Tumgik
#I’ve been there for her as she’s gone through her process of realizing how horrible are parents are
Soooo my family is horrible? My sister and older brother live in the city over that’s an hour away from me. I drove there tonight because my brother was hosting a “siblings only” birthday party for my sister because she had said that all she wanted for her birthday was to have a sibling hangout game night where we played some of the games that we grew up playing together as a family. Like. Okay that felt doable.
I got a drink beforehand with my visiting sibling and sibling-in-law and they told me that apparently the REAL PARTY was actually LAST NIGHT and this party tonight was the fake party. The real party was at my sister’s apartment, and all of my siblings were there except for me and my visiting sibling (WHO WAS STAYING IN THE CITY LAST NIGHT) and we were not even invited. To make it worse, my older brother and sister in law ASKED MY SIBLING AND SIL TO BABYSIT the nieces for them while they were at my sister’s party and did not even TELL THEM that it was for her birthday party. They hemmed and hawed about where they were going and my sibling finally pieced it together from various conversations. What the fuck????
And then tonight, my sister literally TALKED ABOUT HER PARTY IN FRONT OF US but also didn’t directly acknowledge that it was a birthday party. Just casually talked about it, referenced multiple interactions and inside jokes from the night, and talked to my younger brother while sitting across the table from me about the character that she helped him create for the murder mystery party theme. I JUST???
I texted my youngest brother about it to confirm that this did all in fact happen and he was like, “well maybe she just didn’t think you’d want to come since it was gonna be a lot of people in a small space.” BULLSHIT. You can’t even invite me?? You invite all the other siblings and even invite my sister-in-law’s sister and her husband (who attended) but you intentionally left out the queer siblings and then were callous enough to just casually reference it all evening at the secondary consolation party?
Like it’s very possible that I would’ve said no, particularly if she was still wanting to do this game night. Like I’m not gonna go to two parties on back to back nights an hour away from me after a batshit work week and while still recovering from bronchitis. That’s impossible. I would’ve asked her to choose one she wanted me to be at most lol. But like. TO NOT EVEN INVITE US??? And for my brother and SIL to be fucking complicit in this by asking D and L to babysit and not even being transparent about where they were going or how that might impact D and L’s feelings??? THE LEVELS!!!
I am like…if there was any part of me that questioned whether or not my exclusion from my sister’s wedding in October was about anything but blatant homophobia, I no longer doubt that in the slightest. She just didn’t want the queers there. That’s very obvious. She didn’t want us a part of her wedding and she didn’t even want us at her fucking birthday party with her friends and the rest of our siblings. That is so fucking horrible. How do you include all the other siblings but not us. How do you do that. And then IF you’re gonna do that, how are you so coldhearted and callous to talk about it in front of my face and act like you didn’t do something extremely hurtful and exclusionary? How is that possible. How are you such a cunt.
Fuck her. Fuck making any efforts in that fucking relationship. I have tried to be such a supportive and caring older sibling and this is the thanks I get? Fuck that. It is just beyond hurtful to be treated like absolute shit by my own siblings for no reason other than being queer. I expect this shit from my parents but from my siblings who I LITERALLY RAISED it really fucking cuts so much deeper.
25 notes · View notes
raayllum · 1 year
Note
i’ve been toying around with the idea that rayla gets coined by viren/claudia/aaravos/etc at the end of the season, and i’m kind of vibing with that being the big missing rayla twist at the end of the season. it would work with the cube hostage exchange theory (callum trading the cube for knowledge as to how to free rayla), callum using dark magic/connecting to aaravos at some point in the season (as we see from the teasers, as well as aaron stating once that the only way to free someone from the coins is dark magic- don’t quote me on that, i don’t remember where i saw that), and it would be a good segue into discovering viren’s other coins and possibly freeing rayla’s family within the next few seasons. do you think the theory has any weight? if not, do you have any theories as to when the coin issue will be addressed in the series?
For me I lean away from Rayla being coined simply because I think it's important to her as a character / giving her a sense of peace for her to work towards saving her parents. Not because she feels like she has to redeem herself, but because she wants to save them. Even in TTM at the Moon Nexus, she didn't let herself actually prioritize them, and I get the feeling going into S4 Rayla (who I posit is real for this scenario anyway) will be "I've come back to protect you" to the supreme. Focusing only on how much she hurt him and not how much she actually hurt herself (because when has she ever?)
AKA "I'm sorry I left, but I'm here now, I can help protect you" does not answer "Okay, Rayla, but who is protecting you?"
So I feel like Rayla being coin'd could be an over-correction in some ways and removes the possibility of her showing her growth in 1) pursuing something she wants, 2) letting Callum help, and 3) piecing her family back together directly. Unless Callum frees just her first and then her parents, but I still think like... Rayla would only be dealing with the aftermath of Callum having been in danger, then, not witnessing it herself (which I think is way more terrible to / for her, and why I prefer it, because I'm horrible, lmao). It'd also mean removing Rayla from the plot far longer than is feasible and again, she wouldn't be able to know what's fully happening until long after, probably, so I get stuck on the hindrances of the delay
It was an old immediate post-S3 interview but I do remember the one you're referring to! It's stated that it's likely / possible that only dark magic could reverse the coin'ing process, but we still know very little about how the coins work - and magical limitations (like humans not learning primal magic) has often been untrue. That, and the coin spell and mirror spell seem exceedingly similar which makes me think they can both be undone with primal magic (unless Avizandum was a massive hypocrite, but we'll have to wait and see)
I have talked about my notions regarding the Coin theory and I could've sworn it got tossed into a proper meta post but apparently not?
So I think if Rayla does get captured, she may get threatened by the coins or have the opportunity to see them more closely. This lets her realize her parents are in there (as unless she's discovered something somehow while she's been gone, she still has no clue) and I think that would be her main motivation in S5. I feel like we have to have most of the main team Together in by S6 so that it can be a "We have basically all our possible allies and we still lost and lost hard" in S6, and I think S5 works because 1) it's enough of a victory but still has a interesting emotional aftermath that idk if the final season would have room for and 2) I don't think it would work as well in S6 because again, we want a massive defeat for our heroes, and I feel like that could feel a bit too much like a Win, tbh, for that sense of devastation to really set in
Basically: I don't think Rayla also needs to be in a coin, as her being just taken captive does the same legwork but with less logistics to jump through, and while I think she's probably still hiding something about why she came back, I do think she's probably real, just we know she's with the gang until Rex Igneous (4x08) and it'd be a massive fallout with very little time to work retroactively with in recontexualizing. Not impossible, but very difficult to pull off in such limited time
17 notes · View notes
rhaemaya-valwynn · 11 months
Text
Update- Writing Fan-Fics and Real Life Problems.
Hello everyone, I just wanna give an update on whats going on so you don’t think I’ve forgotten the fan-fics I’ve started.
CW: medical problems and near death of my mother
Over the past year I have struggled with medications. I think I’ve probably gone through at least 12 different medications in an attempt to keep me ‘going’ essentially. I have a special condition which makes me horribly depressed and the Doctor’s I’ve been under are at a loss of what to do for me. The last 6 months has basically been them throwing everything and the kitchen sink at me in an attempt to keep me functioning enough to keep working as I needed to make money for medical bills for my type one diabetes, since even having insurance is not enough to truly help with how expensive it is.
It hasn’t worked. Eventually, the side effects of all the medications accumulated to a breaking point in January. I lost the ability to write (literally, my words were jumbled, I would go to write one thing and then look up to see I had typed something COMPLETELY different) and to comprehend what was being told to me. I almost lost the ability to talk because the medication had taken such a severe turn for me. My doctor had me quit cold turkey and STAY cold turkey for 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks were HELL. Coming off the medication was a utter nightmare as I had to battle auditory hallucinations and the inability to move as they occurred (almost like a paralysis.)
When the dust finally settled, I felt better then I had in 7 years. People would tell me that I looked so much better, not just how I talked and behaved. While this was a great relief, about a month ago (March 16th to be exact) I came home to find a call from my mom’s friend. She was in the hospital for emergency surgery.
The doctor’s didn’t know what was wrong with her, other then something dealing with her intestines. They wouldn’t know if they could fix it till they cut her open.
Essentially, she either lived or died.
Thankfully she made it, though the doctor’s said she was 2 hours away from dying. She had torn a hole in her stomach and 20ft of her small intestine pushed through and wrapped around her colon, cutting blood flow.
Yeah, it was pretty bad.
We both reevaluated our life styles and realized we needed each other, as I was living alone going through all these medication problems and her just having divorced my father and was living alone when this happened.
Last Easter we both agreed that I would be moving back with her. April 14th I bought a trailer to live in next to her small house and am in the process of trying to move out by April 1st.
I haven’t forgotten my fan-fics (Void Walker and the Naga!Jotaro/ Warm my Soul fic)
I just do not have the time to relax or rest till I’m officially moved out and settled into my new home. I hope you all understand that I’m going to need some time to adjust and recuperate from this last year.
Thank you for reading, as a treat you can have a snippet from ‘Warm my Soul’ that I did have prepared before everything happened.
Warm my Soul- Chapter 2: Study Master Disaster The wildlife in Jotaro's habitat was more diverse and intricate than you had initially imagined. Birds, lizards, frogs, beetles, bats, and all manner of things lived here. It was almost as if they had plucked a chunk of forest up and put it in Washington State. Nothing in here was severely dangerous that might actually harm faculty or Jotaro. Though, now that he had regained his weight and was nearly recovered, most things didn't threaten him anymore as he was a wall of sheer muscle. With nigh unstoppable power, he could genuinely hurt someone if he wanted to.This meant no more interactions like Angela's could happen. If he didn't want you there, you would know, immediately.
Kyoshi had warned you that healthy Nagas were some of the most dangerous Cryptids. Due to their ability to move silently and crush their prey with terrifying strength, coupled with their potent venom strong enough to stop your heart in three minutes flat, these Cryptids ranked high on the danger chart, primarily due to the fact that their species was on the brink of extinction due to poachers and tamers alike. Lucky for you, Jotaro actually liked you, so you figured the chances of him wrapping you up in his nine-meter tail and snuffing out your life while injecting you with venom to be....minimal.
On a happier note, the herd of capybaras that lived in the man-made rainforest were overly friendly and would typically come trotting from their 'sunbathing' spots to greet you every morning. They were always eager for snacks and loved 'scritches.' A word used by the older veterinary assistant Tomoko Higashikata who was typically tasked with giving you the snack buckets on your way in. Jotaro always gave her a weird look if he decided to wait for you at the entrance, though you never pried as there were too many things going on in his life that you didn't need to be privy to everything.
The animals may or may not be nice to you because you had kept bringing your own food previously and feeding them as you went in for Jotaro's care. The veterinarians noticed your little escapades and began offering healthier options for the animals as several of them had 'gained too much weight' from your overzealous act of kindness. The snacks were indeed better and didn't involve banana chips and dried mango slices from the dollar store. Most days you worked, you saw Jotaro, given that he had become responsive to care only from you and you alone.
The how and why is a little bit of a story, but at the end of the day, you were his most trusted caregiver. Most of your work schedule revolved around him now, with Thursdays being all to him and him alone. While some coworkers lamented their jealousy over your closeness to the snake man, you reminded them about Angela and how they shouldn't talk that way. But deep inside, you were glad to have broken the barrier between Jotaro and the world.
To be continued....
2 notes · View notes
patiencetakestyme · 2 years
Text
The Cheerleader and the Freak, Epilogue
Epilogue
A/N:  This is it!  We've reached the end of this story!  I want to thank everyone that stuck with this story to the end; it means so very much to me!  
If you loved this story, and if you’re interested in reading the other things I’ve written, check out my book:  The House of Dormiens by K.A. Saylor.  You can find it on Amazon! 
As always, thank you for any and all support!  
As they emerged from the Upside Down, the sunlight was blinding.  It felt so warm and welcoming; she had never been so incredibly grateful to see the light of day.  
The group disbanded, but she knew things had changed between them; they had all worked together to overcome this horrible incursion.  They had shared trauma now.  Though they were parting ways for now—to shower, to eat, to find some sense of peace after a long night and a long battle—they were stuck together forever.  These people—Nancy, Steve, Dustin…Eddie—they understood her and her suffering in a way that no one else would ever really be able to touch.  
Eddie offered to walk her home, and she readily accepted.  On the way, they exchanged battle stories.  He couldn’t believe all that she had gone through, and she felt rather similarly about his own excursions.  
But she was admittedly distracted during the conversation.  Facing the prospect of seeing her mother again…it worried her.  She still had “These Dreams” thrumming through her headphones—she would continue to play the song continuously for a few more days, until she could be absolutely certain she was rid of Vecna’s curse.  And if there was anything that was going to trigger an episode, it was coming face to face with the woman that was the source behind it all.  
But things felt different now; she felt different now.  She couldn't explain it, but she was fairly certain she was no longer under Vecna’s curse.  She just felt…free, independent from her need to conform to her mother’s wishes and demands.  
She would need to explain her absence, but that was achievable; she would merely claim that she had been staying over with a friend from the cheer squad.  Her parents would be disgruntled, but she was not worried; she had been a perfect angel in their eyes leading up to this moment—they would undoubtedly punish her for her lack of notice, but in the end, she would survive it.  She could survive anything after her time spent in the Upside Down.  
What was going to be harder was dealing with them.  Her perspective on her parents had changed—not only because of Eddie, but because of the steps she had had to take to defeat Vecna.  Experiencing the meeting of their minds—his mind and her mind intermingling, his trauma and her trauma intermingling—it had been enlightening.  She had, in essence, ultimately put her emotional baggage behind her.  In the end, that had been the trick to defeating Vecna’s curse—or, at least, the hold it had on her.  If she processed her trauma, he couldn’t use said trauma against her.  
That did not mean that she was completely over what her parents had done to her.  It would be with her forever; it was a part of her, and it always would be.  
But she could not look at her parents the same way ever again.  She could now process just how horrible they had been to her.  Even now, looking down at the filthy cheer uniform that she had been wearing for days—it looked like it belonged in a horror movie—she knew her mother would immediately have some passive-aggressive comments to throw her way.  
But she had Eddie now.  He looked like he had been through war, too.  And they had, she realized.  Quite the pair they made.  
When they reached her house, she felt her palms start to sweat.  Already, she could feel that impulse—could hear her mother’s voice whispering to her, telling her that her relationship with Eddie would only bring judgment.  She shook her head, locking it down.  She pushed herself, choosing not only to refuse to listen to her mother’s voice, but to stand in direct defiance of it.  She reached down, holding his hand in her own.  
They came to a stop at the front door.  She turned the knob, knowing her parents were home and would be watching—knowing they would be confused into silence at the sight of someone other than Jason on their doorstep.  
“I’ll see you later?” she asked, with an encouraging nod.  
“Yeah, I’d kill for a shower,” he started, his smile enthusiastic—defiant.  “But we can meet up this afternoon?” he asked, leaning in.  
“Sounds perfect,” she confirmed, with a smile.  
Before she could second guess herself—before she could put too much thought into it—she leaned in to kiss him on the lips.  She knew he had little warning or time to prepare for this—so she hadn’t expected much from it—but he proved her wrong; he was quicker on his feet than she had anticipated.  His hand came up, cupping around the nape of her neck and bringing her in even closer—bringing her in for the sweetest kiss she had ever experienced.  
“No conforming while I’m gone,” Eddie pulled back, his joking smile firmly in place.  
“Oh, come on,” she started, with an overly dramatic sigh.  “A little conforming.”  
“Like what?” he spat indignantly, but his smile was still holding strong.  
“You’ve taught me a lot,” she conceded.  “Now, it’s my turn to teach you a few things.”
“Like what?” he repeated; this time, he couldn’t resist laughing as well.  
She thought about it, but only for a second.  “Stop selling drugs,” she suggested; she was smiling, but there was an undeniably audacious edge to her tone.  She wanted to maintain what had always been true about their relationship:  they joked, they laughed, but they also shared serious things they refused to share with anyone else; they learned from each other and became better people as a result.  “I don’t need you going to jail.” 
“That’s fair,” he conceded, his smile becoming more genuine as he seemed to read the change in the tone of the conversation.  “I’ll take it.”
“See you this afternoon?”
He nodded, confirming their plans.  She entered the house, closed the door behind her, and approached the kitchen, passing her parents in the process—both of whom were staring, their mouths popped open, speechless.  She went right for the pantry and extracted just what she had been looking for:  a can of Spaghettios, a now treasured artifact memorializing their time spent at Reefer Rick’s, her time spent letting go of the control food had over her—her time spent finding her freedom.  
10 notes · View notes
luverofralts · 2 years
Text
Arkhelios University
Tumblr media
“You’re pregnant?”
Abe tried not to flinch at the horror in Roman’s voice. He’d had the same reaction, so it was only fair that he give Roman that same chance to work through his feelings. Still, it felt like he was trapped in a bad rerun of their life when Roman looked as though he was about to run in any direction that wasn’t here.
“You can try to be more supportive,” Abe replied tensely. “Don’t even think about running away for days to process this either. You’re responsible for this too, you know.”
“Ulyssa promised me that spell would work,” Roman whispered, trying to work out in his brain just how this had happened. “She doesn’t have any recent kids, and she told me it would work.”
“Well, she’s a far better magic user than you are! Maybe you should have thought about that before you insisted on switching to birth control that’s based in magic. You’re a pretty shitty wizard Roman.”
“I don’t want more kids, I was done,” Roman groaned, smacking his head with his hand. “I want to start my career, I’ve been making plans about a down payment for a restaurant one day when I’m not stuck at home changing diapers. I’m covered in mashed up toddler cereal most of the day and I have mindless kid television shows stuck in my brain when I try to sleep at night.” He closed his eyes, waiting for the room to stop spinning. “Four kids. Four kids, Abe. We’re not even twenty five and we’re practically the Durants. What are we going to do?”
“Get better at magic,” Abe snapped quickly, then thought better of his reaction. He’d gone through this stage too when he watched the pregnancy test turn positive. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was shocked too. This wasn’t how we planned things out, but I did want more kids with you. I just thought the twins would be a little older before we started trying.”
“I had so many things I wanted to do. When are we going to get married? What will everyone say? You know your sister’s going to have a field day with this.”
“My sister doesn’t matter,” Abe replied. “Her life is a bigger mess than ours, if she says anything, we’ll just bring up Ulyssa. Problem solved.”
Roman tried to smile.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said slowly. “We’re in a much better place than when we had Theo at least. We have a place to live, and we’re getting married. You’re not cheating on me with fifty guys-”
“And you’re not trying to ruin Lucy’s career because of your paranoia,” Abe finished. If Roman wanted to bring up the past, then two could play that game.
The events of his brief time in the void with Gareth rose unbidden to his mind. There would be no forgetting the horrible, hollow scraping voice that had plagued him.
“My paranoia? You almost died, Abe! There was a void and my mother and-” Roman stopped mid sentence as a new thought occurred to him. “We still don’t have a deal to protect you. Just because things are quiet now, doesn’t mean that you’re safe.”
“Roman, I didn’t mean that-”
Abe groaned as he realized what he’d done. Roman had been calm for a while now about Abe’s safety, but mentioning the threat had instantly re-materialized Roman’s fears.
“We have to make a deal now, tonight,” Roman insisted as his mind tried to balance the fear of having another mouth to feed with the fear that Abe could die at any second.
“Roman, no, it’s-”
“She can find connections to me through others,” Roman nearly shouted, his voice filling with panic. “She’s already found you before, and now you have a connection to me growing inside you! Abe, that’s how she found Adrian. He died because of me! The same thing is going to happen to you! I can’t lose you!”
Abe tried to reign in Roman’s fears, but he was already pacing, his mind going wild with fears.
“What if the blood magic hasn’t subsided completely? Me and Adrian were no problem, but you and me? What if we make another kid with Theo’s abilities?”
Tumblr media
In his short life, Theo had thoroughly  learned the value of eavesdropping. His parents said that it was rude and that people shouldn’t do it, but why should he listen to them? His parents were liars. It was possible for grownups to have kids they didn’t want. They were afraid of his powers. They were worried about having another kid that would be just like him. His sisters were normal, and he was not.
Tumblr media
“The contract has been terminated, and we’re not connected anymore,” Abe stated firmly. “The build up of magic in Theo stopped when your grandmother made our deal. He’s lived for years now past when he was supposed to have died. We’re going to be fine, Roman. Stop worrying.”
“You don’t understand,” Roman insisted. “We’re going to get a deal made now. I don’t care what it’s about, it only matters if it connects us. Get your coat, we’ll bring the kids to Lucy’s and call one of her co-workers. Someone she trusts. If we’re going to have this kid, I refuse to let you spend nine months exposed like Adrian was.”
“If we’re having this kid?” Abe repeated incredulously. “I don’t remember having a conversation with you about if we’re having a baby.”
Roman sighed, and tried to massage away the headache that was starting in his temples.
“You’re what’s important to me,” Roman replied quickly. “We can have other pregnancies, I can’t replace you. Abe, Adrian is dead. Dead. He didn’t get to see our kids. He doesn’t get to live a life that was stolen from him and it’s because of me! I couldn’t protect him, but I can protect you. Please, let me protect you before I lose you. Before Theo loses you. Let’s go find a demon. We can transfer the deal to me after the five years are up. We can get married. It could be a wedding contract. Please, Abe.”
“Your mother tried everything she could to kill me or Theo when I was pregnant before. She could have done so much more to us, but she didn’t. I’m not going to let some stranger hold a promise between the two of us. I’m just not. It’s giving too much power to someone I don’t know if I can trust.”
“She couldn’t do everything she wanted last time because she had something to lose,” Roman shouted, starting to pace. “She had an estranged father running an illegal scam here. She had a life built up, and me to train in the family business. She has nothing now, Abe. She has nothing to lose. Adrian-”
“Stop bringing up Adrian!” Abe snapped angrily. “He’s dead, and I’m sorry about that! I’m not him though, and I’m sick of you constantly comparing us! I’m sick of hearing his name, and what he would do, and how much better he was for you than me! I get it, loud and clear, trust me. He could provide for you better than I can! He was more understanding about the supernatural than I am! But he’s gone and you’re stuck with me, the guy you knocked up in high school before we had a chance to meet other richer, more perfect men to be with. I’m so sorry that I got pregnant at sixteen and inconvenienced you. Did I plan on being a teenage father? No, but those are the cards we were dealt, Roman! Since you love your stupid cards so much, you’d think that you’d understand that concept!”
