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writing-for-marvel · 1 year

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Withdrawal

[He’s Hazardous To My Health Series]

Paramedic!Bucky Barnes x Resident!Fem!Reader

< < PART 2 | Series Masterlist | PART 4 > >

Summary: You wait for Bucky to call.

Warnings: strictly 18+ due to the AU, some angst and self doubt, references to sex, references to Bucky having a traumatic past

Word count: 2.8k

A/N: Will he call? Won’t he call? Let’s find out! Banners by @vase-of-lilies

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Bucky stares down at his phone and sighs.

He wants to call you, genuinely, so why is dialling your number so difficult?

Perhaps it’s too soon, is what he tells himself. It hasn’t even been a full day since the end of your date, calling now probably makes him look desperate.

Should he message you? Tell you that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about you all day? Ugh, no… that seems extremely forward for someone he’s only been on a single date with, regardless of if it’s the truth.

There’s never been anyone whom he’s connected with enough to warrant a second date, let alone have him promising to call. He’s completely out of his depth, drowning in a sea of anxiety and no one has taught him how to swim.

Bucky knows he’s overthinking, but you make it hard to think clearly. You have his brain short circuiting, reforming synapses so that all his thoughts are rerouted to the same thing: you.

Turning his phone off, he sets it down beside him. Just because he isn’t calling straight away, doesn’t mean he won’t at all. It’s probably better to wait and not seem super eager.

Or is that counterintuitive? If you enjoy someone’s company, should you let them know so you can see them again as soon as possible?

Fuck, why is this such a daunting task? He’s never had an issue with talking or flirting with anyone before, it seems to come naturally to him. And yet the thought that he’ll say the wrong thing, and fuck up whatever it is between the two of you is making his stomach churn with prickling nerves he’s never experienced before.

Perhaps he’ll find the courage to call tomorrow.

* * *

“You seem distracted, what’s on your mind?” The familiar voice from the driver's seat of the ambulance pulls Bucky from his daydream.

You, is what Bucky thinks. You are constantly on his mind. Him and his best friend Steve are half an hour into their shift and you have not left the forefront of his mind in that entire time.

It’s like he’s in a trance.

“There’s this girl from the hospital…” Bucky trails off, unsure how to articulate exactly how you’ve bewitched him since meeting not even a week ago.

The night before last wasn’t just another hookup. At least, not to him.

“I’m gonna need a little more information than that Buck, there’s been quite a few girls of yours, especially from the hospital.” Steve laughs, but Bucky’s chest tightens at the insinuation that you’re just another fling, even though Steve doesn’t know any better.

“Two nights ago we went on a date, it ended up back at her place.” This is probably not news to Steve - he’s heard many stories about Bucky’s one night stands which would have started exactly like this. But there is one huge difference this time around. “And then I told her I’d call.”

“You’re thinking about a second date with her? She must be something special.” Bucky chuckles under his breath. Yeah, you really are something special. So fucking special.

“She’s beautiful, intelligent, funny, witty. When she was treating that little girl from the train derailment she was so good with her, kind and patient. I don’t know how to describe it, we just click. I don’t think I’ve ever allowed myself to feel more than physical attraction for someone but with her it just happens, I can’t stop myself.”

He doesn’t want to admit it to himself, but Bucky’s already addicted to you. He’s only had one fix, but he’s already showing symptoms of withdrawal. Every second apart feels like an hour, craving your company and the rapture firing in every neuron of his body when you’re in his presence.

“Look at you actually falling for someone.” Steve teases, without even knowing the full extent of how enthralled Bucky is with you. “So when are you seeing her again?”

Silence fills the front seat of the ambulance when Bucky can’t answer the question.

“Bucky, you have to see her again! Listen to how you’re talking about her, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you actually speak about wanting to see someone again. You need to call her.” Steve stops at a red light and looks over to Bucky in the passenger seat. His best friend knows him better than perhaps he knows himself but doesn’t have the same obstacle with letting people in as Bucky does.

“That’s easier said than done.” Bucky can’t mask the dejected tone in his voice, and Steve recognises the crestfallen hang of his head, knowing exactly what he means without voicing it aloud.

“I know you've been through a lot in your life Buck, you’ve built walls up to prevent any more heartbreak…” Steve starts, but Bucky doesn’t need yet another reminder of his tragic backstory.

“Alright Mr I minored in psychology, I get your point. I’m damaged goods and don’t let people get close to me.”

“It’s just a second date, Buck, you aren’t asking for her hand in marriage. Just see where it goes.” Steve makes it sound so easy. Most people wouldn’t get so stressed about something they would consider as minor as a second date, yet Bucky feels like he’s about to expose the most intimate parts of his soul to someone for the first time.

“But I don’t want to hurt her. I know nothing about dating or being in a relationship.” Bucky pauses - the fact that he’s even considering something as substantial as a relationship with you punches him in the gut. He’s never wanted that with someone before. “And I don’t want to get hurt myself.” Because all Bucky has known is relationships breaking down. To him romantic relationships are synonymous with pain and he’s had enough of that for a lifetime.

“You’ll never know if you never try. I know you think letting someone in will lead to heartbreak, but what if it’s the opposite? What if by letting this person into your heart you finally find love and contentment?” Bucky has never allowed himself to imagine a life where that is a possibility - opening himself up to that prospect sounds like a recipe for more suffering. Besides, he’s been damaged goods for a long time, he’s sure there’s no one who would want to put up with him anyway.

“You really are a hopeless romantic.” Bucky comments, trying to avoid the questions Steve is raising, and divert the topic of their conversation.

“I want you to be happy, Buck. You’ve never afforded yourself that courtesy.”

Though his experience screams at him to run in the opposite direction, that this would be a horrible decision leading to further pain, Bucky finds it hard to believe someone as sweet and good-natured as yourself would ever hurt him intentionally. Even if there is only a slim chance that he doesn’t completely fuck this up, given Bucky cannot stop thinking about you, he supposes it’s worth a shot calling you.

“Well, maybe it’s finally time I do.” Bucky mutters under his breath.

* * *

You’ve been checking your phone periodically throughout the day to se if you have any new notifications from Bucky, but each time your phone lights up, a new wave of disappointment floods your chest.

You wonder if the notion of actually calling you, or simply messaging, has even crossed Bucky’s mind once since he left your place about 36 hours ago, or if he already knew it was an empty promise at the time he made it.

“Heard anything yet?” Wanda asks hopefully, but you shake your head in response. The first thing Wanda asked during your next shift together was how your date went with Bucky - between treating patients you described the picnic Bucky set up on the riverbank and (in slightly less detail) the euphoric night you shared when you made it back to your place.

“I’m stupid for actually believing he’s going to call, aren’t I?”

“…No.” Wanda offers after a brief hesitation which tells you more than the single word does. Sensing your regret in asking, she continues on. “Sweetie, only you know the connection you share, I can’t speak to that. If you feel like there’s something special there and he promised to call, then you have every right to believe him.”

Perhaps you’re being foolish, you should know better than to hang your hopes on a man who is notorious for being a fuckboy, but you really thought Bucky was being genuine when he promised to contact you. That the blissful night you shared, and the waves of ecstasy which melded into a flood of pure pleasure, meant more than just a one night stand.

Or at least it did to you.

“Just because he’s never pursued more than a first date with other people in this hospital doesn’t mean he isn’t now, or isn’t with you. Sometimes it just takes the right person, that could be you.” You take some comfort in the sincerity of her tone, but the voice in the back of your mind reminds you of what Wanda alerted you to prior to your date: no one gets a second date with Bucky Barnes.

“You’ve changed from giving me no hope to giving me false hope, Wan.” You joke, trying to brush off the conversation and not reveal just how heartbroken you’ll be if Bucky ghosts you, even with Wanda warning about his ways.

Internally you remind yourself that it’s only been a day and a half and to not be too mad at him, yet. Perhaps he intends to call, but hasn’t gotten around to it, though you’re pretty sure you’re only telling yourself that to stop the perpetual ache in your chest rather than truly believing it.

“He promised he would call, that’s not false hope.” Wanda advises, shooting you a look of encouragement as you both complete paperwork for your respective patients.

At that moment, the doors to the ER swing open and none other than the paramedic you were just speaking about walks in wheeling a patient.

You hate how good he looks, long chestnut hair framing his face and those dazzling blue eyes you’ve dreamed about shine from all the way across the room. He’s unfairly attractive, and he walks into a room like he knows it too.

Him and his partner consult the head nurse of the ER, who, after examining her clipboard for a moment, points towards your direction, making your stomach flip.

Steel blue eyes meet yours and for a moment your entire world stands still. The sounds of the busy ER fade away and even the presence of Wanda beside you dissolves into non-existence when his eyes find you and a smile overtakes his features. That damn cheeky smile which makes your knees weak.

He truly is infuriatingly beautiful.

“Hey.” Is all you can think to say as they approach, a lump in your throat forming which would prevent you from voicing any more words if your brain could think of any other than how strapping and handsome he looks in his uniform.

“Hi.” Bucky responds softly with a dreamy smile, eyes lingering on yours for a long beat before turning away. How could someone who looks at you with such warmth not want to see you again?

You shake the thought from your mind as your focus on the patient, a young man with scared brown eyes. You can’t afford to be distracted right now, even if you desperately want to look back at him and revel in the fondness brimming in his eyes which was so apparent during your date.

After Bucky’s equally tall, broad and handsome paramedic partner gets you up to speed on the patient's history, you get to work on taking his vitals.

“Rogers, Barnes, give us some space to work, please.” Dr Strange requests and without the chance to say another word to each other, both paramedics disappear out the corner of your periphery.

What you don’t notice is Bucky’s soft gaze on you through the glass walls of the patient room as you start your work up, believing that he had simply got back in his ambulance and out into the field.

“That’s her?” Steve asks from beside Bucky. He knows full well it must be you, he’s never seen his best friend look so enamoured with a girl, nor lost for words as when he set eyes on you, but he wants Bucky to admit it aloud.

“Yep, that’s her.” Bucky says with a pride that if Steve didn’t know any better, would suggest that her meant his girl. Bucky answers without taking his eyes off you, the corners of mouth tugging into a smile. His best friend has it bad, and he doesn’t even realise.

Steve suspects if he doesn’t remind Bucky they have a shift to get back to, he’d happily watch you work for the rest of the day.

He allows Bucky a couple more minutes of that luxury before heading back to the ambulance, knowing his best friend well enough to realise before either Bucky or yourself do, just how significant Bucky’s feelings for you are.

* * *

Bucky steps out of the shower, the warm water having rinsed the hard days work off himself.

He knows he needs to call you. Waiting any longer, especially after seeing you today, even if it were only for a brief moment, would surely only indicate disinterest. That’s so far from how he feels about you, so he decides needs to take matters into his own hands and fulfil the promise he made two nights ago.

A fresh swarm of butterflies fills his stomach. He’s actually going to do this.

He just hopes you’re after more than just another hookup. Bucky’s used to being the one only interested in sex, but if the roles are reversed this time, it’ll be his exposed heart being ripped from his chest.

No, he can’t think like that. He’s finally giving himself a chance at happiness.

Bucky reminds himself that you asked him to promise to call after your date. It’s not just him that wants this, you want him to call.

With that thought, he pulls out his phone and quickly presses on your contact, so he doesn’t chicken out, and with a shaky hand holds his phone to his ear. Bucky’s heart beats in his throat as the first ring sounds, and then skips a beat altogether when the click of you answering fills his ears.

“Bucky, you called.” He can hear the smile in your voice through the line, but what makes his heart clench is the trace of surprise he can perceive, as if you truly hadn’t expected him to call.

“I did promise to.” He reminds you, but it doesn’t entirely eliminate the bitter shame bubbling in the pit of his stomach that even though he did in fact promise, you didn’t fully believe him.

“I’m happy you did. I had a really great time the other night.”

“So did I.” Those three simple words don’t sum up just how much Bucky wholeheartedly enjoyed every second he spent with you, regardless of if that were naked in your bed or getting to know you on a picnic blanket as the sun set across the horizon, but in his anxious state he can’t find words more poetic to express it. “And I’d love to do it again if you’re up for it.”

“Hmm, I’m gonna have to think about it.” He can tell by the light tone of your voice you’re joking, but he supposes he deserves waiting for an answer considering he made you wait for his call. “Of course I’d love to go on a second date with you James.”

The combination of your words and the fact that you punctuated the sentence with his true first name sends Bucky straight to heaven. Everything about you makes him completely weak in a way he has never experienced before. All of those walls Steve seems to think Bucky has built around himself don’t appear to exist with you, instead, you’ve come into his life as easily as walking through a front door with a welcome mat out front.

“I guess I’m going to have to outdo a picnic at sunset then.” He chuckles to himself, knowing that he’s never had this problem before, but realising it’s a good problem to have.

You continue to talk well into the night, forgetting what time it is, and that you both have early shifts in the morning. None of that matters when you’re so caught up in each other.

Bucky simply enjoys the sound of your voice, and how it soothes the remaining anxiety which was swirling in his chest before calling you. He certainly isn’t hanging up first, not when talking with you has been the best part of his day.

He’s chasing happiness. And he might just find it with you.

Part 4 > >

Be added to the series taglist here

He’s Hazardous To My Health [Paramedic!Bucky Barnes] Taglist: @lavenderpenumbra @crazyunsexycool @eralen @buckbuckyoongs @blackwidownat2814 @roschele @crayongirl-linz @ozwriterchick @desert-fern @misshale21 @chalesleclerc164 @rookthorne @janineb86 @emmabarnes @scarletbich @fallenlilangel99 @princezzjasmine @mdrovert @thebuckybarnesvault @doasyoudesireandlive @solitarioslilium @iamfandomwasted @tanyaspartak @netflixxgoddess @pop-rocks-818 @dumdidditydumdoo @missvelvetsstuff @marvelhoeland @thesadcatto-queen @kayden666 @amiimar @razor-blayde @katheryn1 @safew0rd @kentokaze @thewackywriter @lady-loki-barnes-djarin @badasswlthafatass @Vickie5446 @loveoldmenlikelana @00cmh @pointless-girl @honeyglee @nerdxacid @moonymagician @ashhsage @prettylittlepluviophile @otomefromtheheart @sjsmith56 @mandijo17 @lokidokieokie @oceansandblackhearts @rebeccapineapple @soorwellystan @excusememrbarnes @lofaewrites @snapcapquartet @wishingwell-2 @unaxv @aya-fay

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shiro-00s · 9 months

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heaven on earth

41. one step closer .. !

[ genshin impact smau / idol!xiao x fem!reader ]

The sky was pretty, especially today. There were a few lanterns that were already up in the sky, illuminating the sky with spots of yellow here and there. The festival had a ton of small festive shops, selling traditional masks, and a few fun games. All leading up to the main attraction. The stage.

Among all the attractive stores, nothing could take away the glory that the stage presents, the kind that catches everyone’s eyes. It stood tall among the festival, a view you could see from any angle, and was included in every selfie taken.

The outdoor concert had a whole area to itself, a space waiting to be filled with loads and loads of people, and you had no doubt that it would be filled to the brim. The stage lights illuminate the large stage in the center of the space, giving the platform a much-needed spotlight. A few speakers that looked like they could destroy an eardrum were placed on the stage along with fog machines.

You nervously handed the staff the ticket gifted by your dear friend, Hutao, who you really wanted to strangle because of the dilemma she put you in, an all-or-nothing. You’d have given them a heads up, telling them to meet up with you but you hadn’t contacted a single soul about you coming to this concert.

Why? You had a huge ego. And you really, really didn’t want anyone to know that you were going to Xiao’s concert.

After the whole fiasco with Xiao-Yujin, the internet was skeptical, rightfully, due to it coming from PAIMON, who was the master at making things up. You were skeptical as well, but you were petty and you didn’t really want to go out of your way to ask him. Well, you’re doing it now.

So, after making up your mind about coming to Xiao’s concert - which took a long time - you reluctantly came to the concert with the words Hutao told you lingering in the back of your mind.

It’s about honoring his lost companions.

When the staff had verified your ticket, you looked around for something to do before the concert started. In an attempt to distract yourself, you found a small store that sold and taught the art of crocheting. Well, it does look cute. Why not?

A lady in her early 40s greeted you kindly, a gentle smile on her face as she showed you around the neat stall. When you seemed a little too puzzled, she asked, “Are there any crocheted flowers you’re looking for, dear?”

You blinked. Oh, that startled you.

You didn’t think the lady was one to talk but it seemed you were wrong. Shaking your head, you replied with a small ‘I’m afraid not.’ and a sheepish grin. The lady hummed at your response, looking around at her flowers before finally asking, “Who are you planning to give it to?”

You inhale, “Do you think I’m going to give it to someone?” Chuckling, your eyes scanned around for a simple flower, or anything pretty really, you didn’t mind. Since the lady was nice, you’d give it a shot, for her sake. You’ll give it to Hutao or Xiangling. Whatever.

The nice lady smiled, looking as if she was feeling some nostalgia before saying, “I’m well aware of the look in your eyes. I had the same one when I was your age, you know? Those longing eyes as if you’re waiting for someone.”

Suddenly you wish you didn’t enter this store or come to this festival.

Relaxing your shoulders and neck, you hunched down a little to stare at the flower that caught your eyes at the bottom of the stall.

“I don’t know. Really.”

The lady beside you crouched down to the same level as you, resting her face on her hand as she smiled a little before pointing at the flowers your eyes laid upon.

“Those are hyacinthus. If we’re talking about Greek mythology, Hyacinth is a divine hero who falls in love with Apollo and chooses him over 3 other beings.” She paused, picking up the hyacinthus and grabbing your wrist gently with her free hand.

“But eventually, he was killed accidentally by Apollo. Then he was resurrected again, by his lover and was gifted with immortality as well.” She let the flowers fall into your hands softly, the three crochet hyacinth flowers laying atop each other.

“That’s why its symbolism is devotion beyond the depths of life and death.”

Over the next thirty minutes, more people arrived at the festival along with the concert. The empty space from before had transformed into a mob of people. If you lose something here, you’re never getting it back. That’s why you held onto the flowers with a tight grip even if you didn’t have plans to give them to anyone. Totally.

Your hands were clammy from having to glance around you every 5 seconds in case one of your friends saw you. To say that you were dreading meeting them was an understatement. You’d dig the floor and bury yourself alive if they saw even a glimpse of you.

Reaching for your phone to look at the clock, the sound of a loud screeching noise reached your ears. The noise of microphone feedback alerted everyone to the beginning of a thrilling performance. The anticipation in the air was visible, and the atmosphere filled with excitement and eagerness of the crowd.

The beam lights lit up one after another from the left to the right, the floodlights following right after. The stage, the one piece of art that held the attention of everyone, was then adorned with shining bright lights. The soft glow highlighted the display of the new presence.

Along the stage stood four well-known individuals, the spotlights captured each artist in their glory, possessing an aura demanding attention. The crowd erupted into applause and gasps, the wildness they’ve been since the start. The presence of each spoke volume, all of which were hard to ignore. Each of them had a headset engraved to the side of their face around the ear and the mic extending to their lips. Their outfits are all unique and well-planned, matching the theme of the festival by adding a little bit of gold and black, which complemented their bodies greatly. Especially, Xiao, you think. You’re caught off-guard when the familiar dark-haired man’s head twisted and turned, almost as if he was looking for something - someone. You felt a little satisfied at the sight, the gears turning in your head even if you’re not too sure.

The soft sound of the instruments started to play in the background almost immediately, catching the audience by surprise. The first voice to speak is a feminine voice. Confusion erupted in the audience as none of the mouths on the stage looked as though they were moving.

That was until a certain figure walked onto the stage. Yunjin was dressed with a black corset above her black crop top that seemed to hug her curves well. Her skirt was adorned with golden trinkets and intricate patterns. On top of her clothing, she wore multiple accessories that matched the outfit significantly with her pastel-colored headband of flowers and a short warm white scarf around her neck.

Other voices joined in soon yet your attention laid still on one specific person, one you’re unable to tear your eyes away from. Even as people around you started to bump lightly into you from swaying to the music, your eyes refused to move from the spot they had settled on. Xiao and his pretty, pretty eyes.

His body moved along with the beats of the song, lips softly opening and closing as he sang with his members. Wearing a dark-colored jacket, his clothing is layered with another white button-up shirt underneath and if you looked very closely, you might just be able to see his abs - okay, enough. The point is, you’ve never appreciated someone as much as you did with the person who arranged Xiao’s outfit because the conclusion is that you had never seen anyone as majestic as Xiao and you didn’t believe you ever will for the rest of your life.

Even his navy slacks looked perfect while he danced to the choreography which you believed was carefully planned, anyone could tell even if they didn’t know anything about dancing. You’re not sure how he moved with those slightly heeled boots or shoes, you don’t know and you don’t care. The question is how he moved so smoothly even with those heavy shoes that you knew you would fall and trip on if you wore them?

When your eyes returned to his golden ones, you noticed the pupils shooting in all directions, searching the VIPS, the front, the reserved, the platinum, the platinum plus - you get the point.

You doubted he would be able to spot you in this… what? Fifty thousand hoards of people? That’s an estimate but it was way too crowded and even though your spot wasn’t too far from the stage, he wouldn’t be able to possibly find you like this, right?

Yea, wrong. Because as soon as your thought process ended, the flash of golden eyes seemed to glance across your own and stopped for more than a second - before seemingly relaxing and tearing his gaze away. Though it was just a moment, everything had started to drown out in the background, going quiet before all you can think about is - Xiao, Xiao, Xiao.

