#Branch 2: Stranded Once Again | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

talesofesther · 1 year

Text

scorch marks | ch 2

Wednesday Addams x Reader

Series Summary: Wednesday has been careful to keep what you two have behind closed doors and far away from labels; but when someone starts to take it — take you — away from her, she realizes how much she cares.

A/N: Not much to say here, just that I hope you like this part and let me know your thoughts. <3

Masterlist | Read ch 1 here

It was an awful day outside.

The sky was all baby blue and the sun was shining warmly over the lake's water. Wednesday could see everyone running around all the way from the round window of her dorm.

She liked to keep as far away from the commotion as possible on days like these. But Enid had other plans when she dragged her roommate outside, going on about how sad it was to be cooped up inside on a day like this.

Though Wednesday was quickly ditched when Ajax came into the picture, and that's when she spotted you.

It was genuinely, annoyingly, one of the most beautiful sights Wednesday had ever witnessed. You were leaning back on your elbows under a huge tree, lips moving softly into words she couldn't know; your skin was mostly hidden from sunlight, but a few rays still managed to catch your hair, painting the strands into a golden glow as the glistening of the lake's water in front of you framed your profile. It almost got Wednesday enjoying the bright and warm weather for a second, but the rest of the world came back into focus when her gaze settled on the girl beside you.

Why did it look so intimate? Why was Yoko touching you with such grace? Why did you let her?

Wednesday had always been observant, noticing details to a minimum to find weaknesses and points of advantage, so of course, she noted how your sunglasses matched the ones the vampire was wearing. Wednesday caught her mind wandering as to how it happened; were you in her dorm room when you took them? Did Yoko put them on you, her hands touching the apples of your cheeks as she did so?

She kept her distance to keep her heart safe, so why does it hurt so much to be this far away now? Why is it so awful to see you with someone else, so happy and lively? Why does Wednesday feel like you're being stolen from her, when you're not even hers, to begin with?

There were so many goddamn questions flooding Wednesday's mind and making her feel less and less in control. It got her clenching her fists, breath coming out shallow as she nagged on her bottom lip until the metallic taste of blood brushed her tongue.

Goody warned that she was destined to be alone, so maybe she shouldn't be surprised if one day someone else gets to keep you. Doesn't mean she needs to like it, or go down without a fight.

With each step Wednesday took towards you, the more she hated herself, because it felt childish and naive, maybe even futile. But deep inside her little black heart, she also knew she would never stop torturing herself about it if she just turned away.

So she played her cards, and now that you were walking side by side with her — your shoulder bumping into hers because the concept of personal space changed when it was just you and her — Wednesday's lips parted with a long sigh she'd been holding since laying eyes on you on that picnic blanket.

Dead leaves and branches snapped under her boots, the bee keeper's shed slowly coming into view amidst the dense trees. She glanced at you, blinking slowly as her features softened for you, for you, for you always.

"What did you need me for?" You eventually asked, all innocent curiosity and flushed cheeks from the sun.

"Eugene wanted you to check on the new hive." Wednesday lied easily.

"Are the bees okay? Did something happen?" The look in your eyes mimicked the urgency of your tone.

Wednesday rolled her eyes, though the action held more adoration than anything else. "That's the whole point of checking in on them, is it not?"

The old wooden door of the shed creaked as she opened it for you and let it close again once you were both inside; it was a little darker, stripes of sunlight coming in through the cracks and holes in the walls, illuminating the organized mess of the shed.

"Touche," you mumbled, making a beeline for the new bees that were still settling in. You and Eugene liked to keep them inside for a while before relocating them to their definitive hive outside, especially when a new Queen is added.

You could feel the weight of Wednesday's gaze on your back the whole time as you checked the little ones with a faint smile, and when nothing out of the ordinary was noticed, you started to wonder — to hope — that maybe this didn't have anything to do with the bees at all.

There was shuffling behind you, steps coming closer to you yet slow and hesitant in their movement. You would have known it was Wednesday even if she wasn't the one who brought you here. From this close, the feeling of her was unmistakable; it was almost like your soul already knew the shape of hers.

You felt a touch, a barely there graze of fingertips on your elbow. You knew that it was Wednesday's silent plea for you to focus on her. Solemnly.

Oh.

You turned around, twisting on your heels and almost forgetting how to breathe, she indeed came closer, you noted.

You didn't want to look desperate — Wednesday was closer, her perfume numbing all your other senses; there was a lock of her hair slightly caught on her lips, the freckles over her nose and cheeks much more apparent — though it took everything on you to not cup her cheeks and pull her closer still.

A beat passed with you wondering whether she'd ever feel the same — with you not knowing she was already in just as deep, if not deeper, than you — watching how the slivers of light reflected off of her dark irises, how her eyebrows relaxed and her lips quirked in the faintest of smiles. With time you came to know her mannerisms, the little telltale of emotions on her that you adored, that you could spend hours admiring. This was new.

"You're so pretty," the words came out in a breath before you could hold onto them.

They got Wednesday blinking multiple times, as if a dandelion had been blown in front of her, its petals grazing her cheeks, leaving testimonies of affection and delicacy.

You wondered if she liked the feeling, or if it got her nauseous and annoyed.

Wednesday breathed in deeply, her tongue running over her bottom lip in motion that you followed. She wasn't looking at you as she said; "I remember the last time we were alone here," she spoke carefully, at the same time that her thumb curled around the belt loop of your shorts.

From her avoidance to look into your eyes to the way she insisted on touching you, it was somehow foreign territory. From all the other times you've sneaked away with Wednesday, this is easily the most intimate.

"I like that memory." Wednesday finished, tone dripping with something sweet, akin to honey but better.

Before you could even think, your fingertips were already tracing the outline of her jaw, like a satellite following the pull of gravity. You'd never heard her say anything that resembled attachment, let alone this. Part of you wanted to ask what triggered it, or where was the punchline.

Wednesday kissed you first; lips tender against yours as her nose nudged your cheek. Her urge got you stumbling backward until your back hit the shelf behind you.

You forgot any and all types of rational thinking.

————

"No," you grumbled, closing the bottle of nail polish, "no, stop fucking complaining, you're the one who asked me to do this."

You were laying on your belly on top of Wednesday's bed, her plush, comfy black comforter wrinkling slightly with the way Thing was gesturing erratically in front of you.

"And, I made it pretty clear I wasn't the best at it," you raised an eyebrow at him. Just because it was a little smudged on the sides doesn't mean he has to make a big deal out of it. The dark purple does look nice with his skin.

"Wednesday, tell him how it looks nice."

The raven-haired girl carefully picked up a filled page off of her typewriter and laid it down on the pile by her side. She spared a half-second glance towards you and Thing before inserting a new page to resume the noisy typing of her novel. "It looks dreadful."

You groaned exasperatedly, burying your head under the covers.

"I love it." Wednesday finished.

"Well there you have it," you hummed, clumsily getting up from her bed, "at least someone likes it."

Thing relented, signaling to you that it wasn't that bad.

It got you chuckling, for only a hand, he was quite something. With your palm over your chest, you mouthed a thank you to him before turning to Wednesday.

She was focused on her writing; her eyebrows just a tad furrowed, eyes sharp over the ink that was set on paper, her lips pulled thin as her fingertips skillfully pressed over the letters. Selfishly, you wanted to pull out your phone and take a picture, stash away this memory just for you. She probably wouldn't like that though, and as your mother used to tell you; memories exist outside of time. You could be back here and now anytime you wanted.

Some might think that Wednesday's side of the room is morbid and dead compared to the burst of colors that is Enid's side. You saw it differently; her hoodie was thrown over the bed, from earlier when she came in; there is a potted cactus sitting on the bedside table, beside the big round window, you gave it to her a few weeks ago and it still a vivid green; her cello rests beside her wardrobe, its case half open from when she practiced last night; the bin from under her desk is almost overflowing with balls of paper, signs of a dead end on her novel that she, apparently, has just found a way around.

If you look closely enough, Wednesday's side of the room is just as full of life as Enid's is. Each corner has a little bit of her, of her personality for you to discover. And just recently you've been allowed to. Honestly, it's still a little overwhelming.

You've been in her room before, countless times because of Enid, but never because Wednesday had invited you. It caught you by surprise when she — in her own nonchalant and cryptic way — asked you to come back with her a few days ago. A part of you always thought she would never want to entangle your personal lives more than they already were, so it did catch you a bit off guard when she yanked you from Yoko's side in the hallway and just… didn't let go.

Every day since, you've been spending more time by her side. None of you had quite addressed why yet.

You slowly walked to Wednesday's side, with every three clicks of the typewriter you took one step. Your gaze shifted from her to the recently written pile of pages on the desk.

Wednesday's fingers hovered over the buttons when she noticed you looking. She strived to keep her face impassive even when her breathing felt stuck to her throat.

Shit. She thought to herself, did you have to come snooping right when that page is on the top?

"Is there a new character in your novel?" You asked, lightly tracing your fingertips over the black ink, mainly over the lines in which Viper was described holding the hands of an unnamed girl.

Wednesday got up in a quick motion, her chair harshly scrapping the dark wood floor as she stepped in front of you, blocking your view of her story. "No, I… She's not important." She explained, looking at you through her eyebrows in an almost daring way.

You were about to open your mouth to inquire more, but three knocks on the door stopped you.

Both you and Wednesday looked towards it. She took a step away from you, her back bumping the desk and causing a few pencils to roll over, as if just realizing how close you two were — as if you'd never been much closer than that.

Wednesday cleared her throat, taking swift steps to the door and pulling it open only to reveal Yoko on the other side, round sunglasses resting above her nose and a cheeky grin on her dark-painted lips.

"What do you want?" Wednesday all but growled, her knuckles going white around the door handle.

"I'm here for that one," Yoko gestured towards you, before tilting her head so her eyes could properly find yours, "due date is next week Y/N, last I checked we're still a pair, come on lovergirl."

The nickname held no bad intentions other than to tease you for suddenly being glued to Wednesday's side. But if looks could kill, Wednesday would have Yoko six feet under already.

Begrudgingly, you picked up your backpack, giving Thing a fist bump before walking to the door.

You stopped by Wednesday, naturally reaching out to touch the back of her hand with yours. Her skin was all silk-like smooth as you hooked your pointer finger with hers.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" You asked only for her to hear.

Pathetically, Wednesday dreaded the thought of you leaving with someone else. She only nodded, giving your finger a barely-there squeeze before you walked away.

And when Yoko put an arm around your shoulders, she almost knocked the whole building out of place with the way she slammed her door.

————

The smell of coffee and freshly baked goods was ever-present in Weathervane, the place held this warmth to it, all cinnamon and brown sugar. Maybe that's why it was your favorite place in town.

You and Yoko sat by one of the booths beside the big glass windows, watching the people walk by on the sidewalk as a light drizzle painted the streets a darker color.

Your spoon clicked against your mug every time you mixed up your cappuccino. There was a small frown on your eyebrows, your back hitting the plush fabric of your seat; "yeah but like, why?"

Yoko let go of the straw in her drink with a pop, she shrugged, "not sure."

"So someone just told you oh by the way if you eat anything with garlic you might just end up in the hospital, and you just went with it no questions asked?" You tilted your head to the side as a puppy would, a faint smile coming to your lips.

"I mean," the vampire leaned back, strands of her straight hair going over her sunglasses, "back then I didn't give much of a shit, and since then it has happened to me enough times that I know it's true so, no I never asked about the whys."

A waiter passed by you holding a recently baked pie, the warm smell of apples invading your nostrils. You briefly considered ordering a slice. "I'd be curious about the whys." You mumbled, your lips grazing the edge of your mug before you took a sip.

Yoko smirked, her fangs prodding at her lower lip, "look it up then."

"We have, there's nothing."

"That's because it's something we know since the dark ages."

You hummed, "talk about blind trust."

Placing your mug on the table, you lazily turned your head to the side to look out into the street, only to be met with the piercing eyes of Wednesday staring right into your soul from the other side of the glass window.

Your hand bumped into your mug with the way you jumped in your seat, spilling a bit of your drink, "shit," you cursed under your breath, hearing the pounding of your heart in your ears.

"Don't scare me like that," you exclaimed to Wednesday, motioning wildly to the cappuccino stain on the table.

All the raven-haired girl did was raise an unimpressed eyebrow at you, probably not understanding a word of what you were saying.

"You two, I swear to god…" Yoko giggled, watching you amusedly.

"Don't." You pointed a finger at her.

From the sidewalk, Wednesday visibly huffed before turning around to carefully make her way inside.

"Yeah, I'm gonna take that as my cue to go to the bathroom, because she," Yoko told you, finishing her drink before gesturing behind her to where the bell above the door dinged as Wednesday came in, "looks like a damn storm cloud."

"Yeah very funny," you whispered back, to which you only received a salute from Yoko as a response as she walked away.

Wednesday made her way around the tables and to you, her arms straight by her side and face impassive. Her eyes never left you, she choose to sit beside you on the booth instead of in front of you, her shoulder brushing yours as her hands rested neatly on her lap.

"Hey you," you smiled something shy, feeling the familiar way your cheeks warmed up and your stomach filled with butterflies for having her this close. "I'm happy you're-"

"I couldn't find you at school," Wednesday stated before you could finish, her gaze sneaking from your eyes to your lips.

Your hands became slick with perspiration, words tangled at the tip of your tongue. She was looking for you, came all this way for you. Maybe it shouldn't have made you as happy as it did.

"You were looking for me?" You dared ask, tone filled with tender hope and something else, all warm and sweet, a feeling you've been trying to keep at bay since she first kissed you.

Wednesday gulped, her jaw tensing as she averted her gaze with a slow blink. One of your hands was resting on top of the table, fidgeting with the edge of a napkin; was it too bad that she felt like holding it?

"I uh- I'm sorry I didn't say anything," you said when she didn't answer, "Yoko wanted to go out for a bite and asked me to tag along."

There was an instant coldness to you when Wednesday shifted on her seat, separating her shoulder from yours, "she asked you out?"

"I mean, yeah but-"

"And you said yes?"

Your lips hung open for a beat where you simply looked at Wednesday; her dark eyes shining under the orange lights, droplets of rain still clinging to her black hair, and for the first time, no walls up around her heart. But maybe it was your fault that it was not for the right reasons.

Wednesday breathed through her nose, it sounded much like a sniff and she hated it; "don't let me spoil your date." She got up so fast that she was halfway to the door when you scrambled to go after her.

"Wait, Wednesday wait," you called, jogging to catch up to her and almost knocking over a guy who was carrying two big mugs of hot chocolate.

You took hold of her hand without thinking, walking around her to block her path a second before she reached the door handle.

She didn't return the hold you had on her hand and it stung, but you carried on almost desperately; "not a date. This is not a date, you don't have to be jealous or-"

"I don't care." Wednesday yanked her hand away, her words so cold that she almost convinced herself that they were true. "The fact that you could even think I would feel anything remotely close to that for you is ridiculous at best."

It was already a scene, you and Wednesday could feel the not-so-discreet eyes of almost all the customers on you, forks with pieces of pie and mugs with coffee stopped midair as they watched the show.

You involuntary curled in on yourself because of the unwanted attention. Wednesday didn't seem to mind.

"Please can we talk about this somewhere else?" You asked quietly, your sneaker tapping the floor rhythmically.

"There's nothing to talk about." Wednesday simply said, but the words were pushed out forcefully, bitter on her tongue and razor-sharp around her already bleeding heart. They hurt, but at least this was a pain that Wednesday could control.

You took a step closer to her, hands itching to touch her in any way but she took a step away from you.

"We have nothing worth talking about."

With that Wednesday walked around you and into the now pouring rain, leaving behind everything that could've been.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Read ch 3 here

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are very much appreciated. <3

Wednesday’s taglist: @milkiane @bookfrog242 @heelaechan @imagine-reblog @gayestfeels26 @sakurarukas @bluetreecloud20 @the-night-owl-blr @angel-luv-04 @imlike-so-gaydude @user284747 @dreifhraniquo29 @emeraldevan @kylobensgirl @witchyhs-blog @tobylikesfire @simp4nat @boobabietch @impossibleliv1031 @deadpool-in-a-snood @rainbow-love4ever @astancomerbelova

@justyourwritter69 @natashaxwife @fieldofsecretss @faunusrubyrose @darkblueeyedperson @jujuu23 @part-timetraveller @athenablack1959 @loki-is-loved @oh-thats-cute @straweberries

#wednesday addams x reader #wednesday addams imagine #wednesday addams x fem!reader #wednesday addams #wednesday #wednesday addams x you #wednesdayedit #imagine #fanfic #fluff #angst #wednesday addams fanfic #jenna ortega #wednesday x reader #my story

2K notes · View notes

that-one-random-writer · 1 year

Text

That's My Kind Of Night Chapter 4 |Complete|

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Southern Masterlist

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x (Southern!F)Reader

Summary: Jake takes leave and goes back to Texas. His friend is now married with a woman. This woman's friend gets under his skin, and he loves it. Word count: 2,931

Warnings: cussin', flirtin', light banter, party with alcohol, 18+ no details on why just its 18+ intense non-sexual intimacy, a little breakdown due to past trauma with an ex boyfriend. No details are given as to why. A pregnancy reveal.

