive behavior, inappropriate behavior, general creepiness, age gap

Stahl swoops in to save the day.

AO3

Part 1

Part 2

Stahl had planned to tail the detective for a few hours tonight, hoping he might stir up a new angle to pursue on Wozniak. Those plans got cancelled in the blink of an eye as soon as he saw his little damsel going off on her own this evening. Where could she possibly be headed? She hasn't really gone anywhere outside of her normal pattern over the past several weeks that he's been following her and her father. She goes between work and home on a somewhat predictable schedule, usually with only one day off each week. The grocery store is another place she frequents every couple of days, and there's a few other stops that have formed a semi-strict pattern. In other words, she's quite easy to track and it's clear that this departure from home is outside of the typical routine.

He starts the car and lets it idle while he continues tracking her location. Once that little blue dot stops at one spot for several minutes, he looks up the address and finds that it belongs to a bar. Stahl can feel his veins rising up from his skin as he goes through the possibilities of why she would be at such a place. It's most probable in his mind that she's meeting a man there. Disgusted, he puts the car in drive and heads toward her location so he can see what's going on. He isn't quite sure what he would do to get her away from anyone he deems a threat without revealing himself to be watching her. He can only hope his assumption is wrong and she's simply there for food and only for a short time.

Rage is simmering just under the surface, and he manages to keep it together long enough to find a parking spot against the curb directly across from the establishment. Luckily for him, there's a large glass window across the storefront, probably original to whatever business existed here before it became a local watering hole. Cutting the lights, Stahl sits back in his seat and scans the patrons inside.

He gasps when he finally gets eyes on her- he's only seen her dressed up like this in photos of special occasions. Old prom pictures from high school, graduations, weddings, and birthdays. It's a surprising contrast from her usual getup of FDNY t-shirts and dark cargo pants and boots. He admires the way the arches of her feet curve in her shoes and the shape of her legs, looking both soft and strong. He deludes himself into thinking she's dressed like this for him, knowing he's watching from afar. He hopes she's aware of just how beautiful she is. He likes her no matter how she looks.

Stahl is simply delighted when he sees her rise from the barstool to excitedly greet and hug another woman that's joined her. Oh, what a wonderful sight to behold. It's just a friend after all. No need for him to intrude and break up a date with some guy who probably doesn't know how she should be treated. He thinks the ladies might be there for a while when he sees their drinks arrive, shortly followed by a basket of fries that they share. The place is moderately busy, but he won't look out of place if he goes inside to get a little closer. There are plenty of other men in suits littered amongst the occupants. While they're dressed nicely, he doubts any of them are suits, like him. They're too nonchalant and dismissive about what's going on around them. It's likely that he'll be the only person in there with a badge and a service weapon.

Crossing the street as calmly as he can, he enters the bar and is nearly overwhelmed by the flood of expensive cologne that hits his face. These men are surely chameleons, pretending to be big and important when they're out and about before shifting back to their pathetic selves behind closed doors. Stahl doesn't categorize himself as one of them.

He orders his scotch neat, planning to nurse it for a while, sat a small high top table with a good view of the girls sitting at the bar. He resists the urge to buy drinks to send to them, not wanting to draw undue attention while she's entertaining a friend and busy catching up. He won't ruin everything when this is the first chance he's had to be in the same room with her.

Stahl can't quite hear their conversation over the shrieking noise of the yuppies egging each other on, but he's content to sit and quietly watch. He still desperately wants to stroll on over and introduce himself, but he knows better than to interrupt her. She wouldn't take kindly to that.

She becomes more animated and a little louder as the second round of drinks starts to take effect. Of course she'd be a lightweight; she doesn't have much time to go out for drinks often and Stahl has never seen her buy alcohol in the time that he's been following her. The liquor cabinet in her apartment is quite sparse, too, clearly being used by her father the majority of the time.

Stahl buys himself a second drink, this time a Coke without any Jack. He wants to portray the illusion of a sad bureaucrat just in case anyone approaches him. Most people wouldn't give him a second glance, but he has an innate desire to stay one step ahead of everyone else at all times.