“What part of this aren’t you understanding?” Roman demanded, his voice as cold as ice. “This isn’t a game, Abe. You don’t understand what you’re up against. All you can think about is your petty jealousy over someone I was divorcing anyway. We need to think about this logically. Remember logic? Have you ever understood it?”
“You can’t decide things like this with logic,” Abe shouted, startling Theo in the hall. He’d never heard his parents this angry at each other before. “You were the one who suggested leaving Theo in Strangetown because it made sense and where would we be if we had? He’d be dead, probably along with us!”
“We almost died anyway!” Roman retorted with a glare. “At least I meant it when I said I’d take care of him! You abandoned us the moment you stepped foot on that university campus. I was the one who was willing to be his primary caregiver. If it was up to you, your mother would be raising him while you cheated on me. What have you given up to have him? You have a career. You put in the minimum amount of effort you can with the kids, and then are surprised when I have hesitations about having more. I want this baby more than anything, if you’ll protect yourself from the real risks, and will help me. You can’t be your mother and just leave your husband with the kids all day while you do what you want. I can’t live your dad’s life!”
“Oh, we’re bad mouthing mothers are we? Well, yours-”
Tumblr media
Theo couldn’t listen anymore. He didn’t understand a lot of what his parents were saying, but the message behind all the grownup talk was clear. His parents really didn’t want him around. He had ruined their lives, and he was getting another brother or sister that they were terribly afraid would turn out to be just like him. Everyone at school was right. He was a monster who ruined lives, and even his own parents had reservations about raising him. There was only one thing he could do now. He had to remove himself from the people he was hurting, and make their lives happy again.
Tumblr media
Theo hurried to his room and grabbed his school backpack off the floor. He dumped all the work books and math sheets out of it and filled it with supplies he’d need. The blanket his aunt Lucy had knit him would keep him warm wherever he went and there were still two granola bars from his lunch he hadn’t eaten. He didn’t know what else he’d need or where he’d even go, as long as it wasn’t here.
After changing out of his pajamas, and grabbing a coat, Theo knelt to hug Renarde goodbye.
“I’ll come get you someday,” he promised, rubbing his floppy doggy ears goodbye. “I promise.”
Tumblr media
It was hard to say goodbye to his pet, but even harder to say goodbye to his sisters. The twins were just babies, but he’d miss them too.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to have a new brother or sister,” he promised tearfully. “They’ll take care of you like I couldn’t. I’m going to miss you though. I hope you’ll miss me too.”
Tumblr media
With his goodbyes said, Theo searched his mind for a place where he felt safe and where he wouldn’t bother anyone. There were a few options. He didn’t have a plan in mind, so he’d try them all until he was sure where he wanted to live. He waved a final tearful good to his sisters and then vanished in a puff of smoke.
Tumblr media
“Theo? Your light’s still on, buddy. We talked about saving electricity, remember?”
Roman knocked on his son’s closed bedroom door, expecting to find Theo passed out on his couch with the TV blaring. Instead, the room was empty.
Roman stepped in the room, looking for any trace of his son. The bed was messy, but empty, and Roman couldn’t find him on the couch. His closet was open with some shirts pulled out and dumped unceremoniously on the floor. Roman worriedly checked under the bed, but all he found was the dog, chewing on one of Theo’s stuffed animals.
“Theo?”
Panic was beginning to grip Roman, as he searched for his son. He was sure that he hadn’t seen Theo downstairs. He and Abe had reached an impasse in their discussion about what measures were needed to keep Abe safe, but they’d at least come to agree that this new baby was exciting news that they were happy about. They’d tell people when another month had passed just to be safe, or earlier if Abe had terrible morning sickness like he’d had with Theo that they couldn’t explain away. It was a shock going from being cautiously optimistic about a new baby to this awful feeling of panic looking for their oldest child.
A lone piece of paper caught his eye on Theo’s usually messy desk. On the page was a picture of Roman, Abe, the twins and a new baby, with a sad Theo far away from them.
“Abe?” he shouted in horror, staring at the unhappy drawing on the page with the badly scrawled message: Bye. I love you, I’m sorry -Theo
“Abe!”
Tumblr media
Roman didn’t even pause to think about what he was doing. Some basic instinct took hold of him that allowed him the ability to use his body while his brain had shut down entirely.
“Call your mom!” he screamed as he ran past a bewildered Abe. “Call Lucy! I’m calling Melvin right now, we need to look for him! I-I don’t- start calling!”
“Roman?”
“Theo heard us talking about the baby- about him,” Roman sputtered, somehow managing to misdial 911 twice in his panic. “Abe, he’s run away! He could be anywhere! We have to hope that he’s just down the street at your mother’s. I think he’s been lying to us about how restrictive his necklace is now. No, I know he’s been lying to us, because that’s what I would do in his position. He could be anywhere!”
18 notes · View notes
iwishiwasbatman · 2 years
Text
Masked Love (Part 1)
Pairing- Jason Todd x OC; Dick Grayson x Platonic!OC
Warnings- death; Joker being Joker
Word Count- 2,949
Summary- After a devastating loss befalls Elana and her friends, she attempts to strike back.
Ignore typos and spelling mistakes… this is my first fanfic :)
I walked down the stairs toward the shouts from Jason that had echoed up to the clock room. He sounded incredibly excited about something, but I couldn’t tell what.
“Loud and clear, boss,” I heard Jason say sarcastically as I got to the end of the staircase. He sighed, annoyed, as he tapped his phone, which I assumed meant he hung up on whoever he was calling. I went up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head against his back. I could feel him tense up at first, but relax once he realized it was me.
“Hey, babe,” Jason greeted.
“Hey.” I smiled to myself. I let go and he turned around to face me with his normal Jason smile on his face. ��Were you fighting with Bruce again?” I asked.
“No,” he lied. I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms over my chest. “Okay, fine. Maybe I was, but it’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it. Got it?”
“I guess, but I’m still gonna worry anyway,” I told him.
“Are you done with patrol already?” he changed the subject.
“It was a slow night.” It was true. I had to stop one mugger and that was it. Aside from that, I sat there for five hours. Just sitting there. Doing nothing. It was horrible.
“Tell you what. Why don’t you go upstairs and set up the living room for a movie,” Jason said, putting his hand on both my shoulders. “We can have popcorn and candy and I’ll even let you pick the movie. I’ll be up in an hour tops.”
“Are you really so eager to get rid of me already?”
“No, no. That’s not what I’m doing. You’ve had a long week and you’re tired and as your boyfriend, it is my job to fix that.”
“Okay, big guy, I believe you, but if you don’t get done in an hour, I’m gonna find you and hit you with a chair.”
“A chair? Why a chair?”
“Like you said, I’ve had a long week. And it’s fun to hit people with chairs.”
“I love you, but you scare me.” He pulled me in for a quick kiss.
“Love you, too, Jay.” I grinned, heading back upstairs to get the movie set up.
—————————
I was sitting on the couch of Wayne Manor, biting my nails and bouncing my knee, staring down at my phone. It had been an hour past Jason’s promised hour and I couldn’t find him anywhere. I had texted him, called him three times, and checked the Cave, but he was nowhere to be found. It was really unlike him to disappear without saying anything to me.
While I was still waiting for a response, I flipped through the channels on TV to try to take my mind off things. I’ll tell you now, it did not work. I flipped past the news quickly, but something caught my eye. I flipped back. What I saw made my heart skip.
The headline read, “Robin Found Dead”.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” I whispered to myself. I frantically dialed his number as I ran to the grandfather clock, not even bothering to read the rest of the TV. “Come on, Jay, pick up,” I mumbled as I opened the passage. Down the steps I went, but froze when I heard the ringing of a phone. I started to move again, only this time slower as I approached the table.
I picked up Jason’s phone delicately, declined my call, and set it back down, trying to catch my breath in the process. I leaned on the table to stabilize myself. This could not be happening. He was here only two hours ago, perfectly fine. It was impossible.
I looked down at the computer screen and went into shock. There were files pulled up on the Joker and Amusement Mile. Everything shut off. I completely stopped working. I didn’t even feel myself hit the floor. I felt like crying but nothing came. It seemed like someone had reached inside my chest and ripped out my heart.
He had gone after the Joker and gotten himself killed. How had I not seen it? He was trying to get me to leave so he could finish finding the monster. If I had just pressed him for what he was hiding, I could’ve stopped him. If I hadn’t been lazy, he wouldn’t be dead. I didn’t get to cry or mope, I had to go do something.
Taking a deep breath in, I pulled myself up using the table and settled into the chair. I got onto the computer and looked up the exact details of how Jason was found and when. That led into a search about Amusement Mile, where I found security footage. I clicked on it.
The footage played, showing Jason walking into the park, only to get startled by an animatronic clown in one of the ticket stands. That’s where the Joker got his jump on Jason by hitting him with a crowbar. I shuttered and closed my eyes. I went to open them again, only to see something that would haunt me forever. Jason getting repeatedly hit with the crowbar. I hurriedly clicked out of it, trying my best not to actually look at the screen.
I pulled at my hair and set my head down on the table. How could this happen? How could’ve I let this happen? This was on me. The Joker killed him. The Joker did it. He took Jason away from you, a voice in my head whispered maliciously. I looked up, glaring at the screen where a clown smiled tauntingly back at me. The Joker was to blame for this, too. Going back to Arkham was barely a punishment. He was gonna feel the same pain Jason felt.
But it would have to wait until tomorrow morning’s visiting hours.
—————————
I pulled into Arkham’s parking lot and stepped out of my car, intent on my mission. I marched into the lobby of the asylum and right up to the front desk.
“Do you have an appointment?” the woman at the front desk asked boredly without looking up.
“No, but I have a feeling you’ll let me in,” I said sweetly.
“Why’s that?” she sighed, finally looking at me.
“Elana Queen, Queen Consolidated. I need to speak with the Joker,” I told her, whipping out my badge. She dropped her pen.
“The Joker? Why would you want to speak to him?”
“He messed with a Queen Consolidated employee last night. That employee was working on a secret project for the company and it was quite a coincidence that the Joker would attack him. I’m here to make sure it’s merely that,” I lied.
“Well, sweetie, I’ll get someone for you right away.” I thanked her and took a seat in the waiting chairs. Only three minutes later, a man in a lab coat came up to me.
“You must be Ms. Queen,” he greeted.
“That would be me, yes.” I stood up.
“You can follow me so we can get you set up with the… Joker,” he hesitated at the end. He led the way down the hall. “If you don’t mind me asking, why would they send you specifically to talk to this madman?”
“I am the CEO of the company, and just because I’m young doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself. And I went to school for psychology for a little while,” I answered.
“Very well. Right this way.” He gestured me into a room. “We’re bringing up the patient, but before you can go in, we need to check you for any suspicious material. Please don’t be offended, this is mandatory.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him. Another man, who was already in the room, quickly patted me down, finding nothing. He grabbed one of those handheld metal detectors and began waving it over me. It beeped when it got to my head. “I’m sorry, that’s just my earrings. Do I need to take them out?” I asked.
“No, you’re fine.” The man shook his head. “You’re good to go.”
“Thank you,” I said. He nodded and walked out of the room.
“The patient is ready for you, but I must warn you; he’s very dangerous just with his words. He knows how to pick a person apart,” the man in the lab coat warned me.
“I’m aware. I believe I can handle myself, thank you.”
“Very well, Ms. Queen. We will be watching from a camera just as a precaution.” I nodded before he pointed to the door across the room. “Through there will be a table. There’s a chair for you on one side and he’ll be on the other. Good luck.” I headed off to the door, took a deep breath, and walked in.
“Well, well, well. Who might you be?” I internally cringed at the sickening voice. I messed with my earring, which wasn’t an earring at all. It was a small device that allowed me to tap into the cameras and control them. Right now, I had it playing a fabricated video of mine and the Joker’s conversation.
“My name’s Elana Queen and I have an issue to settle with you.” I sat down.
“So do many people, girly. What makes you so special?” he cackled.
“Because unlike most of those people, I have ways of getting what I want.” I folded my hands, staring challengingly into his maniac eyes.
“You’re here about the boy wonder, aren’t you?” He leaned forward.
“Was that your goal when you went out last night? To kill him?”
“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t.”
“Answer the question,” I said cooly. With the Joker, you had to fake being completely unfazed by him to get anywhere, which, as I was finding out, was harder than it looked.
“Lemme guess, you were his best friend. No, no, no, sister. Wait, no, I got it, his girlfriend.” He laughed crazily. “That’s hard to picture. Robin and a girlfriend.”
“Enough.” I grabbed his collar and yanked him closer. “You killed him and waited for the cops. Why?”
“I gotta remember, blondie. The old mind ain’t what it used to be.” He grinned. I slammed his head down into the table.
“I’m not here to play games, clown.”
“Did it break your heart seeing that good, old bird boy was dead?” I punched him in the face. Just then the door swung open.
“What the heck are you doing,” Dick hissed. I quickly reset the camera and stood up. Dick marched in, grabbed my arm, and pulled me out of there. After stomping past the man in the lab coat, who I muttered a thanks to, Dick dragged me outside.
“Are you insane?!” He ran a hand through his hair.
“He killed Jason!” I exclaimed.
“So what, you were gonna kill him?!” he shot back.
“I don’t know!” I shouted.
“What do you mean you “don’t know”?!”
“I saw the footage! I saw him bash my boyfriend’s skull in! Jason is dead because I couldn’t stop him from going after that man!” my voice broke.
“Elana,” Dick said softly, reaching out for me. I shoved away from him.
“He’s dead because I’m too stupid to recognize emotions! He’s dead because of me!” Tears were streaming freely down my face. Dick grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. “It’s all my fault,” I sobbed quietly. And for the first time since Jason’s death, I cried.
—————————
For the majority of the day after the morning incident, I trained. Hours of training without a break. Working myself so hard that I wasn’t sure if I would make it back up the stairs. This wasn’t new, I did it after my parents died, too. It was my coping mechanism. I only stopped after Dick came down to the Cave and told me Barbara was coming over. He did lecture me about not overworking myself, but I ignored half of what he said. Barbara showed up right after I had gotten cleaned up.
“So then Jason corners the Mad Hatter and starts swearing at him, like, going off. And Hatter stands there, stunned that Robin is cussing him out. And then Bruce came in.” Barbara looked at Bruce. “Do you remember what you said to Jason?”
“What?” Dick asked, amused.
“Watch your language,” Bruce answered. We all laughed together, me for the first time since the last night. I took a sip of my Capri Sun and leaned back into my chair. It felt good to be in the company of these people. They were the ones that knew me best. “I heard you found another body today,” Bruce spoke up. I groaned and laid my head back. Way to go, B, you ruined the moment. “That makes eight in as many weeks. Any clues to the identity of the killer?”
“You never stop, do you?” Barbara asked, looking down. “Can’t we just have a drink? No new clues… yet. But I’ll be sure to turn the signal on if we need you.”
“Your father and I had better communication when we were fighting this war.” Bruce took a sip of his drink. I looked across at Dick, who looked scared and annoyed like me.
“War? You still call it a war?” Barbara scoffed.
“Guys,” I groaned, but no one acknowledged me.
“It is a war. For the soul of this city.” Bruce had a point there, I’ll give him that.
“I don’t know, Bruce. Calling it a war feels like trying to justify all the lives that have been lost,” Barbara used her passive aggressive voice.
“Your father knew protecting Gotham required serious sacrifice,” Bruce argued back. I swear, he was a man-child. Dick and I looked at each other again with knowing glances.
“My father died from a heart attack after being frozen in a block of ice by a man wearing a refrigerator suit,” Barbara went off.
“Mr. Freeze,” Bruce said calmly. He was not helping himself here.
“I know who he is,” Barbara snapped. I watched Dick shift uncomfortably. “That’s how you see my father, isn’t it? As a sacrifice? You dragged him into this insanity, just like you did Dick and Jason.” I bit my lip and looked down. It was only yesterday, yet the topic still hit home.
“It was a long time ago,” Dick spoke up.
“You know what he did to you, Dick. You almost lost yourself because Bruce weaponized your grief,” she went at Bruce again. “And Jason,” she scoffed, “you took another kid who was lost, and angry, and alone, and convinced him that he’d become invincible if he put on a mask.” I didn’t say anything, but this conversation was having an effect on me that I didn’t like at all. Trying to reroute my energy, I started tapping my heel. “No more Robins, Bruce. I chose to put the cowl on. To go out there as Batgirl. When the Joker shot me,” I cringed at her words, “it wasn’t your fault. But you drove Dick away.”
“We worked it out,” Dick tried to defend Bruce.
“Wether you’ve forgiven him or not, he drove you away and put Jason in the ground.”
“Barbara!” I snapped. Dick and Bruce looked at me, but she ignored me.
“You would think that after everything that the Joker’s done to so many people, you would’ve found a way to keep him locked up. But part of me, a big part of me, believes that you want him to escape so you can keep hiding from yourself behind that mask. You’re as crazy as the Joker.” I ran a hand through my hair as Dick sighed. Barbara set her drink down and wheeled out. I let out a long exhale, thinking about her words, then got up and walked downstairs.
—————————
I was sitting in the living room of the Manor, going through old pictures of me and Jason on my phone when I heard a loud bang down the hall. Slowly, I got up and headed toward the sound. I was ready to put up a fight if I needed to, knowing Dick was asleep and Bruce was out. As I got closer to where the sound came from, I heard voices from Dick’s room.
“It’s all a game I should have stopped playing a long time ago,” I heard Bruce say somberly. “It’s over for me now. It’s over.” I stood in the hall, leaned against the wall and looked at Bruce from behind. “You see things I don’t. You saw that Jason was in trouble, that he was involved in something. Because you cared more than I did.” My interest level went up. What did Bruce mean? “The city is yours now. You save it. Do what I couldn’t. Be a better Batman.” My eyes went wide with shock. Bruce turned and walked down the hallway toward me, Dick shouting his name from the bedroom. He stopped right in front of me and put a hand on my shoulder, taking in my dumbfounded expression. “Save this city,” was all he said before walking off.
Dick jogged up to me. “He disappeared,” he sighed.
“Dick, what is happening?” I demanded.
“I… I think Bruce killed the Joker,” he ran a hand through his hair.
“What?! There’s no way.”
“He dropped a bloody crowbar in my room,” Dick pointed back. I peered over his shoulder and sure enough, there was a crowbar laying on the floor.
“I-I did not expect that,” I blinked.
“You and me both.”
“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about me sleepwalking to Arkham and snapping the Joker’s neck,” I offered. Dick gave me a flat look. “Gotham needs Batman. What happens without him?” I asked.
“It means it’s our turn to save this city.”
5 notes · View notes
lexiesdarkthoughts · 2 years
Text
Staying in My Own Lane
This is a long post that I have debated for over three weeks if I wanted to post. If nothing else, I’ve always been honest on my blog. It’s always been a way for me to process some of my thoughts. If you make it to the end, then thank you for hanging on for the ride.
A long time ago, I met someone who I thought was someone I could spend my life with. He was witty, charming, funny, and good looking. He made me smile, laugh, and turned me on in ways I didn’t know possible. We were in a long distance relationship online. At the time, things seemed like they would lead to a wonderful future. However, there was one downside to this relationship. He was married. 
When we met, he told me he was leaving his wife. Through our relationship that was his common statement. I took comfort that it would happen eventually. When it did, after a respectable time, we would be able to begin our life together. He never left his wife despite how horrible his marriage was, at least from what he told me. He had bounced in an out of online relationships as an escape for his marriage, which in hindsight, was a warning sign. I knew they had children which certainly adds another challenge to leaving a marriage. I told myself that was the reason why. I was patient. I waited. I hoped.
Eventually, things ended because he felt that he needed to give his marriage full and final shot. I understood, but was devastated. I had spent years with this man as a lover and as a friend. Suddenly and with little warning, he was completely gone from my life. I eventually moved on as we all do. 
In moving on, I began to realize that maybe he wasn’t the good guy I thought he was. He made me his mistress for years and made me dream of a future together. I know there are people in this exact situation and it has worked out. I also know that I was complicit in our relationship and made the choice to be with a married man. Those are choices I made. I had to live with the consequences of those actions.
He’s come back into my life since we parted as a newly divorced man. We lived hours from each other at this point and it really threw me for a loop. However, I was with just beginning a relationship with Ahab at that time and my ex showed no interest in me other than occasionally chatting. That’s when it dawned on me that he had no idea the negative impact he had on me. He didn’t understand his continuing presence in my life only drove nails in further.
I eventually took the opportunity to tell him. I thought it would make me feel better. I thought it would cleanse some past resentment and hurt. He confirmed that he had no clue how much he had hurt me and didn’t remember half of what I did about our relationship. Instead of getting the closure I had hoped for, it hurt me even more. It felt like I had meant nothing to him. It drove home the fact that I had been a welcome distraction from his marriage and he likely never meant a word about the future we had planned together. Since then, I have cut him out of my life.
So what’s the point of this post? He’s on Tumblr and I learned recently that he was dating some one which is to be expected. Curiosity is a bitch and I naturally checked out her Tumblr as well. She seems like an absolutely lovely person who reminds me of me in a lot of ways. I know you’re saying “people have types, Lexie.” They do. Ahab definitely has some good traits and habits of men I’ve dated in the past. That’s not the point of this. The point is I’ve struggled so hard to not reach out to the woman.
“Why would you do that?” you ask. It’s a fair question and an answer I’ve struggled with. I know it’s not out of malice or wanting to hurt him. My life has been in a lot of turmoil lately. My mental health has been on a roller coaster due to stress and a lot of change. When I’m like this, I don’t always see straight. I also see a lot of similarities between myself and this woman with this man, all they way down to a long distance relationship. I fear that this woman with so much potential will give up her life for this man. I feel like I have to protect her. It’s a pitiful answer, I know.
