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olenvasynyt · 3 months

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Similarities and Differences between Lucien and Azriel

Alright...Elriel vs Elucien. And I am aware that this is a topic: this fanbase has very strong opinions! I have strong opinions myself ofc. But I am going to suppress my own personal biases and look at these characters from a logical, unbiased perspective. And I’m not really going to talk about evidence that proves one ship is canon or anything like that, I actually will barely talk about Elain at all.

I want to point out the similarities and differences between Az and Lucien because I think these will definitely come into play in the next ACOTAR book since it will most likely be Elain’s book and this ship war is probably going to be addressed (at least I hope)

Similarities:

Prominent Scars

Both have scars which is rare for High Fae, and the way they got these scars is very prevalent to their backstory.

2. Knowledgeable spies

They are both intelligent and sly and know a lot about Prythian because they’re both spies, Lucien was considered Tamlin’s spy / emissary. They both seem to keep a lot of secrets even from the people they’re close to.

3. Childhood

Their history are similar. Both were tortured by their fathers and brothers. Their mothers might have been used against them in their youth to control them (Mommy issues for sure)

4. Found Family

They were taken in by their friends after a really traumatic experience—Rhys and Rhys’ mother took Az in, Tamlin took Lucien in. And they developed a very strong loyalty to Rhys and Tamlin perspectively as their high lords but also their best friends.

5. Loyal but still speak out often against their HL

And both of them still say the issues they have with their High Lords. Az is more confident with Rhys while Lucien is a lot more cautious with Tamlin especially after UTM and for good reason.

6. Defending their loved ones

And they both have their moments of rash defensiveness, like Az choking Eris at the High Lord’s meeting when he insults Mor, and Lucien telling Amarantha to “go back to the shithole she crawled out of” in the first book.

7. Insecurity

And it’s hard to understand them because we barely got POVs from either but they both seem really insecure with themselves. Az seems to think of himself as a monster he avoids looking at his scarred hands. And Lucien blames himself for a lot of stuff, one of the most important things imo, Jesminda’s death. It seems like they avoid a lot of parts of themselves.

8. Elain

And one of tne of the most important in this shipwar situation that makes them similar imo—that I never see anyone talking about—are the conversations they have with Feyre and Rhys perspectively. In the Autumn Court Feyre and Lucien have a fight about Elain and the Night Court, and Feyre says that he is only tagging along “just so he can get what he thinks he’s owed,” referring to Elain his mate. This is very reminiscent of what Rhys asks Az in the bonus chapter, “you believe you deserve to be her mate?”

And both of them don’t directly answer and say they think they’re deserving in fact they both address their mistrust/dislike: Lucien answers, “my mate is in my enemy’s hands” and Az says “I think Lucien will never be good enough for her.”

They are both very conflicted when it comes to Elain. Az is attracted to her to the point of infatuation, and he’s stuck on this idea of having love because both of his brothers found love and a mate but he hasn’t. But being with Elain is forbidden and he kind of realizes he doesn’t have a plan laid out. He knows all of this is wrong and kind of seems to think he knows he’s being irrational.

And Lucien has the mating bond and all of the emotions and attractions that come with that but he is sick of getting hurt.

He’s still thinking about Jesminda it seems like and he thought she was his mate so he’s already comparing the two females.

And he also sees that Elain is not into it plus he feels like he’s being forced into it himself.

And I really think the differences between the two will come into play as well, and are probably more important when it comes to Elain and how both of these two males interact with Elain at this current moment in time.

Differences:

`1. Light / dark powers

The most obvious difference is their powers; Lucien has the power of the Day court and Autumn, so light and fire which is the exact opposite of Az’s cold shadow powers. A lot of people use that difference as evidence towards Elucien or Elriel being the next relationship. But as I said before I just want to point out some other differences that aren’t about each of the two males’ potential with Elain but rather just a character analysis.

2. Honor, heroism, and helplessness

Az is very much a white knight. He is a savior, a rescuer. He has a reputation for saving females, including Mor, Gwyn, and Elain. He kind of has a hero complex in a way at least from how I view it, mainly bc the reason for a lot of these complexes is the desire for affirmation, validation and a sense of purpose, which I think has Az written all over it.

Also, a hero complex isn’t all about rescue and “damsels in distress”. It is all of these other things:

good at saving people, very perceptive and sympathetic

A need for validation

dismissing their own needs and neglecting self-care

difficulty accepting help

feeling overwhelmed and drained

emotional and psychological burnout

low self-esteem

resentment

fear of abandonment and rejection

guilt over perceived mistakes

issues with overstepping boundaries

I'll make another post about it but I think it's an important.

You can try to analyze this from a psychological viewpoint, like Az was abused and suppressed when he was young, he was locked away and could not help his mother until he was empowered by his Illyrian heritage and shadowsinger abilities and got out of his father’s imprisonment. A lot of these rescues are because of this job but Az seems like the person who is honorable and would help these females anyway, even if his high lord didn’t blatantly order him.

Lucien has a similar history: he also didn’t have power over his father or brothers, he was helpless when it came to helping his mother. But he reacts differently to this trauma. He is a lot more helpless.

Lucien is a gentlemen and very good hearted, and again, he can be rash and he does defend his loved ones, (helping Feyre UTM, going to find Vassa and get help from the other fae territories) but most of the time he is very careful with the moves he makes. And I don’t want to say he’s selfish because he has done plenty of very selfless things, but sometimes his trauma really drives his decision making. You can see this with Tamlin in ACOMAF: he tried to help he tries to stand up to Tamlin a few times, but imo his trauma from Beron and seeing his mother being abused really influenced his actions and made him cautious.

3. Trauma from losing loved ones

There is a key quote from Lucien and Feyre’s conversation in the Autumn Court which really just defines how Lucien interacts with people especially Elain. Lucien was saying he wants to see Elain “just once. Just—to know.” And Feyre asks him “to know what” and he says “if she’s worth fighting for.” (Chapter 12 Page 114 ACOWAR)

I remember reading that for the first time as someone who fell in love with Lucien from the moment I met him and being like… “ooh 😐 damn. That’s a little selfish lulu why aren’t you trying harder.”

And in the bonus chapter, Az says to Rhys that he doesn’t think that Lucian deserves Elain as a mate because he probably just sees Lucien as a coward, he sees how Lucien interacts cautiously around Elain and he’s probably sees him as a coward. He’s frustrated and he doesn’t understand why Lucien is so cautious with his mate because he doesn’t know his history and trauma.

Lucien is sick of losing people. He has lost so many of his loved ones. He has lost Jesminda, he technically lost his mother because most likely hasn’t been allowed to speak to her in centuries. He’s lost Andras, and he just recently lost Tamlin. He lost his eye which isn’t a person but it’s a loss still.

Jesminda seems to influence a lot of his decisions when it comes to Elain. He does not talk about her a lot but in a way he does, you can tell he thinks about her constantly, even if it may have been hundreds of years.

Lucien was expecting a mating bond to snap with her. He thought that his mate was murdered.

And he seems very selfish in this conversation with Feyre but it totally makes sense why he said he wants to see if Elain is worth it. He is sick of losing people. He’s just like… “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

4. A supportive network

Azriel has had his own losses but he has a lot of people around him. He’s got all of the inner circle who have supported him and loved him for centuries. His mother is also alive and there are hints that he goes and visits her.

I think Lucien has a supportive network now with the Band of Exiles, but he lost so many friends and loved ones and allies along the way. He is constantly moving around, loving his spot and finding another one, while Az got a very stable home.

5. Revenge and serving justice

And another thing is, revenge. Az has a lot more of a need for revenge it seems like. He wants justice to be served.

When he got out from his step-brother and father’s imprisonment, Rhys isays that what he did to them was so horrible that he struggled looking at him for a while after. And Az really wants to kill Eris for what he did to Mor, and the only reasons why he holds back are because he believes Mor is more deserving of that revenge and because of his High Lord and High Lady since Eris is a very important ally to the night court right now.

Lucien doesn’t seem to think about justice being served. Justice has never been served in his life and he thinks it never will.

He doesn’t seem to have a need for revenge. He was rude to Feyre in ACOTAR in the beginning which was totally reasonable btw. She murdered and skinned his best friend of course his reaction is bitter hate. Plus he was losing a lot of hope with the curse. But he kind of got over it pretty well and Feyre became friends.

And in ACOWAR he encounters his brothers—who tortured him in his youth and held him down and forced him to watch his lover butchered, and also rooted for his torture UTM. And we don’t really see any need to get his revenge for any of that. Power came into play in the ACOWAR winter court situation bc him and Feyre were overpowered so they ran instead and that makes sense.

6. Running

Lucien has a habit of avoiding problems. He and Feyre ran in Winter (I know their powers were low but still), he ran from Autumn to Spring after Jesminda, he ran from Elain in a way to go help find Vassa. In ACOFAS when he and Feyre fight on the winter solstice, he left instead of staying. He just doesn’t want to invest because again, he’s sick of getting hurt.

And maybe not all the time but sometimes Az seems like he runs ahead with his eyes closed. He bottles up his feelings but he explodes sometimes when he gets too invested, like with Mor and Eris and with Elain in the bonus chapter.

Comparing these two characters is pretty important in the future books, since we will get POVs from both, discover more of their story, and see how this whole shipwar thing ends up.

#elucien #elriel #lucien vanserra #azriel shadowsinger #elain archeron #acotar #tiktok video summary #This is a summary of two of my old TikTok videos lmao I felt like posting them on here

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an-annyeoing-writer · 7 months

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vampire!Baekhyun x Reader: sweet bloody talk. [+18]

Word count: 7 479

Date of release: 5th November 2023

Warnings: s*xual content, mentions of blood.

Author's notes: @synthetickitsune I swear I had the entire draft ready before you posted yours, but I feel like we have one shared brain cell for some things LOL

The first thing you took note of upon entering the club was that the music was better than you expected from the mediocre and obscure premise. This type of music was not something you usually heard in dancing places – it was more on the heavy side, and it gave off the vibe of 80’s goths and black platform heels adorned with spikes. Not your regular music choice, but you couldn’t say that you were disappointed.

It was supposed to be just a few hours of relax. You felt a bit distraught recently, with books and other home entertainments feeling like you’re starting to drown in a routine. You needed a variety, even though your friends group consisted mostly of people who didn’t care for parties, and you yourself had no idea as to what people are supposed to do at one. Even the club was something you found online and not through a recommendation. You were shamelessly aware that you chose it just because the menu appeared cheaper than in others, and they would let ladies in for free if they wore heels. A bit sexist in your opinion, but free entry was free entry after all.

The place wasn’t too crowded, but the spots by the bar were all busy, and with the customers gathered around – a lot of them for such an early hour – you quickly came to a conclusion that you’d rather sit down somewhere else and look around to see if there’s anything for you to do.

You hated dancing.

It’s not that it was impossible to sway from one side to the other on repeat. But you were awfully aware how lame it must have looked while done by someone who didn’t represent excess of physical appeal, and so, since it didn’t bring you any joy either, you avoided it at all costs. For the same reason, the dancing floor was definitely not an interesting place to look at. And besides, everyone was still too sober for their dancing skills to become entertaining.

The spot you found, a bar chair by a tall, round table with the top made of glass, was a good lookout point. A row of tables like such was on a not so tall podium along the wall, so the heads of the people were a bit below and you could see the entire ground floor of the club very well. Guests were still coming in.

There was a part of the club, though, that, although in the range of your sight, didn’t appear reachable at all – the upper floor. A balcony with glass balustrade shined above the heads of all people gathered in the dancing floor. The VIP zone.

Your eyes, bored of looking down, traveled up automatically, trying to have a look at anyone there. You suspected that the VIP zone of such an average place was occupied by college students and corporates going at party nights. In fact, the only person that was looking out the balustrade at the moment, with his eyes fixated somewhere by the bar, was a tall and well-built boy who could as well be a basketball player, dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. You snorted quietly, realizing that in any of the books you read, he would be a multimillionaire, spotting an average girl in the crowd below, falling in love at the first sight…

“Whatcha looking at?”

You jumped and almost fell off your chair at the voice that sounded out next to you.

Your eyes shot to the person who was currently sitting in the chair next to yours, watching you with a polite, non-intrusive smile. Although the fact you didn’t notice him join in freaked you out, he didn’t appear ill-intended. Yet, you didn’t miss a small smirk in the corner of his lip at the sudden reaction that you graced his question with.

“Oh… Nothing, really, just people” you answered, composing yourself. A small part of you wanted to carry on some sort of conversation just to not stay completely alienated for the rest of the night. But the remaining part of you had no idea, how. “How’s your evening?” you asked out of no better choice.

The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and smiled widely, acknowledging that you’re not against the interaction.

“A bit boring, to be honest. I came here with some friends, but they all already busied themselves with stuff. What about you? Who did you come with?”

His voice was tender and careful, and his face looked very soft. You took a moment to acknowledge a simple baseball cap on his head, pulled on a bit too low so that he had to tilt his head backwards to see what’s on his eye level. He also wore a black, plain bomber jacket that made you think he’s a part of some college team – but there were no logos or other signs anywhere that would hint to his affiliation. In fact, you quickly came to the conclusion that it’s just his fashion choice.

“I actually came here alone” you blabbered without a second thought. “I’m not really a party person, to be honest…”

“Oh. I can tell.”

“Huh?”

Should you feel offended? Your face must have betrayed the uncertainty, because the man’s eyes widened and he visibly panicked at the social mistake.

“No, wait, sorry. It’s just that… if a stranger asks you about who you came with, even if you come alone, you should lie. It’s dangerous to let people know that.” he elaborated.

That actually made sense, you realized. Heck, you must have really had no self-preservation skills if you didn’t think of that before.

“Oh… I, um, thank you? For letting me know?” You scratched your head awkwardly.

He pressed his lips together – you took note of how his cheeks looked sort of cute and squishable when he did that – and smoothly hopped off the seat.

“I think it’s the time for me. Thank you for the talk.” He nodded his head politely and turned around, disappearing in the crowd before you could react appropriately.

You let out a defeated sigh. You came to this party to have a relaxing evening, but you must have messed up your possibly only chance to have a conversation with someone sober and not a creep. People were starting to slowly get drunk and you had a feeling that anytime soon, the only people coming up for a talk would be drunk college boys that the club was at this time of the year full of.

You glanced hopefully up at the glass balustrade of the VIP zone, but this time there was no one in sight.

It must have been around midnight when you looked at yourself in the club’s bathroom mirror, taking note of the tiredness heaving down your features. You were bored out of your mind, the music was echoing in your skull way too loud at this point, and the little alcohol you had in the meantime only made you a bit distraught rather than relaxed. Those were signs that it was definitely the time to go home.

You wrapped your trench coat around yourself as you left the building and went into the dark street. Cold wind hit your ankles, clad in nothing but a thin layer of stockings that you wore underneath the dress.

You stood nearby the main entrance, reaching out to your phone. You still contemplated whether to order a ride or to seek a cheaper alternative, seeing as the travel by feet must have not been too far from there, and maybe even you could even catch the night bus?

“Hi, are you alone?”

You whipped your head to where the voice was coming from, way too close for your liking.

A man was approaching you at a pace you weren’t sure if you should be comfortable with. His eyes were shining from the amount of alcohol consumed. He swayed to the sides ever so slightly as he walked.

It took you a solid moment to realize you’ve seen him once before – on the balustrade. He must have been on his way home as well.

“Um… I’m going home” you replied a bit shakily when he approached you. With how much taller than you he was, he didn’t have to try hard to hover above you in a hopefully unwittingly threatening posture.

“Will you be okay? I can get you a ride” he spoke sluggishly.

You couldn’t tell just how wary of him you should be; although he didn’t seem ingenuine and it was just the alcohol that made him appear creepy, you reminded yourself that it’s still a stranger. You glanced towards the club – the entry was a bit too far for your liking, but unless he became physical, you should be able to get back and ask for someone to help you out, was he to become too pushy.

“Please let me get you home” he suddenly spoke, sensing your unease. “I won’t bite you, I promise” he added. “I’ve already had enough for today, they don’t taste any good when I’m this drunk” he kept on blabbering and you lifted your eyebrow at the peculiarity of his statement.

“Chanyeol? What the hell are you doing here?”

The two of you turned around to look at the man coming from the club. The silhouette was too dark with the lights in the background, so you couldn’t make out his features well.

“Nothing” the man answered, shaking his head. “I just met this girl and she’s alone and I told her I won’t bite her but I think she’s scared of me” he whined.

Only when the newcomer came close enough, you realized that he also is not an unfamiliar face. The baseball cap betrayed him even before his squishy cheeks did. He spared you a glance and tilted his head to the side, apparently also acknowledging that you’re not a complete stranger. His eyes fell on his friend again.

“Aish, how would you get her home when you’re this drunk? Come and join the rest, we’ll be going home soon.”

“Then you take her home. She’s alone, Baekhyun, girls shouldn’t be alone. What if someone bites her when she’s alone?”

You frowned deeply, having no idea about what was all this weird conversation about. The man – Baekhyun – glanced at you once every few seconds, as though checking your reactions, and he was clearly displeased with the way things were going. He finally sighed.

“You talk too much, Yeol. Come on, let’s go.”

The man named Chanyeol huffed, but finally gave up and started moving back towards the entrance.

Baekhyun stayed behind, only making sure that his friend has gone in the right direction, and then looked at you with his face unreadable.

“Sorry for that. He didn’t mean anything bad, he just doesn’t control his tongue when he’s drunk.”

“Yeah… I could tell… Sorry.”

He lifted his eyebrow.

“Don’t say sorry when you haven’t done anything bad.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Are you sure it’s just parties that you’re not into? It looks like you don’t have much human interaction at all” he commented with a smirk. You laughed awkwardly.

“I usually handle it better, really. Not like, very good, but I swear I’m not an alien.”

He laughed warmly.

“Thank God, I was starting to consider giving you a ride too, but what if I had to get you back on another planet? Don’t have enough gas for that” he joked. It was quite lame of a joke, but you couldn’t help but utter a small laugh. After a bit of alcohol and at this hour, it was hard not to go alone with the lame sense of humor.

“Was it your way of offering a ride?” you dared to ask.

Baekhyun grinned.

“Maybe. Would you like?”

“I…” You bit on your lip, suddenly realizing that the offer had probably more to it than a mere act of kindness. “…don’t want to give you hope for something I can’t give” you stated carefully.

The man’s smile fell.

“Don’t ever worry about things like that. It’s not your problem if someone gets hope for something you never offered yourself. I just felt like giving you a ride, you don’t need to think of ways to return a favor or anything.” He appeared satisfied with his speech, and hid hands in the pockets of his jacket, soft and reassuring smile returning to his face.

You released the breath you didn’t realize you were holding, a relief washing over you and a smile appearing on your own face as well.

“That’s… nice” you only answered. “In this case, I’d love to get home with you. I… I mean-” you realized your words were a bit ambiguous. “…You know what I mean.”

Baekhyun only laughed warmly.

“I know, I know. Come on, I parked nearby.” He pulled car keys out of his pocket and swung them in the air. “But, by the way, don’t just accept rides from strangers. It’s dangerous.”

Baekhyun’s car was more comfortable than the public transport you were used to, and also sitting in the front felt way nicer than the backseats of a taxi. The music was calmer and quieter than in the club, and although it also wasn’t the genre you were used to, it almost lulled you to sleep as the two of you sat in a pleasant silence for about half of the ride.

“Won’t your friends get worried that you didn’t come back to them?” you eventually spoke, trying to start a conversation. Your time together appeared to be limited, and you didn’t want to waste a chance to get to know the man better.

“I shot them a message” Baekhyun replied with his gaze fixated on the changing lights and the cars in the intersection. “I wasn’t drinking because I was supposed to be their ride but they also met some people at the party, so they’ll be fine” he elaborated.

“Ah, I see. Well. I’m lucky that you were supposed to be the ride anyway” you shrugged. Baekhyun smiled at that but didn’t continue the conversation.

You were still a few minutes away from your apartment and you really, really didn’t want the ride to end so quickly. Even silence in Baekhyun’s presence was just too comfortable. How was it possible that you felt so much ease with a man you barely met? Maybe it was because his comments regarding your safety seemed to be genuine, and you appreciated them. Maybe they were just his way of getting your trust, but you just didn’t seem to mind.

There were still other questions you could use to get him to talk to you.

“I just recalled, what were those things your friend was talking about? I know he was drunk, but he mentioned biting like two or three times. What’s up with that?”

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. Slight tension in his jaw didn’t pass your attention either.

“Uh…” He shrugged after a moment of thought. “Consider it an inside joke in our group of friends.”

“An inside joke?” You genuinely laughed. “Maybe you’re the aliens? What if your car gets me on the Moon instead of home?”

The man laughed awkwardly.

“Well, we’re peculiar in our own ways. But I promise the car is earthly” he assured with a grin.

You knew the area pretty well and it didn’t take long before you arrived at your address, Baekhyun’s car coming to a stop almost opposite of the building entry. The man turned the engine off and got up, opening the door for you before you even prepared yourself to leave the vehicle. You got out hurriedly and quickly straightened your clothes.

“You good? You got everything?” he asked, glancing at the seat to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. You nodded.

“Thank you. Really.”