Your heart raced. Your body lay on his chest. Beneath your ear, his heart rate beating like a drum. His hand fell to your hair. He played with the strands softly. Jake panted, trying to find oxygen for words to escape. He looked up at the waterfall.

"Next time someone asks for the craziest place I've ever had sex," he paused, taking a breath and looking back up to the stars surrounded by the dark branches of the treetop canopy "This is gonna be it." He pressed out a breath. You lifted your body from his the cold mist cooling your warm skin.

"Definitely." You agreed breathlessly. You watched the stars. They had millions of years' worth of stories. It seemed like this new beginning had been etched into the twinkling lights scattered across the sky. "Can I ask you a question?" Jake turned his head speaking softly as you laid your head down beside him.

"Yeah." You mimicked his soft voice.

He pointed towards your hip. "Where did that come from?" He was pointing to a fairly big scar.

"It was from something dumb. I was racing my ex, and I was going too fast on my dirt bike." You watched the sky's while you answered.

"Wild woman." He looked back up at the sky. "What happened to him? Any competition for me? " He brought his hand behind his head for support. Jake slid the other hand over yours, lacing your fingers. Laying next to each other completely bare, the air around you seemed to turn shades of pink. You hoped it wasnt rose colored glasses attempting to dismiss your better judgments on this new man. The simple gesture speaking loudly to the trees that he was in fact here to stay.

You laced your fingers around his. "No, he's gone."

"He's dead?" Jake questioned.

"No, just somewhere with his new woman. He fucked her while we were together, he said she had something I didnt." You looked up at him.

"Like lack of respect for herself?" He joined your eyes.

You smiled, "Yeah, something like that."

He chuckled. "I've never met a woman like you." The gaze you share was soft.

He leans over and locks your lips together. This kiss is different. It has a hint of familiarity, but there is comfort and admiration. There is no hasty objective. His lips are intentional. Moving smoothly against yours. Your lips followed his lead.

He ended the kiss helping you up from your place on the rock. He led you back into the waterfall washing away the debree from the ground, and the cum that was sliding down your legs with every move.

He rubbed your back as you let the water glide through your hair. He stepped closer behind you, pulling your body into him. One hand between your breast, the other wrapped around placed on your hip covering the scar. The stars twinkled across the sky, creating a literary masterpiece highlighting in the scripture that he could heal all the wounds your ex-lover had made.

His lips caressed your neck, leaving a gentle sensation. You looked up at him, then guided your body around towards him. Your lips met once again. No rush, nor words that needed to be spoken. Just a simple kiss that expressed everything all at once. The water spreading across each other's skin meeting together at the bottom where your legs were entangled with each other. You both made each other feel something different, something neither of you experienced before.

Jake felt the chill as your touch was gone. He slowly released your fingertips as you stepped away. You walked to the gator and grabbed two towels from your purse.

"I was going to use this one for my hair when I showered by myself tonight, but since you're here, I think you need it more." You handed him the towel as he met your side. He grabbed it wrapping it around his lower half. You wrapped your towel around yourself.

He placed his fingertips gently under your chin guiding your lips back to his. He didn't want to see this moment in time end. It was the harsh reality that time was never truly still, no matter how much the clock seemed to stop.

"Thank you" He spoke your name softly. His thanks had double meaning. He did appreciate you for giving him a towel, but this was one of the most memorable times in his life he wanted you to know how much it meant to him.

"Shut up and come on..." your voice playful. Ending the adventure just as it started.

He stepped away from you getting in the driver's side, grabbing the flashlight and tossing it into the back tailgate. You sat in the passenger seat. He started the Gator and you watched the trees pass as you followed trails back to the house.

"So what are we going to tell Blake and Vanny?" He glanced over at you.

You gripped your towel tighter. "Not a damn thing. She can't know she won. At least not yet."

He chuckled. "Ahh, the sting, and I thought it had disappeared on me."

"Not quite, malibu Barbie. I might give you a date, but I'm not gonna let you live down those bright pink boxers." You giggled.

"So now I'm Barbie..." he paused laughing."I liked ken better."

You giggled, directing your gaze at him. The look was soft. "Yeah, you're definitely a Ken." He noticed the attention on him. It was something he always enjoyed.

"Yes, Miss Wild?" He smirked down, meeting your gaze before turning back to the trail ahead.

You rolled your eyes. "Nothing, just making sure you know what you're doing." He wrapped an arm around you.

"Keep your eyes on me, I don't think I know how to drive." You watched his hair blow around his face. It was messier than before, no gel to hold it down.

You both made it back to the house. Sneaking in with ease, everyone was still down at the party. He made his way to the bedroom carrying both the bags. You both stopped staring at the rose petal covered bed. "Bitch..." you mumbled.

"I don't think we have to tell her." He spoke positive that Vanny knew about the pair's sexcapade.

"No, they planned for us to both sleep in here together tonight." You rolled your eyes. "She was setting the mood."

He laughed deep. "I told Blake she was subtle as a frieght train. I didn't know it was this bad"

You laughed. "This is on brand for her. She is very..." you paused finding the kindest word. "Direct." You finished. Your friendship warranted for name calling like bitch, but that didn't mean you didn't respect each other. The name calling was a love tone you took with her, when she got you into stupid situations like this very instance.

He sat the bags down, he grabbed a few things and stepped into the actual shower. He washed off and dressed into his pajamas. You stole glances at him before going to the kitchen to make coffee. Once he finished, you grabbed your things and followed the same steps. He poured two cups once you stepped out he turned to meet your gaze. He was met with a tiny pair of pink shorts and top to match. It was scantily clad.

"Vanny is very direct." You re-elaborated.

"Thank you, Vanny." He walked towards you and handed you the coffee. "There's a bonfire going on down there." You grabbed your favorite creamer from the fridge and added it to the coffee offering some to Jake.

"Yeah, I might as well humor her." You sipped the warmth from the cup. You felt your body tingle from the cool to hot transition.

You both grabbed the cups riding the gator once again down to the fire pit. Groups were gathered around. It was a southern tradition to gather around the fire after the party and discuss deeper into life's wonders and experiences.

Jake dropped you off next to the fire, he drove to his truck that wasn't far off. He grabbed a few things then parked the tailgate by the fire. He laid a blanket across the tailgate and handed you his jacket. The air was colder then you remember. You sat next to him and he leaned back on his palms. The fire was warn against your skin. Jake kept looking at you. The way the fires reflection danced in your eyes. The glow illuminated your cheekbones.

Vanny immediately walked up to you. "I've been waiting for you. I couldn't find you. Where have you been?" Sadly she was sober due to her newly growing infant. So you knew she wouldn't be easy to lie to.

"I had to get away for a minute. There were pigs here that I didn't want to waller with." You made reference to the asshole that had made advances on you earlier in the night.

She looked you up and down. She decided not to call bullshit on you, thats a conversation for later. "I was waiting because I'm going to tell him." She smiled brightly in excitement. "You know I need you here to be with me during something so important."

Jake looked between the pair, not knowing what was going on. "This early with everyone here?" She nodded. "If anything bad happens, I would rather have all the support of my friends, then cry alone in the corner."

"Alright, I'll follow you." You nodded at her. "Don't worry, Jake. I'm only stealing her for a minute, hun." He smiled as you walked off with her to where Blake and Vinny were sitting.

You held Jake's jacket around you. "Everyone we have an announcement." Vanny always loved to make a show of everything, this was no different. "Blake, Honey. I have a gift for you." She pulled out a small box and handed it to him. He took the box and looked around not having a clue what was going on. He opened the box and pulled out a small pair of cowboy boots. It took him a second to realize.

"You're pregnant?" Vanny started tearing up, she tilted her head enough to confirm. He immediately stood up and picked her up. "I'm gonna be a daddy!" He yelled out. All the party goers cheered. Hoots and hollers were echoing around.

You kept a smile on your face. You cheered for her, but the voices around you became muffled. You could hear your blood pumping through your ears. You hugged vanny smiling when Blake let her go, he went to highfive all the people that were happy for them. "I'm so happy for you, Van." She smiled.

"Thank you, Honey bee." She kept the bright smile walking around to the people congratulating her.

You used this moment to slip off unnoticed. You walked back to the house it wasn't far. You had made it inside running into the bathroom in your room, locking yourself in. "Get yourself together." You splashed water on your face as you broke down. Vanny telling you she was pregnant didn't have this affect on you, but seeing her husband so happy for the expansion of their family was torturous. You had five minutes to yourself and dried the tears. You stepped out of the bathroom.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Jake stood in the doorway of the bedroom leaning against it with his arm on the top.

You shook your head no. "No, I'm fine."

"Your eyes are red." He let go of the doorway and stepped in, shutting the door.

"I'm just so happy for Vanny." He shook his head, denying the excuse.

"I'm not buying it. What is going on?" He stepped closer to you.

"I got dust in my eye." You breathed out.

"I've got sisters. I can tell when a girl is crying over something." He took another step.

"I don't want to talk about it. I just met you, there is no way we are discussing this right now. Quit trying to pry into my life. You're being an asshole. " You spit words that burned like the venom of a copperhead. Your rage at yourself slipped into your word.You regretted them as they flew out. It was the truth you hadn't known him for long, but he was only trying to be nice. Your words were so harsh. He didn't deserve such a mean-spirited response.

Jake didn't know what to say or do. He did the only thing he thought to do. He wrapped his arms around you. The sudden sensations dropped you to your knees. He held you as your legs fell limp. Tears flowed down your cheeks. Your voice trembled. "Im sorry."

He held tightly. "Shh... it's okay. You're hurt. I get it. I'll get your ass back for it eventually." He chuckled. You laughed through the tears. You both stood in the embrace for a while.

You shook off his jacket, standing up when your nerves calmed. You led him to the bed. You laid down, patting the spot next to you.

"You want me to have sex with you on a bed of rose petals? Miss Wild and romantic..." He joked. While laying next to you.

You smiled up at him. "I might be wild, but I do love the clichés." He smiled, laying down next to you. He pulled you into his chest. "You still don't want to talk about it?" You shook your head. "I just want to lay here with you."

Your hair was soothed with his hands stroking the strands. You both laid peacefully, just enjoying the now. You couldn't think about what had passed.

"What do you want to do for our second date?" His voice broke the silence.

You looked up at him. "What happened to the first?"

"We watched the stars and showered in a waterfall. You even got lucky. " He smirked.

"Yeah, I guess that was a date. I'd say you were the one that got lucky..." You smirked back at him, then glanced back down. "I don't know what did you have in mind?" You asked him.

"Is it too early to meet my family?" He spoke.

"Depends, what for?" You looked back down, gliding your fingertips across his shirt.

"My youngest sister is getting married." He continued to play with the strands of your hair. It was such a small gesture, but it was so comforting, relaxing to your body.

"I think I can manage that. What do I need to wear?" You asked.

"My sister asked all the military family to wear their uniform. Anything you want really, it's a formal wedding she has been very clear on that." He laughed thinking about his phone calls with his sister yelling him not to show up in anything but uniform. She also threatened him that if he showed up with a sex worker in swimwear, she would kill him.

You looked up, smiling at him. "Okay, it's settled, I'm going... Just for the uniform."

He smiled. "You know I love how people look at me while I'm in uniform. I know your reaction will be priceless."

You smiled, meeting his gaze. He had made you forget all about the reason you had been crying. "Thanks, Jake."

He smiled. "You don't need to thank me. It's just a wedding. Her husband is an idiot. I'm expecting this to crash and burn in a few years. I tried to warn her, but she won't listen." He rambled.

"No, thank you for getting my mind off everything. I'm not ready to talk about it, but one day, I will. It's something heavy that happened a long time ago." You held onto him. He turned facing you, placing his hand on your hip. "I'm here when you're ready. For now, let's continue with this husband bullshit. He is a peice of fucking shit..." He rambled once again. You listened to him, and you both continued talking until you both crawled under the covers.

Your lips met once again. The soft passion was a breath of fresh air. Every time he kissed you, there was a pulse of ecstacy. You never wanted it to end. You had to eventually break away. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you while you both drifted to sleep.

The next morning was fast. You both packed your things and said your goodbyes to Vanny and Blake. Vanny gave you a look when she saw Jake carry your bags out for you. You didn't dare tell her she won. Not yet, another time. You both made it out to your vehicles.

"I need your number for our date." Jake wrapped an arm around you pulling out his phone. You gave him your number and he put it under the name 'Miss Wild'. He kissed you one last time. The kiss was craving for more, but you both had to get home. You both hopped into your vehicles and started the long ride home.

You received a text that read.

'Better start packing for the dreamhouse. After this month you'll be begging to come home with me.'

You saved the number under the name Ken doll. You sent back a text while stopped in the driveway.

'For some strange reason, I don't think that's the only way you're going to make me beg to come... give me month to see where this goes. I may just follow you back to the barbie dream house for a vacation'

Jake texted back in an few seconds.

'Oh, I know you'll beg both ways. Look beside you'

He then pulled up beside you in his truck. He let down his window. He spoke through the windows.

"Let me hear you tell me I'm smoking hot, just one more time."

You rolled your eyes, smirking.

"You're smoking hot, Jake... your ego is the size of a mountain." You trailed. "Ooo, Talk dirty to me, honey." He hollered out as soon as your lips stopped moving. You laughed.

He smirked, meeting your gaze.

"I just loveee hearing you say that." He gave length to the word love. He winked and then took off.

208 notes · View notes

chaiiitime · 8 months

Text

It Happened One Summer Night

Summary : It was meant to be straight-forward, right? Catch a ride with Daniel Ricciardo to her sister's wedding, try not to kill each other, say thank you when they get there and never have to see each other again. Fate, however, loves to play games.

Pairing : Daniel Ricciardo x OC!Fem

Word Count : 3,800

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Chapter 2

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD

Adriana could hear the blood pounding in her ears, her heart working hard to escape her ribcage. They were both breathing hard, but hers were choppier than Daniel.

Daniel wrestled with his seatbelt, leaning across the console to switch off the engine. She was on the verge of hyperventilation and hadn't realised the car was still running.

Dear God, she had run over something.

Daniel got out, rounding the front and bending down to look at whatever damage she had caused. She knew she had to follow him, but she didn't have the heart to see whatever poor innocent animal she had run over splattered all over the car's bumper. She slowly climbed out, the hot tarmac burning the sole of her bare feet. The breath she was holding left her in a whoosh when she saw no blood or gore over the front of the car. Daniel was lying belly-flat on the ground, as he tried to dislodge something from underneath the car.

"What is it?" she asked with trepidation.

Daniel grunted as he grappled with whatever it was. He looked up at her, squinting against the dying sun. "It's a branch. A pretty big one. I'm trying to get it out, but it's stuck."

He gave it a few more tugs and he finally felt something give. Hell yeah. He pulled the branch out and held it out for Adriana to see.

It wasn't just a pretty big one, it was huge, and Adriana hadn't seen it because she had been too busy arguing with Daniel.

Daniel tossed the branch to the side of the road, lying down once again to check the floor of the car. "Well, it looks like we are not going anywhere. The branch ripped a pipe or something and there's an oil leak."

"Can't you fix it?" Daniel looked at her confused. "Well, you're an F1 driver. Aren't cars kind of part of your job?"

Daniel tried to hold back his sigh of exasperation. The lady sure had her ideas about whatever she thought an F1 driver was all about.

"I just drive the car, I'm not a mechanic. If I knew how to repair the car, I would have done it already." Or even better, he thought inwardly, he would have built himself a fast car instead of spending a big part of his career in slow cars.

"What are we going to do now?" Her voice was anguished.

Daniel knew he shouldn't take any perverse pleasure in seeing the distressed look on her face, but he was, even if he was as much stranded as her.

"Get in the car." He motioned to her. "I'll try to push it to the side as much as I can while you steer."

ROUND AND ROUND, DANIEL reminded himself as he rubbed his thumb against his index finger.

The constant circular motion had been his self-soothing mechanism ever since he was a hyper anxiety-prone kid. It was his way of calming himself down, to not give in to his anxious tendencies and bite his nails. He also didn't want to show Adriana he was anything other than cool and composed.

The setting sun had turned the sky orange, and even the remaining colour was quickly dissipating. In the last hour since they'd realised that there was no network signal, they'd considered every single option — from trying to repair the car themselves to maybe walking to the nearest civilisation. They had no idea how far the nearest town was — because of said no network — and their last option of hitching a ride hadn't exactly panned out yet. The few cars that had passed them on the highway so far hadn't bothered to stop.

