#you’ll have to go out to the woods with binoculars to see them

[roseseafoam]

just thought you might like to know that I saw a young pheasant near my house a few days ago and he was so beautiful in his spring colors

Oh that sounds lovely! I don’t think I’ve seen any pheasants here, ever, but they’re such interesting-looking birds. The only ground-dwelling birds I see often are savannah sparrows, and that’s when they’re flying away from me in the field...

[sphylor]

Mushy May Day 5 - Animals

based both on the mushy may prompts by @forlorn-crows and on an ask @kkaisarion sent me about mountaindew birdwatching (also on AO3)

kinda based in my mountaindew headcanon universe thingy that i havent written yet so just pretend like you understand the context for this hdbjhf

reblogs appreciated!!

Divider made by @ghuleh-recs

“Where are we going?” Dew asked, looking around at all of the trees, peering past their trunks just in case they might be hiding something spectacular.

Mountain smiled and shook his head. “You’ll see. It's not too far now. Don't worry.” Mountain squeezed Dew’s waist reassuringly. He had insisted that he didn’t need a walking stick or any other support for the walk but Mountain knew that he was still feeling weak. The water ghoul had been leaning against him since they left the abbey. He didn’t mind, of course, he was there for whatever Dew needed. The closeness was nice too, obviously, and he may have blushed a little when Dew slipped his arm around his middle and pulled him in close.

“Feels like we’ve been walking for hours.” Dew sighed.

“It's been about ten minutes, Dewberry.” Mountain chuckled. “I would offer to carry you the rest of the way but I’m carrying all of this.” 

Dew looked up and eyed the bags Mountain was carrying. “Surely they can’t all be important.”

“I assure you they are.” The earth ghoul grunted as he readjusted his hold on them.

“More important than me?” Dewdrop batted his eyelashes coyly up at Mountain, whose face suddenly turned unreadable, almost sad.

“Nothing is more important than you.”

It was spoken almost like a confession. Dew would never admit to how red his cheeks went in that moment. He cleared his throat and reached up to touch the thing hanging around Mountain’s neck. “What’s that?”

“They’re binoculars. They let you see things far away.” Mountain explained. He hadn’t told Dew everything about the… trip that they were going on. Date? He wasn’t sure if he could call it a date, if he was allowed to at this point. He hadn’t exactly proposed it as a date but he and Dew had definitely grown close. There was something else there other than friendship. He just hoped he wasn’t the only one who felt it.

Dew hummed at the response and they continued their walk in relative silence. They didn’t need to speak, though, the woods filled the silence for them. The trees whispered secrets to one another, their orange leaves rustling in the faint breeze, the birds sang and chirped and cawed all around, and the distant sound of trickling water grew louder as they approached their destination. Mountain couldn’t deny he missed this, being out in his element. He loved looking after Dew and spending time in the abbey but the woods held a special place in his heart too. 

Up ahead there was a long wooden hut of sorts, sat on a small hill overlooking a stream running through a clearing. Mountain helped Dew up the steps to it and shut the door behind them once they were inside. A wonderful wooden smell hit them both and Mountain breathed it in deep. Long, narrow windows lined the wall looking out at the stream, with a bench and a desk running along underneath. Dew eased himself down onto the bench while Mountain set the bags on the desk.

“This is a bird hide.” Mountain answered the question he knew Dew was about to ask. “It's a place where you can birdwatch without disturbing the birds. Sometimes the siblings and other earth ghouls come up here but they won’t on a day like this.” He gestured out at the fine drizzle that had started to fall. The fact that he had glared particularly hard at Ivy when he mentioned he might join them also contributed to knowledge that they wouldn’t be disturbed. 

Dew nodded and looked around and Mountain started to unpack the bags. He had prepared a couple of flasks of tea for him and hot chocolate for Dew and some blankets to make sure the water ghoul didn’t get too cold. He had also brought a cushion so that Dew could sit comfortably on the bench, a bird guide, a notepad and pens to note down the birds they see, some snacks and another pair of binoculars for Dew to use. They were shiny and new, unlike his own pair which were battered and clearly well loved. Seeing as he wasn’t a part of the band, he would be staying while they went on tour and so he had gone around asking the ghouls and siblings that would be joining them if they needed anything looked after while they were gone. He had promised people that he’d look after their plants and dust their rooms and take care of any pets and even cover some weekly chores while they were away. But the extra work was worth it because he had managed to get enough cash to buy the new binoculars

He was starting to feel nervous about the whole idea, though. Dew hadn’t said anything so far as he explained and unpacked, he just looked around with that hard to read expression he always gets when he's thinking. What if Dew hated birdwatching? What if he thought this whole thing was stupid? What if Mountain had dragged him all the way here while he was still trying to heal for no reason? While he was cursing himself in his head Dew reached out and grabbed his hand, shutting off the negative thoughts immediately.

“This is obviously very important to you. Thank you for sharing it with me.” He said it softly but there was an insistence in his eyes that told Mountain the water ghoul truly meant what he said. Mountain smiled in response and sat on the bench next to him. Dew’s hands used to be so soft and smooth but he could already feel the rough calluses on his fingers from the bass lessons Mist had been giving him. He was so caught up mourning the fact that soon Dew would be going on tour that he almost didn’t hear him asking a question. “So what birds do you think we’ll see here?” His cool fingers slipped from Mountain’s hand as he rifled through the bird guide. He needed to focus on the present more and the time they still had to spend together.

“Probably some magpies and crows, some blackbirds, great tits,” Mountain took a slight pause to see if Dew would laugh at that, but the water ghoul showed no sign that he found it funny, which Mountain appreciated. “Chaffinches, wood pigeons, maybe a eurasian jay… there's a lot of birds out in that forest. You’ll probably hear more than you see.” 

“What one’s your favourite?” 

Mountain thought for a second before flipping through to a page near the end. A small, round bird with an orange breast and inquisitive eyes looked up at them from the book. “Robins.” 

Dew hummed “They look cute.”

“They are. And they have one of the most beautiful songs in all the forest. You’ve probably heard them early in the morning and in the evening as the sun rises and sets.” Mountain told him. “We’ll probably only see one of them today, though. They’re very territorial and will fight to the death over their space sometimes.”

“We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled then.” Dew nodded and picked up his binoculars. Mountain shuffled closer to Dew so he could see out the window and did the same. 

Half an hour had passed and they had only seen a few wood pigeons and some squirrels. No robin in sight. Mountain decided it was time to entice the birds in and stepped outside and spread around some seeds and nuts and apples and berries. That’s when the activity really started to pick up.

“OH! Look! There’s two more great tits over there! OH OH! And a blackbird!” Dew pointed excitedly. Mountain winced as the birds got spooked and took off.

“Dew-”

“OH and that's a… uh…” Dew grabbed the book and flicked through. “A dunnock!” The little brown and grey bird that had just emerged from the undergrowth disappeared back into the bushes at the sound.

“Dew, it's probably a good idea if you-”

“We still haven’t seen a robin, though-”

“Dew, can I kiss you?”

Mountain hadn’t meant to say that. Why did he say that? He must have gotten every single wire in his stupid brain crossed for that to come out of his mouth. Satanas he felt like he was gonna be sick. He had only wanted to ask Dew to be a bit quieter. Dew was just staring at him. He had his thinking expression again. Mountain knew he couldn’t be thinking anything good.

“Yes.”

Mountain almost didn’t register it for a moment. 

“Actually, please.”

Before he could even move Dew’s lips were on his. ‘Soft’ was the only thought that ran through Mountain’s mind as they kissed. Everything from the feel of Dew’s cool lips to the way he kissed him was soft. It ended way too soon for Mountain’s liking. Dew’s lips falling from his like blossom petals in spring. He wanted to chase them, capture those lips again and feel that indescribable rush. Once the blood had stopped rushing and his pulse had stopped pounding in his ears, Mountain could hear birdsong. Dew settled into his side and they didn’t speak for a moment, just watching the birds. A robin flew down and perched on a branch near the hide. It stopped for a moment, its clever eyes assessing them both, before it flew down to the ground and grabbed a mealworm and flew away.

“I thought that was never going to happen.” Dew said after a while and Mountain knew he wasn’t talking about the robin.

[eadanga]

The Royal Romance Chapter 8 Part 3

Hana sighs as she sets down her coco “I can’t believe the things Olivia says sometimes poor Drake”

Maxwells nods “Yeah he usually doesn’t let Olivia get under his skin like that”

“Well I hope he’s alright I saw him go outside but it’s not a good idea to be out there right now I heard there’s a storm brewing tonight what can he be thinking”

Riley looks outside and sees the sky getting dark and the clouds moving He shouldn’t be out there I’m gonna go get him before he freezes to death she stands “There’s only one way to find out”

Hana looks at her shocked “You mean you’re thinking of following him?”

Riley heads towards the door “He shouldn’t be out there alone besides I’m not gonna sleep well if he dies of hypothermia and I didn’t stop him” MC grabs her boots then heads to get her coat

****

Liam walks down the hall as Olivia wraps her arm around his “…So this is piece is over 100 years old my great great great grandfather brought it back from a war he fought and was victorious”

Liam plasters on a grin “Wow fastinating tell me more always love hearing about your history Olivia” Liam looks away as Olivia continues 40th time she’s told me that story Out of the corner of his eye he spots Riley walking down the hall he smiles Damn she’s beautiful even as she walks He notices her lacing up her boots and putting on her coat What’s she doing? There’s blizzard coming why is she getting dressed to walk outside? I really hope she’s gonna be ok then again she’s a strong woman she can handle anything but still

“Liam?”

He snaps out of his thoughts and sees Olivia looking at him “Yes Olivia”

“Are you ok?”

“Fine just a little tired from all the skiing and skating if you’ll excuse me Olivia” He bows “I think I’m gonna go rest up”

“Oh ok I’ll see you at the ball then”

“Of course” He walks away as he sighs Forgive me for that lie Olivia but I need to know if she’s ok He looks around Now if I remember the room with the best view is here He enters a room and walks to the balcony he pulls out a pair of binoculars and spots her heading towards someone Is that Drake? What’s he doing out in this storm? They could die of the cold I hope they’re not gonna be out there for long

****

Riley trudges through the snow and spots Drake in a clearing in the woods “Hey Drake”

He turns around “What are you doing out here?”

“I saw you going off alone in the dark with a storm coming and I wanted to see what you were doing”

Drake raises an eyebrow “So you’re keeping tabs on me?”

“Even you have to admit it’s a little suspicious to be out here taking care of something right now”

“I want to be mad at this but I really can’t maybe I’m even a little impressed”

“What did you come out here to do exactly?”

“If you really want to know you’ll have to trust me”

“Well ok now tell me”

“Here I’ll make it easier for you” He shoves her down on the ground MC falls back sputtering

“What the hell?! What was” She looks up and sees the most star filled sky with shooting stars flying across the sky “Drake…”

He falls back next to her “Yes my lady?”

“This is amazing but no excuse knocking me over” She light punches him

Drake chuckles “Sorry about that you looked pretty tough thought you could handle it”

Rikey raises an eyebrow “You think I’m tough”

“Pretty tough for a noble girl I mean”

“I’m no real noble you know that”

Drakes sighs “Yeah I do”

Riley smiles “Looks like were just in time to see this before the storm hits”

“Yeah I didn’t want to miss it we grew up around royals my dad used to do security for Liam and his brother and my sister and I were allowed to hang out with them Liam and I ended up being really close even though I didn’t have the lineage to merit it” He sighs “Savannah on the other hand got along with everyone she loved living at the palace when we were kids but it got harder when she got older”

“What happened?”

“She…” Drake trails off “It was hard on her I guess she couldn’t take it after what happened with…” He clenches his jaw “I failed her I couldn’t protect her from this place” He sighs “Sorry I guess I’m not ready to talk about it this is the most I’ve talked about it in a year”

“Really?” Riley grins “Does that mean we’re friends?”

Drake scoffs “Friends? I wouldn’t go that far Brooks”

Riley rolls her eyes “Should we call it non enemies then?”

Drake shrugs “I guess I can’t really stop you”

Riley grins “Nope”

They look at the sky a little bit longer till snowflakes start to come down then Drake sighs

“We should head back it’ll be quite a scandal if I let one of the Prince’s suitors freeze to death on my watch”

Riley stands and brushes herself off “Let’s head back shall we”

Drake stands and brushes himself off “Of course”

****

Liam watches and they both head back to the chateau he smiles Glad they’re heading back but they were out there a long time and the snow was starting I hope they don’t get sick or anything still wonder what they were doing out there in this weather I worry about them especially Riley.

****

As Riley and Drake walk inside they’re met by Hana running up to them

“There you are!”

“You’re up late”

“I couldn’t sleep with you and Drake out there in the storm”

Riley gives her a small smile “I’m sorry we kept you up”

Hana grins “Oh I’m just glad you came in before it really started coming down you must be freezing Drake dressed like that”

Drake nods “Yeah I’m gonna go change goodnight ladies” Drake waves as he heads to his room

Hana turns to Riley “I guess we should get some sleep too the Cordornian Waltz is tomorrow after all and we need a good nights sleep to pull it off successfully”

Riley sighs “I don’t think any amount of sleep is gonna improve my chances”

“What do you mean?”

“As Drake mentioned earlier I can’t waltz”

Hana looks at her shocked “Oh dear it is late but I can’t show you if you wanted to”

Riley nods Please teach me”

Hana grins “Lovely let’s go to my room”

Riley follows Hana up the stairs to her room as Hana pushes the furniture aside for dancing she smiles “I appreciate you helping me with this”

Hana smiles “It’s the least I can do after you cheered me up at the masquerade and sorry I didn’t think to ask if you knew it it’s good you have Drake looking out for you”

MC nods “Yeah” She grins “Alright the Cordornian Waltz how hard is it gonna be”

“Depends do you consider yourself a good dancer”

MC smiles “I dance like an angel did take some dance lessons but it wasn’t ballroom dancing”

Hana grins “Oh then this shouldn’t be a problem if you have a good sense of rhythm you shouldn’t have problems picking it up now the Cordornian Waltz is a choreographed dance with specific steps I’ll put on some music and be the prince and well start” Hana plays some music then turns to MC and bows “Ahem Lady MC”

MC giggles “Prince Liam”

Hana laughs “Now let’s get into position put your left hand on my shoulder” She starts guiding her in the steps “This is the box step it’s the most basic movements” They spend the night learn the moves of the Cordornian waltz “And that’s the Cordornian Waltz”

MC grins “I think I got it now you’re a good teacher ice skating waltzing how are you so good at these things”

“My parents have been pushing me to learn all the courtly and social arts since I was very young”

“You must have had no free time”

“Between school dance music and etiquette lessons my schedule was very full my parents excepted a lot” She sighs “They were devastated when they didn’t have any sons so they put all they’re hopes in me everyday of my life has been grooming me to bring fame and fortune to my family by winning some prince or nobles hand for all the good it’s done me after my last engagement”

“If you don’t mind if I ask what happened with your last engagement?”

“Peter was an English nobleman he was well off had an ancestral title and home all the things my parents wanted for our family we’d spend many long afternoons horseback riding and sailing her was very kind it would have been perfect”

“But?”

Hana sighs “But the simple truth was I didn’t love him so when he proposed I knew I had to accept for my parents I tried my best but he became suspicious at our engagement party a month before our wedding he cornered me he asked me if this is what I wanted even though I told him what he wanted to hear I couldn’t hold back the tears he knew me well he knew I was miserable and he was good enough not to make a big deal of it but ugly rumors started to fly about why we separated especially since he got married to another woman shortly after”

MC places her hand on her shoulder “Well let people talk they have their own opinions only you know the truth”

Hana nods “Yeah and now I’m competing for the Prince but it’s not all bad my parents have been pressuring me to spend time with you”

“Why me?”

“Oh you got a special connection to the prince and if I get close to you I can get closer to the prince”

“You’re parents have strategies”

“Yeah but I want you to know I do like spending time with you MC”

MC smiles “Me too Hana it’s good to have a friend here”

Hana grins “It’s funny even though we’re still technically competing against each other we can be friends” They laugh before being startled by the clock striking midnight Hana sighs “We should head to bed”

MC nods “Yeah I’ll talk to you tomorrow”

Hana smiles “Good night MC”

Tags: @mfackenthal @the-soot-sprite @princess-geek @gkittylove99 @indiacater @twinkleallnight @iaminlovewithtrr

[theblogs2024]

HOW TO SELECT The Appropriate PAIR OF BINOCULARS

Binoculars with red history Using a excellent pair of binoculars will make all the primary difference if you’re out in character- whether or not you’re chook observing, hunting, or merely experiencing a nature hike. But with a great number of unique products and brands that you can buy, how Are you aware which one is right for you?

Picking out the proper set of binoculars may look like a frightening process, however it doesn’t should be. On this page, we’ll guidebook you through the whole process of selecting the ideal set of binoculars for your preferences.

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Items You must Look at Though Buying Binoculars When choosing binoculars, There are several essential factors it is best to Consider for getting the very best products. Below are a few with the paramount things it is best to look at.

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Sports Binoculars

Bushnell 10x42 Binoculars for athletics BUSHNELL 10X42 POWERVIEW BINOCULARS (141042) Sports binoculars are specifically made to give a obvious and unobstructed view of rapidly-moving objects. No matter if you’re watching a football activity or tracking a deer from the woods, these binoculars can help you see the action extra

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Hen Viewing Binoculars

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Check out more details here: read now

[perianfrost]

Join the Chorus 20/25

It's still the 20th in Alaska, babes, we made it. Five more days of this advent fic, and thank you again to everybody who hasn't blocked me yet.

December 20

"There it is! There it is!"

"Where?"

"Right there, look--look! See it?"

"No!"

"Where?"

"Somebody get Bruno!"

"There it goes!"

"Look at it move, holy–!"

"Bruno!"

Bruno burst into the room on a run, Boots hot on his heels. “What? Where is it?”

Chris pushed the binoculars into Bruno’s chest and flung his hand at the window. “There, past the gym! It’s fast!”

Bruno fumbled the glasses to his face and clocked something big lumbering through the trees. “You mean… that moose?”

“What?”

“No way!”

“Wait,” Bruno said, “Oh. Oh wow.” He squinted through the binoculars long enough to map out… something. The brush was so thick he couldn’t get a full view, but it was big. Brown. And it definitely wasn’t a moose. He passed the binoculars to Boots, who jockeyed with Elmer for a place at the window. “Did anybody see the whole thing?”

“Ape-like,”  Elmer reported. “Tall, too! Long, long limbs, it must move through the trees with great speed.”

“Bruno, what are you doing?”  

Bruno yanked his sweater over his head. “I’m gonna go look!”

“No!”

“Are you crazy?”

“It’ll tear you limb from limb!”

“You are crazy after all, I always said so!”

Bruno took a deep breath and tightened the laces on his snowboots. “If it’s real, I want to know.”

“If it’s real, you’ll be dead before you know it,” Chris countered. 

“Yeah, but what a way to go out, right?” 

The guys groaned. 

Bruno looked at Boots. “Well?”

Boots looked back. Sighed. “Lemme get my coat.”

~*~

As much as Bruno wanted answers, he had to admit that by the time they’d tromped halfway across the gym field, he was having second thoughts. No one else had particularly wanted to come, but they were all clustered next to the rec hall, cameras and field glasses in hand. 

Boots was still right by his side, pale with fear but determined. Bruno slung his arm around Boots’s shoulders in appreciation. “You didn’t have to come.”

“I can’t let you get dismembered all by yourself,” Boots said. “Are you sure it wasn’t a moose or a bear?”

“Definitely not,” Bruno said, watching the edge of trees get closer. “No way. It uh… Uh. Wasn’t like that. And it.. It’s probably gone by now anyway. It took us too long to get out here.”

“I’m sorry,” Boots hissed, “that Bigfoot’s stolen so much from our room that I don’t have any warm clothes left! We’re going skiing tomorrow, I’m gonna freeze! If Bigfoot doesn’t eat me first!”

“I won’t let Bigfoot eat you,” Bruno assured him. He turned to the woods, cupped his hands around his mouth, and bellowed, “Hey! Hello!”

Boots grabbed unsuccessfully for his arms. “Shh! Bruno, shhh!”

Undeterred, Bruno continued to holler. “Hey, we come in peace! Please don’t eat me! Or my best friend! We just want to say hi! And ask for our stuff back!”

He waited, let Boots snatch his hands and hold them down. That was okay, Boots could hold his hands. He didn’t need his hands to yell again. “Hello?”

The woods loomed large and dark, even in the bright afternoon sun. Anything could be in there, looking, waiting. Watching. And they would never know. 

Except for a heavy branch cracking. Except for the flump of snow plummeting from trees to the ground below. Except for the low, angry rumble of something very big. 

Bruno froze. 

Boots did not. Boots spun and broke into a run immediately, pulling Bruno behind him. 

The snow pulled at Bruno’s legs–he stumbled– Boots caught him and dragged him bodily along until he found his footing again. “What was that?”

“Sasquatch!” Boots gasped, somehow moving faster as another growl sounded behind them. “Move!”

They collided with the rest of the guys at the rec hall and they all bolted for the door. Sidney tripped of course, but he was so panicked he was back on his feet so fast it just looked like a bounce. 

“Did you see it?” Elmer asked. “Did you see it?”

“Did you hear it?” Boots asked back, “I heard it!”

“You guys are nuts!”

“Was it following us?” Bruno asked. “DId it come out of the trees?”

They all dove for the windows and looked back out across the field. 

Nothing greeted them except their own empty footprints. 

Bruno stuck very close to Boots for the rest of the day.

[recklessfiction]

You are watched with awe. You are watched in suspicion. The creature you saved, a lordling of no small influence, sits before you on the ground as their knight looms behind them, a picture of displeasure.

"My mother has a person like you at court," the lordling says and for a moment a strike of panic hits you. Another human? Acting within the local political circles?

"Like me?" you ask instead, broaching the subject carefully.

"A priest," they say, and you start to feel a headache coming on.

You've seen the priests, they've passed through the woods before on pilgrimages or performing rites. You've seen them summon their gods, watching through binoculars as the world shifted and the air filled with perfume. You've had your breakdown and your existential crisis and your eyes still burn from the colours you saw. Yes, you know these priests and you know their gods and you're not paid enough to deal with them.

"I'm not a priest."

"A charlatan, then," the knight barks and you've got to roll your eyes at that. You can feel the bitterness rolling off them in waves. "Or some wild thing. No doubt you've put some odious enchantment on us all."

You're very tired.

"Come back to the palace with us."

The lordling says it so all of a sudden that your brain stops working.

"What?"

"My lord, I don't-"

The knight is silenced by a sharp look, thoroughly cowed. The lordling looks back to you and approaches.

"I'd like to speak more with you. Soon I will have a court of my own, I have already chosen my knights. I do not trust the priests that have offered to follow me, and you- you saved my life."

"I'm not a priest," you reiterate, "I don't know your rites or your gods. I'm...something different."

And that's all you can say because how would you explain your mission? That you're only here to study plants and wild life? That you didn't make that flare gun? You're a biologist. You. are. not. a. wizard. But you can't say that, because then you would have to explain what you are.

But they persist.

