#and two men who didn't expect to find such treasure
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have some soft cows for valentine's. DnD canon/modern au ✨
Tórarin/Tor belongs to @littleulvar
#original character#dnd#modern au#stjerne#tórarin#arne#tor#pastel goth druids#love how different energy they have in canon and modern au#two firbolgs finally enjoying peace and happiness after tough past#now having time and taking it slowly#and two men who didn't expect to find such treasure
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The Day We Learned to Argue ~Part 3~
This is simply a fan translation and is not intended as a replacement for the game. Expect grammatical errors.
Silvio: "They haven't realized that we're princes. Once they find out, there's a better way to use us than just selling us off."
Silvio: "Especially with you as a hostage, the king would do anything to negotiate."
Valerio: "..........."
Silvio: "Considering the circumstances, the treatment we're getting now is a stroke of luck."
Silvio: "They lumped the two of us together in a treasure storage at the back of the cave with just one lazy guard."
Silvio: "This is just careless. With this, we might find a way to escape."
Valerio: "But even if we manage to deal with the guard, there's only one way out of the cave."
Valerio: "There are plenty of strong people out there, so I doubt we could escape."
Silvio: "See that pool of water? It's seawater. I did some research on these caves beforehand. If you dive and swim, you can get to the sea. You can escape from here."
Valerio: "Then, let's go together—"
Silvio: "It's impossible for me. It's too narrow."
Silvio: "But you can make it."
Silvio stared at him intently, and Valerio's eyes trembled.
Valerio: "But..."
Silvio: "Calm down. There's a patrol route a little further from here. Do you know about it?"
Valerio: "I think I do."
Silvio: "Wait there. After a while, the guards will pass by, then you could ask for help."
Silvio: "Once you're safe, and if you really intend to help me, ask them to send their men to this side."
Valerio: "But are you going to be okay, brother? What if they find out you're alone?"
Silvio: "It's better than waiting here to be sold off as a pair."
Valerio: "I understand."
Silvio: "Once you're mentally prepared, go."
Just as Silvio quietly uttered those words, the man who had been lying down sat up.
Man: "What are you two whispering about over there? Come closer."
Man: "You're valuable merchandise. If you behave, nothing bad will happen to you."
Valerio: ".........."
Silvio: "I'll distract him."
Silvio: "When you're ready, dive. But if you think it's impossible, turn back immediately."
Valerio: "Okay."
Silvio signaled to Valerio and took a deep breath.
Silvio: "Hey, you idiot brother! It's your fault we got caught in this mess. Quit whimpering!"
Silvio: "I don't want to see your face anymore. Get lost!"
Man: "What's going on?"
Silvio: "This guy's just annoying. He's pissing me off."
As Silvio spoke, he walked over to the man.
Silvio: "Anyway, he's always..."
Listening to Silvio's voice from behind, Valerio took a deep breath.
Having made up his mind, he dove into the cold water and passed through a narrow gap. As he continued to swim alone in the dark, he saw a light and followed it.
Even after swimming to shore, Valerio, with his tired body, didn't rest and started running on the sandy beach.
Meanwhile, inside the dim cave一
Man: "Hmm, where's the other one?"
Noticing the absence of any sound, the man suddenly looked around the cave.
Man: "Is he really here? Hey, kid, try calling your little brother."
Silvio: "I don't know, and I don't care."
The man, eyeing Silvio, raised an eyebrow and approached.
Man: "What are you hiding? Spit it out! Don't play dumb with me!"
Silvio: "..........."
Silvio remained silent, and just as the man raised his fist in the air一
Valerio: "Brother!"
Valerio: "Um, I slipped and fell in the water! Help!"
Silvio's eyes widened as he heard a voice coming from the back.
Man: "What? He's here, after all. Tricky bastard."
As the man lowered his fist, Silvio sprinted toward the source of the voice.
Silvio: "You..."
Seeing Valerio standing there drenched, he relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
Valerio: "I'm glad I made it back before getting caught."
Silvio: "Yeah, right! Why the hell did you come back!?"
Valerio: "Why? To prevent things from getting worse."
Valerio: "Don't worry; I've informed the guards properly. I even gave them my handkerchief with my name on it, so that everything would go smoothly."
Silvio: "Even so, you should know that returning here is dangerous."
Valerio: "That goes for you too."
Silvio: "I'm stronger than you! Don't lump us together, you stupid brother."
Silvio: "I'll become strong enough to defeat them soon, unlike you."
Valerio: "I can become strong, too! Just wait and see!"
Silvio: "You'll never be able to do it if you're a crybaby and a wimp. But hey, you can run away again."
Valerio: "No! I promised you at the beginning that I wouldn't run away."
Silvio: "Shut up! Act like a proper little brother and listen for once!"
Valerio: "You're not a good brother, so why would I listen to you!?"
Silvio: "Tch. You're always so whiny."
Valerio: "I promised not to cry. Besides, I stopped whining."
Silvio: "You act like you're all grown up, but you're just a kid."
Valerio: "You're a kid, too. We're only two years apart, so I'll catch up soon."
Silvio: "Even if you catch up to me, at that time, I'll be two years older. Stupid."
Valerio: "By the time we're adults, a two-year age gap won't matter much."
Silvio: "You don't know about that."
Man: "Hey, you brats, shut up!"
Valerio & Silvio: “..........”
Valerio and Silvio exchanged glances before lowering their voices and continuing.
Silvio: "If you play your cards right, the guards will be here shortly."
Silvio: "All we have to do is protect ourselves from being taken hostage. Got it?"
Valerio: "Okay. We just need to focus on getting out of here without being caught by those men."
Silvio: "Let's come up with a plan. First, let's stand back to back so we won't be surrounded. And then..."
The guards arrived at the cave shortly afterward.
Following the plan they had prepared in advance, the two of them sprinted through the cave, protecting each other's backs, and were rescued by the guards.
The thieves were captured, the rumors about monsters disappeared, and the seaside returned to being a fun playground for the town's children.
Even after the resolution of the incident, Valerio and Silvio's relationship remained that of "quarrelsome brothers."
But if there was one thing that had changed一
Silvio: “Damn it, you stepped on my foot when the bandit attacked earlier, didn’t you? Thanks to you, I almost died.”
Valerio: “You’re one to talk! You head-butted me while trying to dodge them!”
Silvio: “A little nosebleed won't hurt you. I was on the verge of death, you know?”
Silvio: “They almost got me when I stumbled.”
Valerio: “You could have quickly fixed your posture. You’re two years older than me, so you should’ve been able to handle that.”
When Silvio saw Valerio cheekily retorting instead of crying, he lowered his face and secretly smiled.
---------Flashback Ends--------
Rio: "Alright, just as I thought, it was an easy victory."
Silvio: "I made this guy talk. It seems they've hidden the stolen jewelry in this cabin."
Silvio tossed the man he had grabbed by the collar onto the ground.
Rio: "I see. In that case, let's confirm that first and then contact Lord Sariel."
Rio: "By the way, the fact that you're here means this might be related to Benitoite."
Silvio: "There's no point in hiding it. As you said, these guys are Benitoite thugs."
Silvio: "But in addition to the thugs, there are also nobles from Benitoite and Rhodolite involved in this case."
Silvio: "I want to use this opportunity to expose and emphasize the responsibility of both sides. Hey, mutt, lend me a hand."
Rio: "I don't want to. Why should I?"
Silvio: "The Rhodolite noble involved in this incident is the guy who was hitting on that woman before."
Rio: "I'll do it! Let's catch him quickly and settle this!"
Rio: "I'll put my heart into it if it's for my master. There won't be any mistakes, I promise."
Silvio: "Whatever. But I agree that there's no room for mistakes."
Silvio: "I'll take command. Work your ass off, damn mutt."
By cooperating, the power of the brothers multiplied. They can defeat any opponent and overcome any difficulty. They may not be aware of it now, but they will surely realize it one day.
Part 1 ╎ Part 2 ╎ Part 3 ╎ Part 4
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DIABOLIK LOVERS DAYLIGHT Analyzes [ Vol. 3 Sakamaki Reiji ]
Original title: 遅い朝に
Source: Diabolik Lovers Daylight Vol. 3 Sakamaki Reiji
Seiyuu: Katsuyuki Konishi
Analyze by: Admin Afra
Admin's note: My God. This CD really moved me to tears. I can boldly say that Reiji has one of the most reasonable behavior in managing such a crisis. Among all the CDs I listened to, he was one of the few boys who was willing to find a solution to cure Yui without losing his cool or thinking about killing himself. This man is truly a gentleman.
What a beautiful flashback to describe Reiji's love. Sometimes I think about the words of these vampires who are so kind and I ask myself if this is really the same boy? Is this the same boy who tortured and humiliated Yui to the point of death at the beginning of their relationship? And now he wants to go to the death to save the same girl?
It's really hard to believe that these boys have changed so much, but I think it's really beautiful that they all got the concept of love. This also applies to Reiji. Reiji's own description of how he was changed by Yui is beautiful to me. Reiji believes that Yui has taught him humanity, something that was hard for Reiji to accept, but Reiji himself realizes over time that Yui is a treasure that he gained from this. Just like chinaware is a treasure for Reiji, Yui is another treasure for him that he wants to take care of with all his heart.
But what is important is that Reiji will never let go of the treasure he cares about, so he chooses to never let go of Yui's hand and stay by her side forever. Reiji's words are said while he decides to abandon the investigation and enjoy his last minutes with Yui. It can be understood from his words, does it mean forever that he will follow Yui even after death?
When Feshbak ends, I see a normal daily life of Yui and her partner again. This time Reiji tries to wake up Yui and complains about Yui being lazy and sleeping too much.
I don't know how others see their relationship but I always find it so cute how Rosji tries to teach Yui like a father and teach her good manners. Yui's playfulness and clumsiness is always endearing to me and I'm sure Reiji enjoys it too.
What really caught my attention was that Reiji noticed something strange about Yui's health condition just by looking at Yui's walk. Everyone knows someone else who was so quick to notice the abnormality in his behavior and health. Honestly, the rest of the boys needed at least two tracks to realize this. This shows that when it comes to Yui's health, Reiji is smarter than the others and realizes it sooner.
As usual, spending a beautiful day drinking tea with Reiji. This is very enjoyable.
Also, Reiji, who certainly cares more about his father's royal parties than anyone else and likes to train Yui for it, is very gentlemanly. I honestly feel that Reiji is really like a kind father to Yui. We can even say that Reiji has acted more like a father to Yui than Seiji.
The dance ceremony looked very interesting and Reiji's jealousy was very cute. The fact that he took Yui out because he didn't want other men to look at her simply shows how easily he can get jealous. Also, I have no doubts about Reiji's unique taste in clothing. I'm sure he made Yui so beautiful that he made all the men attracted to her.
Walking with Yui makes Reiji more aware of Yui's poor health. Of course, I'm pretty sure Reiji already knew about it, he just didn't want to worry Yui about it, or felt like it wasn't too important to worry about.
But when he carried her in his arms, he had undoubtedly noticed her low weight. And as he himself said, the irregular rhythm of her heart as well as the different smell of her blood had convinced him of this and started his research to find a solution to cure Yui.
As expected, Reiji is one of those boys who tries to act rationally in such situations and instead of thinking about suicide because he loses his love, he decides to look for a solution. What most boys did not do. Well, to be honest, I really like this feature of Reiji and I think he did better and more reasonable than all his brothers in this case.
The interaction between him and Yui in track 3 can be interpreted as a symbolic relationship of Reiji's love for Yui, who is precious to him like a treasure. When Yui accidentally breaks Reiji's china cup, Reiji likens it to something interesting. That something that is not eternal will disappear one day. Reiji may have once thought that because vampires were immortal, death was like a celebration for them, but he soon realized that it was different when it came to something you hold dear. You simply do not like to lose someone dear to you.
In this track, I would like to mention more details. For example, Reiji used to punish Yui with a whip for breaking his china cups, but in this departure, when he found out, he was more worried about Yui getting hurt than anything else. It's very interesting how one of Reiji's main obsessions has been changed by Yui and I find it very very valuable.
Maybe that was the reason for Yui's insistence on fixing it. I can boldly say that Yui never has high expectations from her partner. She never looks for expensive gifts and clothes. The only thing Yui wants from her partner is pure and simple love. When Yui does something bad, she feels guilty because she was hurt by that boy before and thinks she deserves to be punished. This can refer to their past relationship. Before, Reiji or even all the boys would punish Yui for the smallest mistake. It can be said that over time, Yui has made herself believe that she is nothing but a moving blood bag and that the only value is her blood, so when she does something bad, she deserves to be punished. And maybe the reason is Yui, who keeps trying to offer her blood to the boys because she believes that her value can only be summed up in her blood.
But what Yui doesn't realize is that the boys have changed over time because of Yui's golden heart and humanity. They have learned humanity from Yui and this is something that Reiji himself has admitted to.
Reiji can't imagine life without Yui just like all the boys. Although he wants Yui's blood, Reiji tries to control himself so as not to cause harm, and it can be said that this action seems completely fair and natural from someone like Reiji.
Reiji's thinking is all about Yui's bad health and the fact that he can't find a solution for it makes him conclude that he is the cause of it because he always sucked her blood.
When Reiji went from imagining a room without Yui and a house without Yui to a world without Yui, I realized something. Reiji thinks that Yui's existence is necessary not only for himself but also for the world. In his opinion, the world needs someone like Yui, that's why he doesn't want to let Yui disappear from this world.
Reiji's efforts to find a solution are futile and therefore he considers himself useless. When he realized that Yui knew about this, he accepted Yui's request to be together. But I doubt that Reiji, by accepting this request, was content to give up and stop trying. I mean, we're talking about Reiji. A person who never gives up to achieve his goal.
But he agrees to spend the remaining time with Yui to make Yui happy. I feel that Reiji feels remorse for the sins he committed against Yui in the past and wants to make it up to Yui in some way.
I realized this because Reiji tested the drugs he made on his own body. This was what he used to do with Yui in the past. He was experimenting on her body and forcing her to take her medicine. It can be said that Reiji now realizes how much he hurt Yui and somehow experiencing this karma made him blame himself for Yui's current state.
Reiji wants to give Yui her last wish. But I guess her last wish as a human being, not the last wish of her life. Because at the end of the track, Reiji said, "I will give you a kiss with the promise of eternal love." Well, here we can have different interpretations of this sentence. But my impression is that Reiji plans to turn Yui into a vampire to make this love eternal. As he said in the previous episodes, he cannot imagine a world without Yui and he will be by her side forever.
Forever can mean even after death but I know Reiji as someone who will never give up on what he wants and even if he has to turn her into a vampire to keep Yui he will do it.
In the end, Yui's life for Reiji was like the same flower that he intended to pick. Yui was a beautiful and fragrant flower that always shine next to him and tempted him to pick her, and with this, Reiji shortened her life and he can no longer be by her side forever. He can resurrect this flower as an immortal being, but this flower will forever have a different color and smell just like Yui.
#diabolik lovers#dialovers#reiji sakamaki#sakamaki reiji#yui komori#komori yui#reiji x yui#yui x reiji#reiyui#diabolik lovers drama cd#drama cd analyze#drama cd
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ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔱𝔬𝔫|Yandere Diluc | Yandere Kaeya Part II
This is a part 2 | Part 1 | I had some comments ask for a part 2 so here it is! Enjoy Xoxo's! | Also if you're craving a yandere request one! I need requests so bad..|
~
Waking up from your training yesterday was tiresome. You were totally sore. Every joint felt tender to move around with. You decided it would be best to take the day off and rest! You trudged over to your kitchen to boil some tea and start a fire to make some nice tea to help relax! After you had made some delicious tea you laid in bed and drifted off to the sleep you deserved.
Diluc had been expecting you to come sample today since you had re-scheduled to train with his brother. The nerve. What do you see in him? Diluc could treat you so much better! He believes he could keep you safe, happy, and stable! An hour had passed and he became impatient. Then worry started to set in. Were you hurt? Had someone taken you? Were you with his brother? He got up quickly and headed over fast to your home in mondstat. He barged in through the door. Looking through your house until he heard a small "Hello..? Who's there.?" From the room on the right.
He walked in and saw your tired body with tea on the side. He sighed, Relived you were safe and okay. But you didn't look so good.
"Are you okay?"
"Sore from yesterday's training..Is the sample thing today!? I'm so sorry I forgot and I'm really sore and in pain-"
"You're fine. I shall take care of you."
"You're too kind master diluc, Thank you."
Part of him loving hearing you call him "Master Diluc" but he brushed those thoughts away. He read your stories, Refilled your tea, Made you food. Fed it to you. he couldn't help but imagine your married life with him. He heard the door creak open as he was sitting on a chair next to your bed reading you a book as your eyes were fast asleep.
His eyes shot towards the door to see the person he wanted to see least with a basket full of treasures and treats. Kaeya's face went from one of joy to a full blown glare.
"Can I help you?" Diluc asked, Salty.
"You can actually, Wake them up and leave. Or perhaps I will." Kaeya responds. Smugly
"They will not be waking up. And you will not disturb them. They're tired from your training you put them through yesterday."
"Ah yes. I did have them in some hard positions. I'm sure their muscles must be tense. I have just the thing for that." Kaeya says, Holding a bottle of wine. He sets down the gift basket.
"That is the last thing they need. And no not raise your voice they are sleepin-" Diluc wants to finish his sentence but his brother sets the wine bottle down and rushes past his brother to see your sleeping form. He admires the way your eyes are so softly closed and your chest go up and down. He puts out his hand to touch your cheek, He strokes it lightly and smiles to himself.
Diluc's hand shoots out and grabs kaeya's hand. Pulling it away shooting a threatening glare to him. "Don't" Diluc utters. Kaeya rolls his eyes and takes a chair. Sitting by the bed with diluc watching you.
Hours go by and you wake up to find them..Both in your bed.? Holding you? It's very dark outside not much light. You look at kaeya's face as it is just an inch from yours. his soft breathing indicates he's asleep. But there's another pair of arms wrapped around your waist. You can tell by his voice while he breathes it is diluc. You felt so flustered being between two gorgeous men. You're still tired so you fall asleep.
The next you wake up to a bed with just you in. Was it a dream? The smell of the brothers stuck to your sheets, Causing your face to heat up. You walked to the Angel's share to see diluc greet you..Shyly? Weird. You sample the new wine and feel incredible. It was incredible in flavor but you're a lightweight, And found yourself slipping into becoming slightly drunk. Diluc laughed a bit but conversed with your loopy self calmly. But you had slipped a secret. You were leaving mondstat for a new place in Sumeru as a student. Diluc's face darkened. You were leaving..? How long..? Were you coming back.?
He helped you to more booze until you were passed out in the upstairs of the angel's share. He panicked but stayed semi calm. You can't leave. He won't let you. But what about kaeya. Perhaps he should know, Diluc is not one for sharing but to have more security and the Calvary captain keeping you in mondstat would be a plus.
He explained the situation to kaeya who grimaced even at your drunken words. He saw you tied up with ropes in the hidden area of the upstairs angel's share. It was almost enough to take you then and there but he had agree to keep you with diluc. Can't have you running off.
Now you can't leave. Now you can't escape. What will happen when you wake?
(This was so fun to write! Sorry it took so long. Request part 3 if you guys want it! I need to know people want more :)
#yandere x reader#yandere#yandere genshin impact#yandere genshin#yandere diluc#yandere kaeya#kaeya x reader#diluc x reader#yandere x darling#genshin x reader#genshin impact x reader#yandere blog#yandere asks#yandere scenarios#yandere imagines
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moodboard by @chennqingg <3
Rules To Break
Jotun!Prince!Loki Laufeyson x fem!Æsir!Princess!Reader
Summary: Prince Loki of Jotunheim - son of King Laufey and heir to the throne is assigned to train a bunch of Asgardian men, in order to turn them into warriors. What happens when Odin's daughter, Princess Y/N crosses his paths in ways he would've never expected? While the Prince is completely unaware, the Princess struggles to keep up her several masquerades...
Warnings for this Chapter: uhhh... royal things?
Word Count: 2,2k
a/n: I promised you guys and well... It's finally here! 😁 The first chapter of the prequel to 'By the Fireplace'! 🥳 This is basically about the back story of Loki and Y/N. How they met and so on, you know. I hope you are going to like it! ☺️
I split the story up into five parts, so... There's a whole lotta more to come!