After snapping out of your thoughts, one thing you can confirm after listening to the lyrics and melody was that it was indeed a rather solemn story that had been turned into a song. It matched the description that Hutao told you about. The need to comfort Xiao clawed at the back of your throat. You’d have to hold it back until the concert ended. Wait, what?

No, the plan was to watch and leave. But… ahaha.

The concert seemed to pass like a blur in your memories, your lack of focus only helped in not being aware of your surroundings because - oops, you just bumped into some crazily tall dude with hair longer than half of your body? Those odd professional clothing made him look wild but weirdly cool, but to be real, why did he choose them out of everything to wear to a concert? Multiple layers of different shades of brown and a mix of white or gray in this humid and stifling atmosphere.

He seemed more shocked than you it seems, but you’re sure it’s not your clothes because he was looking straight at your face, not your outfit. The brown-haired ponytailed man opened his mouth to speak to you, which is odd because you didn’t know this man, did you?

“Is your name, [name], by any chance? Which, of course, if it’s not, you’re free to say so.”

Okay. Definitely a stalker or something, run.

In contrast to your light-speed thoughts, your body stood still in its spot, not making any attempt to move. Then, against your better judgment, you muttered, “Yea, who are you?”, accompanied by a raise of your brow and a step back.

At your response, his lips seemed to quirk up, a ghost of a heartwarming smile on his face as he reached a hand out to you.

“I go by Zhongli, may I have a moment with you, [name]?”

On the other hand, the concert had just ended. The fatigue and a thirst for water washed over Xiao quickly as he rushed to grab a bottle before trying to slip away to find… someone.

However, a deep voice reached his ears, “Xiao! Don’t go yet, wait for a while!”

God he wished he could just turn around and punch the smiling ginger head waving at him from across the backstage, he had had enough of Childe and him intervening. A sign came from Xiao before he turned back to Childe, mind racing for an excuse so that he can leave him behind and slip away to find you. Just as Xiao’s lips parted, Childe had taken the initiative.

“Before you say anything, I know where you’re going, who you’re planning to find, what you’re going to do.”

That shut Xiao up even if it wasn’t like Xiao was a particularly talkative person. His brow twitched at the knowledge the older male had, annoyance dripping from his tone as he spoke.

“Okay? Bye then.”

Xiao turned away to walk towards the decreasing crowd, grieving the time that he lost spent with Childe. At his actions, the ginger sighed, long and exasperated. Not having the energy to physically deal with Xiao, he decided to use his words, “Zhongli said he told her to go to the place, that place. You know what I’m talking about.”

Pause.

“Are you fucking with me right now?”

Xiao believed wholeheartedly he had never felt emotions on this level. Hell, he never really felt any more than annoyance like this. Xiao thinks you’ve been changing him. Little by little, piece by piece, he’ll become an ordinary person going about with his day. Just like how they would’ve wanted.

Shaking away his thoughts, he took small steps towards the area informed by Childe just a moment ago and a while ago through dms when he asked Childe for vacant places with a magnificent view. He didn’t know whether he wanted to run there, reach out for you and just stare at you for a good while or walk slow, slow steps, so that his hopes didn’t get crushed by the possibility that you didn’t listen to Zhongli.

The grass tickled the black shoes that he changed to after the concert due to the initial pair of boots literally being impossible to walk with. The wind is gentle, the view is just as he had described to Childe, ethereal. But, maybe not more than you.

Liyue as a whole could be seen from this spot in the mountains, the warm yellow lights from lanterns illuminating the dark sky and the city, the city he never thought could look this breathtaking. Shivers went down his spine as he continued to look around. The night looked especially pretty tonight.

Just as he thought he wouldn’t be able to find anything prettier on this extraordinary night, an almost silent sound of rustling nearby. When he looked up, sweet amber eyes met your wide ones. An expression of relief fell on his face as his eyes scanned you. Then, he concluded that maybe, he had a special view specifically meant for him. You looked divine.

Wait. What? You guys were friends, he shouldn’t have such thoughts. Do friends think of each other this way? Ugh, his head is spinning.

After a moment, you reached your hand out to gesture at him to take a seat beside you on the green grass. He hesitantly took his spot beside yours, shuffling to make himself comfortable as he admired the view.

Silence took over soon after, both too hesitant and unknowing of what to say, and what not to say. But then again, with this view, on this night, on the top of this little hill, it felt right. It felt right that he knew he couldn’t mess up, this could be an ultimate moment for the two of you. A memory to make.

“[Name], you listened to the song I sang earlier.”

Confusion was etched on your face as you turned your head to face the dark-haired man, blinking rapidly at him before responding with a small nod.

“I wrote it. About the people who were- are special to me.” It’s hard opening up to people. He cringed at the mistake he made with that sentence. Although, he couldn’t really call it a mistake, could he?

“I lived in an orphanage once, along with four other kids who were older than me. That time I was like how I am now, quiet, but they got me to open up in a short time.” Xiao’s slender fingers curled up against the grass, looking solemn as he continued. “Especially the oldest one there, Bosacius.”

Your heart warmed up at his words, brushing your knuckles against his curled-up hand in an attempt to bring comfort to him. You had not heard about his life before, and it hurt to know that he went through hard times. You tilted your head to the side a little, an invitation for him to continue.

He cleared his throat before gazing back at the lanterns slowly rising to reach out to the sky, “They were everything to me, my family. Along with Zhongli, who was the one that helped fund us and visited us a lot. Madame Ping, too. She was our caretaker. Apparently, Zhongli was friends with her, I learned that later on.”

Xiao breathed a long breath before continuing with his talking. You were happy to get to know his found family, but he looked sorrowful as he talked. Maybe something bad happened between them?

“It was the best of times, but good things never last.” This time, his words were muttered, and quieter, as if he was trying to stop himself from speaking.

“Our house. It got caught on fire.” Xiao took a big breath before concluding, “They, uhm, didn’t make it out. Was it some electrical fault? I didn’t bother to remember. I was too shocked to think.” Your eyes widened, you didn’t expect him to drop a bomb on you like that. You couldn’t muster up a reply to something like that. So instead of a verbal response, you hesitantly uncurled his fisted fingers and laced yours through them, stroking his skin with your palm.

Xiao took your physical touch as a sign of showing your condolences without pitying him. His heart warmed at the thought, heart beating a little faster. “Bosacius carried me from our bedroom to the hallway with the entrance. He was trying to do the same for others, too. But it didn’t work out quite well.” The last words were whispered, his head hunched down to his knees.

You tightened your grip on your laced fingers, bumping his shoulder with yours as you finally mustered up something to say to Xiao - for the first time today. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry that happened to you.” Tone softening to accommodate the solemn atmosphere and an attempt to say something meaningful to him after he opened up to you. That explains the song, too.

Unexpectedly, Xiao turned to you with a refreshed look on his face, as he - out of nowhere - asked, “Did you enjoy the concert?” Like a lost puppy, his eyes stared into your shocked ones. After a few moments of silence, you decided on the best answer you can come up with.

“Yeah, you were awesome.” From bumping your shoulders to leaning your head slightly on his shoulder, sure it's a big leap. But, you didn’t receive any sort of rejection from the male beside you. On the other hand, his heart rate told you a different story. His usually steady heart rate had turned more erratic, you couldn't blame him either when your own matched his unsteady beats.

"That PAIMON tweet is an exaggeration." Xiao muttered into the silence of the air. At those unexpected words, you laughed wholly, as if you couldn't guess that already. But oh well, his reassurance did sound nice. Xiao was in his own little world, his thoughts consisted of how nice and soothing the sound of your sweet laughter was. A small smile bloomed onto his pretty face, watching you smile back at him with a grin.

A night has never felt more meaningful than it did now, with your head on his shoulder and a cute smile on your face directed at him, Xiao wouldn't have it any other way. And if there's one thing Xiao concluded from today, it was that he was in love with a certain gremlin.

"Oh! Here, I almost forgot." Golden eyes blinked at the crocheted hyacinthus between your fingers, glancing between the flowers and you. Exasperated at his obliviousness, you gestured for him to take them, quirking up a brow.

He suddenly seemed flustered as he shyly took the flowers from your hand, mumbling a "Thank you…?"

A sudden urge to make him more flustered crossed your mind.

"You should search up the meaning of hyacinthus later, by the way."

Xiao gulped before nodding his head slightly, looking back up at the now empty sky. He seemed to only realize now how much time has actually passed.

"Oh, shall we leave?" You mumbled, bringing up your phone from your pocket before looking at the time and collecting your things laying around on the grass. Xiao stood up before you, standing in front of you as he sheepishly reached out his hand to you - for what? The third time today?

You shook your head lightly, laughing slightly before placing your hand on his open ones as he lifted you up.

"What a gentleman."

heaven on earth - 41. one step closer

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synopsis ; 🗝️ — in which you befriend your next door neighbour who, unbeknownst to you, was apart of a soon-to-be one of the most popular bands throughout liyue. you're unable to tell if cupid was helping you or not when things with xiao kept going up and down. will he continue to keep his secret from yours truly?

NOTE — new chapter will be out soon bcs no more written portion for a while (ive said this like 4 times and they never go as planned 🤗🤗) !!@!@! yipee. anyways since he realized his shit its easy here on out 😝😝 rikkyu is not [name] btw her user is just that bcs i got too lazy to give her a proper one mb

TAGLIST#1 [OPEN] — @mikctp @ghostlysyntaxed @kazemiya @nnasv @gojoandelsalovechilde @candy-purple-cyanide @kissingkzuha @zyilas @lunaavity @luminescent-light @mave-in @rizakari @riikyu @kokoscutie @starsxnight @sketcheeee @softlie @izakyun @xiaxilia @the-sweet-madame @rifran @milkwithspiceyicecubes @coffeethoughtsandanxiety @rxkan7 @goodthingimsam @pomeiu @fogturtle @farelady-fate @tzu-scara143 @wonderful-worlds @cianalikesbeans @h3xi2g0n3 @jasxiao2317 @rosaryia

(ask to be added)

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starlitangels · 6 months

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Power Play (Not that Kind)

Star's back? Star's Back! (For at least one one-shot anyway.) 1.6k words

Spoilers for the new video, obviously

—

Porter missed nothing. Years of living—of fighting for survival—as a vampire had taught him to observe everything.

He didn't miss the way Sam's shifter tensed every time a voice was raised. Even Sam's. He didn't miss the way they positioned themself partway between him and Vincent's partner. He didn't miss the scars on their exposed arms glinting slightly in the light of the living room.

He'd heard of them, of course. Living in Dahlia as long as he had. He knew the Shaw Pack's reputation. He'd heard of their sledgehammer. Their... tank. He wasn't in Dahlia, but he'd kept tabs on the city while he was gone. He heard of the single shifter who took on the 50-year-old progeny of an Old Blood and live to tell about it.

He hadn't expected them to be that attractive, though.

Porter missed nothing. Shifters were humans who could change into an animal form. But that didn't mean instincts of the animals they could become didn't linger. Wolf shifters had a reputation for fierce loyalty to anyone they considered pack—legal or not. And apparently the Shaw Pack shifter in front of him had nearly killed themself to protect a friend from the vampire they'd fought.

Porter missed nothing.

This shifter was a protector.

They didn't tense because they didn't like the sound of raised voices or as a trauma reaction from their past. This shifter tensed because if punches started to flying, they were going to protect Vincent's partner.

And given the fact that Vincent's partner didn't seem to notice, the shifter was going to do it without their knowledge or coordination.

Porter missed nothing. He didn't miss the shifter's muscles rolling under their skin. He didn't miss the fury in Vincent's face—though, honestly, it wasn't subtle. He didn't miss Samuel fighting to keep his fangs from extending defensively, even as the man tried to... mediate the situation.

Porter noticed everything. He noticed the confusion on everyone's faces when he announced the Plus One he was bringing to the summit. He noticed that, strangely, the shifter's face was the one to turn from confusion to anger first. They'd remained fairly impassive of expression the whole time. The tension in their body being the only thing that gave them away. Their face had been neutral as stone. He wondered, as he blasted away from Sam's house, what set them off before the others at the mention of bringing his new lover.

—

Vincent and his partner were well out of earshot on their way home by the time I let out a growl and tore a log in half out in the backyard.

Sam was standing on the back porch, leaning against one of the supporting beams with his arms folded, and just watched. I could tell he wanted to ask what was wrong, but he was keeping his questions to himself.

I ignored the axe in the tree stump next to the pile of wood we chopped for the fireplace (usually to blow off steam) and ripped the next log in half. By the time I dropped the pieces of it in the woodpile, I realized I was half-shifted. My nails had become claws, my teeth were too big for my mouth, and the seams of my clothing were straining.

I took several deep breaths. "Bastard," I muttered as the magic eased out and my body went back to normal, full human.

"What're ya thinkin', darlin'?" Sam asked.

I sat in the dirt, not even bothering to go to the back porch steps. "It's a power play," I said. "Bringing an unempowered human to the summit before they have the informed status."

"Mmhmm. I clocked that," Sam agreed. "He's doin' whatever he can to get under... everybody's skin, probably. But especially Vincent's."

I shook my head. "It's not that. I don't think, anyway."

Sam scrunched his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I doubt it's just about pissing all of us off. It's a power play but it's almost a dare. Saying no one can touch him. No one can stop him from doing whatever the hell he wants." I swallowed—hard. "I've seen moves like that before. Taunts. Dares. Begging someone to try to stop him so he'd have an excuse to lash out."

Sam growled low in his chest. His boots thudded down the porch stairs. He sat on the last one. "You never mentioned Quinn did that."

I raked a fingernail through the dirt with a bitter scoff in my throat. "Oh it wasn't Quinn. I had a string of bad partners. Not just him. Quinn was wholeheartedly the worst, but I'm not talking about him this time." I drew another line in the dirt. "I'm talking about Raphael."

Sam cocked his head.

"He was another vampire. Passing through Dahlia on business when I had just barely turned eighteen. He was from a clan up in Washington. That's why I listened to him in the first place. My parents live there. I spent part of my childhood there. He was turned when he was like twenty-one and had only been a vampire for like three years when I met him." I kept doodling, refusing to meet Sam's eyes. "David thinks I didn't fall into a bad crowd until right before I met Quinn. David could fill an encyclopedia with the amount of stuff he doesn't know about my life. I've always been... solitary. Introverted. And for a wolf shifter it's a real pain in the ass to be introverted. Pack members always shove their way into your life when your social battery is at its lowest and expect you to reciprocate.

"But anyway. Raphael seemed nice. But he was definitely part of the shadier... underground vampire scene in the city. The one William managed to mostly wipe out. But not completely, back then. And... I don't know how exactly, but Raphael knew I was powerful, for a shifter.

"He..." I took a deep breath.

"Darlin', you don't have to keep goin'."

"It's okay. This is water far under the bridge." I cleared my throat. "You heard of the gang-drains, right?"

"Several vamps feedin' off one human, usually unempowered. Yeah. Had to heal a couple-a the victims back before I turned. William's still fightin' that fight on gettin' the ban on those enforced."

I nodded. "Raphael took me to some of them. We weren't together long and it ended in flames. But there were three that he took me too. Y'know. A wolf shifter. Who a lot of vampires are well aware of the old feuds with."

Sam scrunched his eyebrows. "Why? What was the point?"

"He was daring the other vampires to confront him about my presence without saying a word. He was showing he had all the power in the situation because none of them were ever brave enough to tell him to have me get lost."

"Why you?"

I shrugged. "I was there. Right magic at the wrong time. Naïve teenage wolf with no self-preservation." I paused. "And... I like to think that he knew if things did go south, I was a wolf that would be able to protect myself. He was a jerk but he was nowhere near as sadistic as Quinn was. I think he just liked to flex."

Sam chewed on his lower lip in thought. "And you think that's what Porter's doin'."

"I think it'd be wise to entertain it as a possibility. We all knew it was a power play the second it was out of his mouth."

"And you looked about ready to rip his fangs out of said mouth before the rest-a us even processed what he said," Sam observed.

"He's needlessly endangering an innocent unempowered human who probably didn't ask for any of this bullsh—" I cut myself off with a hiss. "It's not that I don't trust the Old Bloods and their retinues that will be at the summit not to control themselves. Hell, David and Asher are bringing their unempowered mates." I growled—animalistic and furious. "But if he met them two days ago, that poor human is in far over their head and has no idea what they're walking into. Any explanation he might give them will never do justice to what they could actually experience and—"

"Your friend that Quinn attacked," Sam said softly, his eyes on my furious doodling in the dirt. "You're tryna avoid a repeat performance. Innocent unempowered fallin' victim to a vampire tryna use 'em for his own gain. That's why you got pissed at him before the rest of us even realized what he was sayin'."

I slumped. "I clocked that Porter is a bit of a bastard with his head somewhat up his own ass the second I answered the damn door and he made a pass at me at your expense. But if he's enough of a monster that this goes the way I'm praying it doesn't, you won't stop me from protecting that human he's bringing. Even if it means a giant grey wolf in formalwear rips his arm off in front of every Old Blood in the country."

That almost got Sam to smile, but his expression was still grim. "I wouldn't try, darlin'." He took a deep breath. "You should tell Vincent some of that. Not the whole thing if you're not comfortable but... I think he'd appreciate the insight."

I sighed. "Maybe tomorrow." I pushed myself up so I wasn't sitting in the dirt and brushed off the seat of my jeans. "I'm gonna go for a run. Wanna join?" I moved to start taking off my clothes so I could shift.

Sam was on his feet in a blur of movement. "'Course. If it'll help you blow off some steam. I'll be right by your side."

I kissed him. "Thanks, Sam."

"Always, darlin'."

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @thegoldenlittlerose @shellssstuff @darlin-collins @pinksparkl (figured I'd add you just to say hello! <3)

#Redacted ASMR #fic #Redacted Porter #Redacted Darlin'#Redacted Sam #Redacted Audio #Starlit Fic

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alucarddear · 2 years

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could u write something abt adrian w a pregnant s/o 🤍🥺

Alucard with a pregnant s/o. He will be so happy. 😭

It was Adrian who first entertained the thought—her recent headaches, irritability, and sensitivity to certain smells. Coupled with her strange food combinations as of late and her delayed bleeding, it pointed to one possibility: she might be pregnant.

She knew his mother was a doctor and his father was a man of science. Both were intellectuals who sired another intellectual. They certainly had taught Adrian a thing or two, and he’d always been her “doctor” so she trusted him. They were both pretty certain, but just to be sure, they went to the village doctor anyway who then confirmed her pregnancy.

The entire time, anyone who didn’t know Adrian would’ve thought him quite nonchalant about it with how cool and composed he was. But as soon as the couple were back home??? he BAWLED for a straight hour. “I… I’m going to be a father?”

He was absolutely petrified. At first, Adrian vacillated between utter terror and unbelievable euphoria. He had no doubt that his s/o will be an excellent mother, but he was absolutely terrified at the thought of fatherhood, especially after doing what he had to do to his own father. He often wondered if he even deserved this. But eventually, he came around til he couldn’t quite contain his excitement!

His eyes are on her all the time. Adrian excitedly comments on how her small bump appears to grow bigger and bigger every day. 🥰 He has a smile on his face whenever he talks about it.

Better believe he will read whatever medical textbook that exists on pregnancy!!! He’s with her through it all, noting any changes every month, making sure everything is going to be okay.

He always talks to the baby. He kneels down and presses his cheek to her belly. He gives plenty of kisses too. At night, he already whispers stories to their little one, and they’re not even out in the world yet. 🥹

One thing is absolutely certain—his baby will want for nothing.

At night, they often cuddle in bed and discuss possible baby names. Adrian doesn’t care what sex the baby will be. He will love them regardless. He cannot wait to teach them all sorts of things.

He already spoils his s/o, but now that she’s pregnant, he is even more doting on her. Whenever he goes to any other room, he asks “Anything you want, darling?” He will get her ANYTHING she asked for if he can help it, no matter the time of day or night. She wants it? She gets it.

He is protective! She hasn’t lifted a single finger since the confirmation of her pregnancy. He simply will not allow it. “I am not fragile, you know,” she’d argue. “I know, darling,” he’d say. “You’re strong, but… just—just let me.” It makes him happy to just be there for her, supporting her all the way. She does all the hard work at this time, after all. In his mind, the best thing he can do at this time is to be there and to take care of the little things for her every step of the way.

Best believe his s/o is eating go grow glow lol. Fruits, vegetables of all sorts, tons of water, no stress, he takes her and their child’s health extremely seriously!

As she goes further along her pregnancy, Adrian is basically glued to her belly, waiting to feel the first kicks.

Most of all, he is extremely proud. As he holds his lover in his arms, swollen with his child, he tearfully marvels at what’s to come. He almost cannot believe the life they created together. He will do everything in his power to protect his little family. Nothing matters more to him than them. 🤍

#lol a pregnancy test in the 1400s would’ve been convenient #f4irycafe #castlevania #adrian tepes #adrian fahrenheit tepes #alucard x reader #alucard #alucarddear writes #alucarddear headcanons #Alucard as a father #Alucard fanfic

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themolluscasometimes · 5 months

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(if you havent seen dmeon slayer s3 or read the mange this has spoilers)

okay no but look-

who tf. gave genya a sword an told him to go to final selection

It's stated that Genya calmed down and mellowed out after getting Gyomei to train him. ALSO he got mega buff between when we see him at final selection and when he see him next like yeah he obviously had a growth spurt but the point is he went from scrawny to brawny. He was also a giant asshole at final selection so like. Genya 100% only got trained by gyomei after passing final selection.