"I don't mind," they say, like they know what they're talking about, "I- I am relieved, in fact, that you have not tied yourself to the gods. They can be cruel."

Fuck it, this dude just isn't getting it.

"I. Don't do. Magic." your voice is growing steadily higher because you know if you don't convince them, you'll never be left alone, "This stuff, that gun, its- its just something I have. I didn't make it, I can't just- summon gods or do the weather shit your priests do. I'm just- there's nothing mystical here, okay?"

And god, they stare at you with fond disbelief. You look over their shoulder to their knight. If anyone's gonna help you out of this, its that fucker.

"You!" you shout and you've never been happier to see such a poisonous glare, "You said I'm a charlatan and you're right! Absolutely right! Are you going to let your guy here just welcome a potential threat into your fold?"

There is silence as all eyes are on you. A steady, tense silence. And then-

"Whatever my lord wishes, I will abide," they say and their lips curl up in a nasty grin, "And should you prove to be a threat, I can dispatch you most easily."

"Fuck you!"

You feel like you're going insane. You could just say no, tell them to leave, pack up your camp and run. But you have a feeling that wouldn't be the end of it. This lordling seems to have taken you saving them as some sort of cosmic sign and you don't doubt that if you slipped away, they would sick their fucking feral simp on you. You'll just have to prove to them how useless you are, which really shouldn't be too hard.

So, you sigh and run a hand through your hair.

"Fine. Fine, I will come back with you but only for the night. We will speak and then I will leave. Do you understand? I am not binding myself to you."

Because that is what their priests do. Bind themselves to their gods and their monarchs with symbolic rope of gold and pale pink. The rope may be representative, but you have a feeling that the binding is not.

"Of course," the lordling gives in easily, like any good benevolent monarch and you can't help the sneer that works up your lips.

"You're a fucking fool," you say and the camp plunges into silence. You see the rage morph the face of the knight, who's posture becomes rigid and who's hand goes to their weapon.

The lordling only looks at you with consideration, before their mouth quirks up.

"Perhaps. But I have a feeling about you. A very strong feeling."

And that was what you were afraid of.

Previous | Next

[darylsgirl]

I was claimed by Daryl Fucking Dixon NSFW 18+ Daryl Dixon & Reader

Summary: 

Your sick of waiting for Daryl to make a move or even speak to you and decide to dress up to do your chores hoping you’ll catch his eye.

You manage more than that He gets jealous when other men/ and one woman ;) show an interest and he admits he’s wanted you all this time an roughly claims you.

*Heyyy to anyone who reads this! If anyone reads this Haha, This is my first ever attempt at fan fic and it kind of got away from me and is a lot more intense than i thought it would be! If there’s anything you don’t like about this please feel free to tell me! I’d love to improve for my next one :) Hope y’all are having a great day wherever you are :)*

How long had it been? Since the end of it all? 

Since all those carefree nights we used to stay up drink, party & Fuck. 

Months? Years? 

It felt like all time stood still when He found me. 

I was alone, Terrified & hiding in an abandoned liquor store when I heard them, I Snuck to the window and saw the biggest herd of walkers I had ever seen. I made sure all the bottle’s i had scavenged were wrapped up in my clothes to dampen the noise and waited for a break in the herd so I could make a run for it to my bike just across the road. After what felt like hours there it was my chance i put my hand on the door handle but before I was even able to twitch the handle,  I felt a hand clamp over my mouth and drag me backwards away from my chance of escape. 

“Fuck you think your doin girl, Tryna get yourself eaten!” I stared up at the man before me with his hand still over my mouth. His angry eyes met mine and I stopped fighting gazing up into those piercing blue eyes. That was the last thing I saw before the pistol came down on my temple. 

I woke with a bag over my head and my wrists bound, I was in a car and I could hear the engine stopping and the brakes kicking in ‘Shit’ . I thought I had no time to think of a way out of this. Two doors slammed shut and I could hear two men arguing.

“Answer me, Fuck did you hit her for Merle. She’s only a girl she couldn’t av ‘urt us, She looked me in ma eyes. There was no fight just fear” 

“Bitch had it comin Daryl, Tryna kill hersel and take us with her” 

“Did’n even no we were there, Or are you that shit of a hunter yous unable to sneak up on people naw, Stop being an asshole and get the fuck outta ma way” 

The car boot opened and someone lifted me out by putting a hand under my knees and one under my head cradling me, he held me tightly with my head in his chest. I inhaled and could smell his manly scent, It was intoxicating, He held me for a moment more before he set on my feet; next the bag was ripped off my face. Instinctively I winced waiting to see if the light would blind me but all was still dark around and i could see we were in a forest.  The man with the mesmerising eyes gripped my arm and started walking me into the woods. 

A logical person would feel fear at this point but there was something about those eyes, I just trusted him.

“Got a lil way’s to go, ya ok walkin? Or you need me to carry you rest of the ways?” His southern drawl mixed with those blue eyes made my knees go weak. I stumbled slightly then stood again and kept one foot in front of the other. I nodded to the man that I was ok and kept going. 

Fifteen minutes later we arrived at the edge of a camp, A few people rushed forward “Shit what happened to her?” “Has she been bit?” “Why is her head covered in blood?” “Where did you find her?”

Daryl rolled his eyes and replied “Merle, No she aint, Merle again annnd liquor store.” He said the last answer with a smirk. 

I scowled at the pair and dropped my mouth open to throw a few choice words their way when I was stopped by Merle grabbing me and spinning me round to face him, He moved some hair out of my face, fingers lingering near my mouth and said.

“Girl looks mighty fine to me, Pretty face not messed up, not one bit! And I do love me a pretty face sweetheart” he winked at me moving his hand from my mouth to my throat he pulled me close to him wrapping his other arm around my back to pull our pelvises close together so I could feel his growing erection against my stomach. “How about it honey” He said winking again  

I drew my head back with the intention of smashing his nose, When we were tackled to the floor Merle was pulled away from me and i rolled onto my back and back on to my feet, I looked back at the two brothers and saw Daryl’s hand smashing into his brothers face whilst he was shouting “I’ll mess up your face you asshole” 

Daryl was dragged off Merle by two men, Merle got to his feet and laughed “It’s allllll good baby bro, I’ll forget about this, this time. I know how feral you get when you see a pussy you wanna claim.”

Daryl locked eyes with me as Merle said this then spat at the ground at Merle’s Feet He picked up his crossbow off the ground and stormed off towards the woods shouting “Man forget ya, I had enough of your shit for one night” over his shoulder. 

That was months ago now, That night the group took me in and took care of me and I took care of them. We moved from the original camp to the CDC then a farm and now we are in a prison in Georgia. The prison has been good to us so far, there was that run in with a crazy guy who called himself the governor and we lost a few of our family. But we persevered and built this place into a home and soon started bringing in new people to help run our home and join our family. 

In the time i had been with this group i had noticed there were a lot of frustrated people here, Especially the men, I can’t get through a day without some proposition or another. I also can’t say that I didn't enjoy the attention, It had been awhile since I had felt another's hands on my body and I craved it, I craved it more than air at times and the person I craved it the most from had decided to pretend I didn't exist. But that didn’t stop me from going to bed each night with my wandering hands and relieving my aching pussy with the thoughts of his hands exploring my body and that voice groaning in my ear. Hit the spot every time. 

There had been a few men that had caught my attention but after a few conversations and meet ups with each they all started to pretend i didn’t exist the same as he had. I didn’t even get so much as a kiss from any of the fuckers and when i decided to confront them and ask why they refused to tell me and walked away. 

It had hit summer here and i had hit my breaking point, I’d had enough of being passed over and wasn’t going to take this shit anymore, I was going to make them all regret not taking me up on the opportunity when it was there for the taking.

I woke early for my shift in the fields the next morning, Still thoroughly determined to set my plan in motion I grabbed my knife and a set of clothes and set to work. I cut most of the legs off my jeans and the sleeves from my Tartan shirt. I pulled the jean shorts on and folded the legs over so they became tighter and pushed my already perky ass up. I then pulled my shirt on forgoing the usual under shirt and tied the two sides closed in a knot above my belly button so my slim waist was on display. I buttoned one button above the knot so that not too much of my bra was showing; Turning it from slutty to sexy. I pulled on my best brown cowboy boots. Combed my hair out. I was very lucky to have thick wavy hair that rarely required me doing anything with it. I just let it dry and brush, I grabbed Maggie’s make up bag and applied a small amount of make up just to accentuate my natural features.Smiling at myself in the mirror this was perfect, Let's see that southern shit ignore me now. Or any of the others for the matter. 

I sauntered out of my cell into the main block and walked the long way through the middle of everyone taking extra care to have a bounce in my step to make my boobs bounce nicely and swayed my hips more to make my ass jiggle as I walked. I greeted everyone in the same way i usually would with cheery “Good Morning’s” Instantly i felt eyes roaming my body and not just the male’s which made me grin I was happy either way. A few let out low whistles and I winked in return. This felt great. I want to feel this way every day, my pussy had soaked my panties by the time I had made it out of the block and into the yard I was panting with need. 

I took a few minutes to calm my breathing before continuing out towards the field, I glanced at the guard tower to make sure he was here today keeping watch, When i saw his leather vest and his longish wavy hair my breath quickened again, Shit it was going to be hard to get through today without a little relief, It took everything i had not to rush up the guard tower and beg him for it, Instead i continued over to the field, waiting until i was in his vision before looking up smiling and waving. Sure enough there he was binoculars in his hand staring down at me. I grinned again, wiggled my fingers at him and sauntered away from the tower. 

Luck was with me today and I was set to work on the potatoes which were planted in a perfect view of the guard house. I made sure to always face the tower when just sitting working so he had the frontal view and when I needed to bend up or down I turned my back to him so he got a great view of my ass. Everything I did that day I made sure to find some way to make it sexier. More than a few men came to bring me water or talk to me that day i gave each of them a big grin, Laughed and put my hand on their arms and send them on their way enough to make them feel there could be a chance, I felt Fucking powerful. 

At the end of the day i saw Maggie making her way over to me with a backpack over her shoulder, “Y/N I gots you a gift” she said in a sing song voice “from Merle of all people” she laughed and pulled out two big bottles of Merle’s special moonshine “I guess someone saw your production today sugar” She giggled a bit more handed you a bottle and settled down on the grass next to you. 

Daryl

Ever since Merle and me brought Y/N back to the group with us she’s been a literal pain in my pants, I'm surprised my cock was even capable of a hard on at this point as it feels like it hasn't gone down in months. So far i have managed to stay away from her as i wasn’ gonna let no bitch get the better of me and i wasn’ going to let fuckin Merle be right. 

My mind wandered back to her again when i started my shift in the guard tower that morning, I considered going into the office to rub one out but decided i'd be on the balcony waiting, I always made sure i got the shifts in this tower when she was being put in the fields, Watching her sweating down there in the heat was good enough to get me off later in the night when i was alone in the office. I lived out of this tower now as I liked it better alone even now with Merle being back in the prison, I didn’ need his shit talking around me at all hours. Not when I had my own entertainment. 

There she was right on time to interrupt me from my thoughts, Holy shit what was she fucking wearing. I grabbed my binoculars to get a closer look, When i found her again with them she was almost fucking naked by the looks of it! In tiny shorts and an even smaller top, From this vantage point i had the best view straight in her bra, I kept my eyes on her all day fuck the perimeter it’ll be fine and i’m sure some weak ass will scream and let me know. 

I watched her all day as she wiggled her hips and wiped the sweat from her chest, Turns out i wasn’t the only one watching even guys I've fuckin told before to stay away come flocking, What don’t the asshole’s understand about “i’m always fuckin watchin” by her quitting time it wasn’t just my dick that was rock hard and throbbin but also the vein in my temple that tells me i’m about to snap.

Balling my fists up i wait for her to start walking back but Maggie fuckin Greene starts walking towards her, Fuck sake. I send the next watch away and tell them ill radio to come back. I wasn’t allowing no fucker to have this view. I watched as Maggie sat down in the grass with Y/N and pulled out two large bottles. I grabbed the binoculars again. Fuckin Merle! That’s his shine if i ever saw it. Making a mental note to smack that bastard later for this. Now everyone had gone back inside it was deadly silent out here which meant their voices were carrying more than they knew and i could hear every word. I settled back down and watched the girls for a while biding my time. 

Y/N

You both look at each other with a glint in your eyes, Pop the tops off your bottles and start downing it. Maggie comes up for air first. Dropping my bottle and swallowing the harsh liquid i Cheer in celebration and yell a little too loud “that Merle may be an asshole but he sure makes some good hooch” 

“Sooooo ya had any bites today?” Maggie grins winking at you. “Yeah but not the one i want, He’s so fucking frustrating. I think I've noticed him watching me more today than he has the entire time i’ve known him” I sigh. 

“You know he's got a huge thing for you or he wouldn’t be acting like this”  Maggie Giggled. “But then who in this friggin place doesn’t especially after today! You even made my breath hitch never mind poor Glenn who had to get a shower!” “Ugh maggie he’s your guy why the hell is he looking at me!” I grimaced. She put her hand on my thigh and winked at me again “He’s got my permission, don't worry it spices things up a little” I didn’t move her hand just enjoyed the feeling of her fingers running up and down the inside of my thigh.

We both downed more of Merle’s hooch giggling and the conversation turned to a debate on the size of Daryl's dick. I lick my lips promising to tell her if I ever get my hands on it. The conversation is turning more and more heated as her hand is getting closer and closer to my throbbing core. She’s getting that close now I’m sure she can probably feel the heat coming from it.  As we are getting close to the bottom of our bottles and really starting to feel the effect Maggie still with one hand on my thigh leans close to my face and whispers “He’s stayed up there watching past his shift. Let's give him something to see hmm?” As she’s finishing the end of her sentence I bridge the gap between us and meet her lips with mine. I bring my hand up to her hair and pull her closer into me, deepening the kiss Moaning into her lips. 

Daryl 

When the girls first started chatting i wanted to find out who they could be talkin about and punch the prick out till i heard my name and if my ears weren't already prickling up they definitely were now, He heard Y/N promise Maggie that if she sees ma dick she will tell her how big. He bites his lip and decides he’ll help her keep that promise. 

He picks his binoculars back up and notices Maggie's hand running up and down Y/N’s thigh. If there were two people he thought he wouldn’t have to warn away, it would have been Glenn and Maggie and they pick a night that he’s mad as hell to change his mind about that? 

He brings one hand to his aching dick giving it a few tugs through his pants to relieve some of the pressure and brings his eyes back to them just as he sees the girls lean into each other, Shit! Shit! He doesn’t know whether to run down there and interrupt finally or let them continue. Y/N pushes Maggie to lay her fully down and straddles her hips, I grabbed my radio and called for the replacement as i couldn’t take much more.

While i waited for the lazy shit to get here i watched Y/N & Maggie get even more heated and their hands exploring each other the moaning reaching me in the tower, I look to my right and see Glenn watching from behind one of the buildings hands and lower half suspiciously hidden.

Ah hell no fuck this tower! Daryl reaches over the side and grabs the pipe work swings himself over and uses it to get down quickly. As he hits the bottom his replacement is strolling over he grabs him by the scruff of his shirt blocking his view into the field. “Put ya lazy ass in that office and don’t fuckin leave till i come back and tell ya, ya can leave. Ya fuckin hear me?” I growl at him. The kid runs into the office in the tower. I spin around pretending not to see Glenn hiding there, I ran across the field towards the girls and as i reached them i let my shadow fall over them. 

Y/N

From where i am lay on top of Maggie i watch as Daryl slides down the side of the watch tower and charges over to us, I smile against Maggie's lips when he gets closer i moan feeling her hand snake its way into my bra, Were both panting loudly and moaning when his shadow falls over us. 

He clears his throat next thinking we hadn’t noticed him there. Maggie moves her mouth to my neck and I let out another moan but this time I raise my eyes to his and lick my bottom lip not breaking eye contact. 

“Come with me...NAW” Daryl growls and grabs my arms and pulls me off and up. Maggie looks at him and pouts “oh boo Daryl always gotta ruin our fun” I wave to Maggie giggling as he starts to drag me across the field. 

“What the fuck Daryl” I try to push him off my arm but his hands are unyielding. “Shut the fuck up ill deal with ya in a minute” He growls and pushes me up against the wall of a building stares longingly into my eyes then darts his arm out and smashes someone’s head into the wall. “Didn’t think id have to fuckin warn ya Glenn, Thought it was pretty fuckin obvious. Don't let me catch ya ass again” he grabs my arm again and drags me across the court yard until we reach a secluded spot, He slams my back up another wall and presses his body up against mine keeping me pinned between him and the wall. 

“What you think you’ve been doing girl, Flaunting your shit all day for any man to beat his meat too?” 

I squirm under his gaze, Shit i think i actually pissed him off, Definitely not the emotion i was going for!

“You think i’m gonna sit by and let tha happen?” 

I find my voice, “What do you mean, You won’t let something happen. You’re not the boss of me!” you say glaring back at him, If he wants to play the pissed off game he won’t be playin it alone.

“Ya know exactly what i mean! I’ll show you who the fuckin boss Y/N” He said, pressing his hips harder into mine. I try to suppress my moan. His eye’s darken even more hearing me moan for him now. 

“Who do you think told those pricks to back the fuck away from you, They wouldn’t of just left you alone on their own naw, they needed some rough persuasion Y/N” 

I glare at him again and he pushes his hips back into mine again.”Ya gonna learn yet? Every time you glare at me, ill smash my dick into that dirty clit o urs” He explains with a wink. 

Not knowing how to respond to that You ask “You’re the reason no man looks at me anymore? What fucking business is it of yours”

“Hell fuckin yeah i am” He says with a smirk “No one will dare ya touch you if I've claimed ya, So i did” “Naw I’ve claimed you, I’ve made it very clear if anyone touches you they’ll lose a fuckin arm” He growled

“For fuck sake Daryl! You can’t just put claims on a girl you don’t even give a fuck about” I said with a snarl.

“I give a fuck, Just didn’ want ya to know i gave a fuck, I enjoyed watchin ya squirm... but ya forced ma hand and naw... Well naw i aint gonna be gentle bout it”

You close your eyes tight, If he hadn’t of “claimed” me i would be in heaven now but learning that he’s behind your dry well makes you so mad. 

“This what you were trying to get huh?” “I would of thought twice before you pulled this shit, I aint no gentle man” she breathed into her ear. His gravelly voice driving me crazy. 

I look him in the eyes and shove him hard, running back to the cell block. I took a breather when i got through the door and realised he hadn’t followed me. As i was walking past the showers a hand darted out and pulled me inside. 

“Woah what the fuck” I gasped as I felt a hand move over my ass and pull me against him, Jees i need to wear this outfit more often. 

I was pulled into the light and saw it was Zach who had pulled me in with him, Zach was one of the ones who daryl must of scared away. 

“Hey baby, Missed me?” he breathed at me. “How could i miss you zach i never got a chance to know you, You let that asshole scare you away” I said hurt 

“Gimmie another chance Y/N, ill show you a good time, This could be our secret. We could have some real fun and piss that hillbilly asshole off” He squeezes me tighter to him. 

“Gerrof Zach if your too pussy to pursue someone when warned of by a man I’ve only ever spoken to once then you’re not a guy i want any fucking part of”

“Awww c’mon you don’t mean that” he grips the back of my head and pushes his lips to mine i tried to fight him off be but he had too tight of a grip. 

A low growl came from the doorway “I believe she said to get ya bitch ass hands off her” Zach jumped back like someone had shocked him when he heard the voice. Daryl walked forward and put his arm round my shoulder “an i believe i told ya to not even look at her again bitch” His voice gets louder “Tell me asshole what did i say i was gonna do to ya?” 

H waited a moment staring at Zack “Hmm to fuckin scared to answer?” he walks forward and punches him rapidly in the face Zack goes sprawling across the shower floor. Daryl stands over him and threatens “it’ll be worse next time if you don listen to me and come near ma girl again”

Daryl turns and heads back to you and wraps his arm around your shoulders again “Bet Ya glad i claimed you now” I nod slightly. I squirm out of his arms and run back to my cell, my hooch high still buzzing in my mind. Thank god without this how could i be this brave? I smile when I get to my cell wondering how long it will take him to catch me. 

I  barely had time to catch my breath before i felt him, He made no noise whatsoever like a hunter closing in on his prey.Whenever he was near me it felt like my entire body was electrified and tuned only to him. 

I spun around and my breath hitched in my throat at the sight of that venomous glare, He just stood and glared with his eye’s roaming every inch of you, You could feel every hair on your body standing to attention for him. 

In the blink of an eye he was back in front of you again pinning you back against the wall with his hand tangled in your hair, pulling your head to the side exposing your neck. 

He looks over your body panting his eyes still liquid stone, Ever glaring. I could feel the heat coming off him in waves as he studied me. His pushed his mouth next to my ear, “When i’m finished with ya, ya legs will be useless and everyone in this damn place gon know my name. An i promise you aint gon forget who’s ya are” He paused for a second staring into my eyes, “Naw take this shit off before i rip it off ya” He said pulling roughly at my shirt.

With Shaking hands i reach up and untie my shirt and push it off my shoulders, Watching his eyes grow darker as he watched. My shirt fell to the floor he grabbed the centre of my bra “All of it” He growled. I undid my bra and threw that into the corner. He looked down at my shorts seeming impatient gripped both sides and ripped them down. He came back up to me gripped my arms and pushed me further up the wall off the floor and quickly puts his legs in between mine and rests my body on them. 

He reaches forcing my head to the side again and brings his mouth down to my neck kissing and biting furiously his other hand gripping my breast roughly, Earning a loud moan from me. I reached for his shirt desperate to run my hands on him, Before my hands met their mark he had gripped my wrists pinning them above my head. 

“Ya don’t move, Touch or make a fuckin sound unless i say so, Ya hear?” I nodded eyes growing wide at his words. He let my feet touch the ground again and tore my underwear off, He bunched them up in his hand “Mmm look how wet these pantie’s are for me girl” “Open your mouth, Naw” I obediently complied letting him stuff them into my mouth, Dying to moan under his stare. 

He stepped back and let his vest fall over his shoulders and hit the floor, He then took his shirt off and used it to bind my hands together. He stood back admiring his handiwork, I Squirmed under his lustful gaze feeling myself getting wetter by the second. I watched him slowly bring his hands to his belt unfastening it then his button and zip, His pants hit the ground and he kicked them to the side. My breath went wild when I saw him in all his glory i love a man who doesn’t wear any underwear.

He lunged forward again pulling my legs over his and wrapping leg around his hips pressing his huge dick at my entrance. It was so long and thick: my mouth started salivating instantly imagining wrapping my mouth around it. 

He pulled my underwear from my mouth and growled into my ear “Scream my fucking name” as he plunged his entire length into me, The breath was forced from my lungs “shitt, Daryl!”

“Did i fuckin stutter, I said scream it” he growled again biting my neck pulling out almost of the way and plunging deep into me again. Damn did i scream this time my eyes rolling back into my head enjoying the sensation. 

“Tha’s better now ride it bitch” 

I felt raw already from his huge length and girth filling me like i’d never been filled before. Pulling my arms around his neck to steady myself i used him to pull myself back up and then down slowly trying to adjust to his size. 

