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theroomofreq · 3 years

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can you give me muggle jily recs pleaaseeee <3 :D

HOW MANY HIGH-QUALITY MUGGLE JILY FICS ARE THERE?? TOO MANY TO COUNT. *cracks knuckles* BUT I am here for the challenge. Jily AUs are my JAM.

Again, shoutout to our amazing @jilyarchive friends who tag every wonderful muggle jily au they come across. here is the link that will take you to their tags page. You'll find links to specific tropes and AUs :')

I've searched through my own AO3 bookmarks and history tabs, and I present to you 28 jily muggle fics that I LOVE. I am THRILLED thinking about all the good things in store for those that read these wonderful stories. This list took me ages to make because I went through and reread most of these brilliant fics. Happy reading !! xx

properly improper by @lizardcookie

“Marry me,” Mr. Potter repeats, closing the distance between them by striding back up towards the sofa, only to stop and crouch to one knee right there at her feet, looking up at her. Burning. “Pick me,” he elaborates. “Pick me, choose me, love me instead.”

- this fic is the reason why I comment the way that I do (spoiler it's because it's amazing)

The Wedding Ring by @mppmaraudergirl

What is undeniably worse than attending your sister's wedding looking as desolate and forgotten as a wilted houseplant? Drunkenly ringing your ex-boyfriend and asking him to be your date.

- SOBS UNCONTROLLABLY AT THE PERFECTION

Oh my god, they were ROOMMATES by @magic-girl-in-a-muggle-world

Silly one-shot, Muggle AU with Fem!Jily as pining roommates and Marlene as their matchmaker.

- the fic that brought me back to jily and inspired my deep obsession of fem!jily

Swipe Right, Swing Left by @downn-in-flames

The unspoken rule of using dating apps in D.C. is that you always start with where you work.

James Potter, it seems, never picked up on that one.

- giddy just thinking about this gem

'Tis the Damn Season by @petalstofish

It doesn't feel like Christmas for Lily Evans, not after losing her parents to COVID before the Holiday season. She anticipates spending Christmas all alone until a boy from her past shows up and offers her a mutually benefiting deal that has her calling him 'babe' just for the weekend. 'Tis the damn season, after all.

- cries in respect for lyrical writing

Watch Me Unwind by @maraudersftw

Lily Evans hates her job, hates the bigoted customers she has to serve as a bartender at the richest club in the city. But the one person who makes bearing all of it worth it has someone else in his arms tonight. (Rated: M)

- obsessed with the way the plot jumps around the time line in this

oil be there for you by @abby10fanfic

Texting/Social Media AU: Lily and James haven't spoken for 2 years. But that's all about to change thanks to Peter and his involvement in an essential oil pyramid scheme. Featuring boss babes, toxin-free lifestyles, binding contracts, and a very oily journey.

- YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW FAB THIS IS

a matchmaking mission by @downn-in-flames

James Potter has a mission: get Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to finally admit that they both fancy the pants off each other by Valentine's Day.

His partner in crime? Lily Evans, Remus' flatmate, who he also happens to be slightly in love with

- DOUBLE the amount of pining idiots in love :")

about time by @jilyss

'sure, yeah, I can accompany you to that black tie event for your work tonight. wait. why are we on a red carpet?'

- this is my emotional comfort fic, your honor

whiskey business by @elanev91

Sirius Black has a (bad?) habit of picking up hobbies that take over his and James' flat -- this most recent one? Homemade vodka that James now has to try and peddle to everyone in the building.

- hysterical! must read!

Fashion Disaster by @maraudersftw

James Potter is roped into an awful dare by his best-mate, which involves him wearing atrocious pieces of clothing for all days until Christmas as dictated by Sirius. If this wasn't terrible enough, he now has to contend with his maddening crush on the beautiful saleswoman at the clothing store.

- classic hijinks that I live for

it wasn't a pity invite by @elanev91

Part of the December "Winter Tropes" Jily challenge. Prompt: my family invites you to join our holiday meal as an obvious setup and omG i’m so sorry

- awkward Christmas date that owns my heart

spice and honey by @clare-with-no-i

tagging along with her food reporter sister to profile James Potter, London's hottest young chef, is not how Lily Evans pictured her Monday going - especially if he's anything like Petunia’s described.

needless to say, she's in for a whirlwind at Chez Maraudeur.

- I'm one re-read away from printing this out and putting it on my bookshelf.

Waffle Wars by @elanev91

There's only one waffle maker in the dining hall and it literally always breaks. So, naturally, the only reasonable course of action is to meticulously map out when it's working and, ultimately, do a heist.

- the witty narration in this fic can not be matched

You Can Hear It In The Silence by @alrightginger

Lily is non-verbal and deaf in a world where the things your soulmate says about you end up written on your skin. She has known about her soulmate since she was seven, but knows they don't have a clue she exists and possibly never will.

- exquisite, cue me sobbing forever

out the window by @displayheartcode

A new family moves to Ottery St Catchpole.

- everything I could ever want in a fic, forever in my mind rent free

The Christmas Guest by @thegodmachine

An Evans Family Christmas: Petunia is bringing her fiancé and Lily is bringing her…Friend…

- petunia pov that gives me WINGS

Football, Calculus, and Cappuccinos by @moonawrites

At eighteen years old, James Potter has a lot going on. He's a rising star navigating the politics of professional football, the pitfalls of sudden fame, the fallout from choosing his dream over his father's company... and a serious crush on the red headed new barista at his favourite coffee shop.

- I'm still working my way through this fic, but trust me when I say its a GEM

if u like pina coladas by @zephyrcove

Lily is desperate for a date to Petunia's wedding, James has been pining, and their friends meddle ;)

- explain to me how characters can be so perfect via texting fics?

Shelf Awareness by @ghostofbambifanfiction

It's too far out of her way and she's wasting so much money, but Lily can't help but return to the bookstore every weekend, where her passion for good literature has, perhaps, been unexpectedly reignited by the messy-haired, pun-making, rather handsome bloke who works there.

- you absolutely must know that I binge read this and then immediately REREAD it

How to win a witch in 10 days by @adenei

“She’s going to find some unsuspecting wizard, get him to fall for her, and then do all the things that turn men away to get him to break things off! Won’t it be the best way to see what witches do that drives men crazy?” But what happens when the man in question is a blast from Lily Evans's past? A Jily Magical AU based on the romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."

- fic based off of a rom com? YES PLZ :’)

The Fight Before Christmas by @ghostofbambifanfiction

The heartwarming Christmas tale of Lily Evans and James Potter - two plucky kids who hated one other, until the day they really, really didn't.

- complete sucker for this one

All This Time by @thejilyship

James and Lily grew up next door to one another. Their bedroom windows giving them glimpses into the others life, and also offering prime opportunities to argue with each other over every little thing. They never figured out how to be friends when they were kids, but now that they've graduated from college and are home for the summer, they have a second chance to get things right.

- one of my favvvv tropes

Let Me Love You by @thejilyship

With only a month until she's set to take the throne of Gryffindor, Lily is informed that she'll have to get married or choose to give up her throne. She never thought she'd have to even entertain the idea of an arranged marriage. Enter, James Potter.

- cries in princess diares AU

The Fabulous Baker Brothers by @frustratedpoetwrites

Lily walks a different route home from work and stumbles upon a cute little Bakery with an even cuter baker in the window.

- yes yes yes to embarrassed pining.

Marigold Mornings by @mppmaraudergirl

This is a fun game she thinks, as she removes her hand from his side and reaches up to run it down his chest. He catches her hand in his own, takes a step forward so that her nose nearly brushes against his shirt. She can feel the heat radiating off of him—or maybe it’s from her. He licks his lips and her eyes are drawn to the motion. She knows it is a bad idea, absolutely knows it.

- incredible storytelling featuring dynamic characters :') a favvv

Welcome to Pettyville by@women-inthe-sequel @alrightginger

When Lily Evans accidentally sends a text to the wrong number, she isn’t expecting to find the right person behind it. She can’t stop talking to Prongs. The only thing is, Prongs can’t stop talking about the girl in his class. What could go wrong, other than the number?

- LOVE SQUARE ANYONE

The Kiss a Stranger Project by @alrightginger

“What’s your name, then?” she asks, realizing they haven’t even properly introduced themselves yet. She nervously crosses her arms.

You shouldn’t kiss a guy without knowing his name first.

Right?

- THIS ONE WILL LIVE IN MY MIND FOREVER

#ror reqs #jily fic #mugge fic recs #jily fic rec list

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whosscruffylooking · 3 years

Text

The Purest Things: Wingmen (Aaron Hotchner x Female BAU! Reader)

this is based on season 10 episode 10 “amelia porter”

Warnings: None. Pure Fluff.

A/N: I am so beyond obsessed with the mutual pining. Initially, this was going to be one part, but I have to slow burn the heck out of this, so it'll be a few parts. Enjoy!

The Purest Things Masterlist

august 2014

Bookend: "You meet thousands of people and none of them really touch you. And then you meet one person and your life is changed forever." – Love & Other Drugs

I walk into the jazz club, searching for Rossi. For the past year and a half, we have frequented this classy establishment, bonding over our shared passion for jazz and fine liquor. We come here every Friday unless the job keeps us away. It's a form of escapism that I have grown to cherish deeply. With a job like ours, finding something to look forward to each week, some semblance of a routine is crucial.

I stroll over to “our” booth, but instead of seeing David’s familiar face, it's that of the Unit Cheif. I throw my head back and laugh, “Of all the people I could have expected to see here...you were not one of them.”

Don't get me wrong; I'm not upset to find him here. I could never get enough of him. I see him nearly every day of the week, I have weekly movie nights with Jack, and Aaron and I have been to hell and back with each other over the years.

He shakes his head and smirks, “What can I say? I'm full of surprises.”

“So tell me Aaron Hotchner, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this evening?”

“David Rossi, ” he emphasizes.

“So you’ve been recruited as one of his wingmen too huh?”

“Apparently so.”

“Well I'm glad you're here.” I slide into the booth next to him.

He glides his cup in circles along the tablecloth, “Me too.”

“May I pry?” I inquire.

He nods, “You may.”

“Why exactly are you here? Believe me, I'm thrilled you're joining us, but David and I have been coming here for over a year. Why'd he invite you now?”

His shoulders tense up, and then he inhales deeply, the tension releasing when he exhales.

“If I'm being completely honest, I think it has something to do with the fact that Beth and I are no longer together.”

“Oh my God, Hotch. I'm so sorry, I didn't know.”

Aaron looks up at me; the professional man, the profiler I'm so familiar with, is gone. Instead, he looks at me with the eyes of a vulnerable man, someone who loves so passionately and craves that same love in return. This isn't the first time he's looked at me with those eyes, and I pray that it is not the last time. If it were anyone else, the prolonged eye contact would deter me; my glance would dart in the other direction. But, for years, I have savored these intimate moments with him. I'm not exactly sure when this connection began or when it deepened to the awareness we now have of one another.

Most likely, it began shortly after Haley’s death, when I started to spend more time with Jack or those late nights working in the office with him. Maybe it was that time I brought him his favorite coffee and bagel to his house because I knew he wouldn’t feed himself otherwise.

(Aaron’s P.O.V.)

I gaze at her with utmost fascination. She is a mystery I have never been able to solve, a profile I cannot complete. She is whole, a pillar of strength for our team, her family, me, and Jack. Yet, there is a fear within her that mimics a young child scared of the monsters that are both imagined and real. She’s seen and experienced things that no one her age should have to witness. I can see through the worn expression on her face. She’s holding herself together for the sake of everyone around her, but inside she’s slowly falling apart. All I want is to help mend those crumbling pieces and hold her together. She doesn’t realize that she has been doing that very thing for me for the past four years.

In my life, I have had the opportunity to love deeply and freely. But two of those loves stand in realms of their own. The first time I fell in love, it was with an opposite. A precious, symbolic tale of love and loss.

With Beth, I did love her. She gave me the strength to feel something again after Haley died. I found the ability to move forward with hope and recognition that I deserve happiness once again.

The second great love came in the form of a mirror. We share an empathy, an understanding of the fundementals of life and love that shapes our individual values. I was far from perfect when we met; I was detached, damaged, and hopeless. I felt like I was barely a man. Truth be told, I won’t be perfect after the fact either. But, she gives me a sense of realness that I never perceived as possible. And since the day we met before I even accepted the actuality of my affections for her, I strove to better myself. Every day since, and for the rest of my life, I want to work every day to be the man she deserves and needs.

Awakening from my trance, I speak up, “I am grateful every day for the relationship I had with Beth. I truly did love her. I love her still for the person she helped me become. I realized, through her, that I can choose to move forward with my life.”

“You deserve to be happy, Aaron,” she interjects.

“Some time ago, Rossi came into my office encouraging me to start dating again. He reminded me that Haley wouldn’t want me to avoid moving on. Of course, my immediate instinct was to deny that I was guilty of just that. But he was right. He told me that I am no good to anyone when I’m miserable.”

She throws her head back and laughs, “Miserable? No, I wouldn’t call you that. Slightly uptight? Absolutely.”

I gasp, exaggerating a look of offense, “I’m hurt.”

She touches my arm, and I can feel my heart stop for a beat. Something about her touch elevated my heart and soul to another plain. It’s as if her small hand on my forearm revealed the certainty I had been searching for.

I chuckle, “Don’t worry. David and I came to the same conclusion.”

“Phew,” she breathes out a sigh of relief, “Good because I didn’t know how I was going to dig myself out of that hole....but please, continue what you were saying.”

I take a deep breath, “When you and I met I had already lost my entire world. Haley had just recently taken Jack, we were fighting constantly, and then...” I feel my eyes beginning to sting, and I realize that she hasn’t taken her grip off my arm once she squeezes it reassuringly.

“When Haley died, it felt like I was staring into an abyss. After the funeral, you found me alone, in some room that I had escaped to for some solace. But I didn’t feel any relief. And then, you came in. You sat across from me, and we just sat in silence. Somehow though, more was said in that silence than I had ever dared to utter out loud to someone. You didn’t know it then, but you saved me that day. You saved Jack too.”

I hear her short intake of breath and look over to see her lip beginning to tremble.

“Aaron...”

As much as I want to hear her melodic voice speak to me now, when I am most unarmed, a feeling that is entirely foreign to me, I have never felt so driven to yell from the top of my lungs a profession of love for this woman.

I begin to speak again, and I am immediately interrupted by Rossi, accompanied by the jazz singer hooked on his arm.

“La mia bella ragazza! Finalmente sei arrivato,” he says, kissing the top of her head. She blushes slightly, her eyes flickering to me briefly.

“You are a sight for sore eyes my dear. Is she not Aaron?”

I take a sip of my drink, glancing at y/n, her beautiful y/e/c sparkling back at me. How can anyone put into words just how beautiful she is?

I nod, “She is indeed.”

I’m suddenly made aware of the absence of her touch on my arm. How can someone’s touch both simultaneously have such a stronghold on you and also set you free? Regardless of the reason, I long to savor that feeling once again.

“Well,” she inches out of the booth, “I’m going to get a drink. Can I get you boys anything?”

We shake our heads in unison. Rossi suggests that his date join her.

He places his hand on my shoulder, “So? Any progress made?”

“I don’t want to overwhelm her. There’s so much I want to say. But I feel like I’ve put her through enough already. I’m an old man Dave. I’m a widower with a son. The damage I’d be asking her to cope with, the burden I’d be subjecting her to...”

David clears his throat and slips his phone out of his pocket. He swipes through some photos in his camera roll and lands on a photo of y/n and me. It’s from a cocktail party he hosted a few years ago. Jack, y/n, and I are sitting on the grass in Rossi’s backyard playing with dandelions. I can still hear their laughter filling the air: Jack’s squeals and y/n’s child-like giggles. We felt like a family. I would give anything to relive those moments of genuine bliss, to feel that sensation of being complete, heart, mind, and soul once more.

“Sometimes,” Rossi begins, “when people are destined to be together, their love grows over an undetermined span of time. It could be months, weeks, even years. You both may feel the shared pain of this rollercoaster called life and the hurt that comes from being separated from one another, but this helps you better grasp the priceless value and purity of the love you share. There is no easy road to love. Anyone who claims otherwise is doomed to be plagued by the mediocrity that is a false sense of security. The path you are on, Aaron is the one walked by the greatest lovers in history. In layman’s terms, don’t screw this up.”

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mysoftboybensolo · 3 years

Text

The Alienist and the Soprano

Chapter 9: The Abduction

A/N: This was inspired by Laszlo’s love of opera and my thought on what if he fell for an opera singer. Multi chapter. Canon divergence, there is no Mary Palmer here (I loved Mary and Laszlo, so I don’t feel like I could have her here and have him be with another woman). A mix of show and book canons. No Y/N, OC named Evelina Lind.

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32029150

Pairing: Laszlo Kreizler x Fem OC!

Summary: The last thing Laszlo Kreizler ever expected while investigating the death of children was to fall in love, and with an opera singer no less!

Warnings: Age gap, kidnapping, violence and death.

Evelina's body ached all over and her vision was blurry. What happened? As her body came to, her mind was dragging behind. She was crying over Laszlo, Sara had left, leaving her and Tessie alone. A bell rang, no not the church bell, it was softer, higher pitched. Doorbell. A scream. Yes, it was coming back to her.

Tessie remained by Evelina’s side, trying to help calm and comfort her, when the doorbell rang. “I’ll be right back.” Tessie went down the stairs and answered the door.

“Pardon me, Miss, I was wondering if you be interested in an encyclopedia.”

“No thank you,” Tessie tried to close the door, but the man gently interrupted her.

“Well, is your master or mistress at home?”

“No, she is not, but she would not be interested either.”

“What about the other lady? She might be interested.”

Tessie felt her blood run cold. “How do you know about the other lady?”

The man stares at her, his smile grows and becomes sinister, which made Tessie try to shove the door in his face, but he shoved himself in, knocking her down to the ground.

Evelina heard a loud thud, pulling her from her misery and out from the room. As she went down the stairs, she saw a man on top of Tessie, struggling. “Tessie!” The man gave a punch to the maid’s face, knocking her out, then turned. No, it couldn’t be.

“Evelina,” Winston spoke her name with longing.

Fear gripped her heart and she ran back up the stairs, hoping to barricade herself in the room but Winston was fast and before she could block the entrance, he barged in. “Get out,” her voice hoarse, her eyes wild with fear.

“Not without you, sweetie. Come.” He stepped forward, and Evelina reached over to the nightstand and threw a vase at him, and while it did hit him, it did nothing to deter him. “You seem to have forgotten your manners, sweetie.” He lunged before she knew it, grabbed her and dragged her away. She tried to hold onto the doorframe, but he was much stronger than she and all she did was leave marks on the wood. Once he had her away from the room, he punched her so hard, she was left unconscious, making it easier for him to carry her away. He didn’t care if the door to the house was open, he had what he wanted and with her in his carriage, he raced off to the opera.

Winston was nothing if not through, for he planned this ever since he spotted her on the stoop with that man. Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. Son of Leopold and Jozefa Kreizler, only child and heir to the publishing fortune, an alienist specializing in children, age forty, no children of his own, never married. Avid lover of opera, and intensely interested in one Evelina Lind. What Winston couldn’t understand was why she was interested in him; sure, he was wealthy, but he never took her to be a whore, willing to do anything for money. And if it wasn’t for the money, it couldn’t be his looks, for he was also sixteen years older than her, a cripple and with a profession that was looked down by society. It had to have been a moment of madness, he convinces himself, now that I am here, she’ll never look at him twice again.

The past few days were spent exploring the opera, checking the entries and exits that he can slip in unseen, and the best place to hide. The prop room was filled with many things and one can easily hide if one so wished. Through a door in the alley, he carried Evelina, who was still unconscious and carried her down to the prop room, and once set her down on a sofa, he worked to tie her hands and feet, making certain she didn’t move while they waited. He looked down at her and sighed. Nine years of not seeing her had been torment to him, and he thought she grew even more beautiful.

He knew that his feelings were more than brotherly when their mother died and she was beginning to blossom into a young woman, in fact, it was at their mother’s funeral did he notice the changes in her. The problem was that the boys noticed the change as well. She was slipping away from him and he hated that, he hated her for wanting to get away, for allowing the boys to flirt and growing up. His love was violent and obsessive, made him say and do hateful things, but it hurt to see her turn away from him. How could she not see his suffering, see that his cruelty came from his desire for her, how all he wanted to do was protect her from the men who wanted to take her away from him?

That boy tried to, the one who kissed her hand, who made her smile, a smile that she never shared with him. So, he hunted that boy down and beat him, not caring what his actions did, for he was blinded by his anger, jealousy, and fear, that only when he grew tired had he realize what he did. The boy was dead, barely recognizable, but he didn’t care. Let this be a warning to anyone else who dares to take my sweetie away from me. And when he did at last confess his feelings, instead of throwing her arms around him and pled her undying love and passion, she reacted with disgust and horror. Why? Why such horror? He had to try and make her see his feelings and tried to kiss and caress her as lovers would, but she fought, screamed and then Papa came in and ruined everything.

Papa had separated the pair and since that day, Winston vowed he’d never forgive his father, vowed he’d find a way back to her. Nine years of waiting and the time at last came, he was let go because his father’s funds ended, and he went back home. She must be waiting for me, burning as I burn. But he found that the house was occupied by another family, and she had fled. It took him a while to figure out where, but he managed to find out and boarded the first boat to America.

No longer oceans apart, so close as they were that last day, and everything will be well again.

He watched as she slowly came to, a soft moan escaping, no doubt from the aches in her body, and watched as everything came back to her. When she saw him, she screamed, tried to get away, but found herself bound and Winston clasping his hand over her mouth. “Shhh! Now, now, none of that, sweetie.”

Evelina was gasping heavily even beneath the hand, tears forming in her eyes. When he removed his hand, she gulped then softly pleaded, “Please, Winston. Please let me go.”

“Oh, I can’t, not yet. We are expecting company, and I said you’d be here.”

“Company?” she asked.

“A party of three, you, me and Dr. Kreizler.”

Horror came across her face, and once again she began to beg, even more desperately, “Winston, please, you do not have to! There is no reason for him being here. He means nothing!”

“I saw you! I saw you two on the stoop, holding hands and so close. You looked at him the way I always wanted to be looked at. And then to see you in the park with him, so happy. He even held you in his arms as you danced, so close and intimate. You even allowed him to call you by your Christian name. Oh, Evelina!” he moaned, “How could you! How could you forget me? How could you forsake me? Me, who waited and suffered for you all these years, kept the memory of you painted in my mind for nine years, waiting to find you. You left me, and you choose him!”

She cried, because all she could remember was that day in the den, fearful that no one would come for her, hearing the same mad ramblings of her brother. Oh, please God, she silently prayed, help me escape, let me see Laszlo once more and be safe again.

A sound came echoing into the room, making Evelina and Winston look towards the sound, and desperate, she opened her mouth to try and scream, but Winston was quick and stuffed a handkerchief in her mouth as he went to inspect the sound. She struggled and tried to escape, falling off the sofa and to the ground, but it did no good. Winston had returned, and she could see that he was holding a baton, blood on the tip.

“It was, sadly, not our honored guest. But this fellow won’t be bothering us anymore.”

