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highladyandromeda · 3 months

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Shadows of the Heart

Part 3

Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: After years apart, Y/n returns to Velaris, bearing the weight of sacrifice and secrets from her past. Reunited with Rhysand and his Inner Circle, she navigates the complexities of rekindled friendships and unresolved tensions.

WC: 1.2k

Warnings: n/a

[Prologue], [Part 1], [Part 2]

She was going to need a very strong drink, Y/n mused, to survive this night.

Her magic, ever attuned to the world around her, picked up on the increasing hum of conversation from the floors below—a sure sign that Rhysand had summoned his entire family for a grand welcome. "He's always had a penchant for gatherings," she reflected with a half-smile, tinged with nostalgia, before an exasperated roll of her eyes. The temptation of the room's plush bed and soft sheets beckoned, threatening to pull her back into their embrace. It's almost unfair, she thought, how much more inviting the beds were here.

Pushing aside thoughts of luxurious linens, Y/n rises, confronting her reflection in the mirror. Her body still appears gaunt, her complexion a touch too pallid, yet there's a hint of vitality returning to her cheeks, thanks in part to the subtle touch of rouge she's applied. With practiced movements, she adds a dusty rose hue to her lips and frames her striking scarlet eyes with kohl, each stroke of makeup bolstering her confidence.

Her wardrobe, courtesy of Rhys, offers a variety of choices. From it, she selects a burgundy tunic adorned with intricate gold embroidery at the collar and sleeves and matching pants—a nod to her past, the garments echoing the color of her old robes and providing an unexpected solace. She tries not to think deeply about the cobalt blue dresses that called to her instead, remembering that she cannot stay in Velaris for long.

“And the guest of honor arrives!” Rhys’s voice cuts through the lively chatter as he spots Y/n making her entrance. Mor quickly springs into action, her enthusiasm undiminished as she loops an arm around Y/n’s, escorting her to a prominent seat at the table—directly across from—

“Lucien?”

“Y/n?”

The recognition between them sparks instantly, lighting up the room. “Mother above, Lucien! You’re alive!” Y/n couldn't help but exclaim, her surprise propelling her forward to clasp his hand across the table.

Lucien, taken aback by the fervor of her greeting, blinks in confusion. “I—uh, was there a reason you thought I wasn’t?”

Y/n's smile wavers, her impulsive action catching up with her fatigue. “Ah, well, I just, I uh—” She scrambles for an explanation that wouldn’t reveal too much.

Y/n thought fast, there was no way she could announce that the Prince of Vallahan once received a summons to funerals in Autumn, personally signed by Beron, and had tried to invite her. She always assumed that Eris would protect Lucien but after so many years, it was impossible for her to be sure.

“I heard rumors,” she finally said, settling on the vaguest of truths. The answer, unsatisfying and ripe with unasked questions, hovered in the air. Yet, she offered nothing more, only adding, “I’m glad to see you, though.”

“Likewise,” he responded, a warmth returning to his voice. “I’m sure Nuan will be thrilled to know you’re back.” An unspoken glance passed between them, with the promise to catch up later.

It was Nesta who broke the silence, her voice cutting through the tension with a clear, measured tone. "You two know each other well?" Nesta queried, her eyes darting between Y/n and Lucien.

Rhys, seizing the moment to alleviate the growing tension, clapped his hands together with a flourish.

"Well, Y/n's always had the most elusive of friendships.” he declared, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Let's celebrate reunions and new beginnings. To Y/n's return, and unexpected friends among us."

As the evening unfolded, Y/n found herself enveloped in the whirlwind of introductions and reunions. She sat in between Rhys and Mor and was properly introduced to the rest of them, Amren and Nesta’s sharp eyes causing the smallest tinge of discomfort before she was pulled into stories from Feyre and Cassian, her heart aching as they recounted the past years from under the mountain to the war with Hybern.

Azriel and as Y/n learned that night, Elain, stayed quiet, but that was a bit of a reprieve truly, among the strong spirits and personalities of the others. It was overwhelming to keep track of their enthusiasm, but Y/n didn’t let her exhaustion show. She had already slept for so long and she refused to let Rhys’s efforts go to waste, as she knew it was his way of showing her that she was still a part of his family.

Besides, although they were all excited, no one brought up her blood magic, or how exactly she and Mor ended up together, or worse, what she had been up to in her years away. She assumed they’d either been placated by a brief explanation from Mor or been warned off by either her or Rhys, allowing Y/n to enjoy a peaceful night before an onslaught of questions at another time. Judging by Amren’s, Nesta’s, and even Azriel’s stares burning into her, she could feel that it must have been the latter and that their self-control would only last so far.

She hoped they’d stay quiet for now, as she had no interest or energy to untangle the complicated…adventures of her past centuries. Especially with the joy and shock she felt when Rhys told her of Nyx and of the Trove. She’d never admit it out loud, but the joy gave away to such deep despair; of having missed these monumental moments in her dear friend’s life. Rhysand truly was the brother she never had, and although she was overjoyed that he’d found so many people to love who loved him back, she couldn’t help but feel sorrow for what was no longer hers.

Luckily, she was quickly pulled from those thoughts as small wisps of the night curled around her shoulder, the shadows' cooling touch almost seeming to comfort her. She noticed Azriel's subtle attempts to rein them in, a hint of embarrassment in his demeanor.

"Please, don't bother. I quite enjoy their company," Y/n reassured him softly, her words drawing a rare, soft grin from the shadowsinger, catching Cassian’s attention.

Smiling mischievously, Cassian takes the chance to ask Y/n about her recovery and whether she’d be up to join them in training tomorrow morning, dodging the glare Rhys sent his way.

Y/n couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up at Cassian's invitation, a lightness filling her despite the whirlwind of emotions she'd been navigating.

"I suppose I could use a bit of... physical activity," she conceded, her gaze flickering to Azriel, whose shadows seemed to dance with approval at the prospect. "Though I must warn you, I'm a bit out of practice."

Cassian's grin widened, his eyes alight with the challenge. "Out of practice, she says. We'll be the judge of that. Right, Az?"

Azriel merely nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement, clearly intrigued by the idea of Y/n joining their morning routines.

Rhys, though he had initially sent Cassian a glare for his untimely proposal, couldn't mask the warmth in his eyes. "It's settled then. Training at dawn. But let's not forget, Y/n has had quite a journey back to us. We'll take it easy," he added, a protective note in his voice that didn't go unnoticed.

As the evening drew to a close, Y/n felt a sense of comfort she had been missing since she left. Though she knew she couldn’t stay forever, her heart felt lighter than it had been in ages. With promises of tomorrow's training session hanging in the air, Y/n retired to her room, the night's whispers a comforting lullaby.

A/N: Ok, I promise that the next chapters will have more Azriel and reader interactions, especially with the upcoming training session!! Also, I want to explore a reader and Lucien friendship because I think that he's so underrated when in fact, Lucien has such interesting powers and is so well-traveled. For my tag list, I tagged everyone who asked and those who commented on the first 2 parts. If you'd like to be included, please just let me know. 💕

TAGLIST: @strangelygreat @enfppuff @trip-n-sal @inloveallthetime @annamariereads16 @mybestfriendmademe @mariahoedt @annblvd @ania-swissweet @yearninglustfully @sleepylunarwolf @quiettuba @gorlillaglue25 @lilah-asteria @naturakaashi @sillymercury @itsswritten @xlosttdreamss @kennedy-brooke @xyzmeh @lucky7rosie @copenhagenspirit @collide-with-the-music @starsinyourseyes @dianxiaxiexie @maybefoxysouls @golden-canyon @violet-potter

#azriel au #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x reader #azriel x y/n #acotar series #acotar #acomaf #acowar #azriel x oc #rhysand #morrigan #acotar fanfiction #azriel acotar #lucien vanserra

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jjunieworld · 4 months

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epilogue. notes between the fabrics ⸝ ˚⋆

↳ some of the notes you found amongst the hoodies and sweaters that soobin gave you.

[dated ➛ date at the diner]

to my beautiful beautiful y/n,

i love you more than there are stars in the sky. your smile shines brighter than all of them combined. with you, i’ve never felt more alive. i’m just glad that i get to call you mine.

— binnie, your love

p.s. sorry if this is cheesy… i can't wait to let you know how much you mean to me.

[dated ➛ while baking sweets after your birthday disaster]

to my super sweet y/n,

i fucked up really really bad, and i think i might’ve lost you forever. its been keeping me awake at night, fueling my nightmares. i know you need your space, i know you don’t want to see me, but i cant let us end like this. so fucking stupid… now i’m here in the middle of the night baking so i have something to give you tomorrow. you’ll never know how truly sorry i am. i hope you’ll like the sweets.

— soobin, the fucking dumbass

[dated ➛ after the talk in the cornflower field]

to my beating heart, y/n,

i’ll wait however long it takes, even if it’s forever. and in the meantime, i’ll keep your heart safe. i’ll mend the cracks and i’ll soothe it until it learns to trust me again. until it beats for me again. i’ll wait until the end of the world and then after that if it means i’ll get to be with you. even if you don’t believe me, i genuinely do love you more than anything.

— your hopeful beating heart, binnie

[dated ➛ when you put on his hoodie instead]

to my burning flame, y/n,

you’re my light through the dark, my burning flame, you always will be. even if i come too close to your fire and get burnt, i don’t care. i enjoy the warmth. the thought of you leads me out of the tunnel and into the light that is you. that’s all i need, and my body flushes at the fact that it’s all you need too.

— binnie, the wanderer guided by your light

[dated ➛ the afternoon before your do-over first date]

to my breathtaking girlfriend, y/n,

tomorrow is our do-over first date and i just left your dorm. the date is going to be a success, i can feel it, and i hope you do too. soon, we’ll write over all the bad memories with new and happy ones. i’ll make sure that you’re always happy so that you’ll never think about all the bad things that happened to you because of me ever again. i know you said you forgave me and that it’s okay, but i’m really really sorry. i am. to my beautiful beautiful, super sweet, beating heart, burning flame, and breathtaking girlfriend, i love you more than i can ever express. i’ll see you at 6pm tomorrow.

— binnie, your love, the fucking dumbass, your hopeful beating heart, the wanderer guided by your light, and your head-over-heels boyfriend

you never really told soobin about finding his little notes here and there, and he never mentioned accidentally leaving them places. you assumed that it was a way for him to express his feelings in a different type of way that still felt personal and you didn’t want to take that from him. you also didn’t want the notes to stop either.

admittedly, they always brightened your day significantly whenever you found them. even if they weren’t explicitly about you and soobin, they were always addressed to you. rather it would be about his love for you or a hard day he had, you liked that you got to see a glimpse into his head in a different way. it made you feel even more closer to him.

one day, you had went out and had gotten a little fancy box to keep all the notes you’ve found in. you kept the box hidden safely in one of the storing containers under your bed, and you only brought it out to add more notes when you were alone.

it’s not that you didn’t want your friends to know about the notes, it’s that they didn’t need to know about them. they were personal, and just something between you and soobin.

maybe one day in the future you’ll make a subtle hint to soobin about all the notes he addresses to you, but in the meantime, they’ll be kept safe in your pretty little box under your bed. and each time you find one, you’ll give soobin a kiss of gratitude for him letting you inside his heart—your heart.

masterlist.

summary: choi soobin has always been the popular kid surrounded by his popular friends. y/n… not so much. one night, soobin and his friends make bet that soobin can’t get y/n to date him in a month. unfortunately for y/n, they’re a hopeless romantic.

A/N: this is the official end!! *sobs* *cries* *slides down wall and clutches hand to chest* i hope you all had a fun time reading and i hope i didn’t hurt your heart too much with the angst lmaooo 😭 thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed!! feel free to send asks in about this story at any time! just because the smau has come to an end, doesn’t mean the conversation has to!!! ♡

taglist: @jjunberry @gothgyuu @spooksh0wbabe @beargyuuzz @carengene @binluvsu @seunnimg @vixensss @kittyhyuka @beomsite @hueningm1ckey @n034sy @littlestxli @starsforbeomgyu @soobiary @bunnisoobin @heiiolifeee @cryingforgyu @dani-is-tired @damn-u-min-yoongi @soobieboobiedoobiedaboobie @icouldntcareless22 @sleepdeprivedline @jhuuni @thepoopdokyeomtouched @rikizm @curiousgworge @nakaopolo @mwahvvis @cupidsmoons @soobhns @ryunjin0 @punkhazardlaw @phtogravi @choibeomkai @soobiverse @rapmonie2047 @riaawr (if your name is bold it wouldn’t let me tag you!)

— kipo <3

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ponchizs · 1 year

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I’m in love with how they are giving so many subtle hints about Alhaitham and Kaveh’s relationship and how important it is to Alhaitham, despite the way they always seem to be bickering.

Throughout the 3.2 archon quest Alhaitham tells us that the reason why he is so interested in helping Sumeru is because he doesn’t want his daily life to change. After that Kaveh starts being mentioned very frequently by him or we hear other people in the akademiya complain about how they daily argue.

Then, of course, we meet them both arguing with each other in the House of Daena, which was quite the argument. We also know many of their casual interactions and how they go to the café/bar frequently together. Furthermore, Alhaitham pays all of Kaveh’s bills (something no one would do for someone they don't care for).

And now, during Alhaitham’s quest, their tones were so soft (At least in JP and CN) and also domestic. Kaveh seems to worry a lot about Alhaitham and exchanges glances with him, which made me melt inside. I also love how Alhaitham is constantly smiling while bickering with kaveh. Remember, we dont see him smiling like this that often. Which means he really enjoys it. I really liked how after the second time Kaveh asked him if he is okay, he replied with a tease about the painting Kaveh had mentioned before. Also smiling.

But most importantly, something I see no one talking about: the moment when Alhaitham was explaining why he resigned from being the Grand Sage to being the scribe again and he tells us that “It’s important to keep your priorities straight”, the camera points at Kaveh.

I know this game will probably never have any canon ship because they need to make everyone happy, but we do get hints like this from time to time and I think this was one of them.

After all, why would they bother to add all of those scenes with Kaveh when the quests had already concluded, if not for showing us how is what is Alhaitham’s daily life he wants to protect that much? We saw how happy he is, how eager he was to get home and go have dinner with Kaveh. We also see how Kaveh had been waiting for him as well.

I’d like to know more about their relationship, even if it ends up not being romantic (though how do you explain that face Kaveh made when paimon asked if they are friends).

#genshin impact #haikaveh #kavetham #but anyways yes I write this and yes its 11pm and yes im obsessing over them #im so happy ngl Its like a fever dream #its so happy to know all of what I predicted from the message boards being true #I hope we see more of them #and yeah really sorry this is really long #i never do meta posts and probably there are some mistakes there im no expert i just ship two very gay men #anto’s rambling #i have to scream everything here because Im probably driving crazy everyone around me with these two #imagine me writing all of this to them #I needed to let this all out because omfg #LIKE LISTEN THIS IS WHERE WE SEE HOW NORMAL PERSON ALHAITHAM AND KAVEH REALLY ARE #LIKE just see how worried kaveh is over a messed up investigation from somebody at the akademiya who has already been arrested #no wonders Alhaitham avoided telling Kaveh the details from the archon quest and no wonder Kaveh didnt believe the little he knew #because they are just normal persons trying to get on with their lives #i understand alhaitham so much I would also want to keep that life

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isagid · 1 year

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𝐃𝐎𝐆. | SUGURU GETO.

Suguru “Too big to talk shit” Geto. SFW.

You aren’t one to get shit-faced. Sure, you get tipsy, and sure, sometimes you trip over your feet and slur on your words at a party, but you don’t blackout. But here you are, drunk out of your mind, dizzy and legless as you lean against Suguru.

“And then— oh my god, Ru, you wouldn’t believe this shit.” You turn in your ‘seat’, hand slapping against his face lightly as it moves to circle around his neck. Your body is contorted, eyes murky as they catch the sneer he dawns at the previous encounter you’d made with his face, or maybe at the horrific nickname you never would’ve called him if you were sober.

“What shit wouldn’t I believe?” He’s unenthusiastic, ample fingers tracing butterflies onto the small of your back— a habit he’d told you about months before when he loudly informed you that butterflies are easier to draw than any other insect. His voice is bland, heated with the liquor on his breath, but you know with the way his toe taps against the ground he’s interested.

“She fucked him two doors fuckin’ down!” And there it is. There it is. His eye crinkles up, his brows furrow, his lip quirks, he exhales. It’s all subtle, none of it is emphasized or dramatic, but you like to think you’ve mastered the art of observing Suguru, even drunk and hazy and slung all over him.

“Hm,” That’s all he gives you. It’s not much, because Suguru swears and survives that he’s above gossip. It’s not much, but it’s everything you need to push forward, into his lap and with the story.

“Then, come next day, that one bitch from work, yknow the red head— or, god, fuck does she call it? Strawberry blonde? Whatever, anyway, so she sees her buying plan b and a goddamn zena. What a whore!” He stirs under you and you’re sure you’ve got him. You know he eats this shit up, you know with a best friend like Satoru Gojo there’s no way he isn’t judgmental and critical and prey to shit talking.

