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maccreadysbaby · 2 months

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A Hundred Ways to Become a Wayne

batfamily + oc insert

tw: none

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

yall i am so sorry, i’ve been working on writing other things. updates will probably be more spread out now, but bentley’s back baby!

part seventeen

❝ REVELATION ❞

SUNDAY — AUGUST 9 — 3:17AM

“DON’T WORRY, BABYBIRD. I WON’T TELL YOUR SECRETS,”

Bentley woke up, standing in the foyer of Nico Rockefeller’s house. Which was strange, considering he knew for a fact that he’d fallen asleep in his own room, with Nico and Asten right next to him.

He’d never actually been in the Rockefellers’ house, but somehow, some part of him knew this was it. It looked similar to the Manor, actually. The whole foyer was wrapped in beautiful mahogany wainscoting, with dual staircases leading up to the second floor, and hallways positioned around that led to other parts of the house. A pair of giant double doors sat right in the middle of the stairs, leading to a seemingly important room.

Bentley blinked several times. Why was he in Nico’s house? And where had his friends gone?

He stepped forward just a little, toward the huge wooden doors. Intricate and detailed pictures of Greek gods had been carved into them. Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire was in the center of the left door, his arms outstretched. The entire door was decorated with engravings of terrifying flames, of cities falling into ruins under his immense power. On the right door, Poseidon, Greek god of water, and Aether, Greek god of air, were both facing him, their arms outstretched like they were trying to reach out and bring him home. The fire trailed onto their door, too, but lessened as it neared them, replaced my waves and swirls that signified water and wind. Off to the side hovered Hermes, the messenger of the gods, alone with his hands bound in shackles. Bentley lifted his right hand and delicately brushed his fingertips over the waves made by Poseidon.

“Yeah, I’ll find it. When did you say you’d be home?”

Bentley flinched when Nico’s voice sounded from somewhere above him. He backed away from the doors like he was committing a crime, glancing around, then up at the staircases. Nico was descending the left one with his phone pressed tightly to his ear. Bentley just stood there awkwardly in the center of the foyer, fiddling with the hem of his jacket sleeve as he waited for Nico to notice him.

Only… he didn’t. Not when he came down the stairs, not when he turned toward the doors, not when he walked so closely past Bentley that he felt the air gust from his movement. It was like he was a ghost.

“Nico?” He tried, but the boy didn’t seem to hear him.

“Okay. Love you, too. Bye,” He finalized, ending the phone call and sliding the device in his pocket as she shoved the large doors open. On the other side stood an office, more extravagant than any office Bentley had ever seen. There was a massive, solid glass desk in the middle of the room, completely clear so that Bentley could see what was in the drawers. It was sitting atop a rug that looked old, almost tribal, with geometric shapes and midwestern colors. The color of the walls was hidden by bookshelves that covered every inch of available space. There were no windows, the whole room illuminated by a large, beaded light fixture instead. All the books and trinkets that lined the shelves looked old, priceless.

Nico walked in like he’d done it a million times, striding to the other side of the clear desk and pulling out the matching clear chair that sat with it. He steadied it against the bookshelves and climbed on top of it, thumbing through the spines of books like he was searching for a very specific one.

Nico looked… the exact same as he had at Bentley’s house. He was even wearing the same gray hoodie and sweats. What was going on?

Bentley stayed quiet, drifting into the doorway of the office. The farther he went, the more old collectibles and books and antiques were revealed — things so old he couldn’t really tell what they were. He watched in silence as Nico made a small ah-ha sound, pulling a red book from the shelf. A couple others fell off with it, thumping on the carpet with muted sounds.

“Ugh,” He grumbled. Bentley, still silent, said nothing as the blonde hopped off the chair and bent down to pick up the dropped books. A brown one was laying open, facing down, its pages on the rug. The second, a dark blue hardcover, hadn’t even opened.

Nico picked up both books, turning toward the shelves to return them to their rightful spots, but then he paused, glaring at the blue one with narrowed eyes. He started shaking it like a snow globe.

Bentley furrowed his brows. What in the world was he doing?

Nico kept shaking the book strangely, and then Bentley caught onto exactly why he was shaking it — it was rattling. The book was rattling. Bentley blinked, completely sure he was losing his mind. How had he ended up in Nico’s house, anyway? And why couldn’t he see him?

Nico plopped the blue book on the desk and tossed the other to the side, moving to open it — but the blue hardcover didn’t budge. He sat it up on the spine and pulled at both covers, back and front, but still, it didn’t open.

Bentley moved forward ever-so-slightly, taking a spot on the opposite side of the desk from Nico. Why would someone make a book you couldn’t open? That rattled? To say Bentley was confused was an understatement — for some reason, he felt rather dumb.

Nico continued to pry and pull on the blue covers to no avail. He then took to examining the pages on the side, running his fingernail over them. Bentley then drifted around the desk just a bit, toward Nico’s left side.

“Huh?” He vocalized as his fingernail slid into a crack between the cover and unmoving pages. Bentley watched quietly as he pulled open the clear desk drawer, grabbing something that looked strangely like a knife. A weird, thin knife, with an ornate metal hilt. He’d seen Alfred use something similar once — to open the mail. Perhaps Alfred wasn’t using a weird knife then, either, but a thing that looked like a knife that was actually meant for opening the mail? Why else would Nico’s parents have one in their office?

Nico grabbed the probably-not-a-knife and stabbed it into the little crack between the cover and strangely stiff pages, using his entire body as leverage. Bentley flinched when the book flew open with a harsh bang against the glass desk.

It wasn’t a book at all, actually — it was a box disguised as a book. Very clever, very smart, very… spy-like, in Bentley’s opinion. Like something Bruce would have in his library. The inside of the book was hollow, the pages fake, and inside was a myriad of papers and small objects. Intrigued, Bentley stepped closer.

Nico pinched his brows together, pulling out papers and objects one at a time. First was a pin. A pin that was supposed to attach to someone's shirt, with an old looking piece of torn and faded fabric attached to the back. The pin itself was a burnished bronze, with a lightning bolt down the center. It looked like something Bentley had seen before, but he couldn’t place it.

Nico pulled out a large envelope second, and — much to his confusion — it had his name written on the front in big, loopy writing. Bentley watched in silence, inching ever-closer as the blonde used the same little not-knife to open it.

He pulled out three papers, each folded neatly. Two were pristine and clean, the other, ratty, torn, and slightly crumbled. He unfolded the nicer two, and Bentley leaned in to read them.

The first one was a birth certificate. In big, bold letters, it read: NIKOLAI ELIJAH ROCKEFELLER. It had his birthday, his time of birth, his parents’ names, EDWARD ROCKEFELLER and JEAN AGRESTE-ROCKEFELLER.

The second of the nice papers was another birth certificate.

That was… also Nico’s?

Bentley leaned closer, genuinely confused at the same time Nico scrunched his face up. This certificate looked a little different than the first, like it was from a different place.

NIKOLAI ELIJAH ALLEN was the big name on the front. The parents' names listed were… BARTHOLOMEW ALLEN and CRYSTAL CONSTANTINE-ALLEN.

Okay, now Bentley was just really confused. As was Nico, who, with an exhale, shook his head in disbelief. He laid the certificates to the side and unfolded the ratty looking sheet of paper. It was scrawled with messy handwriting that Bentley could barely read. And even when he did decipher it, it didn’t make much sense.

Please take care of him Jean, Edward — Barry said you’d take good care of him. That you’re friends. Our timestream, our universe, dimension, reality, whatever it is… it’s falling apart at the seams — Barry says the only way to save him is to take him to a new one where his existence won’t be erased. His name is Nikolai. Nico. Just… please. Love him. Barry says he can take him back to his own timestream, to your timestream because of the Speed Force passed onto him from Bartholomew, I don’t know much about it… Bart’s worried you won’t be prepared for when it wakes up… Please don’t tell him about us until it wakes up. Nico. It’ll be better that way.

Bentley had never been more confused in his entire short life. Don’t tell him about us until it wakes up? It what? And a letter about worlds falling apart? Words that implied Nico was from a whole different universe? That his now parents weren't his parents, but his parents actually lived in a different dimension? Did that mean he was an alien? That there really was something more out there, something past the world Bentley could see?

Nico started crying, suddenly and pitifully like he had in the bathroom at school. Bentley wished he could reach out for him — but how would he feel him if he didn’t even know he was there?

A dull ache settled in the back of Bentley’s skull as the familiar feeling of vertigo started to take hold of him. The room started to teeter and spin, and he reached out to grab ahold of the desk when he started to fall, but apparently he missed, because he hit the floor anyways.

The beaded chandelier above him doubled and tripled as a stabbing pain shot from one ear to the other, black and white flecks of light dancing across his vision like it was snowing. The black flecks got bigger, and the sound of Nico crying grew more and more distant until everything fell black.

And Bentley jerked straight back into consciousness with a gasp. He blinked away the fatigue and pulsing pain behind his eyes, trying his hardest to focus, to breathe. He was in his dark bedroom, Nico snoring on the foot of the bed, and Asten… well, Asten wasn’t there. But the bathroom door was closed.

Bentley blinked a few more times to right his mind. A dream. It had been nothing more than a dream, despite it feeling so utterly real. His skull felt tight, strange, like a hot air balloon. It felt…

Exactly the same as it had in Bruce’s car, after the Secret Keeper invaded his mind to show him Asten’s memory.

Had he just seen one of Nico’s memories? A memory where Nico was wearing the exact same clothes he was now? Could it have been a memory from, like, right before the Secret Keeper found him? The night before he called Asten?

Bentley grimaced as the throbbing in his head that had faded since the car ride came back full force, like someone was banging a gong inside of his skull. Nico hadn’t stirred even though Bentley had shaken the entire mattress with his flinch.

What he saw in his dream was real, right? What he saw in his dream about Asten had seemed real enough, and Dick said he’d seen Bentley’s memories — so it was safe to assume it was real. That Nico was basically an alien from another universe.

