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elainapendragon · 30 days

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An Eternal Hope: Practice at Sea

Summary: With the blessing of their mother, the triplets are on their way to Izana so that they may depart for the Worldtree, where Gryphyn-Baskets shall await them; but first, their grandfather believes they need a bit of training...

Rating: 18+

Trigger warnings: Mentions of death, blood, gore, descriptions of a hand wound, slavery, mentions of past trauma, fear of capture/torture

All rights reserved. This work has been copyrighted. No part of this book may be copied or used in any form. [Don't mind my crappy attempt at quoting my copyright page. I don't think I'm allowed to actually use it here. I don't mind reblogs or anything like that, but please don't repost without my permission and especially without credits to me. Thank you! <3 ]

Refer to the pronunciation guide or send me a message if you have any questions!

The next morning, we set out for Izana as though we were just going back to work, but there was an enormous sense of change aboard. None of us could bring ourselves to speak, so the only noise was the sound of the ship’s bow breaking the waves, which seemed too loud for the first time since we’ve been on the sea. We could only hope that Byardölf kept his word about the sandcrawler, and we wouldn’t have to use all of the two hundred coin bonus he’d given us before we even got to the Worldtree.

Other than the silence, I expected the trip to Izana to go as it always did; using Alf and Jarl’s combined genius of a rope-and-pulley system that allowed just one person (Jarl, at the moment) to work the sails alone, while a different system they had installed within the very walls of the ship allowed one person to work all six oars at once with a fair amount of ease. That left one person for the rudder, which I stayed well away from, after nearly wrecking us in a storm– twice. Otherwise, we’d take turns working these ingenious contraptions, while resting in-between.

But instead of my expectations, I was yanked out of reading when Grandpapa suddenly took the book out of my hands and snapped it closed. He proceeded to nonchalantly take Alf’s paper and pencil (which she was using to either design something new, or to write down a new song she’d thought up), and put both of our items in the chest beside the one that held all of our coin after work. He turned to Jarl, who worked the rudder. “Up. Hildegardr, you’ll have to take the rudder.”

“Uh…” Jarl warily stood, eyes darting to each of us in a silent question. He didn’t let go of the rudder until Nana had a good hold of it. Grandpapa looked down at Alf and I expectantly in turn. When neither of us moved, he said impatiently, “Up, both of you.”

“...Why…?” Alf asked slowly, though we were standing anyway.

“Because I said so,” Grandpapa replied plainly. He waited until the three of us were standing side-by-side in front of him, then continued. “We won’t be able to come with you on the Gryphyn-Baskets, I’m sure you realize.” I tried not to show any form of reaction, because no, I hadn’t realized. Suddenly, the trip to Vanaheimr seemed a lot less fun. “We’ll be at Izana in three days, where the three of you alone will set off for the Svartl Worldtree. Going into the competition knowing nothing about swordsmanship is foolish and reckless. These few days are all I’ll have to teach you the basics.”

Grandpapa drew our iron sword from its tattered frog at his hip. “We won’t use this. There’s only one, and even if there wasn’t, we don’t need to accidentally chop each other’s heads off.” He passed the sword to Jarnir for safekeeping; he seemed just as confused as we were, but only shrugged helplessly and went along without any questions. Grandpapa then reached into our chest of belongings and withdrew two well-carved wooden practice swords– we’d had them forever, but had never thought of using them; we’d never had the time, nor the energy, to practice. He hefted each of them, testing their weight I suppose, before tossing one to Jarl, who impressively caught it with one hand and no effort.

“Jarl,” Grandpapa pointed the tip of his sword at him in challenge. “You first, grandson. We need to work on your grip. No offense, but… it’s awful.” Jarl laughed, then waved his practice blade around a few times, testing its weight. “Let’s start with teaching you how to parry a basic downward swipe. Swing downward at me, slowly.”

My brother hesitated, then hacked downward in slow motion. Grandpapa lifted his sword and held it horizontally, palm on the flat of the mock blade, blocking Jarl’s harmless blow. “See how I’m holding my sword? I’m going to swing downward at you now, and I want you to raise your sword how I just showed you.”

Grandpapa and Jarl lowered their swords, then repeated the move in reverse. Jarl quickly raised his sword like Grandpapa had shown him, and Grandpapa smiled. “Well done. Now, let’s try it faster.” They did the move again, but Jarl was too slow. Both Grandpapa’s sword and his own slammed into his chest with a dull crack, knocking him backward. He fell to one knee, his eyes wide with shock as he struggled to breathe.

“Jarl!” Ma nearly leapt off of her seat.

Grandpapa raised a hand to stop her without taking his eyes off Jarl. “I only knocked the breath out of him. He’ll be fine.”

Ma pressed her lips into a firm line and watched with worry until Jarl shook his head clear of dizziness and stood, staggering slightly. “Wow, Grandpapa. You’ve got a hard hit…” He coughed, wincing as he massaged his sore chest. “Really hard...”

“Again,” Grandpapa ordered without hesitation. The two of them continued to repeat the move until Jarl could effectively block Grandpapa’s attacks, then they tried it even faster. When Jarl could block Grandpapa’s downward strike at full speed, it was Alf’s turn. Jarl, breathing heavily, slouched down beside me and closed his eyes.

Grandpapa faced Alf with his sword ready. “You saw what I did with Jarl.” Alf nodded in response, eyeing Grandpapa’s sword nervously. “We’re going to do the very same thing. I won’t go easy on you because you are my granddaughter.” His blue eyes narrowed meaningfully, and Alf nodded.

“I wouldn’t ask you to,” she said, and they began.

Alf and Grandpapa started the move in slow motion, just as he had done with Jarl, before repeating it until Alf had almost mastered it; she was quicker in learning, having watched Jarl’s lesson closely. By the time they were done, Alf was panting and dragging her sword behind her, and Ma was very concerned. “Don’t give me that look,” Grandpapa told her firmly with a stern glance. Alf sat down beside Jarl, huffing with exhaustion. “It’ll be a lot worse for them if they get no training.” Grandpapa whipped around and jabbed his sword in my direction. “Your turn.”

I slowly lifted up the wooden sword (which was, sadly, very heavy for me) and held it in front of my face vertically, as best as I could. “I’m not here.”

“Bjalla!” snapped Grandpapa in a warning tone, making me jump to my feet immediately. “We don’t have much time.” I mumbled an apology, face burning with embarrassment.

We faced one another; slowly, he brought his sword down at my face. I lifted my sword to block it, just like I’d watched Jarl, then Alf do– but I wasn’t strong enough to even try and block him. Grandpapa frowned when he realized that he was able to push my sword down, despite the fact that I was straining to keep my sword still– with both hands.

“Again,” Grandpapa ordered, and we did it a second time; but this time, he was able to knock my sword away entirely before swinging the tip of his own up to meet my throat.

Jarl burst out laughing. “You-You can’t even–” He started laughing even harder and fell onto his side, joined by Alf; she covered her face, wheezing hard. Ma glared at them.

“Both of you, stop it.”

Dejectedly, I slumped over. “Well, Drakonsson’s gonna take one look at me and send me home...” The possibility was serious enough to make me worry. If Alf and Jarl can’t compete because of my weakness, what will happen? How will they react?

“That’s nonsense,” Grandpapa said firmly. “There are plenty of people, I’m sure, who will have trouble lifting swords high, or even lifting them at all, in the competition. You have to remember, most of them were rogues, criminals, and thralls, like us, who may never have learnt any skills either. And there are dozens of other weapons to work with. Bows, for example.”

I scoffed. Byardölf once had a bow in his smithy that needed a new nocking point and grip, and Byardölf had tested it after we’d fixed it to ensure the quality of the weapon hadn’t been tampered with by repairing it. I wanted to try, and could hardly pull the string back to nock an arrow. And when I’d loosed it, the arrow didn’t even hit near the target. It fell harmlessly to the ground and the string smacked into my fingers so hard it had left cuts to the bone. “You obviously forget the time I tried one at Byardölf’s smithy...”

Grandpapa huffed, irritated, and when he began speaking with his hands, started flinging his mock-sword around dangerously without even thinking about it. “Well, maces, daggers, axes, scimitars, crossbows; there’s a number of weapons out there. If you’re not good with swords, even after a few weeks of training, try something else.” He held up his sword in front of his chest, the flat of the blade facing me. He held his free hand up against the side of the sword facing his chest. “Strengthen your stance, plant your feet firmly, and remember to hold it like this; you won’t cut your hand, and you’ll have extra strength to push back with. You saw my example earlier, didnt you? Pay attention. Of course, don’t do it without thinking, because you could accidentally grab the sharp part of the blade, and risk cutting your hand in two.”

I visibly flinched at the mental image that gave me. Alf and Jarl, on the other hand... “Do it, do it, do it,” They chanted in perfect sync with broad smiles; I scowled at them, but that only made them want to do it more, until Ma silenced them with a harsh command.

“Lets try the move I just showed you,” Grandpapa ordered, more gently this time, “Try and keep your sword up, no matter how hard I push.” He slowly swung his sword downward, and I brought my own up, holding it like Grandpapa had showed me.

It was only after he started pushing again, all the pressure on my sore hand, that I remembered the gash on my left palm. I almost let go of the sword, then forced myself not to; of all the injuries I could get in the arenas that I’d have to keep fighting with–stabs, gashes, severed limbs– a cut on the hand didn’t seem so bad.

Grandpapa pushed on my sword even harder, and as I pushed back, the cut on my hand split back open. I bit my lip to silence my yelps, and kept my stance, refusing to be weak. I cannot enter this competition weak. I cannot enter this competition weak. Grandpapa and I stood like that for several moments, until he finally smiled and stepped back. “Well done.”

I staggered forward. When I steadied myself, I held up my shaking, bandaged hand. The bandage and the sleeve of my jacket were soaked through with blood, freely dripping down my hand and arm and leaving a good-sized splat on the deck. My vision swam and my stomach churned. Better learn to get that under control...

“Bjalla!” Nana yelped.

Grandpapa blinked at me a few times, dumbfounded, before looking at the wooden sword he held accusingly. “...Did... Did you cut your hand on the practice sword? ...On wood?”

Ma practically bowled me over in checking my “wound,” making me chuckle a little despite the sheer throbbing pain pulsing up my arm. “Oh, I didn’t mention this? Yeah, I cut myself on Byardölf’s new dagger the other day.”

Ma scowled at me, but it was quickly replaced with worry. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me off to one end of the ship, out of everyone else’s way. “Come over here. We need to rebandage it.”

Grandpapa swatted me upside the head. “I completely forgot about that. You shouldn’t have pushed back so hard with an injured hand.” After Ma had rebandaged my cut, Grandpapa and I continued to repeat the move until I could do it... Somewhat easily. I never came close to Alf or Jarl’s level of strength or resilience.

For the rest of the day, Grandpapa taught us the basics of parrying, dodging, and attacking, only giving us breaks when we needed to eat, rest, or, in my case, rebandage my damn cut, which happened too many times for me to count. By sunset, I felt more worn out than I had in years. My legs felt like lead, my back hurt, my head hurt, my chest hurt, and my sword arm was throbbing painfully. Every bone in my body felt like it was going to splinter– and from the way Alf and Jarl were wincing and hobbling to their bedrolls, they felt the same way I did.

By the time Izana was in our sights, I felt twice as badly, and we were covered in welts and bruises. Eventually, Grandpapa told Alf and Jarl to practice on one another under his supervision, leaving me to spar with him.

“You won’t be able to practice on the Gryphyn-Baskets,” Grandpapa muttered quietly to us as we readied ourselves for bed. “And I’m guessing the rest stops for the passengers will be short, since you can eat and sleep in the baskets themselves. Be sure to use every break you do get for practice.”

Without much else to say, us triplets collapsed onto our bedrolls, falling into heavy, deep sleep.

If you'd like to be added to my taglist, send me a message! If you'd like to read the full novel, you can find the link to it on the bottom of my masterlist.

#dragons #romantasy #aneternalhope #bookblr #drakablodsogur #elainapendragon #fantasy #dragonriders #norse mythology #vikings

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legendarystrangermusic · 1 year

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salomonsenwatts13 · 2 years

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Introducing The Modern And Funky Loewe Puzzle Hobo

As you'll be able to observe from the faux vs real Loewe Puzzle bag image above, the pretend bag has its stitching job wanting fairly nice, but at the end of the day, that’s not how the genuine bag has its stitching. In the image with the faux vs actual Loewe Puzzle luggage above, we've pointed out how the faux Loewe Puzzle bag has its logo at the mistaken thickness. [newline]To make this simpler, with each step of our guide on the method to authenticate Loewe Puzzle bags, we will hyperlink reference genuine vs replica Loewe Puzzle bag images. This authentic Loewe Puzzle Bag Python Medium showcases a singular pliable design that folds into 5 totally different shapes. Crafted in real brown python, this versatile bag features ro... I love the look of the puzzle bag, but was put off by the design, I thought it was too hard to open and access. wikipedia handbags Loewe also has a slightly hotter camel shade that they do in a grained leather with gold hardware (they don’t do the sleek tan with gold hardware, which could be very sad). You can see the warmer grained camel right here – when you scroll to the photograph with the handle leather, you'll have the ability to see the 2 colours contrasted. One of the major differences from the unique design, except for the gentle leather-based, is the shoulder strap on this bag that seamlessly provides a large leather strap. Since the strap is pretty wide, the bag sits properly on your shoulder with out feeling flimsy or falling off. It’s not lengthy enough to wear crossbody, but it provides ample house to put on the bag over your shoulder even when you have an oversized coat on. You’ll also discover a D-ring to connect personalized charms on the outside of the bag, which allows for additional customization if you’d like. Without straying from this heritage house’s true luxury roots, with its pride in leather in its untreated and natural state, Anderson injected the kitsch and unique aptitude that he was well-known for. And runway after runway, amid the gender-bending silhouettes and expertly-hybridized fabrics of his RTW items, the handbags often stole the highlight. Beloved proper throughout the high-fashion set, this striking bag calls for a detailed learning. Its architectural form is handcrafted in Spain, with over 500 steps within the development course of. Geometric and useful — it can be folded and remodeled into several totally different styles, that means you'll find a way to carry it nonetheless you select. With the addition of a shoulder strap, you'll be able to regulate it to wear crossbody, over the shoulder, slung like a reverse crossbody, as a flat-pack clutch, or just in the criminal of your arm. As for the fifth method on tips on how to spot pretend Loewe Puzzle bags, we are now going to have a look at the true vs faux Loewe Puzzle baggage for his or her engraving on the keychain. Loewe Small Puzzle Bag in Green Suede Impeccably constructed, Loewe's Puzzle bag is a charming addition to any accessory assortment. The historic Spanish luxurious leather-based home has for tons of of years been an envoy of contemporary design. Released within the SS15 assortment, this Loewe Puzzle bag remains to be a coveted piece even today! Elsewhere, the Loewe anagram could be discovered embossed on each iteration, together with a herringbone-patterned cotton lining and palladium metal fixings. 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It grew to become an instant hit when it came out a number of years again and has grown in popularity each on the road and on social media. However that is altering with the popularity of a few of its luggage like the Loewe puzzle bag. With all of this being stated, we’ve reached the end of our information on the method to spot faux Loewe bags by just trying at the five major spots. We hope this guide is helpful in your Loewe bag authenticating. Engraved details on the faux anagram are totally different colored, tremendous thick but smaller, as they don't occupy the steel square absolutely as it's proven within the left picture. The unique handle is wider than the replica, but the steel "ball" is larger in the proper picture. PAST. LOEWE started as a cooperative of leather-based artisans in the middle of Madrid in 1846, creating one of the world’s unique luxurious houses. Innovation, modernity and high-level craftsmanship have been hallmarks of the house from its beginnings to today. 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cyrenesroom · 3 years

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A guide to effectively using flashcards

Flashcards were an important part of my preparation for my IGCSE examinations. I found them extremely useful for retaining a wide range of concepts (especially for subjects like biology and psychology) in a simple yet effective way!

I hope y’all find these tips useful!! :)

PART 1

Do not rely solely on them

It’s important to note that flashcards are not a one-way ticket to that A*. It is a combination of several things that essentially leads you to a successful result (eg: past papers, homework, readings, research, etc).

Furthermore, it also depends on what type of material you’re studying and how far you are into the learning process.

Recognise which subject requires them

Flashcards are generally used for knowledge-intensive subjects that require a lot of factual memorisation over a long period of time. These can include the sciences, history, literature, etc.

Subjects like these contain a multitude of relationships, terms, processes and facts that need to be individually internalised in order to achieve a meaningful level of mastery of the overall subject matter.

I didn’t bother using flashcards for subjects like mathematics or business studies.

PART 2

Avoid information overload

it can feel tempting to make flashcards for every little fact and shred of information so that you don't miss it on the exam. However, this usually results in an overwhelming number of decks.

During the initial exposure to the information, make sure that you have thoroughly read through it to isolate the pertinent facts and turn these into question-and-answer flashcards. To do this, I referred to end of unit tests and homework to get a good idea on which aspects of the topic/chapter are typically assessed.

It’s really important to condense the information since flashcards are typically used for REVIEW and to help consolidate your knowledge. Trying to add in an entire chapter of 12 pages really defeats the purpose of using them.

I was constantly worried that I might cut out information that may end up being vital. I was able to remove this fear of mine by ensuring that I only put down one concept/question per flashcard and then list down the components that made up that particular concept.

For example, these were my notes on medicinal drugs, with a focus on antibiotics. One of the key requirements listed in my specification was:

“To describe the functions of antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infection”

I used this to understand what pieces of information to isolate.

As you can see above, I only listed down the functions of antibiotics and nothing else. I didn’t mention the fact that they were ineffective against viruses because there is a reason to that and the concept can be better explored in another card. I instead, chose to focus on how antibiotics combat bacterial infections.

This saves a lot of time during the revision process and also ensures that the amount of information you have to know isn’t too overwhelming.

Create Mental Connections

This can be easily achieved by mixing pictures and words or using mnemonic devices. These help increase your brain’s ability to recall what you’re studying. Just be careful to only use these when absolutely necessary.

Organisation of Your Flashcards

It’s highly likely that you may never use your flashcards when they are stacked one over the other until they form a skyscraper. This is where organisation comes into play.

For biology in particular, I organised my decks by chapter and then divided it into decks for the sub-topics within the chapter:

As you can see, I basically divided the chapter of “Biological Molecules” into those sub-topics which made the whole revision process less overwhelming and it also helped me plan what I wanted to study because I would have already had a basic overview of what I’m familiar with and what I needed to review further.

PART 3

The Process of Retrieving the Answer

When going through your decks, it’s important to note down the answer or say it out loud instead of adopting the “oh I know this already, so it’s fine” attitude. You should be able to hold yourself accountable and avoid falling for the false illusion of confidence. Even if you are already familiar with that particular piece of information, there’s no harm in reinforcing it again. Better to be safe than sorry.

Shuffle Your Decks

This is an incredibly effective way of challenging yourself with spacing and interleaving, instead of going through your flashcard deck in the same order again and again. You won’t be able to properly retain those concepts by trying to retrieve information based on the deck and card number!

Spaced Repetition

Spaced Repetition is an evidence-based learning technique boosts learning by spreading revision out over time so learning is not crammed all at once.

You can find a detailed explanation about the effectiveness of this technique here

PART 4

Anki

This app allows you to create online flashcards which you can use to test yourself in practice sessions. It uses an algorithm built around active recall and spaced repetition and hence learns as you progress through your studies and revision.

Anki is available for free on desktop and on all mobile devices except iOS, but I highly recommend it as it’s in-built algorithm and other features (more information about the app including the download link can be found here) were incredibly useful for me!

Quizlet

This is another online learning tool that allows users to create study tools such as interactive flashcards, tests, and study games.

The app makes it simple to start creating cards on the topic of your choice. In addition to text, you can also add images from your computer or Quizlet’s library. It also provides you with a variety of options when studying your cards. For more information on the features that Quizlet employs, visit this link

Quizlet is free but provides the option of a paid premium plan which includes additional features.

Brainscape

This app also implements spaced repetition, which has been shown to increase rate of learning.

Brainscape allows you to rate your confidence in each flashcard, on a scale of 1-5, which subsequently determines how frequently to repeat the flashcard. Lower-confidence items are repeated more frequently until you upgrade your confidence rating.

Like Quizlet, it is a free app but provides a paid pro plan with additional features.

Once again I want to emphasize that to truly succeed with flashcards, you need to learn how to create them correctly. The best app isn’t very useful if you’re not writing effective questions and answers.

That’s all I have for now, I really hope this post was helpful and if you have any additional tips or apps you’d like to suggest, feel free to reblog and add them!!

sending love and wishing you all a wonderful day!

— cyrene :)

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lillywillow · 3 years

Text

Birthday Wishes

Summary: Bucky wants to plan the best party ever for his young daughter

Word Count: 2430

Square Filled: Free Space

Pairings: Singledad!Bucky x Female Reader/ Steve x Peggy

Warnings: None really

Written for @star-spangled-bingo

Ever since the mother to Bucky’s daughter passed away when she was a baby, he had been totally devoted to her and every year on her birthday, he went all out trying to make it the best one ever.

About a month ago, Tony’s daughter Morgan had a mermaid themed party; complete with a woman dressed as a mermaid. Bucky’s daughter Rebecca had totally raved about it and with her own birthday coming up, he made a note to take one of the business cards with him.

...

The moment Bucky walked into the building, he was in awe. The front of the store was full of costumes, dolls, plushies, pirate treasure chests, fairy wings and wands... every kind of fantasy item a child could possibly want and a lot of it looked handmade. Out the back, he could hear squealing and laughter. A party in progress, perhaps?

“Good afternoon, welcome to Childhood Dreams. How may I help you?” the receptionist asked.

“Hi. I’m looking to book a party? It’s for my daughter...”

“I see. Well, before booking a party, you’ll need to make an appointment with Y/N. She likes to customise her parties to the client. She’s currently doing a performance but if you’re happy to wait, she’ll be done soon...”

“I can wait...”

“Great. Follow me please...”

Bucky followed the receptionist into the back. There was a pirate party taking place with all the children dressed up as pirates. There were props and decorations keeping in tone with the theme and an incredible cake. On the stage up the front was the same woman who had played the part of the mermaid at Morgan’s party, this time she was a pirate, enacting a mighty swordfight with another actor. She really put her all into the performance.

Bucky watched her for a moment before the receptionist pulled him along and guided him to an office along the side. The inside of the office was just as cheerful and childlike as the rest of the place. The desk was lined with small trinkets. Along the walls were various photographs of the woman in different costumes. A princess, a fairy, a friendly witch... there was a costume for every occasion. Bucky was in the middle of admiring them when the door opened and the subject from the photos stepped in.

“You must be the gentleman wanting a party,” she smiled, taking off her hat and eye patch before sitting at her desk and encouraging him to take a seat. “I’m Y/N.”

“Yes, that’s right. My name is Bucky and I’m looking to do a birthday party for my daughter Rebecca,” he said, getting his phone out to show her a picture.

Y/N smiled at the photo of the little girl who was dressed as a princess.

“Tell me about Rebecca. I take it she’s a princess fan?”

Bucky’s face lit up as he spoke about his little girl. Everything that she loved about princesses and fairytales, down to her favourite colours, animals and mythical creatures.

“I’m probably rambling now...”

“No, no, I think it’s sweet to see a father so dedicated to his daughter. Let me show you a few of our packages,” she smiled.

Y/N logged into her tablet to show him a few of the princess themed parties they offered. Bucky looked through the options before deciding on a fantasy type one with princesses, wizards and all things in that vein.

“Will you be having the party here or elsewhere?”

“I think home would be best... unless... here would be better? I don’t know...”

“Some children feel more comfortable on home base and some like going out. It’s really up to you. My job is to give your child the best possible experience...”

Bucky nodded slowly and thought.

“She might like a party in her own backyard...”

“That’s totally fine. I’ll need to visit ahead of time just so I can work on a setup. Now, will you be providing your own cake? If not, I can recommend an excellent bakery.”

“A family friend agreed to make the cake,” Bucky replied.

Y/N nodded and jotted down a few notes.

“What about food?”

“Yes, we’ll be making our own food too.”

Y/N nodded again and wrote down a few more notes. After agreeing on a price, a date and time to meet, his address and the date of the party, Bucky started heading out the door.

“One more thing...”

Bucky turned to look at her.

“I like to ask our clients how they found out about our business...”

“A while ago, you threw a mermaid party for a friend of mine’s daughter. Rebecca couldn’t stop talking about it for days after that...”

Y/N smiled fondly.

“I see... well, I guess I’ll see you when I come to do my inspection. Goodbye, Bucky.”

“Bye.”

As Bucky left the office, he could feel his heart fluttering like it hadn’t done in a long time. Ever since his wife’s passing, Bucky hadn’t even looked at another woman. Well, he had looked but he had always been so busy taking care of Rebecca, he didn’t really have time to be pursuing women. Sure on occasion, he would go on a blind date now and then and Steve would babysit but that would be the extent of it. Bucky thought for sure his dating life was over but talking to Y/N just now... it gave him a lot of hope.

...

Time went by and eventually the day arrived when you went to meet Bucky at his place. Bucky greeted you at the door with a smile and ushered you inside. Smiling, you looked around the place. Pictures of Bucky’s life lined the walls and shelves. Photos of him with friends but most of them were of his little girl. One thing you noticed was the lack of pictures of the girl’s mother. There were a few of her before having the child but not many after.

“So, um... what do you need to see?”