“Didn’t she post all that shit about her and her boyfriend going to Sakura-Zaka that day?” You know you’ve got him.

“That’s what i’m saying!” Your hand hits at his shoulder, big and broad, and your body stumbles into him a little bit.

“Plus, isn’t he dating her uncles daughter?”

“Ohhh my god, Sugu!” Another awful nickname to add to the list. “You do listen!”

“What a dog.” You giggle— a crass little noise— and you’re sure only Suguru Geto makes you like this. You’re sure you’d only feel so comfortable drunk to the point of discomfort, all squirmy in his lap, laughing and mean and adoring of him.

“Never say that again, are you fifty?” He grumbles, so low you can feel it in your spine, and you shiver against his skin.

There’s a lot to Geto that you can feel in your bones. You think, maybe, he was meant to be there— locked in somewhere between your femur and your pelvis, or stuck in your ribs. And right now, drunk and bubbly, you’re sure you can feel him inside all of your organs and blood vessels and veins. Right now, you are sure Suguru is part of you.

“I’m glad you’re not a dog, Suguru.” He squints at you, wide face all beautiful and a little sweaty. And then he smiles— just a hint of one, smug above his jaw— and lifts one of his big, big hands up to the back of your head.

“Yeah, who would you be able to bitch to about that?” But he knows what you meant, and you may be fucked up but you think he means it back. You think if he were someone else (maybe Gojo), he’d tell you he was glad you weren’t a slut. You think if he were someone else, he’d tell you he wants to kiss you.

But he’s Suguru, so he doesn’t do the first thing and he doesn’t do the second. Still, he holds you in a way that makes you feel so small and so warm you can’t breathe.

It’s quiet, peaceful and whole. It feels like home. After a beat, Suguru lifts his other hand to your cheek, gives it a swipe he hopes you’ll forget in the morning, and finally gives you a world shattering grin. You think now that that was his declaration of love.

“So what’s gonna happen if that hyena finds out?” So, filled with so much love you don’t know how to handle it, you start up again.

#suguru x reader #suguru geto x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #suguru drabble #suguru fluff #getou suguru x you #getou x reader #suguru getou x reader #geto fluff #geto x reader #jjk drabbles #jjk fluff #gojo x reader #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen x you #getou suguru x y/n #geto x y/n #suguru x y/n

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boyfhee · 1 year

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⌕ TAKE TWO ━━ 18 : media left and right

PRECIS. while riki constantly assured you that him being an idol under a different label wouldn't be an issue in your relationship, you start getting second thoughts when fans start shipping him with his co-mc at music bank.

w : angst ( 1.3k ) screenshots at the end

note : i lied. we still have ynki downfall before miya downfall arc

you and jungwon are sitting a table apart, being as subtle as possible under your respective masks and caps— a scarf that rests around his neck. it wouldn’t have been necessary but jungwon caught a cold, a nasty cold, all thanks to ice creams and soft drinks that he had with sunghoon and jay from a night ago. you could’ve grabbed the same table as him, but he’s a hotshot idol, you’re in the middle of trying to avoid making it to the headlines for the time being, and this is korea; one could never be careful enough.

jungwon places an order, asking you if you’d like to have shortcakes too in the process, while you await a phone call from sunghoon and slash or, jay. you could tell yourself to calm down a hundred times but you can’t ignore the sound of your heart beating through your ears, as if it has come all the way up to your head. every beat spells of riki, you every thought revolve around him, a corner of your mind exhibits an image of miya, fingertips tapping on the wooden table. you’re overthinking, and jungwon shifts to your table, his hand on yours, a warmth of comfort shared through his gloves.

a soft gasp falls off your lips. “jungwon, you—”

“it’s fine,” his hand offered a light squeeze to yours. “we’ll be fine,” it’s more of an order than an affirmation, as if he’s challenging destiny with all he has got on his hands. jungwon doesn’t know why he’s saying things that work around probabilities and luck, and before you ask why, luckily, his phone rings at the right time.

he puts the call on speaker.

“jungwon,” the voice resembles jay, calm and composed, ever so comforting. it would sound poetic but jungwon could recognise that voice even in his dreams, even when he was hanging between life and death. “he’s not here,”

riki is not at the restaurant. you release a breath that you’ve been holding since the morning arrived. riki isn’t at the bakery either, you think you’ll be fine.

“this place is packed with reporters, left, right, everywhere,” sunghoon speaks up, which almost sounds like a whisper, as if he’s trying to spill a little secret. “i think there’s a gathering somewhere in here but i’m not too sure,”

“okay,” and you go silent again, just like the call on the other end. you don’t know what else to say, the four of you have discussed everything already. the plans on the run, your eyes are fixed to the door, you’re hoping for a text from riki— anything, a question, greeting, anything would suffice as long as he reaches you out.

“you look pale,” a faint chuckle follows his words, it’s an attempt to cheer you up. jungwon speaks of wisdom and bravery but his eyes tell tales of fear. they resemble a place that has been devoid of trust, a hint of insecurity that storms up like seas. sometimes, he wishes he could travel back in time, all the way back to when he befriended you, or the day he informed riki about the offer of being an mc. perhaps, the day he was falling for you.

jungwon wishes he could reverse it all.

“i’m scared,” you finally confess. “i don’t think i’m ready to accept that he’s cheating on me.”

“we don’t know if he’s cheating on you or not,” even though everything points in that direction, he wants to add but he holds himself back. the truth is, jungwon could easily be another miya for you and riki if he tried hard enough. he has known you for longers, had been there on days on called him over a fight with your boyfriend, was present on evenings riki needed him. he knows of everything your relationship is based upon and every pillar that could destroy it if once broken down. he’s aware of every single thing that could shatter your relationship to pieces, and he could’ve played the same games as miya to be able to call you his’.

saying he doesn’t understand the reasons behind miya’s actions would be a lie, reasoning them would be plain idiocy. maybe, this is where he draws a line between his feelings for you and the feelings that miya has for riki.

“and god forbid, what if he is?” your words are laced with annoyance and sorrow, a part of it resonated with regret. maybe, you should’ve been there for him more. perhaps, instead of trying to make friends with other idols, you should’ve stood next to riki backstage. if only you didn’t turn down his constant requests for a date or movie nights, things would’ve been different. while a part of you knows that this is the career you’ve been aiming for almost all your life, you could only imagine how things would’ve been the other way ‘round. “how would you feel about it?”

jungwon takes a minute, perhaps two. on other days, he would’ve said he would hit riki with the nearest object, or something. but now, when he’s actually here sitting so close to the truth, facing reality, jungwon doesn’t know how he would feel. anger, disgust, shame, he couldn’t express those emotions for the sake of the group, as for ignorance, jungwon has never been the person who doesn’t care.

“i don’t know,” so, he responds truthfully. “i don’t know if i could look at him the same way,”

“but we don’t know if he’s actually cheating on me,” and you’re back to the same old words of affirmations. you’ve said it so many times, it doesn’t even sound like a sentence anymore. “we don’t know,”

and just like that, an hour passes by.

another sixty minutes of hoping and praying, of texting with sunghoon and jay while sharing updates about nothing. every passing second soothes your heart but also scares you more than ever. it could be that riki and miya are on a date somewhere else, somewhere that’s not the bakery or the restaurant. the possibilities are many, and your heart could only handle so much pain.

“i think she was trying to pull a prank,” sunghoon sighs amidst the call. “i mean, c’mon, she had the perfect chance to end everything for you and riki but she didn’t take it. the date was probably a lie,”

they say, the sound level of human breath is ten decibels, and a soft whisper is thirty. is one were to laugh even with all their modesty, you think it’d be a little around forty. yet still, you don’t think it’’ll be loud enough to travel all the way down to the floor below, coherent enough for someone to identify who it belongs to.

unfortunately, you’ve always been an exception to general norms of nature.

“yn, are you there?” jay asks, but you hang up, making your way to the stairs right behind your table. jungwon grabs your hand, a gaze full of questions. you pay no attention, slowly making your way up as your heart beats faster than you think was possible. fingers crossed, you walk up, the sound getting clearer while your vision gets blurry.

a last step, you’re holding your breath. you wish this wasn’t true, but riki was sitting with miya at a table, and you feel like a part of you just died. there’s a smile on her face, jungwon attempts to walk to his groupmate before you stop him in the way.

“let’s leave,” you’re walking away hoping he would chase, riki calls her name, a single tear rolls down your cheek.

PREV | NEXT | MASTERLIST

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thyme-in-a-bubble · 1 year

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please feel free to ignore this if it’s not something you want to add to your au, but i’ve started reading the angel and devil on your shoulders au and i’m invested!

so my request/question/ask is: how would it go or how do you imagine it’d be of angel!steve and devil!eddie were with a completely touch starved girl? like someone that’s never been kissed or touched or had a relationship, and once she starts seeing them the three of them just get so overwhelmingly close that she’s so. damn. sure there’s be no one else she’d want to touch her. do you think this poly!steddie au would turn romantic at my point? would she have her first cuddles, first kiss, first time with her boys? would they possessive of her? how would their relationship evolve? how would she feel at the thought of not being able to have them in all the ways that are ‘normal’ bc no one else can see them or would there be a way around that?

once again, you’ve blown me away with your brilliant ideas. i’m absolutely loving this AU. fyi the reason i thought of this ask is bc whenever i get obsessed with a fic/au i try to imagine myself as the reader and i’ve never had romantic/sexual relationships so 😴

oh, that's the cutest 🥺 you are just the cutest as always 🥺

I think they would be so sweet and gentle because, I mean, they know you better than anyone.

I think the first cuddle has got to happen after the first nightmare you get after they appear. they move closer to see if you're okay, but you just instinctually wrap your arms around them both and hug them so so tight. and you don't wanna let go, even when you get tired again, so it just naturally morphs into a cuddlefest.

the first kiss? I think it's from Eddie when you two are having an argument. you're yelling at him, he's yelling at you and then he suddenly just grabs your face out of frustration and kisses you. you are just like 😳 so fucking stunned that you forget what the stupid argument was even about, but it was also so unexpected and happened so fast that you're just like did it even really happen? tbh Steve probably tears him a new one after that move... makes him apologise to you like he's a fucking child.

and the sex? oh, the sex... when you first tell them that you want them like that (or stop dropping hints that are way too subtle for even them to notice and actually open your mouth) they are so slow and so gradual that they probably make you super impatient and all pouty, but they don't budge because rather that than the opposite. you deserve the best, you deserve it to be one step at a time, one tiny baby step at a time and before you know it, they've gotten you used to being stuffed to the brim, squeezed in between their bodies and taking more than you ever thought possible.

| devil & angel AU masterlist |

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prythianpages · 8 months

Text

ACOSM | The Night they joined the Bloodrite

azriel x rhysand's sister (oc)

warnings: angst, mentions of abuse and violence

summary: Valeria bids farewell to Rhys, Cass and Az as they are to particpate in the bloodrite, hoping they all return to her.

A/N: this is an imagine among my collection of imagines that follow Rhysand's sister, Valeria. while I'm still working on them, you can find the masterlist for it here. I couldn't help myself and post this imagine today. As promised, things are about to get angsty and sad. There will also be more explanations to what unfolds here in the upcoming imagines.

The day had arrived when the men in her life, her closest and dearest, prepared for their participation in the upcoming Bloodrite. A formidable Illyrian tradition that tested their strength and valor. It was such a pivotal time for Illyrian males of age, so much that the High Lord of the Night Court graced Windhaven with his regal presence to bid his son and heir luck and farewell.

However, for Valeria, the sight struck a chord of envy. Her father made sure to show up and extend his support to Rhysand but he had failed to do the same for her birthday dinner just last week. It was a painful contrast that lingered in her heart.

Lady Yvaine, standing by Valeria’s side, sensed her daughter’s emotions and offered a comforting squeeze before letting it go. The three of them had stopped by Windhaven’s tents in the training grounds of the camp, where all Illyrian males participating in the bloodrite would spend the night before being winnowed to the guarded Ramiel, Windhaven’s sacred mountain.

The morning sun cast a golden hue over the training grounds as Valeria stood among her brother and his closest friends—Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel. The air was tense with a mix of excitement, anticipation, and underlying worry. She stared at all three of them. Sensing her distress, Noctis, perched on her shoulder as always, tenderly nuzzled his small head against her neck in a sweet caress.

“Please come back to me.” Valeria said, her voice carrying an almost desperate plea. “All three of you.”

Cassian grinned, his usual bravado shining through. "You know us, Val. We'll make sure to come back in one piece and be victorious."

Cassian had come prepared to say his farewells to Valeria. Since he knew his charming grin and words would not be enough to ease her anxiety, he pulled something out of his small satchel. Valeria’s eyes landed on the book–a gift for her. “I meant to give this to you for your birthday but knowing you, you would’ve finished it by now.”

Valeria stared down at the book in her hands. The title hinted at a romance novel but a subtle gesture from him hinted that there was more beneath the cover. She discreetly peeled the cover off to reveal a book on Illyrian training and fighting. Her heart swelled at his gesture. Cassian had always been encouraging to her passion for training and fighting.

A note on the first page bore a handwritten message: For my little warrior, may the wind always guide your wings.

Valeria chuckled as her gaze fell to the bottom of the page where another message was written: P.S. please don’t cause any chaos while we’re gone. You know I have a great fear of missing out on the fun.

“Think of this as your homework while I’m gone. I want you to read it”--Sensing the determination in Valeria, he decided to add–”at a steady pace and when I return, I want you to show me what you have learned.”

Valeria nodded appreciatively. “I’ll do just that. Thank you, Cas.”

She proceeded to envelop Cassian in a warm, tight hug. He chuckled lightly as Noctis emitted a small squawk, momentarily caught off guard by the strong embrace, before adjusting himself.

“I didn’t know you enjoyed romance novels so much.” Rhysand quipped, noticing the faint smile on Valeria’s face.

“Only the ones Tanwyn recommends.” Valeria quickly hid the truth of the book's content from her brother, who wouldn't have approved of such reading material, especially not when their father was around. “Thank you, Cassian.”

Valeria tried her best to hide her worry as she looked at her brother. She knew he was capable–they all were. Yet she was unable to shake off the fear that gnawed at her heart. So many what ifs plagued her thoughts. Sensing her worry and anxiety, Rhysand stepped forward as Cassian excused himself to say his farewells with their mother, who was currently hugging Azriel.

Rhysand, though masked with confidence, showed a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. "We'll be back before you know it." He assured her. He pulled her into a tight hug, being careful as to not hurt the bird that was perched on top of her shoulders as Cassian did moments ago. That damn bird, he couldn’t help but think, a mix of annoyance and strange fondness swirling within him.

“I love you, Val.”

“I love you too, Rhys.” Valeria replied, squeezing her brother’s hands. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, as if engraving the image of her older brother into her mind. Stop, she told herself. Your brother will come back. They all will.

I promise, Rhysand whispered into her mind. She had been so consumed in her thoughts that her mental shields wavered, allowing him to enter with ease. He then projected an image of his arm, that was currently concealed by his leathers. Intricate black swirls etched themselves into the form of a mountain with three stars above its peak. Valeria felt a tingling sensation on her own arm, mirroring the pattern of black ink Rhysand showed her. A bargain tattoo. A mountain with three stars–Ramiel–a promise of his definite return, bringing a small sense of ease to her.

Rhysand gently withdrew, shifting his attention to Noctis. “Keep her safe for me, Noctis.”

Noctis responded with a strong chirp, bowing his head and extending his wings in promise. Rhysand felt a sense of gratitude toward the bird, appreciating their shared love and protectiveness over Valeria. Pressing a brief kiss to his sister’s forehead and a loving pet to Noctis’s head, Rhysand went to join Cassian and say his farewells to their parents.

Azriel seized the moment to bid his farewell to Valeria. Noctis let out a chirp as he spread his wings and flew to Azriel, finding temporary shelter on the Shadowsinger’s shoulders. Azriel’s shadows greeted the bird as a dear friend, embracing Noctis with their gentle tendrils of darkness.

“I don’t know who will miss you more. Me or Noctis.” Valeria mused with a soft smile on her lips.

Azriel chuckled as he stepped forward, bridging the space between them. There was so much he wanted to say to Valeria, but he knew he had to be careful with his words.

His shadows, now displaying a playful dance of joy over his shoulders, redirected their attention from Noctis to Valeria. They caressed her cheek tenderly and then her neck. Azriel’s eyes followed their every movement, pausing at the necklace she wore. It was the necklace Azriel gifted her on her birthday–an elegant silver piece radiating enchantment with its mesmerizing moonstone, which was delicately cradled within a silver frame shaped like a crescent moon.