He flopped back down on his pillow, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. Superheroes, metahumans with powers, and now, universes and an alien that he’d managed to befriend.

He pushed it all out of his mind, for now, burying himself in his covers with a huff and willing his body to go back to sleep.

He didn’t realize that Asten never came out of the bathroom.

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld 💚

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @cademygod

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etherealspacejelly · 22 days

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ok so. i am currently working on a fic. its a story that has been rotating in my brain for years about an avengers OC. idk if i want to start posting it as a WIP or wait until it's finished.

what im gonna do is post the prologue here, under the cut. it is entirely worldbuilding because. i came up with a new alien species with Lore™️ that i made as canon compliant as possible because im a fucking nerd. so you kinda need to know all of that before i can tell the actual story.

if you're interested, please give it a read and tell me what you think and whether you would want to read more! if it gets enough attention i'll start posting the chapters i have to ao3. i have a tag list for my fics so lmk if you want to be added to that too.

quick summary of the fic as a whole: The last surviving member of the Light Elf race, Einar, is taken in by the Avengers when they are orphaned at 10 years old. They nurse Einar back to health, and slowly form a bond with them, helping them to process their grief and heal from their trauma. There's a lot of fluff, a lot of angst, a lot of hurt/comfort, and of course found family.

It starts during the events of Thor: The Dark World and follows the storyline of the MCU from there.

Prologue:

In the beginning, there was only darkness. The only world to exist in that darkness was a tiny, desolate rock named Alfheim. This was the home of my ancestors, the Elves, before time, before space, before light.

No one knows how long they lived like that, alone in the dark. All we know is that at some point that darkness ended. The universe began, and light and life exploded into existence. For most of the Elves, this was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. They swore to protect and nurture all life and to serve the light. But others believed that this was a perversion of the natural order, that the universe belonged in darkness and should be returned to that state. They vowed to destroy the light by any means possible.

War broke out between the two opposing sides, an Elvish Civil War that lasted for many billions of years, with both sides only ever coming together to kill each other. And so, they evolved separately into two species: the Dark Elves and the Light Elves. Each side became stronger and stronger with each generation, evolving new abilities and traits to give them an edge in battle.

A few millennia ago, a great battle ensued between these two sides on Svardalfheim. The Dark Elves tried to use their most powerful weapon, the Aether, to destroy the universe. The Light Elves fought with all their might, but the Dark Elves had the upper hand. That is until the Asgardians arrived.

Odin's father, King Bor, and his army tipped the scales and won the battle for the Light Elves. They confiscated the Aether and sealed it away where no one would find it. Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, fled in his ship and bombed the planet behind him hoping to destroy what remained of the Light Elf army, not caring if his own perished as well.

Only two Light Elves survived.

They fled to find a place to hide, to recover their strength for what they knew would be the final battle of the War. They needed a primitive, unknown, safe planet to seek refuge. They found one.

Earth. Dominated by a bipedal, fairly intelligent species descended from tree dwellers. No one would think to look for them there. It was on this planet in the middle of nowhere that these two Elves decided to take a risk, one last desperate attempt to give them an edge against the Dark Elves. They had a baby.

That child, the last Light Elf baby to ever be born, came to be in England, Earth, in the spring of 2003. They named the child Einar, an old Norse name meaning 'the lonely warrior', for that is the future they believed their child was destined for. Little did they know how wrong they would turn out to be.

#fanfic #fanfiction #space jelly writes #marvel fanfiction #marvel #marvel mcu #mcu

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ackerfics · 9 months

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FAMILY LINE — a house of the dragon fanfiction | aegon ii targaryen x oc

act one, chapter four: first, a dead wife; second, a dead mother (wc: 6.1k) | masterlist

i forgot to mention ... this is going to be slow burn as fuck

116 AC

“Your Grace, the strawberry scones and the lemon tarts are here. Where should I place them?”

A well-groomed finger points to the space right beside the tiered display of glistening honey cakes and small blueberry pies. “If you can place them right there, it would be delightful.” The handmaiden arranges the platters of desserts just the way the person in charge likes them. “Thank you. Oh, that’s lovely.”

The soft hands behind the emerald green gown sleeves adjust the plates until the flowers on the ceramics shine through without being overshadowed by the splatters of colours on the table. Teapots are checked if the right tea flavour is procured and once that is done, the lemon candies are also poured into a bowl. The owner of the non-calloused hand sighs in accomplishment, her brown eyes taking in the assembly of what could have been an array of sweets in a luxurious bakery in the more noble circles of King’s Landing.

Alicent doesn’t know why she is fussing so much.

Afternoon tea is usually spent with all of the children the handmaidens can round up. Aether and Aegon would be the contributors of the most noise inside her solar, with the two boys circling the only girl in their little trio like a gaggle of geese; Helaena would be murmuring things to her little friends (Alicent makes sure that the bugs she brings to the tea sessions are happily crawling inside a jar); Aemond would be reading about the basics of swordsmanship or listening to his female cousin narrate the events in the book she was reading; Daeron and Daemian would be having a contest of their own, which ends up in too many crumbs on the carpets; and Aesira would be the prim little lady that she is, reading books that she managed to take from one of the libraries or simply writing in her journal while the chaos reigns in. Each child has their own little world and the placid chambers fit for the Queen become the royal nursery where they all resided years ago. Alicent never worries about presentations with that many children. Spreads of an assortment of sweets are laid out on her table because little hands always pick what they prefer.

Maybe that is why she is pacing with her head rolling on the ground; Alicent will be alone with one of them and for some reason, everything has to be perfect.

Aesira is a ghost set to ignite Alicent’s heart and mind in bouts of internal battles — a shot in the heart for the young Queen, for the little girl bears the most uncanny resemblance to the late Aemma Targaryen. The only known daughter of the Rogue Prince is a reminder that Alicent remains to be the least of priorities for the King. There is no chance for her and her children if this familiar face roams the halls, being the perfect Valyrian beauty that she is at such a young age — white blonde hair flowing in cascading waves, lilac eyes that glisten like the most expensive jewels, and magic in her veins that puts her in the apex of the chain of beings. Alicent wants to loathe her, she really does, as selfish as it sounds and as ugly as it can get. It is not becoming of her as the most powerful woman in the realm to wear her most private insecurities on her sleeve for everyone to see just because she feels so low compared to this child. It doesn’t help that she receives sympathies from the court Ladies, all with faux smiles and the ambitious intention to climb into her social circle, every time Aesira wears her blue gowns — a statement that she will always be her mother’s daughter and nothing else; as high as honour.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, to set up this tea session with only Aesira and not with the entire brood of Tragaryens in the Keep (minus the newest addition to the family courtesy of Rhaenyra). It comes with an intention in mind. Any move she places on the board is laden with purpose, including this one.

Alicent knows about her duties as the Queen; to stand with her husband through the thickest of thickets and to bear children that will further spread the magic of Old Valyria for generations to come. Yet one stands out the most. It comes from her father’s lips. Place Aegon as Heir. And it haunts her still. At some point, she doesn’t want to place a heavy burden on her son — her closest companion for five years when she felt the most alone in the castle, the babe's scent clinging to his skin giving her comfort above all else while she shed tears away from prying eyes. While Helaena never saw her with her dreamy disposition as a babe, Aegon always placed a tiny palm on her cheek to pat away the sadness staining her face. But this duty of putting him as Heir means survival. Such a pity how desperation shapes humans. So starts putting Aegon to the most subtle lessons in hopes of preparing him for his role in the future. Who was once her closest companion becomes the child who flinches when she merely places a finger on his shoulder.

It stabs her — whatever she touches is doomed to hurt, starting with her eldest son.

She hopes that this impending decision on his future would soothe the wounds she inflicted on his skin, a gift disguised as a political move.

The presence of Aesira as the royal family’s ward is one way of securing Aegon’s claim. The Queen grasps an opportunity when she sees one. What better way to utilise Alicent’s ghost than to thread her fate with her son, probably giving the young boy the good graces of her husband in the process? She is pretty sure the seed planted by Aegon’s affection for Aesira is starting to sprout in her husband’s head, only waiting for the right time to announce it to both children and watch it blossom into a flowering plant that will be a rarity — a marriage primarily borne from the purest and most innocent of loves (from one person, still love nonetheless). Both children are at an age where arrangements are made but Alicent doesn’t want to subject them to the binds of a betrothal yet. Having Aesira as Aegon’s potential bride will be a weapon that brings down Lords to their knees, only solidifying their proximity to the throne when they birth trueborn children, something that Rhaenyra only speaks as one of her many lies. With the current Heir’s erratic behaviour, Alicent promises to herself that she will make this union happen and it will start by enticing the young girl to be closer to her.

“Lady Aesira Targaryen, Your Grace.”

Criston’s voice makes her jump. Alicent turns toward the open doors of her solar but not before hastily tucking stray auburn curls away from her face, an unsteady smile pulling on her lips. She unconsciously runs her hands over the skirts of her emerald gown, erasing the invisible creases from view.

“Thank you, Ser Criston,” Alicent’s voice is clear among the bricks holding her chambers. She looks over her shoulder, to the handmaidens who stand still beside the table with hands intertwined in front of their navels. “You are dismissed.” They bow at her and exit with Criston, leaving her with the little girl by the door. Alicent smiles, tilting her head a little to take in Aesira’s appearance. “Aesira.”

“Your Grace,” Aesira enunciates, lowering herself in a curtsy that seems to be a product of her lessons with the Septa. Clad in a soft lilac gown that is one of the many commissioned to her under the Queen’s orders (none of that eye-catching blue that the court Ladies keep whispering about), Aesira is a vision of the perfect little comely Lady bound to have hearts served for her on a gold platter. As always, her hair is styled with matching ribbons from her dress and is free to bounce with every step she makes. Alicent notices that the girl is starting to carry herself with dignity, her eyes only letting the sliver of emotions shine through — nervousness and anticipation as to why the Queen invited her and only her to her solar. Aesira straightens her posture, hands carefully holding one another in front of her as she adds, “Thank you for honouring me with an invitation. I hope I will be a good enough company for your afternoon.”

