#i remembered tall women exist today and almost passed out
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Hate when people who already know that they’re taller than me ask my height like girl stop asking me for numbers the answer is YES i would have to get on my tiptoes to kiss you and also YES it would give me butterflies like whatever🙄
#wlw#sapphic#sapphism#lesbian#wlw mood#i am offering a palm full of oats to tall women#pls come date me#like yes bestie there are two options#i am either on my tiptoes or pulling you down by the collar#and both of these options are phenomenal#AND YET?? we aren’t doing either??#like wtf#i remembered tall women exist today and almost passed out#like PLEASE#im in love with you#im gay and i like sleeping
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Bennett x Fem!Reader - Aster
A/N: The last post kinda blew up so of COURSE I’m doing more in this style. Also he’s totally the son of the pyro archon I don’t take criticism
Fun fact: at the end I legit started to blush a little bit.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Regicide/murder, violence, PTSD/nightmares, kidnapping, light swearing
Word Count: 3,560
Request: No
Summary: Everything that has been Lost will eventually be found; be it Princesses or swords.
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Very few places in Teyvat still bowed to royalty and Mondstadt was no different.
The people of Mondstadt bowed to alcohol and freedom; the people of Liyue bowed to commerce and wealth.
But you did not hail from Mondstadt or Liyue - you were born into a country far away from Archons and Visions. A country that was set under siege 10 years ago, a country that lost its rulers with a swift slash of a sword.
Rumors spiraled of the young princess escaping with a woman who burned with embers in her eyes and infernos in her hands. Some say the women took the princess only to end the royal line herself, others say she raised the child as her own. As more and more time passed on, people agreed that the woman never existed and the princess died during the attacks.
“Bennett!” You shouted from the balcony overlooking the entryway of Mondstadt. The white-haired boy's head snapped up, a smile growing on his face. You jumped over the balcony and ran to him, “How was your adventure?”
“I found so much treasure!” He began sorting through his pockets and eventually brought out a small bag, he opened it and brought out a golden ring with a raven insignia pressed onto the blue jewel attached to it. He extended his hand and smiled shyly, you slowly set your right hand down on his extended hand. The ring slipped onto your finger perfectly.
“Woah,” you gaped at the ring, admiring the way the jewel seemed to absorb every bit of light, “Where did you find this?”
Bennett chuckled nervously, not wanting to tell you the truth of how many traps he fell into while receiving the ring, “J-just found it... y’know... lying around.”
You looked up at him and narrowed your eyes, “Benny...”
He scratched the back of his head and mumbled under his breath, “I only almost died like... twice.”
“Bennett!” You yelled and lightly smacked his arm, “Don’t risk your life for this stuff! We’ve talked about this.”
“But you looked so happy when you saw the ring...”
“And I’m happier each time you come home to me! Promise you won’t do this anymore!”
“But...”
“Promise!”
“Fine! Fine. I promise I won’t risk my life for gifts anymore.” He sighed but couldn’t contain the soft blush on his cheeks.
“Thank you.” You grabbed his hand and squeezed them, “Really, thank you. I... just please don’t get hurt for me.”
He smiled brightly and kneeled slightly to match your height, “You’re the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me, (Y/N).”
You laughed and began to jog away, “Where did THAT come from? Barbatos save me, you’re so cute.”
“Cute?!” Bennett half-laughed half-yelled in shock, “(Y/N)!” He started running after you, “(Y/N)! You can’t just say that and run away!”
“Come and catch me then!” You giggled as he chased after you. It didn’t take long for him to catch up to you, grab you by the waist, pick you up and spin you around. You laughed and looked at him, “How come I’m nearly as tall as you, yet you can still effortlessly pick me up?”
He smiled and nuzzled his chin into your hair, “I spend all day fighting hilichulrs and climbing mountains, did you think I couldn’t pick you up?”
“I guess I knew you could, I just didn’t think you would.” You spun out of his grasp and grabbed his hands, “Ooh, that reminds me! You have to hear about this story I just found!”
“Yeah?”
“It’s so cool! It’s about Vanessa...” as the two of you walked back to your small house, you regaled him with stories you had read that day, gushing over the vast history that Mondstadt had.
When you had finished talking, the moon had taken its rightful spot in the sky and called you and Bennett to sleep. You lied on the bed and waited to feel Bennett's warm body press against your chest, his heavy arms draped over your sides. Within moments of him getting into bed, he fell fast asleep. You smiled and buried your head under his chin, letting sleep overtake you.
Screams echoing in your ears, you bit your lip as tears fell down your cheeks. The dress you had treasured was torn and burnt, you could hear pounding footsteps outside your door, looking for your head to hang on a wall.
You didn’t know when this started, all you knew is that you needed to hide. You tried your best to block out the noise, but you could still hear their death thralls and see your parents extend their bloodied hands towards you.
“Run.” They had whispered. And run you did.
You ran down the twisting corridors, you hid under your Father's desk and prayed to something - anything - that you would survive this and see your family again. But even as a 6-year-old, you knew that your chances of survival were slim to none.
Soft footsteps slowly made their way across the room, you felt heat begin to boil your skin. A woman kneeled down and set her blade on the ground.
“P... please don’t hurt me.” You shook.
She smiled; a warm and comforting smile, “Are you (Y/N) (L/N)?”
You stared at her with wide eyes, your heart sinking into your stomach. This was the end. You were going to die here. Your family's legacy would crash and tumble, the last thing you’d see was this woman's bright green eyes and smile.
She outstretched her hand, “Come, Princess, I can save you.”
You woke up with a deep gasp, sweat and tears mixing on your face. You looked at Bennett who was still sound asleep, you slowly slid out of the bed and took deep breaths.
How long was it since you’ve last this nightmare? What was it about sleeping next to Bennett that caused you to see the woman clearer? You shook the thoughts out of your head and decided to take a walk to clear your head.
Flower picking always seemed to calm you down. You crept outside your house and into the Mondstadt fields to reminisce in the familiar scents of flowers. You sat on the ground and quietly hummed to yourself, completely lost in thought, not noticing the figure watching you from a distance.
Slowly, he crept up to you until he grabbed your wrist. You jumped in shock and smiled nervously. “Hello?”
“What are you doing... out so late at night?”
“I... um, just picking flowers.” You used your left hand to gesture around, “It’s so pretty out, I just couldn’t sleep until I brought a few home for my boyfriend...”
“Oh?” The man kneeled down, “Boyfriend, eh? What’s he like?”
“He’s... well, he’s really unlucky.” You looked around to see if he had any allies with him - but even if he did you knew you couldn’t take him in a fight. You were more of a kind soul than a violent one. “He’s probably expecting me home any minute now, so I should really go...” you began to pull out of the man's grasp when he tightened his grip on your wrist.
“What a pretty ring.” He held your hand up to his eyes, “Not as pretty as you, of course.”
“T-Thank you?”
“Would you mind if we took a walk? I get a bit lonely walking through these fields all by myself.” He cheerily laughed.
“I... my b-boyfriend...”
He smiled brightly but his grip began to become painful, “I’m sure he won’t mind, will he? Oh, speaking of! I never got your name, how rude of me.”
“I really need to go.” You tried to pull out of his grasp again.
“Now, now. I know those eyes. Right, Princess?”
“Pri-” you began, but before you could finish your sentence he swung at your chin and you crumpled onto the ground.
“What a great find!” He chuckled to himself as he lifted your unconscious body over his shoulder, “The amount of money we’ll get for her...”
Bennett woke up the same way he does every day: with a sore neck and on the floor. He sighed and sat up, happy that he remembered to put pillows on the floor last night. He looked at the empty bed and smiled to himself, you were probably out picking flowers or meeting with some of your friends. It always made him happy that you had things to do while he was out adventuring, but it always made him happier when you stayed near the city.
It’s not that he didn’t trust you. You weren’t naive or sheltered just... not someone cut out for battle. He had tried countless times to teach you how to fight, even got his Dads involved, but you always seemed hopeless.
Your stance was wrong, you’d drop the sword or you’d nearly poke someone's eye out. Eventually, you decided to just stay near. Stay safe. Fighting simply wasn’t your thing - and that’s fine! He’d be okay with it either way.
He changed into his clothes, headed out of his house, and walked around Mondstadt. Katheryne smiled and waved hello, he walked over to her and asked about new commissions. She gave him 4 more and bid him good luck, before he set out he asked if she’d seen you today.
“(Y/N)?” She rocked back and forth on her heels, “No... I don’t think so.”
Bennett felt concern but quickly shook it away, “Tell me if you see her!”
As he set out on his commissions, he found himself being distracted. Not seeing you when he woke up was normal enough, but Katheryne not seeing you? That was weird. He only even asked as a formality - Katheryne always saw you. She always chatted with you before you met up for midday tea.
He palmed the hilt of his sword as he began walking to his second commission of the day, completely lost in thought and not noticing the small hole in the ground. One misstep was all it took for Bennett to trip and roll his ankle.
Bennett winced in pain and slowly brought himself out of the hole, “Just my luck, huh...” He reached into his backpack, pulled out medical supplies, and set to work on mending his wounds. On the ground, he spotted a few picked windwheel asters scattered around. He pulled himself over to them and smiled to himself, imagining the smile on your face when he brought your favorite Mondstadt specialty home to you.
As he twirled the windwheel aster between his fingers, he recalled his earlier unease. With a quick shake of his head, he replaced it with happier thoughts. He pulled himself up, tucked the windwheel aster into his belt, and headed home.
The unlucky boy more stumbled than walked home, beating the pain with fantasies of your smile.
As he arrived back in Mondstadt, he walked over to Katheryne who perked up when she saw him.
“Bennett!” She called, “You’ve been gone a while. Did you complete your commissions?”
“Not really,” he laughed quietly, “ended up rolling my ankle.”
“Oooh,” her eyebrows knit together, “I think Barbara is still working tonight.”
“No, no, I’ll be fine. I can just sleep it off.” He began to step away when he remembered something, he knocked onto the counter with his gloved hand and shot a big smile, “Oh, that reminds me. Have you seen (Y/N) at all?”
Katherynes concern fell into nervousness, “I... I was going to ask you that.”
“I gotta go.” He broke out into a sprint towards your house, the pain from his ankle seemed insignificant compared to his pounding heart. As if some lucky break, he didn’t trip or run into anyone on his way home.
He threw the door open and yelled, “(Y/N)?!” No response. He searched each room in the house, tearing apart every spot that you could even possibly be hiding in before ran to the Knights of Favonius headquarters. He practically barreled through the door to the library and with heavy breaths looked a startled Lisa in the eyes.
“Bennett?” She took a second to regain her composure, “Oh, actually, have you seen (Y/N) lately? We just got a new book I think she’d-”
Before she could finish, Bennett left the library and ran into the Acting Grand Masters office.