He was sitting on the cooling hood now. Adriana was sitting sideways in the passenger seat, her feet dangling out of the open door. She looked far from the well-put person that had walked out of the airport this afternoon. Her blouse was rumpled and there was a streak of grease running down her skirt from when she had tried to look under the car earlier.

Daniel cleared his throat. "What comment were you referring to earlier?"

They'd been sitting in tense silence. Might as well use the opportunity to clear the air.

Adriana lifted her head from where she was lolling on the headrest. "Don't pretend like you don't remember what I was referring to."

Daniel tipped his head back and pushed out a grunt of frustration. He tried to loosen the tendons in his neck. He didn't think his neck had ever felt this tired even after his toughest race as it did now from the stress of the last few hours.

"Adriana —" Her name sounded so foreign in his Australian twang, his tongue wrapping around the vowels to give a slight inflection at the end. "I'm really trying here. I'm not being an asshole. I'm asking honestly so that I can apologise."

Adriana looked up at him. There was a look of vulnerability lurking in her eyes that Daniel had not expected. She looked back down, her hair covering her face as she rubbed at the grease streak on her skirt.

Her voice sounded a bit rough when she finally spoke.

"It was George's birthday party. George and you, you guys were in the kitchen getting beers or something. Anyway, George asked if you would be interested in dating me and you said —” The rubbing got more frantic, as if she could make the grease streak disappear. "And you said that —" Daniel could see her throat work convulsively, as if she was holding back tears. "You said that I was so cold — colder than a witch’s tits was what you said actually — that your balls would freeze up if you tried touching me.”

Dan felt his face flush hot. That sticky sickly feeling inside of him was hot shame as he faintly recalled that conversation.

He truly was an asshole.

"Adriana, I —“

He remembered that one time in high school when he got suspended for scratching something he shouldn't have on that girl’s locker and how disappointed his mom had been in him. But he wasn't a kid anymore, he didn't need his mom to tell him off to know he'd done something bad. He shouldn't have said that, whether Adriana had overhead him or not, whether she’d been rude to him or not.

He got down from the hood, ready to get down on his knees if that was what it would take for her to forgive him. "Adriana, I’m sorry." She looked intent to avoid his gaze, staring straight ahead at an invisible point beyond his shoulder. "I, I ... "

God, words were hard when you were a world class idiot.

All of a sudden, Adriana got up. Did his rambling apology have an effect already? But no, she was staring, almost excitedly, at something behind him.

"Is that a —"

Daniel turned around. Yep, that was indeed a truck. A good old-fashioned one at that, all dusty, its red paint faded with the sun.

Adriana rushed past him, waving frantically to get the driver's attention. Daniel sighed as he followed after her.

She didn't have to wave so frantically to get the driver's attention, he thought moodily. That tight skirt she was wearing would have been enough to stop traffic.

The truck came to a trundling stop before them. The driver was an old man, his wispy white hair peeking out from under the beret he was wearing. His sun-beaten face creased into a smile as he looked down at Adriana.

"Hola, Senor." The Spanish rolled off Adriana's tongue. She pointed to Daniel and their car as she appeared to explain their situation. The man nodded along, leaning out of his window to look at their car before speaking. Dan could only assume whatever the old man said was positive because Adriana had a wide grin on her face as she profusely thanked him.

"Gracias. Muchas gracias."

She turned excitedly towards Daniel. "He says he lives in a small village not too far from here.

He can take us there for the night, and tomorrow he can have the village mechanic come get the car for repairs."

Daniel cleared his throat as he stepped closer to her. "Are we sure we can trust this man?" he asked in a lower voice.

Adriana rolled her eyes at him. "Look at him," She gave the man a little smile and wave as she gritted her teeth at Dan. "He's harmless. Anyway, at this point, I am so desperate I would get in a car with the dodgiest of men if that means I get to reach my little sister's wedding in time.”

"Fine, Fine" Daniel held up his hands. "I was just being cautious.”

DANIEL AND SENOR GONZALEZ HAD MANAGED to secure their suitcases with rope in the bed of the truck. Now, Adriana was faced with another problem. She stared at the driver's cabin, wondering how she was going to get up there – her pencil skirt didn't allow for the kind of movement that would allow her to vault herself up there.

"Come on," Adriana could feel the heat of his body as Daniel came up behind her. "I'll give you a boost. Just grab on to the door handle once I lift you up."

She didn't have the time to process what was happening before Daniel was placing his hands on her hips. His hands moved down, curving around her bottom to lift her up.

Adriana flushed hot. A million butterflies erupted in her belly – Daniel Ricciardo had his hands on her ass. His beautiful veiny hands with the rose tattoo and the discrete "3" inked there. She felt his hands flex. A slight squeeze of her ass. Was it a trick of her mind? It was definitely a trick of her mind because why would Daniel Ricciardo be squeezing her ass? She landed quite inelegantly on the seat, her skirt riding up as she slid across the bench to the middle seat, giving Daniel an eyeful as he hoisted himself up.

The cabin was much smaller than both of them had anticipated. They sat flushed against each other, their knees touching. Daniel sat very still, careful not to make any movements. The tiniest of movements, as he had discovered, and his arm would brush against the underside of her breast. He sat, staring straight ahead, not daring to look at the smooth golden expanse of skin exposed by her hitched-up skirt. Not daring to take too deep of a breath because he could smell her, even over the old leather smell of the cabin — something citrusy and sharp, softened with hints of floral.

The palms of his hands tingled from where he’d touched her. It had taken a lot of self-control to not draw her closer to him as he had lifted her up. To not let his hands linger for longer than needed. To not mould his hands over her curves.

Fuck, he needed a cold shower. Maybe a reality check as well, because the last thing he needed right now was to start something with Adriana freaking Montero Mundt.

THEY CAME TO A STOP IN front of a small house. Adriana peered out but couldn't make out much of anything in the dark. She felt slightly disoriented — it had gotten completely dark once they got in the truck, so she couldn't tell which way they had been driving all this time. It felt like they had been on the road for hours when at most, it must have been only a little bit more than an hour. She didn't refuse the hand Daniel offered her to get down – the strain of the trip was finally catching up to her and she felt like she would keel over if she didn't get into bed soon.

Senor Gonzalez — or Miguel as he had said to call him — ambled across his gravel driveway to his front door, beckoning them to follow him. He had talked almost non-stop since he had picked them up, with Adriana sometimes acting as translator for Daniel. He'd told them about his little village by the sea, how it was the place with the best seafood in all of Spain, how it was protected by the sea on one side and the Pyrenees Mountains on the other — all in all, Adriana had realised, they could have done much worse as a place for an overnight pitstop.

"Cayetana!" Miguel bellowed as he hung his beret on a hook by the door.

"Si, si," A woman appeared in the doorway. She had grey hair, carefully braided. Her small frame was wrapped in a floral housecoat and she looked ready to turn in for the night.

"Caye, mi amor," Miguel walked over to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This is Adriana and Daniel. Their car broke down on the highway. We can spare a room for them for the night, si?" He explained in Spanish.

Cayetana pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked at them. Great, she was going to throw them out because they looked a bit worse for wear, Adriana thought. Well, not Daniel — he still looked his suave self. She, on the other hand, looked like she had been through the wringer.

"Ah! Claro que si! Si!" She exclaimed as she gestured for them to follow her.

They went up a narrow staircase, with Daniel juggling both their suitcases — he had shooed her away when she had tried to take hers. Cayetana showed them to a small room at the end of the hallway.

Clean bed linens, she explained. She bustled around, handing them clean towels, showing them how to turn on the faucet in the ensuite. All through this, Adriana tried to tell her that Daniel and her were not a couple and that they would need separate rooms, but every time she tried to interject, she was met with a torrent of rapid-fire Spanish that even she had trouble keeping up with.

Then, Miguel and Cayetana were wishing her and Daniel goodnight, leaving her alone with Daniel in the small room with the lone bed.

Daniel was looking at her with something close to indignation on his face. "You didn't tell them we need separate rooms!" He whisper-shouted as soon as the door closed behind their hosts.

"I tried!" Adriana lifted her shoulders in defence. "She just wouldn't stop talking to listen to me!"

"Well —" Daniel walked over to the right-side of the bed, placing his phone and wallet on the bedside table there, "I'm not sleeping on the ground or in that sorry excuse of an armchair to protect your chastity or whatever it is they call it."

"Oh, how gentlemanly of you." Adriana was still stood in the same spot, her hands on her hips as she watched him get comfortable. He kicked off his shoes and before she could tell him off, he bent down and carefully placed them to the side.

He opened his suitcase, turning back to look at her as he riffled through his things. "Nah yeah, I'm not fucking up my neck just for me to the play the gentleman for you."

Adriana bristled at the way he said it — did he mean that he would have done the gentlemanly thing for any other woman but her? He looked pretty unbothered by their sleeping arrangements all while she was on the verge of combusting at the thought of sharing that small bed with him.

"What's that?" Adriana asked perplexed as she watched him open the case he had just removed from his suitcase.

"What do you mean what's that?" He looked at her as if the answer should be obvious. "It's my custom-made travel pillow." He said as he moved the pillow on the bed aside for his special one. "I told you, I need to take care of my neck."

Adriana watched incredulously as he carefully fluffed up the pillow.

"Also, could you please open the window behind you a bit? I can't sleep unless the room is in the twenty degrees."

"Of course, my lord!" She bowed mockingly. "Do you want me to also check if they haven't left a pea under the mattress?" She made a dramatic gesture towards the bed, blinking up at Daniel in an exaggeratedly slow manner. "We wouldn't want anything to mar your highness' delicate skin, after all.”

“Haha.” He said dryly. “You’ve got jokes.”

It was pretty funny, but there was no way he was going to tell her that.

“You know —“ he said as he slowly walked backwards, snagging a clean towel and throwing it over his shoulder. “You should check on that pea while I take a shower.” Then, he was hurrying to the ensuite, smirking at the sound of indignation she made.

That man was so childish. What did she care if he showered first? She fumed as she picked up the pillow Daniel had discarded and placed it in the middle of the bed. There, that was what the heroine did in the movies, right? Build a pillow wall to protect herself from the hero’s advances?

Satisfied with her brilliance, Adriana started settling in. She hung up the garment bag with her maid of honour dress in the small wardrobe, unpacked her toiletries and nightclothes. Thank God, she’d packed her modest pyjamas — not like she usually wore sexy stuff to bed anyway. She was shooting a text off to Carmen when the door opened.

Finally.

“I hope you didn’t fin —“ The words died on her lips. Daniel was standing in the doorway — completely bare chested.

He was vigorously drying his curls with one towel and had another slung loosely around his hips. It sat so low, exposing his Adonis belt that Adriana feared one tug, and the towel would come loose. She could tell he had barely dried himself coming out of the shower, because she could see the sheen of moisture on his golden skin. She watched in fascination as a droplet of water coursed down from the base of his neck, over the ridges of his abs to get lost in his happy trail. The soft hair there swirled around his navel to disappear into the unexplored underneath his towel.

“Left you some hot water.” He was smirking as he looped his towel around his neck.

Oh God, his neck. His big beautiful neck.

Don’t show him you’re flustered. Adriana cleared her throat, carefully averting her eyes from all that male exquisiteness in front of her. “Thank you.” She said as she gathered her things, making sure she kept a safe distance from him on her way to the bathroom. She closed the door quietly behind her and leaned against it.

She needed a cold shower — or maybe to douse herself in some holy water.

DANIEL LAID DOWN on the bed.

For some reason, the pillow he had discarded was in the middle. He kicked it to the foot of the bed and settled down more comfortably, propping his arms behind his head. He smiled slightly as he remembered the way Adriana had checked him out coming out of the shower — she thought she had been inconspicuous about it, but he’d seen the self-conscious way she had touched her throat, the blush on her face.

He could hear the water running in the bathroom. He imagined the water running over her curves. The water droplets glistening on her skin. Those slim hands slathering the soap all over her body.

Calm down, he reminded himself. So what if the attraction between them was mutual? He was not going to do anything about it. She hated his guts and he had already offended her once. He wasn’t going to do it again by making a move on her. Just then, the door opened and Adriana came out, fumbling with the light switch to the bathroom. She was wearing a striped pajama set.

Very proper. Very sexy.

The steam from the shower had brought out the curls in her hair, a few ringlets framing her face rather enticingly. She looked soft, fuckable.

Adriana skirted the bed, her eyes quickly darting to where Daniel was sprawled out. Thank god he’d gotten dressed, even if the sweats and T-shirt he was wearing did nothing to hide the hard lines of his body, the soft material of the old sweats cupping that part of him just so, leaving nothing to the imagination.

She was mad at herself for being attracted to him because she knew if she got involved with him, it would only end in heartbreak for her and she didn’t think she could handle having her heart broken twice.

She frowned when she saw her pillow wall had somehow ended at the foot of the bed. Wordlessly, she picked it up and placed it back.

Daniel was looking at her quizzically, one of his eyebrows quirked in question. She mirrored his expression, lifting one of her eyebrows in challenge. She had to hide her smile of triumph when he shrugged, seemingly accepting not to question why she wanted to have a pillow between them.

She got in bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

They both laid in the dark, their breaths falling into sync in the silence. Adriana willed herself to sleep, but even with the pillow between them, she could feel the heat from Daniel’s body. She wanted to burrow into his warmth, but all the things they’ve said stood between them.

Daniel was bone-tired, he knew he had to sleep, but just like how it was after a bad race, his mind kept replaying that moment – Adriana sitting so forlorn in the car, looking hurt. Colder than a witch’s tits. He was truly an idiot.

He knew from her carefully measured breathing that she was still awake. He could feel the same tension he felt in his body radiating from hers.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly into the silence.

His only indication that Adriana had heard him was the slight hitch in her breathing.

“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m not going to hide behind any excuses and pretend I am not blameless.” He shifted on his side, his eyes roving on her face. Even in the dark, he could make out the beauty mark near her upper lip. “Will you forgive me?”

They stayed suspended for a moment, Daniel’s breath fanning the hair at her temple.

Adriana’s heart stuttered. How could she tell him that her supposed animosity against him was her self-defence mechanism to protect her heart from him? That deep down, she knew it would be so easy to fall in love with him and in the end, she would be the one with the broken heart while he would leave unscathed?

Without answering, she turned on her side, giving him her back and shielding herself from his eyes. Daniel didn’t move for a moment. Then, Adriana felt the bed shift as he turned on his other side with a sigh. After a few minutes, she heard his breathing becoming deeper and slower — he’d fallen asleep.

<< Previous Chapter Next Chapter >>

#daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo fanfic #f1 fanfic #daniel ricciardo imagine #f1 fanfiction #daniel ricciardo fanfiction #it happened one summer night

110 notes · View notes

silens-oro · 1 year

Text

Spoils of War: 2. The Great Division

Aemond Targaryen x F!Targaryen!Reader

Spoils of War Masterlist

Masterlist

Synopsis: Every action has a reaction. The Reader sees a less than desirable side to Aemond. She gets some (manipulative) council. The wheels fall off the proverbial wagon.

Word Count: ~4,072

Warning: 18+. Targaryen uncle/niece incest (lite, nothing truly weird other than they are both Targaryens), heavy angst, blood, injury, manipulation.

AN: Thank you all so much for the positive feedback regarding the first chapter! From this chapter onward, the wheels are falling off this badboy! We're getting stranded in miseryville! It's alllllllll downhill.

**This series is inspired by Muse's Absolution album. Give it a listen!**

Likes, reblogs, and comments are highly appreciated.

You wished you weren’t right sometimes -like you were at this very moment. The tension had only seemed to rise as toasts were said around the table. Up until this point, your brothers had kept to their word of being on their best behavior. They ignored their uncles for the most part, even as those uncles tried to jab at them with vicious and salacious words. You were proud of them for holding their tongues as you knew neither would’ve done it had they not sworn to it. Alas, there was only so much jabbing one could take when it wasn’t intentionally made in jest but out of maliciousness.

As each offspring stood to say their piece, every person around the table waited on bated breath at the next words to tumble out in prettily-laced spite. Your foot shook nervously under the table as Jace stood along with Aemond. Jace spoke first, still keeping to his word he gave you. It was also for your mother's sake too, you were sure. He was dignified as he extended multiple branches to the family at the other end of the table. Your mother looked proud. Your eyes met Aemond’s over the cacophony of candles and food, and you pleaded with him silently to not speak. Please, you begged in your mind, do not make this worse.

As Jace finished his toast, your family’s side of the table raised their glasses along with the Queen. Your eyes remained locked on Aemond’s until he merely sat back into his chair without a word.

Daemon, ever observant, looked between his nephew and yourself when he felt your shaking foot stop. You closed your eyes as you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. When you opened them, your father was staring at you with a brow raised. The look held the promise of a later conversation, but for now, he’d leave it be.

The King demanded music to cut the tension and Jace, once again, extended his friendliness to the other half of the royal family by offering to dance with Helaena -who agreed wholeheartedly. The King himself did not last much longer and was carted off to rest almost as soon as the music started.