Divider by the lovely @fictive-sl0th <3
Tagging: @lulubelle814 @km-ffluv @lokisgoodgirl @eleniblue @muddyorbs @loz-3 @vbecker10 @jennyggggrrr @lokisninerealms @mochie85 @chantsdemarins @peaches1958 @multifandom-worlds @fictive-sl0th @loki-laufeyson-1054 @theaudacitytowrite @lovingchoices14 @simping-for-marvel @stupidthoughtsinwriting @vanilla-daydreaming @lou12346789 @kimanne723 @linaax @coldnique @lady-rose-moon @evelyn-kingsley @the-princess-of-loki @acefeather2002 @aagn360 @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @kikster606 @somewiseguy @huntress-artemiss @lunarnights95 @fire-treasure-iii
Ice Flower AU Masterlist ❄ Masterlist
Chapter Two
Chapter One
The High Council of Asgard – decades before Loki's reign
"It is decided then?" Asked the Allfather his ally and good friend - King Laufey of Jotunheim, who sat across the golden table in the council room. The Frost Giant nodded, lifting his goblet of mead as a sign for his approval. "It is decided. As soon as I am back home, I am going to set everything into motion and send you my son as soon as possible." Odin lifted his goblet as well and gave the Jotun king a nod. "Here's to our alliance." "Here's to our alliance."
"Skane, go get my son. I need to talk to him." Laufey told his advisor as soon as he walked through the big, heavy doors of the palace. "Yes, your majesty." Skane bowed to him and left his side immediately, in order to execute his king's order.
The prince wasn't very difficult to find these days. He'd be either in his chambers, the library or the training grounds. Today, Skane found the prince in the library, nose buried in a book. "My prince? Apologies for the disturbance, but your father is back and he wishes to see you immediately." With a slightly annoyed huff, the young prince closed his book. When his father called for him, it was wise to not let him wait. It was a lesson he had learned quite fast and early in his life. So, the heir to the throne followed his father's advisor without complaining. "Do you know what he wishes to talk about with me?" Skane shook his head. "Unfortunately not, my prince, no." The two men made the rest of the way to the throne room in silence. The heavy stone doors swung open with a thud, revealing King Laufey, who was seated upon his throne. "Father! You're back! I hope you had a pleasant return trip. How did the council meetings go?" The prince asked in a rather cheerful voice, knowing that the king likes to be welcomed back duly. "Just fine, son. We need to talk." Laufey said, standing up. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?" Loki took a small bow. "As you wish father."
King and prince went on a walk through the barren and bleak royal gardens then. Not a single flower was blooming in the beds. Well, Jotunheim had just gone through a very rough and cold winter. But spring was definitely approaching. The small buds on the trees were the proof. Soon, the cold realm would shine in all its magical glory. "What were you up to when I was away, son?" The prince shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, you know father... The usual. Reading, training, a bit of hunting..." Loki didn't dare to mention, that he plagued the one or other royal staff member with his pranks. He was a grown man, but sometimes he liked to act like a younger version of himself. Praying to the Norns his father wouldn't get whiff of it. "Sounds auspicious." Loki gave his father a nod, before asking again: "What is it you want to talk about?" Laufey took a breath. "The Allfather asked me for a favour..." His father's words caused Loki's expression to darken. He suddenly had a very bad feeling – and a guess. "Father, is this once again about me getting married? If so, I told you that I do not wish to get married now. I don't want to-" "It is not." Laufey interrupted his son's rant. "Even if I'd be more than just pleased, when you'd finally find a woman. It is long overdue. When I was your age, your mother was already pregnant with you. Our people are expecting this. They wish to see their future king finding his queen and provide an heir to the throne." The young prince rolled secretly his eyes, hearing this for the thousandth time. Oh how often he had this conversation with his father already. How often did they end up in a fight because of this… So, Loki tried to swallow his anger and pride. "I know, father, I know. I will get to it, I promise. I'm going to give the people what they want. Just not now." Laufey sighed, knowing that he had lost - like so often. What more could he do than telling his son over and over again?
"What is the favour the Allfather asked you to do then?" "Well… Strictly speaking, he is asking you." The raven-haired Jotun stopped in his tracks, quite surprised. "Me??" The king stopped in his movements as well, facing his son. "Yes. He needs a good warrior to train meticulously chosen Æsir. Someone who can turn them into soldiers within a month." Loki frowned. "What of prince Thor? He is a great warrior." "The crown prince is detained; currently stuck on Muspelheim for royal duties. If prince Thor's conversations with Surtur are not fruitful..." Loki quickly connected the dots. "Odin wants to be prepared." Laufey nodded. "Exactly." "But... Why me? There are great warriors on Asgard." The king placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Because he wants the best."
That was how Loki, son of Laufey, crown prince of Jotunheim landed on Asgard a mere week later - ready and prepared to train a handful of amateurs. Men, who didn't even yield a weapon before. But the Allfather didn't ask Loki for nothing. If someone could handle this, it was him. Odin and Laufey were sure of it.
"A royal… warrior academy?" You asked your father, who sat across from you on the dining table. "Yes, my dear. In case your brother's attempts of negotiation fail, we have to be prepared - and given the fact that we don't have enough warriors, we need to train more men." "Why only men, father? What if there are women who'd like to become a warriors as well?" You spoke in a demanding voice, crossing your arms. "Because only men become warriors. You, of all, should know that, daughter." "What of Sif? Isn't she a warrior, too?" "Sif is an exception. The only exception." You felt how the anger started to rise within you. "What if I wanted to become a warrior, instead of a princess?" Your father scoffed, already hating where this conversation was going. "I am not discussing this with you again, Y/N. We've talked about this. Several times. I won't allow my only daughter to spend her days on the training grounds. You have other duties to tend to! Find a husband for example!" You looked away, gritting your teeth. You hated it. Just because you were a woman and highly interested in learning how to fight properly, didn't mean you'd neglect your duties as a princess. And yes. Sometimes you rather wished to be warrior and not a princess. But who were you to choose? You had no other choice than to accept the place you were in - like your father so often told you. But what if... An idea suddenly crossed your mind. Hiding the smile on your face, you told your father what he wanted to hear. "I beg you pardon, father. You are right, of course."
"You are planning to do what?!" Estrid - your personal maid turned best friend asked with wide, frightened eyes. The young woman shook her head. "Y-Your highness, that is... foolish and risky a-and-" You grabbed the girl's shaking shoulders, causing her eyes to fixate on you. "I know, Estrid, I know. But I have to do it. It's probably the only chance I will ever get in my whole life. Father is never going to let me on the training grounds and I can't always sneak into the old armoury to train. It's my dream, Estrid." Your friend sighed, again shaking her head. "I know, Y/N, but it's dangerous." You nodded. "It is. That's why I need you to maintain my cover. Can you do that for me? Please?" She swallowed, thoughts running at lightning speed through her brain. "I know I ask a lot from you, but please. You are my best friend. I trust you." A moment of silence passed, before Estrid started to nod, giving in. "Alright. Alright... I'll do it." A relieved breath left your lips. "Oh thank the Norns!" You lunged forward then, hugging the blonde-haired woman. "Thank you so much." Estrid offered you a nervous smile, nodding. "Don't worry. We are going to make this." Again a nod. "Do you even know who is going to lead the training?" You swallowed hard. "Yes. Prince Loki of Jotunheim." Once again the maid's eyes widened. "Prince Loki of Jotunheim? I heard he is a very cold, harsh man... And his father is a very good friend of the king. Y/N, this is really risky. You can only hope that he won't look through your charade... If he does, you are in big trouble..." "He won't, Estrid. He won't." "I hope so..." The woman stated, taking a short break before continuing. "Have you ever met prince Loki?" "Personally? No. I have seen him once, but that was ages ago. Thor sees him way more often, given the fact that he's the future king. Plus, they are kind of friends, so..." A cheeky smile darted over Estrid's face at your words. "He may be a cold and brutal Frost Giant, but I also heard that he is a very handsome man and an even greater lover. Hopefully you won't get distracted on your mission." You scoffed, shaking your head appalled. "Certainly not, Estrid. No man or prince will be able to distract me. Don't you worry."
Little did you know, that you were going to eat your words just a few days later...
"How do I look?" You asked Estrid as you stood in front of the full-length mirror in your chambers, eying your good work. The young maid stood beside you, mouth formed to a perfect 'o'. "You look... amazing, your highness..." She was visibly and audibly stunned. You were surprised, too. You didn't know that you were able to turn your appearance into a man that easily. You wore a traditional Asgardian tunic - male tunic. One that hid the curves which indicated you were a woman. You had cut your own hair quite a bit, turning it into a man bun. All your female features were mostly gone. It was breath-taking. "Yes, I do. It's almost terrifying." "Now you need to just work on a deeper voice and a more manly walk." You turned to meet Estrid. "By the Norns, you're right! I-I mean..." You cleared your throat and tried to lower your voice as deep as possible. "By the Norns, you're right!" Estrid broke out in giggles. "Not good?" "No, no, no, I mean... It's good, Y/N! It's perfect. All you have to do is work on your walk, but the rest... If you can keep that up, no one's going to notice it." "Let's hope then I can keep it up." Estrid nodded. "And now let's go. Unless you'll be late." You grabbed your things and sneaked with your friend through the secret passageway only you, Thor, Estrid and the Warriors Three knew of, out of the palace. "You know what to do?" "I know what to do. Don't worry, my princess." With a last goodbye and a hug, you swung yourself onto your horse (which Estrid had kindly prepared for you earlier) and rode off. Your parents thought you went on a 'learning journey' through Asgard, getting to know different plants and animals... Advanced training, so to speak. Estrid had the task to maintain the cover for you.
The training camp was on the outskirts of the city. It was about an hour ride away from the palace. You had managed to sneak into your father's office and write a fake name on the list, so you'd be surely awaited. And indeed... Two guards were standing in front of the big wooden doors. The piece of land was fenced by high, thick walls. You took a deep breath, as you neared the doors. This was your dream, wasn't it? All you ever wished for. Why were you so nervous now? Your horse came to an halt in front of the guards and you dismounted the horse, before you took a small bow to the guards. "I'm here for the royal training, in order to serve the king and Asgard." You spoke in your deepest voice possibly, hoping that the guards would buy it. They did. "Name?" One of them asked, eyes fixated on a list. "Váli Ákison." The guard's eyes roamed over the list, before he nodded. "Open the door." The door got opened for you, causing you to swing back onto your horse and ride inside the camp. Your eyes widened at the sight before you. There we a lot of beautifully crafted tents, alongside a big fireplace. Men were bustling around everywhere. Some of them in tunics like you. Some of them already dressed in traditional Asgardian armour and a few of them, which you recognised as palace guards. Excitement spread through your whole body.
After you were handed your armour and assigned a tent, you retreated into said tent to change. You were ready. More than ready for this.
#loki x reader#loki laufeyson#loki x female reader#loki x you#tom hiddleston x reader#loki x y/n#loki fanfiction#loki fluff#loki laufeyson x reader#loki#l#jotun loki x y/n#jotun loki x you#jotun loki x reader#jotun loki
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so we had a fake wedding episode in the grand bloodstorm adventure, but get ready the new season's about to start and we're opening with some drama
astarion and mal are trying to track down a relic that's rumored to have the power of protecting a vampire from the sun. neat. they find out that its last known location is at some ancient noble house's castle, so they go there but they get caught sneaking around.
fully expecting to have to fight their way out of there, both of them are surprised when the lord of the house instead offers a warm welcome to his house, taking particular interest in mal, showering her with attention and gifts.
he also reveals that the relic has been lost to the surrounding woods after their house was attacked by outsiders, but both astarion and mal are quite suspicious of that version, so they stick around to find out more. while mal focuses on charming her way into the lord's heart so he'd tell her the truth, astarion goes out into the surrounding town to gather information.
turns out, the local legend tells that the relic is, in fact, still somewhere in the woods, as when the invading forces attacked, the lady of the house took all of their most important belongings, shoved them into a bag, strapped that to a horse that she then tried to flee the castle with, but was shot down by archers and fell to the enemy as the horse galloped deep into the woods. it's said that the horse was eaten by a giant demonic bear, but the treasure still remains somewhere. and that leads various parties to venture out into the forest to seek it.
astarion decides to join one such party, if not to find the treasure, then at the very least to get more information. he leaves maleane alone with the lord, who seems to be quite infatuated with her. mal reassures her lover that she can handle herself in case something happens. she's a sorcerer, after all.
the vampire spawn & the gang set a small camp out in the woods after traveling for most of the evening. they drink and tell stories over the fire and astarion starts sneakily peppering in questions to get the information he needs. one of the drunk men decides to go on a bit of a spooky retelling of the most horrific event he had witnessed. the great attack on their town by the most brutal monsters. it happened over three decades ago, when he was just a little boy.
they came in the night, with their intricate armors, their swords and their arrows and their daggers in the dark. some of the commoners fell to poison before any blades could lick their throats. those that didn't flee in time were either massacred or put in chains and dragged back to the underdark to be used and sold as slaves. both the lord and the lady of the house were brutally slaughtered in the ritual known as the blooding, leaving their only son an orphan.
oh, so the guy's entire family was killed by drow? and who is he currently hosting in his massive castle? hmm, yes, another drow.
but not to worry! he dressed mal in the finest of silks and set up the most elaborate dinner for just the two of them. an array of intricate pastries, wild salmon and spit-roasted steak, and, of course, a flagon of his favorite wine to wash it all down.
they talk over the dinner, maleane slowly trying to poke and prod for more information about the relic and what happened to it. the lord, eventually unravels the same story that astarion heard over the campfire, and as the puzzle pieces slowly slide into their places, mal suddenly feels lightheaded. her breathing starts to become erratic as she struggles to catch her breath. and when she rises from the table, in a frantic attempt to flee, her legs feel like they're full of lead. the same petrifying feelings spreads throughout the rest of her body, pulling her to the ground in an instant.
as she gasps for air to fill her failing lungs, the lord walks right to her, watching the paralyzed drow fight the effects of the poison, and tells her how much he hates her kind. how long he's been dreaming of this moment, to get his hands on one of the monsters that took everything from him. how they all are the same. how he's going to peel the skin off her flesh, bit by bit. he chuckles at her panic, at soft wheezing coming from her throat. he wasn't sure how much of the poison to pour in her glass. after all, drow are known to be resistant to most of them. perhaps he gave her a bit too much. but it doesn't matter. by the time it wears off she won't be able to escape.
he then drags her to his personal quarters, a little dark room with chains and cages, a large wooden table stacked with books and scrolls and sketches. everything you need to know about drow and more. he takes the beautiful soft gown off her body and shackles her wrists and ankles to a rack.
a beautiful monster, he calls her, dragging his fingers from her cheek, down to her breast. yet, soon his hand is replaced with a dagger. this is more than just revenge. it's something darker and deeper. the obsession with drow, all that hatred and rage latched on something else entirely. the want to have her, to own her, to break and hurt her again and again and again, for years and years. because that's how long he's been carrying all that venom inside. it's not going to be over soon, maleane realizes.
it's almost a relief when it's his hand touching her again instead of a blade. but she knows that the intent behind the gesture is just as sharp as the bite of a dagger. she can't utter an incantation. she can't move her body to channel her magic. it's been so long that she felt this helpless.
then she feels her mind start to slip, drifting away somewhere. the lord's unhinged ramblings turn into echoes from a distant room. the throbbing pain softens into an almost-numbness. for just a brief moment, maleane is not there.
it's the odd shift in the surroundings that drags her right back into the dark cell. a sudden, violent gurgling sound. when she looks up, all mal sees is red. the blood pouring out of the lord's mouth and throat. the shock still frozen in his eyes before his body collapses just as hers did before. and then, two red irises, framed by a set of worried brows, staring at her. astarion.
#baldur's gate 3#astarion#astarion ancunin#astarion x tav#astarion x oc#astarion romance#bg3 fanfiction#bg3 astarion#bg3 tav#oc: maleane#maleane/astarion#assault cw#sa cw#torture cw#idk this started off as a little thing and i just kept going#and i feel like i could keep going but it's time to stop somewhere alright#let me know if anything else needs tagging btw#reuploading because tumblr told me to eat a bag of dicks and i cried like a baby
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Pretty (wo)man
Chapter 11: Monster out of my head
Tags for this chapter: Some fluff, bad omens. See rating, warnings and other tags for the whole fic on AO3. General warning: This work as a whole includes themes related to and mentions of prostitution, sex work, and sexual abuse. I will add tags with every new chapter and notes when anything particularly nasty is being depicted, but if this kind of content isn't your cup of tea to begin with, please move on. Consider yourself warned.
Read other chapters on Tumblr >> / Read on AO3 >>
Moodboard by the talented @a-redharlequin (who's taking commissions btw)
Summary: Wedding party time. Everything was perfect: sweet revenge on Amanda, good food, even better company. But beneath all the perfection lay an ugly truth.
::::::::::
The sun was already saying its goodbyes to the day and melting into the horizon when Billy and Steve arrived at the front deck of the ship. The other guests had already arrived, the men in their finest suits and the women in elegant gowns, all of them chatting among themselves in anticipation of the upcoming ceremony.
Billy could feel everyone’s eyes on him, just like on their first night on the ship. The difference was that on the first night he’d been an actor on a stage, tonight he was himself. The change felt good.
They sat down at their table and Billy scanned around at the people, smiled widely at Heather, who grinned back at him, and then he turned his gaze up at the string of lights that lit the front deck of the ship. He smiled, and moved his gaze down at the captain of the ship, who was already standing in the ship's front, ready to wed Amanda and Tom as soon as they would arrive. Then his eyes landed on Charles Hamil, glaring straight at Billy.
Billy’s smile vanished, and he looked away quickly, taking a deep breath.
Steve leaned closer to him. “Everything okay?” he asked.
Billy swallowed and glanced at Steve, seeing him genuinely concerned. “I’m fine. I’ll survive.”
Steve raised Billy’s hand on his lips and placed a kiss on his knuckles. “You’re safe, I’m here, baby.”
As strange as it felt, Steve’s words made him feel a little more at ease. “Yes, you are,” he whispered and squeezed Steve’s hand a little tighter. Just one more night. He could pull this through.
The sound of the ship's horn broke the moment, signalling the sun vanishing behind the horizon and the wedding ceremony to start. Everyone looked to the doors of the deck and soon Tom and Amanda came out.
Tom was wearing a dapper suit, and Amanda was wearing an elegant white silk gown. Exactly something you’d expect from two young, wealthy and beautiful people.
The ceremony was brief, just a few words from the captain in addition to the vows and the other mandatory parts. Tom was moved by Amanda’s words, but Amanda kept glancing in Steve’s and Billy’s general direction throughout Tom’s emotional declaration of love where he promised her the sky and the moon and all the stars.
To Billy's surprise, he felt jealous of her. He had never felt a need to commit to anyone like that. Not that he’d had anyone he could’ve even considered committing that way, either. But over the last week, something had shifted and now he didn't find the idea of committing to someone like that so bad. Apparently, it was a question of the person to commit to being the right one.
Billy looked at Amanda, who was scanning the room as she walked towards the front and smiling at the guests. Her smile didn’t falter until she saw him. Her gaze bored into his neck, seeing the emeralds laying on his collarbones, then in his ears, before she looked at him in the eyes. Billy placed his hand on Steve’s shoulder and leaned closer to him while smiling at her with a smile that told her without words sorry girl, your trash turned out to be my treasure.
Steve must’ve noticed Amanda’s gaze, since he wrapped his arm around Billy’s shoulders and gave a peck on his cheek. “Mission accomplished,” he murmured into Billy’s ear.
While listening to Tom’s vow, Billy felt bad for the man and leaned in to whisper to Steve quietly, “Do you think it’s necessary to tell him tonight how bad Amanda is?”
Steve glanced at Billy and squeezed his arm a little tighter around Billy’s shoulders. “Do you want me to leave it be?” he whispered in return.
“Him marrying her sounds like a punishment enough, wouldn’t you say?” Billy asked in return, his eyes on the couple.
Steve’s gaze rested on Billy’s profile while he waited for Billy to register his words. The curl on his forehead, the long lashes, the curve of his nose...the way his lips parted a little before he turned to look at Steve when his words finally hit home. The smile that spread on Billy’s face was infectious, and Steve smiled in return. “Your word is my command. Besides, he’ll learn, eventually.”
Once the wedding rings had been exchanged, the party started. The catering staff brought the food to the tables and drinks were flowing freely from a bar at the back of the deck. Not soon after, the guests were dancing and laughing as waiters passed by with trays of snacks and drinks. Steve grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter and handed one to Billy. “Shall we have a one more?” he asked with a smile.
Billy took the glass, clinking it against Steve’s before taking a sip. “Let’s make this evening special.”
Steve leaned in and whispered, "Every moment with you is special."