He continues watching as she orders a third drink at the behest of her friend, and soon they're sipping on strawberry margaritas together. Well, at least he was right about them being here for a while. After almost two hours, they finally say their goodbyes, hugging once more before the friend departs and gets into a car that's waiting in the street.

His angel, missing her wings, disappears to the bathroom in the back hallway temporarily. Stahl takes notice that someone else has paid attention to her absence from the bar, and the rest of his training kicks in. He zeroes in on a man who appears to have no guests with him and must have been watching from the far corner where Stahl couldn't see. Despite viewing almost all other Average Joes as mere competition, Stahl's protective instincts are tingling just in case this guy is a legitimate threat.

She comes out from the bathroom and goes back to the bar to close her tab, checking her phone on the way out before tucking it back in her bag. Her guard is down, and Stahl wants to chastise her for letting the friend get in the way of her normally wise decision making. She could get as drunk as she pleased if he was always there to watch out for her, but she must know better than to get sloppy on her own. Perhaps she should've gone with her friend instead of leaving here by herself.

The other man follows her outside, keeping enough to distance to make it look like a coincidence. Stahl leaves after both of them, keeping a watchful eye and ear in case something he doesn't like happens. The clunking of her shoes on the concrete suddenly stops as she rounds the corner, alerted again by her phone. She clearly hasn't noticed anyone behind her yet, since she jumps and yelps when the man begins speaking to her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry that I scared you like that. My bad."

"It's okay, I just didn't know you were there." There's a slight slurring on the edge of her words, just enough to know that she's been drinking.

"I noticed you were sitting at the bar with someone. I don't know if you saw me there, too."

"Sorry, I didn't." Her voice cuts sharper than Stahl expects. She's starting to make it clear she wants to be left alone.

"Well if it's not too much to say, I thought you were super pretty and I just wanted to tell you that." That's not all this man must be thinking about telling her. He knows it, she knows it, and Stahl knows it.

"Oh, thanks."

Nobody else is out on the street right now, and Stahl stands in the darkness around the building's corner to listen closer. He's just about ready to go into attack mode, like a dog waiting for its owner's command.

"It's, uh... it's getting kind of late out. I thought I might be a gentleman and walk you home."

"That's a very kind offer, but I'm good. Thank you, though."

"I wasn't offering. I just want to make sure you get home safe because you're alone," he adds after a moment of silence.

"Like I said: I'm. All. Set." The footsteps resume and Stahl peeks around the corner to watch as she walks away, and the man begins trailing behind her again.

"Look, I'm a nice guy. I'm trying to be chivalrous and you're making me out to be a bad person for doing it. Does nobody appreciate kind gestures these days?" Stahl has heard enough of this guy making a fool of himself and he's ready to step in and take care of it.

"I can get home on my own just fine."

"I only want to talk to you for a little while. That's all."

"Excuse me, is this guy bothering you?" Stahl's voice pierces through the background noise of the city streets and their footsteps on the sidewalk.

"No, we're friends, man. I'm not bothering anyone."

"I wasn't talking to you." This guy must be looking for a fight. Stahl is prepared for that if it comes down to it.

"She's fine. I'm walking her home."

"I don't think she wants you to walk her home."

"With all due respect, guy, this is none of your business, so why don't you fuck off?"

"I don't want any trouble, and I don't think you do either," Stahl casually replies, pulling back his suit jacket to reveal his badge and gun.

"Screw you, pig. This whore isn't worth it." The man storms away muttering to himself, and Stahl slowly approaches the woman who seems glued in her place. It's funny how she was deemed as super pretty when he first approached, but a whore when she refused his advances. Stahl notes the irony.

As he gets closer, he notices she's clutching a tiny can of pepper spray. "You alright, Miss?"

She pauses for a long time, apparently waiting to see if the other man is going to come back again. Stahl can't believe he's this close to her, and it only feeds his hero complex to get her away from such a creep.

"Yeah. You a cop?"

"No. FBI agent, actually. I can show you my ID if you don't believe me." He leaves his hands out of his pockets to show her he's not an obvious threat.