You signaled the cupbearer to refill your wine with a twitch of your hand. As she refilled it, you lost count of how many you had at that point, but you were only just beginning to feel the effects of the sweet wine through the stress.

The night seemed to be leveling itself out, and you had thought that maybe the worst was over. The climax had happened and you -as well as the rest of your family- had gotten through it unscathed. A scoff and giggle to your left from Luke caught your attention. Your eyes followed what caught his eye, and yours widened.

A roasted pig had been laid before Aemond and your previous mention of the Pink Dread made you wince externally. You immediately pinched Luke’s leg from under the table to stop him before he escalated anything.

“Do not,” You warned through tight lips. Sparing a look at Aemond, he seemed to let it go once you had reprimanded the boy, but when Luke ignored you entirely and giggled once more knowing he had Aemond's attention. He did not count on his uncle doing anything about it.

Aemond slammed his fist onto the table and stood. You jumped in your chair with the sudden noise. The music stopped immediately and silence overtook the hall. You held your breath, eyes shifting between Aemond and your brother.

Dread encompassed your entire body as your false sense of security melted away. It felt as if your blood had been drained from you as you heard the words of Aemond's final tribute flow so freely from his lips.

You were left out of his quips about Strong heritage, for obvious Targaryen featured reasons, but the words still hurt you to your core. You looked over to your father who watched along with that look once more. He was entertained by this nonsense as he drank his wine. The Queen tried to silence her son, but he kept speaking under the guise of just how proud he was of his family, just to rile your brothers up into a frenzy. It was like blood in the water of a shark infested lagoon.

The sheer degradation that fell from Aemond's lips stunned you.

Jace left Helaena on the dance floor and took purposeful strides back to the table, ever vigilant in defending your mother’s virtue regardless of the true validity of Aemond’s words. Seeing this as a challenge met, Aemond moved towards Jace. Luke stood as well to jump in, but Aegon immediately shoved his face into a plate of food on the table to humiliate and subdue him.

Your body did not feel as if it was your own when you stood, much to the surprise of your father. He did not move to stop you, though your mother had shouted to not get involved and tried to reach over Daemon to grab you. Just as you did when you were a child, you slithered out of her grasp before she could catch you.

Baela and Rhaena were against the back wall, Baela holding Rhaena from intervening in the pair you had your sights on.

You tried to pull Aegon from Luke to get between them. Food and drink flew from the table. Cutlery and plates clashed to the floor in the struggle. In the flailing of three sets of arms, you nearly had Aegon off of your brother when Aegon's elbow pulled back sharply and hit you square in the face. White hot pain flashed over your eyes as you dropped to the floor within a second, blood gushing from your nose and mouth in a torrent of red.

Baela screamed from behind you at the sight and Aegon looked down to where you fell in shock. Luke took that moment as an opportunity to push the Prince off of him and before he could get his own hit in for maiming his sister, a King’s Guard grabbed his raised arm and pulled him away. Jace, after hearing the scream of his betrothed, abandoned Aemond to charge after the eldest Prince, but was held back by a guard as well.

Rhaena and Baela both dropped to you after pulling cloths free of the table to hold to your face as Aegon scurried back to his family’s side of the room. Every face turned to where you lay sprawled on the floor, yet no one else moved a muscle. Aemond, himself, was horrified but his mind could not will his body to run to you. Not when all of the eyes of the room shifted from you to himself and Aegon.

You did not catch the horrified look from the Queen as she bore witness to the chaos, but when she saw you go down, she could do nothing but watch on in terror, not daring to think of what the outcome of this would be for your fractured families.

Guards continued their hold of your flailing brothers and your mother did not know which child to turn to in order to see you all to safety.

Your choking and sputtering was the only sound in the room, other than the grunts your brothers gave as they tried to break free. Blood poured steadily down your throat, the taste of it turning your stomach something fierce. Your vision did not clear for a few moments, your brain absolutely stunned by the hit.

Your mother held her rounded stomach in stress as she looked down at you splayed on the floor -spitting out your own blood, horrified and absolutely helpless to do anything. You did not know what had been exchanged between the men as the table blocked your view, but when your father kneeled down beside you his face held deep regret.

Daemon pulled you to your feet gently without a word and wrapped an arm around your shoulder to lead you to Jace. The guards let both of your brothers free at his nod, your father giving the boys a silent warning to not act out any further. It did not stop them from glaring daggers across the room to their uncles.

Jace wrapped your arm around his waist and held the bloody cloth to your face as he escorted you from the hall. Your blurry eyes caught Aemond in a silent stand off with your father before the scene cut from your vision as you rounded a corner.

Luke, Baela, and Rhaena followed silently behind.

Your head felt like it was being crushed under a dragon’s foot as you rode through King’s Landing via horseback with your family to prepare for your departure. Your riding clothes felt uncomfortable, rubbing every which way the wrong way. They were no different than they normally were, but you were in pain and you were irritable.

The mood was smothering, just as your head felt. Your nose was definitely broken, as confirmed by the Grandmaester the previous night. He straightened it as much as he could through your screams and tears of pain, and packed your nostrils with cotton to stem the bleeding. Deep butterfly winged bruising cascaded from cheek to cheek and pain radiated from the top of your head to the soles of your feet.

“Are you sure you are well enough to ride?” Your mother asked as her carriage stopped in front of the Dragon Pits. The sights, smells, and sounds of King’s Landing were starting to get to you, shrinking your patience and growing your irritability even further.

“Yes, mother.” Your voice was tight. You tried not to let it slip, but you felt like an injured animal, ready to bite the next hand that came upon you. “I need to get back to Dragonstone as quickly as possible. I will surely throw myself overboard if I have to stay on a ship for the next two weeks with this injury.” She merely looked at you for a solid moment, then nodded with a sad smile from the open window of the carriage where she and little Joffrey were sitting inside. He waved from beside her and you waved back, promising to see him soon.

You dismounted your horse as your party came to a full stop at the steps of the Dragon Pits and hauled your bag over your shoulders. Your father called your name from atop his own steed as you began your ascent up the steps. Turning, you looked to him.

“Do not forget what I told you.” His voice held seriousness to it. “I do this to prolong your life, not ruin it. Please remember that.” A moment passed before you nodded without a word and turned to continue your journey to Maestron.

"It seems you've been up to something..." Daemon started from his seat in front of the fireplace of his solar as you entered. The door wasn't even closed completely before he spoke. "And what I've seen since your arrival to the Red Keep has only confirmed it." You did not open your mouth, merely looked at him carefully. He let you bathe in the uncomfortable silence before he let you in on his knowledge.

“The match will not work,” Your father stated plainly. That knowing grin was planted firmly on his lips, but the look in his eyes told you that this would not be a pleasant conversation.

“The match?” You played dumb, voice nasally from the fresh cotton packed into your nostrils. It would not work, you knew this, but this conversation had already started off on the wrong foot. Your father sighed.

“I know you’ve been conspiring with my nephew. I am not blind to the letters and your secret meetings. I know everything that goes on under my own roof. Seeing it in the gardens yesterday only confirmed my suspicions entirely.” You were stunned. Of course he watched your every move. He was a master schemer, after all. You should've known better. “I am telling you now that this will not work.”

“And why shouldn’t it?” You challenged naively. Surely you had to fight for this? You were still mildly drowsy from the minuscule amount of milk of the poppy that the Grandmaester had given you for comfort, so your thoughts of what had transpired just previously were not entirely clear. “It had the potential to work up until this very moment!” He stood from his seat and stood before you, looking down on you as if you were still a child pulling at his coat for attention. Your father cupped your bruised cheeks carefully in his calloused and scarred hands -just as you had with Luke- and kept his eyes firmly to yours as he spoke with finality.

“You know just as well as I do that when the King dies -and it will be soon-, the seven hells will break loose upon this Kingdom. Rhaenyra will be crowned Queen, but she will not go unchallenged. The Lady Hightower and her father will do all they can to put the little cunt Aegon under a Usurper’s crown. I know this to be true. If they have you, then they have leverage. Your mother would kneel if it meant keeping you safe, do you understand me? Is this a position you would put her in? Put us in? You would be his hostage, not his wife. You, as my daughter -as my flesh- deserve more than that.” His words were sincere, and you admittedly had been shortsighted with the whole affair regarding Aemond.

“He would not hold me hostage. He cares for me, I know he does! You don’t know him like I do, father.” You felt foolish for even arguing, but your heart ached terribly at the reality before you. A tear slid free down your cheek. Daemon’s thumb caught it before it could descend completely.

“I know he puts duty to his mother above all else. There is nothing, and no one, that would come between that. Not even you, dōna hāedar. You saw how he lashed at your brothers, how quick he was to strike when given the opportunity. You think he would not turn that to you eventually?” He did not expect an answer, but he let you think on it. “Do not let fickle matters of the heart cloud your judgment. You are smarter than this. You are fiercer than this. You were born of my flesh, and that entitles you to greatness. He will only bring pain and misery. I need you to trust me with this.” Closing your eyes, you nodded. Like with most things…your father was right. Matters of the heart were fickle and when it came down to it, you would not turn your back to your family.

Your bag felt heavier and heavier with each step into the Great Dragon Hall than it did when you arrived. The vast domed ceilings were always a sight to behold every time you walked through. You began your descent down into the pits through a torch-lit staircase that took you down, down, down, and even deeper still until the staircase opened to the room that housed a shrine of Balerion the Black Dread’s massive skull surrounded by hundreds of burning candles.

Placing your heavy bag onto the ground for a moment’s rest gave your body much needed relief.

“Not even you” rang in your mind. Your chest tightened and you bowed your head, begging the long passed dragon to give you strength.

“My Lady, I was hoping to see you before you departed.” Aemond spoke softly behind you as he materialized from the shadows. “I cannot apologize enough for what transpired last night.”

“You’re right…you cannot.” You turned to let him see you. Aemond’s whole face dropped as he took in your battered face. The bruising and swelling only got worse overnight. A vessel had broken in your left eye, staining the white of it a rich vermillion. He rushed to you, closing the space between you and as Aemond reached his hand to touch you, you took a step out of his reach. His brows furrowed, not understanding your movement. You shook your head, lip quivering with pent up emotion. “I do not know you, it seems.” Aemond’s jaw dropped ever so slightly.

“I do not understand. Of course you know me, just as I know you.”

“If you knew me as you say you do, you would’ve taken one look into my pleading eyes last night and stopped dead in your tracks before the night could’ve erupted the way it did.” You spat. “You and your brother were antagonistic, vicious, and cruel. There was no reason for it-”

“-No reason for it?” His jaw dropped even further.

“No reason for it!” You doubled down, voice echoing in the room. “I know you hold no love for my brothers, Luke least of all. They were on their best behavior. They swore to me that they would be and they were.” Aemond scoffed, laughing humorlessly. His body turned away from you to pace.

“Then you are blind.” He stopped with his words, looking at you once more.

“No,” You shook your head. “I do not fault you in your disdain for Luke. I’ve told him as much. Jace has done nothing to you that you haven’t done to him! Time after time after time he turned the other cheek to you and your brother last night. Had I heard the way Aegon spoke of Baela, he would've left in worse condition than I." Jace had spoken to you when he delivered you to your parents' solar after the fight. You could not believe your ears. "Both you and Aegon were grown men reduced down to children. Joffrey, whose name you also dragged through the mud, would never act in such a way at his age. The things Jace let you get away with saying before he stood up is generous. How many times must you strike a dragon before it strikes back?”

“He is no dragon, my dear.” His grin was cruel as he shook his head. “Or do you have the same delusions as my half-sister?” What you saw of Aemond last night was no illusion, that much was clear. Cruelty truly did nestle itself into him, grasping firmly onto his heart with its poisoned tendrils. You set your face firm as you spoke sternly. Your father’s words continued to ring in your mind.

“Jace is a dragon! Just as Luke is! Just as I am! As is Joffrey. My brothers may not look as I do, but they are of my mother and they have Targaryen fire in their veins all the same.” The pain in your head only got worse as the conversation went on.

“So you too will turn a blind eye to them?” Their legitimacy, is what he meant.

“They know who they are, Aemond.” Your voice held anger. “You need not remind them at every turn as if it is a new discovery!” Aemond looked disappointed with you. He bit his lower lip and took a deep breath to calm himself.

“My heart belongs to you," He breathed. "but my kindness will never extend to them.”

“Then let your indifference! I beg of you! I will not do this any longer, Aemond! My heart cannot take it.”

“And what of mine?” His voice was laced with frustration. “Or is it only your brothers that you hold so dearly?” And bitterness, it would seem. For once, he had begged without saying it, choose me.

“Up until this point I have only shown you kindness and affection. I bent over backwards to assure that last night did not turn out the way it did because I know how they can behave. I’m not blind to it, but it was you and Aegon who could not help yourselves. Never did I think it was you that I would need to worry about.” Heartbreak was clear in your eyes as tears laced your voice, and it killed Aemond to not only see it, but hear it in your words. You continued:

“I shall never again feel the way I felt at that table, Aemond. I should never have to feel that anxiety -that dread and misery- in your presence, something that I craved and welcomed wholeheartedly just hours before.” You shook your head, letting your tears fall. “You did not care, Aemond. As I bled on the floor because of your brother's recklessness, you did not care. All that mattered was making sure my brothers were nestled squarely under your boot at every turn and I will not stand idly by while that continues to happen.” Aemond had been reprimanded his whole life by his mother, his father, his grandsire. The list went on and on. None of them, however, hurt the way this did.

“The man I witnessed last night was not the Aemond who spirited me away in the fields of Rosby in the cover of night. He was not the Aemond in your letters. He was not the Aemond who greeted my arrival not two days ago. He was not the Aemond who has caressed me and given his affections so wholly to me." You panted as you caught your breath. "Have I slighted you?" You pointed to yourself. "Wronged you in any way that would warrant your cruel treatment? Every lash you extend to them hits me just as hard and it absolutely shatters my heart, Aemond.”

“You are not them and you refuse to see it!" His voice raised. "By coddling those boys, you give them no consequences! Consequences they’ve never faced in their lives! Constantly they are shielded regardless of what they do, while I deal with the brunt of the punishment just as I am now! So yes, you have slighted me!” His voice, normally stoic and contained, held raw emotion as he fought back. Laughing humorlessly through your tears, you replied:

“To you I coddle them! To them I coddle you! It seems I cannot win.” Aemond could see the defeat in your eyes, the sagging of your shoulders, as clear as day. The air hung heavy between you as silent tears continued to fall.

“If we were to marry,” Aemond started once he got himself together. “would you still run to their side with every call?” You didn’t want to answer, so instead you deflected.

“You still believe there is a chance that we could marry?” You asked rhetorically, brows furrowed. “Has your mother given her approval as a final means to bring the family together?” You laughed cruelly, knowing that was the only reason she would agree -if she even agreed to begin with.

“Do not deflect.” He spoke through gritted teeth, seeing right through you.

“They are my brothers, Aemond!” You shouted, making Aemond flinch just the slightest bit. “My flesh and blood! I know it hurts you to hear it, but I will not turn my back on them! I will not choose between my brothers and the man that I love.” Your voice was stern, eyes pleading. “The man that I love would not make me choose.” Shaking your head once more, you wiped the tears from your face gently. “This will not work, Aemond.” You shuttered as you spoke. Aemond felt a painful twitch behind his sapphire as he remembered his mother’s words from the night before.

Alicent stared at Aemond as if he had grown a second head from his shoulders, stunned by his words. The stress of the catastrophic dinner, in no short part due to the man standing before her, still weighed heavily upon her shoulders. Her frown seemed to pull her face down even further.

“You think Rhaenyra, much less Daemon, would willingly hand their only daughter over to you on a silver platter after what transpired tonight? Has your mind left you completely?” Aemond had the wherewithal to look down in shame. “They would never do it, and I do not blame them for it.” Aemond schooled his features, as he taught himself to do long ago, and straightened his back as he looked to his mother.

“It would bring the families together, just as father wants.” Rarely did Aemond try to please his ailing father. Not anymore, anyways, but he was grasping for anything that would stick. “Rhaenyra would do it if he commanded it, you know this. As his final request to her, she would fulfill it.” He reasoned, “Father wants peace between the families and this is the way to do it.”

“My sweet son,” Alicent held his shoulders as she shook her head, tears lining her eyes. “I fear the division has been cleaved too great. This will not work.”

“I beg you to reconsider,” Aemond approached you slowly. When you did not move out of his reach, he caressed just behind your ear with the gentlest of touches. “There are no excuses for my behavior, past or present, and I take full responsibility for everything that transpired last night. For this,” His thumb ghosted over the bruised apple of your cheek. “There is nothing I could do to warrant your forgiveness for this.” Your hands came up to rest on his strong forearms, the muscles tensing beneath your fingertips.