Fortunately, the clearer light of day has prevailed. I know that no good can come from me speaking to her. It’s their relationship. Period. She has to make decisions for herself. As far as I know, he is not physically abusive so I feel no responsibility to make her aware of this. As much as I want to protect her from the hurt I experienced, people have to make their own decisions and sometimes their own mistakes.
Through this, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve carried around the trauma of a previously abusive relationship for a long time and I now understand that I also carry emotional hurt from this relationship as well. One of the downsides of mental illness is that you forget nothing. I need to work harder on processing these emotions so they don’t consume me when I’m already weighed down by life. While I also know I will carry these experiences forever, dwelling on them takes away from my own relationship with Ahab. It takes mental space that I could be dedicating to him and other avenues of my life.
My hope in writing this post is that I will be able to clear the noise in my head. I also hope that stating my intentions will keep me honest and in my own lane. I want to refocus my energies away from this. I’m tired of letting him live rent free in my head. I know I won’t forget. I don’t think I’m ready to forgive. What I can do is get my thoughts out and move forward with healing. Every day is a new step toward that and it’s time to focus on that direction.
0 notes
unfoundhoney · 3 years
Text
a sister’s sacrifice ; part three ↠
Tumblr media
↠ platonic!c!sleepy bois inc x fem!reader , platonic!c!tubbo x fem!reader ; angst just angst
↠ masterlist
↠ part one ; part two ; part three ;
↠ @leafyturtle @basheverythingyesterday @terribletoothbat @bestioe @junoblad3 @machiebach @ok-honey
Tumblr media
when considering the deaths of the people on the dream smp server, yours is the hardest
schlatt was detested by all when he’d died
few people still truly cared for wilbur when he met his end; the man he once was was long gone by then
but you
you never changed
you were a constant for so many & immovably kind to the rest
selfless, giving, caring
even when you just wanted an escape, you came to the aid of your brothers
you gave the ultimate sacrifice & paid the price
everyone mourns you
when the battle is won & dream locked away indefinitely
once everyone has come down from the high of freeing themselves from dream’s reign, the server goes into a state of grieving
there’s no denying your death
they all saw the message in chat
you’re dead
those that were close to you took it hard
niki was narrowly stopped from burning down the bakery you encouraged her to open and helped build
eret put her emotions into work on a memorial in their museum for you
even under the egg’s control, bad & ant put the eggpire aside for you
of course, those who took it the hardest is your family
when ghostbur learns of your death, he’s distraught
he doesn’t quite know how to handle the information
he protects your home & only allows people to enter when he supervises them
tommy took a while to move past his anger & deal with the fact that you’re gone
tubbo ran off to start snowchester
he chose to distract himself rather than truly process his emotions, even if you’d always done your best to break that habit of his
now that you’re not around, who’s to stop him from letting himself be numb to it all?
techno is another one of your family members who chose to barely acknowledge your passing
he became somehow more monotonous & emotionless
and phil
...
there’s no word for a parent who loses a child
wilbur was gone & of course it messed phil up to be the one to take will’s last life but by that point his son was gone
but you
you’d always been such a genuinely good person
phil did so little for you as a father
he was so absent
he never apologized to you for that
he never told you how much he loves & appreciates you & everything you’ve done to keep their family together when he couldn’t be bothered
it’s a few hours after he received the news from ranboo that all the guilt for everything he had ever put you through hit him
he broke down in his kitchen while trying to distract himself by organizing his cupboards
but all he could think about was you
you & your never ending kindness & compassion
he was never a father to you
yet you never hated him
why couldn’t you have hated him?
it would hurt less to lose you if you hated him; it’s what he deserves
he’s unworthy of your love
but he can only dwell so long on you
you are given a proper funeral
you’re buried by the seashore, somewhere between l’manberg and tommy’s abandoned vacation homes in an open field
the sever members plant so many flowers, your gravesite becomes a flower field
but soon, life goes on
it will only hurt for longer to draw out the mourning period
it would do no good for anyone
besides, you wouldn’t want the server to be sad for your sake
techno supposes it’s for the best that you died
he does his best to move on, filling his days with resource gathering and upgrading his tools, weapons, and armor while trying to think through his emotions logically
as much as he liked you
as much as everyone liked you, you were too good
you were the best of them
fate is not kind to heroes
“hello!”
technoblade is not an easy man to sneak up on, let alone scare
the greeting itself isn’t want startles him
it’s turning toward the voice to lock eyes with you
you who is dead
techno is not proud of the sound he made when he saw you but you of all people wouldn’t make fun of him for it
he just stares at you, slowly realizing what’s happened
you look desaturated, the color drained from your clothes
your skin is grey & almost translucent
you’re a ghost
“y/n.”
“hello! who are you?”
techno tells no on one of your ghost form
he even keeps the rest of the server a secret from you
he leads you to your old home & leaves you there w/ ghostbur
he hopes your and ghostbur’s combined amnesia will keep you out of harm’s way i.e. the rest of the server
he visits you occasionally but mostly leaves you be
you live happily with ghostbur for a while
he is very glad to have you back
his memory is nearly as bad as yours, so the story of the server & what happened to you when you were alive is only given to you in bits & pieces that are near impossible to fit together
it was only a matter of time before someone came to visit your house
“...y/n?”
it’s tubbo who finds you first
or he finds your ghost
(tubbo) y/n! oh my god! you’re a ghost! you’ve come back!
(you) hello! *whispers* ghostbur, who is this?
(ghostbur, whispering obviously) that’s tubbo, one of your other brothers i’ve told you about
(you, whispering) oh, right
(tubbo) how long have you- oh, this is incredible! i have to tell tommy! he’s been so sad since you died; he’ll be so glad to see you!
tubbo messages tommy, who is skeptical but reluctantly comes to your house anyway
but there you are
your ghost anyway
which is good enough, honestly
(tommy) y/n!
you catch him in a hug easily, even if you’ve never met him before
(tommy) you’re alive!
(you) no i’m not. i’m a ghost!
techno happens to check in on you when tubbo & tommy are there
bad news for technoblade: you’d told them about techno leading you here
meaning: tommy knows techno hid you from him & everyone else
needless to say, he is not too happy about that
(tommy) you hid her! you kept her away from us!
(techno) tommy, you have to understand-
(tommy) i don’t have to understand shit! you hid her from us! you lied to us!
(techno) tommy-
(tommy) you kept her from everyone! you’re selfish and you’re a liar and you’re horrible and-
(techno) i did it to protect her! she’s been hurt enough protecting others; it’s our turn to protect her. the only way we can do that is by leaving her alone
(tommy) she’s my sister
(techno) your sister is dead, tommy. for once in her life, let her have peace
tommy gives up on techno & goes to you instead
(tommy) y/n! y/n, we can bring you back. we can revive you. well, dream can revive you but he’s in prison so he has to do what we say so we can bring you back. we can be a family again. don’t you want to come back?
(you) ...no
that
...
that isn’t what tommy was expecting
(tommy) what?
(you) if alive y/n comes back, i won’t exist anymore. and i’ve only just got here. i don’t want to go yet
(tommy) don’t you understand how much y/n means to me? y/n has to come back. she has to. she’s so important. not just to me but to, um... tubbo as well! right, tubbo? don’t you want y/n back?
tommy looks to tubbo for some backup but the shorter boy looks away
(tubbo) i think we need to let y/n go, tommy
the betrayal that fills tommy’s chest is soon gone as he locks eyes with techno
tommy knows techno is right
you’re too much of a good person
you’re too willing to sacrifice yourself for others
even as a ghost your kindness is blinding
this server will only drain you of everything you have yet again
he will drain you of everything you are
he’s just tried to convince you to cease to exist to bring back the former version of yourself
(you) i’m sorry. it’s just- i’ve heard there are these really pretty blue flowers in the swamp biome that i haven’t got to see yet-
(tommy) no. it’s fine. i’m sorry. i-... i should go.
tommy leaves your house & tubbo goes with him
even if tubbo caught on a bit sooner to techno’s reasoning, he’s still concerned at his friend’s sudden change in character
(tubbo) tommy... are you alright?
(tommy) ...i really want her back
(tubbo) i do, too. but she’s gone
(tommy) she doesn’t have to be
tubbo can’t argue with that
(tommy) but... maybe it’s for the best
(tubbo) really?
(tommy) yeah.
(tubbo) but just earlier you were telling me about your plan to get the revive book from dream
(tommy) techno’s right, tubbo. all everyone- myself included- has ever done to y/n is take. and she’s given everything
(tubbo) because she loved us
(tommy) as much as she loved us and as much as we loved her... the only thing we’ve ever brought her is pain. i think now... now is her time to rest.
(tubbo) ...that’s very pog champ of you, big man
tommy had planned to visit dream as many times as it took to get the revive book location off of him so he could revive you, but now he’s accepted that he needs to move on
he needs to move on from you & dream & everything dream has put him through
he decides to pay one last visit to dream, put him behind him, & never look back
he’s ready to start a new chapter in his life, one without dream
and the first one without you
but then he’s locked in the prison
two weeks pass
nearing three weeks & tommy still isn’t allowed out of dream’s cell
he’s irritated and annoyed and most of all he’s scared
but he can’t let dream know he’s still afraid of him, that’s why he pisses dream off enough to the point of being beat to death
tommy begs him to stop
but then he’s gone
everything is dark
black
empty
nothing
is this what death is?
conscious in absolute nothingness?
tommy’s feet feel the ground beneath him
his senses come back to him
it’s still dark but he feels as though he can see again
where is he?
heaven?
no, probably hell
or maybe neither?
both...?
what the hell happened?
the first thing to break the silence is the voice tommy has known since he was an infant
the voice of the person who raised him
the voice of the person who has always been there for him
the voice of the person who he has finally let go of
your voice
saying one simple word
“tommy?”
2K notes · View notes
mochinek0 · 2 years
Text
2021:8-Hurt
Lila couldn't believe what she was seeing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in a stupid Santa outfit and hanging off Damian Wayne's arm, as if she belonged there. Marinette wore a red Santa dress, complete with the white trim and black belt, white stockings, and black boots hat went up to her knees. Damian Wayne kept his arm comfortably around her waist as they talked with other people form Gotham. She couldn't even get close to hear what was being said. Lila had been placed in the opposite group from them, but there was always tomorrow. As they past by a shop, Lila noticed something in the window.
"Oh, I see somehting for my momma; I'll just be one moment." she quickly called, running into the store.
'How is this possible?'
Lila plastered a smile on her face, hoping no one would notice how cold she really was. She had quickly purchased a red, leather Santa dress with a giant black belt, the previous day. She had made sure it hugged her curves in all the right spots. Damian Wayne wouldn't know what hit him. When it came time for Bustier's class and Gotham Academy to break up into two group, she quickly found the young Wayne heir.
"Damian." She cooed, "Want to be in my group?"
"No." he declared, before walking off.
She couldn't believe he turned her down, after all she went through for him. She was freezing her ass off and told her 'no'! To add insult to injury, he stood next to Marinette, again! She wasn't even pretty! She was in a giant Robin hoodie and some joggers that read Gotham Academy down the leg. She looked like she hadnt even put any effort into her look; even her hair was thrown up in a messy bun! Marinette looked like she had crawled out of bed!
Damian put his arm around Marinette and guided her to a coffee shop on the corner, when she yawned and snuggled deeper into her hoodie. Their group smiled as the two walked off and nodded, as they followed them.
'I don't believe this!'
Lila stomped her leg down, but she hadn't been paying attention to the ground and brought her leg down on a patch of ice. She screamed as hit the floor. The last thing she remembered was the scent of peppermint, before she blacked out.
'Why does my head hurt so much? I feel like I've been sick for a week.'
Lila blinked her eyes open and found herself staring at some lights.
"Where am I?" she questioned, out loud.
"Lila!" someone shrieked, before they threw themselves on her.
"Get off!" she screamed, not knowing who the offending party was.
When they pulled away, she realized she had shouted at Alya. Looking around, she saw she was in a hospital room and the group she had been with, was in her room. She quickly noticed, her leg had been bound and was now in a cast that went up to her thigh. Her clothes were gone and replaced by that horrible rag of a gown.
"Lila, are you okay?" asked Rose.
"My head hurts and the lights seem really bright." she answered.
"They said it wouldn't be a surprise if you had a concussion." declared someon from Gotham, "You slipped on ice, broke your leg, and thankfully didn't crack your head in the process."
Lila looked around the room and saw Damian Wayne, bored out of his mind, with Marinette curled up in his lap, asleep.
"This is all your fault, Marinette!" Lila screamed, "I can't believe you broke my leg and hurt me so badly that-
"Mari wasn't around you when you fell." spoke up a girl from Gotham, "She was with us in the coffee shop. We had to come here since you injured yourself."
"If you hadn't been flirting with my boyfriend-" she continued, only for people from Gotham to start laughing.
"Why are you laughing?" asked Sabrina.
"They are laughing at her because Marinette has been my girlfriend for the past three years, since she was fifteen." Damian growled out.
"Yeah!" a girl smiled, "They're Gotham's 'IT' couple. They're everywhere in the papers, if you could actually read them."
"Even the Daily Planet has written articles about them." spoke another.
"Soon to be married, right?" teased another.
"I haven't proposed." Damian stated.
"Yet." chided another.
"It's okay, Dami." Marinette yawned, stirring awake. She could tell that what they were hinting at was getting to him, "We don't have to get married any time soon. Don't listen to them. If you're comfortable with our relationship and how it is, then, that's how it will stay."
Marinette leaned up and kissed his cheek in reassurance.
"Awww." cooed the kids from Gotham.
Marinette remained in her relaxed position on Damian's lap and asked, "How could I have done anything to you?"
"That stupid Santa outfit. It's why I was so cold and broke my leg." Lila cried, holding her head.
"But Lila, you said that you lived here in Gotham, before. You should have known what the weather was like. I know because I visit Dami for Christmas; I wore combat boots with grooves on the bottom, especially since I'm clumsy." Marinette answered.
A male from the Gotham class picked up Lila's boots, "No grooves. These are super easy for you to slip on ice; there's no resistance. I say that you breaking your leg was inevitable."
"As for my Santa dress, it was velvet, but the inner lining had insulation. It was basically a sweater dress." Marinette continued, "Not just because of the winter, but I get cold easily. I did the same thing to my leggings. Yours, on the other hand, they are regular tights that you would wear to school in Paris. That horrible Santa dress you wore earlier, that the doctor's had to cut off of you, was genuine leather. The only thing that would have done in this type of weather, was shrink and make you colder."
Lila noticed Damian's eyes narrow in her direction. She could only guess that somehting Marinette had said, upset him. Lila hated everything about this situation: she couldn't move, everyone was watching Marinette pick apart her wardrobe choices, and she couldn't confront her.
"Wow, Mairnette!" Adrien smiled, "You really had everything prepared."
"Of course." she answered, "If I'm gonna be a fashion designer, I have to be prepared for the weather and know all about the fabric going into creating outfits."
A knock on the door, drew everyone's attention. A nurse walked in and announced, "Visiting hours are coming to an end. Layla has to take her meds."
Damian patted Marinette's head and spoke, "Let's head back to the manor. I'll call Alfred to make sure he has some hot soup ready. I don't want you getting sick on me."
Marinette just smiled, as she slid off his lap. Damian was quick to usher her out of the door. Any kids from Gotham, quickly followed after the couple. The class from Paris hesitated on what to do, but Adrien took that first step out the door, calling for the others to wait up for him.
That one step, was the first crack in their perspective: Lila claimed she was dating Damian Wayne, but everyone from Gotham had backed up Damian's relationship with Marinette, to the point where they would soon be engaged. She had lied to them, but she was still sick and needed them, right?
"What about me?" Lila questioned, "When can I leave?"
"You have a broken leg, possible concussion, and the onset of pneumonia, since you were careless enough to not dress for the weather." the nurse answered, "You won't be leaving the hospital any time soon. You all need to leave; I have to change her IV bags."
The Parisian class quickly filed out, waving Lila bye and a quick recovery. After her medicine had been changed, the nurse came back and placed a plate of cookies and a cup of eggnog on her tray.
"Make sure you leave some for Santa." the nurse winked, before leaving the room, as the medicine proceeded to knock out the visiting girl.
Lila woke up to a nurse changing out her IV bag.
"Merry Christmas, Dear." the lady smiled, "It's still a tad early; go ahead and go back to sleep."
Lila laid still for a moment before she reached for her phone. Her phone had been bombarded with text messages and a couple missed calls from her mother.
"Momma?" she whispered, still deluded by the medicine.
"Mr. Wayne was able to get in contact with her and she reached out to us. I believe she's on the next flight out." the nurse answered, before leaving the room.
'Great.'
Lila clicked on the group chat only to find she had been removed.
'What is going on?'
She opened a text from Alya and finally understood.
After we left the hospital, Bruce Wayne, himself saw us. We asked him about you and told him about all the amazing things you had done. We asked if he was proud of his goddaughter, but he said he never heard about you. His son, Tim, pointed out every mistake and showed us how you couldn't be telling the truth! I posted your stories on my blog! Oh and btw, the Waynes loooooove Marinette. Damian's brother refer to her as their sister. We decided, as a class, that all we want for Xmas from you is an apology and to know why you lied to us. Merry Christmas, Lila.-ALYA
Lila sighed and turned off her phone.
'Why would I apologize? They were the idiots who believed me. It's not my fault they weren't smart enough to use Google. Maybe I could persuade Momma to homeschool me. Shouldn't be that hard with a broken leg.'
@maribat-calendar-events
PERMANENT TAG LIST: @animeweebgirl @abrx2002 @animegirlweeb @meme991001​ @saltymiraculer​ @marveldcedits20​ @09shell-sea09​ @blueblossombliss​ @vixen-uchiha​ @alysrose-starchild​ @nickristus-dreamer​ @fandom-trapped-03​ @dood-space​ @moonlightstar64​ @icerosecrystal​ @insane-fangirl-of-everything​ @thepaceperson
126 notes · View notes
99liv3s · 3 years
Text
Be Careful What You Wish For
Lena laughed as she completed the last question of this little online contest she was participating in. The invitation had appeared in her email one day along with a link, and she had curiosity followed that link to a website that described the contest. All Lena would have to do is answer a few questions correctly before other "participants" and she would be the winner of "her fondest wish!!" Lena had laughed at this, thinking this was a fun little game someone had put up, and though she did not take it seriously at all, she decided to join in the fun. Where was the harm in it?? She was bored at the moment after all.
The "contest" consisted of a few straightforward questions that she was easily able to answer. Shaking her long blonde hair out of her face, Lena's bright blue eyes watched as the site processed her answers, then a message popped up on her screen: "Congratulations, you have won the contest!! You may now make your wish!! What do you desire??" Lena giggled as she jokingly pondered this question, then typed in the first thing that popped into her head: "I wish to live forever!!" Laughing softly as she hit the send button, saw "Your wish is granted! Thank you for playing!" And closed the window, Lena thought, "This was a cute, fun little distraction, but now I gotta finish chores!"
A couple hours later, Lena plopped into her living room lounge chair, rubbing her belly. She felt somewhat sick and bloated, but she was also exhausted from laundry and housework, so she figured she was just hungry and worn out. Shaking off the feeling, she decided that after she rested for a while, she'd make herself a sandwich. Another hour passed, with Lena watching TV when she looked down and saw a shock!! Her normally small petite belly had expanded outward, making her look very pregnant!! She gasped in horror, and jumped to her feet, a mistake that nearly sent her crashing to the floor, for she was not used to the balance of her new belly. She felt heavy, and full, confused as to how this had happened to her! "I'm having an allergic reaction, she thought anxiously. "That has to be it!!" "I've caught some sort of virus and I'm having a reaction to..." Her thoughts trailed away as she felt movement in her belly, and she absentmindedly rubbed it. "I... I can't be pregnant," she blurted out to her empty house. "I've never had sex... this has to be a bad dream, right??"
Lena waddled into her bedroom and reached the nearby bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked nine months pregnant, her belly hanging out of the clothes she had been wearing on the body that had been so small and slim just a few hours ago. She was still confused and scared as to what had happened to her when suddenly, she doubled over as a painful contraction hit her. Lena gasped as she felt pressure build up, then a gush of water leaked out of her, soaking her bottoms.
"UUUGGHHH", Lena moaned as she slowly made her way back into her bedroom. She reached the bed and climbed on it, as she felt something heavy drop onto her hips. Frantically, she kicked off her pants as she felt huge pressure in her pussy. She could not help but push, screaming in pain. "AAAAHHHHHH!!" Lena felt a burning sensation as whatever was coming out of her began to crown. She struggled to get her panties off, panting and crying as the pain peaked. As the head emerged farther, causing a bulge to form in her underwear, she screamed a high pitched scream and whined as the burning and pressure worsened. She knew she had to get her panties off, or it would block the baby that she was somehow delivering, so she gritted her teeth through the pain and pulled her underwear down to her feet. She then began kicking, not just to get the panties off her feet, but because the pain was so bad, it caused her to thrash around like crazy. She whined and moaned and cried as she felt the heavy head slowly push out, stretching her pussy wide. Screaming, she pushed, willing this process to go faster. "THIS HURTS!!!" she yelled, though she knew no one else was in the house. Finally, she felt a pop and knew the head had finally gotten out. Without waiting another second, Lena pushed, brushing her sweaty blonde hair out of her face, and felt relief as the baby left her body.
For about a minute, Lena lay there, shaking, hardly able to believe what had just happened to her. Then, something in her mind clicked as she realized "Wait, if I just had a baby, shouldn't it be crying??" Lena slowly moved around so she could pick up the baby she had just birthed, noting three distinct things about it: First, it did not have a umbilical cord attached to it, just a belly button. Second, the baby was a girl, with blonde hair the same general shade as Lena's, and third, the baby was not crying, but Lena could clearly see that it was alive and healthy, almost content. Her eyes were closed and she moved around and kicked, as if she had been born for a while and was just simply sleeping. Lena held her baby and stared at it for the longest time before realizing how exhausted she was. Afraid she might accidentally turn over on the baby as she slept, Lena decided she would not sleep with the baby in her own bed, and so the new mother gingerly got up and found the softest part of her bedroom's carpet she could find and placed the baby gently onto it, laying her on her back. Thinking that she would try to figure all this out tomorrow, she fell backward onto her bed and fell asleep.