His mouth met mine in a rough eager kiss, capturing my tongue with his. He pulled his mouth back to my neck and whispered “Ya don know how long i’ve been waiting for this, Tell me how much you love my dick Y/N”

“Ahh” i cried out “so much baby so much” My eyes rolling into the back of my head still rolling my hips onto him. “Naw, Tell me who you belong to” “You” I moaned “You i belong to you daryl” I panted out. 

“Louder! I want everyone in the fuckin place to know your mine” 

“Oh god, Daryl, I’m yours! Only yours” I screamed 

“Better” He smirked. He moved my arms from around his neck and released my hand’s from his shirt. He walked backwards with me still perched on him, His legs hit the end of the bed and he sunk down taking me with him. 

“Now show me how much you love this dick”

I positioned myself better over him and sunk down to the hilt slowly savouring every glorious inch of him. My eyes shot open again moaning when my clit hit his pubic bone and i started grinding harder and faster now. 

I could feel his hand’s everywhere, God i can’t believe how long i had been longing for this moment, I cried out again. He leant up on his elbows and pulled one of my nipples into his mouth nibbling, and running his nails down the inside of my thighs. The combination was pure ecstasy. I could already feel the pressure in my mound building painfully begging to be released. 

He removed his mouth from me earning a sad moan from me desperate to feel his mouth on me, He looked back at my eye’s amusement on his face. He ran both hands up to my chest again gripping almost painfully. “And these, Who do they belong to Y/N?” “You baby, All yours” i breathed shakily. I was so close when he growled again “Say my fuckin name” My wall’s started constricting against him. “Ahh god, Daryll ....fuck Daryl” His eyes shone at my words. He was even more spurned on now. He flipped us over, throwing me into the bed and pulled my hips into the air ramming harder and deeper than before. 

“Cum for me baby” He whispered in his incredible gravelly voice.

Those four words was all I needed to push me over the edge. Crying his name out again i felt the damn of pressure welled up in me from the moment I saw him burst open. I rode out my high as hard as i could against him, I collapsed to the bed and felt him slow down, My brain fuzzy from my incredible high. I tried pushing myself up on my elbows and my eyes caught another’s at the door. 

I looked down and back up rubbing my eyes, “Shit Darryl stop!” I reached for the sheets to pull them over me. There were at least 6 men gazing in, Daryl continued unperturbed. You tried putting your hand behind you trying to push at his stomach to get his attention. He captured your arm and it around your back and pulled you up against him. 

“You think I didn't know, Now tell me again who you belong to” “Daryl please!” I said trying to cover my chest. He grabbed the sheet and flung it away. 

Rick spoke up from the back Your cheeks flushed horrified they had all seen you in the throws. “I think Daryl told you to do something, He doesn’t like to be kept waiting” He said with a gleam in his eyes. You gazed around the men seeing Rick, Zack, Merle, Glenn & i wasn’t sure who else grinning enjoying the show. I was suddenly unashamed as i felt the pressure build back up dangerously high.

Daryl seeing my eyes wander over the group wrapped my hair around his wrist and pushed my head back into the bed, Ramming harder and faster than i’d ever felt before making me scream again. “Say it” he shouted at me “Ahh shit im daryl’s, You claimed me baby” He replied “And no one else is going to make you feel this good again are they?” 

“God no, Only you, Ahh so good!”

“Ya heard her '' He said addressing the men “She’s mine. Naw you can all fuck off back to your pits and keep your fucken hand’s to your selves asshole’s” You heard Merle hoot “wooowee you get it baby brother” You stomach turned grateful daryl had told them to leave, before his body pushed another orgasm out of you. 

They all turned and left as Daryl biting my ear lobe moaned into me “Now cum again for me baby” He suddenly dove his hand under me and onto my clit. 

I instantly caved again screaming into the bed. 

Feeling my second orgasm pushed him to the brink again and he jackhammered into me. Hard. Chasing his high. I pushed back furiously desperate to feel him. I moaned “Cum in me Daryl please i need to feel you” 

I felt him explode moaning my name and grinding deep into me riding it fully out” 

He collapsed on top of me breathless. We lay like that for a few minutes when I felt him going hard in me again. He pulled out and lay back on the bed pulling me into his chest his heart still pounding in his chest.

“God girl, If i’d of known you were that good a fuck, I’d of taken you that first fucking night” A relaxed grin on his face. 

He turned and took my face in his hands kissing me softly and murmured into my lips “I hope you don’t think i'm done with you yet” He winked “I aint had a girl like you in a loooong time i aint even close to done with ya” 

He rolled back onto me pulling my lip with his teeth. “Ready?” I nodded desperate to feel him again. 

God knows how many hours & Orgasms later he fell off me pulling me close into his chest again. I passed out instantly, Thoroughly exhausted. He chuckled into my hair and followed me into blissful sleep. 

When we woke the next morning his arms still tight around me, Smiling in his sleep. 

I looked over happy wishing i could stay here forever but there was work to be done. 

I slowly picked his arm up and tried to wiggle out from under it, Before i'd gotten half way those glorious muscles had flexed and pulled me straight back into him. “Morning beautiful. Hope you don’t think your going anywhere. We’ve got so much time to make up for.” He nuzzled his face into yours sweetly. You could feel him growing hard against your hip. “Don’t worry i’m feeling responsible. I’ll make it quick!” 

He fucked me again for another hour until we were both sweaty, shaky wrecks. 

I groaned and rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up trying to stand up and instantly felt my legs buckle beneath me. He was up and caught me before i came crashing down. He laughed. “Don’t say i didn’t warn you” You laughed with him. “God, I love that sound” He said, staring into my eyes and planting a sweet kiss onto my lips. He stood and started grabbing his clothes from around the room and dressing. 

“Take your time getting up, I’m back in the guard tower again today, Don’t forget what i taught you last night” He said with a wink and ducked down to kiss me. He moved to the doorway and moved the curtain turning back at me. “Oh and babe I wanna see that outfit again today, Now i know it’s all for me” He winked again and left. 

I fell back on the bed with a huge grin on my face. Holy shit I can't wait for tonight! 

[backtothestart02]

Final Curtain Call - 2/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: For @smileyscorner04's bday. :)

...

Synopsis: AU - Barry and Iris’ best friends set them up on a blind date.

...

Chapter 2 -

Cisco’s head popped up from behind the bushes bear the woods circling the pond. He blew out a handful of leaves that had gotten sucked into his mouth in the process. The he brought his walkie talkie to his mouth and pressed a button.

“Anything? Over.”

“Nothing,” Cynthia drawled from the other end. “This is still a dumb idea by the way, babe.”

“No. No, it is not. We have to make sure our plan is working.”

Some garbled muffling and then a new voice popped onto the line. Linda.

“Where’s Wally? I want to speak to him.”

Cisco sighed and handed the device to Wally who was still sitting on the ground, refusing to watch his sister on her non-date with Barry Allen, who he’d yet to accept as a good enough candidate for her, despite the fact that he knew in his gut they were made for each other.

“I’m here,” Wally said. “And missing you.”

“Aww, missing you too, baby. What do you want to do after this?”

Wally’s voice lowered an octave.

“Oh, you know what I wan-”

Cisco snatched the walkie talkie away.

“Not cool, Linda!” he spat.

“What?” She played dumb. “If we have to use these junk toys to talk into, we might as well get some use out of them. This is the most time Wally and I have been apart since we started dating.”

“It’s been 20 minutes!” Cisco cried.

“Quiet, children,” Clark said from his location with Lois. “You’ll alert our poor victims.”

Lois rolled her eyes and smiled.

“He’s right. Either go home or keep watch, Cisco, but lower your voice either way. You’re really not that far from them.”

Cisco sighed deeply.

“I just don’t understand what they could possibly have to talk about for this long. I mean, they talk so much already. And they’re holding hands! I think.”

“What?!” Wally snapped up and grabbed the binoculars Cisco had brought along for kicks. “Holy shit, they are. Maybe Allen is worthy.”

“Unless our girl here initiated,” Linda boasted proudly.

“’bout time if she did,” Cynthia commented.

“Agreed,” Lois chimed in. “It’s been long enough for those two. They’re basically a couple already, if they would just admit to each other how they felt, then-”

“Yes, dear,” Clark calmed her. “Hopefully they will today.”

“It is a beautiful day out for that type of confession,” Linda said.

“I heard it’s supposed to rain later,” Cynthia said dryly.

“What?! No way,” Linda panicked.

“Relax, babe,” Wally said into the walkie talkie. “They’re already holding hands. It’s just a matter of time until-”

“No, Linda is right,” Lois said. “If Iris’ hair gets wet, it’ll ruin the entire mood, and neither of them have an umbrella or a raincoat.”

“It’s mid-July,” Wally drawled.

“Or a poncho,” Linda said.

“Guys, guys,” Clark took hold of the conversation. “If the rain comes, it comes. This is just attempt one of getting these two rascals together through a mysterious blind date. Besides, it’s not supposed to rain for at least another hour or two.”

“Oh, look! Look!” Cisco proclaimed.

“No one can see them, but you two, babe,” Cynthia reminded him.

“Oh. Right.” He chuckled heartily.

“I can see them too.” Wally’s eyes narrowed. “And it looks like they’re moving.”

“Wait, really?” Linda perked up.

“Definitely,” Cisco confirmed. “Stay tuned, ladies and gents. We may be moving soon.”

…

Iris, sitting on the bench beside Barry, their fingers still intertwined, turned slightly in her seat and leaned her head back on his shoulder.

“How long has it been, do you think?”

Barry shrugged his other shoulder, trying to slow down his racing heart.

“Not sure.” He dug his phone out of his pocket. “Oh. Almost half-hour. Think we’ve been stood up?” He cracked a grin.

Iris frowned, though she was secretly overjoyed.

“Who would stand us up? We’re hot stuff.”

Barry chuckled.

“You, maybe. Me? Not so much.”

Iris scoffed and sat up, untangling their fingers so she could smack his chest.

“What? It’s true. I’ve been stood up plenty of times. How about you?”

She felt a little guilty now.

“Okay, this may be the first.”

Barry grinned.

“See.”

“Well, that’s just proof that those girls were not the right ones for you,” she pointed out.

“That’s true,” he allowed.

You’re the right one for me. He stared at her longingly until she met his gaze again.

“Wasn’t your last solid girlfriend a…” She stifled the disgust welling up in her voice. “A pretty blonde?”

“Ah, yes. Felicity. She was pretty.”

Iris stiffened and hoped he didn’t notice.

“Too bad she wasn’t over her ex.”

“Are you over her?” she wondered aloud.

“Oh, yeah,” he said instantly. “We only went on like three dates. Not enough time to get attached.”

“For some people it would be,” she said.

Me, for instance.

“Only if that person is the one,” he said. “Then you would just know.”

She almost asked if he’d ever experienced that before, but she was too afraid to know the answer. Especially if it wasn’t about her, which it obviously couldn’t be.

“Do you want to take a walk?” she suggested. “I mean, since I think we can confirm that our dates aren’t coming. Might as well make the most of it by exploring. And…” She stuck her foot up in the air. “I’m wearing wedges, so I think I can handle the concrete path through the park.”

Barry grinned.

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two stood up and headed away from the pond and the loud roaring of the waterfall to make their way to the path. It still circled the pond, just some distance away so as not to come too close to falling in the water, should one be slightly off-balance.

And also, so bikes could go by on it.

No longer holding hands, Iris slipped her arm through Barry’s, and they looped as they walked together amidst the greenery surrounding them in mid-summer.

“It’s not too hot today,” Barry noted.

“It’s perfect,” Iris said. “Perfect for a date.” Then she winced.

“I’m sorry you got stood up, Iris,” he said, though he wasn’t really sorry, just sorry if she was upset about it. He hated seeing her upset.

“Don’t be,” she said. “I’m not.”

He turned to look at her as they walked.

“But…you got all fancy.”

“For a date at the park.” She snorted. “Imagine the guy’s surprise when he would’ve showed up thinking we were going to a fancy dinner. Obviously, I haven’t been on a date in a while.”

“Me either,” Barry said. “Which you know of course, because I tell you everything.”

She chuckled.

“I like to hear everything, especially from you.”

“Oh, yeah?” He teased, leaning towards her. “Why’s that?”

Heat shot up into her cheeks.

“Oh, I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “You’re just the cutest nerd that I know,” she said, trying to detach herself from her feelings and failing.

“A nerd, huh?” He scrunched up his nose.

“It’s a compliment,” she encouraged. “I like a man who’s intelligent and physically attractive.”

Now his cheeks started to redden.

“You’re making me blush, Iris.” He looked away.

“Good.” She brushed her hip against his. “Then my plan is working.”

“What’s your plan?” He gawked. “To get me flustered?”

She shrugged helplessly, aware that she had no plan and words were just falling out of her mouth at this point.

“You’ll never know.”

He chuckled and shook his head, then tugged her closer. She went willingly, smiling all the way and thinking what a wonderful gift it was that they had both gotten stood up on this beautiful day in the park.

[negasonicimagines]

Revelation; Part One

warnings/kinks: a/b/o (if you’re penis-repulsed this isn’t for you), smut (duh), brief daddy kink, even briefer mommy kink, cum-eating, cum-marking, cockwarming? (does it count if it’s a/b/o?), light bloodplay, borderline somniphilia (consensual), poisoning, suicidal ideation, allusions to cheating, mentions of conversion therapy, vague mentions of s*xual ass*ult (it doesn’t actually happen in the story, it’s just referred to a lot due to the nature of this universe)

uh… this is another one of those stories that’s just kinda Heavy, please be careful & don’t continue reading if doing so is unsafe for you. I have a variety of other works that don’t have such intense themes, which you can find on my masterlist!

request (+details): Omegaverse: Alphas Yukio and Ellie with a beta reader, but it turns out that reader is a late-bloomer omega who goes into her first heat unexpectedly. / Omegaverse: The setting could be anywhere. The three of them waking up with reader burning hot, believing to be sick but is actually going into heat. The reader could be by themselves when it happens and her alphas come home to a omega in heat / I can’t get this omegaverse idea out of my head, and I hope you don’t mind me telling you this. Reader being alone and confused when her heat came, her alphas gone on a mission. During the time they were gone, Reader made a nest of her alphas’s clothes out of instinct on their bed. By the time Yukio and Ellie returned, Reader is a hot mess from trying to get off, moaning their names and begging for her alphas to help her for she don’t know why she feels like this and is scared.)

synopsis: After Wade discovers you're dealing with suicidal thoughts, he takes it upon himself to help you out, leading to one disaster after another.

author’s note: thank you so much to the lovely anon who requested this for spending so much time with me & making sure everything was juuuust right! Fun fact: we pined, started dating, and broke up, started dating again, and broke up again all before this was published 🙃 sorry everybody, it’s been a rocky road for the past… forever.

Standing guard after school for a few extra bucks is a pretty sweet deal, you have to admit. You mostly just sit around with a pair of binoculars munching on your snack of choice, using a gun loaded with tranquilizer darts to drop anyone who threatens the safety of the school and its residents. If given permission, or an order to do so, you can use your bow and arrow to really take down your enemies.

You’re pretty lucky in life overall, you also have to admit, with two alpha girlfriends and a variety of friends and acquaintances, not to mention the advantages your mutation gives you.

It makes you feel even more guilty for what you’re really thinking about right now. Not Ellie, not Yukio, not keeping an eye out for threats, nothing but a simple question:

Would it be more efficient to slit your wrists with the point of one of your arrows, or to fling yourself from the top of this turret? Which would hurt worse? You look from the sharp arrow you hold in your hand to the plush grass below, managed by some of the other students.

It’s far cheaper to pay students to maintain the yard and house, not to mention it gives students like you a way of earning the kind of spending money that other students receive from their parents or from jobs in town. Your post would be snatched up in no time if you were to pass.

Speaking of parents.

Your father’s exact words to your mother were “I hate that you use a highschool mistake to keep me trapped with you forever!” the last time you happened to hear them argue. They were no longer invited to parent-teacher conferences after that.

It’s a fine reason for him to be angry, but, unfortunately, you’re the highschool mistake he was talking about. The one he’s always talking about whenever they fight. Maybe if you were gone, he’d finally be free. Maybe you’d finally be free from his resentment. He, fortunately enough, rarely lashes out at you directly; however… There’s always been a distance.

Would he love you more if you were gone? If you saved him from… Well, you? You’ve always wanted him to love you, to look at you with something other than anger or resentment. Would he finally be proud of you, for owning up to every horrible thing you are and have done by paying the ultimate price? Would everyone?

You’re holding the bladed tip of the arrow right against your wrist, almost like a normal person might hold a bracelet to their wrist -- trying it on for size, without really thinking about it.

Suddenly, though, Wade’s here. And he’s definitely thinking about it. He yanks the arrow out of your hand, accidentally snapping the wood that makes up its length.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I- Uh, I don’t know,” you mumble, embarrassed, because you honestly don’t. Being alone with your thoughts gives them the space to grow from their poisoned roots into something dark you don’t really recognize as yours.

“You- You don’t know?!” Wade questions, and the unusual severity of his tone stuns you to the point of laughter. “This isn’t fucking funny, what the hell is wrong with you? Why were you-?! What were you-?! What the fuck are you doing?!”

“I’m standing guard. What the fuck are you doing?” you echo dryly, resorting to quips to avoid telling him any more than he already knows.

“I’m freaking out! I can’t kill you for apparently wanting to kill you, so that’s all I can do! I thought you were on antidepressants!”

“I am. Have been for years. They don’t cure depression, they make it easier to manage.”

“Apparently fucking not! Come on, let’s go talk to somebody and get you an appointment with a psychiatrist. You’ve been on the same prescription all these years, right? Maybe you just need your dosage upped.” Wade’s not asking, he’s telling, his hand wrapped around your bicep to pull you along, although his grip isn’t as tight as you’d expect for a man of his stature, let alone an alpha.

Why does he care so much? He’s always so gentle, even when you piss him off like this. Tears well up in your eyes but you blink hard. You know he’s been through worse. That most people here have. You have no right to cry.

Wade yells at a surprised Charles Xavier until an appointment is set up, which goes pretty well. Four days after that incident, you meet with the psychiatrist who agrees that upping your dosage is the smartest decision, frankly, she’s surprised it wasn’t done sooner. And, after about a week of your new dosage level, you’re feeling better than ever.

Way better.

“You… You’d really wanna do that? For everyone to know I’m yours?”

Ellie nods, cheeks darkened. You’re straddling her, and the two of you have been trading heated kisses with Yukio. Who would’ve thought more of the medication you were sure killed your libido before you could even develop one would be what rescued it?

“Of course we would. I know you don’t like to stereotype, but some of the stereotypes have truth to them. We’re… Territorial,” Yukio reminds you.

“I’m… A beta,” you remind her in a teasing echo of her tone.

“Our beta,” Ellie cuts back in. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Even if I’d rather not let you guys, y’know…” Your hand rubs at the space between your neck and your shoulder - where they’d likely mark you with their teeth - nervously. “...today? Or go farther than what we’re doing right now?”

“Of course, baby! The fact that you’ve even done this much…” Yukio trails off, looking over you. Your lips are swollen and still slightly parted as you continue to pant a little. The top few buttons of your (well, borrowed from Ellie) flannel are undone.

“We’re so grateful, and so proud of you,” Ellie continues, drawing your attention back to her. “We’re willing to wait as long as you need, even if that waiting only ends because you’ve decided that being with us like that isn’t something you want.”

“I do. I always have, I just… I don’t know.”

“The feeling’s still there, in your stomach, right?” Yukio wonders.

“Yeah, a little. It’s like… I know it’s not wrong, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Maybe I should just try to ignore it, I mean, you two have needs-”

“Hey. You know better than that, Y/N. We don’t, okay, babe? Not like that. We wanna have sex with you, not- Not hurt you. You understand that, right?” Ellie reassures you.

“I do, I just feel bad for being such a- I don’t know, a tease?”

“We love you. As in, you. If you forced yourself to do something you didn’t want to, just for us, how would we forgive ourselves?” Yukio says what she’s said a million times, but every time it surprises you. You tend to see yourself as only being valuable in what you can offer others— protection, a laugh, some good advice every now and then —you never expect anyone to care for you outside of that. But here they are. Absolutely perfect.

And you were thinking of flinging yourself off a tower a couple weeks ago. Should you tell them? They just think you went for an overdue checkup, which is technically the case. You don’t know what’s worse, hiding it or telling them. You’ll have to talk to Wade, he’s good at giving advice. Might not be good advice, but he’s definitely good at giving it.

“Everything okay, sharpshooter?” Ellie hands gently squeeze your hips to get your attention.

You blink back out of your thoughts, smiling a little and blushing at the nickname.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Sorry, I just zoned out. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

“Everything okay?” your alphas ask, again, in unison. Your alphas. They probably couldn’t handle it if you had a problem they couldn’t solve, the guilt of not being able to provide for you would overwhelm them.

“Yeah, totally,” you reply, because it is, now, especially here with them. Ellie starts to button up your flannel.

“Oh, we don’t have to-”

Ellie gives you a pointed look, then looks down at her crotch, then back up at you. Your blush deepens.

“Yeah, I’m guessing a cold shower’s in order,” Yukio agrees. “El, you can go first.”

“We can’t go together?” Ellie asks.

“Well, I don’t wanna leave Y/N alone. Our brave little beta did a lot more than usual. Don’t want you to feel used, baby,” Yukio explains to you both.

“Oh, duh,” Ellie agrees. You give her a quick smooch on the forehead before dismounting her and allowing yourself to be pulled into Yukio’s arms. Ellie grabs some clean clothes and heads off. As soon as the door shuts, Yukio giggles, and you look to her with a curious, confused expression.

“Now you’re all mine to cuddle.” Yukio gloats, kissing the top of your head. “Mm… You smell really good, babe. New shampoo?”

“Ish, yeah,” you agree, despite the fact that you started using it nearly a month ago at this point. Maybe the body heat you built up from the makeout session made it smell stronger, though.

Yukio keeps sniffing you, but you don’t call her out on it. She’s a little bit quirky, sure, but there’s no need to make her feel self-conscious about it when the tickling sensation feels kinda nice. She tosses in a few soft presses of her lips against your skin, too, so it’s not like she’s the only one who benefits.

Yukio eventually stops this, though, instead requesting to scent you. You’ve told the girls before that they don’t have to ask, but they— especially Yukio —seem to prefer to. You figure it’s likely to reassure them that you not only tolerate but appreciate their alphahood.

“I love you, you know that? Not just ‘cause you make me smell like petrichor. I’m surprised Ellie doesn’t spend all day huffing your scent, I… I know I would, if I could smell it.” You didn’t mean for the sad envy to ring so clearly in your words, but it’s as sharp as a knife, cutting deep enough to make Yukio gasp softly with sympathy as she rubs your wrist against her scent gland, eyes snapping open.

“Well, next time it’s about to rain, we’ll go outside, then. Every time it’s about to rain,” Yukio insists. “Who- Who told you?”

“Wade. I was just curious. He said Ellie smells like a campfire, the scent even clings like it. He even said I smell a little weird. Most betas smell like something, but I’m just… A blank canvas.”