“I know he puts duty to his mother above all else. There is nothing, and no one, that would come between that. Not even you, dōna hāedar. You saw how he lashed at your brothers, how quick he was to strike when given opportunity. You think he would not turn that to you?” You heard your father’s voice and you made your decision. You removed Aemond’s hands and held them between you. You squeezed them as you spoke.

“To fight the inevitable is foolish. This is something neither of us will compromise on, Aemond.” You began, voice devoid of emotion. “You’ve always held duty in the highest regard, and I do not fault you for that as I too have a duty of my own that I must adhere to.” It hurt you to look at Aemond, but you owed him your sincerity at the very least. “I love you, and I will probably always love you, but I cannot,” Your voice choked. “I cannot do this. When it comes down to it-”

“-You would not choose me.” His voice was broken, shattered. Devastation created a film over his remaining eye as he looked down at you. Once more he has been overlooked for his nephews. He felt the proverbial blade push and twist. It was a feeling he was familiar with. He only wished it was real.

Your eyes mirrored his as you looked back at him earnestly.

“Would you choose me?” Over your mother, over Helaena was the implication. Silence followed.

Taglist: @nina2697 @visenyaverse @crazymusicgirl104

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen one shot #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond targaryen #hotd #house of the dragon #house of the dragon imagine #hotd x reader #hotd imagine #hotd fanfic #game of thrones imagine #x reader #angst #spoils of war

222 notes · View notes

watercolorfreckles · 1 year

Text

Of Oak and Sparrow

(Part 2 of The Girl Called Sparrow)

Sparrow returned to the fallen oak tree one final time.

To her, it was a skeleton. A creaking spine wrapped in an armor of bark that, in the end, wasn't strong enough to keep the true monsters at bay.

The sleeping hill was a graveyard beneath the weight of the tree that once crowned it.

Its branches reached toward the sky like bony fingers. The wind whispered through its foliage to pluck down the browning decay. Those same leaves crunched beneath the sole of her boot. She imagined her faerie's hair muting into an earthy brown to match it.

Sparrow traced the scars in the exposed wood. Each mark splitting the stump was an open wound. Its roots and its core were a bleeding heart, severed from the rest of its great height and graceful limbs.

In the tree rings, she saw his fingerprint. Her Kind Oak. The fae who'd held her heart in his hands and treated it with gentleness.

Her tears soaked into the wood's cracks and grooves, fingers tightening around the acorn that promised her a chance at a future.

The encroaching winter drained the life of the forest away. When Sparrow left her home, it felt as a hollow corpse.

She walked until her feet ached and her body swayed with exhaustion. She sank down against the cover of a mossy knoll, eyelids begging for rest. But it would be of poor manner not to acknowledge her hosts.

Sparrow picked three long strands of grass and weaved them into a ring, testing it on her own finger before sliding it off and tucking it into the knot of a tree.

She spoke aloud to any fae that might be near. Listening. Waiting. "I apologize for my intrusion. I am merely passing through, and am most grateful for your hospitality as I take a night's rest. I left you a gift in the hole of that tree. I hope you take no offense to my presence."

Shivering even beneath the thick wool of her cloak, she let her eyelids drop closed as the night swallowed her up.

Sparrow awoke to a pale sun and frost on her lashes. Her breath formed clouds in the morning chill. Scrubbing the sleep from her eyes, her hand slipped into her pocket, seeking the familiar comfort of her Oak's acorn.

Her heart lurched. She checked again. It wasn't there.

Straightening, she scrabbled through the crust of frost coating the ground around her, searching with a despair that made her dizzy. "No- Where--"

"Tell me, I am dreadfully curious, what is so valuable about this acorn?" spoke a voice like crushed velvet.

Sparrow jolted, swiveling around. Her breath caught.

Before her was a fae that glistened like a winter star. His eyes held the glint of cold steel. A knife's edge, harrowing and beautiful all at once. The gently falling snow avoided him in its path.

Pinched between his moon-pale fingers, was her acorn.

Sparrow's heart gave another awful tug.

She reached for it before she could stop herself. The acorn disappeared into the fae's fist as his lips lifted into a flash of pearly teeth. A little too sharp and a little too amused. Something about it reminded her of the maw of a hungry cat.

Sparrow swallowed. She dropped to her knees. "Forgive me. You startled me."

"Such a pretty gift," the faerie murmured. He lifted his other hand, the ring she'd offered up wrapped around his index finger. Surely he was mocking her. It looked terribly simple against the porcelain of his skin. "It is refreshing to meet a human who still knows the old ways. Are you going to answer my question or do I need to repeat myself?"

Sparrow's fingers twisted in her lap. Her blood ran cold. "I need that acorn to resurrect one who is dear to me."

The fae hummed, holding up the acorn again and glancing it over. "This is magik born of the fae wilds."

Her stare tracked his hand as if he were carelessly handling glass. "I have no knowledge of its origin. Only that the tree this acorn fell from was tethered to a fae who could not leave its shadow. The tree was cut down. I need to plant that acorn to give him renewed life."

The fae's smile was that of a predator toying with its prey because it found the creature's helplessness against it adorable. He crouched in front of her, nimbly balanced on the balls of his arched feet.

His head tilted. "Give me your name and I'll return your precious acorn to you."

"That, I cannot give you," Sparrow said softly. "My acorn is no use to me if I am too intoxicated by your sway to plant it."

"What difference does it make?" The fae's cadence was the crackling of a candle flame; the sparks that rain down from a shooting star. "Even if you plant the seed, years will pass before it grows tall enough to harbor your fae in its shadow; a great many years longer than if this were an ordinary acorn. Magik born of the faerie realm behaves as the fae wilds do. Time is of little consequence there. A moment is stretched for decades.

"Humans age in an instant. What will your dear one think of you when time creases your face and steals your youth? What will happen when you fall away to dust and your love is trapped alone in the confines of a shadow?"

It took the taste of metal in her mouth to realize she'd bitten down on her lip. Her insides swam.

Her mother's voice was clear in her head:

Do not make dealings with the fae.

Follow the rules of fae etiquette.

Do not owe anything to the fae. They will always collect.

But if he could magik a better way... If she could see her love again...

Sparrow forced the fear from her voice. Fae hated weakness, her mind screamed. "Will you make a deal with me?"

The faerie's wicked smile split further across his perfect face. "I was hoping you'd ask."

Look at meeee, i posted twice in a little over one week

General Taglist: @pinned-to-the-wahl, @valiantlytransparentwhispers, @distance-does-not-matter, @redbircl, @lilaccatholic, @crazytwentythrees-deactivated, @thelazywitchphotographer, @chibicelloking, @lolafaiy, @thinkwrite5, @putridghost, @tobeornottobeateacher, @sunflower1000, @bouncyartist, @feyriddle , @yet-another-heathen, @silverwhisperer1, @distractedlydistracted, @pensivespacepirate, @appleejuicee, @deflated-bouncingball @maybe-a-cat42

, @m0chik0furan, @mercurymomentum, @fairysprinkles, @vuvulia, @amongtheonedaisy, @rose-pinkie, @trappedgoose-in-a-writblr-room, @scorpio-smiles, @inkygemuwu, @wolfeyedwitch, @thewhumpmeisterx3000, @ikiiryo, @moonquires, @lem-hhn, @fanastywhump, @smallangryfish, @ladybookworm @freefallingup13, @acaiaforrest, @a-blue-comedy , @puppyaddict, @talkingsperm, @qualitychaoslover, @deckofaces,@7eselt, @annablogsposts, @lunatic-moss-studio, @medusas-hairband

#my writing #writeblr #fantasci tumblr #fantasci #fantasy drabble #fantasy romance #writers of tumblr #creative writing #fable #writing drabble #writing snippet #fairytale #fae #fae x human #fae folk #faeries #hero x villain

124 notes · View notes

lucianalight · 5 months

Text

Connections between Gods of Stories: Breaking the Cycle and Rewriting Reality

From "Loki God of Stories - A Comparison between MCU and Comics" series - Co-Written by @lucianalight (Luci) and @theitcharchives (Hollow)

Ouroboros, the snake that devours its own tail, is an ancient symbol of birth and rebirth in a never ending cycle for eternity. It appears in many mythologies around the world including Norse mythology, with the serpent Jörmungandr encircling the world with its tail in its mouth.

Like an ouroboros, Loki is trapped repeating certain moments again and again, but no matter what he tries, the outcome doesn’t change. In the comics, it’s him trying to escape the role of villain and Ragnarok. In the series, it’s him trying to find other ways besides killing Sylvie and saving the tyrant who takes away everyone’s free will in exchange for constrained stability, or letting everyone decide and allow the basis for a multiversal war. There is also a nice parallel between comics and MCU here. In comics kid Loki wanted Loki to choose his path aka die as himself. Classic Loki wanted him to choose the old role. And in MCU Loki could either die with the destruction of all universes or kill Sylvie and become a villain. It's a recurring cycle in both mcu and comics. Loki either dies a hero or has some scheme(betrayal, escape, etc).

But series Loki doesn’t like either option. So he finds another way, like comics Loki. For the people he loves, for everyone, and for himself. And I (=Luci) can’t help but think that “For you, for all of us” in a way is breaking the fourth wall. Loki’s also saying it to us who love him and followed his story all these years.

“It’s not your story. It never was.” [Renslayer, S1E1]

When Loki asks “how does it all end?”, Mobius answers: “It’s a work in progress...They’re untangling the epilogue from its infinite branches.” Not far from the truth, actually. There was a point after which HWR couldn’t predict anymore what would happen: it was Loki time slipping, again and again, until he made the final decision of replacing the equation. The end wouldn’t be clear before Loki arrives in the TVA and before he starts his Journey from there in season 2. The multiverse fate depended on the decision he would take in the future.

Each time Like time slips, the cycle repeats:

Sylvie kills HWR

The loom overloads and deletes branches except scared timeline which causes HWR's reincarnation(Remember while Loki does remember all his time slippings HWR doesn’t)

in sacred timeline Loki escapes with the Tesseract

TVA gets him until he reaches HWR’s citadel with Sylvie

return to number 1,

until Loki destroys the loom and creates the tree and the loop(1 to 4 repetition) breaks.

So the cycle starts with Loki getting to the TVA until it breaks with Loki always keeping the timelines alive. It is a dynamic similar to what happens in Sandman S1E11, A Dream of a thousand cats. When the cat asks Dream of the Endless if a world dominated by humans and not cats was the actual reality, Dream replied that it had always been so once the humans dreamed of it. So the narrative strand of the cats’ world and of the humans’ world can exist in parallel, as HWR’s reign and Loki’s reign do–there was always a sacred timeline, until Loki replaced it with Yggdrasil that always existed (which is why Doctor Strange was able to see billions of outcomes in IW).

So now, there are two parallel narratives, one where time was always constrained into the sacred timeline which led to the happenings of the season one and two, and one where Loki has always sat in Yggdrasil and held the timelines. The first narrative has always been true, until Loki disrupted it, and now the second narrative has always been true (like the humans dream-changing the world as it has always been).

This needs to be true for both the beginning and the end of the series to exist. So Loki substituting the narrative is him reshaping reality, retelling the story of the universe. Which makes him this universe's God of Stories. Even God of the Story, if we consider his Yggdrasil the creation myth that spawns all others.

There were other examples of the loop too, most notably Ouroboros himself. Was OB inspired by Timely or vice versa? Who came up with that knowledge first? Who was there first? HWR, Timely or OB?(It is my personal idea that this very thing was what actually led to OB being named like that, and the Ouroboros parallels are Luci’s mind connecting dots -Hollow)

This is how comics Loki defeats the gods sitting above in the shadows. Did the gods create humans, or did the humans create their gods? What about gods of gods? Who created who first? It's a never ending loop. A never-ending story. Just like how Loki’s story was cycling in a loop.

From the ancient Egyptian to now “the loop – so often represented by the ouroboros – has been inextricably bound to our concept of time.”[s]

I (=Luci) have to appreciate how the series keeps the theme and lore through both seasons and connects it to the ouroboros mythology. The sacred timeline is shown as a circle surrounding the HWR’s castle. “The ouroboros in its original Egyptian context symbolizes repetition, renewal, and the eternal cycle of time.”[s] And when HWR is talking about managing the timeline it is shown as a circle around him. Like how “In the more widespread Roman variant of Iranian Mithraism, Zurvan, symbolizing ‘boundless time’, is depicted with an ouroboros entwined around his body.”[s]

“The Renaissance-era alchemists saw the ouroboros as something to break out of in pursuit of a linear, rather than cyclical, eternity”.[s] When Loki breaks the cycle by becoming the god of stories, the timelines shape Yaggardsil, tree of life. A tree of stories just like how comics showed the stories as a tree.

The existence of everyone’s stories depended on him. Loki became the god of stories by giving everyone the chance to write their own stories. The story was always about him. For all time, always.

Source: The ancient symbol that spanned millennia

Previous - Next

#loki #loki series #loki meta #loki tv show #god of stories #comics loki #agent of asgard #ouroboros

26 notes · View notes

perhaps-in-anotherdream · 1 year

Text

[CN] Victor’s Sea Voyage Date (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 寻海之约, that is yet to be released on the global server! ♡

[Translation under the cut]

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

【Subbed Video】

[Notes from Anika]: There’s obviously a long analysis +rambling at the end of the post. But for those of you who wish to read it, but are directly gonna head to the subtitle and don’t want to scroll all the way down later, you can find the analysis +rambling here too: ♡♡

youtube

──────────────────

【Transcript】

【Chapter 1】

The weather is sunny and cloudless~ Truly a great day for going out to sea! The beach is covered in pristine, white gravel without any footprints~ What a perfect canvas to write something on!

I casually pick up a twig and write on the sandy beach: “Victor is the universe’s No. 1––”

Before I can finish the last stroke of my writing, the branch unearths a beautiful shell as I pull it out from the sand.

I hurriedly bend down to pick it up. But as soon as I do, seeing my already bulging pockets causes me to feel distressed.

Victor: I told you to wait on the boat. Why are you sunbathing here by yourself?

Victor’s voice drifts from behind me, and as I turn to look, he is already walking toward me in large strides. The sea breeze ruffles his bangs and swells out his slightly open shirt.

I trot over to him and show him the seashell I’ve just picked up.

MC: I found another lovely little shell, but look at my pockets…

I pat my two pockets, which generates a solid and heavy sound of seashells clashing together.

MC: So, I’ve decided to bury this seashell under the writing “Vic” over there.

I point to the words I’ve written on the beach to show him.

MC: When we come back, I’ll dig it out of the sand again.

He looks up at the words written on the beach and nods his head in a manner as if he is very much in earnest.

Victor: You’re really genius to have come up with such a brilliant idea.

Victor: When we return, it will be high tide, and the water will come up to the shore, possibly reaching the spot we are standing right now. Do you think these words will still be there by then?

The teasing in his words is very obvious.

Victor: If you want to express that I’m the universe’s No. 1 dummy…

Victor: When it comes to the “dummy” discussion, I really don’t think I can be considered the No. 1 in your presence.

MC: Ahem! Mm… you’re right, though. So, I have come up with an even more genius idea!

I directly reach into Victor’s pants pocket and put the small seashell inside.

MC: The safest option is to keep it here!

Victor seems unable to refute, so he once again directs his gaze to the words written on the beach.

Victor: So, in your eyes, I’m the universe’s No. 1 safe-keeper?

MC: That’s not it.

I stumble over my words.

MC: …I haven’t thought about what I want to write yet.

I initially wanted to write that Victor is the universe’s No. 1 big dummy!

I turn my head and ponder my unfinished “masterpiece” multiple times, but I’m still unable to come up with anything.

MC: It doesn’t matter. Let’s get on the boat first. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll get some inspiration after seeing your performance today!

Victor: [dragging out teasingly] Performance?

Victor savors the word, the hint of a smile tinges his eyes, and he reaches out his hand to me.

Victor: Let’s go.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 2】

The sea’s winds and waves are gentle, and the boat rocks only slightly. The real-time footage transmitted by the drone is displayed on the tablet computer in Victor’s hands.

In the footage, a dolphin leaps out of the water and then dives back in, swimming its way to the northeast underwater.

MC: Does it still recognize the route to its home?

Victor: It’s smarter than you.

I pout, deciding to not comment.

Several weeks ago, LFG Marine Foundation rescued a stranded dolphin. And today, we’ve come to the sea to send it back home to its marine environment.

—

───── [Flashback Begins] ─────

MC: It looks very dispirited.

Victor: The doctor just gave it a shot and medication, but it won’t have an immediate effect. We’ll need to keep it under observation for some time.

The stranded dolphin has been rescued and is now being adequately taken care of in the oceanarium the foundation is preparing to build.

It’s lying on its stomach in the pool, with its head drooping, resembling a listless puppy.

MC: Would it still be able to return to the sea?