“You’re welcome.” His voice was tender and calm, but you had a feeling that the unspoken question is there.

You cleared your throat.

“Um… Would you… like to come upstairs?”

“Hm?”

Because of what he said before, you were certain he did not want to make any assumptions or take things for granted. Yet, you didn’t want to leave him in the dark, and you were positive that for his honesty, he deserved some transparency from your side as well.

“Just…”

Yet, were you ready to offer more than you initially planned? What was there to lose, after all?

But how would you feel if he rejected you, or if you didn’t meet the expectations – that was so not like you to offer such a thing, and you never wanted to have short-term partners to begin with.

But Baekhyun clearly was a gentleman, and if he was to reject you, it would have to be out of care and not because you disappointed him. Or at least you desperately wanted to believe so.

And besides, why would he reject you if he went out of his way to give you a ride home? Even if he was mature enough not to expect anything, it’s not like he would offer it to someone who didn’t spike at least an ounce of his interest.

“[F/n]?”

You jumped at the sound of your name; you must have drowned in your thoughts instead of answering the question.

“Oh. Sorry. I um… It’s not a situation I’m usually in. But I just… don’t want this evening to end this fast.”

“You know you don’t owe me anything, right?” He announced calmly, but there was some shade of threat in the way he said it, as if there was something urging him to give you the last chance to take it back and part your ways.

“I know. That’s why I don’t promise anything. But I want to try. You’re… fun to be around.”

At that, his face instantly lightened, and he chuckled softly.

“Thank you. You’re fun to be around, too.”

The night was chilly, and so you welcomed with gratitude the warmth that surrounded you the moment you entered your apartment. The place was rather decent as for one person inhabiting it, and you rented it at a rather cheap price from an elderly lady who at some age decided to move in with her family. Although you were allowed to refurnish it, you actually enjoyed the old style of creaking floor and black-and-white pictures on the walls covered in an old wallpaper. Even the old TV remained in its place, although it wasn’t catching the signal anymore. Baekhyun looked around curiously.

“You live here alone?” he asked.

“Yeah. But it’s not mine, I’m renting for another few years” you elaborated while taking off your coat and shoes, motioning for Baekhyun to do the same. “I’d like to buy my own but it’s still a while before I can even afford a mortgage.” The man nodded slowly in acknowledgment, following you cautiously as you soon entered the kitchen, turning on all the small lights on the way, making sure that the whole apartment was at least partially lit. “Bathroom is over there if you need” you briefly waved in the right doors’ direction. “You want something to eat?”

Baekhyun’s metaphorical ears perked up. He saw you point at the fridge.

“Oh. Maybe later, thank you.”

“Later?” you grinned. “Just how long are you planning to stay in here?” you teased.

“Hm.” He smiled shyly. “As long as you let me” he purred. You were focused on checking the cabinet’s contents for some quick snack when you heard him shift right behind you, hands hovering around your waist, although not touching just yet.

Your breath hitched. A pack of chocolate chip cookies slipped out of your grasp and fell on the counter below.

“Dammit” you mumbled, reaching to pick it up.

When you turned around, Baekhyun was sitting at your small table, elbow resting on the tabletop and chin on his hand in a fairly confident, although charming – in a way – pose.

“You want some?” You asked mindlessly, putting the cookies on the table and sitting on the second chair awkwardly.

“Later, thank you” he repeated; you internally cringed, realizing it made it seem that you didn’t listen to him earlier.

“Want something to drink then? I imagine you must be at least a bit tired after the party” you offered, feeling a bit awkward about eating the cookies all alone and not providing him with any sort of entertainment in the meantime.

“Don’t worry. It’s nice to just rest in the quiet after all that loud music” Baekhyun said with a gentle smile.

“Is that really so? Or do you just avoid midnight snacking?” you teased, trying to at least carry on with a small-talk.

You caught him stare straight in your eyes, and you felt a shiver run down your spine at his unreadable face.

“I actually believe that a good snack is a good snack regardless of the time” he announced in a tone that made you wonder.

He stood up right as you finished your cookie and came up to you. You observed him curiously as he knelt down, slowly finding himself between your parted knees.

His eyes never left yours, watching out for any signs of discomfort or disagreement.

You felt taken aback by his boldness, feeling your face heat up at the unusual closeness, but you definitely weren’t about to refuse.

His hands finally touched your knees, leaning on them for stability. Your dress was riding up a bit, but not enough to show anything yet.

“May I?” His lips hovered over the skin of your thigh where it was already exposed.

You almost caught yourself nodding mindlessly, but the loud pounding of your heart brought you back to reality.

“W-what?” you stuttered.

“Kiss your leg” he specified with a small, warm laugh that both calmed you and embarrassed you even more at once. “May I?”

“Yes” you answered quickly before you could lose control over your voice again.

More serious again, Baekhyun leaned down and pressed a slow, chaste kiss into your heated skin. Then another, a bit higher, but still as if the edge of your dress was a border he wasn’t going to cross. His both hands massaged the outer sides of your knees.

“You’re so nervous” the man noted, at which your face got even redder.

“Well, uh…”

“Do I make you shy?” he teased. You stuttered incoherently in response.

Baekhyun let out a soft laughter, pushing himself up and extending his hand to help you up as well. You followed and fixed your dress in hurry.

“U-uh.”

You awkwardly wavered your hand towards the bedroom’s door, hoping the man gets the hint, knowing that your voice would betray you completely, were you to utter such a bold request.

But he didn’t even look in that direction, his hand reaching to your chin instead and he lifted your face up, placing a small kiss on your cheek.

“Oh. Thank you.”

At that, he laughed even louder.

“Thank you? Really?”

“What else was I supposed to answer…?” you huffed, not sure if he was trying to insult you with the mockery.

“No, no, don’t worry, it was actually quite a cute thing to say” he explained.

“Oh, well…”

His fingers gently brushed your lips, and all the thoughts left your mind as you let him maneuver your face towards his. Warm breath hit your nose as he looked down at you from up close, all small details of his face so sharp and clear, and his glistening eyes fixated on the way your face subtly changed in reaction to his doings.

He tilted his head to the side, smirk present on his soft-looking lips, and you felt as though at that exact moment, he had you right in his grasp – up to the heart of yours beating exactly as he conducted, you thought.

With another peck to your other cheek, he suddenly pulled away.

You swayed, feeling like you’re going to collapse the moment his fingers no longer kept your face in place. You were lightheaded. Baekhyun was proud of himself.

He stepped towards the corridor that led to your bedroom, and this time, it was you who followed.

He crossed the door, glancing over his shoulder as if to make sure you’re not lost on your way.

And right when you thought that at least this small part of your way will be peaceful and almost boring, this one, small thing came to your vision, turning everything upside down.

Right ahead of yourself, behind Baekhyun’s silhouette, on the wall. A mirror, adorned with an antique, golden frame, one you used every day to get ready, one that had been there ever since you remembered, and one that was the last thing in the world you’d expect to surprise you.

You looked closely; your eyes couldn’t be possibly playing tricks. It was just you with all the walls and furnishings that you knew.

But Baekhyun, standing there and glancing at you, did not reflect in that mirror.

You froze in place, staring in your own eyes of the reflection. The man’s smile fell, noting the sudden change of mood. Catching your gaze, he followed it, turning his back to you. His own eyes finally fell on the mirror and he gawked.

“Oh. Oh, wow.”

Without waiting for you to speak any of the thoughts currently hurling in your mind, he slowly walked over to the mirror as if just about as surprised as you were, but with genuine curiosity as well. His hand reached but stopped right before touching the smooth surface, and instead grazed the mirror’s frame, admiring the piece of fine furniture.

You stood in your place, still uncertain how to react. But he did not seem as confused, you realized – as if, although not expecting the phenomenon, he knew exactly what it was caused by.

“Fascinating…” he finally spoke in a soft voice. “Really, I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen one like this” he talked with childlike thrill. “It’s old, isn’t it?” He looked back at you, but his smile fell once again, noting you were nowhere close to sharing his excitement.

He let go of the mirror’s frame and took a step towards you, face tense and determined.

Something in you screamed, some sort of self-preservation instinct reminded you of its presence, calling out to you: this is a threat! This isn’t normal! It’s a sign, run!

Can’t move.

You stood there, completely stunned, as Baekhyun finally closed the proximity, finding himself right in front of you.

Was it some sort of manipulation, or was it just you – that the fear in your guts somehow mixed with arousal?

“What… is that?” you dared to ask in a tone as tough as you could make it.

He stepped that one step too close, making you stumble backwards. One step more, one more, and he had you leaning against the wall by the bedroom’s door, somewhat cornered, yet with enough room to flee if you so wished.

“If…” Hearing his voice this close made you flinch slightly, and he turned his tone down a bit. “If you tell me to leave, I’ll leave. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The last words made the heart thump in your chest.

“But… you could.”

“I could.”

“Were you going to?”

He didn’t reply for a moment, breathing in deeply.

“Not… much.”

You stared at him, still uncertain and confused.

“Who are you?”

He stepped back again. Your eyes moved between his silhouette and the mirror behind when he stood right next to it, giving you the best picture of his non-reflecting self.

“I’ll give you a fun fact instead” he announced, lips curling into a grin again. “Your mirror is very old. I actually don’t remember the last time I’ve had this happen to me. Because mirrors nowadays don’t do that. Do you know why?”

You had no clue what he was going at – you shook your head.

“Because mirrors nowadays are usually made of glass and aluminum. Or stuff like that, I’m not so sure, really” he shrugged, unbothered. You still weren’t able to finish the thought off, a small piece still lacking for you to understand it. Baekhyun sensed that, and he patiently continued – speaking the last few words to put all of the puzzle together for you. “What they used to be made of in the past?”

You gawked at him.

“…” The breath got caught in your throat. “Silver. They… They used to be made of silver.”

“Voila.” Baekhyun spread his arms, as if presenting himself to you. “And before you try to think of all the possible creatures that have silver allergy written into their lore, just know I’m not the only one you had a chance to meet tonight.”

You recalled the stranger you met at the bar, Baekhyun’s friend whose words had spiked your curiosity the moment they echoed in the dark street.

I won’t bite you, I promise.

What if someone bites her when she’s alone?”

His eyes sparkled as he watched all the small bits come together in your head. Slow enlightenment displayed within your facial expressions with hundreds of subtle emotions, and piece by piece, the deduction snowballed, becoming more and more apparent, bared for him to drink the sadistic satisfaction from.

That was when you recalled his own words.

A good snack is a good snack regardless of the time.

“You… were going to bite me?” you finally uttered, voice breaking with every syllable.

He let his arms fall to his sides, smile softening, head tilted slightly backwards – your eyes spotted his fangs, sharper and whiter than human teeth, exposed by him for you to admire.

“If you tell me to leave now, I’ll leave” he repeated, but his tone made it clear that he already knew you weren’t going to do that.

In fact, even you knew from a while ago that your curiosity was too strong to let him off the hook – you felt like you caught a sort of urban legend, and you’d hate yourself for letting him flee without getting a hold of all his secrets.

Ultimately, though, it was the sensation of getting preyed on by him that – you realized – lit a fire inside of your body, and made your insides burn with want.

“Stay, please” you uttered in a small voice, as if too shy to request something this impure. “I want to know… more” you whispered, convincing yourself to look back at him. Your eyes fell on his fangs again, so unnaturally sharp despite not appearing that much longer than in a human. You recalled when he kissed your thigh earlier, and shivered, realizing how close it was, how easily he could have…

“You’re thinking too much” he suddenly interrupted, noting that you were so endorsed in the chaotic train of thoughts that you were just hyping yourself into anxiety at this point.

He lifted his hand towards your face, slowly and carefully, as if to test the waters. You weren’t sure if you should let him. Maybe, in some twisted way, it would be easier if he didn’t ask – if he just grabbed you and forcefully bit into your neck, so you could experience that mysterious sensation of falling a prey to possibly the only creature on the earth that could realistically impose threat to the mankind. You felt a nervous, but exciting sensation in your gut.

You didn’t even manage to react before his fingers gently brushed your cheek. You were already a goner, leaning into his hand on instinct. The fear became thrill instead.

“Here you go, good girl” he whispered with content.

Not waiting any further, he leaned down and buried his face in the crook of your neck. You let out a small whimper when his lips touched your heated up skin. You felt his fangs graze the sensitive surface, but no pain followed, only the sweet feeling of a chaste, open-mouthed kiss.

“Oh…”

He kissed slowly down your cleavage, hands running down your silhouette along with his lips. He breathed into the space where the hem of your dress ended, not daring to go further. You were still stunned, still too shaken to invite him in, but you didn’t oppose even one bit when he put his hands below your thighs and lifted you up, your arms automatically anchoring around his neck.

He was so gentle with you when he carried you over to your bed and placed you down on your back with utmost care. The bed sheets were cold below your body, your dress doing close to nothing to soothe the sudden sensation. But Baekhyun’s – against what you would think – was impossibly warm against yours when he hovered above you for a few moments, your legs wrapped around his waist just a bit longer. He placed another kiss on your cheek.

“May I?” you whispered.

“Hm?”

“Kiss your lips.” You cupped his face with your hands. “May I?”

“Go ahead.”

It seemed like he did it on purpose, not leaning in to make it any easier for you, and you had to strain yourself to reach him. Your lips touched, the sensation – absolutely breathtaking. His fingers gently wrapped around your neck, pushing you down into the mattress, but following the motion with his own mouth, deepening the kiss with a sense of roughness, overpowering you in a way. He nibbled at your lower lip, letting you feel the sharp edge of his fangs.

“Will you bite me?

“I think I will.”

“Why haven’t you yet?”

He broke the kiss and smirked down at you.

“Are you impatient?”

“Do you want me to beg for it?” you uttered, trying to sound irritated, although at heart knowing that you were close to doing so anyway. You were, in fact, impatient.

“Maybe later. Will you?”

“I…”

He didn’t let you finish, his grip on your thighs suddenly strengthening and you yelped, feeling his nails dig hard into your flesh. Your breath instantly quickened, sensation quickly becoming unbearable.

Taking all the time in the world, he finally released the hold, stroking your abused skin in comfort instead.

“Easy, love. See? It’s just my fingers. You wouldn’t take my fangs just yet.”

He knelt back between your legs. Your dress’ lower hem was almost at your underwear from being carried by him earlier, and Baekhyun’s hands traced up your bare thighs, once again taking note of any sign of discomfort or displeasure.

You felt nervous, more than ever. Not only because you weren’t used to such casual endeavors. Something in you felt stressed about disappointing such a superior creature, still feeling like it’s a one-in-the-lifetime chance that you got.

Baekhyun seemed to sense your worry perfectly, and he leaned down to ground you with a kiss to your knee.

“You’re beautiful” he spoke with no ounce of hesitation or doubt. “And you smell delicious” he added. Such a peculiar thing to hear, you thought, yet your face heated up, as if the second compliment was much more meaningful than the first. “May I… taste you down here?” His hand slid down your inner thigh, stopping at your dress.

You opened your mouth, but, quickly realizing your voice won’t align with your intentions, you instead nodded – a bit too eagerly, involuntarily holding your breath.

He took all the time in the world, allowing you to get accustomed to his touch as he slowly lifted your dress, finally displaying your underwear, at which you let out a small, shy whimper. He pushed the fabric even higher, and you took the hint to sit up and take it off fully, now left in nothing but a black lingerie – a set you almost only wore to parties when you wanted to feel especially well put-together, and now you silently thanked yourself for this habit.

He now moved up and kissed the skin between your breasts, smoothly tracing his lips down to your stomach and stopping briefly above the hem of your panties, fingers hooking around the edge. With one last glance at your burning up face, Baekhyun slowly pulled your underwear down, taking his sweet time and enjoying the way you only squirmed quietly, held right at the edge of sanity with such a simple interaction.

“Breathe” he reminded you, discarding the fabric to the side, his own exhale hitting your private parts, now exposed for him to see.

He placed yet another comforting kiss on your mound.

“You’re okay, you’re safe” he whispered.

Although his words comforted you, he didn’t wait for you to calm down; quite the opposite, in fact, when he finally put his mouth around your pearl, overwhelming you with just the proximity. His eyes were fixated on yours in a predator-like way, drinking in your reactions and gaining sadistic pleasure from the way you could no longer control your body.

The room filled with wet noises that mixed with your own voice. Your moans slowly became more and more obscene as Baekhyun’s mouth worked shamelessly around your private parts with care, yet ease, as if he knew all bits of your body and didn’t even need to think twice, getting all the sensations, all the pressure, all the pace – perfectly right, pulling you further and further into the immense pleasure.

You were ready to relax and fall deep into the sensations, when he suddenly dug his nails into your thighs again, forcing you awake.

You yelped and tried to squirm away, but his hold only strengthened. Your breath hitched when you took the cue to stay still until the grasp once again dissipated.

“Don’t you feel too good?” he mocked. You glanced back at him – his eyes were shining red, face darker than just moments ago, threatening.

“B-Baekhyun…”

Should you feel scared at that moment? Should you understand that this man was a monster? Maybe. But it felt just too good to be in his hands, to be toyed with and hurt so sweetly. It was like a reward to know that out of all people, he chose you as his prey. There was some primal pleasure in being this little, naive girl that fell right into his trap, that allowed him to sweet-talk her into giving up her will of survival.

In a surge of confidence, you put your hand on top of his head, pushing him to resume what he was doing so well just moments ago. Baekhyun didn’t object, only letting out an amused huff when his lips wrapped around your clit once again, sucking on it gently and letting you once again melt in the sweet sensation. Your fingers clutched his hair, letting you release some of the tension, and when he hummed into your skin, you held it so tightly you for a second worried about causing him pain.

But he didn’t say a word and you quickly realized, it must have not bothered him in the slightest. His eyes slipped closed, now fully fixated on devouring you, hands holding your hips down to prevent you from squirming, hold just a bit too strong, just to cause you the slightest amount of pain, just to remind you what he was capable of.

Your whole body trembled, approaching the sweet release. Baekhyun’s mouth was relentless, and he read your reactions perfectly, his pace and movements perfectly designed to drive you insane.

With your thighs pressing together, you clutched his hair even harder. You were starting to convulse, letting out incoherent whimpers. Baekhyun’s fingers, dug into your thighs so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if they drew blood, no longer hurt – it was all mixing together, the proximity of his existence alone already overwhelming your senses, but the passion, the warmth, the textures, the sounds – it all sucked you in further and further, riding you off any remains of sanity that you may have had left.

Suddenly, right as you were about to reach the peak, everything stopped for less than a second; a void so sudden you didn’t even manage to register it.

And then, like a thunder through your body, Baekhyun’s fangs pierced the soft skin around your clit. He sucked hard on both your blood and your pearl, and you instantly came undone, crying out in pleasure and agony.

Your vision went white for what felt like ages and you felt like you were floating in the outer space; for those heavenly moments, you were not even sure if you’re still alive, but your thoughts mingled and dissipated too fast to formulate a coherent sentence. Whether Baekhyun was still there or not, you would not be able to tell; your mind was blank, and he could as well have left you moments ago – except the pain that was slowly starting to materialize again was an excellent proof that he was still present, and when your body finally came down from its high, you managed to register him down there, still between your thighs, with his arms wrapped around them in an almost loving-like manner.

You had absolutely no idea when did he bit into your thigh instead, letting your most fragile bits calm down from the overstimulation, but it looked like he was so endorsed in tasting your sweet blood that it took you a few long moments before he finally acknowledged you’re watching him. Your lower body was limp, small shivers running here and there, but any pain no longer present, your flesh too worn out to take note of it.

Sensing your gaze, Baekhyun slowly pulled his fangs out of your skin, carefully as to not damage it further, and then sent you a smug, bloody smile, hand caressing your hip.

“Welcome back” he spoke. “Took you a while.”

You tried to push yourself into the sitting position, but even your arms wouldn’t listen, and you fell back down in exhaustion.

Maybe it was merciful of him to climb up and hover above you, letting you look at his full figure even when you could no longer move to watch him yourself. A drop of your blood slipped from the corner of his lip, landing on your own. You curiously reached to it with your tongue, and Baekhyun didn’t wait a second, pressing his lips into your own, taking that sweet droplet back but giving you a taste of the metallic flavor in its full glory. A short, but rough nib to your lip made you let out a small, helpless whimper, tears emerging in the corners of your eyes – with the amount of overstimulation, even that much was already too much, and you were so worn out, so weak, so overdone.

“Just a bit more, love.”

His lips once again found themselves on your neck, kissing so tenderly that you barely felt it.

The prickling pain that followed no longer caused you to recoil; your body was growing weak, too weak to handle it anymore. You were getting drained beyond the stage of quick recovery, and you could tell, there was nothing you could do at this point to stop it.

Just a bit more, just a few more sips.

“You taste so good.”

Biting into the top of your breast now, closer to your heart. You didn’t feel it anymore, only phantom sensations somewhere far away.

You were at the brink of unconsciousness when he finally pulled away. A bit carelessly, he knelt up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, dark burgundy-shining eyes fixated on your fading ones.

Although you still had it in yourself to look back at him, the world around you was gradually collapsing, and it was only those burgundy eyes that kept you right above the surface, but so about to drown.

“My… I may have overdone it. Are you still there?”