“You mentioned a backyard?” you said, referring back to the interview you had a few days ago.

Bucky nodded and showed you the way. First, you scoped out the best place to conduct your performance then took out your measuring tape to size up the props you might need. As you worked, Bucky could see the gears turning in your head.

“Do you go out to different locations a lot?” Bucky asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

“Not a lot but it’s always fun when we do.”

“How long have you been in business?”

“It’s taken me about ten years to get it off the ground. It’s only been gaining popularity in the last year or so...”

“Wait, so you own Childhood Dreams?”

“Sure do. You see, I always believed childhood should be about fun and games before going onto the drudgery of adulthood. And I help out local business in the process. Most of the items available for purchase were made by local artists. I’m always willing to lend a hand when they need it. That’s why I ask about food. There’s a small bakery a few blocks from the building we’re located who does the most beautiful cakes...”

You suddenly were interrupted by something brushing up against your leg. Looking down, you saw the most adorable white cat.

“Why, hello there. Aren’t you a cutie?�� you cooed, bending down to pat the snowy feline.

“This is Alpine. Rebecca is just crazy about her. She’s been a really big help ever since...” Bucky paused, feeling a lump in his throat and tears well up in his eyes.

Alpine trotted over to him and purred as he picked her up.

“Sorry. It’s just... ever since my wife passed when Rebecca was a baby; I’ve wanted to give her the best life possible. I try to give equal amounts of time between her so she can look up to me and work so she has the best things in life...”

You went over and gave him a hug.

“You’re a good man, Bucky. I’ve been in this business long enough to tell the devoted parents from the off-standers. Just by spending a few minutes with you, I already know that you love your daughter and think the world of her. Just make sure you spend a few moments taking care of yourself, okay? It doesn’t have to be much, just enough so you feel good too.”

Bucky gave you a soft smile, knowing that you were right. Everyone had told him as such but sometimes, it’s harder to take advice from the people closest to you.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” he offered.

“Actually, I should get going. I’ve got a children’s charity event I need to get ready for. It’s been really nice seeing you again, Bucky. I guess the next time I see you will be for your daughter’s party.”

“See you then,” Bucky smiled.

He couldn’t wait for the party.

...

Finally, the day of Rebecca’s birthday arrived. Bucky had spent the night before busily transforming his humble home into a castle fit for a princess. He wanted everything to be perfect for his little girl’s special day, buying the most glittery, ruffled princess dress for her to wear, complete with a sparkly tiara. Bucky himself hired a prince costume and even managed to obtain a kitty sized dragon costume for Alpine.

Bucky spent the morning cooking, starting with a plate of pancakes for breakfast before moving onto the finishing touches on the food for the party. He had most of it prepared already but some of it needed heating.

The first to arrive was Wanda with her twin boys who were both in costume. The boys instantly ran over to play with Rebecca while Wanda was left holding the cake she had made along with her purse and the present she had bought. Bucky rushed over to help her with the items and after exchanging greetings and pleasantries, she showed his the cake.

It was everything Bucky could have ever hoped for and more. The cake was purple with ice cream cones decorated like castle turrets, topped with little princess and unicorn figurines and the words ‘Happy Birthday, Rebecca’ written in icing along with the age she was turning. Little pink flowers were piped along the sides.

“Thank you so much, Wanda. Becca’s just going to love it.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled, giving him a hug.

Soon after Wanda’s arrival was Steve and Peggy with their child followed by Tony, Pepper and Morgan, Sam with his kid and it wasn’t long before all the party guests had arrived. The adults all mingled while the children played together happily. Right on time, Y/N arrived with her scene partner in full costume. She was wearing a knight costume while her partner (whom she introduced as Phil) was dressed as an ‘evil’ wizard. Bucky settled the kids in front of the makeshift stage and let the performance begin.

Y/N started by introducing herself as a knight dedicated to Princess Rebecca.

“That’s me!” Rebecca squealed in delight, jumping to her feet and clapping.

Y/N knelt down to be level with her, crossing her right arm over her chest in a salute.

“I vow to protect you from the evils of the kingdom.”

Suddenly, Phil jumped out of his hiding place.

“Mwa-ha-ha! I am an evil wizard and I am here to change all the cakes into broccoli!”

Bucky thought he was laying it on a little thick but there was a wave of horrified gasps from the kids.

“Not so fast, evil wizard! We will defeat you! Kids, if I’m going to beat him, I’m going to need your help...”

Y/N and Phil made an amazing pair. While Y/N encouraged the children and even a few of the parents to join in, Phil played off their reactions until he was ‘defeated’.

“You win! I will change my evil ways and use my powers for good!” he dramatically cried.

The children all cheered and clapped. The two actors took a bow and started to pack up as Bucky announced it was time for cake. The kids all raced over to where the cake was being brought out.

“Would you two like to stay for cake?” Bucky offered.

Phil looked at Y/N for permission, a hopeful glint in his eye.

“Sure. We have some time before our next appointment,” she smiled. Phil gave a big, childlike grin.

Once everyone had sung Happy Birthday to Rebecca and she had blown out the candles, the cake was served out. Steve approached Bucky.

“Hey, man. How are you doing?”

“A bit tired but seeing the smile on that little girl’s face makes it all worth it,” he softly sighed.

Steve followed Bucky’s gaze to where Rebecca was talking animatedly to Y/N. He could tell the smile on her face was genuine and not just for show. This was a person who loved their job and loved children.

“Is that the same Y/N you’ve been going on about all week?”

“I haven’t been talking about her that much...”

Steve gave him an incredulous look.

“You know, it’s okay to like her. Why don’t you ask her out?”

“What about Rebecca?”

“Peggy and I can look after her while you go out on date. You deserve to be happy too...”

Bucky thought about it for a while and headed over to Y/N and Rebecca.

“Daddy, daddy! Y/N was the mermaid at Morgan’s party! She’s magical...” Rebecca was absolutely smitten with the woman.

“I see... Can I talk Y/N alone for a minute? Then you can open presents,” he smiled.

Rebecca giggled and hugged his leg before running off to play with her friends.

“She’s a darling,” Y/N warmly smiled.

“She is... Listen, Y/N... I was wondering... if you’re not busy tomorrow night... if maybe you’d like to have dinner with me...”

“Like a date?”

Bucky’s face flushed.

“I mean, if you want it to be...”

Y/N kissed his cheek.

“I’d like that. How about 7:00 at the restaurant around the from the Childhood Dreams building. They do an amazing meal...”

“Sounds perfect,” he smiled.

This was one the best days of Bucky’s life. Not only did he pull off the perfect party for his daughter but he took a step back into the dating world with an incredible woman who somehow stole his heart.

#ssb2021 #Free Space #Birthday Wishes #Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #single dad!bucky #Rebecca #Children's birthday party #Acting #phil coulson #Steve Rogers #Friends #Fluff #Alpine

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dreamgrlarchive · 4 years

Text

Pretty Girl At Home Library🦋

As I’m sure we all can agree, all this free time we’ve had has had to be spent doing something, right? I’ve implemented an hour of reading daily into my self improvement routine. It’s added to my confidence, and my hobby list. I don’t think a girl can truly become her highest self without expanding her mind and the information she already knows.

Here I’m going to share my reading collection with you all and some of my favorites. All of these books can be found on amazon.com ✨

Beauty: all of these have taught me new techniques for my regimens. and have also taught what I need to STOP. so far my personal fave is the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual. I’m super into makeup and cosmetics and this book leaves nothing out. it elaborates on skincare, tools, skin types, careers. if you’re even semi interested in makeup or esthiology, I recommend this. ♡

Inspo and Fashion: as a fashion student I’m always trying to learn techniques, find inspiration for looks, and I love to hear the journey of another woman who was once like me. all of these books have a great aesthetic, offer really nice fashion tips, quite literally are meant for fashion students, or inspire me heavily. The Fashion Design Reference and Specification Book is a MUST for anyone who wants to pursue a career in fashion. it’s literally all you need. it’s extensive but an easy read and any fashion icon deserves this book.

Self Help: in the TREND of becoming your highest self, a lot of people are taking in potentially harmful information, and focusing on the wrong first steps in general. in order to become exclusive you have to know in your heart, underneath the voice and dresses and heels that you are untouchable. it’s more than just dainty jewelry and Louis Vuitton handbags, two things I love. it is definitely easier said than done but to truly reach your full potential you have to try. getting to know yourself and integrating positive traits in your person should come before you listen to a YouTuber tell you how to dress in order to appear worthy a womanly existence. (in no way am I saying these women are giving bad advice, I watch some of them even, but they are giving advice on the additives, and the embellishments) no handbag, heels, or makeup look will convince anyone, ESPECIALLY NOT A MAN, to like you if you don’t know that underneath it all you are truly high value. your soul is high maintenance and cannot be impressed with bare minimums, not just your exterior or bank account. Je Ne Sais Quoi hits all facets of this, truly. it teaches confidence, personal style, healthy habits, charm, and just overall excellence. if you take nothing from this part of the post, please go buy this book. also Style Your Mind is amazing. it’s almost like guided journalling. it’s fun and easy but when you go back and read what you wrote, you learn much about yourself, even some hard truths. this is a crucial step to self acceptance and improvement.

Love and Spirituality: these books have honestly been maybe the most interesting part of my readings. this may be because I’ve never read books like these, and new experiences tend to stand out. these books focus on healing and channeling positive energies we all hold within us or teach us the tricks of the trade when dealing with men. I personally am a HUGE fan of The Power of the Pussy and Heal Thyself. the first one is a true no nonsense book on these men out here. you might even get your feelings hurt reading some parts. consider this growing pains and it’s also overall entertaining. the latter being a book heavy on spiritual routine and AMAZING recipes to serve your soul. let me tell you I love the recipes in this book, they’re so flavorful and feel amazing going down. it may be the placebo effect but I just feel like I’m doing my body a favor every time I read something in this book.

Miscellaneous: overall, all of these are really fun reads. if you’re into my aesthetic and want something light and entertaining, you HAVE to buy this Clueless book. I love it, I literally read it in my Cher narration voice. it’s a true collector’s item. or if you love astrology or are even a little interested but don’t understand really, check out The Complete Guide to Astrology. this is how I learned my houses and planetary signs. learning my planet signs was so fun and interesting. 100% recommended.

Extras:

Dream Girl Journey Readings

www.luxegirldiaries.com How to Find Your Signature Style

@babyphat05’s website www.sheissobougie.com features many printables and articles that are well put together and useful.

www.manifestationbabe.com Manifesting Type Quiz Results, Five Step Manifestation Process

#i worked so hard on this #books #reading #my posts #fashion #self help #spirituality #black femininity #beauty #quarantine #self improvement #level up

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ha-hatdog · 4 years

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daisuke kambe hcs

- what is it like to be dating daisuke kambe/domestic life with daisuke kambe

i hope you don't mind but i slapped two requests together because they were nearly similar. since i am making one post with two requests, i'll try to make this longer. i hope you enjoy this

requested by anon (i just turned my anon ask and i'll just go ahead and presume you want to be anon hehe sorry about that) : Hi, I saw your post. 😳 I just wanna say goodluck to your writing! and I'll be looking forward to them in the future. ❤ (Your anon asks aren't on btw. 😔) And for the request, it can be a headcanon or a short fic/scenario, whichever you like. :3 But can I please get soft/domestic Daisuke to his s/o (which is the reader)? Like, they're taking care of each other stuff. ❤👁👄👁

uwu thank you so much and i look forward to writing more stories for you

requested by @holdmejk : what it’s like to date daisuke 🥺

i wonder too how it would be like to date this rich man so here ya go

haru kato is the simple man, simple life

there is no way daisuke kambe can be considered the same. this is the very reason why haru hates the man with a burning passion

waking up with daisuke goes two ways - the normal soft wake up, or the after sex wake up

if you wake up normally, you will always find yourself on his chest, a hand over the small of your back and the other behind your head, pressing you close to him as if you were his leverage to the real world

you never get tired of seeing him peaceful and cute that you kiss him everywhere your lips can touch - his chest, his cheek, his nose, his forehead, but never his lips

daisuke loves waking up to your kisses but what really gets rid of his sleepiness is the annoyance he felt that you never kiss him on the lips

he will lift his head up from the pillow while holding your head and lean forward to capture your lips. no, he doesn't care about morning breath, he cares about your kisses

if you two had sex the night before, it's a different story because it's daisuke who always wakes up first this time around because you know, he tired the hell out of you

he runs his fingers through your matted tresses as the side of his head rested against his open palm, elbow proped up on his pillow

he loves how you look so happy and satisfied and peaceful. he admires your beauty silenty, a small smile on his lips

he'll try to go another round because he can't help himself when you look so enticing but you stop him because you were already so tired

you will drown in luxurious things. this daisuke kambe we are talking about. what did you expect?

you want it? you got it. you like it? you got it. you need it? you got it. your eyes looked at it a second too long? you got it

daisuke believes you deserve the best of the best so whatever you wanted, bam, something much better

flowers? you get a garden. chocolate? you get a factory. movies? you get a theater. cup noodles? you get a ramen shop or the actual cup noodles company. dress? you get your own clothing line that trumps over versace and gucci

oh you think you can stop daisuke from spoiling you just because you begged him and showed him your big doe eyes? he was tempted for sure but there is no way he'll be holding back, especially after seeing your big doe eyes (yup, that plan backfired)

one hard thing about dating a millionaire? you can't buy anything for him

you do not have the money to lavish him the same, and even if you did, it's stupid to assume daisuke can't afford the same things you plan on buying for him. maybe he'll buy something even better

so instead of spoiling him like he does to you, you buy him trinkets that remind you of him

daisuke has no clue as to why items could remind you of him but he still keeps everything you buy for him close to him like in his office so he can always see them

you bought daisuke a goofy looking bobble head and he put it on the dashboard of his super cool looking car and haru was like the hell is that

daisuke sped through the streets before haru could make a comment

daisuke trust you more than anyone. more than suzue, more than haru, more than himself, more than his credit card

that being said, you are the only one he allows to patch him up after a particularly rough day at work

he will literally drive all the way to your shared home while bleeding out, enter your shared room as more blood trailed his face and deadass say "Can you help me? My head is bleeding"

you scold him for being so reckless and for always giving you a heart attack whenever he comes home in that condition

he doesn't mind being lectured tho because he still gets to feel your soft touches and gets lots and lots of kisses from you

he doesn't get why you kiss his wounds after patching him up. like his wounds are dirty? it still hurts? what was the science behind it? he still won't get it even if you explain it to him but he'll take note for reference

when you get injured, you are obligated to tell daisuke that you are not severely hurt that he had to call the hospitals all around the world to come heal you

you had to snatch the phone from him at one point when he tried to contact professional surgeons from america after you scratched yourself from a bush

daisuke at least knows how to use the first aid kit and no matter how little your injury may be, he will always proceed with the basics because he's very worried about you (though his face doesn't show it), that your small wound would get infected, and then you'll be on your death bed saying your last words, and then he's kneeling on your grave -

you had no idea this is what goes on inside his head every time you get injured

he also kisses your wounds after patching them up. he still doesn't understand the reason as to why you and others do it, but he does it because you do it

daisuke doesn't allow you to move a muscle aftee he's done fixing your wounds. he acts as if you have a terminal disease and would check on you every five minutes when he's working at home and calls you every three minutes when doing police work (haru gets annoyed with that habit so you had a talk with him)

dates with daisuke is far from simple. you either go to the most expensive resorts or attractions in japan or you're going out of the country. yes, your dates are basically mini vacations

so that's the reason why whenever you two want to spend time together, you are in charge. you can't always go to malaysia and england every weekend. plausible when you're with daisuke but you're not having it

you try to make your dates as simple as it can be. like what regular couples would do like going to movies (he was irritated because he had to sit near other people because he only wants to be near you), hanging out in the mall ("No, Daisuke, don't you dare buy that Gucci bag for me, I just glanced at it - oh for fuck sake"), and eating food from stands (Daisuke was confused like where will you two sit so you can eat your food properly?)

you two went ice skating and you guided him as he wobbled on his skates. you never let go of him because the first time you let go of him so he can try to balance alone in the ice, he looked very worried and made grabby hands at you

he becomes better at skating after doing it so many times. you were a little jealous because he's better than you now

daisuke his whole life always had a professional chef make something for him and when he began dating you, he also began inviting other professional chefs to make something for you two

but as your relationship grew stronger, you began cooking for him and you made him feel so special and he couldn't react properly

sometimes he watches you cook and helps with the cutting (you stopped him when he cut himself), but most of the time he's at his office and you bring his food to him and he scolrs you because he wants to eat properly with you ay the dining table

bringing food to his office is a no no. eating together at the dining table and sharing stories together is a yes yes

you don't know if the food you make for him is good or bad to be honest because he always has a deadpan face and if it is bad he won't tell because he'll hurt your precious little feelings but he'll be blunt as hell if it was another person

don't even wish that daisuke will cook for you. don't get him wrong tho, he really wants to but he's been pampered a little too much that he can't distinguish onion from garlic. he just thinks garlic is an elderly onion lmao

so yeah, daisuke cannot cook

but he likes cleaning the dishes with you because he can spray you with water and he'll hear your giggles. you always break many plates when you clean dishes and always drenched in water after your little fight

having the same authority with his AI. you rarely use the AI unless absolutely necessary and you can communicate with daisuke through it. you always mess with daisuke and you'll say something to the AI like "dial haru" and AI will go like "contacting haru kato" daisuke will go "cancel dial" and then AI says "cancelling contact" and you'll say "dial haru again" and the cycle goes on

late night walks are common for you two. when he comes home earlier than he originally does, he will insist you to take a walk on his private property and if he's feeling extra generous, he'll let you take him outside and to the park or something

you can take him to the convenience, the gas station, the prison - as long as he's with you, he's fine

stargazing is part of the late night walks. he'll point at a star and you'll say what constallesation that star was part of

"do you want that star"

"no daisuke"

"i can buy it"

"you are not buying a star"

daisuke : (꒪-꒪) ⇨(¬､¬)

he loves kissing you on the lips. your lips and kisses were just so addicting and sweet that he can't find another better place to kiss you

plus your blush is too adorable. he smirks whenever you get flustered. add a soft embrace to the mix, and his heart melts

daisuke will always open the door for you. in cars, in restaurants (he'll pull your chair for you too), in anywhere

he won't let you open a door as long he's there with you cause he's a simp for you

he won't care about any other person trying to enter an establishment after you enter. he'll let go of the door handle and won't even turn if he hears a loud thump behind him

you know what else he loves? hand holding. daisuke always holds your hand whenever you're outside and will only let go if absolutely necessary like going to the comfort room

he likes playing with your fingers while you love tracing the lines on his palm. you'll probably make a cheesy joke that you can see him marrying you in his future and he goes ( ºΔº )

"how do you know i was planning to marry you?" ( ºΔº ) "can you really read palms?"

you always massage each other because stress. when you massage him, he'll let out small mewls that just makes you go omg so cute but when he massages you - he will whip out the best of best stuff for massage

he will play relaxing music for you. you fall asleep whenever daisuke massages you because he's just so good with his hands

you know what else those hands are good for? touching your body in places that'll make you blush but he mostly especially likes cupping your butt because he thinks its so cute

you don't try to do the same because last time you did, you couldn't walk the day after. don't seduce daisuke if you're not prepared for a pounding

you like grocery shopping with daisuke. sure you can always order someone else to do it or you can make use of shopping as a time to bond with each other

you two work out together. daisuke is a boxer and learning that, you begged him to teach you to box but he didn't because what if he hurts you and instead, taught you how to workout and how to defend yourself

he wanted to test out if his self defense lessons were truly learned so he hired someone to pretend to steal something from you

he learned that his self defense lessons was fruitful because the man he hired came back with bruises and such

when daisuke admitted, he slept on the couch for an entire week

in your birthday, you woke up feeling nervous because it's your birthday - meaning daisuke must be up to some expensive shit

then you realized you're not in your bedroom. it was a completely different bedroom

you were scared honestly and you thought you were kidnapped until daisuke comes into your room wearing his beach wear and his shades while holding two coconuts with straws

"happy birthday. welcome to hawaii, my love"

HOW DID HE BRING YOU THERE WITHOUT WAKING YOU UP

you're just very tired the previous night after some fun activities with daisuke if you know what i mean wink wonk you wouldn't wake up no matter how many times you tried

suzue adores you because daisuke smiles more with you and you're best friends uwu so cuteeee

will always be your peace maker whenever you and daisuke fight. she ships you two. her ship cannot sink

suzue: "just hug it out now. hug it out - I SAID HUG DON'T MAKE OUT YOU TWO ARE GOING TOO FAST"

daisuke loves head pats. he wants them all the time. ruffle ruffle his hair. his eyes will close whenever you pat his head

he only wants you to pat his head. anybody else is a no no. maybe suzue but mostly just you

he lets you get all the groceries while he pushes the cart. he doesn't know the brands he sees on the shelves so he depends on you all the time

there's another reason he likes holding hands with you - he doesn't get lost. there was this time when he got lost because you let go of him and someone called you in the intercom and when you went there, you saw daisuke waiting for you with crossed arms and a balloon and its string around his wrist

the person at service said he was frowning the whole time you were gone and so they gave him a balloon but all he did was frown while playing with the balloon. he's mad because he got lost, you were gone, and you let go of his hand

you two are opposite of haru and his girlfriend in grocery shopping

you love it when his hair is down because he's so cute? can a man really be cute and hot at the same time?

the first you saw him with his hair down, you swooned and coddled him and since then, daisuke makes it his point to put his hair down more often now

taking baths together is just as great as massages. shower? you're not some commoner peasant. you use a very large bathtub

you relax with daisuke in the bathtub with bubbles and wine and sometimes he read you a poem from the poetry book he brings at times

you two always go to bathe together. but if you feel like you wanna bathe alone, daisuke will get all pouty aww and sulk aww

he will sit at the toilet seat and stare at you and when he does this, you can't hold yourself back anymore because he's too adorable and just let him join you with a sigh. he's with you in the bathtub in seconds

but if you don't, he'll leave the bathroom after a while and poke his head at the door, staring at you, as if saying this is your last chance and if you still don't allow him, there is a good chance you'll find him sulking on your bed while lying down, back facing you

just cuddle with him, he'll be fine

haru still doesn't believe daisuke got someone like you as his girlfriend because you're so kind and down to earth and you're dating this rich bastard like whaaaat

you try to make haru see the good qualities of daisuke and every single time you do, daisuke does something to piss him off

you made it your personal mission to experience the regular life of a human being without an unlimited balance

daisuke allows you to style his hair whenever you two sit on the couch. any hairstyles, any accessories, he's open so long your soft fingers are on his hair

you have always wanted a dog and begged daisuke for one but he did not relent, saying it was too much work and although it hurts to see you sad, he had to be strong

this is the only thing and time he said no to you and i'm pretty sure you heard haru scream in horror at the distance in disbelief

then one day you and him were walking down a street when a small puppy trotted up to you two wagging its tail and barking happily at you

you bent down and patted it, cooing and daisuke is wary of that small adorable pup. will it bite you? surely the pup has some common sense

you scooped the pup up and it licked your face and you were laughing and daisuke just has a sudden realization - who looked cuter? you or the puppy? or perhaps you made each other cuter?

daisuke rejected the puppy when you tried giving it to him but you forced it into his arms. daisuke and the pup kinda just stared at each other for a long time. you honestly thought you broke both of them until daisuke kissed the forehead of the puppy, hesitantly but softly

you were shooked (you swore you can hear haru screaming again)

daisuke couldn't help himself. something about the puppy just reminded him of you. it's those puppy eyes

"we need to find its owner, daisuke"

"no"

you told him he cannot buy the puppy because the owner must be worried sick

but it turned out it was a stray lil pup and you adopted her

now daisuke comes home to see you sleeping on the couch waiting for him with the pup in your arms. his heart melts every time

his small little family

for now

Daisuke Kambe let out an exhausted sigh as he parked his car in the garage. His hair was tousled, eyelids dropping, and jacket discarded on the passenger seat beside him. The case earlier has proven difficult than the previous ones he had taken. The criminal was harder to catch with his agility and athletic abilities, and was not easily persuaded when beckoned by cash. Not to mention his partner has been rebuking him the whole time, ranting about how justice workes and how money does not solve everything - basically, the usual. He was extremely fatigued, and all he wanted to do was wash up and go to bed with his beloved in his arms.

A tired smile broke his bland visage at the thought of you. The only reason he hasn't decided to spend the night at a hotel was because you weren't there. The faster he moves, the faster he can get to bed with you. Oh, he can't wait to see you and that little puppy of yours and his.

He exited the car, jacket draped over his shoulder. He sluggishly went to the front door and entered. As he delved further into his mansion, he was immediately greeted by a lovely sight. Your slumbering figure was laid out on the couch, the newly adopted puppy curling near your chest and resting with you. Warmth swaddled his heart and his eyes softened. All of a sudden, the exhaustion he felt has vanished, and all he could do was admire this masterpiece before him. You were waiting for him again.

As much as he wanted to see you like this longer, he couldn't let you sleep on the couch. There's a much more comfortable bed waiting for you upstairs. He approached you with quiet footsteps. The puppy perked up, her superb hearing picking up the sound of his advancement. Daisuke knelt down and stroked her head. "Good evening, Chico." Then he turned to you. You looked so peaceful - parted lips, even breathing. He leaned forward and pecked your cheek, smiling a small smile when you shifted. "Good evening, love."

You let out a yawn as you rubbed your eyes, body shuffling. "Daisuke?" You groaned out. "Is that you?"