Laszlo hurried to the opera, hoping that he was not too late. He would not have Sara come along, fearful that if Winston even sees her, something dreadful will happen, but instead had given her instructions and went on his own. He bypassed the singers and dancers, who looked at him curiously. Ernest tried to approach him, but he instead demanded where the prop room was.

“I can show you, if you like.”

“No, just tell me. Please Ernest, don’t ask questions. It’s a matter of life or death!”

Ernest complied and watched as his friend hurried off, then he went to his office to make a call.

Laszlo followed the path, his heart beating furiously. If something has happened or will happen to her, it will be because of him and he will never forgive himself. He froze when he came across a figure lying on the ground, but then carefully moved towards it and found it was a man, blood coming from his head, dead. This was what Laszlo was going to face, a madman who was unafraid to use violence if necessary.

“Winston!” Laszlo called out, letting him know he was approaching.

Winston smiled and Evelina struggled. “Ah, here he has come. I knew he would,” he jeered at Evelina. “Come, Dr. Kreizler, we have been expecting you!”

Laszlo turned the corner and carefully walked through the maze of props until he found them. His eyes immediately found Evelina, who was sitting against the sofa on the floor, bound and gagged, tears streaming down her face. It broke him to see her like this. Then he looked over to the man who started all this. Yes, it was exactly as Evelina described him, even with the mad and frightening look in his blue eyes. He knew he had to tread lightly if anyone was hoping to get out alive.

“Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, what a pleasure to finally meet you! I have heard a great deal about you.” The words sent a shiver up Laszlo’s spine, not so much of what Winston said, but how it was said, as if this was a normal social event in which these two men have met. “It’s wonderful to see the man, face to face.”

“And you, Winston,” Laszlo said carefully, his eyes darting to Evelina. “A rather unusual place to meet.”

“Yes, well, I wanted privacy, and I am certain that we are?” He asked, looking at Laszlo with mad eyes, hoping he hadn’t been foolish to bring anyone else here.

“As you said, this is a party of three. It would have been rude of me to invite anyone else.”

Winston smiled. “Good. Very good. You see, this is such a personal gathering, and we need not have spectators. It has come to my attention that you and my sister, my sweet foolish sister,” he says as he hosts her up on the sofa, removing the gag, “Have been seeing quite a lot of each other. Funny, but to the outside eye, it would almost look like you were courting. But it couldn’t be, could it? You are so much older than her, lame and frowned upon. What could a young and beautiful woman like her want to do with you? When she could have someone like me?”

“Winston, please,” Evelina sobbed out, her lip trembling.

He hushed her, his hand brushing along her hair and cheek. “Hush now, the adults are talking. I can only assume it was done in a moment of madness, I mean, look,” he takes hold of her bound hands, roughly pulling her up, her back to him, making her look at Laszlo. “Do you see? Him and me. There is no comparison, there can be no doubt of who she’d rather be with.”

“Winston,” Laszlo started, a small step forward, “You are right. Compared to me, who wouldn’t want to be with you. You are young, handsome, and strong, I couldn’t offer what she would want. So, I think the best thing is for you to let her go and let it be decided by us men,” he said, playing to Winston’s perceptions and ego.

“Oh, I would, but she ran from me once. I can’t bear to let her go again. I waited nine years for her. And like some pathetic dog, I had to be satisfied with so little; a glimpse of her leaving the opera, the scent of her knickers,” he pressed his nose to her hair, inhaling the scent, “So sweet, flowery. Can you feel it, sweetie? Can you feel how much I love you, want you?”

Evelina wanted to gag at the feeling of Winston pressing is body against hers, making her feel a hint of his arousal, and she sobbed harder. “Winston, please, let us go!”

He chuckled darkly, “Not yet. We can’t leave just yet, I need you to see,” he moved down and untied her feet, his hand running up her leg, over her hip and across her breasts as he got up and began to untie her hands, “I need you to see why I am better for you. Why it should be me, instead of him.” Letting her go, she took a deep breathe, as if she was being strangled, and watched in horror as he approached the doctor. “What do you say, Kreizler, show her who is deserving of her love?”

Without warning, Winston struck Laszlo with the baton, making Laszlo fall to the ground. No, he was not dead, Winston wasn’t going to give him the mercy of a swift death, but to suffer, to let him know who was stronger, braver, better for Evelina. “Come on. Come on! Fight back you cripple!” But Winston didn’t allow Laszlo a chance to get up and fight back, for any chance he did, Winston would kick him, beat him, making him fall back to the ground, his body in pain everywhere.

Evelina watched in horror as Winston attacked Laszlo, blood on the baton, the same wicked smile on his face that she had grown to fear. “No! No, please Winston! Take me, I’ll go with you. Just please, don’t hurt him!”

Winston stopped, looking up at her, a look came over him, as he stepped over his victim and looked at her. “Why? Tell me why.” Gripping the back of her neck, forcing her closer to him, he jeered, “Tell me why I should spare him.”

“Because…” She hesitated. Would her words set him free, or damn him to a cruel death?

“Say it. I want to hear you say the words.”

“Because I love him. Because if you kill him, you kill me too.”

Laszlo weakly looked up at her, stunned by the words she just said. Was Sara telling the truth? Did truly hear what she said? Or was this just a cruel trick that his mind was playing on him?

Winston too was surprised, but it was not at all the happy kind. “Love? You could love him? An old cripple who can’t even fight back, who can’t protect you.” Winston dropped the baton to completely take hold of her, his grip tight like a vice. “Why not me? Why can you give your love to everyone else in this God forsaken world, but not me?”

If he intends to kill her here and now, she would at last let her truth be known. “How could I give love to someone whose sole purpose in life is to make everyone else miserable? Who has haunted me like a shadow that destroys all that is good and honest? Love you? I could never love anything so ugly and cruel.”

His face twisted in anger and a hand shot to her throat, squeezing just enough. “Ugly and cruel? You haven’t seen what ugly and cruel can be. And I’ll take your love, make you love me.” He slammed her down on the ground, his body pressed on top of her. “Even if I must break you to do it.”

Evelina struggled, even scratching his face at one point, creating a terrible sense of déjà vu, but just when she thought she was going to lose, she heard a loud thunk which caused her brother to cry out in pain and release her from his grip. Evelina’s eyes managed to focus properly and she saw Laszlo, bloody, beaten but standing with the baton in hand and ready to strike again. Winston’s daze left him unable to attack back, to which Laszlo used to his advantage.

Kicking him off of her, Laszlo stood over him the baton in hand and a dangerous look in his eye. “Leave her alone.” The words were slow, deliberate, like a man who was pushed to his limit and was on the verge of snapping.

Winston, who laid on his back, staring up at Laszlo, began to laugh. “Go ahead, cripple. Beat me. I know you want to. Be a man, prove to her that you deserve her.” He laughed, knowing he wouldn’t do it.

Laszlo stared down this man and he realized something. “As much as I would love to, I won’t end your suffering. I’ll let you live with this knowledge; you are pathetic. You’ve lived your entire life desperately needing people, but hating them for your supposed weakness. You are incapable of real love, and it leaves you empty. And I think you know that it does. I’ll let you live, knowing that you’ll never achieve what you’ve been chasing your whole life.”

Laszlo held the baton tightly, hobbling over to Evelina, leaning over to check on her, and with his back to Winston, he didn’t see the young man pull out a knife and come charging at him with the intention of killing him. But a loud bang prevented that from happening, making Evelina cry out in shock and for them both to look in Winston’s direction.

Police officers came rushing in, surrounding the area, with Roosevelt leading the way. Laszlo tried to help Evelina up, but his own bruised and broken body prevented him from doing so, making Evelina and another officer help him. “It’s about time you came,” Laszlo quipped, looking at Roosevelt, who looked relieved that they managed to make it on time.

“Yes, between Sara coming to the office and the manager phoning us about your strange behavior, we had to come. I am sorry though,” he says with sincerity, “That I hadn’t helped sooner.”

A weak moan came from Winston, making Evelina step closer and looked down at her brother’s dying body. The blood was pouring out quickly from him, and she knew he would not make it. “Evelina, sweetie…” He reached out his hand for her, hoping for one last comfort, confirmation of what he wanted to hear.

She stared at him coolly, shook her head and merely muttered, “Go to hell, Winston.”

He looked so broken, hurt, but she would not find it within herself to feel sorry for him, not all the fear and hurt he instilled in her through the years. He died looking at her, seeing her face cold and hateful, knowing he was unloved. His last breath made her breathe once again. Now, she can live without fear.

Her attention quickly shifted to Laszlo, who was relying upon an officer to hold him up, and she took his arm around her shoulders and helped him walk up to the surface. Memebers of the opera house watched in concern and worry as they seen Evelina walking out with a beaten Laszlo and officer along with them.

"Evelina, are you alright?"

"What happened?"

"Is there anything we can do?"

Ernest watched as they walked out, sighing a huge sigh of relief to see that they both were alright, that his call was not in vain.

The officer helped them to his carriage, and like a devoted lover, Evelina remained by Laszlo. Her brave and wonderful Laszlo who has saved her twice, who had been there for her and now, she could be there for him. Laszlo went back and forth out of consciousness, his eyes focused on Evelina, making sure she was alright. He tried to speak, but he felt so tired, so weak. Even if he died here in this carriage, even if he wouldn't make it long enough to apologize for his careless words, nothing mattered more than knowing that she was safe. Evelina was free.

Tagging: @monsieurbruhl, @cazzyimagines, @violetmuses, @flutterskies, @sokoviandelights, @rumblelibrary, @fictionlandslanddreams, and @barnesxnobles.

#the alienist #laszlo kreizler #daniel bruhl #daniel brühl #fanfiction

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starlight-vixen-emiko · 3 years

Text

A Pink Rose and A Blue Rose

ao3 ff.net

Woo! I finished! Good morning Lovebugs!

This is the fanfic I promised all of you. I am so excited! I won’t give any context just read it!

But also to note there is slight Chat Noir salt and this fanfic single-handedly destroys the Lady///Noir ship so if you aren’t interested in either subject then please read something else.

