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kim-poce · 1 year

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Allies: Part 2

Thank you @myboyfriendisjealous for commissioning me. I hope you like it!

Part 1

CW: burn mention, vampire whump, emotional whump, marriage of convenience.

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Officially, Ethony volunteered to marry Queen Amber. Volunteered to leave his safe, comfortable home behind to live among humans, in a place that was not built to house him, where he was the monster of the bedtime tales, where he was shamed for the very need of feeding while being attacked just for being there. Yes, officially, he was a volunteer, but he wondered if someone truly believed that.

There were a few —actually quite a lot— issues about this marriage. For one, this was the union of two different species so ethics had been a huge big problem since the beginning; vampires saying that marrying a human was no different than marrying a cow, humans saying they would rather die than sleep with monsters. It was not an opinion shared by all but shared by enough people to make this marriage the only option. It was both a way to show that it’s possible for the species to unite and a silent threat; one wouldn’t dare to —openly— accuse one’s own monarch to sleep with an animal or a monster.

Another issue in the ethics field was: age. Vampires live for a long time, the age only matters until the coming-of-age. But humans frowned upon the idea of having an older vampire marry the young queen. No, humans wanted a young one, someone that hadn't been an adult for long, just like Queen Amber. Another point was that the groom must be from a high-ranking family, it was an unspoken request, which is to be expected. The vampire kingdom didn't intend to look down on the human kingdom, so sending a vampire from a low rank would be undiplomatic.

There was a talk between the families that opposed the union; to turn a young adult human into a vampire, adopt him in a duke or marquess's house, and sent him to the kingdom. No one dared to actually mention this excuse of an idea in front of the monarchs.

Ethony was chosen for very simple reasons; he was the son of the duchess leading the aristocrats that were favorable to this marriage and had just become an adult. Tweent-two years old. Old enough to know that an adult vampire is an adult vampire. This simple. It doesn’t matter if they are twenty or two hundred, he knew it for a fact. He also knew that almost no one marries until their fifties and that adults his age are usually seeing the word, quenching their curiosity. He knew that his older brothers were so relieved to hear the age limit decided by the humans, and he knew that his future was filled with hate and loneliness. He was an adult, but he felt so young, not even a quarter of a century, almost a child.

The kingdom was full of people, lovely people, as long as he doesn’t get closer, then they would turn into terrified or terrifying people. The servants do the possible not to be seen, and the day is just so long. He missed home, he missed his family and friends, his hobbies, he missed the thick cloud over his home kingdom, the one that protected everyone from the sun. He missed the feeling of being safe.

But he can’t be selfish, it would be a betraying both his new wife and his family back home.

“Stay still,” Queen Amber ordered, or maybe she just asked. It was often hard to tell the two apart when her tone is always either cold or angry.

He obeyed. The queen was very close, measuring him to order new custom-made clothes, she didn’t say the reason she was doing such a thing herself. Not that she needed to, the servant with raced heart outside wasn’t meant to find out Ethony is hurt, it would create rumors. Bad rumors.

The rumors weren’t what was in his mind at the time, there was a stronger thing taking up all of his attention; smell. He could smell the sweet blood in front of him, Amber’s blood, running through her veins, he heard it. He wanted it. Humans are right, maybe he is just a bloodthirsty monster.

He shook the thought off.

“Stay still. I don’t want to press any of your wounds.”

“Sorry, your majesty.”

Slowly he took his mind get off her blood and focused on her heart instead. It beat evenly, not too fast. Humans’ hearts were always racing around him but hers rarely was. It just raced when she was angry, she never showed any fear of him.

Friends. He recalled the talk. Friends aren’t afraid of each other. But he doesn’t quite feel that’s the right word; friends are equal, but the queen was a person and he felt less and less like one.

“That’s it,” Amber said, smiling proudly. “I measured three times and the numbers matched so it must be right.”

“Sorry to make you do that yourself, your majesty,” Ethony said, he doesn’t know when in the single month he is married that apologizing became his second nature. But it did.

Queen Amber smiled at him. Pity. He knew, but he pretended he didn’t, thinking that if he pretends hard enough it won’t hurt him too much.

“I’m the one who is sorry,” she said, noting down the numbers. “It’ll get better, I promise, we’ll make it better with time.”

He was the one politely smiling now. He was sure things would get better, in the future, for the other vampires and humans. Not for him; he was a sacrifice for peace.

“Will your family come?” the queen asked. He had hoped she would talk about some trivial matter, as friends do, but it was always about work to her. He felt like a… a task, like talking to him was her job. Lord! He was feeling more lonely than he thought.

“Yes,” he nodded. Pushing his feelings aside. “My mother and my siblings.”

“And you father?”

“My mother never married, she says that forever is too long when one doesn’t die. I and my sibling have different fathers, and they don’t have ties with the dukedom. But don’t worry, my father is from a marquess family, so there are no issues with my bloodline.”

“I’m not worried about your bloodline, “Amber said, but it couldn’t be true. She had to be worried; that’s her job. “Is this common between your kingdom’s aristocracy? Having children without marrying?”

“It’s fairly common, yes. My mother has an odd point, in which she is the only one with the right over the children. It has usually more equality.”

“Interesting,” Amber said, taking her pocket clock out. “I have a meeting with the council soon, do you want to come?”

Ethany was puzzled by the question for a few seconds, but it made sense when you think about it. It has been a month since the wedding, and Ethony has yet to fulfill his duties as the king, Amber must be tired of leading the country all by herself since her coronation, years ago.

He hadn’t had any human blood lately, and healing was taking too much of him, still, it was his duty, and he was about to agree when the queen spoke.

“It’s better if you join the meeting on another day,” she said. “You should rest, it’ll be bad if you aren’t healed by the time of the ball.”

Is she worried I’ll make a scene? “Do not worry, I can hide it well.”

“I worry that it’ll be painful to you, not that you’ll let your pain be seen,” she said. Heart racing. She was getting angry, and he knew he had to calm her down.

“I’ll be healed.” He said.

The queen nodded and left their room. He should’ve insisted on going with her, at least this way he wouldn’t be alone.

It was morning, and as every morning the palace felt like a cage. The clean and golden walls, the pretty and comfortable furniture. It all felt like consolation. An unspoken ‘Stop whining. You got everything you may want.’ But he wants out, yet he can’t look outside the window, not without burning himself.

Ethony wasn’t thinking straight at the moment Amber found out about the attacks. But, the next morning, as soon as he woke up, he worried. She said she would give him knights and she did, they were right outside the room, and surrounding the whole palace. They walk with him at night, when the feeling of being locked up increases too much and he has no choice but to wander out. The perfect moment for assassins to come.

He hoped, he truly did, that the knights would be enough, that no more attacks would come. Not because he is afraid of dying, but because one word from Queen Amber moved all the knights as if nothing, and it would take just another word for him to be forbidden from going out at out. He would not obey such an order, and this relationship (the relationship between their kingdoms) would weaken. He truly is too selfish, but he is a vampire! He needs out. He wasn’t made to be locked inside that pretty room.

The room was filled by a groan when he moved, the silver burns were almost done healing but the holy water ones still hurt very much, as if his bones were burnt along with his flesh. He slowly made his way to the bed, the one advantage of being alone is that he has no need to pretend it doesn’t hurt.

Soon, his eyes were closed and he drifted into unconsciousness.

In his dreams there was never coherence, it was just flashes of unimportant things, at least at first, then he was scared. He was scared of being alone the most. Forever is too long when one does not die, too long to be away from home. He was also afraid of the pain, the burns, the humans’ glances at him, and the fantasy books he tried to read in the library where vampires are anything but people. It all hurts the same.

Then he felt blood smell. Blood is good, it’s sweet, so very sweet. He wanted it. The feeling of the dreadful and contempt looks was still there but he was hungry and hurt and this was all only a dream. He bite down as his nature wanted him to, not attacking, not violently, just slowly and calmly. Clean. The blood was so perfectly sweet, so strong, so, so…

So real.

His eyes flashed open, the blood was still in his mouth, he looked. Queen Amber’s arm was bleeding, the bite mark was clear, proof of what he did. There was no fear on her face but her heart was racing, he hoped it was anger, but he wasn’t brave enough to ask.

“That’s okay,” she said, smiling. “Lay back down, you are sick.”

Ethony should apologize, he was an adult, and he should act as one. He shouldn’t have bolted out of the room, ordered the knights to stay behind, and vanished into the darker part of the garden.

———

Queen Amber was, as usual, tired. It had been long since it mattered, though. Her parents died young, they weren’t even monarchs yet. Just a prince and a princess leaving their young daughter behind. It was her grandfather, the former king, who raised her, he was old already then, so she had to race her way into being ready to lead the country before he got too old to do it himself.

When she was seventeen, after studying nonstop since the accident, the former king coronated her. Then she was too busy trying to prove herself. Even now, six years since she became the queen, she is still too busy. No one said creating peace between humans and vampires was going to be easy. The vampire monarchs work in a duo on their end, and it’s getting harder and harder to make her part alone.

Maybe because the traning and classes were raced, there was a big lack in her knowledge; she wasn’t good with personal relationships. Not at all. She hadn’t any, her relationship with her grandfather, the former king, was barely personal. Between their duty to the country, the sudden loss of their loved ones, and their tendency to isolating themselves it was hard to build a close family bond.

It was night now, she was happy about it, the day had been hotter than usual. Amber was, for a second, surprised by the presence of someone else in her room, it had been a month already but Ethony is rarely still in the room this early into the night.

He was sleeping quietly, curling up on his side of the bed. He likes to curl up when he sleeps, she watched it quite a few times by now. He has the habit of, from time to time, to stretch himself for a couple of seconds and then to curl back into this little ball. Like a cat. It was cute to watch.

“You must be really tired today,” she said to the sleeping vampire.

The plan was to lie down and sleep, as her body was begging to, but the man became distressed, he shivered and he muttered something under his breath. It was a weak appearance, which is an odd feeling to get from a vampire. She caressed his hair lightly, she was the one who said that they should be friends, completely ignoring that she doesn’t know how to. Still, she guessed that calming him down from his nightmare was a good start. Ethony must have felt her presence, at least she was sure he felt her blood because he held her wrist and bared his fang.

It wasn’t a tight grip, and he wasn’t one to sleep so deeply that he would not wake up if she called, but Amber did nothing to stop him. It must be hard on him already, to be away from his people and spend most of the time alone inside their room. Principally among humans, feeling the smell of blood all day long and being unable to do anything about it. It was just blood anyway, she could give some away.

She admitted to herself that she was curious about him, about his little habits, she wanted to watch him. And she did. Ethony carefully held her arm, Amber half-remembered that vampires didn’t usually hunt the way humans do, they don’t make their prey fight, they calm it down enough to feed. It’s delicate somehow, as delicate as hunting can be. The fangs almost didn’t hurt, and the blood was drunk so slowly it didn’t make her feel weak.

Then he paused. His red eyes snapped open, and he backed away. He was scared, Amber didn’t know why, was feeding a sleeping vampire some sort of taboo? Had she done something bad?

“That’s okay,” she said, putting her best smile on, showing she doesn’t mean bad. “Lay back down, you are sick.”

Amber still didn’t know what she did wrong, but she must have done something very bad for Ethony to run away as he did. She wondered if she should just let him be, let him take time to himself. But it didn’t work the last time, it only made him face enemies alone and come back hurt.

She put on a long-sleeved dress (the rumors if it was known that Ethony fed on her would be hard to deal with), called a couple of knights (just enough to be safe, but not too much for it to look like hunting a scared vampire) and headed to the garden herself. Hoping that Ethony was safe, hoping he would forgive her for whatever she did that scared him this much.

———

Instincts are interesting things. Humans learned to fear vampires by instinct, they are strong, cruel, and dangerous. Vampires learned to fear large groups of humans for similar reasons. So, while Ethony knew that Queen Amber always walked around with, at the very last, two guards, it felt like they were out for him, like what he did was the last straw of Amber’s patience.

He hide as well as he could, but it was a garden, not a forest, it wasn’t enough to feel like home during his walks and much less enough to feel safe now. He truly had to stop acting like a child, he should be mature, like Amber is, instead of cowering away behind the largest bush he could find.

It was a good enough hiding spot, some assassins had hidden there in the first week and Ethony just noticed them when they jumped out. He didn’t have to stay there for long, just until he can calm himself enough to go to apologize to the queen. Even if she had no reason to forgive him, at least no reason other than diplomacy. He knows she is loyal to her duty as the monarch, and that she wouldn’t mind living with a monster for the peace of her people. Yet he is there, whining and drinking her blood. He wasn’t a person worthy of her. He wasn’t a person at all.

Would she believe if he said it wasn’t on purpose? Would it make things worse? It certainly would, right? To say he is so much of a monster that he can’t even hold himself back would be just to admit out loud that he shouldn’t be among people. Even as fearless as the queen is she would stop sharing a room with him.