He sounded marginally worried, as if coming across a small incident, and not a human life that was on the line.

You blinked and moved your fingers ever so slightly, just to let him know you’re still conscious, although barely.

The man smiled at that softly, clear relief washing over his face.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of that.”

He reached to your cheek, patting it gently. It felt a bit grotesque; his skin was so warm as opposed to yours, chill from the lack of blood and paler than ever.

But his touch felt nice, and, although you knew that the slumber you’d fall into would not be natural and the next hours would possibly decide your fate, it felt like you were falling into a dream instead; you were growing addicted to his presence, and you could do nothing to stop it. You were a goner.

“I’ll make sure of that, because I cannot possibly waste a fine snack like you. It’s just the beginning, love. Better recover fast.”

Ahh, I'm actually proud of this one, hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! Also don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts, and hopefully, more vampire content will be coming in the future!

#vampire exo #exo x reader #vampire baekhyun #baekhyun x reader #exo fanfiction #exo reader insert #exo x you #baekhyun x you #vg: exo #vg: baekhyun #vg: fanfiction

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swagatron9 · 2 years

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Im doing my first pregnancy so could u please do a pregnancy story , u dont have to if you dont want to. I really would appreciate if you could because the father refuses to claim her . If you aren’t comfortable with doing pregnancy stuff that is totally okay !! And if you are could you please do brahms , billy lenz oe rz! Michael myers ?

Brahms and Michael and Their Pregnant S/O

Pairings: Brahms Heelshire, Michael Myers

Authors Note: Congradulations on the pregnancy, this is such a beautiful moment (if that’s what you want of course) I wasn't entirely sure how you wanted me to write this, whether it be happy or sad, but I hope you enjoy this nonetheless. I don't write Billy Lenz or any particular Michael Myers; sorry about that. I also have never written a pregnancy story, so sorry if this is bad or at any point incorrect.

Brahms Heelshire:

When you told Brahms about you being pregnant, he would definitely be jealous of the idea of someone else stealing your attention.

He would sulk whenever you were around and would probably hide in the walls to ignore you in order to make a point.

It took you a while, but you managed to get Brahms to sit down and have a conversation with him about what was going to happen.

Afterwards, Brahms would be a bit awkward around you and would probably still continue to avoid you until he gets used to the idea.

Would make you take extra care of him so he can feel loved still. Example: kiss goodnight every night, read his favourite book at least once a week, an extra few bjs here and there.

He eventually will grow to like the idea of a miniature version, that you two conceived, running around.

“Can we still have secks?” If he’s cumming it’s inside, no spillage.

Now, Brahms when the baby is born. He’s awkward, refuses to hold it, and refuses to be anywhere near it.

In all honesty, Brahms is scared of parenthood. He missed out on his entire childhood as well as becoming an actual adult. He lacks the responsibility that most adults have and he’s scared that he’ll be a bad role model for the child. He’s also worried that the child would end up like him and he doesn’t want that.

I imagine that Brahms would be a great friend for the child, maybe not a good dad. He would play with the child, read to it, and express the kind of love that he wished to receive from his own parents.

He would ask you to teach him things to teach the child.

Michael Myers:

I think Michael would hate having a kid around, but also love it at the same time.

He would probably try and train it to be like him or something.

Why can I kind of see Michael have some sort of pregnancy fetish. Like he likes the idea of fucking you with a round swollen stomach, and while it means that he has to be softer and more caring during your intimate times, he also finds himself getting off quicker.

This also means he can cum inside you as much as he wants without a care in the world. He also enjoys how your constantly horny 24/7, so unless your whining about wanting him deep inside you he doesn’t really care.

I just feel like Michael would enjoy the pregnancy stage but despise the baby part because that means he has more responsibilities, but with that being said he would also make you do everything because he doesn’t want to hurt the baby.

New founding possessiveness from Michael, you can now never leave the house under any circumstances, oh the food? Don’t worry, he’ll steal from the next person he pays a visit to.

You wouldn’t ever have to worry about feeling unsafe for you or your child as he is your personal bodyguard as you already know and now I’m not saying he would sacrifice the baby for you, but if it comes down to it he’s going to choose you in a situation where it’s one or the other.

Don’t expect him to care about or for the baby because for the most part he won’t, but he would never do anything on purpose to put it in harms way.

#Slasher #slashers x reader #slasher headcanons #brahms heelshire #brahms heelshire x reader #brahms heelshire headcanons #michael myers #michael myers x reader #michael myers headcanons

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gayassbish · 7 months

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Genshin Guys as Your New Bestie. Highschool AU

Genre: Platonic of course and very much so crack

Reader: Gender Neutral | References to “girly pop” in Childe and Kaeya’s Part

Characters: Diluc, Zhongli, Childe and Kaeya, Alhaitham, Bennet, Xinqiu and Chongyun, Xiao

Diluc-

The kid who raises his hand and asks a bunch of questions, but still manages to not come of nerdy, but intelligent. He doesn’t talk to anyone in class and some other kids in class thinks he’s arrogant cause of it. Like “he’s too smart for us vibes.” You, on the other hand, know better than to trust the rumors and actually get to know his ass. That is lie, I can’t imagine anyone walking up to his emo self unless you’re the most extroverted person on the planet. He also definitely plays chess online in his chromebook 24/7.

Butttt you do end up sitting next to him as your seating arrangements change every semester or so. You say hi like a normal person and he sorta just grunts?? Terrible first impression, but you realize he’s very kind. Always picking up your fallen pencils, sharing homework answers with out you asking, and you end up getting a long pretty well once you find your stuff in common.

P.S. He’d 100% drive you around everywhere

Zhongli-

A popular dude cause he’s handsome ig and the fucking valedictorian. Plus he manages to know everything without coming off like a know it all, so he is generally well received by everyone and helps basically everyone out. Has a 10000 IQ and a calculator for a brain too. Probably wears granny glasses.

So… you’re at your part time job and notice him coming in. You immediately hide cause you don’t know him like that (yet) and don’t want to be remembered as “oh they’re the person who works there.” One of your coworkers helps him out instead while you secretly spy and realize he’s not as smart as he looks?? He is very much so only book smart and has no street cred what so ever. He looks so lost as to why he can’t take whatever y’all sell now and pay latter. He honestly gives your coworker a hard time. (rip coworker </3) You eventually help out and he recognizes you!! You learn he has an excellent memory and actually knows your name. And viola now your the person who he can go to for financial means. Have fun!

P.S You drive him everywhere…

Childe & Kaeya-

They’re those loud kids in the back who don’t shut up. I want to say they’re pant saggers but I know I would get canceled. (They so are though.) Anywho, you end up being forced to sit next to them and they like start flirting of sum shit idk?

But you’re girly pop and you don’t take that crap. After you put them in their place and educate them on how they shouldn’t talk to anyone that way like some cat calling NPC, they start to really respect you?? Well to be fair you don’t know if they’re scared of you or are just putting on an act.

Y’all get closer as you stop a lot of fights that happen between them and do your best to quiet them down in class.

And they kinda just drag you to places. Once you lost a bet and were forced to go shopping with them. (If you didn’t show up, they threatened to upload a photo of you sleeping in class onto their social media.) At the mall… Childe started to pick fights with the security guard (he claims it’s the other way around but we both know it was him) and Kaeya DOES NOTHING?? He just records the whole thing while giggling like an idiot. Y’all get banned from the mall. They do nothing but apologize on the way to your house (they picked and dropped you off.) It didn’t work cause you didn’t talk to them for a month after that.

P.S. Kaeya actually has really good fashion taste and was the one the blackmail you because he wanted to Project MakeOver you??

Alhaitham-

He’s an obnoxious, self-centered asshole to everyone and you do your best to avoid him until you’re stuck together for a group project.

Even though you know to the rumors about him, you still introduce yourself like a person with manners would… BUT he cuts you off. Immediately orders that he will do the project by himself entirely. And while you would usually take that deal (cause who wouldn’t, let’s be honest) you CANNOT stand the disrespect from this MAN. You guys start arguing until the teacher has to break it up between y’all and fucking Alhaitham is just like “I’ve never been so embarrassed infront of a teacher,” as if he didn’t start the fight. smh

Anyways, it’s really rough between you guys and it’s now presentation day. After you guys present, Alhaitham turns out rather pleased with your part, and though he would NEVER admit it to you (or even himself) you actually did better on your part than he would’ve if he went solo. At the end of class, he apologizes for being so cold at first. He explains how he hasn’t had the best group partners and almost always does all the work. He asks if you’d be okay working together again.

P.S. If you said yes, y’all would turn into an unstoppable duo. And if you said no THEN GOOD. He needs a lesson.

Bennett-

You definitely decided to just look after him once you saw him drop his phone, bag, papers, and himself down the stairs multiple times. You’re basically his bodyguard atp. You literately carry around extra bandaids cause of him omg. You guys have a bunch of classes together so it’s easy for y’all to get a long. You help protect him from bullies (Bennett just attracts the worst kinds of people) and he starts to think you’re his lucky charm.

Basically starts to worship you?? Invites you to hang out in his friend group of misfits featuring Razor, Barbra, and Fischl. They play DnD during lunch too and drag you into it. Honestly it turns into a cult with you as their leader. At the end of the school year, the five of you pull a bunch of pranks on the kids who were messing with Bennet.

P.S. The cult had a name: Lord Y/N’s Pimps. Barbra came up with it because she thought calling someone a pimp was a form on endearment… the name ended up just sticking.

Xingqiu & Chongyun-

They’re those fucking kids who won’t shut up about Harry Potter or Star Wars or sum shit. Luckily for them, you can be just as geeky. You fit in pretty well with them.

Y’all met after you went off on them for spoiling the new Star Wars movie and eventually bonded over your love for those space ninjas. You get invited to watch movies and join the arcade with them 24/7. You join in on Xinqiu’s bullying of Chongyun and in turn actually out smart Xinqiu. So it balances out. They love you cause they probably get tired of each other after a lot of their own fights, but you’re always there to ground them <3

P.S BY FARRR the best people to go trick or treating with on halloween.

Xiao-

The kid who never got out of ‘emo skater boy phase’. A lot of people think he’s cool, but he doesn’t have many (tbh any) friends for two reasons. One, he’s hard to approach, and two, he’s socially awkward as fawkk.

You guys have been going to the same school for years, but never actually talked to each other until you saw him playing The Legend of Zelda on the switch. You ask to watch and he kinda just scoots over without saying anything. Weird, but you bring up how nostalgic it is to see people from back in the day to when everyone still wet their pants to how they’ve changed now. Xiao just kinda mumbles in response. He actually doesn’t want the conversation to end and sorta just awkwardly asks how you’re weekend was on a tuesday…

Once you learn he’s not as scary as he looks and is secretly a big giant marshmallow on the inside, you guys get a long pretty well. Then when he gets more comfortable with your presence, he’s so much more less awkward (a sign that he trusts you) and his real personality will start to blossom. You guys go to the park a lot and feed the ducks (WITH real duck food, may I add, and not the nasty expired bread). You guys play on the swings and exchange playlists/sound recommendations.

P.S. You wonder if he actually knows how to ride a skateboard because he’s one of those skater boys who actually just brings a skateboard with them everywhere while they never use it?? Like we get it. You have legs for a reason but then why bring the skateboard if you’re just gonna walk.

And you get closer to them all once they trauma dump on you </3

A/N: My first post wowowow | 11/01/2023

#genshin impact #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #genshin diluc #genshin x reader #genshin imagines #genshin fluff #zhongli #zhongli genshin impact #zhongli genshin x reader #alhaitham #bennett genshin impact #genshin xiao #xiao genshin x reader #childe #genshin kaeya #genshin headcanons

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yelshin · 1 year

Text

— AT LAST

Masterlist

An: requested by @star583 sorry if this took long😭 | Wc: 6.1k (damn)

Tags: Xiao ignoring reader, angst with comfort at the end?, this is HIGHSCHOOL AU, reader is described to have social anxiety, negative thoughts

Xiao doesn't believe in love, He usually spend his whole school year alone. But not until you transfer and became his group partner.

"Excuse me have you seen anyone named 'Xiao'?" Walking up to the nearest person feeling the nervousness took all over you, you didn't know anyone at this school (yet) "oh Xiao? You mean that grumpy student who spends his whole school year alone? He's in the library i think" 'what a weird title that "Xiao" hold...' You thanked the person before heading to the library, trying to find your new group partner.

You saw someone reading near the window, he have team hair and those pretty yellow eyes, like hell he's the definition of beauty. You walk up to hin and gently tap his shoulder, which he look at you with a little glare that screams 'who do you think you are to disturb me' that small glare cause your legs to start shaking in nervousness and fear thinking you did something wrong. "Have you...seenanyoneherenamexiao?" You didn't notice you spoke that fast without pausing. Causing people to stare at you; oh you just wish the ground to swallow you. But you were surprised when he said "its me, im Xiao and who are you?"

You introduced yourself and he immediately recognize your name; his group partner. "Well im here to discuss about the project that is tasked... I was wondering where and when can we work on it?" you whispered to avoid people staring at you with 'are you weird?' "lets talk it outside. Were still inside the library anyway." You nodded and immediately walk out of the library, slamming the door behind you as if Xiao wasn't trailing behind you. 'WHAT WAS THAT FOR [NAME]?!' due to the noise you made it made more people stare at you very weirdly.

"Hey, are you okay?" You felt someone poke your shoulder, causing you to shriek "sorry if i dash out like that... Anyways about the project.."

"We can start on planning at break time, meet me at room B-7" you both agreed to meet at room B-7, you watch him walk away with a few books on his hand, "god..he probably thinks im weird..."

That's how your friendship started, over a group project, hanging out with Xiao doesn't feel weird at all, unlike most of the people say 'he's always grumpy and boring' but once you know him very well he's actually a caring person.

"Earth to [Name] are you there?" You snapped at your thoughts and realized you two still have to study for the upcoming Exam, and soon you will graduate and move to other place.

You begged your mother not to but she insist that its very urgent to move to other place due to unexpected events.

Of course being Xiao's friend for almost two years, you didn't wanna leave without saying a proper goodbye to him but the problem is, how will he react? Will he be mad? Sad? Happy? You didn't know. "Sorry i was thinking of something else..." Xiao sigh and flick your forehead lightly "focus, we have exam next week.." you didn't fail to notice a small hint of his lips frowning as if he knew something's gonna happen.

You've been trying to contact Xiao for 2 days straight. But yet he seem to not pick up every calls, "what am i gonna do... Mother said we will go tomorrow.." you murmured to yourself, before you knew it many negative thoughts fill your head

'he lost interest in you' 'your presence is annoying him' and other more. But one thing that clicked you: 'he doesn't like you back. Never'

As much as you want to confess, you don't wanna ruin the friendship you two have.

Xiao on the other hand, can feel guilt building up to him, he knows he have to get rid of thesw feelings, since you two will graduate soon and will part away he needs to brush it off as soon as possible. Before he finds himself begging you to not leave him, 'this is stupid.' he sighs and look at his phone, seeing many notifications of you calling him. 'they will forget me anyways, whats the point of confessing-' Xiao's thought were interrupted by a knock. "Xiao are you there? You haven't came out in your room for a while..." Worried voice of his father, Zhongli.

Xiao opened the door and Zhongli immediately knew what type of advice Xiao needed "its about them right?" Xiao flinched when Zhongli mentioned you. "No its not about them-" "no need to deny Xiao. I went through that when i was on age of yours, now why don't you go ahead and confess before it's too late?"

Xiao paused for a moment "they will forget about me anyway, they will leave me soon after graduation." Zhongli reach his hand out to pat Xiao and gave him a gentle smile "its not too late Xiao, and im sure they won't forget you" Xiao knew you wouldn't forgive him for ignoring you while you try your very best to reach out for him, That is obviously written on Xiao's expression.

Zhongli knew his son well "apologizing won't hurt Xiao, you have to tell them everything before its too late." Xiao thank his father for thr advices that he gave, now all he gotta do is confess. Even if you would forget him once you move out of town.

Fiddling at your fingers you and your mother wait patiently at the train station, 'this is it.. god I didn't even said goodbye properly-' your mother called you out saying that the train is near. As you stand up you heard a familiar voice called your name

You look over the direction to see Xiao panting as if he run all the way to the station

"Xiao? How and where did you-" before you could even finish your words you were engulfed by a hug, "i accidentally read your diary... Why didn't you- no im sorry for ignoring you [Name] i really am." You felt like crying at the spot and you knew you had to say it before leaving "Xiao.. you may not return my feelings but i like you... Im saying this before i leave-" You were cutted off with Xiao chuckling and flick your forehead which cause you to frown, is this the Xiao you knew? "I do too, but no matter what ill wait for you even if you take centuries, even of you forget me" you couldn't believe it. Just as you were about to say something your mother called you again, saying that the train is here.

You look at Xiao before giving him something at your pocket, a small box. "A gift for you before i leave.. and lastly-" you gave him a small peck on cheeks before running to your mother, looking at Xiao for the last time, you wave goodbye to him causing him to smile and wave back

"I will return soon...in your arms"

An: all thanks to abba and my friend Ài helping me out on this fic😭

#🐚 —﹐☆ published:: genshin impact #xiao genshin x reader #xiao x reader #xiao genshin impact #genshin x reader #xiao scenarios #genshin angst #genshin fluff #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #Zhongli #genshin xiao #xiao angst #genshin impact xiao #xiao #xiao x you

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sweeter-innocence-fics · 1 year

Text

My Sweetest Downfall - Chapter Five

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Work Summary:

Eddie’s back from the Upside Down, but things aren’t exactly how he left them. Hawkins is in pieces, his friends are scattered and the love of his life is… pregnant?

Eddie Munson x Harrington!Reader

Chapters:Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Epilogue

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 2364

Read on AO3.

Masterlists.

Taglist: @mrs-kai-anderson @ang3l1te @missryerye @eddiesgirlforever @harrys-tittie @munsonmoonshine86

Taglist info

Previous Chapter

Notes:

BIG WARNINGS ON THIS ONE for abusive parents, physical violence, choking, medical stuff, torture. To avoid spoilers, there are more details in notes at the bottom of the post if you want to know more before reading.

---

~ TWO MONTHS EARLIER ~

When you awoke the next morning, it was to the smell of breakfast cooking. Confused, you checked the clock. Steve was supposed to be at work. Had he taken the day off?

You pulled on a dressing gown and made your way downstairs. To your surprise, your father was sitting at the dining table, his newspaper open, but as you entered, he set it down.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said, smiling at you. You just blinked at him. “Your mother is making breakfast. Why don’t you sit down?”

Slowly, you sat down at the table. It was laid for three, with a jug of orange juice in the middle. A moment later, your mom appeared with a large stack of blueberry pancakes.

“Good, you’re up,” she said, setting the pancakes on the table. She put a couple of them on your plate, and then poured some juice into your glass.

Your heart was pounding. The last time your mother had cooked you breakfast had been your twelfth birthday. You had a bad feeling about this. But then she smiled at you, and your heart clenched. For a brief moment, you remembered what it was to be a little girl who just wanted her mommy.

Did you dare hope that this wasn’t some ploy? Could it be that now you were having a baby, your parents were trying to mend bridges?

“Thanks, mom,” you said.

“I booked you an appointment at the clinic today,” said your father, taking his own stack of pancakes.

You frowned. “What clinic?”

“A women’s health clinic, obviously.”

Your gut twisted. “I don’t want to- I’m not going to-”

Your father raised a hand. “Relax. It’s just a routine check-up. I want to make sure my baby girl is getting the best care there is.”

You hadn’t been his baby girl in a very long time. “I already have a doctor.”

“Well, regardless, I’ve asked around and this guy is definitely the best. We’re sparing no expense here. Understood?”

“… Yes, dad.”

After breakfast, you showered and dressed – a habit you were still struggling to create – and then got into the car with your parents.

They were both quiet for most of the drive, which suited you just fine. The clinic was twenty minutes from your home, in another of Hawkins’ deeply suburban neighbourhoods.

The waiting room was empty. As the nurse called your name for your appointment, both of your parents stood up too.

“Oh, I think I can handle this part by myself,” you said. “Thanks, though.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said your father in a tone that brooked no argument. “We’re coming in with you.” It was evident you wouldn’t be able to stop him.

In the consulting room, the doctor welcomed the three of you in.

“Your father has already informed me all about your case,” he reassured you. You were not reassured.

You glanced at the examination bed in the middle of the room. It had stirrups attached. You felt a sinking in your stomach.

“Take these,” said the doctor, handing you a small cup full of pills.

“What are they?”

“Painkillers. They’ll make the procedure much easier for you.”

“Procedure?” Your hands were trembling now.

“The termination,” he said, as if it were obvious.

“I don’t- I’m not-”

Your father shifted over to sit down beside you and gripped your arm tight enough to hurt. “There, there, sweetheart,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’ll all be over soon, and you won’t have to worry about this little problem anymore.”

“You’re hurting me.” You could barely breathe. You tried to pull your arm out of his grip but he held fast.

So you did the only thing you could think of. You tipped the little cup of pills into your mouth. Your dad’s grip loosened.

“Alright, now please remove your clothes and put on this gown,” said the doctor, laying a hospital gown on the edge of the examination bed. “And then get up on the bed, with your feet in the stirrups.”