Victor: After complete recovery, there may be a spell during which it will receive wildness training. If everything goes well, it can be released back into the sea.

Victor: If you feel concerned, you can come and visit it often.

—

In the following days, the stranded dolphin is nursed back to health in the oceanarium with utmost care and gradually recovers day by day. And with my feeding from time to time, it quickly develops a friendship with me too.

The only problem is that I don’t know what to call it, resorting to always using “hey” or “come here” to communicate. Victor suggests that I give the dolphin a name.

MC: But it’s not my pet…

Victor: Friends can also give each other nicknames.

Victor looks at me somewhat meaningfully–– the answer is already ready to appear on the call.

I crouch down and pet its head in the pool.

MC: Let’s call you “Dum-Dum,” then. As Victor often says, dummies usually have good luck. You’ll surely recover soon and return to the ocean where you belong.

—

[Anika’s notes]: I honestly struggled to come up with a good translation for the nickname LMAO. MC named the dolphin 笨笨 (BenBen), taking the first character from the nickname 笨蛋 (Bendan - dummy) Victor calls her. The fun here is that the character “笨” independently means “silly/dummy.” The “蛋” term is complementary in 笨蛋. So, using only 笨 for the nickname still means calling the dolphin “dummy.” MC simply used iteration (笨笨) cause it sounds cutesy in Chinese haha~ 🥺💕

───── [Flashback Ends] ─────

—

MC: I didn’t realize how quickly time would pass. In the blink of an eye, it’s already time to send it home.

Victor hands me the tablet and points to the route displayed on the screen.

Victor: Dr. Yu said that as long as Dum-Dum moves a certain distance from the coast, we don’t need to continue observing it.

Victor: It has already reached home.

There is no longer any sign of Dum-Dum’s figure in the real-time footage. The azure sea is as serene as ever.

That smart little dolphin must have already made it back to its familiar nest and is now reuniting with its family and friends from whom it had been separated for a long time.

MC: This heartless little Dum-Dum! Forgot about its good friend as soon as it got home!

MC: I wonder if I’ll ever have the opportunity to see it again in the future…

Victor takes the tablet from my hands and turns off the signal source.

Victor: Who knows? Perhaps you will meet again next time you guys go to the sea.

MC: Mm… hmm? Hold on–– did I catch the keyword right? Does it mean that CEO Victor has decided to support my new show?

About two weeks ago, an Evolver who previously participated in “Finding Miracles” contacted us seeking assistance.

It’s highly likely that there are a few surviving individuals of a fish species that has already been declared extinct. But this year’s monsoon weather is unusual. And it means that if no action is taken, they may not survive winter.

This guest has never been wrong with their predictions about marine life activities, and I really want to join them on a sea expedition to search for this fish species and film a program about it.

…even setting aside how the result of this filming will be, this trip out to sea will take me several months at the very least.

Victor: Are you saying that if I don’t support it, you won’t film the show?

Victor: I’ve noticed you’ve been working till midnight every day recently. Isn’t it because you’ve been occupied with this project?

MC: Hehe, I really can’t hide anything from CEO Victor.

When I talked to Victor about this project before any concrete plan was on the drawing board, he didn’t even express any opinion and left the decision up to me.

But after spending some time with Dum-Dum, I developed a new appreciation for the ocean, and as a result, I decided to start preparing for the project.

Victor: You’ve met Dr. Yu from the foundation. He is an expert in marine biology and is very interested in your project. He would like to join you guys on the journey.

Victor: Earlier at the dock, you already saw the ship, drones for aerial photography, and underwater equipment needed for the sea expedition. I will be providing all of these for you.

Victor: Instead of letting you go around seeking investments everywhere and owing favors to others, I’d rather you owe me that favor.

MC: Woah–– CEO Victor, you’re so generous…

Seeing that I’m about to get up enthusiastically to express my “sincere gratitude,” Victor reaches out and pushes me back down.

Victor: [laughs softly] I’m not done yet.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 3】

The surface of the sea glistens clearly in the sunlight, reflecting Victor’s lightly smiling profile.

Victor: Modern-day technology is capable of solving 90% of maritime emergencies. So, I don’t have concerns regarding your safety issue.

MC: …but shouldn’t you still worry a little bit? After all, I’ll be drifting alone on the ocean for several months.

Victor: It’s not the era of Titanic anymore. Besides, you won’t be alone.

Seeing me deliberately putting on an expression of feeling wronged, Victor appears slightly contemplative.

Victor: The show’s concept is great. But the topic of rescuing endangered species is always controversial and can cause public opinion disputes. So, you need to come up with a corresponding plan to ensure LFG’s stock price doesn’t get negatively affected.

MC: Huh? Oh…

Met with my half-hearted response, Victor’s tone elevates slightly.

Victor: It’s business.

MC: Of course, CEO Victor. Noted!

After a slight pause of two seconds, Victor speaks again.

Victor: Furthermore, I’m lending you experts and equipment, but you must comply with one condition of mine.

MC: Please, go ahead~

Victor finally looks at me with an earnest expression, a smile gracing his lips.

Victor: [chuckles softly] Call me every day to let me know you’re safe and sound.

I prop my chin up, wearing a troubled expression.

MC: But the signal reception is poor when out at sea...

Victor: There is no such problem with satellite phones.

Inwardly amused, I stretch out my hand and gently run my fingertips over his forearm, tracing my way up from where he is holding onto the boat’s railing until I reach the sleeve folded at his elbow.

MC: Victor, you must miss me a lot when I leave, won’t you?

Victor picks up the camera nonchalantly and adjusts the parameters.

Victor: If I’m not busy, I might think about you once in a while.

Not receiving a satisfactory answer, I tug at his sleeve.

MC: But CEO Victor… for the next few months, you will have to go home alone after work, eat alone, and feed the cat alone…

MC: And amidst a pile of taxing work, you will also have to wait anxiously for a phone call from the sea.

My fingertips trail up his arm and linger on his neck, straightening the collar that has been blown askew by the wind.

MC: When the time comes, I’m sure you will miss me terribly.

Victor helplessly removes my hand resting on his neckline.

Victor: We are on a boat. Sit tight.

However, instead of letting go of my hand, he gently strokes the backs of my fingers with his own.

Victor: You’re about to set sail towards the stars and the sea, yet you’re still worried about whether or not I will miss you often?

MC: Of course. Because I will miss you like crazy.

I gently caress his palm, trying to engrave every grain on it in my memory.

MC: If it weren’t for you waiting for me, I’d truly be someone adrift on the sea all alone.

MC: When you have no home to return to, even freedom doesn’t seem valuable anymore.

I look up and carefully observe Victor’s slightly upturned lips, then continue to speak unhurriedly.

MC: So every day after setting sail, I will keep thinking about you all the time and take notes of every moment of my voyage…

MC: I will look forward to our reunion on the journey back and telling you about everything I’ve seen and experienced on the vast sea under the starry sky in our time apart.

With abundant patience, Victor waits for me to finish my speech, then cups my hand directly into his palm.

Victor: All these grand reasonings, just for coaxing me into saying I will miss you?

MC: What I said was…

Suddenly, the sound of dolphins comes from the sea surface, and I immediately lift my head––

MC: Dum-Dum!

It’s not only Dum-Dum! While we weren’t noticing, four or five dolphins appeared around our boat at some point, leaping and diving in the water surrounding us.

MC: Dum-Dum, come here!

Seeing me wave my hand, Dum-Dum takes the initiative to approach our boat and advances with us.

MC: Victor, look–– Our friendship is still strong. At least, it didn’t forget about me as soon as it got home.

Victor: You look ahead.

–

Amidst the cerulean sea and sky, four or five dolphins swim alongside our boat, jumping and diving up and down. Victor seeks to capture the moment by picking up his camera and framing the scene.

The sea breeze tousles the tips of his hair, drawing his entire being into the unbounded and more liberating expanse of the turquoise sky.

A dolphin, slightly chubbier than Dum-Dum, suddenly propels itself out of the water, carving a beautiful arc in the air before crashing back into the sea with a resounding splash.

Under the leadership of this dolphin, all the other dolphins follow suit, playfully jumping and competing with each other in response to the undulating waves.

Splish, splash! Water sprays all around, wetting Victor’s bangs and shirt. And as for me, I cheer Dum-Dum on enthusiastically.

MC: HAHAHA! Dum-Dum, you’re such a dummy! You’re about to be left behind by them! Hurry up! Catch up with them!

At this very moment, Victor suddenly aims the camera at me. And within just a few seconds, the shutter clicks away several times.

When I snap out of my reverie, he has already set aside the camera and is beaming at me with a smile.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 4】

MC: Victor, shall we stop the boat and let them come closer?

Victor: Dr. Yu said that Dum-Dum has gotten accustomed to living independently of human support with great difficulty, so we shouldn’t approach it too closely.

But when Victor sees Dum-Dum calling out to me from the sea, he hesitates for a moment before eventually stopping the boat.

Victor: [sighs helplessly] You can only play for a short while.

MC: Yes, sir!

I lean over the boat’s rail and shout loudly at Dum-Dum––

MC: DUM-DUM! WE MAY NOT HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. BE GOOD, AND LET ME TAKE THE MOST STUNNING PHOTO OF YOU!

As Dum-Dum pokes its head out of the water, I scramble to take out my phone.

MC: AHHHHHHHHH––

Victor is checking the photos he has just taken with his head lowered when my practically deafening scream startles him so much that he is left looking dumbfounded.

MC: My phone has dropped!

I stand in the spot where my phone has just slipped from my grasp, craning my neck to look again and again.

Victor’s bewildered expression lasts for a fleeting second before he quickly shakes his head with a subdued expression. I know all too well what this look means–– what he is simply trying to say is…

Victor: [chuckles softly] I wasn’t thinking of calling you “dummy.”

Out of the blue, Dum-Dum pops up from the sea and promptly tosses my phone into the boat with its head.

The entire thing happens in a span of five seconds, and the transition from sadness to joy is so abrupt that I’m left dumbfounded. Wide-eyed, I stare blankly into Dum-Dum’s tiny eyes.

Victor, who witnessed the entire episode, suddenly laughs out loud.

Victor: [elated laugh] MC, how could you dare to name it Dum-Dum?

I pick up my phone I’ve just regained and check it thoroughly–– Great, great, it’s not damaged.

MC: Oh, right! There are fish in the cabin. I’ll go and get them for you!

Carrying a heart filled with gratitude, I bring all the fresh fish from Victor’s cabin.

MC: Dum-Dum, you’re the smartest and cutest dolphin in the whole world! Thank you for saving my phone from premature death…

MC: All these fish are for you!

I find myself a pair of gloves and put them on before throwing a raw fish from the bucket to Dum-Dum. Seeing how busy I am, Victor reaches out and fixes my hair windblown hair.

Victor: The fish was on my boat. What’s up with this presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers?

—

[Tidbits]: The music from here is his 6th birthday music btw~ T__T

Of course, I know what he is hinting at, but I deliberately pretend not to hear him. However, suddenly, Dum-Dum leaps up and gently brushes against Victor’s cheek.

MC: Woah!

If I understand correctly, it gave Victor–– a kiss.

Victor’s expression is replaced by a rare look of astonishment, and his hand holding the camera wavers slightly for a moment. What a shame! The moment was so fleeting that I couldn’t capture it on camera.

After Dum-Dum returns to the sea, Victor touches the water droplets on his cheek and sweeps his gaze over my face, who is laughing heartily.

Victor: I wonder who Dum-Dum learned to do that from.

White seagulls glide swiftly over our heads, flying toward the direction where the sun is hanging high.

As I gaze out at the sea, the friendly dolphins keep trying to playfully interact with me. I take a cue from them and lean over the boat’s side, gently tapping my head with Victor’s.

MC: Do you see how it’s swimming back and forth in a circle? Is it trying to tell us something?

As if to confirm my guess, Dum-Dum jumps up again and gently touches its head to mine.

MC: Victor, do you think it’s trying to thank us? Probably it’s thanking us for helping it?

MC: We humans express our feelings through kisses, and perhaps dolphins do the same too?

Victor: Is that so?

Victor lowers his gaze, speaking in a whispered tone as if he’s suddenly realized something.

Victor: Humans express their feelings through kisses, do they?

MC: Mhm… that’s right.

Receiving the implication in his words, I pretend to play with Dum-Dum and splash water, while my mind is quietly counting down the seconds.

At the end of the countdown, I’ll seize the moment when he isn’t paying attention and… kiss him.

Five, four, three…

Victor suddenly bends down and plants a kiss on my cheek.

MC: …

MC: [blushing] How come I lost to you again…

Victor: I’m expressing my feelings to you right now, aren’t I?

Victor doesn’t wait for my response and directly throws me the answer. Though he speaks in a seemingly nonchalant tone, a profound tenderness is nestled within.

Victor: A scene like this before us is only possible when you are by my side.

Victor: This is also the reason why I support your freedom to explore the world freely to the maximum extent possible.

Victor: Like Dum-Dum, I am the recipient of your unconditional love and your meticulous care in every possible way. And so, I can’t help but reciprocate these feelings to you.

His voice is engulfed by the crashing waves, but it still sinks heavily into my ears.

Victor: Maybe it’s just the innate nature of all living beings–– just like how it’s for Dum-Dum, it’s the same for me too.

I slowly look into his eyes. His gaze hides within it many words that are yet to be spoken, but my heart already understands them all.

MC: Victor today seems a bit different, doesn’t he?

Victor doesn’t offer me any rebuttal. Instead, he simply withdraws his gaze and gestures for me to look at the time.

Victor: We should let Dum-Dum go now.

MC: Yes!

I exhale deeply and wave my hand toward Dum-Dum.

MC: It’s time for us to head back. We can’t keep playing with you any longer. You’re all good now, so hurry up and go home!

MC: If an opportunity arises in the future, we may cross paths again!

This time, I purposely refrain from calling it “Dum-Dum.”

I hope it can remember the time we had never met and how it lived so freely in this uninhibited and boundless sea.

As if understanding my words, Dum-Dum calls out twice from the sea surface and swiftly joins its companions as they swim into the wider ocean.

Victor and I stand on the deck, gazing at the dolphins breaking through the tranquil sea surface. Every time they soar upwards, the waves are refracted into a spectrum of colorful light beneath the sunlight.

MC: Victor.

Victor: Hm?

I lift myself on my toes and steal a kiss on his cheek.

MC: I feel like… I am the one who is always being looked after by you, receiving too much of your love and care. And so, I can’t help but reciprocate these feelings to you.

Victor presses his lips together, and his gaze slowly lingers on the coastline as we make our way back.

Victor: So, have you thought about what I’m “No. 1 in the universe” for?

MC: Aw~ I see now. So you said all those deeply moving words today, just for coaxing me into praising you~

Victor: Those weren’t emotional enough to be deeply moving.

Victor’s tone is unhurried, speaking calmly.

Victor: I’m going to miss you terribly when you leave.

Victor: Amidst a pile of taxing work, I will wait anxiously for a phone call from the sea every day.

Though in a somewhat silly manner, I nod my head in understanding, satisfied as I take Victor’s hand in mine.

MC: Hmm… I’ve thought about it.

With my fingertips, I write two words on his palm. Victor watches me intently as I make one stroke after another, leaving traces in his palm.

MC: Never mind what you’re No. 1 in the universe or No. 1 in the world for. In any case, in my heart, only these two words can describe you most accurately.

These two words represent the sufficient tacit understanding and thoughtfulness between us every day, and they also represent the beginning and end point of every journey I embark upon.

Using this same hand that I have so attentively stroked, Victor wraps me in his arms in a habitual manner.

Victor: [the most euphoric of sighs as if holding the entire universe in his arms and yet feeling as light as a feather] …

There’s no need to add any superfluous prefixes or embellishments. In my heart, there are only two words that can describe the name “Victor”––

My Beloved.