Which MEANS either someone ELSE sent a kid that cant use breathing to final selection with a sword OR he got himself there. I dont believe anyone wouldve willingly sent him given how important breathing is to the demon slayer corp

also. The only trainers we really see are hashira or former hashira. Im SO convinced there are other that we don't see given that not every water breather couldve been taught by Urokodaki but it still makes sense that these teachers are retired professional demon slayers that lived long enough to be no longer in active service even if they aren't hashira

which leaves us with options:

OPTION 1:

genya tried to learn breathing from a cultivator/some other demon slayer, failed, stole a nichirin sword and probably shook the poor sod down to get info on the when and where for final selection

OPTION 1a

When the person who tried to teach breathing to Genya refused to continue after finding out he cant Breathe Right, said teacher was too strong for genya to really do anything about it (see: they're teaching him and it seems likely that the teachers of demon slayer tend to be upper ranked at least) Genya fucked off and assaulted some weak random demon slayer to steal a sword from and get info

Or, you know, something along these lines because he had to get a nichirin sword and infomraiton from somewhere, and Im doubtful it was willingly given to him since he like. cant fucking breathe.

HOWEVER

when we see him at the end of final selection, he's like. mega obsessed with the sword thing. like. super. like yes these are special swords but here's the thing everyone there already has one of the special swords, just not one of their own.

It kinda maybe implies that Genya. Doesnt have a special sword. So.

OPTION TWO:

Genya has been roughing it with a regular ass sword for seven days and given that he can't Breathe his primary form of defense would've been step one: cut the demons arm off. step two: monch. step three: beat the demon to within an inch of its life with demon enhanced brute strength until he can get away or force it die in the sun.

In which case Genya was not likely to be doing much direct demon slaying during those seven days.

(even if he HAD a nichirin sword theres no guarantee that without breathing he wouldve been strong enough or skilful enough to use it to kill all the demons he ran across but given how obsessed and intense he is with getting his hands on a nichirin blade and how much not one single person would want him to go to final selection, i honestly think he had just some random sword. It would explain why he's so desperate to get one, other than being generally unhinged. Anyway-)

While everyone else was roughing it, surviving and slaying demons in the night, Genyas experience of the final selection exam was somewhere between a survival challenge and an all you can eat buffet, with not a lot of demon slaying involved.

can u imagine being part of his cohort and running across some dude that needs you to cut off this demons head thats missing a suspicious amount of its body bc he doesnt have a nichirin sword for some fucking reason. also he has really, really, fucked up eyeballs.

can you imagine watching one of your fellow exam participants use a sword only to defend himslef bc its a functionally useless offense only to attack by eating the fucking demons.

can you imagine seeing him at one point, looking a certain way bc hes been eating a demon and then seeing him again later looking human. or looking like a different demon. or both.

can u imagine struggling to feed yourself during these seven days and this man is having a straight up feast. and also couldnt be assed to show up with a sword for demonslaying to the exam for fucking demon slaying

#shinaguzawa genya #genya shinazugawa #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer headcanons #also when did he figure out he can eat the demons #how #genya eat the rich shinazugawa #genya 100% had some regular ass sword in that exam and i will die on this hill #demon slayer season 3 #swordsmith village arc #listen #there is so uch that has neevr been explained about genya #he is atleast as unhinged as inosuke if not more because at least inosuke NEVER TRIED TO EAT A DEMON #inconsistent puncutaion spelling and grammar due to symptoms of brainrot #options 1 and 1a and any variations thereupon are possible but boring #and dont explain why genya was insane about getting sword #but it would make so much sense if he DIDNT FUCKING HAVE ONE

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tempenensis · 1 year

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If you have time, do you mind helping me with some character analysis? Gojo is very hard to write because he's a very internalized person who doesn't actually show his inner thoughts very often. The times we get them, he is much more serious and analytical than his frivolous personality is meant to show.

Gojo is popular for the same reason that people hate him: truthfully we don't know much about *him* when it comes to the kinds of details which can be used to figure out where someone's personality came from. He comes from a privileged background, so there's lots of people who assume that he never really went through any troubles - that he never had moments of self-doubt or needed to find his place in the world, that his powers likely came easy to him because he's a prodigy, that his family "spoiling" him meant that he was never subjected to the cruel or intense training we know some of the nobles have set up in their family homes. He's also always been special, and it's unlikely that he ever had a desire to be a total non-sorcerer. He could walk away any time he wanted, like Yuki, and it's not like anyone could stop him either.

And Gege never truly refutes this. Gojo's personality is also so good at pretending nothing ever touches him (thematic!) that from the surface it could seem true. He is not the kind of person to be filled with self-pity so we never get panels of him hashing out his situation with the other characters (not that he can because no one is his equal enough to do this...). He's so busy he literally doesn't have time to dwell. He has been shown spending time with his friends, but no one wants to talk about the shit job they all do during down time, they unwind and talk about regular stuff, like regular people, and simply enjoy the company.

But deduction also tells us that people who grew up normal and well adjusted don't behave the way he's behaving. (Nobara and Yuuji had the most normal sounding childhoods of all the students and it shows, even behind the typical shonen characterization).

Clearly, the flashback arc is shown because in a way that is the origin story of the current conflict, and the origin of Gojo's current personality (Geto had a lot of positive influence on him).

Gojo turns against the sorcerer system because it cost him Geto, not because of anything that may or may not have happened to him. He was doing every mission the higher-ups could possibly have sent him on after Riko died. He wasn't rebelling against the system, he was trying to solve it by becoming the single solution all on his own. Again, not the response of a well-adjusted person.

He was not originally the kind of person to take revenge or turn against a system for personal issues, although he later becomes a little like this when he starts taking young sorcerer's under his wing.

There's a lot of fandom speculation that has hints that these things could to be true:

He was spoiled by his family, but they were emotionally distant in the way of all sorcerer families, praising the technique and seeing the technique instead of the child who was wielding it. It's possible he doesn't associate closely with his clan apart from very structured social patterns because he realizes that being "special" never meant he didn't deserve being treated like a child or taught how to behave. He's perfectly aware he has a "bad personality" and knows that this is in part because of how he was raised.

He projects emotionally onto the students in his care, and acknowledges that something about the way he was treated (mostly as a fine commodity) was deeply unfair, but he hasn't actually found another way except to acknowledge at the end of the day that this job gives you trauma and it's usually not worth dying for unless that's your thing (I mean how he throws the students into situations where they think they're going to die and his concession is to place himself as the safety net), and that you shouldn't miss age-appropriate events just because some grown up tells you to become a better little cog.

A lot of the fandom likes to assume that using Six-Eyes is overstimulating or possibly painful for him right away because at least then there's a cost to his using his power, and once again the sorcerer system doesn't care about the cost to its workers (I'm not sure about the right away part. we know that if he doesn't cover his eyes he gets tired, but Gege doesn't want to give gojo any weaknesses so who knows how long it takes).

Gojo is maybe not "afraid" of getting truly close to people but he keeps people at arm's length. No one at this point could bear the burden he does, and that's what he believes it means to be his equal. It's possible but unlikely that if someone reached out to him first, he would let him. We know touching Infinity can feel like you're touching him from the first vs.Jogo fight, and it's likely he truly does keep it on all the time, leaving him physically and psychologically prepared to keep anyone from touching him at all times, even if they don't realize it...

(Overall, it's very funny to me that Gege's friends apparently think his personality is like Gojo's. It makes it more understandable why he wouldn't want to talk about his character, or be annoyed that the person who is a secondary became too popular, but also the cat is a troll and is the kind of person to laugh and walk away if you try to ask them a question -_-. However, if you take the answers we do have literally, it sounds like Gege accidentally made a character with a lot of depth, but he doesn't want to deal with it…)

But we have no answers to the truth of these presumptions in a lot of cases, and I could keep going but I'm running out of steam and I'm already sorry to put so much in your inbox….

I know you don't give headcanons because your blog is more textual analysis blog, so I won't ask for them! Part of me is not even sure what to ask, because we simply have no answers, and I don't think anyone is going to give them to us. That's fine because fandom wants and needs space to do its own interpretations of the character, but when you want an answer that isn't there, it can truly feel like diving off a cliff to make that choice all on your own and run with it (cries because that means there are literally infinite choices to make and each of them alters the story a little).

Maybe what I'm really asking is, if you have time, would you pick apart my characterization of Gojo above? I'm a bit curious about what you agree with and what you disagree with because you're so good with finding the text evidence! I already appreciate you reading if you've gotten this far, and I appreciate all the work you do in the fandom. I won't feel bad if you refuse (not that you will, but I just want to make it clear I have no expectations!!) Thank you again so much for all you do and for letting us play in the space with you!

Hi, anon!

If you're asking about my opinion, I must say, this is pretty solid read. I agree with almost everything that you said, and can't really add much to this. Gege had said before that he "has no personality", I think that means he doesn't think too much about Gojou's character, unlike for example Yuuji or Nanami. This makes us learns more about him by crumbles dropped here and then - and not a lot actually told explicitly in the manga. ((it sounds like Gege accidentally made a character with a lot of depth, but he doesn't want to deal with it)) is actually a good point lol, fans' interest in Gojou is definitely deeper than Gege himself.

One of the most interesting thing about him is that despite his vocal opposing of the current jujutsu system, he still does his duty to this very system that he opposes. Even if he messes around sometimes, Gojou is the only special-grade sorcerer who actually goes to missions assigned to him and has been mentioned to clean other sorcerers' messes - which is why he is so busy all the time. This speaks more about him knowing that his priority lies in saving other's lives. I think for him, he is an actual proper jujutsushi who has lived as one since he was born because of the techniques he inherited - maybe the point of being a jujutsu sorcerer and what he has to do has been driven to him since he can handle his own technique. So all he knows is to be a jujutsushi first - and his desire to change the system only comes later, after he saw what this system does to people around him, especially Riko and Getou. Even then, he tries to change it from inside, as jujutsushi who is one under the very system he want to change. All he knows is how to live as a jujutsushi and he doesn't seem to want to stop being one, even if it means he can destroy the system from outside. He wants jujutsushi to continue, but with a better system, not to stop or destroy all of them entirely.

#le-ask #jujutsu kaisen #jjk manga spoilers #gojou satoru #jjk meta #a very good analysis anon kudos to you!

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yo-yo-yungi · 15 days

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MY LOVE, MY GRATITUDE - JEONG YUNHO - SFW

Yunho x reader

Genre: angst

Warning list: Angst- so you know, it ain’t happy. Mentions of a fall (no serious damage), mentions of a scar on the readers knee, mentions of food

Word count: 583

Summary: sometimes letters are made to be sent. Other times, letters are for the words we regret never saying.

Dear Yunho,

I wish I had sent this letter years ago, now it's too late. How am I supposed to confess when you look at her the way I look at you? Why did it take you only 2 months to ask her out, when I've been waiting for 10 years? Yunho, I've known you for so long, seen the good, the bad, and the ugly (yes, like the cowboys - yes, I'm a dork). We've known each other since we were 12 - is that the issue? Do you see me as a sister? I doubt it, especially since you kissed me at the Halloween party. Yes, you were drunk. No, I never mentioned it. But have I been thinking about it every second of every day since then? Yes.

I frequently revisit the photos of you stored on my phone. There are over 1,000 of them... you always had a habit of taking selfies whenever I left my phone unattended. Oh how I long for you to do that again.

When I look at photos, they can't compare to a single glance at you. Your beauty cannot be fully captured in an image; it's not the same as seeing you in person. Could you walk past me one last time? No need for a sly wink or even a glance my way, just walk... I'll be watching.

Did you watch the sunset with her as you did with me? I should have confessed my love to you then, should have expressed how those moments meant everything to me.

The little moments with you are etched into my memory like sacred scripture. I can’t look at a tulip without remembering the time you got me some for my birthday, I can't look at a toothbrush without remembering all our childhood sleepovers. Yunho, even my own desk brings back memories of you falling off the chair. But… worst of all, the one that bothers me the most… I can’t look at myself without thinking of you. You changed me, both physically and mentally. Like that scar that graces my knee from when you pushed me a little too hard and I fell to the concrete… I’m sorry by the way, that was my fault… I shouldn’t have said the cupcakes you made were ugly. I loved them… truly. Every time I see that mark on my knee I think of you. It’s not fair…

Whenever someone mentions my considerate nature, I think of you, because you were the one who taught me that. Before I met you, I was unkind and harsh. Why did you give me a chance? You, this beacon of positivity, why did you give me a chance? Is it selfish to wish you hadn't? Because now I'm left with an emptiness in my heart. It stings like a fresh wound - I understand this may not be the best metaphor, but I don't care.

Yunho, I'll put it simply-

I am absolutely, desperately, unconditionally in love with you and everything that you are. If I can turn back time and tell you how I felt before you met her- I would- but I can’t do that now… it’s selfish. You taught me that selfishness isn’t a good look on anyone.

Since I can't express my love for you, I'll express my gratitude instead. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am today. I'm also grateful for the lessons you've taught me about love. I'll cherish these memories forever.

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liaaacantwrite · 2 years

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Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now

Jonathan Byers x Reader (Explicit)

Summary: Jonathan really tried to keep his feelings to himself, but he’s almost reached his limit. Especially when Steve starts interfering.

warning! this fic contains pining, best friends to lovers, jealousy, very emotional sexual situations, 2 virgins going at it, oral (m and f receiving) and sub jonathan. also, this is set between season 2 and 3 but they’re both 18! :)

•••

The road had too many fucking potholes.

Jonathan tried his best to avoid them as his best friend, (Y/N), slept in the passenger seat of his car. It wasn’t easy, since the town of Hawkins clearly didn’t care about road maintenance, at least on this side of town.

“Jonathan?” She stirred in her sleep, slowing opening her eyes as she adjusted to the sunlight filling the car.

“Good morning,” he glanced over at her as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “You were out like a light.”

They’d been driving for awhile at that point, returning from a daytrip to Indianapolis to fill Jonathan’s photography portfolio. He’d snapped a few images of her, as well, and even taught her how to use the camera in order to take some shots of him.

“We walked around the city for like four hours, I was exhausted.”

“Yeah, okay. Still had to drive in silence for like two hours.”

“Literally no one made you do that.”

He didn’t have a rebuttal, so he just kept driving. She turned on his car stereo and Blondie quietly filled the car. It was music that she had gotten him into a few years ago. She hummed along to the song and he smiled to himself.

He really wasn’t sure when he’d started having feelings for his best friend. If he absolutely had to decide on a moment, it was when they were 10. She had come over, like she did almost everyday, and hung out with him and Will while Joyce was at work. They were watching some cartoon Will had picked out when she turned to Jonathan, put her hands on his face, and stared deeply into his eyes.

“I need you to promise me something.” She looked deadly serious.

“Yeah?” He pulled her hands off of his face.

“When we go into middle school next year, you can’t abandon me for anyone else. Ever.” Her eyes were misty, as this was something she’d clearly been worrying about. Her older sister had confided in her that once middle school starts, friends change and grow apart. She’s absolutely die if that happened between her and Jonathan.

“I would never do that!” He seemed almost offended at the notion.

“Promise me?”

She held out her pinky, her nails painted green. He didn’t even think as he wrapped his pinky around hers, never even doubting for a second that they would be best friends forever.

“I promise.”

Looking back, he realized that it was her fear of losing one another, a fear he also shared, that made him really begin to crush on her. He’d kept his secret for 8 years now, and he was not about to blow it anytime soon. He’d rather be with her as just friends than risk losing her completely.

“Are you hungry?” She pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” He actually wasn’t that hungry, but she wouldn’t have been asking if she wasn’t, so he decided he’d eat anyway.

“Pizza?” It was their go-to food, honestly.

“It’s like you read my mind.”

•••

Jonathan picked her up every single morning on the way to school. It brightened his morning to see her stumbling out of her house, still sleepy. He loved getting to spend extra time with her, and he would do pretty much anything for it.

One of Jonathan’s absolute favorite things about his best friend was how well she got along with Will. The three of them had grown up together, and so Will had honestly viewed her like an older sister. He’d come to her for advice pretty often, and sometimes they would hang out just the two of them. She even got along amazingly with Joyce!

“I’m just saying, you should really try it.” Will had been begging her to try playing D&D, his latest campaign needing one more party member. Max had downright refused, saying she didn’t ‘care about that nerdy shit.’

“Will, I would, but I’ve got so much schoolwork lately it’s ridiculous.” She’d joined one too many AP classes that year and was really suffering for it.

“Fine. Dustin said he would try to get Steve to join, anyway.” Will sat back in his seat, accepting her answer.

Steve was a hot topic between (Y/N) and Jonathan. She’d had a crush on the boy with amazing hair a few years prior, which had crushed Jonathan. He couldn’t help getting annoyed every time Steve was brought up, but he always made up excuses like ‘he’s just an asshole’ or ‘that guy? I bet he spends more time on his hair than he lasts in bed.’ Her crush had actually cooled down for a bit while he dated Nancy Wheeler, a good friend of hers, but ramped right back up when they split.

“Where are you guys having this campaign?” Jonathan really hoped Will would say anywhere but the Byers house.

“Our house. First part is today!”

Shit. She came over everyday to study in Jonathan’s room (and to hang out, too) so she was bound to see Steve.

Jonathan pulled in front of Hawkins Middle School, letting Will out. No one really liked for him to ride his bike anywhere after the events with Hawkins Lab.

“Be smart!” Jonathan called.

“Make good choices!” (Y/N) waved.

It was a little tradition they had with the younger Byers. They’d said it everyday when the dropped him off, much to his chagrin.

“Ugh!” He walked away.

Jonathan drove off, his mind racing with possibilities of (Y/N) and Steve together. Would he kiss her the way Jonathan wanted to? With one hand wrapped securely around her waist, the other entangled in her hair? Or would Steve have ways he hadn’t even considered?

“What’s bothering you?” Again, she pulled him out of his thoughts. He reminded himself that she was in his car right now, not Steve’s.

“Worried about that physics test.” He quickly lied. He actually was pretty worried about it, though.

“I’ll let you copy off me if you give me the English homework.” She smiled as he parked in the high school parking lot.

“Deal.” He smiled back at her. She always had a way of making him feel better.

But even as they walked through the halls, he kept thinking about Steve coming over that night. He tried to think of ways he could tell her not to come over. He couldn’t say he was feeling sick, as they were literally together all morning. He couldn’t say he didn’t want her to, as she’d see right through that. He just had to hope that Dustin wasn’t as good at convincing as Will hoped.

“—which is absolutely crazy, right? Jonathan?” He tuned back in, catching the end of what she was saying.

“Huh?”

“Are you okay today?” She put her hand to his forehead, butterflies filling his stomach.

“Didn’t sleep well last night.”

“I could stay over if you want. You know my mom’s okay with it.”

Another perk of being best friends literally their entire lives—sleepovers were a regular thing. As weird as he felt about it, Jonathan liked seeing her in her pajamas, seeing her in a way no one else did. He liked having her all to himself.

He really had an issue now. She would be so suspicious if he turned down a sleepover since he’d never done that before. In fact, he was usually the one suggesting them.

“Sure, yeah. I’m gonna head off to class.” He awkwardly mumbled, shooting off in the other direction.

She stared after him, wondering what his problem was. Anxiously, she bit her lip as she ran through all the possible things in her head, walking to her class. Maybe Joyce was nagging him about his grades? But that wasn’t very likely, as Joyce didn’t care about shit like that. Was he being bullied again? He would have told her, she hoped. (Y/N) froze, her thoughts coming to a complete stop.

What if he realized she was in love with him?

That would explain why he was so awkward with her today. God! She felt her stomach tie up in knots at the thought. There was no way, she’d been so careful. She’d been distracting herself with Steve Harrington, for fuck’s sake. After all, it was much easier to pine after someone she barely knew than face rejection from her lifelong best friend.

She tried to ignore those thoughts as she went through her classes, her anxiety building as lunch approached.

Jonathan was annoyed as he walked into the cafeteria. Steve had approached him in the hall just before to make sure it was okay that he was playing with the kids and if they would like him to bring pizza. It was even more frustrating that Steve was actually a pretty cool guy.

He made his way over to (Y/N), who sat reading a book. Taking a second to admire her before he sat, he really started to get nauseous at the thought of her and Steve.

‘Maybe he could actually treat her well. Maybe she deserves someone better than me.’ He thought as he slid into the seat across from her.

They didn’t speak as they both read, sharing large a bag of potato chips. It had been that way for years, a daily tradition they wouldn’t dream of breaking. There was just something so intimate in the silence, the comfort of it all.

Jonathan wouldn’t trade moments like these for all the money in the world.

•••

Steve was annoyingly on time with 5 pizzas. Cheese, pepperoni, supreme, meat lovers, and veggie. He was also frustratingly considerate, not really knowing who ate what.

Lucas, Will, Mike, and Dustin, along with Max and Eleven, who just wanted to watch, all sat sprawled across the Byers’ living room floor. The table was all set for the campaign, but being kids, they were all starving.

Jonathan and (Y/N) were studying in his room when Max came knocking.

“Harrington’s here with pizza!” She spoke through the door.

“Thanks!” (Y/N) called, closing her textbook.

Jonathan stayed still. He really didn’t feel like watching the love of his life fawn over someone he thought was so much better than him. He couldn’t help but compare himself to Steve. Harrington was taller, richer, conventionally more attractive, more athletic. He was more popular, and definitely more experienced when it came to women. Jonathan felt as though he was less than Steve in every aspect.

“Come on, Jon.” She pulled his arm, straining to lift him off the bed. “I’m hungry.”

“Ugh.” He groaned as he stood up. “Let’s eat in here.”

“I want to talk to the kids for a bit.” She walked out of the room.

When she entered the living room, Mike and Eleven were practically sitting on top of each other on the couch. Max and Lucas were sitting at the kitchen table, laughing and making jokes with Will. Dustin sat eating on the floor with Steve.