“Can I please use the restroom first?” you asked, trying not to garble the words around the mouthful of painkillers.

“Of course. It’s down the hall, on the right.”

“I’ll come with you, dear,” said your mom, but you were already out the door.

“Sorry, emergency,” you said. “Gotta poop real bad.” That stopped her in her tracks. As casually as you could, you walked back towards the reception area, straight past the restrooms. The receptionist didn’t even look up as you walked back out into the parking lot.

Well.

Now what?

Your dad’s car was still parked in its spot, but there’s no way he wouldn’t have taken his keys with him. If Eddie was here, he could’ve shown you how to hotwire it.

Eddie.

Your heartstrings tugged at you, reminding you of the reason you were here. This baby was yours and Eddie’s, and there wasn’t a force in this world that could take it away from you. You turned and spat out the painkillers into a plant pot next to the clinic door.

You knew that you didn’t have long. Any moment, your parents would be bursting through that door to drag you back into the clinic, and who knows what would happen then?

With the amount of money your father had at his disposal, you couldn’t be sure that the staff of the clinic wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the situation, and perform the procedure without your consent. The thought was enough to get you moving.

You started to run. There was a strip mall about a mile from here, and they would surely have a payphone you could use.

As soon as you were around the corner, away from the clinic, you slowed to a fast walk. Your side was already burning, although you’d only run fifty yards or so. The extra weight of your pregnancy was taking its toll on you.

At any moment, you were sure that you would hear your parents’ voices chasing you, or perhaps their car coming up on you from behind. You weaved through the side streets, desperate to make sure they weren’t tailing you. Thankfully, that moment never came.

You made it to the strip mall in twenty minutes, panting and exhausted. If you’d had any breath left, you would’ve sighed in relief when you saw the phone booth.

It was only once you’d made it inside that you realised how badly you were shaking. You had no money on you, so you punched in the numbers to make a collect call.

“Hello, Family Video?” To your great relief, it was Steve who answered the phone. He sounded confused, no doubt because of the collect call. You hoped he didn’t get in trouble for accepting the charges.

“Steve,” you said, and then burst into tears. He said your name, sounding confused and worried. In between sobs, you explained to him what had happened.

“Where are you? I’ll come and pick you up.” You gave him your location. “I’ll be right there, I promise. Ten minutes, tops. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He made it to you in seven minutes. You had never been so glad to see anyone in your life as when his car pulled up beside the bench you were sitting on.

You pushed down on the bench to get up, and managed to stand just as Steve reached you, wrapping you up in a tight hug. His face was still bruised from your dad’s fist. Anger flared in you again, but quickly burned away into despair.

“Steve-” You tried to speak, but it just came out as a choked up sob. He clung to you, encircling you with his arms.

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered. “I’m so fucking sorry. I should never have left you alone with them.”

“It’s not your fault.”

He pulled back to look you in the eyes, setting his hands on your shoulders. “I want to promise you something. You’re not gonna have to raise your baby in that house, under our parents’ thumbs, okay? I’m gonna ask for a raise. I’ll get a second job if I have to. And we’ll get an apartment, just you and me. And we won’t have to answer to anyone.”

You let out another sob and wrapped your arms around him.

~ PRESENT DAY ~

A switchboard had been set up in Hopper’s cabin. It was somewhere that was far from the action, to keep it safe, and any population centres, to avoid civilian casualties. The doors and windows were all boarded up, and there was a decent supply of weapons here, in the event that Vecna did find you.

Hopper knew, as you all did, that left to their own devices, the kids would get themselves in trouble. They hated being left out of the action. That was why you and Eddie were staying with them. You were letting them man the switchboard so that you could all keep in contact, and so that they would feel useful.

Dustin was a whizz with electronics anyway. This was the best place for him.

The only child not under your care right now was Eleven, because she was needed elsewhere. She was your one chance at taking down Vecna, but she wouldn’t have to do it alone.

Hopper had brought in the police force to assist in this foray into Vecna’s realm. Steve was out there too, with Robin, and Nancy, and Jonathan, and every other person who had been caught up in the web of the Upside Down. Hop had promised you that he would keep your brother safe.

Your pregnancy was a good reason to keep you out of harm’s way. No one had said it, but Eddie was pretty sure that he was being kept here, away from the fighting, because Hopper didn’t fully trust him yet. He supposed that he couldn’t blame him.

Everyone else was part of a complex plan to draw Vecna out, distract him, or destroy him. Eddie hadn’t been paying all that much attention. He knew his part. You and he would guard the switchboard, protect the kids, and stay safe.

Your arm curled around your stomach as Dustin sat at the switchboard, relaying instructions between the teams. Eddie wondered if you would let him touch you right now. He really wanted to put his arms around you and assure you that everyone was going to be okay, even if he didn’t believe it himself.

Of course, you’d see right through him. You always did.

Your posture was uninviting. You were tilted away from him, your arms resting on your knees, staring off into space. Eddie raised a hand, tentatively reaching out for you, and then withdrew it suddenly.

The thought of your rejection was too painful. He’d rather delude himself that you’d welcome his touch and never have that belief challenged.

So he went and sat down by Max and Lucas instead. Lucas eyed him with annoyance. Max turned to face him, unseeing. He realised, belatedly, that she had no way of knowing it was him.

“Hey Max,” he said, watching as the recognition flickered across her face. “Sinclair.” Lucas nodded at him.

“Why aren’t you talking to your girlfriend?” asked Lucas, sounding pissed off. Eddie had interrupted his conversation with Max. The shine of being newly returned from the dead had clearly already faded.

“Don’t be a dick,” Max snapped. “He can come talk to us if he wants.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, by the way,” Eddie interjected.

Lucas snorted. “You got her pregnant.”

“You don’t have to be boyfriend-girlfriend for that.”

“Gross.”

“And does everyone know that the baby is mine? Did she tell you all?”

“Well, whose else would it be?” asked Max, as if it was a given that you hadn’t slept with anyone else.

Eddie thought about that for a moment. He knew you didn’t date much, and you’d slept with a couple of people before him, but there was no one else in your life that seemed to be a likely candidate.

“We all figured something like this would happen eventually,” said Lucas, shrugging. “You two used to be around each other, like, all the time.”

“And you were always making gooey eyes at each other,” came Erica’s voice from over his shoulder. He jumped, almost knocking into her. “Watch it!”

“I- We do not make gooey eyes.”

“Sure, you don’t.” She rolled her eyes at him. He was about to respond when activity by the switchboard distracted him.

He tuned in just in time to hear Steve say, “We’ve crossed the gate, but this whole place seems… empty?” His voice crackled through the speakers.

“We’re at the Creel house,” came Joyce’s reply. “And it’s empty too. No vines. No dogs. No bats.”

Eddie took a step towards the switchboard and stumbled. There was something wrong. A sudden pain shot through his eyeballs. He doubled over, clutching his head.

“Eds?” You rushed to his side, but he was already gone.

As the pain ripped through him, it all came back.

Vines sewing up his broken body. Agony as he was contorted this way and that. Vecna’s voice always in his ear.

He had been in the Upside Down for months. He had been Vecna’s personal project. Vecna tore him apart and put him back together more times than he could count. That was how he’d survived. Vecna had healed his body so that he could torture it some more.

No, it can’t have been just that. There must’ve been another reason. He tried to think, but the pain was blinding. Someone was clawing at his arms. His muscles were tensed.

“You’re going to be my little puppet, aren’t you, Edward?” Vecna’s voice was cold and low in his ear, so close that it was almost real, and Eddie snapped back into himself.

Multiple pairs of hands were grabbing at his arms, trying to pull him away or incapacitate him. He blinked, refocusing on what was happening in the room. You were laying beneath him, your eyes watering, bruises on your neck in the shape of his hands.

---

Notes:

Warnings for parents attempting to coerce/force reader into getting an abortion, mind control, domestic abuse-adjacent stuff (although Eddie isn't in control of his actions)

Next Chapter

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x harrington!reader #eddie munson x pregnant!reader #steve harrington x sister!reader

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nelkcats · 1 year

Text

Hood Assistant

Prompt Part 1 Part 5 Part 6 Ao3 Next

Part 7

-----

To be fond of dancing is a certain step towards falling in love.

------------------

"I see, thanks for confirming Jay" Danny forced a smile as he continued to look around the room.

The apartment yelled Red Hood in a unique way, but it also yelled Jay and that had him extremely confused, although it made sense if he took into account that the two of them were dating each other.

Since at least three of Bill's bizarre theories made sense, then most of them must be true, and Danny couldn't deny that anymore.

Jason was dating Red Hood

A reality that made his head spin and his heart ache, what was he supposed to do now with his silly crush? It was not easy to stop an illusioned heart

Though if he read all the signs correctly then Jay was enjoying his company,and maybe just for a couple of days he could fool himself into thinking he had a chance. Even if the current situation was just to help him face his own fears.

"So when will your roommate come back?" Danny asked worriedly, if the vigilante would return soon, there was no point in getting his hopes up.

"He's on a trip with his team, so definitely not anytime soon" Jason apologized, if the cute boy in front of him had already swallowed the lie that he was living with Red Hood then nothing could be worse. There would be no consequences for him, not at all.

Jason steadfastly refused to acknowledge the endless number of books that were precisely about avoiding lying to others because lies could collapse like a house of cards in the face of a strong wind.

It's for his own good, and this will not bring me any consequences at all.

Maybe if he repeated it to himself enough times it would come true, no matter how much his conscience was screaming at him. Damn charming boy who decided to make him feel things in his own home!

"Well, we're officially glued to each other for at least a couple of days" Danny stated a little brighter, it wouldn't hurt to follow Johnny's advice and allow himself to be happy for a couple of days. A bit risky, but it had enough advantages to consider it.

"It seems so, but we already had breakfast" Jason perked up when he saw that Danny had put the subject of his roommate aside.

He realized that the boy was right, if it was a new formula and Danny was the only human being affected then the bats would take a little longer to create a cure, although staying stuck with him for a few days didn't sound bad. His company was fun, he made him laugh and his stupid heart pounded every time he was around him.

His treacherous heart had not understood that he couldn't fall in love, not now or ever, no matter how much his head recited the entire book of Pride and Prejudice from head to toe, he was not in love, he couldn't be.

Even if the boy was cute, and talked about Disney rats as if they were a fact, or looked at him in admiration when he did something as simple as cook and enjoyed his food as if it had fallen from heaven.

"There's a lot to do besides eat breakfast Jay" Danny smiled as he pulled his hand to follow him, to which Jason didn't put up much resistance.

He definitely noticed the little fang sticking out of Danny's lip, and how the boy was biting his lower lip as if it were bothering him, but he decided not to comment on it yet.

Danny was avoiding with all his might not to bite Jason at that moment, his hunger for ectoplasm was more active than ever, but Jason had no ectoplasm on his body, he tried to remind his head.

He was obviously failing at it, because his new vampiric tendencies wanted to sink his fangs in and sip his crush like juice. But that was wrong, very wrong. And he wasn't a vampire! he winced internally for comparing himself to Vlad for a minute.

“Do you know what I like to do when I'm bored?” Danny asked, swinging his feet from side to side, trying to drive the taste of the ectoplasm out of his mind and diverte the energy meant for biting into the continuous movement of his feet.

"Mutilate fruits and vegetables beyond recognition?" Jason teased, if he had noticed his sudden nervousness he didn't show it.

"Besides that smart ass" Danny rolled his eyes at the comment.

"I have no idea, but it doesn't look like you can stay still for long" Jason pointed out curiously.

"You're right, I don't like sitting still" Danny agreed with him "that made my older sister really desperate, so she taught me something"

Jason had no idea he had a sister, so he decided not to mention it. He would definitely bring up the subject at another time.

"Did she taught you how to swing on expensive chandeliers and a little gymnastics?" Jason asked, if that was the case then it would be a complete coincidence because that was precisely what Dick had taught him when he was a child.

Unfortunately they didn't have the same amount of energy and Jason didn't find funny being dropped off buildings to "learn how to fly", he'd broken his arm once!

"I don't think she knows how to do that," Danny muttered to himself "but no, she taught me how to dance"

"You? Dancing?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

It's not that he believed it impossible, it's just that dancing required a lot of patience even if it was mostly about movement; Danny was definitely not the definition of patience.

"Yes, I like to dance, it's quite relaxing and it helps drain energy" Danny smiled, he had figured out how to divert his new energy "but let me ask you a few questions first"

"I don't see how that's relevant, but as you wish Doll" Jason agreed easily. He had no reason not to trust him with dance questions

"Have you ever danced with Death?" Danny offered his hand in invitation. It was a last minute decision, and the question probably sounded strange but he couldn't help it.

"One time, it wasn't a pleasant experience." Jason took the offered hand. Thinking about death wasn't very satisfying but he was curious where the boy was going with those questions.

"Would you like to try again?" Danny pulled him to the center of the room with a smile "I promise I'll do better"

"I didn't picture you as a grim reaper," Jason teased as he followed him into the center of the room, trying to ignore all the implications.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not" Danny said cryptically, although it was obvious he was joking "Anyway, I promise to treat you better than she did"

"Okay, but we're going to need some music" Jason commented, reaching over to take his phone.

"I have it solved, pretty boy" Danny hit the play button on his phone as a song began to play. Did he have his phone the whole time? Jason wondered.

I used to hear a simple song, that was until you came along

The song didn't sound familiar to Jason, but the melody relaxed him, and he began to follow in Danny's footsteps. Which seemed to be looking at him with a smile on his face as he gently swayed across the living room.

Now in its place is something new

Jason recalled the happy moments after getting out of Ra's contaminated pit. When he thought that he would be listed as a villain but instead the inhabitants of Crime Alley began to follow him, considering him their protector. When he was greeted with a hug instead of a frown, so similar but different from when he was a child.

I hear it when I look at you

Danny continued to take careful steps as he moved around the room. He liked being with Jason, it made him feel free in a way his family never could.

Jazz had been his only salvation, the only escape he could allow himself, and yet when she left Amity he didn't feel bad; just empty, a little sad. Maybe it was because he knew he was stopping his sister, one way or another.

Danny was aware that Jazz had never been able to afford a normal childhood because of him, that their parents meant well but their intentions were not good to take care of something more than themselves

With simple songs I wanted more, perfection is so quick to bore

Jason remembered his family nights, when they were all together. Or at least pretending to be; The times when they got together to watch Cass's dance recitals. The moment the whole family hosted a small dinner to celebrate Tim's promotion to CEO.

When everyone was a normal family instead of reluctant allies, when his family showed love to each other without words, which never worked for them anyway. And he remembered hating having to come out of the perfect picture.

He remembered how much he'd missed Dick's little pranks, having to force Tim to get some sleep, cooking for Cass, even having an afternoon explaining Damian about art history.

But he didn't belong in that painting. The moment he died he was banned from Bruce Wayne's beautiful family, the boy who was welcome in that loving home was left underground.

He returned to life worse than ever and without the right to return home, the small moments in which they seemed to accept him were only fantasies and he felt like crying or shouting at the world for that injustice.

I'm Jason Todd, and as much as you screw me up, I'm still standing.

He just didn't know where he was standing.

You are more beautiful by far

Danny watched a series of complicated expressions pass over Jason's face and decided to help, he turned him around as they talked "Don't think about it, even if it causes you pain, you must remember that you are still standing"

Danny knew a lot about having complicated emotions on different situations, and maybe he wasn't the best at giving advice but it didn't hurt to try "sometimes, it's better to accept that acting is the best solution"

Jason knew they weren't on the same line of conversation but answered anyway "No, leaving means dying."

Leaving meant going back to his family, meant waiting for acceptance where he had no right. Exposing them to danger out of a selfish desire to have someone to depend on again.

Leaving meant going back to being the scared little boy inside an explosion that led to his death. It meant talking about how he felt even if no one was willing to listen to his words. Jason was tired of being the one to get scared, the one to protect others, but what choice did he have? There was no choice but to face the world head on, get angry, and do something about it where no one else was.

Danny looked at him a little confused but remembered what Jazz had told him "On the contrary, leaving means living before you die"

He would know, he had died because of his parents desire for knowledge, he forced himself to be there for others even when there was no one for him. He refused to accept that there was someone other than him to solve the world's problems, no matter how heavy they were. The city blamed all its problems on the recently dead boy, and he did nothing to contradict them.

Sam and Tucker knew it, they had tried so many times to get the city to leave him alone, but they were just kids. None of them could see an alternative, a different way to act, a way to save themselves as well as the others. Danny gave up because no one had saved him, and maybe no one would ever come to save him.

He gave up to such an extent that he forgot that it was possible to save himself. That he could learn how to swim in the sea that was drowning him. That respirators existed for those who could not breathe.

He chained himself to a duty that was not his and lost everything he cared about, until his home felt like a death trap, his parents like enemies, and his city like a prison. But over the years he got it, he didn't have to be there, he had to act fast, move, leave.

The reason he came to Gotham was because he needed to live again, he needed to remember that he was as alive as he was dead.

"Jason, it's okay to wish others well, to wish them to be perfectly happy, but just like everyone else, you must also allow yourself to be happy in the same way" The halfa decided to say as he continued the dance.

Maybe it was a pointless comment, and it had nothing to do with what Jay was thinking, but he needed to let him know, for his own sake as well as his.

Our flaws are who we really are

Jason allowed himself to think on his words for a moment. Danny had no idea of his identity as Red Hood, would he still say the same after finding out? It was unlikely, but he liked to believe so.

"What makes you so sure it's the best solution?" He asked quietly, when Danny talked about acting he thought maybe he should act in response to his own fears.Take action and leave them behind.

"You don't know, I think that's the thrill of living" Danny smiled as he increased the speed of his steps "sometimes you have to take risks hoping for the best"

One thing he learned after he died was that fear of taking risks was unnecessary. If something was going to happen it would, even if you tried to avoid it in every possible way. It was just the way fate worked. What people used to forget is that they were in control of their own fate.

"Taking risks could get you killed," Jason stated with a frown, following his movements a little more robotically than he intended.

"I'll teach you something that someone important to me taught me" Danny stated, remembering one of Clockwork's lessons.

I used to hear a simple song

"What will you tell me? That there is no point in fearing death because there is so much to live for? Someone gave me that talk a long time ago" and he had died for having listened to it, for throwing himself without precautions like his father had taught him.

"No Jay, nobody wants to die," Danny assured, recalling his own experience "even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there"

"So?" Jason frowned, not quite understanding.

"However, we all end up dying right?" Danny smiled sadly "some sooner than others, but no one escapes it"

"This isn't making me feel any better, Doll" Jason said.

"I didn't mean to make you feel better, just to tell you that there's no point in being afraid to act because death will always be there, it will still do it if you decide not to act, you know?" Danny said as he pulled him closer to himself, even if he was a little short he could lead the dance.

Jason sighed accepting the point as he tried to relax. Maybe Danny was right and he should stop being so cautious around what he loved.

But he had spent so much time being afraid of hurting them that he didn't know how to stop. Maybe things will get better now. Even if most of his siblings backed away from him out of caution, it was the best he'd been in a long time.

That was until you came along

Jason noticed at that moment that the pits weren't acting, he wasn't angry. He was sad, desperate, maybe a little heartbroken but definitely not angry. For some reason Danny helped with that, something in that carefree boy with cooking problems made him feel better.

Neither of the two boys noticed how Danny was slowly feeding on the corrupted ectoplasm the longer they maintained contact. How his fangs were getting smaller and his urge to bite lessened. The halfa assumed it was just a positive effect of dancing.

Jason just felt better overall as he continued with the dance. He attributed it to his growing feelings for the cute boy. Something about that goofy boy, who had a problem with taking care of himself and a lot of mysteries wrapped around just appealed to him. Maybe it was time to start accepting it, at least until the effects of the gas wore off and they both had to go back to the real world far from the apartment.

You took my broken melody

Jason closed his eyes, letting himself be carried away by the song. He felt broken, the pits made him feel like a damaged product but it would be hypocritical of him to say that because he told Danny that people couldn't be defective right? It was time to start believing his own words.

Humans weren't born defective, and radioactive pits weren't going to change that. He just had to keep repeating that long enough for him to gain the courage to act on his words. Until the moment he allowed himself to return to the side of the family and recognize that he deserved love too, the love that many of them were willing to give him.

Danny also closed his eyes, letting himself go, a little guilty for having to teach Jay such a bittersweet lesson, Clockwork wasn't the best with feelings, nor how to express them. Clockwork was time, time was honest in every way and did not embellish the truth.

Clockwork was his mentor and yet they had met because he was destined to die. Apparently when time doesn't like the fate you're taking he decides it is better to let you know. Danny wondered if Clocky would yell at him if falling for Jason was a bad idea.

And now I hear a symphony

When they both opened their eyes, they were smiling. By some miracle neither of them had tripped over something in the room, or maybe it was just fate acting but they felt a little better.

They finished the song tired, with their hair completely tousled but feeling lighter than they had ever felt before. Who would have thought that a dance could free so much of what you have trapped? And make you think about the situation a little more.

Maybe ignoring the world for a couple of days while staying inside the apartment wasn't such a bad idea after all. Perhaps it was the best idea either of them had ever come up with.

Danny pointed at his phone again and Jason nodded. It was morning and they had a lot of time to waste, so dancing a little more was not a bad idea.