When Lena awoke the next morning, her first thought was, "Oh God, what a horrible nightmare!! It felt so real!" As she rose up, she realized something was wrong. She was lying on the floor, naked. She looked over her body, thinking. "Did I fall out of bed??" She got to her feet and then her blue eyes fell upon the bed, and she screamed. The shirt and bra she had been wearing last night were lying on the bed, being worn by a skeleton. Lena trembled as she looked around the room, her mind racing. After a while, she remembered where she had placed the baby she had birthed... it had been lying in the exact spot where Lena had woke up, but as she now looked at that spot, there was no baby there, nor any sign there ever was. As she continued to ponder this, terrified, she also realized that her body felt better than it had ever felt in her life, almost as if it were a new....body....
Lena rushed into the bathroom and vomited as realization hit her. She had given birth to herself. Somehow, after she had fallen asleep, her body died, and her consciousness or soul or whatever had transferred to the baby, which had apparently grown rapidly. She looked herself over, noting that her body seemed to be the same age as it had been last night, in her late 20s. "How is this possible??" She breathed. Lena made her way back into the bedroom, noticing at once that the bones were now gone, leaving only the clothes she was wearing last night, and what appeared to be sweat and other bodily fluids. Lena shuddered at the thought, but did not know what else to do. Her tummy grumbled, and she realized she was starving... of course, this new body had not eaten yet.
Hours later, Lena had eaten, dressed, and had gone into work. Sitting at her desk, her mind was not on her work, however. She could not get her odd situation out of her mind, and the more she pondered on it, the more it made sense that the body she now inhibited was the one she gave birth to. "The baby's features were just like mine," she thought. "Female, petite body, blonde hair... if I saw its eyes, I bet they were blue, just like mine!" "I never had sex, so the baby could only be another me!" "But, how??" "How is this possible??" "What caused this to happen to me??" Lena spent all of her workday lost in thought, and after a while, convinced herself that it had to have been a nightmare. She must have hallucinated those bones, and just simply did not remember taking off her clothes, or falling out of bed during the night. As for her body feeling better than it ever had?? Maybe that was just a result of healthy living lately!! When she arrived home, Lena grabbed her bra and shirt from off her bed and threw it into the laundry. She then looked around the room, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she told her mind it was a vivid nightmare, and to forget about it, and get on with her life.
Two days had passed, and Lena had not given the incident another thought. She had been shut up in her office, preparing an important presentation for her boss to give soon. Her friend and co-worker Marianne had come by to collect the finished presentation, and Lena stood to hand it to her. "Excellent," Marianne said "Lena, this is just what our boss needs to secure that new agreement!!" "You always come through when we need it!" Marianne's brown eyes looked Lena over. "Oh, by the way, congratulations!! When are you due??" Lena looked at her friend confused. "What??" she asked, before looking down at herself and barely stifling a gasp. She was sporting a small bump, almost as if she were about 3 or 4 months pregnant. Her mind raced in panic as her friend was still speaking: "Boy or girl??" After a few seconds, in which Lena composed herself, she smiled and said, "Oh, it's a girl!" Marianne nodded. "I don't know why you didn't tell me or any of us before now, but again, congratulations!" Lena smiled as Marianne left the room, the Lena scrambled for the bathroom. As she closed the door behind her, she collapsed against it, breathing rapidly. "This can't be happening!" She thought. "I can't be pregnant!!" "This isn't happening again!!" "That was just a nightmare... wasn't it??" She glanced into the mirror, her shining blue eyes staring back at her, eyeing her small bump, and she groaned softly. "What the hell am I going to do??"
After she got home, Lena decided that she was not going back to work for a while. This proved to be a good idea, for as the week passed, her bump grew rapidly, and by the time she reached the weekend, she looked ready to pop. She had called the office, telling them she had caught a virus, and that she would be working from home for a while. This worked perfectly, except apparently Marianne began to worry about her, as she had begun calling Lena everyday. Lena assured her she was fine, just sick, and when Marianne asked about "the baby," Lena told her that she need not worry about it.
On the day Lena realized a full week had passed since she had had her supposed nightmare, she tried to get out of bed when she was hit by painful contractions and pressure. "Oooohhh", she moaned, rocking back and forward on the bed, clutching her belly. Hoping that walking might help the contractions, Lena got shakily to her feet and began taking small steps around her bedroom. With each step, Lena felt the baby inside her drop lower and lower. Eventually, she could not take it anymore and she dropped to her knees, crying out in agony. She spread out on all fours, her large belly hanging down and her blonde hair in her face, inwardly thankful she had been going to bed naked lately. Tears streamed from her blue eyes as she wailed and pushed, her butt and vagina high in the air. The baby's head tunneled roughly through her birth canal as she panted and moaned. Her legs shook with pain and cramps as Lena let out another roar of pain. As the head began to peek out of her, she felt the burning in her pussy that signaled the baby's crowning. "OOHH!! OOOHHH GOD!!" She yelled. "AAHHH IT HURTS!! IT'S BURNING!!!!" she cried and grabbed the top of the bed, pulling herself into a semi-squatting position, hoping gravity would help. Lena threw her head back and cried out loudly as she felt the head seem to split her vagina open. Bearing down, she pushed until the head was hanging out between her legs. Stopping only to pant and catch her breath, Lena reached down with her left hand and felt the baby's head. When another contraction hit, she squatted and groaned as she gave another push, and the baby dropped onto the carpet.
After spending a few minutes to rest, Lena looked down at the baby. Like before, it was a little girl, not attached, and not crying, but clearly alive. Lena held and hugged the baby against her chest, thinking rapidly. "It wasn't a nightmare, unless I'm having it again!" "What do I do??" "Do I dare fall asleep again??" Thinking back, Lena was convinced that giving birth this second time seemed more difficult and more painful than the first, but she was not sure. Realizing that she was exhausted and hungry, Lena placed the baby in the center of her bed and staggered to the kitchen. Her body after giving birth was sore and weak, but everything seemed to be over. She made a quick sandwich and collapsed on her sofa in the living room, lost in thought. As she ate silently, random questions popped into her head, and she decided that today, since it was early in the morning when she had given birth, she was going to experiment.
12 hours later, with night falling outside, Lena felt more confused than ever. After eating earlier, she had returned to her room and started touching and talking to the baby, in an attempt to get it to open its eyes, but it never did. Lena then tried to feed it, holding it up to one of her breasts, but nothing happened. On an upside, there was no diaper to change either, for the baby did not seem to have to poop or pee. If not for the breathing and it occasionally moving around, Lena would have sworn the baby was just a realistic looking doll. Tired, Lena decided to try one last experiment before she went to sleep. She had brought the baby into the living room and placed her on the sofa. Lena then returned to her bedroom, thinking that if she woke up on the sofa tomorrow, then it confirmed her theory about what was happening, assuming she could fall asleep will so many anxious thoughts in her head. However, as soon as her head hit the pillow, Lena drifted off immediately.
Lena turned and felt herself hit the floor. Snapping awake, she found herself lying in front of her sofa. She let out a soft scream and jumped to her feet. Rushing into her bedroom, she found her bed soaking wet, and only the pajamas she had worn to bed as part of her experiment. Trembling, she backed against the wall and slid down it onto the floor, burying her face in her hands. "It's true!" She thought. "Everytime I fall mysteriously pregnant, I give birth to a baby that will eventually become my new body!" "But, why?? And how??" "Am I cursed??"
Lena again did not go back to work. She decided to spend the day on the internet, searching for answers, ignoring a missed call from Marianne. Scouring the internet, she tried to determine if anyone else had ever been in her situation before, but she was unsuccessful. She had even posted her situation in a few forums on the deeper parts of internet, but only got responses telling her she had a vivid, or a sick imagination, and that her "ideas" would make a good story. Frustrated, Lena was getting ready to shut down her computer, before noticing the new email icon, and something clicked in her mind. She was reminded about that strange online contest she had taken, and realized that it was right after that when all these strange things had started happening to her. Lena accessed her search history and located the website where she had played the contest. She saw that message thanking her for playing and then found the information she had overlooked before. "Questions??" It said, with a phone number under it. Her heart racing, Lena grabbed her smartphone and called the number immediately!
After two rings, a kind female voice answered, telling Lena that she had called the helpline for the online contest. Lena told the woman everything that had happened since winning the contest, expecting the woman to hang up, laugh, or even tell her that she had no idea what Lena was talking about. However, to her surprise, the woman answered "Of course!" "What is happening to you is what you wished for." Lena fell silent confused. "I wish to live forever," the woman said as if she was reading it, then said with a giggle, "That wish has come true." "With each week, your body produces a brand new replacement, and once you give birth to it, it becomes your new body." "Constantly changing to a fresh body each week means you will never grow old and die." "Congratulations!!" Lena gasped in shock. "How do I make it stop??" She asked the woman. "Stop??" The voice repeated. "Why would you want to??" "Your wish is granted." "I didn't think that was serious," Lena yelled in a pleading voice. "Please, you have to help me!!" "It hurts to give birth every week" "I don't want this wish anymore!!" "Please get rid of it!" "That can't be done," the woman responded. "All granted wishes are final!" "Have a nice day!" With that, the woman hung up. Lena tossed her phone to the side and collapsed into her chair, crying. "I AM cursed!!" She blurted out!!
Lena called and quit her job, thinking that, in order to avoid awkward questions, she would have to find a job that allowed her to work from home. Three days later, she had accepted an online application for a work from home proofreader, which was similar to what she did before, but would allow her to avoid human contact and submit her work online. She was already showing another small pregnant bump by this time, and she absentmindedly rubbed it as she finished chores around the house. Though a part of her mind had subconsciously accepted her new life situation, Lena was still dismayed that she seemed to be stuck in this cycle of "rebirth" forever. She had continued to search the internet for any kind of hope or help, even going so far as to search for unusual births, frequent birth fetish sites, and even post about her situation in various birth related forums, but it seemed that her situation was unique, or else no one else had gone public with it. Her failure to find even a shred of hope caused her to fall into a kind of depression, and she only half-heartedly threw herself into her new work, knowing that she still needed money regardless.
After six days had passed, Lena was lying spread out on her sofa, her hand resting on her large belly as she read a romance novel, trying anything to help take her mind off things, when a knock at her door made her jump. Confused, Lena rose up and waddled to her front door, seeing Marianna through its small window. Lena opened the door, greeting her friend and former co-worker, who looked at Lena with concern. "Lena, what's been going on with you??" Marianne asked. "I haven't heard from you in days... you quit your job suddenly, and refuse to answer my calls or texts." "Are you ok??" Marianne looked Lena up and down, taking in the huge bump. "Lena, I didn't know you were that far along!" "Does all of this have to do with the baby, because I know that..." Marianne trailed off, for at the mention of the word baby, Lena burst into tears and fell into Marianne's arms, crying hysterically. "I'm... I'm not ok at all!" Lena sobbed, as Marianne held her. "Mari, I don't...know... what to do!!" For a while, Marianne just held her friend, listening to her crying, then looked into Lena's eyes, and asked, "When's the last time you left the house??"
An hour later, Marianna had driven the two of them to the park, thinking that some time out of the house would do Lena some good. As the two of them walked slowly through it, having the park mostly to themselves, Lena realized that Marianne insisting that she get out of the house was a good thing, for Lena began to somewhat feel better. "Lena, please talk to me," Marianna pleaded, a concerned expression on her face. As they continued their stroll, Lena shook her head, staring at the ground, and her protruding belly. "I want to tell you, but I don't think you'll believe me," She relied. "Tell me what??" Marianne asked, still looking at Lena with concern. When Lena did not respond, Marianne stopped her and the two of them stood in a large patch of grass in a deeper corner of the park. "Lena, you can tell me anything," Marianne said to her. "Remember, I'm a scifi and fantasy nut!" "Whatever it is, I'll believe you." Lena looked into her friend's face, thinking that if anyone in the entire world would believe her right now, it was Marianne. So, Lena took a deep breath, and told her everything: About taking the contest and making her wish, about how she had fallen pregnant without warning, how she had given birth twice already, about how she had discovered that she was giving birth to her own replacement bodies, and how she had found the help line for the contest, and how the woman over the phone had confirmed what Lena had suspected. Marianne listened to her friend intently, and when Lena finished, she was relieved that Marianne had not laughed at her or told her she was insane. "Unbelievable," Marianne gasped. "So, it's a curse, and it can't be undone??" Lena nodded somberly. "Mari, you gotta help me... I don't know what to do." Marianne hugged her friend, comforting her. "Of course, Lena, there must be something that we can do," she said, smiling. "We'll figure it out together!!" "I'll help you look deeper online, and I can discreetly make some inquiries with some friends who might be able to help." "We'll figure something out, I promise." Lena looked at Marianne, feeling the first bit of joy and hopefulness she had felt since this crazy situation had begun. It was a long shot, yes, but at this point, she needed any silver of hope that she could get. Lena sighed happily and let out a laugh, embracing her friend as much as she could, before a painful weight hit her hips.
Lena cried out in pain, nearly falling to the ground, if not for Marianne catching her. "Aagghh, it's coming!! Mari, it's coming!!" Lena cried, feeling the pressure in her lower abdomen. "Oh God, Lena, we've gotta get you to a hospital," Marianne responded, pulling out her phone to call an ambulance. Panting, Lena stopped her, grabbing Marianne's hand. "No.... no hospital!" Lena breathed. When Marianne stared into her face shocked, Lena shook her head. "How... will I... explain.... this?" "Too.... many.... questions..." Lena squealed as the pain worsened, and Marianne dropped her phone back into her purse. "Ok, back home then," she said. "Back home where it's more comfortable and private..." "There's.... no....time..." Lena said breathlessly. "It's... starting... to PUUUAAAAA!!" Lena let out a yell of agony as another contraction forced the baby painfully through her pelvis. "OOOHHH!! MARI, HELP ME, IT HURTS!!" Without another word, Marianne grabbed onto Lena and helped her over to a nearby park bench, thankful that this section of the park was currently deserted. As Lena moaned and cried, Marianne helped her onto the bench, taking off her bottoms, and positioning one of her legs to hang across the back of the bench, so that Lena was lying across it with her legs open. Lena screamed as she felt the burning and pressure in her vagina. "MARI, IT'S THERE! THE HEAD'S THERE!! IT BURNS!! OOOOWWWWW!!" Lena screamed as her pussy began to stretch around the head. Marianne moved in between Lena's legs, seeing the tip of the baby's head lodged in her small vagina. "Lena, honey, you're doing great!" Marianne coached. "Don't worry, I'll catch the baby when it comes out!" "It'll all be over soon!" "When you feel you need to, push!!" Lena screamed as the head emerged slowly, opening her wider and wider. "AAGGHH, IT HURTS!!" Lena yelled. "OH, PLEASE GET IT OUT!! MARI, PLEASE!!" As Lena begged and cried, Marianne rubbed her legs softly, watching as the head inched out. After another minute, the head fully emerged with a pop and a gush of fluids, causing Lena to gasp loudly. Marianne laughed and nodded in relief, looking into her friend's eyes. "One more push, Lena!!" She told her. "Just one more!"
45 minutes later, Marianne drove into the driveway of Lena's house, with Lena herself in the passenger seat, holding the baby girl that she had just given birth to in the park, weak and exhausted. Marianne got out of her car and then helped Lena slowly to her feet and guided her into her house. Lena lowered herself into her nearby armchair as Marianne took the baby from her and placed it onto the sofa. "That was intense, Lena," Marianne said to her. Lena nodded weakly at her friend and smiled softly at her. "Thank you for being there," Lena said quietly. "Is it always like that??" Marianne asked. Lena sat in quiet contemplation for a moment before saying hoarsely, "No, it seemed worse that time!" Lena stared at the baby lying over on the sofa, moving around timidly, lost in thought. Why did it seem like each time she gave birth, it felt worse?? Was it just her, or was it somehow because these bodies were technically giving birth after being a week old?? Lena watched as the baby continued to squirm silently. She did not think this baby was any bigger than the last two, so she did not understand. Would the next one be even worse? Lena noticed Marianne watching her, and gave her another weak smile, trying to assure her wordlessly that she was ok. "So, what happens now??" Marianne asked, looking around the room. Lena sighed and shook her head. "I don't know," she responded. "Everything that happens next just happens." "I fall asleep, and when I wake up, I'm somehow inside the baby's body, which is instantly the same age as when I fell asleep!" "I don't know why or how..." Marianne stared into her friend's face, clearly astonished. "So, wonder what would happen if someone was watching when you fell asleep?" She inquired. Lena just shook her head, too exhausted to think, though in a part of her mind, she wondered this too. "Lena, I'm gonna spend the night here," Marianne told her. "Maybe we can find out, and besides, I think you need me." "You shouldn't be alone during all this." Lena looked up into her friend's face, and simply nodded. "Okay," Marianne placed a hand on Lena's shoulder and squeezed it softly. "Alright, you rest for a while," she said comfortingly. "I'm just gonna run back to my place and pack a few things, ok??" Lena nodded and watched as Marianne walked back out the door. Lena was weary, and also hungry, so she eased out of her chair and made her way to her kitchen, finding a few cookies to munch on. Afterward, she went to her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, letting out an exhausted sigh. She only wanted to rest, like Marianne told her to do, but within minutes, she was fast asleep.
Lena was jerked awake by a loud scream, and she rolled off the couch and onto the floor, disoriented. She got to her feet and ran into the bedroom, where she saw Marianne staring at a human skeleton wearing the clothes Lena had worn to the park earlier. Marianne was trembling with shock, and yelped again when she turned and saw Lena standing naked behind her. "Lena, it... it's TRUE!!" Marianne blurted out. "I believed you, of course, but seeing it for myself..." Lena placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know, Mari," Lena said. "I've been living it the past few weeks." After Lena had quickly thrown on some clothes, the two of them returned to the living room, where Marianne collapsed onto the couch Lena had awoken from minutes earlier. "Packing took longer than I thought," Marianna explained. "When I came back in, I saw you asleep on the couch, and I didn't think anything about it, so I thought you put the baby in the bedroom, and I decided to go in there, and that's when I saw..." She trailed off, looking shaken, and buried her face in her hands. Lena sat next to her and put her arms around her comfortingly. "It was me, but not anymore," Lena whispered. "I'm right here now, and I'm ok!" Marianne looked into her eyes. "Until the next time you give birth all over again, right?" She asked. Lena nodded, and her face fell. "Yeah, in about a week, I'll be doing it again," she responded. "I'm cursed!!" Marianne seemed to have calmed down, and she looked at Lena, seeming to examine her entire body. "I'm not taking away how difficult this situation is for you, Lena," she began, "But, if you look at this another way, you could call it a gift too." "I mean, you never die, and you're good as new each week..." Marianne faltered under the shocked and scathing look her friend was giving her. "Sorry, I know you didn't want this," she said. "Like I said in the park, I'll help you find a solution any way I can!"
As the day passed, the two of them talked, with Marianne asking question after question about Lena's predicament, clearly fascinated and curious about it. Lena explained as best she could, and the conversation even continued when the two of them realized they were starving, and Lena decided to cook something for the two of them. It was later in the evening, while the two of them ate spaghetti Lena had cooked up, when Marianne had proposed staying with Lena on a longer term basis. After thinking about it, and listening to Marianne explain how she should no longer be alone during all this, Lena agreed, and the two of them took a trip to Marianne's apartment, to pack up more long term items for her, including her laptop, which would be essential for Marianne to help research Lena's situation.
A few days later, the two of them had established a routine, with Marianne still going to work during the day, leaving Lena to do her own work, chores, research, and more importantly, rest for what was to come. Lena had already begun showing again, as predicted, and the two girls had agreed that they would continue to keep this entire situation secret from anyone else. As such, Lena once again rarely left the house, lest she run into anyone and be forced into answering awkward questions.  Lena had also flat out refused Marianne's suggestion that she go to a hospital the next time she was due to deliver, for the same reason.  She did not want to imagine what would happen if she transitioned into the new body while inside a hospital room.  Lena knew this would once again mean she would be giving birth at home, with Marianne as her midwife, and though she hated to put her friend through that again, it was necessary.  Lena therefore was very patient and accomadating when Marianne began to comment on her rapid pregnancy, insisted in touching her bump, and started making preparations.  After all, Lena thought, having someone make plans in advance, as well as just having someone with her, might be helpful.
Marianne had certainly done her research into birth.  Close to the end of the week, with Lena's belly large and protruding out, Marianne had transformed Lena's bedroom into a personal home birthing suite, complete with a birthing ball and even a small tub.  Marianne also insisted that Lena do nothing but rest as the time for her labor grew closer.  Lena appreciated all of the effort her friend was putting in for her, and was thankful that she had ultimately shared her secret with Marianne.  For the first time since this situation had begun, Lena found herself not so depressed, for Marianne seemed to be able to do anything she set her mind to, and that gave Lena hope that perhaps together, they could even find a way to get her out of this mess.