He froze.

If he was too dangerous to hold himself back, Amber would certainly forbid him from leaving the room, it would be prison disgusted as something else. He doesn’t want to be inside this long, he wants to find a forest and sleep under the moonlight, he wants to be free and be safe. Even in such a situation he still only thinks of himself.

———

Time passed. Amber told the knights to leave her alone. Of course, she knew it could be dangerous, but it had become clear that her husband wouldn’t show up otherwise. At first, she tried to find him with what she knew about vampires; looking under the tallest trees, away from the open areas. The darker and deeper parts of the garden, the more forest-like area she knew around there.

It was a mistake, she was foolish to think like this. Ethony isn’t a generic vampire, he is Ethony. And even if she knew him so little it had to be enough. She walked towards are artificially lit-up area, where there were no trees but several large bushes, large enough for an adult to curl up behind and not be seen. Ethony likes to curl up.

“Are you okay?” she asked, sitting down on the floor near the largest bush. The vampire flinched away. Had she scared him that much? “You ran so suddenly. I was very worried.”

“Sorry, your majesty,” Ethony whispered, he was still curled up, not trying to sit or look up at her. The silence lasted a while until his choked voice broke it. “...I’m a monster.”

“No!” she protested —snapped—, it was enough to hear so many people saying this bullshit, she didn’t want to hear it from him too. “You are not. Please, ignore what the others say, it’ll get better with time.”

“I attacked you,” he looked up, red tears streaming down his eyes. “I hurt you. I didn’t control myself and not you are hurt. I am a monster! You don’t need to pretend you don’t think so too! We are the only ones here, no one will spread any rumour and-”

Amber held his face, making his looking staring into her eyes. That would be a good moment to use her comforting skills. If she had any.

“Rumours? Ethony what I need to do for you to understand that I worry about you. Yes, I also worry about rumors, about the nobles, about my people, and so many other things. I won’t say I don’t think about them, but I want you to understand that I worry about you more.”

Ethony’s eyes widened at that. As if the thought had never passed through his mind.

“Listen, I’m trying to make it work. I’m not talking about the union of our species, that doesn’t depend on our happiness to work. As long as we are not trying to kill or betray each other this will work. What you feel has no importance when faced with politics. But it is important to me, I’ll be by your side for the rest of my life Ethony, you are way more than a political tool, and I don’t like when you see yourself as one. You are my partner, and I want you happy. I’m not scared of you, you don’t need to hide yourself or your nature.”

“... I hurt you.”

“I let you do it,” she repeated. “I shouldn’t have, you were sleeping, I see now that it was thoughtless of me to do it when you were not even awake. I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wro-”

“I did!” she carefully wiped away his tears. “Listen, I’m truly trying to make it work, but it’s a two-people job. I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me things, you need to tell me how you feel, what you want, and what you like. There is a limit to what I can find out by watching.”

“You don’t need to go out of your way to help me,” he said, casting his eyes down in shame.

“You are right. I don’t need to,” she agreed, making more tears flow, “But I want to, I want to make you happy. Okay? Please, tell me things. I don’t know when you’ll bolt out of the room if you don’t tell me your fears.”

Ethony hesitated, watching her every move, “... I… I want to go back home, your majesty,” he admitted, losing the last strand stopping him from sobbing. “I’m scared, and everyone is scared of me. I don’t want to be alone.”

Amber pulled him closer, wrapping her warm arm around his cold self. “... I’m sorry that you can’t go back now,” she said, her voice starting to creak. “But, be certain of one thing, you are not alone. I’m here with you, okay? I’ll be here with you for the rest of my life.”

“... what if I hurt you?”

“Ethony, who are you trying to fool?” she smiled. “You are too sweet to hurt someone.”

“but I already hurt you.”

“You were sleeping, and I let you. We are together in this, so stop taking all the blame on yourself. Rely on me. Can you do that?”

He nodded on her shoulder, slowly wrapping his arms around her too. For a long while, they just stayed there. They had a long time until the sun rise, so there was no need to rush back into the palace.

“I want to ask something,” Amber said when he had stopped crying.

“What?”

“Was it tasty? My blood, I mean.”

“Y-your majesty!” he buried his face in her shoulder. “Don’t ask such a thing.”

“Is this a yes? That’s good. I would be offended if you said I taste bad.”

“...You are teasing me.”

“I am not!” she chukled. Caressing his hair, it was soft, she liked it. “Maybe a little, but it’s true. You can drink some from time to time, it didn’t even hurt.”

“... because of my venom,” he said, passing his tongue on his fangs. “Are you truly not scared of me?”

“Of course not. Are you scared of me?”

“... a little,” he admitted. “I’m afraid that you, your majesty… won’t let me get out of the palace if you think I’ll hurt someone. I won’t!”

“I know you won’t. And I’ll never try to lock you up, I’m not a monster. We should spend more time together, if we do so you’ll see that there is no reason to be scared of me. Also, can you do me a favor?”

“Anything, your majesty.”

“Stop calling me your majesty,” she said, surprising the both of them. “I’m tired of being called like this, even my grandfather calls me that, I want to simply be Amber.”

“...Amber,” he tested the word. “Amber, do you… also, feel alone?”

She just smiled in response.

“...rely on me,” he said. “it’s… a two-people job. I’ll be with your for the rest of your life after all.”

The words made him feel embarrassed as soon as they left his mouth. But they were true. And that was enough for now.

#whump #vampire whumpee #emotional whump #whump commissions #burn mention #whump fic #my writing

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spinchip · 2 years

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A Terrible Day with a Good Ending Chapter 2

Word Count: 2k Pairing: ReaderxGarmadon Summary: After your impromptu tea party with lord Garmadon, you've developed a bit of a crush... The perfect opportunity presents itself and you invite Garmadon to your apartment for dinner. Authors note: This is a commission for Spazzy_Nerd on AO3! Thank you for working with me!

Read Chapter 1 Here

You liked to think you are a normal, sane person. If anybody were to ask you’d happily insist you had all your marbles accounted for, thank you! Two weeks ago, you’d boast to all those who would listen about the soundness of your mind (if the subject came up naturally, of course.)

But rational and sensible people absolutely do not have tea with Lord Garmadon, Master of Destruction.

And they certainly don’t develop a crush on him.

So along with your reputation as a person with a well-functioning survival instinct going out the window, you were now stuck with the heartache of a star crossed love never meant to be! Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is completely unattainable to someone like you, who cried just this morning over literal spilt milk (on your favorite sweater!) Despite the hug and the tea, you’re still of sound mind enough to know that one good deed does not a relationship make. Unfortunately, your heart is easily wooed and not as logical as your brain, so you’ve absolutely fallen for the man with the kindness hidden in his eyes.

If you told your coworkers about your feelings, they’d probably grab you by the shoulders and attempt to shake some sense into you. Lord Garmadon!? Of all people!?

It’s just a silly crush, that’s what you tell yourself. It’ll fade, especially since it’s not like you were really going to see him again. He had much bigger fish to fry than waiting around that back-alley for you to stumble into him again. You know, you’d checked. So you resolved to get over him and dust your hands of the entire interaction. So long, beautiful!

Easier said than done, you find him still lingering in your mind even weeks after the bizarre and charming interaction. So much so that when you park your car at the little cafe just down the road from your apartment, you don’t notice it’s a ghost town. It’s mid-day, you’d just gotten off a mediocre shift and you were looking forward to the comfort of a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. You’d take it home and curl up on the couch and watch TV until you inevitably passed out. The perfect night.

The beep of your horn as you lock your car sounds only a moment before you open the cafe's front door, the bell jingling to announce your presence. Only now do you realize that something’s a bit… off. First, it’s silent here. There’s no hustle and bustle of the workers behind the counter, no chit-chat amongst patrons of the popular eatery. There’s no workers here at all, despite the doors being unlocked, and no customers either.

Instead, sitting smack dab in the middle of the cafe casually perusing a menu is the current object of your affection.

You let out a startled laugh, the rush of tenderness filling your body making you warm all over. He glances up and looks visibly surprised, setting down the menu and sitting up a bit straighter. You make your way over, trying to contain your excitement and remind yourself sternly that this is just a coincidence and he probably won’t even remember you, or care if he does. Master of Destruction! Pure Evil! Don’t get your hopes up!

Too late, your hopes are already way too high.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, walking right up to his table.

“Usually people are a bit more hesitant to approach me.” He comments, amused. Then he sighs, sitting back and crossing a set of arms over his chest, “And if you must know, I was here for an early dinner, but the service is awful!”

You giggle, “The staff here doesn’t get paid enough to serve the Lord of devastation.”

He openly preens at that, smirking at you, “Well, that makes sense. I am horribly intimidating.”

“And as I recall, you don’t tip very well.”

“I tip just fine! It’s just that twenty percent of zero is zero.” He defends, clearly enjoying the banter between you.

You laugh and before you can second guess yourself you say, “Come on, I’ll make you dinner at my place.” It rolls off your tongue easily, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world to offer Garmadon an invitation to your home. A part of you hopes that maybe it will be.

Standing up, he doesn’t hesitate to take you up on your offer, “A home cooked meal is just what I need. Despite how it may seem, I am not actually a very good cook.” He confesses as if admitting a grave secret.

“Really?” You play along as you leave the store together, “I would have assumed you’d be a Michelin star chef.”

“Well,” He squeezes himself into the passenger seat of your car, “Not even I can be perfect in all aspects. Though I am close.”

“I believe it.”

The rest of the short drive is done without speaking, the low sound of your radio filling the comfortable silence. You’re thankful to have your car back from the shop now, it made the trip back to your place feel a bit more dignified. Hopefully this made up for your previous meeting where you probably got snot and tears all over his armor? You ruminate over what ingredients you have at home, wondering what type of entree pure evil enjoys. Fettuccine Alfredo? It’s really hard to go wrong with pasta and sauce. You probably have some chicken in the freezer you could cook too.

So wrapped up in the decision between baking and pan frying the chicken, you nearly miss your exit. After making a (not so) smooth turn onto your street, you park your car and both of you hop out. A bit thankful that your neighbors aren’t outside, the two of you head in through the front door. Not that you really cared about what your neighbors think about you, just that Kathy can stick her nose in things unnecessarily, and would probably call the authorities on your house guest. Getting your guest arrested in your foyer would probably make you a bad host, right?

“So,” you say as you lock the door behind you, “This is my apartment.”

You feel a wave of anxiety rush over you as you wrack your brain to remember if you left out anything potentially embarrassing. Is the place a wreck, or did you have the decency to keep your home moderately clean on the possibility of surprise guests? To your relief as the two of you walk deeper, you see you’d done a commendable job keeping the place straightened up. It looked lived in, sure, but tidy anyway.

Garmadon makes an impressed noise, “This is nice. You have a second floor?”

“It’s a townhouse, the bedroom is upstairs.” You tell him, “Do you mind If i go change out of my work clothes?”

He waves you off, heading over to the living room and peering critically at your bookshelves. You’re back down before he’s finished, coming up beside him as he shakes a novelty snow globe you’d gotten on holiday in Metalonia years ago. “Can I get you anything to drink?” You ask as he sets the now snow-swirling globe back on the shelf.

“Water is fine.” He says, turning to tail you into the kitchen.

The kitchen is not extremely large, but it’s decent. There’s a cutout in the wall that you’d set up bar stools on the other side, and Garmadon takes a spot there as you pass him a bottle of water before setting a pot on the stove to boil.

“I never caught your name.” He prods, and when you give it to him he says, “It fits you. I like it.”

You prep the chicken to toss in the air fryer and Garmadon once again speaks up, “What do you do in your free time?”

“Other than feed terrorists?” You ask with a smile, popping the chicken in the fancy appliance to cook.

“In addition to.” He smirks.

So you tell him. In any other circumstance, talking about yourself this much makes you squirm. It’s not that you didn’t enjoy it, it’s just that you’d been told that you were a lot, sometimes. That you could come off a bit intense, and so often times you bite your tongue and stay surface level. With Garmadon, though, every time you trail off or cut an explanation short he just stares at you expectantly until you pick it back up again. It’s easy, too, to just… tell him everything. If anyone could handle you, he could- and so everything comes spilling out, all your hobbies and interests (things you could easily talk about for hours) flowing out of your mouth as you stir the noodles and set the sauce on the stove to warm. He asks intelligent, insightful questions too. Things that show he’s really listening and responding to you.

“What about you? What do you like to do in your free time?”

“Other than acts of terror?” He jokes back, smirking. Then, “I write letters.”

This surprises you enough that you drop the noodle you were supposed to be taste testing, “You do?”

“To my son.” He elaborates, “I don’t send them. Things between us are too complicated for that.”

The pasta is finished so you take it to the sink to strain it. You’re a bit surprised at Garmadons openness, but you're eager to know more, “Why do you write them if you don’t send them?”