“Master Jean!” He panted, his arms shaking as he held the edges of the doorframe.
Jean looked up at him, piles of paperwork covering her desk, “Can I help you?”
“Yes! Yes, you can!” He walked into the room, tripped over his feet, got up, and sat down in the chair, “You’ve heard of (Y/N), right?”
“(Y/N)...” she repeated, “Oh, yes. I have. She helps me out every now and then.”
“Have you seen her at all today?”
Jean leaned back in her chair, tapping her pen against her lips, “No, I can’t say I have. Why?”
Bennett groaned and leaned forward, “I don’t know where she is! I woke up today and she was gone, which, yeah, is pretty normal for her but still! Not you, Katheryne, or Lisa have seen her! I’m really scared - she can’t fight and she keeps going out to pick flowers really far away! Please, please help me find her.”
She folded her hands, “What’s your name?”
“B-Bennett!”
“Bennett. Take Lisa with you and look around Mondstadt. If you still can’t find her, come back to me and we’ll discuss this again. Understood?”
“I’ve looked around Mondstadt!”
“Okay,” she exhaled, “I’ll organize a search party.” Jean stood, grabbed her vision, and walked with purpose.
Bennett sat in the chair, shaking. “(Y/N)... where are you...”
You woke up with a pounding headache and with something wet pressed against the side of your face. There was a tight rope binding your hands behind your back and chains connecting your feet to a small metal cage you were trapped in. You sat up and took deep breaths, trying to recall what happened.
“1 million mora? For a princess? We can do better than that.” A voice sneered.
“How do we know she’s really the princess?”
“Wait until you see her eyes! The Lost (L/N) Princess and she fell right into our hands! Hah! How lucky!”
You looked around your surroundings, other than the cage you were in, it seemed like a normal campsite. You didn’t quite recognize the area you were in and that worried you.
“H... hey!” You called out. The two voices fell quiet and eventually, two men came into your view.
“You’re awake.” A young man with orange eyes and dusty brown hair spoke, a purple face mask concealing his mouth and nose.
You narrowed your eyes at him, recognizing him as the man who took you hostage, “Where am I?”
The second man who had a hat covering his face kneeled in front of you, happiness beaming in his light blue eyes, “Well, I’ll be damned. It really is her.”
He grabbed the chains on your feet and pulled you towards him, “I’ve been looking for you for so long.”
“Let me go.” You growled, “I swear to god when Benny finds you-”
“Benny?” The man wearing the hat turned towards the masked man, “Whose Benny?”
“Her boyfriend, probably.”
“Hmm...” he leaned back and thought for a moment, “Well, you know what they say about loose ends...”
“W...wait.” Panic began to tear through your body, “Wait, please don’t. Oh, god, no. Please don’t hurt him. I’ll do whatever you ask just... please.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“Well, stay put.” He opened the door on the cage and motioned for you to open your mouth, you complied. He ripped a piece of cloth off your clothes and tied it around your mouth, “Can’t have you screaming for help now, can we?” He chuckled and shut the cage again.
“What do we do now?” The masked man stood, anxiously bouncing on his heels.
“Find the boy.”
“And?”
“Well,” the man sat in front of your cage, pulling down his mask and showing you a bright grin, “See how much he wants his beloved back.”
You glared at him with tears in your eyes, trying to push the gag out of your mouth but to no avail.
Bennett sat on your bed, trying to keep himself from crying. 3 days. 3 days you’ve been missing. He wrapped himself in your clothes, taking deep breaths and trying to smell you on whatever remnant he had left.
The smell was fading.
He choked back tears and focused on you. Your smile, your voice, your favorite story, anything. Anything at all.
A loud knock at his door made him jump. Excitement and nervousness built into his feet as he ran to the door, maybe the Knights found you, maybe it was you. He threw the door open and saw a small slip of paper on the ground. With shaking hands, he picked it up, and when he finished reading its contents he couldn’t stop himself from crying or collapsing onto the ground.
Benny -
You probably want to know where (Y/N) is. She’s safe. For now, at least.
You have 24 hours to either get 30 million mora or something of equal value to
get her back safely. If you miss the deadline, we will sell her to the highest bidder. Deliver the money to the great tree in Windrise.
Come alone.
Proof that we have her is attached.
On the other side was a lock of your hair. He clutched it to his chest before carefully tucking it into his satchel, and just like that he took off searching for each mora or item in your house that could even possibly have value.
He would have sold the clothes off his back if it meant he’d see you again. But in the end, he fell short.
Not even 1 million mora.
He walked to the great tree, hoping he could strike some sort of deal. With his sword at his hip, he knew what he had to do.
The unlucky boy shook as he set the sword against the tree, his eyes filled with tears as a single man came from the shadows.
“You didn’t bring anything?” He scoffed, “She really loves you more than you love her.”
“She... she’s alive? Thank... thank the Archons.” His head drooped in relief, “M-my sword. It’s worth at least 30 million mora. Take it.”
The man stepped forward and inspected the sword, “Hm.” He practiced a few slashes with it, “Yes, this seems like it’ll catch a fair price.”
“Where is she?” He pulled himself to his feet, “I gave you what you wanted... where is she?”
He laughed under his mask, “Long gone. As we speak, she’s being pawned off.”
“Wh... what?” Bennett stepped forward, “I did what you asked.”
“Yes, you did. A 30 million mora sword and whatever she sells for... now my buddies and I will have the life we’ve always wanted.”
“That’s not fair.” He began to feel his blood boil under his skin, “You... you can’t do that.”
Bennett saw red, and the next thing he knew his sword was back in his hands and he was marching directly to you.
Wrath and fear forced his body on and it only increased tenfold as he saw a group of people standing around a cage, one of the men counting mora as he loudly spoke about your name to the onlookers.
Fire roared inside of him, their arrows and swords burned the moment he got near. Everything was burned to ash, except for you. He turned to the cage and felt his chest constrict as he saw tears pooling down your face and a gag keeping you silent.
He dropped his sword and ran over to the cage, it didn’t take him long to open the lock and remove the gag.
“Benny!” You gasped when you could speak, “Oh, god, Benny, I was so scared. T-They... they said they were going to kill you.”
“I’m here, it’s okay.” He broke the chains off your feet and untied the rope around your hands, “Can you walk?”
“I... I think?” He helped you out of the cage, but you immediately stumbled when you touched the ground. He wrapped his arms around your waist and caught you.
“I’ll carry you. Are you tired?” He sat you on the ground for a moment as he sheathed his sword, before picking you up bridal style and making sure to tighten his hands around so he wouldn’t drop you.
“A... a little.”
“I bet,” he beamed, “Bennys Adventure Team is here to help you!”
Your laughter dissolved into coughing.
Bennett frowned and held you close, “When we get home, I’ll read you a story.”
“About Vanessa?”
“About anything you want.”
You leaned into his chest and wrapped your arms around his neck, “As long as it’s you... I don’t care what it is.”
He was going to respond, but he noticed your eyes fall shut. He leaned down to make sure you were still breathing, smiled to himself, and began the long trek home.
Whenever you wanted to pick flowers or do anything outside of the city, he’d always offer to come with you. He doesn’t want you to go missing again. At night, he draws you close against his chest as he sleeps.
#benny x reader#bennett x reader#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact bennett#genshin impact benny#one shot#oneshot#x reader#x reader fanfiction#fanfiction#bennett x you#benny x you#happy endings#saved by bennett#saved by benny
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𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 | 𝐩.𝐬𝐡
𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐮 - 𝟐
✕𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Grim Reaper!Seonghwa x Living!Reader
✕𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Grim Reaper, Halloween Au
✕𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3.4k+
✕𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: There’s nothing after death, or so they say. However, Seonghwa knows best and he’s determined to make you find out.
Alternatively: “Married couples always promise to love each other till death, but darling, I’ll show you love exists after death as well.”
✕𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Mentions of death, souls, grave yards, cemetaries, harassement/bullying and the afterlife. Seonghwa is holding a scythe to reap souls. There is some religious stuff as well. The people around you are really weird. You’re a living, breathing human at the beginning but not really at the end. The reader (you) are really weird. Some kissy kissy as well
✕𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: Unedited
✕𝐀/𝐍: Remember that this is fiction and that I don’t actually see ateez in this way. The religious stuff has not been put in to offend anyone. It is solely for fictional purposes. Enjoy! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist. Leave a comment under this post or message me! Also, this is inspired by OneUs’ song ‘To Be or Not To Be’. I am obsessed with their entire ‘Lived’ album...it’s a bit of a problem hehe
✕𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @pancakes-for-teddy
✕𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜: Here
Seonghwa watched you trace the crude grey stone with your fingers in a sense of curiosity.
You were a young child, new to the world but there was something extremely odd about you. Seonghwa had seen you a few times already, running around the cemetery as if it was the playground, playing hide and seek with the ravens that would sometimes whisper beautifully morbid things to you.
Tracing the sharp blade of his scythe, the male sighed and lowered his black hood when a series of footsteps crunched through the dead grass of the burial grounds.
"A mere lost soul," Seonghwa said as the groundskeeper of the cemetery came to a standstill next to him.
"A bit young to be a lost," he said but Seonghwa shook his head and ran his bony fingers over the staff of his scythe.
"Young souls are often the easiest to lose. But they are also the easiest to guide," he said and gave the groundskeeper a side-eyed glance.
"Are you going to guide her?" The groundskeeper asked in a quiet voice and Seonghwa inhaled deeply before covering his face with his hood again and disappearing into the shadows.
"Only if I must."
The next place Seonghwa saw you was at the foot of your grandmother's bed a few years later, crying hysterically.
Black ink flowed down your cheeks, leaving scorching burns in their wake but to any normal human, it would look like the most heart-broken tears were being shed.
Next to Seonghwa, your grandmother pressed a hand to her heart. Although pain was not felt by deceased souls, the phantom pains of her only grandchild's cries were enough to provoke a physical feeling.
Both your grandmother and Seonghwa stayed, observing everything until it was only you left in the room.
Seonghwa approached you and wiped the inky streaks off your face with a gentle bony finger.
"Do not cry, child," he said and offered you a single black raven feather, smooth as the blade of his scythe.
"Angel," the word left your small lips as you marvelled at the man in front of you. A graceful being in front of a clumsy child like you, your brain could only muster the closest celestial being.
"No, child. But you can most definitely think of me as your guardian angel."
And with that, Seonghwa left you with an eternal promise and the mark of the grim reaper on your soul.
"So much for a guardian angel," you said as you twirled the black feather between your fingers. Now in your early adult ages, the feather had remained the only constant in your life.
Encased between thin glass sheets, the black feather gleamed under the sunlight as you leaned against one of the headstones in the cemetery.