A day after Marianne had finished transforming Lena's room, Lena lay in bed, on her side, moaning loudly, as pain and pressure had started up inside her as she had slept.  She rubbed her huge belly as she cried loudly, which brought Marianne running into the room.  "It's started??" Marianne asked, coming over to the bed.  Lena nodded, her eyes shut.  "It hurts, Mari, oh God, it hurts!" She whined.  The contractions wracked her body, growing in intensity, and Marianne gently tried to help Lena up.  "Here, Lena, get on the birthing ball, it'll help," Marianne said gently, helping her friend waddle over to it.  As Lena sat and began rocking on the ball, she admitted inwardly that it did seem to help.  She rocked silently, her eyes closed, changing her rocking pattern with every movement.  Focusing on trying to change this every time helped to take Lena's mind off the pain.  Marianne stayed with her, massaging her back, holding her hand, and whispering consoling words to her.  Eventually, however, the pain became too much, and Lena screamed out! "I HAVE TO PUSH!!" she yelled, and cried as the weight of the baby pressed on her hips.  Marianne had, in advance, filled the tub in the room with warm water, and she now helped Lena slowly into this water, hoping that would ease the pain.  Lena sighed as she felt the water warm her entire body.  She still felt pain and pressure, but it was not as bad.  "Thanks, Mari," she breathed to her friend.  Marianne only shook her head, and then Lena said, "For everything!!"  Marianne was about to respond, telling Lena there was no other place she would rather be, when Lena let out a moan and thrashed around in the water.  "I FEEL IT COMING!!" Lena screeched.  "Push, Lena!!" Marianne coached.  Lena pushed and pushed, gripping the edges of the tub tightly.  Marianne rubbed Lena's legs while simultaneously holding them open.  "I already see the head, Lena," Marianne cried happily.  "You're doing great!!"  "Uuuuggghhhh," Lena groaned as she gave another push.  With the head hanging halfway out of her vagina, Lena threw her head back against the head of the tub, panting.  "I don't know how much longer I can do this," she breathed.  "You've got this, Lena," Marianne reassured her.  "Just a bit more!!"  Lena felt another contraction and began to push, then screamed and thrashed as the burning hit her vagina full force.  "AAAAHHH, IT'S CROWNING!!" Lena yelled, as Marianne tried to calm her down.  After another minute of Lena's screams echoing through the room, there was a loud splash as the baby emerged from her into the water.  As Lena collapsed in relief, Marianne lifted the baby out and placed her on the bed.  "You did it, Lena," Marianne cried happily.
Marianne had helped Lena to the bed and moved the baby to another bed on the other side of the room.  Lena fell asleep almost immediately, tired from giving birth, and Marianne was determined to watch everything until Lena woke up.  A few hours passed, with Marianne watching both her friend and the baby, and then suddenly, as she blinked, the baby was instantly a full grown Lena, with no signs of change.  For a moment, there were two sleeping Lenas in the room with her and then the one in Lena's original bed stopped breathing.  As Marianne continued to watch, an hour later, in another blink of an eye, the first Lena became a skeleton, still wearing the clothes she was wearing when she fell asleep, as the new naked Lena stirred.  Marianne was at a loss for words as her friend got up from the new bed and searched for something to wear.  When she finally found her voice again, Marianne said with an uncomfortable laugh, "Well, I guess we can keep all this stuff here, since we know you'll be needing it again in a week!"
It was two days later, the girls having gotten back to their routine, when Marianne had finally found something.  She had sent Lena's e-mail to a buddy of hers, and he had traced the location of its sender.  He sent this location information back to Marianne, along with assurances that he did not read the e-mail, nor did he want to know what was going on.  Marianne shared this information with Lena, who felt herself tremble with excitement.  "That's only several hours away from here by car," Lena exclaimed excitedly.  "I know," Marianne said.  "We can go and meet with whoever is in charge of that contest and convince him to lift the curse."  Lena's heart sank a little.  "But, that woman on the phone said the curse couldn't be reversed," Lena stated.  Marianne shook her head, still smiling.  "She probably told you that because it would be an inconvenience to do it," she responded.  "If he or she is face to face with you, we can force them to lift it, somehow."  "Don't worry!"  "Soon, it's all gonna work out fine, I just know it!"  As Lena throught to herself, wondering if she dared to get her hopes up, Marianne checked her watch.  "I have a busy workday today, but I'm off tomorrow," she said.  "We can go then!"
The next day, the two of them woke up early, had a quick breakfast, and then got in Marianne's car, to begin their five hour drive to the location in Marianne's information.  Lena already had a small bump again, which had motivated the girls to start their trip as quickly as possible.  As Marianne drove, Lena sat in the passenger seat, absentmindedly rubbing her little belly as the two of them discussed what they would say to whoever they were about to meet.  Eventually, since they had very little information to go on, the girls exhausted this subject and began discussing other things, like what their future plans were.  Lena, hopeful that this curse would be gone soon, wished to pursue a career in writing.  Perhaps she would turn this experience into a story of some sort.  Marianne, meanwhile, did not seem  to have any future plans, having always mostly lived in the moment and had never really thought about it.  Eventually, after five hours, they stopped in front of what looked to be an old house, and Marianne confirmed from her notes that this was the location.
The two girls entered the house, finding the door unlocked.  They found themselves in a large open living room, with a few chairs placed around and a fireplace against the wall.  Sitting on top of the fireplace were several lit candles.  As the two girls looked around the room, they noticed that the place was lit only by various candles dotted around the room.  A grandfather clock stood in a corner, ticking softly, and a circle was drawn in the center of the room.  "Woah, what is this..." Marianne exclaimed, before a young dark haired man dressed in a dark cloak entered the room from a doorway in the opposite wall.  He looked at the girls, then said calmly, "You are Lena, one of my contest winners!"  "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME??" Lena  blurted out angrily.  "I didn't think you contest was real!"  "I granted your wish, Miss Lena," the man responded.  "It is quite real, and your wish was to live forever!"  "But, why did you make it happen like this??" Lena yelled, as she motioned to her small pregnant bump.  The man sighed.  "Because, it was the only way," he responded.  "I am a sorcerer, but my magic is limited."  "It can't extend life, but it can create a new one, for the act of conceiving is a process that already exists!"  "A bit of cloning magic, as well as soul transference, and life acceleration..."  "TAKE IT AWAY," Lena yelled.  "I don't want this wish anymore!!"  "Reverse the spell or curse or whatever you did!"  The sorcerer shook his head sadly.  "I'm sorry, there is no reverse spell or any way to stop or cancel my magic once applied."  "What I have given you is yours forever."  Lena gaped at the sorcerer, feeling as though her insides were falling.  She had hoped there was a way to undo this curse, but now, it seemed, there was not.  "I can't go on like this," Lena pleaded.  "Please, there must be something you can do!"  The sorceror shook his head apologetically, but Marianne spoke up.  "I have an idea," she said, and the other two looked at her.  "You said the spell could not be undone, but can it be moved or transferred??" The sorcerer stared at her.  "Yes, it can be, but I don't understand..."  "Then, give it to me instead," Marianne said, before looking at Lena and smiling slightly, as Lena gaped at her.  "Mari, what??" She said breathlessly.  "It's ok," Marianne answered.  "Remember when I said this could be a gift instead of a curse if you thought about it differently??"  "Well, I have thought about it, and for me, it would be a gift!"  She turned to the sorcerer.  "Can you do it??"  "I can," he reponded, nodding.  "Mari, I can't let you do this," Lena said to her friend.  "Lena, please, I want this," Marianne said.  "I found what was happening to you fascinating and amazing, even a dream come true."  "You don't want it, but I do, so we both win!"  "But, the birth... the pain..." Lena said, staring at Marianne in disbelief.  "I'm not worried about that, Marianne said happily.  "It's actually an experience I would treasure each time."  "Please, Lena, let me do this for you, and for me, ok??"  Lena sighed, and a tear ran down her cheek as a feeling of great relief flowed through her body.  "Ok, Mari," she said.  "Thank you!"
The sorcerer led the two girls down into a large basement room, with what looked like a large round pool in the center of it, filled with what looked like water.  He instructed the two of them to take off all their clothes and then both submerge themselves completely for 20 seconds, as he performed a ritual.  The girls did as they were asked and the two of them slowly walked down into the pool until they were both fully underwater.  After counting to twenty, Lena emerged from the pool and a splash, the sound of dripping water, and someone trying to catch their breath told her that Marianne had come out as well.  Looking over herself, Lena saw that the small baby bump was gone, her body back to its small petite form.  She looked over to see that Marianne now had a small bump, which she was clutching in one hand as she spluttered the water out of her mouth.  "Mari, look," Lena exclaimed, pointing at Marianne's belly.  "It worked!!"  "You're..."  "I'm pregnant!" Marianne said, happily, looking over herself and rubbing her belly.  "It is done," the sorcerer stated.  "The spell has been transferred."
As they drove back to Lena's house, the two girls talked happily, both having gotten what they wanted!  Lena was free, and never had to worry about giving birth again, short of actually having kids of her own someday.  Marianne, meanwhile, had taken the curse, or gift as she called it.  As Marianne giggled, driving happily, Lena stared at her.  "Mari, I'll never forget what you did for me," she said to her friend.  "Thank you so much!"  Marianne laughed.  "I should be thanking you, Lena," she responded, rubbing her belly.  "You've given me something special, and I can't wait to experience it."  Lena smiled.  "I was thinking," she began, "It might be good for you to have someone around that is experienced in this situation."  "Since your stuff is already at my house, and you'll need it soon, why don't you continue to hang around my place?"  "I can help you when it's time, and I enjoy your company!"  Lena patted her friend's belly, inwardly thinking that she'd be much happier delivering a baby every week than actually being the one giving birth.  Marianne smiled at her.  "You know what," she said.  "I think that's an excellent idea!"  "Let's start our new lives, together!!"
End!!
197 notes · View notes
luxwritesfanfic · 3 years
Text
On Tap
Sherlock insists that it would work better with the reader on top and after the night they’ve had, there’s no point in arguing. Or, the one where reader plays superhero for poor Greg and her beloved detective. Thanks for reading!
Sherlock Holmes/Reader
Tumblr media
You hadn’t even taken your shoes off when your phone started ringing in your purse. Sighing, you dug around for it with one hand and reached for the lightswitch with the other. Work had been incredibly stressful since you were working short during flu season and everyone in London had been feeling under the weather apparently. You had told your coworkers that if they really needed you that you would come back even though you had put a solid 16 hours in. Sherlock and John had gone out for John’s bachelor party so you didn’t mind working late, and Bucky was visiting his brother in the States so all your time was truly yours. You had thought about soaking in the bath or catching up on that show you always missed, but all of those thoughts were stopped in their tracks when the ringing persisted.
“Hey, what’s up?” You tried not to sound like you’d rather chew on glass than clock one more minute into the hospital but you weren’t sure you were so convincing.
“Come get him. Please, for the love of God, come get him.” At hearing Greg’s voice, you were both relieved yet confused. Sherlock must’ve invited him last minute to celebrate with them, you didn’t remember him saying that he was coming along.
“Oh, I didn’t know you went out with the boys! Where are you guys?” It was nice to know they were all having a good time. You liked Greg and thought he was a really good friend for Sherlock and John. You had plopped down on the couch and had started pulling one of your shoes off when he said, “No, I didn’t go with them. They were brought to me. Someone called the cops on them and now I’ve got tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum arguing about the solar system and taking turns puking in my waste bin. Please, I beg of you, come get him. Matter of fact, I can bring him home. If that makes the process quicker--- I mean easier.” You heard Sherlock trying to take Greg’s phone in the background, asking to talk to you and then quickly after arguing with John once more if it was really that important he knew they orbited the sun. Greg sounded just as exhausted as you felt and you could only imagine how annoyed he was by the drunk detective that he was already annoyed with most of the time sober.
“Yeah, yeah of course I’ll come get him. I’m actually at my flat though, so if you could meet me at his place that would be awesome. I’d just need a few minutes to finish up here...” You mourned the hot bath you were never going to get to take and worked on shoving the shoe you just took off back on, “did you call Mary for John?”
“Yes, she’ll be over soon. As soon as she gets here, I’ll bring Sherlock. You’re doing the Lord’s work, thank you.” With that, he hung up and you went to your room to pack an overnight bag. You were exhausted and if you had to go all the way to Sherlock’s, it would be easier for you to crash on the couch than to try to come back home late.
By the time you got to Sherlock’s, you were dragging your feet up the stairs and you could barely keep your eyes open. You had received a text from Mary when she picked John up saying “good luck” and you wished you knew what you were walking into. You had never seen Sherlock drunk, or heard any stories of him being drunk, but you were sure he was even more eccentric than he was sober. If you weren’t so tired, you’d be jumping with joy at the experience to see Sherlock so out of character. 
You went into Sherlock’s room and laid out some pajamas for him and went ahead and put a water bottle and some Advil on his nightstand because you were sure he would need it. After doing that, you changed into something more comfortable too and rummaged through his fridge to see if there was anything to eat. Thumbs, unsalted butter, and milk that shouldn’t look like blue cheese was what was on the menu and you had decided sleep for dinner sounded much more appetizing. You’d go shopping for him tomorrow.
Greg had texted that he was outside but Sherlock didn’t have his key so you made your way down the steps to meet them. Upon opening the door, Sherlock looked up at you like he hasn’t seen you in ages. He stumbled towards you and held you at arms length with a look of wonder on his face. “Finally! Y/N, I was thinking I’d die from being surrounded by total stupidity, and here you are. Ever the shining light and the beacon of hope.”
You felt the heat from his stare and turned to Greg to try and keep your composure under all his attention. “Uh.. I— thank you. For bringing him home.”
Still staring at Sherlock and shocked by his outburst, Greg met your eyes with a knowing smile. “It’s no trouble. He’s your problem now. Good luck, my dear.” He was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving you with a very drunk Sherlock Holmes and a dozen steps to climb.
“Okay,” you clapped your hands together, turning towards the door, “do you think you can get up the stairs? Or do you want me to help you?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” he started until his eyes widened like he forgot who he had been talking to. It had only been a second but he saw the look that flashed across your face. You hated when he made you feel dumb because you always tried so hard to keep up with him, and he knew that. You didn’t have a chance to react before he quickly interrupted. His previous statement was immediately followed by, “I’m sorry. Forgive me. Please help me.”
You just nodded, unsure of what made him have such a quick change of heart but you were happy he did. You hated him thinking you were dumb. In comparison to him, maybe, but you were intelligent in your own right and you did a better job of keeping up with him than most. He threw his arm around your shoulders to steady himself and allowed you to lead him carefully up the stairs. He started telling you about his night and it honestly sounded like he had a great time, and so did John. You were really happy that it all worked out even if they did end up with Greg at the end of it all.
As soon as the back of Sherlock’s legs hit his chair, he was down in a clean swoop and you took the opportunity to start untying his shoes. He seemed like he was lost in thought and was quiet for a few moments but you could tell from the way he was swaying that he was too far gone to sober up before the morning.
“I already put your clothes out for you and I’ll help you to the bathroom so you can brush your teeth. You’ll love me for that in the morning.” You smiled at him as you pulled off his loafers and moved to stand up so that you could figure out how you were going to get him out of his chair.
“Will I, though? Will I tomorrow once I’m in my right mind?” He asked, and while he didn’t say it in an ignorant tone, it sounded like Sherlock, and that was close enough.
You looked at him hoping he’d say something else. But he didn’t, and he looked back at you with a look of confusion as if he was really expecting you to answer that. It seemed like just last week he was in your bed trying to convince you that he didn’t have eyes for anyone besides you and now he’s reminding you that he’s not even sure of that. Sherlock could have you at the top of the poll and then have you kissing the ground in the same hour if he tried.
“It’s just a saying. I didn’t really mean...you know, let’s— let’s just get you to bed. It’s late and you have a date with a hangover in the morning.” You could tell he was on the verge of passing out which was good in the way of no more awkward conversations but horrible in that you’d never get him into bed as dead weight. So you pushed things along and eventually got him in bed before he was out like a light.
Draping the blanket over him, you watched as his eyes fluttered behind his lids and how his lips twitched as fell into a deeper sleep and you were sure then that you would never love anyone more. You would never understand how he didn’t realize how beautiful he made the ordinary and how easily he made everything extraordinary. Afraid that you’d turn to stone if you spent any more time staring at him, you turned off his light and made your way to the living room where the the couch had never looked more inviting. It didn’t take you long to get settled in and asleep seeing as the TV in the background ended up being the perfect thing to mask Sherlock’s drunk snores and you had never been more tired in your life.
“I thought you were staying over?”
It had only been a few hours since you  had put Sherlock to bed when he found himself looking over you on the couch, wrapped up in his bedsheet.
“M’right here.” You murmured into the pillow, body still turned away from Sherlock on the couch. He was probably still drunk and you were hoping if you laid still enough he’d wander back to bed.
He didn’t respond to you, instead he continued to stand and stare with his lips pursed and brows furrowed. You had drifted back off only to be nudged awake once more.
“I won’t fit like that.” He gestured with the hand not holding the sheet to the couch, sounding exasperated like he had been explaining this to you all night. “It’ll only work if you’re on top, so get up so I can lie down first.”
You didn’t process what he said really, you just knew that if he was being persistent and you didn’t do as he asked he’d never let you go back to bed. You squinted as your eyes adjusted to the light and swung your legs off the couch, standing on stiff bones. Sherlock immediately made to get comfortable on the couch while you stood dazed and confused and he cleared his throat expectantly when he had finally got settled. He was on his back with one arm holding the sheet up between himself and the back of the couch allowing room for you to climb over and snuggle right into him.
All you could do was blink and hold his stare as he waited expectantly, still holding the sheet for you. You didn’t think he was asking you to lay with him, especially with how close you’d two be. Sure, you shared your bed before, but there was always enough room for you both to have your own space. You could tell he was getting embarrassed by your reaction, or lack there of.
“I didn’t think this would be rocket science, even for someone like you.” His nervousness was showing as he yanked his arm back down and curled into to himself like a child. You jumped into action so you wouldn’t upset him any more and shook his shoulder as you whined, partially from exhaustion and from missing the chance to sleep next to him.
“I’m tired, I’m sorry! I didn’t realize what you were asking. Come on, open up. Let me in.” You continued to shake at his shoulder until he looked back at you. He looked wrecked from drinking all night and you knew this bout of sobriety wouldn’t be as easy on him in the morning but you were sure he looked holy.
Sherlock reluctantly brought his arm up again and you wasted no time sliding under the sheet and tucking yourself under the crook of his arm. He smelled like beer and mouthwash and Sherlock and you thought you were going to go into cardiac arrest when he brought his arm back down on you, subsequently pinning you down to him. It was definitely a tight fit especially since the couch barely fit Sherlock but you had decided that if you had the opportunity to sleep with him like this every night that you would. Back pain be damned.
The steadiness of his heartbeat was already working you back to sleep. Sighing content, you let your body fully relax and sink further into him.
“You never answered my question.” He shifted next to you and kept you close to him all the same, his head leaning to rest on yours.
“Hmm?” You made an incoherent sound, your breath evening out as you fell asleep.
“My question,” he whispered more so to himself as he worked it out in his head. The feelings he found himself harboring for you were ones he had never felt before. He thought  so highly of you in a way he couldn’t understand even if he wasn’t the best at expressing it. You were patient with him when he got on your last nerve and was amazed by him when other people would tell him to piss off. You were always kind and warm and made him feel human even after he spent so long separating himself from his feelings. He couldn’t stand the idea of you looking at anyone else the way you looked at him when you thought he wasn’t looking.
So yes, he thought. Yes, he would love you in the morning. He’d love you when you’re angry with him for putting himself at risk during a case and he’d love you when you were overly tired and petulant after he made you stay up all night to keep him company in the lab. He loved that you valued him regardless of what he offered you, and that you always showed him that even if he never reciprocated it. You were never embarrassed by him, you always tried to learn about what he was interested in, and you never doubted him even when he was wrong.
Girlfriends weren’t naturally his area... but he didn’t think he would mind if it was you. He liked being close to you and physical touch wasn’t something he had sought out often before. He found that he chased the opportunity to be near you at all times. He thought you looked lovely in scrubs and a lab coat and even lovelier in your everyday wear, even if you considered it plain. He had begun to notice the way other people stared at you when you walked by and it left him with the most unsettling feeling. But then you’d smile at him and despite himself he’d smile right back and he wondered if anything in the world mattered to you besides him. Because in those moments, nothing mattered to him besides you.
Sherlock woke up alone again the next morning with the worst headache he’d ever had. Light was shining through the curtains and he cursed the sun for rising another day as he covered his eyes and groaned. Peaking through his fingers, he saw that the Advil and water had been moved to the coffee table for him and when he reached out for it he noticed the note on the table. He sat up with one hand gingerly holding his head as he read it.
“Got called into work to help the girls. John and Mary are coming over for lunch, so text me what you want me to bring home. We can’t serve our best friends buttered thumbs for lunch. I’ll see you soon!
  -Y/N xx”
He held the note in his hand, contemplating what his next move would be. You were interested in him, that he knew for sure. He’d contemplated casually mentioning to everyone that you were dating, but he technically hadn’t asked you to be his girlfriend and you two had never talked about any mutual feelings. Maybe he’d kiss you when walking you to your taxi, but he knew he’d make you stay with him instead of letting you go home. Possibly tonight when you were laying in his bed he’d tell you it had to be you, it could only ever be you.
Leaning back against the couch, he rubbed at his eyes and decided he’d call John over early and he’d help him sort it out. John always helped him. Standing up was harder than it looked apparently, as Sherlock wobbled to the side and fought the urge to puke. Perhaps he should shower first, surely you wouldn’t say yes to being his if he didn’t look his best.
He remembered how he looked and acted last night and winced. On second thought, maybe you would. You had already given yourself to him for better or for worse and soon enough, he smiled, he would give you himself in return.
770 notes · View notes
luimagines · 3 years
Note
Coul I request the chain reacting to meeting the reader who is Wild's sibling? (If background is needed shrieks science and them whatever purchase did so the reader is just sorta- 15-28 )
Masterlist
I don't understand the second sentence but I think I can infer what you're trying to say. And even then, I came up with a backstory that more less fixes it regardless so yay!
Wild is everyone's favorite chaotic creative sibling!
And I went for older sibling because reasons and just assume that sibling! Reader is in their early twenties.
Content under the cut!
You woke up one day in Hateno village, quietly aware of the silence that echoed through your house.
You miss your brother.
Not that he was here often with his Goddess given assignment nor did he even know who you were for the first half of it.
What a day that was.
Your little brother back from the dead, scars and all and then some... but he had no idea who you were.
It hurt to say the least. But you were told it would happen once the news reached you. He would wake up one day to finish his duty but he would not remember anything regarding his past life.
Even when he found you again, after he somehow remembered you, you didn’t know where to begin.
You just knew that you were so happy to be together again after so long that you hugged him as tight as you could and told him that your door was always open.
To say you both cried is the understatement of the century. It was wet and ugly and messy and neither of you really talk about it but it felt good that day.
And while you both knew he couldn’t stay for long with his adventure being no where near complete. He did come home for the night after he set that travel medallion of his by the front door.