He hmmmms, “... I miss him. It’s difficult to explain, and I don’t know if you’d understand without a child of your own. Despite the fact our destinies have taken us on drastically different paths and made us enemies, I still love and care for him. My letters would not be welcome nor would they make what must be done any easier, so I do not send them.”

You’d paused your preparation of dinner to give him your full attention, “That must be difficult.” You say. Garmadon doesn’t reply, so you grab two plates out of the cabinet and set to work making both of your dinners, allowing the silence to soothe the sadness in the air.

Setting his plate in front of him, you grab a drink for yourself and take the other available stool.

“Y’know, I'm sure he’d appreciate hearing from you.” You try gently, “If he returns even a fraction of the love you have for him, then I’m sure he’d like receiving a letter.”

He frowns at you, “You should not talk about things you don’t understand.”

Your face flushes red, “Ah- I’m sorry, I just… was trying to make you feel better.” You duck your head, stabbing your meal with your fork and swirling up some noodle just to be doing something with your hands, “I didn’t mean to overstep.”

Garmadon reaches over and sets one hand on your shoulder as he starts on his food as well, “You don’t need to apologize. In any other circumstance, you would be correct… But Lloyd and I’s situation is unique, and not so easily reconcilable. I appreciate that you listened. I… have not talked about this to anyone else.”

Dinner is a quiet affair after that, but it’s not uncomfortable. He seems to enjoy your cooking, going back for seconds. Your crush on him is getting worse, but you suffer in silence, just soaking in the moment as another nice memory before he walks out of your life again. After you both finish and he insists he has to go, you walk him to the door.

There’s a moment where you both linger before he takes a step forward and reaches out, cupping your face with strong hands. Calloused from years of weapons training, the texture of his hands feels nice along the softness of your cheek. He waits a moment, waiting to see if you pull away, before he leans in and-

Your heart explodes. It’s exploded and now you're dead and in heaven. The moment his lips press to yours, a bolt of electricity sparks down your spine and makes your hands tingle. Your eyes flutter shut as you lean into the kiss, reaching up to rest your hands on his waist as his second pair of arms wrap around your shoulders. It’s a perfect, mind blowing kiss. It’s indescribable.

When he pulls away, you sway after his lips, already missing their warmth on yours.

He smiles at you and you grin back, but before you can go in for another he lets go and takes a step back, “Thank you for the meal.” He says politely, “But I really must go.”

You nod, brushing a hand through your hair, “Of course! Yeah, anytime. Really.”

He opens the door and stands there for a moment, staring at you like he’s convincing himself to leave. He takes a step out onto your porch as if it were a monumental task, and then another, and then he's at the stairs leading to the pathway leading away from you.

“Garmadon?” You ask from your doorway.

“Yes?”

“...Will you write to me?” The question is shy and hopeful and fragile.

The smile on his face broadens, “I will.”

#ninjago #lord garmadon #x reader #reader insert #commission fic #spinchip fic

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sketch-shepherd · 1 year

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rambling some RWBY stuff

I said I needed a hiatus for a while because March has been a terrible month for me but I gotta get this off my chest. I’m gonna be talking stuff about RWBY ship discourse and a new direction I’m taking in regards to enjoying the show.

I know I said I moved on from openly talking about RWBY ship discourse since like 2020 so I’m only gonna make an exception this once because the events of V9E6 are too big for me to ignore (spoiler warning I guess cuz the episode is still super new at the time I’m writing this)

So if you’re not interested in hearing me reflect on my fandom experience and where I’m currently docked in terms of my RWBY ships then don’t read the rest of the cut.

Those who know me know that I really, really don’t like B/umbleby. Both in terms of actual writing because I find it forced with poor buildup and the toxic fanbase ruined any appeal the ship had for me literally since my early days of being in the fandom. So it should come to no surprise I’m not happy with it officially becoming canon in this episode

Though... frankly I normally wouldn’t have put much thought into how well B/umbleby is written or not because I generally just have low standards for ships in general (ffs I’ve gushed over ships from other shows that had like overall two minutes of buildup), but it’s mainly the toxic fans who really destroyed the appeal the ship had for me which is why I started to care about it way more than I should have. But I’m getting off topic, the point of this wasn’t to write an essay about my thoughts on B/umbleby.

Likewise, those who know me also know I’ve always had a strong preference for its rival ship B/lacksun. Things are little complicated with that right now, but after some careful consideration I think I’m ready to dip out of the B/lacksun community too.

Now, I’m not saying I no longer support B/lacksun, far from it. I still like B/S as a ship itself since I consider it way better written than B/B and it has more actual communication and chemistry. But frankly from my experience I just haven’t had any fun in the B/S community for a really long time. While not as bad as the toxic B/umbleby fanbase, I’ve dealt with too many B/S shippers being so outright toxic and overwhelmingly negative... I’m at the point where I’d rather just not contribute altogether.

So yeah, being in the crossfire of both of these ships, dealing with stupid toxic fans/antis alike and giving myself more paranoia and anxiety than I asked for for five whole years straight really hasn’t done favors for my mental health. So at this point I just think my enjoyment of RWBY will be easier if between the two I just don’t add anything to either community.

So what does this mean for me? Like I said, I definitely don’t hate B/lacksun as a ship itself. I might just ship it silently and maybe still include it in my AU’s or something. I’m just not gonna openly contribute to the B/lacksun community anymore

Sorry for anyone who’s liked my B/lacksun content back when I was really passionate about it in my earlier days of the fandom (if any of said people are somehow even reading this since I’ve disbanded from the fandom so much over the years).. but for anyone who cares I guess, you’re just gonna have to get used to me just straight up not engaging in B/lacksun publicly anymore. No longer drawing fanart (probably not even for a commission), liking/reblogging any posts related to the ship, writing about it, just overall making actual content.

I still like the ship for what it is, but I’m not gonna openly invest in it anymore. Definitely not compared my other RWBY ships I casually talk about like R/osegarden, L/adybug, F/reezerburn, M/onochrome, etc... That’s basically what’s become of B/lacksun for me. B/umbleby on the other hand... yeah I still dislike it like I always have.

Sigh... but I digress. This weekend has basically given me a reason to reset. Half a fucking decade is not a good period of time to worry so damn much about ship discourse to the point it came at the expense of the real reason I enjoy RWBY... which is the plot and characters.

That’s all. THAT was the real reason I became drawn to RWBY when I first started watching it back in 2018. Not the stupid fucking shipping. Shipping was never going through my mind when I first bingewatched Volumes 1-5. Hell, my interest in shipping didn’t come until way later as like a second thought until I started looking at fan content more.

And now that I’ve seen what worrying over shipping so much did for me for five years straight... I’m turning a new leaf. A “stop giving a fuck” leaf. My experience of loving RWBY in the past five years would have been so much different if I didn’t prioritize ship wars over everything.

But, like I said. I’m undoing all that now. Going back to the mindset I had when I was new to the show before I learned of ship discourse and fandom drama. And I’m gonna see if it works for the rest of V9, as well as the rest of the show.

This is also NOT an invitation to talk about ship discourse or r/wde shit in my dm’s (something I unfortunately HAVE to say based on past experiences of people taking my words as r/wde or criticism shit). I wrote this ramble as a means of explaining that I still truly love RWBY despite some of the narrative choices I don’t like and cutting the fandom drama out.

To conclude in words of moistcr1tikal, that’s about it. See ya.

#sketch text #rwby #ship discourse #<-- i hope this is the last fucking time I use this tag for this fandom

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seelestia · 2 years

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Hi there I go by Voidless! (She/They, albeit I'm fine with whatever). I'm requesting for Genshin and would prefer guys (with the exception of Childe)

To put it bluntly: I’m a child at heart, an you could say, I’m fairly observant. It's not a challenge to figure out what someone’s feeling or thinking, their motives ect.

● I tend to be forthright with my emotions

● ENFP, the dulcet variety

● I like share knowledge and fun anecdotes

● Can be overly enthusiastic when socializing

● I’ve also gotten insecure, and assumed others don't like/distrust me without basis, proceeding to form an image in mind that's not true to who they really are.

● From the outside, I’ve been described as being like Zhongli (Serious, goes on tangents and socially awkward)

●Likes: museums, cool rocks, having a good laugh, travelling, anemo and electro slimes, civilizations of antiquity, and SHOPPING

● I'm not unique, but I really do fear death. I can't live just to die. I still have plenty I want to experience and not enough time. Isolation is also terrifying, just being alone with your thoughts forever. But the scariest thing has to be dandelion leaves. Yeah.. I really don’t know either.

● Hobbies: Anything under the sun! I'm a bit of a Renaissance person and sincerely wish I could live forever to do everything. I love to sing and tell stories and invoke the imagination. I also write and enjoy astronomy!

● As far as Love Language goes, it's kinda hard to pigeonhole I'll express it however I can. However I feel most at home with Gift Giving and Words of Affirmation

● In abstract terms, I want something genuine. In the sense that, someday someone will love me for everything I am. I’m not inept, but I can be a little braindead regarding things like flirting and sarcasm, so that might be interesting. In that regard I’d take what's said to heart. Someone who can be gentle when needed would also be nice.

● I love people who have layers of depth, someone I can't figure out immediately.

● I'm especially fond of grand romantic gestures

Apologies, I tried to keep it short but the wall of text kept on hunting me down...

thank you so much for choosing 1-800-SEELEETIA's speed matchmaking services! the keyword: dulcet is inserted . . . congratulations, your result is successfully unlocked! [ submissions are closed, event post. ]

lia's note: hi there, void <3 although there was a lot, but no worries, this was still super fun to do! tysm for joining my event~

「 YOUR MATCH IS . . . HEIZOU! 」

With your level of enthusiasm, you fit perfectly with the young detective from the Tenryou Commission! The world should better be prepared for the both of you because are a bundle of energy everywhere you go.

It is quite obvious that HEIZOU is openly fond of any knowledge or anecdotes you want to share. Whether to analyze or to laugh alongside you; he always has a hand on his chin, nodding along to each and every single one of your words. In fact, he also has some of his own to tell you! Care to listen, partner?

Your wide range of interests is also one of the things about you that he finds attractive. More information for him to learn, more time for him to admire you like a lovesick person as you ramble energetically — that is, if you also don't mind if he ruffles your hair and playfully calls you "an old soul" (with a signature grin on his face).

His life as a unique detective with more freedom than most is a whirlwind of spontaneity. Going here and there to look for clues and for fun, all the while holding your hand in his.

With SHIKANOIN HEIZOU around, rest assured that not even a second in your life will ever turn dull!

「 RUNNER-UPS: Ayato, Kaeya. 」

#i read your ask and immediately thought of heizou fjekdkkw #that guy is a tricky and cheeky one but you're in good hands <3 #seelestia.1k

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greervendelbo54 · 16 days

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gch1995 · 2 years

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I find it absolutely hilarious that you're blaming the Jedi for all the problems of the prequel era instead of the GODDAMN SPACE NAZIS. Palpatine was the one who commissioned the clone army. Palpatine facilitated the corruption in the Senate. Palpatine built a political situation the forced everyone, jedi included to pick their poison. Palpatine spewed propaganda out of his ass at every turn. It was Palpatine! It was the Sith! IT WAS THE NAZIS GODDAMNIT! STOP MAKING FUCKING EXCUSES GEEZ!

No one deserved the clone wars or Order 66, nonny. However, if Anakin is still worthy of being held at least partially accountable for his crimes and wrongdoings, in spite of all the odds against him of compromised agency, then so are the adults of the Jedi Order who knowingly carried out a corrupt Republic head’s orders.

Even before Palpatine got elected Chancellor, they were recruiting children for their space police cult. A fucking nine year old boy was seriously considered “too old” for Yoda and the Council to train in using lethal weapons. Children under 18 should never be allowed to handle lethal weapons at all! They were considered knights and/or padawan, so therefore, they were still being trained as soldiers, even if they weren’t in war.

Anakin Skywalker was recruited by Qui Gonn Jinn under extremely sketchy circumstances with severely compromised and ill-informed dubious consent issues. First off, Qui Gonn Jinn didn’t free this little boy from slavery out of the kindness of his heart at all, or because Anakin was a genuinely sweet kid. It was only because he had a random force vision that this kid would destroy the Sith one day in the future as a powerful weapon if he and the rest of the Jedi took him under their wing to groom to be one. Anakin’s not important to Qui Gonn Jinn as a person at all.

As much of a toxic and negligent friend and mentor as Obi-Wan was to Anakin, at the very least, he did come to genuinely love Anakin for just being Anakin, even if he was very awful at encouraging it and showing it in his willful denial of his feelings because he was too insecure about not being a “perfect” Jedi if he admitted to caring about Anakin and stood up for him more, rather than continuing being too hard on him, pushing him away when he tried to bond, and selling him out to kiss Yoda’s and the Council’s asses. Still, he kept Anakin’s relationship with Padme secret from the Council because he cared about Anakin and Padme, and he genuinely did admit to Anakin having a kind, loyal, and wise heart as a Jedi after he got knighted once.