"(Yn)? Here again?" The groundskeeper asked as he strolled by with his tools, his black cat in tow.
"Yes sir," you smiled and closed your eyes, letting your head fall onto the grey stone that was basking in the sunlight.
"I was going to wash the stones today but it seems I'll have to wait," he said and you smiled at the older man.
"Thank you, sir. You know I don't have anyone else but you."
The groundskeeper gave you a small wave before continuing on his way.
Sighing and tucking the black feather back into your pocket, you plucked at the yellow grass that always seemed to surround you wherever you went.
It was true that the groundskeeper was the only one you had. After the encounter with your "guardian angel", things had gone immensely wrong for you.
You started having nightmares and hearing voices that always called for help. The murmurs and cried pains of the damned that always seemed to haunt you on the darkest of nights. This eventually led to your family declaring you sick and moving away to a bigger city, leaving you behind.
You were harassed horribly during school which made you drop out and just stay inside your old house until midnight hit the skies. The old ladies of the town would gossip about your creepy aura and flash you with crosses and holy water while you would walk down the street.
Sometimes, just to mess with them you would hiss and try to cover yourself from the holy objects and inwardly laugh as the women scurried away to protect their children and husbands. On other days you would hide under the black hood of your jacket and ignore all the comments about being a disgrace to God and whatnot.
To say that your town was an orthodox one was an understatement.
But today was one of those rare nights where the voices didn't seem to bother you as much. The people of the town had been ignorant towards you and it was a blessing through and through. Lying in your deceased grandmother's room, you stared at the arcane carvings in her ceiling. Your grandmother always believed in the afterlife and that death was not as bad as people put it to be. It was always just a change of worlds but never a permanent one.
Your hand reached out to trace one of the gold lines in the air. You had spent your entire childhood memorising them as your grandmother would tell you stories of the world beyond but now, they seemed foreign to you, almost dead and lifeless.
"I remember seeing you here when you were only a little child," a smooth voice flittered across the cold room as you jerked awake and stood up to find the source of the voice.
"Even as a child, you were always so mysterious. I never expected you would grow up to be so beautiful," the voice sounded again and Seonghwa emerged from the shadows, bony fingers clutching his scythe.
He leaned down to your level and traced your jawline. His finger was chillingly cold and wasn't soft as skin would normally feel.
Silence blanketed the room as you shrank under his cold stare.
"Am I finally going to die?"
Admittedly, the question was stupid but voicing it lifted some weight off your chest.
"Why would you die?" Seonghwa quipped an eyebrow at you, a slow smirk making its way onto his face.
"You look like a grim reaper," you whispered and fidgeted under the tall male's gaze.
Seonghwa laughed, it was chilling in its nature and froze your bones.
"That's because I am."
Regardless of his cold stare and voice, his tone was nonchalant and careless, as if admitting to being the grim reaper wasn't the biggest thing in the world.
"Oh..." you trailed off, not quite sure how to react to that piece of information.
"What do you want with me?"
"That's..." Seonghwa sighed and leaned against his scythe with a bored expression.
"A good question," he said and furrowed his eyebrows.
"If you don't have any specific requests then please leave," you said and trudged to the bedroom door, opening it wide and letting the cold wind whistle through the room.
"Actually, I wanted to take you with me," Seonghwa said and leaned his fingers out to touch your hair. He twisted them around his fingers and smiled. It was a sweet smile, one filled with love and adoration, something you had not experienced from any human before.
But lucky for you, Seonghwa was not human.
"Take me where?" You asked and brought your hand up to curl your fingers around his wrist. His skin was strikingly pale against yours and while Seonghwa could feel the low thrum of your pulse, you couldn't feel a thing.
"To the spirit world of course," he said and booped your nose lightly in a childish manner.
For a grim reaper, he sure was soft with his movements.
"What if I don't want to go," you whispered and dropped your hand from around his wrist. Seonghwa's unbeating heart dropped a little at the lack of physical contact as he too uncurled your hair from around his fingers and then caressed your head gently.
"I suppose that's fair," he said but one look at your face and he knew you were just being cautious of stranger danger.
"Listen," he started and leaned down, dangerously close to your lips.
"Wha-what are you doing?" You asked and leaned your face away from his.
"Just let me show you," he said and leaned closer to you.
Hesitantly, you met his face halfway and pressed your lips to his.
If only your family could see you now, they would bury you ten feet underground.
His bony fingers let go of his scythe which vanished into thin air as he pulled your waist closer to his.
His lips were cold and yours felt numb to his touch. It was an insensitive feeling but as Seonghwa exhaled into your mouth, you felt a wisp of odd smoke travel past your lips.
It looked like unfurling ink in water as the wisps passed from his mouth to yours.
Stilling in his arms, your vision blurred and Seonghwa's face pixelated before it dissolved into the same black wisps of smoke and you found yourself as a child sitting in the living room with your family.
"I'm afraid (Y/n)'s brain is not developing properly," A voice rang in your ears as you watched little you play with blocks and your parents conversing with a man in a white coat.
"Oh, nonsense. (Y/n) is doing just fine," your grandmother butt in and ushered the man outside, your parents giving her a glare.
A smile made its way onto your lips as you watched the scene in front of you. Your grandmother always did have her way with you in the best ways possible.
"Mother, you don't understand. (Y/n)'s not normal," you heard your father coax but your grandmother just shushed him and handed you a cookie, which you gladly accepted before going back to play with your blocks.
You reached your hands out to touch your grandmother's delicate face but your vision distorted again and merged into you sitting at the cemetery while you were younger.
From the corner of your eyes, you saw a figure talking to the groundskeeper while looking at you. The figure was clad in a long black cloak and you only caught a glimpse of his glimmering scythe before he disappeared into the shadows.
The ink once again unfurled and revealed to you getting harassed in school. The girls pulling your hair as you walked past them in the corridor while calling you names and the boys tearing your books apart and beating you up in the school's basement.
You cried watching everything unwind. These were the memories you had kept suppressed for so long but seeing them again had just opened up unnecessary scars in your heart.
"(Y/n)," a bony hand reached out for you and brought you back to reality as Seonghwa's fingers wiped at the tears that were streaming down your face.
"Wh-wha-what was that?" You asked and touched your face, fingers pulling away to reveal obsidian ink staining your fingers.
"Why...what...why are my tears black?"
"What have you done?" You demanded with a bite in your voice this time.
Seonghwa sighed and brushed your hair out of your brush before wrapping you in a blanket.
"I simply showed you everything you've been through in the mortal world."
His words rang in your ear with high pitched noise, like a shrill cacophonic note being hit on the violin again and again.
"(Y/n)," Seonghwa said and leaned down to your level again.
"It doesn't have to be like this. How can you keep living in this pain?"
"Who said I've been living in pain?" You retorted and pushed your pointer finger into his chest that was covered with black robes.
"My darling, I've been observing you for so long and the pain you feel could bring some of the most tortured souls to their knees."
You gulped, the air not quite flowing down your throat properly. Your body felt constricted as if it was trapped in the physical peel you call your body.
"Let me show you," Seonghwa whispered and snapped his fingers.
The air around you changed and it was no longer cold. it was no longer filled with hate and bitterness but instead, there was a warmth. A warmth that seeped into your bones almost as if it was a mother's hug. Your mother had never hugged you like this, it brought tears into your eyes. As if it had encased you in its warm arms, refusing to let go.
Your core, the very centre of your being felt whole again and every little touch was like a loving caress instead of sharp recoil.
But the moment was a fleeting one. Gone almost as soon as you had touched it, crumbled to dust right in front of your very eyes.
"What was that?" Your voice was soft and deep down, your held hope. You wanted that feeling to be your home forever. Somewhere you could finally be everything you've ever wanted to be. If Seonghwa was the key to that, you were willing to take that chance.
"Just a mere glimpse of what your life could be with me. Imagine everything I could give you, how free would you be," he said and you found yourself wondering exactly that.
What could Seonghwa give you, what could he offer and how free would you feel?
Freer that anything you ever felt on Earth, that was for sure.
"What do you say, my darling?" Seonghwa had his bony hand stretched towards your face. He gently caressed your cheek with one finger and you realised how menial everything was in compared to this. It was yours for the taking, everything he could ever offer was written in the hand of his ivory white hand and all you have to do was feed from it.
"Is it better to be alive or not to be? The question is yours," he said and you watched as the scythe was back in his hand.
"Where are you going?" You said and stood up from where you were previously sitting.
"Well, my darling, there's only one grim reaper and millions of souls to guide," he said and approached you closely.
"When you need me, call me by my name and I'll be there, always in the shadows but I'll be there."
"What am I supposed to call? Reaper?" You scoffed and turned away from him. How could you give someone the disease only to give them the cure as well?
"Call me Seonghwa," he said and disappeared with a cold whistle, as sharp as the blade he always carried.
Your every day after that was filled with constant itching to escape. The voices never left you alone and would only get amplified in Seonghwa's absence.
On the rare nights he did visit you, you would sit around the tombstones in the cemetery. He would tell you stories of all the souls he has guided into the spirit world and sometimes, the names he would tell you about would be in the very cemetery you two would spend time in.
The ravens would always squawk at your presence but you knew exactly how much they appreciated your company during the deadly hour.
You had come to know Seonghwa a great deal. His entire being was now an open book to you and every detail was like a word etched onto his pale skin that was the page. He would often shower you with ghostly kisses and you always found yourself wanting more.
"Just concentrate," his voice sounded behind you as you closed your eyes and narrowed all your energy onto the spirits he was talking about.
"You're special. Made for this, made for me. You can do it," he said and coaxed you further with a loving nudge.
"Seonghwa...I can't-" and the words got stuck in your throat as a wisp stroked your side and curled around your wrist.
"What...Seonghwa...what?" You stuttered and looked helplessly at the reaper.
"Just relax," he said cooly and you snorted at his comment.
"Yeah...relax," you said and shook your arm, trying to get the wisp off you.
"It's a soul, (Y/n). A lost one, just like yours," he said and stretched his hand, attracting the wisp towards it. You watched stoically as the white smoke uncurled and floated towards Seonghwa who sent it towards the sky in a hushed whisper.
"It's gone," he said and you nodded before sinking to the yellow grass under you.
"Seonghwa-" you started but when you looked up, he was gone with only the moon glimmering as bright as his blade looking down at you.
It was a horrible feeling to admit that you had gotten shamefully attached to Seonghwa. You found yourself thinking about him even when you were lying in bed, begging for sleep to take you without any nightmares.
Sitting up in your bed, the covers bunched around your midriff, you silently called his name.
"Seonghwa."
It was an almost non-existent whisper. Something that couldn't even be heard to your own ears but you had felt your lips move which was why you were sure of the letters tumbling from your lips.