"Love" sang the little crow watching them from the couch, for some reason he had stopped speaking during the entire exchange, maybe he understood the scene, or he was just tired.

───────────────

"No, no, no, no, I refuse" Johnny said as he pushed Amorpho out of the apartment.

The moment Danny had walked through that door with red eyes, he knew that was definitely not his usual roomie but an impostor.

"No refunds, until Danny gets back from the alleged kidnapping this is a roomie swap" Amorpho sneered as he pushed Johnny into the apartment again "Move over, a new star has come to town"

"But that could take DAYS" Johnny grumbled. He was glad that Danny was with his crush, maybe making some headway. What he didn't like was an intruder in his temporary haunt.

"It's good than I'm replacing him at school then" Amorpho scoffed, stealing Johnny's spot on the couch, Johnny dramatically inhaled and pointed at him in offense.

"MY COUCH" The motorcyclist complained. It had been his couch since the day he'd arrived, which might not sound like much, but by now Johnny had already claimed the couch as his own. His place.

"Our couch" Amorpho corrected him.

He was well aware that the ghost didn't like his company, but he needed a place to stay since he had been dragged to Gotham anyway.

Besides, now that he had new friends and had joined the drama club to star in Beauty and the Beast then he had to stay until the production was over.

If he was completely honest, even if Danny was bounding back out that door in a matter of minutes he'd deny him from going back to college for a long time. He had already put enough effort into attending that supposed advanced physics class for all his efforts to be despised.

Shadow simply sighed as they peeked out of Johnny's shadow to see the new temporary resident and went back into hiding, they weren't going to deal with that.

On the other hand, Cujo woke up and began to bark at the two ghosts until they paid attention to him.

"What's wrong Cujo?" Johnny asked, preferring to pay more attention to the pup than to the couch usurping ghost.

Cujo grunted as he held up a very particular can of soup, to which Johnny cocked his head in confusion.

"That's Danny's ectoplasm" the motorcyclist stated before realizing the problem "DANNY LEFT WITHOUT HIS ECTOPLASM"

"Is that a bad thing?" Amorpho asked curiously looking at the can, honestly it only brought back bad memories "Gotham has enough ectoplasm for him"

"Sure, but Danny's been feeding on pure ectoplasm instead of human food for a while, do you know what that means?" Johnny put his hands on Amorpho's shoulders and started to shake him "he'll have a reaction!"

"How bad can it be?" Amorpho snorted.

"He'll start biting the floor" Johnny said seriously, remembering Lunch's story of the first time she had to deliver emergency ectoplasm to Danny's new haunt because the halfa had run out of reserves "his body will look for the nearest ectoplasm and I'm sorry if I I don't want to become a teether toy for halfas"

"Danny is far from here" Amorpho brushed off the concern.

"But we're the purest ectoplasm in the area," Johnny stated, shaking the can.

"Okay, let's go find him and give him his silly ectoplasm," Amorpho grumbled, "where is he though?"

Cujo groaned as he lay down on the floor, his new caretakers were useless and he wished Danny would come back soon.

Oblivious to the ghosts, Gotham had a perfectly accessible source of ectoplasm below the city, and a slightly impure source right next to the halfa.

───────────────

After a morning in which they both danced their hearts out, Danny and Jason had decided to take a nap, they never let go of each other's hand. Of course, when Jason woke up he didn't expect to see a suspicious shadow moving through his kitchen. The crow was happily sleeping next to the window.

"What are you doing in my house?" Jason questioned absently before noticing that indeed, there was someone there "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?"

"I want waffle fries" Dick came out of the darkness with an empty plate, looking at his brother with a pleading face.

"I'm not going to cook for you right now" Jason said offended "What am I, your personal chef?"

"Since you're the only one who can cook, yes" Dick nodded, offering his empty plate again.

"That's a complete lie, you could have asked Alfie and you know it" Jason pointed at him accusingly.

Before the two began arguing among themselves, the halfa decided it was better if they noticed him, he assumed Jay had forgotten he was in the room.

"Um, Jay?" Danny tugged at Jason's nightshirt, hiding himself from the sight of the guy who randomly walked into the house "Who is he?"

Danny was lucky to decide not to attack the sudden threat, because the two of them seemed pretty close to each other, however, who walks into someone else's house randomly to order fries?

"Oh, you had a guest" Dick said stupidly.

"Yes, I have a guest," Jason growled in annoyance "Would you mind explaining to him what you're doing here, officer fries?"

Jason and Dick had a staring contest, challenging the other to speak first. However, Dick lost first because Jason nodded towards his empty plate and he took the cue.

If I talk I'm not going to cook anything for you

"I'm sorry, I'm officer Richard Grayson, I usually contact this young man to give him the details of the cases in which he is involved" Dick said clearing his throat, it seemed that being a police officer had served him well.

"Do you get into a lot of trouble?" Danny looked at Jason, concerned, dating Hood must really put him in danger.

"Yes, as Hood's assistant" he said emphasizing the title while looking at the officer "I'm usually the one who talks to the police and stuff, so we're very familiar with each other"

Officer Grayson nodded but Danny looked at the empty plate with a raised eyebrow, he didn't quite believe them.

"Still totally a Dick move, mate" Danny pointed at the officer, who tried to cover his laughter at the comment with a cough "you don't go into other people's houses and demand food"

"And yet I'm going to cook his dumb fries." Jason rolled his eyes as he snatched the empty plate from Dick's hands "come on Danny."

"I was informed that you were involved in Scarecrow's attack" Dick said curiously "is that why you guys are so close?"

Inwardly, Dick wondered if the union was really due to Scarecrow's attack and not his brother's new crush. Maybe it could be both, considering Jason “Pitter” Todd looked so possessive of the civilian when he took him away.

"You're a very nosy police officer" Jason shot him a stink-eye "we found the effects wear off for him with physical contact"

"You should probably inform the bats," Dick said offhandedly, though the message was obvious. I'll tell the bats.

"Bats are very nosy, they don't need more information about it" Jason refused. Don't you dare.

"However, it might be useful for them to have more information to combat the gas" Dick replied. They need to know.

"It's irrelevant information, they don't need to know" Jason said. They don't need to know about Danny.

Danny just watched the discussion not knowing if he should interrupt. He felt he was missing something but he was never good at reading between the lines.

"Excuse me, why would it help to tell the bats?" Danny asked the officer, frowning "I know they're fascinating animals, but I don't see how they can be of any help,"

"You don't know who the bats are?" Dick questioned in shock, if the guy worked for Hood he should know.

"He's not from Gotham," Jason hastened to clarify "The Bats are a group of vigilantes who dress up as bats to fight crime"

"So, furries?" Danny cocked his head considering the new information.

"If you say it like that it sounds horrible" Dick grimaced, although if you looked at it from another angle they really did

"There's nothing wrong with that, my friend Tucker is one, it's a matter of taste I think" Danny shrugged.

"Wait, didn't you say you've been living in Gotham for a few months?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "How come you've never heard of the Bats or even Crane?"

"Well, I think I did but…" Danny thought about his first days in Gotham.

───────────────

Danny was tired, after running away from Amity he needed a place to stay but why did it have to be in New Jersey? Something bad always happens in New Jersey! According to Sam.

He looked at the city sign that said "Welcome to Gotham City, the worst place to live" and even though the latter was written in graffiti he smiled, well at least it felt like home..

However, the smile faded from his face as soon as he saw a clown laughing at a guy in a bat costume while he enrolled in his new university; he wasn't going to judge their clothing choices, but why a clown?

He found out later that the madman was called "Joker", (some self-assigned nickname, perhaps?) and caused a lot of destruction, to the point where the city had something called "Joker insurance", apparently the furry also had "Batman insurance" for property damage.

The halfa decided to classify them as rogues of the city. Amity had a lot of them before the portal closed, and perhaps they were in competition with each other to see who had the most control in Gotham.

So when his classmate Amy mentioned that Batman had destroyed her house to catch Dr. Freeze he frowned.

Batman must be very possessive of Gotham's control.

As he explored the city in search of an apartment he met some very colorful people: a bat man, a crocodile man, a woman dressed as plants, more clowns and even two cats!

Maybe Gotham just dressed so extravagantly out of habit, and it wasn't really a weird thing, they were just all weird by default, or a lot of cosplayers.

Then when he visualized a boy with bat ears he shrugged. He must be part of a theme band, or maybe he's a fan of that Bat-man guy.

When he "borrowed" his apartment in Crime Alley he decided to relax and ignore all the rumors. Soon after, his university was destroyed by this "Joker" guy and he had to take online classes for a while.

The Goons sometimes talked about people he didn't understand "Poison Ivy" "Catwoman" "Harley Quinn" he guessed they were code-speaking by nicknames; he decided to ignore it and ask someone later, he didn't want to be nosy and he doubted it would affect him in the near future.

By the time face-to-face classes returned, he noticed that many of his classmates were whispering about a Scarecrow man, which he considered rude so he shut down the rumors. You shouldn't talk behind others' backs after all.

───────────────

"I heard of Batman, but I thought he was a very possessive rogue, I had no idea he was a vigilante" Danny shrugged "or had an entourage."

"It's not an entourage!" Dick exclaimed "it's camaraderie and mutual respect"

"Yes, an entourage of bats" the halfa nodded as he followed Jason into the kitchen.

"No wait, you thought Batman was a villain?" Jason smiled broadly, he needed to share that with his other siblings.

"Fights with others, causes property damage, he's possessive of the city" Danny began to count on his fingers "Yeah, it seemed like villainous behavior"

"But he also donates to the city, fights the real villains and keeps the streets safe" Dick replied.

"No, from what I heard Bruce Wayne donates to the city, even though fighting bad guys is a good reason I thought he was doing it out of possessiveness" Danny clarified.

"You have no idea about villains or vigilantes but you know exactly who Bruce Wayne is?" Jason raised an eyebrow, taking out the materials to cook the potatoes.

"Well, I had to know who to run from, obviously" Danny said, rolling his eyes.

"Why would you run from Bruce Wayne?" Dick asked feeling doubtful "he's just a playboy with a lot of kids"

"I don't like millionaires" Danny narrowed his eyes "and I remember reading that he had a son named Richard, just like you"

"Okay, you got me, he's my dad" Dick sighed, there was no point in denying it if the boy was paranoid with millionaires.

Although neither of the other two knew about it, Danny was very paranoid about people with money and big houses. He investigated Bruce Wayne to get out of his way, just like Lex Luthor and Oliver Queen, Vlad had left him a bad experience that he didn't plan to repeat.

"I'm sorry for your loss" Danny patted Dick's shoulder solemnly.

"I'm not dead" Dick said, offended.

"If you're not offended, why don't you go back to the mansion and have Alfred cook your fries, eh?" Jason smirked as he pointed at Dick with a knife.

"You're scary when you have a knife in your hand," Dick pointed out, though he didn't seem threatened at all "But I didn't want to upset Alfie, I moved a long time ago"

"Or you didn't want to see Bruce, you probably got into a fight with him again," Jason pointed out as he went back to his task of cutting potatoes with one hand.

The halfa tried to help him by cutting another part of the potatoes, but most of his potato pieces were jagged. So he frowned and tried to do a little better.

"Again, sorry for your loss" Danny repeated "millionaires can't be trusted, I get it officer"

Every millionaire has a secret basement and something to hide. The halfa refrained from saying out loud, it would be impolite to speak ill of the father of the non-guest.

Dick rolled his eyes, even if Jason wasn't wrong and he had fought with Bruce, he wouldn't let him know. It was quite obvious that the family had some problems with each other.

"Oh, who's Alfie?" Danny asked remembering the name "The only thing I understood is that he could cook"

"He's a cat," Jason said nonchalantly, taking the jagged potato wedges Danny made along with his own and starting to cook them.

"No, he's my butler" Dick corrected his younger brother before Danny had any ideas. He already had weird theories with millionaires, surely he didn't need fuel to theorize about butlers too.

"But it's also a cat" Jason said again. It was quite easy to tease his older brother at the moment, and since his roles were usually opposite, he was having fun.

"He's a butler cat who can cook?" Danny asked, more and more confused. The mental image of a small white cat with a frying pan flashed into his mind and he chuckled. He reminded him of one of the videos he had seen online.

"Alfred is a Wayne family butler" the policeman said with a sigh "but yes, we also have a cat named Alfred"

Dick congratulated himself for not saying ours throughout the conversation, he was doing a good job of keeping Jason's cover. Even if the two people in front of him were getting a bit infuriating.

Maybe he shouldn't have randomly interrupted Jason after he faced a Scarecrow attack, but he had a huge craving for waffle fries, and both Alfred and Jason were the only ones who knew how to make them correctly.

"Doesn't that get confusing quickly?" Danny said, feeling a bit queasy from all the going back and forth, the rich really did have weird traditions.

"Probably, my little brother loved Alfred the butler and decided to name the cat after him" Dick shrugged, there was nothing that could be done when Damian decided to name his new pets after something, and as long as Alfred didn't get offended by it, it was fine.

"Rich people really do have weird hobbies" Danny whispered to Jason as he handed over more of the potato wedges.

"Yeah, I don't know how they handle all the luxury" Jason whispered back with a grin.

He was well aware that his older brother was listening to him perfectly, but he didn't care. He really didn't know how they managed to bear all the luxury and details that the mansion had, there were times when it was too much.

Deciding not to mention their conversation, Dick began to evaluate them. They seemed quite comfortable with each other, even if Danny really needed the physical contact he thought Jason would be more reluctant to accept.

Could it be that his brother was in love?

"Here are your waffle fries Dick" Jason put the perfectly done fries in front of the police officer, who looked at them with stars in his eyes.

"You're a kitchen angel!" Dick exclaimed as he began to eat them, they tasted as good as he remembered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jason huffed as he put another two batches of fries in front of him and Danny, they were more irregular in shape and indistinct, but Jason didn't seem bothered about it.

Danny's heart raced as he realized Jason was specifically eating the potatoes he'd cut up, even if they didn't look like they should. He couldn't help but smile as he stole a few.

"Hey Doll, don't be a thief" Jason slapped the hand who was stealing from him as he pushed the fries away from the halfa's reach.

"I'm not the one insulting a police officer" Danny grumbled under his breath as he decided to stick with his perfectly cooked slice of waffle fries that Jason had handed him. They were very well made but he wanted the effort of both of them.

Jason ignored the pleading face Danny was sending him as he ate the misshapen fries, he didn't know why he felt possessive towards them but he did.

"But he wasn't insulting me" said Dick, confused by the comment, although it was a bit unintelligible due to the amount of fries he had in his mouth at that moment.

"He called you Dick and multiple variants of it a couple of times" Danny pointed out in confusion, that was obviously an insult.

"Besides, don't be an animal and swallow before you speak" Jason scolded.

"You read that my name was Richard but you don't know that my nickname is Dick?" The policeman said in disbelief, maybe the boy was bad at investigation.

"Did any of your friends hate you? Or did your parents?" Danny asked with concern, surely no one would choose that nickname voluntarily.

"I have no idea what you're implying, I had a very good family, and my friends loved me very much" Dick replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Did you choose that nickname willingly?" The halfa told him worried "Did you know what you were getting yourself into?"

"I'm not from this country, I came in a circus" Dick rolled his eyes "and my nickname is beautiful, thank you very much"

"Beautiful for a big Di-" Danny tried to say but was stopped by Jason putting a hand over his mouth and shaking his head. Well, he supposed he'd let the circus boy go for once.

"Anyway, I'm here to report that Nightwing will visit later to update you on the cure" Dick informed.

"Nightwing must be a nosy vigilante" Jason scoffed as he finished his fries.

"And how do you know about him? Is it some Bruce Wayne secret?" Danny asked suspiciously, communication with those bats (glorified furries) was weird.

"No, it's because I work in Blüdhaven with him" The police officer quickly denied, the less this paranoid boy knew the better.

"Uh, but if you work there, why do you come here to ask Jason about Hood? He shouldn't be part of your jurisdiction." Danny narrowed his eyes, catching a hint of a lie.

"Oh, it's just that I found out they had a close relationship" Dick tried to fix the problem "and since I'm familiar with Gotham because I lived here, the cops send me every time they have a problem"

Jason knew that everything his older brother was saying at that moment was nonsense. He simply hoped that Danny would buy it without commenting too much.

"I understand what you mean" Danny nodded understanding the situation, he assumed that the police had found out about Jason's relationship with Hood, so they sent an outside officer to confirm if the rumors were true.

"Yes, totally" although he was surprised that Danny believed his words, Dick accepted it, even if he had a feeling he was feeding another bizarre theory.

Everyone already knew about their relationship or is Gotham very gossipy? Danny wondered

"Thank you very much for the fries, Chef Jay" Dick nodded, waving his empty plate "it was delicious as always."

"Sadly I can't get rid of you if I don't feed you," Jason grumbled as he leaned back on Danny's head.

"Although I'm glad your coexistence is going well, I still have to inform the bats so" The policeman pointed to the door "wait for a visit very soon, bye!"

With that said, the officer ran out of the apartment, though Danny swore he was holding back the urge to jump buildings. But that made no sense, not everyone in Gotham had to be weird.

"You have very strange friends" the halfa commented to Jason once the policeman was out of sight.

"Friends who don't even know how to lock the door" Jason complained looking at how he had turned out his apartment "Don't stay too comfortable, one of the bats is going to come here later"

"One of the furries? I think I can handle it" Danny sneered, he had lived with Tucker all his life, another furry shouldn't be a problem.

"I don't think you understand, they're very nosy Doll" Jason frowned worriedly, stroking his hand "they'll want to know everything"

"Well, all we're going to tell them is that you're making me fat like the witch from Hansel and Gretel" Danny replied with a smirk.

"I'm much prettier than the witch in a story" Jason sneered with a smile on his face.

"Of course, you're much sexier, and comfortable," Danny said, though he regretted speaking "I mean, compared to the witch who's probably totally wrinkled and toothless"

"Don't try to improve it, the beginning was fine" Jason smiled shaking his head, amused "but my food is so much better than some cheap candy"

"Sure, your fabulous five star food that none of us poor mortals are worthy of" Danny said dramatically, pretending to faint.

"You really enjoy my food, don't you?" Jason said happily. Something inside of him felt irrefutably glad that both Dick and Danny were enjoying everything he made, even if it was simple things "lunch could be better though, you need more than potatoes."

"I don't think so, I usually eat very little, I think that if you keep feeding me I won't be able to stand it" the halfa said sadly.

Since his food was usually combined with a lot of ectoplasm, he didn't need to eat that often. But since he wouldn't be taking his daily dose with Johnny it was unlikely his stomach would get used to so much food all at once.

Even if he loved Jason's cooking he couldn't handle more than small meals, the pancakes and potatoes were fine, even if they were heavy they were in small quantities, but he couldn't handle anything more than that. Perhaps dinner.

"What do you mean? Your friend makes sure you eat, right?" Jason asked worriedly, he knew very well how to adjust to an eating rhythm when you weren't used to it, but he thought it wasn't Danny's case.

"My friend has only been here a short time," Danny hastened to explain, a little embarrassed, "just like my…neighbor, she's the one who sends me food."

The halfa didn't know how to correctly explain her relationship with ghosts; they were technically friends, but they were enemies at one point, and some still feuded with him on a regular basis.

Even if they had explained to him that fighting was a way for the ghosts to unite, he was still a bit annoyed that no one had explained it to him in the first place, so yes, his relationship with them was quite complicated. Since they were from a nearby dimension, he guessed that neighbors was the correct term. Lunch could also be called a friend, but it felt a bit weird.

"What? I thought he cooked your meals, or you did" Jason said, growing increasingly worried by the endless number of new revelations.

"Neither of us knows how to cook" Danny denied "our mutual neighbor brings us some food from our hometown to get us through the week, my friend just makes sure I really eat it"

"Isn't that dangerous? What if she starts avoiding Gotham? This place isn't bees and flowers, it's normal for tourists to refuse to visit" Jason asked, stroking the halfa's hand to comfort himself.

"I don't think that's the case," Danny said after thinking about it for a moment. He doubted any of the ghosts were scared of Gotham. They were almost impossible to kill and the blood flowers had long since been extinct.

Unless Gotham has an excellent groundskeeper, they have nothing to fear here.

That just added to Jason's worries, Danny was confident that someone else would enter Gotham on a monthly basis to bring him some food.

"I'm going to teach you how to cook, there is no other alternative" the vigilante declared suddenly "but moving on to the next topic, how much do you eat a day?"

Jason needed to adjust his rations according to the response he gave him. He'd been cooking carelessly, having fun, that he'd forgotten that Danny might have some dietary need, or some special need.

"It's okay Jay" Danny assured him, tightening his grip on his hands "most of my allergies are covered, and I only eat small amounts but it's pretty normal, you shouldn't worry."

"I was speaking out loud, wasn't I?" Jason wailed when he noticed his mistake.

"Sure, but you were just worried" Danny comforted him "it's normal Jay, if it makes you feel better I'll tell you what I usually eat"

Jason wasn't thrilled to find out Danny just forgot to eat, but he drank his "green tea" daily, which apparently wasn't a tea he could get his hands on since it was originally from his hometown, which he deeply refused to talk about.