While Qui Gonn seems more openly kind and flexible than Obi-Wan, I also think that he would be worse in a way for Anakin as a mentor because he only seemed to care about this boy as a weapon for the Jedi, not as a person. Since he was the one who discovered him, the pressure would be even higher for Anakin to be a “perfect” Jedi and fulfill the prophecy than it was with Obi-Wan, and I don’t think he’d be able to advocate for the freedom of Anakin’s mother.

Additionally, Qui Gonn Jinn takes a DNA blood sample from Anakin to test his midichorlorian count without this little boy’s or his mother’s fully informed consent first. He bets on Anakin’s freedom in a podrace contest with Watto to recruit him as a Jedi without either Anakin’s or his mother’s consent or knowledge first, even after realizing that Watto would only free Anakin, not his mother, too.

Once again, Anakin’s agency to be a person is stripped away from him by another adult with that “Chosen one” title by the Jedi. It’s not from being a slave for Watto to use to fulfill chores/tasks and make money off him.

The old Republic and Jedi Order were enabling slavery and horrible living conditions for the people on the outer rims because they weren’t part of their “greater good,” so they didn’t care much about helping people who didn’t benefit them right off the bat.

Yoda and the Council shamed a nine year old boy for missing his mother that they left in slavery, and separated him from because “attachments were dangerous!” Qui Gonn and Obi Wan brought a child with them into dangerous battle zones against a Sith! Qui Gonn bet on a slave child’s freedom without telling either Anakin or Shmi first. Qui Gonn told Anakin and Shmi that being a Jedi would be “a hard life,” but never mentions the fact that Jedi are cut off from the outside world, forbidden from forming close relationships, getting married, and having kids, and put into dangerous situations from childhood!

This all happened in The Phantom Menace with the Jedi and Republic, even before Palpatine/Sidious was elected Chancellor of the Senate. Yes, he used their weaknesses against them, set up the clone wars, and came up with Order 66, which were all things they didn’t deserve. However, both the old Jedi Order and Republic were still corrupt messes that were falling apart, even before Palpatine got elected as Chancellor of the Senate. The biggest tragedy is that this fall became inevitable because these people were too blinded by their own arrogance, denial, and fear of losing security in taking a risk to do any better.

#star wars anon #nonny Palpatine was a monster that no one deserved in the Jedi/Republic #but even without him the Jedi and republic of the prequels were a toxic mess #pt republic critical #pt star wars #pt Jedi order critical #the phantom menace #their fall doesn’t work if they aren’t already deeply flawed themselves even before Palpatine #but how dare the Jedi be problematic even though the two we met before Luke in the ot were corrupt too #jedi council fuckery #anakin sywalker #darth vader #the tragedy of the old republic and jedi order

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watevermelon · 3 years

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Same Old Love | Kaeya (Genshin) x Traveler!Reader

✧ Summary: Kaeya was mysterious in every way that made you wary. From the gleam in his eye to how easy it was for him to flirt, it made you wonder how much he was presenting was truly real. Not wanting to get sucked in, you swore not to fall for the Cavalry Captain. At least, that was the plan, right? ➳ Notes: Angst with a happy ending ➳ A/N: Thank you so much for the ask!! This was fun to write ((I feel like I write so much angsty/jealousy fics haha)) I’m just getting into genshin and so please feel free to send in requests for these cuties <3 @breathings-of-the-heart

Navigation

—xXxXxXxXxXx—

You had some worries about Kaeya, dubbed “The Handsome Mr. Kaeya” by Paimon.

There was no doubt that he was attractive, his ever present smirk and exposed chest was enough to signify to anyone that even Kaeya was well aware of his looks. But he tended to wield his words like a double edged sword - using his words for an express purpose.

It was admirable, in a way. He was the loyal Cavalry Captain who looked out for Mondstadt’s best interest. And while he had misled you on this pirate treasure adventure, there was no harm really done. In fact, from the way he prattled about haircuts and eyepatches inherited from his parents, you were already sure that it was simply a tale being spun for Paimon to latch onto.

At the end of the day, Kaeya still compensated you for your time and provided you with a higher-level weapon. The criminals were caught and the Knights were credited for another arrest of an infamous Treasure Hunter. It was a win-win situation that you very quickly put behind you as another job done.

The entire quest had not really bothered you - it was not like you had not withheld anything either. You ran from clue to clue without updating Kaeya on your progress, with the express intent of snagging some of this treasure yourself.

It was a really smart move on his part and, for whatever reason, it had the inverse effect on you - it made you want to get closer to Kaeya.

Paimon grumbled for all of a day before she prattled onto something new, complaining about the returning ruin guard by the temple or the way Venti sassed her. But you often found yourself hanging around Good Hunter or Angel’s Share, wondering if you would be able to run into him again.

It was no surprise that Kaeya was always busy, Jean had mentioned before that Kaeya was the one who often wrapped up every physical incident that occurred in both the city and outer plains of Mondstadt.

And so it was easy to lose track of him, the image of Kaeya still present in your mind, just pushed back in the further recess as you continued in your struggle to find clues about your brother. When whispers on the street spoke of a Dark Knight hero, you were pleasantly surprised to see Diluc patrolling the streets from the shadows.

The last thing you had expected was to team-up with the very man who ran opposite to the Knights, but you learned how oddly sweet Diluc was in that short amount of time. His double life of fighting off the abyss army single-handedly to running the largest Winery on the continent - Diluc’s workload was no easy feat.

You were just out of the clear, Huffman gone to deal with the slimes when a resounding clap started from the dining area of the bar. Kaeya stood and approached you both, you turned to Diluc and he had the flattest, most unimpressed expression on.

You stood mostly silent in that conversation, Diluc with his arms and chin held high. Kaeya had reassured him that the secret was best kept that way, eyes glinting mischievously as they went from the winery owner to you.

You only stared right back, as if Kaeya’s face would give off exactly what he was looking for. Instead, he simply smiled at the both of you and left when Diluc said he was closing the bar. Diluc thanked you for your assistance, reassuring you that in case you need help, he was a willing hand.

When you walked out the bar then, Kaeya was still right outside, chatting casually with some of the late bar-goers that sat at the picnic table. Just as he made eye-contact with you, he bid himself goodbye from the group and fell into step with you.

“Paimon doesn’t trust blue-haired, eye-patched men anymore.” She started next to you.

“That’s good I’m a blue-haired, eye-patched handsome young man.” Kaeya shot back, to which she rolled her eyes. He then turned to you with the same open smirk as usual, “And here I was thinking I could make you my assistant.”

Was he flirting with you?

It took you a second to question this internally before Paimon scoffed, “Ugh, I’m going ahead to the inn. I don’t think I can stand watching you make kissy-faces at each other after the day we had.”

You waved a hand in her direction to smack her, but she was already flying away up and out of reach.

Turning back to the Captain, you were surprised to see that Kaeya was still looking at you, not even toward Paimon as she fled into the night.

Remembering his last statement, you shot back, “Think you could handle me?”

“Confidence, it looks very good on you.” Kaeya replied as his smile widened. He took a single step closer, lowering his voice next to your ear and continuing. “But the real question is if you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?”

You stood your ground, ignoring the shiver that ran up your spine, “I always like to try new things.”

“I look forward to it.” Kaeya straightened, lightly grabbing your hand in one of his own and raising it to his lips. “Until then, traveler.”

To think that such a simple action, hardly anything scandalous, had lingered on your skin the entire night. You remembered the way his lips felt against your hand, how striking his blue eyes bore into your own. Kaeya was extremely dangerous, able to catch your attention and keep it for hours on end.

The next day you had a commission about dismantling a rising Hilichurl camp, a perfect distraction away from the eye-patched hunk that kept plaguing your thoughts. The last thing you expected was for Kaeya to see you.

“Looks like our honorary knight continues their do-good streak.”

“It’s the least I can do.” You replied back, a sassy hand on your waist.

“Why don’t I accompany you?”

You wanted to scream.

Paimon actually did groan before stating she was going to stay in the city.

And suddenly, your distraction was running exactly opposite to your intention. With Kaeya joining your party, the Cavalry Captain was making himself decidedly known you.

He led you around a cliff, showing you a higher area where you could survey the camp before bursting in guns blazing. There were six Hilichurls, some slimes scattered about and two towers already set-up in this enemy campsite.

You decided to stick together, coming in from the high ground and slamming your weapon into the ground at unsuspecting enemies. It felt nice to fight alongside someone again, oftentimes you were alone in your adventures. Paimon would yell words of encouragement, but never would she actually lift a finger to fight. But Kaeya was reliable, freezing enemies into place and shattering them where they stood.

Taking down some of the outer-rim electro Hilichurls equipped with bows, you were nearly finished with clearing the entire camp. You grabbed the pyro slimes and exploded them near the towers, taking down the camp with them. With the camp almost completely disassembled, you heard the tell-tale electronic power-up that only signified one enemy.

A ruin guard.

Hunched over, you watched as multiple missiles took aim on the nearby unsuspecting Cavalry Captain. Running the best you could, you threw decorum out the window as you all but tackled the poor man out of harm's way.

Rolling a few times, there was no surprised yelp from the man beneath you. He simply allowed you to take the wheel until you came to a stop, hovering over his body. Kaeya was undoubtedly taller than you, but you were face-to-face as he smirked beneath you.

“Wow, not that I’m against this.” Kaeya started, a quip ready. “But ask me out to dinner first.”

You flushed and stood up immediately, “I was saving you!”

“I’ll let you save me any day of the week.” Kaeya replied, earning a half-assed scowl on your behalf. He only laughed at you, calling your attempted look of intimidation only served to make a cute pout instead.

You huffed and considered leaving him with the ruin guard.

From then on there was no doubt about it - Kaeya was flirting with you.

And you were openly flirting back, if of course he decided a less obnoxious moment. In between commissions and nights at Angel’s Share, Kaeya flirtations were growing more and more brazen. It was one thing to kiss the top of your hand in greeting and another entirely for Kaeya to throw his hand across your hair, leaning in to openly bury his nose in your hair.

Diluc called you both disgusting.

Tonight, you entered Cat Tail’s semi-inconspicuously to get a drink. Paimon had long caught onto your game, saying that she surprisingly approved of Kaeya, since after all he was still a good guy in some ways.

But, she still was not exactly a fan of you too making “kissy-faces” at each other, her words. And so tonight you were flying solo, Paimon opting to annoy Amber instead tonight as they tracked down some abyss mage or other.

You tried your best to hang around the bar, looking around the tavern to see if the object of your desire was anywhere around. You meandered for a few minutes, saying greetings to other bargoers that had recognized you, before approaching the bartender if Kaeya has been around

The bartender recognized you immediately. It was hard not to place one of the few new people in Mondstadt, especially one that was crushing much of the country's enemies. Diona had mentioned before that you were a friend of Diluc’s, often more than just a customer at the rival tavern. No, you were seen running around the city with the red-head at random times.

She said the worst thing you could have ever suspected.

“I think Kaeya has a hot date tonight.”

You felt a lump in your throat form, but tried to keep your response guarded. “Oh?”

The bartender continued, “Yeah, I’m not sure if it was Paula? Or Maggie tonight? But you know the captain - always changing up his escapades.”

“Right, of course.” You replied back, words coming out before you could even register it. Instead, you kept on nursing your drink, spiteful words from the bartender marinating in your mind.

Kaeya was mysterious, yes. But was he leading you on?

… Was it right of you to trust him?

The first red flag should have been the fact that you knew nearly nothing about him personally. To think that you had spent all this time together talking and fighting alongside one another, but you could not even recall basic facts about him, let alone anything deep. You were unaware of his family history - Diluc was his brother, but it was the red-head who ended up confiding that fact to you.

Kaeya was so charming that you hadn’t even noticed he shut you out of his world.

And so there was no point in actively keeping a one-sided friendship like that. From then forth, you resolved to avoid the Cavalry Captain for the time being. You knew you had to free Dvalin together, but that did not mean you had to swoon for him in your free time.

It was almost expected of you to join him on Friday nights at Angel’s Share, but tonight you were missing. Neither Charles nor Diluc had seen you the entire day. There were probably a hundred different things you were doing - gathering resources, fighting slimes - and so Kaeya thought little of it.

But he was still disappointed not to see your face that night.

And so he thought nothing was wrong the next day when he saw you in the city square, talking to someone at the general store. He approached you and offered to join your party again, take down some enemies somewhere out in the country.

You didn’t even smile at him.

Not this time.

Just a curt no before you were leaving out the city gates.

The second time Kaeya already had enough and confronted you before you could even attempt to walk away.

He grabbed at your elbow, “Have you finally grown tired of me?”

You pulled it back, no real strength behind it as Kaeya still held you under his grip. “Kaeya, why is it that you keep reaching out to me? I have nothing of my own to offer - no money, no family - there is nothing left I can give you.”