Alicent waves her hand, a practised thing that she acquired since she became Queen. “None of that,” she jests. “Your presence in my solar is already the best company I can ask for so far into my day. Come,” she beckons the girl to the table, backing to one of the cushioned chairs, “our refreshments and sweets await.”

A wave of gratitude washes over the young girl’s body. There is a little pep in her step when she makes her way to the table of various colours and waits for Alicent to sit before doing so herself on the adjacent chair. Alicent sometimes forgets that she is the same age as her eldest son with how she’s carrying herself.

The childish glow in Aesira’s eyes never dims while she trails them over the outlines of every whipped cream, filling, and dough shapes all prepared for her. It makes the shackles in the Queen’s heart loosen. Alicent doesn’t recall why she was worrying so much about Aesira’s favourites before she entered her chambers. The girl doesn’t dive straight into the honey cakes she likes so much in their usual tea sessions with the other children, rather, she carefully takes a piece of strawberry scone, the pieces of the fruit peeking through the golden bread permeating in the air. Alicent saw the exact piece of pastry in Daemian’s little hands every time. What she didn’t notice was Aesira eyeing it the same as a curious pup yet she chose to indulge in her regular honey cakes instead of taking her little brother’s share of sweets. Because it was always like that — Aether with his lemon-flavoured choices, Daemian with the hues of strawberries, and honey following Aesira like a perfume’s sillage on a summer day. Now, Alicent understands that the girl doesn’t have only one thing going about with her. It’s refreshing to see in a child of nine name days.

Alicent sips on her blend of flower and citrus tea, a specific kind of blossom the Maesters told was shipped from Yi Ti, content with the still moment for once in her hectic schedule. She lets out a chuckle when she hears a satisfied hum from Aesira, the little lady’s eyes closed to savour a second pastry, this time, a small bite of the blueberry tart.

“This is delicious, Your Grace,” Aesira hums after gulping down another bite of her blueberry tart.

Alicent smiles. “The handmaidens told me they were freshly picked and made into a new batch of sweets. Do you find it to your liking?” Her smile widens at Aesira’s animated nodding. Alicent spends a couple of moments just watching the girl stuff her face as elegantly as she can while being able to relish in the fusion of flavours brought by the treats. The initial intention of bringing Aesira here was to place the idea that she will most likely marry Aegon in the near future, it simply doesn’t exist at this juncture of the afternoon. Aesira finishes her second tart, eyes lingering on her next piece of sweet but never realising that there are residues clinging on the corners of her lips — blue from the tarts and a reminder that she is every bit of the child that she is. Alicent unconsciously picks up the napkin folded into a swan (hoping that it will add to Aesira’s fascination) and leans forward in her seat. She carefully wipes the girl’s mouth, mindful to never hurt her with her cursed fingers. “You really like it that much, little one?”

Wide lilac eyes take her in, reflecting the image of her jutting her lip in a smile while wiping invisible crumbs from Aesira’s cherubic cheeks. It is at that moment that Alicent realises she never touched her children this tenderly for so long. Her beautiful daughter—her beloved little girl—started to flinch every time a single sensation crawled on her skin. Alicent doesn’t even get to embrace Helaena after her dreams because it would make her scream more and the woman can do nothing but watch while her daughter continues pulling hair out from her scalp. It’s reminiscent of when Aether was found terrified and out of his wits that when she moved to take him away from the Kingsguard, the poor boy looked near mortified with how overwhelming everything was. Alicent forgets what it feels like to hold her children, to become the mother they deserve. As the Queen, she is expected to be standoffish but that doesn’t mean she longs to be within the circles of laughter lighting the Keep’s royal wing. With each pattern her thumb creates on Aesira’s cheek, she gains that familiar warmth again. It’s the same warmth she had when she first held Aegon, when Helaena clung to her as a babe, when Aemond smiles every time she appears, or when Daeron giggles at everything he finds funny.

She’s touching Aesira and Aesira is not hurting.

A slow nod answers her question and all thoughts vanish from her head.

Alicent tucks a lock of striking blonde hair from Aesira’s face. Time is suspended as they stare at each other, every drop of care radiating from one’s fingertips, travelling from where they touch down to the apex of a beating heart. The little one’s eyelashes shake with a flutter, the surface of her eyes becoming even more glassy by the second. Alicent purses her slips when she sees a betraying tear appear from one of Aesira’s bottom eyelids, the girl still seeing a glimpse of someone through her. She’s been on the other end of those looks since she married her husband. First, it was a dead wife and now, it’s a dead mother. Yet she keeps tidying Aesira’s hair. For once, it doesn’t squeeze her chest the way it should. She doesn’t feel like ripping her heart from the inside out nor has the urge to shout obscenities to the eye of the beholder. Instead of turning away, Alicent cups both of Aesira’s cheeks, slightly squeezing them in a manner that she herself experienced from her father before he went away to Oldtown.

Without saying a word, Alicent pulls the little girl into an embrace and the moment she does, Aesira starts sobbing.

Upon hearing the gasps for air the little one makes, Alicent looks up at the ceiling with her vision clouding with unshed tears. Her larger hand rubs soothing circles on the girl’s shaking back. When she feels a tear or two slipping from her eye, Alicent closes her eyes and presses a grounding kiss on the crown of Aesira’s head, swaying the two of them in a lullaby she starts humming unconsciously.

“I’ve got you, little one,” Alicent whispers on her forehead. “You have me now.”

The cries increase in volume and she tightens her hold around the small body slumping over her. Alicent hears the door open behind her, probably someone who heard the muffled sobs coming from inside her solar and thought it would be best to check for any altercations. True enough, when she slightly turns her head, she sees Criston frantically looking around for any threats, his hand firmly gripping his sword. The two of them make eye contact and instantly, a wave of understanding and sympathy paints Criston’s face. Alicent tries flashing a convincing smile. The Kingsguard glances at Aesira with downturned eyebrows and a rueful smile before bowing his head and disappearing through the door as if he didn’t grace the chambers with his presence.

The music of the fauna residing in the gardens goes on as Aesira tires herself out from crying.

Alicent doesn’t make a move to remove the girl from her side. She gives the little one the only thing she didn’t receive when her own mother died from a sickness that inevitably took her life way too early. Not one person thought that the little girl hugging her brothers while they let out cries of their own would ever need any semblance of comfort all these years. Alicent herself carries this guilt. She may be late but it is better than turning a blind eye and letting the girl cry within the confines of her chambers.

She isn’t a Queen who found the perfect match for her son. For now, she is a mother caring for her child. How wrong she was for thinking that this girl is nothing but a pawn in her Game of Thrones.

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” She asks with a gentle voice.

Aesira peeks from the bodice of her dress, eyes rimmed with red and cheeks too puffy to hide that she just bared her soul in front of the Queen of the realm. “Yes please,” she answers meekly, almost as tiny as the day they first met in the royal nursery.

Never losing the smile, Alicent pours Aesira a cup of the butterfly pea tea she was indulging in not too long ago. “Keep a close eye, alright? Don’t look away from the cup.” Aesira answers with another slow nod. It is all it takes for Alicent to take the secret ingredient from a small container at the side of the table and pour it into the cup. The deep blue colour of the drink gradually becomes a purple shade that is mostly associated with Targaryens. Oh, how Alicent never regrets glancing at Aesira. The girl has come out of her shell to peer at the cup in awe, the stars lighting up her eyes once again. She brushes a hand over the waves of her hair. “Isn’t it lovely? It’s a trick I’ve learned from the Maesters when they introduced this specific plant to make soothing teas with. Why don’t you give it a try, little one?”

Aesira exchanges a smile with her before sipping from the cup in the proper way that a Lady should. Once again, Alicent marvels at how Aesira fully executed what has been taught in her etiquette lessons. Surely the Septa in charge of teaching her girls is basking in pride for producing one of the most comely little ladies in court.

The teacup clinks against the saucer and Aesira faces her with wonder on her face. “What did you add to turn it into purple, Your Grace?”

The title doesn’t sit well with Alicent. Tiny baby steps first and they will get there eventually, nothing of the Your Grace greetings; she wants to hear titles befitting that of family ties attached to her name. Whatever the case, she will start showering unconditional affection to this child. Alicent winks a little, whispering, “A learned person never reveals their secret.” The answer doesn’t satisfy Aesira for she pouts while staring at the ripples on the surface of her tea, the small dried flowers floating and bumping on each other inside the rim. “You must simply visit my solar every other afternoon now to witness the sorcery flowing from my hands. Don’t tell the others about our meetings though. It remains our little solace from the rambunctiousness they always bring.”

Aesira giggles, agreeing with her. “They are quite loud, especially the boys. You have my promise, Your Grace. Though, Hel shouldn’t be left out.”

How adorable. “Then, we shall invite her as well. A tea party is better enjoyed with the people you wish to share priceless memories with after all.”

Now, Alicent comprehends why Aegon is so taken with her. The way she laughs is laced with the purest delicacy that fully captures your attention. One can tell that benevolence and humility oozes from every fibre of her being. It is the kind of beauty that lasts for lifetimes — timeless. While some Ladies fabricate stories to put the child against her, more sensible Ladies step forward to say nothing but amazing things about the little Lady. She is absolutely wonderful; she complimented even the tiniest details of my new gown, even I, myself, didn't know I have embroideries showing a rare species of butterflies. Oh, a divine little thing; no shed of her horrible father in her for the Sevens’ sakes, she is her mother through and through. The second coming of Rhaenys Targaryen, Aegon the Conqueror’s wife, herself. Maybe Alicent should have listened to the better part of the court instead of feeding into the words dipped in flowery lies.