"My darling, you finally learned how to use my name," his voice sounded and you jumped in your skin at the amount of soft malice in his voice. You wanted to bask in it.
"I want it," you voiced and he lowered his hood while quipping his eyebrow at you.
"What do you want?"
You inhaled deeply and leaned into Seonghwa.
"I want to be with you?"
Seonghwa laughed a musical laugh that was still cold in nature, the icicles pressing into your body.
"You've chosen not to be," he said and nodded moving even closer to you, almost pressing your body into his.
"Not to be what?" You asked and Seonghwa smirked the most deadly smirk you had ever seen adorn his sharp features.
"Not to be alive."
His final words made him press his lips to yours. This time, it was a liberating feeling as the black wisps climbed your body, tangling around your limbs and then finally your throat.
It was strangling all the life out of you but as Seonghwa petted and soothe your hair, you felt yourself feeling a tad bit better.
You lost yourself with one last word hanging from your lips, "Seonghwa."
The air was colder when you awoke. Two feet on the ground but they weren't yours.
Gasping, you stumbled backwards as you saw your dead body lying limp on the floor.
"They'll call it a miracle," Seonghwa said and kissed your hand that had turned a pale white to resemble his. There was no pulse this time and the place that held your beating heart was glaringly silent.
"How did you...what did you-" Seonghwa stopped you with a careless wave of his scythe.
"You don't have to know," he said as you both made your way to the cemetery.
"(Y/n)," the groundskeeper said and gave you a slight mocking bow.
"It's great to see you," he said and you laughed a hearty laugh, one that liberated your entire soul.
"I'm going to miss you, sir," you said but the groundskeeper shook his head with a slight chuckle.
"Nonsense, child. As long as you're with the reaper, you'll always see me."
Seonghwa grabbed your hand and led you into the shade.
"Are you ready?" He asked and you nodded enthusiastically.
Sharing one last kiss, you stepped into the shadows, disappearing forever.
"They got my birthday wrong," you complained to Seonghwa who just laughed and traced the headstone with his hand.
"Do you really care?" He asked and you whined a little before laughing.
"Not really...but they make me look older than I actually am!"
"It's alright, my darling. They never cared anyways."
And that was something you could agree on. They never did care. All they did was bury you ten feet under the ground and mutter false prayers of love before dispersing back to their lives that didn't contain a sick, now dead child.
When you were in high school, you had read Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. It was there you had learned the phrase 'To be or not to be, that is the question'.
It truly was the question, your question. But your grandmother always told you, death was never permanent, only a change of worlds so your answer to the question would always be ‘not to be’.
Not to be alive but to be by Seonghwa's side.
#ateez imagines#imagines ateez#ateez oneshot#ateez fanfic#ateez au#ateez#ateez seonghwa#seonghwa#seonghwa ateez#ateez park seonghwa#park seonghwa#park seonghwa ateez#ateez halloween#midnight seonghwa#grim reaper!seonghwa#seooghwa halloween#Kpop au#fluff#angst#seonghwa au#seonghwa fluff#seonghwa angst#ateez fluff#ateez angst#ateez imagine#ateez x reader#seonghwa x reader
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Anniversary Blues
A/N: just some slight angst then fluff... idk, this is random but I decided my weekend needed some of our favorite Mountain King. Enjoy!
M’Baku x Reader
"Leave us!" you called out, authority reverberating throughout the throne room as you marched down the center aisle to your husband's throne. Like a hunter eyeing its prey, you only had eyes for the man sitting tall and proud at the front of the room as weeks of building frustration propelled you forward. You were so distracted that you did not really pay the rows of soldiers much attention. You tried to be understanding for over a month now. But this was the final straw. You finally had enough.
The chatter in the room ceased almost immediately as the men and women around you looked from you to her husband, waiting for the leader of the Jabari to speak. He simply looked at you with confusion. If you hadn't known him as intimately as you did, the flicker of annoyance and frustration that passed behind his brown eyes would have gone unnoticed. But you noticed and like gasoline to a fire, your anger exploded.
Once you reached the front of the throne room, you sighed deeply at the sustained presence of others in the room. You turned to find the group gathering their things at a painstakingly slow pace, not with the haste you required and demanded.
"Are you all suddenly hard of hearing? I said: Leave. Us. Now. Do not make me repeat myself again."
As the Queen of Jabariland, you were known for your gentleness, your compassion, and empathy. The calm to M'Baku's fire. In your two years of marriage, most had never even heard you raise your voice. This was uncharted territory and no one needed to hear or see anything else. They quickly scampered, scurrying from the room as if they were trying to escape a literal fire. You waited for the heavy wooden doors to slam shut behind the last person before you turned back to your husband.
"What is the meaning of this Y/N? I was in the middle of a meeting."
"I know. A meeting that was more important than our anniversary?"
M’Baku’s heart fell into his stomach. That was today. His eyes studied your body, taking note of the black skin-tight dress (his favorite) covering your shape, the makeup on your face and the small gift-wrapped box in your hand. He hung his head, guilt rushing through him, as he remembered the private chef and dinner you planned in the city to celebrate two years of marriage. Though he would never admit it to you, your anniversary had not even been on his radar before you reminded him of this dinner. And it didn't stay on it long because he quickly forgot to add it to his calendar.
"Y/N… I am sorry. Today has been hec-"
You raised your hand to silence him. His excuses had long grown tiresome, you were not interested in them anymore. "Is everyday not hectic for a chief? That does not excuse broken promises, M'Baku. You are a man of your word, are you not? That is certainly one of the reasons I married you... because you are trustworthy and reliable. So, you are going to need to do a whole hell of a lot better than that." You were not angry that your husband was busy, there was no leader on Earth that was not burdened with too much. And since rejoining Wakanda, your already overflowing workloads had only grown larger. But this was not an ordinary evening, he was not just missing dinner in your private quarters or movie night. It was your anniversary, your night to celebrate your love and commitment to one another, your night to make each other a priority.
"I am sorry, Y/N. I will make it up to you, I promise."
"'You'll make it up to me?' How? When? It is not like you are ever home," you retorted. Your eyes rolled up toward the ceiling as you tried to stop tears of anger from falling before you took a deep breath and continued. "We barely see each other. I fall asleep alone almost every night. I wake up alone every morning. I eat alone, I am basically alone in this marriage. When will you carve out time in your busy schedule to make it up to me? I mean... I just asked you for one night." Your voice trailed off as your anger dissipated and hurt seeped in.
"I am trying to run an entire tribe, Y/N!" M'Baku said defensively, frustration taking over as his pride could not tolerate an attack from his own wife. " I can't always be with you! And it is unfair for you to be angry at me every time I have to prioritize our people."
You almost considered just turning on your heels and walking out the door as you listened to him. You knew exactly what moment you were approaching in this argument, his voice steadily rising to the point where he simply shuts down and refuses to listen or see reason any longer. You let out a deep sigh, trying to calm yourself before attempting to explain your position again.
"I am not asking for always M’Baku! I mean Hanuman! At this point, I am not even asking for sometimes. Merely occasionally. It is not about one dinner. It is about you being emotionally and physically unavailable for over a month. I understand you are running a tribe but lately, it seems like you do not have time for me at all."
For the most part, you had enjoyed a union of marital bliss for the last two years. No real issues, no real arguments. Your marriage and the foundation of your marriage were seemingly solid and unshakable. But something shifted in the last month. Your husband stopped being your husband and he became your coworker. Your marriage stopped being a marriage. It was as if someone extinguished a fire and robbed you of all the intimacy you required to survive. If it did not pertain to a council meeting or tribal business, M'Baku carved out no time to talk to you, much less spend time with you. You had not gotten married to be lonelier than you were before.
You could justify the late nights, missed dates, lack of intimacy to a point... He gave you many excuses but you made them for him as well. You tried your best to bury your frustration and disappointment, pretending like rarely seeing your spouse did not bother you. Because you did understand he served a higher purpose, his responsibility to your people was too important. But, last week, everything changed for you. You started viewing his absence differently, examining whether he actually had time for you or the little ones he desperately wanted. How could you be a successful couple... successful parents if you existed as co-workers and not as husband and wife?
"I cannot ignore my responsibilities to be with you every second Y/N! You knew that when we got married." The bark and anger of a scorned chief now fully coloring his words.
You pinched the bridge of your nose. "I am simply asking you to remember you have a wife, other obligations outside of these four walls," she argued, gesturing around his throne room. "When was the last time you asked me how I was doing or asked me something unrelated to being chieftess?" you listed. "You claim to want a family but how? When you barely have time for me?"
"That is enough!" He yelled, his fist banging loudly on the arm of his throne as his hubris and exhaustion made him unwilling to continue listening to his wife's very valid criticisms of his behavior. "I said I was sorry Y/N! I will not apologize again. The Jabari are my obligation first and foremost. We can discuss this later in the Golden City when you have calmed down and can see reason."
You scoffed, knowing there would be no later. Tomorrow morning, you were both supposed to head down the mountains for meetings and King T'Challa's birthday party. You saw the jam-packed agenda the Queen planned for the week; there would be little time to breath, let alone have private conversations.
"No! Go by yourself!" Your mind conjuring up the only consequence you could think of.
He immediately shook his head, almost scoffing at your assertion. "Absolutely not. First, your presence is required as chieftess. And second, I am not leaving you here alone for a week."
"It would not be any different than the last month. I will not go down the mountains to smile and put on the show of the happy chieftess when I am everything but happy. You want to be alone? Fine. Enjoy doing your job alone." You turned on your heels to leave him, ignoring the rage painted on his face. However, before you took a step, you whipped back around.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Happy anniversary Lord M’Baku," you stated stiffly, voice void of the love and adoration it usually held for him. You tossed the box at him before you walked out, leaving him alone.
***
You sighed as the masseuse kneaded your tense shoulders and pounded into your back. You preferred M’Baku’s massages… his gentle touches melting away all the tension you housed in your muscles. Usually those massages turned into less medicinal activities, which made you crave them even more. You missed that, especially now, after being deprived of his soft, sensual touches for a month now. But this was a fine alternative for when your stress levels ran too high. The tranquility and meditation was short lived when the shrill sound of your beads, a recent gift from the Wakandan Princess, rang out loudly. You lifted your head to see who was calling before slumping back down angrily.
I should have known who it was.
Three days had passed since your argument in the throne room, three days since you had spoken to your husband. You ignored his 50 calls a day, they were nonstop and incessant. You knew it was not rational to be this angry over one missed dinner but you stood firm in your position. You refused to speak to him unless he was calling to apologize and promise to change his behavior. Any other conversation was useless
The ringing continued, leaving you frustrated. It was over. Whatever relaxation you hoped to get from this would not be achieved with him bothering you. You politely asked the masseuse to finish up. When she was done, you covered yourself in a thick navy blue robe before calling out to Amari, who stood on the other side of the door.