Billy felt the warm fuzziness again grow in his chest and couldn't help a smile spreading on his face. He couldn't have imagined how perfect the evening was. The food was great, and the company was even better. The way Steve fed him the wedding cake way too slowly, trying not to mess his makeup or the dress. The way Steve's fingers lingered maybe a moment too long on his lips. The way he licked the cream from Steve's fingers, leaving nothing to the imagination.
"People are staring," Steve said, letting out a laugh.
Billy looked at him with a lopsided grin. "As if I'm the only one to blame for that."
"No, you're not," Steve agreed, placing his hand on Billy's thigh under the table and brushing the inside of it gently.
Billy's breath hitched. "Tease," he smiled.
Steve slowly gathered the hem of the dress up, up, up, and Billy's insides responded to it immediately. "Here?" Billy asked, swallowing hard.
Steve leaned in and whispered, "Where else?"
The hem was finally all up and Steve pushed his hand underneath, creeping slowly closer to Billy's groin.
“I didn't think you would’ve had this in you,” Billy whimpered quietly as Steve's fingers reached their destination.
Steve cleared his throat. “And I didn't think you'd go full commando with the dress.”
Billy bit his lip as Steve grabbed his testicles in his hand and squeezed them gently.
“Please,” Billy pleaded with a whine.
“See, who's hot and bothered now?”
“If you don't stop, we're going to have to take this somewhere else,” Billy said through his teeth. “And it's still early.”
“Okay, okay,” he said with a small laugh, and pulled his hand away. “Maybe another dance, then?”
“Not in a million years,” Billy laughed, trying to think all the thoughts that would get his boner to settle down.
“Maybe a bit later, then?”
“Definitely. Could you please be so kind and get me another glass of champagne? I need to calm down...my nerves.”
Steve chuckled and got up, smirking. “Sure.”
The phone in Steve's pocket buzzed when he was taking the full champagne glass from the waiter. He took the glass to Billy and pulled out his phone. "Let me check this quickly."
Billy pouted dramatically, pushing his lower lip out. "We’ve been together only for a short while and your phone is already more important than me," he said, mock-offended.
"Shit," Steve said when he saw Tommy’s name on the screen. He looked up at Billy. "I have to take this. It's really important. But I make sure it's quick and then I'll come right back, okay? We'll dance the rest of the night together." He leaned closer to Billy and gave a peck on his cheek. "On the dance floor or somewhere else," he whispered. Billy blushed and Steve swore to god he would never tire of making a blush raising like that on the cheeks of someone who had done dirty deeds for living. “This won’t take long. It’s just some info I asked for as quickly as possible, so I have to take this.”
“Fine. But no more calls tonight after this, you hear me?”
“I promise,” Steve smiled and left.
-oOo-
Steve had reached the side deck and was out of earshot of the party, about to answer the call when someone called his name.
“Steve! You asshole!”
Steve rolled his eyes when he recognized Amanda’s voice. He turned around reluctantly. “I don’t have time for your bullshit right now,” Steve said and waved the still ringing phone in his hand.
“Those were my stones! Mine!” she yelled.
“No, they were never yours. Not really," Steve said calmly.
“You promised you’d never give them to anyone else!”
Steve just shook his head. “You were the one who left. You. I found someone else who I wanted to give them to, someone who deserves them”
“A man, Steve! A man is worth them? I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but I know that it’s not that cheap son of a bitch who’s worth them!” she screamed.
“Wow!" Steve said and raised his hand in placative gesture. "Listen, you just got married to someone else. What I do with my things and who I’m with is none of your concern.” Steve was already turning away when pettiness got the better of him, and he turned back. “They’re real, by the way.”
If Amanda had been annoyed so far, now her expression twisted into a grimace, and she slapped Steve’s cheek, hard.
“Hey!” Steve yelped and held his cheek. “You made your bed, now sleep in it!” he yelled and turned around. As he walked towards the stern deck to call Tommy back, he could hear less and less of Amanda's sobs.
Heather got up, and Billy was left alone at the table. He looked at the guests dancing and talking and looked up into the sky, seeing a few bright stars twinkling. Who would’ve guessed that he’d find himself in a place like this…
Billy looked after Steve until he vanished to the side deck. After a while, he got up, his boner now settled down a little, and visited the men's room. When he returned, he picked up his drink from the table and walked to Heather, who was sitting alone, sipping a margarita. “May I?” he asked, pointing at the empty chair next to her.
Heather patted the chair with a smile. When Billy sat down, she leaned on his shoulder and whispered, “You have any idea what seeing those stones on you did to Amanda. It wrecked her. Poor Tom had no idea why she was so upset until I told him. Now he, too, is pissed off at both of you.” She smirked. “It amuses me probably almost as much as it does you two.”
Billy laughed. “I honestly didn’t know about them before Steve showed them to me in the cabin. He isn’t inherently cruel, but that idea was all his. He’d planned on it from the moment Charles invited him to this party.”
“I’m not gonna lie, she deserved it,” Heather said and raised her glass and they clinked their glasses together. “So, are you doing any better? I mean, from yesterday?” she asked.
“I am. It was just a migraine yesterday.”
“That’s good. I was afraid that there were some dark clouds above you two.”
“What do you mean?”
“That maybe you had a brawl or something and that you’d broken up.”
Billy smiled at his drink. “I think we’re doing better than before, actually. As in, loads better.”
She smirked. “Yeah, I can tell. Steve can’t keep his hands off of you. I’ve never seen him like that before. Honestly. You really are special to him.”
“He’s special to me too, like no one before,” he replied and looked again at the opening of the side deck wistfully, hoping Steve would return soon. Even though he must’ve been gone for just five minutes.
“I’m glad you two found each other. You both deserve to be happy,” she said, smiling. Then she got up. “I’m going to have another. You need a refill?”
“No, I’m good,” Billy replied and raised his glass that was still half-full and emptied it. “I’m good.”
-oOo-
-oOo-
Steve rubbed his still stinging cheek still when Tommy finally picked up. “What did you find out?” Steve said not bothering to wait for a hello.
Tommy didn’t waste a breath, either. “Some serious shit you've gotten yourself into, Harrington. I thought I wouldn’t find anything but, man...”
“Go on.”
“Are you sure you want to hear? I mean, I’ve seen things, but even I’m disturbed by this.”
Steve felt his stomach flip. “Yes. I want to hear everything.”
“Dude. Umm...your friend who survived? Tell him I’m seriously sorry and that I’m happy that he survived.” He was quiet for a while. “And I won’t charge you for this. If you get this guy off the street...I’ll come and finish him with you. On the house.”
Steve was getting impatient. “Hagan. Just tell me.”
“Okay, so there’s a private hospital about fifty miles south of Chicago. It’s one of those luxury hospitals that provides all services one could need from one place if you have the money. And get this: they have a separate intensive care unit that guarantees privacy. None of the patients in the ICU or their visitors know else is there. Everything’s private, soundproofed rooms, entries, patios for exercising. Everything.”
“Right. Well, keep going,” Steve said, frustrated as he leaned onto the railing and looked out into the horizon that still showed hints of turquoise.
“Over the last four years, there’s been seven patients who have come in with the kinds of wounds and bruises you described.”
“How did you learn all this?”
“I have my sources. They heard a member of the staff talking about one case that was extremely brutal. Based on the description, the patient might’ve been your friend. So, anyway…”
Billy thought of everything that had happened in such a short time. From meeting Steve for the first time, falling in love like a fool with him, a client, and to so many other firsts he’d experienced over the last few weeks.
And now, here, tonight he thought it wouldn’t be so bad if Steve would be around even after the cruise was over. Or maybe for forever. He felt nauseous and reminded himself what he was. Nothing like that could be an option. They were from different worlds, and that was what they would forever be. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath to help him fight the tears that prickled under his skin.
Only that the nauseous feeling seemed to get worse with each breath he took. He rubbed his forehead. He hadn’t really drank that much, but maybe it was the champagne, he hadn’t drunk that for years. Not since that faithful night… He tried to look for Steve, but he didn’t see him anywhere. He was probably still on the phone.
He tried to stand up, and the world took a quick spin in his eyes, so he had to sit back down. Jesus Christ, I’m more drunk than I thought I was, he thought. He felt light-headed, and rubbed his forehead again. All the sounds and lights around him melted into each other in his head.
Heather touched his shoulder. “Billy? Are you okay?”
“No. I started to feel sick and dizzy suddenly. Can you see Steve anywhere?”
Heather looked around and then shook her head. “I think he’s still occupied. Do you want me to go find him?”
“No, don’t. He said it’s going to be a brief call, anyway. But I think I have to go to rest for a while,” Billy said. “Could you help me up?” He took off his pumps and when Heather helped him up, he stayed upright, and took a few breaths while he tried to clear his vision.
“Are you sure you can make it?” she asked, concerned.
He nodded, holding his hand on his forehead. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Could you please tell Steve that I went to the cabin?"
"Yes, absolutely," she said.
Billy started towards the door to the corridor that would take him to the staircase.
When he got there, he suddenly felt dizzy again and had to lean against the wall. What the hell is wrong with me he wondered, feeling the world spinning hard around him. He tried to blink to keep his vision clear, but everything kept getting blurry. He slid to the floor, feeling his limbs giving up on him.
Charles let out a small, dry laugh. “Why yes, William. We indeed have.”
He saw a figure approaching to him. It leaned down towards him and soon he felt an arm reaching between the wall and his body, then under his arm, lifting him up.
“Alright, William, let’s go,” a man said. He hooked Billy’s arm around his shoulder and started to walk, half-carrying Billy.
Billy didn't know what, but there was something oddly familiar in the man’s scent, his cologne. He couldn't quite pinpoint what, but it made his stomach tighten with a quiet dread. He tried to get the man to let go of him. "I...I think..." he slurred, "I think...I'm going to be just fine by myself. There's no need for you to..."
"No, no, William, I insist. You could've fallen on the stairs if I didn't come to help you. You're not in shape to go by yourself."
There was something in the words and the way the man spoke that struck a chord in Billy's mind. "Do I...do we..." Billy mumbled slowly as they progressed in the corridor. "Have we met somewhere?"
“I’m Charles. You’ve been on the boat with me for a week...”
“No,” Billy muttered. “Before.”
#harringrove#harringrove fic#harringrove fanfiction#billy x steve#steve x billy#billy hargrove#steve harrington#billy hargrove needs a hug#stranger things#stranger things au#stranger things fic#pretty woman#suometar writes
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introducing ; connell howard
cliff notes ;
FULL NAME: connell howard
GENDER: male
PRONOUNS: he/him
AGE: thirty-eight
DOB: june 13th
OCCUPATION: treasurer @ town hall
RESIDENCE: the town
RESIDENT or VISITOR: visitor
HUNTER or GATHERER: n/a - this may change depending on his stay
TITLE: the judge
FACECLAIM: chris evans
lets dig a little deeper ;
connell howard was born and raised in chicaco, illinois. he was the golden child to his parents; calton and carmen howard, calton a law firm partner with carson ainsley and carmen a real estate tycoon who has bought and sold chicago homes like it was nothing. from a young age, connell knew he had to be great. it helped that he had the brains to propel him forward in his academics and his father had made it perfectly clear what was expected of connell in terms of what his career would be - it was law.
life growing up for connell was lonely. his parents always away at work and him left with nannies or tutors to pass the time until they returned. it had gotten even more unbearable at thriteen when the wife of his fathers law partner had tragically died and his daughter was injured. much like carolina's life, his became fully supervised at all times and he was unable to find the breathing room that he desperately craved. it ironically became a bonding point for connell and carolina whenever their families got together for dinners or events and it was something that didn't go unnoticed by their fathers.
the older connell got, the more obvious it was to him that his father and carson had the intentions of pairing him and carolina up. connell had voiced this to his mother, begging her to talk to the two men to make them see sense. it wasn't just for his sake he was asking his mother to intervene, it was for carolina's. he didn't want her resenting him for the decisions of their fathers, he wanted her to be happy. unable to make them listen, connell chose to make the best of the situation and get to know carolina and date her beforehand. a year down the line, he was in love and the rest was history, the two getting married in 2019 with the grand fairytale wedding carolina wanted before jetting off for their honeymoon.
a month after returning from their honeymoon, they'd returned to work. carolina out working in west virginia and he in nevada. texting and calling back and forth to keep each other updated with day to day life while they were away on business, his concern grew when he'd received her text:
carolina: i might miss my flight
connell: what's wrong? is everything okay? are you okay?
that was four years ago.
his wife was declared a missing person after he raised his worries with both her father and his. he had real concern for his wife's safety and the case was quick to gain traction. unfortunately for connell, there really were no clues to go on other than the last phone tower her phone pinged on when she had sent her text. he spent four years searching in hopes to find her and have the reassurance that she was safe. on another trip out to west virginia, he got caught in a storm and headed to the nearest town to take cover until it passed, the road had taken him to hunstville.
you can imagine his surprise when he was told all that hunstville had to offer, especially when he was told he couldn't leave. being the man of sound logic that he was, he tried to leave, a lot, but he ended up right back in town. it was insane. was he going insane? he certainly felt like it when he was certain that he saw his missing wife in the distance.
additional information ;
husband to carolina - he keeps thinking he's seeing her around town. he's not sure if he's going mad or if she's actually alive
was a lawyer before he came to town - while hunstville seems like much of a lawless place at times, connell still has his lawyer mindset
because of his moral compass he was placed in the job role as treasurer of the town - a role that he takes seriously.
a big nerd
despite being a nerd, he's also in his himbo era
been in town just shy of a month - that month has been spent sorting out his new temporary home, working and trying to get his head around what the hell is going on
his family are a legacy family in relation to howard university out in DC - it's where he studied law
possible plots ;
spanner in the works - someone that gets close to connell & despite him being married he's caught up in this person.
information - connell's been on town a month and needs someone to fill him in of whats been going on
possible connections ;
new friends
best bros
acquaintances
dislike
co-workers
crush
neighbours
unlikely duo
will be updated to suit as connell’s time at huntsville progresses
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❛ you’re lucky that you’re cute. ❜ or ❛ there it is, there’s that smile! ❜ for Henry (and James) Maybe punk!Henry? I think that that could be cute, but pick what au you feel inspired for! They just deserve some fluff 🥺
You thought this would get you fluff?? Oh, you naïve, silly little thing.
This is for one of the royalty AUs that mostly exist in our DMs. Enjoy.
Contains: an escape attempt, a forced kiss, some threats
His whole life, James had been surrounded by guards and servants, people who were there to protect him and keep him comfortable. It should have been a perfect life, but it was almost suffocating to never have a moment to himself. He treasured each moment of privacy he could get, sending away servants when he could, or even sneaking out of the castle some nights.
Being outside, alone, with no-one knowing where he was, had felt like the greatest freedom to him. And then it went wrong. He had been recognized by bandits who thought they could get a handsome ransom for him, and now it was four days later, and James was sitting under a tree at their camp, his wrists tied to the trunk behind his back.
There were three bandits, but only one was there to watch over him. The other two had left to see if the king had decided to pay the ransom. James tried to not be bothered by how long he had to wait to be saved. He had expected it to take a day at most, for the army to find him and arrest the bandits, and then they would be executed and all would be well.
No suck luck.
Well, if no one was coming to save him, he would do it himself. James was still wearing his jewelry, and the ornamented ring on his thumb had been slowly sawing through the rope since the two men left at dawn.
The last man, Henry, was dozing against a fallen tree trunk, and had not noticed what James was doing. James envied him the hat he used to cover his face, protecting him from the sun shining on James's already sunburned skin.
The sun was high in the sky when the rope went slack around James's wrists. He barely dared to breathe. Should he run right away? Henry was right there, and James needed more than a few steps of a head start if he wanted to get away. He had to be patient.
Minutes passed long and slow, neither of them moving. James looked around for a weapon. If he could knock Henry out then he would have time to run. But Henry was a strong man, tall and sturdy, and there was nothing useful nearby. James didn't want to risk an unsuccessful attack.
But he couldn't stay like this forever either. The rope was cut. They would know he tried, and if he let this chance go, he might not get a new one.
He was thinking of just making a run for it, when Henry moved.
"I'm gonna take a piss," Henry said, pusheing himself off the ground. "Don't go anywhere."
"I--I won't," James said, barely keeping his voice from shaking. This was his chance. Now. He waited for Henry to go as far away as he was going to. Now!
James got up and ran, not looking behind him to see if he was being followed. He didn't need to - he could hear the exact moment Henry discovered what had happened.
"You fucking-"
James ran faster. He had to get away. If he could just make Henry lose track of him--
The ground slammed into him hard, the heavy weight of a man pushing him down.
"You," Henry said through heaving breaths. "You fucking piece of shit!" He grabbed a handful of James's hair and pulled his head back. "Are you trying to be funny? You think you can get away from me?"
James's voice stuck in his throat. He failed. There was nothing he could say, nothing he could do--
Henry flipped James onto his back so they were face to face, and took a knife from his belt.
"I should cut your ear off for this," he snarled, and pressed the tip of the knife against James's cheek.
James's eyes widened. "No," he breathed. He was going to be king one day, he couldn't be marked--disfigured--like that by a lowlife bandit! "No, please, don't!"
Henry flicked the knife, a small, sharp pain on James's face.
"I'm sorry! Please, I won't do it again, I promise, I'll do anything!"
Henry tilted his head, leaning back a little. "Anything?"
James nodded, his mouth dry from fear.
Henry cupped James's cheek in his hand, ran a thumb over James's lower lip, and then he nodded.
"Well, since you're asking so sweetly, then I want a kiss."
A what? James stared at him. He had thought Henry was with one of the other bandits. He had seen them together, had heard them in the night without any walls to stop the sounds. And now he wanted James to--
"One kiss, and I'll forgive you." Henry traced the knife along James's jaw. "If it's good enough."
One kiss. James didn't want to, but he didn't dare to refuse. A kiss was less bad than losing an ear. It was less permanent. Less visible.
"Okay," he said.
Henry shifted so James could sit up, but didn't make a move. He wanted James to do it.
James didn't exactly have much experience with this. He had a fiancée, but they had never been alone together, and even if they had, James didn't really see the appeal. He had never had any interest in women, and any other wants he had… he had never imagined them like this, himself powerless against the wishes of another man.
His hands on Henry's face were clumsy, pulling them together, and he pressed his mouth to Henry's. Henry's lips were warm agains his, warm and a little wet, and James could smell him, and was just starting to overthink how long he should stay there before they were done, when Henry's hand came up to tangle in his hair, gentle, not like before, and Henry's mouth moved, opened, and James didn't know if he wanted to push him away or to lean in closer. And then Henry leaned back and they were done.
James felt almost dizzy, his heart beating hard in his chest. He didn't dare look Henry in the eye, instead looking somewhere around his chest.
"Was that … was that good enough?" James asked, regretting the words as they fell from his mouth. What if it wasn't? What if Henry lifted the knife and--
Henry chuckled. "It will do," he said, sheathing his knife. "We won't tell the others what happened." He put a hand on James's chin and made him look him in the eyes. "Not a word. Got it?"
James nodded. It wasn't like he wanted the others to know about his failed attempt. "Thank you."
"You're lucky you're cute," Henry said, and wiped a thumb over James's cheek. It came away bloody. "It saved you this time. But if you try this again, I will cut your ear off as well as both your feet."
James felt numb as Henry dragged him back to camp, removing his jewelry before tying him up again. He had ruined his chance to escape. Even if he got another, he wouldn't dare take it. Not with Henry's threats. All he could do was to pray that his father's army would find him before it was too late, or that they decided to pay the ransom, but right now, it was hard to hang onto hope.
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Not sure why this particular novel sells more than the other books, but it does. Not that I'm selling very many copies, and as you can see, I don't make much of a profit from the royalties. So, I hate to ask for this, because I'm worried people will try to tell me what they think I want to hear, than...well, what I really want to read as far as feedback. As disappointing as it might be to get a less than glowing review, it's better than the nothing I usually get. I get reviews even more rarely than I get a sale! I do read them and come back to review them once in a while.
I do believe that if I get this professionally edited and published, this story could be good enough to be on Netflix. I mean, if they did a live action version of the books He's Expecting Vol. 1&2 by Eri Sakai, I think mine would do just fine. I just have to get past the financial block somehow. I mean I'm broke and so far the price tag for just editing this book is roughly between $600 to $900. And publishing is just over $900. Then I have to sell no less than one thousand copies before a literary agency would even consider proposing my book to Netflix. My chances aren't good. I have the information, but not the financial backing to get it going.
And thanks to the enormous expenses of getting my work out there, I'm going to have to pick one book and likely let the rest fall to the wayside. I have published five books. Three art journals that no one, not even myself gives a shit about (well I do care a little bit) and two novels, Unexpected Cargo and Eden Symbiotic which were both experimental passion projects that I care about very much. Unexpected Cargo's the one I'm going to pick because it sells the most often when I do make a rare sale.