Given the amount of trouble Babs had been having getting into his city network, he could understand the caution a bit. Even if it was extremely rare.

Jason wondered if he should use the gas excuse to kidnap him for a couple of days. After all, the universities within Gotham had plenty of policies to make up fouls for Rogue attacks

Danny wouldn't mind staying at his house for a couple of days, would he?

--------------------------------------

Annd tag time, this update is a bit longer than normal but I love the number and needed to go for it, supposedly this is 7777 from Chapter 7 so welcome to the Jackptot! I hope you liked it!

I'll dig into the fangs later, but yeah, a part of Danny is very hungry and Jason is unconsciously feeding it, although it's kind of mutual since he's healing him so it's okay.

Johnny and Amorpho are going to get into a lot of trouble in the next chapter, and here comes the big brother! Danny is too distracted when he wants to lol

@skulld3mort-1fan@sorryiwonnoob@idfk-man10@avelnfear@criticaloverthinker@confusedandghostly @lunadoll36 @spidey29phangirl @suppengott @yjfk@apointlessbox@mimilikey@thegatorsgoose@jaggedheart11@dyinggirldied@pyramaniac@akikkobara@thedragonqueen1998@lostlightandfoundcrazy@xye-chan@saltyladynightmare @ashleysmshly @thewondersoflebanon@illusionwolfwriter24r8@littlefeather345@asphyxia778@amercurio@leftmiraclechaos @dixiwoods @satoshy12@lyra689@meira-3919@quietlyscared@plotwholls @kyrianclawraith @blacksea21090@basilf1res @flowers-n-fauna @8-29pm@phantom-dc@luer-mirin@taniaundertaleau@cloriform@readerkayden@oddlydrawnpuppets@basementloser@little-green-asparagus@echoednonny@yummy-yummy-mmmbones@confusionchaos@ectoplasm024@autumnwulf@666deaddash999@redhoneysugarorange@blue-avis@sailor-goddess@satanicrutialspecialist

#dpxdc #dc x dp #dead on main #Hood assistant #dp x dc #Red hood #the goonion #This is angst #but there is fluff too #Dick was not in my plans #but he wanted waffle fries ig #jason todd x danny fenton

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lovelyladyabsinthewrites · 10 months

Text

From the Ashes Pt.12

Pairing(s): Pairing(s): Rhaegar Targaryen x Lannister!Reader, one-sided!Jaime Lannister x Lannister!Reader, Jaime Lannister x Cersei Lannister

Warnings: need to start adding that this is definitely a slow burn fic, changing povs, MC POV

Words: 2694

Summary: Alizah introduces you to another priestess that looks far too much like Thalina.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 3.5 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34

Book Two of Dārilaros hen ōrbar se perzys (Heir of Ash and Fire)

You grin and bare the pain as your ankle throbbed. Each step you took hurt more until Weles saw the weakness in your footwork and used it to his advantage. To your credit though, you were still able to move quickly to avoid the slice of his blade as he swung at you with full force. Blocking another attack, your wrist trembled as your blade locked with his. There was nothing on his face that portrayed his thoughts and what he would do next. Weles had an amazing poker face that when he and Jaime played cards it was always a close game. You stared into his dark eyes, watching your own reflection.

“More fire, (y/n).” Weles whispered as he pressed on, making you stagger on your bad ankle.

Pursing your lips you try and do as he recommended. You twirled, sword sliding across his until the two were separate once more. Lunging at him and meeting his blade once again. You knew this dance though and performed the steps to perfection to avoid the sharp tip of his sword. After two weeks of training, you were finally more pliable and agile. Weles was a difficult mentor, but a good one. His goal was for you to succeed and he put that into your training. It was hard and relentless, but you prevailed. The first week had been the worst. Not even Jaime had given you that much of a wallop during training. Your arms and legs had been completely covered with bruises and the blisters on your hands were about ready to burst. Jaime, having caught sight of a rather ugly bruise on your thigh, nearly got into an altercation with Weles about how he was being too rough with you. Roughness was necessary. He wasn’t training a princess. He was training a warrior, a champion. You needed to experience that pain and soreness to truly appreciate the art of battle. How your body and life were so fragile, but your sword, your sword had to be stronger than the rest of you.

You could feel the dirt that rose from the ground mingle with the sweat on your face as it caked onto you. The threatening sting as it rolled too close to your eyes.

Block.

Lunge,

Swipe,

Strike!

Weles kept well on his feet but you saw it. Saw the small stumble as the impact of your sword caught him off guard. Finally an opening.

Ankle trembling and begging you to stop, you ignored it and leapt at him.

When it came to it though. . . you were too scared at the potential of actually hurting Weles. Fear made your hand grow light and your sword fly out of your hand once Weles caught on to your hesitation. You watched your sword strike the ground pathetically.

“What happened?”

“I didn’t want to actually hurt you.” You told him and went to go pick up your sword, limping the entire time.

“You’ll have to hurt me eventually. That’s how you learn. When you face the others, you’ll have to hurt them. Even kill them if the need arises.”

You remembered back in Myr that man that Jaime had killed right in front of you. All that blood. The gurgling that frothed from your attacker’s mouth as he fought to stay alive.

Would you ever be able to do that? Jaime made it seem like it was nothing. Not for the first time, you wondered how many people your brother has killed. Stomach pains arose just thinking of it. Did you have what it took to kill someone? To act so offensively?

“Alright, that’s enough.” Jaime made himself clear as he wiped his face with a cold cloth. He had been quietly training with the other men of the Fiery Hand while you had your one-on-one time with Weles. Noticing how you were favoring your good leg, Jaime clicks his tongue against his teeth. “You’re too hard on her.”

“You’re just too soft with her.” Weles counters and folds his arms against his chest. “She’ll toughen up in time. It’s only been two weeks since her training began. Give it time.”

That did nothing to appease Jaime as he continued to stare down Weles. He dare not say anything though. What use would it do to have the same argument over and over again.

Patting your brother’s sweaty arm, you tell him “It’s fine Jaime. He’s right. By next week I’ll be even better!”

“That’s the attitude to have!” Crowed out Feichin as he made his way to your little trio. His dimpled smile was infectious as he threw an arm around Jaime’s shoulders. “You sure the two of you are siblings? You’ve been acting like a sour puss all day.” Enigmatic and charming, even Jaime rolled his eyes and smiled a bit as he pushed Feichin’s arm off of him.

“Sour puss? You’re just a sore loser, my friend.” Jaime cooly replied. Those who overheard them laughed loudly. Even Sirvart who had been busy training with a former slave known as Yophiel. He was colossal and it was a mystery to you how anyone that size could be subjected to slavery. Whenever you spoke with Yophiel, he was always respectful and gentle. Traits of a man who was raised right by a good mother. No one at the Red Temple asked for background stories. The past didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was here now. Just like how no one asked you of your life back in Westeros. All they knew of you was what Thalina wrote to them in her letters.

Quietly among the laughter, Alizah goes up to you. “My lady, are you ready for your bath now?”

You nod. “Yes. That sounds amazing right now.” After training for hours you were ready to relax and wipe the grime of the day off of you. “Jaime! Are you going to be much longer?”

Your brother nods while still pushing Feichin away. Chest fluttering when you saw how happy he was to be back in his arena of expertise. Jaime was a natural at learning all the new techniques that Weles and the others had been teaching the two of you. “Just a bit longer. I’ll see you at supper though.”

Already Jaime had made friends. Not just Weles and Feichin, but even Yophiel found your brother agreeable as did Iyan, the young, exotic, Tyroshi who had hair the color of Rhaegar’s eyes and a pink beard. Then there was Vidarr who had actually been from Myr before entering the faith of R’hllor. The two of you got along better than he and Jaime due to the fact that you knew more Valyrian than your brother, something that Vidarr appreciated. You had spent much training time with Vidarr and talked much about your travels through Essos. Especially your stay in his home country. He had the same silver hair that your Rhaegar did, causing you much melancholy when you first met him. But Silver hair wasn’t that unusual to have in Essos. Vidarr had told you that the district he lived in in Myr was full of those with pale hair and dark skin. Old Valyrian traits. He must have been the only one around your age in the Fiery Hand, you knew for certain that Weles had to be older than Jaime. Iyan appeared to be in his late thirties from the looks of the lines on his face, the same as Yophiel and Dritan, another former slave.

Watching for a moment as Jaime continues his training with the other men, you smile to yourself then turn and follow Alizah to the baths.

“Does it hurt?” Alizah hesitates to put ointment on your ankle for the swelling. It had grown to the size of an apple.

In a red robe, you perch yourself on the edge of the steaming hot spring as the red priestess tended to your ankle. “A little. Do you think I broke anything?”

She laughs softly and shakes her head. “No, my lady. I do not believe so. You would be in much more pain if something had broken.”

Nails digging into the dirt as Alizah rubbed gentle circles on your ankle, you suppressed your hiss at the sensation. Inanna, who had gathered your dirty clothes together, shoots you a concerned look.

A red priestess by the name of Siofra goes to her. “Come along. Let’s leave (y/n) and Alizah. We must welcome back our sisters who have been out on their missionary travels.” The dark skinned Meereeneese nods and both leave.

“Missionaries?”

Alizah nods. “Yes. Many from our temple go to visit our other branches in Essos Once word of you arriving got out, well, they wanted to come home as soon as possible to meet you. They’re so excited to meet their champion.”

Champion. Right. . . “Alizah, have you ever hurt anyone?”

“Not intentionally.” She replies while setting your ankle back down onto the ground so you could swing it around and enter the bath. “Physically, no. I can’t do much harm if I can’t really see.”

“But you kind of can see. Right?”

“In a way. If you set me in front of a fire, I can see what’s in the flames clear as day. Sometimes that’s enough to get a view of the world around me.”

“That’s cool. You see through fire.” You muse. The water was a god sent on your sore body as you let the bath drag you down.

Turning around so that you could face her, Alizah is still sitting patiently at the edge of the pool. Her dark, star filled eyes staring at the ground. She was so small, even shorter than you. Black hair like satin falls over her shoulders. “I hope you don’t think me too forward, my lady, but I can sense a hesitancy in you.”

Recalling back to your training, you grew anxious once again. You could have hurt Weles so easily. The wrong swing could slice him and make him bleed. You didn’t want that, especially when he had never cut you either. He was always careful, only hitting you with the flat side of his sword when he struck your weak spots. So why did he want you to hurt him? “I need to work on my offensive sword skills. Weles wants me to strike him.”

“Then you should do it.”

“But what if I seriously hurt him?”

“My lady, you must not be worried. Weles is the head of the Fiery Hand for a reason. He wants you to be prepared to maim someone if necessary. And I guarantee you, one day you will need that skill. The Others will not be gentle with you. They won’t hesitate to kill you.”

You sink deeper. “I don’t think I can though.”

A hand on your head makes you look up as Alizah caresses your head. “You have been beaten down all through your life. Of course you think you can’t do it right now. You’re still growing your confidence and your fire. I told you, I can see through fire and I can see the flames that are inside of you. I assure you, they are there.”

“I hope so.”

Alizah stands up. “When you are done with your bath I have someone that I would like you to meet.”

Curious, you finish washing yourself up and put on the clean clothes that Alizah had for you. Together you follow her through the Red Temple. Each passage was still new to you as was the beautiful scenic view that it had overlooking the sea. Old and full of secrets, the red sandstone of the open corridors were even more beautiful when the sun was setting as the orange colors paired well with it’s natural scarlet hue. There was still so much you had yet to explore. For the entire two weeks you had been in Volantis, you had been confined to either the training grounds or your own personal wing where Jaime also had his rooms. Of course you were free to explore the temple, but there were so many passages that you worried about getting lost; even with a good guide like Inanna or Alizah. You hadn’t even explored the city of Volantis, but you heard the prayers of the people on it’s steps. Those that followed R’hllor were aware of your presence and eager to catch a glimpse of you. Inanna had informed you that the Volantenese people were leaving you offerings at the steps of the temple and burning candles for you. It was all overwhelming for you to suddenly be this important person. Many of the offerings were flowers or candles, sometimes treats since word had gotten out that Azor Ahai Reborn had a sweet tooth. You refused the extravagant jewels that the upper class would leave for you. Now that was too much.

You had only been to the red priestess’ dormitory a few times. Simple and humble abodes they possessed, at least that’s what you had seen of Alizah’s room.

The doors were thin and narrow, only allowing one at a time to enter. Alizah feels along the wood of the door and nods before knocking.

It doesn’t take long for the door to open.

You felt like the wind was knocked out of you. The red priestess who was smiling at you looked almost like Thalina with her honey eyes and light brown hair that was pulled to the back and braided. “Alizah!”

“How were your travels, Rhiannon?”

“Wonderful but tiring.” Rhiannon admitted and took a step back. “Please, come in-” It’s only then that she takes note of your presence behind the short stature of Alizah. “Oh.”

Alizah enters Rhiannon’s room and steps aside so that you may enter as well. “May I introduce you to īlva kosh, Azōr Ahaī sigligon. (y/n) Targaryen.”

Her eyes widen and she quickly drops to the floor in a bow. “Ñuha kosh! I am so sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner.”

“Ah! That’s not necessary!” You blush furiously. “Please stand!”

“Ñuha kosh, this is Rhiannon. A fellow red priestess and the younger sister to your Thalina.” She gestures to the young girl who is getting up from the ground. You could see how long her braid really was. Thalina used to have the same length of hair before Viserys cut it off. Cruel little Viserys who at such a young age already had developed a personality that almost mirrored his father's Aerys.

Thalina had never mentioned having a sister, then again she hadn’t mentioned much about her life prior to entering in your service. “I-It’s an honor to meet you!”

Rhiannon grins and shyly plays with the length of her braid. “Oh no. The honor is truly all mine. Thalina told me so much about you. I’m so happy you made it to Volantis safe and sound.”

A lump developed in your throat. If only Thalina could have come along with you. “Rhiannon. . . I’m so sorry about Thalina. . .”

Her lips freeze in her smile and slowly dips down. Demeanor simpering, she drops her braid. “Do not be sorry for her. She embraced the possibility of her death once she foresaw it in the fire.”

That made you feel even worse. “She knew?”

Nodding, Rhiannon sits on her bed. Atop of her bed was a headboard where several knicknacks lay, including a little figure of a dragon. Just like the one Thalina had given you when the two of you first met. “Yes. Before leaving she did a fire reading with Alizah. There both saw her demise. Thalina wasn’t scared though. I feared for her of course. But she just smiled. She’s always been so brave.”

Tears well up in your eyes as you try to control yourself. “Yes. She was brave.”

Rhiannon smiles sadly. “And that’s the way I want to remember her. Do not grieve for her. I know Thalina and she wouldn’t have wanted that. You're here now. She can finally rest.”

There was no way you could have possibly stopped your tears from falling.

------

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sio-writes · 1 year

Text

Sacrifice - Ch. 7

<<Chapter 6

<<<Chapter 1 (written in second POV)

This chapter got so long I had to split it into 2 parts! I'm mostly done with part 2 so that should be up soon :>

I don’t sleep next to Aurelius that night. Instead, I toss and turn in the short windowsill until the morning light begins to crest over the treeline. When I wake, there’s a stack of books on the floor by my head that I most definitely didn’t put there, and laying on top of them is a flat, circular pendant attached to a chain.

Inside the pendant is a ruby, about as wide as my littlest fingernail, cut and polished so it shines in the morning sun. The ruby alone could fetch enough coin for the year, and the gold chain is nothing to scoff at either, and it’s being presented to me…as a gift? An apology? Nothing in this world comes without a cost, a fact that churns my stomach as I think of the possible reasons Aurelius would leave this for me.

So I set the necklace back on the stack of books, and try to push it out of my mind. It’s time for the chores I don’t need to do. But anything is better than stewing in my own thoughts for longer than a moment.

Mortimer bleats happily when he sees me, or more accurately sees the bag of grain I’m carrying to the feeding trough, and he trots beside me as I pour it for the other goats, all used to my schedule by now and expecting me. They all bleat happily and gently butt my legs before burying themselves in the grain. There's a little one that I haven't seen before that's been added to the mix, trotting behind one of the adults like it's the goat's kid. I'm filled with a mixture of care and horror for how the kid made it here at all, a feeling that I push down as I watch it hop happily from one adult to the other.

Mortimer continues at my side as I make my rounds and greet all the animals, and I’m curious to know if he’s picking up on my mood. I should probably start giving the rest of them names now that I can tell them all apart, but naming something feels like a huge undertaking here. Maybe another time.

After feeding the animals, I take the time to brush them out. They of course don’t need it, and nearly every stroke shoots golden dust into the air and makes me sneeze, but I need to do something. Anything.

I’m walking in circles looking for things to do as the morning turns into afternoon. I sweep the barn, adjust the fence’s tilted beams, play with the dogs until I’m short of breath, and then check everything once again. I move hay into the stores for tomorrow’s feeding, haul sacks of grain back and forth for the goats, I even check the barn for seeds to plant. It’s not the right season, but that doesn’t seem to matter here.

It’s anything to distract my mind from last night. Keep me as far away from having to think about it as possible. I set to trimming hooves instead of returning to Dachaigh for luncheon. I’ve been out here so long that the animals are beginning to avoid me, but I’m fizzling with energy, and I don’t know where to put it, so it goes into chores.

No thinking allowed.

I chase down the shaggy dark gray goat and sit her in front of me. I could run to the human cottage and back three times. In my mad scramble to burn this energy away, I had paused at the beginning of the path, right at the edge of the wood. I’d gone with full intentions to visit the cottage, but stepping onto the path had shot a cold chill down my spine. I knew if I stepped onto the path that I may never return

I clip at an angle and the goat beneath me jumps as golden ichor, shimmering like Aurelius’ black blood, spots the grass. I curse under my breath as she trots away.

“Sorry!” I call to her, and she doesn’t respond. Mortimer gently butts my leg with his horns and bleats, as he’s been doing all day to egg me on, and I feel my resolve break.

“Shut up!” I snap at him, and he stops, rearing back, and turns his head away.

Regret, heavy and thick, replaces my stores of energy. I reach out to pet him, stopping halfway when he eyes me warily. My hand hovers above his head, and for a long moment everything stills, until he closes the distance and lets me run my fingers through his fur.

“I’m sorry, Mortimer,” I sigh, nose burning with the start of tears. “I just don’t know what to do.”

I continue to pet Mortiner as tears trace lines down my cheeks. I cry in frustration, in anguish, in pain. There's nowhere I can go that I won't be found, Aurelius made sure of that. I stupidly agreed to have a beacon printed into my skin for the rest of my days. Perhaps if I got far enough away, it would take him longer to reach me. He’s mentioned that there’s things even he can’t do, so would he still be able to track me halfway across this world?

I shake my head at myself. No, that’s stupid. He can teleport. So he’ll bring me back and likely chain me to the wall for a thousand years.

After wiping my eyes on my sleeves, I pull my knees into my chest and rest my chin over my folded arms. In the distance is the barn, empty save for the foodstuffs I give to the animals, never diminishing in quantity no matter how much I take out.

The animals have all gotten as far away from me as they can, save for Mortimer who remains at my side. I’ve exhausted the morning with menial tasks, and I have nothing left to do— I’m certainly not going back into Aurelius’ house—so I wander into the empty barn.

I don’t come in here often, the animals prefer to graze and sleep outside, but the air inside is cool if a little stale, and the structure sturdy enough for me to climb up to the loft. The climb up reminds me of Aurelius’ room, with its huge stained glass window and the nest he sleeps in. It also reminds me of the first time I slept with him during that thunderstorm.

Pushed into the corners of the loft is hay, squared off and tied up, and I fall onto my back on the lowest bale to stare at the ceiling of the barn. There’s a circular window on the wall of the loft, and pale sunlight streams in and cuts through the damp air. Yellow light highlights every mote of dust that crosses its path, and I trace their lilting movements with my eyes as my thoughts spiral with them.

Aurelius told me he loved me last night, and part of me, a small yet impossible to ignore part, is overjoyed. I want this, I want him. I want him to shower me in affection instead of barely dolling it out, I want his gifts, conversation, his attention. I want to hold his hand and learn magic and sleep with him without being carried away the next morning. It feels like any chance I had for that life is ruined now. And I wonder, was that ever my fate in the first place?

I slam my fist back into the hay beneath me, where it sinks in and presses needle-like points into my skin. The flash of pain works to center my mind, calm the raging storm within me, and I trace more dust motes with my eyes as I pass the rest of the morning doing nothing.

***

I wander out of the barn and to the edge of the woods. The canopy is so thick I can barely see past the treeline. The branches sway in the breeze, offering me glimpses through the leaves of the forest beyond, and I see healthy underbrush and smaller trees trying to make their way to the sky, movement that suggests there's small animals flitting between the bushes and new growth.

It's quiet and inviting, like I could lose myself in my wanderings, like the forest is beckoning to me. I want to step inside and explore. As if on its own, my legs move me forward, towards the darkness and the unknown, until something else catches my attention. It's the smell of cooking food, meats and oil, pepper and onion and garlic mixed in too. The smell pulls me from the edge of the woods, away from the dark and back towards the barn, getting stronger as I wrap around the side that faces Aurelius' home.