Daisuke knew you couldn't see him but he nodded anyway. "You don't have to keep waiting for me like this, you know."

To his surprise, you wrapped your arms around him and pulled yourself closer to his body. "But I want to. And I missed you." You yawned through your statement as you nuzzled your head on his neck. "You still smell good after being outside the whole day. How unfair."

Daisuke let out a chuckle. "Come on. Let's get you to bed." He stood up easily even with your form carried in his arms. Chico jumped out of the couch at the same time and followed Daisuke as he carried you upstairs to your shared room, lying you down carefully on the bed. Daisuke made an attempt to withdraw from the withholding grapple of your arms around his neck but his endeavor was less then proliferant as you have established a stronger hold on him, unrelenting.

Daisuke let out a sigh as he tried to adjust from the uncomfortable stance he was positioned in. "I need to change first, Y/N." Badgered Daisuke, hands resting on your back.

Yet his words did no preclude you and you merely shook your head in response. "No," Your eyes shone with defiance, pout manifesting on your lips. "Stay."

"I'll come back in a few, love. I can't sleep in my work clothes." Insisted Daisuke, resolve crumbling the more he looked into your eyes.

"I don't care. Just stay." You grumbled.

Sometimes Daisuke sometimes wondered just how much power you had over him. He couldn't say no to you, apart for that one time when you asked if you two could get a puppy. Looking back at it, he felt guilty that he did not allow you two to have a dog earlier but if it wasn't for his stubborness, you wouldn't have come across Chico.

Speaking of the little puppy, it had successfully jumped on the bed and let out a merry howl. Distracted by the new development of the young dog, you were able to pull Daisuke down on the space beside you and did not think twice before snuggling to his side, arms embracing him tightly as you grinned happily, a happy giggle exiting your lips. You rubbed your head on his shoulders, sighing contentedly. "You're staying here with us."

Daisuke looked down at your beaming face and looked away, redness tinting his cheeks. "If it can't be helped." He stated, but he knew he made his choice the moment you had told him to stay.

Daisuke slowly wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer, and you willingly accepted his affection. You were so warm, so loving. How did he ever find you?

And then came the cloud of exhaustion. His eyelids gradually drooped over his sockets, his strength withering every second that had gone by until the last thing he saw before sleep overcame him was you and a bounding Chico burying herself in between the two of you.

#daisuke x reader #daisuke kambe x reader #fuguo keiji x reader #haru kato x reader #fuguo keiji balance unlimited #fuguo keiji #anime #anime x reader #x reader #x reader fanfic #the millionaire detective balance unlimited #the millionare detective balance: unlimited #the millionaire detective #fugou keiji x reader #fugou keiji balance: unlimited #fugou keji

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mintymiknow · 3 years

Text

Trust Fall - Ch. 4 | Lee Minho

summary | character profiles | masterlist

Pairing: Lee Minho/Lee Know x Reader

Summary: As you accompany some of the boys to “investigate”, you all discover things to aid your work. But it also throws you into situations you never imagined, you also find yourself falling into a deeper spiral of confusion, and you don’t know if you can trust your own heart.

Genre: Secret agent/spy au, romance, angst, action

Word count: Approx. 8.6k

Warnings for this chapter: Content involving black markets (usual crime stuff), let me know if I missed anything!

A/N: Well, this was longer than the previous chapters, and I might have gotten carried away with it. Again, I’m sure a lot of things here don’t make sense or are a bit off, but it is fiction hahaha. More swoon-worthy moments, but we’re still a bit far from where it really should be *smirks*. Feel free to drop messages/asks for any comments or questions! Enjoy!

Your group of five pile into a car with Chan driving and Minho in the passenger seat. You’re squished between Jisung and Changbin, staying silent during the duration of the trip. Though you’ve technically zoned out, you can vaguely hear Jisung going on a very detailed explanation on the various chemicals and substances the test results yielded from the stuff you brought back the other day.

“Right, y/n?”

You don’t register Jisung directing his question at you until he lightly taps your arm. You blink out of your daze and snap your head to the male, “What was that?”

You hear Chan chuckle as Jisung grins brightly, “I was just telling them that sulfuric acid can turn sugar black and when it reacts, it actually fizzles and ‘grows’ into something that looks like very thick charcoal.”

You nod your head, responding softly, “Oh, yeah. That happens.”

“Is it wrong that I want to see that happen?” Changbin adds, laughing as Minho snorts.

Jisung chuckles, “I mean, I can show you in the lab one of these days. Might stink for a while though.”

“No thanks.” Minho laughs lightly.

“So, Dr. Song.” Changbin then turns to you, “What’s the lab like in Gimpo?”

“Well...it’s just a lab, I guess. Like every other medical and scientific facility. It was originally used as a research facility, but over the years, it became Korea’s prime supplier for certain chemicals and substances.” you explain.

“What kind of organizations or people are exactly allowed to be there? Or purchase from them?” Minho asks next, craning his head to look at you from the passenger’s seat.

Your eyes automatically meet his eyes, and despite the sudden shot of intimidation, you reply with a quiet voice, “Government organizations, specifically those in health departments like the Ministry of Health. Larger hospitals and medical or scientific research facilities are permitted as well, mainly for research and study purposes.”

You then turn to Jisung who is still grinning before looking back to Minho, “I have a permit because I worked in Gongjak, which is Seoul’s largest hospital. Jisung and Seungmin probably have theirs because they’re one of SKZ’s head scientists and doctors.”

Changbin chews his lips, furrowing his eyebrows as if in deep thought, “Did you have a permit when you were in SKZ?”

You shake your head slowly, shrugging in nonchalance, “Someone...someone else had it. I wasn’t in a very high position at that time, unlike Jisung and Seungmin.”

“So what did you do while in Gongjak?” Jisung asks with a tilt of his head.

“Um...tend to patients, most of the time. What any other doctor would do.” you hum, choosing the right words, “I’ve always specialized in pathology and pharmacology, so that explains why I was given the permit upon working in Gongjak. I did a lot of lab and medication tests so that the hospital could tend to patients more efficiently and effectively.”

“Lots of scientific words, but cool.” Changbin nods in approval.

Jisung then goes on about his experiences as a science major back in his university days and how he nearly burned down a lab once. While listening to his vivid narration, you hear Changbin let out a heart laugh while Chan shudders in horror. You slowly turn your gaze to Minho who is surprisingly looking at you.

“What?” you mouth with an obvious scowl on your face.

“Hmm.” Minho responds, his eyebrows raised in what can only be called a cocky manner, lips curled into a feline-like smirk at the corners.

And then he turns around without another word, eyes now watching the road ahead. You deflate in your place, sticking your tongue in the inside of your cheek as you burn the back of the male’s head with your glare.

Scientists loved studying the unknown...the mysterious. But right now, you certainly were not enjoying the mass of mystery that was Lee Minho.

It made you uneasy, and you hated that.

Well, it wasn’t his fault you saw it that way. Maybe you needed to be more open; more willing to open your eyes and explore the possibility that Minho was an individual of pleasant surprises waiting to be unraveled.

If only you could trust again and take that leap of faith.

Neither your heart nor your mind was ready for that, unfortunately.

After some time, your group approaches the lab where the guards stop your vehicle. Chan rolls the window down, flashing a million-dollar smile even before one guard gets to say, “State your business please.”

Chan’s smile doesn’t fade, “Yeah, um, we’re here to inquire about certain supplies for our research lab.”

The male then twists his body to face you, “Hey, Doc.”

You clear your throat, leaning forward to look at the guard, “Yeah, I called in a few hours ago and told Dr. Choi that my group would be visiting.”

“Name and permit, please.”

“Dr. Song.” you state before reaching for your wallet and pulling out a license-looking card that basically indicates that you were permitted to enter this particular lab.

“Alright, move along.” the guard salutes before gesturing for Chan to drive along.

Another guard then assists and guides your group to the parking area. Once Chan parks the car, he turns to everyone, “Ok, let’s go. Jisung and Dr. Song, do your thing.”

Jisung excitedly gets out of the car, and you follow after. The five of you then follow the guard to where he leads you to the “front desk” of sorts, and they do more of the mandatory checking and scanning. After clearing your group, the woman at the front desk tells you that you may proceed to the supply room which somehow functions as the “store”. The three agents simply scan the shelves with boxes of vials and bottles, eyes wandering at the familiar yet unknown chemicals.

Jisung on the other hand is walking around, reading the labels to each item as if he were on a grocery trip. “Well, here’s some hydrogen gas.” he says to no one in particular, pointing at one of the vials.

You nod, looking at another shelf when a voice enters the room. “Dr. Song?”

“Ah, yes, that’s me.” you bow in greeting.

A male bows as well, offering his hand for a handshake. He seems slightly older than you, and the exhaustion in his eyes are evident, but the smile he puts on is still very bright and friendly. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Dr. Kang.” the doctor chuckles, “I’m Dr. Choi. We spoke on the phone earlier.”

“Ah, I see.” you let out a small smile, “Hyunbin - I mean, Dr. Kang was the one who referred you as the person to contact. I still have my permit, but I wasn’t sure if that was enough to let my whole group in.”

Dr. Choi looks around, greeting the other boys with a warm smile before nodding, “Ah, yes. Technically, one permit per person, but since you did mention that this was government-related, we let it slide for today. Besides, you also said someone else had a permit?”

“Oh, that would be me.” Jisung raises his hand with a smile, “Scientist specializing in biochemistry and all that.”

“That’s great. My sister does that too.” Dr. Choi laughs, “Anyway, do you need help with anything or are you fine by yourself?”

You shake your head and offer a smile, “We’ll manage, thank you.”

“As expected from the person Dr. Kang thinks so highly of.” Dr. Choi teases, his eyes crinkling when he laughs.

You let out a small chuckle before you feel a hand circling around your upper arm. Your eyes widen as you feel your back collide with something firm, a pair of lips brushing against the shell of your ear.

“Ask him about any recent acquisitions of nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine and sulfuric acid.”

You crane your head to look up at Minho who was looking at you with a dead-serious gaze. You raise an eyebrow, whispering your reply, “Wouldn’t that be too obvious? Suspicious?”

Minho leans closer, and you almost took a step away if it weren’t for his hold on your arm. “Just ask it, Dr. Song. We’ll handle whatever excuses and explanations.” Minho says much more firmly this time, still keeping a hushed voice.

You let out a sigh before nodding, prompting Minho to let go of your arm and taking a step back from your personal space. You aren’t exactly sure why it feels so empty and cold all of a sudden.

“Um, actually, Dr. Choi.”

“Yes?”

“I was…” you swallow the lump in your throat, turning your head to look at Minho. The agent nods in a poor attempt to encourage you, but you still continue speaking nonetheless, “We were wondering if you’d know anyone who ordered nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine and sulfuric acid recently.”

“Hmm…” the male doctor thinks for a few seconds, “it’s not everyday people come in here for those, but I’m sorry, I wouldn’t know. I’m actually here to just monitor operations and to make sure no one blows this lab up.”

“Is there anyone we can ask?” Minho asks sharply.

Dr. Choi tilts his head as if to ask the obvious question of “why”, but he merely hums, nodding his head, “Dr. Park might be of assistance. Wait here, I’ll go and get her.”

You and your group nod, and Dr. Choi leaves the room. Changbin turns his attention to all of you, keeping his voice low and quiet, “Are they really just going to do that? Give us information on previous purchases? Organizations like these would be big on data privacy.”

You shrug, shooting a quick glare at Minho, “It was Agent Lee’s idea.”

Chan chuckles, putting one hand on your shoulder while the other one was on Minho’s, the image resembling a person trying to get his friends to stop fighting. “Ok, ok. We’ll just play it by ear, alright?”

Jisung grins as well, “I can always use my charms.”

“You aren’t Hyunjin or Jeongin.”

“Shut up Agent Seo. You don’t know me.”

“Han Jisung, I swear- ”

“Anyway,” Jisung laughs, “Who’s Dr. Kang, y/n?”

“Oh…” you start dismissing the question with a wave of your hand, “just one of my co-workers in Gongjak. We…”

Jisung fakes a gasp, “You are or were dating?”

“What? No!” you choke, “We’re colleagues. Just...we always...it’s nothing important. He’s just a work friend.”

Minho raises an eyebrow, looking at both you and Jisung with a stern look, “Are you both done? We’re still on an official activity here.”

“Right.” Jisung chuckles sheepishly, but you just look away, gluing your eyes to the various boxed chemical vials on the shelves.

“Hello.”

Your group then snaps their heads towards the new voice, everyone bowing in greeting. The woman who entered flashes a very small smile before speaking, “Dr. Choi says you had purchase questions?”

“Yes.” Chan answers with a smile, “Specifically, questions on specific chemical purchases.”

“Hmm, I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything.” the doctor explains, “Follow me.”

The female doctor then leads your group through parts of the lab facility and into what seems to be a more office-looking room. There’s only a desk, a few chairs and various shelves and drawers, so you assume this was her personal office. The doctor then takes a seat, leaning back on her chair, “Dr. Choi said you needed to know if there were any recent purchases or orders for nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine and sulfuric acid, right?”

You all nod your heads. Dr. Park places her elbows on the desk and leans forward, eyes narrowing, “But may I ask why first? I am very sure that you’re all aware of how...this facility values privacy and security.”

Chan nods his head, putting on a very sincere and gentle expression. “Yes, we are aware of that, Dr. Park. The reason we’re asking is because we need to verify if one of our researchers made an unauthorized purchase on behalf of our lab.”

Dr. Park tilts her head inquisitively, “Oh? Well, that would be vexing.”

“Very much.” Minho adds, his calm expression never faltering, “Which is why we were wondering if you could give us any information on said purchases. It’s...crucial for the sake of accountability.”

“Your lab should do better jobs at screening who gets permits for this place then.” she says a bit harshly, her voice sharp like a knife.

Minho puts on a very humble-looking smile, but a certain twitch on the corner of his lips can tell you how insincere it was for him. “We’ll keep that in mind, Dr. Park. Don’t worry.”

The female doctor then sighs, pulling her laptop across the desk and typing away. Through the reflection on her glasses, you can all see her going through a bunch of records and data, scrolling fast as if she were used to this. You felt sorry for her eyes.

“Nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine…” Dr. Park trails off, “...ah. Here. The most recent order for those substances was two weeks ago. Under whose name...it just says Dr. Bae Wonhyuk from Gimpo MedTech Laboratories.”

You can tell Minho is glancing at you, a silent question of “do you know him”. You shake your head definitively, clearing your throat. “Just him?” you ask.

Dr. Park nods, “Just him. All other orders from the previous weeks and months are hospital-related items.” she then furrows her eyebrows, “Although this is a bit odd...considering Gimpo MedTech Laboratories put a halt to their research activities due to economic and financial reasons from what I recall from a colleague.”

At this, Changbin takes the opportunity to speak. “Would you happen to know anyone from there that we can speak to?”

Dr. Park shakes her head, offering an apologetic expression, “None, sorry. Besides, since their activities were supposedly put on halt, it would be very likely that their facility is closed or off-limits.”

“I see.” Chan nods in understanding, “Well, we’ll have to sort things out with our lab, but thank you for your help, Dr. Park.”

“My pleasure.” the female bows her head, “Thank you for coming.”

An hour or so later, your group sits on one bed, having regrouped in a small drive-inn hotel for the time being. Chan is on the phone with Felix, relaying the name “Dr. Bae Wonhyuk” and asking the younger tech agent to dig up whatever information he can. Meanwhile, Jisung is on his laptop with Changbin, searching up articles and information on Gimpo MedTech Laboratories.

You feel the spot next to you dip when Minho takes a seat, leaning back on his hands as he lets out a yawn. You turn your head to face him at the exact same moment he does the same, both of you just staring at each other’s elusive eyes for a good three-seconds. Most times, Minho looks like a ferocious and intimidating feline in your eyes, but right now, with his head tilted and a few stray strands of swept-back hair sweeping across his forehead, he looked like a gentler house cat.

“Are you sure Dr. Bae Wonhyuk doesn’t ring any bells?” he asks carefully.

You shake your head, breaking eye contact with him as you opt to stare at the rust-colored, carpeted floor, “I told you. I did everything I could to forget about before, so I’m almost certain that I don’t know him.”

“Being ‘almost certain’ is very different from being ‘100% certain’, y/n.” the agent starts, “That difference would make a big impact in cases like this.”

You ignore the fact that he uses your first name instead of addressing you as he usually does despite you not exactly telling him to do so. You take a deep breath and release it, closing your eyes, “I’m sorry, Agent Lee.” you then open your eyes to look at the male, an apologetic tinge in your irises, “I really don’t remember.”

Minho nods his head in understanding, giving your knee a quick pat before standing up to go to where Chan is. You watch the two males talk with each other, Chan gesturing to his phone as Minho nods. You can vaguely register Jisung and Changbin typing on the laptop, but your attention is solely on your knee; specifically, the part where Minho had lightly patted.

What was that for?, you’d ask yourself, unconsciously bringing your hand to the said knee and squeezing it.

You hated being this confused.

Minutes and minutes pass, and soon, you notice that the sun was about to set and usher in the night. By now, Chan had returned with a take-out dinner for everyone. While eating your meals, Jisung speaks up, “So, what Dr. Park said about Gimpo MedTech Lab was true. They did officially announce a ‘break’ of sorts because they were struggling financially. They’ve been on hiatus for about seven months already.”

“The lab’s a fairly small one compared to all the larger ones we’re more familiar with.” Changbin adds, “They even had to let go of some scientists and researchers prior to going on hiatus.”

“When things like that happens to labs…” you say, but when all eyes land on you, you lose the words you were meaning to say and shake your head, focusing on the food in front of you.

“Dr. Song?” Minho prompts you, raising his eyebrows as if to prod you to continue.

You sigh, “When things that happens to labs - hiatus and financial difficulty - they tend to sell their research to larger or more capable firms. The research can be completed or ongoing, but if a firm is interested and willing to continue it, they will buy the works and all the rights. I’m just guessing that maybe Gimpo MedTech would do the same…just...I just wouldn’t know if they’d have research that Cle would be willing to buy. They did say Dr. Bae was from Gimpo MedTech.”

Chan nods, leaning forward as he places his phone on the empty spot on the small plastic table. “Lix, tell us what you got.” the eldest says, his usually warm and bright eyes now dark and serious.

Felix’s voice is heard from the phone as he greets everyone, “Hi guys. Ok, so Jeongin and I dug up some stuff and found out that Dr. Bae was certainly a researcher and scientist in Gimpo MedTech, but they had to let him go even before the financial struggle incident.”

“Changbin said they let go of some scientists before the hiatus as well.” Minho says, “Was he part of that?”

“No.” Felix answers, “I wasn’t able to find a 100% reliable source, but rumor has it that Dr. Bae got involved in some black market transactions while still under employment in Gimpo MedTech, and when they found out, they fired him.”

“Black market and chemical research.” Jisung clicks his tongue, “Bad combination. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

Minho nods, eyes on the eldest, “Lix, anything else?”

“There are many black markets out there, but the biggest one is known as the District Trade, and it seems to be pretty notorious for being visited by researchers, doctors and scientists from...well, more credible labs. That’s what the talk of the town says, anyway. Jeongin says he’s pretty sure someone mentioned that before when he was snooping around gang districts.”

“And then for Gimpo MedTech…” Felix continues, “They haven’t made any groundbreaking, life-changing research but they were supposed to launch a research program that was initially to develop a formula to instantly kill cancer cells. Pretty basic research stuff, but according to one of their databases that I hacked, they were going to make use of studies from, and I quote ‘SKZ’s research works’.”

Changbin mouths “bingo” as Jisung snaps his fingers. Minho rubs at his temples while you chew on your lip, knowing full well what those “research works” were about. Chan thanks the younger tech agent before hanging up, turning his attention back to the group. “So, that’s what we have right now.” he starts, “And if I’m being completely honest, we can take the night to rest, and then early tomorrow morning, we can go undercover in the District Trade black market.”

Changbin agrees immediately, getting up from his seat, “I’ll find their location.”

He then leaves the room just as Chan looks at you with a softer gaze, “I know you aren’t cut out for this, Dr. Song, but I’ll need you and Jisung to come with us just in case we need to verify the more medical or scientific stuff.”

“I’ve never been to a black market, Chan. I don’t think it’s wise for you to bring me.” you reason, crossing your arms.

“We’ll be in and out, I promise.” the agent smiles warmly, nodding his head towards Minho, “Minho will be by your side always, so you don’t need to worry, ok?”

You simply nod, your eyes not quite meeting Chan’s. With that, the eldest agent gets up, instructing Minho to come with him so they could check if they can book another extra room in the drive-inn hotel. When Minho leaves the room with him, Jisung pats your shoulder before cleaning up the take-out packaging and throwing them in a bin, flopping onto the bed nearby right after.

They just keep pulling surprises.

As the night crept in, Chan, Jisung and Changbin went to the room next to yours so that they could get their rest as well. And despite your adamant refusal and opposition, they agreed to have Minho stay in the same room as you.

“I’ll be fine by myself since you’re all in the room next door.” you told them, but Chan reasoned that it was to be “extra safe” since you were the only girl.

After Jisung making a speech about how it was best, you eventually relented as long as Minho promised not to get on your nerves or to try anything funny - he didn’t really understand why you said that, but he promised nonetheless.

You now sat on the bed rather stiffly, cheeks puffed out as your eyes were glued to the floor. Minho comes out of the bathroom water dripping from parts of his bangs after having washed his face. He looks at you quizzically, asking “Is something wrong, Dr. Song?”

“I’m just uncomfortable…” you start, choosing your words wisely, “...sleeping without having a bath and a change of clothes. It feels weird.”

“You’re free to take a bath and wash your clothes in the bathtub and leave them to dry outside. But, you’re going to have to wear just the stupid bathrobe in the bathroom since we don’t usually bring clothes to field work.” the agent explains flatly as if this were a normal conversation to have.

“Your choice.” he adds before lying down on the couch, sighing in relief.

You make a “tsk” sound before kicking your shoes off and positioning yourself on the bed, burying yourself under the sheets. A long silence fills the room, and you’re about 99% sure you can hear the soft snores escaping from Minho’s lips. The room is dark, and the irritatingly bright neon lights outside are the only source of illumination, yet you can still see how dainty Minho’s features were in this state. You sigh, suddenly feeling bad for treating him poorly in the recent days.

Guilty but the wall was still there.

Nonetheless, you grab the pillow you were laying on - quite disappointing there was only one pillow on a double-sized bed - and pull off the sheets, lightly tiptoeing over to the sleeping agent so that you could gently place the pillow on him. Clearly, you don’t take into account how these agents are very aware of their surroundings, so despite being asleep…

You nearly yelp in surprise and shock when Minho’s eyes dart open, one hand grabbing your wrist to switch places with him so he was pinning you down. His other hand clamps over your mouth, his eyes sharp like a beast’s as he glares down at you for a split-second, but as soon as he realizes it’s you, they soften in an instant. He removes his hand from your mouth, standing up and pulling you up along the way.

With you seated on the couch, he sighs and rubs his eyes, “Sorry, that was out of habit.”

You put your hand over your thumping heart, gulping as you nod, “This one was my fault, sorry.”

He then takes a seat next to you, asking, “Did you need anything?”

“Oh…” your eyes trail to the pillow on the floor, “I was just going to give that to you.”

You stand up and dust the pillow, awkwardly and stiffly holding it in front of the agent. Minho looks at you with curiosity as if he were the scientist and you were the subject. His gaze burns you, and you feel heat rising to your face. After pursing your lips and debating over what words to say, you finally mumble, “Your neck’s going to hurt in the morning if you sleep on the couch without the proper cushioning.”

“I’ve slept in worse conditions.” he says nonchalantly, positioning himself on the couch once more, “You should use it.”

You narrow your eyes, “No, but I have the bed.”

“Dr. Song.”

“Agent Lee.”

“Y/n.” he nearly smirks.

“Min - ” you stop yourself, clearing your throat, “Agent Lee.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, y/n.” the male says, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

“I’m not worried. It’s just the doctor in me; as you said…‘out of habit’.” you roll your eyes, taking a step closer to shove the pillow near his face, “I’m not leaving you alone until you take it.”

“You ever thought about being a field agent with a specialty like Hyunjin? Expert negotiator?” Minho deadpans as he rolls his eyes, groaning as he finally grabs the pillow from you.

He then props the pillow under his head, lying down with a sigh as he grumbles, “Happy?”

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘happy’, but I’ll take it.” you hum.

Minho rolls his eyes, “Now get some sleep, y/n. I’m waking you up early tomorrow and I don’t want Chan up my ass for being late.”

You return to the bed in silence, wrapping the much-too-fragrant sheets around your body. You aren’t aware of the fact that you instantly fall asleep with an ever-so-subtle smile on your face, and you surely aren’t aware of the fact that Minho shifts around the couch and cranes his head to take one glance at your sleeping form, an indescribable yet amused twinkle in his eyes.

The agent is much more quiet and sneaky, getting up from his spot to walk over to the bed. He sees the rare and peaceful expression on your face, unable to hold back a smile. He releases a deep breath before whispering, “They’re such fools to have messed you up.”

And before he knows it, he’s reaching out to lift your head, cradling it in his arms as he slips the pillow back underneath. He doesn’t say a word as he fixes the strands of hair all over your face, gingerly sweeping them away and tucked behind your ear. He doesn’t say a word as he returns to the couch, shutting his eyes as he falls into slumber.