He frowned in response but grabbed at your other hand, “I haven’t asked you for anything, have I?”

You looked away, “You don’t have to! It’s inherent, after all. Isn’t that why you asked me to team-up in the first place, to use me to find your criminals?”

Kaeya mentally recoiled, “Woah, back up. I may have guided you regarding the treasure but never have I maliciously led you on.”

You pulled at your hands to no avail, this time the captain actively trying to keep your attention on him.

“I just! I thought I meant something more to you, Kaeya.”

He smiled and tried to pull you into his chest, but you shoved off his touch this time fully.

“No! You can’t just hug me and think everything is okay. You’re supposed to be one of the good guys, one of the handful of people I can trust in Mondstadt and I know nothing about you.”

Kaeya did not reach for your hands, instead moving to stand in front of you. “I’m sorry that I hold my secrets close to my chest, but that’s what I’m used to.”

Frustrated, you replied. “Don’t you get tired? Holding the people that love you at an arm's length?”

“I’m sorry.” He repeated, this time reaching for you. “I’m sorry that I made you feel like you weren’t special. Trust me, you’re the only one I’ve had eyes on ever since you landed here in Mondstadt.”

You shook your head, “But the bartender, she said -”

“Who cares what she said?” Kaeya interrupted, “They know village gossip, but they don’t know me or you.”

“I don’t really know you.” You replied.

Kaeya caressed the side of your cheek before lightly gently grabbing your hand again, “Then let’s start.”

With a hesitant smile, you closed your eyes and nodded.

“Okay.”

You had your doubts then and it’s not like an issue of trust was fixed overnight. But, to his credit, Kaeya tried as best he could. Instead of meeting randomly at the bar, he would approach you sometime during the day and set-up a date. How he knew where you were was a mystery, but a man with that many connections surely had a way.

He had no qualms about holding your hand or openly kissing your cheek in the presence of others - proclaiming loudly to one and all in Mondstadt that you were his and he was yours.

Taking your first argument to heart, Kaeya was very keen on communication. Anything you were unsure of, he expressed that he was by no means rushing you. And when you finally shared your first kiss, for once not a single soul in front of the Lord Barbatos statue, you leaned into his touch to get many more.

Kaeya made good on his promise, slowly letting you into his world in kind. You remembered one night as the both of you sat on the edge of Mondstadt, nothing but ocean for miles in front of you. You had your head on his shoulder, describing your adventures with your brother and how you missed having family.

Kaeya had a gentle hand in your hair, rubbing soothing circles as you recalled a time long ago. Once your story finished, you two continued to stare out, wondering what the future could hold as your minds swam in an endless sea of thoughts.

He broke the silence.

“I miss my brother also.”

Diluc was not always his estranged brother, but once a friend, supporter, and sounding board. Some even mistook them as truly twins in heart and mind, defending Mondstadt and having each other’s backs for years. The Diluc you had come to know was a shell of his old self, close friends and past hidden behind years of repressed feelings.

There was no doubt wistfulness in Kaeya’s eyes as he recalled the past to you, but you continued to listen quietly.

Your relationship with the Cavalry Captain was hardly easy. Often responsibilities called you both - Kaeya was highly stationed in Mondstadt while you still had seven other countries to visit. But that did not mean the end for you both. Even when you were thousands of miles away or sat atop the highest mountain without a clue to where he was, you cherished the thought that you still shared the same sky with the love of your life.

No matter where you were in Teyvat, you had Kaeya to return to.

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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 3 years

Note

In your latest post, you said that Dumbledore MEANT to put Harry in a abusive household. That, or when he found out he did nothing to stop it. Why is that?

You’re going to get a lot of people angry with me. Well, I suppose they’re already angry. Somewhere out there, on the wider internet.

Right, anyway, the evidence of Harry’s abuse is so overwhelming that it seems improbable to me that Dumbledore wasn’t aware of what was happening. More, every interaction he has with not only Harry, but characters in similar circumstances, lends me to believe that in the event that Dumbledore does know he’d take no action.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Scene 1

We start out the entire Harry Potter series with Minerva and Dumbledore waiting in the early dawn for Hagrid’s arrival and to place Harry with the Dursleys. Minerva immediately announces her discomfort with this,

She specifically says the following:

"You don't mean — you can't mean the people who live here? Dumbledore, you can't. You couldn't find two people who are less like us."

Lily Evans’ relatives are infamous enough such that Minerva McGonagall, who is presumably not as close as her like aged peers (i.e. Sirius, Remus, and Peter) knows about them.

Granted, some of this is anti-muggle sentiment. Minerva isn’t sure that suburban muggles raising a magical child like Harry Potter is a good idea. Nevertheless, she has deep misgivings, and relays them to Dumbledore.

We know from further evidence that Dumbledore is perfectly aware of what Petunia and Vernon are like as well. He gives Harry to the Dursleys anyway.

Dumbledore, for his own reasons, chooses not to listen.

Dumbledore’s Letter to Petunia

Dumbledore writes a letter to Petunia, knowing it is highly necessary, as he gives Harry to the family. The letter is... vaguely threatening but in a very polite Dumbledore way. It pretty much implies “Take Harry, or else, also be nice to your dead sister.”

The point is, Dumbledore is aware that this letter is highly necessary. And then... other things happen.

Dumbledore Sends Hagrid

Dumbledore sends Hagrid to pick Harry up.

Ordinarily, in such circumstances, Minerva is sent to introduce muggleborn children to the Wizarding World. “Perhaps she was busy,” you say, too busy for Harry Potter? Wizard Jesus and the child of perhaps her favorite students who she openly favors throughout the series?

“Perhaps Dumbledore was being nice to Hagrid, and he had an errand to do anyway,” well, it’s all well and good to be nice to Hagrid, but is he really the best guy to introduce anybody to the Wizarding World?

This is Hagrid, the likelihood of him having taken Harry to an exotic pet shop where Harry then gets eaten by the Chupacabra is 95%. The 5% where it didn’t happen is because Hagrid went to the pet shop alone and some, distant, rational part of his brain told him that Harry would want the pretty owl vs. the one-eyed blood sucking rat demon in the cage next to her.

You don’t send Hagrid if you want a child returned to you with all its limbs intact.

So why do you send Hagrid?

When you want someone who’s so painfully oblivious, loyal, and stupid that they could stare a hellscape in the face and wouldn’t even notice.

Hagrid gets a firsthand view of Harry’s living conditions. He learns that Harry’s relatives have been actively blocking Harry’s letters, that they have run across the country to avoid them. He sees the state of Harry’s clothing in comparison to Dudley, how thin Harry is in comparison to Dudley, and the way the family interacts with each other.

Harry’s child abuse is staring Hagrid right in the face.

Minerva would demand that Harry be placed somewhere else, they can find some other means of protecting him.

What does Hagrid do?

He gives Dudley a pig’s tail illegally and proceeds to tell Harry that Dumbledore is the greatest man who ever lived.

Other Evidence Comes to Light

Other characters start getting pretty big warning signs that all’s not right at the Potters.

Ron and Hermione know the situation is “bad” and that Harry’s relatives “hate magic”. They’re also kids and don’t really understand what this means, the idea of being abused and hated by your guardians is unthinkable to them and Harry doesn’t come out and just say it.

That said, they’ve seen enough that they drop hints to those around them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are told about the bars on Harry’s window. Ron was so concerned about Harry in the summer after first year that he steals his father’s car with Fred and George to go pick him up. That is not normal behavior, that is deep concern for your friend.

Despite all of this... nothing happens.

Hermione spends far more time at the Weasleys then Harry ever does. Every summer, he returns to Privet Drive, and it’s likely if Arthur and Molly did have concerns Dumbledore told them off.

Arabella Figg

Arabella has been keeping an eye on Harry for years. She’s noted some very disturbing trends and been witness to years of the Dursleys interacting with Harry Potter.

She passes this information on to Dumbledore.

He knows how bad it is.

Harry Potter

Harry tells Dumbledore he does not wish to remain at the Dursleys, he notes that they don’t like him and he doesn’t like them. Now, he tries to downplay it, but this is a child saying some pretty disturbing things. You don’t brush this off.

Dumbledore does.

Dumbledore Visits the Dursleys

In book 6, Dumbledore visits the Dursleys and sees, in person, how bad it is. However, he shows no surprise, only vague disappointment in Petunia. Tsk, tsk, Petunia, I thought you were better than this.

He offers a few threats and then he and Harry go on their merry way.

Severus Snape

Snape is Dumbledore’s spy who reads Harry’s mind for half a year. Granted, Snape is a bastard who loathes Harry Potter, but he sees evidence of the Dursleys abuse of Harry.

We know, from what he relays to Dumbledore later, that he had at least some concern for Harry and was very disturbed by Dumbledore’s plan to murder him in cold blood due to the horcrux.

I think it’s very likely Severus Snape knew and told Dumbledore that Harry was being abused. I’m sure Albus’ response was, “Bitch, I know, would you like a lemon drop?”

Point being, there is no conceivable way that Albus Dumbledore, even if he was the world’s dumbest man, didn’t know exactly how bad it was. He let’s it happen anyway.

But What About the Blood Wards?

Dumbledore eventually tells Harry that the reason he can’t run away from Privet Drive is because of the blood wards created by his mother. They can only be applied if he lives with blood relatives and protect the Dursley house as long as Harry considers it home.

Now, this is a bit suspect given that Harry really considers Hogwarts his home, Privet Drive is just that hell hole he has to go back to every summer. Even the Burrow is more his home than Privet Drive so... That doesn’t sound right.

More, though, there are other means of protection.

There’s the Fidelius which Dumbledore casts on Sirius’ house in book 5. Given that, Harry really could have lived with Sirius (well, Sirius is not in a good place to have a kid around and that would be a disaster and a half). Point being, Harry could be raised elsewhere and there are wards that could protect him.

More, Voldemort and the Death Eaters are out of commission for thirteen years. Indeed, we see Dumbledore up Harry’s security detail by secretly assigning the Order to tail him after fourth year.

So, for a very long time, it’s not about Harry’s protection and when it does become that we see Dumbledore make significant changes.

So, what could it be?

Well, let’s look at Dumbledore’s other actions. Dumbledore prevents Harry from becoming prefect because “he thought it would go to his head”. Which, Harry should absolutely not be made prefect at all, and Ron’s a laughable candidate too but...

To me that’s very telling.

I hate to say this, but this is Dumbledore, but I think he has a very similar reasoning behind Harry going to the Dursleys.

He doesn’t want Harry to be corrupted by the Boy Who Lived persona. He wants him in a certain state of mind when he enters into the wizarding world and... Frankly, he wants him vulnerable. Dumbledore, in time, will need to either murder this boy or have him kill himself. If Harry has a halfway decent guardian, that task becomes a hell of a lot harder.

Harry has to love the wizarding world so much, trust Dumbledore so much, that these things are worth dying for.

You Mentioned Something About Dumbledore’s Other Actions?

Dumbledore has no sympathy for victims of child abuse.

Tom Riddle, an impoverished orphan loathed by those in his orphanage, he thinks is the very devil and sends him back into the Blitz with a smile and a wave. Enjoy the bombs, Tom, hope you die.

Severus Snape, the half blood child of an abusive muggle father and absentee mother, who is nearly murdered by Sirius Black via Remus Lupin, is told to shut the fuck up and sit down before he ruins the lives of his betters.

Dumbledore has a very bad track record with this and, well, Harry Potter is not an exception.

To be fair, I think the wizarding world has not concept of CPS or even child abuse. There’s no hint of a foster system, you go to the closest relative of the godparents. So, I think to them, you’re stuck with whoever you’re stuck with and if your uncle rapes you then it sucks to be you.

#ask #theviolettulip #harry potter #albus dumbledore

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rviden · 3 years

Note

howdy! may i request headcanons on how the mondstadt characters would react to traveler!reader becoming more distant and professional because the traveler remembered that they don’t belong in Tevyat and will have to leave one day? like they still help out and work with mondstadt but aren’t as personal and friendly with the characters anymore. ty! of course, feel free to reject this request.