Valeria’s heart quickened its pace as Azriel, with a tenderness that spoke volumes, brushed against the moonstone wrapped around her neck. A faint smile graced his lips, a rush of warmth filling him, at the sight of her wearing his gift. The moonstone with its ethereal, milky hue, captured and reflected the light in a way that reminded him of her own unique powers. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw a delicate coil–a fine thread of gold and silver–radiate from the necklace. It vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, disappearing within the blink of an eye.

"I'll wear it every day, waiting for your return," Valeria assured him.

"Only until I return?" Azriel teased, a playful glint in his eyes.

"You know what I mean," Valeria replied, her cheeks flushing with warmth.

"Hmm," Azriel hummed, his touch lingering as he softly grazed from her neck to her cheek, mirroring the caress of his shadows. His breath caught as her free hand sought his free hand, her thumb gently tracing soothing circles on the back of his scarred hand.

“I’ll be waiting for you, Az.” Valeria said softly, her violet eyes looking up at him with a depth he had never seen before. He had never been this close to her. He could appreciate the details in her violet irises he hadn’t noticed before. They were a delicate kaleidoscope of purple and blue hues, swirling like a myriad of galaxies within a vast universe. A universe he desperately yearned to explore and unravel.

A surge of emotion washed over Azriel, a longing to express what had been growing inside him for so long. He wanted to kiss her, to show how much she meant to him. Despite his confidence in his abilities as an Illyrian warrior, a small fear lingered…that this could be his one and only chance to kiss her, to taste her.

He leaned in, his breath fanning her face.

But he hesitated at the very last moment and pulled away, his fingers brushing over her lips instead. An unspoken promise. An assurance that he would kiss her. But at a different time. Perhaps, upon his triumphant return from the bloodrite.

“And I'll be sure to return to you, Val.” He finally managed to say, gently removing his hand from her face.

The weight of the unspoken hung in the air and all of his shadows returned to him, displaying disappointment and seeming to chastise him for his shyness. Even Noctis seemed to shoot him a look as he returned to Valeria’s shoulder.

Valeria, too, felt a flicker of disappointment as she reluctantly increased the distance between them, her grip loosening on his hand.

Caught up in the moment, she turned her gaze with worry and anxiety, wondering if anyone had seen them. However, a sense of relief washed over her as she realized Cassian and Rhysand were still engrossed in conversation with her parents, oblivious to what had just happened between Azriel and herself. She didn’t even know what to call it herself, but surely, he was about to kiss her right? She quickly strengthened her mental shields at the thought.

The two walked over to the group to say their final goodbyes. Lady Yvaine pulled Valeria into her side, wrapping an arm around her daughter’s shoulder. Unknowing to Valeria or Azriel, her mother had noticed their close embrace and provided a distraction for them to have their moment.

With a heavy heart, Valeria watched as the three men she treasured the most departed. She stood there, the weight of their absence already felt in her heart and the unknown outcomes weighing heavily on her mind. The shadows of worry danced on her face, a silent prayer for their safe return whispered in the winds.

The crisp air kissed Valeria's cheeks as she glided gracefully across the frozen lake, her skates leaving delicate imprints on the ice. Mallory, her friend, was her companion on this chilly afternoon. Noctis watched with interest from on top of a tree branch as the girls danced around one another. It wouldn’t be long before their cherished frozen lake would thin and eventually melt as spring was already fastly approaching.

Despite the sun shining down on them, Valeria felt a sudden shiver racing down her spine. Windhaven’s wings were always chilling and unforgiving when present. Mallory, noticing her friend's discomfort, swiftly unwound the large gray shawl from her shoulders and offered it to Valeria.

"Here, take this. It'll keep you warm," Mallory insisted, a warm and caring smile gracing her lips.

Valeria protested, not wanting to trouble her friend, but Mallory persisted. "It makes your eyes pop out even more," she chuckled, draping the shawl around her friend’s shoulder, using any excuse to keep Valeria from protesting further.

The soft fabric felt comforting against Valeria’s skin.

“They’ll be fine, Val.” Mallory said, sensing that there was still an unease in Valeria. She was well aware that tonight was the eve before the cruel initiation of the annual bloodrite. “They’ll be back before you know it.”

Valeria smiled at her friend, grateful for the reassurance but her smile faltered as her gaze fell upon Mallory's bare neck. Bruises littered her neck.

“Mal–” She began.

Mallory’s eyes widened in realization, suddenly feeling small under her friend's worried gaze. “It’s nothing–”

“Nothing?” Valeria replied, incredulously. This wasn’t the first time she had witnessed bruises and injuries on her dear friend. It brought her immense sadness to see her friend suffer at the hands of her abusive father. She had offered for Mallory to stay and live at her house but every time, Mallory refused, knowing the depths her father would go to get her back.

“Shit,” Mallory let out a frustrated curse as she spared a glance to her watch. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I promised I’d be home well before sundown.”

“Do you want me to walk you?” Valeria said, concerned laced in her tone.

“No.” Mallory shook her head, a hint of worry in her brown eyes. “It’ll only make things worse.”

“I’ll see you in two days?” Valeria suggested. “I can bring the jewelry box you left at my house from my birthday then.”

“Yeah,” Mallory replied with a grateful smile. “I’ll see you in two days.”

They exchanged a hug. Valeria was unable to shake off her concern for her friend, her mind already racing with new ideas on how she could help Mallory in her situation. She was lost in thought, preoccupied with finding solutions, that she didn’t notice the discreet note Mallory slipped into the gray shawl she wore.

Two days later, Valeria found herself at the cherished frozen lake. The snow was melting under the sun’s warmth. She knelt down beside the lake and applied pressure to the thinning ice. A sharp cracking sound filled the air and before she could react, the ice gave way beneath her hand. She let out a startled yelp as her hand plunged into the cold embrace of the lake. In her moment of panic, Noctis sprang into action, flying from her shoulder and desperately pecking at the back of her coat in a frantic attempt to pull her away from the cold water.

Frowning, she felt the weight of disappointment settle in her heart as she stared at the now broken patch of the once-frozen lake. The lake was not safe to skate in anymore. She cradled her trembling hand to her chest, the chill in the air mirroring the heaviness she felt within.

The minutes ticked by, and Valeria chose to wait for Mallory, contemplating how her friend would take the news about the lake. .

But Mallory never came.

The next morning Valeria set out to find Mallory. She was worried about her friend. The last time Mallory had failed to meet her at the lake was when she fell sick with the flu and Valeria couldn’t shake off the foreboding feeling that something might be terribly wrong, especially after seeing those bruises. It had been awhile since she last saw her friend hurt by the hands of her father and she wondered if Mallory had just gotten better hiding her injuries.

Her destination was the quaint little shop where Mallory's family worked. However, what she encountered there shattered any chance of morning calm and relief.

A wicked grin adorned a man's face. He stood behind the counter, where Mallory usually did, his eyes cruel and devoid of light. It was Mallory's father.

“Hello,” Valeria greeted warily, trying to peek out from behind his shoulders. She hoped to see the silhouette of her friend from behind the beaded curtains. Noctis did the same. “Is Mal here?”

“No,” came the curt reply.

Unease settled within Valeria as she pressed on, trying to remain polite. “Could you please let her know I came looking for her?”

“Don’t bother.” He sneered.

Valeria furrowed her brows together, causing Mallory’s father to laugh. It cut through the air, a cruel sound that sent shivers down her spine.

“Sweet ol’ Mal decided to partake in this year’s Bloodrite.”

Valeria felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart sinking like an anchor. A mixture of worry, confusion, and disbelief swirled within her. The revelation hit her like a sudden gust of icy wind, leaving her breathless and reeling.

She could feel it–the all too familiar overwhelming prickling sensation that ignited in her bones. Her powers. They surged through her, awakened by the storm of emotions raging within. The necklace adorning her neck began to shimmer, recognizing and resonating with her abilities. She contemplated finally putting her powers to use, yearning to harness them as they wished.

The bright tendrils of pure moonlight dared to escape from within her grasp, shimmering as the moonstone on her necklace did, with a potent energy and promise to consume and destroy everything in its path. But the consequences of losing control in Windhaven were far too great. She had to leave. Now.

Her hands curled into fists at her sides, the silver glow barely contained within them. She turned away from Mallory’s father and ran. Noctis followed, fluttering over her head and managing to keep up with her despite his undersized wing, mirroring her urgency. She ran and ran until the taunting echoes of Mallory’s father’s laughter faded into the distance, until she could no longer hear the cruel words that echoed in her mind. But new words came forward, replacing Mallory's father's. They were the words Rhysand had said to her when she had asked about females participating in the bloodrite:

“It’s a cruel way for fathers to punish their daughters, an excuse to slaughter them without getting their hands dirty themselves.”

There were no words to convey the tempest of emotions that continued to rage within her. She fell to her knees, a couple of feet away from the steps to her house. The tears wouldn’t come, leaving her feeling cold and numb, much like she had when her hand broke through the frozen lake’s surface.

A/N: I really liked the idea of Rhysand's mother catching on to the growing bond between Val and Az. Also, there will be more revealed about Mallory in the next imagine.

Tag list: @justrepostandlove @kemillyfreitas @thelov3lybookworm

#azriel x oc #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #azriel x rhysand's sister #azriel x reader #acotar imagine #rhysand's sister #azriel imagine #acosm

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theconstantsidekick · 21 days

Text

Captain America: Civil War ft. Static (9) | s.r

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader, Tony Stark x Stark!Reader (siblings)

Genre: Angst city babyyyy

Summary: Zemo has a revelation in store for the Stark siblings, and suffice it to say neither of them takes very kindly to being betrayed by someone they had once trusted with their life.

(These scenes incorporate y/n, codename—Static, into the pre-existing story as a character without making drastic changes to the plot or mythos. All the major plot points from the MCU remain in place with the addition of the reader as Static, who is not only a Stark but also enhanced. Whatever events from the canon aren’t mentioned, take place without much change.)

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Past Trauma, Canon Typical Violence, Accident?

a/n: My writing speed is that of a fucking turtle.

“Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise, I gotta arrest myself,” she hears Tony’s voice ring out somewhere ahead.

“Well, that sounds like a lot of paperwork,” she can hear Steve’s desperation for truce in his response.

Y/n can glitch in right now. She’s at the end of the corridor, a couple of steps and she’ll be with them. But not yet. She’s desperate for there to be a solid sign of the truce. She isn’t sure she can watch her brother and the man she loves with her body and soul fight any more. It’s been tearing her apart.

The truce—even a temporary one—is all she can hope for. And apparently good things come to those who wait.

“It's good to see you, Tony.” Steve adds finally.

“You too, Cap.” Tony responds. A smile breaks out on her face. “Hey, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me. There's a truce here. You can drop the…” she hears Tony say and she knows that is the right moment.

Sergeant Barnes lowers his weapon and the moment he does, she miscalculates by an inch and glitches in just behind him.

“Am I interrupting something?”

The progression of Sergeant Barnes’ gun changes instantly. It’s aimed at her within the second. The response time on the man is beyond absurd. She’d go as far as to say it’s impressive if she weren’t, you know? Whatever, you get it.

Her hands fly up. “Easy there, Sergeant!”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Tony asks from where he’s standing down the stairs, in front of Steve.

Slowly, with her hands still up, she descends down the stairs to stand between the two most important men in her life. “What the fuck does that even mean? You thought I was going to leave you two alone after the shit you’ve been pulling in the last 72 hours?”

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Steve adds, with a hint of hope in his words. If she were looking his way, she’s sure she could spot the curve of his lips forming the most subtle smile. She absolutely loves seeing that smile… but she doesn’t really wanna look his way, in the general direction of the man right behind Steve.

“I wish I hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have a gun pointed at me,” she retorts, eyes straight ahead, staring at the slimy gray walls of the HYDRA facility.

“Are you—” Tony takes a step closer to her, “Are you trying not to make eye-contact with Barnes?”

Her hands are still up as she’s facing Tony, “Yeah, no. I’m trying not to even look in his general direction. I’m still pretty scared of him.” She turns to the Sergeant but her eyes are locked on a spot on the floor that seems particularly interesting right now. “I’m extremely sorry, Sergeant Barnes, I mean no offense by this,” she looks to Steve, “but can you please make him put the gun down, it’s really not helping.”

“Bucky,” is all Steve has to say and instantly the gun’s down. It’s like whatever trance the Sergeant was in has broken. .

“I really am sorry,” she tries to tell him, looking vaguely in his direction. “It’s purely instinctual. It’ll fade… eventually. But for now…”

“I—” Sergeant Barnes tries but she cuts him off.

“We’ll talk about this, but not here and definitely not now.” Sergeant Barnes just nods slowly. Satisfied, she looks back at her brother and her boyfriend, “Let’s focus on stopping Zemo for now, rest we can figure out when time comes.”

With that sorted, all four of them begin making their way slowly down the corridor.

“I got heat signatures,” Tony comments.

“How many?” Steve asks.

“Uh, one,” Tony offers after a moment of consideration.

That makes Y/n halt her steps. Something’s off. She can feel something off. There’s a presence she can’t put her finger on. Not Zemo. Something else.

“What’s wrong?” Sergeant Barnes asks her.

She thinks it over for a second and then, “Nothing.”

As they walk into the vast chamber the lights come on. There are capsules in front of them, attached to the wall each one containing an enhanced soldier from the 1991 experiments. Hazy, yellow mist descends within the capsules. However, the bullet holes on the glass enclosures is what scares the shit out of her.

“They’re… They’re dead,” Y/n notes.

There’s a short crackle and a voice sounds out from the speakers. “If it’s any comfort, they died in their sleep.” It’s Zemo. Her eyes fly from Tony to Steve who seem to be having the same realization. “Did you really think I wanted more of you?”

“What the hell?” Sergeant Barnes questions under her breath.

“I’m grateful to them, though. They brought you here.” Zemo appears in a control room.

Before Y/n can warn him against it, Steve hurls his shield at him but it ricochets easily against the chamber and comes flying back to Steve.

“Please, Captain,” Zemo’s voice is laced with a smirk. “The Soviets built this chamber to withstand the launch blast of UR-100 rockets.”

“I’m betting I could beat that,” Tony retorts, walking closer.

“Oh, I’m sure you could Mr. Stark… Given time,” Zemo taunts. “But then you’d never know why you came.”

“You killed innocent people in Vienna just to bring us here?” Steve questions Zemo from across the glass window of the chamber.

Zemo, fucking, smirks.

It should terrify her, and to some extent it does. But there’s something in his eyes, something so familiar to her that she can’t believe she’s seeing it reflected back. She’s seen that look in her own eyes in the mirror for decades.

It’s fire. It’s fire and it’s rage and it’s as personal as it can get.

“I thought about nothing else for over a year. I studied you. I followed you. But now that you’re standing here, I just realized… there’s a bit of green in the blue of your eyes,” Zemo notes, and fuck if that doesn’t creep the shit out of her. “How nice to find a flaw.”

“You’re Sokovian,” Steve notes. “Is that what this is about?”

“Sokovia was a failed state long before you blew it to hell. No.” Zemo dismisses the assessment so easily, so carelessly, it’s making all the damn alarm bells go off in her system. “I'm here because I made a promise.”

Steve studies Zemo for a second and then,, “You lost someone?”

His eyes darken.

Y/n knows that feeling, this feeling. She knows it through and through.

Zemo clicks his tongue, then, “I lose everyone. And so will you.” He presses something on the console to his right. Instantly the computer on Steve’s right lights up. Something flashes on screen, Y/n can’t help herself, getting more curious by every passing word of the conversation, she walks over to Steve, to the computer.

16 Декабрь 1991

She… she’s not sure how to…

What’s happening?

This isn’t—this isn’t…

“An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That’s dead…” Zemo’s words are dangerous.

“Anthony,” is all that Y/n can choke out. It’s probably her tone, and the use of his full name that brings Tony rushing over to her side.

She reaches for his hand. Instinctually, Tony disassembles his armor from his hand so he can hold hers.

When Tony looks at the freeze frame of a secluded road and the date on the tape, December 16 1991, his eyes rove with anxiety. “I know that road. What is this?”

As the tape begins to play, the horror unfolds in front of her eyes. She watches unable to breathe with an iron grip on the Iron Man.

She watches the car crash, she watches Howard Stark plead only to be shocked at the face of his assailant. She watches as her bloodied-up best friend, the person who saved her, the person who gave her a home—the person who gave her a family—is struck in the head with a metal arm. She watches on as Howard’s body slumps, falling to the ground lifelessly. His corpse is then dragged back and placed in the driver’s seat of the car.

Then the assailant moves on to the next target, the collateral damage, Maria. He walks over to the passenger seat of the car where Maria is calling for Howard. She watches Maria plead for help but help doesn’t arrive. Instead, expressionless, the assailant chokes the life out of her. Maria Stark dies. The kindest woman she’s ever known in her life is drained of her life and left like trash at the corner of an unnamed road.

The Winter Soldier then walks up and aims the gun at the surveillance camera and shoots it.

The screen goes black.

Y/n had some semblance of an idea that perhaps yes, Howard and Maria Stark’s death wasn’t an ordinary accident. She’d desperately begged Peggy to look into it, with Thompson and Souza. They had and gave it the all clear.