You feel her rumble a bit with a growl, and her arms wrap tightly around you… Protectively? You blush.

“Y-Yukio?” you nervously ask, caught off guard. Ellie’s usually more of the growling type. Yukio’s pretty good about keeping her possessiveness and any other “negative” alpha traits in check. This side of her doesn’t come out often.

“What was he doing that close to you?” she snarls protectively, and if the growl wasn’t enough to get your heart racing, that was. “Sm- Smelling you?”

“Yukes, Wade’s the same age as my parents. Honestly, he’s- He’s kinda- He’s nice to me. We’re friends. I think if he was going to hurt me, he would’ve done it by now. You two keep forgetting I’m just a beta. No one wants a piece of this pie except for you and Ellie.”

“You’d be surprised at the way some alphas… It’s sick, but they- Because betas, you know, they don’t really produce slick like omegas do, and they don’t have quite as much give, uh… So, some alphas, um, they… Just let me hold you, okay?” Yukio requests. “I can’t talk about it, it’ll make me too mad.”

“I respect that. Thank you. I, uh, I didn’t realize that at all, so thank you for helping me be even safer,” you reassure her. She’s trembling. “Do you want me to hold you, instead?”

“No, no, this will make me feel better. I just… I love you. Can you just…? Just- Just say you’re mine.” This is a request Yukio has semi-often. When she feels weak in comparison to other alphas, when she feels overshadowed by Ellie, any time she needs reassurance or is just feeling bad, she’ll probably ask. You get it, being hers (and Ellie’s, of course) makes you feel better, too.

“I’m yours, Yukio. Always yours. You make me so happy, both of you. Happier than- You make me feel so-“ You get a bit choked up. These girls, these alphas… They’re so important to you.

“Oh, no, baby, please don’t cry,” Yukio implores, watching your eyes water. You turn so that your face doesn’t just rest on her chest but is buried in it.

“It’s just that no one ever loved me before you two. No one, ever. Not my parents, not my ’friends,’ no one. I don’t know why I’ve been so emotional lately, I’m sorry.”

“No one at all?” Yukio questions, but that’s the missing puzzle piece, she realizes. You’re always treating hers and Ellie’s love for you like it’s something you have to earn, no matter how much they insist being yourself is enough. She fully grasps now that it’s never been enough before.

She holds you even tighter.

“Mm-mm,” you confirm, shaking your head a little. “You and Ellie just mean the whole world to me. And- And… Wade’s my friend, too. Can I still, y’know, spend time with him?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I just- He’s a nice guy, but… I don’t want him to put you in danger. You can handle yourself, though. Can’t you, sharpshooter?” Her fingers trickle up your ribs as she says the nickname, making you giggle and squirm.

“Absolutely, but it is nice to have two strong, sexy alphas take care of me instead every now and then,” you admit, albeit a bit teasingly, blushing softly. You turn back so that you can see her adorable face.

“Really?” Yukio asks, but she knows.

“Really,” you agree with a smile.

“I’m yours, too. You know that, right?” Yukio checks, fiddling with your hair a bit.

“Mhm. It’s nice to hear you say it like that, though.”

“I can think of other ways you might like to hear it,” Yukio flirts.

“Yeah, you think so? Show me,” you tease back.

“I will…” Yukio trails off as she trails her finger along your jaw, tipping your head up to the perfect kissing angle and- “Eventually, little beta.”

“I- I’m taller than you,” you weakly protest.

“Your breath still hitched,” Yukio reminds you with a giggle and a gentle tap on the tip of your nose.

You stutter a little more before giving up, burying your face again and whining.

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I just can’t help myself. You’re too cute,” Yukio half-heartedly apologizes, still chuckling to herself as she strokes your back.

Ellie returns from her shower, inky tendrils of hair ruffled around but with no product in.

“She’s asleep?” Ellie asks, sounding a bit disappointed, but there’s still a significant amount of fondness in her tone.

“She’s not,” you mumble back, and both girls chuckle, Yukio untangling herself from you. You can’t help but pout a little, already missing the bubblegum-haired alpha.

“I know Yukio’s your favorite, but you could at least act a little bit happy to see me,” Ellie half-jokes, and you smile, pulling (though she doesn’t give any resistance) the girl back into your bed. She holds you the same way Yukio did, but you don’t really mind the lack of variety.

“You’re both my favorite,” you argue. Ellie takes a deep breath, likely taking in the way you’re completely embraced by Yukio’s scent.

“I don’t think that’s how favorites work,” she chuckles.

“Out of all the people in the world, you two are both my favorite,” you insist. She takes the hand you have resting on her ribcage and holds it inches from her scent gland. “Please,” you say, before she can even ask. Ellie takes a whiff again.

“Did she leave anywhere untouched?” She wonders.

“N-not really,” you stutter, because now you’re thinking of where she didn’t touch you.

“Well, she’ll have to share a little, then,” Ellie says.

You hum with delight as she scents you.

“You make a new friend?” Ellie questions.

“Huh?”

“You smell… Different,” she responds, looking at you… Well, differently. “Like roses.”

“I have a new-ish shampoo?” You offer, but that just seems to intensify the look.

Your phone rings. It’s Wade. You wriggle out of Ellie’s loose hold on you, answering.

“Hey, you know how I’m your academic advisor?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Well, apparently, thwarting your suicide attempts isn’t my only job. I also have to tell you when they need you in the office, which is now.”

“Seriously?! I didn’t even throw that pencil at Richard, and even if I did, he deserved it for being such a-“

“Oh, right! Should’ve opened with the good news. Your parents are here to visit.”

“What?! That’s-“ You sigh, not wanting to alarm Ellie any more than you already have. “Okay. I’ll be there. Just give me a second to get dressed.”

“Wow, no shame at all. I salute you. Toodles!” Wade hangs up before you realize he misunderstood you.

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asks.

“Nothing, just… My parents are here.”

“Your… Parents?”

“Kind of have to have those to exist, usually,” you remark, and she snorts.

“I know- I- Well, we’ve known each other for a while, and you don’t really talk about them, so I sort of assumed…” Ellie trails off.

“Oh, um, yeah, no, they’re very alive,” you confirm with an awkward chuckle.

“Right. I’ll go get ‘Kio, and we’ll all go, okay?”

“Uh- Um- Yeah.”

“What is it?”

“My parents, they kind of… They- I love you. And I’m not ashamed of you.”

“But they’ll be ashamed of you,” Ellie understands.

“I haven’t seen them in so long, they don’t even know that I like girls, let alone that I’m dating two, or that they’re both alphas… I want you and Yukio to come with me, but, if they start to- If they’re how they are, I-“

“Give my energy to helping you instead of hurting them,” Ellie uses Piotr’s words.

“Perfect,” you agree, and Ellie smiles back, but it falters. You didn’t mean to worry her so much.

“I’ll go get Yukio. You get changed, okay?”

“Mhm,” you agree, and she heads off to the bathroom. You steal one of Ellie’s band tees and an oversized cardigan of Yukio’s for comfort, finding a pair of high-waisted bottoms to tuck the tee shirt in. You throw on a pair of sneakers, and when the girls emerge from the bathroom, you pop in to freshen up.

Once you’re done, Yukio’s caught up on the situation and the three of you make your way to the front offices.

Wade meets you outside.

“Oh em gee, Y/N, you’ll never believe it, I actually went to high school with both of your parents.”

“Uh… Cool?” You respond, because you’re not entirely sure how to.

“Yeah, uh, I get now that it’s probably not really good news that they’re here, huh? No wonder I found you doing that the other day.”

“Doing what?” Yukio and Ellie ask, though for some reason, Ellie’s is tinged with suspicion, maybe even anger.

“I- Listen, it’s not a big deal, I got my prescription updated and all that good stuff, okay?” You prime them. “I was thinking about killing myself the other day and Wade caught me.”

“Thinking?! You’re gonna call holding the fucking tip of an arrow to your wrist thinking?!”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Ellie sounds as angry as Wade does, but she looks pained. This is why you didn’t tell them.

“Hey, she doesn’t need this right now,” Yukio argues, but she looks hurt, too.

“I mean, I was just considering if it would be more painful than jumping off of the turret,” you mumble, your defense embarrassingly weak.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Ellie decides, and Yukio nods. You three follow Wade to Xavier’s office. Wade breezes in, but you’re practically stuck in the doorway, nervous to look at even the backs of their heads, before they turn around.

“Y/N,” your mom says with a grin, but you know all too well how fake that is. She approaches you, pulls you into a hug, and you want nothing more than to push her away and scrub yourself clean. She doesn’t really love you. The second you speak out of turn, or make a mistake, or give her any excuse, she’ll remind you of your worth. (Or, rather, the lack thereof.)

She slips back into her seat next to your father, in front of the desk where Xavier sits, simply observing.

“It’s been so long,” your father says, but his smile is almost blatantly fake. “Your hair, it’s different.”

“Like you said, it’s been a while,” you say, giving a grimace and an awkward chuckle.

“I don’t think I like it,” he says, like he’s giving his opinion on a sculpture in an art exhibit by some long-dead artist who doesn’t care what he thinks. Like it’s something just… Objective.

“Not sure what to do about that,” you reply sheepishly.

You don’t fully realize that you’re holding Ellie’s hand until she squeezes it reassuringly, three times. A secret code. You step further in to make room for the girls.

“So, uh, I have to ask… Why the sudden visit?”

“Well, we got an e-mail about your medicine, and we wanted to come check on you. Make sure this is the right environment for you,” your mother explains.

“You weren’t sure before you stopped talking to me for two years?” You half-joke, playing dumb.

“Has it really been two years?” A normal person would be asking this rhetorically, and they’d be embarrassed. Your mother, though, is simply trying to gaslight you.

“Longer,” you assure her.

“I thought this place was supposed to provide conversion therapy,” your father says, eyeing your hand, then Ellie’s other hand. “You’re such a fucking liar,” he hisses to your mother.

“Wow, maybe my mom dying when I was young was for the best. Better than this for sure,” Wade jokes, gently elbowing your side. You chuckle, grateful for even the slightest ounce of comic relief.

“You’re even more of a freak than you were in high school.” You squeeze Ellie’s hand tight as your father’s expression darkens even further.

“Funny you should say that, considering-“

“Wade,” your mother cuts him off.

That’s weird, to say the least. You just file that away for later. You have bigger fish to fry, like surviving this visit.

“Y/N, why’d you go for a check-up at all? You barely needed the anti-depressants in the first place,” your mother wonders.

“Because it wasn’t barely. Why else would they raise the dosage?” You ask, and the expression on her face is as stupid as the question she asked.

“Don’t speak to her that way,” your father scolds, like he didn’t just call your mother a fucking liar himself. “You are so ungrateful for everything we’ve done for you, do you realize that?”

“I’m sorry, what have you done for her, exactly? Answer quickly, please,” Ellie retorts.

“El-“ you start, but realize this isn’t anger, but advocacy.

“Well, we sheltered and fed her for over a decade,” your father remarks, smirking like he’s won.

“That’s your job!” Wade argues.

“Mr. and Mrs. L/N… I politely asked that you refrain from visiting the campus, and while I appreciate your concern for Y/N’s well-being, I must ask that you remain respectful of her, her fellow students, and my staff. Causing unnecessary conflict is exactly the reason you were almost banned when you last visited,” Professor Xavier finally speaks.

“Almost banned?!” Wade wheezes.

“Yeah,” you sigh, and Wade’s laughter immediately ceases. “I was cheating in school, according to- To Dad.” The word is poison in your mouth.

“Come on, we all know you’re not smart enough to get those grades on your own. Probably screwing some teacher, just like Mom.”

“That’s enough,” Ellie snarls, eyes glowing orange.

“I never screwed a teacher!” Your mother protests at the same time.

“Oh, that’s right, you just blew Mr. Morin. My bad. Wow, Y/N, you really must be something special for all these alphas to be fawning over you. Maybe I did fuck up once or twice, after all, I’ve heard daddy issues-“

“Well, you visited! Now get the fuck out,” Wade chirps.

“Mr. L/N, must I repeat myself? I know you and Mrs. L/N were interested in a tour. Perhaps a less crowded area would help ease your minds,” Xavier reminds you all of his presence once more.

“That sounds like a great idea,” your father agrees.

“I’m starting to get a bit of a headache, maybe you could show us your room first and I could lie down for a bit in there?”

“I-“ You look to the girls, not wanting them to have to deal with her alone.

“Actually, Miss Phimister and Miss Kitsuna would be perfect additions to a rescue team. The orphanage your friend Russell came from was actually part of a network for mutant trafficking, and we found another hub in Maine. The jet takes off in fifteen minutes, and you two will be back in time for dinner. Better get ready and briefed.”

“But-“ Yukio starts, looking to you.

“Go, be superheroes,” you tell them, and they head out. “Uh, how about we swing by the library first, to give them time to change, and then to our room?”

“You share a room with them? Somehow, I’m not surprised.”

“We were roommates before we started dating,” you correct him.

“Dating… Aw, I bet you really think that’s what it is, too. Having parents in a sham of a marriage really did a number on you, huh?” Your father condescends.

“You know, it’s pretty fucked up how fixated you are on her sexuality. Do you like to picture it, you goddamn creep?” Wade defends you, and your skin crawls. You’d never thought of it that way before.

“Let’s just get that tour started, ‘kay?” You squeak. The sooner you get this over with, the sooner they’ll be on their way, hopefully.

“Good idea, Y/N,” Wade says. “Come on, Textbook, let’s go.”

“You didn’t just call me-“

“Oh, but I did, Textbook. Hey, Y/N, did you know that was your dad’s nickname in highschool? ‘Cause he was so fuckin’ easy to shove in a locker.”

You cover your mouth with your hand, trying not to laugh and failing.

“Just show us the library already, Y/N,” your mother says, pinching the bridge of her nose.

You take your parents to the library, as requested. Wade keeps pace with you while your parents fall back. You can’t hear their exact words, but you know your parents are bickering.

“You never said it was this bad.”

“It’s not that bad. It’s definitely been worse,” you admit, busying your eyes with the paintings that line the walls so that you don’t have to meet Wade’s gaze. You might just cry if you do; you can feel the sympathy radiating off of him.

In these past few months, Wade’s been more of a father than your dad, even more of a mother than your mom, but for some reason that doesn’t make you feel more justified in how you feel about your parents. In fact, it just makes you feel worse, and even if you’ve never actually expressed it, you’re still ashamed of the fact that you wish Wade was your father instead. He actually cares, while your parents are simply legally obligated.

From the day you met, Wade’s always been there for you. If you were to tell your parents what you almost did the other day, they’d just call you attention-seeking and insult you in other ways. All they’d do is make you want to try again.

You and Wade stop at the entrance to the library and wait for your parents to catch up. They do, and you open the double doors to reveal the room.

“It’s like Beauty and the Beast,” your mother gapes.

“I thought so, too,” you agree, attempting a smile, but your parents just ignore you, wandering around the large room. Your mother excuses herself after a few minutes of spinning, saying that the dizziness is making her headache worse.

“All these books and you’re still… The way you are,” your father comments, looking at you with such disdain.

“Winner of the science fair with her loving partners, three years in a row?” Wade questions. “Oh, or maybe you’re talking about the fact that she’s a published poet. How embarrassing for you, I’m sure.”

“Wade,” you protest under your breath, embarrassed. They don’t even know that stuff. After middle school, you stopped telling them about your accomplishments. You figured out that all they’d do is ruin them for you.

“No, no, trust me. It’s more about the fact that she’s slutting around with alphas and won’t even save us the embarrassment of them being girls,” you father spats.

“That’s enough,” Wade snarls.

“Oh, that’s right, we can’t forget that she’s yours, too. I guess anything with a dick is daddy considering I was too busy putting food on the table to play dollies,” he remarks, and you suddenly feel light-headed.

“Seriously, Textbook, I really don’t want to hurt you, especially not in front of Y/N, but I fucking will if you make me.”

“Just go,” you urge Wade, starting to feel a bit dizzy, surely from the stress. You brace yourself on him, disguising it as a touch meant to comfort him. He looks concerned as the edges of your vision start to darken a little.“I- What you’re doing, I appreciate it, but-“

“You appreciate it? You appreciate him disrespecting me, disrespecting our family?!”

“Our family?!” You finally snap. “All I ever wanted was for you to love me, and you couldn’t do that. You just couldn’t. And now we’re a family?! No. No, you…” You start to pant, your face feeling even hotter than before. “You… I hate you,” you manage to get out before your world goes completely dark.

“Fuck yeah, Y/N! I’m so prou-“

But when Wade turns to you, you’re halfway to the ground. He catches you, though, and he catches a whiff of something… Familiar.

Lavender. It’s not just the Wilson scent, sure, but it’d be too much of a coincidence. You smell just like him. You are him, or, rather, made of him.

He’s torn between ecstatic and furious.

“Hey, can we get some help over here?” your father calls out to no one. It’s not a school day, and lots of students are out on missions. He reaches out to you for once in your life, but Wade’s now sitting on the floor, cradling you in his arms.

“No,” Wade argues. “Not yours. Mine.”

“What?” You father asks incredulously. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“She’s. Not. Yours,” Wade repeats, and the more he inhales your scent, the more out of control yet calm he feels. Like he’s in the eye of a hurricane. “My baby. Mine.”

“You’re not saying…” your father trails off as Wade gets up, still cradling you. Wade has to take you to your room; help make you a nest, now. He can smell it on you.

You’re in heat.

He gets to your room quickly, practically tossing you onto your bed. Wait… Isn’t your mom supposed to be here?

And that’s when he hears the sound of pills spilling onto the floor.

He nearly rips the bathroom door off of its hinges. Luckily, your mother spilled what Wade quickly realizes is suppressants, and not your prescription.

“You. You could’ve killed her. You are very, very lucky that my baby-“

“Our baby,” your mother corrects.

“No, you take pills, you can’t even smell her, let alone feel her like I can. It- It’s so much it fucking hurts. I’ll say it again, you’re very lucky my baby is in heat, or your arteries would be emptying in that shower. Now, go. Don’t come back.”

You groan in pain, stirring, and your mother takes Wade’s advice. Wade calls Yukio. Then Ellie. Then Yukio. Then Ellie.

“What the fuck, dude?!”

“You need to turn around. Now. I don’t have the time to explain. It’s Y/N.”

“Is she okay?” Ellie, always skeptical, asks.

“Obviously fucking not, or I wouldn’t be calling. She’s in heat.”

“But-“

“I said that I don’t have time to explain, fucking turn around! I’m on the verge of going fucking feral, Ellie. You both need to get here, now.”

“Wade, get out,” Ellie immediately demands.

“I can’t,” he admits.

“Get out! Shit, Wolverine! We need to turn around!”

“I can’t. It’s not like that I swear, it’s… I’m going fucking crazy, just one of you will do, but someone needs to get here.”

“Wade, go.”

“I would never hurt her! Come home!” Wade barks before hanging up. He returns to your room to find you’ve made a nest instinctively - thank goodness for Yukio’s affinity for pillows and blankets - and now you’re curled up in pain in the center of it.

“Wade,” you whimper. He’s scared to step closer, not sure if he’s what you want, even if you despise who you thought was your father. “What’s happening to me? Everything hurts.”

“I really don’t know how to say this, but… You’re in heat.”

“But I’m a beta,” you argue, wrapping your arms around yourself.

“That’s what we all thought. But… Remember how you didn’t smell like anything before? Uh, let me start over. When did you start on your anti-depressants?”

“I was about twelve,” you confirm, not sure what that means.

“Yeah, I think those were suppressants. That it’s always been suppressants, no matter what the bottles said. Until you got a prescription without your mother knowing. Do you understand why your mother would do that?”

You shake your head, and he approaches the bed, sitting down carefully as not to disturb your work.

“Her boyfriend around the time she got pregnant with you was a beta. We know him as Textbook,” Wade teases, before continuing: “But, what no one realizes is that he was at Niagara Falls on spring break around the time when you were conceived, and she was hanging out with her next-door neighbor the whole time. Her next-door neighbor was me.”

“Oh, so I’m your highschool mistake,” you say, connecting the dots.

“Huh?”

“Ha, well, whenever my parents- Well, I guess not my parents, but that’s beside the point, uh, whenever they argue and it gets really bad, my father- Well, not my father, but, uh-“

“Continue,” Wade urges.

“Basically, sometimes he uses ‘a mistake I made in highschool’ as code for ‘Y/N,’” you explain. “But the truth is, I’m the mistake you made in highschool.”

“You’re not a mistake,” he disagrees. “You’re- You’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Lots of things are made by accident, but that doesn’t make them mistakes! Penicillin, potato chips, Post-It notes, popsicles! They were never supposed to exist but they do and the world is much better off with them in it.”

“You really do have a lot of useless knowledge,” you realize.

“So do you, that’s why our team always wins trivia night.” Wade slips off his boots, joining you in your rearranged bed. “C’mere,” he suggests, guiding your head to his neck.

“S’really you,” you mumble, already weary, and Wade worries for what’s to come. He almost doesn’t even want to let the girls in. He could get you pain medicine, he could probably even find sedatives. Then no one would ever be able to even touch you, let alone hurt you. “Lavender. You never mentioned the lavender, just the sandalwood.”

“I didn't think you’d be impressed,” Wade admits.

“It’s relaxing,” you tell him. “It’s nice to have things in common with someone.”

“You smell like roses, too, not just lavender,” he makes sure you know.

“Yeah, but I think that’s mostly concentrated in an area I’d rather not discuss with you.”

“Well, just make sure that if you do decide to do anything more with them than cuddle, which I can gladly go through the rest of my life without knowing, bee-tee-dubs, that the girls are wearing alpha condoms, especially if one of them knots you. Standard condoms work in a pinch if it’s just for one, y’know, go, but for heats they’re basically useless because of everything I just said. If they hurt you, I will make their deaths look like accidents.”

“S’not like I can get pregnant anyway…” You mumble, embarrassed. “I’m- I’m really glad it’s you. I- I wished so many times that it was you instead of him. Ow, ugh, that one was bad,” you groan, massaging your stomach.

Meanwhile, on the jet, Ellie is furious with herself.

“Yukio, you don’t get it, I smelled her. She smelled like an omega, but I thought- I assumed she was cheating on us. That maybe she didn’t want to be with us like that was because she wanted to- I don’t know, to be on top? It seems so stupid now.”

“Hey, I noticed she smelled different, too. There were other signs we both missed, anyways. Think about how emotional she’s been lately, or how much farther we’ve been going in other ways. How clingy she’s been, too.”

“I guess I didn’t really notice it because I liked her being more open and needing us more,” Ellie admits. “She- She almost fucking killed herself. And I thought cheating was what she was hiding. I- I just-“

“You can’t beat yourself up over it,” Yukio insists. “We’re on our way back, and Wade’s there to protect her.”

Speaking of Wade being there to protect you, he continues to comfort you as the pain gets worse.

“S’too hot,” you complain, and he releases you from his hold, rising from the bed. He knows he’ll have to leave you soon, because you’re likely going to need privacy before the girls get home, but it’s hard to part from you knowing you’re in pain.