So without further ado!

~~~~~

Marinette was finally at her wit's end! Chat Noir's constant flirting during hero time kept on giving her reasons why she just wasn't interested in him.

While battling a giant venus flytrap, Chat was determined to prove how cool he was when she urged him to be more serious while distracting the flytrap.

Ladybug ended up being the big hero of the day while she tied her yo-yo around the fly trap when Chat Noir goofed up and got himself eaten.

When the fly trap finally spit him out, his red rose fell to the ground. And when Ladybug got knocked back by the giant flytrap, she accidentally squished the red rose with her foot.

Looking back, that was a bit amusing. Ladybug was starting to hate red roses and felt like they represented obsessive love.

Chat may have helped Ladybug with the final attack by making the right cataclysm at the right time, but at this point, Ladybug just wasn't impressed!

She never would be.

It was still her lucky charm that saved the day. She wondered if she would've handled it just fine by herself.

If fate forced her and Chat Noir to be partners, then she didn't like it.

Ladybug's earrings beeped, and she was about to turn around and leave without so much as a goodbye.

"Wait, M'lady!" Chat Noir cried. There seemed to be some genuine regret in his deep green eyes as if he finally had an inkling of understanding.

But sometimes you realize something too late, but you'll have no choice but to let the other person be.

"Maybe you should be more serious about the fate of Paris Chat Noir," Ladybug said as she twirled her yo-yo around and swung away.

She realized she felt more at ease finally being done with the Akuma of the week.

But when Marinette was finally alone in the garden, she still felt so much anger inside her.

Chat Noir flaunting at her made her want to roll her eyes to the back of her head. Him saying they were a couple when they weren't! He didn't put her feelings under consideration.

And not to mention him making light of being a superhero when she took her calling seriously. How could that lead to true love?

Marinette had to get her anger out somehow. And she couldn't tell anyone about her relationship with Chat Noir. So she got out her easel and canvas and started painting with passionate fury with scarlet red and amber orange.

It may have been more sadistic than she usually was, but she was painting a picture of a rose burning in fire. Not something painters in Paris usually make when sitting by the garden.

When she finished, she gave a bit of a triumphant smirk before Chat Noir's toothy grin appeared in her mind. She sighed while clutching her paintbrush.

"Marinette?"

A familiar gentle voice that sounded like a melody caused her heart to jump but in a good way.

"Luka!" Marinette cried. She tried to compose herself of her angry face. She didn't want her sweet guitarist friend to think she was mad at him.

But if anything, his gentle voice and soft ocean eyes made her feel something, maybe a bit better.

He had a slight smile on his face as he seemed happy to see her but his ocean eyes showed a little concern.

Before they could say anything, Marinette's eyes widened when she saw a bunch of flowers attached to Luka's bike.

"Luka! The flowers!...... They're beautiful!" Marinette cried.

Luka turned to the flowers and picked up a lily for a moment. "Mylene had all these extra flowers, and she told me to make use of them."

Marinette sat down on the bench, not realizing the smile that formed on her face. Luka still looked a bit concerned, though.

"Marinette, are you alright?" Luka asked.

A bit of panic went through Marinette as she tried to scramble for an excuse to not blow her superhero life.

"Oh," Marinette paused as she mentally pushed herself to say something. "Just life y'know!...Lots of things that make me wanna burst in anger."

Close enough…

It was sweet how Luka showed sorrow for her struggles, but Marinette felt she should probably ask him to leave and hide her painting.

Not that she wanted him to leave, though.

"Can I sit with you?" Luka asked.

God Marinette was in a bind, she was about to say a haste no in response, but then she saw his bike filled with flowers and his guitar and felt he could use a break.

"Sure, Luka, I would like that."

God, this was a bad time to wear her heart on her sleeve, showing his adoration for the kind-hearted punk boy.

Luka gently rested his bike on the end of the bench and sat his guitar on his lap. His eyes widened at the sight of her vent painting, though.

"Wow, Marinette! This painting is amazing!" Luka cried.

Any more sweet compliments from Luka, and she was going to surely lose her mind.

"Oh... It's not my best work, really!" Marinette insisted.

Luka smiled and started playing some chords on his guitar. "You inspired me."

Luka's beautiful music filled her ears, and she couldn't help but close her eyes and be still for a moment. His song was healing and diminished any flashes of memory of a certain black cat.

Marinette's heart always felt more energetic when she listened to Luka's music. When Luka played the last notes, she opened her eyes slowly.

"Sorry, was that too aggressive?" Luka asked.

Marinette smiled. "No," she said. "I adored it!"

It did remind her of her righteous anger, but she also felt relieved that Luka understood her heart.

Marinette pondered. "Sometimes we need to be a bit aggressive…."

Luka smiled and strummed a few strong tunes. "That's good to know because I would do so in a heartbeat to anyone who would bother you, Marinette."

Marinette's face glowed red like Christmas lights. "Oh, Luka, you are the sweetest."

It was a shame she couldn't tell Luka who exactly was bothering her, but Luka wasn't trying to treat her like a damsel that needed her hand held. He was just her precious friend showing his concern, and he would be there if he saw anyone bothering her. But she had to remember she was the hero.

"I'll be ok, Luka," Marinette said with a genuine smile.

I already feel ok with you around, she thought.

"Are you sure?" Luka asked. Luka obviously couldn't take Marinette's worries sitting down.

Marinette moved a bit closer. "Yes, I'm sure," she said.

I can take care of myself. Just be there for me, always… Marinette thought.

Luka was still a bit worried, but he nodded. "Alright, Marinette."

Marinette sat a bit closer to Luka, though, causing Luka's warm grin to return.

"Y'know, my family recently agreed to go to therapy," Luka said.

"Therapy?" Marinette gasped.

Luka shrugged, "Yeah. My mom felt she needed some guidance, and so does my sister." He paused and smiled in a sad way. "And so do I."

Marinette took a moment to ponder. Luka? Needing therapy? He seemed like the last person who needed therapy. Chat Noir needed therapy, and she already felt like going straight to Chat Noir and telling him to go to therapy.

"But Luka!" Marinette cried. "You and your family are wonderful! Not broken!"

Luka shook his head. "We are just a family of imperfect people who need a little help now and then."

"Besides, sometimes I am afraid of my own anger."

Marinette was taken aback by Luka acting as if he had issues to work out. He was far more respectful than other guys she knew.

He looked at her with guilt in his eyes. And it clicked for her thinking about the time he got akumatized as Silencer.

"I'm not proud of when I became Silencer," Luka said., his hair covering his aqua blue eyes from his shame.

Marinette's heart dropped when she saw her sweet friend showing shame and remorse for what he did in the past. He didn't have to! He really didn't! Everything was fine now!

"You were right, Marinette. I was out for revenge. I could've hurt someone," Luka said.

Just then, Marinette took his hand. Luka was a bit stunned as he wasn't used to such a reaction from Marinette. Her bluebell eyes glowed at him.

"No, Luka! You were righteously angry! A rich jerk stole from us, and you were willing to stand up for all of us!"

"...You were willing to stand up for me."

Luka was stunned, and he couldn't utter a word in response to Marinette's sudden declaration.

"And no one has ever stood up for me like that…."

"Not my friends, not even…."

Marinette was almost about to mention Chat Noir or Adrien, but she had to hold her tongue.

Luka squeezed Marinette's hand gently. "Well, my therapist said that anger is the way the mind tells us something isn't right, but I still want my feelings under control."

Marinette turned to Luka again.

"Luka, you are not an angry jerk. You're a hero!" She cried.

You're my hero…

Just then, Marinette and Luka froze, both of them with eyes wide. Both of them blushing, realizing their lips were a bit close.

The two of them backed away for a bit, but their hands still touched, as they both enjoyed the connection of holding the other one's hand.

Both of them still looked a bit melancholy, though, but they shared this feeling together.

"Your feelings aren't anything to be ashamed of, Luka," Marinette said.

Luka let go of her hand and placed his hand on her shoulder. Something that always made Marinette feel at ease.

"Your feelings are as well, whatever they may be," Luka said.

Marinette smiled, and the both of them turned to her burning rose painting.

"Well, I can tell you that I am starting to hate red roses!" Marinette said with a bit of laughter. "It feels like they represent lusty, gross, superficial love!"

Luka chuckled. "Hmm, I see where you are coming from."

Marinette paused as she saw Luka handling the flowers. She made a low gasp as she picked out a single pink rose.

He turned to her and presented the delicate pink rose to her as he gave her that usually loving look.

"I think this suits you better, Marinette," he said.

Marinette's smile grew as she happily accepted the pink rose and held it to her nose to take in the sweet scent.

Luka turned to the painting again.

"You know, I can take this painting off your hands if you don't want it," Luka said.

Marinette winced a bit. "Oh no! I can make you something much better than this painting!"

Did she really just say that?

Marinette scrambled on the bench. "I mean, red roses don't suit you, Luka!"

"Red roses are incredibly common and...Maybe that's another reason to hate them! How can they represent true love?"

Luka smiled at her as Marinette kept pondering.

"If anything, a blue rose suits you more. It's radiant and beautiful and…." Marinette paused, realizing the words from her heart she was letting out.

Luka chuckled, but in a sweet a cute way.

"Blue roses are incredibly rare, though," Luka said. "Not even Mylene has any."

Luka moved his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees.

"But it would be nice to find one," Luka said. "A one and a million blue rose just growing in a bush."

Marinette stared at Luka. The sweet boy she adored. One who was beautiful, radiant, and one and a million.

Just like a blue rose.

After that lovely day with Luka, Marinette held the pink rose he gave her close.

She couldn't sleep because of how Luka quickly made her rotten day better, but the night was beautiful and peaceful, and she didn't want to sleep quite yet.

The sweet smell of the pink rose made Marinette think of how Luka was so thoughtful for representing her with a pink rose. Unlike Chat Noir, who represented her with a red rose.

She thought again about Luka's compassion and gentleness, and the words he told her today replayed in her mind like a sweet melody.

Marinette stood up from her bed after the day replayed in her head.

She could search the entire world for a blue rose for Luka. She was Ladybug, and she could explore the whole world until she found one. But on a beautiful night like this, she had to flex her creative muscle.

And it was relaxing sewing cobalt fabric into the shape of a rose as the moonlight shined from her window.

She questioned if she should add sparkles or tie a bow, but then she agreed it had to look realistic and straightforward.

The next day Marinette searched the canals of Paris for the Liberty. When she finally found the Liberty sailing, Luka turned his head and smiled at her.

"Hey, Luka!" Marinette said as she happily waved her hand and ran for the boat.

The boat docked, and Luka moved the gangplank so she could get on board.

"Good morning Luka," Marinette said.

Then Marinette quickly placed her hand on the back of her head and looked down, blushing. "Ok, this is probably short notice."

Luka smiled down at her. "It's great to see you again, Marinette."

Marinette giggled a bit to herself. "Oh yes. A-Anyway!"

She was a bit too nervous about giving Luka a nice gift.

"I-I!" Marinette swallowed to compose herself. "I got you something."

Luka was surprised, but before he could say anything, Marinette presented the blue rose before him.

"Whoa!" Luka cried.

He didn't accept the rose at first, being a bit taken aback.

"It. It isn't real," Marinette said.

Luka blinked.

"Sorry…" Marinette said. "I couldn't find one for you, so I made one."

Marinette started to wonder if the gift was offensive, but then Luka accepted the rose and held it up to give it a gentle sniff, even if it was only made of fabric.

Oh, he was just a gorgeous young man holding that blue rose that suited him.

"I love it," Luka said as he smiled at her.

Marinette started to blush, and then she mentally shook herself. "Oh! No problem!" She cried. "It suits you so much!"

As they spent time together that day, Luka kept the blue rose close and safe as if it were his greatest treasure.

And when night fell, Luka kept the blue rose by the window, enjoying the way the moonlight radiated the cobalt fabric and playing sweet tunes on his guitar that filled the boat.

Juleka noted to herself how in love her older brother was.

Marinette laid on her bed with her phone in hand, pondering if she should tell him.

Granted, she wasn't sure if they were friends or more.

But the biggest thing was she felt a bit more comfortable over the idea of telling Luka than Adrien. So she decided to type down her feelings. Word by word.

Luka, you're an amazing friend. But I think I may like you...Like, like you like you!

The way that's more than just liking a friend.

I mean, my entire world feels better and more colorful when I am with you…

And you know my heart better than anyone else…

This feeling feels stronger every day.

Maybe I like you more than I realize.

I really like you, Luka.

But Marinette couldn't bring herself to send that text message.

It wasn't like those words weren't true, but maybe they wouldn't mean so much in text message form.

She would have just straight up deleted them, but she saved the message as a draft and started with something a bit slower.

Luka, can you meet me again tomorrow? Marinette texted.

Minutes later, Marinette's heart skipped a beat when she got his reply.

I would love to Marinette.

#pro lukamari #endgame lukanette #lukanette #chat noir salt #anti ladynoir #my writing #my fanfiction

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jokerfan99 · 3 years

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My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villains (Updated) by DarkChild316

In a different time and a different world, I did a list of “My 10 Favorite Anime Villains”. I am older now, and hopefully much wiser and now thanks to the global pandemic and my new subscriptions to Hulu and Funimation I’ve had the opportunity to go back and revisit so many classic anime that I feel like I should re-do it. Plus I’ve gone back and looked at my previous list and shook my head thinking to myself: “My God man, what in the f**k were you thinking with some of these choices!” So, I’ve gone back and redone the list, now this list is strictly for the men only. If you want to see a list dedicated to my favorite female villains, check out my list of “My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villainesses.” But for this list, here is my updated list of My Top 10 Favorite Anime Villains:

#10. Shishiho Makoto (Rurouni Kenshin): Growing up as a kid, Ruroni Kenshin was one of the first anime I had ever watched, and this guy was someone who I hated with a passion. Looking back at it years later, I realize now what an amazing villain and foil to Kenshin that Makoto was. Unlike a lot of villains on this list, Makoto wasn’t just evil for the sake of being evil, Makoto’s evil came from the worst type of trauma: betrayal! In this case the betrayal came from Makoto’s own government, where Makoto survived not only multiple gunshots, but being doused in oil and burned alive, leaving him in complete and utter agony. What puts Shishio on my list is what he manages to do after surviving death. He compiles an army of the best fighters Japan has to offer and plots to overthrow the entire Meiji Government. While in complete agony. Who else can claim that? Did I also mention he’s topping the list of the best fighters in the show? His swordsmanship is second only to Kenshin himself as he proves in their absolutely epic fight.

#9. Hisoka Morrow (Hunter x Hunter): Hunter x Hunter is a show with several great villains that truly stand out, and while Meruem was memorable, pardon me for believing that Hisoka was the standout villain from that show. A devious killer and master Nen user, Hisoka is driven by little more than his desire to find and kill strong opponents. Be they young children or master criminals, he’ll pursue them to the ends of the Earth with a bloodlust on par with that of a wild predator. Likewise, he doesn’t care what happens to himself or others in this pursuit. Mass civilian casualties, the loss of his own villainous allies or even the loss of his own limbs barely phases him, so long as he gets to fight with someone that tests his limits. As a result, he more often than not embodies chaos incarnate, wreaking havoc in his pursuit of battle and leaving a mountain of corpses behind him. Needless to say, this puts him at odds with the series’ protagonists at regular intervals. Not only do Gon and his friends fit the bill for what he seeks, but they often take on enemies that prove to be exactly what Hisoka is looking for. And yet, this also serves to make him all the more interesting. Where other villains might strike out at the protagonists and heroes immediately, Hisoka schemes, allies himself with and double-crosses people regularly, always finding the best angle to work in order to reach his goals. He may not be a world-ending anime villain on the level of a Meruem with seismic ambitions, but he’s undeniably the most interesting and brilliant villain in Hunter x Hunter to see at work.

#8. Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!): If you think of a list of top anime villains and this guy isn’t one of the first people who comes to mind, please raise your hands so I can have a few words with you in private with no cameras or eyewitnesses. The crazy thing about Izaya is that he doesn’t even realize he’s evil, and that’s what makes him great. He loves humanity; from the depths of his bones he loves us all. This is why he makes it onto my list; he does progressively more cruel acts against humans, putting people in situations that generally lead to their deaths. He is also a master of parkour and highly skilled with a switchblade in his hand (as evident in the above picture), which he generally only uses in dire situations or fights against Shizuo. In short, I absoulutely love this guy. I thoroughly enjoyed the way he manages to manipulate an entire populous, and that’s why he’s more than earned a spot on my list.

#7. Dio Brando (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure): You might have thought it was someone else, but it was me, Dio! All meme-worthy jokes aside, Dio Brando is unquestionably one of the most iconic anime villains of all time and, thanks to his series’ late-blooming popularity outside of Japan thanks largely to the 2012 anime adaptation, one that still feels modern in our minds. Dio is a tenacious bastard that takes advantage of the generosity of the Joestar family to further his own power, being intolerably dickish to Jonathan by constantly tearing him down, trying to make him look bad in front of his dad, spreading rumors to sully his reputation, and sabotaging his relationships. This escalates into killing his dog (his f***ikg dog of all things!), poisoning and later stabbing his adoptive father (I mean WTF!), and becoming a freakin vampire. Even after decapitation, Dio gets his revenge and sets in motion many of the events of the series, making a formal return in Stardust Crusaders as the main villain once again. With raw ambition taken to the extreme, iconic lines, poses, and outfits, incredible abilities from Aztec mask-induced vampirism and the time-stopping power of The World, Dio’s menacing presence towers over his series and over anime as a whole, which makes him MORE than deserving of a spot on my list.

#6. Light Yagami (Death Note): Yes, he’s a VILLAIN, get over yourselves Light Yagami fanboys! Anyway, there are a number of different adjectives and superlatives that could be used to described the lead character of Death Note: Diabolical, calculating, and determined to make the world in his own image all describe Light who was easily the most clever man in Death Note, as evidenced by the layers upon layers that composed his elaborate plans. Light started out as a good kid, doing well in school and heading to a bright career in police work like his father. But when he gets possession of the death note, he begins a remarkable descent into a disturbing mastermind who becomes judge, jury, and executioner for the entire world. But what truly makes Light's character stand out remains complicated throughout the story. His ultimate goal is to make the world a happier, safer place; a noble but perhaps misguided goal. His idealism and nobility still shine through when he doesn’t have the Death Note. When he temporarily relinquishes ownership of the death note to throw L off his trail, Light loses all memory of the death note and he reverts to his normal personality. His sense of morality returns and he shows more compassion for those around him. He even refuses to use Misa Amane to get information out of her when L asks him to. These qualities help to create a complex character who ends up being a detestable villain, yet you still kind of root for him to come out of this story as a winner. Light’s progression through the series is marked by his sheer brilliance. He's got a calculated and strategic mind that would make the great philosopher Machiavelli jealous, and the power of the death note adds a callousness that makes him free to use people in whatever way necessary to accomplish his goals. It’s highly entertaining to see his intricate plans play out. But Light’s messiah-like ego is just as big as his brain, and that arrogance ultimately leads to his tragic downfall.

#5. The Major (Hellsing): An evil Nazi Scientist, I know everyone is just rolling their eyes right now thinking I’m reaching for the low-hanging fruit for this one, but just hear me out here. While he may seem like an obvious pick for a list like this, The Major’s goals, however, are somehow far more unhinged than what may first appear. Despite being an impassioned orator and uncompromising strategist willing to sacrifice countless soldiers, the Major himself had no especial loyalty or passion for the cause of Millennium. His sole obsession is to plunge the world into an unending conflict to the point of endangering not only the lives of others but also his own. The Major’s leadership of Millennium, his decades espousing the genocidal ideology of fascists, and subsequent war against the Hellsing organization, the Vatican, and the entire world serve only as a pretext to satiate his insatiable bloodlust. The Major is one of anime’s most insidious villains, a charismatic, nihilistic sociopath driven purely by his sadomasochistic death wish.

#4. Shou Tucker (Fullmetal Alchemist): Now, you may be recalling that in my previous version of this list, I had Envy listed as my choice as my favorite villain from this show. Well after careful reconsideration, I’ve had to reevaluate my decision and give that spot to this creep, because while Envy’s actions were despicable to a point, they PALE in comparison to this guy! He only really appears in one episode if I remember correctly, yet in that one single episode, he made more of an impact then most villains make in a lifetime, which really says a lot about this guy’s character. What was it that made him so memorable you ask? Well, it could have something to do with the fact that this man transmutaed his own dog and daughter to create a talking chimera, which hadn’t been done before, and for what other reason…all in the name of recognition in the world of alchemy! That mere fact alone made this guy the most hated man in all of anime, the fact that he sacrificed his own family for the sake of fame, with absolutely no hint of remorse, made this guy the definition of an absolute living piece of shit and the only thing worse is how the episode ended, but I won’t spoil that one for you if you haven’t seen it.

#3. Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Up next is a man competing with the likes of Medusa Gorgon for the title of “Anime’s Worst Parent”, Gendo Ikari, please step up to the front of the congregation. Now Gendo is a man who’s list of atrocities throughout Evangelion is far too many to name, but I’m going to try my best to list them here: You have being actively complicit in the premature instigation of a biblical apocalypse, resulting in a near extinction-level event that caused the death of nearly two-thirds of the human population. Emotionally neglecting his own son Shinji estranging himself from him for over twelve years, only to offer him up as a sacrificial pawn in his bid to artificially bootstrap humanity’s ascent into evolutionary godhood so that he could be reunited with his dead wife. Cloning said wife’s DNA into a harem of emotionally dependent albino ingenues who share a dogged infatuation for their creator. And that’s not even mentioning the horrific emotional abuse and mental manipulation he inflicts on Dr. Ritsuko Akagi and her mother Naoko. All-in-all Gendo is proof positive that love not only has the capacity to overcome any obstacle, but sometimes it can truly make monsters out of us all.

#2. Griffith (Berserk): Griffith did nothing wrong; at least, not by his own drives and ambitions. A peasant who grew to become the leader of his own mercenary band, Griffith was a self-driven man who pursued his desires with unparalleled efficiency. No matter the situation or obstacle, he found a way to overcome them, whether that meant facing down an army of thousands or assassinating a country’s leaders. All the while, he amassed a legion of friends and followers who would follow him to hell and back, caring for him as much or more than he cared for them. As a result, they were dragged down with him when his ambitions saw him imprisoned, tortured and maimed. They cared little though, risking life and limb to save him and help him salvage a life with what he had left. That wasn’t enough for Griffith though. When given the option to become a demon and continue the pursuit of his dreams, he whole-heartedly accepted it; even though it came at the cost of sacrificing the lives of each and every one of his friends and allies. But that wasn’t the worst of it, to further spite the early desertion of Guts, Griffith proceeds to rape Casca, Guts’ love interest, in front of him as Guts is held down by demons. So yes, Griffith did nothing wrong by himself. By everyone else though, he did them the worst of injustices, and continues to do so with each breath he takes, all of which makes him a compelling and infuriating villain.

#1. Johan Liebert (Monster): I’ve covered a wide variety of monsters (pun fully intended) on this list, but THIS monster (again, pun FULLY intended) truly takes the cake when it comes to anime villains. A serial killer who would fit in well in any blockbuster film, Monster told the story of a man who had truly become monstrous; a charismatic, intelligent sociopath with no other goal than to kill everyone else in the world. Johan didn't just kill people, he made other people into monsters just like him. This skill of his corruption is first displayed in his youth, when he used stories to convince the other boys in his orphanage to kill all the staff, and each other. Johan is often compared to Light Yagami of Death Note, but the two couldn’t be any more different. Light's fatal (and genius) flaw is his own ego, which leads him to put his own life above all else, even his goal of changing the world. But Johan has never been afraid of death. Quite the opposite, he welcomes and embraces it, being more than willing to put his own life at risk, and one of his signature traits is how he challenges people to shoot him. Another of Jonah’s signature traits is his skills as a masterful manipulator. Where Light and other on this list had to resort to supernatural means to get what they wanted, Johan just used his own wits and knowledge of human nature. He's easily the most frightening villain on this list because he’s the truest to life villain on this list and he exposes the base human nature of his victims and of human society. Monster's remarkable story was almost entirely due to Johan alone, and it’s why he’s #1 on my list.

So that's my updated list, what did you guys think about it? Love it, hated it? Go on and tell me what you think and let me know who your favorite anime villains are. See you soon!!!

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welllpthisishappening · 3 years

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Welllp This is...Books. Lots and Lots of Books

That gif is something of a lie. Some of these books were not great. But! Some of them were very good! And some of them were marketed weird — seriously, what does qualify as YA — and some of them I read in, like, six hours and some of them I raged about for six hours after I finished them.

Or: 2020!Laura reverted to 2004!Laura and read just a lot of books and then her husband got her a Kindle and she read even more books and has thoughts on most of those books that she is now going to share with the internet while also making absurd category names. Note that these are only books I read for the first time this year. So, the list is missing some of the stuff I used as coping devices. ALSO SOME SPOILERS AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

FAVORITE BOOKS THAT MADE A SHITTY YEAR SLIGHTLY BETTER AND ALSO LIKELY MADE ME SWOON A BIT

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he's not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

— I kid you not, I had to do a lap around the apartment after reading the second book in this series. Why didn’t I read this before? Why isn’t there more fic? Why I am constantly falling for dark-haired sad dudes in love with their wives??? I cannot rec this series enough. It’s got world building and found families, and that dark-haired sad dude, and magic and lore and banter, and it’s so good and I don’t understand why it was marketed as YA. The literary world is weird, guys.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and the Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan

Accompany the son of the sea god Poseidon and his other demigod friends as they go on a series of quests that will have them facing monsters, gods, and conniving figures from Greek mythology. Do they have what it takes to save the Olympians from an ancient enemy?

— Straight up, how did you guys cope with Percy and Annabeth when you were kids reading this? I would have been OBSESSED. Quarantine felt like the perfect time to finally read all of these books, and I know it’s sacrilegious to like Heroes of Olympus, but I might have liked parts of that series more? Just because it felt like they were older and I was super into Percabeth being properly in love. Also, now I get why everyone was so upset about the movies. Fair.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . .Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

— Yet another YA series that I will admit to loving this year. Started off a little slow, but once the world building really got underway —and it gets underway — I was hooked. If I had read this at an age-appropriate time I would have been super in love Captain Carswell Thorne. I was still kind of in love with Captan Carswell Thorne. So it should come as no surprise that Cress was my favorite of the series, but I enjoyed the whole thing, really.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.

— YO. Y O. THIS WAS SO GOOD. World building! Magic! Marriage of convenience! Well-written enemies to lovers! As soon as I finished this, I bought the sequel. And then got upset the third book in the series isn’t out yet! That’s a frustrating theme for me this year.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She's the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara's childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it's also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there's a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn't looked him up on the Internet...

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton's most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they're lucky, they'll help everyone else get lucky too.

— I LOVED IT. L O V E D. As I told Justin “there was more porn than I was expecting,” in that porn and the adult film industry was a legitimate plot point and not just a part of Josh’s character, but it was incredibly well written and interesting and I cared about the plot. Sometimes I also wanted to shake Clara, but that was kind of the point.

The Marriage Game by Sara Desai

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn't know he's arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door...

As CEO of a corporate downsizing company Sam Mehta is more used to conflict than calm. In search of a quiet new office, he finds the perfect space above a cozy Indian restaurant that smells like home. But when communication goes awry, he's forced to share his space with the owner's beautiful yet infuriating daughter Layla, her crazy family, and a parade of hopeful suitors, all of whom threaten to disrupt his carefully ordered life.

As they face off in close quarters, the sarcasm and sparks fly. But when the battle for the office becomes a battle of the heart, Sam and Layla have to decide if this is love or just a game.

— More well-written enemies to lovers! It’s possible! Seriously, the banter was so good. The kissing was even better. Ridiculous and interfering family is one of my favorite things, and this had it in SPADES. It also made me want to eat samosas, which is kind of my base setting, but I really wanted Indian food whenever I was reading this. Also, the end scene was so goddamn cute I cannot believe it actually happened.

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

— The one that got away is one of my favorite tropes, and this modern version of Persuasion did it so well. Everyone was annoying, but in an almost understandable way that made me ache and I just wanted them TO KISS. And then they did kiss! And it was so good! Plus, at the risk of being a little self-indulgent, it was kind of Out of the Frying Pan esque and I liked that a lot. If there is a downside: it’s how quickly the relationship starts up again, like zero to 60 in two seconds flat, and that there were a lot of POVs. Which wouldn’t have been an issue if they’d been labeled, or weren’t bouncing around the timeline randomly. Sometimes I’d have to be like—wait, who’s talking about what?

Chef Ashna Raje desperately needs a new strategy. How else can she save her beloved restaurant and prove to her estranged, overachieving mother that she isn't a complete screw up? When she's asked to join the cast of Cooking with the Stars, the latest hit reality show teaming chefs with celebrities, it seems like just the leap of faith she needs to put her restaurant back on the map. She's a chef, what's the worst that could happen?Rico Silva, that's what.Being paired with a celebrity who was her first love, the man who ghosted her at the worst possible time in her life, only proves what Ashna has always believed: leaps of faith are a recipe for disaster.FIFA winning soccer star Rico Silva isn't too happy to be paired up with Ashna either. Losing Ashna years ago almost destroyed him. The only silver lining to this bizarre situation is that he can finally prove to Ashna that he's definitely over her.But when their catastrophic first meeting goes viral, social media becomes obsessed with their chemistry. The competition on the show is fierce...and so is the simmering desire between Ashna and Rico. Every minute they spend together rekindles feelings that pull them toward their disastrous past. Will letting go again be another recipe for heartbreak—or a recipe for persuasion...?

The Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting

Lilah isn't sure what hurt worse: the day Ethan left her to focus on his hockey career or the day he came back eight years later. He might think they can pick up just where they left off, but she's no longer that same girl and never wants to be again.

Just when Lilah might finally be ready to let Ethan in, though, she finds out their reunion might have nothing to do with love and everything to do with improving his game. But Ethan's already lost her once, and even if it costs him his career, he'll do anything to keep from losing her again.

— HOCKEY ROM COM. HOCKEY. ROM. COM. Apparently this lady is regarded as the queen of “hockey romance,” which I kind of take offense to, but will give a pass on because this was a very cute book and everyone was cute in it and I was only marginally frustrated by those same people being idiots. As is required by rom coms. Hockey, or otherwise.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Fall in love, break the curse. It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom. A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

— Beauty and the Beast AU!!! Fantasy! Magic! Romance! I loved this, even when Rhen was being a whiny idiot. But he was also cursed, so like—fair. This dives into the politics of a cursed kingdom, puts a fun spin on the original fairy tale and also has a sequel. Which I read, and possibly enjoyed more. Only to realize the third book isn’t published yet, and then got annoyed by that.

QUESTIONABLY-GOOD FREE FANTASY BOOKS ON AMAZON

The Silver and Orchids Collection by Shari L Tapscott

What happens when a feisty adventuress, a lord looking to make his own way in the world, and a handsome sea captain set out to find Kalae’s rarest and most valuable flower?

Trouble—and lots of it.

— Snarky flirting! Adventure! Sword fights! Listen, this is not prize-winning fiction, but Lucia is a fun heroine, the rest of her adventure-seeking friends are an absolute delight and you don’t have to think too much while reading it. All four books wrap up their individual storylines, but help set up the next one and while the ending felt a little forced (and way too quick) I didn’t hate it enough to throw the Kindle across the room.

Forest of Firelight by Shari L. Tapscsott

After the sudden death of her brother, Princess Amalia is charged with what feels like an impossible task—she must choose the next king. Youthful thoughts of love are pushed aside as she accepts her fate, setting upon a quest throughout the kingdom to find a man worthy of her father’s throne.

Little does Amalia know, someone has already set his sights on her.

Rhys is a man of secrets, and his mission is simple: befriend the princess of Renove. Coax her to trust him, convince her to follow him.

Betray her when it’s time.

All goes according to plan until Rhys meets the princess. Amalia is a disaster. Never has he met someone so drawn to trouble. Never has he met someone so irritatingly likable.

He’s not allowed to fall for her.

She could never entrust him with a crown.

But, unbeknownst to them, their unlikely partnership might be the key to saving their entire world from a darkness that’s slowly creeping from the wounded earth that separates one kingdom from the next.

— FORBIDDEN LOVE! It’s good! Real good! I read this whole series (or the three books in it, so far) in a questionably short amount of time. Again, not the deepest story, and Amalia is occasionally frustratingly dumb. While Rhys is also sort of all-knowing in that fantasy hero sort of way? Y’know what I mean? Still, they banter very well, and eventually kiss even better.

LESS GOOD FANTASY BOOKS THAT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE JUST BEEN AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON AMAZON

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess—a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

— I wanted to love this series. So much so that I read the whole thing. All three books. And I’m still not sure why. The world building, maybe. Which was very good, and the politics actually kept me interested, but every single character was the absolute worst and I kind of wanted them all to die. That’s not even an exaggeration. Spoiler, they didn’t all die. I was only marginally disappointed.

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

When the ruthless Pirate King learns of a legendary treasure map hidden on an enemy ship, his daughter, Alosa, knows that there's only one pirate for the job—herself. Leaving behind her beloved ship and crew, Alosa deliberately facilitates her own kidnapping to ensure her passage on the enemy ship. After all, who's going to suspect a seventeen-year-old girl locked in a cell?Then she meets the (surprisingly perceptive and unfairly attractive) first mate, Riden, who is charged with finding out all her secrets. Now it's down to a battle of wits and will... Can Alosa find the map and escape before Riden figures out her plan?

— Alosa was kind of the worst? Like, STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER who had to keep reminding you how strong she was because she would kill anyone, and had an all female pirate crew. And the whole time I was just like, ok...cool. Still, I read the sequel too and that was slightly better.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.

2) Marry him.

3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King's power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she's going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra's not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

— I cannot explain this book any way except to tell you it is so weird. Like, sometimes I remember I read this and all I can think is: why did this book happen? It felt like it started in the middle of the story, which is not a knock on the story itself, but mostly on the world building. Which was lacking to say the least. Also the resolution was super rushed and even more weird and I was like—why does he like her??? I still don’t know, honestly.

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

Engagement season is in the air. Eighteen-year-old Princess Leonie "Leo" Kolburg, heir to a faded European spaceship, has only one thing on her mind: which lucky bachelor can save her family from financial ruin?

But when Leo's childhood friend and first love, Elliot, returns as the captain of a successful whiskey ship, everything changes. Elliot was the one who got away, the boy Leo's family deemed to be unsuitable for marriage. Now he's the biggest catch of the season and he seems determined to make Leo's life miserable. But old habits die hard, and as Leo navigates the glittering balls of the Valg Season, she finds herself falling for her first love in a game of love, lies, and past regrets.

— Another book whose lack of world building hurt it. Stuff just happened, and we were expected to understand it and be into it and I was neither. I had no reason to care about anyone in this book, especially Elliot who seemed like an asshole.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian's heart to the Sea Queen and or remain a human forever.The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it's his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she's more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind's greatest enemy?

— This book did not go the way I thought it was going to. Not a bad thing, but also not the best and the ending was...bleh. The middle, though? That was legit, and the action was good. I am always a fan of sword fights. Still, there was something that left me waiting for the final push towards great and it just never really came.

ROM-COMS WITH ONLY PASSABLY FRUSTRATING PLOTS AND GOOD KISSING

Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe's mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia has zero interest in dating a politician, but when a cake arrives at her office with the cutest message, she can't resist—it is chocolate cake, after all.

Olivia is surprised to find that Max is sweet, funny, and noble—not just some privileged white politician, as she assumed him to be. Because of Max's high-profile job, they start seeing each other secretly, which leads to clandestine dates and silly disguises. But when they finally go public, the intense media scrutiny means people are now digging up her rocky past and criticizing her job, even her suitability as a trophy girlfriend. Olivia knows what she has with Max is something special, but is it strong enough to survive the heat of the spotlight?

— It was cute. Max was occasionally an idiot. The kissing was legit. Most of their problems could have very easily been solved, but that’s kind of this genre’s schtick.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn't lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina's offered an opportunity that could change her life. There's just one hitch... she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he'll be working with his brother's whip-smart, stunning—absolutely off-limits—ex-fiancée. And she loathes him.If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they'll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina's ready to dish out a little payback of her own.Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn't interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again...

— Once you got past the hooking up with your ex’s brother thing, it was cute. Max was endearing in an earnest sort of way, even when Lina was STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER in a cliche sort of way. More solid kissing. Side note, why are so many rom com dudes named Max? Does it sound hip? Passably cool, but also approachable? Discuss.

Not that Kind of Guy by Andie J. Christopher

State attorney Bridget Nolan is successful in all aspects of her life—except romance. After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, she's been slow to reenter the dating scene. To be honest, she has more important things to do like putting bad guys behind bars. But with her brother's wedding right around the corner, she suddenly needs a date and fast. Lucky for Bridget, the legal intern is almost done with his program.

Matt Kido is dumbstruck by Bridget—total love at first sight—but there's one problem. She's totally off-limits while she's his boss. But the moment he no longer reports to her, Matt asks her on a date. An impulsive decision takes them to Las Vegas where, as the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Unless you put a ring on it.

— Having written the “wake up in Vegas married” trope before, I know it’s difficult to do right. Consent’s a thing, y’know? And stuff gets dicy with forgotten memories, and all that, but mostly what kept me from truly loving this book was the intern thing. Don’t date your interns guys, it’s weird and off-putting. Literally if he’d just been a junior partner, or a visiting partner or something else I would have been all in.

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

Kailyn Flowers was always calm, rational, and controlled—until she ended up sprawled all over Daxton Hughes, the former actor she totally crushed on as a teenager. Then she did the unthinkable: She became a mortifying fangirl in five seconds flat, which may or may not have included professing her undying love. And oddly, he didn't run away. In fact, their meet cute led to a friendship she never saw coming. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming, either...Now Dax needs her help. As guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister, he's in way over his head. And though Kailyn hasn't forgiven Dax, she isn't heartless enough to make him fend for himself, either. Soon their friendly meetings turn into flirty dinner dates, and Kailyn can feel their chemistry is as explosive as ever. But how can she possibly let down her guard again to a guy who has heartbreak written all over him?

— Once again here for the one that got away trope, even if this comes with dead parents and some sad storylines. It still managed to be cute. Everyone was cute in it. Occasionally Daxton was a dick. As rom com male leads are apt to be.

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane

If faking love is this easy... how do you know when it's real?When her partner of over a decade suddenly ends things, Laurie is left reeling—not only because they work at the same law firm and she has to see him every day. Her once perfect life is in shambles and the thought of dating again in the age of Tinder is nothing short of horrifying. When news of her ex's pregnant girlfriend hits the office grapevine, taking the humiliation lying down is not an option. Then a chance encounter in a broken-down elevator with the office playboy opens up a new possibility.Jamie Carter doesn't believe in love, but he needs a respectable, steady girlfriend to impress their bosses. Laurie wants a hot new man to give the rumor mill something else to talk about. It's the perfect proposition: a fauxmance played out on social media, with strategically staged photographs and a specific end date in mind. With the plan hatched, Laurie and Jamie begin to flaunt their new couple status, to the astonishment—and jealousy—of their friends and colleagues. But there's a fine line between pretending to be in love and actually falling for your charming, handsome fake boyfriend...

— FAKE DATING THAT LEADS TO REAL FEELINGS. The ex-boyfriend was an assssss, the fake boyfriend was charming, everything was good AND THEN WE GOT TO THE END. Which felt more than a little rushed, unexpected and not really in line with the rest of the book?? Give ‘em a slightly better, in-character ending, and I would have been sold.

BOOKS THAT I WAS LIKE...EH, OK

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

— I think this book was too smart for me. The prose was gorgeous, and the whole thing was very pretty and I definitely swooned when Marco said he wished for Celia. And yet. By the end I was like...eh, ok. Maybe it was the timeline? Jumping around, or how little dialogue there was. I wanted to like it all so badly, and I’m just not sure I did.

Acting on Impulse by Mia Sosa

After a very public breakup with a media-hungry politician, fitness trainer Tori Alvarez escapes to Aruba for rest, relaxation, and copious amounts of sex on the beach—the cocktail, that is. She vows to keep her vacation a man-free zone but when a cute guy is seated next to her on the plane, Tori can't resist a little harmless flirting.Hollywood heartthrob Carter Stone underwent a dramatic physical transformation for his latest role and it's clear his stunning seat mate doesn't recognize the man beneath the shaggy beard and extra lean frame. Now Carter needs help rebuilding his buff physique and Tori is perfect for the job. It doesn't hurt that she makes his pulse pound in more ways than one.Sparks are flying, until a pesky paparazzo reveals Carter's identity. Tori is hurt and pissed. She wants nothing to do with another man in the limelight, but she's still got to whip him into shape. Can Carter convince Tori he's worth the threat to her privacy that comes with dating a famous actor, or will Tori chisel him down to nothing before he even gets the chance?

— Dudes have gotta stop lying about who they are. It’s not a great trope. Other than that, the kissing was good. The romance was like...eh. I honestly don’t remember much else.

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world's biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he's the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it's possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason... and whether "once in a lifetime" can come around twice.

— This book was...weird. The early romance was wonderful and delightful, but then shit hit the fan and Sam and Tate are adults and...weird. Like, I cannot come up with another word for it. Also, they didn’t really talk much? As adults? Working on the same movie set? W e i r d.

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” And since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will?

It’s simply not in Fixie’s nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?

But then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life, and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. As always, she wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. No sooner has Seb agreed than the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?

— Let’s be upfront, I’ve read a lot of Sophie Kinsella in my life, and more often than not I enjoy what she writes. I mostly did here. It was a book. With obvious rom com problems, that could have very easily been solved, but it wasn’t horrible. So, that was good, I guess.

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

Maddie and Theo have two things in common:

1. Alexa is their best friend

2. They hate each other

After an "oops, we made a mistake" night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa's wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they're comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won't fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn't looking, agreeing they would end it once the wedding is over. When it's suddenly pushed up and they only have a few months left of secret rendezvouses, they find themselves regretting that the end is near. Two people this different can't possibly have a connection other than the purely physical, right?

But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don't fall in love.

— Eh, this book happened. I still have no idea why they couldn’t be together from the get. Obstacles for the sake of plot, I guess. Also political side stories? I don’t know, guys.

WEIRD POST-ENDING FEELINGS WERE INDUCED

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

— Listen, I enjoyed this a lot. For the most part. It was funny, and introspective in a way that didn’t make me want to gag too much, and I wanted to defend January’s love of love with everything in me. But, then it—ended. And it was like...all tied up with this nice little ribbon and happily ever after, and I was like...oh, ok. Part of me that it was glad it ended like that, mostly because of who I am as a person, but the rest of me was also confused that after everything January and Augustus had been through and how messy their lives were it could just get all wrapped up in this HEA.

HITTING JUST A BIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet's favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he'd be finished in Hollywood.April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she's long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her "real life"—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction. On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she's Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.With love and Marcus's career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?

— Here for plus-size heroines who get the guy and don’t have their (entire) storyline defined by their looks. Less here for the weird fandom culture, the ensuing second-hand embarrassment that came from that and the thankfulness that both Colin O’Donoghue and Bob Morley appear to be happily married so it seems very unlikely they’re writing fic about their characters under pseudonyms. Stop using Ao3 in actual published stories 2k4ever.

RAGE-INDUCING BOOKS OF ABSOLUTE FURY

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Kristen Peterson doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen — especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.The Friend Zone will have you laughing one moment and grabbing for tissues the next as it tackles the realities of infertility and loss with wit, heart, and a lot of sass.

— LISTEN THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE, BUT I FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEM BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS A SECRET GUT PUNCH AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE. Not only is infertility, like, the defining theme of this book, but the BEST FRIEND DIES. Just—dies. It’s horrible. Absolutely God awful depressing. And for a second he looks like he won’t, and it’ll be fine, but then it is not and he’s just D E A D. I know, I know that sets up the sequel, but this was so goddamn heavy in an unsuspecting way that I have absolutely no intention of reading the next one.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

— FUCK THIS BOOK. And fuck Simon, specifically. Oh, you have a sad story? Cool, you’re still a dick. He was a dick. Listen, I know enemies to lovers is a hard trope to write, but it’s even harder to accept when those enemies just announce I LIKED YOU THE WHOLE TIME and then everyone starts ripping off their clothes. No, it’s dumb. I hate it. Apparently there’s a sequel to this book. Maybe that’s better.

Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn't plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn't spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there's also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they're forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it's possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

— Listen, I wanted to like this one. There were plenty other Helena Hunting books on this list, so like—I don’t hate her. I just hate poorly executed enemies to lovers plot lines. Give me at least one moment where they are interested in each other aside from just being attracted to each other. Also: Stop Having Dudes Be Dicks Because Of Their Sad Backstory 2k4ever.

Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane

You always remember your first love... don't you?If there's anything worse than being fired from the worst restaurant in town, it's coming home early to find your boyfriend in bed with someone else. Reeling from the humiliation of a double dumping in one day, Georgina takes the next job that comes her way—bartender in a newly opened pub. There's only one problem: it's run by the guy she fell in love with years ago. And—make that two problems—he doesn't remember her. At all. But she has fabulous friends and her signature hot pink fur coat... what more could a girl really need?Lucas McCarthy has not only grown into a broodingly handsome man, but he's also turned into an actual grown-up, with a thriving business and a dog along the way. Crossing paths with him again throws Georgina's rocky present into sharp relief—and brings a secret from her past bubbling to the surface. Only she knows what happened twelve years ago, and why she's allowed the memories to chase her ever since. But maybe it's not too late for the truth... or a second chance with the one that got away?

— HE WAS JUST PRETENDING NOT TO REMEMBER HER THE WHOLE TIME???? WHAT?? WHY??? D U M B. Dumb boys are dumb.

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher

Jack Nolan is a gentleman, a journalist, and unlucky in love. His viral success has pigeon-holed him as the how-to guy for a buzzy, internet media company instead of covering hard-hitting politics. Fed up with his fluffy articles and the app-based dating scene as well, he strikes a deal with his boss to write a final piece de resistance: How to Lose a Girl. Easier said than done when the girl he meets is Hannah Mayfield, and he's not sure he wants her to dump him.

Hannah is an extremely successful event planner who's focused on climbing the career ladder. Her firm is one of the most prestigious in the city, and she's determined to secure her next promotion. But Hannah has a bit of an image problem. She needs to show her boss that she has range, including planning dreaded, romantic weddings. Enter Jack. He's the perfect man to date for a couple weeks to prove to her boss that she's not scared of feelings.

Before Jack and Hannah know it, their fake relationship starts to feel all too real—and neither of them can stand to lose each other.

— This is actually the prequel to Not That Kind of Guy and I honestly can’t believe I read that after hating this book so much. They were awful to each other! Their whole relationship was based on lies! Mean lies! Horrible lies! Don’t lie to your significant other!

#book recs #fiction recs #rom com recs #fantasy recs #or: i read solely fantasy and rom com books in 2020 #this does not include any david eddings or meg cabot rereads #which also happened #and i endorse them wholeheartedly too #if you have read any of these books PLEASE share your thoughts with me #i am desperate for them #or your own recs of what you read this year #laura reads books #welllp these are books

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yaffles-world · 4 years

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Jealousy - Jonathon Joestar X Dio Brando

Jonathon and Dio’s childhood was fueled by rivalry. A constant competition resulted, although from different motivations. Jonathon was self driven, wanted to be the best version of himself that he could be and merely wanted love and acknowledgement. Dio, on the other hand, was constantly driven by a high ambition to be the best and most powerful person there ever was. Although driven by opposite forces their world’s did collide – quite spectacularly.

If Jonathon got higher marks in his classes, Dio would scorn him and insult him in other ways to try and drag him down, to discredit him. If Dio got higher score in sports, Jonathon would be there, politely congratulating him, but inside it would add to a burning desire to improve himself.