But in this moment, she thinks—she realizes, perhaps she always knew the truth and was too afraid to look into it. Because if not then, why didn’t she investigate it herself? Back then she’d given herself the excuse that Tony needed her more than the investigation. She’d told herself that she’d be too biased to conduct a sound inquiry. Her feelings would’ve gotten the entire thing too muddled up and messy. She told herself it was the smarter thing to maintain distance.

That was all horseshit.

She was a scared little kid on the streets of Madripoor once again. She’d lost her family and was walking around without a place to call home and the thought of having to fight HYDRA on top of that would’ve been too much. She’d looked the other way, let things slide, let the murder of her only family slide on account of being a fucking pussy.

And now, she has to confront the truth.

“Did you know?” Tony asks Steve somewhere behind her.

She can’t take her eyes off the now black screen.

“I didn’t know it was him,” Steve answers.

“Don’t bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?”

There’s silence for a few seconds, a long, long few seconds, and then, “Yes.”

That—now that makes Y/n turn.

She only catches Steve’s eyes for a second, before Tony’s punching Steve and reengaging the Iron Man helmet.

More things happen, the fight’s broken out, she’s sure more shit goes down but something just pricked her in the back of her neck and she’s feeling a little dizzy. Everything feels… so fucking heavy.

Y/n can still hear the commotion from the fight between the men but it seems distant.

“My apologies, Miss Stark, you imbalance the scales too much,” Zemo’s voice rings out on the speaker. “You’ll be back in the game in just a little while.”

“You ever plan on opening your eyes, sleeping beauty?

“What have you got against my happiness, you cruel, cruel man?”

“I’m not the one who wanted to do this, remember?”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re an ass?” She dragged herself out of the passenger seat of the car. Stretching to unfold her joints, she shoved the man next to her just for the fun of it.

“I’ve got a list of ‘em under my bed, you want to be the latest addition?” He threw back with a smile. Say what you will about the man, but no one can ever deny that Howard Stark had a killed smile.

“Smart ass,” she chided him without much heat.

“Yeah, yeah. Tell me something new,” he retorted, hand waved in dismissal. “You ever gonna tell me why we’re here? As far as I recall, I was promised the best bachelor party known to mankind.”

She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t promise jackshit, dickwad. I told you we were going to Atlantic City, the rest you made up all in your head, all by your lonesome.”

“What’s a man supposed to think when his best friend tells him that the bachelor party road trip is going to be to Atlantic City?” He pulled a box of cigarettes from his pocket. He put the cigarette between his lips and lit it.

They were leaning on their broken down car, parked on the beach—parked, however would be a generous term. They’d pushed it off the highway onto the beach as a makeshift camp site. The sun was setting ahead of them, slowly being swallowed up by the waves. The wind blew in their faces, as the cars passed by behind them. It made the shit-show of a road trip seem almost worth it… if you didn’t include their car breaking down in the middle and having to push it for a couple miles. Yeah, pretty worth it apart from that one slight glitch.

“I’m your best friend?” She asked, absolutely confused.

Howard just looked at her once before breaking out in maniac laughter. “What sorta question is that?”

“A genuine one,” she told him, serious as ever. “Howie, you serious? I’m your best friend?”

“Yeah, Stark! Obviously you’re my best friend, who else?” He replied, still laughing his ass off.

“Any fucking body, man. Even Jarvis seems like a more likely option than… me,” she answered.

“That’s some horse shit, Stark and you know it! We live together, we work together, we shit together, eat together. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone’s face as much as I’ve seen yours in the last couple years. You’ve got my last name, damn it. Who the fuck else would be my best friend?” He was looking at her then, genuinely concerned. He seemed like she was asking him if the moon truly revolved around the Earth.

“I… I thought all that—all that’s shit you have to live through cause Peggy dumped me on you,” she provided meekly.

That apparently irked him some. “You think I do all that shit with you cause of Peggy?” He asked.

She nodded in a simple reply.

That apparently was not the right move.

He threw the cigarette to the ground, quite angry now, “Why the fuck would I? I’m not a saint and you know it. I never have been. You could count all my good deeds on one hand and all of them had a selfish reason behind it.” He began to pace.

“What was the reason behind this one?”

He looked at her, eyes wide in astonished fury. “The reason behind letting you into my life was that you are by far the only person who understands me. You are the only person I have ever met who’s never asked me to mold myself into something I’m not, while simultaneously encouraging me to be better. You’ve been in my corner, without hesitation and you’ve ripped me a new one when I’ve been wrong. You, Stark, are the only person I’ve ever met who is able to make me believe I am a good man, and understand that I can be better!” He seemed like he was about to blow a gasket. “People see me, see an ass and let me be. You are probably the only person who looks at me and sees the complexities, the entire picture of me as a man. No one gets me, Stark, not even me… Not like you do.

“At the end of the day, sharing a beer with you, working on cars with you, bitching about S.H.I.E.L.D. with you, that shit keeps me sane. Part of me’s so fucking glad you quit, cause now you’re not gone for days on end for stupid fucking missions. Cause then I get to sit with you and chat about absolutely nothing.” He was still pacing. “You really thought I did all that out of the goodness of my heart? You think I gave you my name cause Peggy asked me to?”

She nodded again, which again was apparently not the right call.

“FUCK, Stark! If I were such a giver I would’ve joined the fucking Red Cross! I gave you my name cause you are my family, damn it!”

“Oh.”

“Oh?!” He raged, not pacing anymore. Facing her, he asked, “That’s all you got?”

She thought for a second, looked over at the man who was standing in front of her, wearing a t-shirt and jeans like any normal dude. The last time she saw the man without a suit and tie was a long time ago, he looked much less of a dick this way.

“We came here for, i don’t know, for something like a… a last hurrah. I found a place downtown. That and—” she was cut off.

“What?” Howard Stark looked like someone had just punched him in the gut.

“I found a place downtown,” she told him. “Gimme a week or so, I’ll be out before the wedding.”

“What?”

She hesitated, “I’d be out sooner but I don’t really own… furniture?”

“WHAT?”

She didn’t know how to respond to this line of questioning anymore. “What do you mean what?”

“Is this about what happened? If you’re mad at me, which you have every right to be, let’s fight it out. Punch me if you want, Stark. I’ll take it!” He looked so desperate, it threw her for a spin.

“No! No, this isn’t about that,” she told him, because it’s not.

“Then why else would you talk about moving out?” He didn’t let her answer. He took a couple steps towards her. He fumbled with his words, going back and forth before he looked at her and said, “Look, I understand what I did… I wa—I was way out of line. But I am truly sorry, Stark. I promise you, it will never happen again. I… My head wasn’t in the right place. I thought if I found something—no I don’t know. I thought I could help. You were struggling with controlling your powers, so I thought maybe I could find something to help you with it. I thought I’d tell you if I found something, and if I didn’t then… Then no harm done, right?” He seemed beyond desperate.

“It’s not about that, Howie.”

“Come on! I know you’re pissed at me! Just say it!”

She walked past him, with her back to him and her face to the ocean ahead, she replied, “I am not pissed at you, Howie…”

“Don’t bullshit me.”

She exhaled deeply. “I’m hurt, not pissed.”

“Is that why you want to move out?” He asked, his voice small.

She turned to him then, “What? No! You’re my best friend, dickwad. I ain’t ditching you cause you did something profoundly stupid?”

“I’m your best friend?” Howard asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Fuck off, asshat.”

He took a step towards her. “No, seriously. I thought, after what I pulled…”

“You were an ass, yes. It was a breach of trust and like I said, I am… I’m pretty hurt… But that’s got nothing to do with any of this.”

“Then?”

“You’re getting married, man. I can’t keep crashing on your couch once your wife’s around,” she explained. “How is she gonna feel?”

“Elated,” he answered easily. Before she could argue, continued, “I think Maria is more excited about sharing the place with you than me. Something about you being a better cook or whatever.” He leaned on the car again, pulling out a fresh cigarette, he lit it.

“Oh so it’ll be you, your wife and the freeloader on the couch? One big happy family?” She was frankly really confused about the entire arrangement.

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. I’ve never bought groceries a day in my life, and yet the fridge is always stocked. You’re the farthest thing from a freeloader, Stark. And besides, I’m not as big a dumbass as you think I am, you know? I’m not gonna make her move into my room that shares a wall with yours.”

“Then?” She asked, motioning him to pass the cigarette to her. She took a drag.

“I live in a mansion, you idiot. We’ll move into the master-bedroom, like God fucking intended I’ll turn my old room into my lab, which let’s be honest is already my lab, and we’ll be fine and dandy!” He took the offered cigarette from her hand and took a drag himself.

“Oh…”

“You really didn’t think I had a plan?” He asked with the smirk audible in his words.

She shook her head, “I thought moving out would be the kinder, smarter thing to do.”

“How?”

“I’d be done burdening you and it’d be less humiliating than you finding me a place as a way of politely telling me to fuck off,” she offered.

He looked at her again, “If after all these years you don’t already know that place is your home, then I have been doing something seriously wrong.”

Somewhere behind them, up the hill on the road, a car was parked as the two passengers were yelling out their names from inside it. It was Jarvis and Maria, calling out to them. She and Howard had called them asking for help once they knew their car couldn’t be saved even with the joint acumen of both friends.

They both turned at their names being yelled out. Looking back at the site of Maria waving at them, Howard’s head fell. “I really have been doing it wrong, haven’t I?”

She motioned for both of them to park the car and join them on the beach before turning to Howard. “You’ve been doing just fine.”

“I shouldn’t have lied to you about the experiments,” he stood up straighter. “If you want to move out because of all that shit, I understand. I’ll get you a place in New York, not too close but not too far either. And you don’t gotta worry about any furniture or any of that shit. I’ll get it sorted.” He turned over to Jarvis and Maria who were walking down the hill to them. “Hey Jarvis, what was the name of my realtor?” He shouted.

She punched him on the shoulder, hard.

“OWW! What was that for?”

“For betraying my trust and conducting experiments on my blood without my consent,” she told him, his face sobered instantly. So she punched him again.

“FUCK ME! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?”

“Thinking I cared for you so little that betraying me would change the fact that you’re my best friend.”

“What in God’s name are the two of you doing?” Maria asked as she and Jarvis finally came to stand in front of them.

“Oh I was just about to ask Stark if I can punch for thinking you and I were going to kick her out,” Howard told Maria while looking at her with a smirk.

“You’re welcome to try.” She told him.

But Maria intervened, “What kind of nonsense is that? Why the hell would you move out?” Her tone is so stern it throws her off. “You’re family.”

And just like that, it was settled.

Y/n was a Stark.

When she wakes up, all she can hear is Steve’s voice ringing in her ears.

‘Don’t bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?’

‘Yes’

Her eyes couldn’t focus. Try as she might, her head is too heavy for her vision to be anything but blurry. Everything’s too heavy. She tries to stand, but the weight of her bones seem so foreign, she can barely flip herself onto her stomach.

But then, she hears something. The sound of a metal clashing into metal.

And a yelp. Tony’s yelp.

That’s a war cry.

With whatever little strength she can muster up, she pushes herself off the ground. Stumbling across the hall, struggling to make her way through the broken pieces of concrete, she gets to the end of the corridor, to the sight of her brother, on his knees, being tag teamed by Sergeant Barnes and Steve Rogers.

Suffice it, all hell breaks loose.

Her armor is up within the second.

Instantly she glitches in front of Tony, between the two super soldiers. Punching Barnes in the throat, her focus lands on Steve.

“Y/n,” Steve tries, stumbling back.

“Steve,” she speaks evenly, as she takes a step towards him.

“Y/n, he didn’t know,” his words are haphazard, confused. He keeps stepping back, trying to put distance between himself and her.

She’s not going to let him go that easily. “Uh-huh.”

“HYDRA had brainwashed him,” Steve says.

Her fists clench.

“You know what that’s like, don’t you?”

And that—well, he shouldn’t have said that.

The first punch she throws lands straight on his jaw. She even hears it crack.

“Y/n,” he tries again, stumbling back.

“Talking part’s over, Rogers.” The second hit lands directly to his gut. He falls to his knees, she grabs his collar, dragging him upright, she hits him, and then hits him again, and again. As she’s going for another hit, a metal arm wraps around her wrist—halting her in the process.

Turning she faces Barnes. Knees him in the side, waits for him to recoil, for the hurt and lands a gorgeous uppercut. She grabs him by his shirt to keep him from falling. Pulling him back, she knees his other side, elbows him right to the face, once, twice, thrice before he blocks her.

He tries to land a hit to her side but she dodges easily. He’s using his right arm, instead of the metal one. It’s Barnes fighting her right now, not The Winter Soldier. She aims a kick to his temple but is blocked by Steve before she can land it. He pulls her by her leg, ready to throw her to the other side of the room only to get her off Barnes. He thinks she’s targeting him, that Barnes is her focus, the main subject of her anger.

He couldn’t be more wrong.

Mid motion of Steve yanking her off, she glitches out of his hand easily. She glitches in, less than a second later, only a couple steps ahead of him.

He yelps, shaking off his hand. The contact of his hand on her leg sent a bolt of electricity through his hand. She’s brimming with so much power right now, she’s kind of impressed with him still standing. He eyes her. She can see a confusion of determination and.. Fear.

It makes her a little cocky.

With a clenched jaw and a slight tilt of her head, she challenges both men to do their worst.

Steve attacks her from the left side, while Barnes takes her on from the right. It’s hubris at its best. Steve Rogers is holding back because he believes he’s stronger, he believes he might hurt her. Sergeant Barnes is afraid to even have the fight, he’s only fighting to protect his best friend. But otherwise, he’s ridden with guilt—guilt of killing Howard and Maria, guilt of all the people he killed when he was brainwashed by HYDRA, the guilt of torturing her relentlessly under HYDRA’s mind control. Barnes is fighting with his heart, not his head.

Both men have made the crucial and substantial error of pissing her off.

She reads their attacks easily, dodging most and letting Barnes hit Steve by just moving out of the way or using Steve’s momentum to land a punch on Barnes. Their fight pattern is old and boring, just like them. Barnes manages to land a hit to her leg, she gives it back to him two folds by wrapping her thighs around his throat and throwing him through the ground. Steve on the other hand barely manages to land a hit to her gut.

“Ugh!” She yells out, and the man halts instantly.

“Are you okay?” Steve asks, more out of habit than anything else.

Fucking idiot, she thinks, before kicking him straight in the chest. He stumbles back and falls on his ass. Furious at his naivete, he’s back on his feat instantly. With Barnes in toe, they jump back in on her.

But she sees them coming a mile away every single time—that’s the curse of fighting with your heart. It makes you predictable… if you know the person you’re up against.

There’s a hold, Steve’s shield against her punches, while the other hand’s occupied dodging attacks from Barnes. Steve looks at her then, right in the eyes before speaking between her punches, “Never thought you’d use it against me when I taught it to you.”

Belatedly, and only once the words leave Steve’s mouth does she realize that the move was his, he taught it to her on a sweet summery evening. They were covered in sweat and it felt sweeter than sin when one thing led to another and he’d tackled her to the ground for a completely different purpose altogether. She can practically feel her blood run cold.

The irony is, she would look back on this moment later and realise, that right now she’s doing the same fucking thing as the boys—fighting with her heart, with all the fire that’s burning inside of that small fragile little organ that her head doesn’t have a fucking chance against it. And unfortunately she doesn’t realize it until she makes the mistake of ignoring Barnes’ left arm. The metal arm.

Barnes lands blow right to her chest, the force of his super strength along with the metal fucking arm courtesy of HYDRA, sends her flying across the room. Her head hits the wall before she falls to the ground.

Her consciousness comes and goes, but she can swear she can hear Tony cursing at what she presumes are the offending party, Barnes and Rogers. But she can’t be too sure, the world seems to be slipping from her, like sand through her fingers.

“I know you always do, but I’ll say it just for my peace of mind—look out for Tony, will you?” Maria asked with such trepidation that one would think she genuinely was afraid the answer could ever possibly be anything except yes… AS IF.

But Y/n just nodded.

Maria nodded as well and then looking back she placed a kiss on Tony’s cheek.

“We’ll back by Monday morning,” Howard informed her, a little hesitant.

“Enjoy the fucking Bahamas,” Y/n had replied with a substantial amount of bitterness. She never appreciated it when they—more pointedly Howard—left Tony behind, so the bitterness came quite easily. And somehow it became the last thing she ever said to the two people who (along with Tony) constituted her entire family.

Her eyes open because of the sheer brightness of it. Her concussed brain cannot fathom what could possibly be radiating so much light. Until her eyes focus, then she sees it. Tony’s blast against Steve’s shield.

It breaks her heart.

Then they’re fighting again. Steve’s falling heavy on Tony. With emotions running so high, she’s sure Tony’s not quite focused on his training. He’s probably relying on F.R.I.D.A.Y. to examine his fight patterns. She wants to help, but her head feels heavy, like there’s a leak in it. Stretching a hand with all her might, she touches the offending leak on the back of her head and apparently it really is a leak, because when she brings her hand back in front of her, it’s covered in red.