The smiles die down and Aesira utters, “I understand the reason you invited my company this afternoon, Your Grace.” Gone is the easygoing air surrounding the table, replaced by a weighty gust of wind that worries Alicent. Aesira gives her a rueful smile that has her heart clenching. “The Lords and Ladies have been talking, Your Grace. They speak of theories that concern me and Aegon.” The girl doesn’t waver from Alicent’s widening eyes and parted lips. “I’ve always known that my placement in the Keep has meaning. Father told me so. He was already planning on betrothals when I was but a child of two name days, as far as I can remember. Mother was furious,” she gazes at a memory only she can see, “and it was the first time I ever saw it on her face. But the fact never changes that I should face it when the time comes. The court acknowledges me as Aegon’s match, he even does it himself whenever he finds the most opportune moments to say so, and with the timing of your invitation, I placed the pieces of the puzzle together.

“I only ask of this for my peace of mind, Your Grace; am I his betrothed?”

Alicent cradles Aesira’s cheeks in the ridges of her palms. She shakes her head without saying anything at first but with the distress soiling the little one’s features, she quickly brushes her hair away from her forehead. “Fret not for the matters circulating court, especially ones that are clearly passed from mouths whose main aim is to fuel a fire. They don’t know anything, little one, and they never will. The moment the King says any word of your impending marriage, you will be the first to hear about it from me. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Besides, if you ask me, it’s too early for you to wear any extravagant gown made from white fabrics. Enjoy all the colours before putting on a wedding dress, alright?” Aesira shares a little laugh with her. Sombre blue rains down Alicent. “I would never wish to burden you with something so shackling like a betrothal.” Guilt gnaws the lining of her stomach. It’s a good thing she never ate anything and only watched Aesira enjoy the spread that is baked solely for her. She takes back everything she planned. Her father might have scolded her for her decision but he isn’t here to throw verbal daggers at her. “You are still nine; thinking of betrothals can wait.”

Aesira’s shoulders drop the tension. A radiant smile beams from her face; the sun is put to shame. “Oh, thank you, Your Grace! Now, Aether can rest his pacing.”

“He doesn’t like the spreading rumours of your match with Aegon, I gather then.”

“He keeps threatening to make Aegon pay during their lessons with Ser Criston,” Aesira whispers with a secretive twinkle of mischief in her eyes, seeing the improvement in her brother’s handling of the sword. Aether has the same as well and it makes Alicent laugh. “It’s quite sad to watch from the viewing balcony, to be honest.”

Poor Aegon, the embarrassment he must feel. “Ah, so that’s where Aegon gets his scratches from.”

Nonetheless, Alicent never saw any sign of resignation coming from her eldest son. It is subtle — the influence of the twins in his life. When he started learning the ways of the sword years ago with Aether, he never showed a shred of determination unlike his companion, who hardened through the years and only became ruthless with the sparring partners he had. It is only when Aesira graces the balconies does he fully commit to swinging the practice sword he’s given as if it would make Aesira come down from many flights of stairs to watch the bout in the courtyard. During the times the subject of Aesira’s prospective betrothal is brought up, with Aegon usually within hearing range, Alicent notices the little changes in his behaviour. He starts taking things seriously according to the Maesters and Ser Criston as if he is trying to prove something to everyone and himself. At dinners these days, he’s often seen glaring at Aether rather than settling little desserts on Aesira’s plate while the other boy sneers at the sight of him making unnecessary snarky looks. How fascinating it is to see the hold a girl has over her son.

The little one places a hand over her mouth in realisation. “Please don’t admonish Aether, Your Grace.”

Alicent affectionately pinches her cheek until she whines. “I would never. Boys are bound to gain small scars from their training now and then. It is a given when they learn how to be better fighters. Aegon should know that picking up the sword means having permanent marks etched on his skin.”

Aesira nods, looking down at her whimsical tea while smiling. “Aemond is doing well, I notice. He told me all of the things he learned from his first lesson.”

“Really? Do tell me more, little one.”

As the stories revolving around her younger children (ones she never even heard of) encircled Alicent and Aesira, the high afternoon sun dipped down the crests of the mountain ranges in the distance, sunburst igniting the heavens to flare a magnificent view — and it washed everything golden.

Hearts are opened that day and there is no sign of them closing.

Days have passed and Alicent is walking through the hallways of the Keep with a destination in mind, her skirts swishing along with the resolution coating her actions. Lord and Ladies turn their heads as she passes by, never forgetting to pay their respects by greeting and bowing even though she only wishes to see one thing in front of her as she navigates the intricate architecture of the castle — those double doors barring the inhabitants away from the harsh whispers of the halls. The clanging from behind indicates that Criston is doing his best in keeping with her pace yet she pays him no mind, slippered feet padding on the stairs leading to the castle wing dedicated to her newest children. She finally reached the level where her destination resides and immediately, the guard placed by the doors bows at her presence, his face pursing in concern. Criston doesn’t have time to announce her arrival as she opens the doors.

Three pairs of varying shades of purple from the chaise lounge look up. Just like she predicted, the three children are all gathered inside Aesira’s solar after hearing about the message Viserys received from Daemon across The Narrow Seas. Without saying a word, Alicent gathers them in her arms and offers them the unconditional warmth of someone holding their comfort dear to heart. She kneels in front of the children as their arms clutch her torso and neck. Alicent’s heart breaks when one of them starts crying, the sound alerting Criston to shut the doors and give the four the privacy they all need.

“Does Father not love us anymore?” Daemian wails on Alicent’s chest, still a toddler in his four name days to fully understand that their father left them for good.

“He is nothing but a fool,” Alicent says to the three of them. “Some men simply don't deserve to become a parent for the abomination that they are.”

The older siblings don’t speak a word but it is clear on their faces how they feel about the situation. Aether wears rage like a second skin, eyebrows furrowed and mouth set in a deep scowl. His chin is lowered a little, giving the illusion of shadows brushing against the top of his eye and his fists are clenching on the sides of his pants, creasing the fabric between his fingers. While Aether is a master of having his heart on his sleeve, Aesira’s silence sends Alicent a spine-chilling sensation from the crown of her head down to the tips of her limbs. The little one is glaring at nothing and something at the same time; one would think her mind is vacant with how still she is. Her brothers are shaking from anger and misery yet she remains unmoving at their side, her head not even touching the shoulder of the woman rubbing their backs. Alicent hopes that in her lifetime, she will never be placed on the other end of Aesira’s stare.

“I despise him,” Aether spits the word with so much emotion that a single tear runs down his cheek. “If I see him again, I might actually kill him.”

Alicent pulls the boy closer to her. “Do not speak of such terms,” she murmurs on his hair. “We do not dabble in kinslaying. We are above that.”

Aether makes a sharp gasp, a result of holding back his incoming sob. “I am just so angry, Your Grace. How could he do this and not feel any shred of remorse?”

It’s Aesira who says the words. “Because he thinks of no one but himself.” Her eyelids are rapidly blinking to prevent the tears from flowing. There is a tremble in her bottom lip, but no sign of a frown pulling down her mouth. Alicent instantly gets an image of Helaena’s dolls.

“But Father is—”

“He is not our father, Daemian!” She glares at the whimpering boy. Alicent doesn’t even have the room to interject when Aesira adds with as much distaste in her voice as she can muster, “And he will never be. He chose to leave us in a place we do not know. He nearly took Aether from us and left him somewhere in the Keep for three days until he was found terrified to the bone.” She gulps down, breath hitching, and shoulders taut with tension. “He doesn’t care about us. If he did, he would have landed his blasted dragon in the Dragonpit and raised us himself instead of siring children with his new wife. He doesn’t love us, not even when Mother is swollen with carrying us. How can he when we’re not born from love—”

“Sira!” Aether shouts, hugging a distraught Daemian closer to him. “You’re scaring Damy!”

At that moment, Alicent sees Aesira cry for the third time.

“Oh, little one,” Alicent says the words like a caress. She hears broken sentences on her shoulder, all with a combination of sorry and I didn’t mean it. “I know, I know,” she answers every single phrase she can pick up. Alicent manages to catch Aether’s teary eyes, beckoning the young boy to bring himself and his brother back to her embrace. They go back to huddling close to Alicent as if they are meant to be there and not anywhere else. “That man is an imbecile for leaving behind three beautiful children. I may not know if he truly felt that deeply for the family he created with your mother but I know you three can make one of your own here. We might not be of blood but I can care for you like I am made by the Seven to do so. Now, little one,” she strokes Aesira’s hair from her face, “apologise to your younger brother.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Damy,” Aesira’s voice wobbles. “Your big sister is just angry at him.”

Daemian lets go of Alicent and buries himself into Aesira. “Don’t do that again,” he pouts.

She kisses his temple. “I won’t.” Aesira picks him up, letting out a small huff at the added weight, remarking, “You’re getting bigger, Damy. Please don’t get any bigger on me now. I won’t be able to carry you like this if you keep on getting taller than me.” All she gets in reply is a lovely giggle. She wordlessly asks Alicent for permission and the woman nods her head. “Damy, what have you been eating?” She grumbles away to the table where the jar of blueberry and lemon sweets Alicent gave lay resting, her brother clinging onto her like one of those creatures Aether drew during one boring tutoring lesson with Aegon’s name attached to it.

“What will happen, Your Grace?” Aether asks Alicent, who turns back to him. “Will the King send out dragon eggs just like Daemon asked for?”

“The King will make a decision that he thinks is right,” the woman is now fully sitting on the carpeted floor to accommodate the boy of name days in a more comfortable position against her, “ and whatever will happen, we have no part in it. Nothing will change if my husband decides to send out dragon eggs to Essos just because The Rogue Prince demands them. Life will not stop its course — you will keep on growing and you will have futures to play into. My husband’s younger brother is not the end of your world, Aether.” She gazes at the pair of children picking up variations of sweets from the jar, recognizing the piece of expensive ceramic as part of her personal collection. Alicent sent her little one stocks of the candies her brothers and she loves chewing on on a regular basis, the contents of the jar coming from one conversation they shared about what her brothers preferred. Aesira is fussing over her baby brother while the boy continues smearing the cream of the blueberry sweets on his mouth. “Daemian stops his crying easily now.”