(I did buy both volumes of He's Expecting out of curiosity since I was lucky enough to have access to Netflix for a little while, so I did get to see the series. Not the best stories I've ever read, but nice enough that if Volume 3 ever comes out, I'd get it. The show got a lot of criticism, but I thought it was alright. My main point of complaint was that even with suspension of disbelief, if men were suddenly able to have babies, nature would never go halfway and they would be fully equipped for the job. In the book, men who got pregnant had to have cesarians to give birth. I guess the writer didn't think that particular point though. But I'm a bit of a science nerd, so I pick up on all kinds of random information about nature and biology.)
Anyway, the main point of this article, before I wandered off a bit, was that I want and need more people to give me honest feedback about my novel Unexpected Cargo. I'd love it read them on my Amazon reviews. I only have two there. I got a few in my DeviantART gallery where I treasure what I have. I have a couple on YouTube and at least one here, but I lost it...but not forgotten. Aside from this one comment, "This is shit," in a language I had to have translated and didn't recognize at all, I pay attention to all of them. It's because of the feedback I did get and put great value into, including the constructive criticisms I received that I began to realize that I need the services of a professional editor. So in depth feedback is valuable and the more I can get the better.
I have this hands-off policy for my work until I get some help, even when I have a few of ideas on how to make some small fixes to some small plot points here and there. I want...need someone who knows what they are doing to help me out. So, when I do get that help, I will also be keeping in mind the feedback I get from my readers. I stepped up my pace of Unexpected Cargo because more than one person said that Eden Symbiotic was too slow. I listen. I'm begging for more feedback and I'm always grateful for it when I do get it...even as it often frustrates me because people often leave it at, I like this, but not telling me why they liked it. I find that I value the feedback more than the pitiful profit I get from the rare sale.
So, please! Give me some feedback. I want to know what you think. Writing a book isn't easy and this was one of the more difficult projects I've ever done...the hardest being making an audiobook for Unexpected Cargo. Too bad the end result of that project was not as good as I'd hoped and that's why it only got posted on YouTube instead of being published on Audible as I had originally intended. Though I did hope that it would receive a lot more attention than it does.
Periodically I do look up my own books just to see if they get any reviews. I don't really expect anything, but I look anyway.
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I personally don't trust Ranni. She talks a lot about opposing aloof totalitarian rulers that send their agents to punish anyone who resists them, but then sends her own agents to cut a bloody swath through both ancestral follower lands and Nokron, killing their people, stealing their artifacts and, in the case of the AF, murdering their gods, all of which are described as being outside the purview of the Erdtree. She's a classic case of replacing tyanny with a tyranny of one's own.
If I remember the order of things correctly:
You have to kill Radahn but this is both considered a mercy and Ranni isn't aware of this. Selivus is and you take it upon yourself to kill Radahn.
Then you get into Nokron through a crater left by a falling star Radahn was holding back. You aren't forced to kill the Ancestral Followers unless YOU want to fight the their god.
In Nokron, you're killing (overwhelmingly) insane humans, silver tears and mimics. So either unliving creatures or insane morlocks. Not Noxians. It is in Nokstella where you fight mostly Noxians. It's in Nokron where you find the treasure Ranni wants.
When you give her it, she leaves. She doesn't ask you to follow her. But you do, going to the Ainsel River. Only there do you have Ranni request you kill the Baleful Shadow, an assassin working for the Two-Fingers.
You don't really enter Nokstella proper during this hunt for the Baleful Shadow. You might have to face off against 3 Noxians riding ants, with the rest being ants, silver tears and clay men. She does not have you charge the city, you would have to take a detour to do that, as it's nearly a straight line from finding Ranni to the Baleful Shadow.
After that, she bids you farewell again. Once more, you take it upon yourself to follow after her; through the Lake of Rot and then fighting Astel until you reach the plateau.
Ranni does not have you butcher your way through cities. You are predominantly fighting unthinking creatures. It's YOU who decided to take those detours and kill your way through people and gods.
Nevermind the fact that Ranni doesn't really have any input. She's asleep by the time you're entering Norkon, then she doesn't expect you to follow her into Ainsel.
You could've quit at any time. You didn't have to complete that quest, you didn't have to divert into Nokstella for loot and you didn't need to kill the Ancestral Spirit.
All that butchery was on you, anon.
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Kismet
Summary: Evie prepares a meal for the stranger who helped her and finds herself more than a little smitten.
Previous Part: Hope
Word Count: 5707
Warnings: Language
Tag List: @ramilicious, @txmel, @edteche2, @gloriousdarkangelsworld, @diasimar, @xmxisxforxmaybe
(Let me know if I missed you, or if you would like to be added to the tag list)
A/N: Okay, I almost didn't get this up today because I was up most of the night sewing kilts for Highland Weekend at the Ohio Renfiare. BUT I stayed awake and did my final read-through, so this should be mostly okay. I skipped a couple steps in my editing to get this up on time but I think, for the most part, it's okay. If you see a grammatical booboo, just ignore it, I'll get in here sometime this week with my other two editing steps and find it, then repost this. Capisce? Okay, cool...now. I hope you enjoy it, I also hope my trying to phonetically write Mer's accent doesn't get too annoying. I know you really shouldn't write accents, but I think it helps add to the characters. And I do try to keep it to a minimum so it doesn't get annoying. Thanks for the love the first part received last month! I know waiting so long between updates is a bit sad after weekly updates with LtR. But life is busy right now and once a month is all can guarantee.
Jonny did not know how to keep a house.
In fact, Jonny did not know how to do much more than drink, argue, and get into fights. He was nothing but a thorn in Evie's side—never mind how much she needed him for a place to lay her head. A necessary thorn was still a thorn. Given the opportunity, she would rip it out as soon as she could and dress the wound promptly so she was finally able to heal better. She stayed only because she had no other choice. And every time Jonny raised his voice or stumbled in reeking of alcohol and red-faced, Evie could hear her best friend's warning in her head. Cynthia had begged her not to go with him, but she hadn't listened.
Oh, how she wished she had.
Luckily, Jonny wasn't the kind of man who liked to stay home which eased the ache of the ever-present thorn in her side. Whatever money he did have, he spent out on the town—the town being New Orleans. Like Evie, Jonny had been born and raised in the Big Apple, the noise and the chaos was part of him. As such, he hadn't taken to the quiet suburban life Bridge City offered as well as Evie. She liked the quiet, easy flow of the sleepy town. Her housemate loathed his new home. He thrived in disarray, thus, he found a group of like-minded young men to run amok with in the neighboring metropolis every chance he got.
If Jonny had been any sort of amicable company, the notion of him leaving most every night to wreak havoc several miles away would have been upsetting. Thankfully, his penchant for city life meant a good portion of Evie's days were spent out from under Jonny's tyranny. The hours he was gone were blissful and calm, and she relished in them. Whether she was creating art or tending to chores around the old house, Evie didn't care as long as Jonny wasn't there—never mind how lonely the routine often was.
Evie had never gotten the chance to meet Jonny's maternal grandmother, though she suspected she would have liked to. Unlike her grandson, she seemed like any other sweet elderly woman judging by the furnishings she'd left behind. There were dozens of lace doilies, and table cloths with soft patterns, decretive china even, but it was the plethora of photos the old woman kept that told Evie she'd carried a kindly heart. All of them were kept in pristine albums or intricate frames; they were the only barbles that seemed to have been cleaned or dusted with any regularity which spoke of how much she must have treasured them. Evie loved those tiny trinkets and black and white memories. It didn't matter that they were not her legacy of family heirlooms to keep, she adored them anyway.
She couldn't count the number of times she'd replaced a broken frame that had fallen victim to Jonny's drunken belligerence or scrubbed tirelessly at a stain he'd left on the patterned tablecloths. It proved to be a hefty undertaking, but dwelling in the fantasies of someone else's history let her forget the grief of her own. She was willing to sacrifice a little elbow grease if it allowed her mind to roam away from the shadow that never really seemed to vanish.
For all the effort Evie put in on the interior, the cottage held little in the way of curb appeal. The porch was sunken in the middle, the paint was peeling off in chunks, and the yard was mostly weeds. Worst, however, was the screen door which squeaked so loudly, every dog in the neighborhood howled in protest every time someone crossed the threshold. The outside needed love that Evie simply didn't have the energy to lend. Despite the grit, however, the foundations were sturdy enough that she didn't worry. The cottage proved to be stronger than she looked—a feat Evie felt she had in common with the old house. And while it was a swell enough place to rest her head, it never truly felt like home. Home was somewhere safe, and as long as Jonny lived under that roof she wasn't safe. Not really.
Fortunately, Jonny wasn't home when Evie returned after her run-in with Mr. Shelton—Mer, she corrected herself with a hint of a giddy smile. Without her housemate there, her evening promised to be hopeful instead of lonely, and she wasted no time in figuring out what to make for dinner.
With her red pumps replaced by her worn-in slippers and her blue checkered apron secured around her waist, she set a pot of water to boil and dialed the phone conveniently located in the kitchen. Every evening she called her sister-in-law to pass the time and keep up on unimportant gossip back home; this time, however, Evie was excited to finally have some good news to share.
"You got the job, didn't you?" Cynthia Clarke asked on the other end, sounding hopeful. "I knew you would."
Evie grinned, still amazed how the sound of Cyn's voice always seemed to settle some of the ever-present anxieties buzzing in her head. She missed her friend so much.
"I didn't even say yes."
"Did you or did you not get the job?" Cynthia pressed.
"I did," Evie confirmed and her smile grew hearing her friend cheer on the other end of the phone.
"See! I knew it." Cynthia said. "My gut feeling is always right."
Evie rolled her eyes and shook her head fondly.
"I think I'm gonna like working there too, so that's good." she mused as she stood at the stove, eyeing the pot of water she’d set to boil.
"That's so great, Ev. I'm so proud of you." Cynthia paused before continuing. "So, what are you up to tonight? Avoiding Jonny?"
"Sorta," Evie nodded even though she knew her friend wouldn't see.
As she continued to watch her cooking pot of water she told Cynthia all about her trouble with Jonny's car and the man who'd been so kind to help her.
"Wait. You invited the stranger over who fixed the car?" Concern was heavy in Cyn's voice, and Evie half expected a lecture to follow.
Despite knowing each other since childhood, Cynthia had taken on the role of her protector since Evie's family was no longer in the picture. The war had claimed Evie's father, and brother—although they'd never found her brother, Jimmy after he disappeared behind enemy lines. Evie never lost hope that Jimmy would one day be found, Cynthia though, was certain her husband was never coming home. After Cyn’s brother, Charlie, died at Normandy Cynthia had difficulty believing anyone was going to make it home. As for Evie's mother, losing a child and her husband to the war was too much for her tender heart and she passed not long after. Ever since, Cynthia was overcome with the need to act as Evie's guardian.
"He wouldn't let me pay him," Evie explained. "So I'm making him dinner—it seemed like the least I could do."
"I suppose…." Cynthia didn't sound convinced, if anything she sounded slightly irritated there was no quick way for her to argue the logic. "Just be careful, Evie. You don't know this guy—he could be another Jonny Doyle. Or worse."
"He's not," Evie said quickly. She wanted nothing more than to tell her friend all about how benevolent Mer was, but she decided against it. Cynthia would only argue that point somehow.
A long pause followed, and Evie wedged the receiver between her ear and shoulder so her hands were free to work on the meal.
"So, what are you cooking?" This time, there was a hint of jest in her friend's tone when she spoke.
The art of cooking was one creative outlet that Evie struggled with, second only to music. In her youth, her mother did all the cooking—it was a passion of her mother's—thus Evie had done little more than watch in wonder as her mother whipped up meal after meal effortlessly. Breakfast she the meal she was probably best at, apple pies too, but anything beyond that Evie required a step by step guide to prepare. And even then she lacked confidence. Thankfully, when she'd fled south, she remembered to grab her mother's cookbook. It was a cumbersome tome with yellowed pages and notes scribbled into the margins: a piece of art itself cultivated over years of collecting recipe after recipe starting the moment her mother stepped off the boat that brought her from Ireland. And like a witch and her spellbook, Evie depended on it.
"Spaghetti with garlic bread," Evie admitted feeling as though the meal lacked a certain something.
Pasta was something she knew held a low degree of difficulty when it came to preparing. Surely she couldn't mess up pasta.
“Mmm, I can almost smell it,” Cynthia said.
“Shut up.”
“No, seriously,” Cyn replied. “You’re mom’s spaghetti recipe was always my favorite.”
A doleful smile pulled at the corners of her lips, thinking back to her mother happily cooking in the kitchen as she sang a Celtic tune. It seemed strange that those moments would never again play out, instead they’d become bittersweet memories Evie could only relive in her mind.
“Mine too,” she murmured, suddenly missing her family.
Neither of them said anything for a moment, and Evie’s mind roamed the dregs of her grief before blinking back into reality and the hope of something happy to come.
“I need to go, Cyn,” Evie told her friend with a sigh. “I don’t want to burn the garlic bread.”
Cynthia chuckled and said her goodbye, only after making Evie promise to call her in the morning to let her know how everything went.
With her second hand restored after hanging up, Evelyn reached for her mother’s cookbook to give the steps another look over to ensure she had done everything and added every herb and ingredient she was supposed to. She’d followed everything perfectly, even factoring in the little notes scribbled into the margins left there by her mother—those she smiled at fondly and traced the fading ink with her fingers. Everything was as it should be. Even so, without a taste, Evie knew the sauce she had prepared would never be as savory as what her mother made so effortlessly.
“You were the artist in the kitchen, Ma,” she said with a shrug. “I’ll stick to paper and canvas.”
For the smallest of a moment Evie thought she would hear the warmth of her mother’s laugh, and when it never came she sighed again, trying not to dwell on the shadows behind her. What mattered was the light ahead.
Despite her lack of confidence, the meal came together without any severe hiccups. The noodles were not overcooked, the sauce was a complementing mix of savory and sweet (though, as she had guessed after a tiny taste, was not nearly as good as her mother's) and the garlic bread was nicely golden. A small tingle of pride manifested in the form of a surprised, but satisfied, smile as she surveyed the dinner before her.
“Not bad, Ev,” she told herself, knowing her mother would have been delighted.
With the cooking done, Evie threw a glance over her shoulder to the clock mounted on the wall, triggering a surge of anxiety to bubble in her gut. Stranger, perhaps, was the amount of excitement coursing through her veins. It was as though all of her happiness was riding on whether or not she would see Merriell again. None of it made sense; the man was little more than a stranger. The coupling of nerves and delight was not a feeling that put her ill at ease, however. She trusted it. And it was that peculiar sensation that seemed to fuel her movements.
With a few minutes to spare, Evie wandered into the small bathroom to freshen up. She made sure her hair was still pinned the way she liked—up and pretty. Her make-up was holding up nicely despite the heat; all she needed was a fresh layer of lipstick to complete the illusion of a put-together young lady. It wasn't often she wore a dress with heels and a face of cosmetics—she liked to when the opportunity arose, but she was just as comfortable in a pair of old overalls and smudges of charcoal on her face.
Just as she wiggled back into her red pumps—discarding her worn-in house slippers with a couple of calculated kicks—a knock on the door signaled Merriells arrival. Immediately a grin curled onto Evie's lips and her heart began to pound an anxious-excited rhythm. A blush threatened to color her cheeks to give away the torrid muscle beating in her chest—her ever yearning heart already making leaps and bounds for a man she had known for mere hours.
Don't be ridiculous—she warned herself taking in a deep breath to curb the eagerness coursing in her veins. Untying her apron, she tossed it along with her discarded slippers and went to answer the door, taking one last deep breath to steady the fervor in her heart.
Merriell had changed and showered. The sweet bouquet of his shampoo coupled invitingly with the musk of the aftershave he'd chosen, making it difficult for Evie to keep from soaking in the scent he carried. His curls were still somewhat damp—too much moisture in the air to keep the heat from drying them on his way over—though they fought to spring back into their previous fluff. The grease-covered, jeans he'd been wearing had been replaced by a nice pair of tan slacks, and the buttoned shirt he wore was a soft shade of green that made his eyes glitter a deeper emerald as he stood under the glow of the porch light. All Evie could do was stare—utterly beguiled—every rational thought in her head lost to her.
Mer smirked, amused by her ogling. "Hiya."
Evie blinked, coming back to reality, suddenly feeling foolish, and uttered a nervous "hi" before swinging her arm to invite him inside.
"Come in."
Merriell's smile grew as he crossed the threshold, inhaling deeply. "Mm, smells tasty in here."
He gently forced a bottle into her hands as he passed on his way to investigate the savory smells in the kitchen.
"I wasn' sho what ya was makin', but I figured wine usually goes with anythin'."
"Oh, thank you." Evie glanced at the label, unable to read the French words printed there. "You didn't have to bring anything."
"I know," Mer shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. "I just wanted to make a good impression."
There was something almost boyish when he smiled then—cheeks coloring pink ever-so-slightly—that made him even more of a mystery. One Evie was eager to solve.
"Well," she said placing the bottle on the kitchen table. "It should go perfectly with dinner."
His expression lost a hint of its boyish charm as it grew into a look of delight.
"Make yourself at home," Evie gestured vaguely between the table and the sofa in the living room as she ventured to the cabinet where the stemware was kept.
She placed two crystal glasses on the table along with the wine and retraced her steps to fetch some of the nicer china Jonny's grandmother had kept. Mer watched her, his gaze, gentle and attentive, and a little bit yearning as she methodically sat the table.
"Need help with anythin'?" he asked finally.
"Nope," She replied with a smile. "Everything is almost ready."
The hearty red sauce on the stove was beginning to boil again which told her it was hot enough to serve, and Evie eyed the pot with scrutiny, praying silently her attempt at cooking would go over well.
"I'll pour us a glass then," Mer announced.
"Great, lemme…" Evie spun to fish for the corkscrew in the drawer of misfit utensils, finding it, only to turn to see Merriell holding his lighter against the neck of the dark bottle just below the cork.
Before she could ask, a loud pop sounded, causing her to jump as the cork went flying.
"Oh my goodness!" she laughed, a little surprised, a little impressed. "Where did you learn to do that?"
Mer shrugged, a sly expression on his features, and left her question unanswered.
"How much ya want?" He held the open bottle over the top of her glass, waiting patiently.
"Enough," she said, tossing him a coy smirk without really meaning to.
He bit his lower lip as he smiled, chuckling under his breath when he poured a generous glass of red wine for each of them. She thanked him as he took his seat and grabbed his plate to dish out their dinner.
"How much pasta would you like?"
Mer's face lit with charm and mischief as he turned to face her.
"Enough," he grinned.
The expression on his face was playful, his smirk devious and amused by his own response and his cheekiness settled warmly in Evie's stomach. Not only did she revel in it, but she also played into his whimsy and scooped as much spaghetti into his plate as she could before coupling it with the savory sauce and a slice of bread.
Despite being only strangers, the atmosphere that bloomed that evening was not marked by any hint of bashfulness, instead, it was relaxed and amiable. Warmth that Evie had longed to dwell in again—that unrefutable kindness she'd lost with the passing of her family—flowed uninhibited from the man sitting adjacent to her. His conversation was cautious but still jovial and genuine. It was the first time since running south Evie could recall what life felt like without grief and fear weighing upon her. Merriell was a stranger, but she felt safe with him. Jonny had never made her feel that way.
"So," Evie spoke as she twirled the last bit of pasta with her fork. "What is it you do, Mr. Shelton?"
Mer cast her a look of disapproval—no doubt in retaliation to being addressed so formally—before his features softened back into a neutral, yet somehow still amused side smirk.
"Nothin' too excitin'," he stated vaguely. "The odd jobs are what I like ta do the most—like fixin' ya car this aftah noon."
Without really meaning to, Evie leaned forward, resting her elbow and chin on the table, utterly enchanted by the beautiful stranger at her table.
"You like to get your hands dirty, huh? Fixing things?" she was entirely too intrigued with the thought of what he could do with his hands.
He shrugged, suddenly modest after a foray of playfully arrogant smirks and glances. It made him abruptly twice as charming.
"I've always had a knack for it, I guess." Merriell finished the food on his plate with the help of his remaining garlic bread to mop up the sauce still left on his dish.
"What about you?" he asked after chewing. "Ya workin' anywhere?"
All at once, a proud smile lit up Evie's face. After all the excitement of seeing Merriell again, she'd almost forgotten about her good news.
"Actually, I just got a job today—the general store downtown, Southern Comfort."
Mer's face lit up too, "Birdie's place?"
"Yeah, you know it?" Of course, he knows it! She thought, Bridge City's population was slightly less than the number of people who lived in a single district back home in New York. Everyone knew everyone else.