“I’m gonna get you some water, okay? And after that, I’m just gonna stand guard outside the door until your girls get here. I know there’s some stuff you need to do, and that’s only gonna get worse.”

“It’s already awful,” you admit, and he chuckles.

“Good luck, kid. I love you.”

Wade gets a case of bottled water from the school’s industrial-sized pantry, bringing it to your room and tearing it open for you before leaving once more. You take one, immediately guzzling it down.

In privacy, you take off Yukio’s cardigan and your bottoms, leaving you in Ellie’s tee shirt and your underwear. You decide to go ahead and free yourself from the constriction that is your bra, feeling a bit embarrassed that you’re not leaving much to the girls’ imagination for your first time together. You eventually decide to undress completely, wondering when the hell your girls are gonna get here.

[plant-flwrs]

i love ur writing so so much!!! if possible, could you maybe do a fred weasley x reader where the reader is insecure, and thinks hes asking her out as a joke//prank? thank you so much!!<3

insecurities // fred weasley 

masterlist!

a/n: omg this request rly came for me wow. only joking, i loved it, thank u sm for sending it in!! hope u like it!! (also went a little Little Women with that love confession scene, couldn’t help myself hehe)

summary: You and Fred are hopelessly in love with each other, but you don’t believe him when he finally admits it.

(a little short one! 1.7k)

------

The sky above you was turning dark, but the game of Quidditch in front of you still roared on.

Orbs of light had been casted onto the tops of each towering stand of students, illuminating the field for miles. The cheers never dulled, the same enthusiasm seeping from everyone as when the game started. You couldn’t remember how long you had been out there, but you did know the sun was still up when it started.

You held a pair of binoculars to your eyes, watching as Fred leaned forward on his broom and hit a bludger with such force that your heart did a little jump in your chest. He flew closer to the ground, intercepting a bludger that was going straight towards Angelina. You watched the corner of his mouth lift in a smirk at the girl as she smiled at him appreciatively. Your heart sank.

You had been in love with Fred Weasley for a little over a year. You went to every one of his Quidditch matches, helped him with most of his pranks, and talked to him for hours just about every day. Yet, he was still just a friend. Your best friend.

You didn’t care if Fred liked you back, though you figured he didn’t. You could never confess your feelings for him. You hated the idea of having to be so vulnerable around him, so you kept everything you felt for him to yourself.

You couldn’t help but feel the sting of jealously, however, as Fred watched Angelina soar off towards the goal posts.

You managed to keep your enthusiasm. Your cheers nearly reached Fred’s ears, your encouragements being so loud. Hundreds of feet above you, Harry’s broom darted down, and he was diving to the ground. The crowd silenced for a moment before screams erupted. Harry flew laps in front of the stands, holding out the snitch in his harsh grip. Your eyes followed him, smile wide. You rushed off the stands, hurrying down the steps and to the field. Your eyes met Fred’s and he started towards you.

“Great game, Fred!” Angelina called from behind him.

He turned from you, walking backwards and looking at Angelina. He smiled widely at her and you watched with heavy eyes as she returned a shy smile. You couldn’t help the downturn of your lips as you watched it, watched his eyes lock onto hers for a little too long. By the time he turned back to you, you had crossed your arms over your chest and kicked up some grass from beneath your feet.

“Why the long face? We won!” he shouted, coming to wrap his arms around your frame.

He lifted you into the air and you couldn’t help the smile that snuck its way onto your lips. You placed two cautious hands on his frim shoulders, steadying yourself as he spun you.

“Fred!” you screeched, smiling widely and tilting your head to the sky.

“You stayed the whole game,” he said, putting you down but keeping his arms wrapped around you.

“Of course I did,” you replied, stating it like that was obvious.

“You had to be standing up there for at least seven hours,” Fred’s head tilted down, hit teeth trapping his bottom lip as he looked at you.

“Well I was sitting for at least three of those seven,” you quipped, smirking at him, “so, I’d say it was a fair trade.”

“Let’s go to the common room,” he said, releasing one of his arms and moving the other up to wrap around your shoulders.

“I hope you plan on showering first,” you pinched your nose, pretending to be awfully offended by the smell coming from Fred’s extended arm.

Fred released you, ducking his head down to smell his armpit. His face recoiled and he laughed with you.

The two of you fell in with the large mass of students returning to the castle, but all either of you thought about was the other.

That night, Fred had made a promise to himself to ask you out, finally. He had been in love with you for years. How could he not be? You were everything he loved in a person. His arms propped his head up on top of his pillow, and just before he drifted off to sleep he was imagining how he should ask you to be his girlfriend.

The process was difficult, he didn’t know if you’d want him to be sweet, or if you’d rather have something flashy. He was so preoccupied with the details that he hadn’t even stopped to consider you not liking him back. In the end, he decided on something perfect, something just for you.

You pulled yourself from bed with tired legs feeling sore after standing in the stands for all that time. You couldn’t imagine how sore Fred’s arms must be.

Quickly getting ready and managing to just catch lunch, you slid onto the bench next to Fred.

“Good morning,” he mumbled, voice muffled from the toast he was chewing.

“Morning,” you replied.

You rubbed the heals of your hands into your eyes, forcing what was left of exhaustion from them. You pulled a variety of foods from platters in front of you, filling your plate for lunch.

“Are you busy today?” Fred asked, finally done chewing his food.

“I don’t think so,” you responded tiredly, “why?”

“I wanted to take you somewhere,” he said, smiling shyly at you.

Your stomach filled with butterflies at his look, and you shifted your gaze to your plate.

“Okay,” Fred barely heard the mumble, but he caught it just in time for lunch to be dismissed.

The two of you stood, and he slipped his hand into yours. He dragged you away from the school, pulling you down the familiar path to the Quidditch pitch.

“Why are we going to the pitch? I was just here all day,” you whined, thinking Fred was dragging you to another one of Wood’s surprise practices.

“You’ll like it,” he didn’t turn his head back to look at you but you could hear his grin, “promise.”

You took a few rushed steps, falling in place next to him. You looked down at your intertwined hands and your heart swelled.

You two finally reached the grassy field, and Fred pulled you off to the side. He waved his wand, and a blanket appeared in front of you. He motioned for you to sit and you did. He followed your actions, sitting with his legs crossed. His hands were fiddling behind his back and before you could sneak a glance, he pulled out a small box of chocolates. He put them between you two, setting them on the ground as he opened them to you. He watched your face light up at the sight of your favorite muggle candies, and your fingers brushed his as your hand reached for a chocolate.

“Oh my gosh, Fred!” you exclaimed, taking a bite of the chocolate, “What do I get these for?”

You smiled slyly at him, expecting him to ask you for help with his next pranks.

“Well,” he started, moving his hands from the candies to twist in his lap, “if you’ll be my girlfriend you’ll get plenty more where that came from.”

You let out a forced laugh, figuring Fred was just buttering you up even more for a prank. Your laugh drifted unnaturally as you met his serious expression. Your face became stern.

“Don’t be mean, Fred,” you warned, putting the rest of the chocolate back in the box.

“What? I’m serious,” Fred answered in a defensive tone.

You couldn’t help but think Fred had figured out your crush on him. That he had invited you down here to embarrass you about it. You hated yourself for thinking it, but couldn’t help the worries.

“Stop,” you begged your voice not to crack, and it didn’t this time, but you knew it would if you had to say another thing.

“What?” Fred repeated, an awkward chuckle coming from him, “I’m asking you to be my girlfriend.”

“No you’re not,” you said, becoming angry, “this is a joke or something. George and Lee are hiding somewhere aren’t they?”

Fred’s mouth opened, his face twisted with confusion. He reached for you, but you pulled away.

“No they aren’t! What makes you think this is a joke?” Fred pleaded, still reaching for you.

“You don’t like me,” you said, your voice finally cracking, “you like Angelina.”

“Angelina?” he repeated, baffled, “What makes you think I bloody like Angelina?”

Your bottom lip jutted out as you tried not to cry in front of Fred.

“I don’t know,” you mumbled, taking a deep breath, “you always flirt with her.”

“I don’t like Angelina,” Fred sighed, finally being able to take your hands in his, “I like you. I’m in love with you.”

“You’re fucking with me,” you tried one last time, laughing shakily and looking around the field.

“I’m not!” Fred insisted.

“Are you sure?”

He looked at you like you were crazy. Like he couldn’t believe you thought he’d have any doubts about his love for you.

“Yes, Y/n, I’m sure.”

“Oh,” you squeaked out, eyes wide.

“Do you love me?” 

You couldn’t say anything, frozen in his gaze. You nodded slowly and his mouth split into a smile.

“Really?” he asked, smiling widely.

“Yeah,” you choked out, “as long as this isn’t a prank.”

Fred laughed again, and moved closer to you. His open lips met yours, and his hands cupped the side of your face. The two of you moved in sync, molding to each other’s movements. The kiss said everything you both wanted it to say. It was you cheering for Fred at every Quidditch match and him looking at you from his broom. It was you chasing after him in the halls after a prank was set off and him glancing over his shoulder just to see your smile. It was your legs resting in his lap as you both talked for hours and him twirling a piece of your hair between his fingers.

All your insecurities and reservations washed away with that kiss. You didn’t think Fred could fake something this real for a prank. His chest rose with heavy breaths from just being near you, and eventually you couldn’t stop the smile that broke the kiss.

“Believe me now?” Fred said, breathing deeply as his forehead rested against yours.

You bit your lip and nodded, looking at him through your lashes. He pushed against you, resting your back against the ground and keeping his forehead against yours. His lips pushed against yours again, and you couldn’t believe you doubted him for a second.

[thedistrictsleepsalonetonight]

Something Wonderful (or Jamie and Owen compete to see who’s the better boyfriend and cause general exasperation)

The world’s best boyfriend contest started one Wednesday evening and went on for two weeks, resulting in about five trashcans full of wrapping paper, a completely exasperated au pair, a bemused housekeeper, one disgruntled cat, and a small fire.

(Don’t ask about the fire, okay? Just — don’t)

Now why Jamie had been participating in a best boyfriend contest, was frankly beyond Dani’s imagination. She had pondered it, turning it over and over in her head until all the incredulous question marks were just swirling around like balloons, had even asked her girlfriend this and been kissed into distraction until all the question marks had molded themselves into little malleable hearts that beat in time to every movement of Jamie’s lips against her own, but the question remained – Why was Jamie trying to be the best boyfriend when she was, in fact, a girl?

“A woman,” Jamie informs her, dignified. “Don’t infantilize me, Dani.”

“I’m sorry,” Dani replies. “Guess I must have been thinking of last night when you asked me to call you baby, like, ten times and then kiss your face all over until you were giggling.”

“Dani!” Jamie’s voice is muffled from where it’s coming to Dani from three inches of pillow fluff, drawn out so long that she can both hear and feel the embarrassment in those two syllables. “You know that was because you never kiss my face!”

Dani hums.

“You should kiss my face more often,” Jamie continues, and now Dani can hear the added pout. It is so cute that it’s an effort not to lean over, pull Jamie up until they’re facing each other, and kiss her until they’re both lightheaded.

(Nobody said having the most adorable girlfriend in the world would be easy)

(Nobody has said it, actually. Dani checked. They should’ve. Because it’s true)

Dani falls sideways until her head is next to the pillow, and consequently, Jamie’s head. She moves closer until her nose is pressing at Jamie’s temple, and presses two quick butterfly kisses high up on her cheek. Jamie whines.

“What? You told me to kiss you.”

“Yes, but now I’m embarrassed so I can’t look at you.”

Dani rolls her eyes, tamps down the urge to just grab at her girlfriend’s beautiful face and turn it towards her. Consent is sexy and all that. Also because she is sure that if Jamie looks at her now, all red and her brows furrowed, and lips curled up in a pout, Dani will pass out from sheer adoration.

“But I want to look at the winner of the best boyfriend contest in the world.”

This makes Jamie finally emerge from her self-made cocoon. “I know you’re joking, but it is something that I’m very proud of.”

“May I remind you that you didn’t actually win? And that you’re a girlfriend.”

“That’s because Hannah threatened to call Rebecca over and have her recite the terms and conditions documentation for her latest client to both of us,” Jamie tells her. “And also, it’s the principle of the thing.”

(Dani’s theory on dealing with idiot girlfriends, a gradually growing list states that when your girlfriend is being ridiculous, it is best to just go along with her shenanigans)

Dani just mhms.

*****

The entire thing starts because of Jamie.

(Oh, Jamie disagrees. But Dani knows, just knows that her sweet, if somewhat idiotic girlfriend, was the trigger that released the stupid bullet out of the gun. It’s not that she herself isn’t partly responsible but then again, try having a girlfriend who can widen her eyes and twirl a strand of her curly hair around her finger and mesmerize you into doing basically anything for her.)

There they are, sitting in the greenhouse, when they hear Owen and Hannah come strolling in and then Jamie gets that glint in her eye, the one that reads ‘I’m the cutest motherfucker and I will fuck things up simply because chaos intrigues me’.

(Dani may be paraphrasing a bit)

The point is, Jamie winks at her, and then immediately gets down on one knee, holds her hand, and says in a most terrible interpretation of Owen’s deep, gruff voice - “Hannah, my love, my absolute darling! Would you do me the honor of giving me company as I go about my every single task in this household? It’s just that I am completely whipped and cannot bear to be away from you for even one second!”

(Dani thinks it’s a little sanctimonious, since it was only yesterday that Jamie had driven back from the village in the middle of the night because she claimed to have been missing Dani too much, but stays quiet. She is the number one expert on dealing with ridiculous girlfriends, after all)

Owen rolls his eyes. Hannah just sighs in Dani’s direction.

“Yeah, yeah,” he drawls. “I love my partner, so sue me.”

“Ooh, Dani, look who’s being an adult now!” Jamie crows, and Dani would be annoyed if she weren’t completely smitten by her girlfriend’s amusement. “We have girlfriends, Owen here has a partner!”

“That one’s actually on me,” Hannah says mildly, taking a seat beside them on the bench. “I am too respectable and mature to be someone’s girlfriend.”

Dani would make fun of the completely besotted look on Owen’s face, if she weren’t sure that she had the same expression plastered on hers most of the time while she was around Jamie.

“You’re just jealous,” he says.

“Jealous of what? You don’t see my ravishing girlfriend sitting right here?”

“Oh, not of that,” Owen waves a hand in the air. “You’re just jealous because I’m a better boyfriend than you are.”

“Wha — I — how dare you?”

Dani opens her mouth, then shuts it again. No point.

He smirks. “You’re only pissed because you know it’s true.”

Jamie rises to her feet, faces him. “I do not pick out flowers for Dani — every day — in the color of whatever she is wearing just for you to turn around and call me mediocre.”

“Oh so that’s why you give me flowers every day,” she mumbles under her breath, loud enough for only Hannah to hear and chuckle at.

“Well,” Owen retorts. “I invent pastries for Hannah. And name them after her!”

(It’s true. His little bakery down at the village now features specials such as “Hannah”, “Hannah Returns”, “Han-nah Han-yes”, “Hannah Chocolate Banana”, and one notable donut that’s now just referred to by everyone as “Generic pun involving the name Hannah”)

Seemingly at an impasse, they turn to where Hannah and Dani are sitting, but right before they can say anything, Hannah holds up a hand, says – No, and glides out of the scene, gracefully.

Dani guesses that’s one way to end a discussion.

*****

“Miss Clayton,” Miles asks her, sounding supremely curious as he peers into the window, “Have Owen and Jamie started working out?”

Distracted, she frowns. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s just that they’ve been racing around the grounds with something in their hands for the past fifteen minutes now.”

Dani walks over to the window, picks Flora up so she can stand on the desk to see better. Two figures are indeed running around the grounds, with what looks suspiciously like signboards held in their hands.

“Miles,” she says. “Do you still have those binoculars your uncle sent over for your birthday?”

He scampers away and is back in a flash, looking through them. And then he starts laughing.

“What?”

He’s still chortling, as he hands it over, unable to speak. “Just — just look.”

It takes her a while to focus as they’re constantly running. Now magnified, she can see, very clearly the look of sheer exhaustion on both of their faces. Sheer exhaustion mingled with utter obstinacy. And then she directs it a little upwards and what she sees makes her genuinely consider banging her head against the wall until she bleeds.

Owen’s sign reads – I’m the best boyfriend in the world.

Jamie’s reads – No, he’s not.

Dani lowers the contraption and starts thinking of ways to kill Jamie.

(“Baby, you’re killing me!”

“I literally just said I’m not going to kiss you for two days.”

Jamie throws up her hands, repeats - “Baby, you’re killing me!”)

*****

“Okay, so here’s an idea, okay?” Jamie says excitedly, as they’re walking in the woods in the moonlight. “Tomorrow, you can talk about how I took you to a candlelight dinner, and we had champagne, and we danced in the moonlight to a very romantic jazz song.”

“Or,” Dani proposes, index finger in the air, “and this is just an idea but hear me out — you could actually take me to one of these fancy dates and then I wouldn’t have to lie so you can win an imaginary contest that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things?”

Jamie pouts.

Dani bites her lip.

Jamie pouts harder.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t, Poppins,” Jamie says, wrapping her arms around her from behind, and maneuvering her until she’s facing what looks like a blanket spread out in the clearing, held down by a picnic basket, a portable stereo set and bottle of—

“Is that—”

“No,” Jamie cuts in, “that is port wine. That’s what you get when you date the gardener instead of someone way, way more accomplished.”

Dani turns around, kisses Jamie until light brighter than the moon bursts beneath her eyelids, until the world shrinks to just the two of them — to two women wrapped around, into each other, to the texture of Jamie’s hair between her fingertips, the satin feel of her lips sliding against hers and the sound of her heavy breathing in the night air. Her heart skips in her chest, light as a petal floating in the wind, and she imagines it landing, very gently, in the palm of Jamie’s hand.

“I couldn’t date anyone more accomplished than the world’s best girlfriend.”

Jamie’s smile is gradual and the most enchanting thing she has ever seen.

*****

“Say what you want, but at least Hannah and I give each other distance and space.”

“Hey!” Jamie protests. “We have a very healthy relationship. We give each other loads of space.”

“You’re literally sitting on her lap.”

“While I could be making out with her,” Jamie says, like that makes it any better. “You’ll find that this is plenty space.”

Hannah sighs.

*****

The gifts are of various sizes, an everyday testament to the lengths people are willing to go to just to prove a point. They slowly take over the house, until one can’t run around a corner for fear of bumping into a large gift-wrapped box waiting to be opened by either of the two women. Flora takes it in stride, calling everyone to wherever she finds a gift lying in stealth. It’s come to a point where Dani isn’t even carefully opening the wrapping paper, like she’s been doing her entire life; she just rips it over and prepares to behold the magic.

(She will say this, though: all the gifts are things she wants, or needs. Jamie might be ridiculous, but she knows her)  

All in all, it is with resignation that Dani walks to the front hall when Miles starts screaming about how everyone in the house is out to get his toe.

Owen stands beside Hannah as she kneels to pick up a tiny, but heavy looking box.

“Open it—”

“am opening it—”

“-quicker!”

“Owen!”

She gasps when she opens it, though, and Dani walks forward for a closer look at the beautiful necklace that nestles inside the velvet box.

“Owen,” Hannah sighs, her fingers hovering over the pendant like she’s afraid of touching it. “You shouldn’t have.”

He kisses her cheek. “Only the best for you, my love.”

Dani leaves them looking into each other’s eyes, only for her attention to immediately go to the door, where Jamie’s just walked in, holding a large cardboard box.

“Oh?” she smiles, arms still juggling the box. “What have we got here?”

Owen takes a deep breath, shoots the box a suspicious look. “What’s in that?”

“Oh, this?” Jamie asks, faux casually. “It’s — ah, nothing. Nothing really. Just a little thing for Dani here.”

Dani thinks Oh dear.

“You should open it,” he says.

“Eh,” Jamie replies, and Dani can see she’s trying very, very hard to not laugh out loud. “It’s really—”

“—open it—”

“—no, really—”

“Jamie!”

Jamie keeps it down, looks at all of them triumphantly. “I mean, alright. If you insist.”

Dani sits in front of the box and examines it suspiciously.

“It can hardly punch you in the face, dear,” Hannah says.

The box isn’t closed tightly, the top flaps just placed on top of each other. She opens them, rises up on her knees to look inside—

—and then Flora, who’s also been curiously looking, squeals. “It’s a kitten!”

And so it is. A tiny black thing, it had been snoozing on top of a cushion placed inside the box, and now unceremoniously woken up by noise, looks up at her, and meows indignantly.

(It would not be an exaggeration to say that Dani falls in love at first sight)

She picks it (a her, upon closer examination) up from the makeshift bed, and holds her up at eyelevel. “Baby,” she says, “I adore you.”

“Why, thank you,” she hears Jamie’s voice from behind her somewhere.

“Pretty sure she was talking to the cat.”

“Miles, you little shit.”

She leans in, nuzzles its soft fur for a second, then looks back up at Jamie. “Thank you,” she says.

Jamie’s eyes are soft. “Anytime, darling.”

*****

“We’ve never seen Jamie like this, you know?” Hannah says one night, out of the blue, as she’s cleaning up after dinner. Dani sits at the dining table, having been expressly forbidden from touching any instrument that might result in her contaminating the food. Owen and Jaime are outside getting drunk by the campfire. She looks up sharply when Hannah starts talking.

“You mean super competitive?” she asks, dryly, even though she knows what Hannah’s talking about.

“You know what I mean,” Hannah smiles. “She’s…. smitten. Charmed. Enchanted. Other adjectives I can’t quite think of right now.”

“I am all of those things,” she gushes, burying her head in her hands like an embarrassed schoolgirl. “I am…. smitten and charmed and enamored and other adjectives that I can’t think of right now.”

Hannah smiles indulgently when she finally looks at her through the gaps between her fingers.  

“She’s better with you too,” she continues. “She’s dated before, of course she has but, oh, I don’t know how to say it.”

Dani rests her face on her palm, listens quietly.

“She’s not proud of who she’s been,” Hannah continues. “I think — finally, she likes who she is when she’s with you. And it is such a glory to see. She’s—”

“Content?”

“Happy.”

That’s all Dani wants, really. For Jamie to be happy. For however long she can love her, for however long she can take care of her, she wants Jaime to be perfectly, dazzlingly happy. That’s an overwhelming need that rises in her every time she witnesses her girlfriend in a quiet moment, trimming the hedges, watering the lawn or simply just lost in thought — that no matter what happens tomorrow, she wants her to be happy for that one moment in time.  

(Part of her knows that she keeps focusing on the end because things tend to go wrong around her so often that it’s never been safe to rest and breathe easy, to think Yes, this is it, this is where I was supposed to end up. But she wants. She wants to believe, so badly, that this will last forever, that thirty years down the line, she would still be talking to Hannah about how crazy Jamie drives her every day.)

And she would do anything to make that happen.

“Is,” she wonders out loud, hesitates a bit, “is this what love is?”

Hannah passes behind her to pat her head, and Dani doesn’t even need the answer to her own question.

*****

She hears them from quite a distance away.

(Then again, she supposes it is impossible to not hear a man and a woman, both grown, both employed in respectable professions when they’re yelling about how much they love their respective girlfriends at a roaring fire)

She stops when she almost reaches them, curious to hear what they’ve been talking about.