Aether follows her eyes to where his siblings are. He snorts at the moustache above Daemian’s lip. “It’s mostly because of Aesira,” slowly, he adds with a growing smile, “which is funny because she made him cry in the first place.” He catches Alicent’s frown and mutters, “Sorry.”

What is with oldest brothers and jesting about younger siblings? Gwayne did it to her growing up. Aegon does it with Helaena and Aemond each time they breathe the same air as him (never Daeron because the boy follows him around like a little duckling). Aether constantly teases the Seven Hells out of his little sister and brother. She supposes it is simply in their nature to be their kin’s greatest bully. Though that doesn’t mean Aegon gets away with pushing his brother into a bush to catch Aesira’s attention or comment on Helaena’s weird insects out of the blue. (Aemond cried to Alicent that Aegon pushed him simply because he was mean about everything but when Aether smacked Aegon at the back of his head for snatching Aesira away after pushing the younger boy, Alicent instantly understood.)

“But really, I’m glad Sira is here. I don’t need other siblings when I already have her and Daemian. They are enough for me as is. Besides, the kids Lady Laena gave birth to are nothing to me; they just happen to share the same father as me, Aesira, and Daemian.” Then, he stops leaning on Alicent. “Is that one of my lemon candies?” He scrambles to stand up from his comfortable position, scurrying to where Daemian is on the verge of gobbling one of his prized lemon candies, the sugar coating glinting against the sun’s rays. “You already have your blueberry candies, Damy! Don’t eat it! Sira,” he whines, pouting away as fixes his sister with a purposeful rendition of a puppy asking for treats, “he’s eating my sweets!”

Alicent picks herself up from the floor and stares at the children for a few moments, what Aether said ringing in her mind. Does Rhaenyra share the same feeling? Does her anger spread to Alicent’s own blood that she doesn’t have the heart to acknowledge that they are her siblings despite not sharing a mother? Again, her father’s words add to the headache. Rhaenyra will not stop until there are no threats to her throne. Alicent will have to cleave for her mercy to not have a single strand of hair on her family be harmed. She doesn’t realise she has been pulling apart pieces of thin skin from her fingers, the sharp sting of newly-healed wounds opening again.

She will indulge in this domestic bliss for now; but when the moment comes for her to wear the crown fitted on her head, her first move will be putting forth the greatest union known among the realms — a marriage.

this is already on my ao3 so if you want more chapters, click on this link

if you want to be added to the taglist, send an ask or reply <;33

taglist: @winxschester @darylandbethfanforever9 @averyyreads

#— rory's passages 🌼#— family line | hotd ☀️#aegon ii x oc #aegon x oc #hotd x oc #hotd x reader #aegon targaryen x oc #aegon ii x reader #aegon ii targaryen x oc #aegon ii targaryen x reader #aegon ii targaryen x you #aegon ii targaryen imagine #aegon targaryen

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themidnightghoul · 3 months

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A Step Towards the Stars

The wonderful @jesusbutbetterrr (along with a few other lovely humans!) has created Ghoulette Appreciation Weeks 2024 to show some love to the amazing Ghoulettes. I’m using this opportunity to work on my Ghoul OC, Midnight! They will be interacting with both the Ghouls and Ghoulettes during these stories and I can’t wait to expand on Midnight’s story some more and share her with you 🖤

Week 1: The Start of Something New/Girls Night In

Rating: Just a bit angsty and sweet Word Count: 953

Read on AO3 (coming soon!) or below!

It was nighttime again, the only time when Midnight felt truly at peace. Her favorite thing to do was to sit in her room in the rocking chair that Mountain had given her and stare out the window at the stars. It wasn’t the same, would never be the same again she figured, as being up there, but it was as close as she could get. There was an ache in her soul that she felt whenever she would look up at the stars, a pull between her and the vastness of space, but she never missed a night of doing this. She pulled her blanket, a beautiful light purple with white stars that Cumulus had knit for her, around her tighter as she softly named the constellations that she could see in the sky.

“Hey there, Stardust,” a voice sounded from the doorway to her bedroom and she didn’t even bother to turn around. It was still taking time for her to adjust to this new life, this new vessel she was now bound to, and it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped it would be. Her new friends, her new pack, had been trying their best to keep their distance but also help her adjust as best they could. The only ones she really gravitated towards were Phantom and Aether as the other Quintessence Ghouls could understand how she was feeling, but she desperately wanted to bond with the others.

When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she finally turned. It was Aurora, the tiny Ghoulette with the beautiful voice. “You doing okay there?” Her smile was infectious and Midnight couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her face as she looked up at her. Aurora was one of the ones she hadn’t interacted with as much but wanted to. Something about her always made Midnight feel comforted, even if they hadn’t spoken much outside of practice.

“Y-yeah, I think so. Sorry, have you been here long?” She tried to keep her eyes on Aurora but the pull she felt towards the sky was too strong, almost painful when she wasn’t looking at it.

“Not long at all. I just wanted to see if you wanted to come hang out with me and the other Ghoulettes? Maybe a nice girls night with all of us?” Her hand rested gently on the back of the rocking chair, not touching Midnight but close enough to offer comfort.

She shifted under her blanket, still looking out at the stars and feeling the ache in her chest growing at the thought of not being able to see them if she went with Aurora. But at the same time, she wanted to bond with them, get to know them. “I…I don’t…”

Aurora crouched down in front of Midnight and took her hands. “I know what you’re going through, Stardust.”

Midnight was able to pull her eyes away from the sky and looked at Aurora, her head tilting in confusion. “What do you mean?”

The tiny Ghoulette chuckled and softly kissed her knuckles, keeping a hold on her hands. “Phantom was the same way when we were first Summoned. They didn’t leave our room until we had to leave for tour and even then, they spent all night staring out of any window they could find. I remember they were so sad all the time, always reaching out to the stars. They don’t know this but I heard them praying once, begging the Lord Below to send them back.”

Midnight’s chest tightened, her lungs constricting and a sob threatening to break through her lips. She couldn’t imagine Phantom, who had been so kind and gentle with her, begging to be sent back. “But…but they seem so…”

“Yeah, now.” It was like Aurora knew what she was going to say. “Just remember you’re not alone, okay? But don’t isolate yourself. It won’t help like you think it will.” She let go of one of Midnight’s hands and brushed her clawed fingertips along her cheek, her thumb rubbing against her white freckles. “We’re here, Stardust. Let us love you through this.”

A traitorous tear escaped Midnight’s eye and Aurora tilted her head, brushing it away. “It just…hurts, Rora. I miss them,” she nodded towards the stars and felt another tear fall down her cheek.

“I know it does. It’s scary being away from the only thing you’ve ever known. But we’ve all been there, we all know how scary starting over can be. And we’ll all be here to help you adjust to this new adventure you’re on.” The tiny Ghoulette stood, holding on to one of Midnight’s hands still, and smiled down at her. “But we can’t make you take that first step, Stardust. That’s one thing you have to do yourself.”

Midnight felt the pull towards her stars again, the ache in her chest telling her to stay in her chair with her blanket and stare up at the sky until she fell asleep. But her heart was telling her to take the first step, that she couldn’t spend the rest of her time on Earth wishing she was anywhere but here. She gently removed her blanket and stood, keeping her hand in Aurora’s. When she saw her tail flick happily behind her and the most beautiful smile stretch across her face, she knew she made the right decision.

“You’re gonna have the best time!” Aurora turned and started to lead Midnight out of her room, talking about what exactly a girls night entailed with the Ghoulettes. As they reached the door, Midnight looked back at her window one more time and smiled, excited for the start of this new adventure with her pack mates.

#midnight writes #ghoulette appreciation weeks #support your local ghoulettes #aurora ghoulette #midnight ghoul #kinda angsty #midnight is sad #but she’s trying #phantom ghoul #the band ghost fic #ghost fanfic #the band ghost

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xalygatorx · 4 months

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Worthy (2015) | Chapter 30, "Death & Her Suitor"

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Cora risks her life to get the Soul Stone away from Thanos. Loki uses his illusions to buy Cora some time. Cora’s ancestors come through on their promise of a weapon. There is an outcome to Thanos's attempt at apocalypse.

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: Superhero movie levels of action

Word Count: 2.7k

"CORA, NO!"

The slim young woman glanced over at the last moment, dodging the angry Aether beams just in time before they smashed into the floor where she'd been positioned but an instant before. In her attempt to get away, she overshot the split remnants of Mjolnir, but she whirled just before Thanos reached them, extending her right hand in a final, desperate attempt to salvage an advantage.

Despite the pull of its brothers from the Infinity Gauntlet, the Soul Gem and both halves of the mighty storm-calling hammer shuddered and gave a sudden heave through the air toward Cora, slamming against her arms, which reflexively wound around the metal pieces. She grappled with them a moment as she continued to run, a cry escaping her as she heard the floor explode from a blast of power just behind her, the heat of the attack flashing at her heels as she sprinted toward an open ventilation duct near the gaping hole in the far wall.

She dodged one more attack before tightening her hold on the hammer pieces and letting her legs give out from under her, her momentum skidding her forward as she slid into the vent, hearing Thanos's roar of frustration echo through the metal tube with her as she began a wild ride away from the labs.

Thanos growled and leaned away from the tube, the bejeweled Gauntlet beginning to blaze with his anger as the Tesseract's blue glow began to radiate and the air around Thanos began to warp. When the metal duct began to cave in on itself, the first to react immediately was Loki. And violently. With a feral growl, he seized one of Volstagg's blades from the scabbard on his back and hurled it at the monstrous being in the metal chair. The blade sunk into Thanos's arm, but it measured the same as a needle in his thick, power-engorged appendage. He turned blazing eyes upon the Jotun prince, who glared defiantly back, the others finally rising to the occasion where they could.

"How dare you, the rejected spawn of a fallen Frost Giant king, seek to challenge my might… Beneath even my thumb, you proved a failure. You are even lower now," Thanos said darkly, eyes narrowing as the Gauntlet began to recharge with energy. "I will end you all!"