"Sho do—I was practically raised there…ole Birdie's like a second mothah to me."
"Really?" Evie found a great deal of comfort in that notion. In fact the more she thought on it, the more she realized how similar the old woman and Mer were; they radiated the same magnetism and sincerity.
"Mmhm," he nodded, his eyes focusing elsewhere as the veil of memories danced across the contours of his features. "My mama used ta work there…once upon a time…"
"Does she still work there?"
Merriell's face lost a hit of its levity and he swallowed as though to fight off the onslaught of sudden emotion threatening to cast a shadow onto his expression.
"No…" he said softly. "She—uh—she died, about a year ago."
Shit!
Abruptly, sick knots twisted into Evie's stomach, feeling callous, but understanding of the quiet misery he hid under layers of charm and arrogance.
"Merriell, I'm…I'm sorry—I didn't mean…"
He met her eyes and cast her a quick smile—doleful, but enough to ease the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"It's okay," he reassured her, reaching for his glass of wine and taking a good gulp before changing the subject. "Birdie's great—you'll enjoy workin' for her."
"I hope so…" Evie said softly, still too embarrassed to meet Mer's glance longer than a second or two.
For the first time all night the atmosphere they shared felt cumbersome—perhaps more melancholy—than she'd wanted it to get. Evie sat, worrying her bottom lip, her fingers toying with a loose thread in the table cloth as she stole quick glances through her lashes in Mer's direction.
He was nursing the alcohol in his glass with the same sadness she'd caught plaguing him as he sat at the bar hours ago. And while Evie was eager to know if his grief stemmed only from the loss of his mother, or perhaps more, Merriell was still too much of a stranger to warrant such questions. It didn't matter how easy it was to be near him, she had not earned the right to know his narrative.
A soft sigh broke past her lips as she fought to find a way to properly allay the gloom that was quickly ruining an otherwise wonderful evening. It wasn't until her eyes found their desert sitting on the counter, waiting to save the day, that she perked up.
"Got any room for apple pie?" Evie asked with a hesitant smile. She hoped he wanted to stay long enough to have a slice, though she would not have blamed him for wanting to leave.
Immediately Mer perked up too, the shadows on his features retreating with the promise of something sweet.
"I was countin' on it—seems as how you promised a slice earlier," he said with a boyish grin.
When she stood, he did too, helping clear away their dinner plates, and letting them soak in the sink to be washed later. Evie cut them each a slice of apple pie and the delight on Mer’s face made her smile too seeing him lick his lips as his grin continued to grow. Catching that flash of his tongue was like a bolt of hot lightning striking her without warning; a blush rose so quickly on her cheeks Evie had to look away to keep the blunder a secret. Thankfully, the pie was more than enough to hold Merriell’s attention away from her.
“Mmmm… Almost looks too good to eat,” he said ogling the desert in front of him.
When Evie chanced a look his way, the expression on his face caused her to chuckle, “‘oughta be, I made one for my pa every year for his birthday since I was nine. It’s probably the only thing I have any confidence in making in the kitchen.”
“Coulda fooled me,” Mer quipped as he loaded his fork with as much pie as he could.
The moment he took a bite, his brows creased, and eyes closed as he chewed painfully slow. Those few seconds were like agony. Evie’s heart was pounding in her chest with so much anticipation she feared she might faint as she watched him sample the only thing she could actually make that was worth a damn.
“Fuck me, if that ain’t the best apple pie I’ve evah had the pleasure of tasting.”
A somewhat nervous, but relieved chuckle sounded in the back of Evelyn’s throat as she watched Merriell shovel a larger bite of pie into his mouth.
“Mmm… Yep. God damn delightful.”
“Stop,” Evie said sheepishly, suddenly afraid he was overselling his reaction to keep from hurting her feelings.
“No,” he wiped his mouth and leaned across the table to meet her gaze with a sincere expression that stole away all the doubt writhing in her stomach.
“I mean it. If I wasn’t so full of pasta, I’d eat that whole damn pie right now.”
“Well,” Evie grinned softly, trying not to let her blush color her cheeks too obviously. “Thank you. And you’re welcome to take the rest of it when you go.”
Excitement took form on his face with a smirk that was sweet but roguish all at once—a sort of debonair charm that amplified his magnetism—as if his bright eyes dark curls and razor-sharp jaw did not make him alluring enough already. Again she had to look away knowing the pink in her cheeks would be too strong to combat.
“Imma have ta take ya up on that offah. An’ I’ll be thinkin’ ‘bout you every time I cut me a slice.”
That blush was unstoppable; her heart was suddenly so smitten, it felt as though butterflies were fluttering merrily in her stomach. She felt weightless with warmth and hope swelling in her bosom, fearing any slight breeze would carry her off. It was ridiculous how at ease Evie felt sitting there eating pie with a complete stranger. The conversation had been easy all night; even when it had delved into less savory topics he still made her feel comfortable. Evelyn had forgotten what it was like to be in the company of a man who wasn’t easy to anger, who was genuine and kind and wanted only to live in the moment.
For a time the whimsy of the atmosphere faded as the warmth in her heart ached, suddenly missing her brother James and Cynthia's brother Charlie. Both of them were good men, kind and genuine—like Merriell—but they had been swallowed by the rages of war. Brave young men were lost forever, while a man like Jonny Doyle was still alive How was that fair?
No matter how pleasant her thoughts could be, they always fell back to the grief that plagued her. She sighed, deeply, pushing those intrusive memories back into the depths of her mind so she could find joy once more in the moment with a kind stranger.
When Merrill finished his plate he made a beeline for the sink full of soaking dishes.
“Oh, no,” she said jumping to her feet. “I can do those.”
Merriell, however, shook his head. “Uh-uh, you did the cookin’, I can do the cleanin’.”
When Evie tried to argue, Mer simply shook his head, his grin amused but determined as he kept scrubbing the dirty dishes.
“Let me help at least,” she suggested. “I’ll dry and put them away.”
Before he could protest, she snatched the freshly rinsed dish from his hand and began wiping away the droplets of water clinging to the porcelain surface, throwing him a smug smirk that made him chuckle.
“Alright,“ he smirked.
She watched him for a moment not really paying attention to her task as he scrubbed the old plates clean, overcome with a blissful vision of peaceful domesticity. It made her stomach fill to the brim with whimsy and her heart was fluttering again; had this stranger bewitched her already? Or did what she feel bubbling lightly in her gut like a seltzer stem from an end to her loneliness—even if it was only for a few hours? Evelyn didn’t know. Nevertheless, she was intrigued with a profound feeling and she wanted to dwell in it for as long as she could.
Occasionally as he would hand a freshly washed dish her way, his calloused fingertips would brush against her skin, igniting a spark she didn’t know how to react to. It was more than an amicable tingle racing from the tips of her fingers right to her heart. And each time they touched, Merriell would cast her a gentle smile that held nothing more than his inherent charm and magnetism. She wondered if he felt it too, or if her need for companionship was playing a dirty trick on her.
When the dishes were all back in their usual places—the night drawing to a close—Evelyn realized she was not ready to say farewell to her Beautiful Stranger. She longed to stay up all night just chatting with him, she did not care about what, Evelyn only wanted to stay encompassed a while longer in the blissful warmth he brought into her life. Once he was gone, all she would be able to do was stay up and ponder the significance of those little touches and the sparks they brought.
Thankfully, Merriell lingered on the old rickety porch, one hand in his pocket, the other holding onto his plate of leftover pie, seeming to stall their inevitable departure.
“Well,” he said with a grin. “Thank you for invitin’ a stranger ovah for dinna.” He paused, glancing at the leftover pie in his hand. “Can’t recall ever having a better plate of pasta, an’ nothin’ evah gonna beat this pie.”
Evie quickly looked at her feet to hide another blush.
“It was the least I could do,” she told him before looking back to meet his eyes. “You have no idea how much of a savior you were this afternoon…”
A glint of concern flashed in his eye, his brows beginning to crease as his unspoken question lingered between them.
She thought about telling him—telling him how Jonny was nothing more than a throne in her side, and how much she cherished Merriells company—but Mer was still a stranger. It wasn’t right to unload so much onto someone she’d only known for a few hours.
Before Mer could offer any reply, the sound of screeching tires stole all their focus as an old wagon pulled along the curb—narrowly missing a collision with the mailbox. The rowdy passengers were laughing and shouting loud enough even before the door opened to let Jonny stumble out. He staggered on drunk feet and screamed a handful of profanities to his buddies in the car which made them all roar with laughter.
It was only after the wagon full of hooligans pulled away that Jonny began to stagger towards the house, and it was exactly then that Evie’s fluttering heart became consumed with panic.
She and Mer watched him cross the yard, unseen, both frozen: Evie in fear and Merriell in confusion. Jonny’s intoxication level inhibited him from taking notice of them until he was at the base of the steps leading onto the porch. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he frowned.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Jonny, this is Mr. Merriell Shelton,” Evie said quickly, willing her voice not to shake.
The Doyle’s were not known for their hospitality, nor were they known to trust most people. Especially strangers.
“He helped me this afternoon with a bit of trouble I was having,” she explained vaguely, hoping to thwart any more suspicion. “I made him dinner to say thank you—he’s just about to leave.”
Jonny eyed Merriell, seizing him up as best he could through drunken lenses. Mer stood his ground, eyeing him back with a subtle intensity that never so much as cracked under Jonny’s scrutiny.
Finally, being the better man, Mer held out his hand in a friendly manner, “nice ta meet ya.”
Jonny cast a prolonged glare at Merriell's open hand, his brows furrowed and part of his lip hiked up in a sort of snarl. Instead of returning the kind gesture, Jonny made a show of spitting at his feet before tossing his heavy leer at Evelyn.
"Evie, do not invite any more strangers into my house. I don't care if they are dying." He shoved past them both, purposely bumping Mer's shoulder (most likely in hopes to start something) muttering as he went: "I don't trust any of these filthy southerners."
Shock sent Evie's jaw slack; this time the redness in her cheeks was a symptom of embarrassment instead of infatuation. She should have known Jonny would say something rude and uncouth. Without another thought, she grabbed Mer by his sleeve and pulled him across the lawn until they stood next to his truck parked along the curb.
"I am so sorry about him," she said, crossing her arms and glaring at Jonny's house, ashamed and angry.
Mer shrugged as he placed his partially eaten pie in the passenger seat through the open window before fixing his hands in his front pockets.
"Ya boyfriend's a bit of an asshole."
"He is not my boyfriend," Evie corrected vehemently. "I don't think he knows that though. I'm just staying here until I can figure some things out."
Merriell was quiet a moment, nodding silently. It seemed as though he was taking his time processing the whole situation. There was compassion on his face and behind his eyes, but it was guarded somehow. Evie caught it though and she was grateful when he didn't ask the questions plainly forming in his mind.
"Well," he said finally, his tone light as one corner of his mouth quirked into a grin. "Since he ain't ya othah half, I feel more inclined ta leave ya with this…"
Gently, Merriell caressed her upper arm as he leaned forward to plant a tender kiss on her cheek. He let his lips linger slightly longer than was common for such an act, that all at once wove a new hopefulness into her heart.
"Dinna was swell," he added as he pulled away, his smile somehow more charming than it had been all night. "Hope I see ya again, Evie."
"Me too," she murmured.
Evie watched as he got in his truck to leave, her hand held to the cheek he'd graced with his kiss. And when he drove away, it took everything inside of her to keep from running after him.
#Beautiful Stranger Series#Merriell Shelton x Original Character#Merriell Shelton#Snafu Shelton#HBO War#The Pacific#The Pacific Fanfiction#Rami Malek Fanfiction
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Ships and their wingmen
Part 2
Read -> Part 1
Because we can't be the only one who ship them. Or those who don't.
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MinaSaku
In time-travel AU, Sakura will possibly the only one who will not ship it, if only because that will change the future. But casting that aside, Team Minato will do everything in their power to make sure the two adults soon sire a pink-haired, blue-eyed kid or blond-haired, green-eyed kid, or any combination of those colors for that matter.
Kushina will be conflicted whether to pursue Minato and fight her best friend/soul-sister (because Sakura is Kushina in pink hair) or allow Sakura get Minato and keep their relationships as it is. If she chooses latter, she will give up on Minato, simp on Hokage hat instead, and becomes the best damn Hokage Konoha has ever seen. If not, she puts up a good fight, insert-a-lot-of-angst, a heartfelt moment between Sakura and Kushina later simps on Hokage's hat, and becomes the best damn Hokage Konoha has ever seen. Either way, Kushina sooner or later supports MinaSaku, because she doesn't get Minato then only Sakura gets to have him.
Like Ino and Sakura, Inoichi and Sakura become fast friends, even if it starts with Inoichi flirting and Sakura hitting him squarely on his jaw, and the man is excessively protective of his pink-haired friend. He will probably root for KushiMina just so to protect Sakura's chastity. He will give up soon and will make sure no one gets in the way of his OTP.
If it takes place in canon, let's say somehow Minato selectively gets to be revived for extended periodof time for some reason. Or he time-travels to post-war time and finds himself thrown into a loop. Both, in which, MinaSaku is a very slow burn that even Naruto notices the strange air between his dad and his teammate, and everyone comes to conclusion exactly where Naruto had gotten his denseness from. Kakashi ships MinaSaku because it's his father-no-2 and favourite student together, as weird as it sounds. Naruto doesn't ship, at all, because that would make Sakura his step-mother. Most angst in this MinaSaku will be caused by one Naruto Uzumaki. Ino simps for this ship just because Minato is hot, is loosely Sakura's type and she, being a good friend, completely supports her best friend bedding a heartbreaker like Minato.
Tsunade ships because he is a good man.
Konoha council ships because Namikaze genes need to be retained in the village one way or another.
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HashiSaku
For starters, Tobirama doesn't ship, at all. Hashirama was already very prone to get distracted even without Sakura in the picture, but now with someone of Sakura's colors by his side, it was as if Tobirama got prematurely promoted as the head of Senju clan AND Hokage. Tobirama doesn't appreciate it at all. He subtly tries to get Sakura killed, to ship her overseas without Hashirama noticing, and convince her to marry someone who wasn't tan-skinned, longhaired and a Senju to boot. When all failed, he tries to seduce her himself as a last-ditch effort to help her move on from Hashirama. He only manages to gain a black-eye and a harsh rejection on top of it. Then, it look a while, but he figured she would be a good leader and a competent backup if Hashirama remains distracted in all his future meetings.
Mito is a proud, powerful woman, and she desires strength in things that catches her attention. So when she found Sakura, she wanted her for herself but instead found herself in competition with Hashirama of all people. Regardless to say, they hate each other.
Madara sees Sakura as the second and the last brain cell of the Senju clan, next to Tobirama. He supports HashiSaku if only so his best friend can learn a thing or two about how to use his bright but otherwise inactive brain cell. He is always ready to adopt her into his clan should Senju throw her out, courtesy of Tobirama.
Izuna likes Sakura and if she likes Hashirama, then he will support it. Easy as that.
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MitoSaku
Madara doesn't care because his best friend is married to not one but two beautiful but powerful beasts of women. Hashirama has no room for complaints.
Hashirama is a third wheel in his own marriage.
Tobirama doesn't know if he ships it or not because his brother is married to a woman who is in love with another woman and that woman insists that they all remain together for the better of future.
Izuna ships, to say at least.
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TobiSaku
Hashirama is the biggest fan of TobiSaku. He grins his annoying grin in a way that makes everyone present in the room with him blush in embarrassment. He dubbed Sakura as his sister-in-law the moment he saw his brother with her.
Madara doesn't think someone like Tobirama deserves Sakura, but thinks someone like Sakura can persuade Tobirama to chill. It's better for Senju clan in a long run, so he supports their relationship.
Mito simps hard for this ship because she wants Sakura as her sister-in-law. Half of the TobiSaku moments happened because of HashiMito's meddling.
Izuna flirts with Sakura at every chance he could, if only to rile Tobirama. He might like Sakura as a bit more than a friend, but he also finds TobiSaku relationship precious in a passive-agressive way so he doesn't mostly get in their way because they make up to about 65% of his daily entertainment quota which he doesn't wish to lose.
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MadaSaku
If there's one person who is a die-hard fan of this ship then it's one Izuna Uchiha. He enjoys teasing his older brother at every chance he gets, ruthlessly and sadistically. He enjoys the way his brother softens at the very mention of Sakura and he thinks that is the most precious thing he's seen his older brother do for anyone who's not him. Sakura gets along with Izuna so well that he often thinks she knows him better than he knows himself, and for that he cherishes Sakura as one of his family. His love for MadaSaku stretches so far that he would kill anyone who dares to get in between two of his most important people.
Tobirama ships them because he thinks Sakura will help Madara lose some of the madness inherent in Uchiha clan. It is because of Sakura that Tobirama becomes less wary of Uchihas and warms up to them.
Hashirama jumps at Madara and Sakura everytime they come for a visit, much to his wife's embarassment. Sakura is considered one of the Senju clan, and with her marrying into Uchiha clan, strengthens Senju-Uchiha alliance. Hashirama, like Izuna, is very happy to see Madara at peace and wishes the best for the couple. Like Izuna, he teases Madara mercilessly everytime Madara does something even slightly uncharacteristic of him. Sakura isn't teased often only because her becoming flustered results only in bodily harm.
Mito approves of the pair, if only because it gets her husband's attention away from Madara and his clan. She respects Sakura and knows the Uchiha clan will thrive with her as their matriarch.
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IzuSaku
Madara doesn't ship it at first because his brother is easily charmed by beautiful women and she looked a little too much like a Uzushio woman. Mito and Madara aren't in the best of the terms, regardless of the alliance. He suspected it to be trap when he saw his brother smile a little too gently, his eye softening a little too much than he was accustomed to seeing. He didn't ship IzuSaku at all because he loves his brother first and foremost. Sakura and he started off in bad terms but he soon discerns her good intentions and her honest reciprocal of feelings for Izuna, so he gives them his blessings and promises his protection.
Tobirama doesn't believe it until he sees it. He thinks she is too good for someone like Izuna, but seeing Izuna happy and content with Sakura, he comes to an understanding that this arrangement does save a lot of women from falling his prey.
Hashirama doesn't hold a particular opinion on Izuna but knows his notorious reputation and thus fears for Sakura's heart. He doesn't get in their way but tries to make sure Sakura is safe. When he is assured Izuna is courting her with intention of marriage, he gives them his blessings as well because Sakura is part of his family.
Mito doesn't understand why Sakura chose someone like Izuna given his reputation, and how Izuna really fell hard for the woman like Sakura.
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SaiSaku
Sai doesn't have lot of friends to support him, but luckily for him, Sakura has.
It is Ino who digs their relationship. Ino who helps Sai learn a thing or two about women. Ino who helps him learn new ways to impress Sakura (failed everytime). Sai and Ino became close friends the more she stayed around as his part-time trainer/babysitter everytime Sakura is away on a mission/hospital (because Sakura doesn't trust Sai alone without her for long). It is through Ino that they ultimately got together in the end.
Naruto, as if on a clock, becomes sceptical if she didn't see Sasuke in Sai, but that idea goes out of the window everytime Sai opens his pretty mouth. He supports Sai and Sakura because he could. As much as Sai pisses him off, he is still one of his good friends that he treasure, but one he would never admit to about his feelings.
Sasuke never thought his position in Team 7 would be threatened, much less by an ANBU/Root member, and he most definitely didn't think it will be that member who will ultimately date Sakura. As much as he knew the world wouldn't have stopped moving when he left, he also didn't expect new faces to join his team and take what had been promised his. Sakura punches him square on his face when he vocalises his thoughts. Regardless to say, he isn't happy with this arrangement.
Yamato is most pleased to see Sai flourishing as a person instead of a killing machine they were made into. He thinks Sakura is scary and will keep Sai on his toes, but also that she will be patient and guide him on the right path. They couldn't be more different, but he knew they understand each other like no one else.
Yamato and Naruto becomes the best men in SaiSaku wedding, and no sightings of Sasuke is observed anywhere.
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ShiSaku
Surprisingly, Shisui gets green signal from all the members of team 7. When asked, he is told many reasons ranging from – "You're the only decent Uchiha" to "You're not emotionally dead.", which ultimately means he is approved because he is everything Sakura expects in a man, and that age is hardly a reason of disapproval from them if it is not a problem for Sakura.
Naruto sometimes – particularly on days when Shisui steals their female teammate to spend time with him – think if Shisui had not brainwashed Sakura into giving in to his vile intentions, because that's exactly what his Sharingan is specialized to do, but when Sakura hears a word about this, she always punches him hard enough to make him reconsider his words. Sasuke and Kakashi are smart enough to keep their opinions about her love life to themselves.