➝ you distance yourself from them (mondstadt)

feat. ➝ mondstadt characters (minus eula, barbara, amber, fischl, mona, noelle, rosaria)

warnings ➝ tis a little bit angsty

note ➝ okay i went for a new format since it was a single headcanon with multiple people — also have some people i don’t usually write for in here!

also if this isn’t along the lines of what you were wishing for, please don’t be afraid to re-request it!

the people of mondstadt knew your face — having played a large part in the whole dvalin / stormterror fiasco

and alongside that, they were used to seeing a knight by your side, or you lurking around with some other big faces of the city

but when commissions were accepted and collected alone, tables were occupied by only paimon and you, and you’d take routes way out of you way to avoid certain buildings — the people of mondstadt knew that something was up

diluc was the first to start catching onto your out of the ordinary ways — no longer would you come to the pub or the winery, and he had once seen you turn you back to him and walk the opposite way

not only would he be severely confused, but he’d be somewhat hurt — despite not getting super close with anyone, he had considered you a friend, so seeing you openly avoid him hurt to say the least

he would set aside as much of his work as he could just so he could figure out what had gotten into — and if he had to, he’d work with the knights

speaking of the knights

kaeya would be the next one to truly notice your disappearance and distant behaviour

the other knights were either too deep into their work, or had their hands tied with other things — jean, lisa, albedo being the ones who didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary

when diluc contacts kaeya, he would then go and alert his fellow knights, as well as sending word to people he knew were also close to you

the knights as a whole would be concerned — maybe there was something about your missing sibling that was troubling you, or maybe there was an event that had gotten you down — they didn’t know the reason for your behaviour, but they were worried

razor, who despite not having contact with you regularly, would often spot you out and about — and when he tries to make contact with you and you turn away, he would be so wounded

he not only takes it super personal, but also questions every little interaction he’s ever had with you in the past — maybe he had done something to make you mad, maybe you just didn’t like him

the smaller characters like klee and diona would be both confused and sad — having a new face as prominent as your own was exciting and interesting, so when you started to pull away from mondstadt as a whole, emotions ran high

diona would try to get you to come over after commissions for a meal, maybe even a nice chat, but with a small denial being brushed her way, she would also distance herself

klee would constantly try to be by your side, even when you politely ask her for space — the only way she’ll be leaving you alone is if you down right tell her to leave (if you yell at klee i’ll personally hurt you <3)

bennett would be used to being avoided in all honesty — so you pulling away from him would be normal, yet also hurt a lot — you were one of his only adventuring buddies that bothered to stick around after all

now someone that would connect the pieces quite quickly is venti — he can’t say he can explain how, but by the way you carry yourself and how your aura has been, he knew that there was an important reason behind your actions

so he would reach out to the rest of the people you knew and tell them that whatever was wrong would be found out — you were important to them after all

after being cornered and questioned about the out of the ordinary way you were acting, you would inevitably be forced to explain what was wrong

while some would be shocked at your reveal, others would be saddened at the thought

rest assured that no matter what, the people of mondstadt would always look out for you and care for you, even when the time comes where you must leave — and they will make it their duties to spend as much time with you as they can before the time comes

#📎.headcanon #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagine #genshin x reader #genshin imagine #traveler!reader

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yourfriendlyneighborhoodsimp21 · 3 years

Text

Genshin Impact Boys NSFW Headcanons

Pairing (Separate): Xiao, Kaeya, Diluc, Childe & Zhongli x Female! Reader

Warnings: Sexual Content, Harsh Language, Degradation, Terrible Writing Because I Hardly Proofread-

Minors Do Not Interact | NSFW UNDERCUT

A/N; I’ve been playing this game for a good while and I’ve been waiting for the chance to write for my favorite husbandos (´-﹏-`；) I may make more hcs for this game in the future and maybe a separate blog!

[] Being in an intimate relationship with Xiao was already a hard thing to accomplish, so getting him into bed will definitely take longer.

[] It’s not that he doesn’t want to have sex with you, he’s just scared. Scared of being so close with someone, scared of you not enjoying it, scared of hurting you.

[] In the beginning he treats you like a fragile piece of glass, he doesn’t want to do anything that would bring you displeasure, so it’s up to you to tell him what feels good and what doesn’t.

“You can touch there, Xiao.” The H/C female murmured as the Yaksha above her hesitantly buried his face into her neck. He slowly thrusted his hips to meet hers while his lips latched onto her neck, causing her to let out a small sigh in pleasure. Xiao wasn’t used to the feeling of being an amateur at something.

He didn’t know where to place his hands so the were just resting besides the girl’s head. He didn’t know how slow or fast to go, so he just stuck with slowly pounding her. He didn’t know any other positions, so he stayed in the vanilla missionary pose. To say that Xiao was clueless when it came to having sex was an understatement.

“Hey..” y/n said softly, placing a hand on his cheek to gently get him to look at her. “You’re doing great, just don’t hold back, m’kay?” With those words, the Adeptus nodded and slowly but surely got more comfortable.

[] After a few times, the Adeptus is willing to open up and let go of his cautiousness a bit. During the past times, he was able to pick up what things would make you squirm and what would leave you whimpering in pain, so he’s not as clueless as before.

[] You knew he had a tendency to growl at times, so hearing that during sex wasn’t unusual, but he also let out his own sensual moans as he thrusts in and out of you. His noises may be a little quiet, but Archons do they turn you on even more.

[] Teasing him will definitely leave you with some bruises the next day. He doesn’t necessarily mean to be so rough with you, it just..happens? What? Whenever you sway your hips in front of him or ‘accidentally’ brush you fingers inside his thighs in public, he can’t help but lose some control. Besides, if you didn’t want it then you would’ve behaved yourself.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” Xiao muttered into her ears as his fingers skillfully massaged her insides, making her whimper and grab onto his shoulders. “Answer me, y/n.”

“I-I..No..!” She wailed, crying out in pleasure as he felt his fingers hit her sweet spot. The walls inside her room at the inn were particularly thin, so she was sure the others could hear. Before she could clamp a hand over her mouth to quiet her moans, she felt a hand on her wrists pin them above her on the bed. “Oh, so now you want to be all quiet when you had the nerve to openly tease me in front of everyone? Tch, how pathetic.” The Yaksha spat, roughening his pace as he watched y/n with pride in his eyes. The way she moaned and reacted to being treated in such a way made him feel more powerful than he already knew he was.

“Perhaps I need to teach you a lesson on how to respect the Adepti, because surely you didn’t think you would get away with teasing me without a punishment, correct?”

[] This little shit is such a tease in bed, there’s not a moment when he’s not throwing out comments on your every move. (And honestly? He’d tease you in public too, he personally enjoys the thrill of getting caught).

[] Not to say that he wasn’t a virgin when you both met, but you were sure he knew his way around the bed from how he skillfully and easily lulled you into such a desperate state.

“Kaeya..” Y/N whimpered softly, the feeling of his clothed erection grinding against her was something her body would never get used to. The girl sat atop the desk in the Calvary Captain’s office as his hands roamed her chest from underneath her shirt.

Kaeya smirked as he watched the desperate girl try shift her hips to get more momentum, they were going at a painfully slow pace and he knew the more he touched her the more she would submit to him. “Can I help you, Princess?”

“I..I need more..” The woman whined, staring into his blue eyes with needy ones. She groaned slightly as she felt him back away slightly, a pout on her lips. Her mind was hazy, the only thing she could think of was how much she wanted her lover to quit teasing her and just fuck her senseless. But her thoughts were immediately cut off by the hand that popped up from under her skirt and play with her sensitive area.

“Good things come to those who wait, no?”

[] Once you both finally get to the real deal, such sinful words fill the air as he pounds into you.

[] Kaeya is definitely one to degrade, the reactions he gets from it are just too addicting to stop.

[] Words and sayings like “you’re such a slut for me” , “you look so beautiful putting that mouth to good use for me, baby” and “little whores like you don’t get what they want” are definitely used during intercourse.

[] But there are times where there’s such a soft moment between the two of you that you forget he’s such a flirt.

[] During soft sex, Kaeya lets down his charismatic facade and take time to appreciate you and your body, kissing areas on you that you may not like so much and just give you words and gestures of praise.

[] This usually happens if you’re both just quietly holding each other in bed or either one of you need some extra affection. With commissions and work for Jean, you both don’t get as much time to spend together as you would like, so moments like these are something that both you and Kaeya treasure.

The knight softly held his lovers hips, gently thrusting himself into her as he let out soft pants into her neck. The atmosphere was different from past times, but if was surprisingly more enjoyable.

Kaeya lifted his head up and looked at her with eyes of adoration while she placed a hand on his cheek to caress it gently, small moans leaving her lips as she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face.

Seeing Kaeya so vulnerable was something y/n wasn’t that used to seeing, knowing that he trusted her to do something so intimate while he usually pushed others away filled her heart with love.

This wasn’t just sex, this was love making. And the two of them wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“I love you..” She murmured, wrapping her legs around his waist as he captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

Once the kiss ended, Kaeya couldn’t help but smile down at her. “I love you too, Princess.”

[] Like Xiao, Diluc’s incredibly careful when it comes to having sex with you. The last thing he wants to do is hurt you and make this moment something you won’t enjoy.

[] Sex is something extremely intimate to him, so there won’t be any shenanigans in public or somewhere where people are around. Him being in such a vulnerable state is something only your eyes should see, as well as vise versa.

[] The first few times, Diluc would be so careful with you, not as cautious like Xiao, but cautious enough to do everything slowly to see what reactions you make. If you make a noise/face of pleasure, then he’ll make a mental note to do it again in the future, but if he can see any discomfort then he’ll immediately stop that and place a small kiss over the spot that he hurt.

[] Could but most likely won’t degrade you- He loves you too much to say such hurtful words to you, but he may throw in a few if he’s feeling it.

“You’re such a slut.” The red-haired male muttered as he watched y/n’s bare body lay sprawled against the counter in Angel’s Share. He had closed earlier than usual due to his lover decided to throw a few teasing glances his way and sway her hips in front of him whenever she would pass by. “Look at you, dirtying up my counters after all I did was play with your chest, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”

A moan of pleasure escaped the h/c-ed girl’s lips as she felt two fingers enter her, gripping onto the edge of the counter for some sort of support as Diluc began moving his hand at a fast pace. “N-No.” She stammered, turning to look at him with a lazy smirk on her face. “It’s n-not my fault you can’t h..handle yourself when I’m with Kaeya- I’m sure h-he could do mu..much better than you.”

The second she saw the look in his eyes, she knew she made a mistake as Diluc took his fingers out of her and forcefully grabbed onto her hips. Without a moment to react, he entered her at full force, causing her to let out a loud cry in both pleasure in pain. His fingers wrapped her hair around them and he brought her head back to meet his, his eyes filled with nothing but anger and lust.

“Say that one more fucking time and I’ll show you something that damned man could never give you.”

[] But most of the time, it’s just regular vanilla sex. He doesn’t need much, but if you wish to try something new then he’ll be all ears.

[] His ultimate goal is to please you. He doesn’t care much about himself being satisfied, if you’re happy then he’s happy. So of you ever chose to switch things up a bit and pleasure him, he’ll be reluctant at first but immediately melt into your hands. Th poor guy has been through a lot in his life and can get tired of being the owner of Dawn Winery by day and the Darknight Hero by night.

Small kisses were pressed against the male’s neck as he let out a small content sigh, lazily wrapping his fingers in y/n’s hair. Although he wasn’t used to such attention, he sure as hell was enjoying it.

y/n looked at him with gentle eyes as she slowly rode his hips, occasionally letting out a few breathy moans while she looked at him. Seeing Diluc in such a state warmed her body. She was the one who was bringing him such pleasure, she was the only one he let see him in such a vulnerable place, she was the one who could relax him by the touch of her fingers.

“Tonight’s all about you.” The woman murmured, staring into his fiery red eyes with such adoration. A soft blush covered his cheeks as he looked back, never had he ever felt so loved and appreciated. Although he was used to the praise he got from being the mysterious ‘Darknight Hero’, it had been so long since he felt genuinely..loved. Diluc stayed speechless as he placed his hands on her hips, loving every second of their intercourse.

[] Gentleman in the streets, gentleman in the sheets.

[] Zhongli will always make sure to please you in every way possible, whether you’d like to take the lead or just want him to just play with something that’s sensitive to you.

[] Absolutely refuses to degrade you or go too rough, mortals are fragile beings and while you may find pain pleasurable, he couldn’t bring himself to hurt you. As for degrading, he just doesn’t feel comfortable with calling you such hurtful things, so please respect his boundaries.

[] He usually moves at a fast enough pace, not to slow but not too fast to hurt you.

[] The Geo Archon has lived for thousands of years, and while he understands the concept of sex, he wouldn’t know anything about kinks or different positions, so you would have to slowly teach him about them.

“Just sit down, alright?” y/n said as she guided her lover to the couch, watching as he sat down on it with a curious glint in his eyes. “Is there anything else I should do?”

The female smiled softly and sat on his clothed thigh, placing his hands on her hips while she shook her head. “No, my love. But you can touch me wherever you’d like.” She mumbled, beginning to roll her bare hips against him as a soft blush overtook her cheeks.

y/n had said that she wanted to try something new, and while Zhongli didn’t know what to expect, he didn’t turn down her advances. Whatever made his princess happy, he was willing to comply. But he couldn’t deny that the look on her face as she rode his thigh was something he would love to see again and again. The way her eyebrows furrowed and her lips parted ever so slightly were just so enchanting that his grip on her hips tightened to move them himself, helping her get to an orgasm.

This is something that Zhongli wouldn’t mind doing again.