But that was then- before the Calamity was defeated.
Now that it’s gone- so is your brother. Again.
On a different quest this time, it seems.
You don’t understand why your baby brother of all people has to be the one to do it and you would like nothing more than to wrap him up in a blanket and shield him from anything else that comes to hurt him- but he never let you do that as a child- let alone now.
You begin the day like any other and try to get as many mundane chores done as you can before you finally try and get the stable in the back fixed up.
You noticed Link had an affinity to horses and had checked in with the nearest stable to see that he had some lodged under his name.
There’s a place at the house, darn it. Lodge them here. It just needs to be fixed.
With your goal in mind, you lose yourself to the work and the time passes effortlessly.
It’s around noon by the time you hear it.
The familiar sound of activation that gets your heart pounding in relief and unbridled joy.
You drop your hammer and run to the front of the house with the largest grin on your face. “You’re back, you Rug Rat! Come here!”
You single him out instantly amongst the group and tackle him in a hug.
He’s long stopped trying to fight on you on this and has also returned your crushing hug with one of his own. “I’m back.”
“You brought friends too.” You grin and give the group a two fingered salute. “And here I was afraid that this loner child would end up dead in a ditch somewhere and I would be none the wiser. Thank you for looking after my little brother. I’m aware he’s a handful.”
“Ok thanks.” He says.
“Little brother?” Someone from the group asks. They’re lost amongst the sea of head but you nod regardless.
“Yup. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.” You grin and put your hands on your hips, introducing yourself right after. “Any friend of Link’s is a friend of the family. Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home. It’s not much but it’s ours. Been in the family since before the calamity struck. Let me wash up a bit and then we can get some food going, yeah?”
“I’ll start up the stove.” Link says and you’re about to disagree. After all, he just got home and should rest while he can but he ahs the most unburdened smile on his face that you can’t bring yourself to deny him.
 “Alright.” You sigh and head to the back where the shower is. It’s always been small and a bit cramped and the door stopped fitting correctly about ten years ago but now that’s it’s not just you anymore, you can go around into the giving the house the TLC it deserves.
But you’re starting with the stable in the back.
When you’re finished and you’ve dried yourself off, you get into the house to find it in a delightful array of colors and chaos.
Each of the boys seemed to have made themselves completely at home in the time you were gone and you leaned against the door frame, watching them all interreact.
Your brother didn’t waste any time with getting the stove up and running. You can smell the beginning of lunch getting cooked and it appears that Link has wrangled two of the boys to be his helpers. One appears to be the youngest with bright wide eyes and a similar blue tunic to that of Links and the other looks to be  slightly more timid in the process. He’s around the same height as Link but darker hair and a long white cape still clasped around his shoulders. 
You recognize the Master Sword strapped to his back.
Making a note of that you look around the room again. Three of them have made themselves comfortable at the table. One is easily the biggest guy of the group, red and blue tattoos on his face and scar over his eye as he watches the others go about the admittedly small house. The other two look to be the same size and you’re sure you can look them in the eye if you needed to. They’re talking to both each other and the group that’s cooking. One has a wolf pelt on his shoulder with more tattoos on his face and other is a knight if you’ve ever seen one with a bright blue scarf around his neck.
You’re not one to judge your brother’s friends but you make a mental note to watch him in case he tries anything.
Two of the boys- one with pink hair and the other have the most solid brown mane of the whole group have made themselves spares and are talking quietly to each other and not making a fuss.
The final one looks to be the smallest but he’s got an older glint to his eye that recognize well. He’s wearing arguably the most color tunic of the group with those four patches sewn together. He’s tucked himself away into a corner with a book out, not interacting with either of them outright but he has been looking up and adding his two cents to the older’s conversation at the table.
They don’t notice you’re back which is a testament to how tired they all must be.
They’re an interesting bunch.
But Link did always surround himself with interesting people.
So you’re not really surprised.
“Sooo...” Pinky starts off, calling your bother’s attention. “You have an older sibling?”
“Yup!” He answers, not looking up from the pot. “They were waiting for me the whole time, and even manage to keep the house. Up keep still needs to be done but we’ve been working on it together.”
“But they’re older.”
“Yes. We’ve established this.”
You have to hold back your snort.
“You were asleep for one hundred years.” Four Patches speaks up, closing his book silently. ”Shouldn’t they... ummm...”
“Be dead?”
“Or at least really old?” Mr. Brunette hops in, trying to lessen the blow of the sentence.
“You’re like one hundred and seven teen right? Wouldn’t that put them at being one hundred and twenty something?” Wolf boy offers.
“I guess so. Yeah. They were old at some point.” Link stops stirring and you can see him try to run the numbers in his head. “I know that much. The village talks about them being really old sometimes, but I guess that was years ago because it’s only from the older folk that live here.”
“But they lived through those one hundred years, didn’t they?” Blue Baby Face speaks this time.
“That’s what they told me.”
“So....” The knight tilts his head and tries to put his hands out as if that would help answer the question. “They’re like the Old Man then? Old in their head but young on the outside.”
“You can say that, yeah.” You say and take extreme satisfaction at the way most of the jump at your voice. “Unlike Link, I was alive the whole time he was asleep. I’ve got grandkids in Lurelin and they visit from time to time but someone had to at least keep the house up and running, might as well have been me.”
“I...” Link starts as he takes the food off the burner. “I never asked you how you stayed young, did I?”
“Nope.”
“Oh.” He looks away and deflates a little. Link looks a little disappointed with himself and that won’t stand in this house.
“I didn’t realize it was that important. And I’m going to assume you’ve explained most of the situation Rug Rat.” You laugh a little with a raised eyebrow. “You can blame Purah. You know she wanted to find a way to keep the old from aging, right? It’s why she’s in the body of a little kid again. But when she tried the second formula she realized that if she tried it on herself that it might as well but poof her back into a baby and she wanted to contact Robbie but he’s too far and too old to make that trip. I volunteered.”
“Really?”
“It still didn’t really work, I was transformed into a teenager instead of a child- a horrible time to exist really. But I suppose it was a blessing in disguise. By the time this one-” You step into the house fully and ruffle Link’s hair. “-came back, it left us with the same age gap as before. So in the end I can’t complain.”
“Why’d you volunteer?” Cape guy leans on the wall. “There’s only so many times you can test it, right? Who’s to say it wouldn’t have been worse?”
“Yeah, what if it did transform you into a baby again and you forgot everything?” Four Patches stands up and comes to stand by the table, putting his book on top of it. 
“I wanted to take the risk.” you shrug and pull your brother into a hug. “Is it a crime to want to see my baby brother again not matter the cost?”
“Get off.” He whines.
You laugh but do as he asks. “It was never said when he’d be back. Only that he would. I was willing to buy as much time as needed to be there for him.”
“I didn’t remember you...” He mutters to himself.
“You now, don’t you?” You punch him gently. “We’ve talked about this. It’s ok. I knew it was going to happen. It wasn’t going to stop me. Ganon himself couldn’t properly get rid of me. I’m not leaving your side anytime soon.”
He smiles and turns to hug you.
“Now where’s your wolf friend?” You ask. “Are you still traveling together? There’s something I wanted to give him.”
Wolf Pelt shimmies in his seat for a second but you don’t think much of it.
Link shakes his head. “Not right now but he has been coming by every now and then.”
“Well it’s good he’s still around to look after you then in my stead.”
“We have a horse though.” Link tilts his head up to grin at you. “It’s not the same but her name is Epona.”
Familiarity stabs you in the heart and you know it’s something that Link even remember even if he lives another one hundred years.
He was too little when she passed.
“...Like dad’s old horse. Can I see her?” You say with a light constriction in your throat. “How crazy would it be if they looked alike?”
“Dad had a horse?”
“You wouldn’t remember her, you were too little. I barely remember her as it is but yes, he did.” You take a step back and motion back towards the door. “Maybe after lunch you show me. We can bring her to the back and measure up how the stable is. I’ve been fixing it up.”
“Really!?” Link blinks, an excited glint appearing in his eyes.
“Yes. That’s what I was doing when you first came in. But let’s eat first.” You put your hand to the small of his back and push him gently in the direction of the table. “And then you can tell me about your friends and this new adventure of yours.”
248 notes · View notes
omorimewo · 3 years
Note
How do you think the group reacted seeing the aftermath of the...fight? I'm not sure if I can say the spoilers
Hey there :) I’m gonna tag this for spoilers. I’ve actually been thinking about this so much, I think I’m gonna write it into a fully-fledged fic. I’ll make sure to link it on here! But here are a couple headcanons I have for it meanwhile!
I think Sunny is so apologetic and heartbroken from everything that’s happened, that their first instinct is to just hug him
At least, that’s the case for Kel and Aubrey
Hero can’t move 
Once the information really starts to process, they’re all in complete shock
More than anything, Aubrey feels horrible for Sunny and Basil and wants to be there for them
She knows how it feels to fuck up and almost hurt someone you care about
She just got lucky that, when she pushed Basil into the lake, the consequences weren’t irreparable 
She can only imagine the guilt and trauma that her two friends are feeling and all she wants to do is make up for the time that she had abandoned them
Although things don’t fully go back to normal between Sunny, Basil, and Aubrey, it’s clear that they still all care a lot about each other
Aubrey starts saying hi to Basil at school and telling everyone to stop bullying him or else they’ll have to go through her
Slowly but surely, she starts inviting Basil to hang out with her group and with Kel
As for her relationship with Sunny, they don’t keep in close touch daily but see each other often when Sunny visits Faraway Town
It doesn’t take long for them to become friends again
Kel also feels sympathy for Sunny and Basil, but feels really betrayed for being lied to
He thought that these were people he could trust and who understood all the pain he had been going through the last few years
He was so happy that they had all gotten close again, only for it to end in this betrayal
Similar to Aubrey, he would ultimately forgive them since he knows he has to be there for them in order to be friends again
He doesn’t want them to abandon each other
But he’s also really sensitive to Hero, who is absolutely heartbroken
I think Hero takes it the worst, at least at first
Hero loved Mari so much, he was convinced he was gonna marry her
When she died, it was like his world came crashing down. He had no sense of direction because so much of his life was planned around his future with Mari
When he first hears the news, he feels like he needs to get away and leaves the room to compose himself
It feels like the wound that he’d been attempting to heal for four years just reopened and became even deeper
It takes him a while to come back to the room. He needs to calm down and breath since it feels like his world got destroyed again
At first he’s so mad at Sunny and Basil that he’s convinced he won’t hold back punching them if he goes back in there
He’s literally shaking with anger and he’s scared he won’t be able to control himself
He doesn’t understand how someone could do that to his Mari, and he feels like the rest of the group doesn’t understand because they didn’t love her nearly as much as he does
But after Kel comes to get him a while later and calms him down, he realizes it’s just not true
And he also realizes that what Sunny and Basil did was nothing more than an accident, a mistake that anyone could make at the age of 12 
He remembers what he said the night before when they were sleeping over at Basil’s house-- that abandoning each other was the worst thing they could have done after Mari died, and that they couldn’t do it again
He realizes that, as hurt as he is, he still feels that way
He also remembers how much Mari adored Sunny, and because of that how much he himself adored Sunny
Sunny was probably in the most pain right now, knowing that he was the cause for his sister’s death
And Basil was hurt too, constantly regretting a mistake that he made as a complete child 
After wiping away his tears, he and Kel go back inside and decide to make amends the best they can
By no means does the dynamic go back to normal though
They forgive Sunny and Basil, but letting it go is too painful to do right away
Especially after Sunny moves and the distance between him and everyone increases again
Sunny and Basil keep in close contact, talking almost every day since they’re basically the only people who can understand one another
Sunny’s relationship with Kel and Aubrey improves each time he’s able to come back and visit Faraway Town, since seeing each other in person almost feels like old times again
After a few times of seeing each other, Kel and Aubrey have forgiven Sunny and Basil (but haven’t forgotten)
The relationship could never go back to how it was, but they still care about each other so much and want to protect each other from all the pain they’ve been carrying for four years
Hero is the hardest to get close to again, especially because he is home so rarely
Sunny makes a point of visiting town whenever Hero comes home from college, but even then there’s a distance
Hero tries to force himself to make it go away, since he knows how much Mari would have wanted him to take care of Sunny
But it definitely takes time
Sunny ends up willing himself to call Hero one day while he’s at college and the two talk on the phone for hours about everything they’d gone through
After this, their relationship improves significantly
Hero realizes that Sunny is all that is left of Mari and that they need to be there for each other in order to move on from this trauma 
763 notes · View notes
jammatown919 · 3 years
Text
Best Laid Plans
Several months ago, an anon asked me to write a piece in which the group tries to play matchmaker for Ruby and Penny. This is what that turned into. 
Ruby liked Vacuo better than she'd thought she would. Sure, it was unbearably hot most days and a fair amount of the locals seemed rather disgruntled about having more refugees around, especially Atlesian ones,  but she'd take this over Atlas any day.
She was especially relived that she and her group had been allowed to enroll as students at Shade Academy rather than having their Huntsmen licenses renewed. They hadn't been at all ready for the position when General Ironwood had offered it to them, and while there was still a lot to worry about, everyone was glad to have some of the pressure taken off of them. Unfortunately, however, the lowered stress and extra free time had given them an opportunity to concern themselves with things that absolutely did not require their attention, such as Ruby's love life.
Two weeks ago, Ruby had made the horrible mistake of confiding in Yang about her crush on Penny, which had resulted in most of the rest of their friends knowing about it too. Most of them were alright about it, but Yang and Nora were absolutely hellbent on playing matchmaker, and they weren't taking no for an answer.
Every single time one of them caught Ruby alone, they'd plead with her for permission to set up a date so everyone wouldn't have to watch her 'pining' anymore, and no matter how many times she said she didn't want to burden Penny with her feelings, they persisted. Eventually she'd started trying to avoid them altogether, which was a lot easier with Nora than it was with Yang, considering they shared a room.
On their second Friday living at Shade Academy, also the second Friday since Ruby had confided in her sister, Yang found Ruby alone in the dorm and made what felt like her millionth plea of the week.
"For the last time," Ruby snapped, flopping down on her bed. "I don't want you to set up a date! It'll just make everything awkward."
She was trying to keep her cool, but honestly, this was starting to piss her off. This was none of Yang's business, or Nora's for that matter. She didn't need their input.
"Oh, come on, Ruby!" Yang groaned, her voice laced with exasperation. "You have to know she's into you!"
"Give me one good reason to believe she actually likes me back." Ruby retorted, rolling her eyes as Yang let out a dry laugh.
"I'll give you ten reasons," she said confidently. "You two are basically attached at the hip, she gets that little pouty face every time she gets told she can't pair with you for combat training, you literally share a bed-"
"Only because there weren't enough beds when we moved in!" Ruby quickly sat up, warmth rushing to her face.
"Yeah, but when Blake and I starting sharing, I asked Penny if she wanted my old bed and she just about cried." Yang replied. "Unless you want to sit here and argue that all of that is platonic, you know she likes you back. So why won't you just talk to her about it?"
"Look," Ruby sighed. "Even if you're right, I just don't want to give her anything else to worry about. She just lost her home, she's still getting used to being the Winter Maiden, and now she has all this human stuff to deal with. She needs my support right now, and I don't want to accidentally push her away."
Yang's expression softened at that, and she slowly crossed the room to sit down beside Ruby.
"I get that," she said quietly, suddenly much more sympathetic than frustrated. "And I know I'm being kind of pushy, but I don't want you to miss out. This could be your only chance for a while to actually go on dates and have fun with her."
Ruby let out another, heavier sigh and leaned back onto her hands, tilting her face toward the ceiling.
Yang was right. They might have a respite now, but Salem could show up any day. This chance to be students again wasn't going to last forever. They were getting to be kids one last time, and that would be over the moment Salem made herself known again. Then there would be no dates or time to worry about feelings, probably just regrets if she didn't do this now.
"What do I even say to her?" she asked quietly. "I've never liked someone like this before. What if I screw something up?"
"Just be honest with her." Yang put an arm around Ruby's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Tell her how you feel, ask her if she wants to go out, and let Nora and I take care of the rest. We'll find a nice place for you to go, and I'll tell you everything I know about impressing girls."
She winked good-naturedly and released Ruby, who then took a deep breath and stood. She didn't feel even remotely prepared for this, but there was a decent chance it could be now or never.
"I'm gonna go see if I can find her." Ruby decided, steeling herself. She made her way toward the door, giving her sister a nervous grin over her shoulder as she left. "Wish me luck."
---------------------
Ruby found Penny an hour later in Shade's library, sitting at one of the tables with a pile of books. From the looks of it, she'd been here a while, possibly making her way through a series.
"Hey," Ruby said quietly as she reached Penny's table. "What are you reading?"
Penny glanced up, looking mildly startled.
"Oh, it's just a fantasy story," she replied sheepishly, lowering the book in her hands. "It's a bit silly, but I've never had time to just sit and read before. I'm finding it quite enjoyable!"
"That's good." Ruby smiled and took a seat across from Penny, clasping her hands anxiously in her lap. "Sorry if I'm interrupting you or anything, I just wanted to ask you something."
"Of course." Penny put her book down and leaned forward attentively.
"I was just wondering if, um..." Ruby squeezed her fingers, trying to steady her voice long enough to get the question out. "If you wanted to... go out with me sometime? Like, on a date? I-If not, it's totally cool, I just... y'know..."
Penny blinked at her slowly, and Ruby shrank back as much as the chair would allow her to.
"A date?" Penny inquired.
"Yeah," Ruby replied, her face burning. Dear God please let her know what a date is, she thought frantically. "I really like you, like more than just a friend. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I was scared of making you uncomfortable, but then I realized that with everything going on I might not get another chance for a while, and- Penny?"
Caught up in her rant, it had taken Ruby far to long to realize that Penny wasn't listening to her. Instead, she was just staring blankly, her expression completely unreadable.
"Are you okay?" Ruby leaned across the table and waved her hand in front of Penny's face. "Are you bluescreening?"
Back when she'd had a mechanical body, Penny had occasionally 'bluescreened' when struggling to process some new piece of information. She usually snapped out of it within a few minutes, so Ruby wasn't particularly concerned, but she had to admit she was surprised that Penny was still doing it even in a human body.
"Yes." Penny said suddenly, shaking herself a bit.
"I- what?"
"Yes, I will go on a date with you." Penny clarified, her face turning slightly pink. "I like you too, quite a lot."
"Really?" Ruby's shoulders sagged with relief, and she couldn't help the grin spreading across her face.
"Of course." Penny said with a little smile. "I would have said something much sooner if I had thought you might feel the same way."
"How could I not?" Ruby asked softly. "You're so sweet and beautiful and kind. It was kind of impossible not to fall in love with you."
Penny's blush intensified, and she looked away bashfully.
"You are all of those things too." she replied, her voice quiet and shy.
Ruby chuckled softly, then straightened herself and cleared her throat before either them could get any more flustered.
"So," she went on. "I was thinking maybe we could do dinner tomorrow around six? Or, well, Yang was thinking that, but I have no idea how to plan dates so I'm just listening to what she says."
"That sounds perfect." Penny said enthusiastically.
"Great," Ruby smiled and rose from her seat. "I'll let you get back to your reading. See you tomorrow."
Ruby turned to leave, barely hearing Penny's quiet "Goodnight," as she rushed out of the library. The moment the doors slammed shut behind her, she let out a loud, shaky laugh. She'd done it. She'd actually done it. She'd managed to land herself a date, and now all she had to do was survive it.
--------------------
Penny had to admit, she'd been surprised to hear that her best friend had a crush on her. Delighted, of course, but so very surprised. She'd been planning to keep her own feelings a secret forever, lest Ruby find them unusual or inappropriate, but that was no longer necessary. Ruby shared the same feelings, and apparently they were quite normal.
It was a relief to know that, but Penny couldn't say that all of her anxieties had been quelled. According to Ruby, the next step after confessing their feelings was going on a date together, a concept with which Penny was not particularly familiar. She had a basic idea of how it was supposed to work, but she wasn't sure of the correct way to behave or what she was supposed to say while they were out.
Penny had gone to Nora with these concerns, hoping for some friendly advice, and had been promptly and quite literally dragged into Team JNPR's dorm room for a pre-date pep talk.
"You really don't have all that much to worry about." Nora said as she worked on lacing up the back of Penny's dress. It was quite similar to one she'd worn to Beacon's dance; light green, knee-length, and very soft. She'd borrowed it from an upperclassman named Velvet, who she knew by association due to her team's friendship with Team RWBY.
"But what if I say something wrong?" Penny asked anxiously, running her fingers through her hair. She'd already brushed through it twice, but perhaps one more time couldn't hurt.
"What would you say wrong?" Nora inquired as she finished with the dress. "You two are already friends, so you don't have to deal with any of that 'getting to know each other' business. Just go and have fun. And make sure you laugh at all her jokes."
"All of them?" Penny echoed unenthusiastically. Her sense of humor was quite different from the majority of her friends, and she sometimes had trouble discerning whether something was a joke. How would she know what to laugh at?
"Unless they're offensive or something, but it's Ruby so I doubt that." Nora shrugged and grabbed a bit of Penny's hair, gently fluffing it out. "Think you're ready?"
"Maybe?" Penny replied. "Do I look presentable?"
"You're gorgeous, Pebbles." Nora turned Penny around so they were face to face, placing two firm, comforting hands on her friend's shoulders. "Everything's gonna be fine, okay? You've gone places with Ruby hundreds of times; just act how you normally would."
"Okay." Penny nodded. She could do that.
----------------
The restaurant Penny had been invited to was a small café hardly a stone's throw from Shade's campus. From what Penny could tell, it seemed to be primarily frequented by the school's students, as the majority of the people sitting in the outdoor area were wearing school uniforms.
Of the three that were not, one was Ruby, clad in a black top and bright red skirt that just barely reached her knees. She spotted Penny from her table near the café's front window and waved her over with a shy smile.
"Hey," she greeted softly as Penny approached. "You look really nice."
"As do you." Penny replied politely, sincerely hoping that the grin on her face didn't look too silly. She stood there awkwardly for a moment before taking a seat, leaning forward so their table's umbrella could better protect her fair skin from the sun.