“(Y/N)!” Dustin smiled, pointing to the pizza. “Take your pick.”

She walked over to the boxes, taking two of the untouched veggie slices.

“Perks of liking your vegetables? You get a whole pizza to yourself.” She smiled as she sat on the floor with Dustin and Steve.

“I don’t know how you eat that crap.” Dustin scoffed.

“Compared to your meat monstrosity? I feel sorry for your toilet.” She laughed and he threw a piece of sausage at her.

All the kids looked up to the cool older girl that made an effort to spend time with them and understand them. She’d had special moments with each kid, but mostly Will and Lucas.

“I don’t know, I’ve always been a plain cheese guy.” Steve spoke up, finally. He’d been a little nervous.

Truth be told, he was kind of into (Y/N). She’d saved his ass from the demodogs a few months prior and he just hasn’t been able to look at her the same. Especially now that he and Nancy had broken up.

“Because you’re boring.” Dustin had become a lot more snarky lately.

“Rude! Just because he’s boring doesn’t mean you have to say it.” She teased, knocking her knee against Steve’s.

He ran his hand through his hair, practically preening for her attention.

It made Jonathan, who was watching from the kitchen table, sick to his stomach.

“Are you ever gonna make a move, man?” Lucas rolled his eyes at his best friend’s older brother.

“What are you talking about?” Jonathan looked absolutely perplexed.

“Come on, Byers. You’re so obvious it’s making me nauseous.” Max groaned as she put her pizza slice down, dramatically crossing her arms.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He shook his head at the trio of annoyed children.

“Your crush on (Y/N).” Will quietly spoke.

Jonathan shushed him anyway.

“You guys are crazy.” He stood, retreating to his room.

He wondered if he was actually that obvious as he slumped back onto his headboard. Grabbing his history homework, he tried to immerse himself in the assignment.

After about 10 minutes, (Y/N) entered his room.

“Hope you didn’t miss me too much” She grinned as she flopped on her stomach next to him on the bed.

“I almost died waiting for you.” He not-so-sarcastically replied.

“I’m here now. What’s going on in that big dumb head of yours?” She stared at him, head propped up by her palms.

“Nothing. Why do you keep asking me that today?” He shyer away under her gaze.

“Because you’re acting all weird. I’m allowed to be concerned about you.”

“Stop. I’m fine.” He didn’t look up from his homework.

She grabbed it from his lap, placing the paper on the floor.

“Jonathan. Talk to me.” She looked at him sternly.

He sighed, putting his head in his hands. She really was persistent.

“I wish you would just drop it.” His voice was muffled.

“Well, tough shit, Byers. I’m not going to leave you alone until you tell me.”

He peeked out from behind his hands. Her eyes poured into his, full of concern. She looked absolutely gorgeous.

“Can you just drop it? I’ll tell you when everyone leaves, okay?” That would give him enough time to come up with something, right?

“Fine, but the second that door closes, you’re gonna spill.” She smiled and rolled onto her back, closing her eyes.

He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

•••

(Y/N) had wandered into the kitchen a while later, fetching a glass of water, when Steve popped up behind her.

“Hey, there.” He smiled, slightly posing with his hands on his hips.

“Hey. How’s the campaign going?” She took a sip from her glass.

“Well, I made a character and Will explained the basics of the game. That took like, an hour and a half. And now we’re setting up the actual world. That took another half an hour. So, pretty great?” He looked so confused, but he was really trying for these kids.

“I’m sure they really appreciate you trying, Steve. I know I certainly do.” She smiled ever so softly at him, the small action giving him heart palpitations.

“Listen, you need a ride home? I can take you. Maybe stop for a sundae or something?” He looked hopeful.

“Sorry, I’m staying the night. I really appreciate your offer, though!” She turned and walked out of the kitchen, feeling slightly guilty.

Steve Harrington had just asked her out and she turned him down.

She stepped into the bathroom, heart beating fast. As she stared at her reflection, she had a few realizations.

1) She would never be able to go out with someone while she had such strong feelings for Jonathan.

2) If Jonathan truly didn’t like her, she needed to get over him and put herself out there, and who could be better than Steve?

3) She needed to find out Jonathan’s feelings. Tonight.

She gently splashed some water in her face and tried to muster up some confidence as she concocted a plan. She’d listen to what was bothering Jonathan so terribly and then confess to her own bothersome issue. He’d be so willing to help, and she’d say outright ‘I’ve developed romantic feelings for you and I need to know if you feel the same.’

Easier said than done.

•••

Dread filled the older Byers boy as the kids all filed out of the house. Steve had decided to drive them all home since it was so late and it had begun raining, and they could come fetch their bikes later. Even annoyed with him, Jonathan had to admit Steve was pretty cool.

“Go to bed, dork.” (Y/N) was talking to Will, who was trying to help her clean up all of the pizza. “I’ve got this.”

“Okay. Goodnight, guys.” Will yawned as he wandered into the bathroom.

“What time is Joyce getting home?” She placed the pizza into tupperware, discarding the boxes into the trash.

“I think she’s working a double, so probably around 3AM?”

She nodded and he began helping her clean up after the kids. Soda cans, napkins, and paper plates were cleaned up slowly, Jonathan trying to extend the time as much as possible.

He still hasn’t come up with a good enough excuse.

“I’m going to change and then I want to hear all about what’s bothering you.” She walked past, heading into his room.

He had a drawer of her clothes, and she had one of his at her house. They were so entangled in each other’s lives that she began to second guess her plan. What would she do everyday without Jonathan? He drove her to school, drove her home, sat with her at lunch, stayed up all night talking to her. He was such a major part of her life that she really couldn’t picture what life would be like without him.

She pulled on her pajamas, some old sweatpants and a t-shirt, and opened the door. Jonathan was standing on the other side.

They followed their usual sleepover routine, him closing the door and changing while she went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She stared at her reflection again, scrutinizing her appearance. She was typically so confident, but so close to making a life-altering confession, she felt so undeserving of the love she was about to beg for.

‘Get it together!’ She internally battled with herself. ‘This is Jonathan you’re worried about. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.’

She took a few deep breaths, tucked her hair into a slightly more suitable fashion, and walked out of the bathroom.

“Okay, Jon. Spill.” She closed his bedroom door behind her, moving to sit on the bed next to him.

He hadn’t been this anxious in a while. Everything had paled in comparison to Will going missing, and while this wasn’t nearly as encompassing as that had been, he was still on the verge of a life-changing moment.

He had finally decided on just being honest. He couldn’t lie to her, and honestly he was dying to tell her his big secret anyway.

“Look, it’s embarrassing.” He tried one last time to get her to stop.

“More embarrassing than the time you pissed yourself in my bed?”

He blushed at the memory. He’d been around 8 at the time and he was dealing with a lot of nightmares about his father. Unfortunately, one was just so terrible that it caused him to have an accident in her bed.

“Oh, god. Stop bringing that up.” He covered his face with his hands in shame.

She grabbed his wrists, gently pulling them away from the face she adored so much.

“You can tell me, Jonathan. There’s absolutely nothing you could tell me that I wouldn’t accept you for.”

He took a deep breath, steeling himself as he made eye contact with her.

Memories of their years together flashed through his mind. Swimming at the local pool together, going to the movies with Will, sharing an ice cream cone when they could only afford one, dancing along to Blondie in the car, countless nights in each other’s rooms, holding each other as they cried when they believed Will was dead, and fighting literal monsters from another dimension.

They’d been together through everything.

“I don’t know how to say it, but just let me talk and don’t interrupt me, okay?” He avoided eye contact, opting instead to stare at his lap.

She nodded, signaling for him to go on.

“I really like you. And obviously you know that, you’re my best friend in the entire world, but it’s more than that. I like you, and it’s for a million reasons. It’s the way you’re always there for me, even in the worst moments of my life. It’s the way you just understand me, and how I never have to explain myself around you. The way you snore, even though you swear you don’t, and it keeps me up at night but I don’t even mind because it’s you who’s doing it. It’s the way you laugh, and how I can be having the worst day, but you make me laugh, too. It’s how you laugh at your own jokes harder than anyone else does, even when they aren’t that funny. How you’re so unbelievably smart and kind and interesting. It’s not just because I think you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, and it’s not just because I’ve known you since kindergarten. I’m not saying this because I expect you to like me back or whatever, this has just been building for so long, and I think I might have exploded if I didn’t say something.”

The silence that followed was earth-shatteringly loud. His thoughts ran a million miles a minute as he waited for her response, too anxious to risk glancing up at her.

If he had, he would have seen the tears looking in her eyes and the saccharine grin on her face as she tried to think of a response as poetic and sweet as the confession he just gave her.

“Jonathan—”

“Don’t feel like you have to say it back. I was just—”

“Jonathan.”

He finally, finally looked up at her, and he saw the pure joy etched onto her face.

“I really like you, too.” She grabbed his hand and he felt relief flood his veins.

“No way. You’re not fucking with me?” He couldn’t help but doubt her, as this would be the best thing to happen in his life if she was serious.

“Not at all. Can I ask you a question, though?” She inched slightly closer to him.

“Anything in the entire world.”

“How long?”

“Since we were 10.”

Nothing on the planet could have wiped the smile off her face. A demogorgon could walk in at that exact moment and she would tell it that her best friend was in love with her.

“You win. I think I was like 14 when I realized. You started keeping pads in your locker just for me and I knew that no one else would ever compare.”

He felt like he was floating. He honestly hadn’t expected things to work out in his favor. A large part of him had figured she would demand to be driven home and never want to speak to him again.

“Can I ask you one more question?” She looked down now, seemingly shy.

“Of course.”

“Can I kiss you?” She looked into his eyes now, a glint of something he had never seen before lurking.

He nodded eagerly, his hands coming to rest on either side of her face as she mirrored his actions.

They leaned in synchronously and if Jonathan thought he was overjoyed before, his heart almost burst as their lips met. Soft, tender, and eager, their kiss was passionately sweet. It was years of love finally coming to fruition, both lovers tasting like toothpaste. She slid one of her hands into the hair just above his neck and his mind went completely blank.

Although he could feel his need for air growing, he didn’t want to part from her mouth for even a second. Luckily, she valued air slightly more than Jonathan’s lips and pulled apart for the both of them.

“Is this a weird time to ask if you want to be my girlfriend?” He let out a soft laugh as she shook her head.

“Not weird at all. I was just about to ask you the same thing.” She played with his hair, running her fingers through the strands as their foreheads rested against each other.

“If I wanna be your girlfriend?”

She giggled and nodded.

“This is not how I pictured this night going.” She leaned back in to kiss her new boyfriend.

The angled was slightly awkward, his legs hanging off the side of his bed as she sat cross legged facing him, so she moved to straddle his lap. He gasped at the new position they were kissing in, something he hadn’t expected in the least.

“Is this okay?” She asked, concerned she had crossed a boundary.

“More than okay. God, this is like a dream come true.”

He softly pulled her face back to his and kissed her cheek, beginning a trail down her jaw. One arm wrapped firmly around her waist and he settled in a malleable spot on her neck, kissing and lightly sucking as her mouth hung open above him. She whimpered slightly, only egging him on.

“Jonathan!” She moaned, arching her back into his touch.

He’d never heard something as beautiful as the way she said his name, her voice full of need.

As he moved back to kiss her mouth, neither of them could really say how long they’d been making out for. The storm raged on outside as they continued to explore this new element of each other.

Spurred on by lust, (Y/N) gently rocked her hips against Jonathan’s, the untold amount of kissing igniting primal reactions.

He stilled, growing hard and embarrassed as she pulled away from his mouth.

“Sorry! I don’t know why I did that.” She rested her head in the crook of his neck.

“No, no. It’s fine, just…unexpected.” He ran the hand that wasn’t holding her pressed to him through her hair now. “It was pretty hot.”

Her cheeks grew hot as she took in what he said. Hot? She could definitely work with that.

Bringing her face back to his, she paused just before connecting their lips. Rolling her hips once more, she relished in the soft groan Jonathan let out.

“I like that sound.”

She pressed her lips to his, continuing the movement of her pelvis against his. He could feel himself growing harder at each rock, the pleasure shooting through him. He’d never felt anything down there besides his own hand, so this was completely new to him.

“(Y/N), please.” He wasn’t sure what he was pleading for, but he just felt so damn good under her that he would take anything she gave him.

She grinned into their heated kiss, pushing him onto his back as she continued to grind into him.

They stayed like this for awhile until Jonathan ever so gently pulled away.

“Jonathan, I really want to fuck you right now.”

He could’ve sworn he heard her wrong. He was already lucky enough, kissing her and finally being her boyfriend after all these years. Now she wanted to have sex? With him?

“Is that okay?” She was anxious that she’d crossed a line now, that he wouldn’t want her anymore.

“Is that…yeah. Yeah, I want to fuck you too.” The words were choked out, his head spinning.

“Okay. That’s gonna be tricky with all these clothes on.”

She reached down to the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it off as he sat up slightly to assist her. This was the first time she felt she could really admire him shirtless as he laid bare in front of her.

Jonathan had always felt like he was way too scrawny. He’d shied away from the mirror every time he found himself in front of it, but here? Now? With her looking at his chest like that, with so much love and lust in her eyes, he felt beautiful.

He shyly placed his fingers just under the hemline of her shirt, not daring to actually take it off. She giggled at this, and actually removed the shirt.

Since she was planning on going to sleep, she obviously hadn’t been wearing a bra. Jonathan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he realized her breasts were right there, fully exposed to him.

“Holy shit.” He breathed, admiring them.

“You can touch me.” She smiled, grabbing his hand and bringing it to her chest.

He might have sound a bit perverted, but he had been dreaming about this moment since he first started having sexual feelings. He massaged her gently, the flesh between his fingers much softer than he had ever imagined.

In an act of boldness that he didn’t know he possessed, he sat up, using this new angle to latch onto her nipple. She gasped, both out of shock and arousal, and ran her fingers through his hair.

Emboldened by her sounds, he brought his hand to her other nipple and began to play with it, the action slightly clumsy but overall pleasant. She moaned above him and reached down to undo the tie on his sweatpants.

“Off.” She ordered, causing him to lift his hips as she pulled them off of him.

She noticed how his dick strained against his boxers, a small stain of his arousal forming. It just turned her on more as she stood to slide her own pants off.

He took this moment to admire her naked, something he had never seen before. The curve of her hips, the round of her stomach, the indent of her waist, the stretch marks that expanded all over. He’d never seen anyone so beautiful.

“Jesus, (Y/N). You’re the most gorgeous girl in the entire world.”

She grew more confident with his words, twirling around for him. He felt like the luckiest guy in history to be here with her in this moment.

She crawled back over him, grinning when his hands flew down to the swell of her ass.

“Do you have a condom?” She cocked her head to the side.

He immediately groaned in shame, knowing he didn’t have one, as he’d never needed one before this very moment.

“No.” He began to detach himself from her until she shook her head and moved his hands back to where they were.

“There’s stuff other than penetrative sex, y’know.”

He nodded, bringing her mouth back to his. Even with the prospect of oral sex looming, he just wanted to kiss her until his lips hurt. Even then, he’d probably still want more.

She sat on top of him, straddling his hips in nothing but her underwear. Warmth radiated from both of them as she pulled away from the kiss to look into his eyes.

“Can I just say that this might be the happiest I’ve ever been?” She placed a loud, comical kiss on his cheek.

“I know for a fact that this is the best moment of my life.” He was breathless as he held her tighter.

“I know a way to make it better.”

His feet were still planted on the floor as he sat horizontally on his bed. This position made it much easier for her to slide onto the floor between his legs, her hands coming to rest on his thighs.

“What are you doing?” He sat up halfway, resting his weight on his elbows.

“Showing you my appreciation.”

A soft, surprised exhale left his lips as she kissed him over his underwear. It was a foreign sensation that he never knew he needed so badly.

“Appreciation for what?”

The mischievous smile she wore faded slightly as she began to look very serious.

“Always being there for me. Loving me for all these years, caring about me. I never figured you’d care for me like this,” she rubbed her hand slowly over his dick, making him close his eyes in pleasure. “And now that I know it’s mutual, I wanna treat you right.”

He just nodded, her hand still moving. He wished he could have some sweet reply, but her hand just felt so good that it was all he could register. She brought her fingers to the elastic band of his underwear and leisurely brought the fabric down.

“You’ve been hiding this from me for years?!” Her eyes widened at the sight of him, much larger than she had anticipated.

He was confused. He didn’t think he was really that big, honestly. He’s definitely seen bigger in the boy’s locker rooms at school, but hearing her reaction really stroked his minuscule ego.

(Y/N), on the other hand, was clenching her thighs together at the cock she now held in her hand. It was a little above average but she’d never seen one in person anyway, and it certainly looked like it would still hurt going in. She brought her mouth to it, placing a soft kiss to the pink tip, and began swirling her tongue around as she placed him in her mouth. He groaned again as she began to bob her head, sucking slightly.

He tasted salty as she continued and he couldn’t believe how amazing her mouth felt. Her mouth, that constantly called him a dumbass, was enveloped around him. His dick was hitting the back of her throat.

She was fucking blowing him.

“Oh, god, (Y/N).” If just her mouth felt this good, would he actually ascend to heaven when he fucked her?

“So pretty.” His hands gripped the comforter below him and he tried to keep his eyes open, tried to cement the sight of her on her knees for him to memory.

She kept moving her head, sucking and licking, while her hand worked to please him when she couldn’t reach the base of his cock.

“I’m really close.” He murmured, voice dripping with lust. He was practically whining.

“Come in my mouth.” She pulled off of him for a moment to speak, and then continued pleasing him.

Just the thought of her swallowing his seed, the lewdness of it all combined with the fact that the love of his life was giving him a mind blowing blowjob, sent him over the edge. He clapped a hand over his mouth as he came, stifling his moans as she swallowed around him.

As she clambered back onto the bed, Jonathan tried to remember the article he’d seen a few years ago about giving a woman head. He could remember a few key points, like focusing in the clitoris and how to find the g-spot, but there was so real explanation of how to ask.

“(Y/N), I really want to…uh…” He felt so stupid as he pulled at the band of her underwear.

“You tired?”

“No, I want to…eat you.”

“Eat me?!”

“Eat you out!”

Her already soaked underwear stood no chance now as she laid back on his bed, on her best friend’s boyfriend’s bed and spread her legs. He settled himself between them and kissed the inside of her thigh as she ran her fingers through his hair again.

“You ever done any of this before?” She looked down at him, already knowing the answer.

“You were my first kiss tonight.” He blushed as he buried himself in the crease where her pelvis met her leg.

“Oh, god. That’s really hot.”

Fingers coming to wrap around the fabric, he readied himself to actually see her most vulnerable parts. This was a hard line they were crossing and he couldn’t be happier.

Thunder rumbled loudly as he pressed a tentative, unsure kiss to her core. She giggled and he used his fingers to spread her labia as he looked for the little bundle of nerves that was soon to become his buddy. Finding it, he used his thumb and began to rub circles around it, knowing he succeeded as she squirmed under him in pleasure.

“That feels good.” She usually just played with herself, as no one had ever gone down on her before. It was a lot better when someone else was doing it.

He continued his movements, licking a stripe up her love box and truly beginning to eat her out. He was pretty eager for his first time, literally tongue fucking her as his thumb continued it’s grueling pattern of circles on her clit. Her hips rolled against his face, slightly skewing his rhythm, so he wrapped his arms around her thighs, pulling her legs onto his shoulders. This leverage really worked for him, his tongue travelling deeper as she melted into a puddle under him.

Her hands never left his hair, pulling wildly as she crumbled underneath him. She tried to keep quiet, as Will was sleeping in the next room, but Jonathan felt so good that she had to bite her lip to keep it down. Looking down at her new lover, she couldn’t hold back the moan that left her lips when he looked into her eyes.

“Jonathan, I’m really close.” She whispered, her voice absolutely sinful.

“Come in my mouth.” He repeated back to her, speeding up his thumb.

She had to pull one of his pillows over her face as she came, unable to keep quiet from the pure pleasure he’d given her. They were both lightheaded as he pulled away from her legs, climbing up to cuddle her.

“I know you have to go pee so you don’t get a UTI, but can I just hold you for a minute?” He wrapped an arm around her waist, still shocked at the entire night.

“Yeah. This was really fucking fun, by the way.” She turned to face him, her hands on his cheeks.

“We should do this more often.” He placed a sweet and quick kiss on the tip of her nose.

“Okay. But I really have to piss, Byers.”

He watched as she pulled on his pajamas and left the room.

•••

The next morning, Joyce woke up to the usual routine. Jonathan cooking breakfast while Will and (Y/N) sat at the breakfast table doing some last minute homework.

“You guys, I can’t find my keys.” She was bustling around the house looking for them when (Y/N) held them out in her hand.

“They were in the pantry.” She smiled at Joyce, who just hugged her in return.

“Are those Jonathan’s pajamas?” She pulled away and looked between the two nervous seniors.

“Uh, yes. They are.” She nodded nervously.

“We’re together now, Mom.” Jonathan turned away from the stove to look at his mother.

“About time! I was wondering how many night shifts I needed to work before you guys talked about your feelings.” She laughed and kissed Will’s head as she left for work.

The three of them looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Jonathan couldn’t have been luckier.