──

[Tidbits]: The term MC wrote is “爱人”, which actually means “spouse” i.e., you won’t casually refer to your girlfriend/boyfriend/lover as 爱人, unless they are the person you call “home”~ 🥺💕

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[Anika’s Ramblings + what seems like an analysis LOL]

──

#SCREAMING CRYING THROWING HANDS INTO AIR KNOCKING ON HEAVENS DOOR #and i truly do appreciate if you actually read through the 1.39K words analysis and ramblings LOL #I CANNOT TELL YOU ENOUGH JUST HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS MAN AND THESE TWO DUMMIES 🙏😭❤️#mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc #mr love victor #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #李泽言 #love and producer #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc translations

108 notes · View notes

youreobsessedwithtoomanyfandoms · 9 months

Text

Don't Let Me Go (Part 1)

Words: 2664

Warnings: language, talk of alcohol/alcohol consumption, regret, Leon being a dick but for a kinda good reason, maybe ooc characters and probably bad writing

Resident Evil Masterlist Main Masterlist Join My Taglist

This also was originally written for my OC Tiffany (Whose info on her/original story will eventually be available on this account @imnotobsessedwfictionalchracters )

Leon and Hunnigan are PROBABLY OOC (as I suck at not being able to keep them from being OOC)

Actually find it fucking insane how long this thing is all together

This is it in multi-part form: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

This is it in one part form

Reader and Leon are partners with their job (have been since 2004/2005) and is insinuated to be around the same height as Leon

Not Proof-read and I think it can be seen every once and a while (I know you can see where my brain couldn't function how to write the scene so I just guessed and hoped for the best)

Can be read as its own story or as a sequel to You’re About To Lose The Best Damn Thing You’ve Ever Had

Losely has themes from the songs Never Say Never by The Fray, No Surprises by Radiohead, Afterglow by Taylor Swift, and Look After You by The Fray

Anywho, enjoy

Love Z <3

January 21st of 2009

Y/N sat in front of the computer with Hunnigan as they went over the assignment before she was supposed to leave in 2 hours. Usually, she would be sitting with Leon on Hunnigan’s other side, but this wasn’t a usual case. They were working with a mix of BSAA Agents and STRATCOM agents. 3 of each, minus Y/N who was the leader of it. So in all, it was a team of 7. Overkill in her eyes. But that wasn’t her job. Her job was to get the assignment done and come back alive.

The only reason the two organizations were forced to work together was because they both had interest in this case and decided that they needed to use both intels for it to work. Over in the Rockies in Northern Canada, parts where there were little inhabitants, people had gone missing before showing up with remnants of a strand of the T-Virus in them. BSAA had found the base back 2 weeks ago while STRATCOM had been keeping a close eye on Dr. Taylor Lewis. Someone who used to have ties with Umbrella in their Europe branch.

So when it was proposed that the two organizations team up, everyone was skeptical. Truly, the only people in the BSAA that got along with them at STRATCOM was Chris. Of course, she was sure that Jill did, but she died back 2 and a halfish years ago. But eventually they all agreed and started working on the team. 3 of the BSAA best people (minus Chris because he was already on an assignment) and 3 of STRATCOMs best (minus Leon because...well she didn’t know why he wasn’t), plus Y/N as the leader. BSAA wasn’t happy that they weren’t leading it and she knew they only tolerated it since it was the President's order for her to be the lead. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the new guy. He wasn’t Graham, the one she had grown accustomed to the past 4ish years. Hell, she never could remember his name, she just knew that Benford was the Vice and he was one of Leon’s friends.

Leon.

She hadn’t seen him much since the start of the year. Since the...break up. And she hadn’t even been avoiding him this time. It just was as if he was never in the office the past 20 days. Not that she had been keeping count! Because she definitely hadn’t been! She just did the math in her head at the moment.

“So, we have some time to spare, want to tell me why Leon sent in a new partner request? You finally ran him away?”

Y/N sighed and flicked a random small balled up piece of paper off the desk. “I don’t even know what happened. Everything was good one second then the next it just...” She trailed off, unsure as to what to say.

“Wasn’t?”

She nodded at Hunnigan’s word. “Yeah. I don’t know what happened.”

“Did someone find out?”

“Find what out?” She looked at the FOS Agent, who gave her a ‘don’t-lie-to-me’ look and Y/N sighed again. “I genuinely don’t know. We were training one day, and I had knocked him down, so he had pulled me with him, which led to us making out. But we were the only ones in the training room and even if someone did walk in, we were hidden by some equipment. The only thing that would have been heard would be our kissing. But that could be any two agents! So I don’t know why it would have knocked him so out of sorts!”

“Cameras?”

“That one corner that isn’t covered by them is where we were. We always trained in the corner.”

“That could be it then. Someone put two and two together and threatened to expose it.”

The slightly younger girl groaned and laid her head on the desk in front of her. “Why couldn’t he have told me? It’s not like I would have freaked! Him doing what he did caused more damage anyways.” She sat back up and ran a hand through her hair, “Where the hell has he been anyways? Haven't seen him since he broke it off and requested a new partner.”

“His own mission. One that I actually can’t tell you about, unfortunately since it’s a gray area on you two being partners.”

“Is he at least okay? Concerning that he’s been gone so long.”

“He called me yesterday saying everything was fine, but he still wasn’t sure when he would return. But it could be a concern as he mentioned he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to call again. He’d try to ping a location, but if we get nothing, wait a week before extraction.”

“Back to the partner comment you made, I just don’t get why he broke up with me and requested a new partner. All he had to do was one and I would have been just fine.” Y/N laid her head in her hand, “I honestly just wish there was a way that we could’ve stayed together and be partners. That would be my ideal situation.”

“Hm, I think, the keyword really is think, there might be a loophole.”

Y/N perked up at that, “Whaddya mean?”

“I think there’s some rule that says you can if you meet certain requirements. I can always look for you, it’ll give me something else to do than make sure my two favorite humans don’t die on different missions.”

Y/N smiled, “If you wanna, I’m fine either way. Leon will do what Leon wants to do and I won’t stop him.”

“Whatever you say.” Hunnigan glanced at the clock on her computer before continuing, “Better let you get ready. Don’t want to keep the BSAA guys waiting.”

Y/N laughed as she stood, “What can they do? Mission won’t start without me there.”

Hunnigan gave her a smile, “I’ll look that up for you and update you on what I find. Don’t die before I get you an answer.”

Y/N smiled, “No promises darling.”

--------

February 18th of 2009

Y/N wrapped the jacket closer around her and made sure the mask was tucked in so she wouldn’t freeze her face. Her shotgun was drawn as she looked out the scope, still no heat signatures could be found. They had been there for 4 weeks now and still nothing.

But, what had happened in those four weeks since the mission had started, 3 of the men had died. One of her own and two from BSAA. She felt bad about the last BSAA kid because even though he was one of the best they had available, he was a rookie. She believed he had only been there for a year, a year and a half tops. So he was the only one out there for the BSAA and had little experience. He was just an excellent fucking shot and took directions well (literally what his file said). And she had found it to be true. Even in the snow, he could find the target and shoot them down.

He was the only reason they hadn’t all died that night.

Since they had gotten there, more and more sunlight was available, but it still didn’t last half a day. And while temperatures were warming up, they still were freezing their asses off. Plus, it didn’t help that Hunnigan had just warned them a snow storm was possibly on its way in.

2 weeks in, she was happy that they were almost done with their trek through the mountain. She was really starting to hate those snow-mobiles. And then around 3 days later, when they came into contact with their agent that had been giving the intel, the remaining 5 members of the team began the stake out to find where the Doctor was and how the people were being infected. But now here they were, around 10 days later and still nothing. No sight of Lewis or of any habitants of the small village that if she was to be honest, she had no clue existed before this.

That was, until she moved her scope to face more towards the West. She adjusted the sight and zoomed in where she thought that she saw movement. And when she was able to focus her sight, she saw that there was a group of bodies standing in one of the buildings. She switched over to night vision and saw that they were just barely too far off for her to make out who it was. She carefully snuck closer, jumping to the top of the abandoned building by her.

She looked again and was able to see that it was Lewis with 2 other people. She didn’t recognize either of them, but one of them looked eerily familiar. But she was sure whoever the two were, they had been gathering the people to be injected with the virus.

She grabbed her walkie from her side pocket and pressed the button to call for her team. “Dream Team, come in this is Condor 2. Over.” Dream Team was something that one of the BSAA Agents had suggested for them to call themselves rather than the boring Snow Squad that they had originally been assigned. And while she was technically Flake 1, she was used to always being referred to as Condor 2, so she asked for when it was just to them or to Hunnigan, say Condor 2. Otherwise she was sure that she and Hunnigan would get thrown off.

“This is Flake 2. I have the rest of the team with me. What do you need? Over.”

“Lewis and two men are in a building three down from my location. A house down from the original spot. I see them talking, but no one else is there. Over.”

“What do you want us to do? Over.”

“Start the plan into motion. I’ll follow and see where Lewis and her men head. Do nothing until I say so, unless you get under attack. Understand? Over.”

“Is that a direct order, Flake 1? Over.”

She sighed, Stacey hated this. She knew he did. Hated that someone who had been there for less time than him was the leader. He was the only one who refused to call her Condor 2 and kept Flake 1 and made sure everyone went by their actual callsign and not the one that they wanted. “Yes, Flake 2. It is. Now do you all understand? Over.” She heard a range of everyone, including Stacey, say they understood. “Good. I’m contacting HQ. This is Condor 2 over and out.”

She reclipped the talkie and grabbed the other one that was specific for Hunnigan. She looked back in the scope and saw that Lewis and the 2 men were exiting the building. She quickly pulled the gun away to follow behind them. When Hunnigan answered, she heard the lady’s voice in her ear piece.

“This is Hunnigan, Condor 1 is here with me.”

Y/N internally groaned. Why was Leon there? Was he even allowed to be? So many questions ran through her head, but she didn’t ask them. She just nodded and ran towards the direction she saw them heading. “Fine. Lewis has been found. I’m following behind on foot. The rest of what remains of the team are getting ready for my word to follow. And--fuck.”

She ended the call before Hunnigan could say anything and made sure Hunnigan couldn’t immediately call back after she had turned a corner to see a fairly large group of military looking people. She turned back and jumped into the house that had an opened window. She snuck over to another before she looked out the window to try and count how many were there. But she was stopped before she finished when someone looked in. She quickly slipped down, trying desperately not to be seen.

And she was sure she got away with it. That was, until her walkie went off and the BSAA kid could be heard practically yelling through it. And when she heard the words he was saying, the blood that was barely not cold already, went frozen in her body.

The kid was freaking and she could hear the guns in the background. Apparently Lewis and the men knew they were there. They knew she was watching. It had been a trap to get her away. She wondered how it was possible, until it registered to her that it was the electronics. And then she realized who the other guy was. She had dealt with him a few months ago with Leon. The two had been separated and had to pray that they would make it back to the other without any guidance from anyone as to where to go because the man could track any electronic waves.

But unfortunately for her, the man outside the window heard it too and had slammed it in. She gave them no chance and immediately grabbed her gun and shot them. Thankfully she was able to get a headshot, even with him moving and her shaking, gloved hand. But it only gave her enough time to disconnect her electronics and toss everything but the small remote that gave her the ability to ping a quick location. She ran up the stairs, trying to find an alternate way out, but realized she was blocked in. her chest tightened as she realized how badly this could end for her.

She grabbed her submachine gun and aimed it at the stairs, getting ready for anyone who was going to come up. She let out a shaky breath as she heard the door being broken down and the sound of someone running up the stairs. She never had been so thankful that she never fucking used these fuckers so she was loaded on bullets for it as it felt for each guy she killed, double the amount came back.

And unfortunately, she was so focused on the stairs, she hadn’t noticed the sound of someone taking apart the roof and jumping down. Her mind had barely registered the sharp pain in her neck before she was surprised when they grabbed her from the back and her mind just blanked. Forgot how to fight back, forgetting almost every piece of training she had. She didn’t know what to do and wasn’t used to this. Whenever her fight or fright kicked in, it was always fight. She never got scared. But for some reason, she did this time.

As they pulled her to the ground, her body felt incapable of fighting back. As if someone had left her out in the freezing cold with not enough clothes. She wasn’t able to move or even scream when she felt the knife stab into the top of her sternum and start to drag down. The man on top of her only stopped when the sound of a whistle was heard through the air. It was as if the second that went off, every man and woman there were called to go somewhere else. The knife was pulled from her as she walked away and she slowly regained the feeling in her body.

But as she regained that feeling, she felt how deep the knife had gone. She felt the blood falling. She slowly moved to grab the bandages from her side pocket. They weren’t much but she knew it was all that she had. She grabbed it and tried to remove her clothing, not caring that her entire body was freezing from the temperature outside. She didn’t care that her bandaging was horribly done and that it wouldn’t do much.

All that she did was grab her clothes and quickly layer them back on. All she did was wobbly get up and leave the scene. Trying to get further and find out where all those people had gone. And she prayed that it wasn’t fucking bingo.

24 notes · View notes

laxmiree · 4 months

Text

[CN] MLQC Season 2 Chapter 54 Translation (Lucien's Route - Part 3 [Exploration of the unknown])

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

This post contains a VERY HEAVY SPOILER for the chapter that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

"When preparing a gift, I find myself eagerly anticipating your reaction while selecting it."

"If I haven't seen you for a few days, I catch myself sighing while propping up my chin, trying to guess what you might be doing."

"Are you busy with work? Have you been eating well? Could it be that, just like how I think of you, you think of me too?"

Translation under the cut!

Previous part-> [Here]

The light and shadow around us flow gracefully.

Countless stars quietly reflect in Lucien's eyes as he looks at me.

I curve my lips, and my fingertips hook onto the red string wrapped around his wrist.

MC: But if the world ascends in dimensions, our life trajectories would be laid bare for each other to see…

MC: That seems to imply that in the future, I won't be able to prepare surprises for you anymore.

Hearing this, Lucien is momentarily surprised, a hint of astonishment flickering in his eyes.

Lucien: ...You're actually concerned about these things?

MC: What's wrong with that? These are clearly important~

I speak while lifting my head, once again looking at the trajectory simulated by the points of light.

MC: When preparing a gift, I find myself eagerly anticipating your reaction while selecting it.

MC: If I haven't seen you for a few days, I catch myself sighing while propping up my chin, trying to guess what you might be doing.

MC: Are you busy with work? Have you been eating well? Could it be that, just like how I think of you, you think of me too?

Lucien's gaze follows my movements and falls onto the entwined red string; in his eyes, there's a subtle and almost imperceptible tenderness.

Lucien: (softly) So during the time we didn't meet each other, you've been harboring so many thoughts about me.

MC: Not only that, but many emotions also arise because of you.

I say, my voice lifting with a cheerful tone.

MC: Longing, anticipation... Professor Lucien must feel the same way, right?

Lucien: (smiles helplessly) …..

Lucien smiles gently without saying a word. The surrounding world, however, suddenly begins to flow, slowly melting away like ice and snow.

The boundless darkness recedes, revealing the solid ground of the asphalt road. Dim morning light accompanies a cool breeze, gently lifting our hair strands.

The rustling sound of branches and leaves fills my ears. I take a deep breath, only then realizing that the world outside the dream has welcomed the dawn.

Lucien brushes away a fallen leaf that landed on me, his gaze deep and profound.

Lucien: This unknown new world is unfolding because of you.

Lucien: I look forward to the future we will journey together.

[Chapter 54-11]

After our last parting, I accelerated the collection of contributions related to the rifts, occasionally rushing to the scene to assess the situation.

Soon, I noticed that besides the prolonged duration, the number of rifts was quietly increasing. Everything was developing in the direction Lucien mentioned, towards ascension.

Although I aimed to prove to Lucien that the world has a new evolutionary direction, it seems like I'm digging a hole for myself.

How can I accomplish something that even scientists with super brains can't do!

I sigh in the back seat of the taxi, then take out my memo pad filled with fragmented clues.

Now, in addition to the previous entries like "world expansion," "time," "solidification," "buffering,"... I add terms such as "rifts," "evolution," and "ascension."

MC: Is there anything else I missed? The door? CORE? Gears?

Driver: Miss, we've arrived.

The voice of the taxi driver from the front seat interrupts my thoughts. I snap back to reality, realizing the car has stopped next to the street center park mentioned in the submissions.

Absent-mindedly, I get out of the car, contemplating whether to visit the BS building.

After all, behind that door is the closest place to the depths of the world.

Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I see a mass of black mist. I instinctively look up, and my heart skips a beat.

A jagged rift stretches across the sky, surrounded by dark mist, slowly spreading towards the nearby bricks and stones.

This rift has already started affecting reality...! I force myself to steady my emotions and contemplate what to do.

[Activate CORE to close the rift]

[Contact Lucien]

#mlqc lucien #mr love queen's choice #mlqc cn #mlqc spoiler #mlqc translation #mlqc #mr. love queen's choice #mr love lucien #mlqc xu mo #mlqc spoilers

8 notes · View notes

theloveinc · 4 months

Note

Can we know why she went from best friend to fat footed bitch please👀😂

No worries if not, I'm just up late

lol i actually think i called her a fat footed bitch BEFORE we stopped being friends (altho... probs not much before) becauseeeeee... the last year we were friends was rocky for me and her.

BUT, and prepare yourself: it's really LONG and convoluted because TECHNICALLY it was all a misunderstanding (and related to some unaddressed trauma she had), but basically... her and her sister INVITED me and a plus one (who ended up being my friend) to go see a concert with them and carpool to the train station together, where we'd all subway to the venue. This part all goes fine.

BUT, it's on the way home, after we've trained back to her car... when it's like 2 in the morning, that she (ex-best friend) tells us that she's not planning on taking me or my friend home. She's just driving back to her house where she'll leave us to do whatever for our own ride, BECAUSE, she says, "we never asked for her to carpool us back home."