"I think I would like to go to the market to do some shopping. Can you prepare the carriage?" you asked when he poked his head into your bedroom door.
"Are you sure, my lady? There is supposed to be a storm tonight. Lord M'Baku told us to ensure you were safe while you were alone."
You cut your eyes, "My husband does not dictate my movements around my kingdom. This is as much my dominion as his. We will make it back well before the storm. So please, prepare the carriage," you responded coolly.
"Yes, ma’am," he answered, retreating to make preparations.
Less than 20 minutes later, you were off on the winding roads down the mountain for much needed retail therapy. You knew you would find no real comfort or answers in the racks of clothes but it was the only thing to keep your mind off your very real problems at home. But you figured it was a necessary trip either way, you would need new clothes in a few months anyway.
***
"Lord M’Baku, I was sad to hear Lady Y/N was not able to attend," Nakia offered as she and M'Baku shared an embrace at the entrance of the banquet hall.
"W-well yes, she was sad that she could not attend either. However, she was under the weather and we both felt travel was not in her best interest," he lied, fidgeting with the cuff links on his suit. He was not a fan of lying but admitting to his King that he upset his wife so much that she refused to come did not seem like a better option.
"Understood. We are happy one of you was able to make it and perhaps we can all get together soon for dinner. The next time you both can make it down the mountains?" T’Challa offered, as he took Nakia's hand again. M'Baku caught the subtle motion with the corner of his eye and a tinge of sadness blossomed inside as he tried to make it through the night without his partner in crime.
"Y-Yes, that is a great idea. Happy Birthday again, King T'Challa. Will you excuse me?" He saluted his king and queen before finding his seat. He was not in the entertaining mood, nor had he been in the socializing mood any moment since his arrival. He had not really realized how much he relayed on you to survive these hellish events until you weren't there. You made every meeting and event more tolerable, you knew exactly what to say or do, how to charm the right people. His fingers picked at his beads as he contemplated stepping out onto the balcony and calling you. He knew you would likely not answer, like the other 100 times that day. But he needed the silent treatment to end. He missed his wife.
It only took the length of the ride down the mountains for him to see the error of his ways. Your words echoed in his head every night and free moment since the blow up in the throne room. He wasn't listening then, but he heard the words loud and clear now. He had been absent and unavailable. He could see the path littered with broken promises and miscommunication that led you both to this exact moment. It was entirely his fault. He could always count on you, you never missed a beat, never failed to be present for him. And he was unable to be that for you. He spent most of last night brainstorming ways to make it up to you immediately and ideas to balance his schedule to make more time for you in the future.
His desperation to go back home showed through the Jabari King's sulkiness the entire evening, only engaging in conversations directed at him with short responses. His internal debate on whether to call you raged on as he listened to the leader of the mining tribe drone on and on about something uninspiring. He feigned interest in her story until his head guard raced up to him.
"We need to return to the mountains. There has been an accident!" He kept his voice low, as to not attract too much attention, but he failed to limit the frenzy, urgency and fear coloring his words.
Confusion clouded his eyes as he looked up at Dakarai, trying to understand what accident could warrant interrupting an official ball. No one paid the two Jabari any mind as they mingled and danced among themselves. "What kind of accident? Surely the warriors and Lady Y/N can handle it?"
"No! Lady Y/N was in an accident," he stressed. "In her carriage, it hit ice coming up the mountain. She is hurt, the healers are tending to her."
Dakarai was unable to conclude his thought; M'Baku was out of his seat and racing toward T'Challa the nanosecond he heard your name. He resisted the carnal instinct to strangle his guard for wasting precious time and not leading with the critical information first. He caught T'Challa's attention with ease, the King abandoning his conversation immediately at the site of M'Baku's face. M'Baku didn't take a breath as he explained the situation and excused himself from the remainder of the week.
"Take the Royal Talon. Ayo can have you there in under 20 minutes. Ayo," he motioned for the Dora soldier who arrived at his side in seconds. "We are praying for her. Update us when you can."
M'Baku nodded and shared a salute before he marched quickly behind Ayo. They were loaded in the Talon and zooming toward the snow-capped mountains of Jabariland within five minutes. He paced up and down the small ship, praying silently for her health as it zoomed toward home.
***
M'Baku ignored any and everyone he passed as he ran through the Lodge to your private quarters. He threw the heavy double doors of his bedroom to find you in bed, chatting with his private healer. The healer was replacing a bandage on your head gently when M'Baku approached him. You were listening to the healer tell a story about his daughter while patiently staring around the room. You wanted this examination to end so badly, you were exhausted and just wanted to rest.
However, your face lit up when M’Baku walked into the room. You felt bad, the clear anxiety etched in his eyes. You both connected eyes and you offered him a small smile, mainly to reassure him that you were indeed ok. You were in pain, sure, but given the state of the carriage when the guard helped you out, you were just thankful everyone walked away.
“Lord M’Baku, I am glad you were able to get here so quickly. Lady Y/N is going to be fine. No need to worry,” the doctor prefaced quickly, getting the important information out of the way. “The head wound was pretty bad, which caused a bit of panic. But otherwise, all the injuries will heal with time. And the baby is doing just fine as well, Glory to Hanuman. A strong heartbeat.” He turned to address you, “You are certainly lucky, Lady Y/N. The damage could have been significantly worse.”
M’Baku let out a deep sigh of relief, he was so elated to hear that you were indeed alright that he almost missed his last statement. “T-thank you. Th- wait. The baby?” He turned from the doctor to you, waiting for confirmation. If you weren’t so tired, you would have hit yourself in the face for forgetting to tell him not to mention the baby.
“Surprise?” you offered quietly, with a tentative smile on your face.
The healer’s eyes widened and he bowed his head, “A-ah… M-My apologies, Chief M’Baku. Lady Y/N found out last week. I assumed you knew.”
M’Baku smiled politely, mainly to assuage the man’s obvious guilt at spilling his wife’s secret. Of course now, your anger the other night made so much more sense. He, not only missed your anniversary, he ruined what would have been a life-changing surprise. “No need to apologize. S-she had not gotten the chance to tell me. B-but thank you. Could we have some alone time please?”
He bowed to both of you before quickly exiting, leaving the two of you alone.
“You are supposed to be in the Golden City,” you smiled softly, as you pushed yourself up into a seated position.
“Well, the well-being of my queen is my top priority, my only priority. When you are in trouble, I come running.” He walked up to you and pulled you into a bone-crushing hug.
You grimaced silently but held on to him as tightly as you could with one arm in a sling. While you would have loved different circumstances, you hadn’t been in his arms in so long. Your body filled with warmth like he was hot chocolate on a cold day. He shifted and pulled you so you were curled up in his lap, your face buried in the nape of his neck. You stayed like that for a few minutes before he leaned back to look at you. His finger lifted your chin as he examined the bruise growing darker on your cheekbone.
“None of it is that bad,” you promised. “It is my own fault. Amari warned me not to stay out too late, that a storm was heading through. I lost track of time because… I-I didn’t want to come back here and be alone. I missed you,” you whispered, your fingers played in his beard as you spoke. You had every intention of making him sweat originally but now that he was here? You just wanted to be close to him. “I thought we would make it back in time. Thankfully no one was seriously injured. I am sorry, it was reckless of me.”
M’Baku shook his head, “Don’t apologize to me my love, this is all my fault. You were right, I have not been the present or attentive husband you need. I get so wrapped up in the tribe and obsessing over every little detail, I lose sight of the bigger picture. I couldn’t last 2 days without you. I am in love with you and I know I can’t do this job… this life without you. You were right, my head hasn’t been here with you and certainly not enough to start our family. I am just sorry it took so long for me to see that. Can you forgive me?”
Part of you was hesitant to forgive him so quickly. After all, actions did speak louder than words and recognizing your faults did not mean his behavior was going to change. You picked at your nail beds as you responded, “I will always forgive you, my King. I-I j-j-just need to know you are there, you know? I thought about it and I shouldn’t have waited until it built up to say something. If we are upset or disappointed, we are supposed to speak up… talk. And I didn’t do that. I am sorry too.”
Silence fell over you both for a few moments before you spoke up, “This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out by the way. I had this cute onesie and everything. That was the gift I threw at you.”
M’Baku’s loud laugh rang out through the bedroom, “I don’t care how I found out. You have made me the happiest man in the world, Y/N. I swear on my life, that you and our child are my first priority, now and always.”
“I will hold you to that,” you giggled as he peppered your face with soft kisses. He picked you up and carried you to the bathroom. He sat you down and filled the oversized bathtub with your favorite bubble bath and hot water.
“How about this? After the bath, we can pick a movie to watch tonight and a few more for tomorrow?”
You paused as you tried, pathetically, to strip off your clothes with only one arm. He turned and chuckled before helping you. “What do you mean tomorrow? You still have meetings in the Golden City?”
“No I do not. T’Challa will understand. I am all yours. I told you, you are my priority.”
“I like the sound of that.” M’Baku helped you into the tub and slid in behind you. You laid against his hard chest, your eyes lulling closed as his finger traced patterns into your stomach. His lips placed soft kisses on your neck.
“I love you… more than anything,” he said quietly.
“I love you more.”
Tags: @muse-of-mbaku @jellybean531 @destinio1 @skysynclair19 @ashanti-notthesinger @gloriousgam3r @archivistofwakanda @leahnicole1219 @mygirlrenee @dramaqueeenamby
#black panther#Black Writers#black panther fanfiction#black panther imagines#m'baku x reader#m'baku imagine#m'baku x oc
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home is where my team is - Chapter 3
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“Today will be the final test I have to take in order to become a Genin, just as you and father have been before. Please, watch over me.”
She bowed slightly, her hands together in a prayer sign in front of her nose, before opening her eyes and pushing herself off of her knees to stand. She quickly patted her black pants, getting rid of any left over lint from the pillow she sat on, and she stared at the Dainichi Buddha that stood tall and proud with his eyes closed, in the middle of the elevated floor surrounded by the four other slightly shorter Buddhas on each cardinal sides.
Lines of black tiles, rectangular and short with white paint engraved in kanjis, sat in rows and columns along ascending stairs that flanked beside the Buddhas closer to the wall, with bigger tiles reserving their spots closest to the statues. The big tiles soon transformed into framed photos with a tablet in front of it as you descended the stairs, with the most recent addition being the only one in colour.
The Hyuuga Shrine found in the northern part of the Hyuuga Compound is a homestead for the gods and the names of their ancestors and recently departed. While the Konoha cemetery was where most of their relatives would be buried, allocated under their appropriate place reserved for specific clans or among the fallen, this shrine was more so a safekeeping of their past, of their legacy, and of their tradition. The walls, though faint and dull from age, had traces of paintings of the Hyuuga clan's rich history and unique style of fighting, tracing all the way back to before the formation of Konoha as they know it today.