She looks around for Barnes then, suddenly very worried for Tony’s safety. She can’t protect him from both of them if she’s injured. But when she spots him lying on the ground, left shoulder armless and in ruins, all her fear fades away and she’s only left with pity.

When she looks back at Tony, he’s turned the tides. Steve’s on the floor on his knees in front of him.

“He's my friend,” she hears Steve say in between heavy breaths. But even on his feet with Tony looming over him, Steve Rogers sounds nothing but determined.

“So was I,” Tony replies… heartbroken.

Tony punches him again, then again and then throws him off to the side. “Stay down. Final warning,” he warns, blasters pointed at Steve.

Steve struggles to his feet, his face bloody and his gate weary. He raises his fists and stares Tony down, “I can do this all day.”

Iron man raises his left palm ready to fire. Bucky grabs his leg and Tony spins, kicking him in the face. Steve grabs Iron Man and lifts him over his head, then throws him down, punches him and bashes his mask off with his shield before striking down hard on the suit's core.Tony looks horrified and glowers fearfully at Steve who pants for breath. Both have blood spattered across their faces. Steve looks back at Tony then shuts his eyes and slumps down.

Later, much much later she’ll realize Steve had slammed the shield onto the arc reactor at the center of Tony’s suit on purpose. She doesn’t know that right now. Right now it’s too late, she sees red.

Slowly and then all at once the ground begins to shake. All three men are confused for a second until it clicks, for Barnes before either of her two favorite men in her life. Barnes is the one who looks to her for an explanation for what could very easily be a natural calamity. The other two follow eventually.

“Y/n,” Steve tries.

But like she’s already pointed out, it’s too fucking late. She’s radiating power, too much of it. Only when the men begin covering their eyes does she realize she’s radiating light, too much of it. She’s on her feet, levitating, inches above the ground.

“Doll,” Steve tries again. He shouldn’t have.

Her hands clench and the building begins shaking.

Steve takes a few steps towards her, with something akin to love in his eyes perhaps but she doesn’t much care for it now. “Doll, you gotta hear me out.”

“No…” she thinks aloud, “No I don’t.” She lets her hands go free, there’s a wave of energy that explodes from her, it's bright and it’s pink and it’s pure unadulterated power. The walls begin to crack, pieces of the structure begin to fall and all she can do is relish the horror in Steve’s eyes as the realization of her strength dawns on him.

The sky above them becomes more visible as the building and its miscellaneous parts fall away, and the sky is a soft shade of pink. She’s moving each and every part of their surroundings, even the clouds. They’re rubbing against each other, thunder crackling above them. There’s heat in her power, just as much as there is inside her. She’s burning with it, she wants to burn Steve with it as well.

How fucking dare he raise that shield against Tony? Against Howard’s son? After everything he did for Steve? After everything Tony did for Steve? After everything she did for him… after all her love?

How fucking dare he?

Her armor is up in a second and she hits the ground. Before Steve can even comprehend what’s happening, she manifests her blade, before he can register it, she’s shoving away Barnes who had stepped in to protect his best friend, before he can even react, her blade is glowing bright and pink inches from his eyes, already at his throat.

“Y/n,” Tony calls out, and his voice is the only thing between her and the death of Captain America at her hands.

It takes everything in her to not give in, to not slide her blade a little further, it’s already cutting in, drawing a drop of blood. She watches it trickle down onto his uniform. It breaks her heart, it breaks her apart. She loved this man, she loves this man, body and soul. She is his, even now. She doesn’t know how to not be his. She doesn’t know how to stop loving him, she is not sure she wants to, even now. But this is the cost of betrayal.

Barnes tries to step in, but he’s quite broken already. Moreover, he’s not her sinner. She glitches away with Steve only a couple steps away. Barnes is about to try again when she presses the blade further in, only by a millimeter but it draws more blood and Barnes backs down immediately. He looks to Tony, hopelessly.

“Y/n,” Tony begins. “Let him go.” His voice is broken and strained as it takes everything in him to get back on his feet.

“Why?” She challenges. She’s raging, there’s so much inside her, so much brimming just under her skin, she’s electrified by it. The ground beneath her feet is shaking well enough that it’s cracking. They should be running, all of them should be running. Outside they can hear the structure crumbling to the ground, pieces of the building are falling all around them too.

“Because you love him, Y/n,” he tells her easily. There is no urgency in his voice, there is no fear either. He’s not worried about getting buried under the rubble, he’s not particularly worried about Steve either, she thinks. He’s speaking as if he’s just stating a fact, and a fact it is. “You love him so damn much.”

“So?” She watches Steve wince at her response, which wouldn’t throw her off all that much but he hadn’t even flinched when she’d first placed the blade against his throat.

“So?” Tony throws back, his voice rumbling alongside the thundering clouds. It’ll begin raining any second now. “So it’ll kill you to kill him.”

“He deserves it,” she tells Tony, because he fucking does.

“I know,” Tony acquiesce. “But you don’t. It’ll break you, Y/n. And I can’t… I can’t lose you too….”

She knows he’s right. If she kills him right here, right now, and she could, she really fucking could, Tony would lose her because she well and truly loves this man more than she needs air to breathe. Because with every one of her responses she watches his heart break and while it felt like vengeance, her heart is aching knowing that she caused it.

What the fuck does that even mean? She wants him to hurt, like he’s hurt her but causing him pain hurts her more than it harms him so what even is the fucking point?

What in the fuck is the motherfucking point?

“Fuck!” She curses.

She looks at Tony, covered in wounds and blood, who, just like her, is raging with anger only kept at bay out of reverence for her. He shakes his head.

“FUCK!” She yells out, another wave of power pulsing out of her, breaking the entire foundation of the building at once. And then swiftly, she pushes Steve away and rushes over to her brother, shouldering his weight.

Behind her, she hears Steve take a step towards her, but is stopped in his tracks when an entire staircase falls in front of him, blocking his path. It’s for the best. “Get out,” Tony tells him. “Get the fuck out of our lives, Rogers.” She doesn’t turn to look at Steve’s face at his words. She doesn’t want to know.

Steve begins leaving, helping Barnes up and shouldering his weight.

There’s rubble falling all around them when Tony calls out one last time. “That shield doesn't belong to you. My father made that shield!”

“You don't deserve it,” she says it only as a whisper but she knows he can hear it clear as day.

Steve stops, raises his chin, then drops the shield and walks away with Bucky's arm around his shoulder.

Before the entire thing can collapse on their heads, Y/n glitches Tony and herself outside, near his jet.

It begins raining. It’s not supposed to rain this time of year in Siberia, but with the amount of energy Y/n has let escape into the sky, the clouds had very little say on the matter.

They sit there on the snow, under the rain and watch as the building crumbles to the ground. It’s a fucking mess.

It’s silent but the animosity in the air is clear.

She knows he hates her right now and she can’t blame him all that much to be honest.

“You should have let me kill him,” she tells him.

Tony scoffs. “You should have let me kill Barnes.”

“Wasn’t his fucking fault he was brainwashed. He probably didn’t even remember till Zemo showed him the fucking tape. But Steve… he knew, and he lied to us.”

“You got great taste in men.”

Her jaw clenched, “You should have let me kill him then.”

“What would be the point?”

She doesn’t know the answer. But the terse tone of his voice is proof enough that a part of him blames her for it too. And well, he should. She could’ve done so much more about it all but instead she chose to fall for the man who lied to them about the death of their family. Of course he hates her. She hates herself.

Her phone chimes. Reluctantly she checks it. “Fuck,” she curses.

“Let me guess, in another 5 minutes I’m about to get a text from dear old Theadore about how he’s on his way ready to rain down hellfire?” Tony questions, clearly rhetorically. When she doesn’t respond, Tony clenches his jaw and says, “Get out of here, I’ll take care of it.”

“Tony,” she tries.

“Get out of here, Y/n!” Is all he says as he gets up and begins making his way inside his jet.

She stands there for a second, soaking in the rain, letting the snow beneath her feet burn her cold. And then she glitches away.

Read the next part here, Find the series masterlist here. Find other Static Verse works here.

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the0maski · 2 months

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Little thoughts and feelings about Update Dawn part 9| part 1

Malo Mart mentioned!!!

Twilight Princess: In game Link can’t afford anything in Malo Mart Castle Branch, right?

Since I haven’t played TP, does the one in Kakariko Village closed once the one in Castle Town open?

Oh Four what are you doing to your poor grandpa! He will be so grounded the moment the chain visits his time. But I don’t think his old man will be to harsh to him

In the beginning of Minish Cap, Smith tells Zelda that Link had helped him at the forge the whole night and that’s the reason he slept in. MC Link does his chores like the good grandkid he is!

Sky…I don’t remember Skyloft having a Postal Service…? And the Surface doesn’t have one yet…so unless a blue or red loftwing shows up I doubt Sky gets a letter…

I have no doubt that the range is safe, but I have a theory of why Time is still tense about everything.

It’s clear that Time didn’t like the stand Twilight pulled to get to The Shadow. Not like Warriors, who was mad, because it complicated their work together, but because Twilight really doesn’t know when to quit! (Similar mentality to Hyrule)

Yet Time seams to know the consequences first hand, seeing how he says: »But I saw something I knew I couldn’t stop. That pure determined courage.« later he adds »That choice alone could have claimed your life. Don’t push yourself like that.

Sadly Oot Link is one of the more stoic 3D Link so I couldn’t say if this could be a reference to the game, but I’m sure it kinda is.

1. Theory: The final battle against Ganondorf/ Ganon

Maybe Time was remembered how he felt and acted against Ganondorf. Since Jojo takes more out of the games implied lore for her comics, it can also be a subtle hint to the downfall timeline. The Hero (Oot Link) dies in his final battle against Ganon, which leads to seven sages sealing the evil king inside the sacred realm.

Is not clear how the Hero dies, but if this is a subtle hint, than Time saw and experienced, technical, his own death in that fight.

2. Theory: Fierce Deity and how Time lost his eye

Little is known about the Fierce Deity in LU canon, but going from the little we know the Fierce Deity is their own soul inside the mask. Time said, »I have Items that could drive a man mad.«

Maybe the "pure determined courage" lead to him getting over powered by the mask dark powers, following him losing an eye. Not sure if the mask had a direct impact on Time losing his eye, or if it was caused by an enemy he couldn’t avoid in time.

Time also didn’t fear Majora’s Mask, just saying that » I‘d be far more afraid of what destroyed the demon.« while looking into Majora’s eyes as the Fierce Deity. There is no fear of the mask he has. However, there is to little evidence for any of this as well.

Putting it lightly? Sir, you quite literally death glared your descendent into quitting being stubborn! If Twi wasn’t mortally wounded, Time would have yeeted him to the inn, no question asked.

Not sure if the game touched the subject or if I’m projecting, but since Oot Link got a lot of bullying from Mido and other, I always imagined him with a quick temper and bad emotion control. Time could be the same, yet since he is older he keeps himself in check.

More on part 2

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu thoughts #lu theory #lu chain #lu time #lu four #lu legend #lu wild #lu wind #lu sky #lu hyrule #lu twilight #lu warriors

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teaberrii · 1 year

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Chapter 5: Secrets Between Us

You've been Cupid for as long as you can remember. You've brought countless soulmates together, yet you've never found love.

When you're assigned to bring two childhood friends back together, it should be simple until you unexpectedly catch feelings for the mysterious and cold Ph.D. student, Dan Heng, the man with a soulmate… the man with answers to your past.

Dan Heng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

By the time you return to Xianzhou, it's already evening. Walking across campus, you can't stop thinking about what Himeko told you. Regardless, you've made up your mind. You aren't going to shy away, no matter what lies ahead. You've been searching for answers to your past for God knows how long; your efforts will be for nothing if you back out now.

You enter one of the science buildings, where you'll use the walkway on the second floor as a shortcut to the station. You're about to head to the elevator when you see Dan Heng sitting at one of the tables with his laptop open and papers beneath it. His hair looks more tousled than usual, and you can see his concentration starting to wane.

You come up behind him. Then, you lean forward and say, “It’s also important to take breaks.”

Dan Heng turns around, and you stand upright. “...What are you doing here?”

“...Had something I had to do." When you look at the empty seat across from him, he subtly nods for you to sit down. So, as you do, you ask, “Are you working on your research?”

Dan Heng closes his laptop. “...That’s right.” Should you ask if he remembers what happened that night you went for drinks? Then, as if reading your mind, he looks you in the eyes. “I didn’t forget about our conversation the other night.”

“Guess you weren’t as drunk as I thought.”

Then, a ghost of a smile graces his lips. “It’s still my turn.”

“...Fine.” You cross one leg over the other. Then, jokingly, “I guess I have time to humour you.”

“Oh? Is that what it is?” Dan Heng asks with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. “I thought you were making time since you approached me first.”

“I think I like you better when you’re drunk.”

A slight smirk tugs at his lips. “Yet, when I was, you said you liked me better than when I was sober.” He leans slightly forward. “So, which is it, Cupid?”

"Neither," you mutter. Though your face is slightly red, unbeknownst to you.

Dan Heng leans back. “...I’d like to know about the sparkle in your eyes. What is it, exactly?”

Well, Gepard knows, so you don't see why you should hide it from Dan Heng.

"It's something that happens when I look into someone's desires." You're expecting a confused look, a question, or a sarcastic remark you're messing with him. But his slightly curious look doesn't change. "...I saw your desire to find a cure for The Withering the first day we met."

“...Assuming what you said is true, why did you do that? Look into my desires?”

"One question at a time." Dan Heng frowns slightly, which almost makes you chuckle. After a slight pause, you ask, "...What happened at the hospital?"

“...My professor told me they’ve admitted a patient diagnosed with The Withering. So, I went to see them as it would be good for my research.”

You’re expecting a little more, but when Dan Heng remains silent, you ask, "That's it?"

"Looks like you're just as impatient as I am."

“Fine.” You cross your arms. “Have it your way.” You catch that subtle smile, and you frown.

“My question is the same as before. Why are you interested in my desires?”

“...Because I had to know more about you.” When you see Dan Heng raise a brow, you quickly add, “It’s not what you think it is.”

“I’m not thinking anything.”

“Oh, really?” you deadpan.

Then, he smiles. “Your turn.”

“...Do you know this patient?”

Dan Heng exhales softly. “...I do. But, I can’t tell you who it is.”

It’s not like you really need to know who. At least this explains why he’s so down.

“It must be hard,” you say quietly. “...I’m sorry.”

“...It’s why I have to make progress. I know finding a cure is impossible at this stage. But, I have to narrow the gap.”

You think about telling him about what you can do. Will it help? You think back to when you granted a desire to save another person's life. While it happened, it didn't last long. That person eventually died by other means. Dan Heng will probably find a temporary cure if you grant his wish. But… will that really save that person in the long run?

“...Cupid.” You look up and see Dan Heng looking at you. “Something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Then, your tone turns flat. “Let me guess… are you going to ask why I had to know more about you?”

“Close enough. Why me and not Gepard or anyone else?”

“Because I’m here for a job.” Now, you exhale softly. “...But, I can’t tell you what it is.”

“...Only that it involves me?”

You nod. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to murder you.”

“I’d think if you were, you would’ve done so that night.”

“Weelll, I don’t know. Gepard told me you’re into Kendo.” You chuckle. “I might have to be careful of you.”

“...Are you into any sports?”

"I wouldn't call myself athletic, but… I'm not that bad, either. Who knows? Maybe I'll take up Kendo and kick your butt."

A slight smirk tugs at his lips. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Perhaps.”

“I hope you won’t regret it.”

“...Doesn't this mean you need a teacher?”

You blink once. Twice. Is he recommending someone? Or…

“I… suppose.” Then, jokingly, “Don’t tell me you’re helping the enemy.”

“...I can teach you.”

“Now I’m sure you’re out to sabotage me.”

Dan Heng crosses one leg over the other. “You admitted that you’re here because of a job that involves me. Who’s the one that should be nervous?”

“So, you’re planning on keeping an eye on me?”

You catch his small smile. “Make of it as you will.” Then, after a short pause, he asks, “...Do you have any more questions?”

It’s a stretch, but you thought you’d ask. “Do you know someone named Young?”

“No. Why?”

“...Just curious.”

“Is he someone you know?”

“...Good question,” you say quietly. “Anyway, don’t worry about it.” You take out your phone and glance at the time. “It’s getting late. Are you heading home?” When he stays silent, you frown. “Don’t tell me you’re going to stay overnight.”

“I guess Gepard’s been keeping you updated."

"...He's worried about you. When I talked to March the other day, she was also worried. And…" When Dan Heng looks you in the eyes, you look away. "...It is a little worrisome."

“Are you worried?”

“Gosh, I don’t know, Dan Heng. We’re friends, and you’ve been staying overnight at campus with… what? Just a laptop?”