And this is kind of a problem because... since we just assumed she'd give us a ride home, WE HAVE NO BACKUP PLAN, and neither my mom nor my friend's family is picking up the phone, and so essentially, if she doesn't drive us, we're stranded in the middle of the night.

Of course, as my friend argues (even though I know she'd never call one for herself bc she was terrified of men) we could've gotten an uber... but it's both really late at night and, because this was just after highschool and I WAS FRESHLY 18, just an awful idea.

But the thing that makes it even more weird... is like, as we're arguing, her sister (who literally co-owns the car with her) offers to drive instead... and it's only then that she finally agrees to take us home...

Except that, once we're on the road, SHE PURPOSEFULLY misses our exit and just goes to her house anyway??????? (and by this point, i'm crying, not really because i'm upset at the scenario as a whole, though that too, but because i think she's just not acting like a friend AND BEING hypocritical, as well as the girl who i invited is chronically ill and needs to get home for her medication and bathroom and etc. and I just feel so bad)

So we eventually get to her house... where, once arriving, she just fucks off!!!!!!! and leaves us outside!!! And thankfully, her sister (who is actually still my friend, I love her lol) offers to go back and drop us off at home...

But the whole thing just ends up spiraling because... WELL, there's a lot of reasons, lol:

I left a bunch of makeup and a jacket at her house and text her to make sure i can pick it up later... and she yells at me (over text) about always being selfish asking other people to do stuff for me

This starts another fight where I tell her I just want an apology for not driving me home and that i was never expecting her to drop off the makeup LOL

She doesn't apologize and instead texts a mutual friend trying to get her to talk to me too

and i just stop responding to her altogether

And by the time she messages me again, a couple months later (by which we're both in different states having started college), NOT WITH AN APOLOGY, just simply saying she didn't realize the whole thing would take such a toll, I'm still too hurt to talk to her.... and that's basically the end of our friendship.

OH AND THE WHOLE INSTAGRAM REPORTING THING happened bc her sister invited me to christmas dinner soon after that and she immediately uninvited me... and i made another post about her having made me cry, which her new friend sent, as well as all these other screenshots of posts I made, to her.

i also did eventually get her a birthday gift (as an olive branch) when i was finally not angry and hurt.... but she never ended up acknowledging it (which wouldn't have been super weird except... i was literally at her house celebrating with her sister and she never once spoke to me).

SO YEAH. You probably weren't expecting so much but... here it is!! took me like 45 minutes to type out and i'm pretty sure it's still not the best description but........... THAT'S HOW I GOT MY HEART BROKEN BY A FAT FOOTED BITCH (she's also a zionist now tho so lmaooo i really dodged a bullet there) !

HOPE THIS WAS A GOOD BEDTIME STORY ILY

#sorry this is such a mess #and maybe it's not even that dramatic #but we had been friends since preschool.. so it was really impactful at the time #to just. not be apologized to. that's all i really wanted #i still mourn her a lot lol i miss her very badly #but she clearly wasnt the person i thought she was #i saw her last year at another birthday dinner and it was ... okay. but i doubt we'll be the same #this is why i have no sympathy for gojo btw that sh*t happened to me too !#also she hit her sister in the face with a vacuum cleaner once #after our fiasco. and scarred her really badly through the eyebrow.#AND ACTUALLY even before we stopped being friends she would hit her sister and break her stuff all the time #i was just told not to comment bc im an only child but it was strange imo #ALSO before we stopped being friends...#we went somewhere that got sh*t up literally like an hour after we left... and she didn't give one f*ck #ANYWAY AGAIN #hope this makes sense lmfaooooo #sorry it's a mess #caitie answers #anon

7 notes · View notes

wheredidalltheusersgo · 5 months

Text

The Stranded and The Scaly

Chapter 2 Day 2: Losing optimism.

Geoff awoke to Chris McLean's obnoxious camper-wake-up-call and groaned in annoyance as he covered his ears and tried to get some more sleep. However, he was hungry and he needed to find something edible for breakfast, so he reluctantly got up.

As he stretched, he felt and heard his spine pop a bit. "Aw, fuck..." He breathed. He'll definitely think twice before sleeping in an uncomfortable position again like he did last night. Man, he wished he brought his duffel bag with him.

Wait..... His duffel bag! He must have left it around the docks somewhere! He had a sleeping bag in that thing, after all!

Breakfast could wait, he needed to find that duffel bag!

Granted, he had to stay out of sight so neither Chris or the contestants would spot him.

As Geoff ran through the woods, he kept an eye out for anyone who could alert him to Chris, and when he finally got to where he left his duffel bag, he was panting and seriously out of breath. He hugged the duffel bag and slumped down against a rock. Okay, he found his duffel bag, now he needed to find something to chow down on. Maybe he could find some berries? Nah, too risky. He had zero clue which ones were edible or not. Maybe he could practice his fishing skills? That shouldn't be too hard. He'd already eaten the protein bar he had in his pocket last night, and he wanted to save the extras in his duffel bag for when he couldn't find anything else.

So, fishing it was.

First of all, he needed to put together a makeshift fishing rod. Chris had made them put together tons of cruddy things during their first season! Duncan was great at that kind of thing! And Izzy was great at finding all sorts of things!

....But they weren't here right now, and he missed them.

Geoff sighed sadly as he broke a long, thin branch off a tree. That should make for a decent rod! "Now for the fishing line..." he mumbled to himself as he rummaged through his duffel bag for the little container of dental floss he had packed. Once he found it, he tied one end of the floss to the end of the stick and grinned, he was proud of his handiwork, even if it wasn't much. The tricky part of this little project was finding a decent hook. There wasn't much Geoff could think of using, as there weren't many options.

He eventually gave up on looking for a hook to use and started inspecting the ground to see if he could find a grub or worm to use as bait. Fish liked that kind of stuff, right? As he scouted the ground, he listened to the new contestants doing their challenge of the day. He felt bad for them, stuck in Chris's shitty games.

Soon enough, Geoff was standing on the shore with his fishing rod in action, he really hoped this would work.

After an hour of two of impatience and hunger, he caught a fish and put together a campfire to cook it with. Despite the radiation in the air, the fish seemed pretty normal, and tasted normal! Though, he did wish it had some kind of seasoning.

After his breakfast, Geoff went for a hike in the woods to clear his mind and find somewhere nice to rest when night fell.

Okay, this island was NOT normal in the slightest. The animals were all mutated! While he didn't really like the island, Chris had NO right to disrespect the wildlife like that! The poor things... Bridgette and DJ wouldn't stand for this stuff!

He missed Bridgette and DJ...

He sniffled a bit and wiped any possible tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. "Where ARE you guys?.." he spoke to himself quietly as he kept walking.

As night fell once more, Geoff bundled up in his sleeping bag and rested his head on the duffel bag. At least this was better than yesterday!

He held back tears as he closed his eyes and let sleep reclaim him once more. -----

#total drama #td geoff #geoff td #The Stranded and the Scaly #fanfic #angst!!!#CHAPTER TWO LET'S GO #tdi #total drama island

16 notes · View notes

thistledown-au-warriors · 8 months

Text

black leopard's grief - part 1

< Book 1 - Into the Wild || Index || Part 2 >

ShadowClan had invaded ThunderClan territory, stealing four young kits from the nursery and killing Leaf Spots. On that day, three apprentices, an old healer and a patrol of warriors left to return the kits. Upon their triumphant return, one cat didn't make it back: Black Leopard's son, Raven Shadow. Resentment, guilt, anger... Black Leopard must figure out how to navigate the darkness in her heart lodged in the place left behind by her kit.

This short story takes place in the moon between Into the Wild and Fire and Ice in the Thistledown AU - Prophecies Begin arc.

-----

There was a soft rustling in the den as two dark shapes rose to their feet. Curled up in her nest, Black Leopard watched through half-closed eyes as two cats - Fleet Foot and Willow Branch - yawned and arched their backs, waking themselves up to go on the dawn patrol. Black Leopard was supposed to go with them today.

Silently, the black molly turned her back to them, tucking her limbs firmly under her and closing her eyes. She knew they had noticed. Her clanmates wove around the other sleeping shapes as quietly as possible, earning soft grunts from a few of the cats. They paused by her nest, which was further out from the senior warrior spot where it usually was, and Black Leopard felt a paw hover over her pelt tentatively. From the scent, it was Willow Branch. The gray molly seemed to think better of it, and instead of prodding Black Leopard awake, she placed her paw back down and both cats just padded out of the den. As their murmurs died away to the distance, the molly opened her eyes to the dim world around her once again.

Black Leopard had hardly slept since the painfully silent vigil for her son, Raven Shadow, half a moon ago. She'd never gotten to see his body. Some nights, she was awoken by nightmares with the shape of her kit's body, broken beyond recognition, being hastily buried in a land that wasn't his home. Some days, she stared at the gorse tunnel, ears pricked for any rustle that signaled that her son had come back to her, that he'd merely got lost and was now safe and sound. If only she had been able to taste his scent one last time…

With distracted strokes, she groomed her unkempt black pelt. She mostly kept it clean, so her clanmates wouldn't stare at her, but some clumps of fur were visibly tangling up with loose strands. Black Leopard knew, however, that vanity wasn't worth spending her energy on. Not until the weight of her grief had been lifted off her shoulders. She supposed this was how Blue Fur felt, whenever the worst of her grief clung to her. As strong as the ThunderClan leader made herself to be, it was no secret that she didn't take well to personal loss. Hushed whispers over fresh-kill that of the blue molly's dull eyes and poorly groomed fur, stories of the loss of her sister and mother in the elder's den… Black Leopard hadn't known loss like hers until Raven Shadow.

Deciding she had successfully evaded the dawn patrol, the black molly got to her paws and emerged into the clearing. Away from the cluster of sleeping cats, the breeze still untouched by the distant sunlight sent a chill through her pelt. Nights were getting longer and colder as leaf-fall took hold, and the kits of the Clan were taking it the hardest. Kit death was something unfortunately common, but the now thought made her lungs feel smaller. Would I even be able to feel anything if Hop Speckle, Frost Shine, Golden Flower or Brindle Face lost one of their kits?

The thought filled her with guilt, though she had to wonder. Brindle Face and Mossy Patch were such a beautiful couple, Black Leopard wished no harm on them, but their kits were the youngest in the Clan. She doubted the whole litter would make it to newleaf. Hop Speckle, too, was about to give birth. But the old queen was experienced with loss. Golden Flower's kits were less than a moon away from apprenticeship, so even if they had been sniffling lately, Swift Bird and Leaping Lynx were surely big and strong enough. Frost Shine's kits… Black Leopard paused, raising her chin to look at the nursery. They were back, safe from ShadowClan and Broken Tail. All four of them. Alive. Unlike her son - Raven Shadow. Frost Shine had all her kits with her. They were all home.

With a fierce head jerk, Black Leopard turned away from the nursery and headed to the fresh-kill pile. From the few remnants from the day before, she deliberately hooked the scrawniest vole with a claw, then headed to her preferred secluded spot near the elder's den. It didn't really matter what she filled herself with, it would all taste like ash in her mouth and weight heavily in her belly. The only reason she made herself eat was that she still needed to be strong to serve her Clan, and especially, to be alive for Dusty Earth.

As the sun climbed up in the sky and cats started coming out of their dens, Tiger's Claw too stepped into the clearing. The moment the dark tabby laid his eyes on her, his amber eyes narrowed. Black Leopard didn't blink, watching him as cats gathered around him to receive their tasks for the morning. She didn't join them, picking at her mostly uneaten meal while her brother's deep voice rang across the clearing. The dawn patrol returned at this time, reporting to him. Seemed like they took Gray Stripe with them, and the young tom looked like he was going to unhinge his jaw with his yawning. Black Leopard looked away from him.

He'd been one of Raven Shadow's closest friends, though less attentive than Fire Heart. She remembered speaking to the young ginger tom, but he was clearly uneasy at sharing anything with her if he knew anything. What had driven her son to be so anxious and closed off from her? If she had gotten involved sooner instead of trusting her brother would sort it out, would he still be alive now?

"Black Leopard." Tiger's Claw's voice rang above her. She looked up from her paws to see her brother standing - or towering - over her with disapproval in his furrowed brow. "You were supposed to go on that patrol."

He simply stated that. There was no room to argue. And she wasn't about to anyway, the molly had deliberately challenged her brother daily and never gone on any patrols he'd assigned her to.

She met his gaze and meowed. "I'm aware." His frown grew deeper, but she spoke again before he could. "I'll be pulling my weight, you needn't concern yourself with that. I've hunted and performed duties every day."

"But not when your deputy tells you to." Tiger's Claw retorted.

My deputy implied my son was a traitor in front of the whole Clan, Black Leopard replied in her mind. But she said nothing, staring at him. Yell at me. Tell me I'm a ShadowClan spy like my dead kit. I dare you.

The dark tom held her gaze. He sighed deeply, his breath laced with a growl he was clearly holding back. "If my own sister can't respect my authority, how can I expect the rest of the Clan to do so, Black Leopard? You know how hard I worked for this. I'd expect you to support me."

"The whole Clan is at your beck and call, don't act like it isn't." She growled. "Everyone already knew you were the next choice for deputy after Lion's Heart. No one will defy you because of one mere grieving queen."

The large tabby took in a couple heavy breaths, eyes closed, controlling his temper. "My grieving littermate, and a senior warrior of ThunderClan like myself." He corrected her with what sounded like forced sweetness. "Your opinion is as important as White Flower or Willow Branch, and you're a model to young warriors and apprentices. Especially Dusty Earth. It's important you act accordingly, sister."

"I'm not neglecting my son nor my Clan." Black Leopard growled. He didn't get to say this. "I take good care of my kin." Unlike you. Raven Shadow could be alive if not for your neglect, you know that much.

Tiger's Claw's eyes gleamed dangerously. "I'm sure of that. Wouldn't imply otherwise." He retorted slowly. "But your Clanmates need you too, to follow the Code like they do." Out of the corner of his eyes, his gaze fixed on something. His meow became a low growl. "Otherwise, we're no better than kittypets."

Following his gaze hesitantly, she saw Fire Heart padding up to Gray Stripe. Of course Tiger's Claw would hate a kittypet-born cat. Even though they were both Clanborn, their father had left to live with Twolegs. It seemed unfair that her brother would be so hard on a kit who had proved himself already, but it would be wasting her breath to reason with him. Nothing would convince Tiger's Claw that a cat outside the Code was worth anything.

Black Leopard forced some fur on her neck to go flat. Perhaps she should play nicer with Tiger's Claw. No matter how awful of a mentor he turned out to be, he still favored Dusty Earth a lot. She wouldn't want to see her other son be treated as less than if the deputy got suspicious that her kits were half-Clan just because Black Leopard was acting rebellious. No doubt he'd already found it odd I won't disclose anything about their father, she thought. It was a good thing Raven Shadow and Dusty Earth took more after her side of the bloodline than any RiverClan features that would give them away.

She turned back to Tiger's Claw, only to find him wrinkling his nose in disgust at her half-eaten meal. "There's hardly any meat in this thing. Whoever caught this should be ashamed. You should have more self-respect than to eat that, Black Leopard."

She sniffed. "I'm not that hungry. The queens and kits can have the better prey, they need it more."

"It's not leaf-bare yet. We should go well-fed for as long as we can." Tiger's Claw retorted. His gaze darkened. "But you're right they need strength. There's sickness in the nursery."

Black Leopard's ears pricked. "Who?"

"One of Brindle Face and Mossy Patch's kits. The tom." Tiger's Claw sighed. "It's too early in the cold seasons to be losing kits."

She murmured in agreement. "Are Golden Flower's kits okay?" She asked. The golden molly and Tiger's Claw had gotten closer recently.

He nodded. "They're strong." His large head turned to look at the nursery. "Beside her kits, we should have plenty other strong apprentices this leaf-fall. Swift Bird and Leaping Lynx are almost ready for their ceremony, and soon so will Frost Shine's kits. Six new warriors for ThunderClan."

A pit formed in her stomach as he spoke. Something about the way Tiger's Claw said that rubbed her fur the wrong way, but also… she couldn't deny that the thought of all of Frost Shine's four kits making it to warriorhood, when Raven Shadow had just died to have his ceremony… she didn't like how it made her feel. She didn't really want the molly who mistreated her son to suffer. But it was so unfair Frost Shine got her kits rescued the same night Black Leopard didn't even get her kit's body back. The pit in her stomach grew heavier and suffocating, like an adder had nestled within her.

Black Leopard shoved the remains of the vole aside as she got to her paws. "I'm going hunting, Tiger's Claw. I'll be back by sunhigh."

The tom's amber eyes widened, but she made way for the gorse tunnel before he could stop her. Her brother's voice sounded behind her, before she dove into the fronds and stalked up the ravine, the adder writhing in her insides.

#thistledown au #black leopard's grief #wc au #warriors au #warrior cats

14 notes · View notes