[] Zhongli isn’t very vocal during sex, he’ll just let out small grunts and groans here and there, but nothing more. He usually likes keeping quiet so that he can hear your own moans better, he finds them absolutely heavenly and honestly can’t get enough of the whimpers and whines you let out.

[] Aftercare with him is absolutely amazing, he’ll clean the both of you up and draw you a warm bath (even offering to wash you up if you let him).

[] If you let him, he’ll go into the bath with you and just wrap his arms around your waist, holding you from behind. From there, you get a pretty good look at his toned arms, tracing the designs that were on them quietly as you lean against him.

[] But I will say that while he may be oblivious to your advances, the outcome is always worth it.

Moans and grunts filled the once quiet air as y/n desperately gripped onto the Archon above her who was currently thrusting himself into her. “Z-Zhongli, I’m close..” She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as the all too familiar knot in her stomach began to form. A hand was placed on her cheek and she felt it gently caress it.

“Go ahead, my love.” He murmured with his usual charming smile. Watching y/n fall apart was the highlight of his night, he was the only one that could bring her such pleasure, he was the only one she trusted enough to be so vulnerable around, he was the only one she let touch her in such a way.

Pride filled his eyes as he watched the woman release, a long moan leaving her bruised lips as she arched her back. Words couldn’t describe how privileged he felt to see such a beautiful being.

[] Please this is little shit number two, he’ll tease you 24/7.

[] As the 11th Fatui Harbinger, Childe knows most people’s weaknesses. And to say he knew yours was an understatement, he knew exactly what strings to pull to get you into a drooling mess.

“You’re such a fucking slut, you know that?” Childe chuckled as he leaned against the wall in an empty supply closet, watching as y/n desperately clawed at her clothes with a desperate look in her eyes.

“I barely just grabbed your ass and now you’re all over me like an animal in heat.” He mumbled, pausing her actions by placing a hand under her chin to look at her. She couldn’t help but get even more flustered as she looked into his eyes, the look of absolute lust and dominance in them was enough to make her weak in the knees.

Amused, the harbinger leaned down slightly so that his lips were hovering next to her ear, his breath causing her to shiver. “I’m going to try and teach you not to be such a dirty whore, but knowing you, this little lesson won’t teach you anything.”

[] While Tartaglia can be a mean dom, there’s moments where he can be soft as well. He’s a family man at heart, so sometimes he doesn’t want to be led by lust and instead by pure love.

[] You may even forget that he’s even ever part of the Fatui, he’s being so vulnerable in front of someone he can trust with his whole being. It wasn’t everyday that the Childe would actually shut up for once and pour out his love for you into soft thrusts.

“You’re so beautiful, you know?” The harbinger murmured as he watched the woman beneath him ride out her orgasm. It was such a gorgeous sight to him, and for once, instead of teasing her he just continued to shower her in nothing but affection.

y/n laid limp against the bed, panting as she opened her eyes to look at the hydro user. This was the first time they had done something so...intimate. She felt him pull out and lay against the bed, holding her close as they sunk in the events that had just occurred. Childe was allowed to have a day off from the Fatui and he decided to spend it with his girlfriend. A soft cuddle session led from one thing to another and ended in a soft intercourse between them.

There wasn’t a hint of lust in the air, just pure love and adoration for each other and honestly? They both like that way much more.

174 notes · View notes

thetravelerwrites · 3 years

Text

Birch (Centaur)

Rating: Mature Relationship: Female Human/Male Centaur Additional Tags: Exophilia, Monster Boyfriend, Centaur, Reader Insert Content Warnings: Communication Disorder, Social Communication Disorder, Anxiety, Autism, Autistic Reader, Semi-Verbal Autism, Semi-Verbal Reader, Overbearing Mother, Verbal Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Ableism Series: Shelter Forest Words: 4758

Commissioned by an anonymous party, Birch finally gets his own story! The reader, who has a communication disorder, meets and somehow befriends a beautiful centaur named Birch, who lives in the woods with his family and is known throughout the town as being a bit of a playboy and a flirt. When he realizes how poorly the reader is treated by her mother, he immediately tries to rescue her. Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

You first saw him when you were thirteen year old. You and your mother came to Coleville to beg for work after your father had kicked you both out of the house for another woman. You and your mother worked in the laundry and kitchen of the town’s most popular tavern, washing bed sheets and tableware, so you hadn’t really had the chance to meet him when he came into town to trade. You were only ever able to watch him from a distance

He was massive, friendly, and beautiful. His horse body was the size and color of a buckskin Andalusian, with a pale tan body fur and black socks. His skin was suntanned from working in the fields of his home farm and he always wore a simply-made tunic. His hair was short and black, and his tail was long and black, but his eyes were a bright, clear blue. He smiled easily and seemed to get along with everyone. You fell in love with him as soon as you laid eyes on him.

Well, no, you knew even then that it wasn’t love, it was just fascination and infatuation, but you couldn’t help yourself. You were overjoyed every time you saw him. Not that he’d ever notice you. You were just a plain, poor, chubby laundress with red, chapped hands and a future of working in a tavern for the rest of your life. Why would he even glance at you?

You wouldn’t be able to speak to him, even if he did. You were terribly shy and timid. You’d always been that way and couldn’t help it. Talking to people, looking them in the eye, facing confrontation, it all made you terrified and shaky. You barely spoke to anyone who wasn’t your parents, although you really didn’t speak to them that much, either. You were sure the most used word in your vocabulary was sorry.

When you were younger, your parents had hoped you’d grow out of it, but you never did. Once you hit puberty and was still unable to speak, your mother began to despair of you, pushing you to talk and berating you when you couldn’t, which only made you withdraw more. You couldn’t blame her for being exasperated with you; you were just as frustrated with yourself as she was. She never said it, but you knew she blamed you for your father rejecting you both.

Even though Birch usually came alone, you were sure he must already be married or have a lover, though he was openly flirtatious. You knew he’d had a few girls in town on occasion, having overheard them bragging about their nights with him, though they all seemed to be one-night trysts or affairs that didn’t last long. Perhaps he wasn’t even interested in settling down with anyone and was the playboy type. He was gorgeous enough for it.

Once or twice, he came to town with his family members or to visit family members who had settled here, like his brother Cetzu, the lizardfolk man running the orphanage with his wife. They were all a strange lot: some were human, most were not. You only ever saw one other centaur, and he looked nothing like Birch; he was a younger, smaller piebald named Yew with black skin, white hair, and pale eyes. You’d heard rumors that there was a mixed family in the woods, living on a farm, and that they were all sorts, but it didn’t really seem real to you until you saw them all together.

He’d come to town one day to buy seeds and supplies and came into the tavern for a drink. For centaurs, alcohol was basically food to them, so they drank heavily and often. A lot of centaurs you’d known got pretty rowdy, but Birch was always mindful. He held his ale well and knew when to stop before getting fully inebriated, careful not to make an ass of himself. He was considerate. You liked that about him.

You were working in the kitchens at the time when he arrived, and he sat at one of the tables designed for four-legged folk. It was a long table with no chairs or benches, but flat cushions instead. He folded his legs under him and flagged the waitress, smiling his dazzling smile, and ordered ale and some roasted vegetables. You were neglecting your work, but even if it was just a few seconds, you wanted to commit his image to memory as often as you could.

“Oi!” The waitress, Cathy, hissed as she came toward the door of the kitchen to put in Birch’s order. “What are you doing?!”

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” You said, barely audibly.

“Go take him his ale,” She said. “We’re understaffed. If you’re going to be in the way, the least you can do is be useful.”

“I…!" You protested, but she pushed past you into the kitchen to yell at the cook. With you heart in your throat, you rushed to fill a clean tankard and skittered it over, setting it down on the table in front of him without looking at him.

“Ah, that was fast,” Birch said, his voice deep, rich, and wonderful to the ear. “You’re a lovely little thing. Are you new, sweet pea? I haven’t seen you in the tavern before.”

You looked down at the ground and didn’t answer. You weren’t sure what to do, whether to stay and try to be friendly, or retreat back to the kitchen, so you were frozen there with indecision, looking at the floor.

“Hey now, don’t be shy, love. I don’t bite,” He said, you assumed in an attempt to be flirty, reaching for your hand. You snatched your hand away impulsively and ran back to the kitchen.

Your heart was racing and your mind reeling. Why did I do that? You thought, covering your face with your hands. He probably thinks I’m crazy or a complete shrew! I should never leave the back rooms again and just stick to washing dishes.

After a few moments, though, your mother pulled you away from washing by the arm.

“What did you do?” She asked angrily. “One of the customers is asking for you!”

You panicked. “I… I just… I brought him his drink…” You whispered in terror.

“Come on,” She gripped your arm and pulled you back out into the tavern common room, where Birch was still sitting. He looked at you with a frown. Oh god, he looks annoyed, you thought nervously.

“Miss,” He said, and you stared at your feet, unable to look up. “I think I may have frightened or upset you. I’m sorry, I sometimes forget that not everyone is receptive to my personality or sense of humor.”

You were completely unable to speak and kept your head down, your shoulders hunched.

“Say something!” Your mother hissed at you, and you could only shrink into yourself further. “I’m sorry, sir,” Your mother said in exasperation. “My daughter is as timid as a field mouse. She can’t speak to other people and she never looks people in the eye. She can barely even speak to me. She’s always been like this.”

“Oh,” He said, sounding concerned. “Is she unwell?”

“Probably,” Your mother replied in annoyance, and you pulled away even further. “Though the doctors can’t tell us what’s wrong with her. She usually stays in the kitchen and laundry away from the customers. I don’t know what possessed her to come out here and bother you.”

“C… Ca…” You stuttered, struggling to speak in your defense, looking back toward the kitchen, where Cathy was hovering by the door.

“Oh, did Cathy ask you to bring me my drink?” He asked kindly.

You nodded fervently.

“I understand. I’m sorry that she put you in an uncomfortable situation, and I apologize for making it worse.”

Your mother sighed wearily. “Sir, don’t apologize to her. It’s not your fault that she can’t function like a normal adult.”

That hurt. You were on the verge of tears and hugged your arms around yourself, desperately wanting to escape back to the kitchen.

“Even so,” He said, his voice cold, but softened when he addressed you. “I’m very sorry, miss.”

You nodded once and shuffled quickly back to the kitchen, unable to keep the tears from falling. Your mother rejoined you a few minutes later.

“You could have at least apologized to him,” He said, taking the plates as you washed them to rinse them off and put them in the rack. “Why do you have to embarrass me like that? How hard is it to say ‘thank you’ or ‘I’m sorry’?” She sighed sharply and wiped her hands. “Don’t you dare get us fired.” And she walked off, leaving you weeping into the dishwater.

Cathy heard the entire thing and came over sheepishly.

“Hey… I’m sorry I got you in trouble with your ma,” She said. “I forgot about the speaking thing. I was just in a rush and I didn’t think.”

You shook your head. Cathy was the one person who you might call a friend. She was a little brusque and had a short fuse, but she was one of the few who didn’t make fun of your stuttering and silence or look down their nose at you.

“Listen, Birch is a really nice guy. He plays around and has his fun with the girls, but he’s never hurt anyone on purpose. He wasn’t trying to make fun of you or make you feel bad.”

You nodded shortly. You knew that. He was being friendly; that’s just how he talked to people. But being humiliated in front of him was a torture unlike anything you’d felt before, and it hurt.

The next day, you were feeding the chickens in the coop outside of the tavern when you looked up and saw him exiting the tavern. He noticed you right away, and you turned immediately and tried to flee.

“Hey, wait!” He called. “Wait, please!”

You stood with your back to him but you stayed put. You heard him trotting up to you, his hoof-beats heavy.

“Hey, listen, I wanted to apologize again,” He said. “To just you this time. I don’t know what your mother’s problem is, but what she said… that was uncalled for. You didn’t deserve that.”

You turned to face him but you didn’t look up, focusing instead on his large hooves. You shook your head. No, he was wrong. You did deserve it.

“You can’t help how you are,” He said. “It’s not your fault. I have a little brother who has trouble talking to people, too. It’s the exact opposite of your problem; he says exactly what’s on his mind with no filter. He can’t control it and it embarrasses him sometimes. It’s not the same, I know, but I understand that it can be hard.”

He was so nice. You were able to lift your head a little, but you still couldn’t look him in the face.

“My name is Birch,” He said. “What’s yours?”

You opened your mouth but nothing came out, so you shut it again.

“Hmm,” He hummed. “Can you write?”

You shook your head.

“Um… sign language?”

You answered no again.

“I see,” He said, sighing. “I… I’ll be honest… I don’t want to leave you here with that mother of yours. I’m not sure what kind of relationship you have with her, but the way she talks to you…” He pawed the ground in annoyance. “It bothers me. Does she do that a lot? Make fun of you in front of other people?”

You shrugged, embarrassed.

He sidestepped in an anxious way and swished his tail. “I have to go back home later today,” He said. “Are… are you going to be okay?”