“I love her,” she hears Owen announce as he raises his bottle in the air to emphasize the point.

“I know you do,” Jamie reassures him, equally as loud and passionate. “You love her like I love—”

“—Dani—”

“—yes! Dani is her name. The most perfect name in the world.”

Owen laughs in response.

“It’s true!” Jamie pokes a finger into his shoulder. “Like her mother’s a bitch but she did one thing right. She gave her daughter the prettiest name in the world.”

“You just think the name is pretty because you think the daughter is pretty,” Owen informs her.

“Oh.”

Jamie falls silent for a while, apparently contemplating the meaning of life, and Dani wants to laugh, but there’s another pressing need to hug her girlfriend that’s stronger.

“You wanna see something?” Owen asks, after a while of silence, then digs in his pocket when Jaime nods.

Dani cannot make it out from this far, but the way his hand moves, she does have an inkling of what it is.

Jamie gasps, nearly dropping her bottle. “When?”

“I don’t know!” he groans. “I’m — waiting.”

“My buddy’s getting married!” Jamie shouts, and is immediately shushed by her companion, both of them subsequently dissolving into giggles. “I’m so happy. I’m so — just — so—”

“Wha — why are you crying!”

“Because you’re getting married!” Jamie says, and yeah, Dani can hear the tears in her voice. “And because—”

“What?”

“—because that makes you the best boyfriend now!”

Dani releases the longest sigh.

*****

“Shush!” Dani warns. “You’ll wake the cat.”

Jaime blinks wide at her, and nods rapidly. “I don’t wanna wake the cat,” she says, very seriously. And then looks quickly over to where Banana is sleeping by the window and her face melts into what Dani can only describe as sheer devotion.

“She’s so cute!”

Dani gently nudges her in the direction of the bed, makes her sit down.

“You’re so cute!” Jaime says again, now looking right at her. “Almost as cute as the cat.”

“Thank you,” Dani says, enormously cheered up by this version of her girlfriend. Drunk Jamie is a riot.

“I mean it!” Jaime allows her shirt to be pulled off her frame and then lets Dani maneuver her into a more comfortable one. “Dani. Dani. Dani. Dan—”

“Yes, baby?”

“Dani,” Jaime blinks at her, solemnly. “We should bang.”

(Even Dani, who’s the self-proclaimed expert in ridiculous girlfriend shenanigans, has no response to this)

Dani cannot help the laugh that escapes her. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Bang. We should bang.”

“Maybe not now.”

“Yes, now!”

She pushes Jaime until she’s lying down, and staring up at her.  

“You should kiss me,” Jaime starts whining again, once her legs are aligned and she’s clearly found more pressing concerns.

Dani bends over her, kisses her forehead. Then on her closed eyelids, on both her cheeks and plants a final one on her nose.

“That okay?”

Jaime nods with her eyes still closed, and lips curled up in the widest smile. Dani brushes some hair off o her forehead, and prepares to get off the bed to change into something comfortable.

“Wait,” Jaime says, her hand fisted into Dani’s shirt. “Why are you leaving me?”

The words find their way into Dani’s heart via the hands fisted into her shirt just above her chest, wrap their arms around her heart, and press. Words are strange animals, aren’t they? Hurting and pulling and pushing and twisting until their owners are almost as battered and bruised as they themselves are. Dani searches for the right ones.

“I’m right here.”

“Sure?”

She kicks off her shoes, awkwardly, brings up her arm until she’s holding Jamie. “Yes, sweetheart.”

A minute later, Jamie will ruin the moment by sleepily declaring that she is, in fact, the winner of the best boyfriend contest. Dani will let it pass. You can’t have everything, after all.

[littlestarofthewest]

Coming Back To You

This is my gift to @cowboydeluxe​ for the Morston Secret Santa. I hope you’ll enjoy it :)

Pairing: Arthur x John | Words: 4121 | Rating: Explicit | Tags: blood, gore, smut

Arthur holds up his binoculars to check the treeline again. Next to him, John is fumbling with some matches, trying to light a cigarette. Heavy winds shake the trees, and the sky is so dark that it might as well be night.

John finally gets the cigarette lit and barely manages to take a drag before Arthur wiggles his fingers at him to demand the cigarette from him. He doesn't look at John while giving it back seconds later, his eyes still on the forest in front of them.

"Are you sure about this one?" Arthur asks.

"He was bitten three years ago," John says, blowing smoke into the air above their heads. "His family says he didn't take it well. He's wandering around in those woods and hasn't changed back for half a year."

"Then there should be more of them," Arthur says with doubt in his voice.

John shrugs. "Seems like the locals don't go into the woods anymore. That's why he's coming closer to town now, looking for someone to bite."

"Alright," Arthur says, finally putting the binoculars down. "Let's take him."

They head back to their horses and ride over to the treeline. Arthur rides in without hesitation, but John stops for a moment to take a deep breath. He prefers the times when they only trap werewolves and make them see reason. Most of them know how to control themselves, after all. This one is marked for death, though. He took too many lives and changed god knows how many poor souls.

Inside the forest, it doesn't take Arthur long to find a trail they can follow. The werewolf must have been here recently. They pass a little hunting cabin that's been smashed to pieces and even some uprooted trees.

"He must be a big one," Arthur says, and John nods, a shiver running down his spine.

"Sure we can take him?"

"Size doesn't matter if we hit him right." Arthur takes his rifle from his satchel and points into the trees. "You go left. We make a circle and meet in the middle. Let's see if we can find him tonight."

John's not sure he wants to find that beast, but he still steers his horse in the pointed out direction. The wind blows through the trees, and the constant rustling of leaves makes John nervous. He strains his ears for other sounds, nature way too loud for his taste.

More fallen trees litter the ground, and John finds a pretty mutilated deer. That werewolf must be out of his mind hungry. That's just one more reason to leave, but that's not what they do. He and Arthur have been hunting these monsters for years, ever since one almost killed Arthur.

John's lost in thought, remembering how shaken up Arthur was back then. He doesn't notice how nervous his horse is until it's too late. It shrieks, spooked by a sound in the trees, and a second later, something hot and heavy jumps them, knocking John off his horse.

The werewolf follows the horse, and John does his best to get to his feet, but when his horse gallops out of reach, the werewolf turns, looking for easier prey. John doesn't plan on being just that. He aims his rifle, and before the werewolf can take another step, John riddles it with silver bullets.

At first, it seems to be a done deal. The werewolf sinks to the ground, blood oozing out of his wounds, but then he lets out a horrific scream before getting back up. John does his best to reload as quickly as he can, but the werewolf lunges forward, a lot quicker than him.

John barely manages to hold up his rifle before the werewolf pushes him to the ground. He snaps at John, his stinking breath washing over John, making him dizzy. Still, John uses the rifle as his last line of defense, hoping against hope that there's a way out of this.

"Arthur! Help me!" he screams against the sound of the wind.

The werewolf pauses for a second as if he remembers that he used to talk to people, but then he growls and snaps at John again, his fangs closing around the rifle. When the werewolf pulls away, John can no longer hold on to the weapon, and it flies away, dropping to the ground out of reach for John.

Letting out a scream, the werewolf gets in motion again, but before he can jump John, he gets pushed back by bullets hitting his face. Arthur comes rushing through the trees on his horse, sticking his knife into the werewolf's head. He screams even worse than before, but instead of attacking them again, he takes off, disappearing deep into the woods.

Arthur turns his horse and jumps out of the saddle next to John. "Hey, you alright? Did he get you?"

"I don't think so," John says, but he's still unable to move.

Arthur helps him up, brushing leaves and dirt from his clothes. "Let's get you home. Where's your horse?"

"Ran off."

"Then you'll ride with me."

Arthur gets back in the saddle before pulling John up, and they make their way back at a slow pace. After a while, Arthur looks over his shoulder. "You're still with me?"

"All good," John says, a tingling feeling in his chest.

He knows that Arthur's just trying to be a good friend, but he still enjoys it a lot to be taken care of. Nobody made much of a fuss about him all his life, so every bit of affection makes him almost dizzy.

John holds on to Arthur's jacket, resting his head on Arthur's back. It's unnecessary since he's not even injured, but John won't let such a chance slide. After all, it doesn't often happen that he can be close to somebody, especially the one he longs to be with the most.

As they reach the hunting cabin they're currently staying in, Arthur hops down first before helping John down from his horse. Inside, Arthur gets a fire going, hanging up a small kettle to warm up some water.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he says, and John slips off his jacket.

When he tries to open his shirt's buttons, he fumbles a little, losing control of his fingers. Without a word, Arthur reaches for the buttons instead and peels the shirt from John's lean body.

John never would have asked that of him, but Arthur fetches the warm water and washes John, starting by his face.

"Sure you're okay?" he asks, his eyes boring into John's.

"That thing just surprised me," John says. "I thought I had it, but it just wouldn't go down."

Arthur drags the washcloth over John's shoulders and along his neck, his eyes roaming over every inch of John's skin. John knows he's only checking him for wounds, but it still makes his skin prickle.

"We shot it full of silver, and my knife was laced with wolf's bane," Arthur says. "He will die tonight."

"What if he's one of the old ones?"

Arthur huffs. "I'm still not convinced that's a thing."

He keeps washing John, moving from his stomach to his back, while John thinks about the stories. The werewolves Arthur and John hunt are part human, part wolf. With enough focus, they can switch back and forth, making it possible for the ones infected to stay human, even during the full moon.

The old ones are said to be different, though. They're more animal than human, and over time, they fall into being wolves all the time, unable to think clearly. Supposedly, they're not easily killed, if at all. John always wondered if they might encounter one of the old ones one day.

Arthur's skeptical about them even existing, but John can't shake the idea. That monster that jumped him today seemed quite old and clearly out of its mind.

"Are you hungry?" Arthur asks, bringing John back to reality.

"I could eat," John says.

Arthur gets up and throws a fresh shirt over to John. It's one of Arthur's. "I'll fetch you something."

Arthur goes outside, leaving John to bury his face in Arthur's shirt, sighing deeply.

-------

John is still asleep when Arthur gets up, snoring slightly. Arthur watches him for a moment, a new wave of relief washing over him. Yesterday was a close one. Arthur's determined to hunt rogue werewolves, but John's life is too much of a price to pay.

Arthur can't help himself and strokes a strand of hair out of John's face, his fingers lingering for a moment on John's cheek. Arthur wishes he could do this while John was awake, but he doesn't dare. Washing him like he did yesterday is much likely the closest he'll ever get. Arthur often thought about confessing his feelings to John, but he's too scared to destroy their friendship.

With a sigh, Arthur turns around and heads outside. Although he told John that the werewolf was surely dead, he's not so sure. Arthur heard John shoot, knowing that he didn't miss a single shot. That thing should have been more than dead by the time Arthur put the knife in its head. Arthur needs to be sure.

He rides back into the woods, following John's tracks from the day before. It doesn't take him long to reach the spot where they fought off the werewolf. Arthur gets down from the horse, checking the ground for more clues.

There are drops of blood on the leaves, so they at least wounded the werewolf. Arthur keeps going but soon loses the trail. The strong winds must have blown the leaves away, making it hard for Arthur to find anything.

He's not sure how long he wandered through the woods, but after a while, he comes back to the same spot without any idea where the werewolf went. Arthur whistles for his horse, ready to go back and make sure that John is okay.

Arthur's about to get in the saddle when he hears stomping and breaking wood. He grabs his rifle right when the werewolf appears on the other side of the clearing. Arthur's horse flares its nostrils but doesn't run, and although Arthur aims his rifle at the werewolf, he can't bring himself to shoot either. This isn't the werewolf from yesterday, the fur somewhat shaggy and a lot darker.

"Change back and tell me who you are," Arthur says, pointing his rifle, "or I have to shoot."

The werewolf lets out a low howl and goes on its hind legs, moving its paws around as if it wants to show Arthur something. Arthur shakes his head.

"Look, mister, if you want to live, you change back right now."

The werewolf whines and dances around on the spot, and Arthur can't shake the feeling that it looks familiar, but it's too dangerous to trust a werewolf at sight. Arthur puts a warning shot at its feet, and with a soul-crushing cry, it jumps away and disappears between the trees.

Arthur waits a few more seconds before lowering his gun, and he's about to leave when something hits his back with force. He stumbles forward and falls to the ground, the weapon buried under him. Arthur's horse neighs, and by the time Arthur looks around, he sees it kicking at a werewolf.

It's the beast from the day before, and now that he sees it up close, Arthur wonders if maybe John was right about the old ones. This thing in front of him feels old and out of place, and it still got Arthur's knife sticking out of its head. There's just no way it can still be alive.

Arthur's mind is filled with every rumor he's heard about the old ones. They're far beyond reason, nothing human left inside of them. Wolf's bane and silver hurt them, but the only thing that can kill them is another werewolf. Arthur heard stories about beheading them or setting them on fire, but there's absolutely nothing he can do to defend himself.

Leaving his rifle where it is, Arthur gets to his feet and does the only sensible thing - run. He zigzags through the trees, hearing a loud growl behind him. Seconds later, Arthur's horse is stomping past him, far out of reach.

Arthur curses and thinks about hiding or climbing one of the trees, but he's pretty sure that the werewolf will catch his scent with the way he walked through the woods earlier. Crashing sounds behind Arthur tell him that the werewolf is gaining on him. Despite his better judgment, Arthur looks back.

The beast comes after him with giant leaps, only a few feet away. Arthur thinks about John, regretting that he'll never get to tell him how he feels. All Arthur can do is face the end. He stops and waits for the werewolf to reach him.

It never does.

The werewolf from earlier jumps the old one, burying its teeth in its opponent's neck. The old one throws it off after a short struggle, and they begin a fight to the death. Growling fills the woods, the wolves biting and scratching at each other, and the old one lands a hit, tearing open the other's cheek with its claws.

Arthur's about to run off when the new werewolf lets out a pained scream, turning Arthur's blood to ice. It's almost as if he can feel the pain himself, a strong urge to protect the wolf taking hold of him. He pulls out his revolver and shoots at the old werewolf.

It can't feel much more than a sting, but it still turns, rushing at Arthur. He ducks behind a tree, feeling the impact when the old wolf runs into it. It growls with fury, clawing at everything in sight, but it doesn't land a hit. Arthur shoots it into both paws, making it howl.

Then, there's a horrible ripping sound, and blood splatters to the ground next to the tree. Arthur stares in horror as the old wolf drops to the ground, its throat ripped open. The new werewolf isn't done with it, though. It steps over the other wolf, scratching and tearing until the beast's head comes off.

The woods turn silent after that. No more howls, no wind, and no shooting. Just Arthur's rapid breathing, and the werewolf licking one of its wounded paws. Arthur steps back, holding up the revolver. The werewolf follows the sudden movement and gets to its feet, taking a step closer to Arthur.

"Who the hell are-?" Arthur interrupts himself when the sun falls through the trees, illuminating the werewolf's face. Arthur would recognize these eyes everywhere.

"John?"

The wolf ducks its head, letting out a low howl. Arthur takes a step closer, unable to help himself. He stretches out his hand, and the wolf holds his face against it before moving closer, rubbing his whole body against Arthur like a cat.

"Jesus, what happened?" Arthur asks.

He knows there's no way John can answer him in this state. Somehow, the old werewolf must have hurt John, turning him in the process. The first time coming back is said to be the hardest, and it looks like John doesn't know how to do it.

Arthur runs his hand over John's head, and somehow it feels a lot less awkward than he thought it would. Then he holds John's face in his hand, holding his gaze.

"You have to turn back, you hear me?"

John looks back at him but whines, rubbing his face against Arthur's hand.

"Come here," Arthur says, for once giving in to his feelings. He hugs John to his chest, running his fingers through John's fur. "You have to come back to me. I know you can do it."

He's holding on to John as tight as he can, and suddenly, John seems to shrink in his arms. The fur turns to warm skin under Arthur's fingers, and John grabs Arthur's shirt and leans against him, his face a bloody mess.

"Arthur," he says, his voice even raspier than usual, right before passing out in Arthur's arms.

Arthur sinks down to the ground with him, just holding him to his chest. "It's alright, John. I've got you."

------

John wakes up from a horrible nightmare, pictures of bloody teeth and sharp claws still on his mind. Although he feels exhausted, he tries to get up, just to find out that he can't. Thick ropes tie his arms to the bed. John pulls at them, but there's no way he can free himself.

"Help," John croaks, the one word making him cough as his throat burns like fire.

Arthur appears in his field of vision, a worried expression on his face. He holds a cup to John's lips and lifts his head enough so John can take a few sips.

"What happened?" John asks while Arthur sits down next to him.

"You don't remember the woods?" he asks. "How you've fought with the werewolf?"

More pictures race through John's mind, and he groans. "It wasn't a dream. I'm one of them now."

"I have no idea how, but it seems so."

Arthur sounds sad, defeated. It pains John to be the reason for it. "Was a scratch on my leg. I found it after waking up. I figured you'd go back into the woods, so I followed you and then-"

John doesn't finish the sentence, unable to remember what happened next. All he feels is a sense of dread and the fear of losing Arthur.

"Guess you turned on your way," Arthur says. "Lucky for me, or I would be dead."

"Yeah, lucky," John says, pulling on his ropes again. He's not sure why, but it begins to annoy him that he's tied down. "Any chance you get me out of these?"

"Not sure I should," Arthur says. "I feared you might turn in your sleep, and you still could."

"I changed back, didn't I?"

"You did."

Despite saying the words, Arthur doesn't move. Hot anger flares in John's chest, and he pulls on the ropes with more force, his voice a deep growl when he speaks. "Let me out!"

"You gotta stay with me, John," Arthur says, his calm tone only riling John up.

"I don't want to," John grunts, "I want to turn and rip these off."

"If you change back after such a short time, you might not be able to do it again."

"I know, goddammit," John curses, still straining his muscles without meaning to. "I have no idea how to stop."

Arthur puts a hand on John's chest, holding him down. "You have to fight it."

"I don't know how."

John pushes himself up, fighting against Arthur's strength. He wants to be strong again, have claws and teeth to rip everybody apart who stands in his way. He wants power and no more painful thoughts.

Everything inside John wants to turn, only one thing holding him back. Arthur's hand on his chest.

"This helps," John huffs. "You - touching me."

"This?" Arthur asks, looking at his own hand with wonder.

"Please, Arthur, don't let me turn."

Arthur watches John for a moment, then he leans forward to untie the ropes. "It's gonna be fine."

"Are you crazy?" John shouts, but Arthur doesn't stop.

The second John's hand is free, he grabs Arthur, holding on to his shirt. Arthur unties his other arm before looking at him. "You can do it. Like you said, you turned back."

John wishes he could trust himself like that, but his insides are burning, the wolf fighting to come out.

"Please, Arthur," he begs, his voice getting weaker. "I need something. You."

Arthur's coming closer, John tugging eagerly at his shirt. They look at each other in the eyes until Arthur closes the gap between them, touching his lips to John's.

The wolf inside screams, but John's singing heart is drowning him out. Arthur is kissing him. That's something the wolf can't have.

John throws his arms around Arthur and kisses him like his life depends on it. "More. Please."

They deepen the kiss, and John tears at Arthur's clothes. He pulls off his shirt and Arthur cups John's stitched up face, holding on to him while John gets Arthur's pants down. He eagerly pulls at Arthur, desperate to be as close as he always longed for.

They end up pressed against each other, kissing and touching, forgetting the world around them. John can feel the wolf disappear, Arthur the only thing on his mind. He can touch him, taste him, and hold him close like he always wanted.

John can't remember being this happy before. Despite his pain and the wolf bite, this is the best thing that's ever happened to him.

"You're with me?" Arthur whispers into his ear, and John pulls him in for a kiss, smiling against his lips.

"Just keep going, Morgan."

They grind against each other until John can barely take it anymore. He reaches down to help them both along. Arthur growls, sounding like a wolf himself. His teeth scrape along John's neck as if he wants to bite down any second. The thought drives John over the edge, his hand moving in a frenzy until he takes Arthur with him.

Arthur buries his face against John's neck, both of them catching their breath until Arthur moves and they settle down next to each other.

"You're good?" Arthur asks, and John's stomach seems to do a little hop. Arthur's concern for him is almost more than he can handle.

"Yeah, all good, I don't feel like turning anymore," John says. Arthur turns to him, running his fingers over the scratch on John's thigh. It makes John wonder about the future. "How do I keep it from happening?"

"You find something else that matters more to you," Arthur says without pause.

"And you think that will work?"

"I know it does," Arthur says.

There's something about the way he said it that gives John pause. "How would you know?"

Arthur turns to him, something wild in his eyes that John has never seen before. Then he opens his mouth to growl at John, his teeth sharper and longer than they usually are. John blinks in surprise, and suddenly Arthur's face is back to normal.

"You're a werewolf? Since when?" John asks.

"Remember the one that attacked me back in the day, before we started hunting them? I only said I was fine, but it got me."

John stares at him, unable to believe it. "All these years? But I've never seen you turn."

Arthur runs his hands over his face as if the wolf inside of him could come off this way. "I did a couple of times in the beginning. Killed a few animals at a farm. Hosea stopped me before I could kill the farmer, too. Told me to find a purpose, something to keep me in the human world. And if I ever turned again, he promised to shoot me. Haven't turned since."

It's hard for John to get all of this into his head, but his thoughts finally arrive at the present day. "That thing in the woods was about to kill you, and you didn't turn?"

"Couldn't risk it," Arthur says. "Not with you nearby. You might have ended up with two werewolves on your ass."

"You're such a dumbass."

"Says the feller who's jumped an old one after being a werewolf for all but five minutes."

"Saving your ass," John insists, and Arthur nods.

"You still have to promise me something."

"What?"

"I know it's tempting, especially after you killed that wolf today, but if we keep doing this, you can't turn ever again," Arthur says, his voice dead serious. "There's no guarantee that I can bring you back."

"Fine, I promise," John says, although he's not sure if he can keep his word. "What's your thing then? That keeps you human."

Arthur huffs, not quite meeting John's gaze, and his answer is barely audible. "You."

A shiver runs down John's spine. The idea of being so important to Arthur for such a long time takes his breath away. Still, he can't pass off an opportunity to tease Arthur.

"I see," he says, "so you've been in love with me all this time?"

Arthur growls. "Shut up, Marston."

"Make me."

John is just joking, but Arthur lunges at him, taking his breath away with a kiss. John's about to defend himself when Arthur's lips ghost along his ear.

"Yes," he says, the one word bringing goosebumps all over John's body.

He puts his arms around Arthur, holding him close. He's no longer afraid.

"Me too."

[problematicfavesareproblematic]

On Days Like This (Part 1)

Carwood Lipton x reader

Carwood Lipton never once doubted that you were good at what you did.

If anyone were to ask, he’d go as far as to say that you were brilliant- your skills as a mechanic having saved the Company’s collective ass several times when Lip had been positive the lot of them were doomed. 

Just yesterday he’d seen you dodge enemy fire while running to siphon gasoline from a wrecked civilian car to the Jeep had enough gas to get the injured men to the aid station, his heart in his throat the entire time and every bone in his body wanting to do something to help you. 