As the boys got older, things began to change.

One day, after school, Jonathon and Mr Joestar were in the dining room. The door creaked open and Dio stepped inside the house. Beside him was a girl. A girl with long, wavy hair and sparkling, amber eyes. Her hand was lingering slightly away from his waist, not seeming to know what to do with it. Her pale cheeks had a faint blush to them as Dio spoke.

“Mr Joestar, JoJo,” as Dio looked at Jonathon, Jonathon felt a pit form in his stomach for some reason. “This is Genevieve, we are in the same legal class and she has come so we can study together.”

“Well, isn’t that wonderful?” Mr Joestar replied.

“Nice to meet you, Genevieve,” JoJo rose from his chair, putting his book aside and bowing slightly to the lady.

Over the coming months, Jonathon felt really quite odd. He spent all his time thinking about Dio and Genevieve – he couldn’t focus on anything.

His grades were slipping, his sport scores, all despite his best efforts. He criticised himself constantly, about how he couldn’t do it – Dio had a girlfriend and he still kept up exceptionally in school. Dio’s taunts took on a new feeling for JoJo that he couldn’t put his finger on.

JoJo felt trapped. He couldn’t win this. There was no way. Dio was with Genevieve. And everything was different. He’d always felt competitive before, and it sometimes reached the point of obsession, but this just didn’t make sense. Dio was with Genevieve. That was an entirely solo commitment. It wasn’t something Dio could be bested at, like grades or sport, but he still felt fueled by a similar type of passion.

One night, JoJo was studying for an archeology exam. He was trying so hard to focus, his door was closed and he was hitting the books. Every time he thought about Dio and Genevieve, he slapped his hand. It was a strategy he’d thought of a month ago – it hadn’t worked yet but he was out of ideas.

Dio opened the door. JoJo looked over to see Dio being framed by the light glowing from the hall, his amber eyes twinkling with God knows what – mischief, sadism, genuine joy, there was no way to tell.

“Studying hard again, I see?” Dio laughed, “Wonder if it will actually pay off.”

“Leave me alone, Dio,” Jonathon replied, firmly, returning to look at his books.

“What has been going on with you lately?” Dio mused, wandering into the room, “You’ve really been failing, haven’t you? What’s getting you down?”

Dio sat down on the bed, chin in his hands looking up at the window, with mock seriousness.

“For the last time, Dio, leave me alone.” By now JoJo knew what Dio was trying to do – he’d lived with him long enough that it was one of his favourite things was to get a rise out of people, especially JoJo.

“Hmm, I don’t think I will,” Jonathon started to blush slightly, “Is it a girl?”

JoJo tried to cover his face and stared furiously at the book, willing this nightmare to end.

“Ah, it is a girl,” Dio teased, “who is it? Probably some lame girl in one of your classes.”

Jonathon’s throat began to tighten and his heart rate picked up. He continued to ignore him, trying desperately to study. He needed to pass this exam, why wasn’t he able to focus? It was infuriating.

“Oooh, or is it Genevieve? Very naughty, gentlemen JoJo going after a taken lady. Well, she’s too good to go out with you anyway.”

Just. Ignore. Jonathon pleaded with himself.

“Or, naughty Jonathon Joestar,” Dio had gotten closer, it sounded like he was about a meter or so behind him but he still didn’t acknowledge him. His face continued to heat up despite his silent protestations – for some reason, Dio saying his name like that made him furious. The light was on, and if Dio saw JoJo's reaction, JoJo would never hear the end of it.

“Is it me?” Dio whispered directly into JoJo’s ear. His face flushed intensely and he began to sweat more, and he could feel Dio's smirk continue to curl more menacingly as he noticed JoJo's embarrassment.

“We all want what we can’t have,” Dio whispered, and then rose again to walk out the door. “Figure it out. It’s been too easy to win lately.”

JoJo’s one love in his life, the only thing keeping him somewhat sane, was his gorgeous horse. The horses name was Teresa. She had a dark brown body with lighter coloured tail, mane and socks.

One day, months after the incident with Dio, JoJo went down to the stables. He gave Remi a pat, Dio’s surprisingly gentle horse, and went to Teresa.

“Why can’t I focus, Teresa?” JoJo muttered out loud. Teresa just neighed sympathetically.

“Why do I keep fixating on this stuff? I’m at a loss for describing my own feelings...” JoJo said, “Do I like Genevieve? I keep thinking about her and...” Jonathon shut off his thought immediately. No, he scolded, either you like Genevieve or your jealous. Don’t let him into your head.

“And who, naughty Jonathon Joestar?” Jonathon turned around with a start. Dio had appeared in the doorway of the barn.

“Can you stop calling me that? I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Haven’t you?” Dio wandered over to Remi and stroked her nose, “Listen, I’m so bored. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I miss the competition. Why don’t we just have a race with these horses, okay? Shouldn’t be that difficult,right?”

“No, I’ll pass, I’m going to go back inside,” Jonathon started to move towards the door but Dio blocked his way. They were the same height, but Jonathon couldn’t help but be embarrassed by Dio’s commanding presence. “Just go and hang out with Genevieve.” Jonathon looked down and he couldn’t help but blush when he said her name. Maybe I do like her, he thought.

“Genevieve can wait. I dare you to race me and try and win.”

And with that... they saddled up their horses and lead them out of the stable.

What's the harm? Thought Jonathon, I might even win.

They set the parameters of the course and then they were off. Dio started out in the lead, guiding Remi with ease down this course like they'd done it millions of times before. It was a relatively open track but there was still heavy trees blocking the way, and many hazardous roots. Slowly, JoJo began to catch up.

Was this... fun? Jonathon thought. It had been such a long time since they had done something together. They did get along in their own weird way.

As the end of the track neared both boys encouraged their horses and pushed them through that last bit. Right at the end, as they approached the barn again, Jonathon pulled out in front and won. As they slowed, Dio clapped, possibly sarcastically but it was unclear.

“Well, I suppose you completed the dare. You can go back inside now or we could have some more fun.”

“I dare you to race me again,” Jonathon said.

Dio laughed. “Nope,” he said as he lead Remi back into her part of the stable.

They both sat on the hay up against the wall. “Dare you to... eat this piece of hay.”

“Lame,” chided Dio.

“Okay, cut off this bunch of hair.” JoJo grabbed at a bunch of Dio's hair that was pulled back for riding.

Dio sighed. Jonathon knew his pride wouldn’t let him refuse.

So Dio cut his hair.

“So, what is up with you anyway?”

“Oh God, not this again,” groaned JoJo.

Dio continued to look at him, intensely. “Well, it’s just girl troubles.... I guess...” Jonathon said, looking at Dio as he sadly cradled his hair in his hands

“I felt the same,” Dio replied, startling JoJo with his genuine tone, “I was crazy about Genevieve... I just acted on it quicker and didn't, you know, “ Dio gestured vaguely at JoJo, “lose it. Who’s the girl?”

Dio’s soft expression made JoJo’s heart twist unexpectedly – blushing, he turned away, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s no one important. Anyway, it’s your turn.”

“I dare you to kiss Remi,” Dio said.

“Lame,” JoJo retorted, mockingly.

“Teresa would get pretty jealous but if you insist,” Dio laughed, “I can give you another dare.”

JoJo nodded and Dio finally parted with his few locks of hair that were now missing. His hair looked mostly the same but you could tell that it had been cut.

Dio smiled. “I dare you to kiss me.”

JoJo blushed heavier then he had ever done before. His hands began to shake, and the light warning up the barn seemed to become dense, suffocating... judgemental.

Do I... like Dio? Jonathon thought, perplexed.

“Uhh,” JoJo stammered, “what? We can't do that. That's...”

“You've been a very naughty boy, Jonathon Joestar.”

JoJo scanned Dio’s face desperately to see if he was joking or manipulating JoJo but to JoJo's surprise and confusion, he really wasn’t.

Dio smiled. “Do it. I'm serious.”

JoJo hesitantly leaned in to Dio, waiting for him to pull away but he didn't. They're lips made contact and JoJo, finally, after months and months of agony, felt at peace. He pulled away.

“But that was just a dare, right? It didn't mean anything?” JoJo asked.

Dio leaned in and kissed JoJo.

“That wasn't,” Dio said.

“But... what about Genevieve?”

“Honestly, you were the ‘girl’ I was crazy about Jonathon. I didn't understand my feelings and I assumed it must've been for Genevieve. She did help distract me but... we broke up a month ago. Don't worry, I actually did let her down easy.”

“But... what does this mean? For the future?” JoJo asked.

“For God’s sakes, JoJo, just shut up.”

“Make me.”

And he did.

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mufasaspells · 3 years

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Love Spell With Candles

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Love has been and is still rather a complicated word to breakdown, mainly because people attach different meanings to it depending on how they have experienced it or how they have failed to put a finger on it. However, what is love without a lover? The answer is, that is love without a love spell. Love spells contribute so much to the maintenance of a stable relationship, and only a few know that. Our love spells with candles have helped over a thousand people live the happiest relationships. This is because they help you realize the strength of having the most positive intentions.

Are you looking for love spells with candles? Do you want to get your ex-lover, wife, husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend back? It’s obvious you want them back as soon as possible. I know how it feels like when you lose someone that once meant the world to you. But you don’t need to worry now that you’re reading this article. I will help you get your ex-lover, wife, husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend back to you before the end of today.

One may say that loving and being loved is the best thing that could ever happen to a person, while another may have an exactly opposite attitude, looking at love as a burden and a strengthener of chains that complicate life. In this article, love magic (love spells with candles that work) is the use of magic to conjure sexual passion or romantic love. This is a branch of traditional magical practice and a long-time trope in literature. It’s an art that is done in ways including written spells, dolls, charms, amulets, potions, or rituals.

Virtues Of Love Spells With Candles

Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting collective and individual greatness.

Love involves caring, when one loves another, the aspect of care is important. This can be as simple as being there for them through tough times, appreciating them, complementing them, and encouraging them in situations where they feel they cannot carry on. Love is patient when one is in love. The virtue of patience is important, one should be slow to react, first understand a situation before giving an opinion and also allow the other to air out their views.

I also base love on selflessness. When one is in love, they should be able to help the other? Help to share with the partner, and to be more concerned with the needs of the other rather than being self-centered. Love suffers long, this simply means that love will endure for a long time, through difficulties, tests, and trials. It means that love endures amid temptations and misunderstandings. Where people say they are in love and simple misunderstandings break them.

What Does It Really Mean To Use Love Spells With Candles

his type of love is Eros. It’s a Greek word meaning romantic love and desire. Eros was also the Greek god of love, passion, and fertility. This is where the term erotic comes from. This sort of love entails admiring one’s physical body and also physical touches like hugs, kisses, and sex. This type of love stems from the first one seeing another and admiring a feature on them, be it physical or a trait. It then continues to constant communication to get to know the other person as regards their likes, dislikes, hobbies, and likes. It later on advances to constant meetings and further interactions to get to know each other on a personal level. In the scientific aspect, one’s hormones awaken a fire in the body that is to be satisfied with romantic actions from the admired partner.

This forms the birth of love languages in a romantic relationship and these include physical touch, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and words of affirmation. From these meetings and communication, one gets to learn the other’s love language and does exactly that to develop a bond. So with all this being the meaning of love, are you in love? You might say you are, but you’re not until your relationship is bonded spiritually with love spells. In most cases, after you cast a love spell, your relationship with your partner shifts towards becoming perfect. And once you take it to another level by performing spells such as an obsession spell, we can never break your love.

How To Make Love Last Forever Using Love Spells With Candles?

This is a subjective test. What may make love last in one relationship may end in another relationship. An example is if your partner calls you in the morning, be the one to call him or her in the afternoon. Don’t wait for your partner to call you throughout the relationship. It is a two-sided venture. The other is communication. When you are going to be late, communicate. When you are unhappy in the relationship and need something more to spice it up, communicate.

However, with my 34 years of expertise, I realize many people don’t know how to communicate. Therefore, you must cast a love spell with candles as soon as possible. I say so because it installs a situation of communication on to the person being spelled and brings back lost love in return. It makes the person want to communicate with you every single time they get the chance to.

Why You Must Cast A Love Spell With Candles?

Through communication, one’s partner can know the other’s perspective of the relationship and adjust accordingly rather than dying in silence and letting the love fade. The other way is letting go of the little things that bug you. This entails compromising, where one has to accept some standards that are lower than what I desire. However, just to ask. What is a relationship without good communication? A relationship without good communication is as good as nothing.

Where one keeps holding onto such trivialities, they build up and become a problem as the relationship grows. Another thing is compliments. Romeo complimented Juliet “But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the sun.” A compliment once in a while ignites the passion in the relationship. Lastly, understanding one’s love language and acting in that regard keeps the desire burning.

Why Does Love Fade Away In Most Relationships?

The major reason is a drastic change in the behavior and attitude of one’s partner. Where you have been in a relationship with a person for some time and new behaviors showcase. It leaves one wondering if they really know their partner as they thought they did. This is because they end up feeling like they are in love with a new person. Wait a minute, not everyone changes their behavior and attitude because they want. It has come to my notice that I have spelled some people upon and you don’t know. That’s why it’s so advisable to carry out a love spell with candles as soon as you can.

Second, violence and torture drive one away from the element of love in a relationship. Violence involves assault, battery, grievous bodily harm among others. Torture has distinctive forms. It can be physical or mental (psychological). Torture can involve locking your partner out of their room. Denying them food and other basic needs, constantly reminding them, or making fun of their insecurities among others.

The Reality About Why Love Fades At Times

This makes them feel unsafe and surely doubt their affection and their partner’s in the relationship. And the question here goes like, why would someone that loves me do bad to me? Here we go, we fall in love with people every day. This leaves many people that love that very person you love single. Like it has happened before, many people have contacted me with a request to end an ongoing relationship using my powerful break-up spells. Some of them make demands on how the break-up should be, which leaves many lovers becoming violent, disrespectful, and abusive.

Constantly dwelling in the past is another issue, where one keeps bringing up their past relationships. It shows that they have failed to move on. Or they are comparing their past relationships to the current ones negatively. The best way would be to talk about the past. And then move from it in order to enjoy the fruits of the current relationship.

How To Make Your Relationship More Loving And Stable

Communicate – Talk to one another about what is bugging and annoying the other and find a way forward. Listening is very important, don’t listen just to reply but first understand what is being said. Where the reply will hurt the other and deter them from love. Then silence would be the best answer in that circumstance.

Use our love spells with candles to help in situations where misunderstandings go overboard. This is the right time to take the right action. Simply contact Dr. Mufasa and let him know of your situation. He will advise you and I will cast a couple of spells. Discuss what we can overlook and what is a major issue so that the relationship and thrive on such understanding.

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royallyprincesslilly · 5 years

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Title: Love, Maybe? {13}

Chris Evans X Reader OFC Vixen Giovanni

Warning: Plot, Cursing, Angst,

Word Count: 3.6K

Summary: After a night of drunkenness you wake up next to warm, hot as hell body, a migraine and no memory of the night before. When you come to realize that the hot body belongs to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy Chris Evans you freak out. As events unfold you become even more panicked to find out you got married in your drunken haze. What else is there to do but get it annulled, right? Before walking away, you share one more night of molten kisses and passion. 3 years later you are still living with the repercussions of your brash decisions, but the surprises don’t stop there. The past has a way of coming back and have you questioning is this fate that you’ve been running from, hell could it have been love, maybe?

Note: Italic texts is an inner Vixen thought. Bold Italic texts is an inner Chris thought.

**Slightly Edited/Proofread**

**Partially Interactive**

Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 13: Lucy You Got Some ‘Splainin To Do

-Vixen-

The hotel suite was dark and quiet; the only sound that could be heard was the soft moans Ella made as she slept. She was exhausted, and it showed in her behavior. You had to deal with hours of tantrums, screaming, shouting and food throwing until she’d tuckered herself out and passed out after her bath. A bath that left you drenched because she kept slapping her hands in the water, creating mini tsunamis all aimed at you. She wasn’t even two yet, and you were getting an excellent taste of your future. Now you sat in the second bedroom on the bed. In front of you was a massive set up of empty ice cream bowls and tens of possible toppings along with several bottles of bourbon.

“So, let me get this straight,” Nexus began before she paused for a few long moments. She took a deep breath and started again. “Almost three years ago we went to Vegas for Kami’s birthday; you disappeared for two days there. We all thought you were so drunk you couldn’t find your ass. Turns out not; instead you’d gotten married to Chris Evans, thee Chris Evans. Then before you can say Mrs. Evans, you get divorced, fuck him one more time just for fuck's sake, come home not breathe a word of it and then have Ella and keep this all a secret?”

You let her cliffs notes sink in. This was the first time you’d ever actually thought about it from a storytelling point of view. This story was bat shit crazy and incredibly unbelievable. You had nothing to say now though, because it was your reality. This was your life. You bit your bottom lip and nodded your head.

“Uh-huh.”

“Holy—Shit, Vixen! Holy fucking, what the fuck, shit!”

You pinched your lips and waited until she was finished. This was a normal reaction you assumed. It had to be right? Your sister finds out you secretly married a celebrity who you then divorced. You then had said celebrity’s secret baby.

“Really, Vix? Oh my god. What the hell!”

“I know, I know, I know; I fucked up. I shouldn’t have disappeared that night,” you began before Nexus cut you off.

“What? Who gives a shit that you disappeared? You lied to me for damn near three years Vix! We don’t lie to each other. We’ve always told each other everything.”

She was right, and you felt like a world-class asshole. You’d always felt guilty about it.

“I know Nex, and I’m sorry. Really I am. I signed this NDA, and I couldn’t talk about it and--,”

“Wait, like an actual NDA. Something mistresses have to sign?”

You rolled your eyes.

“Come on Vix, was I really going to run to the tabloids and sell your story? I’m your sister. That excuse is bullshit!”

You took a deep breath and sighed out. It partially was.

“I couldn’t tell anyone, Nex. I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t breathe a word of this to mom or dad. If they would have found out I married someone without them there then got divorced they would both die of a heart attack on sight. I couldn’t.”

“Wait, Ella. Oh my god.”

Her eyes were wide with shock as it all finally sunk in.

“Vixen. Is he Ella’s father?”

Again, you sighed. With her answer, Nexus leaned back against the headboard and stared out just as stunned as you were.

“I mean I knew it was some white guy, I mean she has blue eyes and damn near blondish hair, and she is much lighter, I figured that was the reason why you hadn’t told me who her father was because you were embarrassed he was white but this—this takes the cake, Vix. Chris Evans?!”

“I know. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I totally understand her name now. Kristella. We all wondered where the hell you got that from.”

You snorted and shook your head.

“It just fit. Once I saw her, it was the only name that fit her,” you defended.

“So, he doesn’t know he has a daughter running around.”

It was not a question. She knew you down to the science; she knew he didn’t know. No doubt she didn’t approve. Your mind went back to just a few hours ago. Magazines, TV, and memories didn’t do him justice. The years had been very kind to him. He looked taller, his shoulders looked more defined and broader, his hair longer and redder, and his beard was much more filled in. He looked so damn good, so masculine, so damn daddyish. You closed your eyes and ran through the encounter again. You almost laughed out loud because you hadn’t been in LA for a month and one of your biggest fears had played out.

“Wow Vix, this is insane.”

“I know.”

The two of you sat quietly for a few minutes longer. Nexus trying to absorb all the information you’d just laid on her and you just obsessing over how damn hot he was and how much your lady parts must have missed him to come alive during the most terrifying moment of your life—next to when you found out you were pregnant.

“What’re you gonna do?”

You snorted because it was a ridiculous question. What did she think you were gonna do? What were your options here? You let a rush of air escape your mouth as you shrugged.

“I mean you have to tell him, right? He has a right to know that Ella is his. Ella has a right to know her father. Right, Vix?”

You didn’t dare speak; shit you couldn’t even think. This was a lot. Your entire world that you’d built—carefully built for the last near three years had crumbled in seconds, and you watched as it did. You needed a second. You gripped your head and closed your eyes.

“Nex, I need a minute. I just need quiet!”

The silence that filled the room next was deafening. You quickly got up and hurried to the bathroom where you paced the marble floor back and forth and again and again until you were dizzy. Then you sat on the sink and clutched your legs to you as your head spun round and round making you even dizzier. You couldn’t think you could barely breathe. You found yourself hyperventilating. You knew it was a panic attack, and that made you panic even more. You hadn’t had a panic attack since finding out you were pregnant with Ella. The door to the bathroom opened and in came Nexus.

“Slow breathes, deep slow and shallow breathes you remember like Lamaze. Breathe with me.”

She began the pattern of breathing you’d done during Lamaze classes and through your labor, and you slowly followed. The first few minutes were torture because as you fought against the panic, it rose even more. The more your mind flashed on Chris’ face and then the tiny near replica of Ella’s it never faded.

“You’re thinking too much. Clear your mind, Vix, think of nothing. An open field, flowers, look at the flowers Vix.”

You looked at her and glared. It as an inside joke between the two of you ever since you’d watched the episode of The Walking Dead where the character Carol told the little girl Lizzie who’d just gotten bit by a zombie to look at the flowers so she wouldn’t see as Carol shot her in the head. The two of you were horrified by the scene but strangely couldn’t stop laughing after it. You were not laughing now.

“Okay, too soon for a laugh maybe,” Nexus added. You rolled your eyes and continued trying to find your center. You learned that most people went their entire lives with panic attacks, and it wasn’t something you outgrew. You were over it.

After almost ten minutes, your breathing returned to somewhat normal and your thoughts were less erratic. Nexus turned off the water in the tub and turned to you.

“You need a bath; it’ll help. Come on.”

She helped you down off the sink and then walked out the door as you stripped and climbed in the steaming hot water. You sighed, closed your eyes, and sunk deeper into the water. A few moments later, you heard Nexus’ footsteps.

“Just what the doctor ordered, a stiff drink.”

You looked and saw she held the bottle of rum out to you. You smiled, seeing the brand of the most potent rum you’d ever had in your life. You took it and quickly took a few gulps. It burned like a son of a bitch, but you didn’t care.

“Yeah, you get some alone time with Wray & Nephew, and I’ll be the sober adult in case Ella wakes up. Take your time.”

That was the last thing you heard before you drowned your sorrows and any coherent thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~

-Chris-

“She’s in LA. She’s in LA. She. Is. In. LA!”

He’d barely moved from the makeup chair since “cut” was called for the day. He couldn’t think and move at the same time, so he just sat there and thought about everything. Not only events from the last few hours but years ago. He was so useless after seeing her that when he went back to filming, he forgot or flubbed most his lines, dropped or fumbled props necessary to the scene or flat out zoned out. It was a mess; he was a mess. The director had no choice but to call cut early.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

He shook his head and looked to see Anthony standing there with his arms crossed, waiting for an answer. He took a deep breath in and stood.

“Nothing. Let’s get out of here.”

He walked past him and led the way through the set to the parking area. As he approached his car, he patted himself down, looking for his keys. When he couldn’t find them, he groaned and dropped his head back.

“Missing something?”

Anthony shook his head and nudged it signaling him to come.

“I got you. Come on.”

He walked to the passenger side of Anthony’s fancy McLaren. Anthony revved the engine with a broad smile spread across his face. Once he got inside the car, Anthony sped off not caring about any speed limit. They drove in silence, and Chris was grateful for it. Silence meant he could think and put into some sense what was happening. He never expected to see you again. He hoped he would, but never expected. His mind jumped to the night in the restaurant when he swore he saw you based off a tattoo; he began to think that it was really you. He’d thought time and time again what he would say if he did see you again, and each time he thought about it; his selections were different. Once it was a cool “hey.” Another time it was a cocky “Couldn’t stay away, huh,” several times it was no words at all and just stripping you right then and there, and more times than not it was silence pretty similar to earlier.

“At least I said her name.”

Before he knew it, Anthony turned off the engine in front of his house. He sighed out and rubbed his forehead, not sensing Anthony’s eyes on him. He could feel the headache pounding away behind his eyes and knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. He groaned loudly and dropped his head back.

“I was going to give this to you as a birthday gift, but it looks like you need it now. So, let’s take it inside, crack it open, and by the time you pour your third glass, you spill what’s got you so stressed,” Anthony proposed.

He sighed again but didn’t protest. He needed a drink.

Once they got inside, they got comfortable on one of the couches in front of the cliff at the back of his house. The view was the selling point, and he was grateful for it on nights his thoughts got the better of him. He quickly downed one glass dark whiskey and then a second just as quickly. He slowly nursed the third, but Anthony didn’t pressure him to speak. He didn’t know why he’d never told him; he was by far closest to him and Seb than any others in this town but he’d kept this part secret. He felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket and took it out to see Lita’s name across the screen. He groaned again and gulped down the rest of the whiskey then poured another.

“Slow down you’ll regret it tomorrow,” Anthony cautioned.

“Shit after what I’ve been through I should know better than to touch alcohol ever again.”

“What does that mean?”

He rubbed his face and then raked his fingers through his hair, leaving it messier than it was. He tried to find the words for several minutes but realized there was no easy way to say it or any gentle way to break it. He snorted and laughed loudly. Anthony looked at him as if he’d lost his mind and he might have finally lost it.