For a good two minutes, they sat there in silence, Ruby seemingly avoiding eye contact and Penny quietly fidgeting while she tried to think of something to say.
"This place is pretty cool, right?" Ruby offered at last, glancing in Penny's direction.
"I think it's quite hot, actually." Penny replied. Ruby let out a soft chuckle, and she quickly realized her mistake. "Oh! You meant- yes, it's very cool."
Penny briefly averted her gaze as her face grew warm, but she was saved from any further embarrassment by the arrival of a tired-looking waitress.
"Have you two decided on anything?" she asked, placing two glasses of water down on the table. As she did so, she fixed Penny with the same vaguely suspicious look every Atlesian refugee had been receiving from the locals.
It wasn't entirely uncalled for, considering everything her nation had done to theirs, but it made her uncomfortable nonetheless.
"Um..." Penny glanced down at the menu, eager to get the waitress's eyes off of her. Impulsively, she ordered the first thing she saw. "The fried scorpion, please."
"I'll have the same." Ruby said immediately.
"Interesting choice." The waitress remarked as she took their menus. 'For a couple of outsiders' was implied.
Penny watched her walk away, mildly dreading the sight of what she would return with.
"What the hell did we just order?" Ruby mumbled, so softly that Penny couldn't be entirely certain the words were for her.
"It will likely be fine," she answered anyway. "Scorpion is a common dish here."
"Yeah, I guess." Ruby replied, once again avoiding eye contact. Penny's brow furrowed and she leaned a bit closer to her date over the table.
Ruby seemed remarkably uncomfortable, wringing her hands and glancing about as if searching for a way out of the situation. Did she not want to be here? Had Penny done something wrong?
If so, she hadn't the slightest clue what her mistake could have been, but relationships were so complicated that she wouldn't be surprised if she'd broken some unspoken rule. Perhaps she'd missed a joke she was supposed to laugh at, or-
"Penny?"
Penny was jolted out of her thoughts, only just realizing that Ruby was waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked hard, mildly startled.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked gently.
"Yes," Penny said with a quick nod. "Yes, I'm fine."
"You've got to stop bluescreening on me." Ruby gave her a small, kind smile. "What were you trying to figure out?"
Penny hesitated briefly. She almost didn't want to say it for fear that she might be right. Yet again, if she had somehow messed up the date, she wanted to know what she'd done wrong.
"It's just..." she began eventually. "You seem as if you don't want to be here. I was wondering if maybe I did something wrong? Or if you regret asking me out?"
"Of course not!" Ruby's eyes widened in mild alarm. "What made you think that?"
"You just seem so uncomfortable." For emphasis, Penny mimicked the hand-wringing motion Ruby had been doing. "I was worried you thought this was a mistake."
"God, no," Ruby reached across the table and gently took Penny's hands in her own. "You didn't do anything wrong, Penny. Asking you out was not a mistake."
She brushed her thumbs along the backs of Penny's hands; an intimate gesture, if Penny remembered correctly.
"I think letting someone else plan this for us might have been a mistake, though." Ruby admitted. "I don't think I'm really a dinner date person."
"What do you mean?" Penny inquired.
"I mean this all feels a little... stuffy, I guess." Ruby shrugged. "I don't like sitting here in formalwear trying to make awkward conversation with a bunch of other people around. This doesn't feel like us, y'know?"
"I think I understand." Penny nodded slowly. She had to admit, this wouldn't have been her first choice of venue either. "What do you think would feel like us?"
"Do you remember that night with the fireflies?" Ruby asked. Penny nodded again, a small smile spreading across her face. "That felt like us. It was just you and me having fun, enjoying nature and stuff."
"That was a very special night," Penny agreed fondly. "But I do not believe we would be able to recreate it here. As far as I know, no species of a firefly is native to Vacuo."
"It doesn't have to be exactly the same." Ruby seemed thoughtful for a moment, quietly drumming her fingers on the table. "What if we went up on the roof of Shade's dorms? We could be alone and just enjoy each other's company."
"I like the sound of that." Penny almost stood up, but suddenly remembered that they'd already ordered. Would it be considered rude to leave?
"It's alright," Ruby seemed to read Penny's mind as she rose from her seat. "I don't think it counts as dining and dashing if we haven't gotten our food yet."
Penny supposed that made sense. She hesitated a moment longer before standing up, glad that she wouldn't have to see that waitress again. Ruby extended her arm, and Penny linked it with her own as they began walking away from the restaurant. As soon as they'd cleared the tables, Ruby visibly relaxed.
"This already feels better," she remarked.
"It does." Penny agreed. They walked together in silence for a few minutes, Penny's face growing warm as an unfamiliar sensation spread throughout her body.
Suddenly overtaken with boldness, Penny leaned over and pressed her lips to Ruby's cheek, holding them there for a moment before slowly pulling away. Ruby's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't seem at all bothered.
"Was that... okay?"
"It was more than okay," Ruby replied, glancing over at Penny with a smile. "That was perfect."
"It seems our night has been salvaged." Penny smiled back at her, faltering briefly as Ruby rested her head on her shoulder.
"Yeah," she said, her warm breath tickling the skin of Penny's neck. "It has."
--
If you enjoyed this piece, please consider reblogging to share it with others and help the post gain a bit of traction! It would absolutely make my day and make the three months I spent trying to finish this feel worth it! 
199 notes · View notes
writertitan · 3 years
Text
Grandfather Clock (III)
pairing: levi x f!reader
word count: 7068 (oops)
themes:  adult f!reader, arranged marriage, multi-part fic, levi is a stubborn asshole at first, no love at first sight here folks
a/n: the final part!! enjoy!!!
Tumblr media
Read Part 1 Here
Read Part 2 Here
On the 20th day of Levi’s engagement to you, he found himself tense, frowning, and sitting across a less than pleased Erwin, right in the commander’s office. 
Erwin sat at his desk, deep discontent written all over his face, with his arms folded tightly across his broad chest. 
Levi knew the scolding was coming and cursed himself in his head for being so careless. He hadn’t really meant too much by it. Mike had just been asking him how things were going as they walked down the hall together and the words had just tumbled out. Levi didn’t like talking about his personal life in general, mostly because he had hardly had one prior to getting engaged, but now he was extra wary. 
“Not much to tell. Just thankful she agreed not to have an actual wedding and to prolong it as long as possible.” 
That was all he’d said and he’d said it with a tone of finality that Mike understood well. It was the tone that warned not to push it any farther. 
It was just Levi’s luck that Erwin had rounded the corner as the words left him. The commander had bristled as he processed what Levi had said and then blurted out that he needed to see the shorter man immediately, in his office. 
Levi had never seen Mike hurry off so quickly before. 
And now here he was, tense and waiting for Erwin to lash out at him. 
The words came moments later, but Levi didn’t get yelled at, which made him feel worse. Erwin was quiet, stern, and very open with his disappointment. 
“Is it true? You really asked that of her?” 
“Yes,” Levi sighed, running a hand over his tired face. “I did.” 
“You didn’t even consult me about it. Levi, I hope you know I’m trying to grant you as much freedom as I can in this situation, but this was out of line. I’m sorry, but you don’t have that kind of say.” 
Erwin’s words made Levi wince a little, but he tried to keep a stoic face. He could see that the commander was waiting for him to say something, but Levi didn’t quite know what to say. 
He thought of you for a moment, and thought about how confused he’d been lately, and then looked at Erwin with a hint of a frown. 
“You’ve hardly given us any freedom,” he blurted out, and then cursed himself yet again. He’d used the word “us” instead of “me” and he knew that Erwin would catch wind of that. 
He did, and he even seemed to soften up a bit, raising a brow curiously. 
And then Erwin used you as ammunition. 
“You’ve stripped away any semblance of choice left for her by making her agree to your terms. She has even less freedom than you. Is that what you wanted?” Erwin asked, but the question was more rhetorical than anything. 
Levi’s frown grew deeper. His mind went back to you, how broken you’d looked when he’d said he didn’t want a wedding day, and how he wanted to wait as long as possible to actually be married. And then his mind took him to that day you were feeling unwell, and how that same broken expression appeared when he’d gotten upset with you. 
His chest grew heavy when he realized he had helped in breaking you. 
And even worse, he hadn’t gone back to visit you after that day, when you had fainted. It had spurred too many mixed emotions in him and he had wanted the space to clear his head. And you had confirmed you were still unwell in your most recent letter to him from yesterday. 
But maybe you were lying. Maybe Levi had broken you so much that you wanted to start keeping your distance from him. 
That’s what he wanted, right? 
Is that what you wanted?
Erwin’s unanswered question echoed in his mind. 
If that was what he’d wanted, why did he feel this way, so horrible, after being called out by Erwin? 
“I just don’t know what to do,” Levi finally said, unable to meet Erwin’s gaze. 
Erwin hummed and sat back in his chair, arms now unfolded as he looked at Levi. The conversation had gone way beyond Levi’s little mistake. As much as he wanted to help his friend, there was a reason Erwin had been wandering the halls. He had, in fact, been searching for Levi. And he had, in fact, been wanting to discuss the topic of you. It had been mere coincidence that Erwin had caught Levi’s confession. 
“Talk to her,” Erwin said, eyes on Levi, who was still looking anywhere but at him. “And I’d suggest going today. There was a reason I’ve been looking for you.” 
At that, Levi flickered his eyes to Erwin, a hint of curiosity in them. And, dare Erwin say, even a little bit of worry hid behind the silver. 
“Well, spit it out,” Levi said, already making to stand up. “What happened? Is something wrong?” 
Erwin also stood up, slowly and deliberately, and didn’t know how to answer that. 
“There’s been some...civil unrest recently. Some of the working class citizens have been getting riled up because of some recent unfortunate events with the upper class,” Erwin explained, watching carefully for Levi’s reaction. “Some of my intel has told me there’s talk of a few riots being planned.” 
“What kind of ‘unfortunate events’ are you talking about?” Levi pressed, arms at his side with hands clenched into fists. This didn’t sound good. 
“Seems like your fiancee’s father has been in some bad business deals that affected a lot of his workforce. And he’s got quite the workforce, if you remember,” Erwin murmured, looking a little thoughtful as he tried to gage Levi’s reaction. “I was looking for you to tell you that I’d like for you to go and check on things. I’m not sure how extreme the situation is.” 
Levi was already halfway out of the office and didn’t bother to answer. He was, without a doubt, upset. 
Upset that Erwin didn’t let him know about this immediately. 
Upset that it would take a while to get to you. 
And, curiously, he was upset that he was upset. What the hell was going on with him? 
-
In your parlor room, you were curled up on the sofa and reading your favorite book. It took all your willpower to try not to think about how, just a few days ago, Levi had touched those very same pages. 
He’d kept his distance since then, though you had certainly had some part in that by sending him a note to say you were still sick. It wasn’t true at all and you’d felt almost back to normal the next day, but you couldn’t really face Levi yet. Despite forgiving him and allowing yourself to have a little bit of hope that things would turn out okay for the two of you, it was obvious that Levi was still on the fence with you, and had a very specific opinion about who you were despite not getting to know you. 
You were using this time away from him to think of ways to show him that you weren’t that way at all, and that his impression of you was, truthfully, completely off the mark. 
As the grandfather clock sounded off at noon, it brought you back to reality. You set your book down, not that you’d actually been reading much of it, and sighed when your stomach grumbled. Definitely lunchtime. 
You stood up and stretched, about to walk to the kitchen and bother Chef Erlo when you realized something seemed...off. 
The clock struck noon for a final time and you realized that that was the only sound you could really hear from all over the house. Silence engulfed you when the grandfather clock stopped, and you peered out into the hallway, baffled when you saw absolutely nobody in sight. 
Feeling like you couldn’t break the silence, you stayed quiet as a mouse as you made your way to the kitchen, hoping to hear the usual bustle of noise there for lunch. Maybe that’s where everyone was. It was lunchtime, after all. Had you forgotten it was somebody’s birthday? Sometimes you’d sneak the staff into the servant’s quarters for a bit of a break and have a little birthday celebration during lunch, but you were sure nobody’s big day was today.
But you didn’t make it to the kitchen. As you got closer to the foyer, you could hear the commotion outside, interrupting the eerie silence in your home. Instead of going to check on things, curiosity got the best of you and you ended up peering out the window to see what was going on. A little gasp left your lips when you saw what was outside. 
Hoards of people were at the gates of your home, screaming and shouting profanities as they tried to make their way inside. Your heart sped up at the sight, absolutely terrified at the pure hatred they all wore on their faces. You couldn’t really make out what they were all saying, but you heard the profanities, and you heard your father’s name enough times to know that this was personal. 
The guards situated outside at the gate were pushing back as much as they could, and you even see that some of the Garrison soldiers had come to help out, but the crowd seemed to be growing bigger and bigger by the second. At any moment, it would bubble over and spill past the gates of your home. 
Right to you. 
Once again, after a lifetime of avoiding your father and his business to try and escape it, you were being dragged right into the middle of it instead. 
You had to run. The anger outside was something that was almost tangible; you could feel it weighing heavily in the air even from where you stood inside your home. No doubt that someone would try to hurt you just in the belief that it would hurt your father to know they’d gotten to you. 
For a brief moment, Levi flashed through your mind, and you sincerely regretted lying to him about still feeling unwell when his face popped to the front of your head. Maybe he would have helped you. Maybe not. The anger you could feel from the crowd outside was unfortunately similar to the anger Levi had bestowed upon you just a few days ago. 
As you backed away from the window, you thought of all the different places you could go to hide. So lost in your thoughts, you didn’t register the footsteps sneaking up behind you and gasped when a hand clamped against your mouth to keep you quiet. 
Before you could try and scream, a familiar voice whispered in your ear, “Shh, it’s only me. Let’s go.” 
You whirled around, tears of relief springing to your eyes as you hugged Greta tightly. 
“Greta,” you breathed out shakily, pulling away to look at her with wide eyes. “What’s going on?” 
“Let’s not talk here, come on,” she whispered, tugging you towards the servant’s quarters, where you knew the wine cellar was situated. As soon as the door was closed and locked behind the two of you, Greta practically dragged you down the stairs. It was cooler down there and you shivered involuntarily. 
There was dim candlelight at the end of the steps that lit up a narrow hallway, one that led towards a heavy wooden door. Chef Erlo was there holding a candelabra with one hand, a silver key in the other. 
Your tears of relief spilled over at the sight of him. 
“Erlo,” you whimpered, moving to hug him as well. He was just as quick about it as Greta was, gently stepping away from you with a small and sympathetic smile. 
“We’ll get you out of here safely, miss,” he promised you. 
A pang of fear hit you and you looked between Erlo and Greta, hand at your chest as you thought of the worst. 
“And everyone else? Is everyone okay?” you asked them.
From above, you heard glass shattering and heavy thumps. Your heart pounded so hard against your chest that you worried your ribs would crack from the force. The fear you felt in that moment was unparalleled, unmatched by any other situation in your life. You’d never been this scared in your entire life. 
“Everyone is safe. Except for you,” Greta said, and she nodded for Erlo to open the door. He unlocked it and hurried you both inside, but you stopped in your tracks when you saw Erlo wasn’t following. 
“I’m going to lock the door behind me and slip the key under the crack. That should buy you some time,” he said to Greta, avoiding your gaze. 
“What are you talking about? You’re coming with us, it’s not safe here! Something’s happening outside, people are angry and I don’t know why,” you rambled, tearing up again. Greta reached over to squeeze your hand, but everything about it was rushed, too hurried to really be a comfort to you. 
Erlo flashed you another small smile, and then gave you a wink, his crow’s feet prominent as he finally flashed his goofy smile. 
“I’ll be fine, miss. Don’t worry about me. It’s not me they’re after,” he assured you, but it didn’t make you feel any better. 
Chef Erlo was like the father you’d never had. It was impossible to allow him to do this, but Greta held you back as he shut the door and locked it once again, with the key slipping underneath moments later. 
Greta let go of you to swipe it off the ground, and then began to push you forward, nearly in the dark save for cracks of light at the door opposite the room. 
The faint smell of wine permeated the air and you found yourself wishing for a glass to calm your nerves. Greta led you to the door in just a few moments flat, using the same key to unlock it and hurry through with you in tow. 
It was the bulkhead entrance to the wine cellar, where the merchants would come deliver or take some wine. Part of your father’s business. It was where a lot of things were delivered. On the few steps there beneath the wooden doors, there was a maid’s dress and some worn shoes. One look at Greta told you that the new outfit was for you, so you wasted no time in nearly tearing off your dress and kicking off your shoes to put on the much simpler garments and better blend in outside without striking too much attention to yourself. Your current outfit would have been a dead giveaway to your status. 
Greta lifted one of the doors up just enough to peer out cautiously as you changed, making sure it was safe to leave. Once she was sure it was, she nodded to you and lifted the door up quietly, keeping it lifted for you to hop up the short steps and out into the spring afternoon. 
It was cloudy outside, threatening to rain. As if on cue, a crack of thunder sounded and you felt it was remarkably similar to a cliche in your favorite novel; it always rained whenever your favorite character was feeling upset. 
You didn’t have much time to dwell on that. Greta gripped you by the elbow and tugged you away from the house in a pace that was rushed but not too much that it looked suspicious. Now that you were wearing new clothes, you looked like everyone else outside. There was no real need to rush and risk getting caught. 
Nobody paid the two of you any mind. The real focus was on your house that was currently getting ransacked. 
The sight made your heart sink to your stomach, but your tears had already dried. 
It was true that these people were destroying the only home you’d ever known. It was true that in that moment, you were sure you’d never go back to it. But you just couldn’t find it in you to cry about this. Your tears were reserved for your staff and worrying about their wellbeing. 
Whatever your father had done, it probably deserved this level of outrage. 
Although you were filled to the brim with fear and adrenaline, above all, you felt a peculiar sense of freedom as more and more people pushed their way past the gates of your home to run inside. 
Greta gave you a moment to watch the scene before steering you away with promises to explain everything as soon as she got you to safety. 
The only time tears actually did threaten your eyes again was when Captain Levi’s face pushed its way into your mind once more. 
Maybe you would never see him again. And maybe he’d like that. 
-
Levi was all too familiar with feeling dread settle in his stomach and harden like a rock. He’d experienced it all his life, countless times as he watched comrades die, often such a big part of his nightmares and the reason for his insomnia. 
He didn’t expect to feel that rock in his stomach as he approached your home. Rather, what was left of it. 
But he felt it settle in his stomach, a dread so heavy that he almost had to hunch over, and he looked on in horror as people continued to run in and out of your home. Many people were running out with valuables in their arms. Others were running inside just to destroy everything in sight. 
He was far too late, by the look of things. 
His eyes darted around, a futile attempt to locate you, but of course he didn’t see you anywhere. 
Soldiers and guards were doing what they could, and Levi could see reinforcements marching in, but it was too late. 
It was too late. 
Levi hopped off his horse and pushed past people and soldiers alike as he ran into your home, taking in the sight of broken glass and ruined furniture and banged up walls. 
It was disgusting. 
He went to your room first and only found it ravaged and empty with no signs of life. 
Levi knew he was being crazy. Of course he wasn’t going to just find you there. In fact, the thought of seeing you in the middle of all this would have actually been worse. But not knowing where you were had his stomach in knots. 
As a last resort, he checked the parlor room, where you’d shared an afternoon that had left Levi questioning himself and questioning you. Mostly himself. 
He got there as the grandfather clock chimed at the top of the hour. It was just as ravaged as your room, but curiously enough, he noticed your favorite novel on the ground by where the side table used to be. 
He picked it up and clutched it tightly, and then made a promise. 
He would find you and he would get your book back to you. It was the only possession you had left in the world, he realized, looking around. 
He’d find you. 
He wouldn’t rest until he’d found you. 
-
A cup of tea warmed your hands as silence filled the room of Greta’s mother’s kitchen. 
The two women stared at you with so much sympathy, and so much worry, that it made you feel loved and yet also a little small at the same time. 
Greta had just finished explaining everything to you. 
Your father had been atrocious, and had taken advantage of his employees. He was in protective custody because he’d anticipated this riot to happen. Nobody knew where your mother was. It was a miracle that Greta and Erlo had managed to help you and everyone else out before you’d gotten hurt. Or killed. 
And now you didn’t know what would happen next. 
Your spirits, already low, dimmed even more at the thought of Chef Erlo. You desperately hoped he was okay, and hopefully he was. After all, he’d been correct: nobody was trying to hurt him. Only you and your family. 
“Are you sure everybody made it out safely?” you whispered to Greta, who immediately nodded. 
“Everyone’s been aware of some of the...tensions around town,” she explained. “We all had an exit plan in the works, just didn’t realize we’d have to implement it so soon.” 
You flashed a brief and sad smile, nodding once as you took a sip of your tea. 
“Thank you for getting everyone out safely first. It means the world to me.” 
In your mind, you were just as responsible for your father’s sins as he was. To think you didn’t even have a clue of what was going on. It was embarrassing. 
As if reading your mind, Greta’s mother, May, reached forward to squeeze your arm reassuringly. 
“It’s not your fault, darling,” she murmured. “It wasn’t your place to know.” 
You sighed softly and kept your eyes on your tea, frowning to yourself. It was true that you had basically been forced to be cooped up in the house, and now you were thinking there was a clear reason behind it now. You hardly had much say in your day to day schedule, especially after getting engaged to Captain Levi. Still, it didn’t feel good to be so in the dark. 
And the thought of Captain Levi sent your heart aflutter. Did he know? Had he been aware of this the whole time? Was this part of the reason for your arrangement? 
Slowly, you picked up your gaze from your tea to settle on Greta, biting the inside of your cheek before asking the question you were dreading to ask. 
“What happens now?” 
She didn’t look too sure either as she pondered your question, finally settling for shrugging her shoulders. 
“I don’t know, miss,” she answered honestly. “I hate to say it, but it depends on your father. He and your mother will start looking for you once they realize you’re missing.” 
The thought made you nauseous. Despite such a horrible outcome of your day, that peculiar feeling of freedom had been what kept you going. There was some sort of thrill attached to it. 