“...I know of a comfortable place to sleep if that’s any reassurance.”

“You know what I mean,” you deadpan. Then, your tone relaxes. “I know you’ve been working on your research, but it’s important to take care of yourself, too.”

Then, your phone buzzes with a message.

Pom: DINNER IS READYY

And then there's a picture of a few dishes on the table… along with Pom, who has his arms spread out and looks proud of his work. Wait a minute. Who's the one taking the photo?

You see Dan Heng take out his phone. Then, he glances at you. “...Looks like Gepard’s with Pom.”

Your phone buzzes again.

Pom: Group dinner date! See if you can get Dan Heng to come over 😀

You show the message to him. “Are you really going to say no to Pom?”

Dan Heng looks at you. “...Guess I don’t have a choice.”

��Good. I don’t know how good his cooking is, so I need someone to potentially suffer with me.”

Dan Heng slips his laptop inside his bag. “Gepard isn’t enough?”

“You’d come looking for him if he went missing,” you joke as you and Dan Heng leave the school building.

“Right. The first person I’d come find is you.”

“Why me?”

“...I’d think I could get more out of you than Pom.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong.”

Dan Heng suddenly walks and stops in front of you. You almost bump into him, but then you slowly look up and see him staring at you. Then, he leans down to be on eye level with you.

“Am I?”

He's close enough that you notice a faint scar underneath his eye. But then, you meet his gaze, and you can't look away, and that's when you suddenly his eyes flash a sudden pale green…

“...You can’t be friends with their kind.”

You couldn’t see the person you were talking to, but from the deep voice, you assume it was a man.

“He’s not a bad person,” you said.

“He’s not a person,” the mysterious man spat. “He’s not one of us.”

“But—”

“...I’m doing this for your sake. If they catch you with him, they’ll kill him. Is that what you want?”

“...Hey.” Dan Heng’s calm but slightly worried voice pulls you back. You’re back to looking into his blue eyes. “...You're spacing out again.”

"Sorry. I—"

He puts a hand on your forehead, and your eyes widen slightly. "...You don't have a fever."

"I'm fine. Just fine."

Dan Heng watches you walk past him before following you toward the station. What is it about you that piques his interest? Well, there's the obvious: your mysterious job and the surprising revelation that you can see his desires. Does this mean you can peek into them at any time? Because if that's the case, maybe he needs to be more careful.

By the time you and Dan Heng arrive at the apartment, Pom and Gepard have already started eating. And, to your surprise, there haven’t been any casualties.

"It's really not that bad," Gepard says as you sit next to Pom, and Dan Heng sits across from you.

“Did you two bump into each other or…? How'd you end up at our place?" you ask Gepard.

"We don't have that kind of fate like you and Dan Heng," Pom jokes, and you give him a deadpan look. Before you got on the train, you'd told Pom that you met Dan Heng at campus and you're on your way back.

“Pom wasn’t sure if you’d make it in time for dinner,” Gepard says.

“Oh,” you say, looking at Pom. “You just didn’t want to be alone.”

“Well, I didn’t know if Himeko would keep you! Or if Nanook—”

Your cautious look instantly makes him stop. But you and Pom are already aware of Dan Heng and Gepard’s stares at you.

“Are they friends of yours?” Gepard asks.

You and Pom face forward, and you grab some vegetables for your plate. “Sort… of,” Pom says. Then, he clears his throat. “Nanook’s been chasing after her for ages.”

You almost choke on your water. “That’s not true.”

“Nanook… An interesting name,” Gepard says. Then, he chuckles. “This guy must really like you."

You frown. “Trust me. That’s not the case.”

“So, you aren’t seeing anyone then.”

Everyone turns to Dan Heng.

“...No,” you answer.

Then, Pom curiously looks at Gepard and Dan Heng. “What about you two, hm? You two grew up with March and Stelle, right?”

"Don't tell me you think something is going on?" Gepard asks.

“Well, both of them are so pretty!” Pom admits. “I only met them recently… but they’re also quite nice.”

“You met Stelle?”

So, Pom tells him about his chance to work as a security guard at Stelle's fan meet.

“We’re friends,” Dan Heng says. “That’s it.”

"...Here's a question," you say. "Do you believe in soulmates?"

"Why do you ask?" Gepard asks.

You shrug. "Just... something to talk about."

“Well, I don’t,” Gepard says. “It’s a nice fantasy, I suppose.”

“I don’t either,” Dan Heng adds. Then, he looks at you. “...Do you?”

If you aren't who you are, you wouldn't believe in soulmates either. But your job is to bring people destined to be with each other together. You'd questioned your role at first. If people are meant to be with each other, wouldn't they eventually meet? But, apparently, that's not the case, according to Himeko, at least. Still, it's not like you stuck around to see how those relationships turned out. Once they're together, you have no reason to stick around.

“I don’t know,” you say honestly.

"...Your nickname is Cupid, and you don't believe in soulmates?"

“My nickname has nothing to do with that,” you say flatly.

Dan Heng puts his chopsticks down. “Why do people call you Cupid?”

"You'll be going over your limit of twenty questions at this rate."

"...It doesn't have to stop at twenty."

Pom looks from Dan Heng to you and back to you. "Should I answer this one for you, Cupid?” You glance at Pom. “It’s because she’s a matchmaker!”

“Oh? Have you matched people before?” Gepard asks. Then, jokingly, “What’s the success rate?”

“100%!”

Gepard looks at you, impressed. “Wow.” Then, he chuckles. “March has been wanting to get back out there. Maybe she should come to see you.”

“...What about Stelle?” you ask.

“I don’t think she’s seeing anyone,” Gepard says. Then, he nudges Dan Heng. “Do you?”

“I don’t know,” Dan Heng says. “...I haven’t talked to her for a while now.”

After dinner, Dan Heng and Gepard offer to help you and Pom clean up. You’re in the kitchen doing the dishes when Dan Heng brings in two more dirty plates. You thought he’d put them on the side and leave, but instead, he puts them in the sink and gently nudges you aside.

“...It’s important to take breaks.” When he looks at you, both of you smile slightly. You’re drying your hands on a towel when Dan Heng says, “...What I told you today… could you keep it a secret?”

Keep what a secret? That’s when it hits you. “You mean… about you knowing the patient at the hospital?”

Dan Heng nods. “...He’s also someone my friends know.”

The thought hits you again. Should you tell him about what you can do? In the end, you say, "...Of course, I'll keep your secret. But in return, there's something I'd like you to do for me."

Dan Heng puts the clean dishes on a rack and turns off the tap. Then, he turns to face you. “I’m listening.”

“You know I’m here because of you. Could you keep that information to yourself? The fewer people know, the better.”

A ghost of a smirk graces his lips. “I see. It’s so no one will suspect you when I disappear.”

“Very funny,” you deadpan. “That’s not going to happen.”

“...When will I find out what you’re here for?”

When you get with Stelle. But instead, you say, “You’ll know.”

“Still going to keep me in the dark, huh?”

“Of course. It wouldn’t be fun otherwise."

“What happens after it’s done?” The question takes you off guard. “...Are you going to leave?”

“That’s usually what happens.” You’re looking away from him now.

“...Would you make an exception?”

The question almost instantly makes you turn back. Eventually, you look at him. "Why do you ask?”

“...I like talking with you.”

You hold his stare."Blunt as always, aren't you?" Dan Heng awkwardly looks away as you say, "Well, I surprisingly enjoy your company, so… I'll think about it."

Dan Heng looks back and sees you smiling mischievously. “...You’re playing with me.”

You laugh. “Aw, come on. It’s better than a no, right?”

Dan Heng leans slightly toward you, so you don’t see his face when he says in a lowered voice, “I’ll turn that into a definite yes.”

“Whatcha talking about in here?”

Dan Heng turns around, and you look past him and see Pom and Gepard at the kitchen doorway with a smile.

“Your face is red,” Pom says.

Everyone turns to you, and you put a hand on your cheek. “No, it’s not.”

Pom smiles. Is he just toying with you, or is your face really red?

“Is there something we weren’t supposed to see?” Gepard asks, and he and Pom smile at each other.

“Or hear?” Pom adds.

Dan Heng walks to the door and looks at Gepard. “We should leave.”

“Already?”

“It’s almost nine,” Dan Heng deadpans.

“Well, we’ll see each other again soon,” Pom says with a little smirk.

“Oh, right. Tomorrow’s the festival,” Gepard says.

“If you’re not busy, why not join us?” Everyone turns to you.

“You know, she’s right! Pom adds. “I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

You give him a deadpan look just as Gepard asks, “Would you mind, Dan Heng?”

“Why would I?”

Gepard chuckles.” Oh, I don’t know…”

You and Pom see Gepard and Dan Heng off at the door. Then, as soon as Pom closes it, he spins around.

“You and Dan Heng are getting along really well. Maybe a little too well.”

“We had a few conversations,” you say, sitting on the couch. “It’s not a big deal.” Then, you sigh. “I… had another vision today.”

Pom sits across from you. “Was it Young?”

“...I don’t know. It was of a man, and I couldn’t see his face. He was telling me I couldn’t be friends with their kind… because they’d kill him. He didn't say who he was referring to."

But you have a hunch.

Pom’s eyes widen. “Kill him? That’s… extreme.”

“...I'm sure he was talking about Young."

“Let me guess… This vision happened when you were talking with Dan Heng?”

You nod. "At campus today.”

“Did Himeko say anything?”

“Only that Young isn’t around anymore. And…”

“And?”

"...I may not like the answers I want to hear."

“...Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all.” Pom sighs. “...Did you ask Dan Heng about him?”

“He said he doesn’t know who that is.”

Pom leans forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands intertwined with each other. “Here’s a thought… what if Dan Heng is a reincarnation of Young? And… maybe you two are destined to meet!”

“...Why does it sound like he’s—”

“Your soulmate?” Pom interrupts almost too happily.

But, that’s impossible… Right?

◆◆◆

"Do you know someone named Young?"

Dan Heng has been thinking about that question since he started showering. Who's Young? Are you looking for him? If so, what does he have to do with him? Once Dan Heng enters his room, dressed in PJs, and with a towel in his damp hair, he hears his phone buzz.

Stelle: Hey. Miss me? 🙂

Dan Heng sits on his bed. Stelle must be worried… or maybe he wants to ask him if he knows what’s happening with her brother. Whatever it is, she must want someone to talk to.

He types a quick reply, but Stelle’s reply is almost quicker.

Stelle: Can we talk?

“How’ve you been?” Stelle asks as soon as she picks up the call.

Could be better. But instead, Dan Heng asks, "Is everything okay?"

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” Stelle asks with a small smile. “I can’t call to check up on you?”

“...Well, I’m fine.”

“That’s it? Nothing else? We haven’t spoken in almost a year!”

“My life isn’t as exciting as yours,” Dan Heng says. “I saw the trailer for your upcoming movie… It looks good.”

Stelle chuckles. “You’ll watch it, won’t you? You and Gepard?”

“...We will.”

A small pause.

“Truth is… I called you to ask about my brother. You haven’t talked to him?”

Despite knowing everything, Dan Heng still asks, “...Did something happen?”

“Well, he told me that he’s going to study abroad. Next thing I know, he already left.”

“You’re still in touch with him?”

"Yeah. He doesn't respond very often… but I know he's okay."

Dan Heng feels his chest tighten. “...That’s good.”

“He didn’t tell you anything? I mean… I don’t even know where he went!”

“I don’t. But we’ve been in touch.”

Stelle sighs. “What about Gepard?”

“I think he knows as much as us.”

"...I see." Then, she smiles slightly. "Hey, do you know someone named Pom? He said he knew you two."

After talking briefly about Pom, Dan Heng eventually talks about you and how you're his upstairs neighbour.

“A new friend, huh?” Stelle asks. “She must be something if you two manage to become friends.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I know you too well, Dan Heng. Since when do you find time to make new friends?" Stelle smiles. “Are you interested in her?”

“...That’s—”

“You hesitated!”

“I didn’t. I—”

Stelle gasps. “You have to introduce her to me now.”

Well, it can’t hurt, right? Dan Heng hopes it'll take her mind off of Caelus, at least.

◆◆◆

“...Can I touch it?”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“But—”

"Are all humans this stubborn? Or, is it just you?" Young asked, turning to you with a deadpan look.

“Just one stroke.”

Suddenly, Young stopped and appeared in front of you, and you almost walk into him if he didn’t suddenly grab your wrist.

“...Watch what you say.”

You sighed just as he released you. “Okay, fine. Sorry. I’m just curious,” you said, looking at the horns on your friend’s head. “I thought we’ve known each other long enough that it wouldn’t be awkward.”

“It’s only been three years,” he said, turning around and continuing the trek.

“Only three years? It’s been three years! I guess you still don’t see me as an important friend.”

Young stopped and turned around. “...Really? You aren't important to me? Then, why am I risking my life to be with you right now?”

"Maybe it's 'cause I saved yours that day. If it weren't for me, you would've been poisoned to death."

“I returned the favour. I didn’t let you get caught.”

Young held your stare for a moment before turning around again.

With a small smile, you quickly walked up and nudged him. “One stroke.”

“No.”

Your eyes open, and you sit up in your bed. Another dream. Another puzzle piece. Another question. When you close your eyes, you immediately see Young… and then Dan Heng. You check your phone. Well, it’s only a few more hours before you see Dan Heng for the festival. You roll over and close your eyes. Yet, all you can see is him, and you wake up in frustration.

Why does it seem like it's only a matter of time before this drives you mad?

Chapter 6

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @tanspostsblog @theprinceofkhaos @nqctre @lunavixia

#dan heng #dan heng x you #dan heng x reader #dan heng x y/n #honkai star rail #honkai star rail dan heng #honkai dan heng #danheng x y/n #danheng x you #danheng fluff #dan heng fluff #danheng x reader

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lusi-raul · 11 months

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I’m making another compilation video and while I was gathering clips I noticed the difference in how some eggs cope with boredom. Like I get it since during parts of the streams where their parents are having a long ass conversation with each other it reminds me a lot of my younger self when my mom catches up with her friends or relatives and I have to sit there listening to the conversation giving my mother subtle hints that I want to go home cause I was so bored out of my ass which is of course ignored every single damn time lol. I guess that experience is such a universal thing that it also applies to pixelated egg children in a block game 😂

As far as I’ve seen these are how the eggs deal with boredom.

Chayanne: when he’s bored out of his mind he digs out a pattern on the ground and replaces it with potato crates, creating a checkerboard pattern of potato crate and whatever the original block on the ground is. Chayanne also likes to jump around a lot whenever he’s bored.

Tallulah: Tallulah just lays down flat on the ground whenever she’s bored. This happens a lot when Phil is having a conversation with other people and she is left with nothing to do or add to the conversation. Sometimes she uses the idle time as a chance to organize and reorganize her backpacks.

Ramon and Dapper: I don’t follow them enough to know more about their individual coping mechanisms to boredom but I know that Ramon likes to climb things and use his potato launcher to shoot random things a lot. I don’t know much about Dapper but the twins together like to use their grapple thingy and hang around in a room like an egg piñata. Both of them also Mary Poppins out random machines from their pockets and work on that while adults are talking.

I’d love to follow other eggs too but I’m just not capable of following all Cc’s povs. I’m upset because I think Pomme is such a cutie patootie, Leo is such an egg full of personality, and of course our wonderful artist Richas is so funny to watch with all his dads but I don’t know much about them but I really want to. I really don’t think I have a favorite egg but I have eggs that seem like my faves because their parents are the ones I watch the most and thus I know more about them than other eggs but seriously considering it, all the eggs, dead or alive, I adore equally in my heart.

So if you guys can help me out by telling me everything you know and love about each of the eggs, even the ones who left us (still hoping temporarily), please reply or add to this post. In the future I want to make a huge thread post of all information about the eggs like the ones above focusing more on exploring each egg’s personality and preferences. I love how they are played by actual admins and thus each have their own distinct personalities and contribution to the lore.

#qsmp #qsmp eggs #mcyt #qsmp chayanne #qsmp talullah #qsmp ramón #dapper qsmp #pomme qsmp #qsmp leonarda #richarlyson qsmp #qsmp juanaflippa #qsmp tilín #trump qsmp #bobby qsmp

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the-iceni-bitch · 2 years

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You’ll Never Go Down to the Gods Again

Part III/X

Pairing: dark!Alpha stepbrother Ransom Drysdale x innocent!naive Omega stepsister reader

Words: ~3.1k

Summary: Ransom is starting to get used to having you around. Maybe he should be more worried about that.

Chapter Warnings: A/B/O, explicit language, explicit sexual content (female masturbation implied, mirror sex, handjob, m receiving oral, oral knotting, scenting kink, ruined kink, multiple orgasms, minor degradation), no real plot to speak of, dark-adjacent, super naive reader,stepcest, SMUT!! 18+ ONLY!!!