The next morning, you wake up just as the sunlight cracks into the sky. You sit up, looking at the pillow suspiciously, eyebrows furrowed as if presented with the most confusing puzzle ever. You then look at the couch, the male agent long gone, so you scan the room for any sign of him. Just in time, the door to the room opens, Minho already up and about. “I was just about to wake you up.” he says plainly, “Get ready.”

“Yeah, seeing as to how we slept in our clothes from yesterday, there isn’t much getting ready to be done.” you say with a sigh, using your fingers to comb your hair and rid it of sleepy tangles.

You grab your phone and stand in front of Minho, nodding your head as if to say “let’s go”. However, the male looks you up and down before removing his jacket without a word. Your eyes widen when he drapes it around your shoulders, suddenly conscious of yourself. Was something wrong? Were your clothes dirty? Did you smell?

“What?” you blurt out, embarrassed.

Minho offers a small smile before becoming poker-faced again. “We’re going to a shady place, so you kind of have to look the part and not…”

Beautiful and attractive.

“...like this.” Minho settles for that, hoping you get his point and not argue, “Your blouse screams privileged and good-natured.”

“Oh.” you hum, looking down at the simple white blouse you were wearing but the agent did have a point; it looked to clean and pristine, “Ok.”

With that, the agent ushers you out of the room where you regroup with the three other boys by the car. Chan and Jisung wave at you and greet you good morning while Changbin flashes a small smile. You bow your head before standing next to Jisung. Chan then nods, “Let’s go. Remember to keep a low profile. Don’t cause any trouble or engage anyone. Jisung, stick with Changbin. Y/n, with Minho.”

When everyone nods and states they understand, you all pile into the car, and Chan starts to drive off.

District Trade was apparently located in Gimpo’s slightly more rural area. Chan had to park the car somewhere else as the whole group walked a few kilometers to a rundown compound lot with towers and towers of container van apartments littered across the place. There were also small kiosk-like booths as if it were a wet market. Except this place wasn’t bustling with people; everything was quiet and discreet like they already knew how the trade worked. No noisy haggling, impatient old ladies and people doing their vegetable shopping - just very experienced traders buying and selling things that aren’t on the market for everyone.

Chan walks through the crowd calmly, eyebrows furrowed as he looks here and there. Changbin does the same, his buff appearance and intimidating expression helping your group blend in. You see Jisung whispering something in Chan’s ear, pointing at a stall with suspicious-looking bottles; Chan nods and gestures for Changbin to “mingle”.

Your group stands in front of the stall as Changbin pretends to inquire about the chemicals, Jisung by his side to listen to the merchant trader’s answers. Chan and Minho are also listening in, eagle eyes observing the trader’s body language. While they do that, your nose picks up on a particular smell coming from a few feet away, specifically in one of the container van offices. You know better than to use the name “Agent Lee” in a place like this, so when you tug on his sleeve, you whisper with a “Minho”; it feels foreign on your tongue.

When Minho turns his attention to you, he slightly bends down to lend his ear. “I think we should check that container van too.” you say quietly.

Minho’s eyes then trail over to the said container van, trying to peer inside. His gaze then trails over to a group of merchant men nearby, snickering and looking at you with sleazy smirks. The agent then wraps one arm around your waist, pulling you close to his side. Before you can react or protest, he whispers in your ear, “We’ll go after Changbin finishes here. For now, stay like this, trust me.”

And so on a rare occasion such as this, you nod your head and listen to the male’s words, allowing him to hold you close to his side.

You felt safe for some reason, which wasn’t something that often happened.

Maybe it’s just this situation since I am in a sketchy place, you tell yourself.

Yeah, that was probably it.

After Changbin finishes “talking” with the merchant, Minho informs Chan about what you said. With a nod of his head, the eldest male walks ahead followed by Changbin. Jisung walks beside you and Minho, lowly whispering, “That merchant used to supply the chemicals we’re looking for, but ever since a new supplier came in, he stopped because there was competition. He’s stopped for about a year and sticks to just trading less dangerous substances like...street drugs.”

“I see.” Minho responds, “Let’s hope this one gives us answers.

Your group arrives at the container van, opening the flimsy door and stepping inside. By the counter-like desk is the trader with another man wearing a cap. The cap-man side steps to let Chan stand in front of the trader. The merchant raises an eyebrow, and Chan puts on an easy smile. “We’re looking for nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine and sulfuric acid.” he says directly, voice confident and calm.

The merchant nods, retreating to the other side of the room before returning to the counter with some vials. He says, “These are our only stocks. This fellow here took the rest.”

The capped man nods once, eyes busy looking at the other stuff in the “store”. Chan pretends to inspect the vials, raising an eyebrow as he asks, “I have to ask...where did you source these?”

“You don’t need to know buddy.” the merchant scoffs with a smirk, “That’s for me to know. You just gotta pay.”

“We aren’t paying if we don’t know.” Chan shrugs, an easy smirk on his lips.

The merchant scowls, raising an eyebrow as he responds, “Are you new here? We don’t just give away trade secrets, bud.”

Minho interjects with a haughty raise of his eyebrow, “We know, but our boss is really particular with the stuff we get. He only wants the best of the best. If he finds out that what you sold us isn’t the best, he might as well have your head.”

You stare at the agent, chills running down your spine as you see the vicious color in his eyes, eyebrows knit together in faux irritation. Before the merchant can even reply, the capped male chuckles at the side, turning to face your group, “Don’t worry, lads. This trader gets materials from very excellent sources, I can vouch for that.”

Changbin crosses his arms, “Where then?”

The stranger smirks, “A credible lab. That’s all you need to know. Take my word for it or not.”

With one undecipherable look from Chan, Minho and Changbin nod their heads. The eldest agent chuckles lightly, bowing his head, “Alright, we’ll take your word for it. If you’re lying, you owe us big time.”

The man laughs in a very fake yet very heart manner, “Oh, definitely.”

Minho fakes a smile as well. The man then says, “But don’t worry, I’m somewhat of an expert. Experts like me would know the good quality stuff from the bad ones…” he then turns his attention to you, raising his eyebrows excitedly, “...right, darling?”

You unconsciously take a shaky step back, Minho steadying you with a firm hand to the small of your back. You play it off with a small smile, “Right.”

The man then chuckles before bowing towards the merchant and your group. He then takes whatever pouch he had with him, leaving the container van. Chan subtly taps Changbin’s arm, and the buff male nods. The next thing you know, he heads out as well. The merchant doesn’t seem to care, much more preoccupied with whether or not Chan is going to purchase the chemicals.

Chan offers a sweet smile, slipping a few bills over the counter, “We’ll just take half then.”

The merchant groans and grumbles something incoherently before packing a few vials into a secured pouch. He hands it over to Chan who thanks him, and soon he leads your group outside. “Was that Bae Wonhyuk?” Jisung whispers to Chan.

The older male shakes his head, “Not quite sure, but he’s a target. The merchant said he just purchased the things we inquired about.”

Minho nods, “Changbin’s tailing him. We should probably split up and tail him from different angles. Meet at the rendezvous point later.”

“I’ll take Jisung, you take y/n.” Chan instructs, and Minho nods immediately.

Soon, Chan and Jisung walk ahead, taking a different path from when you first entered the market. Meanwhile, Minho looks at you, raising an eyebrow in concern, “Do you want to hold my hand or are you fine walking beside me?”

“I’m not a child...Minho.” you put an emphasis on his first name, “Let’s go.”

He hums in satisfaction, walking side-by-side towards the exit of the market. Outside the gated compound is a large open space where the cars and vehicles of the other black market traders are parked. Minho’s phone beeps with a message; Changbin informs him that he’s successfully tailed their target all the way to an abandoned cargo sea port nearby.

The agent turns to you, eyes serious and almost as if they were pleading, “Whatever happens, you need to listen to what I say, alright?”

You nod, swallowing the nervous lump in your throat. You don’t fight back or protest when Minho takes hold of your hand, walking much faster than before, making sure you’re still able to keep up.

After a few meters, you arrive at the abandoned sea port, and out of the corner of your eye, you see Chan and Jisung a few feet away, navigating through the empty cargo containers. The waves of the sea nearby are roaring, some part of the concrete being submerged in the water. A few rusted and decrepit cranes and lifts are scattered around the port, resembling ghosts that refuse to part from this place.

Everything is eerily silent save for the sound of waves; it’s creepy and definitely the type to send chills through your every nerve. You don’t even realize that you’re gripping Minho’s hand much tighter than you intended. But when you hear a gunshot in the distance, your heart freezes and you find yourself clinging to his arm. Minho instantly pulls his gun out, the gunshot sounds echoing in the empty port. It sounds like it's coming from everywhere, and Minho’s eyes scan the entire area. His gaze stops somewhere to the side, narrowing even more when he spots a figure.

In a split-second as soon he fixes his eyes on the figure, a bullet is fired, barely missing both you and Minho. You yelp in shock, and Minho is quick to move. He grabs your arm and drags you away, running with skill as he spots an empty container and all but shoves you inside. “Don’t move.” is all he says before running off.

The thumping of your heart somehow drowns out the sounds of gunshots as you fall on your butt, sitting in the empty container. You can vaguely hear shoes scuffling outside on the pavement and a few banging on the metal containers. It feels like you spend forever inside the container, when it’s only been less than 30 minutes.

You grab one of the broken metal bars laying around in the container, but just when you stand up, you hear footsteps approaching. Your throat runs dry and your muscles tense so much you feel like a statue. Thank the heavens, it’s just Minho who reveals himself, expression nothing short of confusion as he sees the metal bar in your grip. “I…” you cough, “Self defense.”

Minho sighs, “No one’s going to harm you. We all promised you that.”

The agent walks over to you, gently prying your hands off the metal bar and letting it fall to the ground with a clang. “Are you ok?” he asks for precautionary measures, looking you up and down as if to assess any injuries.

You merely nod your head, following the male as he gestures for you to go outside. When you regroup with the other boys, Changbin is carrying the capped man - now unconscious - over his shoulder. Jisung is sifting through the pouch the man originally carried, but Chan is nowhere to be found.

Your unvoiced question is answered when a black car soon arrives, coming to a halt in front of all of you. Changbin opens the back door of the car, carefully laying the unconscious man down. As he busies himself with tying the man up and putting a cloth around his mouth, Minho tells you and Jisung to go inside. After a minute or so, Changbin and Minho get inside the car as well, and Chan quickly drives off.

Jisung is on another ramble over the chemicals he sees inside the capped man’s pouch, but you don’t really pay attention, adrenaline wearing off and suddenly feeling very much exhausted. You barely remember that Minho made you wear his jacket before heading to District Trade, so right now, in the safety of the car, you idly grip it tighter as if hugging the material closer. It feels like warmth and familiarity in ways you can’t comprehend, but that was your life now.

Confusing and incomprehensible.

Your eyes fall shut, your head eventually leaning onto Jisung’s shoulder who isn’t too shaken, chuckling instead and telling Minho that his “partner” was now asleep. You don’t hear Minho reply with “let her, she needs it.”

And that would mean you don’t see the endeared smile on his lips as Chan chuckles lightly and Changbin smirks to himself.

When you all return to the headquarters, you and Jisung separate with the other boys to head to the lab department. While the three field agents go to the main building, you and Jisung meet with Seungmin in one lab room. The doctor drums his fingers on the table, “What did you get?”

Jisung carefully empties the contents of the pouch, revealing the vials the capped man purchased from the black market. A few particular vials catch your attention, the copper-colored liquid standing out from the rest. Jisung then claps his hands once, “The stuff we discovered previously...and maybe new stuff. Hold on, I’ll just get my gloves.”

Seungmin nods, moving to one of the shelves to get his own gloves too. While the two males are getting their things, you swiftly grab one of the suspicious vials, making sure to secretly shove it into your jacket - or more specifically, Minho’s jacket. You then walk over to the shelf to get your gloves and lab coat, flashing a small smile to the two males, “Let’s run those tests.”

After a few minutes, the three of you successfully analyze and observe the chemical substances, now on standby to await the results of the tests itself. After Seungmin clears the area, he turns to you and Jisung. “These will probably take a few more hours.” he states, “I’ll keep watch, so you two can go to the interrogation room or something.”

“Interrogation room?” you ask.

Jisung nods, looping his arm around yours, “Minho and the rest are probably there. Let’s go.”

And that is how you end up being dragged by Jisung to the main building, his arm still looped around yours happily. Once in the main building, you take the elevator to several floors down. It opens to reveal a darker, more quiet and chilly area, the white fluorescent lights quite painful to the eyes. An agent behind one of the desks further into this floor looks up from her papers, tilting her head, “Yes?”

“Oh, are Bang and the rest done with interrogations?” Jisung asks.

The female agent shakes her head, “Not yet.”

“Is it possible for us to go in their room?” Jisung almost pouts his lower lip, “We were involved in this operation.”

She nods, gesturing towards the hallway behind her, “The last room. Just watch, don’t disturb them or interfere.”

“Yes, thanks.”

You and Jisung then descend the hall, the male making light knocks on the last door. A few seconds later, Changbin slightly opens the door, peeking through the small slit. Once he sees you and Jisung, he opens it wider but whispers, “If you’re gonna ask questions, ask Minho first.”

You and Jisung nod, entering the room when Changbin ushers you in. Minho is sitting on one of the chairs lined up by the wall while Chan is in another room separated by a large glass window. Across the metal table opposite of him is the capped man - cap now gone to reveal his full features. You see a small bruise blooming on his cheekbone. Changbin remains standing, watching Chan interrogate the man. Jisung heads over to Minho, so you follow suit; you both sit on opposite sides of the agent.

“What have you guys found?” Jisung asks.

Minho chews on his lip, “He’s not Bae Wonhyuk.” the agent continues, “In fact, it’s highly plausible that Dr. Bae is dead.”

Before you or Jisung can ask anything else, you hear Chan ask more about Bae Wonhyuk. The capped man speaks, and you all hear it through the speakers in the room. “Bae Wonhyuk was desperate to continue his research career after what happened to the Gimpo lab.” the man laughs, “His desperation led him to us, but he didn’t expect to be working on the things we are working on now.”

Chan sighs, “The human testing for some super serum?”

“Whatever you wish to call it, agents.” the man snickers, “We are working on life-changing discoveries, something you hypocritic fools wouldn’t understand.”

“Why did Cle kill Dr. Bae Wonhyuk?” Chan ignores the man’s words.

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Why?”

“Whatever reasons they wanted.”

Chan puts on a sickly sweet smile, poking his tongue on the inside of his cheek, “Cle can’t save you and definitely won’t go out of their way to look for a missing henchman. So, tell us. Why?”

The man scoffs with a shrug, “The doctor thought Cle was doing research on medical cures and whatnot. When he eventually realized that wasn’t the case, he wanted out. But by the time it happened, it was too late. The fool sold Gimpo MedTech research to us already and even allowed his permits to be used for sourcing materials. When he threatened to alert the government, well...you know what happens to snitches like that.”

You involuntarily shudder, but when the man snaps his head to your direction, eyes swimming with a twisted amusement, you feel fear seizing every inch of your body. Minho and Changbin narrow their eyes at the man while Jisung tries to study him. Chan taps the metal table, speaking with a firm voice, “Hey, they aren’t the ones talking to you. Look here - ”

But the man cuts him off, ignoring the agent’s commands, “And speaking of snitches...you’d know what happens, don’t you, Dr. Song?”

You tense up, jaw clenching as you refuse to give a reaction or utter a single word. Chan furrows his eyebrows, using his palm to bang on the table much harder now, “Hey - ”

“What are you doing here in SKZ, dear doctor?” the man snickers, “Were you not part of the people who conducted experiments behind Jung’s back?”

You feel Jisung and Minho’s eyes on you, but you still can’t manage to form a decent response. The man takes the opportunity to keep speaking, “You’re the perfect addition to our team! Maybe you should come over!”

You finally gulp, shaking your head. Despite the shakiness in your voice, you deny, “I don’t know what you mean. I wasn’t part of that group.”

“Stop lying to yourself, Dr. Song. We both know you were there every step of the way.”

By now, your eyebrows are furrowed, fear replaced by anger as you stand up from the chair, “I said I was not! Whoever your bosses are are the ones responsible for it, and I had nothing to do with those events!”

“Dr. Baek would care to disagree. Hmm, change of heart?”

You swallow hard.

“Dr. Baek still remembers you very clearly.”

Your eyes fill with a violent red, nerves ablaze with anger. You don’t see anything but a rush of red, making a move to step closer to the glass window. The man attempts to walk over to the glass window as well.

“Do you remember him too?”

It all happens in a flash - the screeching of a chair when Chan abruptly stands to stop the man from speaking or moving, Changbin entering the interrogation area to assist Chan, Jisung’s often sunny stare turning into a glare, Minho’s arms around your body as he drags you out.

You vaguely hear the man yelling words about how you were involved in that incident, how Dr. Baek wants to see you again, or how things didn’t end well for “snitches”. But his yelling is muffled out when Jisung closes the door and Chan and Changbin restrain the man.

His yelling is drowned out when Minho all but pushes you to the other interrogation room next door. There, he nearly slams the door and pushes you against it, hands quick to cradle the sides of your face. You’re just as quick to grip his wrists, staring at the agent with wide, glassy eyes.

“I don’t know him. I don’t know what he’s talking about. I really don’t!” you breathe out, voice nothing short of pleading as you repeat your words frantically, “I don’t!”

Minho shushes you, steadying your figure against the door as he speaks with a firm yet soothing voice, “Dr. Song, calm down. It’s alright, just calm down and take a deep breath.”

“He’s lying.” you breathe out, holding onto Minho’s wrists tighter.

“Yes, yes, alright.” Minho nods, sparkly eyes looking down at you earnestly. His thumbs lightly brush against your cheekbones in an attempt to calm you down. He doesn’t know if it works, but your breathing somehow evens out, your frantic babbling coming to a halt. You’re now just staring back at him, tears welling in your eyes; when you close your eyes, the tears eventually trail down.

A blur of memories you’ve repressed rush into your mind; you don’t pick out the details as it literally just blurs past, but they still somehow manage to shake you.

“I’m sorry.” you whisper.

Minho sighs, loosely circling his arms around your waist. If he feels the bump of the vial you put in his jacket pocket earlier, he doesn’t say anything. He notes it in his head, but he doesn’t say anything.

He then unwraps his arms from you, taking a small step back. “You should go back, ok? Lounge, lab, your room - whatever. I’ll have Jisung go with you.” he says, lacing his fingers with yours.

You can only nod, following the agent outside the room. He still has your hand in his as he makes you wait in the hallway, calling Jisung from the interrogation room. When the scientist steps out of the room, Minho gives your hand a quick squeeze before letting go.

The next thing you know, Jisung’s arm is around your shoulder as you both begin to walk away.

In the interrogation room, Chan and Changbin are both in the interrogation area, watching over the man. Changbin leans against the gray concrete wall, arms crossed across his chest. Chan sits on the metal table, looking at Minho expectantly before turning to look at the man with a borderline-haughty look.

Minho’s eyes narrow like sharp knives as he takes definite steps towards the man.

“‘You know what happens to snitches’ you say?” the agent smirks, “Well, do you know what happens to liars?”

154 notes · View notes

faunusrights · 3 years

Text

yeah, all i got is this belly button lint: a happy huntresses short fic

wrote this real quick because i love thinking about the random crap fiona has in her Inventory(tm). also i just like thinking about these clowns in general, so,

"Okay, so, what's actually in your Semblance right now?" Joanna asks one day in third year, when Fiona and May have sneaked away to Robyn's dorm to lose at cards and help edit her new batch of flyers promoting union creation in the workplace. Fiona had given a couple a look and accepted them as good enough, but May is weirdly exacting about her standards and is currently trying to convince Robyn to nudge the text headers over by ten pixels to the right. That's why, as she's sat on the floor and wrapped up in the drama of watching Robyn try and slowly fail to ignore May's insistent pleas for her to boot up her editor, Fiona's caught just a little bit off-guard by the question.

"My Semblance?" she asks, and Joanna nods all serious-like from her place on the bunk above Robyn. Joanna often looks very serious, because she suffers from what Robyn calls resting thoughtful bitch face, so sometimes it's hard to gauge how actually serious about something she really is. "I mean, it's probably a mess in there right now."

"I keep forgetting you actually use it like storage space," Robyn adds cheerfully, having now progressed onto shoving May away from her laptop computer every time she tries to creep closer. "Since most Semblances are, y'know, combat-only things or like... special occasions, I guess. And yet here you are, telling people you really don't need a bag for all your groceries!"

It is fun to flex on all the people struggling to carry like six bags to their car or their home, and Fiona preens. "Yeah, it's nice. I mostly keep things in it that I'd wanna have in an emergency, but it's been a while since I last sorted through it, so, who knows what garbage I've put in there."

"Tell me Robyn's braincell is in there too," May says imploringly, still trying to slide an arm around Robyn to get at the keyboard, but Fiona just shakes her head. She can't and won't be blamed for that particular disappearance any time soon. Instead, she rubs her hands together, scrunching up her face as she tests the edges of the Semblance. It's a funny thing, a Semblance like this--she never really has to think about it, but it's always just in reach, like this extra weight in her chest that she can totally forget about. It's strange to think about, so she often just doesn't.

"Okay," she starts, and she goes for the biggest item she can sense, which is an easy one to explain. In her hands materialises an acoustic guitar, worn and scuffed with age, and this attracts to attention of every girl in the room. "Well, this one's easy. This is my guitar, and honestly? If I ever leave it behind in the meatspace and don't pick it up on my way out the door, know that you've just seen my evil clone and you have to kill her."

Joanna blinks, and Robyn seems caught between asking about the guitar, the evil clone, and also the fact that Fiona insists on referring to the physical world as the meatspace. So, she does as Robyn does best, and settles on an expletive. "Shit! You play?"

"Been playing since I was... like seven? Something like that." Fiona shrugs, because she really can't be sure; her first vague memory of even seeing this guitar was a long time ago, her uncle telling her it used to belong to her grandmother who'd never managed to learn a damn thing on it. So, Fiona had taken up practice, if only because it was something for a little lowlands Mantellian Faunus to do during the long, cold polar nights and the endless sunshine of the midnight sun. "But, yeah, this is always on me in some form or another."

"You should've played it whilst we were on watch our last mission," May says, with a certain scowl that Fiona knows is 100% directed at their team leader, who is currently off doing... some sort of bullshit with their partner, no doubt. Gods, this team is a nightmare. "All those hours trying to stay awake so we could stare into nothing..."

"Sorry," Fiona says, and she means it. She'd intended to, but, well, she'd sort of chickened out. The echo in the mountains is kind of insane. "Next time?"

May nods, but Joanna cuts off whatever she's about to say next by waving her hands through the air like she can physically dissipate the conversation. "Okay, okay, cool, but now I gotta else you got hiding in there."

Re-compressing her guitar--and oh, is Fiona thankful that dematerialising and rematerialising it doesn't leave it out of tune--Fiona has a mental root around. "Uh, okay, so, we've got--"

In no particular order, she starts pulling things out: a pair of thick gloves for the brutal Solitas chill, an extra pair of socks (hugely understated by most, but never by Fiona), a ushanka that Robyn instantly cheers for, and a couple of jackets ranging from light windbreakers to thick furred jackets that feel like she's wearing a mattress around her ribs. Her Scroll and wallet are in there too, naturally, as are her keys and some extra ammunition, and she pulls out a load of old train tickets with a grimace. "Hm. I was meant to throw these away years ago."

"You're basically carrying around a wardrobe in there, then?" May asks in a way that'd maybe be a little teasing if she didn't look about as jealous as she sounds, but it becomes a thoughtful expression when Fiona shakes her head again.

"Bold of you to think I haven't got a whole pantry in here too," she says, and now Joanna looks very interested. "Check this out."

The first thing she pulls out is a gallon jug of clean water--endlessly fucking useful, she's found, especially when you're in some situation where you can't sit on your ass for an hour waiting for the water purification tablets to do their job--before pulling out a whole host of Atlesian MREs that she keeps around just in case shit really does hit the fan. Atlas rations are... not good, in a phrase, but she's owed them her life more than once, so, whatever.

"What dates are on those?" May quickly interrupts with a critical eye, trying to make out the printed numbers on the snow-patterned packets, and Fiona tosses her one if only to distract May's hands from trying to puzzle out Robyn's password when Robyn isn't directly paying attention.

"Things don't really degrade in my Semblance," Fiona admits. "I've tested it before on stuff with a short shelf-life, like cheese and milk, and honestly I can leave it in there for months and have it come out just as fresh as when it went in. Something to do with a sort of... internal stasis, I guess." Then, she adds, "One thing in my Semblance is a goldfish in a bowl, but he's part of a practical theory I'm running, so I can't materialise him for another fifteen years or so."

"That sounds very normal," Joanna says, and Fiona is glad she agrees as she barrels right over the inherent sarcasm.

As May agonises over finding the date, though, Fiona continues to unveil her pantry--there's plenty of snacks, like dried fruit and nuts and energy bars and chocolate, and when she reveals she carries extra for every member of her team and then some (then some in this instance being Robyn and Joanna, not that she'll admit it), Robyn looks delighted. "That's so sweet! Look at you, making sure nobody goes hungry. You're one in a million."

That's cute and very gay, but Fiona has a lot of stuff to be working through and so she keeps on going--there's a flask of coffee that, thanks to the maybe-stasis, is eternally hot, a bottle of dark Mantellian ale she keeps as, uh, moral support, and she blushes when she pulls out half an uneaten tuna sandwich. "I wondered where that went. Whoops."