If Itachi thought Shisui was annoying when he was not in love, he thinks Shisui is downright nuts when he is in love. Sakura is all he ever talks about, and while Itachi is pleased to see his cousin and Sakura, who's a good friend to him, so happy in love, there's a line that need not be crossed. He is thankful that both make a lovely couple together who can make Uchiha clan a happy place with their shared positivity. But. But, Shisui is also a jealous idiot and those two words never make a good combination. Itachi blesses the couple for all happiness in the world, but he is just not the person they should come to looking for relationship advice whenever one of them (always Shisui) screws up.
You'd think since Shisui is not part of the main house and having no living family of his own, there'll be no family drama surrounding him and his love life, but you're dead wrong. Once Mikoto and Fugaku hear a word about ShiSaku being canon, they call Shisui in, gives him the earful of the lifetime, demands of him to propose marriage to her, and proceed to prepare for the big wedding. Sakura accepts but that's hardly a point, because next thing Shisui knows is getting adopted into the main house. There goes his freedom.
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KibaSaku
Tsume loves Sakura. She wants to adopt Sakura. Inuzuka clan loves Sakura. KibaSaku is real, so what happens? Tsume threatens to disown Kiba unless he proposes to Sakura and make her one of the pack soon. According to Tsume, Kiba has finally chosen "the one who will make up for his lack-of-thereof brain and strength".
When the word gets out about his entanglement with Sakura, Team 8 is pleased – especially Hinata and Shino. Kurenai looks at him like she doesn't believes him. Shino repeats Tsume's sentiments on the matter. Hinata only smiles in a way that screams 'finally!'.
Team 7 is not happy that their precious teammate is getting it on with someone who smells like dog.
Kurenai who is like a mother to both Sakura and Kiba is happy to help them get started with parenting. It got too awkward to further ask Tsume who only said to "break the bed and let nature play its role". Kurenai will take turns with rest of the Team 8 and Team 7 to babysit many kids that KibaSaku will sire because they are wild. Tsume is proud though.
Tsunade blesses the couple and knows she will enjoy spoiling her many grandchildren rotten. Shizune is only happy for her sister-figure, even if she is a bit worried for the children.
Ino smirks at Sakura like a sly cat, every time they meet, all the way until her friend is happily married. Kiba is a catch, even if he smells like a dog. And they both know it.
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GaaSaku
Baki cries in joy when GaaSaku reveals their relationship public. He had thought Gaara was a lost cause when it comes to romance. His son-figure made him proud that day.
Temari threatens Sakura if she breaks "her-precious-bean's-fragile-heart", she will see through that her body gets never found in the sand. When it became clear that Sakura was serious about Gaara, Temari crushes the other woman to her chest and cries over how lucky she was to have Gaara as her husband (because there's no way her precious bean, Gaara, is undeserving of someone).
Kankuro breaks down crying, thankful that his little brother Gaara was not asexual and that he only had high expectations of himself because there was no way Sakura wasn't the best bride for Gaara. A match made in heaven, he said. It doesn't help that Kankuro and Sakura are best friends who often conspire ways to make Gaara blush prettily like he does, much to Gaara's chagrin.
Tsunade stans GaaSaku and is aware of the political advantage in their marriage to back up their relationship. Temari marrying into Konoha and Sakura into Sand, is a fair exchange.
Konoha council begs to differ.
Naruto wants to feel betrayed but doesn't because Gaara deserves the love he will get from Sakura, and he knows him and knows her. That doesn't help him from sending threatening letters, dripping on rabbit's blood, to Gaara who isn't alarmed at all and patiently writes back about his feelings concerning his female teammate. Naruto cries like a baby on their wedding because Kazehime is such a fitting title for his precious Sakura-chan.
Sasuke never sees it coming. He is betrayed, but not because Sakura moved on but because it is Gaara she moved on to. He takes personal offence to it, confronts personally about it to her in Suna and Sakura isn't impressed. If Sakura gives him a beating that leaves him in Suna hospital for a week, that's not on Sakura.
Kakashi cannot care less whom his old genin team fucks and marries but he admits he is a bit impressed that Sakura marries Gaara of all people.
.
ShikaSaku
Team 10 is ecstatic when Shikamaru and Sakura makes their relationship public. Ino is on cloud nine when she hears Sakura gets to be official part of Ino-Shika-Cho. She breaks into Sakura's apartment to crush her best friend in a hug that might as well suffocate her to death but a girl gotta express her joy one way or another. She demands Shikamaru to invite Sakura for all future clan get-togethers so Sakura will feel comfortable in future.
Choji is happy for his best friend. He secretly meets with Yoshino to prepare for the big day. He exclusively invites Sakura for all Akimichi parties when he hears about her passion for cooking, even if she's bad at it. It's safe to say Sakura became part of Ino-Shika-Cho even before her marriage to Shikamaru.
When Sasuke hears about it, he corners Shikamaru and inquires about all the intentions Shikamaru has towards his teammate. He might not like Sakura like she once wished to be liked by him, but she was still part of his family that is Team 7 and he cares enough to make sure she doesn't get heart broken the way she had with him. When he gets right answers, he drops his arm against his throat, draws back his kusanagi and walks away like nothing was amiss.
When Naruto hears about it, he pokes fun at Shikamaru for his taste in women – first Temari, now his teammate. To onlookers, it would look like two friends playfully teasing each other, but if you look closely, you'd notice the red of Naruto's eyes, how the grip on Shikamaru's fingers were tad too tight and the way Shikamaru looked like he would rather be anywhere but there. After a measured shake and few more teasing jabs, Naruto returned to his goofy self.
When Kakashi hears about it and comes across him, Shikamaru doesn't let the older man get a word in. With Kakashi, it might as well be chidori to heart so Shikamaru rushed to firmly asserted his very pure, no vile, feelings for his sole female student. By the time he is finished with his monologue, Kakashi has left.
Tsunade is neutral when the news gets to her. As simple as Shikamaru was, he was also not the most committed person so she decides to test Shikamaru before she gave him her blessings.
Temari flips the table when the word reaches Suna. She immediately leaves the village to make sure Shikamaru was truly serious, this time, about her friend. Gaara follows after her because he is still pissed at the certain man for breaking his sister's heart. Kankuro passes the hat to Baki for the meantime and leaves after his siblings to beat certain someone if this is just another ugly fling for him. Also, because he isn't going to miss on a good show.
If some ink tigers pop out of nowhere and attempt on Shikamaru's life or some carnivorous plants tries to taste the meat on his nether region, he doesn't speak of the incidents to anyone, let alone Sakura. It is only after Sakura is pronounced a Nara that the attempts on his life cease.
.
.
.
The part 2 y'all wanted.
I think I nearly covered all the popular pairings. There's still ShinoSaku, YamaSaku, DeiSaku, KisaSaku, KarinSaku, LeeSaku, HidaSaku and ChoSaku, AsuSaku and IndraSaku though. Maybe next time.
#Kushina for Hokage#Inoichi is male!Ino therefore flirting is crucial#Kakashi and Rin worships the ground Sakura walks on#we all know the only way MinaSaku is happening is time-travel#cant blame naruto for not shipping minasaku#you wouldnt appreciate your father being chosen over you by your first love either#ino is us#hashirama is a poor political leader but Sakura is not#Mito is bisexual babe who simps hard for women who can lift what many powerful men couldnt#i cant help but make uchiha fam love sakura#tobirama is in denial and therefore the passive agressive love between tobisaku#izuna is a worldclass womaniser but sakura loves him anyway. just because he looks like sasuke doesnt mean he is even remotely like him#sai is precious. who sai will go to when sakura is busy? ino ofc#shisui is carefree uchiha who enjoys his freedom. he was at least until uchiha main family heard about his relationship with sakura#multisaku#hashisaku#madasaku#izusaku#shisaku#minasaku#mitosaku#shikasaku#gaasaku#notice how shikamaru gets the short end of the stick and is threatened again and again by all people who is not team 10?#he may be smart but he is also sexist has comittment issues and finds relationships drag. i made him lowkey womanizer which i think he is#kibasaku#he who smells like dog but is too hot to be casted aside#saisaku#everyone loves her#sakura haruno
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Six of Crows re-read
(i also did this for the shadow and bone trilogy so read that if you want to)
spoiler alert obiously
i'm SO EXCITED FOR THIS this is my comfort book (with crooked kingdom of course)
JOOST HI
oo fun fact this was my first grishaverse book and i read it with no context whatsoever except that the mc is an emo boy and morally grey
so IMAGINE my pure confusion when JOOST appeared
i was like ?????? weird take on morally grey character but ok
joost trying to figure out how to flirt with a girl is a mood
anyone wanna teach us how to???
i kinda wanna skip this part so i can see the crows..
but i won't don't worry
(won't I?
"I think Yuri may be quarantined"
aaaand?
so are we you are not special
i feel like it's very important for me to mention that i read this book in spanish first
and then i got into the fandom and i was like who the fuck is the wraith? i only know El Espectro
Heartender who??? ooo you mean Cardio
Tidemakers? nope, i only know Maremotores
for real i was so confused i had to re-read it in english (not that i mind tho)
say whatever you want about the spanish version but we have to agree that this design is pretty af
another one yay: "Retvenko was a Squaller" vs. "Retvenk era un Impulsor"
(should i also say that in my pfd english version the book is 294 pages long and in my pdf spanish version its 532????) (i think it's because in the english one the speces are way less like the lines are so close together wtf
i've decided that i'm bored so i'll be skiping this chapter
anya is super badass tho
skdgfalsdgfliaysvfascvhjl yesssssss inej
Kaz Brekker didn't need a reason.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
KAZ
INEJ
I MISSED THEM
omg now i can picture amita and freddy SDJGKASKGLASG THIS IS AMAZING
we interrupt our regularly scheduled program to watch the shadow and bone trailer once again to hear freddy's beautiful voice
ok moving on!
now hear me out i'm giving you all permission to make fun of kaz for this one: Dirtyhands = Manos Sucias
hello i am Kaz Manos Sucias. nice to meet you!
AAAAA
AAAAAAAAAA
JESPER FAHEY
JESPER LOVE HI
SJDGHFKAHSGDLAJSDFSJ,AHFLHDSGF
I MISSED HIM OMG
OMG NOW I CAN PICTURE HIM AS KIT
can you tell jesper is one of my favourite characters?
i really love the fact that kaz is pissed about the murder of that ambassador ONLY because he can´t figure out how it happen
he´s such a nerd
i can't believe one of the firts things we hear jesper say is threathen to kill someone by writing "forgive me" with bullets
AND HE CALLS HIS GUNS "BABIES" OMG
picture saying hi baby and wylan thinkin he's talking to him but actually jesper's talking to one of his guns
Jesper rolled his eyes. "It's about sending a message. What's the point of a dead guy with forg written on his chest?."
"Compromise," Kaz said. "I'm sorry does the trick and uses fewer bullets."
ooo thank god we have kaz to come up with creative solutions /j /s
honestly i love how they talk about kaz's cane like it's the scariest weapon ever (which it kind of is)
nothing will ever disappoint me more than finding out that in english their gang name is "the Dregs". like i don't even know for sure what that means
in spanish is "Los Indeseables" (the undesirables?) which sounds a lot more badass
no hate tho i like the dregs
but i was confused af bc i expected it to be sometihng like "the undesirables" or"the unwanted" or whatever
and it said "the dregs"
which in the translator means something like shit or something
anways moving on:
If he'd (kaz) ever been a little boy
i love how lowkey all the crows think he was just born exactly like he is now
imagine a baby kaz all dressed in black and threatening people
cute
"No mourners," Jesper said as he tossed his rifle to Rotty
"No funerals," the rest of the Dregs murmured in reply. Among them, it passed for "good luck".
YES
YESSS
i wonder what wylan's doing right now :))
i can't wait for the next book where he has a pov
the first time i read this book i literally looked at the title of every chapter to see if he ever got one (i was disappointed to say the least :((((
Besides, she was the Wraith - the only law that applied to her was gravity, and some days she defied that, too.
ma'am
marry me please
i'm gonna cry so hard once the show is out and we get to see inej omg
me simp
That Kaz had chosen Jesper to be one of his seconds was no surprise. Twitchy as Jepser was, with or without his revolvers, he was at his best in a fight, and she knew he'd do anything for Kaz.
idk why but i just love it every time kaz implies or shows that he cares or trusts jesper
it makes me soft
But every one of Inej's senses told her that was not how this was going to play out. Her father would have said the shadows were about their business tonight. Something bad was going to happen here.
underrated saying from Inej's father right there
"I'm a business man," he told her."No more, no less"
"You're a thief, Kaz."
"Isn't that what I just said?"
i-
i see no lies here
not to be annoying but i hc jesper as adhd (i mean is pretty much as canon as wylan's dyslexia) so i'm gonna write here every time i see evidence :)
jesper with adhd part 1: impulsivity
Jesper snorted. "Stomach, spine. What's next, spleen?"
"Shut it" Oomen snarled. The rules of parley dictated that only the lieutenants could speak once negotiations had begun. Jesper mouthed "sorry" and elaboratedly pantomimed locking his lips shut.
he know he couldn't speak but couldn't stop himself from making a comment (i relate way too much to that lmao)
hoestly poor jesper he had to watch hid friend get shot and kaz do nothing about it
i would've been mad too
"I like it when men beg," she said. "But this isn't the time for it"
KAHGFAHLGSFGASFLGSAFS
this is one of the best quotes in the book by far
YASSS KAZ POV
Kaz could have tol Jesper that he knew he wasn't dirty, reminded him that he'd trusted him eough to make him his only real second in a fight that could have gone badly wrong tonight.
cute
but kaz is petty af
he didn't even have a reason not to tell jesper that!
i love that kaz knows inej is following him but doesn't say anything because he wants to wait until she's ready
i LOVE the scene where kaz in in the van eck mantion /srs
idk why but it's so good
And, of course, there was the mystery of Van Eck's son.
wonder what that could be!!! /s
He grinned at her (...)
"Hmm." she said noncommittally, pretending to examine one of her knives, determined to ignore that grin.
KANEJ YESS
HE'S BASICALLY SHOWERING IN FRONT OF HER OMG
this is so funny poor inej is getting flustered
"And I'll need Wylan waiting at the Crow Club tomorrow night."
YES WYLAN OMG
One minute he made her blush and the next he made her want to commit murder
happens to the best of us :/
"Please, my darling Inej. treasure of my heart won't you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat?"
if kaz doesn't say this on the show we riot
agreed?
it's so amazing how nina found a way to use her powers to get money instead of having to like steal and murder like the rest in the gang
NINA'S POV YESSS HIII
nina and inej omg
their friendship is just perfect
POOR MATTHIAS HE HAS TO FIGHT THE WOLVES
i would straight up cry
Matthias was dreaming again. Dreaming of her
i'm gonna cry damn it
this is the enemies-to-lovers we all needed
jesper has adhd part 2:
"Jesper was supposed to wait until three bells." said the pale boy
"It is three bells, Kaz." replied a small girl (...)
"Since when is Jesper punctual?" the boy complained with a glance at his watch
the time blindness come one
(btw i love the fact that kaz plans around jesper's time blindness instead of like threatening him to be on time)
i really love how every one feels the need to take the time to say/think that the masks are ugly
its so unnecessary lmao
yessss inej is a badass that kills monster we stan
and matthias is lowkey impressed lmao
as he should
"Thank you, Jesper," said Nina
"You're very welcome, gorgeous. See, Kaz? That's how the civilised folk do"
THESE TWO OMG
JESPER IS THE LOML
INEJ OMG LOOK:
She stepped aside as if she's known he was coming, languidly hooking her heel behind his ankle. Matthias let out a loud grunt as he landed on the stones
(...) "Clumsy, this one," the bronze girl said impassively.
i-
that's what happen when you underestimate her bitch
AAAAAAA
PEOPLE
PEOPLE
TIME TO FREAK OUT
WYLAN IS HERE
AND HE'S DOODLING STOP IT'S SO CUTE
ok jesper has adhd part 3 i think:
"Just how crazy is he?" asked Jesper, fingers drumming on the pearl handles of his revolvers.
ok first of all: stimming
second of all: hyperactivity
i rest my case
ok 2 or 3 things here
"I believe you know Nina," Brekker continued. "The lovely girl freeing you is Inej. (...) and this is Wylan, the best demolitions expert in the Barrel"
"Raske is better," Inej said
The boy looked up, ruddy gold hair flopping in his eyes, and spoke for the first time. "He's not better. He's reckless"
"He knows his trade"
"So do I"
ok 1: kaz calling inej lovely omg kanej
2: YES WYLAN STANDING UP FOR HIMSELF
2.5: kaz calling him the best cute af
3: honestly why do people think wylan is like an innocent soft boy or whatever. he's in a room full of murderers and thieves and the first thing he does is correct them and stand up for himself
like i wish i could do that
i would be crying like a bitch
AAAAAAAA
"Meet Wylan Van Eck"
KHDSGFALSGFIASGFAL
HI WYLAN BABY
YESSS JESPER'S POV NOW
I'M SO HAPPY also look at this it's the first thing in his pov
Jesper stared at Wylan
do i sense some wesper?????
ok everyone is being so mean to him right now
they are aclling him useless and an idiot and other shit
poor boy honestly he had to deal with this + taking part of a heist he is definetly not ready for + he has to hide the fact that he can't write or read
it so distrubing that kaz is literally the nicest one to wylan right now
"See that? Hidden depths." (...)"He's good enough at demo, and he's got a fine hand for sketching, thanks to all those pricey tutors."
(...)
"There you have it," Kaz said to Jesper. "Marketable skills. Wylan is watching you, Helvar"
GET READY
ARE Y'ALL READY?
OK THEN:
"Scheming face," Jesper whispered to Inej.
She nodded. "Definetly."
THEIR FRIENDSHIP OMG
AND THIS QUOTE
I NEED IT ON THE SHOW THEY BETTER GIVE IT TO US
"Who's Mark" damn wylan (but pretty good comeback to jesper tho)
"What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?
"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.
"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.
"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.
"You're all horrible," said Matthias.
tag yourself i'm jesper
KJSFGAL kaz just told wylan to tell him everything he know about his dad's company
and he said he doesn't know and kaz was like "and you never looked trough his documents????
AND THEN HE GOT SAD AND SAID HE HADN'T (and kaz believed him this is sad)
AND NOW JESPER CALLED HIIM USELESS
ok you know i love you jes but if you keep this up
idk i can't do anything you're a sharpshooter
but stiiiiiil
LMAO MATTHIAS ACTUALLY THOUGHT HE COULD BEAT KAZ
nice try
demjin
*insert spongebob voice* demjin
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A MOMENT NOW TO APPRECIATE INEJ GAHFA
BECAUSE KAZ DOESN'T
The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.
*ugly crying*
Many boys will bring you flowers. But some day you'll meet a boy who will learn your favourite flower, your favourite song, your favourite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.
*uglier crying*
TANTE HELLEN IF YOU DON'T GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE
SOMEONE PLEASE STAB HER FOR ME
jesper has adhd part ?? (i have dyscalculia you can't expect me to remember the number):
That sound - the swift, shocking report of gunfire - called the scattered, irascible, permanently seeking part of his mind into focus like nothing else.
do i really need to explain this?
ok just in case.. an adhd brain doesn't actually have a deficit of attention(the name just sucks) it's problem with controling that attention. the brain is always looking for new sources of dopamine which is why it shifts its focus so much
i love that jes thinks of matthias as "tha giant"
like sir
have you seen yourself?
you're tall af
HE GOT SHOT
WHY DID I FORGET JESPER GETS SHOT IN THE LEG HERE
"Close your eyes!"
"You can't kiss me from down there, Wylan"
"Just do it!"
i love the energy BUT NOW IT'S NOT THE TIME JES
YESS WYLAN SHOW THEM THEY WERE WRONG CALLING YOU USELESS
inej just stabed some guy int the d
good for her!
KAZ YESSSS HI
AWWW SHE'S WORRIED HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS CANE
KANEJ FOR LIFE
oh no wylan got shot too???? (just barely but stilllll por baby)
my Wraith omggg
ok 3 things about this:
Without another word, he tipped Oomen into the sea.
"No!" Wylan shouted, leaning over the railing, his face pale, stunned eyes tracking Oomen in the waves. (...)
Jesper set his hand on Wylan's shoulder. "Let it go."
"It's not right-"
"Wylan," Jesper said, giving him a little shake."Maybe your tutors didn't cover this lesson, but you do not argue with a man covered in blook and a knife up his sleeve"
1. wesper yasssss
2. wylan just argued with a mant hat had just tacken the eye out of someone. he literally called him out for being an asshole. like damn wylan is brave af i love him
3. do you think seeing kaz trow the guy out of the boat reminded wylan of when the same thing happened to him???? this makes me sad
he's brave and a good person and i just-
"Man with a knife, remember?" he said over his shoulder.