Rarely did Hinata come to the family shrine to pray, and rarely does she pray at all. She was unsure i f she truly believed in the gods that protected their family, and she was much more unsure of whether the spirits of her ancestors were truly watching over her. If anything, they were probably looking down at her with disappointment in their eyes and disapproving shakes of the head at how the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan turned out.
Poor Lord Hiashi, they were probably whispering amongst themselves. It was bad enough that he had no sons, but the eldest daughter is weak in nature! What will become of the Hyuuga clan at if Hinata were to remain heiress?
She only came to the shrine when she needed time alone and away from the entire compound, a place where she may talk freely to the air and without having to feel the weight of disappointment from the elders of her clan. Solace was found in the shrine that was hidden amongst the trees, away from prying ears and scrutinizing glances. Though, it was the limited access to the shrine that allowed the shrine to be almost always empty; this sanctuary is only allowed to be accessed by the lucky few that were born into the Main House of the clan.
The lucky few like herself.
Hinata wasn't fond of that rule, thought she was never fond of anything concerning the divide between the Main House and the Branch House. She was taught from a young age about the relationship between the houses from the elders that watched over her: the Main House was the brain of the clan, the most important organ that allowed all the knowledge and secrets hidden within this family to carry on throughout the generations, while the Branch House was the vessel that protected this important organ, working only as a reactionary mechanism of the Main House.
The Branch House's purpose in life, the reason they were born, was to protect the Main House from outsiders who sought to obtain the ultimate knowledge of the Hyuuga Clan, and inherently, want to obtain their prized kekkei genkai: the Byakugan.
But the shrine is a place for someone to seek solace and guidance in the gods, with the Buddhas being those who transcended into omnipotence, a teacher to all who wish to pursue their knowledge.
Why, then, should the Branch Family, who, despite only being seen as protectors of the Main Family, not be allowed to enter this shrine that praises the gods that guided the principles of their clan? Do they not carry the same clan name? If their sole duty is to protect the Main House, then they are in an equally honourable position as them; without the members of the Branch House, the Main House lineage would have to fend for themselves. They should have the right to seek solace, the same right as the Main House have to seek faith.
That’s what Hinata wished she could say.
But she knew that the house dynamic in the Hyuuga clan was much more complicated than that, running deep into the roots of their lineage. She knew it was a game of power, a game of authority. They were the Hyuuga clan, after all, and they were considered to be one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha, one of the four noble clans to actually found the village; control was a given to a clan as secretive and powerful as her own.
That’s why they performed that cruel technique that even the Hokage had to turn a blind eye to; to maintain power and control.
Maybe one day she could change the way the Hyuuga clan was. Maybe one day, the Main House would come to co-exist with the Branch House in a more equal way. But if she wanted to do any of that, she needed to be stronger than she is now.
And the only way to do that is to pass today’s test.
If you’re there, Mother, Hinata thought as her eyes returned back to the coloured image along the ancestral lineup. The woman in the photo, with deep blue hair that hung behind her shoulders with a few strands shaping her face and pale irises, looked back at her with a soft smile. Please give me the courage you had.
She took her white hoodie and backpack from the floor beside where she sat and put it on as she started to walk across the wooden floor towards the doors of the shrine. As she gets to the bottom of the stairs, she took one last breath of the incense scented room.
She had plenty of time to spare before heading out to the Hokage Rock, her usual morning practice session (or, as she liked to think of it, her usual morning torture session) with her father and grandfather was put on hold for the time being. But first she had to pick up her lunch from the kitchen- her grandmother was likely there to make sure Hinata would pack more than enough to eat, insistence that if she wanted to become stronger for the clan, she would build her body that way.
It was conflicting with what all her aunties would say. They would tell Hinata to cut down on the food, or else she would gain weight. Or worse , they would say when her grandmother mentions being stronger, you’d look like a guy with big muscles . It didn’t help that ever since she turned 10, for some reason, her waist had gotten wider and her chest was bigger than most girls her age. Luckily, the hoodie she had was not only useful for the cool January weather they have in Konoha, but also helped hide her body from judging eyes.
She crossed a short way into the main house found in the centre of the compound, trying to maintain her step as she crossed the floorboard that lined around the perimeter of the house. She kept her eyes glued to the ground whenever she could see an elder Hyuuga walking down the hall, trying to ignore them and save herself from an impending lecture.
As she entered the hallway towards the kitchen, Hinata turned the corner quickly, when she suddenly felt a sharp collision with someone that made her rebound back onto the floor.
Her face twisted slightly at the pain of her nose hitting against the other person’s shoulders, and she let out a small ‘ow’.
“Watch where you’re-” a sharp voice suddenly scolded her, before abruptly stopping. Hinata looked up towards the person she had just hit, and she could feel a slight sense of dread building up in her stomach.
“O-Oh,” Hinata managed to mumbled, as she scrambled to get herself up, not wanting to seem completely knocked out from what was a simple collision (even though her nose was still stinging). "Neji-niisan."
Her cousin stood before her in his usual shinobi garb of brown shorts and eggshell washed shirt, looking down at her from his slightly taller stature, his angular eyes narrowing. His headband with the Konoha symbol gleamed slightly when he tilted down, the metal rectangle being stitched onto a brown headband instead of the usual blue, with long buckles hanging from each of his temples and going past his shoulders.
Neji was her cousin through their fathers, his father Hizashi, who had passed away when she was too young to remember what had truly happened, being her father’s younger twin. He was Hinata's senior by only a year. He had graduated from the Academy and became a Genin during the previous year, yet he looked much older than the average 13 year old that he should be. It could be because of how hardened his face looked compared to a lot of kids around their age, making his face look sharper than it actually was. He balanced it out with his long brown hair, that flowed up till his waist as it would traditionally be grown by the men of the family, held by the end with a hairtie.
Hinata was often time envious of Neji. He was considered what a Hyuuga should be, disciplined and stoic, and efficient when it came to mastering the basic forms of their family’s fighting style, the Gentle Fist. She wished she had not only his natural gift of picking up skills with ease, but also his confidence and surety with every calculated strike he made- it would definitely make her life easier if she were that way.
That, and she wished she had his looks as well. She had heard the long running comments made by the women of the family; “ Hiashi’s eldest is cute and all, but Hizashi’s child is the prettiest out of all the cousins” and “I wish my daughter looked like Hizashi’s child”.
And most of the times, Hinata agreed with them.
“I’m sorry!” Hinata quickly exclaimed, feeling nervous by how his white pupils seemed to be looking into her soul. “Are you alright?”
She could see that he was trying not to show his scowl at her, but was proving to have difficulties when she saw the corners of his mouth twitch downwards, lines evident on his pale skin.The dread seeped in deeper, and she could feel her shoulders curl inwards, trying to make herself small under his gaze.
Neji never smiled at her.
He always frowned.
Even when Hinata was younger and tried to talk and play with him, Neji never smiled at her. He only forced out a reply here and there, and that’s only if her father was around.
“Lady Hinata,” Neji replied courtly, his tone much cooler than before, but he still glowered at her. “Please watch your step. You can hurt yourself by not being careful.”
“O-oh,” Hinata muttered as she glanced away, his piercing eyes making her nervous. “Okay. But are you-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Neji immediately walked past her with a quick step, turning the corner she came from without a single word, leaving Hinata alone.
“...hurt,” she finished in a whisper, the dread now turning into hurt at being dismissed this way.
She really did try her hardest to get to know Neji but to no avail. The young boy never seemed to want to talk to her, never mind be around her. If he was, it was only because Hinata couldn’t be left alone and needed someone from the Branch House to watch over her; and usually, Neji would be the prime candidate, handpicked by Hiashj, being the closest to her age compared to the other clansmen. It has always been this way, their relationship has always been rocky, but Hinata never understood why Neji always refrained from talking to them.
Were they not cousins before anything else? Was he not supposed to her older brother, the one she should seek guidance from?
What had she done to Neji, except be born into the Main House?
But at the same time, if she were him, would she not resent her as well?
Hinata didn’t have time to ruminate over what had just happened, and tried to push it down to the back of her mind, as she often does. She fixed the straps of her bag so it fit snug on her shoulder and continued to walk down the halls at a slower pace.
She got to the part of the complex where the faint sounds of pots clanking against one another and fresh fish and eggs sizzling on top a pan could be heard, and Hinata could feel her mouth salivating. She was just in time for a quick breakfast on the spot.
She slid the door with a gentle hand, revealing a pair of woman, both relatively young and wearing a white bandana across their forehead, swiftly shifted between the countertop and the stove. Another woman, middle aged with a few grey hairs, stood near a giant pot on top of a coal fire near the open doorway on the opposite side, letting the steam from the rice cooking waft out to the back court. An elderly woman with grey hair secured in a bun and slightly hunched shoulders shuffled along the countertop, a bento box sitting in front of her as she stuffed sliced vegetables inside.
"Lady Hinata," all three women acknowledged her as they did a bow to the young heiress. Hinata bowed to them, them being her aunties, even if they were apart of the Branch House - she was still raised to be respectful of her elders.
And even then, Hinata found that it was harder to maintain a separation of houses between the women of the Hyuuga clan- regardless of the house they belong to, and regardless of whether they are of a lower branch, it seems that often when the women and girls are together without the demeaning eye of men, there is not as big of a drift between them, save for maintaining standard titles protocols.
It didn't help that often times, marriage between the Main House and the extended Branch House. After all, her own grandmother, her father's mother, was from the Branch House, further along the line, and married her grandfather of the Main House. These marriages blurred the lines of formality at times.
Though, what the women lacked in standard house tensions tends to take the form of more personal grudges towards certain family members, from meager things like forgetting to return the favour to downright gossiping about an aloof relative over tea.
Ah, the benefits of having a large family.
While Hinata would try to avoid having a conversation with relatives (mostly because it causes her an existential crisis with their incessant questions and because she already had enough whispers about her), these three aunties were the ones she was most comfortable with. They were often the ones in the kitchen, the ones making the meals during the day for the entire clan; diplomacy was the least of their concern when they had to make copious amounts of food.
"Good morning, Aunties," Hinata replied in a soft tone, smiling as she stepped towards the elderly lady, to look at the contents of the bento box. She could feel her stomach churn at the amount of rice that was on the exposed layer, and that was just one of the two. "Grandmother, you know I can't eat that much food..."