#jonathan byers x reader #jonathan byers #stranger things fanfic #stranger things #charlie heaton #jonathan byers smut

397 notes · View notes

fbfh · 8 months

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curiosity is a wonderful thing - chapter 2

wc: 3.3k

genre: politics, slice of life, slow burn, best friends to lovers

pairing: audrey x ben, belle x adam (aka beast), eventual ben x reader

warnings: politics, audrey suuuuuucks, the isle has bad living conditions, adam yells (not at ben he's just fired up)

summary: ben is ready to announce his first proclamation to his parents. It's risky, and he knows he needs to rely on the support of his friends and girlfriend. but mostly support from you.

song recs: descendants score suite - descendants score, queen of peace - florance and the machine

a/n: thinking thoughts about ben lol. as always fangs to cici for beta reading <3

tags @yesv01 @magcon7280 @dustyinkpages @demirunner @strawberry-cake1 @kiara7777 @hopefullhearts @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sunshineangel-reads

“Your first proclamation, huh?” Ben’s dad asks with a deep chuckle. “What have you got?”

Facing your parents is nerve wracking for anyone, but it’s especially intimidating when your mom is regarded as hands down one of the smartest people in the country, and your dad can turn into a hulking 10 foot tall razor toothed beast. Ben has been training to be a good politician and a good king for his whole life. Every single day he’s been praised for listening, not going against the grain, for having a level head and coming to the same conclusions as his parents. Up until now, it’s been a very good thing, his parents have been such great rulers, and he’s grateful to have such experienced footsteps to follow in and learn from. His parents taught him to listen to his heart, to form his own opinions and do good even when it’s hard. He takes in a deep breath, steadying himself for this, for the first time he’s going to stand up for something his parents might not be behind. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, it’s terrifying.

As quickly as the feeling arises, he thinks of you. He thinks about when he first found out that when they were rounding up villains for the isle, there was a lot of debate on if they should put Wonderlandians there as well. They were described as volatile and chaotic. Ben has never, ever thought of you as either of those things. It made him feel sick then - and makes him feel sick now - that if no one had advocated for Wonderland, if no one had advocated for your mom and for you, that he would never have met the best person he’s ever had the honor of knowing. Ben gets to know you, Ben gets the honor and privilege of having you in his life because someone advocated for you, and stood up for the underdog. All of his nerves suddenly stand strong and tall, forming an armor of determination that wraps around him.

“I want to bring four children from the Isle of the Lost over to Auradon, to give them a second chance.”

Ben’s heart pounds, but his gaze is unwavering. He’s not going to have to lay awake at night any longer, worrying about the kids on the Isle and not being able to do anything about it. He’s doing what he always promised himself he’d do - use his power to make good changes for people who can’t make changes for themselves. He almost loses his conviction when he sees how angry his dad is becoming at the very thought of bringing children from the Isle to Auradon. Ben knows why he’s getting like this. He thinks Ben hasn’t thought this through, that he’s putting public safety at risk. Before that little nagging voice of self doubt starts to get the better of him, Ben thinks back to you, and he feels his fear become replaced with conviction.

“Every time I look out at the Isle, I feel like they’ve been abandoned.”

All of the work you helped him put into this proclamation, all the practice and talking points circle his head like the guiding beam of a lighthouse. He finds himself right back on track, and he meets his father’s gaze with what he hopes comes off as confident self assurance. He takes in a small breath, steadying himself. He’s not just defending his ideas, his arguments, he’s defending the rights of every innocent child born into the isle.

Belle looks shocked. All she can think about is the pain and terror she and many of her good friends - and countless other people, to varying extents - endured at the hands of the people who were sequestered off to the Isle. Adam doesn’t even need to look at his wife to know exactly what’s going through her mind, and he feels a lot of the protective and defensive feelings over her coming back. He hasn’t felt this way since before he got rid of that piece of shit Gaston, and ensured he couldn’t hurt his wife or his people again.

“The children of our sworn enemies?” He asks, stepping forward, “Living among us?”

He wonders for a moment if Ben has somehow magically forgotten what it was like before. The sense of fear knowing that villains were out there, in hiding or in far away lairs, that they could come back and wreak havoc at any moment. Adam stares down his son, but Ben refuses to waver under his gaze. Of course he hasn’t forgotten. But Adam had never asked to be treated like a monster all those years, and if things had gone differently, maybe it would be him and Ben on the Isle. The children shouldn’t have to suffer for their parents’ choices.

“Not all of them, just a few at first. To start out.” Ben says, hoping it will clarify that he doesn’t intend to turn Auradon into a state of anarchy and chaos, “The ones who need our help the most.”

Belle takes a breath and nods at her son’s words. She’s trying to keep an open mind about all this, not rush to judgment and jump to conclusions like the people in her village would when she was growing up. She waits for Ben to continue. He locks eyes with his mom for a moment, and even under the current circumstances, he can still feel her unwavering support. A brief wave of love and gratitude for her wash over him, but he knows now isn’t the time to get sappy. Feeling a renewed sense of belief in him from his mom, he smiles a little as he looks back at his dad.

“I’ve already chosen them.” He states.

His dad can smell fear - literally. Being able to smell nervous systems and pheromones are one of the many bizarre abilities you gain after being magically transformed into a beast - so Ben uses all his strength to stay calm and confident. If he can pull this off, if he can really sell this confidently, the potential good it could bring to innocent people trapped on the Isle would be immeasurable. Adam doesn’t say anything for a moment, waiting to see if Ben wavers under his gaze. When he finally speaks, his voice is tense.

“Have you?”

Ben is fighting with his life to stay composed. Belle looks between them for a moment, then places her hand on Adam’s arm. He rests his hand on hers, acknowledging her, but doesn’t break eye contact with his son. Belle knows that all her son wants is to do good. He’s the best parts of both of them. Maybe their generation wouldn’t have been ready for this, but Ben is paving the way to a new era. It’s his time to step up, and trust his instincts. Although the thought terrifies her, Belle would be lying if she said she couldn’t see any merit to his plan.

“I gave you a second chance.” She says softly. Ben knew this was going to be hard, he was expecting opposition, but he’s infinitely grateful that his mom is on his side. If she’s on board, eventually his dad will come around too. Her support always means the world to him, but there’s something extra special there today. It’s the same way that you support him, and as his thoughts turn from his mother's support to yours, he finds himself full of renewed strength and determination.

"Who are their parents?" Belle asks. Ben takes in a breath, deciding to work his way up.

"Cruella…"

Belle takes in a small breath at the mention of her name, and Adam's shoulders tense. It's only going to get worse from here, so Ben bites the bullet and continues. After being hunted like an animal by an angry mob, Adam can't stand cruelty to animals even more than he had before.

"Jafar…"

Belle takes in a sharp breath at the mention of his name. After the technological boom that resulted in Auradon creating an alliance with Atlantis, magic is mostly antiquated. However, that won't stop someone as power hungry as Jafar from seeking out any artifacts he can, no matter the cost.

"The Evil Queen…"

Adam clenches his jaw, trying his hardest to remain calm. It's taken years to repair the damage to the Winter's Keep agriculture, even the mention of a poison apple will have them importing all their produce. The very idea of having the child of the Evil Queen in Auradon could send the agricultural industry spiraling.

"And…" before Ben can announce the last one, a wave of nerves manages to get past the wall of confidence he’s been so carefully building. His dad can sense it, Ben’s sure. He knows the only way to handle this is to keep going before he gets even more nervous.

“Maleficent.”

A chill passes through the room, and you’d think Ben had declared the last refugee to be the spawn of Hades himself.

“Maleficent?!” Adam barks. Behind them, Lumier gasps, dropping his pins. He gathers his sewing supplies and exits quickly. Ben is unsure if Lumier’s shaking hands are from his father’s outburst, or the mention of the evil fairy’s name.

“Dad-”

“She’s the most dangerous, volatile villain in the land!”

Ben had expected this kind of reaction. Fairies becoming evil is incredibly rare. Most mainland fairies originate deep in the enchanted forests of Schwartzvald, and as seasons change, they can migrate to other forests. There’s a certain type of magic that’s unique to fairies, it’s very powerful and impossible to recreate by non fairies. When a fairy corrupts itself with dark magic, another incredibly powerful and corrosive source of power, the consequences are cataclysmic. Maleficent is living proof of that.

“Just, hear me out dad-”

“Absolutely not!” Adam barks, “I won’t hear of it!”

“Dad-”

“She is guilty of unspeakable crimes!”

“And her child?!”

His question hangs in the air between them.

“All of the children, are they guilty too? Their only crime is living.”

Sixteen years ago, Adam never would have entertained the thought. But now, being a parent himself…

“The children are innocent.” Ben continues, and Adam can hear the passion, the desire to fight for those kids on the Isle in his voice, “They deserve a chance.”

Belle is moved by Ben’s argument, and in spite of his hesitance, Adam is too. A small flurry of pride rushes through him at the sight of how strong and well spoken his son is becoming. They sit in the space between Ben’s words for a moment, but it feels like an eternity. Belle gives Adam’s arm a squeeze, silently encouraging him. After a moment, he speaks.

“I suppose… the children are innocent.”

Adam turns around, pinching the bridge of his nose, and Belle walks up to Ben, adjusting the collar of his shirt.

“Good job.” She says, so softly he would have missed it if not for the glimmer of pride in her eyes. She pats his chest affectionately before walking back over to Adam, taking his arm as they leave. She’ll talk to him about all this later, Ben knows she will. If anyone can get his dad to be on board with this, it’s going to be his mom.

Ben gazes down at his signet ring, remembering the promise he made to himself when he first received it. He hasn’t taken it off since. He is going to be a good king. He looks out at the Isle, wishing he could do something about it right now. He wishes he could just take Fairy Godmother’s wand and fix everything, but real change takes time. Sustainable change takes time. Ben is going to be a good king, who makes real, sustainable change. He’s going to be a good chapter in the history books - the ones written in Auradon, and on the Isle.

With a deep sigh, he carefully takes off the suit jacket Lumier had been tailoring and makes a mental note to reschedule the rest of his fitting from today. He begins to run through his schedule for the day, but his thoughts keep getting pulled back to you. He's so excited to tell you everything. You were both prepared for a much bigger fight to get his parents' support on this, and he didn't end up having to use a fraction of his talking points. He exits into the hallway, elated at how it went, and heads toward his room. He's not even ten steps down the hall when he almost trips over a pair of legs.

He looks down, surprised to see you. You had been so engrossed in what you were doing that you entirely lost track of time. Your face lights up when you see him.

"Ben!" You exclaim happily, shoving your things back into your tea pot bag. "How did it go?"

You study his face for some kind of indication, but all you see is surprise. And warmth. You had told him you'd wait outside for him, but he hadn't actually expected that of you. Wonderlandians have a distorted sense of time, so hours can feel like minutes, or minutes can feel like an eternity. You explained to him what it's like all those years ago, and he's always been very understanding and done his best to make sure you're accommodated. Most importantly, he's never asked you to push yourself, and he's always covered for you when you need to slip away for a little while. All thoughts of the meeting with his parents are gone as he looks down at you, how you'd been waiting for him.

"You… you waited out here for me instead of going to Wonderland?" He asks, his voice soft.

"Of course," you say matter of factly, still waiting to hear about how it went. Ben’s chest flutters with appreciation for you, for having you in his life. Wonderland is your favorite place in the entire world, there's nowhere and nothing that makes you happier. But you still waited out here for him. You chose him. He snaps out of his train of thought, realizing you're still waiting on an answer.

"It went well." He states. Your face lights up, and he can't help but smile.

"It did?" You ask, and Ben realizes that you're just as invested in this as he is. He laughs a little, nodding.

"Yeah. I- I need to rearrange some things, we have to plan for their arrival, and call a press-"

His words are cut off by the celebratory laugh that bubbles out of you. You throw your arms around his neck, hugging him tight. Your body is warm against him, and you smell like tea and pastries and… something familiar.

“I knew you could do it!” You exclaim. He lets out a hesitant laugh, and holds you back. He's done a lot today, so he lets himself indulge in your embrace. When you finally pull away, he holds your arms, rubbing them gently as you ramble.

"So, what next?" You ask, still beaming up at him.

“Uh…” He starts, still processing everything. “We need to go over the agenda, make sure their arrival is smooth. A press conference, definitely,” he adds, and you nod, agreeing.

He suddenly remembers he was supposed to meet up with Audrey today. He pauses, hating to have to cancel on her again.

“...And Audrey.” He pulls out his phone to call her. You prepare yourself to comfort him, to reassure him that he’s not being a bad boyfriend, he’s being a good politician. You don’t know why Audrey insists on giving him such a hard time. You would think that she’d know what to expect of having a boyfriend in politics at this point, much less a boyfriend in the royal family. You listen to Ben’s conversation after she picks up.

“Hey, Audrey, hi. So, about my first proclamation pitch,” Ben says, excitement bubbling out of him. Through the speaker of his phone, you can hear Audrey’s voice.

“Right, right. When is that supposed to happen again? Cause you promised you’d take me to Camelot Heights this weekend, Bennyboo…”

You don’t understand how anyone could be so apathetic towards something as monumental as a first proclamation. You can tell Ben feels the same. He’s thrown, but he’s trying not to show it.

“Uh… today. It- it happened today. Just now.”

“Oh, so you’re finally done with all that stuff?”

There’s a moment of silence that hangs between the two of you before Ben answers.

“Uh…” he chuckles again, “done preparing for the pitch, yes. Remember when we went over the agenda? Pitch, then timeline and planning, then press meetings…” He says, trying to jog her memory.

“Uh-huh.”

You can almost see her now, filing her nails before cheerleading practice.

“Right, so now we need to plan everything out, make sure it’s practical to follow through with the pitch.”

She doesn’t say anything, waiting for him to get to the point.

“I know we had plans tonight, but I’m going to be in and out of meetings all day, probably all weekend, then it’s going to be a media frenzy…” he says, mentally trying to fit everything into his already jam-packed schedule.

Sitting out on the tourney field before cheer practice, Audrey pauses. A media frenzy? That’s going to give her a lot of face time, and publicity with Bennyboo.

“I totally understand,” she starts, suddenly engaged in their conversation. Ben pauses, looking mildly confused.

“You do?”

“Of course, Bennyboo. You have fun at your meetings. Let me know the day before we start all that press so I can get a hair appointment.” She looks down at her nails, setting aside her file. “And my cuticles need some serious work…”

“Uh…” Ben chuckles. You can tell he’s disappointed by her reaction. You are too, you just expected she’d do something like this. Ben has been trying to connect with Audrey about politics since they started dating, she said she cared about helping the people of Auradon just as much as he did, but she only said that to get closer to him, to win him over. Ben wishes she would engage with the people more, wishes he could get her to care like he does. But he knows it’s not worth a fight with her, not on a day as important as today.

“Right, right. I’ll, uh,” He pulls out his planner, scribbling something down, “I’ll make sure you get that hair appointment…”

“And nails.” Audrey adds.

“Right.” Ben states. You watch them say goodbye and hang up, and you can sense how unsatisfied Ben feels with that whole exchange. He needs a pick me up, he needs to be reminded about what a success today has been. You smile at him, trying to contain your excitement. One look at you and he already finds himself smiling again, thinking about what’s important.

“So, what’s first? A meeting with Fairy Godmother, surely.” You say, seeming to read his mind.

“Yeah,” he nods. You follow him down the hall as he begins to ramble. “We’ll need to discuss security, too. And accommodations.”

His dissatisfaction with Audrey, with her apathy towards politics fades away as he rambles to you. You agree with his plan, adding in a few vital things he hadn’t thought of. Ben feels a renewed sense of strength as you accompany him to the million proclamation meetings he has for the rest of the day. You really are his right hand man, his best friend, and he’s so grateful that you’re here for him through all of this. He knows as sure as anything that he could never do it without you.

#curiosity is a wonderful thing #descendants #descendants x reader #ben florian #ben florian x reader #daughter of alice!reader

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dreamwritesimagines · 2 years

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Enamored [19] - Contradictions

A.N: Thank you so much for your amazing feedback my loves, you’re amazing!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please let me know what you think, thank you! ❤ And as always, thank you @theskytraveler for helping me with the chapter and the story!❤

Summary: Opposites attract.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, slow burn.

Word Count: 5300

Series Masterlist

The dinner was thankfully a success. Even though you kept feeling like someone could tell what you had been doing in the library, apparently you were less obvious than you thought.

Which was a shock, to be honest.

You were more than aware that you were following every single rule your mother had taught you about hosting a dinner party throughout the evening, almost mimicking everything you had seen her do back in the day she would host her parties, but that seemed to have worked in your favor, as bittersweet as it was. Each of the guests had so much fun that when it was time for them to leave, no one was aware of just how late in the evening it was.

But no matter how busy you had made yourself, the longing was there. From the pit of your stomach spreading through your whole body, a fire burning so strong whenever you dared lay your gaze on him.

A shiver went down your spine as the memory of his kiss on your lips shot through your mind, but you took a deep breath and followed the maid to Cecily’s room.

“Thank you,” you told her when you reached the door and Lucie looked at you.

“My lady, should I wait here?”

“Oh no need Lucie, you can spend time with your friends if you’d like. I’ll just send for you when it’s time to leave,” you said and the maid opened the door for you. You stepped inside and Cecily jumped on her feet.

“Y/N!”

“Oh I have so much to tell you!” you said, rushing to hug her and she wrapped her arms tight around you before pulling back.

“So do I,” she said. “But first, you must let me assure you what I heard Lady Miriam said is a complete lie. I would never, ever use you to get closer to anyone, or—”

“I never believed that,” you waved a hand in the air and followed her to bed to sit beside her before reaching out to clasp your hands with hers. “There’s nothing anyone can say to make me doubt your sincerity or your friendship.”

She let out a breath.

“Thank God,” she said. “I…I was worried.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Cece,” you said with a laugh. “I learned not to give any attention to gossip at a very young age, you know that.”

“I’ve read some of it from Whistledown and learned the rest from maids, you must tell me everything.”

You fixed your hair in an exaggerated manner, making her scoff a laugh.

“She was vile,” you said. “But I think you will be happy to hear that Elias no longer courts her because she insulted you.”

Cecily pulled back slightly. “I’m sorry, what?”

You nodded, grinning wide. “I told you that you hold his affections,” you insisted as she blinked a couple of times, a sad expression crossing her beautiful features. “Besides, Lady Miriam might just be the worst person I’ve ever met in the ton so far, calling you…” you trailed off and Cecily looked almost distracted for a moment.

“Calling me what?”

“You don’t need to hear it, it’s just a mean comment made by a very arrogant woman.”

“Y/N,” she insisted. “I must know, come on.”

You rolled your eyes. “Do you promise you will not get upset over it?”

“I do not care what Lady Miriam thinks of me,” she assured you and you clicked your tongue in annoyance.

“She called you a social climber and for that she was punished, by me and by Elias just the other day.”

Cecily shook her head. “I’m grateful that you stood up for me, but you didn’t have to. Half of the ton thinks that.”

“Half of the ton is wrong.”

“My family…” she trailed off and stole a look at you. “I should’ve told you this earlier but we’re quite new to the ton you see. My grandfather won the title in a very lucky card game and everyone knows that.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “It’s beyond me why people seem to care about these matters, honestly.”

She blinked a couple of times. “You do not care?”

“Well anyone who cares about that is a fool and seeing that I’m quite smart, no I do not,” you stated, and she let out a breath, then pulled you into a hug again, making you giggle.

“Oh Cece, forget about Lady Miriam, I must tell you about last night’s dinner!” you said, pulling back. “I think I made quite the host, -well, I was mimicking mother to be honest, but it worked! Guess what Lady Bridgerton said to me at the end of dinner, when we were in the drawing room?”

“You should marry my rake of a son even if you deserve better?”

A laughter climbed up your throat. “No!” you said. “She said there was a moment she looked at me during dinner and saw my mother. It’s the greatest compliment for me.”

Cecily awwed. “I mean we already knew she liked you. She put you on top of her oldest son and heir’s marriage list after all, and she was friends with your mother and… she must like you a lot.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you nibbled on your lip.

“Now that you brought it up,” you murmured. “About Anthony—”

You were cut off when someone knocked on the door and you heard Hugh’s voice. “Cece?”

“Come in Hugh!” Cecily called out and Hugh opened the door to step in.

“Oh I didn’t know we had a guest,” he smiled as you waved at him. “Have you come to further our courtship, Lady Y/N?”

You let out a laugh. “You see right through me, Lord Trenlove.”

Hugh’s grin widened before he turned to Cecily.

“I wanted to see how you were,” he said. “Have you made a decision yet?”

“What decision?” you asked, looking between them and Cecily took a deep breath, running a hand over her face.

“That’s why I said I had much to tell you,” she muttered. “An hour before you got here, Mr. Randolph came to visit me and…proposed.”

A gasp left you and you covered your mouth, shaking your head.

“No no, Cece—you turned him down, did you not?”

“I didn’t say anything,” she said. “I told him I would give my answer on Monday.”

“But surely you will reject?” you asked, nervousness churning your stomach and Cecily offered you a sad smile.

“I think considering everything, I will accept.”

You gawked at her, almost frozen. “But you can’t accept, you don’t love him!”

“I can’t ask for love in my situation, you know that,” she said. “He would make an adequate life partner and…I will try to be happy with that.”

You shook your head again and jumped on your feet.

“Adequate life partner?” you repeated. “That’s what you want for the rest of your life? Struggling for happiness?”

“Y/N, you are my dearest friend,” Cecily said. “But you have to understand that our situation couldn’t be more different from one another. I do not have the luxury to look for love.”

“But you love my brother.”

“Your brother is a future Duke,” she said, her voice cracking before she cleared her throat. “I do not live in a dream world, I know it would be naïve of me to hope for anything, no matter what I feel for him.”

You swallowed thickly before turning to Hugh. “And you’re alright with this?”

“It’s not like there are proposals raining down on this house, Lady Y/N,” he stated. “Besides, what I’m alright with does not matter. It’s completely Cecily’s choice, not mine.”