A/N: Chapter three! And it’s all porn. I’m not even sorry. Some very subtle hints about where we may be heading with these two, but there’s not a whole lot of plot here in spite of my intention to add some. May do an inter chapter drabble to flesh some things out, who knows!

Not beta’d so all mistakes are my own

I am no longer doing taglists so if you want to stay up to date on all the latest filth, follow my sideblog @the-iceni-library and turn on notifications!

Ransom groaned as he leaned against the elevator wall while he waited for the doors to open to his apartment.

For some reason, every Omega that had approached him tonight while he was out drinking had seemed especially annoying. Needy, fake, constantly seeking his approval and attention when he thought the look on his face had made it pretty clear he wasn’t interested. He could still smell the cloyingly sweet stink of the last one on himself, like overripe citrus and honey that didn’t seem good for attracting anything except fruit flies.

All he wanted was a shower and to go to sleep, sighing when the door finally opened to his apartment and feeling himself start to relax when the faint trace of your scent filled his lungs. If he had been more sober he might have worried about the fact that he had started to associate your smell with home, but that was a problem for another day. It was late so he was sure you must be asleep, at least until he heard a startled chirp from the couch and turned to see you trying to cover yourself with a blanket while you avoided his gaze.

“Bunny? What are you still doing up?” He cocked his head at you while you tried to curl in on yourself, not missing the way your thighs were squeezed together as your fingers skirted over your stomach.

“I… I didn’t think you were coming home tonight.” You felt yourself growing warmer as he kept staring at you, trying to hide how aroused you were. “I’m so sorry, Alpha.”

“Why are you sorry, bunny?” He had an idea, but he wanted to hear you say it, stalking closer to you and scenting the air as the smell of sex and you grew stronger. “What were you doing?”

“I was… it’s just…” You looked like you were about to cry and that just made him want to ruin you even more. “It felt so good when Alpha Everett used his mouth on me, and I know I’m supposed to save any pleasure for my Alpha, but I couldn’t help it! I need to feel it again, Alpha, please…”

“Oh, poor little bunny.” He was loving every second of this, finally coming to stand in front of you and gripping your chin so he could tilt your face up and force you to look him in the eyes. “You want to come, honey? Want to make that sweet little pussy cream all over your fingers? Use your words.”

“Yes, Alpha.” You opened your mouth to pant desperately when Ransom cupped your jaw, whining when he dragged his thumb over your bottom lip as your eyes fluttered from how needy you were. “Please, help me make my… my pussy feel good.”

“Oh, good girl.” Ransom growled at the filthy word leaving those innocent lips of yours, pulling you to your feet and scenting your neck as he started pulling you towards his bedroom while you kept making soft, wanton noises. “Don’t worry, baby, your mate is probably gonna want to watch you touch that pretty cunt all the time. We have to make sure you know what to do.”

“Oh, thank you Alpha.” Your voice was breathy and low as he sat on the foot of the bed and pulled you into his lap, having you face the mirror and pulling your knees over his thighs so he could spread them wide. “Oh my goodness.”

“I know, god, you’re fucking gorgeous, bunny.” Ransom wound his fingers through yours and slowly trailed them over the inside of your thigh, his lips brushing against your neck while he watched you closely in the mirror with a predatory gleam in his eye. “Relax, honey, and watch close, okay?”

All you could do was whimper when he slid your fingers over your slit and spread your petals apart, leaning your head back on his shoulder and licking your lips when he sucked on your ear. Then he growled and bit your lobe, and you forced yourself to lift your head so you could keep your eyes on the mirror. Slick was pouring out of you and making it easy for Ransom and your fingers to glide over your sex, spreading your mess all over you until your cunt was glistening and swollen and throbbing with your heartbeat as Ransom touched you with your own fingers and pressed gentle kisses over your jaw. Ransom suddenly pressed your fingers against a small nub at the top of your core and you sucked in a harsh breath, arching into his touch and trembling as your toes curled and blood rushed in your ears.

“Oh! What…” it was the same sensation that Alpha Everett had drawn from you. You hadn’t been able to find the spot on your own and now it felt like you were drowning in pleasure, purring while your eyes rolled in your head and you kept sucking in deep breaths. “What is that? Mmmm, it feels so good, Alpha.”

“Oh, you poor dumb baby. You really don’t know anything, do you bunny?” Ransom nipped gently at your mating gland as he felt his cock growing harder underneath your ass, groaning when you squirmed in his lap and trying not to grind against you when he felt your pussy throb under his fingers and watched it clench in the mirror when he kept softly circling your swollen button. “That’s your clit, bunny. If you ever want to make yourself feel good again, just rub it… shit just like that, and you’ll come. But if you want to feel even better…”

“Hngh… ah!” You could barely even form words anymore when he grabbed your other hand and slid one of your fingers inside you alongside his, rubbing your clit harder and stroking the roof of your cunt while he sucked on your gland and made you feel like you were going to pass out. “Al-Alpha, oh Alpha…”

“Jesus Christ, I know, baby.” Every single sweet sound that fell from your lips was making him harder, your scent getting more and more intense as you mewled and keened and your slick soaked both of your hands. “You feel that rough, spongy spot right there? That’s your g-spot. Doesn’t it feel good when you stroke it, bunny?”

“Mmhm, yes Alpha.” It felt like every muscle in your body was winding tighter as Ransom kept helping you work both of these new spots, your mouth filling with saliva and your breasts heaving as your breath sawed in your chest and you felt your pussy clench around your fingers.

The soft wet sounds that were coming from your soaked channel were obscene, your body growing warmer under your stepbrother’s touch as you struggled to keep your eyes from fluttering closed. Ransom’s gaze met yours in the mirror and you gasped at the intensity of his gaze, your body arching into his hands as you felt that strange coil drawing tight in the pit of your stomach. Then his teeth scraped over your mating gland as he let out a low growl and slid a second finger inside you and you felt everything snap, pleasure crashing around you and making you scream as every nerve in your body lit up and you trembled wildly in his grasp.

“Ah, fuck! God you’re so fucking tight.” Ransom felt like he was losing himself as he watched you fall apart in the mirror, burying his face in your neck and moaning as he breathed your scent in deeply while you squirted everywhere and let out a sharp cry. “Good girl… so fucking good for me bunny.”

“Th… thank you, Alpha.” You whimpered when you sagged back against him, panting heavily while you turned your face to nuzzle at Ransom’s cheek and shuddering when he pulled your fingers out of your still fluttering cunt.

“Of course, I’m here to help you, bunny.” He kept a hand on your thigh while he dragged your slick stained fingers up your torso, brushing his nose against yours and gazing into your eyes while he sucked your digits into his mouth and let out a lewd moan. “Fuck… delicious. You wanna taste yourself, bunny?”

“Oh, I…” you felt your cheeks heating up while you watched him lick your fingers clean, his eyes so dark they were practically black while he breathed heavily into your open mouth and you couldn’t help but slide your body closer to his. “Do you want me to taste, Alpha?”

The sound Ransom made at that was somewhere between a purr and a growl while he curled a hand around the back of your neck, turning your body in his lap as he molded his lips to yours and slid his tongue into your mouth. You melted into him with a whine when you tasted yourself on his tongue, clutching his shirt in your fists and letting your eyes fall closed while you lost yourself in your first kiss.

“See how good you taste, bunny? Whoever mates you is gonna get drunk off this sweet little cunt all the time.” He couldn’t stop gazing at you even after you disconnected, cupping your jaw gently and slowly tracing the curve of your cheek with his thumb as he brushed his nose over yours and tried to ignore the way his cock was throbbing in his slacks. “How you feeling, bunny?”

��I feel so good, Alpha.” You chased after his lips with a needy whine, pressing your chest to his and sliding your hands down his stomach slowly while you ran your tongue over your bottom lip. “I want to make you feel good too, please, lemme be good for you Alpha. Just tell me what to do.”

“Bunny… ah, shit!” Ransom hadn’t planned on going any further than showing you how to touch yourself, but then you were reaching down to undo his belt and softly stroking his cock over his slacks and he’d have to be a special kind of idiot to not give you another lesson. “You are, you’re so good, bunny. Fuck, you’re gonna spoil your mate so much.”

“That’s all I want, Alpha.” Your voice was a sultry moan as you leaned forward and brushed your lips over his jaw, gasping into his ear and smiling when you pulled his cock out of his slacks and struggled to wrap your hand around it as he let out a shuddering growl. “Should… should I use my hand, or my mouth?”

“Oh, fucking Christ, just start with your hand bunny.” Ransom was trying so hard to keep himself under control, but those big innocent eyes and the way you were tentatively dragging your fist over his cock was set to drive him feral. “Squeeze a little harder, honey and just make a tugging motion… oh shit.”

“Like that?” The way Ransom sucked in a harsh breath and nodded vigorously when you choked your grip under his tip made you preen, your gaze dropping to his cock as you bit your lip and leaned your head on his shoulder. “Is it supposed to be leaking like that?”

“What? Fuck!” His chest heaved when you swiped your thumb through the precum that was leaking from his slit, the hand he had resting on your waist squeezing you while his hips rose up to meet your hand. “Yeah, it means you’re doing good, bunny.”

“Really?” Oh god, you looked so happy, what were you doing to him?

Ransom couldn’t dwell on that thought when your lips brushed over his gland, feeling your slick soaking through the fabric of his slacks as you slowly humped his thigh while your hand kept pulling on his cock. You were a fucking natural, he couldn’t stop congratulating himself for deciding to take advantage of you. If he hadn’t been drunk still, maybe he would’ve been concerned about the fact that all he could think about was keeping you for the rest of your lives, but then you chirped as you nuzzled at his throat and squeezed him harder and all he could focus on was how every muscle in his core was growing taut.

“Good girl, ah, you’re so fucking good.” He started pressing his lips all over your temple when your hand sped up, purring into your hair and letting your scent wash over him while he held you close.

“I wanna taste it, lemme taste you, please Alpha?” You looked up at him pleadingly as your tongue flicked along your bottom lip, your voice low and thick with lust as you slid between his legs and started to sink to the floor. “I just want to make you feel good.”

“Bunny… goddamn it!” Ransom hissed when you traced the tip of your tongue over his slit with tiny kitten licks when you finally fell to your knees, screwing his eyes closer and struggling not to collapse back on the bed when kissed his spongy head and hummed against his skin at his taste. “Just… don’t fucking stop. Such a good girl.”

You smiled softly up at him when he praised you, cocking your head and gazing at his cock before wrapping your lips around him on an instinct. The heavy, musky taste of him exploded inside your mouth and made your eyes roll back in your head as you felt yourself sinking into a lust filled haze. It felt like this was what you were made for; to please your Alpha, to make them weak, let them use you however they saw fit whenever they wanted as you let them leave their mark all over you. Your hindbrain was urging you to please the Alpha, the scent of his pheromones and sex practically drowning ou and making you whine as you took him deeper into the warm, wet cavern of your mouth.

Ransom finally snapped when you tried to take him down your throat and gagged messily but so fucking pretty, snarling and grabbing your hair so he could drive his hips into your face while you made a muffled noise of protest and then glee. Your lips were stretched painfully tight around him as you gazed up at him with tear filled eyes, slick pouring down your thighs as you let him use your mouth and your drool ran down his length and dripped over his balls. He couldn’t think of anything that looked prettier than you on your knees, completely wrecked for him. It made the pleasure that was curling around the base of his spine even more intense as he felt his knot starting to swell and gritted his teeth.

“Bunny, you’re gonna… oh fuck!” He tried to pull out but then you whined and swallowed around him and he lost it, collapsing back on the mattress with a wretched shout as his back arched and he shot his cum down your spasming throat.

You felt his knot lock him behind your teeth and stretch your jaw even more painfully wide, a low moan escaping from between your lips when your cunt fluttered around nothing as you came again at the sheer delight of pleasing your Alpha. Your throat couldn’t stop constricting around him while you gazed at him and managed to breathe through your nose, running your hands over the insides of his thighs and purring softly while you kept massaging the underside of his length with your tongue. His cum was like nothing you’d ever tasted before, musky and strong and undeniably Ransom, you wanted more of it.

Ransom hissed when you kept swallowing around him, his knot swelling even more as he felt his pleasure building again faster than he would have thought possible. He groaned when he sat up and got a look at you, your eyes glassy and tear filled with creamy drool leaking from your lips and down your chin. Your eyes fluttered closed when he rested his hand on your head, the only thought in your mind was to please your Alpha and make him feel good.

“Bunny, if you don’t stop I’m gonna come again, fuck.” That only seemed to spur you on, your hands sliding over his thighs until they were framing his hips, like you were trying to take him even deeper and draw every last drop from him. “Goddamn it…”

He let his head drop back between his shoulders defeatedly while you kept gagging around him and drew him to another, petting your hair and letting his hips jerk erratically as he shot another load down your eager throat while he couldn’t do anything but groan. When he finally lifted his head you were still looking at him with those eyes filled with almost adoration, resting your cheek on his thigh and purring as he brought his hand down to cup your cheek.

“That’s a good girl, just keep breathing, bunny.” Ransom couldn’t take his eyes off your ruined face, it was almost impossible to believe this had been your first time sucking a cock, but damn if he couldn’t get used to knotting that perfect mouth of yours. “Perfect girl, it’s gonna take a few minutes to go down, honey, just relax.”

You could barely even hear him, your brain buzzing in a blissful fog while he stroked his fingers along your jaw as your eyes fluttered shut. It took a little while for his knot to start to go down, and as soon as he was able he was sliding out of your mouth and drawing you up into his lap. Ransom chuckled when you let out a soft chirp and immediately buried your face in his neck, not too worried about the fact that you didn’t seem to be able to respond to his inquiries about how you were feeling with anything except a series of satisfied hums. He tucked himself back into his slacks before lifting you and carrying you to the bathroom to get cleaned up, keeping you tucked close to his chest while he wet a cloth with warm water and started wiping the mess off your face.

“Such a sweet bunny.” He grinned at the fucked out smile you were giving him, still feeling a little buzzed and constantly leaning forward to scent your hair as he ran the cloth over your skin. “You’re gonna make it real hard to send you to some other asshole Alpha, pretty girl. Making me want to keep you around with how good you’re doing with your lessons. Gonna have to think of what you should learn next.” You

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itsthestutterforme · 1 year

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“You’re Pretty” (Jake Seresin x black!reader)

Prompt credit @prompts-in-a-barrel : “You’re pretty,” “You’re in my personal space,”

Summary: You are Hondo’s daughter and you were called into Top Gun along with fifteen others. You quickly realized you needed to prove yourself to the Hondo name once again.

Notes: GIF is not mine, Part One of Hondo!Daughter series

—

“Thanks again for the ride, Rooster.” “It’s the least I can do. You’re going to need all the help you can get with Hangman as your wingman,” he mentions, opening the door for you to walk through first. “I think I can handle him,” you said, the two of your scanning the room for any familiar faces.

“Bradshaw, as I live and breathe.” Jake shouts over the music and chatter, more heads turned in your direction. “And here we go,” Rooster mumbles, smiling when he heard your chuckle. Phoenix hands Bob her pool stick and waited until you met her by the pool table.

“So this is how I find out you knuckleheads are flip side?” She pulls you in for a tight hug and punched Rooster in the shoulder, hard. Rooster grunts, rubbing the sore flesh of his shoulder when he made eye contact with Jake. “Hangman, you look.. good,” Rooster starts.

“Well, I am good, Rooster. I am very good.” Jake says. “And who might you be?” You weren’t aware he was talking to you until you saw Phoenix’s eyes cut behind you. You admit, you could have worn anything else besides a navy blue sun dress. Men don’t think with the head on their shoulders and they’ll probably envision you wearing the sundress when you’re wearing the uniform.

But that’s not here nor there. When you turn around, you’re met with a pair of gorgeous green eyes. “I’m Kill Switch,” you finally answered. “Holy shit, she’s Hondo’s daughter.” Coyote says, standing from his stool. “And my wingman,” Jake adds, a hint of desire in his tone. “Last I checked, I hold the record for hitting consecutive bullseyes so if anything, you’re my wingman.”

Crossing your arms, you held his gaze with an amused smile on your face. “Wanna play a game of pool, Kill Switch?” He hands you his pool stick, giving you a subtle once over before he racks the balls in the triangle. “So how did you earn the callsign Kill Switch, anyway?” You looked over at Rooster for a moment before saying, “That’s a story you’ll have to earn. You’re breaking, Bagman.”

“It’s Hangman,” he corrects. “Tomato, tomato,”you leaned on the pool stick and Jake chuckles before leveling with the stick to break the rack. He groans when he notices none of the balls went into the socket. You looked around the table to find a shot, you didn’t noticed when he slide over to you until you ran into his chest.

You looked up at him unimpressed and open your mouth to say something, but he beat you to the punch. “You’re pretty,” he compliments you, leaning against the table and took a toothpick between his teeth. You were tempted to take the toothpick and fling it into the nearest trash can, but you resist. “You’re in my personal space. And you’re blocking my shot.” You said, bumping his shoulder as you passed.