"Nonsense," her grandmother said without looking at Hinata, her frail little body shaking as her hands closed the lid of the bento box. She started to fold the cloth, a baby blue cloth, around the box in a slow manner, the slight twitching of her hand with each tug worrying Hinata, but she didn't stop the woman from doing it. "You need all the energy you can get to become stronger. How would you bring honour to the Hyuuga name if you do not become a strong heir like your father, and his father before?"
Maybe I don't want to be the heir , Hinata wanted to say, but just smiled shyly, eyebrows pulling in. "I can be strong without eating a meal for two."
“Mother Homura," one of her aunt's with the white bandana started from the stove. "Lady Hinata does not need to eat more than she needs to. They won't put her on any taxing missions right away."
"Aunt Kayake's right, Grandmother," Hinata nodded along. "I'm just doing a test-"
"If it's the same type of testing they did with Hiashi, then you most definitely need more than this," Homura replied, her eyebrows, fine and grey, raising as she tried to turn her body to put the bento box back onto the table.
"N-no, it's alright!" Hinata took the box with both hands before Homura could set it down. She started to guide Homura towards a rocking chair in the corner of the kitchen, where a tea set has already been placed on top of a table nearby. "This is enough! Thank you."
"Have they already assigned your team?" the woman stirring the pot of rice, her Aunt Suzume, distantly related to Hinata as is Kayake, started, drawing Hinata’s attention towards her after she allowed Homura to take a seat.
"Yes, we were assigned to them yesterday," Hinata said, unraveling her grandmother's hands to hold onto the bento box in the blue cloth. "I have been placed on a team with Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame."
"An Inuzuka?" The other woman with the bandana, Kayake's younger sister and Hinata's Aunt Mitsu, giggled. She continued to slice open the shrimps from their shells on a cutting board, placing them in a separate bowl. Mitsu leaned forward slightly towards the other three woman, keeping her voice low so that only Homura, with her age causing her poor hearing, could not hear.“The Inuzuka men are quite rugged, don’t you think?”
“Mitsu, we do not care for your love affairs,” Kayake waved her sister’s comment off, returning her attention to the stove, but Suzume’s face contorted in a frantic frown.
“Mitsu! Do not plant such ideas in Lady Hinata’s mind!” Suzume scolded her with a hiss, lifting the rice paddle from the pot, waving it slightly as if she were about to hit Mitsu with it. Hinata could feel her neck start to flush slightly as it started to reach her cheeks at her implications. “She is still a child!”
“Tell me, Hinata,” Mitsu ignored them and ushered Hinata to come closer. The young heiress gravitated towards them. “What are your teammates like?”
“They’re…” Hinata started, hesitating slightly about the words she could use. How were her teammates like?
She was apprehensive of being placed on Team 8, and she was sure Shino and Kiba were too. She saw how Kiba’s friends, the two boys and the girl he always sat next to, snickered and whispered amongst themselves when they heard Hinata and Shino's name, and something about them being 'weirdos'.
Hinata wasn't surprised by their words. She knows that, compared to the rest of her classmates, she was off. Painfully shy and quieter than a mouse, Hinata was a stark contrast to what the usual kid her age was like. Her mannerisms, her voice, hell, even her looks, made her a wallflower, a pale white wallpaper that people know is there, but never bothered to be looked at. Only her blood made her truly visible. The only times that people willingly engaged with her is when her family's name is mentioned during a lecture, in which all the kids would turn over to wherever she was sitting to look at her, to see her reaction.
Most of the time, she would look away.
She didn't like looking at people. She didn't like making eye contact.
She felt it was too heavy, too intimate, too much for her soul to handle. She feels like people try to analyze too much of what she says, trying to reach into her soul, trying to unlock the pandora box that is her emotions.
And she didn't like that.
That's why she liked Shino a lot. She knew they would get along well, he was equally as quiet as her, though he was by no means shy. If yesterday's team meeting probed anything, it was that Shino Aburame was vocal, raising himself as an equal to whoever he spoke to. But he respected their space, respected Hinata's space, not looking at her unless she initiated (though, it could be because his glasses made it hard for her to see his irises, making her feel at ease).
Kiba on the other hand, she wasn't sure what to say. He was on the opposite spectrum to her, being outgoing and rowdy with his ways, and the confidence he exudated made Hinata envious. She didn't mind loud people- she found them fascinating and admirable.
But he was also subtly witty, something that she didn't think she would describe the Inuzuka as. Usually he is vocal about how he feels, calling someone out on their nonsense without a second thought, but yesterday showed her that there was more to him than meets the eye.
She had to admit thought; while envious of Kiba's personality, she was incredibly intimidated by him. It's not as if she didn't see his bad side, when he would dive head first into a fight against another kid if they talked smack about him to his face, his fists brimming purple with bruises and face speckled with blood. And he always came out victorious with a grin on his face, and Iruka-sensei fuming as he had to drag him off of the poor kid who tried to get a rise out of him, only to be crying on the ground with a bloody nose.
Just remembering it sent chills down her spine.
She definitely did not want to get on his bad side.
"They're nice," she said, fidgeting with the bento box as she glanced away, the way Mitsu looked at her with anticipation making her nervous. "A-and, they're very interesting."
"Interesting in what way?"
"U-uh-"
"Mitsu, you'll get in trouble if Lord Hiashi hears what you insinuate," Kayake warned her sister with a weary look towards Homura, but the old woman barely heeded their words, enjoying a cup of tea as she swayed slightly in the rocking chair.
Mitsu giggled at her words and straightening herself, before continued slicing the shrimp's shell in her hand. "Can't I ask the young heiress about these things? It's not like they won't ask her about it later."
Hinata could feel herself blush at her aunt's notion.
There was someone that she admired in her life...but she was not going to disclose that to them, not until the entirety of hell freezes over.
"Do that when it is time to do so," Suzume scoffed. "Knowing Lord Hiashi, however, it would be a long process."
I hope it doesn't happen anytime soon, Hinata thought, biting the bottom of her lips slightly. Talks of marriage and whatnot were not her main concern- perhaps one day, but right now, she had more things to worry about than her supposed betrothal.
"Isn't it interesting though," Kayake suddenly started after a pause, turning back to look at towards the two other women and Hinata. "That they always put an Aburame, an Inuzuka, and a Hyuuga on the same team whenever the graduating class had all three?"
To this, Hinata's eyebrows raised slightly. Her words were too precise not to ignore. "A-always? Who was apart of the last of this group formation?"
All three women looked at one another when Hinata asked her question, their faces suddenly become weary, and Hinata could feel the room fall still all of the sudden. She glanced between them, not knowing what to do, and suddenly felt like becoming very small to hide herself, not knowing what had warranted this tenseness.
"Lord Hiashi hasn't told you yet?" Suzume asked in a suddenly low tone, hushed as if she didn't want anyone else to hear. When Hinata nodded, she glanced around for a second, her eyes flitting cautiously towards the door, before landing back on Hinata. "Well...it doesn't hurt to know but...the last time they had a Aburame-Inuzuka-Hyuuga team was with-"
They suddenly heard the tatami door wiggle a bit and abruptly stopped talking, waiting for the person to reveal themselves.
“Lord Hiashi,” all the women in the kitchen said in unison as they bowed, and Hinata turned around towards the tatami door, a tall man in a deep blue yukata and a darker grey jacket standing between the frame.
Her father had his usual stoic face, his eyebrows naturally arched to look like he was frowning most of the times and his mouth in a straight line. He gave an acknowledged bow to Hinata’s grandmother, his mother, before looking over to Hinata.
“G-good morning, Father,” Hinata quickly whispered with a slight bow of her head, gripping the sides of her lunch box. Hiashi stared at Hinata for a moment, as if analyzing what he saw, trying to pick out any sort of flaw in how she appeared.
“Today is your final test, is it not?” Hiashi asked in an even tone, never breaking eye contact from Hinata, who glanced away towards the lines of the floorboard. “Why are you still here? And look at me when I speak to you.”
“Yes!” she squeaked at how much sharper his tone became, and straightened her gaze. “I just had more time left so...so I thought I could take my time today.”
Hiashi narrowed his eyes.
“ Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful do not die. The heedless are as if already dead* .” Hiashi quoted the proverb from ancient scriptures without missing a beat, and Hinata could see the frown lines deepening on his tanned face. “If you were going to mindlessly be on the compound this whole time, then you could have been practicing your forms. Your sister has already mastered all of the basic forms; you have yet to perform them efficiently.”
“I-I,” Hinata started, now feeling her neck burning in embarrassment of being put on the spot in this way, but she couldn’t finish her sentence, feeling the heat rising to her face.
“Mother,” Hiashi turned his attention towards her grandmother, who had simply been keeping her mouth closed as Hiashi gave Hinata the third degree. “Hinata is grown and she can make her own meals. You’re spoiling her by making her lunch.”
“Hiashi,” Homura said with a slight hum to her voice, soft and slow, as she started to sway lightly on the chair. "If you believe this to be true, then you should make your own tempura from now on, do you not think so?"
To this, Hiashi eyes slightly widened in hesitation for only a split second, but he quickly fixed himself back to neutrality. Hinata had to stifle her laugh, and she looked down to hide the amused smile she couldn't suppress.
Leave it to Homura to be as eloquently blunt as her son.
"That is not the same," Hiashi replied coolly. "The food you make is for the entire family."
"Tempura is usually reserved for dinners," Homura said as equally calm. "But you still insist on eating it for breakfast as well. You should eat better; you're a grown man."
Hinata could see her father's jaws clenching, muscle along his jawline flexing- being told off by one's mother in front of an audience was not on the top of every clan leader's to do lists.
"Hinata." His eyes returned to her, and she quickly kept her lips in a line. "It is best if you left for your test. You don't want to keep your team waiting for you."
I didn't even eat breakfast, Hinata thought, but refused to say this outloud. She didn't want to be scolded anymore than she needed to be. "Yes."
“Do not be a burden to your teammate,” Hiashi said courtly, before stepping aside to let Hinata walk through the open doorway.
Hinata gritted her teeth, feeling her throat suddenly lodged with emotion, but she kept it to herself. She nodded, and quickly exited the kitchen, giving a quick bow to her grandmother before she made her way towards the courtyard to leave the compound.
I won’t burden anyone, Hinata thought as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying her best to maintain her confidence, but she could already feel the tips of her eyes started to sting with tears. I promise, I won’t burden anyone.
----
When Hinata made it to the top of the Hokage Rock, she was surprised to see that Shino was the only one there, waiting underneath a tree. She glanced up to the sky, the morning sun bearing white in the east slightly above the horizon. It was nearly time for their test, she could tell, but where could their sensei and Kiba be?
She wasn't sure where Shino was looking at, his dark frames shading his eyes from anyone to see, but from the way his face tilted down, she could tell she was looking at the ground with intent.
Should I call out to him? She thought, ready to raise her hand to wave towards him, but hesitated slightly. No, he looks busy...I don't want to disturb him. But, then again, I should ask him where everyone else is...