I round the corner and stop, seeing a massive nest dug into the ground, the grass gathered and pushed to the sides of a dug-out hole large enough for me to walk in. It's a rabbit's burrow, the largest I've ever seen, and also the source of the smell. I would be a fool to walk inside without knowing who lives in here, but another waft of that delicious meal hits my nose and my stomach urges me to seek it out. It’s nearly lunchtime, and in my hurry to remove myself from Aurelius’ line of sight, I’d skipped breakfast.

I take a few steps down before I realize what I'm doing. This could be a trap, with a fae waiting to eat me up. This burrow just appeared out of thin air, there could be anyone down there, and it would be a massively stupid move to just wander in expecting food.

I'm halfway out of the hole once more when a woman's voice calls from the darkness, "Well, come on, dear! Soup won't eat itself!"

I recognize that voice, it sounds like the rabbit that Aurelius was speaking with the other day. I can't remember her name, but I remember the two were friendly, and she called him by another name. She seemed very open, matronly, she didn't disregard me or brush me off. Maybe she can help me.

The burrow is tall enough I can walk upright, made of tightly packed dirt with the occasional root sticking through. This must be the rabbit’s home, and as I wander further down and lose track of where I may be in relation to the surface, I wonder how I'd never noticed this before. This burrow is massive, surely I couldn’t have just overlooked it.

I come to a split in the path, two equally branching tunnels, the left leading to darkness, the right with a warm light pouring from a bend in the path. Taking the path to the right leads me into a large room, split in half by a supporting beam into a kitchen and a dining room, and beyond the dining room is a small living room with a connecting hallway. Sitting at the dining table are three rabbits the size of a human child, all varying colors. The closest to me is white with black spots, the middle is the color of hay, and the third is purple with yellow splotches. They're huddled together, noses nearly touching, speaking in hushed tones, and the moment I walk in they all sit up to stare at me, ears raised.

Movement in the kitchen catches my eye, and from the pantry, out steps that same giant rabbit fae from several days ago, still the same creamy tan with that white belly. Her enormous black eyes are fixed on the spice jar in her hands as she walks to the biggest pot of soup I’ve ever seen simmering on the stove. I can feel the heat of it from across the room, along with the smell of meat and vegetables. My mouth waters as another waft of the brew hits my face, and I take a measured inhale through my nose just to keep the scent lingering. I haven’t had any meat in probably a year. The animals on the farm back home were too old and sick, and Dachaigh only provides me with fruits and the occasional basket of eggs. Not chicken eggs though, they’re smaller, colored a pale orange and covered in odd bumps. Aurelius hasn’t been around long enough for me to ask about them, so I’ve yet to attempt cooking any. The sensate memory of eating my mother’s perfectly cooked roast on All Saint’s Day hits me like a strong wind, making my stomach growl.

One of the rabbit’s large ears flicks, turning in my direction, but she doesn’t turn from the pot as she tips the spice jar over the soup and flourishes it like a garnish. “Well go on, sit down.”

I step over to the dining table, where the three little rabbits have continued their conversation, now peppered with occasional glances towards me. I can hear them just fine, but they’re speaking in a tongue I don’t know, and I tense with the tug of anxiety at my chest. It’s very rude to barge in on a family meal, I’d be taking away from what she prepared for her…children? But something drew me here, something told me to come. So I step into the dining room and sit on an empty chair, across from the smaller but still huge rabbit children.

The children continue talking in that hushed, foreign language, and I do my best not to stare at them as we all wait for their mother to finish the stew. Upon closer inspection, I see that each tablecloth, all the drink coasters and the cushions of every chair are hand-stitched, hand crocheted, each of them a labor of love that must've taken hours. I run my fingers over the edge of the closest place setting, counting the stitches as I go, one-two-three, not a missed loop among them. They're decorated with motifs from the forest - mushrooms and ferns, trees of all size and shape, squirrels and birds and even several tiny rabbits. On the edge I see a cottage that looks like the changeling cottage, and even a wide, squat tree in the distance that resembles Aurelius' home.

I wish I had the patience for such crafts. The only version of this I enjoy is sewing, but even then my mind is limited in what it pays attention to. Embroidery has always been a chore, and lacework puts me to sleep. I need more immediate fruits of my labor, which makes me appreciate the craftmanship of this home even more.

It's a short moment before the large rabbit steps out of the kitchen with her huge pot. It's almost as big as she is and I stand to offer help, until I see that she's not carrying the pot at all. It's hovering off the floor, carried by magic that spills golden dust onto the carpet. It lifts itself onto the large table and following it are several bowls and spoons that float in front of myself and each of the rabbit children.

I fiddle with my hands in my lap as the large rabbit serves us, slapping my hand away when I attempt to serve myself, and the children dig in without a second thought. The stew smells heavenly, the base is a rich red from the tomatoes used to make it, with chunks of potato and carrot and meat coming to the surface as she stirs.

“So what brings you out here?” she asks, and I notice that like Aurelius, her mouth doesn't move as she talks, hers only generally opens and closes like she's slowly chewing something.

"You told me to come in," I mutter, rubbing my arm. I don't mean to speak back to her like this, but I'm only relaying the truth. She takes it in good faith, though, as I see her shoulders shake on a chuckle.

“I only go where I’m needed,” she says, brandishing her spoon at me. “And you need me. Now, what’s your name?”

“Kaitlyn," I say on instinct, and she scoffs.

“Not that scribble you use with the other humans. Your name, and I won’t be asking again.”

“Kyla. Kyla Bateman.”

“Much better. You can call me Eodine or Mama, sweetheart.” she says.

"Eodine," I say, testing the name on my tongue. Her eyes crinkle at the corners and she nods once. She reminds me of my mother's sister, my aunt, who would visit from the next town over. She was a well-off woman, and always brought my brother and me gifts. She was a harsh woman, but always had kind things to say alongside it.

The spices that brought me in here are more prominent than ever, and when I take a tentative sip from a spoon too large for my mouth, I close my eyes and think of home. I miss the variety of dishes my mother served that changed with the seasons, I miss my family all crowded around a single table like this one. I miss my brother's incessant humming when he would clean the vegetables.

I wonder if I'd be able to cook something like this with Aurelius, if I could fetch the meat from the market or even catch it myself. But the memory of the market makes me frown into my meal-- he definitely won't allow me back there anytime soon.

I have a lot of questions-- namely how Eodine found us, and how she knew I was outside, but also how she knows Aurelius, and what my purpose in finding him was. I doubt she could answer all the questions bumping around in my head, and I don't want to seem rude by asking so many, but I'm bursting at the seams.

The stew is filling and leaves my stomach pushing against my dress, and I have to refuse when Eodine pushes a third bowl in my direction. The children leave the table and scamper down the hallway, leaving me alone with Eodine.

“Now,” she says. “What trouble has Atya gotten you into?” She pauses and leans forward to sniff at me. “You’re not pregnant. So what has Atya done, hm?”

“Why can you look at him too?” I blurt out, and she laughs.

“I’m a god, sweet child, a fertility god before you ask. I’m almost as old as Atya, though you never ask a lady her age.” She winks one large black eye at me, and the move is so human it makes me smile.

“So when the other fair folk look at you…”

"A god's aura is too heavy for them to stand."

I nod, reminded of the rumors from home, of what I thought Aurelius was when we first met. I'd always thought that it was a matter of respect, but hearing of humans frightened beyond repair or even stuck dead by daring to glance at the keepers of our world, things suddenly make sense.

“What makes me different?”

Eodine waves me off. "Bah! There’s so many humans as is, it’s hard enough to keep track of offerings nowadays, let alone every human who can look at us." She dips another spice into the pot and stirs before continuing. "The important thing is that you mean something to Atya, who is my dear friend.”

“Have you known each other long?” I ask, resting my elbow on the table and my chin in my hand before one of the children whispers a sour note at me. I flush, letting my hands fall to my lap.

She puffs her chest out, proud. “Since the sun began to rise.”

I sigh heavily, falling back into the chair. “Has he always been so rude?”

Eodine pauses, and for a moment I fear that I’ve offended her, until she laughs out loud, mouth pulled back to expose her long teeth. "He can be rather curt!" she grins, pearly white rabbit's teeth catching the firelight. "Enough about Atya, though. Why did my burrow find you, dear? I follow those in need, pairs that need, well, repair."

I tear my gaze away from her and towards the living area, the shame of speaking of my own woes welling up like water. This place feels more like home than Aurelius' dwelling, and I've been here for less than an hour. I don't want to return to him, to whatever mess we've made of each other. “I suppose…”

She reaches across the table and grabs my hand. She has paws, oversized and furry, but still warm. “Are you unhappy?”

The question rings against my heart like a chime, rippling through the careful mask of calm I'd built up and exposing the feelings underneath. Am I happy? My past actions say no, I don't think so. I was at one point, excited even, to see this new world and all it offered. But I'm not unhappy, either. I don't hate where I live, I don't hate Aurelius, no matter how annoying he can be. I must be somewhere in between, like floating on the surface of a river, partially submerged. But in the deep, another question surfaces and threatens to swallow me whole: Am I happier than I was before coming here? Was the farm truly so desolate that my only choice was to run? That's a question I'm afraid of the answer to. Because what if I'm not, what if there was something for me back home, but here and now is all that's left for me?

I blink back tears, but they come anyway. I wipe them away with my dirtied hand, and try to speak. “I don’t want to be.”

Eodine clucks her tongue and pulls me towards her. “Of course you don’t, honey." She pats my hand with her paw. "Is it Atya? Is he treating you poorly? Because if he is—“

“No! No. He’s wonderful," I say, waving my free hand. I can't believe I spoke ill of Aurelius to his friend. "I'm the problem.”

“Don’t make excuses for him,” she replies immediately. Her tone is serious, and she can clearly pick up when I'm lying. As much as it pains me to state it out loud, it's what needs to be said.

“I…I don’t think we’re a good fit. I thought we were at the beginning, but now…” I sniff loudly. “I want things to work, but I don’t think they’re going to.”

Eodine nods, humming sympathetically. “You know, you could always leave.”

“I can’t.” I stand and turn, pulling my dress aside to show Eodine the sigil that Aurelius left as part of his tracking spell. She chuffs, and I flush.

“That's powerful magic. But I do know something it wouldn’t stand a chance against." At my expression of confusion, she continues. "The Forest of Souls, the one outside your home. It calls to the weary and protects those who wander. You can become lost in there until the end of time, if you desire it. No one would ever bother you again.”

Sitting down once again, I mull the words over in my mind. “I’d become…lost?”

She nods. “Forever. Now mind you, that means you’ll be alone forever as well. No more visits to Atya, or me, or to your friends down the river.”

I nod, but say nothing as Eodine clears our places and sets our dishes in the sink. I stand to help, but a pointed look over her shoulder has me sitting back down. It leaves me more than enough space to consider her words once more. Lost forever, unable to see anyone again. I'd be away from Aurelius, forever, and the idea drops a stone in my heart even now. I'd be leaving my friends as well, and we just started getting along.

Eodine shuffles us from the dining room into the living room. We sit on the couch, also layered in more hand-made blankets and doilies, and I see bookshelves set into the walls surrounding the fireplace. But instead of the books I'm used to, they're filled with small knick-knacks-- animals carved from wood and stone, jars of sanded down broken glass and string and tiny metal objects. I do see a few books, well-worn with pages sticking out of the spines.

"Gifts from my children," she says, and her voice carries a smile with it. "Every single piece."

There must be hundreds of odds and ends on those shelves. I blink at the number of children Eodine implies to have had, and when she sees my expression, she laughs. "That's just one shelf, dear! You should see the rest."

Well, she is a fertility goddess. I shrug at my own reasoning and make myself comfortable on the couch. I keep my feet on the floor since I'm still wearing my shoes, but Eodine curls up fully, legs pulled into her torso as she looks at me with those massive eyes.

“Tell me, what drew you to Atya in the first place?”

I chew on my nail. “He—he offered me a home. He saved my life. He was so kind.”

“And has that gone away?”

I shake my head. “He leaves me gifts, and lets me sleep with him.”

“Has he been cruel to you? Hurt you?”

“No! Never.” The very idea of Aurelius actually harming me-- even having the intention to do so-- makes me blanch. He works so hard to make sure I'm not afraid of him, does so much to make me comfortable around him, he'd never hurt me.

Eodine folds her arms and cooly regards me. A familiar chill would run up my spine when my mother would lecture me. “Then it sounds like you just want to run because things got tough!” She wags a finger at me. "And the both of you deserve better than silence!"

I scoff before I can cover it up. “That’s so selfish!”

Eodine opens her mouth to speak, thinks better of it and snaps her jaw shut, and then runs a paw over one ear like she's smoothing down hair. “I suppose I can't blame you. You’re under a lot of stress, darling, in a strange place with a strange creature. It’s only natural to want to return to what you once had. You haven't been here very long, and you're already trying to go!”

“I don’t think he’d listen to me.”

“Then you make him listen.”

That stern tone is back, and I know she's serious. I nod, already thinking of methods to force Aurelius to listen to me, and Eodine settles back into the couch to relax.

We spend the rest of the afternoon speaking of menial things-- the weather, our favorite meals, the various crafts we partake in. She leads me out and back to the farm, handing me no less than a week's worth of stew. I have to shield my eyes from the sun, and when I turn back to thank her, both Eodine and the burrow are gone.

#my writing #sacrifice #exophillia writing #terato writing #monster boyfriend #skullhead #i think that's the proper term used online

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andhetoldmeiwasholy · 1 year

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Marina Prompts-

1. Carina has enough from dating and applies to be part of a TV show, where they find your ‘perfect’ match based on science and the participants see their match the first time in front of the altar. Carina meets Maya on their wedding day and both go through with the ceremony, but now without cameras there, they have to find out if this was the perfect match or should they get a divorce

2. Being a single parent and not getting out of the house enough is not easy, but maya loves their kid and if they have to put their dating life on hold, so be it. But when Carina moves into the apartment next door, it’s the kids that see an opportunity to make their parents happy

3.Carina moves into a new apartment and wants to check out the closest dog park. Their dog (Jeff) loves it there, especially that one dog (ford) that seems to be there almost every time they go. With their dogs being madly in love with each other, Maya and Carina are forced to spend more time together as well

4.Carina getting hella jealous when she sees Maya out and about with their (not) date and end up following them around. Maya catches them and is like, “Why are you following me?” And Carina’s like, “To tell your date how much of a dick you are so they can avoid dating someone like you.” (or, alternatively: Maya cornering Carina about it, and Maya being like, “But why do you care?” and Carina saying, “I don’t.” And then they somehow end up fucking them in a random alleyway or at a back of a bar or something. You can fill in the details on how they get to that point.)

One shots-

5. Maya starts her period on shift, has to message/call Carina in a panic hoping they don’t get called out. Doesn’t wanna ask Beckett to leave.

6. Maya spilling coffee/soup all over themselves by accident and starts panicking, so (insert character) helps them take off/clean their clothes right when Carina walks in

7. “C’mere… Want snuggles.” (Featuring grabby hands!!!)

8. Maya bleeds through while asleep, wakes up embarrassed (or Carina wakes her up)

9. “Stop sticking your feet down my pants!” “It’s not my fault your asscheeks are hella warm.”

10. “I wanna be big spoon this time.” “But you’re tiny.”

Sentence smut starters prompts-

11. Maya/Carina strap au “all i can think of is sitting on top of your hard cock

12. Maya/Carina AU- Maya is a porn director who owns her own company, Carina is just starting out in the business to further her study. They cross paths.

13. “God you’re such a dick” “Yeah and you are about to take it like a good girl.”

14. “You’re the sweetest thing I have ever tasted.”

15. Maya/Carina fight turns smutty “Go fuck yourself.” Cocky Maya “Only if you watch me~”

16. “What are we doing right now?” “Fucking. What else?” “…It feels more than just fucking.”

17. “Show me how you do it when you touch yourself.”

18. Mile high club- Carina books them first class seats, she’s gotta learn how to be quiet. “You have to be quiet if you want to cum, bambina”

19. “If I have to pull over, you’ll be walking funny for the next week.”

20. ‘Innocent’ movie night “You don’t realize what it does to me when we’re cuddling and you press your ass against me.”

21. “What the fuck? Do that again. I liked it.”

22. “How are you so oblivious? I’m trying to tell you I’m fucking horny!”

23. “You know it’s fine if you’re a little rough with me, right?” “But I don’t want to hurt you…” “It’s fine, I can take it. I want it rough. Please?”

24. “Wake up!” “What? What happened?” “Why did you just moan in your sleep?” “…What, were you turned on by it?” “What?! No, of course not! Umm….Disturbed, but definitely not turned on.”

25. “Where should I sit?” / “The couch works just fine, but if you prefer comfort, my face works far better my darling.”

26. Maya-“Your wife isn’t very pleased with the outfit you chose to wear tonight, you made those fools think they stood a chance.” / Carina-“Maybe they did.” / Maya-*incredulous laughter* “Is that right baby? I go on a work trip for a few days and you just forget who you belong to? Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll remind you.”

27. “Kiss me, please.” / “Is that all you want baby, is for me to kiss you?” / “N-no, I also want you to fuck me senseless, but a kiss sounded far more romantic.”

28. “Fuck, you’re doing so great for me, sweetheart,” Carina praises, hands gripping onto the sides of Maya’s hips as she rub herself against her wife’s thigh in a quickening pace; smiling a little when Maya whimpers at the praise.

Please let me know if you write any!!

Please lemme know if you write any 🙏🏻

#fanfic #fanfiction #carina deluca #marina #maya bishop #station 19 #smut #greys anatomy #marina fanfic #Danielle Savre #Stefania Spampinato #writers #prompts

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secretlyawitch · 1 year

Text

The legacy

Pairing: Wednesday Addams × Fem Reader

Summary: You were Infatuated by Wednesday Addams. Little does she know you have a dark past.

Author's note: This is my first fanfic. It was inspired by "First Kill". There are going to be multiple parts. I will try to post daily so I hope you guys enjoy. Please give me feedback.

Warnings: None

Part 5

Part 6

The next morning you were sitting in Botany class. Everyone was talking about the party taking place that night. 'The pre full moon party' is what they called it. You were strongly contemplating not to go, not feeling in the mood to be in one small room with a bunch of 'Unsupervised feral creatures' as Wednesday would say. You smile softly thinking about her.

"You look nauseatingly happy." Wednesday says, sitting down next to you. Her shoulder brushes against you and you busy yourself with the notebook in front of you. "Hi Wednesday." You greet the raven girl.

"Well are you going to tell me why you are smiling for nothing like a psychopath?". She asks while gathering her books. "I'm just excited for the party, that's all." You avoid eye contact completely so she doesn't see through your obvious lie. But she doesn't even look at you, her mind seems completely pre occupied with other thoughts.

"Why? It's nothing you've never seen before. Alcoholic teenagers dancing in close proximity with each other in a small room, not an appealing thing to be excited about." She says, annoyance lacing her voice.

"Yeah, well at least you're not gonna be there to witness it, lucky..." you say the last part in a whisper. " Who said anything about me not going?"

"Wait, you are?"

"Of course." She says in an obvious tone.

"Why?" You ask, believing that your ears are deceiving you. There is no way Wednesday Addams is going to a party without an underlying reason.

"Because you are going to be there."

Shock. That's all you are, and most likely the only emotion evident on your face. "Aw, are you worried about me Wednesday Addams?"

You say, trying to get over the shocked feeling before she notices. She shoots you a glare and rolls her eyes, not amused by your statement. At. All.

"Listen," you say softly, looking at her. "I know you're the only student who knows about me, but the full moon isn't tonight, it's tomorrow. The party is only so we can calm our nerves about turning, that's all. I will be okay." You say reassuringly. Before she can answer, miss Thornhill walks in and starts the lesson. You could feel Wednesday glancing at you every now and then.

Later that evening you're in your dormroom getting ready for the party. Although you didn't want to go, you promised Enid. And you never break your promises. Three hours, you told yourself that's the longest you're going to be there. As you were just finished with your hair, a knock on the door echoes through the room. You open it to see none other than Wednesday standing at the door, and definitely not in party attire.

"Wednesday? You're not dressed."

"I took your words into consideration and decided not to attend the party tonight." She says rather quickly.

"That's okay." You say, hating to admit that you were a little disappointed. "But I am forcing you to go to the Rav'N next year as a consolation gift." You smile. She looks at you quickly and before turning around and leaving, she mutters "Your outfit is adequate."

Did she just call you beautiful?

Part 7

#wednesday #wednsday addams #netflix #wednesday × reader #enid sinclair

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love2write2626 · 2 years

Text

I Wouldn’t Be Complete Without You 2

OK so here’s the plan for this! So this is probably going to be 4... maybe 5 part story. Then i want to continue with one-shots. Like their high school years, life as his assistant, life after the story. All that. I have some ideas, but i will also take suggestions/requests.

Thank You for reading!

Read Chapter 3 HERE

I Wouldn’t Be Complete Without You One-Shot Masterlist HERE

Chapter 2

Y/N’s P.O.V

I had a great time tonight; David is such a sweet guy. He’s a damn good kisser too. We made out in the parking lot like two horny teenagers for about 10 minutes not caring who was around. It was late, really late. I knew I needed to be quiet walking into the house, not wanting to wake anyone… especially not Tom. Even though he seemed calm, cool, and collected about it earlier… he’s definitely not done discussing my relationship.