"All, are you?" Loki growled, clenching his jaw as his form shifted into multiples, spiraling around Thanos as he began a dance of deceit with room only for him to succeed. At the very least, he could give Cora time. Thanos grinned jeeringly as he looked over the illusions, easily seeing through Loki's illusions with the aid of the Tesseract's hold on reality.

"You seek to confuse me, weakling… You play a child's game," he said carelessly as he let a blast of blue dispel Loki's illusions, leaving only him behind. Loki grimaced, but noticed that Thanos's gaze kept darting toward the open vent, where Cora had disappeared just a moment before. He was distracted, but powerful… The God of Mischief could work with that.

With a jerk of his head, he motioned for Jane to move her makeshift bombs forward, watching as Steve moved to help her. In the meantime, Sif was regaining consciousness and Tony had finally regained his composure, though he'd seemed to be in the midst of some kind of anxiety attack, alternating between breathing heavily to the point of coughing and forcing himself to focus.

Loki created his illusions again, but forced them to move at top speed, swerving this way and that. By the time Thanos gathered the power to dispel them again, Loki had lunged, sending his dagger hurtling at Thanos's face, where it sunk into and cracked one of his cheekbones. Thanos bristled with the sound of an angry snake, but it wasn't over. Jane had managed to sneak nearer and with Steve close behind, they hurled the barrel at Thanos's back, where it broke and exploded over his shoulder blades and spine, the toxic chemical mixture seeping into his skin and burning down to the bone.

With a yell that became a screech, Thanos recoiled, twitching with agony as he summoned the power of the Tesseract one more time and sent blue energy streaming from the Gauntlet. Though Loki tensed to dodge and looked to make sure Steve and Jane had time to do the same, he was surprised to note that the power missed the pair by at least six feet. He recalled the location of the vent just as the energy shot into the metal, beginning to warp the tunnel within seconds of impact. No!

Cora clung to the fragments in her arms as she slid down the ventilation shaft, having to lie down to not hit her head. Her eyes narrowed when she heard the sound of bending, groaning metal behind her and when she tilted her head back to look, she saw the vent caving in, section by section. I need to get out of here, she thought desperately, hurriedly scanning the vent for a grate. When she saw one, she hurled the empty half of Mjolnir at the opening, smashing it and falling through just as the power warping the vent caught up. It continued along as she hit the floor of a lab smaller than the others, darkened until she triggered the automatic lights.

She scrambled to her feet and scooped up the hammer pieces, her thoughts racing as she ran from the lab. I have to get out of the building. There's too much that can warp and fall on me in here and I seriously doubt there's any way that Thanos doesn't know where I am… If he can't sense me, he can sense the Gem. Cora looked down at the Soul Gem, which was brightening and dimming like a pulse inside the metal head.

She hurried through the halls, wincing as booming crashes came from behind her in the labs she'd left behind. I'm so sorry, guys. But I have to prioritize… If I'd stayed there with the stone and played "keep away," I'd either be dead by now or struggling to hold onto this thing.

Cora scanned the directory signs as she ran, looking for the exit beacons until they slowly began to appear above door frames heading toward the west end. Thinking better of getting into an elevator, she sprinted up two stairwells, her pace increasing as she felt the floor begin to vibrate under her feet. Before she could process the strange groaning sound coming from the lower levels of the building, the thick steel floors and walls began ripping like tissue paper all around her, sparks flying when pieces clashed at every angle.

Reflexively ducking, Cora hurried down the last hall, dodging through the obstacle course of mutating wayward steel sheets, finally half-diving through the exit into the stormy world beyond. She was nearly knocked off her feet by the wind as it whipped past and then stilled suddenly, the movements in the atmosphere unnatural and alarming. "Dammit, go back together," she murmured as she pressed the two halves against one another to no avail. The Soul Gem just continued to beat like a living heart.

New York City was absolutely still apart from the moments in which the wind blew, sometimes catching trash and the bins that housed it, while other times it kicked up so violently in just the perfect spot against the bumpers of the stalemated traffic, cars were made airborne and hurled through the street into buildings and others of their kind. Cora skidded as she tried to brace herself against the wind, whirling just as the building behind her contorted and began to peel apart.

"God, this is like a terrible dream…," she murmured softly, wincing as Bruce burst from the roof in full Hulk-form, one arm occupied by their allies and the other with the barrels Jane and Dr. Selvig had been working on before Thanos had arrived in the labs. Before she had time to watch and make sure everyone else made it out okay, the side of the building nearest her exploded outward in a blast of white light, the sheen of Thanos's mechanical chair following through the debris. She ducked against the power of the blast, but it threw her back as all hell broke loose around her, even her form wavering in the midst of the chaos.

What was left of the cratered, cracked concrete rocked when the Hulk leapt down to the ground nearby and Cora heard only another hard thud before two enormous green fists pounded down on the ground on either side of her head, making her reflexively cringe until she realized another wave of the Gauntlet's energy had been heading her way. Bruce's roar of pain hit her heart and her eardrums with extreme force and she hurriedly scurried out from under him once the coast was clear, only to be attacked again from the front. Or so she thought at first.

Cora screamed when a large pillar of light ignited before her, a metallic clang meeting her ears before the light disappeared once more. When she turned to see what had become of the light that had looked suspiciously like energy from the BiFrost, she found a huge, steel-grey sword in her midst, looking to be the same material as Mjolnir, but worked into a polished, smooth blade.

"A claymore?" she murmured, her brows creasing slightly at the center before she lifted her gaze to the sky. Glancing back toward the blade, she found the surface littered with runes. "Whosoever wields this blade, should she be… This is the same as…," Cora read, glancing at the broken hammer in realization. The creed was longer this time, however, and the branding mark of her grandfather's work blazed beneath the hilt.

Cora looked to an oval-shaped indent at the base of the blade before understanding dawned and she glanced toward Bruce, who had remained nearby for her protection, she assumed. She swallowed hard as he nodded toward the hammer pieces in her hands and she murmured a soft "thank you" to Brokkr and Sindri for fashioning the weapon and sending it her way. It was just in time.

"Might not be enough to stop this, but we're going to try," she muttered as she reached for the Soul Gem, prying it from Mjolnir. She heard a grunt of agreement from Bruce before the Gem was plucked out of the metal. She pursed her lips and pressed the green stone to the indent on the sword; it bonded immediately with the new weapon, the pulsating green veins of power slithering down through the silver body of the blade. She pulled the sword from the pavement and looked down at the broken hammer in her arms, lying the halves against each other on the ground before aiming the sword at them, the blade glowing as it charged with energy. "Um… Heal it?"

Power seeped from the sword and ignited the fissure in the hammer, little fibers of light dancing between the halves until there was no space left to work within, just a scar on the surface. Once the halves were once again whole, the weapon quaked and soared from the concrete, hopefully seeking its true master somewhere nearby. Cora could only hope he was strong enough to wield it.

Lifting the sword and letting it settle into her hands the way she'd been taught back in Asgard, Cora stood beside Bruce, facing down against Thanos as he slowly advanced. "Pitiful Midgardian scum… Fall before me and surrender the Soul Gem."

"Fuck you, buddy, go back to space!" Cora snapped, finally burnt out on fear and running on the fuel of pure frustration. Bruce snorted beside her and she noticed the burns and welts littering his back from the Aether's blasts for the first time. They looked horrible and if they were able to do that much damage to Bruce's Hulk form, they more than likely were.

Thanos snarled as he came speeding forward. Bruce grimaced and crushed a vial he had in his hand, the fluid leaking from the glass into the barrel he'd dropped nearby when he had landed. The barrel began to shake and he hurled it at Thanos, who attempted to dodge. However, the barrel caught the underside of his chair and exploded upon collision with the main turbine, sending him flying with a pillar of smoke in pursuit.

Cora and Bruce hit the ground to dodge the wayward machine and though Thanos attempted to level the controls, the chair was spitting smoke, preparing to burn out at any moment. Just before the chair lost complete elevation, he released his grip on it, landing in the street as the chair careened into a taxi, nearly splitting it down the middle. The moment Thanos hit his own two massive feet, Bruce was running at him with a mighty roar, catching his Gauntlet-adorned hand before it could be raised.

"Cora!"

Cora turned at the sound of her name and it took her a moment before she moved her eyes up to a nearby rooftop, seeing Thor at its edge with Mjolnir aimed toward her. "What are you doing?"

"Raise your blade!" he shouted and when she did so, he released a bolt of lightning from the hammer. When it connected with the sword, it took everything in Cora not to flinch, but she soon realized that the hum she felt from the metal was Mjolnir charging her sword with energy. He was enabling the steel to utilize the same power as his ancient weapon. When he finally broke the connection, the blade was whirring with energy and Cora whirled, finding herself nearly face-to-face with Thanos, Bruce only just holding him off.

The wind whipping around them came to a startling standstill as Cora raised her weapon and cut the air, thunder cracking from the swing as lightning surged forward and plunged through Thanos just after Bruce thrust him forward with his last rush of strength. Thanos screeched with rage from the attack, attempting to walk against the blast, but going to his knees instead, despite his power-engorged form. When he raised the Gauntlet and attempted to call the power of the five gems within, the Soul Gem in Cora's claymore activated and began flooding the blade with a radiant green glow. To her shock, the other gems responded to its signal and deactivated before detaching completely from his hand, leaving Thanos stunned as well and, as a result, enraged.

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over Thanos's head, seeing Tony and Thor both land nearby, her eyes catching on where Clint took aim on a nearby rooftop, Natasha flanking him with a rocket launcher while Steve and Loki slowly emerged from their surroundings, beneath an illusion Loki had no doubt conjured. Cora's eyes fell to Thanos again, weakened even more so with the Gauntlet now disabled. "Surrender."