May looks up from the MRE for a second, and then does a double-take as she takes in the sight of the very limp and sad-looking sandwich, made courtesy of the Atlas Academy cafeteria. "Wait! Isn't that the sandwich you accused me of stealing last month?!"

"Anyway!" Fiona says with a forced grin, quickly making it disappear back into the void where it can safely continue not existing. "I think the final thing in here is... wait."

She blinks, and suddenly in her hands are at least a hundred little booklets entitled The Pocket Guide to Communist Outreach, scattering right over the floor. Robyn yelps, and then reaches down the side of her bunk to pick them up. "Oh shit! I forgot I asked you to hold onto these! I thought we ran out, nice."

Joanna's face is in her hands, and May sighs long and hard before tossing the MRE back to Fiona with a distinctly pained expression.

"It goes out of date in a month," she notes with distaste, and Fiona just sucks it up without a word. She'll be thankful for it when they end up down a dark cave with no backup, but Fiona figures she'll sit on that one for a bit before being able to make the greatest told you so call in history. She can wait.

"So," she says, watching as May takes advantage of Robyn's momentary distraction to try and access her computer again. "I guess... do you wanna hear me play a song?"

Joanna watches as her partner leans too far over the side of the bunk, yelping as she nearly slams her head directly into the hard vinyl of the floor, and she grimaces. "Please do."

Grinning, Fiona finds her guitar again--somewhere buried, she mentally notes, beside the gallon of water but under the coats--and she slings the broad strap about her shoulders before settling it on her lap, crossing her legs tightly beneath herself before finding her place on the fretboard. After having not played since being back home, it relaxes her more than she'd ever realised it did. It helps to be surrounded by friends, though. Helps to be with family.

"I don't take requests," she adds, flatly, and Robyn laughs from her place on the floor before music fills the dorm, soft and deep and achingly familiar of a place far, far below.

But she's okay with calling this place home, too.

#is the title really a spongebob refer--#rwby #happy huntresses #fiona thyme #robyn hill #may marigold #joanna greenleaf #my writing #sorry this was in my brain for a while there sdfhjgsdfgjh #BUT ITS OUT NOW. ITS FREE.#what else would you have called this #fiona doesn't mention this but she also has emergency condoms and a literal handgun. just in case.#JUST IN CASE...

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deltas-writing-corner · 3 years

Text

Courtship: Together

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland (Malleus x GN!reader)

Author note: Thank you all for your patience and happy reading!

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and alcohol consumption.

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AO3 version

“Really, I insist.”

“And I insist you sit down and relax while we finish preparing your party,” Lilia says as he pushes Malleus back down in his seat; the grand stone throne at the top of the double staircase in Diasomnia’s main lounge room. “We’re nearly done, anyway!”

Malleus tries to argue that setting out a few plates of food or lighting a few candles himself is no big issue, but Lilia skips away before he can get another word in. He continues to watch as the rest of his dorm mates decorate and rearrange the lounge into a grand venue befitting a birthday bash. Every so often, he checks his phone and rereads the last few messages you sent to him. You wrote you would arrive soon and would inform him when you were outside. He was getting antsy the longer he waits. There was even a moment where he was unsure if you knew the way to his dorm and panic-offered to escort you just in case. He snuck out for you once, and he’d do it again if you only asked.

The somber doorbell rings, and he immediately shoots up onto his feet. Lilia excuses himself so he can answer the door, but Malleus quickly descends the stairs and catches him by the shoulder before he can leave the room. “I’ll get it,” he says, leaving no room for a rebuttal from his caretaker. He hears several shouts of his name and approaching footsteps, but no one completely follows him into the halls, most likely thanks to Lilia holding them back. Even as he puts more and more distance between him and the venue, he swears he can hear the elder fae’s playful giggles echoing in the distance.

He picks up his already hurried pace at the sound of the bell ringing again. He’s a bit out of breath by the time he reaches the door and takes a few moments to straighten up and calm his pounding heart before welcoming you in. His efforts to appear calm and collected are all for naught, as he feels his breath being taken away when he opens the door and sees you. While you’re always wonderfully dressed, seeing you dressed in attire that is just a smidge more formal and fanciful strikes a carnal chord he didn’t know existed till this very moment. Black and green are the signature colors of Diasomnia. While your dress shirt isn’t the traditional vibrant green, instead it is a dark and rich hue, he can’t help but wonder if it would be too rude or outright ridiculous to ask you to wear it more often.

“Hey!” you greet with a bright smile on your face. “See? I made it here just fine.”

“Thank goodness,” he lets out a relieved sigh. “I thought I may have had to pick you out of a thorn bush.”

You let out a hearty laugh at his comment as he ushers you inside. He observes you as you look around and take in the decor of his dorm. While the architecture of Diasomnia is a typical design within the Valley of Thorns, his own home especially, he knows from a few off-handed comments that some students find the dorm gloomy and even downright unwelcoming. He supposes the green flames that bathe the walls and windows in an ominous glow can be a bit intimidating to those not used to them, but you don’t appear bothered by it at all. In fact, you’re dragging him in the opposite direction of the lounge and insisting that he show you around his dorm.

“I’m not leaving ‘till I see your room,” you firmly state.

“Why would you want to see my room?” he asks.

“Y’know?” You point back and forth between him and yourself. “You’ve seen my room, so now I get to see your room.”

That sounds awfully familiar.

“What is your name, child of man?”

“Depends on who’s asking,” you answer nonchalantly, completely unintimidated or disturbed by his presence. “What’s yours?”

His eyebrows furrow with annoyance. “It is proper to give your name when asked.”

“That isn’t how mutual introductions work where I’m from,” you scoff. “You’re supposed to give me your name, and then I give you mine.” you point back and forth between you and himself to better emphasize your explanation. As if you were trying to make sense of the difference between right and wrong to a child.

He feels the urge to growl in the back of his throat. “You’re rather ill-mannered, human.”

“I don't think any reasonable person would feel safe giving out their name to a tall guy with horns, wandering around an abandoned dorm that’s seen better days,” you bite back. “You aren’t making a great case for yourself either.”

After his mind finishes playing back the very first memory and conversation he has of you, he gently grabs you by the shoulder and leads you in the opposite direction. “Very well,” he concedes.

He guides you down several long halls, past the other standard-sized dorm rooms and other empty rooms. The large double doors of his room eventually come into full view, and when you turn and ask him if that was his room, you give him a giddy smile when he confirms it is. His room is rather plain. The only personal items he has are a few pennants above his desk given to him by Lilia many decades ago, and a giant statue shaped as the Witch of Thorn’s dragon form. While there isn’t anything in particular that he’s embarrassed by you seeing, he worries you might find the lack of personal decor boring, upsetting even. You have little else in your room as well, but compared to his it may as well be a treasure trove.

“Huh,” you step in and look back and forth, taking in his private space in all its unassuming glory. “So this is what a dorm leader’s room is like!”

The first place that catches your interest is the bed, which you unashamedly fall back on, arms spread out to bask in the space underneath you. If seeing you on his bed wasn’t enough to stir his heart, it would be the fact that another one of your shirt buttons came undone, exposing more of your collarbones and the middle of your chest to his obsessive gaze.

“Damn, I’d kill for a bed this big,” you grumble. “Do you know how much of a pain it is, sleeping with a bunch of full-grown wolves, four newborn pups, and a steadily growing deer?”

“You can always order them out of your room at night,” he suggests.

You fall back on his bed again with a groan. “Believe me, I’ve tried! They nearly scratched my door off and kept me up all night with their loud howling.”

You and your deep, unspoken love for animals. It seems it’s coming back to bite you in small ways. “You’re much more pliable than I thought!” he says, laughing behind his palm.

“Whatever,” you lift yourself and give a dismissive wave with your hand. Something catches your eye, as you look him up and down before tilting your head inquisitively. “Aren’t you supposed to have a sash with your outfit?”

He is, but what you don’t know is that he purposely left it in his closet, hoping you would notice and bring it up as you did just now. The reason and overall style of this birthday suit perplexed Malleus, but he’ll admit that it wasn’t an unwelcome surprise when the headmaster dropped it off the other day. He was actually hoping it would be you that presented it to him as you did with Lilia’s identical outfit on his birthday. However, that one time was because the headmaster had another obligation and handed the task to you last minute. It was the first time Malleus saw you since the end of the winter break, when his love confession went awry. It was awkward and nerve-racking, as to be expected considering how things went. But when you smiled and called him “tsunotarou” (much to Sebek’s disdain), it helped affirm the words the two of you had been exchanging over the phone, that you and he are still friends and that you still cared about him.

As he had hoped, you quickly offer to put the sash on for him when he mentions it still being somewhere in his wooden wardrobe. Your movements are swift and unassuming, but he can’t help the way his shoulders tense up when you put your arm around him to wrap the sash around his torso. Once the strip of fabric is properly secured, you run your hands over his clothes to smooth out the small wrinkles and bunched-up fabric. Your actions feel like a burst of electricity against his skin, even though there were several layers of clothes separating your bare flesh from his.

You casually wipe your thumb over the purple gem on his lapel pin before saying, “White suits you.”

“Is that so?” He timidly raises his hands to button up your dress shirt, just the one button that was undone earlier. He knows you hate having it buttoned up all the way. “I thought you said red suited me best?”

“I still think it does!” you chuckle. “But I’ve never considered you in something white until now. I guess I have to make you a white coat now.”

“You don’t have to,” he insists. “The one you made for me is fine as it is.”

“That’s good,” you smile. “All those years of helping my aunt sew and mend clothes for my cousins finally came in handy.”

“That would be your second aunt, correct?”

You’re visibly surprised at his comment, but you quickly give him a rather adorable smile. “That’s right!” you chant. When he asks you why you’re smiling so sincerely, you answer, “You’re the first person who’s been able to tell which of my aunts I’m talking about without naming them.”

“You speak of them often, so it’s expected that I’d be able to distinguish who you’re referring to after some time.”

“Well, shut me up if I mention them one too many times,” you insist, eyes averted from his own as you fidget with the ribbon tails of his celebratory bow near his breast pocket, his birth month and day were written with shimmering gold foil.

“Nonsense,” he frowns, redirecting your gaze to him so he can look you in the eyes. “They’re your family. If they’re important to you, then they are to me as well.”

While it’s true that you speak or make a frequent mention of your aunts during your many late-night strolls with him, Malleus’s ability to tell which one you’re referring to is mostly due to him carefully listening to each of your stories like they were gospels, writing seemingly rudimentary information down in his private journal to later read back by himself. Initially, he kept a record because your stories about the life you’ve lived alongside your rather rambunctious human family intrigued him. As his infatuation for you grew, he hoped that by showing you he remembers these moments of your life that you’ve shared with him, it would be a clear sign that he deeply cared not just about you, but also the family you deeply care for.

“Honestly,” you sigh and give him a playful look. “You really know how to tug on my heartstrings, don’t you?”

Malleus has done his best to remain calm and composed in your presence ever since he came to terms with his feelings towards you. As always, you shatter his efforts completely just by being your genuine self, open and honest with your thoughts. You seem to relish his red-faced meltdown, pulling him into a comforting hug while also laughing at him. He hopes you don’t think it strange, the way he seamlessly leans against you and melts in your arms. There’s a pleasant fragrant he picks up in your hair, fresh and floral, specifically like roses. He knows you like to make and use rose water every once in a while to keep your skin moisturized and your hair healthy. His heart is on the verge of bursting through his chest, thinking about you using it specifically with him in mind.

Is this your way of enticing him? It’s not much, but it’s working.

You pull away from him when your phone briefly rings. “Looks like they finished,” you announce as you skim over the newly received message, most likely from Lilia. “We should probably head there now before Sebek gets impatient and hunts you down like a rabbit.”

At the mention of his well-meaning, but loud retainer, Malleus and you leave his room and walk back to the venue together. Along the way, he acts bold and grabs your hand as you hurriedly walk side by side. You don’t pull away when his fingers interlock with yours. Instead, you squeeze and swipe the callus pad of your thumb over his knuckles, a silent assertion that his gesture is okay with you. A shy smile adorns his face. When he spares a glance over at you, he sees one as well.

“I know it’s only been 5 days,” he nervously mentions aloud. “But is it safe for me to presume that you already have an answer?”

“Pretty much,” you casually answer, but you still sounding quite sure of yourself. It sends his heart, mind, and body into a hopeful frenzy. “But as you said, it’s only been 5 days. I still have 2 more days left before my deadline hits and I’m taking all the time I’ve given myself.”

That cheeky tone of yours doesn’t go amiss. In normal Ramshackle fashion, you’re going to keep him at his wits’ end for your own amusement. He doesn’t know if he should feel more annoyed or more enchanted by you. Perhaps a mix of both? Truly, only you can make him feel this way.

“Honestly,” he shakes his head in disbelief. “You are by far the most troublesome human I’ve ever met.”

He halts his hurried pace. And you do as well. He grasps your still intertwined hands together with his other hand, holding it carefully like they were as fragile as glass. Your skin is covered in scars, both recent and old, that came from years of foraging and enduring the natural difficulties of mother nature. However, to him, these permanent markings are more precious than the rarest gem or the finest silk. Your hand is neither too large nor too small within his. It sits just right within his grasp like they were made for him to hold and caress as he is doing now.

“I suppose that makes you the person that you are,” he smiles down at you after letting out a curt laugh. “and it is you who I love and cherish immensely, with all that I am and ever will be.”

Perhaps it is in poor taste to repeat the same words he first told you during his initial confession, but there are no other words he could weave together that can equally convey to you the extent of his feelings other than these. He knows he’s getting ahead of himself. He knows that he’s agreed to abide by the time you’ve asked of him. His words are his bond, literally and figuratively.

He’s just so damn in love with you. He’s willing to act a bit more reckless than he usually is just to expedite the days where he can have you by his side and be together with you at last.

He barely catches it, but thanks to the quiet halls, he’s able to pick up the mumbled words you speak. “You’re making me lose my sense of patience, dammit.”

“Young master!” Sebek’s booming voice echoes down the hallways before Malleus can press your comment further on. His impending presence is enough to make you let go of one of him and take a step back to set some space between you and him. “Where are you?!”

He was much closer than he sounded, as you and Sebek nearly topple over each other when you both turn down the same corner. Thankfully, Malleus acts quickly enough and catches you before you could fall to the ground, and you thank him shortly after you’ve righted yourself up.

Malleus looks up at Sebek and asks, “Why on earth are you sprinting down the halls?”

“The human has failed to respond to Sir Lilia’s message, so he sent me to retrieve you both!” Sebek states, a bit too loudly for your liking as you click your tongue and rub your temples to relieve the growing headache. Malleus has assured you that Sebek’s volume is something you’ll grow accustomed to. It seems the day has yet to come.

“Well, we’re here,” you halfheartedly try to reassure the boy. “So can you please use your inside voice?”

“You!” now it was Sebek’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. “Did I not give you an hour-long lecture on proper attire for the occasion?! Today is Master Malleus’s birthday, and you look no different from what you look like any other day!”

“What?!” you look at his retainer with utter bewilderment. “I am dressed up! I even went out and bought a damn blazer just to fall in line with your strict rules!”

“You’re not wearing it properly!” Sebek gestures to your rolled-up sleeves and the two undone buttons of your dress shirt. “Honestly, I expected better conduct from you, prefect!”

“Just shut up and walk, Zigvolt!” you fume and push the young fae down the hall, ignoring his continuous strings of scoldings and high expectations of you. “I’m not in the mood!”

You turn back to Malleus, who silently follows a few steps behind Sebek and you ahead of him. Malleus has to bite his tongue as you make a choking gesture, most likely directed towards Sebek, with one of your hands. He puts his hand up in defense, not wanting to get involved in your ongoing argument with his retainer. Whenever you and Sebek are together, willingly or otherwise, the two of you often butt heads. Your arguments are never too serious. Malleus knows that if he gives you two some space, you’ll both work out whatever it is you’re arguing about and go back to respectfully tolerating each other as per usual.

He wants to ask you about this supposed lecture Sebek gave you about how you should dress. It sounds equally intriguing as it does ridiculous. Unlike Sebek, he thinks you’re dressed rather well tonight.

The scent of roses in your hair is proof enough that you’ve taken some of Sebek’s words to heart, even if he says otherwise.

The food is delicious despite its unusual colors. The cake, although baked by Lilia, was fluffy and not overly sweet like you expected it to be. Your biggest fear of the night was walking into a dorm full of faes who are just as headache-inducing and strict as Sebek is, but thankfully there’s only one of him in the entire dorm! Some students were still standoffish and threw you a few too many nasty looks than you would normally tolerate. Thankfully, there were some students you remember helping out of their dubious contract with Azul during exams week and welcomed you with open arms. They followed you around like a bunch of ducklings, eagerly insisting you try some dishes they specifically made for tonight’s festivities. Whether they genuinely admired you or simply wanted to make even with you for your help, they are a pleasant distraction from your interactions with Malleus earlier.

Love is a strange thing. Unlike a deer, you can’t predict its next movements or manipulate it to a point of disadvantage. Whether you love someone poorly or properly, love isn’t the same across the board. The love you have for your ghostly dorm mates back in ramshackle is comparable to the love you have for your family, precious and irreplaceable. You can share the same sentiments for your flourishing entourage of forest animals you take care of. You even have a bit of love for Grim, even if he wears your patience thin every other day with his dim-witted cockiness.

You’ve been in a few relationships before, but they went nowhere meaningful. They were relationships built upon a foundation of opportunity and convenience, not of mutual affection and a desire for lifelong companionship. You’re also a creature of habit, so the idea of breaking your hard-fought routines puts you on edge, even if it’s for someone you care about. There’s also the fact that you’ve sworn to yourself to not get too involved with the people in this strange world. You don’t want anyone, or even yourself, to feel saddened or at a loss when it comes time for you to depart. You don’t want to inconvenience anyone if you can avoid it. When you return home, you just want to brush this entire experience off as a long and complex dream.

But how can you brush someone like Malleus off as a figment of your imagination? How can you simply forget all those nights you spent talking with him, laughing with him, genuinely connecting and bonding with another person outside your immediate family for the first time in a long while? How can you continue to tell yourself that you won’t get too involved or become attached to anyone in this twisted world after you’ve gone and fallen in love with one of its inhabitants?

You love Malleus, truly, wholeheartedly, and for far longer than you initially thought. You love him, but not to a blind point where you cannot realize that loving him isn’t as simple as acting upon your innermost desire. Even if the feelings you have for one another are mutual, what then? What will a relationship with a fae, a royal fae, entail? Few think highly of humans. Sebek is a living example that there are even faes who actively dislike and look down upon humans. Malleus is at the very top of the social hierarchy, while you are on the very bottom; a magicless human from a completely different world. That’s another problem! What happens once the way back to your home is finally unearthed?

You love Malleus, but no matter how you look at it, a relationship with him sounds nothing more than an outlandish fairytale. Your friendship with him is still a rather delicate issue. You aren’t particular about what others think of your involvement with him, but he can’t exercise the same amount of dismissal of public opinion as you do. He has to worry about what others think of him, because eventually he’s going to be king, and a king can’t flourish if his people think ill of him.

It makes you wonder why he fell in love with you, the most perilous person he could have ever met and involved in his delicate lifestyle.

“Having fun over here?” A playful voice interrupts your deep thinking. Lilia has one of his arms thrown over your shoulder, a gloved hand firmly squeezing you for comfort and bringing you closer to his side.

Despite his petite stature and his boyish looks, you knew from the moment you locked eyes with him on the first day of the school year that he was much older and wiser than he let on. In fact, he’s old enough that he’s been mentioned in a few footnotes in a history book or two. You even cited him as a source for a thesis essay just for a few laughs. He even has a copy in his room. It wouldn’t surprise you if he has it framed and hung on his wall. He’s a very sentimental man.

“Do you need a moment to breathe?” he asks, concern discernible in his voice.

“If it’s not too much trouble,” you plead.

“Not at all,” he nods assuringly before excusing him and yourself from the small group of boys you’ve been entertaining for the past hour. He leads you out to a quiet balcony and you bask in the cool night air once the doors behind you are closed. Once outside, you take in a much-needed deep breath and lean yourself against the balustrade railing. He quickly excuses himself again and returns with two flutes filled with a bubbly drink.

“What is this?” you ask, swirling the contents around with caution.

“It’s champagne,” he answers.

You give a quick sniff. It certainly smells like it. “Isn’t everyone here too young to drink?”

“Yes.” He clinks his glass against yours before throwing you a cheeky wink. “But we aren’t.”

That’s good enough of an explanation to have you down the much-needed alcohol in one shot. Lilia takes careful sips instead, but once he finishes his drink, he heads back and brings the entire bottle of bubbly wine for you to finish with him. It’s been a while since the two of you drank together. Lilia has an expensive palette, so you’ve quickly learned to cherish each selection he brings for these monthly get-togethers.

You gesture to the dark bottle. “How old is this?”

“Half a decade. Nothing too fancy,” he tells you while pouring himself another glass. “It’s certainly better than whatever it is you brought last time we got together.”

“Unlike you, I like a little kick in my drinks,” you explain.

“Well, I’m not exactly fond of the sensation of my throat burning up with searing pain,” As if you emphasize his point, he massages around his small Adam’s apple. “No wonder you’re so rough around the edges.”

“That’s a low blow and you know it Vanrouge,” you pour the last bit of champagne in your glass before setting the bottle down by your feet.

“How low?”

”Right in my gut.”

“Then I suppose I’ll need to make it up to you over another bottle,” he subtlety suggests. “Are you in the mood for anything in particular?”

“Not really,” you shrug. “Nothing too strong. I’d rather not get hammered in front of a bunch of teenagers.”

He offers a bottle of red wine he’s been meaning to pop open for a while and you accept without a fuss. He takes the empty bottle of wine and tells you to hang tight while he gets the next one. You’re left alone for a few minutes before someone enters the area and settles right next to you. It’s Malleus, who looks just as out of sorts as you certainly look and feel.

“Needed a moment to breathe?” you ask.

“Yes, but I also noticed you were missing and came to find you,” he admits. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” you smile reassuringly at him. “Just out of my element a bit.”

“I’m sorry,” he looks so downtrodden that it makes your heart sink. “I had every intention of being close by you for most of the evening, but I’ve been busy speaking with the others that I-“

“Hey, relax!” you stop him before he can devolve any further. “Today’s your day, not mine. Besides,” you lift your empty glass for him to see. “Lilia is keeping me company.”

“Why is it that whenever I see you two together, there’s alcohol involved?”

“In my defense, he’s the one who offered,” you explain, but he doesn’t seem that convinced or assured. “It’s been a while since I’ve had champagne! And it’s a special occasion!”

“I’m not opposed to you drinking, but after what happened last time, I can’t exactly trust you two to pace yourselves or get your hands on something far too potent than either of you can handle.”

He’s talking about the last time you and Lilia drank. You’re not sure what it is the old man brought, but whatever it was, neither of you could stop drinking it even after you two were well past your limits. You both blacked out early in the evening and woke up with one of the worst hangovers in your life. Malleus knew well beforehand that you and his caretaker drank together. He’s even joined a few of your drinking sessions, despite not being fond of alcohol himself. But he certainly did not expect to deal with not only one, but two easily agitated and out of touch individuals the next day.

You still don’t know what was in that bottle.

“Malleus!” A newly arrived Lilia perks up when he sees the man of the hour next to you. “Have you come to drink with us?”

“I’m afraid not,” he answers, immediately followed by the two of you whining in disappointment. “Seriously, what is it with you two and alcohol?”

“You make it sound like we’re alcoholics. Which we aren’t!” you protest, eagerly watching as Lilia opens the bottle and pours you both the first glass of many more to come. “We only get together like this once a month.”

“We used to share a few glasses once a week at some point,” Lilia says as he hands your drink. “But that’s a bit too frequent for these old bones.”

“Says the man that downed half a dozen bottles of beer back in September,” you purposely bring up.

“I didn’t know it was alcohol!” Lilia shrills. “If I did, I would have paced myself better.”

You look over to Malleus and shake your head in disapproval. Your action makes him chuckle, and the urge to fidget with the stem of your glass comes down on you. He really does a great laugh. You’re not sure if it’s your genuine feelings or the alcohol that’s making your heartbeat faster after hearing it. For the sake of your sanity, you’re just going to blame the wine for making you feel more infatuated than usual.

As you and Lilia steadily empty another bottle together, the older fae feels compelled to tell you a story or two about Malleus when he was younger. Despite the latter’s protests, you insist and listen intently about the many times Malleus singed Lilia’s hair as a baby with his fire hiccups or the few instances he’s gotten lost on his quest to sightsee every single gargoyle around the castle. It’s never a proper birthday party without a relative sharing embarrassing baby stories with random guests.

After the second battle goes empty, Malleus suddenly asks you if you would like to walk around the dorm grounds for some much-needed air, Since he’s the birthday boy, you agree right off the bat, only after you get a glass of water in you to help stave off the wine a bit. Lilia gently reminds you both not to stay out for too long, otherwise, Sebek’s worrisome nature might get the better of him and he’ll put together a makeshift search party. If you hadn’t had a few glasses of wine, you wouldn’t have found Lilia’s comment as funny as you did at the moment. You’re a tad tipsy, but not drunk enough that you feel yourself acting or thinking too out of character or lose your sense of balance and trip over your own two feet.

“So, where are we going birthday boy?” you nudge him with your elbow. “Are you going to push me into that thorn bush now?”

“But of course,” he laughs. “I just wish for further respite, that’s all.”