“Is this a white people thing? Y’all laugh out the blue at random shit in your head? If so that’s called schizophrenia.”

He laughed harder and keeled over, trying to catch his breath. Finally, he stopped and took another breath.

“Three years ago in Vegas when we went, remember?”

Anthony nodded.

“Well three years ago I met a woman in the casino, got drunker than I’ve ever been in my entire life and married her; then had the best sex I’ve ever had in my life to come to LA and get Sherman started on a divorce, then we had that same incredible sex again here before she disappeared with the night.” He snorted again and began laughing. “Earlier that woman—.” He couldn’t stop laughing; the humor of this finally hit him. “That woman was the woman I married in Vegas and then divorced,” he finished.

Anthony sprang to his feet.

“What the fuck! You lyin’!”

Chris laughed louder.

“Naw, you lying. What! There’s no way.”

“I swear, hand to God.”

Anthony stood there, gaping at him. He was shocked of course. If Anthony were the one telling him this now, he would be surprised.

“Wow, wow, wow. Man that’s—wow!”

He nodded and downed his fourth glass of whiskey. As he reached for the bottle again, Anthony beat him to it and poured himself another.

“Three years ago? Man, you stayed quiet. You didn’t speak a word about this.”

“I know. I couldn’t believe I’d been so reckless, so stupid, so---,”

“So unpredictable. Well damn, Chris! You who plans almost everything, you who have always had a plan and a list of the woman he wants, you who does not commit, you! You!”

He narrowed his eyes at Anthony getting the undertone of his words.

“I mean; I mean no disrespect, but damn this is a fucking shock.”

“I know.”

Anthony paced in front of him as he thought about everything he’d just heard. Chris sat there with his hands steepled under his bearded chin, and he also thought about things.

“Wait, wait. Rewind go all the way back. You said the best sex? Really? Ever?”

“Ever man. Ev-er!” He enunciated to get his point across.

“You mean ever three years ago right, not ever three years after.”

“I mean ever in my life.”

Anthony looked confused.

“What did she do? Don’t tell me. Wow. I’m still trying to wrap my head around you having a quickie Vegas wedding with a random woman. I mean did she have anything on the list?”

He nodded slowly. Anthony’s eyes bugged.

“What! What did she have besides the beauty? She is gorgeous!”

“She is. She was then, and she’s even more now.”

He felt a tug of something he couldn’t place, but it felt similar to what he imagined regret felt like.

“She was funny, kind, honest, down to earth, smart, spontaneous--,”

“Spontaneous? That wasn’t on the list before,” Anthony interrupted.

“Shit it’s on it now.”

“Wow, and you divorced her? Why?”

It was time for him to look at Anthony like he’d grown two heads. He couldn’t be serious.

“You’re not serious.”

“Of course, I’m serious. If I met a woman who was all of that which is just the tip of the iceberg I’m assuming and gave me the best sex of my life I would not be so quick to change my situation. I would have stretched it a little, saw where things led.”

He had thought about it. When they were sitting in Sherman’s office discussing the divorce, he first thought it when she spoke up that she didn’t want any of his money or compensation for her time. He’d thought of it again at dinner watching her eat her tacos without caring what he thought or if she was cute. Then he thought about it again when he’d rolled on her in his bed and looked down into her beautiful eyes. He had thought about it.

“I wasn’t at the right time in my life. Do you remember me three years ago? I couldn’t spell monogamy or commitment, especially with everything in my career. It would have never worked,” he said.

“Or is that what you tell yourself?”

He scoffed and poured another drink.

“Okay, okay so let’s go through this like the thirty-seven-year-old adult you are. Look at this with those eyes,” Anthony suggested. He groaned because he didn’t want to. He’d avoided looking at things with his eyes.

“Ah, you don’t want to. You’re scared.”

“Scared? No, I am not scared. I’m a grown man; I am not scared.”

Anthony scoffed and shook his head.

“Damn liar! Is she the reason why you’ve literally been passing on every woman I, Scarlett, or Seb set you up with? Is she the reason you have this list? Did you create this list with all of her attributes? Are you looking for her in every woman you’ve met since?”

Damn. This was the reason he didn’t tell him shit. Anthony was good at seeing through people and situations, he was like a damn private investigator and always got down to the bottom of things. Always. He didn’t want him getting to the bottom of his things because that meant he would have to do some serious introspection. He stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff and took a deep breath. He stared out over LA but saw none of it. He was too lost in his head.

“She’s in LA.”

He didn’t know how long he stood there, but he felt Anthony’s hand on his shoulder. He sighed before he spoke again.

“Did you want to see her again?”

“I’ve thought about her a lot. In the last few weeks, I’d started wondering more and more about her.”

“So you want to see her again?”

“Isn’t that weird?”

“No. She’s your ex-wife.”

Anthony laughed and bent over to continue laughing. Chris nodded and laughed along with him.

“Man, I thought the day I found out you got married would be the day you got married.”

“I know.”

“Yo mama gonna kill you!”

Chris snapped his head to look at his friend with a serious and terrified expression on his face.

“Don’t you dare breathe a word.”

Anthony zipped his lips and smiled.

“Okay time for the Mackie Advice of the day. Ready for it?”

He sighed and prepared for what he knew he was going to say.

“Go ahead.”

“Eh-em. Okay. Go find that woman, you know her name, you know she’s in LA, use your power and find that woman.”

He didn’t say anymore, and Chris looked to him surprised that was the end of it.

“That’s it?”

“What was that, more you say? Okay. Find her, tell her you fucked up three years ago. Tell her you’ve been celibate because of her and then marry her again.”

He rolled his eyes and walked back inside the house, ensuring to grab the bottle of whiskey.

“I don’t know why we’re friends,” he said.

“Come on, Chris, what? I didn’t say anything wrong. I didn’t say anything you probably haven’t already thought and anything that’s not true.”

“I have not been celibate.”

“Really?”

Anthony gave him a look that looked similar to those memes he’d seen of Thor with his face scrunched up. He rolled his eyes.

“For the first almost year or so after Vegas yeah you were a real man whore, you got around but discreetly. Then after that, you became harder to get into than the MET GALA unless you had that plate fee,” Anthony pointed out.

“I grew and learned and became selective.”

“Of course, nothing wrong with it, but it’s still true.”

He shook his head because while it wasn’t entirely accurate, it was close.

“I’m gonna get up outta here but think about what I said,” Anthony said as he walked to the door.

“Thanks for the whiskey.”

“Don’t finish it all tonight, she looks like she likes whiskey,” Anthony said before he walked out the front door.

Alone at last Chris looked around his home and he could literally see your ghost floating around mirroring your movements and path from your last night together. He’d followed your ghost around more times than he cared to admit. Tonight, he decided to follow it once more. He walked toward his bedroom behind the cloudy floating image of you. Once inside, he sat in the corner in the chair and watched the movie of the two of you play out again as he sipped the whiskey. He paid close attention to every touch, every kiss, every moan and paused on your smile and the last moment before you disappeared.

He did have regrets, and he wondered if you did too.

TagList:

@sarahboseman @texasbama @heyauntieeee @airis-paris14 @thiccdaddy-mbaku @wakandas-vibranium @wakanda-inspired@theunsweetenedtruth @ashanti-notthesinger @reignsxjackson @halfrican-heat @ambthegamer @simplyyamberr @muse-of-mbaku @sisterwifeudaku @mejustme06 @ilcb7 @leahnicole1219 @destinio1 @maliadestiny @drsunshine97 @blowmymbackout @purplehairgawdess@thehuntoyobun @wakandamama @wakandawinning @profilia@zxddy-panther @h-challa @babygirlofwakanda @misswakanda2018 @ororowrites@hutchj @myfavemarvelfanfics @lavitabella87 @afraiddreamingandloving @autumn242 @purple-apricots @skysynclair19 @hersheyskissesss-blog @blue-ishx @90sinspiredgirl @tchallaswife @tchallamakesmeh0lla @turn-thy-paige @blackchickfics @blackpantherismyish @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @naturally-bri @flawlesslybeautiful14 @qweentbh@lunaerly @theoutereffect@twilight-sapphire-lover @pupyluv247 @stark-red19 @cockyboysandsugarism@maverickabull @madbadsiren @aykanna @myaw731 @ruruly20 @mixedmelanin @brittyevans @bezzywazhere@laketaj24 @soulsparker @theresnomoregoodones @syreanne@loveandcigarillos @heyauntieeee @heybriheyyy @wakanda-bcth @uhlxis @maliadestiny @dadinhas-heat @yaachtynoboat711@geeksareunique @bultalongthewayside @ajspencer1892 @captiansaveasmut @imaginewhoever @terrablaze514 @starsshines-blog @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade@darkandlovely94 @sithlordslut @wavyyc @naturalistamisslyn @nigarachi15 @madamslayyy @blackandfair @kreolemami @mylastnameisthe-fish @kaykay0829@chaneajoyyy @tequilajay27 @blacklotus-of-the-black-kingdom @slimmiyagi @im5ftbutmythroat66 @jaeee-http@madhatterhelsing @sunflowerpsalms @wakanda-shit-is-that @deliciousstreetkidcroissant @jecourt @vebner37 @disneysdarlingdiva @melaninmarvel @alanastormborn@dolphinpink310 @wonderbell @ohleucothea @queentearra @bitchbetterhavemydinner @fentybabyy @kaykay4454fan @priya212 @kitkit1690 @chrismarcs @beautycomesindifferentformsworld @blackpantherimagines @ovohanna24 @sweetpeachjones @kslo000 @nubian-queen18 @omgsuperstarg @airis-paris14 @sisterwifeudaku @mejustme06 @ilcb7 @leahnicole1219 @destinio1 @drsunshine97 @blue-ishx @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @prettyprincessushio @treeondrea @ursapharoh05 @blackpinup22 @kaytauru @big3gocandykahn @kissingpineapples @wildaboutchrisevans @fitfineandstayingalive @misspooh @michele-onel @gorjiss @blacklotus-of-the-black-kingdom @muva-milaje @limbo-limbo-limbo @awkwardlyabstract @blxck-brxndie @meeky-imagines @inlovewith3 @metalarmlover @mellowjellow6 @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade@sweettea-and-honeybutter@thatrandomhetaliachick @missdeerstalker15 @ursapharoh05 @treeondrea @ovohanna24 @marvelheaux @romanceoftheeveryday @mufasathatniggatho @cltex84 @sweetbearcolorgarden @msincognito67 @mosagram @lunaerly @mar-ta-3 @ljstraightnochaser @lewatigress @akimi-youngblood @bekahdean87 @jasmindaughteroftheworld@cocooned-butterfly @emoniclark22 @chereedrop619 @theblulife @niggarachi15 @drsunshine97 @msincognito67 @missdeerstalker15 @wakandamama @great-neckpectations @avenger-marvel-fan @arieljamiyla @vibranium-soul @monae-boss @queenxchallaxkillamonger@amirra88 @jaeee-http @omg-itsnadi @fonville-designs @sydneebleu @cherrystainedlipsbaby

#love maybe fic #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #Chris Evans X black reader #chris evans x you #chris evans smut #angst fanfic #slow burn fanfic

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wlw-lovestruck-fiction · 5 years

Text

Helena Klein

Smut:

NSFW ABC (A, F, H, I)

NSFW ABC (B, V, Z)

NSFW ABC - Complete

Smutty Prompt #12

Request #1: (NSFW) “Seeing as it's Thotty Tuesday I was wondering if I could request Helena discovering the wonders of sex toys (or a strap-on :cough:) with MC? I blame last weekend's strap-scapades for my less than sfw thoughts regarding our glorious sorceress. 😳😌 And, as always, thank you for being amazing - your writing gives me life. ❤❤❤”

Anon Request #1: (NSFW) “How about Helena x mc bondage. Helena sits on mc face and controls a dildo with magic”

Anon Request #2: (NSFW) “Thigh grinding, bed breaking for Helena please. I miss her sooooo damn much! She’s ma bae ❤️”

Anon Request #3: (NSFW) “ Hey guys! Hope you are all well! Loving your work as always. Could I pretty please request some hot Helena! I miss ma bae with a passion. Anyone else missing our queen or is it just my horny ass 😂🤪 thanks ladies ❤️“

Anon Request #4: (NSFW) “CAN I PRETTY REQUEST FOR HELENA AND MC, IN A HOT TUB, ALL BY THEMSELVES! GOD I’M SO HOT THINKING ABOUT HELENA IN A HOT TUB NOW 🥵🤪 THANKS GUYS. I LOVE YOU ALL ❤️”

Anon Request #5 (NSFW): Can we have some vagina worship for Helena? Maybe MC on her knees eating Helena out, begging Helena to use her hands where MC can’t?

Anon Request #6 (NSFW): Mc giving Helena a sexy lap dance and Helena’s reaction, does she like it, does it turn her on? Does she last till the end of the Dance or can she just not wait!!

Anon Request #7: Body worship for Helena

Anon Request #8: Hey could you do something with Helena and mc having their first time together, like imagine if they were both virgins and they had grown up together! Lifelong soulmates ❤️

Anon Request #9: Ok ok could we please have some MC trying to distract Helena from studying...I mean in a sexy way too please. See how long Helena could last before she can’t take anymore 😂

Anon Request #10: Hoping it doesn’t come across as indelicate but fic of Helena and MC, after years of trust and love and slowly working toward it under Helena’s guidance and consent, MC being permitted to use both mouth and hands to worship Helena? Can safe word for slowing etc if you like, I just want Helena to finally get to overcome this part of her trauma and reclaim what WQ stole.

Anon Request #11: “Hey guys hope all is well. Can I please request some more strap hotness with Helena and mc ❤️❤️”

Anon Request #12: Can I have mc meeting Helena at her work, maybe they go into Helena’s office for some lunchtime fun 🤪😜 thanks you guys i love you all lots xxx

Anon Request #13: “Helena and MC first time with a strap headcanons? Either wearing it”

Anon Request #14: “I love Helena but I feel like we missed out on a lot of good things too :( Please may we have a super romantic 'first time' scene between those two where MC is a virgin? Thank you”

Anon Request #15: “Helena masturbation HC's when she moves to Chicago?”

Anon Request #16: “Please can we have some rough sex with Helena and mc! My insides are burning for my sexy sorceress”

Anon Request #17: “Helena x MC honeymoon smut? All the fluff Helena deserves!”

Anon Request #18: “Missing our gorgeous Sorceress something fierce! Can I get some Helena x MC.. with MC walking in on Helena touching herself.. because.. fuck.”.

Anon Request #19: “Helena x MC shower sex. Thank you =)”

Anon Request #20: “Hey could I please request Helena and mc, maybe one of them has to save the other from dying by performing a sex act 🤪😬”

Anon Request #21: A soft moment with our gorgeous sorceress, turning more steamy? Please?

Request #1: I love you guys! Thank you so much for keeping things going with Helena and the MC. I am utterly addicted to these writing and the writers. Well done. I just read the story for the MC doing a lap dance for Helena. Could we get one where Helena a striptease for the MC? How far would it go? Thanks for all the good writing ❤️🥰😘

Combined Request #1: Ok I’m going to need to serious shot stuff for Helena and mc please, just a saucy make out sesh, something to get the blood pumping 🥵🙌 thanks guys! Love you tones!! + Heeeeey guys please can I request Helena pinning mc up against a wall sexiness! 😍🙌thanks as always + Can I have mc being obsessed with Helena’s tiddys! Coz I like love them so much 🙌❤️ Helena has the best tiddys by far! 🤪 + Hey there mods!! Hope your all doing great!! Please can I request Helena and mc having some steamy Sex in the Garden where they got married. I miss my Helena and the hot pic that was shared on here made me a thirsty mess 🥵😂 thanks I love you all 😍 especially you mod wraith I’d get steamy with you anytime + Please can I have some hardcore Helena sex please. My thirstiness is killing me (is that even a word!?) HELP ME!!!!! 🥵🥵 + Can I please request Helena and mc with a strap. Thanks queens ❤️

Fluff:

Fluffy ABC (J, K)

Fluffy ABC (A, S, O)

Kissing Prompt (A kiss in the snow for no reason at all)

Super Sappy Prompt #10: (”Stay with me forever”)

Super Sappy Prompt #12: (“I want you. Only you”)

Wordless Ways To Say I Love You #15 (Calming them down after a bad dream)

Anon Request #1: “ Please please please give us some hcs of how helena would react to mc announcing she is pregnant with their child”

Anon Request #2: “How about some head cannons about helena being a mother (I always imagined she would be the 'touch my kid and you dir' type of parent due to her neglect and abuse in her own childhood making her protective but not so protective shes constricting”

Anon Request #3: “how would helena react whilst mc was going through childbirth?”

Anon Request #4: “Any head canons about Helena celebrating her first ever Christmas in chicago? I keep imagining how adorably excited she’d be with all the decorated trees and how she’d inevitably get MC the most perfect gift...❤️”

Anon Request #5: “I loved seeing how much Helena enjoyed the buffet on their honeymoon, and I’m missing her so much. So I was wondering if it would be possible for you to give us some fluffy headcanons about her trying pizza or sushi (or pretty much any foods that they didn’t have in the other world) for the first time? We already know she’s a big fan of burgers and fries, so what else do you think she’d enjoy? 🍕🍣🌻❄️🍟🍔”

Anon Request #6: “Some fluff of Helena and MC chilling and listening to music then slow dancing together please? Also, I absolutely adore all of the fics that have been written so far! Please keep up the amazing work 💕”

Anon Request #7: “Helena and Mc kissing in the rain”

Anon Request #8: “I was listening to "Baby Mine" and it gave me feels. So lets imagine Helena discovering the lullaby "Baby Mine" and singing it to her and MC's child?”

Anon Request #9: “Headcanons about MC introducing Helena to her family, please. Bonus points if she very quickly becomes one of their own & finally finds out what it’s like to have a family/parents who care about her wellbeing and love her unconditionally 🥺🌻❄️”

Anon Request #10: “Helena loves the water right? So can you write something or give us some HC where MC plans a date night to an aquarium to celebrate her first birthday in Chicago? Maybe they even get her fave food at Stop’n’Go to make the night extra special for her. Lots of fluff and her just being completely amazed that A) her wife would do something like this for her, and B) that aquariums are a thing that exist and that she becomes obsessed with 🌻🐠🦑🦈”

Anon Request #11: “Ok so your writing gives me life! Literally makes my day when seeing you guys post stuff ❤️ can I request Helena, what would happen if her and MC took a shower, Helena never having been in a shower before 🤪”

Anon Request #12: “Ten years after coming home to Chicago how do you think Helena x MC’s life will look?”

Anon Request #13: “✨🌈🍀 CAN YOU GIVE US A SNAPSHOT OF HELENA AND MC’S LIFE A DECADE AFTER THEY RETURNED TO CHICAGO? WHERE DO THEY LIVE NOW/WHAT IS THEIR HOME LIKE? DO THEY HAVE CHILDREN OR CATS OR BOTH? THEIR CAREERS? WHAT DO THEY DO IN THEIR FREE TIME? HOW OFTEN DO THEY VISIT THEIR FRIENDS IN FANTASYLAND/HAVE THEY EVER VISITED THEM IN THE MODERN WORLD? AND HOW FAR HAS HELENA COME IN HER RECOVERY? 🌻”

Anon Request #14: “Helena’s MC is a super famous grammy award winning singer/songwriter and now that they’re back in the modern world has written an entire album dedicated to Helena. HC or Fic about Helena listening to all of her songs at one of MC’s concerts/being overwhelmed with joy that her wife literally can’t stop talking about how much she loves her in front of thousands of people” 🥰

Anon Request #15: “ Loved the Helena with singer/songwriter MC fic. Can y’all continue it with some HC or something? ❤️”

Anon Request #16: “May I request some fluff between Helena and the MC when the MC gives birth to their son and daughter?”

Anon Request #17: “Helena Klein fluff head cannons - stuff like Helena playing with MC's hair while she's asleep, kissing her knuckles, just gazing into each others eyes, smiles and lots of floof & giggles I guess. omg MC fixing Helena's hair like whenever just to show her how much she appreciates her and lots of hand holding hugs”

Anon Request #18: “Can I request HC'S about Helena being introduced to watermelon and lemonade by the MC?”

Anon Request #19: “I adore your Helena/Mc pregnant headcanons, especially the part about Helena being banned from bringing anymore kale into their home. Can you give us a fic where pregnant mc bans her from slipping kale into her every meal? “

Anon Request #20: “Can I request some hc of Helena seeing all of her child's first? For example, their first words and steps.”

Anon Request #21: “I love how all the mods have Helena as one of their favourites. She’s my all time fave! Can I request Helena learning how to drive haha “

Anon Request #22: “Fic or HC where Helena & MC are vacationing overseas for the first time, so have to fly there. I keep imagining how curious Helena would be at the airport and have this HC that MC arrives hoooouuuurrrrssss too early, just so Helena can look at all the airplanes ❤️”

Anon Request #23: “can I get a fic (or some Headcanons if it's easier) about a little kid mistaking Helena for Elsa in Chicago? It's been on my mind and I want to see MCs reaction”

Anon Request #24: Anniversary fluff, please? But like 50th anniversary after growing old together? Helena and MC?

Anon Request #25: “Headcanons for Helena, MC, and their kid cooking dinner as a family?”

Anon Request #26: “bless us with your thoughts on Helena and "I thought you didn't want me" from the Super Sappy Lines prompt?”

Anon Request #27: “Could I request fluff for Helena and mc, the first time Helena gets handed their child after he/she being born. Thanks gals ❤️❤️”

Anon Request #28: “Ok I love your work!! You have some serious!! Talent!! I am jealous. Ok sooo could I request a Helena and mc head canon. Where mc finds out she does have magic, and Helena teaching her how to control it or something. Hope that makes sense. I always thought it would be cool if the MC also has magic and she would have Helena as the perfect person to help her through it. I don't care how long I have to wait! Coz I ain't going anywhere! I love you guys!”

Anon Request #29: My heart MELTED during that scene with the little girl in the elven village in love and legends, sooooo can I please get some Headcanons about Helena and MC finding a lost kid in Chicago? I'm super soft for scenes like that lol

Anon Request #30: “Fluff on MC taking Helena to a Ren Faire?”

Anon Request #31: “Any chance of getting Helena kissing MC on or after a date please?”

Anon Request #32: “Can I request a Helena fluff we’re Helena’s double Helen wasn’t killed by the witch queen? Helena and Mc went to go meet her as Helena and Helen cries as they now call each other family.”

Anon Request #33: “Helena x MC, where MC has been growing a garden for Helena, and gives it to her on her Birthday or Anniversary?”

Anon Request #34: “Hello could I please get a fic about Helena who has finally passed away to join MC who passed away years earlier please can we have lots of fluff and hugs and cuddles and Helena saying I missed you my love then maybe MC says sweetheart i never left your heart. I was waiting here the whole time. Then they could get the forever they were promised ???Something along those lines but more fluff and just more would be awesome thank you”

Anon Request #35: “A piece for Helena being held by MC? Can be fluffy or angsty, just a soft ending please”

Anon Request #36: “Helena and Mc going to the beach and then having a good time together. Then mc getting flirted on by some guys. Helena is super pissed but then MC kisses Helena deeply and tell them bois that she don't need them 😤”

Request #1: “What would Helena do on Valentine’s Day. Would they celebrate is in her world? Does she knows it’s a thing? Would MC Introduce it to her?”

Request #2: “I have dragons and magic on the brain today. Can you do a HC or Fic where Helena tries to make bread or cake for everyone at the castle and something with her magic goes wrong where instead of bread/cake a baby dragon comes out of the oven?”

Angst:

Anon Request #1: “a random request after finishing Helena’s season 6 and seeing her reaction at a certain characters’ death at the end it left me wondering how do you think Helena would react to mc’s dead at the hands of the witch queen?”

Anon Request #2: “how do you think Helena reacted during MC’s kidnapping that took place in season five?”

Anon Request #3: “Seeing it is woeful Wednesday, how about mc breaking up with Helena?”

Anon Request #4: “CAN I GET SOMe headcaNons about hElena and mC liviNG peacEfully iN cHICago for A wHILe anD STArting a familY buT afTEr yeaRs Of peaCE the WQ shOWS uP?”

Anon Request #5: Do you think you Could write something where Helena is at a funeral for MC with Reiner's Court where she says bye to MC for the last time?

Anon Request #6: “MC comforting Helena through a flashback? “

Anon Request #7: Hey ladies. Hope you are all doing fabulous! Please can I request Helena and mc where mc goes blind. How do you think Helena would cope, help or change things. This can be hc’s or fic. I don’t mind. Lots of love”

Anon Request #8: So, there’s a song called “come away to the water” and one of the lyrics is “come away, little light, come away to the darkness.” Imagine Helena hearing it on the radio or something. My ANGSTY ASS NEEDS HEADCANONS AAAAA I’m sorry lol

Anon Request: #9: “What if MC never has the chance to escape the WQ when she was blocked in with her and Helena on the other side? Please get angsty on me T_T”

Anon Request #10: “Well. In light of the recent vanessa fic, I am going to request a few things. How about Helena going to MC's high school reunion?”

Anon Request #11: “Can I request for mixture of angsty and fluffy fic where LnL Mc died after giving birth to a daughter. Helena raises their child and sees a bit of mc in her physically and personality?

Anon Request #12:”If it's alright can I request a story for Helena and MC, whereby MC is forced to result to violence and killing to protect Helena?”

Anon Request #13: “Hi there, hope your doing well, can I ask for some AU angst where in Helena gets executed by the council instead of being accepted by Barzilai and what are the reactions of everyone including MC and what happens afterwards. Thank you.”

Miscellaneous:

Request #1: “I don't know why but can we get Helena visiting Sweet Enchantments???”

Helena x MC Family

Helena as the lead singer of a German Band hc

#lovestruck #love and legends #helena klein #helena x mc #women of lovestruck #lovestruck headcanons

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miraworos · 4 years

Text

Azira Fell and the Apocalypse Scroll (T)

SUMMARY: The hunt is on for a mysterious and deadly scroll with the power to topple the world into chaos. Will Dr. Azira Fell, professor of Egyptology, find it in time to prevent the impending apocalypse? Or will an evil organization bent on destroying civilization find it first? To have even a chance at saving the world, he'll need to rely on the wily Anthony J. Crowley, professional guide and adventurer. But can Azira trust the inscrutable explorer, or will he lose his heart along with his life?

Or: A Good Omens Indiana Jones AU, because why not?

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford - 1935

Doctor Azira Fell hummed a few bars of Davies’ Op. 51 as he selected a couple of works from the Ashmolean library’s collection. Sunlight streaming through the clerestory window above ignited the gold-embossed lettering on the cover of a book chronicling the Ptolemaic dynasty near the end of the Hellenistic period. To Azira, who practiced knowledge the way others practiced religion, the glow seemed an omen of the treasure within.

Descending the step stool, he carried the volumes to a nearby table. He laid them as softly as possible on the polished oak and tugged the lamp chain. Then he sat in the high-backed chair, wiggling ever so slightly with the anticipation of the chase.

The passages for which he was searching would likely be buried in the usual drivel of martial accounts, rankings, and supply inventories. The Romans really were such tiresome windbags about conquest. Very few saw the forest through the trees with all their facts and figures and mind-numbing reports. Thus, it was up to Egyptologists like Dr. Azira Fell, associate faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, thank you very much, to find the occasional tree that hinted at the actual forest.

Azira took out his small, leather-bound journal, opened it to where the stub of a pencil was wedged into its pages, and began to record the call numbers of the volumes he’d selected. With any luck, he’d have a few hours uninterrupted by students to collect a handful of tidbits meriting further investigation.

“Dr. Fell!”

Azira’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly. So much for uninterrupted hours. He hadn’t even made it five minutes.

“Dr. Fell, you have to see this.”

Anathema Device, Azira’s research assistant and the first American woman to study Oriental Studies at Oxford, popped out from behind a set of nearby stacks, breathless with excitement.

“There you are,” she said. “I knew you’d be prowling around the 932s. Look at this.”

She hurried forward, holding a hardcover book open toward him. He recognized it at once as her mother’s account of her expedition to Nubia at the turn of the century, before Anathema was born. Her mother’s obsession with Egyptology inspired Anathema’s own passion for the profession.

“What is it, dear?” he said, as he took the book from her hands.

“I’ve read this entire thing cover to cover so many times, but I never noticed this before,” she said, her face alight like it always was when she made a new conceptual connection or discovery in her research.

Azira looked at the place on the page to which she was pointing, but didn’t immediately see the source of her excitement.

“I don’t understand,” he said apologetically.

She took the book back and read aloud. “In late 34 BC, authorities on behalf of Emperor Octavian claimed that Mark Antony had stolen a sacred scroll from the Library of Pergamum and gifted it to Cleopatra of Egypt as recompense for the burning of the Alexandrian scroll collection during Caesar’s Civil War.”

“Yes, but that was a false account to discredit Antony. Your mother knew that. We all know that.”

“That’s not the interesting part,” Anathema said, grinning wider. “It says a sacred scroll as in one—not many. Scholars generally accept that the rumor stated Antony gave Cleopatra something like 20,000 Pergamum scrolls. Not one sacred one.”

Azira stood up. “You think she means the scroll? The scroll about th-the—Macedonian, er—”

“The Macedonian spice route,” she finished for him with a significant look. “Yes. I think she could have meant that. Hiding an indicator in plain sight is just like her.”