You pursed your lips, your thoughts like a storm in your head as you took a deep breath, then looked at Cecily.

“You said you would say yes on Monday?”

“That’s correct.”

“Don’t leave the house,” you said, walking to the door and Cecily stood up.

“Y/N, what are you doing?”

“I must hasten a plan,” you called out and stepped out of the room. “I will be damned before I let either of you marry anyone you’re not in love with—Lucie! We’re leaving!”

You already knew Elias was at the Bridgerton house so when the carriage stopped in front of the big house, you all but leaped out of it, Lucie following you in a haste. You figured that the etiquette required you to greet the lady of the house first so when the maid let you in and the butler announced you, you went straight to the drawing room.

“Y/N!” Lady Bridgerton smiled wide when she saw you and came to hug you, “What a wonderful surprise.”

“Thank you Lady Bridgerton, I hope you do not mind. I just, I knew Elias was there and you said I was welcomed anytime—”

“Of course you are!”

You waved at the Bridgerton siblings in the living room. Anthony was nowhere to be found, but Benedict, Colin, Daphne and Eloise were there. You got momentarily distracted and awwed at the baby playing with his toys right beside Daphne, and Eloise tilted her head, staring at you.

“Why do you look breathless?”

You tried to focus. “I more or less ran up here.”

“Oh dear, I’ll have the maid bring you some tea.”

“No thank you Lady Bridgerton,” you said. “I’m actually here on a mission you see.”

“What mission?”

“To kill my brother,” you said and looked around. “Is he here by any chance?”

Colin and Benedict exchanged glances and Eloise scoffed a laugh.

“The amount of murder mentions in this house by you two is very entertaining, must be a family thing.”

“Eloise!” Daphne whispered and she shrugged.

“What? Over two months ago Elias was talking about killing Anthony.”

“What happened?” Lady Bridgerton asked and you heaved a sigh.

“He’s ruining his life and his future happiness,” you said. “He is in love with Cecily but—”

“Wait what?” she asked. “He’s in love with Miss Cecily?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

“I asked him before I made his list, he said it was just a rumor.”

“It’s not,” you and Eloise said at the same time and Lady Bridgerton heaved a sigh.

“That boy…” she murmured. “He is in love with Miss Cecily and yet he’s courting others?”

“Thanks to encouragement from Anthony,” Benedict pointed out and Colin huhed.

“Didn’t he change his mind the other day?”

“He changed his mind too late, I’d say.”

“And now Cecily might marry Mr. Randolph.”

“He proposed?!” Eloise asked and you nodded with a solemn expression.

“She says she will accept because she doesn’t believe Elias loves her.”

“Unbelievable.”

Lady Bridgerton heaved a sigh.

“Bring him here, I’d like to have a talk with him,” she said. “He’s with Anthony in his study. Second door, downstairs.”

Oh.

Oh right, they didn’t know you already knew very well where his study was.

“Thank you,” you said and rushed downstairs straight to the door of Anthony’s study before you opened it. You were so angry and in a hurry that you couldn’t even let yourself be distracted by Anthony, instead you went straight to Elias.

“Good afternoon Chérie, I didn’t know—hey!” Elias was cut off when you grabbed him by the arm to pull him out of the room. “What on earth is happening?”

“I’m going to kill you but Lady Bridgerton wants to talk to you first, so you get to live a bit longer,” you growled as Anthony frowned in confusion but followed you two upstairs. You all but shoved Elias inside and crossed your arms.

“Go on, explain yourself.”

“I would if I knew what I’ve done,” Elias said and Lady Bridgerton raised her brows.

“Why did you not tell me you were in love with Miss Cecily?”

Elias’s jaw dropped and he turned to you. “You tattled on me?”

“Not only that, I’m also going to kill you after you’re done with that conversation.”

“Elias.”

“Well, I—” he stammered. “Anthony said—”

“No, you’re not dragging me into this.” Anthony cut him off before he could even finish his sentence and you pursed your lips, glaring at Elias.

“After I got the list, it made me think about my responsibilities.” Elias said and Lady Bridgerton sighed.

“Elias love is bigger than any list,” she said. “You’ve found it and you’re willing to let it slip through your fingers because of the ton’s expectations?”

“Exactly, thank you!” you motioned at her. “I’ve been telling you the same thing for what, weeks now?”

Elias heaved a dramatic sigh. “You don’t understand the kind of pressure the ton can put someone under, Y/N.”

Your head shot up and Anthony looked between you, raising his brows while Daphne’s jaw dropped.

“Oh I’m sorry,” you said. “I don’t understand the kind of pressure they can put someone under, did I hear that right?”

“Alright, let’s just—”

“What else have they been doing to me ever since I arrived here?” you asked, “What kind of a fool are you, honestly? Did mother rock your cradle too close to the wall when you were a baby?”

Elias ignored Benedict’s silent laughter while Colin tried to keep a straight face.

“I know they also put you under a lot of—”

“No no, stop retreating that statement,” you said, taking a step towards him and he instantly stepped back, making Anthony scoff.

“Elias, she’s your sister and she reaches your shoulder on heels, what exactly do you think she is going to do to you?”

“I still have scratch marks from that one time I ate the last piece of strawberry cake when she was seven, she turns into a rabid cat when she’s angry,” Elias retorted. “She used my own arm as leverage to reach up to my hair to pull it—”

“Well first of all, you know how much I love strawberry cake so if anything, that was your fault,” you said, barely able to control your voice. “Second of all, I hope you’ve had your fun being a complete idiot and wasting time here and ruining your life, I hope that was worth it—”

All of a sudden, you noticed Anthony’s amused smile along with everyone else in the room watching you and you looked around.

“What?”

“Is that your real accent?” Eloise asked with a grin. “Why have I never heard it before?”

“It…it slips when I raise my voice I think.”

“Say ‘worth it’ again.”

“Eloise!”

“What, it sounds cute!”

“It’s not cute, it’s like the bell of a city before it goes up in flames,” Elias stated. “A warning sign if you will.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “I’m going to set you on fire, how about that?”

“Alright, no one is harming each other,” Lady Bridgerton said. “But you must tell Miss Cecily how you feel.”

“She would never forgive me. I wouldn’t.”

Benedict cleared his throat. “Yeah, she might not get the chance if you waste any more time.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

You shot him a look and crossed your arms. “It means that while you were wasting time here being a complete and utter fool, Cecily is planning on marrying Mr. Randolph.”

Elias’s head snapped up and he gawked at you, his mouth agape.

“…What?”

“Yes. He proposed today, she will say yes on Monday.”

Elias let out a breath, then walked to sit down on the sofa as if he couldn’t stand any longer. Digging the heels of his hands into his eyes, he just stayed slouched before Lady Bridgerton reached out to touch his arm.

“Nothing should stop you from pursuing her if she holds your affections, you know that.”

“They would tear her apart,” Elias murmured. “You know that. That kind of pressure—”

“Will not matter if you two love each other. So do you?”

“Of course I do,” Elias dropped his hands. “Beyond words.”

“I don’t know if it makes any difference seeing that you’re adamant in ignoring me, but she loves you too,” you said, making him turn to you with wide eyes.

“Did she say that?”

“Well while you were ignoring her for Lady Miriam—”

“May she rest in peace.”

Anthony pulled his brows together. “Lady Miriam is not dead Eloise.”

“Might as well be, socially speaking.”

“Cecily was crying her eyes out while you were ignoring her for Lady Miriam, Elias,” you insisted. “Surely there’s a reason behind that, which I’m guessing is love.”

“You didn’t hear this from me, but Cecily called you the most handsome gentleman in the ballroom for the same reason, love must be blind indeed.” Eloise stated and Daphne scoffed.

“Or are you blind by any chance? How did you not see how she looks at you?”

Elias took a deep breath as he shook his head, then jumped on his feet. “I—I can’t let her marry anyone else.”

You threw your hands up. “Dear God, finally!”

“I will ask her to marry me today, I will go to her house—wait, what if Trenlove is there?”

“It’s his house and you have to talk to him first anyway.” Anthony reminded him and you frowned.

“No he doesn’t, he needs to talk to Cecily first.”

“He needs to talk to her brother first.”

“But what if her brother says no?”

“He needs his approval, they can’t get married otherwise.”

“What?” you exclaimed. “No! No, that cannot be how it works.”

“That’s exactly how it works.”

“Well then it shouldn’t, viva la revolution—you know what you should do?” you turned to Elias. “You should go to Gretna Green.”

Anthony shook his head fervently. “Do not go to Gretna Green.”

“You should elope!”

“Do not elope.”

“Who cares what everyone else thinks?”

“You, Eli. You care what everyone else thinks.”

“You will be a duke in the future!”

“That is exactly the reason why you can’t get married in Gretna Green, don’t even entertain that idea.”

Elias’s gaze went between you like watching a tennis match while you glared up at Anthony.

“What are you doing?”

“I was about to ask you the same question, why are you trying to ruin his life?”

“Ruin his life?” you repeated, “I’m trying to save it!”

“By telling him to go to Gretna Green?”

You let out a furious breath.

“You know, you seem to have a lot of audacity and too many opinions about this situation considering this whole mess is completely your fault—”

He tilted his head. “It’s not my fault.”

“It is! You went behind my back, you sabotaged my carefully prepared plans,” you counted with your fingers. “And now if God forbid Cecily says no because of her broken heart—”

Elias held his breath. “Wait, do you think she will say no?”

“She won’t say no Elias, your sister has carefully prepared plans.” Anthony deadpanned and you narrowed your eyes.

“I did have plans and everything would have been so much easier if men with titles weren’t blind when it comes to love, present company included—”

“I can’t believe the ton thinks you two are courting,” Colin’s voice stopped your bickering, making you both turn to him. “Lady Whistledown must be blind.”

All of a sudden, you were way too aware of the whole room’s gaze on you two. Eloise only grinned with Benedict while Daphne kept her eyes on you with her brows raised. You didn’t even dare look at Lady Bridgerton and a fire spread over your face before Elias spoke, obviously too distracted to even notice what was going on.

“Jesus Christ, I don’t know what I’m going to say,” he said and you waved your hands around.

“You can practice with me! We can act it out, here; I’ll be Lord Trenlove.”

“Is this really happening?” Benedict mused and Daphne shushed him. Elias took a deep breath and threw his shoulders back.

“Fine. Lord Trenlove, I came to talk to you about—”

“My dear sister Cecily, the kindest and nicest lady in the ton.”

“…Yes, her.”

“I just have one question for you, young man.”

“Young man? Trenlove is my age in case it has escaped your notice, Y/N.”

“I imagine him as older and wiser in this act and shush, you’re distracting me. Tell me, are you in love with her?”

“Yes I am and—”

“Then voila! I approve completely.”

“That is not what he is going to say,” Anthony said with a chuckle he couldn’t seem to stop, making you shrug your shoulders.

“It’ll be something similar.”

“Not really. I think he might actually punch him.”

You gasped. “He will not punch him!”

“He might,” Benedict said. “He did look very angry at you back at that ball.”

“I’d look out for his hands if I were you Elias,” Colin added and you made a face.

“He’s not going to stand in the way of true love, no one could!”

“Alright, we’re doing this again,” Elias said. “Anthony, you can pretend to be Lord Trenlove this time.”

“I’m not doing that.” Anthony scoffed and you pulled your brows together, blinking up at him. Anthony’s gaze stopped on you for a moment, a fond light crossing his eyes and he heaved a sigh as if he couldn’t believe himself, then motioned at Elias.

“Fine, go ahead.”

Elias cleared his throat. “Lord Trenlove.”

Anthony nodded at him, his arms crossed. “Marquess Westcliff.”

“I came to talk to you about your sister Miss Cecily.”

“I see.”

“I want to ask for her hand in marriage.”

You made a face and looked between them while Eloise covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

“Alright, I think we should first talk about the marriage settlement—”

“Wh— no!” you exclaimed, flailing your arms around in a ‘stop everything’ motion. “That’s not romantic at all.”

“And why would he try to be romantic with her brother, exactly?” Anthony asked you, making you huff out.

“They will tell all about this day to their children one day, that’s why!”

Elias took a step back upon the mention of their children, rubbing the back of his neck. “Dear God, this is happening.”

“Don’t listen to either of them, it will all be alright.” Lady Bridgerton said and Anthony rolled his eyes.

“Listen to me, you can do it,” he said. “Eli, you’re the future duke of Avon.”

“Yes,” Elias nodded fervently as if trying to encourage himself “Yes I am.”

“You will walk in there, talk to Trenlove, then you will go to Miss Cecily and ask her to marry you straight and to the point—”

This time, you weren’t even alone in your protest, both Eloise and Daphne had already joined you in a chorus of “No!”

“What again?” Anthony asked, exasperated and you motioned at Daphne.

“Daphne, you are married and in love. Is straight and to the point romantic?”

“Not at all.” Daphne stated and you took a deep breath.

“Elias listen,” you said “You can do what Lord Bridgerton told you to do when talking to Lord Trenlove. I admit I haven’t seen how marriage settlements are prepared so he might know more than me in that regard.”

Anthony’s brows furrowed and turned to look at you better. “Might?”

You shushed him, waving a hand in the air. “But you're about to proclaim your undying love for Cece! You can't be straight and to the point.”

“A poem could help you maybe, she likes poems.” Eloise mused and Daphne thought for a moment.

“You should get flowers too on your way there.”

Elias nodded with an excited smile on his face. “I think I will get down on one knee, do you think she would like that?”

“You’re not getting down on one knee Elias, why on earth would you—” he was cut off when you reacted almost automatically, reaching up to cover his lips with your hand without even thinking about it while keeping your gaze on Elias.

“Flowers are a good idea, I’d love to get you a book on love poems but we cannot lose any more time in case Cecily changes her mind, and yes you should get down on one knee,” you said and stole a look at Anthony who was just watching you with his brows raised, so you instantly dropped your hand. Thankfully, Elias was lost in his own world so he didn’t even pay attention to that, but for some reason you were sure no one else in the drawing room would miss it.

And yet, Anthony didn’t even seem to mind that, if anything he looked almost entertained.

“I’m going to ask her to marry me,” Elias nodded to himself and took a deep breath. “I’m going to do it.”

“Yes you are.”

“And you will be so very happy!”

“I’m going to marry the love of my life,” Elias breathed out and swallowed thickly before snapping his fingers at you and Anthony. “You two are coming with me.”

Anthony frowned. “Why?”

“Moral support on the way there,” he said and fixed his clothes. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

He whirled on his heels and left the room with Anthony following him after a shake of his head, and you took a couple of steps to the door before the thought hit you and you turned around to rush to Lady Bridgerton.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Bridgerton,” you said, excitement laced in your tone, then hurried after Anthony and Elias to catch up, with Lucie following you.

You could barely contain your excitement on your way to Cecily’s house. When the carriage stopped, Elias almost leaped out of it and Anthony helped you out of the carriage, his hand warming yours, making your heart skip a beat. You gazed up at him, no doubt the same memory flashing in his mind as well judging by the soft smile on his lips but you were snapped out of it when Elias cleared his throat, rolling his shoulders back.

“I can’t believe there was no florist on the way here.”

“You can send her flowers later on.”

“I will send multiple bouquets if she says yes,” he said and stole a look at you. “She wouldn’t—she wouldn’t be in love with Mr. Randolph, right Y/N? While I was…being an idiot, she wouldn’t have fallen for him?”

“No!” you said. “No of course not.”

“Anthony?”

“Hm?”

“If Trenlove challenges me to a duel, would you be my second?”

Anthony rolled his eyes. “He’s not going to do that, Eli.”

“But if he does, would you?”

“Without a second thought,” Anthony stated. “Now go in there, will you?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to be there?”

“It’s for you and Cecily,” you said. “We will wait here.”

Elias took a deep breath and knocked on the door, clenching and unclenching his fists as if he was trying to calm himself down. He waited a couple of seconds and then the butler opened the door.

“Marquess Westcliff,” Elias introduced himself and stepped inside before the butler closed the door behind him. You peeked at Lucie who winked at you, standing as far away from you as possible while chaperoning you two and Anthony stole a look at you, then at the house.

“Well I have to admit,” he said. “This is going to be a score for you, not me.”

You giggled and rocked back and forth on your feet. “I told you!” you almost chirped, making his eyes crinkle with an amused smile.

“You did.”

“And see, now they will get married!”

“Oh I see that. Congratulations on your victory darling.”

“Do you have it with you?” you asked him, your heart skipping a beat. “The paper?”

“I keep it in my drawer at my study, why?”

“I don’t exactly remember who’s ahead,” you grinned in triumph. “Who is it, do you remember?”

Anthony tilted his head. “Mmm, let me think…” he pondered. “You?”

“Me!” you said instantly, coaxing a chuckle out of him. “But I’m willing to share my score with you if you’d like.”

“How so?”

“Well you helped,” you said. “Even if you did sort of sabotage my carefully prepared plans and had that tragically ill-considered idea of him keeping his proposal straight and to the point without getting down on one knee, I don’t think he would have done it without your support. Back at dinner and today even.”

Anthony just watched you for a couple of seconds, fondness etched on his handsome features before he looked over his shoulder and moved his hand a little so that he could caress the back of your hand with a knuckle, the simple gesture sending a shiver down your spine.

“He will always have my support,” he said. “I promise you. Contrary to popular belief of—what was it, you said? Present company included in men being blind when it comes to love?”

“I was right though,” you said with your chin up, then scrunched up your nose as a giggle escaped from you. You turned your hand just a little so that you could drag your fingertips in his palm, making him close his eyes for a moment as if trying to control himself from curling his fingers to entwine them with yours, the ton be damned.

“How…” he breathed out as he opened his eyes again, “How do you do this to me with just one touch?”

You turned your head to capture his gaze in yours, and somehow it was enough to make everything else disappear. It was as if you two were the only ones on the street, in the whole city even, everything but you and him was a blur, too distant, too…

Insignificant.

No one else mattered. Nothing else mattered.

Nothing else could ever matter, not when he was looking at you like this.

You were snapped out of your thoughts and quickly pulled your hand back when the door opened and Cecily rushed outside to throw herself at you, hugging you tight. The cheerful voices coming from inside the house was even more proof that everyone inside was happy about the proposal and Elias stepped outside with a huge grin on his face. Cecily let out a teary giggle as she pulled back to look at you, wiping her eyes.

“Why didn’t you come in?”

You waved a hand in the air. “I figured you would need your privacy. It had to be romantic.”

“We’re all invited for tea,” Elias said as he pulled Anthony into a hug, then clapped him on the back. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Don’t mention it, congratulations,” Anthony said with a small smile, “To you too, Miss Cecily.”

“Thank you, Lord Bridgerton.” Cecily said, still wiping at her eyes and turned to you. “I still can’t believe this, is this…is this real?”

“Very much so,” you said as Elias and Anthony made their way inside and Cecily squeezed your arm.

“Y/N, I can’t thank you enough.”

“You have no reason to thank me—”

“No I do,” she cut you off. “You are the reason that all of this is happening, and without your support, I wouldn’t have known… I wouldn’t have known what real love is. This is the happiest I've ever been, so thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I’m very lucky to have the privilege of calling you my best friend.”

You blinked back the tears and hugged her tight, then pulled back.

“Do you wish to hear my ideas about your wedding gown?” you asked her. “I’ve been planning it ever since that dinner party, I think you will like them.”

“I’d love to hear them,” Cecily said with a huge smile and held your hand, then both of you climbed up the stairs to get inside the house, giggling.

Chapter 20

#anthony bridgerton #anthony bridgerton x reader #bridgerton #bridgerton x reader #regency fic

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fandomsandflyingstingrays · 7 months

Text

Stepping Stones: Chapter 14

And at last we reach the final chapter! I've had so much fun with this series, and I hope everyone who's read it has too. Every single comment I've gotten on it has, without exaggeration, made my day, so thank you thank you to everyone who left one-- and, of course, anyone who read any of the chapters at all. I hope you enjoy the last one!

“All right, kids,” Eda says, looking at them with a glimmer of malicious glee in her eyes. “Who’s going first?”

“Luz is,” Hunter says immediately.

Luz shoots him a look.

“This was your idea,” he points out.

And, okay, he’s not wrong. While Hunter was carving his new palisman, Luz had the idea to draw his old one, sketching out a stylized version of Flapjack next to the tattoo she wants to get for her dad. As she looked at it, she had the thought that maybe it could do for Hunter what she hopes the flowers will do for her, allow him to feel like he’s carrying part of Flapjack with him even as he grows. Hunter agreed as soon as she showed him— and then Willow offered to get one too, and the whole thing spiraled, and now everyone is standing in front of Eda ready for her to draw on their skin with magic. Well, everyone except Vee, who’s just here for moral support, since she can just shift the tattoo onto her skin.

Luz takes a deep, preparatory breath, and thinks of Flapjack. He helped Hunter most of all— but none of them would be where they are without him. Luz might not have entered the emperor’s mind, might not have found out about the draining spell until it was too late. Hunter wouldn’t have caught Willow’s attention with his flying skills, wouldn’t have been there to help Gus fight off the illusionist Coven Head at Hexside. They might have lost the war against Belos— and Gus and Amity wouldn’t have their friend, Willow wouldn’t have her boyfriend, and Vee and Luz wouldn’t have their brother. Flapjack brought them all together; it’s only fair that they honor him together.

So Luz steps forward and nods at Eda. “Okay.”

“I keep telling you, it won’t hurt,” she says, grabbing what looks like a training wand from a shelf beside the couch.

“In my experience, we have slightly different definitions of what hurts,” Luz notes.

Eda snorts. “Fair enough. But seriously, this won’t feel like anything.”