You realized it was achingly similar to the hope you felt for your arrangement for Levi. The chance of things looking up, turning around. 
All this hope and nothing to show for it. 
Now you were hopeless. 
-
News had gotten to Erwin quickly. Levi saw the commander ride in with other squad leaders as he helped beat down and arrest some of the rowdier citizens at your home. He hated to be there and wanted to go off and find you more than anything, but someone there had to have seen you, or seen what happened to you. 
So far, nobody seemed to remember seeing you. In fact, some people had sworn to him that the house had been empty of people the entire time. Not a soul in the home at all. 
When Erwin stepped past the gates, Levi had never wanted to pummel him so badly. Instead, he shoved a badly beaten merchant towards his commander with a growl, eyes nearly feral as he found the calm blue ones that he hated more than anything at the moment. 
“You said there was civil unrest. You didn’t say there was an entire fucking mob,” he snapped. 
Erwin remained calm, casually stepping over the merchant to get closer to Levi. 
“Seems I was deceived,” he admitted, looking around. “Her father kept me in the dark. I had no idea about any of this. But I suppose you’ll be pleased to hear that I’m calling off the deal. We can’t tarnish the Scouts’ reputation even more by doing business with this family.” 
Levi’s body went cold at the news. 
Just a couple of weeks ago, he would have felt nothing but pure relief. Now, he felt nothing but pure dread. 
“What about…?” 
Levi couldn’t even say your name. It caught at the back of his throat and he struggled to breathe. He tried his best to remain as stoic as always, but Erwin knew him so well, and could see the concern at the edges of Levi’s gaze. 
“There’s not much protection we can offer her, being her father’s daughter. She’s under his control,” Erwin reminded him. “Do you know where she is? I heard she’s declared missing.” 
Levi nodded once to confirm, his worry amplifying at Erwin’s words. 
He couldn’t protect you. Not while you were still affiliated with your father. 
“People are saying that nobody was in the house,” Levi said, giving the commander a rundown of events. “I did a quick search, didn’t find any of the staff. No one was around.” 
Erwin hummed a little, hands behind his back as he took in the sight of the damaged house in front of him. 
“No surprise there. Our man of the hour is already in protective custody, having predicted this well before anyone else, and his wife was visiting with a friend, and now they’re all in protective custody as well. It’s just your ex-fiancee that we’re having trouble locating. Perhaps she’s with her staff.” 
How stupid of him. Levi hadn’t really thought of that possibility yet. He’d been so focused on finding you, assuming the worst, that he hadn't taken the time to really think it through enough to realize that you were missing along with the staff. 
Erwin was already five steps ahead of them. 
“Some of the scouts are off to find the staff members that don’t live here in-house. One of them is bound to know where she is.” 
Levi couldn’t help the small sigh of relief that left him, but he still felt useless if he wasn’t doing more to help. Without another word to Erwin, he marched off to do another quick search around the entire perimeter. 
Some medics had come onto the scene as well and he was surprised to see a couple of them towards the back of the house, dragging someone out of the cellar. Levi had admittedly not really looked down there, knowing all there was, was food storage and wine cellar that someone had told him was all cleared out by now. 
A familiar old man was getting dragged out and treated. He was badly beaten, bruised from head to toe, and his breathing was raspy and uneven. 
Levi knew him to be a staff member and his heart skipped a beat. 
Before he knew what he was doing, he was kneeling beside the old man, shaking him to get his attention despite the angry protests of a medic. 
The old man opened his eyes and grimaced, but his face grew soft at the sight of Levi. 
“Captain Levi,” he greeted him in a hoarse voice. “You’re a little late, don’t you think?” 
“Where is she?” Levi asked, voice soft. “Do you know?” 
“I know,” the man confirmed, nodding slowly as his eyes closed. “Greta...Greta took her. She’s...with Greta’s mother. But don’t know where...she lives.” 
Greta. Levi knew that name. It was the name of one of the maids. You looked to be friends with her. 
“Thank you,” he said, very sincere, before standing back up. More determined than ever, he made a beeline for his horse, a plan of action already formulating in his mind. He could make do with the information given to him. It was all he needed. 
He was going to find you. 
-
The sun hung low in the sky as May and Greta made up Greta’s old bed for you. 
You had insisted on sleeping anywhere else, even the floor, but Greta had already set her mind on sharing a bed with her mother. 
“I shared a bed with one of the other maids all the time, whenever we felt like it,” she told you. “I actually like it. It’s nice having another person there with you.” 
You still felt a little guilty but stayed silent, and opted instead to watch the sun lower through the window of Greta’s childhood bedroom after being shooed off. 
Greta and her mother chattered amongst themselves and you didn’t have the heart to join in just yet. You felt so drained after the day’s events that you couldn’t muster up the energy they had. 
What kept you so anxious was also the thought of having to stay under your father’s thumb. 
It was maddening to know that after everything, he still had your life in his hands. To be a highborn lady was to be in shackles. 
A plan was starting to formulate in your mind, one where you could fake your death and run away and find work as a maid or maybe even a governess. Greta could help and confirm that you’d been taken, never to be seen again. You could grab your clothes that you’d discarded, if they were still around, and maybe douse them in animal blood or something, to really sell it. 
But your plan was cut short with a pounding at the front door downstairs. The knocking was so intense that all three of you froze and looked between each other, fear prickling your spines. 
When the door clearly sounded like it was trying to be opened, May sprang into action and ran downstairs, which kickstarted your adrenaline. You ran after her, afraid for her possibly getting hurt, reaching out for her to try and stop her from going any farther. 
“May, no!” you hissed, eyes on the front door that was now in view. Someone was slamming into it, the lock jiggling unsteadily, until it finally gave in. 
You were paralyzed in fear as the door flew open, but fear gave way to shock at the sight of Captain Levi at the entrance, looking frazzled. You would have never predicted you’d ever see him as anything other than composed or angry. 
As soon as your eyes locked, you ran to him. 
“Captain Levi!” 
He stopped you before you could throw your arms around him and, at first, you felt embarrassed by it, taking it as a rejection. 
It wasn’t until he started examining you, hands lifting and twisting your arms and turning your face this way and that, that you felt your heart warm up. 
“Are you hurt?” he asked. He was cupping your face, holding your jaw familiar as his eyes scanned your face for any signs of injury, and that frazzled look he held only softened when his eyes finally met yours. 
You shook your head slowly, keeping his gaze, hands shyly reaching up to cover his over your jaw. 
“I’m not hurt,” you whispered. “Just scared.” 
Levi frowned and reluctantly let go of your face, but his hands didn’t travel far. He rested them on your shoulders while your hands gently gripped his forearms, the two of you in your own little bubble. 
“You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he promised you, sounding so earnest. “Nobody can hurt you while I’m here.” 
Your bottom lip quivered, emotional at the thought of him willingly protecting you, but also emotional at the more sinister situation at hand. 
“My father can,” you told him, squeezing his forearms as the words left your mouth. “Greta says he’ll be looking for me soon. I can’t escape him.” 
Levi’s eyes hardened at that, grip also tightening on your shoulders, before he groaned and stepped away from you to run a hand over his face. 
“Erwin said the same thing to me,” he admitted, pacing back and forth. He briefly looked towards Greta and her mother, then to the now broken front door, and blankly stared at them before muttering, “I’ll fix that.” 
He turned back to you, arms crossed, as he took on a look of deep concentration. It was only there for a few moments before he snapped out of it, holding your gaze as he seemed to come to a conclusion. 
“You can’t be under your father’s control once you’re married,” he pointed out. 
At first, you didn’t understand. You raised a brow, a little peeved he was bringing it up, and nodded once. 
“I suppose so…,” you agreed, a hint of a frown on your face. “But I’m assuming we won’t be getting married after this, so I’m kind of shit out of luck.” It was the first time you’d really sworn like that in front of Levi. In front of anyone. It was nice. 
Levi tensed up a little and broke his eye contact with you to look away, and you could have sworn he looked a little flustered. There was a hint of pink at the tips of his ears, which shocked you.
“What?” you pressed, also feeling a bit of heat creep into your face. 
This wasn’t happening. No way this was happening. 
Levi hadn’t wanted to marry you even when it was basically required of him. 
Your hopeless romantic little heart was just playing tricks on you. He wasn’t possibly going to suggest… 
“I gave my word and I don’t intend on going back on it,” he said, still not looking at you, ears still pink. “Got any better ideas?” 
“Captain Levi…,” you began, but then trailed off, not knowing what to say, until finally you managed out, “You don’t have to do this.” 
He scoffed a little, eyes finally flickering back to you. Tentatively, he stepped forward until he was right in front of you again. You stayed perfectly still as he lifted a hand to place it on top of your head, giving you a small pat before ruffling up your hair. 
“I have something for you,” he said suddenly, taking his hand away to reach into the pocket of his coat. 
And then your favorite novel was in your hands, a little more crumpled up than usual but basically intact. 
Tears sprang to your eyes and you hugged the book to your chest gratefully, looking to Levi with nothing but adoration. 
At that moment, it was all you owned in the world. You didn’t even own the clothes on your back. 
“That was really nice,” you choked out, gazing down at the book again with a small smile. 
Levi stepped forward again, closing the distance between you as he rested a hand on your shoulder again. 
“Let me protect you,” he said, tone filled with an air of finality that you couldn’t argue with. “I know I don’t have to.” 
He didn’t have to say the actual words; you understood what he meant. 
I want to. 
-
Marriage was all about compromise. 
In the end, Levi didn’t get to prolong his nuptials, since marrying you had to be done quickly. However, it also had to be done in secret. So, at the very least, you figured he at least got half of his wishes respected. 
The moment the ink was dry on the certificate, you felt a weight lift off your shoulders. You shed your maiden name to gain a new surname, fully protected from your father now and fully backed by the Survey Corps. It was your 30th day of knowing Levi. Your 1st day of being married. 
You took in a deep breath as Erwin took the document from you to sign as a witness, and you turned to Levi with a small and timid smile, which he actually tried to return. It was brief, but it was appreciated. And when he lifted his hand to pat your head affectionately, you melted a little.
“I’m sorry you didn’t have a big wedding like you wanted,” he murmured, eyes staring at you with a hint of remorse. “I should have never made you agree to that before.” 
A half-smile tugged at one corner of your mouth and you shook your head, nudging your shoulder to his playfully. 
“I never really wanted to have a big wedding,” you admitted to him. “I just wanted to have a special day for myself. And for my husband, of course. Didn’t have to be a big thing. It just needed to be special.” 
Levi seemed to lighten up at that, giving another brief smile before murmuring, “That’s a relief.” 
“What do you mean?” you asked, but he didn’t respond, choosing instead to stand up and offer a hand to help you on your feet as well. 
You smoothed down the cream dress Greta had so kindly let you borrow and followed Levi out the door, head held a little higher now that you were an official Ackerman and nothing else. Instead of going to Commander Erwin’s office to go over a few next steps like originally planned, you found yourself following Levi outside. 
“Where are we going?” you asked, puzzled, but Levi scoffed a little and turned to look at you from over his shoulder. 
“If you could just be a little patient, I promise you’ll find out soon enough,” he said. 
It was a beautiful day, you had to admit. The spring temperature was perfect and you basked in the sunlight, feeling freer than you’d ever felt before. 
You stepped onto the grass in the courtyard, eyes towards the sky, and it wasn’t until you heard several people clear their throat that you tilted your head down to take a look. 
Your heart nearly stopped as you saw Erlo, Greta, May, and Charlie, and some of Levi’s friends, sitting on the grass, a spread of what looked like a marvelous lunch in front of them. 
Shouts of congratulations were passed around and you lit up at the sight, heart feeling full as you stumbled over while dragging Levi along. 
You turned to him, eyes bright and excited, still not quite understanding. 
“What is this?” you asked, looking between your bubble of friends and your brand new spouse. 
Levi looked a little uncomfortable, but in that cute way, and Greta beat him to the punch with the answer. 
“It’s your wedding day, so we’re celebrating, of course!” she laughed, then nodded towards Levi with a cunning grin. “It was your husband’s idea.” 
Levi’s entire face flushed at the term but he also looked murderous at being found out. 
You grinned at him, feeling warmed at his gesture, and you made a mental note to pull him aside later for a real thank you. 
At that moment, you made do by sneaking a kiss to his cheek, fully appreciating the way he got flustered. 
-
Erwin had made up a new room for you at base and, after a full day’s worth of celebrating your wedding day, you were ready to fall into bed. 
The room was right next to Levi’s, which you appreciated. It seemed funny, almost, since of course spouses typically shared a room, but under these circumstances, that wasn’t very likely. 
You cared for Levi and you could see that he at least cared for you in some ways, but those feelings would need to be nurtured with time. 
The two of you were in front of your bedroom door, with you yawning up a storm, and Levi grumbling about getting you to bed. 
You burst into your room and made a beeline for your bed, not bothering to really look around at your new room or even change out of your clothes. As soon as you were on the bed, you felt your drowsiness start to overtake you. 
Before you passed out, you peeked over at Levi, who was getting situated at a desk. 
“Aren’t you gonna sleep?” you asked, yawning again, and Levi turned to look at you briefly. 
“Not for a while,” he answered finally. 
You frowned at that but didn’t argue with him, your heart bubbling over with so many questions and feelings that you just couldn’t hold in anymore. 
“Do you still dislike me?” you blurted out, face heating up at your lack of filter. 
Levi raised a brow, pointedly looking towards the new ring on your finger. Then, his gaze softened, and he leaned back in the chair he sat in. 
“No,” he answered. “And I was wrong for judging you before. I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance sooner.” 
You stayed quiet for a moment, but kept your eyes on Levi, no matter how hard it was. 
“Do you think you’ll fall in love with me one day, now that we’re married?” 
You couldn't stop that question from tumbling out either, but you were too curious to feel embarrassed. 
Levi’s ears flushed pink, a cute new trait you were catching onto. He looked away from you briefly, clearly trying to find the right words, and he took so long to respond that you felt your heart start to sink. 
But then he stood from his seat and moved to kneel beside the bed, a hand reaching up to smooth some hair out of your face.
“Let me focus on protecting you first,” he said. 
His eyes were the softest they’d ever been. They gave you another answer. 
“I’m going to love you,” you promised him. You still couldn’t admit that you were actively falling in love. Not to him, not right now. But another time. 
“I don’t deserve that, after how I acted,” he whispered. 
“I’ll always forgive you,” you whispered back. “And I’m going to love you.” 
Levi moved his hand from your head to tuck you into the sheets a little better, avoiding your gaze. Neither one of you said anything for a minute, a comfortable silence falling between you like that afternoon in the parlor room. 
As you began to drift off, Levi’s soft voice filled your ears with one final promise. One that was meant more for him than for you. 
“I’ll figure out how to love.” 
You were too tired to notice how the sheets smelled like Levi. You were too tired to realize that the room was clearly already lived in and had typical possessions of a squad captain, from ODM gear to a desk clearly stacked up with documents. 
You’d been too tired to remember that your bedroom door was the right one and not the left one. You’d been too tired to notice that you’d opened the left door. 
Levi was too besotted by you to correct your mistake. 
Somewhere, a grandfather clock chimed as midnight struck. 
269 notes · View notes
drawlfoy · 3 years
Text
the poisoning of draco malfoy
masterlist request guidelines
Tumblr media
pairing: draco x fem!reader
request: no haha
summary: y/n is known her her hangover cure and her passion for potion making. something goes slightly wrong when it comes to helping draco malfoy.
warnings: mentions of underage drinking, swearing, getting poisoned lmfao
a/n: hiyo i should be studying rn for one of my exams on monday but i just wanted to post this also big sorrry to anyone’s dm that i have yet to respond to i literally just popped in here to do this and hopefully i will crawl out of my study hole in a few days fjsdka’
word count: 1.2k
tags :) message or send in an ask to be tagged! @gruffle1 @missmultifandommess @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naiomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @alwaysbeanunknownfan @nearly-memories @litty-dumb @callieclearwater @malfoy-wife15 @charlenasaxen @belladaises @fiantomartell
“Draco!” Y/N hissed as he flipped through her entire Potions cabinet, his fingers brushing over every bottle. “Be careful!”
“Sheesh, have I ever been anything but careful?” he teased, shooting her a very self-satisfied look before continuing his search. “Why don’t you label yours?”
“It adds spice to the whole hangover curing process, don’t you think?” she joked, sitting on her bed as she watched him. “Do you need help?”
“No, I’m fine.” She tried to suppress a smile as his stubborn persona reared its head. “It’s pink, right?”
“Yeah,” she said absentmindedly. Her thoughts were somewhere other than potions--instead thinking of how he’d let her rest her head on his shoulder while they were all talking. It obviously meant nothing--they were just friends--but it still made her heart speed up when she thought about it. 
“Got it.” He shut her cabinet, brandishing a small pink bottle before tossing it into his pocket. “Thanks, Y/N. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Anytime,” she said. If she avoided looking him in the eyes for too long, she could pretend like she didn’t feel disappointment at the fact that his visit to her room would be so brief. When he’d asked the group for Wide-Eye potion, everyone had directed him to her and her signature brew (which was really just Wide-Eye brewed with the essence of mandrake root). She’d let her mind wander to the possibilities of what might happen when they were alone in her room--but that was all drunken fantasy speaking. Just because he let her touch his shoulder didn’t mean he was about to propose.
“I’ll see you around, yeah?” He sent her a grin that made her knees weak, turning to leave.
“See you.” 
With that, he was gone.
~
“Think you’re funny, huh?”
Draco’s voice cut through her own pounding head as she sat at the Ravenclaw table with her other equally hungover friends.
“Excuse me?” She whipped around to see him pink with frustration. “Did you even take it?”
“It doesn’t work,” he told her matter-of-factly. “I don’t know how you managed to con all your friends into thinking that you’re some sort of Potions master at the age of 17, but you’re not. I know you’re a fraud.”
“What are you talking about?” Y/N asked. “That potion works. I’ve used it myself.”
“Yeah, it’s magic,” said her fellow Ravenclaw friend, Rena, from across the table. “I actually stole a vial from your cabinet this morning. Never been better. Maybe you’re just ill.”
“Huh?” Y/N asked. “I gave the last vial to Draco last night. There’s no way you could’ve…” The color drained from her face. “Draco, do you still have the bottle from last night? Can you describe the potion to me?”
The realization seemed to dawn upon him as his eyes widened. “No. I threw it out. It just looked like a regular potions bottle. Pink, like you said. Oh, god, did you poison me?”
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?” said Y/N, keeping her tone cavalier despite the fact that she was terrified. “There’s nothing...deadly...in there per se. But it’s not all totally legal for someone like me to have, so we can’t let Pomfrey know about it until I figure out what you took. Or Snape. Especially not Snape.” She shivered.
“So what do you suggest we do?” he drawled.
“Come with me. I’m going to try and figure out what’s missing.”
They didn’t talk much on their way to the Ravenclaw dorms apart from Y/N asking him about his symptoms. As far as she could tell, he was perfectly fine apart from a headache and sensitivity to sound and light--a classic hangover. 
She racked her brain, trying to think about what potion could be in her cabinet that wouldn’t cause ANY effects, even with the combination with alcohol. There was nothing. Quite literally nothing.
“Ok,” she told him as they stood in front of her cabinet. “I want you to tell me the general region where you grabbed it.”
Draco squinted at the bottles, running his fingers over them like he had last night. “To be honest, I hardly remember. It was a blur. Maybe this’ll teach you to put labels on them.”
“Normally I don’t have people ransacking my potions!” she snapped, throwing her hands in the air. “Are you sure you don’t feel anything different from a hangover? Like, at all?”
“No.” 
“Did you even take it?”
“Yes, I’m quite certain I drank a potion you gave to me this morning unless I completely imagined the entire thing,” he said, rolling his eyes to the ceiling and sitting down next to her. “How fucked am I? Should I go to the hospital wing?”
“Worst comes to worst we use a bezoar, but it doesn’t look like you’re in any danger.” She chewed her lip as she thought. “Hang on…you’re absolutely positive it was pink, right? Were there any other colors in it?” 
“Gold flecks.” 
She sprung up, digging through her cabinet and ignoring Draco’s questioning. “This doesn’t make any sense. I think you took my love potion.”
“No way,” he scoffed. “I think I would know if I was under the influence of a love potion.”
“I know. That’s why it doesn’t make any sense,” Y/N said. “But there’s only one potion in here that has gold flecks, and that’s a love potion. And it’s gone. Unless Rena took it--and I think everyone would’ve noticed that by now--it had to have been you.”
“But I feel normal!” he protested, running his hands through his hair. 
“Of course you feel normal,” she chastised. “The whole point of love potions is to convince you that what you’re feeling is natural--oh.”
It hit her. 
He gave her a weird look.
“Got anything you want to confess, Malfoy?” she asked, cocking her head and meeting his eyes. 
“What?”
“Do you know how love potions work?”
“Of course I know how love potions work,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes. “I’m not 12.”
“Care to explain?”
“You’re ridiculous,” he said, but he crossed his legs and continued in a monotone voice as he recited the lesson they’d both heard in 3rd year. “The recipient of a love potion falls into infatuation with the…”
His voice trailed off.
“With the person who gave it to them, yeah?” pushed Y/N. “So if you feel no different, and I was the person who gave it to you..”
Draco just stared.
“Draco, I brewed that potion, and I know that there’s nothing wrong with it,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You feel normal because--”
“Because I normally feel infatuated with you, yeah,” he cut in, his tone bitter as he rolled his eyes again. “No need to spell it out for me.”
“This is horribly embarrassing for you, huh?” she teased, giving him a shove. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I’ve probably liked you for longer.”
“Well--what?” 
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging as she tucked her legs under her and scooted a little closer. “You don’t honestly think I’d give my last vial to some random classmate, do you?”
“Well, why didn’t you just tell me?” he teased. “I don’t let just anyone fall asleep on my shoulder.”
“I guess we’re both cowards, then,” said Y/N.
“And idiots.”
“I think that’s just you.”
final a/n: i didnt edit this and i wrote this in the middle of what was supposed to be a study session for me whoopsies fdjsa;k 
296 notes · View notes