"Man with a gun!" Jesper called after him
this had no right being so funny
AND THEN KAZ GAVE HIM THE MIDDLE FINGER STOP I CAN'T
nina is the biggest kanej shiper no one can tell me i'm wrong
unrelated but if jesper had gone to the Little Palace and had studied there with nina they 100% would've had a crush on Zoya and bonded over it
like you can't tell me those two bisexual disaster wouldn't be absolutely in love with Zoya
jesper has adhd part ??:
Jesper scrubbed the back of his neck, touched his hands to his gunds, returned to his neck. He always seemed to be in motions
hyperactivity right there
and restlessness
"Do you know the best way to find Grisha who don't want to be found?" (...)
"Seems to be if they don't want to be found, you should just let them be" (jesper says this)
this conversation must be so stressful to him omg
LMAO JESPER CUT MATTHIAS HAIR THIS IS SO FUNNY
AND HE SHAVED HIM
ok you all know i love all of them but they can be sooo stupid
like wylan wrote no names on the drawing and he's excuse is that he doesn't know fjerdan?
AND THAT'S NOT EVEN TRUE he literally said he learned school fjerdan which means he should know how to write it too (we know why he can't but the tohers don't)
and even then like the excuse doesn't make any sense. why would having the original name be usefull if no one can fucking read it????
the worst part tho? NO ONE QUESTIONED HIM
THEY WERE LIKE "yup makes sense" AND WENT ON WITH THEIR DAY
i wondered how they didn't figure wylan's secret sooner but now i now
it's because theya re idiots
"I'm just doing my job. Stop glaring at me"
wylan baby let's not make the gigant mad
Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. "Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost."
Brekker's lips quirked. "I'll just hire Matthias ghost to kick your ghost's ass."
"My ghost won't associate with your ghost," Matthias said primply, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.
i had to put this here i don't want to get murdered by the fandom
jesper, inej and nina have the BEST friendship
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE JES AND INEJ TOGETHER ON NETFLIX
"I know some people don't understand, but Kaz told me ... he said it was my choice, that he wouldn't be the one to mark me again."
i love this because it happen when they had just met
he did it because he understands her trauma and he respects her not because he loves her (i doubt he did at the time)
Kaz had been impressed with the sketches. (...)
"Just learn to take a compliment. Kaz doesn't hand them out often."
I'M SO PROUD OF WYLAN
and yess kaz only compliments wylan (and inej but that's sarcastic so it doesn't count) because he's a proud dad
"And you don't belong here, either."
"I beg your pardon, merchiling?"
"We don't need a sharpshooter for Kaz's plan, so what's your job - other than stalking around making everyone angsty?"
He shrugged. "Kaz trusts me."
Wylan snorted and picked up his pen. "Sure about that?"
DAMN WYLAN DESTROYED HIM
also
"If you aren't born with every advantage, you learn to take your chances."
"I wasn't-" Wylan left off and set down his pen. (...)
aww cute neurodivergent boyfriends bonding
Wylan had turned back to his work, his disappointment obvious. For some reason, Jesper felt disappointed, too.
ajgflasjgfjagslfiuusgflgdfsgdflasdgfsd
wesper
aww jes checks on inej every morning and every night i love him
"Thank you for keeping me in this world when fate seemed determined to drag me to the next. I owe you a life debt."
Nina blushed deeply. "I was teasing, Inej"
LJFGALKGFALGA another cute friendship right there
(and i can see why people ship them romantically)
STOP INEJ AND JES ARE BONDING SO MUCH (page 127 so i can go back and read it lmao)
Van Eck writes to Wylan every week, and Wylan doesn't even open the letters
"They just said the same thing again and again: If you're reading this, the you know how much I wish to have you home. Or I pray that you read these words and think of all you've left behind."
should i kill him? anyone want to join me?
Inej bumped her shoulder against his."Then at least we're both the same kind of stupid." (...)
"You're too good for him, you know?"
"I know. So are you"
jes and her bonding over their stupid crush on a white boy
Because I've been looking for an excuse to talk to you for two days.
jfsfdajdhmgkfutdjrgsg ok i can't blame them for having a crush on him anymore
this chapter is full of kanej i love it
"What do you want, then"
You, Inej. You forever.
jksdgfoagsdfgsdgfklasgdflaghsldfgksdgfkahgsdfghjlkf
kaz's backstory makes me sad
"When we get our money, you can burn kruge to keep you warm," said Kaz. (...)
"I´m gonna pay someone to burn my kruge for me."
Kaz fell into step beside him. "Why don't you pay someone else to pay someone to burn your kruge for you? That's what big players do."
"You know what the really big bosses do? They pay someone to pay someone ...". Their voices trailed off as they tomped ahead, and Matthias and the others followed.
JES AND KAZ HAVE THE BEST CONVERSATIONS
i can't believe we get to see nina and matthias meet and their whole backstory in less than a month omg
"It's not natural for women to fight."
"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand."
QUEEN
YOU TELL HIM
oh no the dead grisha
this part breaks my heart every time
"Do you have a different name for killing when you wear a uniform to do it?"
.....i'm just gonna leave this quote right here
anyways acab
stop nina tried to kill the survivor so they wouldn't suffer but she couldn't do it
and jesper did it for her without hesitation i wanna cry
and inej didn't want to do it either i want to hug them
"Because our crime is existing. Our crime is what we are"
..........
i'm gonna leave this here again
do with it what you will
"Don't mock what you don't understand."
"My mockery offends you? My people would welcome you laughter in place of this barbarity"
i- this conversation is so important
AAAAA JES AND WY ARE A GREAT TEAM I LOVE THEM
WYLAN TROWS BOMBS TOGIVE JESPER TIME TO GET READY TO SHOOT
INEJ AND KAZ ARE A GREAT TEAM TOO
THEY LITERALLY DID THE SCENE LIKE IN THE AVENGERS (but without the shield WHICH MAKES IT BETTER)
Jesper shouldered his rifle. "Wylan earned his keep."
Wylan gave a little jump at the sound of his name. "I did?"
YES BABY YOU DID GREAT
kaz getting self-conscious for his hair is pure comedy
but nina how can you say that have you see his hair on the show???? it's perfect
"Remeber our friend Mark?"
HELP I CAN'T
"Any other impossible feats you'd like us to accomplish?"
The bearest smile flikered over Kaz's lips. "I'll make you a list."
once again jesper and kaz being besties
unrelated but nikolai and jesper would love each other
the amount of sass they have between them it's unparalleled
"Mmm," Inej murmured, taking a sip from her mug. "Maybe you're just not enough."
DAMN
ma'am marry me please
kaz fainted damn poor boy
unrelated unce again but this is so much betetr than shadow and bone
like you can tell leigh improved so much
her characters are better and their arcs are better developed
the writing itself it's better
or maybe i'm just biased because i love soc so much but i think she definetly improved
INEJ IS TRYING TO GIVE HIM SPACE EVEN WHEN SHE'S TRAPPED AND LOCKED ON THE WAGON
I JUST - THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO MUCH
Though he'd trusted her with his life countless times, it felt much more frightening to trust her with his shame.
Inej had once offered to teach him how to fall. "The trick is not getting knocked down," he'd told her with a laugh. "No, Kaz," she's said, "the trick is in getting back up"
inej is smart af
Kaz was usually unshakeable during a job, but now he was on edge, and Jesper didn't know why. Part of him wanted to ask, though he knew that was the stupid part, the hopeful farmboy who picked the worst possible person to care about, who searched for signs in things that he knew deep down meant nothing - when kaz chose him for a job, when Kaz played along with one of his jokes. He could have kicked himself. He's finally seen the infamous Kaz Brekker without a stich of clothing, and he'd been too worried about ending up on a pike to pay proper attention.
ok i got a couple of things to say about this part
first of all it makes me so sad that jes cares so much for someone who dosn't deserve him. because no hate to kaz but they would never work as a couple and kaz already treats him like shit most of the time
i think this part shows who a lot about who jesper really is. a boy that grew up having to hide parts of himself, who thinks he's worth nothing but it's smart and capable, who's loyal and brave and caring but doesn't even know it himself. he's someone who feels he doesn't deserve good things and thinks he's not good enough, and that's why he unds up in all the wrong places with the wrong people. he left uni bc he fell in with the gangs, because he didn't think he was smart enough or even prepared to be in studying in the university. jesper is constantly hiding behind a mask or running from things because he's scared of not being enough
an kaz is everything jes in a way wishes he could be. kaz is secure in himself (at least on the outside), he's stable, he's smart, he's "unshakeable". and most of all, he doesn't care about others (we know that's not true but that's how he presents himself)
and that's the thing that causes jesper all his problems. because he's insecure because he thinks he's not good enough for the poeple or things he cares about. and he's always trying to do what's best for his loved ones: he went to the ice court to pay his debt for his father, he follows kaz everywhere beacause he cares about him, he offered to read to wylan (knowing it wouldn't be easy for him to be still that long).
and yeah it often doesn't work out becuase he's messy and he has problems but he tries. and he hates that. he hates that he cares so much about people because at the end of the day, that's what makes him feel like he's not good enough
one more thing and i'm done i promise
unpopular opinion but i love that leigh made jesper have a crush on kaz. 1 beacuse it's refreshing to see someone not get otgether with his first crush. and 2 because i love that it shows that we sometimes get attached to people that are not good for us, but that we can learn to move on. jesper ended with wylan who respects him and values him, unlike kaz
ok i'm sorry that was probably all bs
oo one more thing, jesper definetly has rsd (rejection sensitive disphoria), which is something most poeple with adhd have
"My father used to take me everywhere with him"
this is so sad. bc they probably had a good relationship when he was little. and then they figured he coudln't read and now his father treats him like shit
it's even worse than if he haf been horrible from the beginning because wylan knows he can be a good father. and so he thinks it's his fault and he deserves to be treated like that. i hate van eck
"You're cuter when you're smart"
(...)
"Definitely cuter when you're smart"
wesper yesssss
i love them so much
ok but why do people think jesper is stupid. like the boy just made a bunch of criminals pass out by mixing some chemicals
and he was going to the university at like 15
AAAAND NOW THEY KNOW HE'S A FABRIKATOR
amazing plot twist
also:
Wylan coughed. Flirting with him might actually be more fun that annoying him, but it was a close call.
oooo come on jesper we all know you just love getitng him to blush
and you love him
who said that? definitely not me, nope
awwww jesper misses being around animals that's cute
imagine him coming home to wylan one day with a puppy because he just couldn't resist
cute
Better terrible truths than kind lies
just leaving here more of inej's wisdom
ok this may be a reach but jesper has adhd part ???
Yellow Protocol? Red Protocol? He couldn't remember which was which. (...)
"The alarm was Yellow Protocol, a sector disturbance."
Jesper pushed at his temples. "I don't remember what that means"
a bad working memory? sounds familiar
kaz loves puzzles
it's canon
"I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue."
this part where wylan and jesper see the banner made with grisha's kefta kills me every time
I would have worn purple, Jesper thought, if I'd joined the Second Army. (...) He'd beenwilling, even eager to risk capture and execution as a thief and hired gun. Why was it worse to think about being hunted as a Grisha?
this makes me want to cry so much
another thing super sad: the fact that since his father is Kaelish and had some supersititons towards grisha, jesper grew up wondering if his own father was scared of him. he had to hide his powers and he was almost taught to be afraid of them
"Is it safe to leave them, you know-"
"Alive? I'm not big on killing unconscious men."
"We could wake them up"
WYLAN
NO
damn the boy needs therapy
it's amazing how nothing went like they planned
not a single thing
PEOPLE GET READY
ARE YOU READY?
NEITHER AM I BUT WHO CARES
"What do you like?"
"Music. Numbers. Equations. They are not like words. They...they don't get mixed up."
ok dude the clues are right there he's basically saying it
"If only you could talk to girls in equations."
There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they'd created in the link, Wylan said, "Just girls?"
Jesper restrained a grin. "No. Not just girls." It really was a shame they were all probably going to die tonight.
wylan really said a straight man?? couldn't be me
this is the definition of bi panic "jesper restrained a grin" bitch we saw that
btw i love the slow burn
like they hint something here but they don't actually start liking each other until much later and they don't get together until almost the end of ck
i also love that the fact that they both like guys is like out in the open now. bc i'm not a fan of when queer characters have a crush and there's the whole thing of "are they queer too or not?"
like they both know htey are queer. but they don't get together right away bc they have to start liking each other before. they don't get together bc they are the only queer mlm characters
matthias fake betrayal killed me
i tought it was real
I have been made to protect you. Only in death will I be kept fom this oath.
this is just-
also foreshadowing?
YAYY KUWEI HI
There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.
She's laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and got drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.
if i ever have a s/o and they don't tell me this at least once i don't want it
He needed to tell her... what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn't pull himslef together into some smeblance of a man for her
THIS
THIS IS LOVE RIGHT THERE
they are the only straight couple that matters
everyone else go home
Wylan had scratches all over his cheeks and neck. He was beaming. Inej grabbed his hands and sqeezed.
so cute omg
"You can explain why our illustrious Shu scientist looks like one of Wylan's school pals along the way"
KAZ
i mean it's true but you didn't have to say it
KAZ IS SMILING OMG
EVERYONE FREAK OUT WITH ME
HE'S "grinning like and idiot" STOP I LOVE HIM
"We are all someone's mosnter, Nina"
"I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all"
this part breaks my heart and i love it
"Stay," she oanted. Tears leaked from her eyes. "Stay till the end"
"And after," he said. "And always."
i just- helnik is perfect
AWWW JESPER MISSES WYLAN
my daily dosis of wesper :)
ok but in like 2 pages jesper tought of wylan like 10 times bc he's sad wy isn't with him
Jesper scanned the empty deck. He's assumed Wylan would come up to see them off. (...)
Jesper knew he was being selfish and stupid, but some petty part of him wondered if Wylan had deliberately kept away from him on the journey back. Maybe now that the job was complete and he was on his way to his share of the haul, Wylan was done slumming with criminals.
*charles boyle's insinuating voice* and why do you care so much???
btw YOU ARE WRONG. HE'S LITERALLY GOING OUT OF HIS WAY TO BE WITH YOU EVEN THOUGH HE CAN'T SPEAK
this scene where we find out the truth about wylan hurts so much but it's one of my favourites idk why
I LOVE THAT EVERYONE IS AS MAD AS I AM ABOUT THE LETTERS NOW
"Your're a fool," Jesper snarled. "He smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you."
YES TELL HIM
the fact that wylan just heard him say that omg
"Deserved" amended Van Eck. He blew the whislte twice.
SOMEONE BETTER GRAB ME BEFORE I KILL HIM MYSLEF
THAT IDIOT
I HATE HIM SO MUCH
I'M GONNA CRY CAN SOMEONE KILL HIM FOR ME
Jesper screamed in rage and raised his guns.
YES EXACLTY WHAT I MEANT
JUST KILL HIM RIGHT NOW
"I'm not big on bludding, am I Inej?"
"Not as a rule"
Van Eck's lip curled. "And why is that?"
"Because he'd rather cheat," said the boy who was not Kuwei Yul-Bo in perfect, unaccented Kerch.
THIS WAS PERFECT
THE BEST WAY TO REVEAL THAT
(...), and Jesper flinched
baby he recognized wylan's voice
The Shu boy held out a hand. "Pay up, Kaz"
BITCH THIS IS AMAZING
THIS BOY MADE A BET WITH A CRIMINAL THAT HIS OWN FATHER WAS GOING TO TRY TO KILL HIM
AND HE WON THE BET
A nearly perfect replica of Kuwei Yul-Bo stood before them, but he had Wylan's voice, his mannerisms, and - though Kaz could see the fear and hurt in his golden eyes - Wylan's surprising courage, too.
i love it when they compliment him
my boy deserves all the compliments ever
AND KAZ IS PROUD OF HIS SON WE ALL KNOW THIS
Wylan cuold draw a perfectt elevation. He's made a drill that could cut throu Grisha glass from parts of a gate and scavenged bits of jewellery. So what if he couldn't read
this is taking me to some real places
i may cry you've been warned
WYLAN DIDN'T CARE THAT HE MAY BE STUCKED LOOKING LIKE KUWEI
this is making me cry
"A fool would have been waiting to be smashed to bits on that ship. And as for "traitor", you've called me worse in the last few minutes alone."
EXACTLY
YOU TELL HIM WYLAN
Instead, in that moment of threat, when he should have thought only of the fight, he looked at Inej.
BABY
i would've done the same tho she's pretty
amita is sooo pretty i'm gonna die when the show comes out
Jesper was staring at Wylan, his eyes roving over the black hair, the golden eyes. "Why?" he said at last. "Why would you do this?"
nothing to say here except: wesper
You... how many times was it you standing beside me on the deck at night when I tought it was Kuwei?"
"Every time."
i want to cry so bad
"Why does it matter?"
"I don't know!" Jesper said angrily. "Maybe I liked your stupid face."
a very staright and platonic thing to say of course
i know jes we all liked his stupid face
"Jesper made a mistake," said Wylan. "A stupid mistake, but he didn't set out to betray anyone."
YES WYLAN DEFEND YOUR BOYFRIEND
And maybe he'd kept him in the dark about Wyllan because he wanted to punish him a little
even kaz know they like each other come on
Jesper sat with elbows on knees, head in hands. Wylan deside him wearing th face of a stranger.
wylan give him a hug fro me please
he needs it
"Scheming face," murmured Jesper.
"Definitely," agreed Wylan.
i miss inej already
And I'm going to get my girl. Inej could never be his, not really, but he would find a way to give her the freedom he´d promised her so long ago.
i'm ugly crying and so what?
and now we're done....
i want to read this book again omg this is unhealthy
#shadow and bone#s&b#six of crows#jesper fahey#wylan van eck#kaz brekker#grishaverse#inej gahfa#matthias helvar#nina zenik#freddy carter#kit young#amita suman#soc#helnik#kanej#wesper
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fragile as dust | 5 - culmination
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🔖 a/n - aaah some stuff finally starts going down in this chapter, thanks y'all for staying patient through the last four chapters. please let me know if you’d like to be tagged for updates! enjoy!
—
“Admittedly,” Zhongli sighed, “I may have gone a little overboard with the food.”
You both peered at the carnage leftover from your feast, the table strewn with at least half of the meal left.
“Are you full?” Zhongli inquired. He wasn’t smiling, but there was unmistakeable amusement in his voice. You nodded — a few minutes ago, you’d felt like you could have eaten everything on the table, but the physical limits of your stomach betrayed you. “Very well. Let’s clean up, then I will show you around the house. How does that sound?”
It still took you by surprise, each time he asked you for your opinion. “It sounds good, Mr. Zhongli.”
—
The first time you touched him was as he handed you one of the plates, as you thumbed over the intricate blue-white markings and felt your fingers brush. You didn’t know it then, but it would not be the last.
He was wearing his gloves, and so it was really leather that you’d touched, but it was electrifying all the same. You winced, searching his features for any displeasure. It was not your place to so much as gaze upon a noble of half his status without permission, let alone touch — you’d been taught that lesson, quickly and very early on.
“Please take this to the kitchen,” he requested, as though nothing had happened. You obeyed with slow, deliberate steps, squashing even any thoughts of dropping the fine china. Gingerly — how in Celestia was even the inside of his fridge elegant? — you set it down, closed the door and almost jumped out of your skin. He was standing right behind you, arms crossed as he studied you, features unreadable.
“Tell me a little about yourself, Hansi.”
Small talk? Or a test? Surely, certainly, he wasn’t genuinely curious? You felt naked under his probing gaze, still clad in that plain white dress. Had it really only been a day since you’d met Zhongli? Every second with him seemed to stretch over the length of a millennia. Instinctively, your hands wandered to your chest, feeling for your Vision. Wasn’t there. Wouldn’t help you even if it was.
I grew up in a shithole with a dozen other people. I stole, robbed, dredged myself through life, you imagined yourself saying to him, just to get sold to a nobleman who thinks I’m too stupid to understand his intentions.
By the way, three nights ago, Rex Lapis smoked up something real good and gave me a Geo Vision I don’t know how to use.
“There is nothing to know about me,” you said, instead, “save that I am bound to you in loyal servitude, and that I will do as you please, Mr. Zhongli.“
“Hm.” Zhongli hummed, a low echo. His golden gaze rend you through Then, rather abruptly, he said, “Let’s begin the house tour, shall we?”