"That's okay."

She's shivering, but it's still nearly 80 degrees outside. "You're shaking, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm an idiot. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."

"You can't blame yourself for his poor choices." He didn't know her like Stahl does.

"I should've taken an Uber home."

This may be the only opportunity to get to know her for real. "Would you, uh, like to get some coffee and sit down for a little while? I can stay with you until you feel safe again."

"Coffee." She says it like it's a word she's never heard before.

"Only if you want. Whatever makes you feel comfortable." He flashes a sincere smile tinged with excitement at maybe getting her to stick around.

"Coffee," she repeats. "Okay."

"Yeah? There's a diner about two blocks from here. You good to walk?" He doesn't want to scare her by offering to take her in his car. Not the smartest thing to do when someone was just about to try to take advantage of her current state. Fortunately, it's a different diner than the one he frequents with his asset.

"Yeah. I can walk." Stahl looks over his shoulder to make sure they're still alone before pointing the way and walking by her side, careful to give her enough space. She's tucked the pepper spray away again. Smart girl to have that with her.

Even in the ugly fluorescent lighting of the diner, Stahl thinks she still looks beautiful. Her sweet face is now twisted with anxiety, but he's going to do his best to make her feel better. She orders coffee and a slice of blueberry pie, not keen on making eye contact with him. That's okay. She will when she's ready.

"I didn't know you were there. Behind me, I mean."

"I saw that guy follow you when you were leaving and it didn't sit right with me. It didn't look like you knew each other." He wants to be gentle so she'll warm up to him faster. What better way to get to know her than capitalizing on his swooping in like a white knight?

"I'm glad you spoke up. Thank you for that. Normally I'm a little better at handling that kind of thing, but I..." she trails off and doesn't finish her sentence.

"Does stuff like that happen a lot?"

"Sometimes. Comes with the territory, I guess." She shakes her head and pokes at the pie.

"Territory?"

"My job, the public. I work for the city." She's being intentionally vague. Stahl has to make sure he doesn't slip up and say anything he's not supposed to know about.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I know how difficult things can be when you've got work to do and something's bothering you."

"What kind of stuff are you working on, Agent...?"

He waves off the official title. This is a social visit. "You can just call me Robert. I'm not on the case this late in the evening. I assume you were blowing off steam there, like me."

"I was hanging out with my friend. She went off to see some other people but I just wanted to go home. It's been a long week."

"I can relate to that."

She decides this FBI guy is actually kind of nice. She thinks he must be in his mid to late 30s. Probably too old for her, but talking with a stranger is exactly that. It's just talking. He doesn't have a wedding ring on, and she can't think of a good reason for him to have offered to get coffee with her if he had someone to go home to. Despite her tainted mood from the earlier encounter, talking to Robert is so easy that she barely has to put effort into the conversation. It feels like he's known her for longer than 45 minutes.

She can tell he is a serious type of person. As soon as he sat down, he straightened the napkin and silverware to be square with the edge of the table. It's apparent that details are important to him and he will dissect anything he can. Maybe he investigates murders or kidnappings. That must be hard to stomach. She thought her dad had it bad enough investigating some of the more heinous crimes he's come across.

"Are you investigating something big?" Stahl half wishes he could break her heart right now and fill her in on all the dirty details of her father and his unit, but he just can't do that to her. Not yet.

"Something big enough to be plastered in the papers if all goes well."

"Sounds intriguing."

"You don't know the half of it." He hides his amusement with the coffee mug. That last margarita has had its full effect and she's surely come down from the adrenaline high by now. She's starting to look sleepy and ready to go home. "Do you live far from here?" He almost feels silly asking the question.

"Not really... but I should probably order an Uber."

"I could give you a ride home, if you want. It's no trouble." She thinks he's being far too generous. He probably feels bad about what happened and genuinely wants to see her get home safely, unlike that other guy. These FBI people are sticklers for the rules, anyway. A free ride sounds okay to her.

#robert stahl #robert stahl x reader #robert stahl shades of blue #shades of blue fanfic

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