You nodded.

“Are you sure?”

Another nod.

“Well… alright,” He said. “Look, um… if you ever need to… you know… leave this place, talk to Cathy. She knows where my family’s farm is. She can help you get there. If you need to.”

You nodded again, and he turned to leave, but an unfamiliar impulse compelled you to rush forward and take hold of the hem of his tunic. He stopped and looked at you, though he could only see the top of your head.

“Th…” You gulped, your throat dry, your heart beating in your throat. “Tha… ank…you…” You managed to choke out. “H… Haz…zel…”

“You’re name is Hazel?” He asked, a smile in his voice.

You nodded emphatically.

You felt him put a hand on top of your head and and sort of rubbed his fingers against your scalp. It felt nice, even though you weren’t used to physical touch. Your mother wasn’t exactly the affectionate sort.

“You take care, okay?” He said, taking his hand back. “I’ll be back in a few days. I look forward to seeing you again.”

That evening, you were in the room you shared with your mother as she brushed her hair for bed when she mentioned nonchalantly, “I saw you with that centaur man today. What did he say to you?”

“...he… nothing…” You said vaguely.

“Then why did he touch you? And why were you touching him?” She asked, her voice flat.

“I…” You gulped. “I… don’t know…” You said truthfully.

“Oh, really? You don’t know? You don’t know why a man like him would touch you? You know his reputation in this town. He’s trying to take advantage of you because you're simple.”

“He was… just… being nice…” You said softly.

Your mother snorted. “Men aren’t nice without a reason. I thought you’d know that by now.” She threw down her hairbrush onto the night table and lay down in your shared bed. “You’re not going to have anything to do with him from now on, do you understand? It shouldn’t be difficult for you to manage that, should it?”

You didn’t say anything, just sat at the table and stared into the fire.

“It’s for your own good,” She said, facing away from you. “I know I’m strict with you, but… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

You have no problem with me getting hurt when you’re the one doing it, you thought to yourself, but you couldn’t say it. You knew she was right, though. He was a flirt and a bit of a libertine, and you thought that perhaps he was only being nice to you because he saw you as low hanging fruit. It hurt to think of him that way, but it was the only thing that made sense.

He did return in a few days, an older woman riding on his back. She was lovely, even at her age, and was wearing trousers and a practical shirt, but no bodice or ladies coat. Her brown hair was caught back in a tight braid, a few strands of grey weaved in and out.

You saw them arrive from the window of your room as you were getting ready for the day. He was as handsome as always, and you watched him wistfully. As if he could sense you, he looked up and saw you at the window. He smiled at you and waved. Remembering what your mother said, you were unable to smile back and walked away from the window without acknowledging him. You hoped he wouldn’t be too angry at you.

Before you could start work in the laundry, Cathy called you out.

“Birch and his mother are here,” She said, keeping her voice down so that your mother wouldn’t hear. “They want to see you.”

“I cant…” You said in your normal whisper. “Mama will be angry…”

“Don’t worry about your ma right now,” Cathy said dismissively. “You don’t deserve the shit she gives you, you’re just too shy to tell her off. Just go see what they want. Maybe it’s a chance to get out from under her thumb.”

You had to admit, you did wish for that. You loved your mother, and she loved you in her own way, but you knew she resented you and it was just… exhausting, dealing with her reproachfulness and cutting words every day. You were just too scared to leave on your own.

You thought long and hard about it, looking around to see if your mother was anywhere near. When you didn’t see her, you looked up at Cathy, looking just past her behind her ear instead of at her face, and nodded. She took you by the hand and led you out to the dining area. Birch and his mother were sitting at the four-legged table, with his mother having dragged over a chair to sit with him comfortably.

“Oh, good, there you are,” Birch said. “When you didn’t react this morning, I was worried something had happened. Mama, this is the young woman I was telling you about.”

He told his mother about you? Why?

“I see, I see,” The older woman said. “My name is Ryel, I’m Birch’s mother. Your name is Hazel, right?”

You nodded, unable to look up.

“Goodness, you are rather shy, aren’t you, dear?” She said sympathetically. You chewed your lip, unable to respond. “My son tells me you’re illiterate, is that correct?”

You nodded.

“I imagine that makes communicating with other people very difficult,” She said.

You nodded again.

“So, how about this?” She said, leaning forward. “Why don’t you come to the farm with me for the summer? I’ll teach you how to read and write, and in exchange, you help me out around the farm. How does that sound?”

For the first time in your life, you were surprised into looking someone in the face. She was smiling warmly at you

“I’m getting older and I could use an assistant. My children all have their own work and families to look after and I’d feel as if I were taking advantage of them if I expected them to follow me around and help me all day.”

“Mama, you know we’d do it happily,” Birch said.

“I know that,” She said, hushing him. “Even still, I’d prefer to hire someone for the task, and if I can help them at the same time, why shouldn’t I?” She leaned forward. “What do you say, dear?”

This is exactly what you wanted. A job that was away from your mom. This was your chance. You opened your mouth, as if to answer, when you heard a sharp voice behind you.

“Hazel!” Your mother said, irate, and stalked out of the kitchen toward you, grabbing you by the arm. “Stop bothering these people! Get back to the laundry.”

Birch’s back leg kicked slightly in irritation, thumping the wood of the floor, but Ryel kept her composure.

“She’s not bothering us in the least, madam,” She said calmly. “I’ve actually come here to offer her a job.”

Your mother scoffed. “A job? Doing what?”

“As my assistant,” Ryel said. “I’m a jack of all trades type, you might say, and I’m willing to take her on in exchange for room and board, plus an education.”

“You’re wasting your time,” Your mother said, her grip rather strong on your arm. “My daughter is not capable of making her own decisions.”

“How old is your daughter?” Ryel asked.

“She’s nineteen,” Your mother replied. “But I’m afraid she’s a bit slow. Trying to teach her wouldn’t benefit either of you.”

You frowned, upset. That wasn’t true, you weren’t slow. In fact, you thought you learned rather quickly, you’d just hadn’t had the chance to learn very many new things.

“Be that as it may,” Ryel replied, her voice still even. “Your daughter is an adult and has the right to choose what she wants.”

“Nonsense,” Your mother said. “Besides, even if I allowed this, I don’t want her anywhere near him.” She jerked her chin toward Birch.

Birch bristled. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I know what kind of man you are,” She hissed. “How many lovers you’ve had in just this town alone? How many broken hearts have you left in your wake? I know you have ulterior motives for wanting to take her from here, and I won’t stand for it. She’s simpleminded and vulnerable, and I won’t let you dishonor her and return her to me used and broken.”

“Stop talking like she can’t hear every vile thing you say about her!” Birch shouted, slamming his fist into the table, making you jump. “I would never do something so shameful! You don’t know anything about me! ”

“Son, calm down,” Ryel said, putting her hand on his. “My son is a grown man of twenty-eight and has desires, true, but I’ve been to this town quite often and I haven’t found any such string of broken hearts, as you call it. Many sighing and wistful girls who long for his company, sure, but not one of them has come to me with tears in her eyes claiming he lied or misled her. He’s open and forthright about his intentions, and I respect his decisions. You should do the same for your child.”

“Don’t talk to me about my child if you can’t even control your own,” Your mother said venomously. “Hazel, let’s go.”

She tried to lead you away, but you refused to move. There were hurt and anxious tears in your eyes and you couldn’t look at anyone, but you refused to let her pull you away.

“Hazel!” She gripped your arm and yanked you painfully, and you wrenched your arm from her grasp, shaking your head.

“It seems like she’s made her choice,” Ryel said. “The least you can do as her mother is respect her wishes.”

“Be quiet!” Your mother said. “Leave us alone!” She grabbed your hands and started to pull you back to the kitchen. Birch got to his feet.

“Let her go,” He said, his voice a low growl, knocking her hands away from you. He stood between you and your mother. You dared to reach out and place a hand on the fur of his back to steady yourself.

“What’s going on here?” The bartender, Brian, asked. He also owned the tavern and knew about your condition. He didn’t speak to you much, but he also didn’t tease you either. You could handle understanding silence a lot better than persistent expectation to interact. “Are you alright, Hazel?”

You were shaking and crying, so you could only shake your head.

“These people won’t leave us alone,” You mother said. “I’d like them to leave.”

“Now, Rita, these people are good customers and friends of mine. I’m going to need more of a reason than ‘they’re bothering me’ to kick them out.”

“We simply offered young Hazel here a job on the farm,” Ryel said patiently. “I’m afraid her mother is interfering with her decision.”

“Is that true, Hazel?” Brian asked. “Would you like to take up this job?”

Trembling, you nodded.

“Well, then, that settles it, doesn’t it?” Brian said. “These are good folks, Hazel, they’ll take care of you.”

“Like hell they will,” You mother retorted. “She can’t make decisions like this. She doesn't understand.”

Brian sighed. “Rita, your girl’s not stupid, and it’s high time you stopped treating her like she is.”

Your mother looked like she’d been slapped in the face. You looked up at Brian in shock. He smiled kindly at you.

“Why don’t you go up and pack your things while your mother and I have a little chat, eh, dear?” He said.

You attempted to smile at him, though you worried it looked a little like you had indigestion, and went to pack. You took a few minutes to sit on the bed and breathe, clutching your chest, feeling a panic attack poking at your brain. You couldn’t believe it. You were really leaving.

There was a knock on your door and Ryel poked her head in.

“Are you alright, dear? That was quite the fuss,” She said.

You dried your face and nodded, getting up to start putting clothes in a bag.

“I sent Birch outside. He was getting rather angry, and I didn’t want him smashing any of Brian’s furniture.”

You looked out the window. Birch was standing in the courtyard with his arms crossed, stamping the ground and stepping constantly, as if he couldn’t stand still. His brow was furrowed, his jaw was working, and his tail was swishing back and forth without stopping.

“He’s worried for you, dear,” She said, following your gaze. “One thing our entire family has in common is that we don’t like seeing people mistreated. You’re mother may have her reasons for acting as she does, and perhaps it is out of some misplaced notion of love, but there’s no doubt in my mind at all that she mistreats you. You can’t help the way you are, and no amount of her cruel words are going to fix that. In fact, I’m more than certain it makes it worse.”

You sighed sadly in agreement. As you stood there, Birch looked up at your window. He smiled, a little sadder than before, and waved up at you. This time, you raised a hand and waved back.

The door opened and your mother walked in, glaring at Ryel.

“I’d like to speak to my daughter alone, if you please,” She said, her voice low and hostile.

Ryel looked at you questioningly, and you nodded. “I’ll be right outside if you need me,” She said, and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Your mother just stared at you with her arms crossed, shaking her head slightly. You looked down and away.

“I guess I should just be glad you won’t be around to humiliate me anymore,” She said, and you shrunk in on yourself. “I don’t like this at all, but it seems I have no say in the matter. You made sure of that, didn’t you?”

You knew she was hurt and was lashing out. She wasn’t exactly sweet and caring on her best days, but she could really cut a person to the quick when she was upset.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” She asked you, and you could hear tears in her voice. “Nothing at all? You can’t muster the courage to apologize to me for that display downstairs? For leaving me without a thought to my feelings? I’ve spent the last seven years protecting you and providing for you after your useless father threw us out, and you do this to me? And you have nothing to say?”

You didn’t say anything. Instead, you walked up to her and put your arms around her waist and lay your head on her shoulder.

“I’ll miss you, Mama,” You said softly.

She started to sob and put her arms around your shoulders. It had been years since she’d last hugged you.

“You’d better start sending me letters as soon as you learn how to,” She said, her voice breaking. “If I don’t hear something from you in a few months, I’m going out there to drag you back, you understand me?”

“Yes, Mama,” You whispered, and took a step back. Picking up your bag, you opened the door and walked out. Ryel was waiting and smiled when she saw you.

“Ready?” She asked.

You nodded.

Back outside, Birch was waiting. He stopped shifting around anxiously when he saw you and his mother exit the tavern.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

“Everything’s just fine,” Ryel said. “We’re ready to go.”

“Would you like to ride on my back?” Birch asked, turning.

You shook your head fervently, mortified.

“Are you sure?” He said. “It’s a long walk back to the farm, over four hours. I can get us there in half the time.”

“She’s feeling shy,” Ryel said. “For centaurs, letting people ride on their back is a special privilege afforded to few. I’ll ride with you.” She grinned at him. “He always makes an exception for his mother.”

He grinned at her in return. “You just assume I do.” But he took out a quilted riding blanket that was rolled up and tied to the bottom of his pack and handed it to her, and she set it on his back. Climbing the steps to the tavern, she vaulted onto his back. She instructed you to do the same. Blushing furiously, with both Ryel and Birch’s help, you were able to scramble on in front of her.

“Let’s go,” He said, and he took off at a trot out of town.

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My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

#Exophilia #Monster Boyfriend #Centaur #Autistic Character #Reader Insert #Semi-Verbal Reader

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