Thanos's lip curled with hatred as his eyes scanned her and then moved over the Avengers gathered nearby, his hands clenched into fists as he glanced around like a highly intelligent, trapped and severely wounded animal. "Vermin… You will rue this day…"

With that, he slipped a device into the palm of his remaining hand and pressed a button. Cora barely had time to get a glance at the gadget before a white, luminous blast erupted from the mechanism, throwing her back along with the others. She screamed, but it fell silent amidst the boom of noise, and she hit the ground hard, rolling once before she was able to stab her sword into the pavement to avoid blindly tumbling into one of the deep trenches in the street.

Cora grimaced as she tried to open her eyes, though they were still dazed from the light, her ears ringing with white noise as, disoriented and pained, she picked herself slowly off the ground. Pulling the claymore from the tight fissure she'd made in the concrete, she squinted against the slow-fading whiteness, only able to wonder as her senses reset if it was over.

Next chapter: Chapter 31, "What Remains"

#loki laufeyson #loki x fem!oc #loki x oc #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #thor odinson #thor movies #thor the dark world #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #angst with a happy ending #slow burn

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cute-sweet-corgo · 1 year

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A place where we all could go and rest .

Jellyfish inhabited the planet mentioned by Marie

[One-off OC - Avel']

Aetheral Space

#aetheral space #lil art #doodle #fanart #fiction books #books and reading #aetheral space oc

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kattenkvvaad · 6 months

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Aether Eternius Primordial version of Whisper??? Yep, she's most likely going back to that universe instead of being a D&D character :3

I'm not 100% sure about her element yet (for now she's a Void, but that might change in future iterations of the character, we'll see)

Character: Whisper (she/they?)

#digital art #oc #art #original character #artists on tumblr #fantasy #artist #elemental #space #void primordial #character design #aether eternius #space elemental #OC:: Whisper

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ask-genshin-sumeru-gang · 1 year

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[ Roleplay and Ask Blog for a few Sumeru Characters now open and available! Muses available and who portrays them will be listed below! ]

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This multi-muse blog is made up of five mods

Mod Karasu - Traveller ( Aether + Paimon )

Mod ZMD - Alhaitham

Mod Taegan - Collei

Mod Elias - Kaveh

Mod Golden - Tighnari

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Rules and More Info (about blog)

Info:

- This blog is both a rp and ask one ^^

- For any interactions or rp asks, make sure to specify the muse (or multiple ones!) or let us know if it’s a complete group ask!

- This blog will (for the most part) be a text blog consisting of written responses.

- Any Genshin characters (Canon, OC, Crossover, AU, Duplicates, etc.) are free to interact!

- This blog will contain some HCs along with canon components mixed in!

- Some of the mods are currently in school while the others are working, so some asks may not be answered right away due to this. We ask that you’ll be patient with us ^^

——————-——————-——————-—————

Rules:

- Racism, homophobes, and others similar of that nature are not allowed here. We want for this to be a safe space for everyone.

- We ask that you do not be rude to any of the mods, purely because you dislike the portrayal of one or all of the muses. Everyone’s interpretation on a character is different, and we should all try to respect that! ❤️

- This is a SFW blog, so please no sexual stuff. (Flirting and such is fine, just don't go completely overboard- if at any point it makes the receiver uncomfortable, the mod (or mods) are in their right to ignore the ask. If it continues, it will eventually resort in a block.

——————-——————-——————-—————

- If you have any more questions, feel free to shoot us a DM! We’ll respond as soon as I get the chance to.

#ask-genshin-sumeru-gang #promo post #asks open #genshin rp blog #genshin ask blog #genshin traveler #genshin aether #genshin alhaitham #genshin collei #genshin kaveh #genshin tighnari #genshin impact

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aevumpromoshq · 1 month

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In all things resides the Aether .

Ivurie and Ebenos.

Ivurie and Ebenos were chaotic. For they are light and darkness, stillness and motion, energy and mass. Unfocused, they amplified and suppressed one another without end; a cycle that bore repeating through the many ages.

Across the winds of time and space, throughout the many universes, LEGENDS HAVE BEEN TOLD of extraordinary people. Heroes born of righteousness and pure hearts, villains who get drunk on power and foul deeds. Even the seemingly ordinary lives of all of those in-between.

To control the chaos of the Cycles, the Guardians of the Aether have created summons; ECHOES manifested from the legends brought upon the whisper of wind.

Vessels who, may even choose to help protect the realm of Aevum, and one day call it home.

one day,

YOU feel stillness and motion pressing upon you from all sides. From this, you are stirred. Spurred by your awakening, you step out from the long quiet.

.・゜-: ✧ :- + welcome to THE AEVUM ISLES.

We are an 18+ group, with a relaxed monthly interest check, weekly meme weekends, and an in-depth world for your muse to discover. Aevum Isles is an OC-Friendly , multifandom group featuring themes of slice-of-life &. adventure , based right here on tumblr !

What will you do on your journey ?

#multifandom rp #fandom rp #mfrp #panfandom rp #multifandom rpg #tumblr rp

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titlemewickedwonderland · 11 months

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Fear Me Not - Aether

Summary: Everybody is afraid of something! But sometimes it helps when we have someone to help us through it! Abby found that out the hard way when she gets blindsided by one of her worst fears! Good thing she has her favorite ghoul there to calm her down!

Phobia: Claustrophobia, fear of confined spaces.

Pairings: Aether x Abby (Medic!Oc)

Check Out My Work!

She felt warm. Pressed into the softness of the mattress beneath her while the weight on her chest pinned her. Her eyes didn't want to open; far too comfortable where she lay. The scent of something fruity - citrus, fresh linen, and something entirely male engulfed her like a comforting blanket lulling her back to sleep but she knew she had to get up. What day was it again? Hell, what time was it? The light from the window was glaringly bright as she peeled one eye open and then the other; squinting around while trying to bring the room into focus.

The familiar posters and pictures on the wall registered first amongst the vast sea of dark - the nearly black, purple color of the walls. A splash of bright color at the edge of her vision made her tip her head sideways; hindered only by the head that was tucked into her neck but she could see the large banana plushie that was tucked between her and another body.

Abby smiled as she lazily lifted an arm to stroke her fingers along the muscles of Aether's back. Warm and comforting as his weight was on her she knew she had work to do today; she had no one to cover her shift for today as medics were far and few in between that were actually competent to do their work so she really had no other choice but to go in today. But Aether just got back from his tour last night and he needed his sleep; how was she supposed to squeeze from under the bulky frame without waking him? Unlike Swiss and Dewdrop; Aether wasn't a heavy sleeper and he really needed the rest. He'd looked so pooped last night when he came home.

As if he could sense her inner dialogue the quintessence tightened the arm that was draped around her waist. "You're doing it again." he grumbled sleepily.

"Hmm?" Abby murmured in return with a fond smile.

"Thinking too loud."

"If you must know I was thinking of how to sneak out of this bed without waking you. But it seems that is pointless now." she sighed dramatically

"You have to work?" Aether peeked an eye open and lifted his head to glare sleepily down at her as if the very idea was not on his bucket list for today.

Abby gave him a sweet smile filled with apologies. "You know I do Aeth." she murmured reaching out to rub one of her lover's horn causing his lids to slide close and a purr to rumble in his chest.

"Can't you take the day off?" he pouted childishly

"I wish I could but I'm afraid of I do something may go wrong." she snorted petting his hair.

Aether was quiet for the moment seemingly in thought and Abby had considered he had fallen back asleep with his slow breathing and eyes still closed but he finally let out a groan and buried his face into her neck.

"Fine, but I'm stealing you away for lunch, and after your shift is over for today I'm kidnapping you for some fun." he concluded causing the medic to chuckle at his determination.

"I think that's a deal." she smiled pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I missed you..." he added on a sigh as he nuzzled her jaw and she couldn't help but smile wider at his affection.

"I miss you too babe." she murmured wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him close.

she really did miss him. Despite his childish ways and sometimes clingyness when at the Abbey the woman couldn't deny she'd missed her shadow and the loving cuddles she got from him while he was away for his tour. She'd have to ask him all about what had happened when they were able to properly sit down and talk after her shift tonight. But right now, she needed to get back to her room for a shower and a change of clothes before reporting to her office to see what she'd missed out on while she was too busy planning the surprise party for the boys the night before. No matter if she was in the office or not there always ended up some kind of reports or files left on her desk to look over.

"Alright mister, while I'm working you take the day to rest. Get you something to eat, maybe a shower, and just take it easy today until you have to come get me okay?" she said as she began to squirm from beneath her lover's hold.

Aether sighed rolling onto his side as he watched the woman get out of bed; making the mattress feel suddenly too big for himself. "Is that doctor's orders?" he teased.

Abby shot him a playful glare. "Yes, doctor's orders." she pointed a finger at him before she bent to place a sweet kiss to his lips. "Love you rockstar. I'll see you soon."

she headed for the door hearing a sigh coming from the ghoul she'd left behind. "Not soon enough, woman."

Abby smiled as she closed the door behind her and paused in the hallway. It was still relatively dark outside meaning it was early; she could hear the snores and chittering sounds of the other ghouls in their rooms on either end of the hall along with soft voices - a few of them must be up already, basking in the presence of their significant others after being left for so long. It was a nice sound, an even better reminder that life was good; that it'd be alright as she grabbed her jacket from the end of the sofa and headed outside.

The air was a bit chilly this morning despite the warm weather they were having recently during the day and Abby was nothing if not observant and prepared as she headed away from the Ghouls wing to go back to the room she shared with her sister so that she could shower.

When she got to her office as predicted there was a stack of files on her desk she needed to look over. Most of them were just reports of mild injuries - Sister Imperator wanted to make sure all injuries were kept on file for every member in case of future mishaps or worse - lawsuits.

But when the light began to filter through her windows into her office she glanced at the clock to find it was well past the time the other Clergy siblings were out and about doing their chores. She was just about to go grab herself a coffee when a brother of sin came in holding a wrapped cloth over his hand causing her to sigh as she leaned back into her chair.

"What happened this time Jonothan?" she asked with bemusement as she saw the familiar face. This particular sibling had a habit of getting injured a lot.