He’d have provided cover fire, run into the open as a distraction to the gunmen who seemed determined to end your life, anything to make sure you didn’t get hurt.

No, he knew how lucky he was, they all were to have someone of your skillset- you’d gotten your German down well enough that you could pass for an expat of some kind. 

And, because of your gender you had the unique position of being able to wander into occupied towns in advance of the company and confirm that all of Nix’s intel was correct. 

Without you, Carwood had no idea where they would be (or, more importantly, how many more of them would’ve been dead by now).

But Carwood still didn’t like that you were there.

He loved you more than he’d initially allowed himself to think possible, your very presence  a healing salve to the aching hopelessness that tried to eat away at the warmth in his chest. He couldn’t imagine a world without you in it, he didn’t even want to entertain the notion. 

A secret, guilt-filled part of him wished you’d get a little sick or lightly injured, just so you would be taken out of rotation and spirited off to relative safety- even if it was just for a night. 

He’d insinuated, not too gracefully, that you take some time to rest after you  had nearly got yourself killed for gasoline, and you’d looked so disappointed in him that he’d begun to apologize before he’d even finished speaking. 

You’d just nodded sadly, and Lip knew he’d really stepped in it this time.

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, Sir. Maybe next time you’ll get lucky and I’ll be out of your hair.”

That had been a week ago. You’d disappeared while out looking for Dike the next day.

Six days, and no one could find any trace of what could’ve happened to you.

Six days. Six goddamned days and Carwood didn’t even know if you were dead or not.

He didn’t want to think about that possibility too much.

The forests of Foy were cruel and unforgiving, with trees seeming to explode like random pressurized volcanoes and shrieks of explosives rattle his bones and swallow his screams.

He’d thought of his home and his ma and how’d he’d ever be able to look at fireworks without wanting to cry.

He thought of you.

He thought of you, lost in the woods in the middle of enemy fire and all alone. He thought of how your hand had felt in his when you’d first introduced yourself at Toccoa. He could see you laughing and smiling and screaming in sorrow when you’d thought he wouldn’t survive Carentan.

“Don’t you dare make me spend the rest of this war alone with these boys, Carwood. I swear to God I will Frankenstein you back to life just to kill you myself if you start talking like this is goodbye…!”

“—No fucking way!”

Carwood startled out of his worried thoughts, eyes instantly scanning for signs of a threat at Liebgott’s exclamation. “What? Tanks?”

Joe kept looking through his binoculars at something across the snowy field, along the edge of the clearing- the part of the forest closest to the town of Foy. The young man was making sounds of disbelief as he leaned forward as if to get a better look.

“Got your fucking binoculars, Lip?” he asked, and Carwood quickly got to work pulling them from his pocket and bringing it up to his eyes.

“‘Where you looking—?”

“Two ticks past one o’clock,” Joe said with an undercurrent of adrenaline, nervous energy rolling off of him in waves and crashing over Carwood. “By the stone fence with the moss on it…”

Lipton got his lenses to focus and pointed his binoculars to the place Libegott had directed, at first seeing nothing but muted earth tones and white snow.

But then an SS officer steps into his line of sight, turning and pointing to the ground beside him like he’s directing something to the spot.

Any fear Carwood had felt seeing you shot at before now seemed insignificant compared to the absolute terror he felt when you stumble forward and reluctantly stand before the German officer, your hands bound and your stride hitched.

“No fucking way.” 

This was worse, this was MUCH worse than the gasoline scare.

Lipton quickly drops the binoculars to rub at his eyes, wondering if this was just some strange waking dream and he was simply seeing things. 

But when he brought the binoculars back to his eyes he knew that even his imagination couldn’t concoct something as horrifying as seeing you captured.

“Liebgott, get Winters and Nixon.” Lipton was giving the order before he really thought about it, fear making his methodical, protocol following side take over while the part of him that loved you as a man loves a woman went into full-on panic.

“Should I get the Doc—?”

“I don't know, just get them here now—!”

If Liebgott took issue with the impatient tone Carwood had taken on, he made no mention of it. 

As much as Carwood cared for you, he wasn’t so blind as to not be aware that several other soldiers held you in high standing as well. To Liebgott, he knew you were  like one of his sisters- had been since the two of you had realized you were both from the Bay Area. 

If anyone could relate to the sickening fear he felt, it would be Liebgott.

It seemed almost cruel to have them be the ones to finally find you

Lip tensed as he watched you sneer at the Officer who was addressing you, and he was unable to help the pained sound that escaped his throat when he saw the man backhand you across the face and grab you by the hair when you didn’t immediately fall to your knees.

He could taste blood in his mouth as you licked your split lip, and in that moment Carwood made a promise to whatever higher power would listen.

Carwood Lipton promised that he would never raise an arm against another man for the rest of his life. 

He swore he’d finally settle down like his mother wanted and give her grandchildren to dote on. He promised he’d be the best man he could be, a better man than his father had been and a better father than he had been to his brothers. 

If he had to go to church every morning for the rest of his life he would do so gladly.

But only if I can do all of it with her. I don’t want it to be with anyone else. Please let me keep her.

Tightening his grip on the binoculars, Lip stares out into the cold.

You’d been alone for six days. Lip would try his damndest to make sure there wouldn’t be a seventh.

(YIKES A DOODLE, here yall go. Probably going to post part 2 even if no one likes this bc i’m an adult whoops)

[temptingempress]

The Mafia’s Princess J.hs (2)

Summary: “I can’t loose you because if I loose you I loose myself. You’re all I have left.” she begged him to put the gun down. Her bloody knees splashed into the mud. Helicopters surrounded them and the sirens were getting closer and closer but she could think about was him. The man whom she fell in love with, standing in front of them. Gun pointed towards his head.

This is a HoseokxOc story but feel free to think of her as y/n. I just didn't want to call her y/n so I used my own character that you'll see in a lot of my stories but her mood and temperment will change in each story.

Warning: A bit of sexual interaction but nothing too much, weapons, skin damage, cursing, DIOR FREAKING HOSEOK. AKA: SUPERIOR HOSEOK.

Previous: https://temptingempress.tumblr.com/post/639443379410927616

Hauling Areum away in his arms from the vent into his arms, he opened the window just to see that the cops and dogs were guarding the entire motel, just waiting for them to come back and attack. He had to think and he had to think fast or else they’ll both be dead meat. He looked around and spotted one place where the dogs nor the cops have reached yet. The garbage bin. Of course, it was disgusting but it was the only chance they got. 

Hoseok’s P.O.V

I sigh as I held Areum close to my chest, there’s no way that she could be seen by the police or else it’s pretty much over for her and her family. I quickly set Areum down being careful not to to injure her even more than I already did. I had some spare time until the cops could reach this area. Taking my jacket off, I carefully wrapped it on her wounded leg so no infection would begin to grow. I had to get her back home and I had to do it fast. There she could be met with a medic. This all has me wondering if I should just drop her off at the place she belongs and leave her be. All I am is trouble in her life. I am in everybody's and I really dont give a shit. I’ve become my own nightmare that lost it’s mercy ten years ago but when it comes to her. I swear I’d do anything. I’ve become so selfish and allowed my heart to become enslaved in chains to her love. To her affection. To the way she smiles or the way the moonlight touches her soft skin. 

Love is tortuous, I feel myself going on a never ending rollercoaster with her. She was the worst thing that ever happened to me but the best thing at the same time. She can’t let me go and that’s the worst part about this relationship because I know at some point she’s going to have to let me go. Not that I want to go. I want to be her dream man and offer everything she wants that she deserves but not off of blood money. I’ve never thought that one time in my life I’d be regretting being a mafia lord. Love is powerful. 

All this goes through my mind as I picked her up once more and jumped into the trash can, where there were a lot of bags. Yes, it’s risky to possibly get stabbed by glass shards or bitten by a rat but it was better than prison. Our landing sound was muffled by the plastic bags. The cops were approaching so I closed the bin and hid myself and Areum to the best of my ability. There happened to be a small hole that I peeped through to see if the cops were going along their way but they weren’t. They were just guarding the whole hotel as well as their dogs. We needed a distraction so I picked up a rusted old wrench and while they werent looking aimed it at the highest window that was out of the cop’s eyesight, so of course they wouldn’t see the wrench. Once the glass broke the cops shouted and ran towards the window, holding their guns up. I took Areum when the coast was clear and silently got out of there, running far away into the woods. Once I was far enough, I slung Areum onto my back and looked into my suitcase for a pager. “I need a car sent to Eastwood Urgently.” 

Eastwood was about 5 miles away but it was the only place where I knew to navigate to from here. My pager dings before a man starts to talk “Yes sir, it will take us fifteen minutes. Parked in the garage sir.”

“Thanks Jungkook. Coming home soon, prepare med for Areum. She got a bog bite...” I looked at Areum’s leg. Lines of slightly opened bloody flesh lined along her legs “And a bit of a scratch.”

As I kept walking on the cops were soon long gone or so I think. You never know in this field of work. I had a long ways to go and there was no way Areum could walk on her feet. She wasn’t very heavy so I could handle it. Walking through nature was quite nice actually. It’s not something I usually do. I had to make it to Eastwood before the sun rose because if not I could get caught by someone. I felt Areum shift her head on my back, and soon her hips.

“Baby?” I say to her as she regains her conscious. I went to a tree and sat her down onto the leaves so she could wake up and I could take a small break before we move again.

Areum’s P.O.V

An instant sting shot onto my leg as if somebody took sharp nails and dragged it along on my skin. “Augh!” I whimpered as I reached for the long bloody scratch. I saw that a sweater was wrapped around my bloody wounds. I don’t even remembered what happened after being in that vent. All I remember was darkness. “It hurts.” my voice cracks as my hands tried to rub down the cut to attempt to make it feel better but my attempts only made it worse. I wasn’t used to all this. I mean, small scars and such were common but this? My eyes began to water as the pain only got worse. It wouldn’t go away. Hoseok knelt towards me, caressing my cheeks. “Hey, you’re alright.” 

~

Areum felt Hoseok’s heavy breaths as he continued to walk with her in his arms. Two hours passed and they were far out of the cop’s sight. They were almost to their destination but Hoseok’s steps became slower. Areum spoke “Stop, I could walk on my own now.”  Hoseok shook his head as he kept walking. Sure, he was tired and he exhausted. He could just pass out right then and there but he wasn’t going to let go of her.  “Hoseok.” Areum spoke louder as her fingers gripped his shirt. “Let me go.” “You’ll get hurt more Areum, I’ve already done enough to you!” He didn’t let go her, he couldn’t let her go but soon enough he had to let her go. “Let’s take a break.” he panted. Areum’s P.O.V

I laughed a little as he had to let me go sooner or later. Some long scratched lined my leg and I still felt the sting but it wasn’t unbearable. I could walk on my own now, well, at least limb. By looking at Hoseok slumped down on a tree I had to walk at this point “Okay, just get on my shoulders.” He panted and knelt down. I chuckled a bit as I tightened the ‘band aid’ Hoseok put on my cut. “No love.” I push Hoseok’s shoulders back up. “I need to start doing things on my own.” Five years ago. Areum’s P.O.V

The evening of the ball was wonderful to say the less but as the sun set over the horizon the part I dreaded came. The dance. Where my parents set up certain men from different kingdoms to dance with me. Expecting me to find my one and only true love but the truth was I liked none of these stuck up petty men. They think they all have me at their fingertips when really they all disgust me. With their pristine suits, perfect smiles, and expensive rings. I was so sick of seeing all of them but especially one of them, Namjoon. 

Namjoon was the richest prince there was. Everyone knew him, loved him, and loathed him. He was the number one running to marry in my parents list but certainly not on mine. Taking a class of champagne before the dance I saw Namjoon coming towards me. Even down to the way he walks irritates me. Even though he didn’t do anything to me I just didn’t want to marry him. I didn’t want him to take me away to wherever he lived and trap me as his little house wife. Oh yeah, might I mention, all of Namjoon’s ex wives told me not to marry him because he’s demanding, bratty, and a so called womanizer.

He gave me a smile and fixed his glasses and I returned with a nice gesture. Coming close he looked down to me, admiring every aspect of my long golden dress. He finally spoke “Good day my lady, I’m looking forward to out dance.”  I just smiled and nodded, just because I hated him didn’t mean I had to be rude to the guy. Even though I really wanted to punch his ass to ten buck two. His next words to me made me gag my champagne. “Maybe I could get more than a dance by the end of tonight.”  He swayed away with a wink. Now I really wanted to get out of this place. That man was the epitome of sickness. The bell rung and it was already time for the dance. All the princesses gathered in front of the princes. I took my position right in front of Namjoon. The kings and queens oversaw from the tall stories. Overlooking their daughters with binoculars, seeing if they could see anything “magical.”

The dance has begun and we all followed the elaborate and precise steps to the rhythm. Princes caught us by our waist and held onto our hands tight. Twirling all around the dance floor I soon was caught by Namjoon. My soon to be king. He smirked down onto me as his hand traveled down my waist. I gave him a naïve smile but I really knew what he was doing all along. I couldn’t be more happy to spin again into another prince’s arms but Namjoon seemed disappointed that my body left his presence.

 The dance went on and on and on. “I think we have found the one for Namjoon, may he have your daughter in marriage?” Namjoon’s father exclaimed loud enough for me to hear. My body went into full shock, I just wanted to get out of there. I knew my parent’s would say yes since they’ve been rooting for us. 

Spinning

Spinning

My eyes caught the guards running outside of the palace, everyone seemed distracted so I decided to discreetly take my leave. I lifted my long golden dress up and ran to where the guards were running towards. They led me all the way outside. I heard one of the guards running close so I pressed my back onto the brick wall surrounded by bushes so they wouldn’t see me.  “There he is!” One of them yelled and chased after a man. I tried to get a closer look but all I could see was a leather black mask and all black attire. He seemed to have a black turtle neck a buckles along his chest. Strange, how could he even get into the castle’s quarters. I knew I shouldn’t of but I followed the thief, looking for some new excitement. The guards lost him but I knew exactly where he was heading, the maze. He was taking a shortcut to the maze. One that could be missed by the guards. It was strange that he knew where everything was in this castle, was he one of our workers before? He entered the maze and I came after him. I saw something shiny in his hands, aw it was my bracelet. As I followed I stepped on the noisiest branch. 

Dang

The thief turned back, pulling out a black gun and it sure did look terrifying. Something that’s never allowed on the grounds of the castle. “Who goes there.” He spoke. “Come out or I will shoot.” 

I didn’t really have a choice, the last thing I wanted to do tonight was get shot. Well, maybe it was better than getting engaged to Namjoon. I came out of the bushes and allowed my dress to flow down. I bowed at the thief lifting two sides of my dress up. Once I analyzed his face might I say... He wasn’t bad looking, he looked pretty good for a thief actually. “Princess Bailey.”  The thief stood there for a bit, probably in shock he’s seeing me out of anyone. Hoseok’s P.O.V

 This day couldn’t get anymore stranger. I put the bracelet in my pocket but held the gun tight in my hand. I wasn’t afraid to get royal blood splattered on my clothes. “Who do you come with. Where are the guards.” For some reason she just stood in front of me. Staring me down as if I was some sort of toy in the toy store. She took a step closer to me but I took two steps back, holding my gun higher to her head. If I shot at anytime she would for sure dead. This was one bold princess. She spoke once again “That bracelet, it’s mine. But, you could have it.” “I wasn’t asking.” “What is it for might I ask? Will you pawn it?” She seemed super calm when seeing a whole criminal right in front of her. The biggest one of Korea that is. “It’s for someone.” “Oh a gift? How kind of you sir. If you asked me I would’ve gave it to you.”  “You don’t even know me. “ “Who are you then.” The princess smiled as she stepped closer again “I come in peace, please lower your gun.”  Not budging still I get a small intercom out of my pocket and spoke “Bring the helicopter in the maze.” “Helicopter? That’s not very discreet. This castle is filled with security tools. You’ll surely get shot down.” She sung as her heels kicked the rocks on the ground. I thought about it and she did have a point. “Cancel the helicopter..” I turned the intercom off and looked at the princess. “Okay, then what do you suggest?” The princess smiled and turned to me. Happy that I gave her an inch. This may be a big trap but at this point I didn’t have a choice. 

“Follow me.” She hums.

-

Hello everyone, I hoped you liked the part two of the Mafia’s Princess. Now you know a little backstory, I’m curious if anybody reads my story. If so could you please comment or anonymously tell me so I am more encouraged to continue it? Thank you so much and tell me what you think so far. I might accept request pretty soon! Thank you so much for reading :)

[medeafive]

Blood and Stone - 25

Masterpost

"Are you sure?" Clint asks as she makes her bed. "I can come with you."

Natasha snorts, fluffing up the pillow she won't sleep on soon, or ever. "No thanks. Don't need you fighting with Bobbi every day."

"I'm serious," Clint insists, playing with an arrow at his belt.

"So am I," Natasha replies, holding her belly. "Nothing you can do. It's gonna be fine, don't worry."

Clint pulls a face, clearly disagreeing but biting his tongue. "I'll pray for you. Seriously."

He hasn't prayed since he fled the war, as far as she knows, so she smiles at him sadly. "Thank you. Really."

There's nothing more to say after that. The room's largely empty. Not like she ever had much personal possessions anyway. She looks around, weird floating feeling. It's true, she's in between, removed from the world of hunting but not yet in… she doesn't know yet. Motherhood? A strange thought. She hasn't really thought about what this is going to be . If it's going to be at all.

Downstairs, everyone is waiting in the lobby, blinds pulled for James' sake. The bags are already in the car, as far as she knows. Pepper hugs her, a tear in the corner of her eye. “You’re going to be fine, Nat. We’re all going to be fine.”

Sharon hugs her next and by the time it’s Sam’s turn, Natasha herself is teary-eyed. She might just never see them again. “I’ll see you soon,” Sam mutters into her hair.

“I hope it’ll go well,” Bruce says. “Bobbi will look after you.”

“Oh, come on,” Tony says. “Like this would take you down. You, of all people.”

Clint is gritting his teeth, muscles of his jaw working. It looks aggressive but she knows he’s just trying not to show his emotions. “Stay strong. Don’t give up.”

“You’ll be back soon,” Fury says. “Can’t lose my best tracker.”

James is the last in line and she can’t really look at him, after the fight yesterday. It is what it is. As Bobbi said, the rest is between her and God, if that guy’s even out there somewhere. The only thing left to believe in is herself. James steps forward and kisses her forehead with his cold lips. It is what it is. She notices everyone else looking uncomfortable or looking away. “Good luck, Natalia. Good luck.”

That’s what it comes down to in the end, isn’t it? Sheer dumb luck. Life and death, happiness and misery, stability and societal collapse from a vampire epidemic. Nobody is ever really in control. Certainly not James and her. And she knows it's all downhill from here, whatever happens, James will always be a vampire, Schmidt will be out there until they kill him, she will always be on the run until she's dead or undead. It's all fleeting, unstoppable, out of control, and only getting worse. She smiles at him, thinking she might never see him again. "I'll be fine."

"Your stuff's in the truck," Bobbi remarks, staring at the claws against Natasha's red hair. "It's all ready to leave."

The silence is tense and uncomfortable. "We'll call you," Pepper hurries to say. "At least that much."

Natasha spots an unusually bulky figure in the background, hunching slightly, too heavy for his own liking. Looks like Steve's up. "Hey, you. I know you don't remember me but… You'll figure it out. I hope they take care of you."

"Sure will," Sharon mutters, blushing pink.

Natasha squeezes James' hand, still cold- well, that's just how it is, and it doesn't really matter. The baby kicks slightly and her mouth drops open but it's not that bad. She lets go, takes Bobbi's arm and lets herself be led outside.

It's really a small truck more than a car, plenty of space in the back, rusty but actually not in all that bad shape. Not like the Soviet car industry. Bobbi leads her to the passenger side.

"Morse?"

They both turn their heads. Fury is standing outside, beckoning. "Come over, I got something for you."

"Just a sec," Bobbi replies, helping Natasha up into the truck. "You okay?"

Natasha breathes heavily at the slight exertion, holding her belly. At least she didn't burn in the sunlight. "Yeah. It's fine."

"Just a second then, be right back." Bobbi walks to the back of the truck. Natasha closes her eyes, heart drumming in her ears. Oh, she's really not doing well. Stairs are hard, even when it's just one step. She hopes this is over soon. Little over a week now. Also, she hasn't been out in the daylight in what feels like years and it's awfully bright. Somebody opens the door at the back of the truck.

"Oh. Oh, I see."

"I think you're going to find that very useful."

"Sure thing. Where'd'ya get this beauty?"

"Had it for a while. Don't tell the others."

"Won't, boss."

"Well. Do your best."

The doors are slammed shut again. "Will do. Good luck with the vampires."

Bobbi comes around, climbing into the driver's seat. "What did he give you?" Natasha asks.

Bobbi grins, starting the car. "Oh, I'll tell you sometime later."

  They drive for about an hour and a half, or maybe two. It's really been forever that Natasha was outside the city, in broad daylight no less. And she's so exhausted that she nods off several times, only to be rattled awake by a bump in the road.

It's quite deserted. The vampires may have hit the big cities the hardest but the countryside wasn't exactly spared. Most of all, people do not trust each other anymore and they avoid congregating, as if that would attract the monsters. In some ways, it does. Only about half of the fields are actually being farmed.

The house is half tucked away into a little forest, built out of broad wood planks, many gables. Bobbi tells her to wait, climbing out alone. Natasha leans forward, trying to get a better view. Not a person in sight, let alone another house. This is quite literally the end of the road.

However, before Bobbi reaches the house, a woman appears between the trees, rifle slung around her shoulder. She's rather tall, though not as tall as Bobbi, brown hair, and rather not up for a chat. Thick brown coat with what looks like fox fur around the neck. Bobbi raises her hands as she approaches her, though the woman shows no signs of reaching for a weapon.

The baby kicks hard and Natasha groans, slumping over, holding her belly for fear that it'll break. She wonders whether Tony meant that literally, with the baby breaking through her stomach and crawling out, or just- the tight skin holds for now and that’s all she’s going to think about.

The two women are still exchanging tense words. Natasha notices their host has binoculars around her neck, as if she just came back from the hunt. Animal hunt. Probably the only way to get food around here. Thinking about meat makes-

The baby kicks again, this time longer, even harder, and Natasha gasps and bends over, slumping onto the dashboard, moaning in pain as her belly's pushed out from inside repeatedly. She can almost feel the shape. The car door is being opened. "Hey, are you okay? Come on, let's get you inside so you can lay down."

She can't breathe. "Is she okay?" the other voice asks.

"Under the given circumstances," Bobbi replies, unfastening her seatbelt and reaching around. "But I'm gonna need a hand."

  Natasha can't remember or imagine how they got from the car to her lying on a couch, under a blanket, with a hot bowl of soup. The kicking has subsided for now but she still feels the soreness from the last time.

The house is quite dark inside with all the wood and so few windows. There are antlers on the walls, stuffed pheasants, at least one set of vampire fangs. Trophies. A shudder goes down her spine, despite the warm blanket and the chimney fire. The cold winter wind rattles the tiny windows, cuts around the edges, trying to claw its way in. The room is lit solely with candles, probably no electricity in the house.