“Do you want me to hold your hand?” Amity asks, seeing that Luz’s expression hasn’t changed.

“Yes please.”

Amity slips her hand into hers and squeezes.

Hunter hands Eda the tattoo design, and she waves the wand over it, then turns to Luz. “Where do you want it?”

Luz points out a spot on the side of her left arm, just above her elbow. Eda waves the wand over it, and she tenses, squeezing Amity’s hand, and feels— nothing. She glances over, expecting the wand not to have worked, but no: an image of a red bird stares back at her.

“You were right!” she exclaims, looking up at Eda. “I didn’t feel anything!”

Eda ruffles her hair. “Were you doubting your wise and infinitely talented mentor?”

“Who always taught me to question authority? Yes.”

“That’s my girl.”

“I can go next,” Amity offers, and Luz gets up, the two of them switching places on the couch.

The door opens as Luz sits back down, letting Raine and Darius into the room.

“We heard you were back,” Raine says, “and— are you getting tattoos?”

Luz proudly shows them her arm. “They’re for Flapjack,” she says, and Raine gives her and Hunter a sad smile

Darius reaches out to ruffle Hunter’s hair, only to jerk back as a little blue bird leaps from his shoulder and onto Darius’s arm. He flinches, then stiffens, visibly using all his strength not to pull away as the bird hops along his arm and comes to perch on his head. Raine’s grin widens.

“That’s your palisman, aren’t they?”

Hunter nods, a smile of his own tugging at his lips. “Her name is Waffles,” he says, and Raine actually hops up and down on the spot in delight.

Fiddlesticks comes out of staff form and Waffles flies down to greet them, the two of them circling each other and chittering happily. It’s so cute that Luz does a hop of her own, clasping her hands together to keep herself from gathering them into her arms and cooing over them at a pitch that would break every window in the house. When she manages to tear her eyes from them, her gaze falls on Hunter, who watches the two palismen with tears in his eyes. Luz reaches out to wrap an arm around him, and Amity does the same on his other side, a red bird now visible on her forearm.

It doesn’t take Eda long to do the others, each of whom come to join the little group hug when they’re finished, until finally it’s Hunter's turn. Gus rests his hands on his shoulders when he sits down, and Willow perches on the couch beside him.

“Where would you like it?” Eda asks him, an extra-gentle note in her voice.

“Could you… is there any way of putting it over my sigil?”

Eda claps once, her expression gleeful. “Now there’s good thinking. We might not know how to remove those blasted things yet, but there’s no reason why we can’t cover them up.”

Hunter lets out a breath and nods. He closes his eyes as Eda waves the wand over his sigil, and when he opens them, the emperor’s symbol is replaced by Flapjack.

Hunter exhales again, only this time, it’s a long, deep sound that seems to echo in the room. When he breathes in again, he straightens, and Luz can see in the set of his shoulders that a weight has been lifted. Willow kisses his cheek, and Hunter smiles, wiping at his eyes.

“Thanks, Eda,” he says, and she ruffles his hair.

“Don’t mention it, kid.”

The door bursts open again, and Hooty comes rocketing through it, sending Luz, Amity, and Vee stumbling backwards to join Willow, Hunter, and Eda on the couch, clinging to each other and making various noises of alarm.

“Hello, Hooty,” Eda says. “Do I want to know where Lily and your backpack are?”

“On the other side of town!” Hooty replies gleefully, and Eda shudders.

“And to what do the people of Bonesborough owe the trauma you’re currently putting them through with your length?”

“The carnival is open for business! And it looks great! Plus I checked on our floats this morning, and they are undisturbed! I even polished mine.”

“Do we really have to have him on our float?” Amity whispers to Luz through gritted teeth.

“Well, he is a savior of the Isles. In his own way.”

It was Raine’s idea to take the idea of the Coven Day Parade and turn it into a way of celebrating the island’s liberation. All of the new institutions put into place over the last year will have floats, including the Council and Eda’s university. And, Raine insisted, they would need to celebrate the people who were responsible for the island’s liberation in the first place, so Luz, her friends, King, Lilith, and Hooty are getting a float of their own.

Hooty will be driving.

Luz has had more than one nightmare about it.

“Let’s just enjoy the carnival while we can,” Willow says with a pained smile. “Camila’s meeting us there, right?”

Vee nods. “She said she’d be by the dunk tank with the Emperor Belos impersonator at noon.”

“It’s quarter to,” Raine says. “We’d better get moving.”

“If you all hop on my back, I could let you ride through the town on me while I retract into the backpack—“ Hooty starts, but the simultaneous refusals that follow are emphatic enough that they don’t allow him another word.

…

By the time the sun dips below the horizon, Luz’s throat is raw from screaming and laughing and her stomach is bursting with what’s probably half her body weight in fried food. She didn’t think anything could top the carnival that comes to the island every so often, but this knocked it out of the park. King got the Collector to weigh in on the planning, and the result was a mix of every kind of game Luz could imagine with a few death-defying rides thrown in. Nothing like celebrating the time she actually died with a roller coaster wild enogh to make her stomach feel like it was about to repeat the experience.

And she knows the others enjoyed it as much as she did. King walks with a bounce in his step— he never talks about it, but she knows he misses the Collector, and thinks that playing some of their games has been good for him. Camila looks around with bright eyes, the festival so far beyond the realm of anything she's used to. Gus and Vee happily compare the photos they took at various booths, while Willow helps Hunter carry some of the small army of stuffed animals she won him. Eda, at some point, turned into harpy form, and flies above them with Raine in her arms despite their laughing protests.

Lilith and Hooty are waiting by the floats, having had what appears to be a picnic at the base of them. Luz takes them in for the first time in all their finished glory, grinning. The Council’s float is shaped like the Titan, of course, with one councilor on each of the limbs and Darius, who will be giving the speech, in the middle. Behind it is the float for the University of Wild Magic, bearing the logo on a proud banner, with a place for each of the faculty to stand. And then there’s the float for the rest of the saviors of the Isles, which is modeled after Hooty’s face, despite the fact that he was a puppet the entire time. If he was going to build the float, he argued, he was going to make sure it “reflected his true glory”.

“Do you think it has the teeth?” King whispers to Luz.

“Shhhhhh.”

Raine gives Eda a kiss, and she sets them down. “I’ll see you after this mortifying ordeal,” they mutter.

“You’ll be fine, Rainestorm. You haven’t tripped in front of a crowd since you were elected.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“You’ll be great, Raine,” Luz says, pulling them into a hug.

“You’re the parent of a Titan!” King adds, climbing up to their shoulder. “Glory runs in your veins!”

“That’s not how it works—" Lilith starts, but Eda elbows her into silence.

She boards the University float as Raine joins Darius and the other councilors. Lilith walks over to Luz’s group.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ride with us?” she asks Vee. “From what I’ve been told, the others might not have been able to go after Belos without your help. Just because you weren’t part of the final battle, it doesn’t mean you weren’t important.”

Vee shakes her head. “No, thank you. I still don’t really like being stared at. Besides, I’ll enjoy sitting with Masha. You know how fascinated they are by magic; they’ll love this.”

“Well, if you’re sure.”

“I am. But I should probably get a move on if I want to meet up with them before the parade starts.”

She hugs Camila and waves goodbye to the others before setting off into the streets.

Luz, Camila, Lilith, Hooty, Amity, Hunter, Willow, and Gus climb onto their float and Lilith directs them to their positions. About five minutes into her lecture on how to wave and smile properly— leftover posturing from her Coven Head days— the Council’s float mercifully begins to move.

Luz has been in and out of Bonesborough for almost a year and a half, and she’s never seen it as crowded as it is today. Every inch of the street is packed with witches and demons shoulder-to-shoulder against the barricades, and plenty have stolen Eda’s idea of perching on the roofs as well. They pass Perry, Harvey, and Gilbert on a balcony, all blowing kisses, and Dell and Gwen below, beaming with pride. Steve, who neglected to join the others on the float in order to keep an eye on Matt, jumps up and down and waves as they pass, while Matt stands with his arms crossed and tries to hide his smile.

And— there’s Vee on the next rooftop over, perched with her siblings and Masha, the latter of who is leaning forward so far Luz is legitimately worried they might fall. Luz lifts a hand to wave— only to find herself flailing it wildly for balance as the float swerves sharply.

“What—“ she gasps, whirling around and finding herself face-to-face with Terra Snapdragon.

“Sorry, sapling,” she hisses, and flicks Luz over the edge of the float with a vine.

Luz fumbles for a levitation glyph in her pocket before she remembers, a scream ripping from her throat even as she curses her own stupidity, and crashes face first into… a puddle of goo?

The abomination lifts Luz back up, setting her into Amity’s arms. “Thanks,” she pants, grabbing her staff and whirling around to assess the situation.

The parade has turned into an out-and-out battle with what looks like fifty coven scouts. “Where did they all come from?!” Luz shouts.

A scout swings their fist at her, and she ducks— only for them to disappear before her eyes. She glances around to find Gus swirling his fingers, his face intense with concentration. Another scout disappears, then another, and then one reappears. Luz scans the crowd and her gaze lands on Adrian Graye, ducked behind a float, concentrating just as hard as Gus is.

“The scouts aren’t real!” she yells. “They’re illusions!”

“Hunter, did you hear that?” Willow asks, and Luz looks over to find her crouched beside Hunter, who had his hands over his ears. He just shakes his head.

“They’re coming to take me away, Belos wants me back…”

“No, they’re not, you’re not part of his coven anymore!” Willow takes his arm in her hands, gently pressing his tattoo. Hunter takes a gasping breath, his expression clearing, and then his eyes fix onto something over Willow’s shoulder and he lets out a warning cry.

Before Willow can turn around, Luz is there, stopping the Construction Coven Head’s hammer with her staff. He lifts it, preparing to strike again, and she stabs at his eye with the back end of her staff, making him reel backwards. Luz draws a spell circle in the air, preparing to blast him with a jet of fire, only to feel something cold wrap around her stomach, squeezing the breath from her lungs as it yanks her backwards.

“No,” she wheezes, “let go��“

The pressure around her middle is relieved so quickly she wonders if the Coven Head actually listened. But no— she looks up to see Eda grabbing the Oracle Coven Head from above and unceremoniously dropping him off the float.

“Stay away from my kid!” she yells.

Another harpy joins her in the sky: Lilith, with Hooty still attached to her and biting as many Coven Heads as he can reach. They give Luz enough breathing room to scan the area again. The Coven Heads shouldn’t be winning, and yet Willow and Hunter are nearly doubled over from the exertion of fighting off the Construction Head, and Gus and Amity lie in a heap at the base of the float, and Raine is firing note after note at Adrian without any of it seeming to touch him, and Camila is punching vine after vine with Terra just creating more and more to take their place.

Why isn’t this working? Luz thinks, and then, why isn’t anyone doing anything? Where is the crowd that was packed so tightly? Why aren’t they helping? Have they run?

Some of them have, she sees. But enough of them remain, only— they’re frozen. And that, she realizes, is where the Coven Heads’ power is coming from. It’s not that they are powerful; the terror of what they represent is.

Luz fears it too. And without her glyphs, she can’t bring herself to believe she’s strong enough to defeat it.

At least: not alone.

She raises her staff and fires a jet of light up into the sky, so brilliant and piercing that for a single second the fighting stops.

“This isn’t their world anymore!” she yells. “This whole night, this whole celebration, the whole reason we’re here is to acknowledge that we are more powerful than them! I know you’re afraid, I know your minds want you to believe this attack means we’re going back to the old way of doing things, but we’re not! This isn’t the start of a war, this is their last stand!”

The Oracle Coven grabs Luz again, but this time, she doesn’t fight it. She’s said her piece. She’s done what she can. She closes her eyes, praying that someone heard-- no, listened.

And oh, thank you, thank you, the hand around her stomach releases. Luz looks up to find a blue mist trailing over her head, and she follows it from the Coven Head to Vee, who’s draining his magic with a defiant light dancing in her eyes.

A strangled gasp draws Luz’s attention to the Construction Coven Head, who’s frozen above Willow, his magic trailing away from him in a steady stream towards Wynne. Terra falls to Gemini next, then Adrian to Rhee, and then the Potions Coven Head to Ivy.

Eda lets out a piercing cheer. “Those are my students!” she yells.

And this— this first act of true defiance by the beings Belos used and discarded, the ones the covens mistreated and hid from the world— is enough to empower the people that Luz’s words couldn’t. With a rallying cry, the crowd storms the floats, and in no time at all, the Coven Heads are in chains and being escorted by Eda and Lilith into a cart that will take them to the Conformatorium to await trial.

Darius folds his arms, shaking his head. “Fools,” he says. “We couldn’t prosecute them without evidence, and now they’ve staged an attack with the whole island as witness.”

“Except for Hettie,” Raine points out. “She was smart enough to stay out of it, and you know she’ll do everything in her power to talk them out of trouble.”

Eda snorts. “She’ll have a pretty tough time of that.”

Darius heaves a long-suffering sigh. “Either way, I should probably get up there and thank the crowd.” He takes a step towards the Council’s newly-righted float, only to stop as Raine puts a hand on his arm.

“I’ll do it.”

And they start up the stairs without a backward glance, summoning a microphone as they go.

“People of the Isles,” they call. “Could, uh, could I please have your attention?”

Their voice is soft, but it carries power, and a wave of silence falls over the crowd. Raine takes a breath, and Luz can hear how it trembles. They glance back at her, and she beams, giving them two thumbs up. Eda blows them a kiss, and Darius gives them an encouraging nod. Raine turns back to face the crowd with a small smile on their lips.

“Thank you for your help in averting this threat,” they say, their voice still shaking but their words clear. “I know the shadow of the covens still looms over our island. We are still afraid of exploring magic beyond the boxes we were taught to keep it in. We are still weak and drained from the strain of fighting to break free of the confines of what we were taught. But Luz Noceda is right. We planned today’s celebration to acknowledge a year in which we re-shaped our government, our system of learning, our way of being into one that is tolerant, curious, and safe. With every day that passes, we face our fears of the old regime, and we take a step beyond them. Seeing what all of you just did tells me that those steps have taken us very far indeed. This new world would not be possible without the bravery of each and every one of you. I want to thank you for that. I want to thank the last basilisks on the Isles, who showed that bravery to a degree I can't imagine, and to the witches and demons who fought for their— and all of our— freedom in the first place. And—" Raine turns to Luz again and smiles at them, the love in their eyes eroding any leftover fear— “I want to thank the very special human who has, at one point or another, inspired all of us to be more than we thought we could. I— and the Council, and the Isles— thank you, and celebrate you.”

And then, as though it was planned, the fireworks that were meant to be launched after Darius’s speech at the end of the parade burst into the sky, and the crowd erupts into cheers so loud they drown out the crackling.

Luz feels someone’s hand in hers and turns to see Amity stepping up next to her. She squeezes her hands and looks back at the fireworks, and as she does, a memory comes to her: sitting with Amity on a rooftop during the Coven Day Parade, both of their hands ice cold, trying not to shiver as they watched the crowd cheer for Belos and the sick game he had in motion. It’s hard to believe that was just over a year ago. It feels impossible to be in such a similar position, but with the context so completely different. Not so long ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that change took place because of her.

But it did. She set the draining spell into motion, yes— but she set all of this into motion, too. Eda and Lilith standing with their wings spread, Eda’s hand in Raine’s. Vee with her siblings and her mom and her partner, all of them leaning over each other to point out their favorite fireworks. Hunter with his arms around Willow and Gus, Darius and Eber beaming at him from behind. Amity, her smile unrestrained, her hand in Luz’s. All possible because she loves these people and they love her, and they take what they’ve given each other and paid it forwards, taking steps and pulling each other along. And if this is what they’ve accomplished in a year, who can say what they will in two, three, five?

Luz presses a kiss against Amity’s cheek and leans her head against hers, turning her gaze up to the fireworks and letting the bursts of light make imprints on her vision, and she feels herself glow just as brightly with the possibilities.

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qingxin-flowers · 1 year

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“You or the world?”

Or, what if they had to choose between you or the world?

Featuring: Susanoo, Divine Prophet Susabi, Enmusubi, Miketsu

Warnings: None

Notes: There will be more parts for the other gods coming soon!

Susanoo

The world

It comes without a doubt that the executioner god should choose the world over a single mortal. After all, he is the one that is meant to quell chaos and keep the peace of the world, let everyone live in peaceful harmony so long as his existence is still around.

But what about the man who holds the title of executioner god? What about the man named Susanoo who had forsaken his promise to love all humans equally the moment he realized that he had fallen in love with you?

Protecting the world was a heavy responsibility to shoulder but after meeting and falling in love with you, that burden seemed to be lifted by a considerable amount; after all, you were part of this world so protecting the world also meant protecting you alongside the people that he was already meant to protect. How cruel it was to ask him whether you or the world was more important to him, as if he had a choice to begin with.

"I love you," he whispers into the quiet night, holding you close as if you would slip through his fingers like sand if he held you any less tightly. His gaze is so unbearably soft that even the brightest star seems dull in comparison, shying away as it swore to keep the love between you and him a secret that underneath the night sky.

Alas, when the stars fall and the day reappears, when the sun watches over the world like how Amaterasu used to, he has no choice but to let go of the love in his heart and fulfill his godly duties of loving everyone equally.

Every day, he prays that the world would become a peaceful place that would no longer require his protection, one that would no longer have him choose between it or you. Until then, he finds solace in the night with your body that sleeps next to him, wishing that the day would start just a little later so that he could hold you for a little longer.

(More below!)

Divine Prophet Susabi

You

Fate was a cruel thing, one that had no rights to hold such a tight grasp over anyone like his teacher had taught him– which is why Susabi sincerely believes that he would always choose you over the world.

For years, he had questioned what fate truly was and when he had finally come across the answer, it only made him more determined to abolish it so every life had the chance to build their lives with the choices they made. He had seen many people fight against fate in order to grasp their future with their own hands and to him, those people were brighter than the stars that lit up the moon sea, sparking a flame of rebellion within him that continued to burn brighter as the world continued to see improvements ever since Orochi went into hiding after the Six Realms Gates opened.

Before, if you had asked him whether he would choose between you or the world, he would scoff and ask you to ask him better questions. After all, the answer was obvious to the one who had the ability to prophesied the future– if he chose you, you would still perish alongside the world that was about to be destroyed in the near future. Now that that future had been avoided, he could indulge in his selfish desires and say with his full heart that yes, he would choose you over the world, for a world without you would be the same as that prophesied destroyed future.

His fingers brushed over your cheek, a smile appearing on his normally cold face as his heart tickled at the sound of your laughter. Without missing a beat, he picked up your hand and pressed a kiss to the back of your fingers like a knight swearing an oath.

"I promise to give you the happiness you deserve."

When he looked up and saw you smiling at him as if he had given you the world, he swore that he would pull the stars down from the sky if you asked him to.

Enmusubi

Both

"Having the goddess of love choose between the one she loves and the world that is filled with love? How absurd!"

She would say with a large pout, offended that you would have the audacity to ask such a thing. After all, all mortal relationships were tied by her and that includes yours. If either you or the world were gone then she wouldn't even exist!

…. Okay, that was an exaggeration. She knew better than anyone that if you were gone, the world would still continue to spin and she would still be tying bonds just like any other day. However, she saw no point in choosing when to her, you were the world itself. You were the one that showed her love and made her hopelessly in love with you, the one that strengthened her determination to continue tying bonds if only to let other people find a love as precious as the one she found. So it came as a no brainer that she would do anything in order to keep you and the world running no matter what, if only to let this little piece of love continue existing for just a little longer.

She huffed and pointed at you. "Don't you think for even a second that I would ever think of giving you up to anyone or anything! Not. A. Chance!"

For as long as she continued to exist, she would continue to tie and look over everyone's bonds, including yours.

Miketsu

The world

As much as she wanted to give you all her love, she knows that the world would always require her assistance more than you.

Don't take this as an offense– of course she dearly loves you but gods have a duty to help and protect all humans. After all, that is what they were created for and to someone as diligent and hardworking as Miketsu, she will see her duties to the end, even if it means neglecting herself and the people close to her.

However, sometimes, when she has the chance to feel your arms wrapped around her body, a thought comes into her mind. A selfish wish to keep you by her side forever so that no harm would ever come your way, so that she can continue to watch over you even when she has to perform her other duties as the goddess of prosperity. It hurts her heart to imagine that there would be a day when she no longer has the chance to feel your embrace due to your short mortal lifespan and the fact that she is always busy giving prosperity to others doesn't lessen her guilt one bit.

Before she had time to process her thoughts, words carelessly slipped out her mouth.

"Have you ever thought of becoming a god?"

The moment she feels you tense up is the moment she knew she messed up. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me! I swear that I never thought about that before and I would never ask you to become one without consulting you first so please don't take my words seriously. If by some chance I had seriously considered it then I wouldn't have asked you so suddenly so please–"

Your attempts to calm her down fall on deaf ears as she becomes too embarrassed to process anything other than what she had asked you. Suddenly, realization dawns on her: If you became a god, doesn't that mean she wouldn't have to choose between you or all the humans in this world?

Suddenly, she meets your eyes with newfound determination. "If by chance, there was a way to make a human become a god, would you like to become one?"

#onmyoji x reader #onmyoji #onmyoji the card game #lilith writes #susanoo x reader #divine prophet susabi x reader #susabi x reader #sp susabi x reader #enmusubi x reader #miketsu x reader #onmyoji susanoo x reader #onmyoji susabi x reader #onmyoji enmusubi x reader #onmyoji miketsu x reader #don't think i'll write for ssr susabi because ssr susabi is like #not very aligned with the current canon story but i can write according to personal headcanons

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nobodysdaydreams · 3 months

Text

Y'ALL I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. WTF? WTF?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

(Or my reaction to Episodes 53-54 of Wolf359).