“Ouch,” Coyote says, clapping a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “I believe this is where maneater meets womanizer,” Phoenix says to the group, earning a few chuckles.

The first few notes of Tennessee Whiskey started to playing and Jake noticed you humming the words to the song as you leveled the the stick. “You know this song?” He asks you. “Chris Stapleton’s music is my guilty pleasure,” you answered, taking a shot and putting the red solid ball into the socket. You moved to shoot the green ball in when the pool stick was ripped from your hands.

“May I have this dance, darlin’?” He offered his hand to you and you pondered for a moment. “Come on, let’s break the ice a little, huh?” He says, smiling when you slid your hand into his. He led you to the floor space in front of the jukebox.

“May I?” He asks, his hand hovering over waist and you nodded. You linked your hand with his once again and rested your hand on his tricep. “How about we start over?” “I’m afraid the outcome would be the same. Me and Rooster grew up together. If you have a problem with him, you have a problem with me.”

“Rooster is a big boy. He can defend himself.” “I’m aware of that,” he lets go of his grip on your waist to spin you, a smirk displayed on his face when you land on his chest. “So what’s it like being the daughter of a well decorated Captain?” “It’s not as pampered as you make think,” “Is that right?” He asks, adjusting his hand at your waist.

“He knew what others would think about my upbringing, and how they would tell me I never earned my rank. That it was given to me. So he pushed me twice as hard as the male cadets. Longer runs. More push-ups. Heavier weights.” “Damn. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.” His eyes found Rooster’s gaze trained on the two of you dancing.

He sent him a wink and Rooster’s jaw clenched. “So what is it? Did you two used to date or something?” He asks. “No, we just grew up together,” “Classic Rooster, an opportunity presents itself and he never takes it.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?” “If you were my childhood friend, that means I would know you inside and out. Better than anyone else… I would cuff you in a heartbeat,” “Bold of you to assume I’d want you, Cowboy,” you couldn’t help but laugh at the faux expression of hurt on his face. A look that was soon replaced with amusement. “Are you insinuating something, darlin’? Should I bring my hat out?”

The song ended but he still held onto your waist. “Looks like those girls by the jukebox would love to take you up on your offer,” you mention, he followed your gaze to the two blonde women sipping on their beers. Their scowls were replaced with award winning smiles once they noticed he was looking. You laughed at their pathetic hand waves and pulled away from him entirely.

“Can I buy you a beer?” he asks, trailing after you. “She hates beer,” Rooster intercepts, him and Jake exchanging glares. Rooster takes your hand and dragging you with him to the jukebox. “This is going to be an interesting couple of weeks.” Fanboy starts.

#black!reader #jake seresin x black!reader #top gun maverick #hangman x reader

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bullet-prooflove · 1 year

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Shibari: Nero Padilla x Reader (NSFW)

Tagging: @babaohhhriley @lexondeck @redpoodlern @littleone65 @mortal--soul @buddinglinguist @yourwinchesterbros @oureternalbond @beccabarba @poppyrose33

I did so much research for this fic which is why it has taken so long. A massive thanks to @the-hinky-panda who has read multiple versions of this fic and listened to my character insights.

You’ve been working with Diosa for a couple of months when you approach Nero for a favour. He’s seated on the couch in his apartment, surveying the latest set of procurement requests when you rap your knuckles on the door and peek your head around it.

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t interrupting anything.” You tell him when he gestures for you to enter the room with a smile that tells you he’s more than happy to see you.

His gaze lowers to the non-descript shopping bag in your hand and he wonders if you’ve been doing a little procurement of your own. He doesn’t know what you use in your shows, he just knows he gets a good cut of it each and every month so whatever you’re doing it’s lucrative. He’s caught a flash of you in between sets, that midnight blue silk robe with a hint of lingerie underneath. From what he’s seen you play to your assets because those breasts in wine coloured lace… It’s unprofessional to think about it.

“Inventory.” He explains, setting the paperwork down on the surface of the coffee table. You sit down alongside side of him, your floral scent flooding his nostrils. It’s subtle and inviting, it makes him want to bury his face into the curve of your throat as he drinks you in.

“That is a lot of lube.” You tell him, raising your eyebrows as your eyes skim over the inventory list.

“We run eight rooms excluding yours, seven days a week.” He informs you, as he picks up his pen. “If you want, I could add you to the procurement list, we get a good discount.”

You shake your head, your hand coming to rest upon his. Your thumb ghosts over the hollow of his wrist and it feels intimate. That’s the problem with you, everything feels intimate. From the light graze of your fingertips to the sultry sound of your voice.

Nero knows he’s falling; he’s known for a few weeks.

He knows he seeks out your company, that he lives for those small breaks in between your shows where the two of you share a coffee and laugh about something ridiculous a client has requested. There’s a warmth in you that filters into his psyche, it feels like sunshine caressing his skin. He’s never felt anything quite like it and it resonates with something deep down inside of him.

“I use a different brand.” You tell him, disrupting Nero from his thoughts. “My skin’s a little sensitive so I need something a bit gentler.”

“Noted.” He says setting down his pen. “What do you need Mami?”

“I have a favour to ask you.” You tell him, withdrawing your phone from your purse, your fingertip scrolling over the screen. It takes you a second to find what you’re looking for, before you hand the phone over to him. He frowns for a second as he studies the request made through your website.

“Shibari is becoming more popular these days.” He remarks with the shrug of his shoulders as he returns your phone. “And for that price, he could tie me up anyway he wants me.”

You laugh and it’s a rich, lively noise that he finds absolutely captivating. He thinks he could spend the rest of his life just listening to that sound.

“My question is will you help me?”

He should have seen it coming. He doesn’t know why he didn’t

“I’m not a boy scout.” He says frankly. Health and Safety is a huge concern in the sex industry and something as specific as this has it’s own caveats, there’s additional shit to think about. He tries to go over what he knows about Shibari, the risk factors he has to look out for. Nerve compression is always an issue when you work with bondage, he makes sure his girls knows what their doing with ropes and ties, the last thing he wants is to get sued by one of his johns. He thinks he has that covered because he also undertook the training from a domantrix in San Bernardino.

“We’d have to practice.” He tells you, his palm rubbing over the back of his neck as he speaks. “I don’t want to do anything that hurts you or causes any damage. If we do do it, it needs to be safely with open communication and EMT scissors nearby just in case.”

“This is why I’m asking you to do it.” You inform him softly. “You’re the only one I trust when it comes to something like that.”

It feels like a confession. There’s vulnerability to what you’re asking him to do, you’ll be at his mercy after he’s bound you and he knows you don’t take that lightly. It’s an exchange of power even if he isn’t actually participating in the act.

“O.K.” He agrees, clasping his hands together. “When do want to start?”

You tip out the contents of the shopping bag onto the coffee table. A jumble of items tumble out, two lengths of high quality silk rope, EMT scissors, that specialist brand of lube you must have been talking about earlier…

“I have everything we need right here.”

***

It takes hours of practice. Nero uses Youtube to learn the knots as you research the intricacies of the act, the risk factors, the shit you need to look out for so that there’s no temporary or permanent damage caused. It isn’t until Nero has successfully trussed up his pillow for the eighteenth time in a row that he deems himself ready to try it out on the real thing.

He’s careful as he restrains you. You start with your clothes on at first, testing out the restriction of the rope before you eventually strip down to your underwear. A black sports bra and matching black panties. You want to test how it makes you feel, the relentlessness of the binds on your skin, you want to see if it’s something to endure or something you may enjoy.

When Nero steps back to survey his handiwork, he knows he’s done a good job. You look pretty as picture, seated in the centre of his bed, bound. The rope curls around each one of your thighs, securing your calves to them, your legs splayed open. Your wrists are cinched behind your back with a double column knot, thrusting your breasts forward and keeping you locked in place. There’s no way that you can move in this position, it’s completely submissive.

“How does it feel?” He asks you curiously, his hand coming to rest on the EMT scissors, just in case you need a quick release.

“Like I’m at your mercy.” You tell him, telling the strength of the restraints. Every movement is hindered by the restriction of the rope, your client knew exactly what he was doing when he selected this position.

“That’s what he wants.” Nero says with an understanding he isn’t sure he likes, because he knows there’s another step to the request, one that you won’t be practicing with him. “The beautiful girl bound up, under his complete control, no say in her pleasure.”

It leaves a sour taste in his mouth, not because of the fantasy itself but because of the way it was phrased, the words he used.

Control – not submission.

It isn’t about a distribution of power; it’s about owning you.

Nero’s surprised he didn’t ask for a fucking collar.

“Do you know why I cam?” You ask him as kneels on the bed behind you and begins to undo the ropes that bind your wrists. “Why I don’t do porn or escort?”

“I’ve wondered.” He admits as he tugs gently at the binds, unthreading them.

He knows you would make fucking bank in the niche areas, especially if you were doing shit like this.

“The distance,” You tell him, flexing your wrists as the rope falls away, there are no markings in your skin, just the imprint of the rope pattern upon your forearms. “I like the distance. I like knowing that I’m in control, that I am doing what I want to do. They may pay me, but they don’t own me. It’s one of the reasons I don’t come for them, not really. They don’t get to have that.”

You’re not the only one that fakes it. Most of his girls do too. It’s the nature of the job. He thinks the reality of a woman actually enjoying themselves is too much for some men. He thinks it’s too much for the asshole that sent this request in.

“I think that’s a healthy view to have.” He agrees as he unties the binding on your thighs. His gaze slips up to your face because he wants you to see the honesty in his expression when he tells you. “Pleasure should be given, not taken.”

Something passes between the who of you, it feels like a current underneath the surface of his skin.

“Think you can do this for real later on?” You ask him, breaking the spell. His looks at the silken rope in his hands, feeling the weight of it across his palms.

“Yea.” He tells you. “Just let me know when you’re ready.”

***

The underwear that was sent to you via you PO box is a bra and panties selection in cornflower blue silk. It’s a specification of the scene that you wear it. Everything about the video has been dictated to you, even the type of toy you should use. The only thing the viewer has no control over is the length of time. Five minutes is what you tell everyone. If they want you to make a video, it’s five minutes long and after that the price hikes astronomically. With Shibari the timing is even more crucial.

When you strip off the dusky pink robe Nero can’t help but think you look like a vision. He understands how easy it is for a man to want you, to need to claim you for himself. It’s not just your beauty, it’s something that simmers just underneath the surface. He knows that you’re emotionally intelligent, you wouldn’t have gotten this far without it but at the core of your being, you know who you are and you’re unapologetic about it. He thinks this is why your subscribers fall in love with you, he thinks that’s why he’s fallen in love with you.

He treats the scene the way he would with any of his girls, with a cool professionalism because after all this isn’t you and him exploring a new kink together in bed, this is work. He doesn’t need to remind himself of that, not when there’s a camera set up over his shoulder attached to a laptop.

He starts the same way he did last time, with your thighs. His palms are gentle as loops the rope around your calf, pulling it taut. His fingers trace along the indentation of the silken bind, testing the security of the bind before he moves onto your other leg.

“OK?” He asks you, his dark eyes searching yours for any sign of discomfort.

“Perfect.” You tell him, your lips accentuating the syllables before you gesture to the purple vibrator with the remote lying on the sheets next to you. “I just need to…”

“Oh yea, of course.” He turns his back, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyes to the ceiling. He hears the rustle of silk, and he tries to think of anything else other than you lubing up that dildo before you slip it inside you, the base flush against those panties when you slip them back on.

“Done.” You tell him and he turns back around to see you holding out the remote to him. “Well, someone has to turn it on, and I can’t do it if my hands are tied.”

Fuck, you are going to wreck him with this shit, he just knows it. If he ever doubted how much trust you have him, it’s eradicated the moment you put that tiny device into his hand. You are literally giving him control of your pleasure.

“Yea.” He says, his voice a little rough. “Of course.”

You put your hands behind your back dutifully and he kneels behind you on the bed before he wraps the rope around your wrists and begins to tie a double column. He’s well practised by now, oddly he enjoys the thoroughness of the task, the fact he has to concentrate on what he’s doing so his attention doesn’t wander to thoughts such as how did you get that scar just under the hinge of your jaw? Or how graceful the slope of your shoulders look in this position. When he’s finished he studies his handiwork, the binding is neat and precise, cinching your wrists just above your silk clad ass of yours. He’s starting to get good at this he realises.

“Remember.” He says as he climbs off the bed and comes to stand in front of you, making a snipping motion with his fingers. “You just say the word and I am there with the scissors.”

“The next thing you’re going to tell me is that we need a safe word.” You remark as you tug at your restraints, testing them.

“That’s not a bad idea.” He considers, his palm rubbing over his jawline. “Pick one.”

You’re silent for a moment, he sees something flicker across your features, something he doesn’t understand before you say softly “Roses.”

“O.K.” He agrees. “We’ll use roses. Now are you sure about this?”

He holds up the remote once more. You give him a look and he throws up his hands with a good natured smile.

“I’ve never been part of a cam show before!”

You smile back and he senses what ever happened just a minute ago has passed.

“Now you can cross it off you’re bucket list.”

He rolls his eyes before hovering alongside the camera, adjusting the angle just slightly so that you are entirely in focus. This is how you’ll look to your client, erotically exposed. Legs bound open so that he can see that sliver of silk, Nero thinks you must have smeared lube across the material already because he can see that moistness already clinging to the silk. Your breasts are thrust forward, your cleavage almost spilling out of the push up bra. It’s tantalising, he thinks, this image alone would make your subscribership increase tenfold.

“Ready?” He asks, his finger hovering over the button.

You nod and he presses the record button before retreating to the seat you’ve set up for him in the corner, the remote in one hand and the EMT scissors in the other. He holds up the remote to indicate he’s about to start the vibrator before he hits the rubber button once.

The moment he does the whole scene comes to life.

Its sensual, the way you move. You tug at the restrains as your hips push downwards, like you’re trying to fuck the thing inside of you even harder. He sees how people can get off on this, there’s a neediness in the act, a desperation in the way you choreograph your movements. You’re good at putting on a show, he understands why people pay you so much money. Fuck if this was private thing between the two of you, he would have gotten off already. That damp patch between your legs grows, the fabric soaking, and he feels himself beginning to stir. It’s a normal response to what he’s seeing, he knows that but he still crosses one leg over the other in an attempt to hide it. His eyes stray to the clock you’ve set on the end table alongside of him. Not long to go now.

There’s a flush creeping across your cheeks, it stains your skin with an apricot hue. Your movements become more erratic, muscles straining against the bindings as you whimper. Your head tips back as you arch, hips thrusting down as if you’re truly desperate for cock. It’s like you can’t control yourself. The pitch of your cries builds. The scent of your arousal is in the air, he can taste it on his tongue as your eyes meet his. He sees the heat there, the desire, the sheer desperation to get fucked and he realises you can’t actually control yourself. His thumb fumbles with the button but it’s too late. That brief moment of intimacy between the two of you sends you hurtling over the edge.

It’s beautiful, the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. You ruined amongst those sheets, eyes closed, chest straining. You whine in the aftermath, the vibrations drawing out your ecstasy before he shuts the damn thing off. He’s already on his feet, stopping the recording before he’s kneeling on the bed by your side.

“I’m going to untie you.” He says softly, waiting for your nod before he reaches out to touch you.

You tilt your face away from him as he undoes the knots as quickly as he can. You’re uncharacteristically silent and Nero wonders if he has just taken something from you. He remembers the conversation you had regarding your own pleasure, about owning it and he curses himself for not seeing the signs earlier.

He backs off once you’ve been released from the bindings, he steps away from the bed to retrieve your robe whilst you remove the vibrator. He waits for you to wrap it around yourself before he asks.

“Do you need space?”

He isn’t sure of the protocol for this, and he feels unequipped to deal with it. He decides he’s going to take your lead because in the aftermath of something like that it’s about fulfilling your needs.

“I didn’t expect to come.” You tell him, running your hands through your hair. “I was nowhere near close and then I looked at you and…”

“Oh.” He says before he sits down on the edge of the bed.

It puts the two of you on a level playing field. There’s no power dynamics here, just honesty.

“Having you in the room, it excited me. I didn’t realise…” You trail off because honestly you don’t need to say it.

There’s a chemistry between the two of you, one that extends beyond the realms of physicality. You know he feels it, it’s in the way he looks at you, the way he smiles. You think the both of you could have something great together but at the end of the day you’re a cam girl, who ‘gets off’ on camera for money. There’s not a lot of people who can handle that shit.

“It excited me too. You’re an attractive woman and this...” He says as his fingertips trail across the silken rope. “…may have tapped into something that even I wasn’t aware of.”

“Is this your way of telling me you like your women tied up and helpless?” You ask him with a teasing lilt and he sees those walls of yours have gone back up, that the moment of vulnerability you have just exhibited has passed. He concedes to it. You need to process what just happened.

“Only when there’s a safe word involved.” He responds light heartedly before he raises to his feet. “I’m gonna give you some time, when you’re ready come find me and I’ll drop you off home.”

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