Just as you’re about to mention that people usually like to step away from a crowd by themselves, you feel his smooth fingers interlock with your hand once again. He takes you around the back of the dorm where the expansive and well-attended hedge garden is located. The dark-colored bushes are blanketed in blankets of snow, and more green fires are flickering atop the lantern poles lined along the stone pathways. It’s been a while since the two of you went on a nightly stroll like this. They started out as either you or Malleus running into each other by pure chance and just going along with the lucky encounters. Soon your run-ins became much more intentional and a regular part of your schedules.

He’s the first to break the silence. “May I ask you a strange question?”

“Of course you can,” you nod your head, admiring the wooden gazebo the two of you have now settled underneath for a moment. “Isn’t that why we go on these walks, to ask each other a bunch of odd questions?”

It goes without saying that, due to your racial differences, there were a lot of questions burning in each of your minds about your differing ways of life and upbringings. Most of your questions were innocent and came from a place of wanting to learn and take into consideration his boundaries as a fae. As you grew more comfortable with each other, thus more open and honest, the more comfortable you felt to ask him more personable questions. However, you usually have to answer your own question first before he gives his response in return. You find that this is usually the case when conversing with a Fae. They won’t give until you give back something of equal value.

“In my defense, your blunt answers are refreshing,” he admits, almost gratefully. “No one other than Lilia speaks to me with such genuine honesty. Yet even then, he tends to shroud his words in some layer of vagueness.”

“My aunts were like that when I first moved in with them. Something about ‘learning things on your own,” you recollect. “But I was really quiet and withdrawn when I first moved in with them. They had to lead me by the hand and pummel me with lots of encouragement just to get me to do basic things.”

“You and the concept of quietness don’t mix well together,” Malleus laughs. “In fact, much of how you describe yourself as a child doesn’t seem to match up to how you behave now.”

His comment, while true and most likely just a casual observation, is treading into somewhat dangerous territory for you. “You really pay attention to everything I say, don’t you?” you comment in an attempt to divert the conversation elsewhere.

“I do,” he admits with an unashamed expression “But seeing as you now know of all of my embarrassing mishaps as a child, I think it’s only fair that I get to hear a story or two about yours.”

He leans closer to you, something you normally do to him whenever he gets all quiet and reluctant to say what’s on his mind. You don’t exactly mind telling Malleus about your early childhood, but it’s not as grandiose or as pleasant as he may think it is. What’s a friendship without revealing a few stories about your crappy childhood to each other? What happened to you is unfortunate, and you’re not ashamed to talk about it, not anymore at least. Considering the state of your friendship with him and the ongoing issue about whether you’re going to pursue something more with him or not, you’re not too sure if sharing stories of your past should be preserved for later or if doing so now is alright.

“Can I ask you something first?” you hesitantly ask.

“Anything.”

You turn your body towards him more, easily noticing the way he sits up a little more straight. The faint chirps of crickets and windswept leaves fill the silent void you’ve set in place. He remains quiet, tightening his grip around your hand, still interlocked with his, brushing the back of it with the thumb of his other. The gesture is small, but it’s obviously his way of letting you know that he’s patiently waiting and encouraging you to take all the time you need to sort your thoughts out. He’s looking at you with that concerned expression of his. The one he makes when he feels as though he’s made some sort of mistake or said something that was ill-spoken against you.

He tends to critical of himself, only because there is a lot of expectation set upon his shoulders for someone of his station. It is during moments like this that you understand what Lilia meant when he says Malleus still has much to learn and experience before he can truly take on the mantle of a king. He may be many decades older than you, but his maturity is probably not too far from your own; well put together than most, but still in need of opportunities to grow and learn some more.

That’s the purpose of these walks, to learn and grow from each other. All it takes is a question. But your question, the one that has been swirling in your mind for days, isn’t as innocent as wondering if his horns have nerve endings or not.

Your teeth are on the verge of biting your tongue hard enough to draw blood when finally, you will yourself to ask the burning question on your mind.

“What do you plan to get out of a relationship with me?”

He’s visibly taken aback by your question. If you squint really hard, your question is almost an affirmation that his feelings towards you are mutual, but it is only a minuscule part of a much greater whole. There can not, will not, be any do-overs for either of you. Before you pass a point where there is no return, you need to make sure neither of you is setting yourself up for disaster later down the line. You love Malleus, but you will not tell him what your genuine feelings are just to make him feel better. If word gets out about your relationship and it’s ill-received by his family or, heaven forbid, his own people, you’d never forgive yourself. Becoming King of the Valley of Thorns is his only desire in life. You couldn’t possibly understand why he would want to put himself into such a demanding position. You still don’t understand, but he remains firm that becoming king is what he truly desires in the entire world.

You’d rather die with these unpursued feelings of yours than to allow yourself to be the reason he loses his unwavering purpose in life.

“A relationship, with you,” he tests the words, the very concept, out loud. As if he’s trying to gauge the reaction of the world itself. “It certainly wouldn’t be a dull one.”

That look he gives you, the one that is so painstakingly painted in so much love and affection that can give you several tooth-rotting cavities, directed to none other than you, makes your heart do all sorts of acrobatic twirls and lunges. Your hands seek out the nearest object to fidget with, a piece of hair that fell out of place from your hairstyle. There’s a moment of panic that overcomes him and he goes to pull his hand out of your firm grip, but you tighten it just before his hand can slip away. You like holding his hand, you realize.

“Something’s troubling you,” he remarks. “Whatever it is, tell me.”

“This isn’t the best time to bring it up,” you argue. It really isn’t. Not when there’s alcohol in your body that makes you incredibly pessimistic and impulsive. And it’s his birthday. You really don’t want to make this day suddenly about you. You’re slowly regretting having that second bottle.

“Perhaps not, but it’s going to be brought up eventually, I imagine.” He gently cups the side of your face and forces you to look up at him, right into those green eyes that have always mesmerized you. “Speak to me,” he insists once more.

“I…” you start, but the words die in your mouth before you can speak them. There’s an instance where you nearly pull away from him and are ready to just book it back to your dorm and forget this ever happened, but he keeps you in place almost desperately. He wants you to speak your mind. He wants to know what’s eating up inside you. He wants you, all of you.

But like his desire to become king, you can’t understand why it’s you sitting across from him.

The edges of your vision wobble, and you know that if you’re pushed over the edge enough, you’re going to start sobbing. You hate crying, especially when you feel you don’t deserve to. Who are you to get all emotional when you’re the one who’s overcomplicating things? You’re the one who kick-started this conversation, so why are you the one getting all emotional? Shouldn’t Malleus be the one on the verge of breaking down? He’s the one with the most to lose. The most suffering you’ll likely be subjected to is a bunch of scrutinization and disapproval.

“You know this isn’t going to be easy, right?”

He reaches up with a folded handkerchief in hand, dabbing the corners of your tear-stricken eyes. “I know.”

“I can take a judgemental comment or two. I just don’t want you to be on that receiving end of it because of me.”

“People will always find something to pin blame on or direct their judgment towards, even if the detail is as insignificant as my decision to be with a human.” he calmly explains. It almost pisses you off that he’s remaining calm through all this while you’re going through many ranges of emotions. Malleus is a prince, and it's fragile moments like these that he’s been carefully taught how to navigate and work through. Now you’re just mad at yourself for forgetting something so obvious and vital. Damn that second bottle of wine!

“I’m the worst human you could have picked,” you proclaimed with utmost certainty. “I’m not even from the same world as you. What the hell can I possibly offer you?”

“Well,” He leans even closer to you, closer than he’s ever purposely been and you’re almost compelled to move away from him due to your nervousness. There was a brief moment where you thought that he might kiss you, that’s how little space there is between you and him. While a kiss from him sounds both amazing and absolutely terrifying, you let out an audible sigh of relief when he stops at pressing his forehead against yours. “What are you willing to give me?”

Oh, he’s slick and he knows it. The answer is so obvious now. You’ve made it obvious well before your first glass of champagne. You’re practically wearing your heart on your sleeves, but it’s not enough for him. He wants you to say it out loud so that what he assumes is mutual is in fact irrefutable. He won’t settle for anything less, you’re sure of it.

“All I can give you is my love,” you offer, in a hushed, almost embarrassed manner. “If you’ll have it. If it’s what you want.”

“It is,” he answers immediately, without a shred of doubt or hesitancy. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted from you.”

If this is truly all he wants from you, then he can have it. He can have every bit of it.

“Are you sure you can make it back to Ramshackle without issue?”

“I’ll be fine,” you reassure him for likely the 20th time. “I’m not that buzzed, and you look just as tired as I am.”

You’re right. Malleus is well beyond himself now. His social batteries are thoroughly drained. He needs a nice, long rest to fully process this long evening.

As he thinks about his conversation with you under the gazebo, he reaches out and tenderly caresses the side of your face. Your hands immediately reach up to tug and twist one of your shirt buttons. He once thought your habit to fidget with the nearest object meant you were uncomfortable. A dainty smile etches into his face now that he knows that this habit of yours was a sign that you were flustered by his actions.

He thinks it’s an adorable habit and very befitting of your person.

“What?” you look up at him with a nervous gaze. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “Your face is all clean.”

Despite his statement, you wipe at your puffy eyes to ensure there are no visible tears left. Would you think him strange if he told you he finds you endearing like this, your eyes somewhat droopy and your voice hushed despite the lack of need to control your volume? You probably would, but your presumed disdain wouldn’t stop him even if you told him off. He can’t help it. He’s drunk as well, though not because of any wine.

“Are you busy this weekend?” you say into his open palm.

“Not particularly.”

“Good,” you smile against his skin. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Do you now?” He looks at you, intrigued by the sudden presentation of a surprise for him. “Is it safe to assume this surprise is my present?”

“Yup, it’s your birthday present,” you admit. “I found something on the island that you’ll absolutely love. The walk is long, but trust me, it’ll be worth it.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he says, beaming as he thinks about where exactly you’re going to take him. You have a knack for finding interesting spots on the island. Whatever this hidden wonder is, you seem quite confident that it’ll trump all the others.

“Meet me early in the morning, and dress warmly. It’s going to snow a bit.” you disclose before regrettably pulling away from him. “Goodnight, and happy birthday!” you call out to him one last time.

“Thank you! Please be careful on your way back!” he pleads, but you’ve already passed through the mirror back to the college’s main campus. Hopefully, you heard him. If not, he can always send you a letter through his charmed envelope or message you over the phone.

When he returns to his room to dress down and ready himself for bed, he finds that his desk is occupied by a hefty pile of presents that he had yet to open. While they vary in size, most are wrapped in identical gift wrapping and bows. Presents on the larger scale are fully exposed and have a card set over top of it or tucked in between the gift wherever possible.

He opens some gifts before calling it a night, specifically the smaller-sized ones. Most of them are centered on his skill for stringed instruments; new violin strings, fresh rosin for his bow, and even some sheet music for songs he’s never played before. If it weren’t so late, he’d practice a few stanzas. It’s probably best if he saves his awkward first time playing for another day.

Perhaps he can play for you someday? However, the mere thought of more physical activity causes a surge of tiredness throughout his body and he lets out a deep, bellowing yawn. Playing as host for his own party required much more listening than conversing than he had initially expected. He was also juggling his attention from his guests to you, who was always across the room from where he found himself. There’s a great divide in opinions regarding your friendship with him that, unfortunately, skews more negatively rather than positively. He cannot speak for all faes, but he did not want you to develop any poor opinions or experiences with his people, especially his dorm mates. Seeing the small group of first years keeping you company and even show a bit of reverence towards you was assuring.

You deserve as much praise and admiration as he receives, for you are someone who has well earned his respect and his love.

You weren’t exaggerating when you told him to dress warmly. Malleus doesn’t hate the cold, but he can’t say he likes the way it bites and numbs his minimally exposed skin. Thankfully, the coat you made for him helps stave off the cold rather well. Now if only his gloves could do the same for his needle-pricking fingers.

“Your master sure has the gall to leave me waiting outside in this weather.” He looks down at Gunter, the pack leader of your small bunch of wolves. He doesn’t seem bothered by the snow at all, what with his thick winter coat protecting him from the cold air and the scarf he wears around his neck. Not only did you think to make and put on a scarf for the rugged canine, you even secured it by tying the ends into a neat bow. “I wonder where exactly they’re taking me. Perhaps you have a clue?”

Gunter turns away from Malleus, as if to tell him he’s sworn to total secrecy on your behalf. Malleus can’t help but reach down and pat him on the top of his head. Loyal without a fault. He can see why you keep the wild dog around.

“Are you trying to interrogate my wolf?” He jumps a bit at your unannounced and undetected arrival. He didn’t even hear the crunching of snow and rocks from your heavy boots as you snuck up behind him. If he were wild game, he’d likely have a bullet lodged in his heart by now. “Whatever you promise him, it won’t work. He’s pretty tight-lipped.”

“I can see that,” he quips back. “Are the others staying behind?”

“They can’t stand the cold. Not like this one can,” you explain to him while proudly scratching behind the wolf’s fluffy ears. “The woods are still dangerous, even during the winter. He’ll scout ahead and let us know if we need to change directions and chase off any predators. I also promised I’d share some of our food if he came along, so there’s that.”

“You prepared food for us?”

“Of course I did!” you jostle your pack basket to reiterate your statement. “Did you really think I wouldn’t feed you?”

“You never fail to stuff me with food, so no, I didn’t think you wouldn’t,” he laughs. “Besides, without me, you’d end up with more leftovers than you’d know what to do with.”

“I lived with 11 people back home,” you grunt as you push open the metal gates that enclose the front of the Ramshackle dorm. “So what if I make too much food? You’re really pushing it for someone who gobbles it up all the same.”

“I rather enjoy the way you flavor your meals,” he remarks. “And you know that I’m very particular about my food.”

“Is that why you want me around?” you inquire with a cheeky grin. “So I can satisfy that silver-spooned appetite of yours?”

“What about you?” he questions back with just as much playfulness. “Without me, you’d have no gardening partner.”

“Damn,” you kick a twig and it tumbles down a small incline and into the half-frozen stream at the bottom. “and I thought I was being stealthy about it too.”

Malleus erupts into a loud fit of laughter, with you joining him as he sputters out how strange your shared senses of humor are. This right here. This is why he loves you. You just make him so damn happy! Your companionship and the bond you and him have built with each other is all he’s ever wanted, all he’s ever dreamed of since he was a young boy. There was a point in his life where he had nearly resigned himself to a life of loneliness. Now, look at him, out on a stroll with one of his closest friends. Although now you are not only his friend, you are now his partner as well.

His partner. His.

He involuntarily reaches over and squeezes your hand in his small bout of prideful possession. His enamored smile must have caught your attention as you reach out and poke the side of his face with your free hand.

“And just what are you thinking about, your highness ?"

He has to hold back the snort that he nearly lets out. How kind of you to layout the perfect opportunity to tease you. “Why, I’m thinking about you, of course,” he says, throwing a wink in for added measure.

You let out a huff of air that turns misty as your warm breath mixes and condenses in the cool air. “You should think of something else,” you retort, pulling the hood of your dark cloak closer to your face to cover the side that Malleus can see without strain.

“You seem a bit flustered,” Malleus continues to tease you.

“And you sure are talkative this morning,” you harshly say, but he knows it’s only because he’s “pushing your buttons" as you would say. You do it plenty of times towards him and your friends. This is nothing but well-deserved revenge for all those times you push him and get him all flustered. He’ll need to watch his back in the future. You won’t let him get away with this, not without avenging yourself first.

Oh, if only humans and Faes could get along as well as you two have. Malleus was born right at the end of the last war between his people and many defunct human nobility houses. Relations with the remaining human nobility are better with passaging time, but there is much room for improvement before there can ever truly be a declared peace between both species. A relationship between a human and fae is hardly anything new, the interaction between the two races as old as time itself. As overly optimistic and opportunistic as it surely sounds, he hopes that his relationship with you, no matter how it works out in the end, can be a proper example to his people and onlookers of any other kind than the harmony they once had with humans is still obtainable.

“What you said the other day,” he suddenly mentions. “I feel it would be in poor taste if I didn’t fully address the concerns you clearly have about us regarding my status as a member of the nobility.”

At the mention of your conversation a couple of days ago, your hand grips around tight around him for a moment. “I don’t like facing too many uncertainties,” you admit. “It probably sounds weird, but I do better in situations I have some control over. Being with you. Well, for lack of better words, it scares the living daylight out of me the more I think about it. I don’t even think you know what’s in store for both of us the further we get into this.”

“I have some idea, but to say that I fully understand what’s at stake would be untruthful,” he admits as well. When the court eventually finds out about who he has taken as his partner, he will receive some amount of scrutiny and his decision will be heavily questioned. "However, that would happened no matter who I chose to be with, so long as the person was not someone the court saw as diplomatically advantageous."

“Have you even told anyone about us yet?”

“No. Not even Lilia knows, but I'm sure he has an inkling by now,” he expresses. “As childish as this may sound, but I’d like to keep our relationship a secret as long as possible.”

“And when people start to connect the dots, what then?”

“The only way they’ll confirm their suspicions is to confront either one of us,” he answers matter-of-factly. “But whatever difficulties may be lined up for me in the future. So long as you’re by my side to support me, I'll endure whatever it is that is put forth in front of me."

“You’re right, you sound really childish,” you sigh. “But you also sound so damn sure yourself,” you grumble under your breath, but his pointed ears pick up on your comment despite your hushed volume. “I can’t say I feel the same way just yet. But I hope that, whatever comes up, we can do what we always do and just… talk it out.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he smiles. “After all, isn’t that the purpose for these walks of ours? So we may work through these difficult conversations with each other?”

“Yeah,” you sigh, a clear lopsided smile on your lips despite you not facing directly towards him. “I guess they are.”

Just as Malleus is about to say something else, you suddenly stop when a distant howl sounds. “We’re close,” you tell him.

“Now, where exactly are you taking me?” he finally asks you.

“Sorry,” you shake your head. “I can’t tell you just yet.”

“Not even after I asked so politely?”

“Nope!” you beam.

Still curious about this supposed wonder you’re escorting to, he continues to pester you with questions, trying to pull some sort of hint out of you. You’re not usually as tight-lipped as you are now. Your persistent secrecy only excites him the further you two travel.

Apparently, what you constitute as nearby is much further than what he would consider close. While still within the woods, he can faintly hear ocean waves crashing and a few seabirds cawing about. You’re taking him towards the southern part of the isle, clear by his now unbutton coat because of the warmer temperatures and the tuffs of green grass poking out through the half-melted snow the further you take him. The place finally appears before him, with tall brick walls and a metal gate, both of which are covered in thick, frosted ivy leaves. He can make out of a few shapes past the gate, but not enough to confidently guess what they are exactly.

“Will you tell me now?” Malleus asks once more while you busy yourself by giving Gunter some well-deserved ear scratches.

“What do you think?” you look down and ask Gunter. He makes a deep grunting sound in response to your question. “I guess you’re right,” you nod in understanding before looking up towards Malleus and saying, “The locals call it a gargoyle graveyard.”

“Gargoyles?” he says with clear excitement, like a young boy being told that a pile of candies and toys awaits him in the other room. "You took me out to see gargoyles?"

“Yes, but also no,” you say. “They would have been if they weren’t sculpted incorrectly.”

“So it’s a place where inoperable gargoyles are put?” he asks, still intruiged.

“The family who owns this piece of land mentioned that they also put gargoyles in here that were made purely for art’s sake,” you added. “But can it really be called a gargoyle if they weren’t made to act as a gutter in the first place?”

Malleus’s heart always skips and beats faster whenever he’s around you. That last comment you made nearly stopped his heart altogether. He once had a conversation with Silver regarding the stark difference between gargoyles and statues. The boy couldn’t fully grasp the difference, but it seems you can right out of the blue. By the Great Seven, is your ability to tell the difference between a purposeful gargoyle and a mere decorative grotesque really what’s making him go red in the face?

Yes. Yes, it is.

You easily notice this as well, as you comment how his complexion is almost the shade of a ripe tomato, although you’ve been busying yourself with undoing the many locks and chains secured around the front gate and didn’t even look over to him since. “I can see the tips of your ears getting all pink in my peripheral,” you explain with a hint of laughter arising in your voice. You’re clearly amused by all this. “Who knew my basic understanding of gargoyles is enough to set a fire in your loins!”

“Must you tease me at every opportunity?” he groans. "And so crudely too."

“What? Are you having second thoughts about me?” you jokingly ask.

“Somewhat,” he answers back, though it’s only a half-serious answer.

You toss aside the last chainlink and rusted lock keeping the front gate secured before saying, “I won’t be mad if you bail out now. It’ll save Sebek the future anguish when he finds out.”

“Sebek is already at odds with our friendship as it is,” Malleus clarifies. “Besides, I think the boy is rather endearing when he’s upset.”

“Endearing,” you mockingly repeat. “More like a pain in my ass.”

“Give him some time. He’ll grow on you,” Malleus encourages.

“For your sake, he better,” you glare at him for a moment. “Alright, that’s enough relationship talk for the day. These gargoyles won’t ogle themselves!”

No, they won’t, and it’s music to his ears that you want to appreciate them together.

Together, with him.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #malleus draconia #malleus x reader #twst writing #twst malleus #sebek zigvolt #twst sebek #lilia vanrouge #twst lilia #fanfic: courtship #x reader #reader insert fanfiction #reader insert #gender neutral reader #gender neutral pronouns

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theworldbrewery · 3 years

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legend lore: how to write compelling lore for people, places, and things

aka, why and how should you write lore?

The answer depends on your game and players. In this post, I’m going to go over the “Hack-n-Slash” model, the “Suspense/Mystery/Intrigue” model, and the “Epic” model.

But first, a quick definition: “lore” is basically just gossip and rumor, sized up by an order of magnitude. Lore typically refers to items, people, and places of legendary importance--even if they’ve faded from the public consciousness and been forgotten. It can be misused, but basically, you should always use a couple guiding principles.

The first is Rule of Cool. Your lore should be cool. Whatever that means for you and your players, lore that focuses on stodgy details isn’t lore, it’s history. Lore about an ancient queen shouldn’t be about the laws she passed, but the vampire sorceress she had an enemies-to-lovers relationship with. It’s not realistic, but it is more fun and entertaining.

The second is Keep it tied to the players’ interests. If one PC is dedicated to defeating a bloodthirsty army of demons, consider putting down a connection to the demon army in your lore about a lost city. That gives your players a personal investment already built-in when some random job board sends them to find the lost city.

Hack-n-Slash

If you and your players prefer a hack-n-slash style of gameplay, your lore might be nothing more than set dressing: think of it like the backdrop curtain on a stage play. Lore can set the tone of a dungeon, establish a monster or cursed item as really bad, and give NPCs a reputation that precedes them. Truly compelling lore might even provide hints on how to resolve a problem; for example, the lore about the dungeon’s most recent occupant being obsessed with resurrection magic might help the players figure out that they should prepare anti-undead spells before they walk into the zombie-fuelled boss battle.

For a hack-n-slash campaign, lore should be dispensed by the friendly NPCs that the players meet. I recommend it in the form of gossip or reputation. Ideally, your players are tactical-minded enough to ask questions of you that require rolls like History, Arcana, etc. that can reveal lore, but if they don’t, a helpful NPC like the local yokel asking for help with his sheep being devoured can be a supply of useful information.

I am also a big fan of using sentient weapons here, for similar reasons. A sentient weapon can tell you all about the bloodthirsty dragon who created it...after you’ve attuned to it and become cursed, of course.

Suspense/Mystery/Intrigue

In a game where the focus tends to be on solving mysteries and gleaning information, you’ll likely be less forthcoming with lore, but you’ll need it more. In this situation, lean more heavily on the gossip/rumor mill element. The current Council of Elders that runs the capital city might have several different reputations depending on who you talk to, and depending on who’s right, it could reveal an ulterior motive or secret agenda that has disastrous implications for the entire realm. Using lore as a way to set up higher-stakes conflicts later on in the campaign will draw your players in, and if you maintain secrecy and uncertainty, you can get them theorizing about what’s to come.

In this type of campaign, roleplay encounters are frequently going to be at the forefront, which means you don’t need to worry about cramming in a lot of lore in one interaction. Dispense the lore carefully instead, holding it in reserve with NPCs that would be knowledgeable on the subject like a town historian and genealogist, a retired adventurer, or an arcanist, and it should take work to discover the most controversial lore.

Epics

In an epic campaign, where the stakes are high, the items are legendary, and the legacies the PCs leave is a matter of great importance, lore is a blend scenery and clues. Lore sets up player expectations of the tone of the story and the nature of the story you’re telling together, but it also helps them piece together what lies in their future. Epic lore will be linked to Big Bads coming out of the woodwork after centuries of dormancy, holy relics that need to be restored to salvage dying religions, and so on. Lore can actually become fuel for the quest in these situations. In other words, lore is a different kind of tool in an Epic campaign because Epic campaigns are at least partially built on creating and becoming legends yourselves.

In an epic campaign, don’t make lore too easy to come by, but there’s no point in playing your cards too close to the vest, either. I recommend offering a “teaser” of lore to get your players interested at the start of a quest that will connect to that lore, with the possibility of getting more as the arc progresses.

_____________________

In essence, the role of lore in your campaign will vary! And it may even vary from one arc to the next; you’ll handle a “detect and thwart an assassination attempt” task differently from a “clear out this dungeon” task when it comes to lore.