“Hey.”

The brown-haired woman is sitting behind a big wooden table, face bright against the wooden wall, candle light dancing over her skin. There’s meat on the table, cooked meat. Natasha’s belly contracts almost painfully. Bobbi is nowhere to be seen.

“You’re Russian, aren’t you,” the woman remarks.

Natasha snorts, staring at the ceiling that’s so dark she can’t really see it. “Is that the first thing you ask?”

The woman shrugs, opening a flask of liquor with a biting smell escaping immediately. “I don’t mind.”

She sounds Czech which means she most likely speaks Russian but, like Pepper, clearly does not want to. “Where’s Bobbi?”

“Toilet’s outside,” the woman replies briefly, taking a sip from the flask. “You hungry?”

The smell of the meat is overwhelming, to a degree it shouldn’t be. Natasha tucks the blanket up to her chin. “Yeah.”

The woman makes her way out from behind the table, bumping into it or the bench several times. The rifle is hanging on the wall behind the door, as Natasha notices. The vampire fangs are right over the fireplace. “You killed a vampire?”

The woman nods, grabbing the plate with the meat and sitting down on the couch table, also made of heavy wood, holding out the plate. “You mind?”

The meat is cooked but it still smells of blood. Natasha can’t resist grabbing a piece with her bare hands and stuffing it in her mouth, shaking her head. She’s a hunter. She’s always been a hunter. She- She needs to devour all of this bloody meat right now.

The woman merely raises an eyebrow as Natasha rips the plate from her hands and starts wolfing it down, barely taking the time to chew, tasting the flesh, the blood, the dead life of it. She inhales it so fast that she gags, coughs, spits it out and shoves it in her mouth again, unable to stop. When she’s done, the plate entirely empty, fingers greasy and dirty, she leans back, exhausted. The woman is still watching her quietly. Natasha clears her throat, uncomfortable. “Do you live here alone?”

The woman shrugs, not moving otherwise. “Less people to worry about.”

She feels that. “I’m Natasha.”

“Maria,” the woman replies. “Maria Kopecká.”

The door opens, cold rush of air, then closes quickly behind Bobbi who’s stamping her feet to get rid of the mud. “Phew. Gotta say, taking a dump outside in the dark is quite the adrenaline boost.”

The woman- Maria gets up and pours water from a bucket into a big bowl. “Here. To wash your hands.”

“Thanks.” Bobbi rolls her sleeves up, looking towards Natasha. “Hey. Feeling better?”

She must have grease around her mouth, probably, with how fast she was devouring the meat. Embarrassing. She wipes it with the back of her hand quickly, which is not exactly clean either. “Mhm. Yeah.”

Bobbi dips her hands in the water, then grabs the bar of soap. “I see you already got something to eat.”

Maria makes her way around to the back of the hut, opening a cupboard. “She’s quite hungry. I’ll open a can.”

Her stomach growls at the mention of more food. “She needs to eat a lot,” Bobbi remarks. drying her hands off. “I hope you’re stocked.”

Maria huffs, pulling a can opener from a drawer. “Always.”

Bobbi turns, crossing her arms. “So, how do you know Fury, if I may ask?”

The can opener cuts through the metal deftly. “Work,” Maria replies. “Before.”

“Oh, I see.” Bobbi’s eyes drift to the vampire fangs over the fireplace, placed prominently. “Do lots of vampires come by here?”

“Few,” Maria states, grabbing a pot and pouring the content of the can into it. “Last one I shot was two months ago.”

“Huh.” Bobbi walks over to the couch, making space for her to narrowly sit, reaching for Natasha’s wrist. “Let me take your pulse.”

It feels rather quick but she’ll let Bobbi decide. Maria hangs the pot over the fireplace. It smells of sour tomatoes. The fiery light accentuates the harsh lines of her face. Bobbi checks her watch. "Mhm. Better give you a dose. Have you tried getting up?"

Her fingers are really greasy. "No."

"How did you come to be with that vampire thing?" Maria asks, peering out through the window.

Well, that. "I'm going to inject another dose," Bobbi announces, letting go of her wrist and getting up.

Natasha clears her throat, tucking the greasy hands under the blanket. "Just… just how anyone else comes to be with child."

Maria turns around, seeming unconvinced. "Really."

It would be great if she could disappear into the couch never to be seen again. "Gimme your arm, darling," Bobbi asks, sitting down on the couch table.

"And what's that?" Maria asks, crossing her arms.

"Vampire blood," Bobbi replies, looking for a vein. "Not from that guy. It helps with cell regeneration, healing and strength and… I really don't know how it works, but it works."

"You're a weird bunch," Maria remarks, crouching down in front of the fireplace and stirring the pot.

Natasha gets the empty feeling in her arm as the vampire blood floods in. "Do we really have everything here? No offense, but Fury said it would have more… equipment."

Maria straightens, walking across the room and pulling open a floor hatch Natasha hadn't noticed. "Oh, don't worry, it's all downstairs."

"Electricity, too?" Bobbi asks.

"There's a generator outside," Maria explains, peering down. "I don't run it usually because it might attract vampires, but it should work."

"Let's hope it does," Bobbi says. "Not that I haven't worked under candlelight but it'd be better if I didn't have to."

"It'll work," Maria states.

Bobbi sighs. "Okay. So, Nat, I… we haven't talked about this yet but I would like to induce early."

Natasha is too tired for this. "What does that mean?"

"Induce birth," Bobbi adds. "Basically, you take a pill and then the contractions start. I'd check again that the baby is big enough but I think it already is."

"Why, though?" Natasha asks. "Why not wait?"

"Every day of pregnancy brings more risk," Bobbi replies. "And the birth will be easier if the baby is not that big yet, so less complications. And we might just not have the time, depending on whatever else happens."

"And you're sure that's not bad for the baby?" Natasha questions.

Bobbi snorts. "Trust me, that thing has the most solid vitals I've ever seen."

"I wouldn't worry about that thing ," Maria interjects, holding the hatch open. "So, do you want to go down or can I close it?"

"I'll check it out," Bobbi replies, standing. "Natasha, just stay here for now."

Maria holds the hatch open dutifully and hands her a candle. "You need my help down there?"

"Should be fine," Bobbi replies, carefully climbing down the creaking wood. "Is that- oh."

"The hatch opens from inside," Maria states and closes it promptly.

The food over the fireplace smells quite strongly, tomato and something like pasta. Maria crosses over and stirs it again. "So. You fucked a vampire."

When Natasha doesn't reply immediately, Maria adds: "Or did a vampire fuck you?"

Natasha sighs. Jesus Christ. Why is all of this so complicated? "No, no, I… I fucked a vampire."

"Huh." Maria pulls her sleeves over her hands and lifts the pot off the fire. "Why?"

"I liked him," Natasha replies, immediately worrying about the past tense that came out so naturally. Why does it matter to her so much? Maybe she's never going to see him again, and… she's already lost so much, and there's nothing he can do to really change her situation, and she's doing this for herself anyway, they're not going to be a family - but she hasn't worried about dying since she got to know him, knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her- at least until she turned out pregnant. Does she really love the monster because he's strong enough to protect her?

Maria is watching her attentively, not clear whether she said anything or not. Natasha rubs her eyes demonstratively. "Sorry. I'm very tired."

"You can sleep on the couch," Maria states. "I usually sleep on the bench. Or on the floor."

Natasha nods, closing her eyes and crawling further under the blanket until she's lying almost flat, pretending to be already out. Bobbi is doing something downstairs, though it's very hard to hear, and Maria starts eating out of the pot, by the sound of it. The wind is very loud once it's silent.

After some time, the hatch creaks open and Bobbi climbs up again. "Good equipment, I gotta say."

She walks right past Natasha, even stops to look. Maria is quiet. "I thought that was for her."

"She wanted to sleep."

"Oh well. Let's not let it go to waste, then."

Bobbi finally walks away and Natasha can breathe normally again. The floor creaks, and the bench creaks. Everything in this house is dead and alive at the same time.

"So, all this stuff… is that from when you worked with Fury? It's not exactly new."

"Yes."

"Huh. So you're a doctor?"

"No."

"There was someone else?"

"Not… everyone is still here."

"Oh, I see. Emigration or vampires?"

"Both."

"I actually immigrated pre-vampires. Because everyone else emigrated."

Maria laughs, barely distinguishable from the rattling wind. "Bad choice, if you ask me."

"Oh, well. It's certainly very folksy, with the antlers and all."

"Rusty beyond repair."

"You're quite pessimistic. I thought there was quite a spirit of… I mean, after the stagnation of the 70s and 80s, and with Havel… of course, that was before the vampires."

"I think you're the one with the rosy eyes."

"The rosy glasses, yeah! It's probably nostalgia on my part, really."

"Nostalgia is fair. We had barely gotten back to where we were… and now this, of course. Best to resign to it."

"You certainly seem to have adapted to it. In your own way."

Maria snorts. "I'm not going to run around trying to stop something that cannot be stopped, fix something that cannot be fixed. Get my hopes up and have them crushed."

"That's absolutely fine. I mean, you're still helping us."

"Ah, well. I owe someone a favor."

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars LXX (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: I’m currently back in school and I’m not happy– Also, I’ve been re-reading the whole story bc I need to see if I’m not fucking up my plot and shiiit the first books just plain suck with all those typos lmao I’m suffering -Danny

Words: 2,983

Warnings: None!

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Chapter Five: Bulgaria vs Ireland.

Once the night sky was setting, they strolled around the field to look at the souvenirs several wizards were selling.

"Wow, look at these!" said Harry, hurrying over to a cart piled high with what looked like brass binoculars, except that they were covered with all sorts of weird knobs and dials.

"Omnioculars," said the saleswizard eagerly. "You can replay action... slow everything down... and they flash up a play-by-play breakdown if you need it. Bargain — ten Galleons each."

"Wish I hadn't bought this now," said Ron, gesturing at his dancing shamrock hat and gazing longingly at the Omnioculars.

"Four pairs," said Harry firmly to the wizard.

"No way you're buying me those," Mel frowned, pulling out her own money and buying her own pair, which technically left her without money to spare, but she wasn't going to admit it. "No, don't even try to insist. This year you won't outdo my Christmas present and that's final."

"Don't bother," Ron also tried to reject Harry's offer, but it was too late for him.

"You won't be getting anything for Christmas," Harry told him, giving Mel a pointed look. "For about ten years, mind. Hear that? If you had accepted my gift, Mellow, you would've had ten years to outdo me."

"Fair enough," said Ron, smiling down at the Omnioculars.

"Oooh, thanks, Harry! And I'll get us some programs, look —" Hermione walked over to the next stand.

"I know you're lying," Mel whispered once Ron and Hermione were far from earshot. "There's no way you'll stop giving them presents, you're too nice."

"And you're too stubborn," He replied with a smile. "But I'll find a way to outdo you, anyway."

When they went back to their tent, Mel threw two little green pins at Fred and George.

"I got you those, considering you wasted all your money on a stupid bet."

"It won't be so stupid once we win," George said, pinning the souvenir to his jersey. "Then you'll feel stupid."

"I'm looking forward to it," She grinned.

And then a deep, booming gong sounded somewhere beyond the woods, and at once, green and red lanterns blazed into life in the trees, lighting a path to the field.

"It's time!" said Mr. Weasley, looking as excited as any of them. "Come on, let's go!"

They walked for about five minutes (Mel convinced Charlie to give her a piggy back ride) and talked animatedly about the game and their expectations. In front of them, there was the biggest stadium Mel had ever seen.

"Seats a hundred thousand," said Mr. Weasley. "Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they've suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again... bless them!"

"Prime seats!" said the Ministry witch at the entrance. "Top Box! Straight upstairs, Arthur, and as high as you can go."

So they climbed all the way up, Mel caught a glimpse of some annoucements that were magically appearing across the field.

'The Bluebottle: A Broom for All the Family — safe, reliable, and with Built-in Anti-Burglar Buzzer . . . Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover: No Pain, No Stain! . . . Gladrags Wizardwear — London, Paris, Hogsmeade . . .'

"Look at that!" Mel said in amazement, taking a seat next to Harry.

But Harry was no longer looking at the field.

"Dobby?" Harry asked loudly.

Mel turned around, behind them there was a creature tha looked a lot like a mix between a very big doxie and a really ugly cat. It had huge brown eyes and a big round nose.

"Did sir just call me Dobby?" The elf squeaked.

"Sorry," Harry replied, "I just thought you were someone I knew."

"But I knows Dobby too, sir! My name is Winky, sir — and you, sir —" Its eyes fixed on Harry's scar. "You is surely Harry Potter!"

"Yeah, I am," Harry smiled awkwardly.

"But Dobby talks of you all the time, sir!"

"How is he?" said Harry. "How's freedom suiting him?"

"Ah, sir," said Winky. "Ah sir, meaning no disrespect, sir, but I is not sure you did Dobby a favor, sir, when you is setting him free."

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Freedom is going to Dobby's head, sir. Ideas above his station, sir. Can't get another position, sir."

"Why not?"

"He is wanting paying for his work, sir." Winky replied in a very low, very frightful whisper.

"Paying? Well — why shouldn't he be paid?"

Winky looked quite horrified at the idea and closed her fingers slightly so that her face was half-hidden again.

"House-elves is not paid, sir!" she said in a muffled squeak. "No, no, no. I says to Dobby, I says, go find yourself a nice family and settle down, Dobby. He is getting up to all sorts of high jinks, sir, what is unbecoming to a house-elf. You goes racketing around like this, Dobby, I says, and next thing I hear you's up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, like some common goblin."

"Well, it's about time he had a bit of fun," said Harry.

"House-elves is not supposed to have fun, Harry Potter. House-elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter," She gulped. "But my master sends me to the Top Box and I comes, sir."

"Why's he sent you up here, if he knows you don't like heights?" Harry frowned.

"Master — master wants me to save him a seat, Harry Potter. He's very busy," said Winky. "Winky is wishing she is back in master's tent, Harry Potter, but Winky does what she is told. Winky is a good house-elf."

"So that's a house-elf?" Ron examined Winky carefully. "Weird things, aren't they?"

"Dobby was weirder," said Harry.

"They have their own charm," Mel said absentmindedly.

Ron pulled out his Omnioculars and played around with them for a bit.

"Wild!" He said, turning the replay knob. "I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again... and again... and again..."

"Oh, stop it," Mel pushed down his Omnioculars, though she was grinning.

" 'A display from the team mascots will precede the match,' " Hermione read aloud her program.

"Oh that's always worth watching– National teams bring creatures from their native land, you know, to put on a bit of a show." Mr. Weasley added happily.

After a while of waiting and watching the stands get a little bit more crowded, the Minister arrived to their booth, he introduced a few people to Harry, holding a fatherly attitude towards the boy.

"Harry Potter, you know," He was talking to the Bulgarian Minister. "Harry Potter... oh come on now, you know who he is... the boy who survived You-Know-Who... you do know who he is —"

The wizard saw Harry's scar and pointing at it excitedly.

"Knew we'd get there in the end," said Fudge. "I'm no great shakes at languages; I need Barty Crouch for this sort of thing. Ah, I see his house-elf's saving him a seat... Good job too, these Bulgarian blighters have been trying to cadge all the best places... ah, and here's Lucius!"

The whole Malfoy family arrived at that moment. All wearing the same sneer.

"Ah, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?"

"How do you do, how do you do? And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk — Obalonsk — Mr. — well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind. And let's see who else — you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?"

"Good lord, Arthur," Mr. Malfoy said in what sounded like the most false kindness she'd ever heard. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

"Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest." The Minister said almost at the same time, not really listening to the man.

"How — how nice," said Mr. Weasley.

"Guilty, that's what he is," Mel leaned to whisper in Harry's ear. "That man thinks he can fix anything with money..."

Harry barely nodded, his eyes fixed on Mr. Malfoy.

After they moved along, it didn't take long for Ludo Bagman to appear, looking rather excited and jolly.

"Ladies and gentlemen... welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. The huge blackboard opposite them was wiped clear of its last message

(Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans — A Risk With Every Mouthful!) and now showed BULGARIA: 0, IRELAND: 0.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce... the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

The right-hand side of the stands, which was a solid block of scarlet, roared its approval.

"I wonder what they've brought," said Mr. Weasley, leaning forward in his seat. "Aaah!" He suddenly whipped off his glasses and polished them hurriedly on his robes. "Veela!"

"Excuse me?" Mel leaned closer to the edge, alarmed. "Those aren't mascots– those are women!"

But after looking at them for about five extra seconds, Mel understood that those couldn't possibly be just women. They were too similar, same skin color and hair– they moved as if time went by slower around them. They were, in the most fascinating way, extremely ethereal, like the fairy godmothers of her fairytales.

The veela started to dance around the field; something warm spread over her chest. She felt at ease. She felt too at ease, actually. Something was wrong.

She remembered what Dumbledore had told her on one of their many lessons, 'Beauty in magic almost never equals good or safe.' Things that shone too brightly were often that way so it would blind you from its actual intentions.

She shook her head, blinking rapidly and noticing the movement on her left. When she turned she saw Harry, trying to climb the wall that protected them.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked harshly.

Mel reached for the back of his shirt and forced him to sit down. Beside him, Ron was sitting stifly on his place, and he was destroying his Ireland hat.

'Sirens' was the first thing she thought. Even though she now knew that mermaids didn't look at all like a veela, she was pretty sure the effects were meant to be similar. Luring humans to their deaths... and Harry had fallen right into their trap.

"Honestly!" Hermione rolled her eyes, sinking further on her seat.

"Really?" Mel frowned. "Is that all it takes for you to lose your mind?"

"What?" Harry looked at her in a daze.

"Nevermind," She groaned, directing her gaze towards the field again to watch the veela stand aside.

"And now," roared Ludo Bagman's voice, "kindly put your wands in the air... for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

Next moment, what seemed to be a great green-and-gold comet came zooming into the stadium. It did one circuit of the stadium, then split into two smaller comets, each hurtling toward the goal posts. A rainbow arced suddenly across the field, connecting the two balls of light. The crowd oooohed and aaaaahed, as though at a fireworks display. Now the rainbow faded and the balls of light re- united and merged; they had formed a great shimmering sham- rock, which rose up into the sky and began to soar over the stands. Something like golden rain seemed to be falling from it —

"Excellent!" yelled Ron as the shamrock soared over them, and heavy gold coins rained from it, bouncing off their heads and seats.

"Leprechauns!" said Mr. Weasley.

"There you go," Ron shouted, giving Harry a handful of gold coins, "for the Omnioculars! Now you've got to buy me a Christmas present, ha!"

The great shamrock dissolved, the leprechauns drifted down onto the field on the opposite side from the veela, and settled themselves cross-legged to watch the match.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome — the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you — Dimitrov!"

A scarlet-clad figure on a broomstick, moving so fast it was blurred, shot out onto the field from an entrance far below, to wild applause from the Bulgarian supporters.

"Ivanova!"

A second scarlet-robed player zoomed out.

"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand — Krum!"

"That's him, that's him!" yelled Ron, following Krum with his Omnioculars.

"And now, please greet — the Irish National Quidditch Team! Presenting — Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand — Lynch!"

"They all have Firebolts," Mel gasped. "There's no way Bulgaria can beat that!"

"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"

"Theeeeeeeey're OFF! And it's Mullet! Troy! Moran! Dimitrov! Back to Mullet! Troy! Levski! Moran!"

Her heart was leaping every so often she could hardly remain still. They game was thrilling, she even thought that a person like Erick, who didn't like Quidditch that much, would enjoy a game like this one. One could tell it was professional players out there, they moved around the field which such simplycity that even caused her to long for flying.

She thought about it for a second. Maybe, just maybe, she could try to join their school Quidditch's team this year. Harry said she was good enough, perhaps he wasn't lying.

The veela had lost control after watching their team losing by a great amount and transformed into some type of harpies, Mel thought Dumbledore would've been proud of her deduction skills, having figured out the veela on her own.

Krum, Bulgaria's seeker, had been severly injured, but that wasn't the only thing happening.

"Look at Lynch!" Harry yelled abruptly. "He's seen the Snitch! He's seen it! Look at him go!"

Both seekers were now heading towards it at great speed.

"They're going to crash!"

"They're not!" roared Ron.

"Lynch is!" yelled Harry.

Right at that moment Lynch fell flat on the grass, Krum had suddenly flown up into the air.

"The Snitch, where's the Snitch?" Charlie yelled

"He's got it — Krum's got it — it's all over!" Harry yelled back.

Krum, his red robes shining with blood from his nose, was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a glint of gold in his hand. The scoreboard was flashing BULGARIA: 160, IRELAND: 170 across the crowd, who didn't seem to have realized what had hap- pened. Then, slowly, as though a great jumbo jet were revving up, the rumbling from the Ireland supporters grew louder and louder and erupted into screams of delight.

"IRELAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, who like the Irish, seemed to be taken aback by the sudden end of the match. "KRUM GETS THE SNITCH — BUT IRELAND WINS — good lord, I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

Mel turned at the comment, locking eyes with George who sent a pleased grin her way. Those two, she couldn't believe they were so lucky.

"What did he catch the Snitch for? He ended it when Ireland were a hundred and sixty points ahead, the idiot!" Ron said in disbelief.

"I thought he was a genius," Mel snorted.

"He knew they were never going to catch up! The Irish Chasers were too good... He wanted to end it on his terms, that's all..." Harry explained.

"He was very brave, wasn't he? He looks a terrible mess..." Hermione said, peering to the field were the team was now standing.

"I love Quidditch!" Mel beamed. "Have you seen anything as impressive and breathtaking as that?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied, smiling.

He wasn't looking at the field, though.

"Vell, ve fought bravely," someone said behind them in a very thick accent.

"You can speak English!" said Fudge, looking at the Bulgarian minister with wide eyes. "And you've been letting me mime everything all day!"

"Vell, it vos very funny," said the minister.

"And as the Irish team performs a lap of honor, flanked by their mascots, the Quidditch World Cup itself is brought into the Top Box!" roared Bagman. "Let's have a really loud hand for the gallant losers — Bulgaria!"

One by one, the Bulgarians filed between the rows of seats in the box, and Bagman called out the name of each as they shook hands with their own minister and then with Fudge. Krum, who was last in line, looked a real mess. Two black eyes were blooming spectac- ularly on his bloody face. He was still holding the Snitch.

And then came the Irish team. Aidan Lynch was being sup- ported by Moran and Connolly; the second crash seemed to have dazed him and his eyes looked strangely unfocused. But he grinned happily as Troy and Quigley lifted the Cup into the air and the crowd below thundered its approval.

At last, when the Irish team had left the box to perform another lap of honor on their brooms (Aidan Lynch on the back of Connolly's, clutching hard around his waist and still grinning in a be- mused sort of way), Bagman pointed his wand at his throat and muttered, "Quietus."

"They'll be talking about this one for years," he said hoarsely, "a really unexpected twist, that. . . . shame it couldn't have lasted longer. . . . Ah yes. . . . yes, I owe you . . . how much?"

For Fred and George had just scrambled over the backs of their seats and were standing in front of Ludo Bagman with broad grins on their faces, their hands outstretched.

Next Chapter —>

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