He took the book from her again and traced the spidery writing with excitement. Anathema’s mother was considered the preeminent authority on all things occult during the Ptolemaic Dynasty. That’s how Anathema had come to learn of the sacred scroll in the first place, through bedtime stories her mother had told her. Azira had learned of the scroll through other means, naturally, but when each had discovered the other knew of it, they instantly formed a bond that, over the last two years, had led to a close and trusted friendship.

“There’s more,” Anathema said, eyes dancing. “I looked up sacred scroll in her index, and the page it has listed is a separate page entirely, with no mention of a sacred scroll at all.”

“Which page?”

Anathema flipped the pages while Azira held the book for her. She stopped a third of the way further forward in the book, and pointed at a sketch of statue.

“I’m betting it’s some kind of coded location. But I haven’t worked out if it’s the picture or the words or both.”

“Good lord, Anathema. Are you sure it isn’t just a misprint?”

Anathema arched a cool eyebrow at him. “My mother never made mistakes. Not when it came to her study of Egypt. Never once.”

And, of course, she was right. Azira suggesting that the book was flawed was ludicrous. He had found firsthand accounts with less historical accuracy than the meticulously researched analysis he was now holding.

“Agnes Nutter, you sly devil,” Azira said, scanning the page Anathema had indicated. “You realize this means that not only did she know where the scroll was, or at least what happened to it—“

“—she also knew it was too dange—er, valuable, I mean—historically speaking—to let fall into the wrong hands.”

Azira was too lost in thought to chastise her near slip, though heaven knew what spies lurked in the stacks, just waiting for a crumb of information to fall.

“So it does exist,” he muttered to himself. “It does exist, and its location is knowable. It has been found at least once, and if it could be found by her…”

“It can be found by people other than us. Which could be bad.”

Azira tapped his lips, turning the puzzle over in his mind as he gazed at the page. “But where to start? We can’t go haring off into the desert without a proper destination in mind, my dear. We simply can’t afford it.”

“We could ask the Egypt Exploration Fund for an investment.”

“An investment for what? We’d need to tell them what we were looking for—”

“—the Macedonian spice route—”

“—as well as actually produce something of value upon our return. We can’t excavate a ghost, Anathema. No one would subsidize that.”

“On the contrary, brother,” boomed a voice from near the staircase about ten feet away from Azira and Anathema. “We may be able to come to some arrangement.”

Gabriel, patriarch of Azira’s extended family and, regrettably, Azira’s half-brother, approached their table with a jackal’s smile.

“What kind of arrangement?” Azira said with trepidation. He didn’t trust Gabriel any farther than he could throw him, family or no.

“Well, it just so happens Mother has a keen interest in the Byzantium-antiquities trade gaining momentum in the Mediterranean region.”

“What do tourist trinkets have to do with my research on the, er, the evolution of the gastronomical trade in the early Roman Empire?”

“I think your interests overlap quite nicely with the Foundation’s objectives in this case.”

The Foundation was the philanthropic arm of the White Dove evangelical organization Azira’s extended family had founded generations ago. It used monetary inducements to attract vulnerable populations into the fold, often at the price of sacrificing their cultural identity and heritage. That’s what had pushed Azira toward Egyptology and the study of antiquities in the first place. He wanted to protect the cultures and histories and identities of the people that White Dove’s Foundation tended to erase.

“What are the Foundation’s objectives, if I may?”

“Profit, of course. Profit that can then be turned to…charitable causes.”

“And by charitable, you mean missionary, I presume?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Don’t forget that a sizable donation from the Foundation helps maintain this academic institution you love so much.”

“You still haven’t said what it is you want me to do,” Azira reminded Gabriel as Anathema slowly closed her mother’s journal and eased backward to be half-hidden behind Azira. Smart girl.

“We need you to travel to Cairo and make inroads with the traders in antiquities. You have an eye for these things. You can tell when something is worth procuring.”

“And what do you intend to do with any relics I obtain?”

“Why, resell them, of course, at a price more fair for the discerning market,” Gabriel said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the mysteries of the pharaohs have caught the imagination of others in the empire, others who happen to have the benefit of deep pockets. And why not indulge their petty interests if it encourages them to give generously to God’s chosen causes? In exchange, you could mount your expedition for your gastronomical …. whatever ... in your spare time, with our resources and our blessing.”

Azira pursed his lips, on the verge of refusing Gabriel’s request, no matter the familial consequence to himself. He didn’t need Gabriel’s blessing to go about his life, nor did he want it. If he was ever given it, he’d have to immediately examine at length whether he wanted to continue doing whatever it was that Gabriel approved of. Azira wouldn’t go so far as to classify Gabriel as evil—he was Azira’s brother after all—but if not outright malicious, then he was something just this side of it.

The refusal hovered on Azira’s tongue, despite the small nudge of a pointy elbow in his back. Anathema clearly wanted him to take the deal. But it was hardly worth the burden of being under Gabriel’s thumb again. The last time Azira had been in a similar position, it had not gone well.

“I wouldn’t know the first thing about setting up an antiquities trade, Gabriel. How would I even find these so-called traders? How would I know I could trust them to deliver a bona fide artefact?”

“No worries on that score,” he said with false amiability. He took a black card out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Azira. It simply read “Crowley,” with no address or number, only a snake sigil curled along the left-hand side. “This man is affiliated with a trusted business associate of mine. He’ll see to you, help you set up when you arrive.”

“And how do I find him, then?” Azira asked, agitated. “There are no details on this card.”

“Oh, he’ll find you,” Gabriel assured him. “Your accounts have been furnished with whatever funds you might need for travel and expenses.”

Guide or not, funding or not, Azira simply didn’t have the wherewithal to do what Gabriel was asking.

“Gabriel, I don’t think—“

Gabriel took that moment to lean into Azira’s personal space, looming over the shorter man with a deceptively mild expression.

“Listen, Sunshine. I may have understated things when I posed this as a request. You will do as I say, or I will be forced to withdraw my protection from you and my financial support from this fine academy. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Azira swallowed. Much as he’d regret the loss of the funds to the university, the larger threat lay in the euphemistic “withdraw my protection from you,” which meant far more sinister things than the words themselves invoked.

“I look forward to monitoring your progress,” Gabriel said with barely concealed contempt as he shook Azira’s hand and tipped his hat to Anathema. “And, as always, Godspeed.”

Then with a dramatic swirl of his argent coat, he took his leave.

Azira stared speechless after his brother. He hadn’t even agreed to go. But that was how White Dove, and its founding family, operated. No one was permitted to say no. Questions were forbidden unless strictly necessary. Only the most powerful family members were chosen to lead, and if those leaders dictated that something be done, it was done—end of conversation.

Azira had thought he’d escaped it by becoming an academic. For the last fifteen years, he’d managed to skirt most family engagements and nod politely at the ones he couldn’t avoid, until almost no one in the family even remembered he existed, but for the annual expense in the ledger with Oxford as the payee. Or so he’d thought. It appeared he was still very much on Gabriel’s mind, in the event that he might prove useful.

“Well, that was…something,” Anathema said, returning to her position by his side. “Is he always that pushy?”

“Most times, he’s worse,” Azira admitted glumly. Then he looked at the card in his hand, the snake sigil sending a thrill of foreboding down his spine. “Cairo.”

“Don’t look so downtrodden. This is exactly what we wanted,” Anathema said, laying a reassuring hand on his arm.

“It’s not the expedition that worries me,” Azira answered softly, tucking the card in his coat pocket. “It’s the demons we will owe when we return.”

Read Chapter 2 on AO3

Start at Chapter 1

#for the morning crowd #good omens #good omens fanfic #good omens human au #Indiana Jones AU #ineffable husbands #my GO fic #slow burn #mild hurt/comfort #see ao3 tags for more details

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taronfanfic · 5 years

Text

Glimmer

I thought I could handle it. I thought I was handling it, but the sight of you standing next to him is way too much. There’s a burning feeling deep in my heart. Anger swirled with jealousy. Lust wrapping itself around the pillar of sanity that convinced me to let you go; squeezing so hard that it crumbles to a pile of rubble at my feet and leaves me walking towards you before I have any idea how I can possibly get you alone. I need to get you alone. I just need you.

I see the smile you give him, I can hear your laugh in my head and picture the way your eyes crease as you look up at him. I know you so well that I can see you running your fingers through the ends of your hair seconds before your hand lifts to your shoulder. I know all your secrets. All your tells. I know your guard is still up around him and that gives me hope.

As I approach you, I flick the switch in my mind that hides everything. I switch myself off and let my alter ego take control. I’m confident, charming, able to conduct the room with ease and lapping up the attention like I was born to do. People love it. People love that version of me. But I know you loved the real me too and that’s not an easy thing to do. I know I didn’t make it easy either.

I greet him like everyone else. I shake his hand and then look between the pair of you and can’t help but smile sympathetically. I know instantly that he’s not your guy. He’s not making you happy, he’s not treating you like I did, but somehow you still inch yourself closer to him instead of me. There’s a part of me that’s desperate to reach out to you and pull you back to my side instead. It should be my arm around your back, my hand in yours, my lips pressing to your cheek. The anger bubbles away inside knowing you took those privileges away from me and gave them to him. Who even is he?

The story he tells is vaguely funny, but one you’ve heard too many times already. I see you switch off for a second so I take my chance, touching my little finger against yours. The smallest, most subtle move I could possibly make but the smile that erupts because of it has already made my night. Only you can make me feel so much from something so tiny. I smile back shyly. I know you know. That finger touch was one of our things. An invisible way of saying we’ve had enough, we need some space, or we want to leave early and spend the night fucking instead. Tonight it meant something new. It meant we need to talk. You reciprocate my touch and that was all the confirmation I needed.

You join me in a small back room of the grand London house less than 2 minutes later and I take a deep breath as I flick the switch back and lower my guard again, only for you.

“Thanks.” I didn’t know where else to start.

“Sometimes I hate how many things like that we had.”

“You look stunning tonight, by the way.”

“Taron,” You sigh already.

“I mean it, but I know, I know. It’s not why I pulled you to one side… I really miss you Y/N. Really. It still hurts, just like it did when you left. Nothing is changing. It’s been months and I still love you, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“Oh god, don’t. I thought we’d got through all of that. The texts, the calls, the drunk voice notes at 3am.”

“I’m so sorry. I know I was a mess and I did myself no favours by hounding you like that, but you broke my heart when you walked out. I was a fucking mess.”

“You know how much it killed me to leave you. I knew I had to break your heart and that wasn’t easy, Taron.” I could see the sincerity in your eyes as they started to prick with tears.

“You can mend it though, you can come back to me and give us a second chance.”

“I’m with Dan.” You shake your head and turn to leave but I couldn’t let you walk out on me again.

“Y/N, please. This is going to sound arrogant but he’s not right for you. I can see straight through it. He’s not coming close to making you feel as loved or cherished as I did.”

“You’re seeing what you want to see.”

“I’m seeing more than ever that we are meant to be together. I only had to touch your little finger with mine to make you smile brighter than you have done all night, and yes I’ve been watching. I’m utterly obsessed with you, head over heels in love with you and desperate to get you back. I know what we had before wasn’t perfect, we’re human – we make mistakes, but that’s what forgiveness is for. If we weren’t meant to forgive, we wouldn’t have a word for it, right?”

“Forgiveness is just the start. It was messy as fuck with you Taron, and I wanted a clean break. I wanted my own space. Time to think and breathe and remember who I was before you. To find out who I am after you.”

“And what have you found? … Dan.” I laugh when I should have listened. I see your face turn, your eyes roll and then the pity descend. I’ve fucked it. Again.

“Yes, Dan. Someone kind, warm, genuine, caring and sweet. Someone who looks after me and puts me first.”

“But also bores you stiff and doesn’t have you screaming his name when he sometimes manages to makes you come.”

“It’s not all about sex.” I wasn’t sure why you were still giving me the time of day. I wasn’t sure why Dan hadn’t come to find where you’d got to, but I also wasn’t going to start complaining.

“We weren’t all about sex. My best memories with you have nothing to do with sex, but the fact the sex was amazing just shows how well we understood each other. We could say everything with a look or a touch – we still can going by tonight.”

“You don’t just forget those things. You can’t forget someone in the space of a few months.”

“You can’t stop loving them either, and believe me, I’ve tried.”

“So have I.”

I try to swallow but my mouth is still open and my throat is dry. Did you really just say that? I reach out for your hand as I try desperately to find any words, preferably the right ones but I’ll take whatever comes. I feel how soft your skin is, I remember how perfectly your hand fits in mine and I see the look on your face as your heart misses the exact same beat as mine.

“You still feel it too.”

“Part of me will always love you, Taron.”

“So come back to me.” I tug you in closer and feel the warmth of your chest resting against mine. “Leave him and come back to me. Let me show you how much I love you.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes you can.”

“I care a lot about Dan.”

“But where is he now? He let you walk out the room following your ex and he’s still not come to find you. I think that says it all, Y/N.”

“Yeah, it does.” You step back from me and drop my hand. “He trusts me, even around you. He’s confident in himself and with what we have, even though it’s still early days. He gives me space to be my own person, make my own decisions and live my own life how I want to. Everything we had was way too intense. Yes it was passionate, fiery, fast-paced and we loved each other like we’d never loved anyone before. But it was too much, Taron. It consumed me entirely and left me feeling so isolated.”

“Then we’ll change things.” I croak bleakly. There’s nothing I can do to stop the quivering of my bottom lip or the blurring in my eyes as the tears well up.

“We can’t. We’re done, Taron. Please just let me go.”

“But I love you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Y/N?” I call after you as you open the door and return to the party, but it’s too late. The ache from my heart overpowers everything and I collapse down to my knees. I didn’t think it was possible to feel any worse but that felt like the end. The very end and not just the start of it.

Request: I have a request for Taron where he and the reader broke up (you can decide why) and he's a total mess about it. He sees her with her new guy at some event and gets her alone being like 'You should be with me not him' and begs her to take him back? As angsty as possible please

#taron egerton #taron egerton imagine #taron egerton fanfiction #taron egerton fanfic #taron x reader

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shadi612 · 5 years

Text

Happy Valentine's Day, darling pandom! Here's my (very belated) remix of UC and a little bit of a gift for my favourite fandom

AO3 (x) (1/?)

(I found love) Where it wasn't supposed to be

“What a scam”

This is not how she wanted to spend Valentine’s Day. Or any other fucking day for that matter.

Because you see in all her twenty-four years on this earth she never had to do this before. Not even as a stupid sixteen-year-old schoolgirl. She’s never been careless (Not with this).

Then again, she never expected she would be:

A) In the middle of bloody Maine. B) In love with one of the town’s most dangerous men. C) Standing in front of a whole aisle of pregnancy tests on bloody Valentine’s Day, of all days. D) All of the above.

And you might ask Why she’s here on valentine’s day if she was in a long-term relationship with a man that never passed an opportunity to show her off to the town? Because said man had texted her that afternoon with a quick apology that their night of “debauchery and other vices” would have to wait and some rambling about an urgent job that she hadn’t paid much attention to as she texted Matthew back to let him know she wasn’t too devastated about it. Her mind was too busy worrying about other things, namely whenever or not she should get a very specific item from the pharmacy.

Which brings her back to the same thought again and again: These things are expensive.

Really expensive.

They were overpriced pee sticks, for crying out loud. And what's the difference between them? Paying an extra five dollars wasn’t going to change the outcome, was it?

She's not dumb or delusional, as the townspeople would often refer to her behind her back. Jill knows the signs that have obnoxiously hung over her head these past few days.

She's late. Three and a half weeks late. It's far too much time for her to blame it on stress (and wouldn't you be stressed if you shared your life with Matthew? Stress had become a default mode for her mind and body during the last two years. And, sadly, this wasn’t one of those times when it would go as easily as it had come.)

Add in a newfound state of fatigue mixed with a persistent soreness on her chest and the ever-suspicious bouts of nausea at unexpected moments and you'll get yourself a big, red flag. If someone came up to Jill and told her that these things had been happening to them, the first words out of her mouth would be “congratulations”. The sincerity of her words would depend on who that poor soul was.

But she also knows she’s not pregnant because being pregnant would unleash hell on her life. She’s buying the test so she can finally get Arabella off her back.

(“Oh, sweetheart” Bella’s voice had rumbled across the bookshop’s bathroom three days ago with a hint of ever-present sarcasm mixed with genuine concern.

“I used to be a nun. I know a girl in trouble when I see one” Jill had only managed to throw her a quick glare before emptying her stomach on the sink for the second time in less than four hours).

She would take the bloody test and get it over with and then maybe she would grab some Gatorade and crackers to soothe the persistent stomach bug that’s been ruining her mood for weeks (because that’s all there is to it. A bloody stomach bug).

"Close your eyes and think of England" she spits between clenched teeth before knocking a few tests into her basket with an impressive amount of determination.

She can do this.

Isn’t this some sort of milestone for your twenties? Going on a drinking binge, getting an apartment, a pregnancy scare and only a scare…

These are normal things.

For the sake of appearances, she adds in some magazines and nail polish to her basket. She's under no illusion that this little piece of gossip won't be all over town in a near future but Jill's incredibly adept at playing pretend by now. And when she’s proven right (because she’s not pregnant. She commands herself not to be pregnant) the buzz will die down on its own accord if she just decides to not care about it in the first place.

The waiting line's short, even for Storybrooke. Jill easily spots Mister Gold and David Nolan ahead of her in the queue line, one of her hands reaching for the magazine she had taken before and she eyes it without much interest while partially listening to them. Maybe it would help her calm down.

“Two Valentines. Sounds like a complicated life.

“Oh, no, I-I just couldn't decide.”

So that was still going on, surprising absolutely no one.

Her ears filter out most of the men’s conversation once her eyes landed on the rather … colourful items the pawnbroker held on his own basket. She does not need that particular mental image. But there’s nothing else to do so she entertains her frayed nerves with some colourful and hilarious what ifs during the queue line in another attempt to calm down until the two men are out of her sight.

Mister Clark smiles at Jill when her turn comes and he’s a sweet man, she knows that much about him but the feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach keeps getting worse and worse by the minute. She’s on the verge of running and just sending this entire thing to hell so she can go back to denial land when he offers her the bag with a smile. Idly she asks herself if pharmacists have their own version of a Hippocratic oath when he doesn’t comment anything about her peculiar purchase.

“Miss? Are you-”

“I’m fine” Her voice comes out rushed and squeaky as she hands him the money and politely tells him to keep the change. If the man has anything to say about her behaviour she doesn’t hear him while she sprints for the exit door like a red-handed thief.

The buzzing sounds of the streets make her peacefully numb to the outside world, just her and her spiralling thoughts walking into the night.

II.

Jill stumbles into the empty apartment with a heavy heart, a queasy stomach and feeling incredibly grateful that nobody can see the mess she’s now with her shaky hands and laboured breaths.

She’s not afraid, she’s panicking.

God, she can’t be pregnant.

What is she supposed to do with a child? She had been the only child born to two parents that cared more about the status their little bundle of joy would bring them than they did for the girl herself. What kind of mother could she ever become if she had grown up starved for love and attention from the two people that were supposed to give it to her unconditionally?

And what about the father? Maybe she could learn to love the child and avoid the mistakes her own parents had made with her but what about him?

He loves her, she knows that much.

He loves her in a possessive, passionate way that easily veers into obsession. An obsession she returns fully. But it’s the kind of love that could easily drown them both if they weren’t careful.

Nobody around them thinks they’re going to make it. They’re each other’s ruin they said. And god, she knows they’re doomed in so many ways, how bad they’re for each other in other ways but she also knows she’s happy. She’s so fucking happy.

He makes me happy is all that comes to her mind when she looks down to her white-knuckled hands gripping the bag on her lap.

There's a ring on her finger.

It's simple but elegant and she found it a few weeks ago in one of her drawers, tucked inside a black velvet box resting peacefully between her earrings and one of his watches.

Jill had grown used to these tidbits of random affection, little presents and colourful boxes popping up around her as tokens of affection, so with a sigh of exasperated fondness she grabbed the box and opened the lid with giddy fingers. It could be a new necklace to replace the one she had lost a few days ago. Or maybe a nice bracelet to go with her pearl earrings…

This was different.

The ring’s cut was not the one you would find in a casual gift. It was far too elegant and well thought of. This type of cut worked for a very specific situation.

He wouldn’t, would he?

Jill had sat on the bed for a good five minutes inspecting every inch of the ring before marching over to the living room where Matthew was sitting in the kitchen island with a cup of steaming coffee on one hand and the paper in the other. He wasn’t going to propose, of course he wasn’t. He wasn’t the “marrying kind” like Mrs. Redford used to say with an unhappy scrunch of her nose but for the sake of Jill’s mental peace she needed him to say it himself.

“Morning, darling” his eyes looked up before she had fully sat down in front of him, a smirk planted firmly on his face when he noticed how Jill held the ring at arms length as if its mere proximity burned her.

His face gave nothing away, just pure smugness.

Typical, she huffed and slid the box across the table to him. She would be as stubborn as him if she needed to.

"Well?"

"It's yours"

Yours.

It was her ring because he was proposing to her.

The frown on her face deepened as she stared distastefully at the ring on the table. He was doing it to drive her mad, she was sure of it. Only Matthew would be capable of turning a proposal into a headache. Couldn’t he be a grown-up about this? Couldn’t he have the guts to at least decently ask her Would you marry me?

No big romantic gestures needed, just a simple question.

"You're proposing to me?" Matthew raised an eyebrow at her, obviously amused at her reaction "You can't" she replied quickly as she realized she didn’t want to know his answer after all.

The frown on his face told her he wasn’t pleased with the situation either.

"Why not?" And now he was pulling the surprised card, acting like this kind of behaviour was acceptable. That she was being irrational by not understanding and playing along with it.

"Because!"

“Use your words, love” Matthew was even willing to throw her own words against her, leaving her to scold at him in disapproval. She hadn’t brought up the idea of marriage once, not even as a joke. This was all on him.

Well, he could take his precious ring and shove it.

“You’re impossible”

“So I’ve been told” God, he was never going to take a single thing seriously in his life and she was stupid to think he would. Jill huffed out her anger and disappointment when she stood up, fully intending to lock herself in their room for the rest of the day or find something appropriate to throw against a wall to let out her frustration before strong arms wrapped around her waist and pressed her against his chest, effectively keeping her in the spot.

“I don’t feel like playing anymore, Matthew” She squirmed against him, slapping his hands away in a useless attempt to free herself.

“I know that being with me it’s not easy. That I’m not an easy person” his breath was hot and soft against the shell of her ear, making her squirming worse when he wouldn’t budge.

Damn him, damn him to hell and back for doing this to her

“But you must know that nobody ever had me the way you do” she had stopped fidgeting at the last part of his speech.

Jill knew. She knew perfectly well that he would kill anyone that ever wronged her and would burn the world if she asked for it. And she knew that for her (and her only) he was trying not to. He was trying to at least control himself for her like she was willing to let herself be free for him.

And she wasn’t about to say that she regretted it.

This man would be her downfall in the same way she would be his. He would make her crumble to ashes and rise again time after time with only the idea of them as an anchor.

He must have taken her silence as an invitation to slip the ring into her left hand and kiss the nape of her neck to put an end to their argument.

Jill couldn’t find the words quick enough as she turned on her heels to face him so she nodded slowly with a watery smile as her own promise of a forever finally slipped past her lips quietly “And nobody will have me the way you do, Matthew”.

(She did not cry, there just was a twinkle in her eyes as his lips kissed her like she was the air and he was suffocating)

This was her life now. With every messy decision and uncertain step she had taken in the last two years she –and only she- had sealed her fate with the golden band on her finger.

They said pick your poison so I chose you.

And maybe Jill is plenty of things but she’s always been someone capable of taking responsibility for her actions and her screw-ups, so she forces herself to walk into the bathroom to bite the bullet and face the music.

She lasts all of ten seconds before she throws the bag in the cabinet under the sink as far as it’ll go and fifteen before she calls Bella in the middle of what’s probably a panic attack.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up” The one time she needs Bella is the one time she decides to put her phone away.

It goes straight to voicemail the three times she rings her up and all it manages to do is frustrate her to the point she’s about to pull her hair off when she throws the phone on the couch.

Wonderful, just bloody wonderful.

Bella was going to owe her one and Jill was going to cash in that check big time once she was done panicking.

The dramatic schoolgirl she once was possesses her the moment she reaches over for a cushion to scream her frustration into a good five times before her responsible adult self kicks off the girl into the back of her mind and marches her self-pitying self into the bathroom.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.

The words on her head are a pattern. It’s something methodical she can relay into and distract herself as she goes through the motions the test requires.

She doesn’t think she could have done it if she didn’t distract her mind. Any other time she would chastise herself for using such a cliché but those two minutes until her phone alarm buzzes are the longest wait on her life. The entire experience feels surreal to her, as if she was watching someone else sitting at the edge of the bathtub and stare at the test on the counter with everything else happening at both slow motion and fast-forwarding before her eyes when she stares at the test on her shaky hands.