If you feel you are over-prepping lore that your players never use...back off of it for awhile, but also check in with the lore you’re creating! Does it follow the two principles I mentioned at the start? If not, that might be the problem, and lack of engagement is a symptom. If you feel like you never know how much or little to give when a player rolls a History check or seeks a library book about a mysterious item:

rank your lore tidbits as “uncommon,” “rare,” “very rare,” and “legendary.” The higher a player must roll, or the harder they must work to gain the information, corresponds to how rare the lore is. For instance, when the party in my campaign was researching the end of a war between the gods, they got a natural 20; as a result, they found a text that was considered a fringe theory that revealed that three mortals had killed a god and ascended to godhood themselves, and that an evil god had been falsely accused of the crime. This information completely changed their understanding of this event, which in turn influenced the goals of the party. Anything lower than what they rolled, and they would likely not have uncovered this information for months.

#d&d #dnd #dungeons and dragons #lore #worldbuilding #long post

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yellowcanna · 3 years

Text

The ZhongXiao Alliance

Summary:

“You requested the bard to get you porn?” Diluc questioned with a skeptical look on his face.

“No!” Aether shouted, waving his hands frantically in front of him. “It’s for…for Paimon!”

“WHAT?!” Paimon screamed off the top of her lungs before spinning around to see the pair of crimson eyes narrowing at her while the blue one twinkled with amusement.

"So he says." Kaeya gestured to the Honourary Knight.

“No! Paimon would never read these kinds of things! It’s adeptus Xiao!!”

“An adeptus from Liyue want you two to get porn?” The disbelief in the tavern owner’s voice was clear.

“This is all for Morax’s sake!” Venti pipped up from behind Aether, as if that would make the situation any better.

“Oh? Morax?” The Cavalry Captain raised a brow. "So it is the Geo Archon that wanted the porn?”

Aether buried his face into his hands. He should have never taken up on Xiao's request. No, before that, he shouldn't have taken Zhongli's request.

This whole mess started when Zhongli confessed to Xiao in the wrong order, starting with sex.

Now, it's up to one traveller, one emergency food, and one bard to make things right...by getting Xiao a guide to sexual intercourse.

Rating: 18+

Genre: Mutual pining, comedy, miscommunication, romantic fluff, smut, yaoi

Pairing: Main Zhongli/Xiao, side Aether/Venti, hint of Kaeya/Diluc and Xingqiu/Chongyun

Story type: Multi-chapter

Beta’d by: Amberowl123

中文 Chinese Translation available by: Yejet

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Available on AO3!!

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MAIN NEXT ▻

CHAPTER 1 - ZhongXiao Alliance, Dispatch!

The Guardian Yaksha does not dream.

Perhaps it was his punishment for devouring the dreams of so many innocent people, but Xiao never dreamed—not since the Archon War. Even sleep was something he did scarcely. Whenever he closed his eyes, all that came was the painful memories that haunted him even to this day.

Xiao had just returned to Guili Plains after the battle with Osial when a weird drowsiness crept up to him. Instead of fighting it, he simply closed his eyes and welcomed the sensation. When he opened his eyes once more, he was standing above the clouds with the sunset sky surrounding him.

Standing before him, was a man with long raven hair tied behind his back and eyes in the colour of Cor Lapis. This was a form that Xiao had not seen in many, many years. It was the Geo Archon’s real form—the form he always used during the war.

“My lord,” Xiao bowed deeply.

“Xiao,” Rex Lapis smiled warmly at him. “It seems you’ve already figured out.”

“I had my suspicions when I saw the Sigil of Permission.” Xiao explained calmly. “It was perfectly replicated, but the power imbued within was different than yours. The Sigil of Permission has not appeared in many centuries, it’s unthinkable for it to suddenly appear right after Rex Lapis' death, let alone one so perfectly replicated that even the adepti were fooled.”

“And that is how you knew of my plans and went along with it…” The raven-haired man let out a deep chuckle. “I expected nothing less from you.”

Xiao hesitated before straightening and stared into the archon’s gentle eyes. Every time Xiao saw those eyes, he couldn’t help but remember how they once looked during the Archon War. Back then, Rex Lapis was ruthless towards his enemies, sealing gods one after another with his mighty spear. His eyes were cold, reflecting only little warmth for those who he called friends and comrades. During that time, there was no room for gentleness or compassion.

It was a time of kill or be killed.

However, as the years went by, Xiao was keenly aware that every time they met, the hardness in his archon’s eyes would soften little by little—like the sharp edges of rock being smoothed by the waves known as time.

“Was the result to your satisfactory, my lord?”

“Yes.” The archon folded his hands behind his back. “And there is no more need for formality, Xiao. Rex Lapis is now a thing of the past. With the death of Rex Lapis, all have come to an end.”

Xiao stiffened and his cat-like eyes dilated even further. “My lord…I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Xiao, the age of adepti is over,” Rex Lapis said, gaze softening at the Yaksha that had been by his side for so long. “Your duty as the Conqueror of Demons has been fulfilled. You have witnessed it yourself, have you not? The people of Liyue no longer need the protection of the adepti.”

Xiao didn’t speak. While he couldn’t deny that, he also couldn’t accept being told his duty was fulfilled like this.

If so, then what else was he good for…?

“Xiao.”

A hand touched his cheek and Xiao felt a weird flutter within his gut. Despite being a dream, the hand felt warm even through the black leather glove. He let the hand guide his head up and was startled by how close they were. If this was not a dream, Xiao was certain he would be able to feel the god’s breath on his face.

“I wish for you to lay with me.”

Xiao’s jaw fell slack. His pure yellow eyes stared at his archon’s serious face, yet despite his shock, he still mustered the ability to answer.

“Ah…yes.”

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“…Yes? Yes?!” Paimon squawked. She and Aether sat across the archon by the name of Zhongli, both of them staring at him with their mouths wide open. “Just like that?!”

“Yes?” Zhongli answered, setting down the cup of tea he was sipping on.

“Wait, wait, hold on! Did you just…did you just ask Adeptus Xiao to—!!” Paimon wasn’t able to finish since she bit her tongue in her rush to get the words out. She was jumping up and down in midair, hands slapped over her mouth with a pained expression twisting her face.

Aether quickly handed her a napkin before glancing back to the funeral parlour consultant. “Uh, Zhongli…” he began, still trying to wrap his head around what the god had just told them. “You and Adeptus Xiao are dating?”

“Dating?” Zhongli’s brows furrowed in confusion. It took him a while to understand what that word meant. “You are referring to courtship?”

“Courtship?”

“For adepti, our relationships work differently than humans. We do not undergo dating as mortals call it.”

“Is there a difference?” The blond blinked.

“For adepti, we choose our partners based on compatibility. We imbue our power within an item and give it to the party we are interested in. The other party will then choose whichever gift they felt is compatible to them. Once they accept a gift, it means they are willing to become a pair with the sender.”

“So…what you’re saying is when they accept a gift, then they're pretty much married?!” Paimon gaped.

“Well, that is one way to put it, though there are ceremonies needed to be performed in order to complete courtship…”

“Have you and Adeptus Xiao performed the ceremony?” Aether inquired.

“Regretfully, we have not.” Zhongli sighed. “Due to my responsibilities as the Geo Archon, there were many things I am unwilling to tie Xiao down to. Even if I didn’t ask, he will still take on my burden as his own, and that is not something I wish to see. I want nothing but for him to live freely so I told him to wait until the time of Rex Lapis is no more.”

“And now that you’re not Rex Lapis anymore, you’re going to tie the knot!” Paimon was finally able to put everything together.

The corner of Aether’s lips twitched at his travel companion’s words. Would asking someone to go to bed with them be considered tying the knot? Retorts aside, Aether was happy for both Zhongli and Xiao. While Aether may not know Xiao as much, the way Zhongli’s features soften when he spoke of the Yaksha showed just how much he loved the other.

“Which is why I like your help, as unfortunately, I am inexperienced in such a field.” Zhongli looked up at the pair. “I am lost as to what gifts I should prepare, so I hope I could ask you for suggestions.”

“Aren’t you two together? How could you not know what he likes?!” Paimon looked at the man with judging eyes.

Zhongli smiled softly, not the slightest bit offended by Paimon’s words. “You are right. That is a fault on my end.”

“Uh…Paimon didn’t mean anything by that,” Aether hurriedly said while nudging his floating companion.

“What? Paimon didn’t say anything wrong!”

“Paimon!”

“It’s alright,” Zhongli chuckled, looking directly at the blond. “Can I trouble you to find out what Xiao likes for me? I would ask him myself, but he may become suspicious if I do.”

“I don’t mind, but wouldn’t it also be suspicious if we seek him out just to ask what he likes?” Aether brought up this issue worriedly.

As though waiting for him to say that, Zhongli reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch, setting it on the table. “You can tell him that I asked you to deliver this to him. Oh…and Paimon, please don’t eat it.”

“Hey! What do you take Paimon for?!” Paimon snapped, cheeks puffing in anger.

“What is this?” Aether took the bag and smelled the strong scent of medicine coming from the pouch.

“It is painkillers.”

“Painkiller?” Aether’s golden eyes widened at the pouch in his hand, then to Zhongli. “Is he hurt?”

“No, but at times he suffers from pain that can only be eased by this medicine. You can find Xiao at Guili Plains. Call his name and he will come to you.”

Aether nodded, not asking anymore on the painkillers and put it into his bag. With that, the two outlanders set out to Guili Plains.

The trip took half a day, but they managed to arrive by sunset. They found a nice meadow free from monsters and people before Aether sucked in a deep breath and shouted Xiao’s name at the top of his lungs.

He didn’t even finish screaming out the last syllable when a gust of wind nearly knocked him off his feet.

“Enough. I can hear you just fine without your hollering,” a familiar cold voice spoke from behind.

When Aether turned around, he was greeted by the sight of the green-haired adeptus, standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and his face perfectly neutral without an ounce of emotion.

“Adeptus Xiao!” Aether smiled happily.

“It’s been a while!” Paimon waved. Ever since they fought together against Osial, Paimon’s image of the aloof adeptus had greatly improved.

“So it has,” Xiao acknowledged before his eyes shifted to Aether. He tilted his head by a fraction, yellow eyes scanning over the blond like a curious cat. “You have something for me.” The words that came from his mouth wasn’t a question, but a firm statement.

“Oh, yes!” Aether reached into his backpack and pulled out the medicine from Zhongli. “We were told to deliver this to you. And also, thank you for saving my life back then, Adeptus Xiao.”

“You were aiding us in the battle to protect Liyue, it is only natural,” Xiao replied, taking the bag of medicine. He stared at the pouch for a long time, seeming to be thinking over something before speaking in a quiet tone. “Did Rex…did that person tell you to relay anything to me?”

“You mean Zhongli?” Aether asked.

“Zhongli…I see, so that is the name he is using now,” Xiao mumbled.

Aether thought Xiao looked a bit off just now, but this was also a good chance for him to start a conversation. “So Adeptus Xiao, since you and Zhongli are together, what—”

“What?” Xiao’s head instantly snapped up, eyes dilated as they locked dangerously on the blond. “Who told you such preposterous thing?!” He snarled, looking as though he was ready to rip whoever that spoke those words to shreds.

“Wait! Wait! C-calm down!” Paimon panicked. “We didn’t mean anything by that!”

“Y-yeah!” Aether quickly tried to back track. He didn’t know why Xiao was suddenly so angry, but he needed to hurry and calm the situation. “I thought maybe you two are, considering—”

“Considering Zhongli asked you to sleep with him!” Paimon finished for Aether who wanted to shove an entire Sticky Honey Roast into her mouth so she couldn’t speak for a while. He was going to put it in a better way, but she went ahead and said it straight out like this!

Thankfully, Xiao had swiftly collected himself again and the pressuring aura around him faded away.

“I don't know how much you know of him," the adeptus began, "but he was the one who freed me from my suffering and bestowed the name Xiao upon me. Disrespect him again and there will not be a next time."

Disrespect?

Aether wanted to ask what he meant by that, but he knew it was best not to bring it up at the moment. If it came down to a fight, he was no match against the adeptus with his current powers.

“Then…you two…?” Aether trailed off, carefully eyeing Xiao in case he blew up again.

“I am simply chosen to be his bed partner, that’s all there is to it,” Xiao replied impassively, turning his head away to stare off into the distance.

“…Huh?” Aether and Paimon echoed at the same time, staring dumbfounded at the adeptus.

This…wasn’t what they were told?!

“Bed…partner?” Paimon gaped. “But Zhongli—hmph!”

Paimon struggled against the iron hold Aether had over her with one arm wrapping around her torso and the other firmly covering that big mouth of hers.

“What is it?” Xiao asked, lifting his eyes to look at them.

“Nothing!” Aether did his best to pull off a smile. “Paimon just ate something bad, don’t mind her.”

“…I see,” Xiao looked away again. It was either he didn’t notice their strange behaviour or didn’t care—it was quite obviously the latter. “Please tell him that I still need some more time. Allow me to have a week to prepare.”

“Prepare for what?” The blond didn’t know why, but he was suddenly getting a really bad feeling of all this. Xiao was clearly misunderstanding something here…or perhaps the one who misunderstood was Zhongli?

Either way, these two were obviously not on the same page.

Aether’s head was hurting from trying to put together the pieces of this situation. Weren’t Zhongli and Xiao dating, or court-shipping if that was even the right word? Why was Xiao talking as though he was just chosen to become Zhongli’s sex partner?

“Traveller, I would like to ask for your help.” Xiao suddenly said. “Naturally, I will compensate you for your trouble.”

“There’s no need for that! If it’s anything I could do, I’ll be glad to help!” The blond waved his hands in front of him—dropping Paimon in the process. The little fairy, pixie, dwarf—whatever she was—hit the ground with a pained cry before flying back up and shooting Aether a resentful look.

The blond secretly gave her an apologetic glance.

“I need you to gather twenty wild Cecilias,” Xiao requested, ignoring the two’s not so subtle interactions.

“Cecilia? From Mondstadt?” Aether and Paimon shared a look. Neither of them expects that Xiao would ask them to get anything from another nation.

“Yes.” There was a moment of pause before Xiao began to explain. “I would go there myself, but as an adeptus that once served Rex Lapis, I cannot cross into the other nation without the permission from the archon of that land.”

“I’m sure that tone-deaf—er, I mean the Anemo Archon! I’m sure he would mind though?” Paimon said.

“It's not a matter of whether the Anemo Archon would mind, but a matter of rules and regulations.” Xiao said sternly—as one would expect from a follower of the God of Contracts.

“That’s no problem. We were planning on visiting Mondstadt anyway.” Aether smiled.

“You have my gratitude,” Xiao turned to leave when he recalled something else. “There…is one other thing I want you to find for me.”

“What is it?” Aether asked and watched as Xiao pulled out a small bag. From the jingling sound inside, it was a bag of Mora.

“Oh! I knew you were different, Adeptus Xiao!” Paimon cheered, quickly taking the Mora from Xiao before Aether could.

“I want you to find a book,” Xiao explained. “I know little of Mora’s worth, if there’s not enough, come back to find me.”

“Of course! We’re more than happy to help!” Paimon weighted the Mora and was delighted by how heavy the bag was.

“Where did you get the Mora from?” Aether inquired. He didn’t mean anything when he asked this. It was out of pure curiosity because of all the gods he knew so far, all of them were broke, including the one who created Mora. The blond also highly doubted that Xiao would have a job considering that he was an adeptus who disliked mingling with humans.

“I got it from some Treasure Hoarders around the area,” was the response.

Aether sweatdropped at the thought of the adeptus beating up the Treasure Hoarders and robbing them of their wallets. No matter how he thought of it, there was something off about that image…

“Then that means it’s free Mora!” Paimon obviously didn’t share the same concern as Aether. “We happen to have a lot of connections with people who know a lot about books! What book are you looking for?”

“I need a book that teaches sexual intercourse.”

CLANG

The bag of Mora was dropped to the ground, creating a jingle of sound. The two stared at Xiao, wondering if they had heard his words properly. Surely Xiao didn’t say he needed a book about…

“Wha…what did you say?” Paimon laughed nervously while scratching the back of her head.

“I need a book that can teach me sex—”

“Okay, okay, we know what you need!” Aether frantically stopped the adeptus. “But um…why do you need that?”

“Rex—…my lord requested me to be his bed partner, but I have neither experience nor knowledge.” Xiao gritted his teeth as though it was something he should be frustrated over. Moreover, it was amazing he could say something like that with a straight face. “Since he called for me to become his partner, I cannot taint my body with anyone else to practice…”

“No, even if it didn’t matter you shouldn’t sleep around for something like that!” Aether instantly cut off the Yaksha’s dangerous thoughts.

“That’s right!” Paimon agreed, also extremely worried now. “Do you even know what Zhongli is asking you?”

“Of course.” The adeptus’ fine brows furrowed. He didn’t seem happy by Paimon’s question which was basically doubting whether or not he understood his archon’s intention. “Since he has summoned me to his bed, it is only natural that I am able to provide pleasure to him.”

“No, you’re getting it all wrong!” Aether tried to explain, but Xiao’s mind was already set.

“Once you find the items, I will meet you back here.” With that, he vanished in a flash of green light.

The two outlanders stared at the empty place where the adeptus once was, then to the bag of Mora lying on the ground.

Neither of them spoke the entire journey back to Liyue Harbour, fearing that the adeptus would overhear their conversation. It was only after they crossed through the gate and into the mass of people populating the city that they dared to speak.

“We have to find Zhongli! This is his entire fault! What courting?! They’re not even together at all!” Paimon shouted. She continued her rant, but soon noticed the lack of reaction from her travel companion.

“Aether? Aether!” Paimon shook the blond until he snapped out of thought and looked up to her.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“Let’s hurry and find Zhongli!” Paimon urged.

“Hmm…but don’t you think it’s weird?” Aether wondered out loud. “How could two people have such different perspectives on their relationships?”

“That’s why we need to find Zhongli! C’mon! He should be at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.”

Aether nodded absentmindedly, thinking back to Xiao’s behaviour then to Zhongli’s. He recalled how happy Zhongli was and even though Xiao reacted negatively, that was only because he thought it was an insult to Zhongli.

While Aether wasn’t good at telling Xiao’s mood, the adeptus had stood there and spoke to them for a full fifteen minutes. Considering their previous interactions, the blond would say he was in a very good mood—some issues aside. That meant despite being troubled over Zhongli’s request, he was happy, right?

Though Aether had a feeling that happiness might be the fact that Rex Lapis asked something of him, not the detail of what was being asked.

Paimon was right. There was clearly a misunderstanding and they needed to tell Zhongli, but…

“No, let’s hold off on that.”

“What?!” Paimon looked at Aether like he was crazy. “But—”

“Let’s wait until we talk to Xiao again.”

With the situation of Stanley and Havria, Aether realized just how lonely these gods really were. If they tell this to Zhongli right now, there was no doubt that the archon would be crushed. If possible, he wanted to find a way for them to be happy. If he could talk to Xiao properly and let the adeptus understand the real situation, then maybe there wouldn’t be a need to tell Zhongli anymore.

“…Alright then.” Paimon agreed reluctantly. “But…where will we find that book?”

Aether stop in his track, face burning in red and the bag of Mora which was clutched in his hand felt unusually heavy.

“Looking for a book, my liege?” A voice suddenly called out to them, startling the two.

Aether spun around and was met by a familiar face he hadn’t seen for a while.

“Xingqiu!” The blond gasped, shoving the bag of Mora behind his back out of reflex before remembering there was no way anyone could tell what he was planning on buying with just this.

The teal-haired youth was standing there with a smile gracing his lips and a light blue parasol in his hands. “If you are looking for a book, I might be able to offer my assistance.”

“N-no, that’s alright!” Aether shouted, voice cracking in his panic.

“Yeah! It’s f-fine! We ugh…gotta go!” Paimon squeaked.

With that, the pair ran/flew off, leaving Xingqiu alone in the middle of the street, staring at their retreating forms.

“X-Xingqiu…”

“Ah, Chongyun!” Xingqiu turned to see his friend finally coming out of the old antique store. “Did you find it?”

“Yeah…” Chongyun hesitantly held up a book that was wrapped up in brown paper. His face was flushed in pink and he squirmed uncomfortably. Xingqiu kindly opened the parasol and held it over the boy’s head, blocking the strong afternoon light for him.

“I-if I read this out loud, w-will this really make that rumoured lecherous spirit to appear?”

“But of course!” Xingqiu said cheerfully before his face dropped into sadness. “Do you doubt me, dear Chongyun?”

“No, of course not!” Chongyun hastily replied, face burning even more. “B-but I—”

“Then let us go search for that evil spirit!” Xingqiu happily guided Chongyun away while desperately trying to stifle the urge to laugh…

On the other side of the city, Aether and Paimon were standing below the Adventurers' Guild, trying to catch their breaths when another voice called out to them.

“Hey! Over here!!”

They looked up to see Xiangling sticking her head out from Wanmin Restaurant and waving at them. Guoba was there too, peeking its head from behind the door frame.

“Xiangling!” Aether went over to greet the girl. “It’s been a while, how are you?”

“Couldn’t be better! I just got these new ingredients and I’ve been dying to try them out! How about a meal? I’ll give you a special discount!”

At the mention of a meal and the smell of food, the two were reminded how they hadn’t had anything since morning. They agreed and Xiangling immediately went to work and prepared a hearty meal for them. After finishing the delicious food, Aether finally asked the question he had been pondering over the entire lunch on how to ask.

“By the way, Xiangling…do you uh, know any place that sells books?”

“Books? If it’s books, Wanwen Bookhouse got lots,” Xiangling answered, stacking up the plates.

“Ah, no, I mean…uh…” Aether’s face burned, unable to continue on.

After weakly agreeing to go to Wanwen Bookhouse, he and Paimon left the restaurant with the promise to drop by another time. There was no way they could go to Wanwen Bookhouse, so Aether wandered around the town, looking at the shops yet none of them looked like they would sell the book he was looking for…

“Oof…!” Aether was so busy looking at the shops that he didn’t see the person in front of him until he walked right into him. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

“That’s quite alright,” the man replied, and it was yet another voice Aether was familiar with. He smelled the scent of herbs and medicines before he looked up and saw the man who had an albino snake wrapped around his neck.

“Mr. Baizhu!”

“We meet again, dear customer.” Baizhu smiled down at him.

“What are you two doing snooping around?” The white snake asked, forked tongue darting out to taste the scent of the two outlanders.

“W-we’re not snooping!” Paimon shouted defensively.

“Relax, Changsheng was just making a joke.” Baizhu chuckled while patting the head of his snake. “Though you seem to be looking for something. I can help you if you like—”

“No, that’s fine, thank you very much!” Aether shouted before dashing off with Paimon in tow.

The man and snake watched the pair disappear down the street, confusion apparent on both of their faces.

“This is impossible!” Paimon cried after they stopped for a break at another corner of the city. No matter where they went, they kept encountering familiar faces. “How are we supposed to find anything for Xiao like this?!”

“That Xiao you speak of, could you be referring to the boy-adeptus?” A voice called from behind them.

Aether wasn’t even surprised at this point anymore. He glanced over his shoulder to see a purple-haired girl standing behind them with one hand on her hips and a bag in her other hand.

“Keqing?” Paimon looked as though she was going to cry—and those were not tears of joy “What are you doing here?”

“I was, uh, just buying some things!” Keqing stammered, seeming a bit embarrassed before coughing into her hand and steered the topic away. “Anyways, if you’re trying to find something for him, I can—hey!”

Keqing stared at the two that suddenly took off without any warnings, having no idea what in the world had happened.

In the end, it was decided that they wouldn’t find the book in Liyue. Considering the battle that occurred not long ago, Aether’s face was pretty much known to the civilians. There was no way they could secretly buy that kind of book while keeping their identities hidden.

In the end, they decided to go to Mondstadt.

Unfortunately, they were away for so long that they had forgotten that Aether’s face was even more popular and well-known there than in Liyue—especially amongst the knights. The moment they got back, they were greeted by all sorts of familiar faces and warm greetings that made it much harder to ask for that kind of book.

“Aether! Paimon! Great to see you two back! How was your travel?” Amber welcomed them with open arms, as usual.

“Well, it certainly has been a while. Words of your deed in Liyue have spread even in Mondstadt,” Kaeya commented with that mysterious knowing smile, as usual.

“If you want to drop by at the bar tonight, feel free to do so but alcohol will still be off the menu for you two.” Diluc said seriously with his arms crossed over his chest, as usual.

“Big brother Aether and Paimon! It’s been so long! Do you want to play with me?” Klee greeted, on the way to blast up the fishes in Starfell Lake, as usual.

"You've come at the right time. I have another experiment I need you to help me with," Albedo muttered while looking through his experiments, as usual.

“Oh my, so the cutie has returned,” Lisa giggled, slacking off from her work, as usual.

“Aether, Paimon, it is good to see you two back and safe. I’ve heard what happened in Liyue. For the Geo Archon to perish like that…” Jean sighed before her desk of paperwork, as usual.

“Through thou journey across the land, thou have finally come! Perhaps even cruel fate has deigned to smile upon me, through sin which courses through my veins!” Fischl spoke in that string of gibberish, as usual.

“Mein Fräulein means that she is happy to see you again, Aether, Paimon.” Oz translated his master’s words, as usual.

“Well hello—” Mona was broke, as usual.

With the sun slowly setting in the horizon, Aether sat on the fingertips of Barbatos’ statue, looking over the city with golden bangs covering his eyes. Paimon hovered next to him, being unusually quiet with her bangs hiding her eyes as well.

The two stayed like that for a long, long time, as though becoming part of the statue they were on. It wasn’t until a breeze blew by, carrying the melody of lyre that they reacted.