He was smaller than most men around here and didn't have a lot of muscle on him but that never stopped him from working hard as the technician for the band. He and a few others were in charge of taking care of and tuning the instruments of the band. He always ended up trying to lift something he wasn't supposed to because of his smaller size but that never stopped him from at least trying - Abby imagined he was being forced to do the work of other technicians by being bullied into it but Jonothan was a sweet young man and couldn't say no.

"H-Hi Miss Abby." the boy looked sheepish as he walked in. "I um...I had a bit of an accident with one of the light fixtures when I was moving it. I tripped and fell and the glass cut my hand." he mumbled as he sat down on the small examining bed in the off corner of her office where she did examinations for injuries.

Abby sighed and rose to her feet. Going to wash up her hands and put on gloves in the sink in the ensuite bathroom as she spoke from the other room.

"Johnny honey you know it's not your job to be messing with them. Why didn't David do it?" she called.

There was silence for a moment and Abby thought he wasn't going to answer but at last, he did was a voice kind of small that she barely heard over the running water. "David went out for a smoke break 20 minutes ago and hadn't come back yet."

Ah, so that was it. Abby sighed shaking her head to herself and reminded herself to talk to Sister Imperator about this when she saw her next. Bully was against the rule of the Clergy and pushing your work onto others was another offense that wasn't taken lightly. If you were part of the Clergy you did your part - David didn't seem to get that memo.

"Alright." she finally replied and went back to check on the boy. His hand had one large gas in it that would need stitching from where the light had smashed into it and glass embedded in his palm; he'd need stitches but at least he didn't break a finger or anything so that was good.

After she'd patched the boy up and gotten him some painkillers she sent him on his way with instructions not to use that hand and to see Sister Imperator for a new task that he was able to do with his injury. This left her time to clean up and put things away. She realized as she was doing this that she was running low on supplies in her cabinet so she grabbed her keys sitting on her desk and unlocked her supply closet where she kept extra boxes of things.

She always kept this door locked because she didn't want anyone stealing any drugs, knives, or other supplies she kept in here for obvious reasons.

She also hated that closet. She hated going in there because it was small and she hated small spaces. The one thing she was afraid of wasn't blood, guts, and gore. Things that normal people would be squeamish about. It was the small dark space within her office that she was afraid of. Claustrophobia it was called. The fear of small spaces.

When she was a little girl she'd been locked inside of a supply closet in school by some bullies pulling a mean prank and she had been stuck in that closet for at least an hour which felt like an eternity before the janitor found her curled up hyperventilating on the floor.

She never really told anybody about it because she feared that they'd laugh at her or worse - repeat her childhood nightmare of being locked away. So she'd kept it to herself and just avoided spaces she knew could trigger her. But here, at work. She had to do this. She had no choice. And so she unlocked the door - it was the kind that had that spring in it that would close the door behind you for safety reasons so when she opened it she had to prop it open with her hip.

Staring into the closet as the light from her office flooded it with light made the space a little less scary but then she realized that the supplies she needed were on a back shelf - just out of reach. So she grabbed the nearest box and placed it on the floor to keep the door from closing before entering fully to grab the supplies she needed.

Except before she knew it her vision went dark and then completely black - followed by the familiar click of the door shutting. Her heart went up her throat and stuck there when she realized far too sluggishly what had happened.

The box she'd placed on the ground to prop the door wasn't heavy enough and the door had continued to close. The weight of the door shoved the box out of the way during the process so it didn't stick between the door jam and thus locking her inside. The worse part of it all...her keys were hanging in the look...on the other side of the locked door with no way out for her until someone came by.

She felt it then; that creeping ice gripping her insides as she felt the void of darkness closing in on her. The scent of sterile objects was all around her making her head spin and her hands shake as she realized there was no way out - she was stuck inside this small closet.

"No...." she swallowed thickly. "No!" she slammed against the closet door with her fists. Banging like a desperate woman trying so hard to keep the panic at bay. Hoping - praying that someone would come in or hear her banging inside to come to rescue her.

But today was a slow day - besides Jonothan she already had one or two others coming in that morning. She highly doubted she'd get out anytime soon and that realization struck her with a full-blown panic.

Her breaths came quick and heavy - feeling as if the air around her was thinning with every breath she took in. Was it getting hot in here or was it just here? Could you suffocate in a closet? There was a sliver of light coming from beneath the door but not enough for her to see much but how much that small space could bring in air in comparison to how much she was panting inside?

Tears brimmed her eyes and she collapsed against one of the shelves with her knees drawn in holding on for dear life. She had to hold out until someone came in - Aether would come. He promised he'd see her later today. But what time was it anyway? Time meant little when stuck in a small space like this to someone who was afraid of being trapped inside.

Time felt void and sluggish - what could have been an hour felt like days or it honestly could have been just minutes that felt like hours even when she heard voices in her office. Was she hallucinating? No, she wasn't the voices were getting louder as the people came further into her office and then...by a stroke of luck she saw the shadows beneath the door seconds before the door swung open.

Two figures blacked out by the light behind them stood there looking in and what a sight she probably made. Hair damp from sweat, face red, and cheeks wet with her tears as she curled up in the corner.

"Miss Abby?" That was Jonothan's voice!

"Shit, Abby?" Aether....Aether!

Abby unfolded herself quickly; scrambling towards him as the ghoul rushed in and knelt in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her as she collapsed into his embrace with new tears of relief now as she clung to him - taking in his familiar scent and chasing away the sterile one that fogged up her mind.

"Oh baby are you okay? Shit, what happened?" Aether's hands brushed her hair from her face and hugged her closer as she let out a broken sob filled with relief and fear.

The ghoul could feel her shaking against him like she'd been stuck in a freezer instead of a closet making him sweep her up into his embrace and rush her from the space; sitting down on the bed Jonothon had previously been on...what was it hours ago? Cradling her to his chest as he rocked her; trying to soothe her - pumping some of his quintessence into her to slow her rapidly beating heart before she went into a fit of some sort.

"Jonathon go grab a wet cloth." the male instructed the sibling who was quick to grab some paper towels and wet them in the sink in the bathroom before returning.

He watched in concern as the quintessence ghoul dabbed the wet paper to the medic's forehead and face trying to cool her off and calm her down- slowly bringing her back to reality. Her crying dulled into sniffles and a few hiccups as she slumped against her lover he chittered to her softly in the reassurance that he was there.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Aether asked softly when she was calm enough; his own heart slowed down from the worry that gripped it when she opened her wet eyes to look at him.

"I...I got locked in...My keys were still in the door." she finally said taking a deep breath as she wiped at her eyes as if she was trying to get the grit out with the heel of her palms; a futile attempt to put back on that strong facade.

"What...How'd you know?" she added looking up at the pair in confusion as much as gratefulness at her stroke of luck.

"I uh...I popped a stitch and was on my way back here when I met Aether on his way to come see you...We saw the box and the keys hanging in the lock." Jonathon explained as he held up his bandaged hand - there was blood seeping through the cloth.

Abby laughed a bit and shook her head before resting it against Aether's shoulder. "I think I've never been more happy for someone to get injured," she muttered with a weak smile.

"Abby if I knew you were afraid of that dark-" Aether began but the medic shook her head straightening up.

"It's not the dark....I'm..." Her cheeks heated up with embarrassment as she ducked her head. "I'm claustrophobic," she mumbled.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of! I'm afraid of heights!" Jonothon piped up evidently trying to make her feel better; he was rewarded with a small smile.

Aether lifted her chin back to look at him as he tilted his head to examine her features a moment. "We'll talk to Sister Imperator about getting that door mechanism fixed okay, so this doesn't happen again. I don't want you to be afraid of your own work space."

She gently took his hand and gave him a smile; bumping her head against his affectionately. "No, it was designed for a reason...but...maybe get a copy of the keys so that I can carry one with me at all times in case I feel the other ones out there." she offered sheepishly.

"And a lock on the inside of the door too!" Aether amended.

"Yeh.. that'd be nice." Abby smiled back now having calmed down enough.

"It's settled then." Aether knocked his mask against her gently before patting her thigh. "Come on, how about you take the rest of the day off and spend it with me; you need a minute to breathe anyway."

"Sure, I won't argue with that." Abby laughed as she slid from his lap. "But first, Jonothon let's get that hand looked at again." she sighed as she went to wash up again.

The pair of men watched her a moment before Jonothon shyly spoke up to Aether. "You got yourself a strong woman."

"Yeah, I do." Aether chuckled warmly while clapping the boy on the shoulder. "She never ceases to amaze me."

Abby returned and squinted her gaze between the two. "What are you talking about?"

Aether shrugged flashing her a toothy smile. "Just how lucky I am."

Abby snorted and shook her head in amusement before turning her attention to Jonathon. It did not take long for her to fix him back up and send him on his way. Aether helped Abby clean up with the promise that Jonothon will send work for someone to take her spot for the rest of the day.

He brought her back to the Ghouls wing and back to his bed where he flopped down; dragging her along with him. Abby got herself comfortable against his side and looked up at him.

"Hey, Aether?"

"Hmm?" he looked down at her; his violet eyes gleaming in the dimness of the room now that his mask was off again.

"I think you had it wrong earlier," she commented idly stroking his cheek.

"Oh?"

"I'm the lucky one." she smiled warmly up at him before dragging him down a few inches to press a sweet kiss to his lips. "You never stop taking care of me," she added when they parted.

Aether smiled at her and hugged her close. "I think you got it wrong love, you never stop taking care of me and the others. We wouldn't know what to do without you around."

"Good thing I have no plans of going anywhere anytime soon." Abby chuckled closing her eyes and sinking herself into his comfort and warmth.

"Good, I'd drag you back if you did."

Feel free to ask to join the tag list! Thank you for supporting my work!

Taglist: @strawberry-moonpies, @darklylucid

#Aether x oc #aether ghoul x oc #nameless ghoul #quintessence ghoul #ghost aether #aether ghoul #ghost #ghost band #ghost nameless ghoul #ghost band fandom #Fear Me Not series #Wonderland writes

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