Somehow, his curtness stung. Had you said something wrong? What you’d said — that was the textbook response you were meant to give, no? Regardless, you nodded your obedience, swallowing the fear you felt, as always, at his displeasure.
—
You almost expected there to be a dungeon of some sort hidden behind one of the doors, some skulls, maybe a poor chained up Hilichurl or two.
What you didn’t expect was so many rocks.
And paintings. And scrolls, and trinkets, and jewelry, arranged carefully upon display stands in each room. You remembered how cluttered the drawers were that you hid your Vision in. In the daylight, now that your mind wasn’t clouded with as much fear and fatigue, you were realizing just how much stuff Zhongli owned.
(Vaguely, it brought to mind images of dragons — the billowing, fire-breathing, treasure-hoarding creatures you’d read about in one of the many storybooks you’d stolen. You shook that image out of your head. Zhongli was plenty intimidating, even without a set of horns and fangs.)
“—and this is the bathroom,” Zhongli said, pushing open the door. The bathroom, on its own, was bigger than the shack you’d shared with four other families growing up. In the middle of the room, the dark marble floor gave way to a large, circular bathtub — it looked a little like a pool. “You are free to use it, and anything in it, whenever you’d like.”
The idea of a hot bath was heaven, but you were a hundred percent certain that your current state — dirt-caked fingernails and unkempt hair and all — was all that was keeping you safe. If you got nice and clean, who was to say what he would decide to do to you?
No, you would avoid taking a bath as long as you could.
Zhongli closed the door, and hesitated. “Hmm. There is less than I thought to show you,” he admitted. “These other rooms are simply full of items I’ve collected over the years, and I’m sure they would bore you.“
“It would be my pleasure to hear more about them,” you said, quickly. You wanted to keep him talking; as long as he was talking, he was doing nothing else. Besides, you found yourself growing more and more intrigued about Zhongli — only so that you could read him better, you promised yourself.
“Well, then far be it from me to deny you your pleasure,” he said. “What would you like to know more about?”
You glanced around, gaze landing on a small, glass standing display case. Two gemstones sat side by side in it, both a rich, translucent gold — like his eyes, you thought. “What are those?”
“Cor Lapis,” he said, and you heard a hint of something in his voice. Pride? “They were a gift, from someone close to me.”
“Are they worth a lot? They’re so pretty.” You bit your lip. They were probably worth more than the average Liyue merchant would ever earn. Pretty? Really?
“In terms of Mora, yes, they are worth no small amount,” Zhongli replied. “However, their value far surpasses material currency, for these are prime Cor Lapis samples from Mount Hulao.”
“Hulao... in Jueyun Karst?” You’d heard the rumors that floated between drunk fishermen and merchants, of the dangers of the mountain, of those who entered and came back changed. You had never put much stock in them — drunk men would say just about anything.
“Yes. And as I’m sure you know, Jueyun Karst is a dangerous place to venture into, without the proper precautions.”
“Dangerous… even for you?” You glanced at the Vision hanging off his waist. You couldn’t imagine a situation where Zhongli would ever be forced to break that collected facade of his.
“For any human.”
You found yourself enjoying the light conversation — you couldn’t remember the last time you’d spoken to another person like this. “Who gave you these?” You tried to smile, and it came easier than you expected. “They must have been really nice, to give away something so expensive.”
Immediately, you regret opening your mouth. Zhongli’s eyes darkened, and his face fell visibly.
“Yes. She… was certainly very kind,” he said, quietly. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but didn't. Couldn’t.
Was? You wanted to kick yourself. Of course you’d manage to bring up his dead friend in your first real conversation with him. The next seconds of silence were almost unbearable. Finally, you spoke up with the first thing that popped into your head. “So, you like rocks?”
By the Archon, weren’t you on a roll today.
You were pleasantly baffled to hear him chuckle, a deep, throaty rumble from the depths of his chest. “Yes, one could say that I am fond of them.” He said, amidst soft laughter. “And you?”
“I don’t know much about them,” you admitted, “but the ones you have are beautiful, Mr. Zhongli.” So was his laugh.
“Is that so?” He asked, the previous conversation seemingly forgotten, as he strode over to a case across the room, “perhaps you will find these to your fancy as well — these pieces of Noctilucuous Jade were mined from the deepest mines of the Mingyun...“
—
By the time Zhongli had finished regaling you about his rock collection, the sky outside had become a smear of pink and orange, the sun drifting barely over the horizon. You hadn’t even noticed the time — Zhongli simply had the kind of voice that demanded wholehearted attention.
“I seem to have gotten carried away again,” Zhongli smiled. Was it just you, or were his smiles coming more frequently? “Thank you for being such a good listener, Hansi.”
You nodded in response, not quite sure what to say to that. The praise had a strange, warm feeling spreading through your chest.
“All that’s left of the house is the library upstairs,” he paused, the tacit question clear on his lips.
You froze. Ever since you started stealing to survive, you’d made a point to sell everything that couldn’t be eaten. Jewelry, hairpins, no matter how pretty, no matter how much your heart ached to put them on, went straight to the pawn store. But you could never sell books. You couldn’t bear to give up the worlds within them, the promises that one day you would be able to live as freely as the heroes of those stories.
So you stole. First from Wanwen bookstore, then when the owner learned to watch for your grubby hands, from bags and pockets and homes. You devoured them like hot meals, kept them under the floorboards of your corner, read them out loud to the kids who lived with you, read them till the dirt from your fingers had smeared the words to unrecognition.
You wanted to see Zhongli’s library, so badly that it hurt.
But to tell him this would be to admit to him that you’d stolen those books, that you taught yourself a skill that someone of your social class didn’t deserve to learn. Something you weren’t worthy of.
“I can’t read anyway,” you lied.
“I see,” Zhongli said. “Then, shall we go and get some dinner? Are you feeling well enough to make a trip to Liyue Harbor? I know the most splendid restaurant.”
—
You thought that things were going relatively well, that you were doing a fine job of squashing the unease and distrust of Zhongli that still gnawed at the corners of your mind. You were giddily excited, even, to be going to a restaurant for the first time.
So, as you two arrived at the outskirts of Liyue, close enough to hear the bustle of nightlife, you certainly weren’t expecting the sudden wave of emotions that knocked you clean off your feet.
It had started small — the unrelenting reminder of how out of place you would look at the restaurant. How out of place you would look in public, next to Zhongli in all his regality. Then: how out of place you truly were — how absurd of you to have started warming up to Zhongli when you knew, with every fiber of your being, what all men like him wanted; when you knew that one day he would grow impatient of waiting for you to offer it.
If you took his dinner, his food, his kindness, what would you begin to owe him?
Suddenly, you couldn’t breathe. The bile that rose through your throat was hot and bitter, and you doubled over and retched noisily into the nearest bush. Vaguely, you could hear Zhongli’s exclamation and his footsteps approaching, but you couldn’t stop until your stomach was empty once again.
You flinched violently at his light touch on your shoulder. “Hansi,” he said, and you were baffled at how genuine his concern sounded, “what happened? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” you whispered, and it was true. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—“
“Please don’t apologize. Can you stand?” Zhongli asked, voice low and soothing. “Let’s get you home.”
You nodded. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner.”
“Nonsense, your health is infinitely more important.” He said. “Do you think that you can walk?”
Once again, you nodded. You let him lead you home.
—
When you reached the front door of the house, Zhongli’s hand on your shoulder firm and gentle, something had begun — deep in your heart — to fester. The fear, the confusion, the things that had fallen into place but didn’t quite fit together — it had all been boiling too long, too hot.
“Mr. Zhongli.” You said, as you stepped through the door, once again greeted by a warm gust of air.
“Yes, Hansi?” He asked, close behind. His hand on your shoulder was suddenly heavy, and hot. You shrugged it off, whipping around to stare him in the eyes.
“Please, just— do whatever you’re planning to do to me.” You said, knowing that if you lost your momentum now you would never get it back.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m not a child. We both know what I'm here for. When I lived on the streets, two pieces Mora would have earned any nobleman a night -- let alone... however much you’ve spent.” You were vaguely aware of how many lines you were crossing with each word, but there was no stopping the words flowing from your lips now. You could feel your heart thrashing against your chest, anger warming your bones.
“We both know that I have nowhere to run, no way to defend myself, so just DO it already. Be cruel, hit me, whatever, do your thing so that I can stop holding my Archon-damned breath and waiting for the inevitable. What exactly are your intentions with me, sir?”
You paused to catch your breath, and the horror set in suddenly. Your temper had always been the bane of your well-being — you just had to let it get the best of you, every time, didn’t you? Why couldn’t you have just bided your time and waited for his patience to run out later rather than sooner?
Zhongli stayed silent, face pulled into a frown as though he was pondering over your words. Time seemed to slow into a viscous fluid, drowning you in its wake. You glanced down the hallway at your room.
If he raised his hand against you, would you be able to make it to your room? Would you be able to grab your Geo Vision before he caught you, and would you even be able to use it against him, against the years of experience he’s had with his? You knew the answer to all of those questions: a resounding no.
Would he let you live if you apologized? You opened your mouth to beg.
“My intentions with you...” he said, brow pulled down over heavy lids. “Hm. It seems that I must apologize.”
You let go of a breath you didn’t know you were holding. For the umpteenth time since your meeting with Zhongli, you wondered: What?
“I have been trying to let you acclimate to your new life at your own pace, whilst moving on from your old.” Zhongli’s pursed lips were the only sign of discomfort in his composed features. “I did not know that such concerns were going through your head, though I should have seen that your seeming lack of fear was but a facade from your incredibly strong character.”
In the corner of your eye, you saw your hands trembling. You tried to get them to stop. They would not.
Zhongli swept on. “The circumstances of our meeting are... unfortunate. In time, you will understand my intentions in orchestrating our meeting, but for now -- you have been put in a very uncomfortable situation. I am remiss for not having acknowledged this much earlier.”
What?
Zhongli cleared his throat. “Hansi, please listen to me. While you are under my roof, I will never lift a finger to cause you any harm, physically or otherwise. And for as long as you are a part of my household, I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are never again touched by hunger, frost, hardship. That you will never be subject to the kind of fear that’s making you tremble,” he reached out slowly and took your hand, “like this.”
He had done all the speaking, but it was you who had lost the breath from your lungs. Each of his words was a low rumble, earthquakes in their own right. You didn’t know if you believed him, but you so badly, badly wanted to, with every inch of your shaking body.
“I do not expect you to believe me, right now,” he said, as though reading your mind. He let go of your hand, and it fell back to your side, still shaking. “However, you will soon come to learn that I never break my word.”
You were beginning to see why Rex Lapis had chosen to grace this man with a Vision. He commanded — no, demanded — your attention, your respect, your trust, your entire being. There was more to him than the rich, lonely nobleman he seemed to be; in that moment, you had never been more sure of it.
“Is there anything else you would like to ask me, Hansi?” Zhongli asked.
You shook your head, mutely. There were a lot of things you wanted to say to that, but the swollen words stuck in your throat. “Thank you, Mr. Zhongli,” you said, and hoped he heard everything behind it.
Tomorrow morning, you supposed, it’d be alright if you had that bath.
#zhongli#zhongli fanfic#Zhongli fanfiction#Zhongli genshin#genshin#genshin fanfic#Zhongli x reader#fragile as dust#anqi writes#my writing#this is solidly toeing the boundaries of self indulgence/projection#but I hope y'all like it anyway ;;
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Masterlist
Chapter 4: Between Two Races
Chapter 5: The Ugly Truth
The moon was almost out as the sun slowly lowered itself behind the mountains. I sighed, might as well enjoy it, this might be the only time I'll ever get to see it like this. With no enemies chasing us, just me and myself, and the maids who were trying to get me to wear a dress.
"What about this one milady? It's certainly beautiful, any man would love to see you in this kind of dress." It was a long black gown, not as fluffy as the others they had shown me. It was slim, and just my size, I ran my hand over the cloth feeling the soft texture.
"I'll try this one." Trying on the dress was the best decision, it fits me in all the right places. It hung off my shoulders slightly, showing my family's crest. My eyes traveled to the v-line that showed my breast. Well, it complimented my figure, even though I don't like showing my body that much, it made me feel beautiful. "Thank you, you are dismissed." I bowed and left my chambers, I could hear them giggling as I walked away. I wonder what they were so excited about, maybe they're eager to see the dwarves?
"Y/n! It's wonderful for you to join us for dinner." Elrond greeted as he walked up the steps with Gandalf. "You look extravagant."
"Thank you, as do you." He wasn't the only one who thought so, cause every dwarf at the table stopped and stared. Their jaws dropping in surprise, and each of them blushed as I smiled. The moment I sat down at the dining table, Thorin couldn't keep his eyes off of me. His gaze traveled to my chest, I couldn't tell if he was looking at my markings or my breast. "Thorin, eyes up here." He snaps out of his trance, but he did not smile or grin, he scowled at me.
"Don't you think that's a little too much skin your showing?" He growled I didn't think it would be a problem, but now I was doubting myself.
"Even if it is, what does it matter?"
"It matters cause you look like a whore." He took a sip of his wine, Elrond could sense my discomfort. I looked down in shame, all I wanted was to feel pretty, and here I thought this man could change. No, I wouldn't let him get to me, he's just another dwarf his words shouldn't matter to me. I held my head high, making his eyes widen at my new profound courage.
"A whore would be wearing much fewer clothes than I, all that matters is that I feel beautiful the way I am. And if you don't like it, then you can shove it you ignorant pig." The other two people at our table let out a small chuckle, for the look on Thorin's face was unexpected. He was speechless now but turned his focus to Elrond who examined one of the swords that he had taken from the trolls’ cave.
"This is Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver. A famous blade, forged by the High Elves of the West. My kin." He hands it back to Thorin with a small nod. "May it serve you well." Elrond grabs Gandalf's sword. "And this is Glamdring. The Foe-hammer, sword of the King of Gondolin. These swords were made for the Goblin wars of the First. I believe you will find it to be useful."
"What about this?" I hand him the blue stone I had found in the troll's hoard, he tilted his head to the side and put down Gandalf's weapon.
"It has your family's crest, I highly doubt you need me to tell you what it means."
"I know what the translation is, but why would it say to go back to the Kingdom of Larthas? There's nothing there but corpses and vines that have grown over time." He takes it from me and analyzes the markings, his brows furrowed as he racked his brain for what it could mean.
"I do not know, perhaps there is a secret there that remains hidden. Something only you can find out, you are the Queen after all. Only the royal blood can open the gates of Larithian."
"The gates of Larithian?" Thorin glanced between the two of us in confusion.
"The gates of Larithian is where our treasure remains, anything important goes in there. Yet it hasn't been open for so long." Were there more of my people out there? Maybe they made this gem, so one day when someone found it they would bring it to me. Why? What could be so important?
"How did you come by these?" Elrond still stared at the stone in his hand, I had a feeling he knew something about the stone. He just wasn't telling me what it was, he tried to look at it like he'd never seen it before but was failing.
"We found them in a troll hoard on the Great East Road, shortly before we were ambushed by orcs," Gandalf explained, which caught his attention.
"And what were you doing on the Great East road?"
~♪♠♪~
"Our business is no concern of Elves. It's already bad enough that she knows of our journey." Thorin glared at me, that fire in his eyes returning once more. I could feel a few looks of pity thrown my way, but I could care less. I was a Queen, no matter how much he hurts me I have to stay strong for my people.
"For goodness sake. Thorin, show him the map!" Gandalf ordered, his grip tightening on his staff.
"It is the legacy of my people. It’s mine to protect! As are its secrets."
"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves. Your pride will be your downfall. You stand here in the presence of one of the few in Middle-earth who can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond!" Thorin grimaced at the thought, but he knew that the old wizard was right. Though he looked at me with a hopeful look, I returned it with a glimpse of confusion.
"Can you read the map?" His request surprised me, he would rather have me, a digonisk read the map than an elf? "You do know everything about dwarves out there do you not?" Thorin takes out the map and hands it to me reluctantly. I open it, and read what I already knew, it was mostly about the quest. Elrond took this as a signal to leave, for he knew the dwarves wouldn't want him to listen in on their secrets. So now all that remained was me, Gandalf, Thorin, Bilbo, and Balin.
"What am I looking for?"
"It’s mainly academic. As you know, this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text." Gandalf explains, walking with me to the pedestal. "You still read ancient dwarvish, do you not?"
"Of course, it was one of the first languages that I learned during my lessons." I studied the symbols and spoke aloud. "‘Cirth ithil’."
"Moon runes, of course. An easy thing to miss."
"Moon runes can only be read by the light of the moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written. Luckily for you, I do not need the same moon as I can create my own." I lifted my hand over the map as the two dwarves watched, with my magic I created a crescent moon making the paper glow with blue letters. "‘Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the keyhole.’"
"Durin’s Day?" Bilbo asked curiously.
"It is the start of the dwarves' new year, when the last moon of Autumn and the first sun of Winter appear in the sky together. We still have time to make it to the mountain, as long as we move swiftly and take the fastest route. We have to be standing at exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened?" That's when everyone realized this journey was about to get a whole lot harder. Not only would we have to move fast, but that means barely any resting time for the rest of the company. After reading the map, I returned to my balcony, watching as the moon shined upon us. Lighting the town, making it glow with white light.
"You've been coming here a lot since you've arrived. Something on your mind?" Elrond joined me by the edge, his hands folded behind his back.
"Just wanting some peace."
"I do not believe that's the right answer." I looked up at him, he gave me a knowing look. Was I supposed to know what he was speaking of? "Thorin Oakenshield, Gandalf told me about how he's been treating you this entire trip. And I can see it in your eyes, it hurts you when he speaks ill of you." He was right, I didn't like it when Thorin was rude, it was as if he wants to break my heart.
"I just don't understand why it hurts so much." He places a hand on my head, caressing my hair gently to calm me.
"Perhaps it hurts because you are in love with him?" In love with him?! That can't be, I haven't thought of him that way at all. Though I did appreciate his time with me, and I liked it when he was around. His voice soothed me, those ruff vocals were music to my ears. "You know I never lie, your hurt because you love him, and when someone that you love is rude to you it pains you more."
"Even if that was true, he wouldn't love me back."
"That's not what I see, earlier when he commented on your dress I could see the jealousy flaring in his eyes." Could Thorin be jealous of what other men thought? Is that why he's always so rude to me? Because he wants me to be safe, or he doesn't want me to do a certain thing? "You should talk to him, tell him how you feel. If you don't it will only get worse for the both of you." I turned away slightly, looking towards the exit of the garden. Maybe telling Thorin wouldn't be so bad, let's hope he feels the same. I thanked Elrond for the advice and made my way around the castle. Eventually, I spotted Thorin with Dwalin speaking on the bridge over the waterfall. My heart was pounding as I made my way over to them, but before I turned the corner I heard something I hadn't expected. I hid behind the pillar, listening to them speaking about someone, uttering my name.
"You laid a hand to her?" Thorin growled.
"It was an accident Thorin, I was just angry-" Dwalin went to go apologize but Thorin interrupted him.
"She is the Queen of the Digonisks, the one who is going to slay Smaug. You will be nice to her, for she is the only one who can kill that beast." My heart fluttered, he was defending me, maybe he did love me.
"So that's it, you want us to be nice? What about the pain you've caused her?! And for what, so she'll do your dirty work?"
"If we hurt her more, she might turn her back on us. We need her to kill Smaug." So that's all he wanted, he just wanted me to kill that dragon. I was nothing but a pawn to him, he didn't love me after all. I was stupid to ever think such an ass like him could ever have feelings like that. Besides, he did say he'd rather be dead than ever be with me.
"And what about after that? What happens after she kills him?" Thorin sighed in disappointment, it seemed like he was upset about something.
"Then she can take her scrolls and leave." I let my guard down again, I shouldn't have listened to Elrond, he didn't lie but he was mistaken. A moment later I heard shuffling, Thorin was coming my way. Quickly I pretended to be just arriving, which startled 'The King Under The Mountain'. "Y/n." He bowed and smiled at me, but I knew it was just an act. "What brings you here?" My heart wrenched, I couldn't do it, I couldn't tell him. I didn't want to face rejection, nor humiliation.
"I was coming to tell you something." My eyes met Dwalins, and that's when he knew I had heard their conversation. "Though it's not important, not anymore." Quickly I rushed away to my chambers as Thorin called after me, and the moment the hard wooden door closed I slid down to the floor with a soft sob coming from my lips.
@fili-is-my-lover @kirenia15 @lunariasilver @depressedchilipepper @tschrist1
#bilbo x reader#fili and kili#fili x oc#gandalf#kili imagine#the company#the hobbit x reader#the hobbit kili#thorin x reader#bofur the dwarf#the hobbit x y/n
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