It’s positive.

III.

The pink line stares back, mocking her.

“Fuck”

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

She wants to laugh. That was exactly what had gotten her here.

How could she be so stupid? They didn't use condoms every single time anymore and she had been off the pill for almost a year. This sort of thing was bound to happen.

So here she is, sitting on the edge of the bathtub at 2:00 am staring at a positive pregnancy test. Same test she’s been staring at sporadically for at least two hours now in between puking her guts out and cursing everything she can think of, said test among them.

The positive test. It's positive because she's pregnant. She's pregnant. Jill Redford is pregnant. She's carrying Matthew Kensington’s child and-

Matthew.

Matthew's going to be a father and that's a new load of information she needs to process.

Blimey.

Matthew is...

Well, he’s her Matthew. He's fire and impulsiveness and wildness packed in with a mop of brown curls and green eyes.

He's also ten years her senior, for crying out loud. This isn't the first time she's reminded of that fact but right now it perches itself on her shoulders like a heavy burden as she stares down at the stupid little stick on her hands. Matthew is thirty-three to her twenty-four. He must have thought about this sort of things, right?

Oh, who is she kidding?.

Matthew is not the first person that comes to mind when she thinks of father material. He's not on her top five. Not even on her top fifty.

She loves him. She loves him against every reasonable impulse she has. And because she loves him she knows that parents are a delicate subject.

("They were gone one day. Vanished on thin air and never came back" Those were the only things that came up about the subject during one of their late night talks. Lucky, Arabella and his boys had become the family he needed after a rather peculiar childhood at the orphanage. A patchwork family she now was part of. She had no interest in knowing about people that had hurt him and he had no interest in sharing it.)

And oh god, Matthew and a child that will rely on him for guidance and love and to teach them the difference between right and wrong? Don’t make her laugh.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. She can’t think about this now. She can’t think about how deeply fucked they are at this moment.

She needs to find a way out of this. The first thing that comes to mind in her desperate state is that if she’s not pregnant then she doesn’t have to worry. Tests gave out false positives all the time, so if she took another one and it came out negative then she wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Problem solved!

Half a gallon of water and three positive pregnancy tests later she’s back to square one. Also known as “completely fucked” and “up the duff”.

An upset sob comes out from the back of her throat once she slides down to the bathroom floor. It was useless. She can’t avoid it any longer and she’s so upset at everything that all she can do is let the frustrated tears run down her face freely with her arms wrapped around her knees.

#darling pan #darling pan fanfiction #ouat fanfiction #i've been posting sneak peaks of this forever so here we go #Universal Constants #Universal Constants Remix #Wendy Darling #peter pan #cursed!AU #my writing

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goodjobmiranda · 6 years

Text

A logicallity gift for Tabitha because she’s trash.

Hope you’re ready. I started this forever ago and only just now finished it.

Logicallity Oneshot

Words: 2,789

I don’t think there’s any warnings, it’s mostly just Logan panicking over how gay he is

Beauty: a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.

Beautiful: pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.

Simple concepts, Logan thought.

He always preferred the term 'aesthetically pleasing' over the word 'Beautiful' due to nothing in his life being more than just satisfying. The world around him was simply there, a fact of life. If he sometimes found males to be objectively more stimulating to look at then females, if he found certain dark and cool colors more pleasing to the eye if the night sky momentarily made him pause in awe and wonder then he would accept that this is the limit of beauty for someone like him.

Beauty is mostly pointless anyway.

He was content living in his dull colored world. Until he wasn't anymore.

It was frustrating, irritating, infuriating, aggregating. It should have been a normal day, it should have been plain and easy as any other day. "Let's try that new bakery this morning." He thought. "It would save time making breakfast." He thought.

He should have stayed in bed.

How was he supposed to know that upon entering the small shop named, "Patton's Pattries." That his entire world would shake and crumble before him.

It was falsely routine to walk up to the counter, wait in a short line. He was glancing through his emails on his phone until it was his turn to step up and order. He had simply looked up from his cell to order a blueberry muffin, it wasn't supposed to be hard.

But for the first time in his short meaningless life, he felt like he could truly see color. Sky blue eyes shining behind glasses that looked suspiciously similar to his and a bright smile that could put the sun to shame had stolen his words from his throat. A cheery voice that could rival an angels song speaking to him.

"Heya Pal! I'm Patton, ready to be the apple of your eye!" 'Patton' winked as he held up an apple fritter. Logan would of been ashamed of how long he stared at the man being the counter if his brain could function enough to process time at that moment but his heart pounded in his chest. He could feel his face heating up as his stomach did flips inside him. He couldn't look away but he feared he was about to be sick because the sight of this man alone made his stomach do flips.

A horrible stabbing feeling shot through his chest when he saw Patton's smile fade slightly, how could is dim like this but still be the brightest thing in the room? "Sir? Sir, you need to breathe- please." That chiming voice rang through his head again. He has to force his lungs to work, sucking in a sharp breath that nearly makes him dizzy.

His thoughts slightly return to him, he can tell he's making a scene, eyes watching him with confusion and worry. As a man of logic, he did the only proper thing someone as intelligent as him could think of.

He ran.

He dashed straight out the door and back to his home where he nearly broke the locks on his door out of frustration. His hands shake violently as he reaches into his pocket for his phone, he needs to call into work. He can't go in while he's like this but he can't find the stupid device-

Oh no.

He was holding it in the shop, did he drop it? It must still be there, the man must have picked it up. He can picture it now, Logan's phone in his hand as he stares at the door in confusion. "What a freak." This 'Patton' must be thinking, a frown on his sun-kissed face. He might be angry too, Logan did just walk in and interrupt his business. Maybe he's calling the police to- No. That wouldn't make sense. Logan has to force himself to breathe once more, to remind himself that while he likely didn't make the best first impression that he didn't actually do anything wrong.

Patton, along with the rest of the customers in the little shop would likely be concerned for a bit before moving on with their lives and forgetting Logan ever existed.

Logan at this point fell onto his couch, draping his arm over his eyes. All he could see though was that man, he could stare at the freckles across his face longer he could the stars. How he would love to map them, to learn and memorize every dot across that man's skin. He felt like he would forever long to run his fingers through Patton's curly hair, watch the short waves mimic the ocean in the breeze.

That man...

That man is beautiful.

Logan hates him, he realizes. He hates him with a passion he didn't know he could experience. What else could this sickly feeling be? A feeling that leaves him feeling restless with a physical ache inside his chest.

He hates those eyes that made him question if the sky was a duller blue.

He hated those glasses that looked way too similar to his own yet somehow looked better on Patton.

He hated those freckles that stole away his passion for the stars.

He hated that smile that made the sun seem dim in comparison.

He hated that a stupid pun was the first he heard from that angelic voice

He hated that he probably ruined any chance to even speak with Patton again.

It was weeks later, he decided just to get a new phone and take a longer way to work to avoid that shop. Logan's exhausted, he couldn't so much as close his eyes without seeing the cute man from the pastry stop. He couldn't eat without feeling sick to his stomach after, his world was supposed to be gray and dark and predictable but now he's a mess. His boss had all but forced him to take some time off, years of constantly working over time lead to a lot of vacation hours apparently.

Logan knows that they were trying to help him but it felt more like this was a punishment, how dare he start to feel. How could he not be over it by now?

With a long sigh Logan forces himself to sit up from his bed, he will not fall out of routine just because he doesn't have anything to do. He gets dressed and heads out of his house, down a familiar street. Each step towards the dreaded bakery fills him with a burning rage. He can't live like this, he must confront the root of the issue before it tears apart his life.

He nearly throws open the door to the scene of the crime, the man behind the counter jumps and looks at him. Logan is slightly grateful that the shop is empty as he walks to the front counter, he's not sure what he about to say in his wrath but it gets caught in his throat when he sees Patton quickly rub away tears from his eyes and put on that smile that's been haunting his dreams.

"Oh uh- Hello! How may I help you?" Patton is so much quieter then Logan remembers, the slight tremble in his voice shaking Logan to his core.

"I-I uh-" Shit, he forgot how to speak again. All the anger that built up inside him melted away the moment he saw tears on the baker's face. "Phone?" He manages to choke out.

He can see the confusion in Patton's eyes before that spark of realization. "Oh! It's you! Are you um... Were you okay? I have a friend that gets anxiety attacks like that sometimes..." He simply reaches under the counter and slides Logan's old phone to him, the battery is likely dead and it's already useless but it excuses Logan presence here.

He can't deny the huge relief that fills him when he knows that Patton doesn't judge him for running out suddenly. Even if Logan was sure that was a perfectly natural reaction and not an anxiety attack. "Yes, I was just-" Logan clears his throat. "I am fine now but... Are you?" He doesn't know why he's asking, normally he would avoid asking about anyone's feelings.

Patton's giggle chimes through his being but he doesn't let it distract him from the fact the baker's smile is forced wider. "I'm feeling just peachy!" He looks at Logan for a moment before speaking again. "You wouldn't know but I was making a peach cobbler earlier and- nh-nevermind." Logan almost jumps over the counter separating them when Patton stares down at the ground, he has enough self-control left to remind him that it's questionably legal to do that.

Logan shoves his old phone into his pocket as someone else enters the pastry shop, he feels like he's ready to murder the stranger but Patton's smile becomes a little less fake as he greets the old woman coming in. Logan steps to the side for a moment to allow her to order though it seems like he doesn't need to as Patton already has brownies put aside for her. The seconds feel like hours as Logan tries to be patient, the woman leaves soon enough and Logan is back in front of the counter.

He comes to the realization quite suddenly, this feeling isn't hate. It must be some sort of obsession, some sort of infatuation with this man.

Oh god.

Oh god no.

"I have a crush..." He mutters under his breath, completely forgetting said crush was standing right in front of him and now giving him a strange look.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?" Patton's voice is what slaps him out of his shock.

There are a million different ways Logan could handle this. He could inquire why Patton was crying, he could offer some sort of comfort, he could just make light conversation or order something, maybe get Patton's number.

"I-" Just play it cool, Logan's the master of his emotions. They barely affect him anyway, he is a cold and collected robot. "You- uh... Wh-we have the sa-same glasses." He stuttered out, wincing slightly as his voice cracks. He can feel the burning hot shame on the back of his neck, how can he be so stupid? What the hell- Oh.

Oh.

All Logan's embarrassment is replaced with a strange warm feeling in his chest as Patton's face lights up, he looks like a child that just got a puppy. "Oh my gosh! We do! That's so cool!" Patton pulls off his own glasses to look at them and Logan side by side, soft giggles that make the butterflies in Logan's stomach go rabid. "We could totally match!"

Perfect, this is the perfect opportunity to be smooth and drop in a pickup line or something horribly cheesy like that but still displays the taller man's interest. "Yh-yeah, I mean, yeah. Bye." But Logan blows it.

He flees from the pastry shop once more, though to Logan's credit he didn't create too much of a scene this time though Patton is likely to think Logan is strange but at least he seems to not hate him. Logan may have a chance, after all, assuming he isn't about to attempt to woo a straight man. He supposes if all fails Logan can just avoid that street for the rest of his lifespan.

A week later Logan stands outside the pastry shop with a carefully wrapped bouquet, waiting for it to close at 5 pm. He keeps glancing at his watch, 4:57 pm. He's minutes away, he just needs that last god damn customer to leave so that he can enter 'woo' Patton. He's getting impatient and his nerves are starting to take over but he won't let himself run away this time, he spent hours researching flowers and then driving to flower shops to buy the right ones.

The small bell that signals the door opening gets Logan moving, finally, finally Logan can enter the small shop. He clumsily hides the flowers behind his back as he steps in, greeted by that smile that's been haunting him at night. "Oh, hey again! I didn't think you would come back, shame because I'd love to be close to you~" He laughs softly. "But we are just about to close I'm afraid..." He says with a crooked smile, leaning over the counter.

Logan thought he was nervous before, now he's sure his heart is about to explode on him. "Yes, I um- I'm aware but I just, uh..." His hands are getting gross and clammy from his death grip on the flowers. Oh god, he's crushing the flowers! In his panic he pulls them from behind his back and shoves them at the poor confused shop owner, Patton barely reacting in time to keep the bouquet from falling to the ground. "Ah! Oh, I-I'm sorry! That- that was more force then I intended- I-"

A gentle hand touches his arm, pulling him from his spiraling thoughts. Logan looks up to see Patton smiling at him. "It's okay, no need to start petaling into a panic." Patton says with a wink before his expression softens, looking down at the flowers in his arms." They're beautiful flowers... Is there any reason they were thrown at my face though?"

"Oh, yes!" Logan straightens his back at that, he rehearsed this part. "I mean no... I didn't mean to throw it..." He can do this. The taller man takes a deep breath to calm himself down before he starts speaking. "That re- That flower there is a Gloxinia, it... It symbolizes love, at first sight, I was so- I was immensely overwhelmed when I met you that... The Gloxinia fits." Logan could feel himself getting choked up again, everything feeling way too hot. "The orange rose for fascination, I have not been able to get you out of my head since I first saw you... That leads to the red carnations, they represent my heart aching for you." He pauses a moment to clear his throat, keep calm and breathe. "And that, that little white and yellow flower are a uh- a Jonquil. It means a desire for you to return my feel- my affection."

Logan chances a glance at Patton, seeing the smaller males face entirely red as he stares at him with wide eyes. They make eye contact with each other for a moment before Patton looks down at the flowers again and frowns slightly. "What about this one? It's a... What are they called? I see them around a lot." He asks, looking back to Logan.

Logan can feel a small tug at his lips, the barest smile sneaking onto his lips. "It's a peony... Because peonies are gay." The amount of pride that fills him when Patton let's out a shocked laugh is unbelievable, his laughter infecting Logan and making him chuckle slightly. The baker's giggles easing some of the tension in the taller man's shoulders. "I understand if this is a... A bit strange. I completely understand if you need time to consider or even do not wish to engage in such romantic activities with me, of course. I will respect your decisions and leave you be if you are perhaps put off by my actions... I shouldn't have done this at your work, this is highly unprofessional, isn't it? I'm sorry for any inconveniences-"

"What's your name?" Patton's voice cuts off his mini-rant, leaving him confused for a moment before he realized.

He never gave Patton his name. "Logan, my name is Logan Berry." He shifts to make sure he's standing straight has he holds out his hand for the other to shake.

Patton doesn't shake his hand, instead taking his hand and holding it gently. "Well, Mr Logan Berry. Would you like to accompany me to dinner?" The baker asks with that smile that melts Logan's soul.

"Very much so, yes."

Virgil sat on the couch, eating ice cream as Patton practically danced around the room while going through the details of his date with the guy that freaked out and left his phone a month or two ago. "Okay, wait." The darkly dressed man raised his spoon at Patton. "You're telling me the reason that guy ran out of your shop was that he thought you were hot and he panicked?"

Patton's giggle filled the air as he nodded, face still red from his excitement.

"Oh my god, mood." Virgil huffs a laugh and shoves another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, letting his friend continue to gush.

#Miranda's fanfics #logicality #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #gay panic #don't quote me on the flowers #i don't know what im doing

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omg-foreverfilledwithweird-posts · 6 years

Text

When Playing with Fire, You’re Bound to Get Burned (Loki X Reader)

Summary: You and Loki have begun to grow close over the last week or so, Thor and Steven are still gone and it’s been you and him in the tight quarters of the main library, reading together on the couches with palpable tension and desire between the two of you that both of you are oblivious to. But what will happen when the two of you decide to play a little game?

Author’s Note: I’ve fallen in love with this series, I just can’t help myself from updating, even when it’s this late at night. Inspiration strikes at the most inopportune times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, I hope you guys love it cause I LOVE writing this :) stay tuned for the next few parts and as always: ENJOY! (I’M SORRY IT’S SO SHORT!) (AND IT’S SO LATE SO I’M TIRED)

Tags: @orighami @lokislittlefangirl @amor67figment-love @fire-in-her-veinz

Warning: Naughty Loki ;), flirting FLIRTING FLIRTING, so many sexual references, I’m not even sorry, a little angst cause I savor drama, and major fluffity fluff

You’ve laid down across Loki’s lap, your head resting on his long legs, the Great Gatsby tucked between your fingers, clutching it to your chest when you get to your favorite part of the novel. Loki watches you with a softness in his alluring green and blue eyes, you can never make up your mind of which color they are, so you’ve decided to say both, never knowing which one fits him best.

“What are you thinking about, love?” he leans back against the couch cushion, lifting his eyes from his book to chance a glance at you and your beautiful smile.

“Mm,” you hum happily, looking at him from where you lay with a big, bright grin. “I love this quote from the book.”

“You sound so passionate when you talk about literature, darling, your face is lighting up,” he notices with a warm expression. “Do you write?”

“When I was younger I would,” you reminisce, sighing contently, smiling at the far off memories playing through your mind. “I had this little spot... in my backyard, under my favorite tree, a willow tree, and I would sit there...” you pause to laugh lightly. “And just bring out my journal, scribbling outlandish fairy tales about mythical creatures and true love. I barely even knew what love was at that age... too bad all of it was destroyed in the fire, I bet reading it would have been hilarious,” you laugh, but it comes out sadder than you intended.

His embrace on you tightens when he sees your frown, “Don’t discount yourself, love,” he says, an amused tone in his words despite his reassurance. “Who knows, young (y/n) could have been the next Hemingway...”

“Oh, God no, comparing me to him is an insult to his craft, I’m nowhere near as talented,” you shake your head with a smile. “Besides, I haven’t written in so long.”

He shakes his head, wondering how someone as astonishing as you could think so little of yourself, “Writing, my dear, is like riding a bike, once you learn, you never forget how to do it, and with practice, you get better and better,” he explains, setting his book down next to him on the small table beside you two.

“Read the quote to me, kitten,” he whispers, shifting you so that he’s laying down and your laying with the back of your head against his hard, surprisingly muscular chest. His hands found your hair, playing with it lazily, desperately needing to touch you in anyway he can, even if it’s not the way he truly wants.

You raise your eyebrows, “Are you sure?” you ask him, turning to look him in the eye, not finding any doubts or hesitance in them. Or he’s just very good at hiding it. “I don’t want to bore you.”

“(Y/N)...” he whispers, rolling his eyes with a graciously soft smile, catching you off guard. “The next time you say something about yourself that is other than only good things, I will knock you off this couch.”

“You wouldn’t,” you scoff.

“Don’t you know who you’re talking to, love? I am the god of tricks, I can do far worse if so is requested or deserved,” he says with a slight raise of his brow, a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Requested?” you can’t help but grin at the insinuation. “Perhaps I should begin reading before I take you up on that offer.”

Loki shifts beneath you, clenching his jaw, holding himself tightly as unholy thoughts fill his mind again, all of which you star in. He couldn’t possibly imagine you ever sharing his affections for you, he only thinks your harmless flirting is just apart of your friendly banter, not that you care for him as well. In his mind, he’s still the monster people think of him as, not how you really see him. After getting to know him, you now see him as kind, warm, gentle, if not mischievous and an expert at manipulation and smirking, always winking slyly from across the room at you.

You might just say you are slowly falling for him.

He laughs nervously, “Just read, darling.”

“Alright, fine,” you roll your eyes, opening the book back up to the spot you’re looking for, skimming your finger over the printed words. You smile once you find it, “’There I was, way off my ambitions, getting deeper in love every minute, and all of a sudden I didn’t care,’” you whisper, your sweet, velvet like voice nearly lulling Loki to sleep.

Loki wraps his arms around you, shaking his head, “How tragic.”

“Tragic?” you ask. “It’s beautiful, not tragic. Shakespeare is tragic. When I read this, all I hear is new beginnings and accepting love from not only others but alsop herself.”

“What I hear is someone falling in love with someone who’s party obsessed, arrogant, foolish, and only ends up being murdered in the end, it’s tragic. She’s fallen for the wrong person, down the wrong path, and it only ends in heartbreak and disaster.”

You spin yourself around, laying face up on him now, resting your chin against his chest, “You’re only seeing half the picture here, not what the author wants you to see, now that you have to look for. Gatsby only throws these parties in an attempt to get Daisy’s attention and have her attend them, he’s parading all the wrong things, but that’s only because he’s human and he’s used to the people in his lives only be attracted to his wealth, not him. She’s the first that defies that,” you lay out for him, hand gestures and all. “I think it’s beautiful.”

Loki smiles, tongue in cheek, an action that cause heat to pool into the pit of your stomach and a blush in your cheeks, “I’ve always prided myself in being insightful and intelligent, but it seems I’ve been beaten for the title.”

“You’ve met your match, Loki Lafeuyson,” you return his kind smile, tucking your hands beneath your chin, fluttering your lashes teasingly.

“Indeed I have,” he agrees, realizing now just how far he’s fallen.

“So what do we do now?” you ask him, his fingers tracing light circles into your thin, t-shirt clad back.

He runs his hand closer to where the clasp of your bra lays, idly fiddling with the lace of your brassiere, meeting your eyes for only a moment. A smirk filled with enough sin to lead anyone astray graces his delightfully pink lips, your breath catching at the sight of it.

He takes notice of this and his smirk only widens, a hand sliding down to grip your waist, eliciting a small whimper from you, “Mm, kitten, the noises you make when I touch you are absolutely sinful...”

“Loki...” you warn him, afraid of what you’ll start if he continues, lips curling when his hand slips beneath your shirt, his cool hands contrasting against your red hot skin.

“Darling...” he purrs and just his voice alone is enough to almost send you over the edge, to the point of no return. He meets your eyes for a moment, as if asking for permission for this little game the two of you are about to play, you nod before thinking better of it, heat creeping up the back of your neck at his impish smile.

He reaches your back and expertly, yet agonizingly slow, unclasps the hook and slips your bra out from underneath your shirt, tossing it onto the floor.

“That was impressive,” you say and it’s your turn to smile with your tongue in your cheek, feeling suddenly exposed in front of him even with a shirt on. But the two of you constantly undress each other with your eyes.

“Oh, love, you haven’t seen nothing yet,” he whispers in the quiet room, flipping the two of you over so he’s on top of you, one hand holding himself above you, positioned in between your legs.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Loki,” you whisper coolly, chest heaving with each inhale and exhale of breath.

“The only way I know how,” he winks, scanning your body with darkened eyes, licking his bottom lip, watching you squirm beneath him. “What are you doing to me, kitten?”

“I’m only returning the favor,” you smile, rolling your hips against his, satisfied when you see the way he grits his teeth and closes his eyes from just your touch.

“Naughty, naughty girl,” he purrs, shaking his head with a low chuckle.

“I’ve learned from the best,” you respond smugly.

“You certainly have,” he muses, flashing another criminal smile.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Loki,” you tell him, one hand reaching up to cup the side of his face.

He leans into your touch, kissing the inside of your palm sweetly, “I’m not the one that did, darling.”

“You’re saying I did?” you laugh. “By slapping you?”

“I’m not ashamed to admit I was hooked from the beginning, my pet,” he smiles, dipping down to place tender kisses against the soft skin of your neck, making you gasp at the sensation of his cold lips on your body. “I’m enchanted by you, in all ways possible.”

“It seems the spell I cast on you has worked, it was my plan all along,” you tease him with a small laugh, inhaling sharply once more when he begins to nip and suck and bite on the hollow of your collarbone. That would surely leave a mark in the coming days. You know that’s what he wants, to mark you as his, his territory. The thought excited you. Being his. You can’t believe how good he is at this, so easily making you beg for more and grovel at his feet.

“I really hope your joking, darling,” he teases back. “But I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you weren’t.”

You breathe out a laugh. “I guess you’ll never know then,” you raise an eyebrow when he breaks away to look at you. His striking eyes wash over you, paired with another gorgeous smirk. Those eyes fall on your lips, and he darts his tongue out to wet his own.

“Are you going to kiss me, Loki?” you ask softly, taking his face in your hands again, drawing small circles with your thumb on his cheek.

“I want to, believe me. Desperately,” he says, breath catching when you meet his eyes, he fumbles for the right words. “But... are you sure?” he breaks his gaze away from your slightly parted lips, willing himself to look elsewhere. “Because-”

“Loki...” you coo softly, playing with the tips of his marvelous, raven hair, looking him in the eye, both of you breathing harshly, so close your noses bump into each other and lips brush, heart beating loud in your own chest. Not even kissing, yet electricity shoots through both of you, your eyes fluttering closed from the pleasure. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Because I-”

“Oh, my...” a smug, familiar voice says in the doorway, catching both of your attentions, heads snapping in their direction.

Tony. Fucking. Stark. And the rest of the Avengers. All in your home and all at once. Watching and ruining a moment between you and Loki.

“Reindeer games, and our sweet, sweet (y/n),” Tony says, looking to Natasha who’s smirking like an idiot. Steve’s eyes widen he sees the discarded bra on the floor, which makes you blush every shade of scarlet. Tony shakes his head like a disappointed father would when scolding his child. “I never thought I’d see the day...”

They’re all looking at the two of you, neither of you moving, too frozen from shock at the sight of them all. Bucky looks between the two of you and shakes his head, “I think this is the part when one of you starts explaining what the hell is going on.”

#loki laufeyson #avengers #loki fanfic #loki x reader #thor odinson #steven strange #dr strange #badass reader #flirty loki #playful loki #loki #tony stark #bucky barnes #the avengers #AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

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