Welcome back dear readers! Thank you for enjoying my reaction to the Mission Mishap and mini episodes, which were shorter and a lot easier to fit into my busy schedule. I try to make sure I have time to type out good live quality reactions for you guys, so thanks for your patience on this.

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom @lovelyladylavie

Episode 53: Dirty Work

This episode has gotten a lot of hype from the mutuals. I hope that means Pryce and Cutter are actually gonna bother to show up this time. The two of them did their whole ominous “we’re going to space” thing at the very beginning of this season, well hurry up and go to space then since you care so much! Instead they gave us enough time for Doug to have his radio show arc, which (while it was necessary, and I enjoyed it), just goes to show how much time Pryce and Cutter actually put into this. Which should be evident given that it has taken them at least this long to get to space despite it being their “life’s work” (and for some “higher purpose” they’ll probably monologue about too no doubt 🙄. Hopefully they keep their speech shorter or at least more interesting than Whiskey Boy). Laziest villains of all time sending other people to space the dirty work. Which happens to be the episode title, look at that.

And if I had to guess who is going to be doing Pryce and Cutter’s dirty work, my money’s on Whiskey Boy. Well, actually, my money’s on free-will deprived Hera, but I hope I’m wrong.

Well this is rare. No preview ads to skip through. Huh.

Oh, Minkowski 🥺. We know you didn't want to kill anyone. Don't worry, I will give you justice in fanfic if the show doesn't give it to you here.

HILBERT. Shut up. Even in death, you still don't get it do you? Minkowski has a right to be upset. Even if anyone on this ship makes it back to earth, they are still gonna be extremely traumatized.

Doug, what are you up to now?

And no, Lovelace. Minkowski is not okay. None of you are okay.

"23rd time is the charm!" That's the spirit, Doug! 🥰

Oh right, the reset that Hera has been putting off.

Lol, Hera's "Good Boy". There you go Doug. You see, he can be taught.

"Get him to do what he's told!" Well that would likely be Hera's department.

Not the bottles of beer song. I swear, why are Kepler and Jacobi even still here? What are they contributing? 🍻 "Don't do anything stupid?" a bit late for that.

Um...what is this? Who was that? Wait is that Maxwell's ghost talking to Jacobi?

Do not be a bad guy again Duck Boy. 🦆 That is how your friend got killed, remember? Do you want to be a dead duck?

Well at least we got some music. Nice work, Doug! 🎶

VERIFICATION CODE WHISKEY. a;lsjkfklsdjfk I KNOW Kepler came up with that one. I don't care that it's a legit code, I know it is, but he probably puts Whiskey in every single secret code of his.

Doug. GET BACK INSIDE.

Not demolitions. Jacobi. You fool. You impulsive explosive dumb-dumb. Do not blow up the ship you're on.

"Now I may not be as smart as my late colleague" understatement of the century Jacobi.

Oh great. He's willing to kill them all. Fantastic. Oh and Kepler's coming too. OH. Because Minkowski killed Maxwell and Kepler let her die and had no remorse. Jacobi wants revenge. Oh. Oh no...

"How's your day going?" been better.

Kepler's speech...so was he working with Jacobi this whole time? Convincing plan if he was, but I gotta say Kepler, I don't know if that's gonna work as smoothly for you this time around. Jacobi seemed pretty upset, and there would be no reason for him to reveal that now when he has the upper hand.

SHOOT HIM!

AS:Jlkfjsdlkfjlkds I KNEW IT!!!!!!!

"Pretty please with sugar on top" oh we're going there.

And after hearing about how Kepler bought him explosives...this whole betrayal thing really did go to the next level with them.

"Is this an elaborate prank to teach me a very important lesson?" askjdfkld;jf I love you Doug. 😂 And that would be hilarious.

Poor Doug...that's it Doug! Go into the star! That's what they want! Why do they want this? Who knows. It is weird though. They presumably know that humans die if they do that, and if they wanted them dead there's a million more efficient ways to kill them.

"Blow Kepler's brain's out" "Jacobi...where are you going with this?" Wow, Whiskey Boy really IS slow, isn't he? Maybe it wouldn't have killed him to shed a few fake tears at Maxwell's funeral.

"He was the one who put her in the line of fire, and you should be the one who has to do it."

That does make sense. Because Kepler won't care about shooting Minkowski or anyone else, and while Minkowski certainly wouldn't enjoy dying, she's still tortured with guilt over the fact that she killed Maxwell. But force Minkowski to relive that trauma, intentionally and painfully, and taking everything from Kepler...oh man Duck Boy really did think this through.

"You complete and utter idiot..." YES PUNCH HIM JACOBI! Unconventional grieving process is an understatement.

"I don't want to kill anyone" "Else" ouch.

And yeah... this is Jacobi's "2 birds one bullet solution"

Jacobi is unhinged.

"This is it. Either she shoots you or I kill everyone" yeah it really is over.

Jacobi. You don't need to do this. You really don't.

PHONE CALL?

No. Do not call Pryce and Cutter. Do not call them Jacobi, I don't care if you want to tell them off do not give them information do not call them. Do not call anyone. Maxwell is dead, who does he even have to talk to? Is he gonna call his family? Maxwell's family?

Kepler begging Minkowski for a backup plan...Jacobi really DID beat him...he's nothing now. Though to be fair, he didn't have much to begin with.

"There's no bomb?" Then...what is...oh no. Jacobi what is this game?

"I'm not crazy, that stuff's dangerous!" 😂 Why is Jacobi evil Doug sometimes? I swear if it wasn't for the circumstances they would be friends.

"You've been through plenty, just sit tight. It will all be over soon." I don't know if that's meant to reassure Lovelace or sound ominous Jacobi, but if it was the former, you really gotta work on not sounding like the bad guy.

"Blue, being sucked in, process, killed the original captain Lovelace...the door." There you go Doug! I knew he could figure it out! His science fiction knowledge really comes in handy.

That is a big risk, especially since you don't know what these aliens want, or their history with slimy business man and his evil science girlfriend!

Yep. Leap of faith. Scary stuff, especially when your trust has been broken before.

"Why couldn't it be snakes" Doug, be careful what you wish for.

"How could he? After everything we've been through?" Kepler, be serious. You stalked him, brought him expensive Whiskey and sweet talked a desperate and broken man into joining your murder organization, showed him creepy levels of favoritism at various points in time (especially coming from you of all people), and had zero remorse when you let his best friend get killed. That's what you've been through.

"Will he blow us up" "Yeah." "Can you override his override?" "No. He and Maxwell handled that. I trusted them." Yes, Kepler. And they trusted you. Now one of them is dead. Let's think about this for a moment. I'm sure if we all put our heads together, we can get to the bottom of this mystery of why Jacobi has betrayed you for apparently no reason.

Is Kepler's back up plan shooting Jacobi? OH MY GOSH IT IS...AND YOU WONDER WHY HE BETRAYED YOU? Kepler, you moron, he's probably listening to this entire conversation. He might be deciding which side he wants to back at this very moment. Now is the time to act really really sad about Maxwell and very very broken up about how you treated Jacobi. Not openly admit that you threw Maxwell's life away to get what you wanted, and that you'd throw Jacobi's life away to save your own skin. Otherwise, Jacobi might just end up shooting YOU when he walks through that door.

"Who is putting your station in danger?" You Kepler. You are doing this.

"For once in your life, shut up" About time someone said that Kepler.

"You're hurt, we all are. But you don't have to kill anyone." Oh Minkowski, I know you're trying but Duck Boy is not in a rational space right now. He's literally trolley probleming you right now.

Okay now Minkowski is going insane. Minkowski stop. JACOBI STOP.

If Kepler was a better man he would shoot himself to end this instead of muttering "this is crazy" at the drama that he is directly responsible for. He really does not know when to keep his mouth shut, does he?

"It's not too late to change your mind." YES MINKOWSKI. TEACH THEM GOOD MORALS. It's never too late. Thank you, finally, someone gets it.

"After everything he's done, after everything you've done?" Yes, and after everything you've done too, Jacobi.

Tell him Minkowski. "I know who you're angry at. It's you. Because you could have backed down but you didn't. We both did. We killed two people. And that's eating you up inside."

I love this so much.

"We kill them. Whatever orders, whatever they did, we did it. That's what the riddle teaches you. However you make the choice, you still make the choice. The blood is still on your hands." "You know what doesn't help? MORE BLOOD"

The cycle ends here! YES MINKOWSKI!

"What will?" Jacobi is listening! Come on Duck Boy. You're waddling your way there. You can do it!

"Twenty bucks says I figure it out first" is this really happening???? Is this really happening???? Please tell me Duck Boy doesn't relapse. I need someone to come to reason.

She never had a bullet. You never had a bomb.

YES, Shut Kepler up! FINALLY the team up we deserve.

I'm glad Lovelace and Minkowski are checking in on each other. And you two both deserve command. You need each other. You all need each other.

Oh Hera. She missed the whole thing. 😂

"What did I miss?" Well, Jacobi is a sort of good guy now (or at least an ally), Kepler still sucks, and everyone forgot about Doug.

Wait. DOUG WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

NO DOUG. NO DOUG NO. AT LEAST GO BACK TO THE SHIP AND TALK IT OUT WITH THEM FIRST.

Well that WAS a wild ride. Maybe one of my favorite episodes so far. I can see why y'all were hyping it up.

Episode 54: The Watchtower

Huh. No more pre-episode previews again. And who is this?

Oh Doug. Oh dear. Doug, you poor thing, I'm glad you had a breakthrough but you probably should have talked this through with everyone first.

Doug. Oh Doug. You're the main character and there are a lot of episodes left. You can't just casually throw yourself into the star midway through the season and die like that.

Something is coming out of the star? Reaching out towards, Doug? Oh boy. Well...

...yikes. What is he saying?

Hera is probably listening to this like "oh Doug...Doug what did you do?"

I love how Doug is still talking to Hera. 💕 "Any objections? Good girl." Well that certainly parallels the last chapter...

Wait. Two more stars? Triple star system? That's pretty cool.

Um. What is that? Aliens? ...hopefully nice aliens?

...or not. Oh dear.

...and um. Where is Doug now? Woke up? Woke up from WHAT?

Did the aliens put Doug back in the ship?

Or...is this now clone Doug? I hope not.

Well at least there's breathable air and gravity in this alien hotel.

Mirror? Yeah that is a creepy touch. Considerate, yet creepy.

Self-repairing mirror? Again, cool but creepy. And Doug is prefect for this. They got the movie from YOU MIND Doug. They built this creepy hotel for you, I'm guessing.

And when the alien shows up, I bet it's gonna be one that looks like you or your loved ones given that they used your voice already.

What was that noise?

Are they just keeping him there?

"Let's get our probe on" Doug...they are. What do you think this is?

Yep...alien Doug. Hi alien Doug. :) 👋👽

"Tell me this isn't where I die and you take my place. My dad always said I'd die if I wasn't more careful..." it's alright Doug, I've been told that myself plenty of times.

What?

Words. Speak more words.

Why do they need Doug to speak words?

Ah yes. Mirroring and learning. That's what they want. But why? Why Doug?

Crippled by a language limited by what? Yet achieving interstellar momentum? Uh...what? Symbiological base set of language?

Doug singing the alphabet 😂

DIE????

What is die? The concept is unknown? Oh...oh dear. Explain that it's a bad thing Doug. Explain that it's a very bad scary thing.

"I hate it when Kepler and Jacobi are right" Don't we all Doug, don't we all?

Stops existing!

Incomplete understanding of the universe.

Yes, yes, to dust you shall return, no matter is created or destroyed it simply changes form, but you seem very unnaturally calm about this.

All matter is reused and repurposed. Ceasing from existence is not possible. ...well that's true...but...YOU are something else now. YOU are gone. Something else is in your place now.

Bob. Bob. "Limited time?" "Unsuitable for his biology?" So you DO know what death is. Because you understand that a place unsuitable for his biology = no Doug.

Wait. In the NETWORK? WE? Bob. Are you a hive mind?

"You learned to speak English?" "Correct. It has also lead to debate over whether YOU can speak English." Dang, they really came for him there.

The process? Why are you evaluating Doug?

"Terms you can understand may take some time" Well for super intelligent beings, you should be smart enough to dumb it down.

Don't like that laugh. "A place very very far away from here." Interesting.

"The farthest point away from civilized space"

I see. And what exactly does civilized space look like?

"Discomfort should pass quickly" time is relative, so I hope you're right, Bob.

He gave Doug knowledge? Well, that might be a good way to one up Cutter.

Okay transfer between stars...I'm guessing no, because they didn't use the sun. Huh. I was correct.

Red = no, Blue = go. Well, Bob, sometimes the basics are all you need.

Another species. Rearrange matter? I see. So they are basically aliens with god-like powers that join together to form a superpower.

And they're recruiting humans...but they seem unimpressed so far. Why would they...oh.

They want the music don't they? They've never...they don't have music, but they like it for some reason.

Well then just send them up a band, seems like an easy solution.

Examination, evaluation...surrogates of specimens?

"Unnecessarily dramatic description" "The wolf doesn't even know it's a wolf!" "We arranged atoms" "You brought her back from the dead" "The distinction is irrelevant" Doug, please explain it to them. They really did do Lovelace dirty.

OH MY GOSH THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE WHAT CUTTER DOES TO PEOPLE. Spy on them, and if he likes them, they get to join his special secret club. And if they don't like you...I think we both know what happens Doug. They DO have a concept of death. They just prefer not to call it that.

"Ideally isolation" Well at least they are semi-ethical.

"If they can't be isolated" "redistribution into different atoms" SEE I KNEW IT. They call it redistribution because they can't accept the moral idea of killing people.

"They are given a new purpose." Bob...Bob this is immoral. This is horrifying.

"Terminology is inadequate" his terminology is spot on Bob.

"Our interest in your species is not moral. It is technological" Yeah Bob, I think you made that VERY clear when you said you were willing to kill everyone on Earth if they didn't play nice.

You don't deserve our music Bob. Not one note. Which is...a sentence I never thought I would type as a reaction to this show, but here we are I guess.

They can turn back time, escape death, and traverse space, but they don't have music Doug! Most of their language isn't auditory. They have it, apparently, but not to the extent where they'd develop it.

Commander Zhung...valued the tech more than anything.

Oh. I'd like to have met Commander Zhung (I hope I'm spelling that right). She sounds...she sounds nice if that was her reaction to hearing music for the first time.

"You haven't figured out sound recording?" No, Doug. "The music?" There you go, Doug.

And um...I think the aliens might be more into the oldies and by oldies I mean the classics Doug. The old school classics. Stick to classical music. Not sure they're ready for rock and roll or rap or pop or country.

In time they'll learn more about each other, slowly. Okay...so they have some time. That's good. 14,000 YEARS? Oh no wonder they don't fear death. They live a ridiculously long time. And yeah Kepler is in for a treat.

And then...he woke up.

But um...where has he woke up? Near the star? But where is the ship?

"Everything is completely under control"

Why...why does Minkowski sound like a robot? I mean, she usually sounds pretty strict before she snaps at Doug for risking his life, but the actress sounds distinctly creepy here, I don't like it.

Creepy music? Hera struggling and begging him to run?

Oh no. Oh no no no no no...Cutter and Pryce came didn't they? Oh no...Oh no...

Oh Cutter, you bastard.

And I don't have time to listen to anymore tonight. Or this weekend, or for a while, gosh DANG IT, BUT THAT WAS SO GOOD.

Well, I hope you guys enjoy this. I have a lot of emotions so I'm gonna post this with no edits and scream about it in a discord chat somewhere. Bye!

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starlitangels · 1 year

Text

My Angel (Sent To Save Me)

More proposal fluff because... well. It’s rotting the brain 1.3k words

—

David jerked the truck’s gear shift into Park and stared across the front yard at the front door. It was not an unusual front door. He’d knocked on that front door dozens of times in the last... God, it’d been nearly four years now. Dinners, birthdays, pretty much every single holiday besides the MoonBound solstice since David didn’t have family to swap holidays with...

The familiar house seemed so foreboding now.

Nothing had changed about the house or the occupants inside.

The only thing that changed was within David.

He swallowed down his fear and got out of the truck. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. He was an alpha werewolf. The head of the biggest, most influential and respected pack in the city. He’d done that.

So why the hell was he so damn scared?

A long exhale. Another deep inhale.

He started walking up the path to the front door. He released the breath as a sigh.

Standing just in front of the door, he swallowed one last time, hoping the lump in his throat would fill the pit in his stomach.

He rang the doorbell.

Shifter ears, he’d explained the first time he came to this doorstep with his now-mate and he’d said he could hear movement inside before they could.

It was the same this time. Almost immediately after the doorbell’s chime faded, there were footsteps inside. David popped his knuckles as if the movement would help ease his own tension.

It didn’t.

The door opened.

A familiar, warm face beamed at him. “David! How good to see you!” his mate’s mom greeted warmly. “Come in! What’s going on? You’re almost never here alone!”

He chuckled awkwardly, trying to be friendlier than his usual serious demeanor called for. “I, uh, I was hoping to talk to you both,” he said, nodding in the direction of his mate’s dad who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen with a dishtowel over his shoulder. He glanced back on hearing David and smiled, waving with the knife still in his hand.

His mate’s mom beckoned her partner over. They sat on the loveseat while David perched on the sofa and failed to wrangle his racing heart into behaving. He cleared his throat.

“I, uh...” he started. “I love your child. I know you know that. We’ve been together for nearly four years.”

“Has it been that long?” his mate’s mom asked quietly. Her partner looked equally baffled as he nodded.

David also nodded. “Yeah. And, I can promise you without even a shadow of a doubt that these have been the happiest four years of my life. I was still mourning the loss of my father when I met them and not processing my grief well at all. And in every way, they saved me. They healed me and taught me how to heal myself. I’m sure by now that you’ve heard me call them ‘angel’ as something of a pet name. To me, it’s not just that. I mean it. They are my angel sent to save me. From myself, mostly.

“I love them more than... more than I have words to describe. I’ve always been a person of few words. It’s just a lesson I was taught. The less you say, the more your words matter when you do speak. Which... I think has been to my detriment in certain situations. Including this one.

“But what I can say is that the love I feel for your child is honest and it’s deep. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love them.

“And... I wanted to make sure I said that before...” He cleared his throat again. “Before I asked for your blessing. I plan on asking them to marry me.”

His mate’s mom was already looking a bit misty-eyed. “Oh David...” she whispered, reaching out and taking his hand. His mate’s dad set his hand on top of hers.

“Son, you have our blessing,” he said. “You’ve been part of this family since the day they brought you home to meet us the first time. We would be honored to have you as our son-in-law.”

“We love you, David,” his mate’s mom said. “And, more importantly, we know how much they love you. We see it in their eyes every time you two come over. Every time they look at you it’s like they’re staring at the most amazing thing they’ve ever seen. You make them happy. And you’re good to put up with their playfulness when it gets to be a lot.”

“Heaven knows some of their previous partners didn’t,” his mate’s dad put in quietly.

“But we don’t talk about Michael anymore,” his mate’s mom insisted, tone growing hard and cold for a moment as she shot a look of warning to her partner. He shrugged nonchalantly. She met David’s eyes again, smiling with that same warmth as before. “And previous partners don’t matter now. Because you’re here, and you love them and they love you. That’s all that matters now.”

David blinked to try and drain the tears building up in the ache behind his eyes. “Thank you, both of you. I... know I’ve mentioned before that I don’t have any siblings and I lost both my parents. And your child... has become the only family I have. Sure my friends feel like family but... it’s not quite the same. Having your blessing to ask them to marry me... means a lot to me.”

His mate’s mom gave him a melancholy smile. “Oh, David,” she said softly. “You more than have it. We’re so excited for you!”

“Thank you. Truly.” David nodded.

His mate’s mom smiled. “Send us pictures after you ask,” she said.

“Or just come over,” her partner suggested, a bit more dryly.

“That works too!” she said.

David found himself smiling. If they were going to be his legal in-laws, he decided he didn’t mind that so much. They’d been warm and mostly-accepting of him even before he’d started working on his bad attitude. And ever since he’d started loosening up, they’d really taken to treating him as though he was already their son.

He chuckled. “Well, we’ll see how late at night it is by the time I get up the courage to ask,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to wake you up.”

“You can always come over the next day,” his mate’s mom said. Her partner nodded agreement.

“That’s probably what will happen,” David remarked. “Thank you both, again. I’m honored that you’d bestow your blessing so easily.”

“We love you, son. And we see how much you love them.”

“I do. With all my heart.”

—

“So,” I remarked as David came in the door. “How were my parents?”

“How did you—?”

“Your location is still shared with me on Google Maps, remember?”

David nodded slowly. “Right,” he said. “Your parents are good. Your dad called while I was at work and asked if I could stop by and help fix a loose shelf. So I told him I’d drop by on my way home.”

I nodded. “Ahhh. Gotcha. You get it fixed?”

“Yep.”

“Fun. Ready for dinner?”

“Yeah. I’m starving.”

I smiled. “Good. I’m almost done.”

“Wait... you made dinner?”

“Don’t give my still-burgeoning cooking skills too much credit, Davey. I’m reheating that soup Mom gave us last week on the stove.”

“There’s my angel,” he teased softly, wrapping me into his arms and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“C’mon. Let’s eat,” I said, tugging him toward the kitchen.

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @thegoldenlittlerose @mainhoesstuff @darlin-collins

#Redacted ASMR #fic #Redacted David #Redacted Angel #David Shaw #Angel #David #Redacted Audio #Starlit Fic

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