“Sadness is not a look that suits your face, especially one as yourself with such fair grace,” a gentle voice spoke through the melody.

Aether and Paimon slowly turned to see a barb dressed in green drifting down with the wind swirling around him and landed soundlessly in the statue’s palms.

“Will you tell me what trouble you so? Together, we can surely soothe your woe.”

“VENTI!!”

“TONE-DEAF BARD!”

“Ack!”

The two travellers pounced onto the Anemo Archon. Taken off guard, Venti was knocked onto his back and soon found himself drenched in tears…

✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

“Pfft…AHAHAHAHAHA!!”

“HEY!” Paimon shouted, thoroughly offended that the god had the audacity to laugh after hearing their story. “Don’t take pleasure from our pain!”

“Sorry, but never would I thought for that Morax to…PUAHAHAHAHA!!”

“Stop laughing and help us think,” Aether groaned, burying his face into his hands.

“Alright, alright!” Venti wiped away his tears. “Tell you what, I’ll help you get your book!”

“Venti!” Paimon cheered, not even using the nickname to express her gratitude.

“Are you sure?!” Aether asked hesitantly.

“It’s just erotic book, no big deal about it!” Venti giggled at the red hue spreading over Aether’s cheeks. “Think of this as my way of helping out an old friend. It’s about time these two get together, I’d say!”

“Paimon doesn’t get it…are they together or not?”

“Well…hard to say…” Venti trailed off and noticed the disappointment on Aether’s face. “Oh don’t look like that! Even if they aren’t now, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t get together in the future. I did notice how those two interacted during the Archon War. It’s a miracle they dragged it on for so long.”

“The Archon War?! Wasn’t that like, two thousand and six hundred years ago?!” Paimon gaped. “Exactly how long was he in love with Adeptus Xiao for?!”

“Ah, you might want to add another couple hundreds of years to that! The war didn’t finish in one day, after all~”

“Tone-deaf bard!”

Venti laughed at the pissed off Paimon before putting a finger to his lips and started to think back to the memories from so long ago. “Hmm…it’s been a long time since I saw Morax and Xiao even longer so I can’t say, but surely he feels the same towards Morax.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” Aether asked with worries.

“Well, there’s a saying that some love starts in bed!”

“You tone-deaf bard! You’re the worst!” Paimon shouted.

“Ah, calm down now!” Venti raised his hands to shield the small fists raining down on him. “That might sound wrong, but this is the best solution!”

“What do you mean?” Paimon finally stopped pounding on the god.

“It took over two thousand years for that old blockhead to lay everything aside and start thinking about relationships. How many more do you think will take for Xiao to come to terms with it? Rather than waiting another millennium, it would be quicker to let the misunderstanding grow and have them sleep together, no?”

“You’re not wrong, but the way you put it makes it super sketchy…” Paimon crossed her arms and stared flatly at the bard.

Venti chuckled, taking it as a compliment before his smile disappeared and his eyes drifted to the stars above. “Time is cruel after all. That’s why we should spend every moment treasuring the time we have.”

Aether stared at Venti. At this moment, the other felt very far away despite sitting right beside him. The blond thought back to the story Venti told them…the one about his old friend and couldn’t help but feel a prick of pain inside him.

“But we can’t be sure until we confirm Adeptus Xiao’s feelings.” Aether pointed out. If Xiao didn’t feel the same for Zhongli, then he wouldn’t want to go through with a plan like that. That would only end up hurting both Zhongli and Xiao.

“Hey Venti, do you know much about Adeptus Xiao?” Paimon asked, flying around them.

“Of course, for I am the one who gave him his Vision, after all!” Venti lifted his lyre up and ran his fingers over the strings, creating a soothing melody.

“Long, long ago, Liyue suffered many outbreaks of diseases due to the bodies of the archons buried beneath the land, eternally sealed by the Geo Archon’s spear. These archon’s souls were filled with bitterness and this bitterness manifested into monsters. They raged in forms of diseases, unleashing evil into the rivers and seas.

Rex Lapid summoned the illuminated beasts to purge the daemons from this world. These illuminated beasts with dreadful appearance and warlike temperament raged through the land to free the people of this curse. Within the armies of illuminated beasts, five stood out amongst the rest. They were Bosacius, Indarias, Bonanus, Menogias, and Alatus. These five were Rex Lapis’s personal guards, following him wherever he went to purge the plague. They were later known to the mortals as the Yakshas.”

“There are more Yakshas?!” Paimon’s eyes widened at the news. “Why didn’t we meet any other ones?”

“The Yakshas were guardians of Rex Lapis for years without measure, and the evils they vanquished were incalculable. Yet mighty though they were, the Yakshas were not beyond the torment that betides all who face war, and they became afflicted. Some were given unto their rage, others unto a madness which fear mongered.”

The melody slowed, taking a sadder tone.

“Many turned to the slaughter of their own, others were bewitched by shadows of the soul. After a millennium did fate present itself unto them, and it was such: three of the five perished, the fourth vanished, and all of the myriad shared the fate of the three or the fourth. The fifth alone prevailed, and the fifth was Alatus, the Golden-winged King.”

“Adeptus Xiao,” Aether whispered, eyes rounding at this realization. This was a story about Xiao!

“Wait, so Alatus is Adeptus Xiao and he is also the Golden-winged King?!” Paimon slowly put everything together. “But we didn’t see any wings on him?”

“Not anymore,” Venti sighed. “He lost his wings long ago. Alatus is nothing but the past. Xiao is his name now.”

He ran his hands over the strings a few more times.

“That one has endured much suffering. Even to this day, he carries a burden that was not his to bear. I will not dive too much into his past as it is not my story to tell, but Morax was the one who saved Xiao from a cruel fate. This was also why despite the countless contracts Morax has created, Xiao was the only exception.”

“Wait…you mean, Zhongli never made any contract with Adeptus Xiao?” Aether asked.

Venti nodded.

“The God of Contracts was known for making contracts and following everything to the contracts. It didn’t matter to him if they were friends or alliances, archon or Yakshas. Every single being that made a deal with him had to form a contract.”

“Even you, Venti?” Aether asked.

“Yep,” Venti whined. “Even me! Horribly paranoid he is, don’t you think? But Xiao was the only exception to all of that. Morax never made a single contract with him and whenever he asked Xiao for something, it was always requests. Because Morax was the one who saved him, Xiao devoted himself to serving the Geo Archon and never once said no to him. He was more devoted to Morax than those who were bound by contracts. Even if it is the most absurd request, Xiao will do it as long as it is Rex Lapis.”

Aether and Paimon groaned at the reminder of this misunderstanding between the two adepti. They certainly witnessed how devoted Xiao was to Rex Lapis…considering he was even willing to offer his body without questions.

“But it’s strange,” Venti brought a hand to his chin and frowned. “Xiao may be stubborn and cold sometimes, but he’s a sharp-witted one. I can’t imagine him misunderstanding the situation if Morax was even the slightest bit clear on his intention. I may not be an adeptus, but even I know how seriously they take courtships and Morax is the most traditional one of them all, so it's impossible for him to mess up on that. What exactly did that guy say to Xiao anyway?”

“Well, rather than what was being said, it’s more like the lack thereof…” Paimon grumbled.

“He asked Adeptus Xiao to sleep with him?” Aether recalled their entire conversation with the Geo Archon, and that was the only thing he could find that was mildly related to a confession.

“No, no, there’s got to be more,” Venti grumbled with full certainty. “The fact that Morax asked something like this means he thinks they are already in the middle of a courtship, so the problem must stem even further back in time. It seems we would need to have some more talk about this with Xiao.”

“We?" Aether turned to Venti in surprise. “You’re coming with us?”

“Morax is a good friend of mine and I have some responsibility towards Xiao. I’ll lend you guys a hand!” Venti winked.

“VENTI!!”

“TONE DEAF-BARD!!”

For the second time that night, Venti was thrown onto his back and drenched in tears—except this time, it was happy tears.

Thus the ZhongXiao alliance was formed.

MAIN NEXT ▻

#Genshin Impact fanfiction #genshin xiao #zhongli #xiao #zhongli x xiao #aether x venti #genshin impact fanfic #venti #aether #genshin impact

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bookish-mbti · 3 years

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Some Frasier MBTI types

Scott has gotten me into watching Frasier and these characters are satisfyingly typable, so I wanted to make a post elaborating on the MBTI types of the Crane brothers.

Frasier Crane | ENFJ

Frasier’s functional stack is easily readable and because of it, he is a fantastic example of an ENFJ. The outer world and social structures are what defines Frasier’s reality.

Frasier exists in the outer world of established external structures, measurements of value, and social status. He appreciates things that can be thought of as impressive based on external reference, even such as the items he so values in his apartment: “This lamp by Corbusier, the chair by Eames, and this couch is an exact replica of the one Coco Chanel had in her Paris atelier.” He likes things that are socially recognized to be impressive or renowned.

ENFJs also use auxiliary Ni, and as such, Frasier is very insightful and thrives when guiding individuals towards their best path and potential. His radio show allows him to do this on a broader scale with a wider audience, while also allowing him to fulfill his role in a way noticeable externally within the societal structure he values. Fe-Ni tends to work with groups of people such as a classroom as a teacher, and in Frasier’s case, it is his radio show.

Se is tertiary in Frasier. ENJs, though they are not Se dominant, are often very action-based. This advice from Frasier, in my opinion, exemplifies healthy use of an ENFJ’s functions: “Six months ago, I was living in Boston. My wife had left me, which was very painful. Then she came back to me, which was excruciating. On top of that, my practice had grown stagnant, and my social life consisted of... hanging around a bar night after night. You see, I was clinging to a life that wasn’t working anymore, and I knew I had to do something, anything. So, I ended the marriage once and for all, packed up my things, and moved back here to my hometown of Seattle. I took action. And you can, too. Move, change, do something; if it’s a mistake, do something else.”

Tertiary Se is more noticeable than inferior and ENJs may score surprisingly high on Se, caught between their penchant for deriving meaning and passion for making their dreams realities.

Frasier is sensitive to criticism, which comes from inferior Ti. When he is criticized in a column in the Times with the simple statement “I hate Frasier Crane,” he can’t help but feel as though it is an unwarranted personal attack. Ti is a function based in impartial analysis and criticism of structures or methods, completely independent of people and in conflict with an Extraverted Feeling approach.

Further, after he is sold a false piece of artwork, he is infuriated by the injustice, the blatant lack of regard for ethics. His idealism that people are good, respectful, and care for the well-being of others (Fe-Ni) is shattered. He keeps grasping for some way others and systems may help him—first through calling the police, and then by considering hiring a lawyer. When both Martin and Niles say it isn’t worth it and when Martin tells him that sometimes bad things happen in life and there’s nothing you can do, Frasier has immense trouble coping with the concept. Feeling dominants often run into conflict with the approaches of the Thinking functions, which they perceive to be cold, heartless, and, in the more extreme, immoral.

Another characteristic of Frasier’s inferior Ti can be seen in the second episode, when he is still adjusting to his father and Daphne moving in with him. In the case of an inferior Ti eruption episode, Fe dominants become uncharacteristically cold and withdrawn. In this episode, Frasier is perturbed by all of the ways Martin and Daphne have infiltrated the life he worked to build for himself. He is uncharacteristically in a bad mood, seeking solitude, and short with understanding; his tertiary Se is used defensively to defend his uncharacteristic, self-based need for solitude by saying that since the situation isn’t working out now in the present moment, then there is no hope of it getting better and he should change something about it.

Niles Crane | INFJ

Niles’ function stack is also one that is very readable and makes him a great example of an INFJ.

While he is similar to his older brother, there are some distinct differences. Where Frasier’s typical impulse is to seek out others and talk to them, in need of feedback, Niles is more private and withdrawn, mulling over things internally before externally voicing a conclusion. Where Frasier thrives navigating the social world and being a prominent face in the community, Niles considers his radio show “pop psychiatry” and values a more typical setting where he can see patients one-on-one rather than seeking a broad audience and outward recognition. This is not to say that Extraversion and Introversion have to do with sociability or ability to perform in front of an audience—Niles frequently holds group therapy sessions and workshops etc.—but than IFJs and EFJs tend to differ in their natural preferences. EFJs like to immerse themselves actively in a society and have engagement and involvement. IFJs don’t require this external feedback or engagement, and many times like to help others in more controlled, individual sessions.

One example Niles’ Ni is evident is after he and Frasier see their father having dinner with an old family acquaintance. They remember that her family used to be close to theirs until one summer they had a falling out and were no longer acquainted. The next day, Niles arrives at Frasier’s apartment and announces he had been doing some thinking, wondering why their father was with that woman, so he dug up his old childhood journal and an old photo album their late mother had put together. In the journal around the time they remembered the family friends having a falling out, Niles had written that he had seen his father and her in each other’s arms. In the photo album photos from that summer, there were multiple photos with a woman cut out of them. With these things brought to attention, Niles suggests a theory that their father had an affair. This is Ni—seeing something, mulling it over, connecting separate pieces, and arriving at a conclusion. Frasier first strikes down the accusation, saying there isn’t enough evidence. Again, this is Niles’ Ni—the connections he has made are based on internal thought processes, not totally tangible, but make sense in his linear internal logical deductions based on a couple of pieces of evidence. Ni can derive insight and theory based on minimal things in reality and is not dependent exclusively on what is experienced through the senses.

Another example of Niles’ being his type, and perhaps a good example of how INFJs tend to offer advice in general, can be seen in this conversation between him and Frasier in episode 2.

Frasier: Niles, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Dad and I had another fight. I’m afraid if we stay under the same roof together we’ll do irreparable harm to the relationship we have as it is.

Niles: Well, what are the alternatives?

Frasier: Well, if I didn’t feel so guilty I’d, I’d do what I should have done in the first place: just move dad and Daphne into their own apartment.

Niles: Oh, for goodness sake, Frasier. It hasn’t been that long, you have to give it a chance. And you might remember why you moved him in in the first place.

Frasier: Refresh me.

Niles: You wanted to get closer to dad.

Frasier: I still do. There isn’t anything I’d like more, but he makes it impossible. I can’t read my book, I can’t have my coffee, I can’t have any peace in my own home.

Niles: So what you’re saying is, you want to be closer to dad, but you don’t actually want him around. Ask yourself Frasier, have you tried to sit down and talk to him—I mean, really talk to him?

Frasier: Well, I... Maybe I haven’t done my best. I guess I owe that to the old man, don’t I? Well, ah, thanks for the chat, Niles. You’re a good brother, and a credit to the psychiatric profession.

Niles’ dominant Ni urges Frasier to see past the interpersonal rifts and down to the heart of what matters most, which was Frasier’s original goal: to become closer to his father. Conflict that seems unsolvable through talking it out is a trigger to Fe dominants, and as such, it was hard for Frasier to see past it. Niles’ Ni reminds him of the goal despite this conflict, as Ni as a dominant function is more zoomed out and big-picture; while Niles too uses Fe and is people-focused, he primarily views the world through Ni, which sees things outside of the framework of relationships, whereas Frasier’s dominant Fe was stuck seeing only the relationships and the conflict within them and he forgot the original goal. Additionally, Niles’ use of Ni prompts Frasier to point his own auxiliary Ni at himself and remind himself of his personal responsibility and purpose to the situation with his father.

Niles’ inferior Se is noticed more comically, such as how he doesn’t remember meeting Roz even after he has met her multiple times, nor does he remember where they met. Ni is a very internally-based function, and with inferior Sensation, Ni dominants can have trouble recalling concrete information about their surroundings or people they come into contact with in the external world. Another example of an INJ’s inferior Se can be seen when Niles is gripping shortly after his divorce. He begins to date someone completely opposite from his normal temperament and is impulsive, spontaneous, and doesn’t give any deep thought to his actions or the purpose for these actions. He stays out all night, drinks more, plans a trip with his new girlfriend to another country. It is all very out of character for him, which happens when an INJ is gripping—usually notoriously inert and cerebrally-based, they become active and spontaneous in the outer world, over-indulging in sensory activities.

#Frasier #Niles #MBTI #ENFJ #INFJ #Ni #Fe #Ni-Fe #Fe-Ni #Frasier Crane #Niles Crane #Frasier MBTI

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xfandomwritingsx · 4 years

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The Sweet of Night – Loki Laufeyson – Part 7

-gif source unknown-

Description: After growing up besides Loki and having a complicated friendship with him, you visit him in his cell at night.

Warnings/Labels: Filler

Approx. Word Count: 2,000

A/N: I apologize. This is mostly just filler and Loki doesn’t even make a physical appearance. Sorry guys!

Story Masterpost

The days after the feast are bustling with work. You throw yourself in new recruit training and the public garden expansion plans. You do absolutely anything and everything to try not to think about your last encounter with Loki, but every time you come back to your chambers, you fail to think of anything but.

You sit on your bed, erotic novel in your hand, still toying with the idea of sending it to him. You think of all the notes you could put inside, all the flirtatious ways you could tease him. There’s a small shadow of doubt, of fear of embarrassment that guides the book back onto your shelf every time however.

It’s where the book would end up this morning, you know. You flip through the pages once more, eyes catches glimpses of its dirty words. What would Loki think of those words? Would he enjoy them? Would he find them juvenile?

A harsh knock on your door startles you out of your musings. Your heart skips a beat and the instant adrenaline rush of the fear of getting caught with such a thing makes your hands jitter.

“Just a moment,” you call. The next knock is more insistent. You shove the book beneath your pillow and fluff the feathers of it once in hopes to make it look natural. “I’m coming!” you tell your intruder. You take a deep breath in an attempt to ebb the adrenaline, but it only works in the smallest way. When you open your door, your unexpected guest smiles at you. “Mother!”

“Hello my dear daughter,” she greets, ignoring your stunned face. She leans in to kiss you on the cheek before nudging her way inside despite being uninvited.

“What are you doing here?” You blink rapidly, your bafflement still intact as you close the door and watch as she scans your room. “You’re not usually in this area.”

“There was a gentleman who needed a poultice in this wing and I thought I’d deliver it and then come by to see my darling daughter.” She scrutinizes your décor, but has an unusually chipper smile on her face. As she walks delicately over to your bookshelf, you quickly go to stand at the head of your bed, as if trying to block her from discovering your hidden book.

After skimming over your novel selection, she turns and walks to your desk. Her fingers dance over the wood surface before her hand dips down to the silver knob of the drawer. The drawer you’ve stored all of your notes from Loki. That panicked adrenaline comes back.

“Mother!” you snap. “Did you come by for any reason other than to go through my things?” You’re effective in getting her to remove her hand from the drawer and avert her attention elsewhere. What in the stars would she have to say if she found the dozens of notes from Loki? You’d rather not find out right this moment. Honestly, you’d much rather she found your book instead.

“You know…” she muses. “I rather wish you would have told me yourself instead of hearing the rumors, my dear daughter.” Your brow furrows together in confusion.

“What rumors?” you question carefully. If there are in fact rumors about your encounters, you want to play this very strategically. Your mother only smiles slyly for a moment and then positions herself next to your desk chair.

“Oh please,” she scoffs. “Do you really think you’d be able to hide a relationship with the prince?” It takes every ounce of your professional skill to keep your expression even and collected.

“Mother, I’m not…” you stutter, pausing to swallow thickly. Why is she not furious? She’s still smiling gleefully. It’s then that you notice she’s deliberately placed her hand on top of the royal cloak over the back of your desk chair. “Oh, you mean Thor?” you exclaim, failing to hold back your rush of relief. She barks out a laugh.

“Well I certainly wasn’t referring to the other prince,” she scoffs as though it’s absurd. It is absurd really, but somehow it’s also happening unbeknownst to her. “I had to hear it from Lady Angella that you and Thor have been spending time together.” You laugh, not even minding that she’s scolding you.

“Thor and I are not an item,” you assure her, starting to relax a little. “We spent two minutes together at the feast the other day. We are friends. We do speak to each other.” She doesn’t look dissuaded however.

“Mmhmm,” she hums. “Friends don’t typically keep each other’s garments.” She wiggles her fingers over his cloak again and you find it hard not to get frustrated with her now. “And there are whispers that the prince may be taking a bride in the near future.” She looks quite pleased with herself. “Your name has been mentioned by many.”

“Would that be because you put my name in everyone’s ear?” You cross your arms over your chest and resist the disrespectful eye roll.

“I didn’t even have to this time,” she says cockily enough for you to believe her and that’s quite unnerving. Were there actual talks of Thor and yourself marrying? Now that would be absurd! And yet… your mother hasn’t been the only one to say such a thing.

“This is ridiculous,” you tell her, shaking your head. “Thor and I are not involved. If he’s choosing a bride, it’s not myself.” Your words are pointed and confident, irritated even. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” You step up and put your hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her towards your door. “I have to get ready for the day.”

“You’re being rather coy about it all,” she comments as she reluctantly follows your guidance.

“Not one thing I’ve said here has been coy,” you argue, grabbing knob of the door and twisting it hurriedly. “Now out you go. Go worry about your patients and not about my possible future marital status.” You shoo her out of your room, but she turns back to face you the moment she crosses the threshold.

“You can’t fool your old mother,” she warns and wags a finger at you. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me.” There’s a little skip of fear somewhere inside your gut, but your irritation with her dominates your emotions.

“If you say so.” You can’t resist the eye roll this time and at the end of it, you catch Katerina walking down the hall towards you. “I see I have a delivery coming.” You point her out to your mother and make another motion to gently coax her away from your door. She bites her lip, unhappy about the decision, but does step back.

“I’m going, I’m going!” She turns to leave, but gives one final look over your shoulder. “Your hair looks lovely, by the way.” You close your eyes and let out a frustrated breath.

“Thank you, Mother.”

She leaves quietly after that and you wait at the doorframe for Katerina to approach with your breakfast tray. She gives you a polite smile.

“I don’t think I’ve seen your mother over this way before,” she comments in a pleasant tone.

“Yes, well… I rather wish it stayed that way.” The corner of Katerina’s lips tip upwards in the smallest fashion. “Come in,” you beckon her, holding the door open for her to step inside. She goes to the desk and sets the tray down.

“Do you have anything you need delivered today?” she asks.

You chew on your bottom lip for a moment. The irritation at your mother’s prying has sparked a little streak of rebellion inside of you. Marry Thor? Preposterous! Oh how knowing that you speak to Loki would drive her mad. To know the relationship isn’t as purely platonic as you like to claim? It may send her to her grave!

“Actually, yes,” you say, determination suddenly washing through you. You walk briskly to your bed and retrieve the novel from beneath your pillow. Jotting a quick note on the inside cover, you find your hand shaking ever so slightly. “Please deliver this.” You close the book and hand it to Katerina as confidently as you can. She glances at the cover and the title, but keeps her professional composure and seemingly doesn’t judge you for it before slipping it inside her robes.

“Delivery will be made this afternoon,” she confirms.

It’s only after she’s left that you start to worry about it being a mistake.

---

Your embarrassment keeps you away for a few days. You want to go see him as you honestly miss speaking with him, but the idea of facing him after giving him scandalous reading material on little more than a whim is nearly terrifying. So you busy yourself with other things, such as giving Thor his cape back.

It’s long overdue, but seeing as how you weren’t coveting it close to you at all times as some people liked to think, you never had it on hand when you saw him. So this evening, you scoop it up and drape it over your arm with a few folds and set off to find him for just this purpose.

He happens to be just outside the tavern, right where you had expected. Though the entire idea of more rumors being sparked of you two, it’s likely a good thing for the exchange to happen publicly. At least that way, everyone can see how casual and strictly friendly your interaction is as well as that you’re not keeping his clothes.

“Thank you for lending this to me,” you tell him as you unravel it from your arm. He takes it with a smile.

“It was no problem at all,” he assures. “Have you heard the rumors?” he asks with a small laugh. You duck your head and let out your own chuckle.

“I have,” you confirm. “Quite absurd, isn’t it?” He shrugs and sticks his chin out.

“Oh not too absurd in the realm of Asgard gossip,” he muses back to you. “We wouldn’t be the first pair of childhood friends to end up betrothed.” When he puts it that way, you suppose he’s not wrong. From the outside world, it does seem feasible.

“Are you getting as much pressure as they say about wedding a woman?” you ask softly.

“Oh I’m sure it’s exaggerated. It is not something I am worrying about for the moment.” He gives a wave of his hand to brush the idea away. “Will you be joining us this evening?” He gives a nod to the tavern door, but you shake your head.

“I have some plans I want to look over tonight still.” He gives you a polite smile at your gentle refusal.

“Well, then I shall bid you a good night.” He reaches forward and takes your hand in his, bowing his head as he brings it up, his fingers sliding under your palm until he’s just barely cradling the ends of your fingers. He presses his lips to the tops of your knuckles and gives you a playful wink. “Good evening, my Lady.”

“Are you trying to fan the flames of the rumors?” you tease, slipping your hand out of his.

“Of course not! You’d have to join us for drinks if I wanted to properly do that.” You both laugh before you pat him on the shoulder and tell him goodnight as well.

When you arrive back at your room, it takes you a few minutes to notice the sealed envelope sitting on your desk with your name in a fancy script that you recognize all too well as Loki’s. Your heart beats a little faster and you feel a breath get caught in your throat as you break the seal.

Inside, there’s a single page with a single sentence.

I surely hope you don’t expect to get this delicious book back.

---

I promise things get steamy in the next part. Just wait. If you’re excited, let me know by liking, commenting, and reblogging.

If you’re really feeling generous, buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/writerashley

Keep up with my progress on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thatfandomwriter/

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#Loki Laufeyson #loki imagine #loki laufeyson imagine #avengers imagine

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