As I opened the door, I slid my heels off and tip toed through the house. I was about to walk up the stairs when a light turned on in the living room.

“Pretty late” I heard Tom’s voice say from his chair

“Last time I checked, as a 37-year-old woman I don’t have a curfew” I said in a joking manner

“How was your date?” he asked with sarcasm dripping from every word. I sighed this is what I wanted to avoid. I walked over and sat in the chair next to him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him. I just a friend set us up on a blind date and I figured it wasn’t going anywhere so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning to you.” He raised his eyebrow, as his silent way of asking me to continue “And then I got to know David and he’s a really nice guy… and I just didn’t tell you…. Because…”

“Because why?” he asked

“Because, you become over bearing ok? You feel the need to find everything wrong with whomever I’m dating…”

“Well I wouldn’t have to do that, if you were smarter about the men you date” he said

“What?” I asked

“You always pick trashy men. Men that are going to hurt you, men who have baggage” I rolled my eyes

“Every person on this earth have some sort of baggage… what am I supposed to throw away a good guy because I don’t know… he… he’s not a millionaire? Maybe he��s in a little debt? Maybe he doesn’t drive a $300,000 car”

“Y/N please listen…”

“No, I don’t care about those things. You should know that better than anyone. Neither one of us came from money. You worked so hard at what you did, and you deserve all of this.” I said “But Tom not everyone is you… not everyone made it big.”

“Would you just listen for a second?” he said angrily “I’m trying to save you from this bastard who is going to break your heart”

“You don’t even know him”

“Neither do you” he said, throwing a file on the table in front of me

“What the fuck is that?” I asked

“A file on David Walter Harrington”

“You bastard” I said with tears in my eyes “how did you even find out his name?” I asked

“Your appointment book. You left it in my office… so I did a little digging”

“You mean you had Amanda do some digging” I said. Amanda is Tom’s publicist, she knows everything about everyone… and if she doesn’t she’s going to find out.

“You should look at it” I stared at him angrily “No? Then I’ll happily read it”

“David Harrington, 50 years old… a little old for you don’t you think?” I squinted my eyes

“Age is just a number”

“Has been in and out of debt for the past 4 years… significant debt. He was fired as CEO of his own company for insider trading… also did 5 years in prison. Hasn’t been able to hold down a job in the last 7 months… seems he likes to go to work drunk. Oh, and this is my favorite… you’re going to love this.”

“I doubt it” I mumble

“He’s married and has been married for 30 years” I grabbed the file out of his hands, and stared at it. I felt tears running down my face. I’m angry at Tom for snooping, I’m angry at David, and I’m angry at myself for not predicting that Tom would do this. I threw the file on the table and walked away “You’re welcome” he yelled

“I didn’t say thank you” I said walking up the stairs

“Well you should… I just saved you from heart break” he said, I turned around and looked at him.

“Oh, yeah Tom because I’m completely not heartbroken… thank you so much for saving me”

“No, need to be sarcastic about it”

“Tom, leave me alone” I said

“No, we need to talk” he said I walked into my room, knowing there was no point in stopping him from walking in. I walked into the bathroom to get changed “Fuck, Y/N… I’m sorry you’re hurt… but wouldn’t you have rather found out this information from me?” I didn’t say anything, I just continued to get changed “Y/N” he said, and I groaned in frustration.

“Actually no” I said walking out “Because if I had found out on my own, then I would have come to you, I would have cried to you, my best friend. You would have held me while I cried, like you always do”

“I can still do that” he said holding his arms open

“No, because finding out like this is a big fuck you”

“How?” he asked confused

“Because, you weren’t snooping with my feelings in mind. You were trying to find something wrong with the guy that I liked… because you can’t stand knowing I spend time with people other than you”

“Whoa… slow your roll. Don’t make me sound controlling, I don’t care who you spend time with”

“Actually, you’re right, you can’t stand when I spend time with men who aren’t you… you act like you have to protect me from ever man who isn’t you”

“That’s not true”

“Then why can’t you ever find one good thing with any man I date?” I said

“Because, you deserve better”

“Oh, please that’s such a clique line”

“You are so fucking infuriating” he said

“Right back at you” I said

“You want the truth?” I just stared at him “I am trying to protect you from what I’m going through.”

“Bravo, you went and turned my heart break around on what you’re going through”

“Y/N…”

“Tom, I’m so sorry you’re going through a divorce. Ok. I’m so sorry, that you have to put Suri through this. I’m so sorry, that you didn’t get the happily ever after marriage we all dream of.” I sighed “But life happens. If I get divorced one day… then I get divorced I mean damn, it happens everyday. I can’t let the what if’s control my life. Neither can you”

“I just want to protect you” he said

“Well you can’t and I won’t let you”

“What does that mean?” he asked

“It means I quit”

“What?”

“You’re really going to throw away a 20 year friendship over this?”

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18 Years Ago

“I am so proud of you” I said wrapping my arms around his neck. We are sitting in the living room of his new apartment, watching his movie ‘The Outsiders’ I am smiling brightly “3 movies in 3 years.... not too shabby. I knew you would make it.”

“Y/N, what if this is all I ever get?”

“Please, you are going to make it big time movie star, i mean hell you’re already signed on for two more movies ‘Risky Business’ and ‘All The Right Moves’ I mean that’s a big deal Tom” he rolled his eyes “One day when you are traveling the world, you will think Y/N was right”

“You mean when we are traveling the world” I started laughing

“What?”

“You’re going with me”

“Tom, I can’t follow you are around the world while you film movies. I have a job here”

“A job you hate”

“None the less how will I make a living?”

“I’ll take care of you”

“Ok, Mr. Movie Star, you know better than anyone I am no free loader”

“You can be my assistant” he said

“Your assistant?” I asked

“Yeah. That way you can travel the world together… we can always look out for each other”

“Really?” I asked “You, always want me around?” I asked

“Of course, I do! This is going to sound cheesy, but I wouldn’t be complete without you” my breath hitched Since the day I met him I always wanted to hear Tom say something along the lines of ‘I Love You’ and that’s the closest I’ve ever gotten.

“Tom?”

“Please.” He said with puppy dog eyes “You know you would be lost without me” I chuckled

“I think you would be lost without me” I said

“I’d make it a week” he replied

“Oh, yeah?” he nodded “Where’s your wallet?” he quickly patted his pockets and started searching the room for it. “You left it on the bar after you paid the pizza guy” he groaned

“See, this is why I need you to be my assistant” he said “You always know everything I don’t” I rolled my eyes “Please” he said

“Ok fine” I looked at him “I need you to make me a promise” he nodded

“We will always be friends. No matter what” I said

“Always” he smiled brightly

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Of course, not Tom, I’m quitting my job. I need a break from this”

“We promised to always be friends, always look out for each other… that’s all I was doing” he said

“Tom, please can we just take a break from this argument. I’m exhausted”

“No, my best friend. The only person who knows me, the real me EVERYTHING about me, wants to walk away”

“For fucks sake Tom, I’m not dropping our friendship. I just think I need a break from you. I think maybe getting a new job is a good idea”

“You want to know the truth?” he asked

“What?”

“The reason I am so picky over the men you date?” I watched his face change I could tell he really didn’t want to tell me what it is.

“Please Tom, just say whatever it is” I said completely physically, and mentally exhausted. I was surprised when he didn’t say anything, but walked over to me, and grabbed my face in his hands bringing our lips together.

I am completely shocked, I mean I’ve dreamed of this for years. It took me a few seconds to react, but kissing him was like being on cloud 9. I was lost in this kiss. When we broke apart , he rested his forehead against mine

“That’s why” he mumbled

“Tom?” I asked looking up at him

“The thought of you being with anyone, but me. Kills me” he mumbles “I’ve always loved you” he leaned down and placed a light kiss on my lips.

“Tom, I’ve loved you since we were in high school” I said running my fingers through his hair. Then he gently pushed me away

“But you deserve better than me” he said

“What?” I asked my heart suddenly breaking

“You heard me” he said sadly

“So that’s it? You tell me you love me… then say we can’t be together?”

“I’m sorry” he mumbled I walked over to the closet and grabbed my suit case and started stuffing it with clothes and personal items. “What are you doing?”

“Leaving. I’ll go to Katie’s house tonight… and I’ll figure something out after that”

“Y/N wait…”

“No, Tom. I’m leaving. I don’t think we can continue to have any kind of relationship after this. I think it’s best if we go our separate ways.

“Y/N please wait…” I heard him say as I walked out the front door.

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1 Year ago

“Tom are you ok?” I asked. He is sitting in his office leaned back into his chair

“My wife just told me she wants a divorce… not the best feeling in the world” he said “I guess it’s to be expected… neither one of us has been happy in years”

“You know Katie is hurting too” I said “She, loves you. She just…”

“Is not in love with me… that sounds like a line from a movie” he mumbled “I mean I don’t even know why I’m so shocked… we haven’t even slept in the same room in the last 4 months. I should have seen it coming”

“Tom”

“Fuck, what are we going to tell Suri” he said, he looked at the picture he had of his daughter on his desk.

“Tom, I think you and Katie just need to sit down and talk”

“We did… and she made it very clear she no longer wishes to be married to me”

“Tom, you barely let her get two words out, you didn’t let her explain. You just walked away. I mean she told me why, and I think you should listen”

“Did she meet someone else?”

“Of course not Tom. I think it’s something that you both knew have always known. She just finally decided to say it before you both ended up forever in a very unhappy marriage”

“What?”

“I’m not telling you. You need sit down and talk to her”

“Absolutely not”

“Tom”

“Y/N” he said in a mocking tone. I sighed, Tom was hurting but didn’t know how to say it. “Look I have a meeting, so I’m going to go” he said starting to walk out of his office, but I grabbed his arm

“Tom, I think you need a hug” I said, he sighed. I stood on my tip toes to wrap my arms around his neck, and we held each other tightly and then he mumbled something “What?”

“Please, promise to never leave me”

“I’ll always be here for you, Always” I said back

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Y/N wait!” Tom yelled, as I walked to my car

“What?” I asked

“You promised to never leave me”

“I’m sorry for breaking that promise. I never wanted to break a promise to you, but I think it’s time we went our separate ways” I said before getting in my car, and driving off.

@luckyladycreator2 @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @blue-aconite @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @peaches-1999 @callsign-blue @dempy @roostersforevergirl @allivingstone01 @harper1666

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lightaflametoburnmethrough · 1 year

Text

A Study of Love Analysis #5: The Strongest Emotion

“if love was a color, what would it be?”

I kept asking myself variations of this question since ch 68 came out. In fact, maybe I’ve always been asking ever since ch 66.

If love were a shape, what form would it take? When you want to express love without words, how would you do so?

It was chapter 66, the beginning of volume 14, that started filling in those answers.

1) Love as creation

Prior to vol 14, we entered Clockland… but what we saw wasn’t anything that was native to that world. The Clear Cards that came to life, they are just guests invited into this country. They are not original characters of the story itself because they are magic born from another person (Sakura) who isn’t the author of “Alice in Clockland”.

So who is the author? It’s Kaito, of course.

It can only be him. Momo confirmed it herself when she asked him, as far back as ch 31 (vol 7), “will this story have a happy ending?” and she confirmed it again in ch 60 with the line “The story that you prepared for the two Alices, Sakura and Akiho”.”

“Alice in Clockland” is a story created by Kaito. And therefore, the world within it is created by him, too.

Moreover, it is a reflection of himself. A statement of his feelings for Akiho in the most beautiful, poetic way.

First of all, he made Akiho the most important person in Clockland. Its sovereign, the Red Queen.

Among all the white roses in the garden we see later, Akiho is noticeably the only one addressed with the title of “Red”.

The sole red rose among all the white roses. The only one.

Next, the first thing we see upon “officially” entering Clockland is the Queen’s magnificent castle.

This castle, unlike the Cards, is a product of Clockland. And since it’s a part of Clockland, the world Kaito has given to Akiho, then the castle is also his gift to her. To show how highly he regards her in his eyes.

Following that, it’s the walk through that rose garden, which is described by Alice (Sakura) as “a place that seems to hold a very important feeling to someone.”

Because this rose garden draws from Kaito’s very memories of the place where he used to have conversations with Lilie as a child. Lilie, the first person who ever approached and treated him like a human being instead of a tool to be used by magicians.

But more than that, it was the place where he and Akiho first met. The day that he took her away from her toxic clan and gave her a new life where she could be happy started here. The place where their journey began, where their story began.

And that’s when you realize “Alice in Clockland” is a story about them, about Akiho and Kaito. Not a fictional Alice and definitely not Sakura, who only came into its most recent chapters when Akiho arrived in Japan and they became friends.

The book that has been titled as such is a magical one guarded by Momo. Kaito is Momo’s contractor and therefore, the current and true owner of the White Book. The White Book has been “lent” to Akiho, who has named it “Alice in Clockland” because she wished it so.

The book also records all the events of the owner(s’) life…so it stands to reason that its contents revolve around the time Akiho and Kaito spent with each other, of the memories they share together.

With Alice’s (Sakura’s) entrance into Clockland, the world adapts to include her memories as well since Kaito has assigned the role of heroine to her…but even this addition doesn’t nullify the significance of the sceneries the Red Queen (Akiho) takes Alice through.

The botanical garden where Akiho originally took Kaito for an outing (ch 53) before he wound back time to avoid a confrontation with Sakura and Syaoran. The fact that this garden shows up as another important place, more specifically called a “place of memories” with the three “characters” present there. It means it holds a great significance to Kaito, too.

Just like the rose garden from before.

Because it is a place he shared moments with Akiho, even if she doesn’t recall it because of the rewind.

Remember. After their midnight stroll in ch 48, Akiho told Sakura the very next day (ch 49) that Kaito remembered everything about their time traveling together.

“Even down to the smallest things that anyone would easily forget, he remembers them. Every single one.”

Because for Kaito, his greatest treasure is the time he was able to spend by Akiho’s side. Nothing means more to him than her. Nothing is of greater value than every second they are together.

So even if Akiho has no recollection of the day they went to the botanical garden, he does and it stays within his heart as something immeasurably precious.

Thus, it manifests in the world that reflects that heart. In Clockland.

Finally, the gondola through the library.

This is a scenery that reflects Akiho more than the other two because she is the one who loves books the most. They were her only friends before Kaito came along, before she made new ones in Japan, so naturally they occupy a very important place in her heart.

It explains why the shelves are so tall and expansive and goes on as far as their eyes could see. This library is much bigger and grander than all the places Alice (Sakura) has been led through before.

Did Kaito create this as well? For Akiho because he knows how much books mean to her? Or was this picture influenced by Akiho herself?

It’s never explicitly confirmed…but when the Red Queen went on to explain that books were “records” of many things and Alice (Sakura) asked what her favorite book was, she replied “the book I love most is Alice in Clockland.”

“Alice in Clockland”...the story Kaito gave to Akiho. The story about their life together, their time together.

Which leads us to…

2) Love as the constant

Even though the two girls have their roles to play upon entering Clockland, and thus the memories of their true selves were subdued, something in them is always inclining them to remember who they are.

But there is a difference between Akiho and Sakura.

Sakura is closely being monitored by Kaito to make sure that she doesn’t remember who she is as that will cause her to stray off the path he needs “Alice” to take to fulfill this story (aka his plan to save Akiho).

However, for Akiho, there is none of that pressure that Sakura feels when she’s on the edge of recalling something.

When Alice (Sakura) asks her if she’s the Red Queen, Akiho responds that she doesn’t know…but what she does know, what she does remember is that there is someone very special to her.

Someone so special that she can’t forget them, even in another world where she has assumed another identity.

Akiho doesn’t remember her own name or who she herself is…but she remembers “Alice in Clockland”. She remembers this special person (特別なひと).

The manner in which Akiho lifts her veil aside so effortlessly... there is multiple symbolism at play here.

She isn’t in pain nor does she wince like Sakura does the closer she gets back to her true self. Why is that?

Because even in Clockland, even though she’s been made the Red Queen by Kaito, he absolutely refuses to change what fundamentally makes Akiho who she is.

He is soft on Akiho in the way he isn’t towards anyone else because he doesn’t have a love for anyone else like he does for her.

All the important aspects of Akiho, he chose to leave them relatively untouched by his magic. Akiho’s fondness for books, her memory of “Alice in Clockland” ...and unknowingly to Kaito, the greatest love she has only for him.

It is like Akiho is brushing aside the dust of his spell on her as she lifts the veil. The veil that obscured her sight isn't the least bit heavy against her hand. It is lifted without resistance, without difficulty.

Because Kaito made it so. He made it so that this world, this Clockland, can never force or hurt Akiho in any way.

Clockland is a world where Akiho is the most important person. This world embraces and protects her from any harm.

Even when Sakura was told that this world will move as she wished, it won’t go against the creator’s (Kaito’s) law that nothing in it is allowed to defy Akiho. Not his desperation to save her, not even the veil (his magic) covering her face.

Because if she wishes for something, he can’t ever go against her either. He loves her too much to do that.

And that’s how Akiho gradually but surely remembers. How everything becomes more and more clear in her eyes.

Because she never forgot what is important to her in the first place. She’s always had it, she never lost it. She could never lose it because

“I am me because of this person. This person who is like no other in the world. This person who gave me the most precious feeling that I won’t ever forget. This precious feeling is me, the most important part of me.”

“I am Akiho because I had Kaito-san by my side. I am Akiho because he was always there for me. I am Akiho because I love Yuna D. Kaito.”

It’s because Akiho could see this clearly, because she could see her love for Kaito clearly, that she had no trouble seeing Sakura for who she truly is, too.

“I remembered because of my love for him…and so, I remember you, too. You are also someone dear to me, dear to Akiho. You’re not me. You’re not really Alice either. You’re my wonderful friend, Sakura-san.”

That is the extent of Akiho and Kaito’s unbreakable connection to each other, of how deeply they affect one another.

“Alice in Clockland” is the crystallization of Kaito’s love for Akiho.

And she reciprocates by cherishing this gift he has given her. She is telling him “I love you, too. This story you’ve written for me is my greatest treasure because YOU gave it to me. It’s the bond we share, the most important part of me that I won’t ever let go.”

A love that won’t waver and stands against all the currents and storms that hit them. Love that is a constant and won’t ever diminish, not even in the face of magic.

Finally,

3) Love as a formidable force

Now that Sakura has regained her memory and Syaoran has arrived on the scene, Kaito faces the final obstacles to the completion of this story. His plan to save Akiho.

However, Kaito is not bothered by the undoing of his disguise nor is he in any way deterred by this interference standing in his way.

He remains determined, perhaps even a deadly sort of calm in spite of his time running out. Even with his life more than halfway depleted because of too many rewinds.

He isn’t afraid of those trying to defy him because he will definitely use everything in his power to defy them back. Defy Syaoran a way to take them out of the book just like he defied the Association and Akiho’s clan attempts to retrieve Akiho as the artifact.

Kaito will not lose to these two precisely because his love is no less than theirs. It is his deep love for Akiho, his strongest desire to save Akiho, that he withstood even his own weaknesses.

The painful loneliness he’s always felt since he was a child.

The crushing guilt of accidentally dooming Akiho to her fate.

The fear of dying and leaving the one he loves most forever.

All those things are trifles before what’s most important to him.

The salvation of Akiho’s soul. The preservation of her life and her happiness.

True love has no labels. It knows no borders that can’t be overcome. It is not defined by gender, age, race, what a person has or doesn’t have, what a person deserves or doesn’t.

Therefore, it is also incorrect to say this is about good vs evil because it isn’t. There’s not even a good vs evil here because this love being presented is one that stands ABOVE basic concepts such as good and evil.

This isn’t about who’s right or who’s wrong.

This is about fighting to not lose what’s important.

This is about saving the lives of people struggling to survive.

Kaito won’t give in to the bitter end. Even if he were to break into a million pieces, he will see this plan through.

And it’s a given that Syaoran won’t succeed in taking the girls out of Clockland. Not before Sakura does what Kaito needs her to do anyway and that’s to save Akiho.

The cover of a book won’t close before the story is done telling its tale. There won’t be a curtain call before the play is finished.

Because that’s how a story is properly done. It ends with an ending. A happy ending.

And because Kaito is the person who wishes for that happy ending more than anyone, he will get what he wants. He will fight harder than everyone there, down to his very last breath, all for the sake of seeing Akiho live to see the next day.

And Akiho also won’t settle for just that either. She won’t allow anything to take Kaito, her greatest happiness, away from her.

She may not possess magic like the rest of them do…but they are all standing in her world. Clockland, the world given to her by Kaito. The world that belongs to her is at her command.

Akiho has a love as strong as any of theirs. A love that allowed her to be the first one, between her and Sakura, to break the spell of a magician with the rank of D despite not having any powers herself. An unyielding and unwavering love that even Yuna D. Kaito is no match for.

If Akiho, the Queen of Clockland, the actual main character of “Alice in Clockland” does not wish for a tragedy, then it WILL NOT happen.

Why?

Because love is a miracle. Love is the strongest magic in the world.

#cardcaptor sakura clear card hen #shinomoto akiho #yuna d. kaito #yunaaki #akiyuna #🕰️🌾🐇

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