Hinata continued this debate on whether she should call out to Shino or walk up to him as she crossed clearing, but she wasn't given the opportunity to think it through. All of the sudden, she heard a high pitched bark becoming louder from the trail she just walked on, and a voice yelling, "Akamaru! Wait up buddy!"
She knew who it was immediately, and spun on her heels to look behind her. Unfortunately, she was not prepared for the small flash of white coming towards her at full speed, already a metre away from her.
Hinata didn't have time to react, and she wasn't sure whether she could or not- by the time she blinked, the flash of white had jumped up towards her and hit her chest, pushing her backwards and making her land on her behind, before laying flat on her back.
Talk about a double whammy. This is the second time she was sent flying onto her back. Her tailbone was starting to hurt a bit. It didn't help that she had her backpack on during the fall, and had placed her bento box inside, making the impact harder against her lower back when she fell, the side of the bento box digging into her sharply.
Hinata blacked out for a few seconds, eyes closed in shock and her ears momentarily blanking. When she slowly opened her eyes, she was greeted by a little brown nose against hers and the sound of slight panting.
Her eyes started to take in everything beyond the nose, seeing it attached to a white puppy with long, floppy ears and small, brown eyes that looked at her with excitement. The puppy barked at her once, and she could feel a thump thump thump on her abdomen, his tail wagging happily.
"H-hello...Akamaru," Hinata managed to say in a soft voice, remembering the puppy's name from how Kiba had introduced him as yesterday. This only made Akamaru even more excited because he barked a few times and his tail wagged faster, before he gave Hinata's cheek a little lick.
Hinata could feel her heart soar at this little gesture by the puppy. Is this what feeling wanted is like?
"Akamaru!" Kiba's voice exclaimed as he ran up towards Hinata, who was still being licked by the puppy. "Get off of her! Sit!"
Akamaru did as he was told with a slight whine, and hopped off of Hinata's chest, sitting down beside her as he looked expectantly at Kiba. Hinata managed to prop herself up with her elbows, lifting her back up into a sitting position. She glanced up to see Kiba standing near her feet, both hands on his hips as he gave Akamaru a disapproving look.
Hinata could feel her heart start beating fast while looking at her now teammate; he was much more intimidating from where she was sitting, narrow eyes shifting around with a frown on his face. Kiba had always scared her slightly, with his red markings making him look like a warrior on his way to a battleground, and the way his eyebrows, sharp and fierce, made his narrow eyes look even more piercing. She was half ready to apologize, but then she saw his frown disappear as he softened his look, now looking at Hinata with...was it concern?
"Sorry about that," Kiba said, almost in a mumble, and Hinata could see that his cheeks flushed pink suddenly, as if embarrassed. "I swear, he's usually better behaved than this."
"It's okay," Hinata replied softly, and Akamaru barked at Hinata, taking a step closer.
"What d'ya think you were doing, Akamaru?" Kiba looked at Akamaru with a stern look, his arms crossing over, eyebrows pulled in. The puppy stopped in his tracks and looked up to his owner, his dog wagging in the air.
"Arf! Arf!"
"So what? You could've hurt Hinata!"
"Arf! Arf, arf, arf!"
"I don't want to hear it," Kiba huffed. "Now sit and think about what you did! You're not getting any treats until you obey!"
Akamaru let out a whining sound, his happy demeanor dropping as his tail stopped wagging, his eyes looking back at Kiba big and glistening in woe. When Kiba raised an eyebrow at Akamaru, waiting for the puppy to continue, Akamaru stopped his attempt at persuading Kiba to let him be and he laid down on his stomach sadly, a whine emitting from his throat.
"...you need a hand?" Kiba asked after a moment when Akamaru settled down.
Hinata, meanwhile, was preoccupied staring between him and Akamaru in awe, watching them have a conversation she couldn't understand, only going by Kiba's words. What kind of technique helped you communicate with animals? She knew about shinobi being able to summon animals for their services, forming a blood pact between the master and the animal, but she often heard of summoning animals being able to speak in their tongue.
When she noticed Kiba's hand reaching out towards her, she looked at him for a split second, feeling less intimidated by her new teammate. Should she accept his aid?
I won't be a burden, she reminded herself, while shaking her head lightly. I won't be coddled.
"N-no," she said quickly, her inflection making her voice crack, and she stood up, brushing her behind while doing so. She added in a much more normal rhythm, "Thank you, t-though."
"Hinata, are you hurt?" a low, monotone voice suddenly said behind her. She nearly jumped by how close the voice, low and soft, was, but she stopped herself from doing so upon recognition, and turned around towards the source.
"I-I'm not," Hinata said with a slight smile, tilting her head up to look at Shino, him being taller than she, even with her sandals. She placed her arms slightly in front of her, refraining from showing any signs of pain from her back. "I'm fine."
Shino stood by with his hands in his coat pocket, half his face still being hidden the collar, not saying anything for a moment. Hinata couldn't tell where he was looking, but from the way his arched eyebrows pulled in slightly, she assumed she was looking at Kiba. He softened his face again quickly, as if realising that they were staring at him.
"Did something break in your bag?" Shino asked smoothly, without moving whatsoever. He paused again for a split second, before continuing, "Because I heard a crack when you fell."
"Oh!" Hinata exclaimed in a light voice, swinging her bag around in front of her quickly, remembering her poor bento box that she had inside. She opened her bag and peered inside and…
"Oh no," Hinata moaned as she looked at what was supposed to be her lunch. The rice, vegetables, everything was outside of the bento box, scattered everywhere and she could see the box has a slight fissure along the side, likely due to her landing.
"My l-lunch," Hinata mumbled, and she could feel her stomach churn at the sight of food being spoiled. She really should have eaten something before leaving.
Shino leaned over slightly, head barely moving downwards but Hinata could tell he was looking into her bag. He stood there motionless for a moment, before tilting his head slightly on the side, looking beyond Hinata.
"Can't you keep your dog on a leash?" Shino said suddenly, his voice low and a bit forceful, inflecting slightly at the end as if unsure how to end the sentence.
Hinata could feel a shift in the atmosphere amongst them at Shino's words, and she stared at him wide eyes before looking over at Kiba. Kiba stared at him for a split second, eyes blinking at Shino, before his eyebrows pulled in quickly, jaw clenching, when their teammate's words were finally processed in their minds.
"What did you say?"
"I said 'can't you keep your dog on a leash'," Shino repeated in an equal tone. The atmosphere was tense as they stared at each other, and Hinata took a slight step back, not wanting to be caught in between, fidgeting with her fingers slightly.
"His name is Akamaru, " Kiba replied sharply, his words punctuated with a slightly louder tone, and Hinata could see the flame of anger spark in his eyes as he glared at Shino. "And Akamaru isn't some pet I can put on a leash. Like how you don't put your bugs in a container ."
"We're talking about Akamaru, not my insects," Shino replied stiffly. "Maybe you should train him to listen to you more before using him on our mission. Because it looks like he doesn't even obey simple commands."
"Arf!" Akamaru barked lightly, looking between the two of them, but Kiba ignored him.
"She said she was fine, didn't she? It wasn't like he was attacking her- and besides, you don't need to tell me what I should do with my ninken!"
They had an important test that would determine whether they could become Shinobi, why were they having an argument at this very moment?
Hinata wasn't sure what to do with herself at that moment, finding herself hesitating to even look at either of the boys, fearing they might explode into an altercation if she dared to see. Should she stop them from arguing? How would she even stop them? What if they start getting into a fight? Would she be able to stop them? No way.
She was too weak, too cowardly, no way would she be able to stop a fight.
"U-uh, guys," Hinata started, but her voice barely came out, a light airy tone that was easily overpowered by Kiba's voice.
"What's your problem with me, huh?" Kiba started, suddenly taking a step forward passing Hinata to stand directly in front of Shino, his fists clenching. "If you got something you want to say about me, then say it to my face!"
"I have nothing to say to you," Shino replied. "I was talking about your dog."
"If you have a problem with Akamaru , then you have a problem with me ," Kiba said, his voice filled with venom as he looked up to Shino, who didn't flinch in the slightest. "Yesterday you had a lot to say- why are you acting all mute now?"
They stood there for a moment, neither of them moving. Akamaru let out a slight whine, and shuffled closer to Hinata's leg, as if seeking some sort of comfort, but she couldn’t move. The pressure in the atmosphere is making her head tense up with adrenaline, and Hinata could feel her forehead starting to scrunch up. She couldn’t activate the Byakugan, not now, no, and she tried to focus by glancing between them, waiting for someone to say something.
Shino was the first to break the silence.
"If you don't know how to use him, then you shouldn't have brought him today," Shino said slowly and dully, as if talking to a child who didn't understand what he did wrong. "It would only hold us back. This test is important and we can't jeopardize our chances."
Kiba gritted his teeth, and Hinata could see his fists started to clench.
Oh no.
Was he going to swing at him? She shifted her legs slightly apart, ready to intervene, but she could barely move otherwise.
Before Kiba could move, the wind started to pick up pace around them, swirling in front of the trio and forcing them to plant their feet on the ground and concentrate on not being blown away. Hinata could see the leaves from the trees nearby creating a sparse tornado as a sudden figure appeared in the middle of the vortex.
“K-Kurenai-sensei,” Hinata mumbled as she watched with wide eyes as the leaves settled around the figure, revealing their long black hair and deep red outfit.
"Looks like everyone came here on time,” Kurenai looked between them with a nonchalant smile. “I was going to give you guys some time together, but it looks like something was happening. Is everything alright?”
Kiba unclenched his fists and placed them in his hoodie pockets, balling them up inside. He gave a dejected, “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
She glanced over to Shino, who didn’t say anything and was looking away from her, before her eyes landed on Hinata. Hinata felt flustered and started to glance away, her nerves getting the best of her as red eyes scanned over her, waiting to see if she had anything to say.
"Y-yes," Hinata said, still glancing away. "All fine."
"Alright then," Kurenai replied after giving them another questionable look, and she reached into her dress pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small clock. "Since everyone is here, we can get started with the test. Gather around."
All three of them obeyed and followed Kurenai as she walked towards a wooden picnic table underneath a tree nearby. After leaving their bags on the table, they formed a semi circle around Kurenai, with Hinata standing between Kiba and Shino as Akamaru rejoined his master by his side with a few little bounds off his small paws. It took a good amount of self-restraint for Hinata to not look at the puppy and coo at how cute he looked as he sat down, his tail waving around slowly as he waited for Kurenai to speak.
"Since this is my first time having a Genin team, I decided that this test would be much easier that I had originally planned,” Kurenai started, her gaze resting on them as she spoke. “Your test will be…”
There was a fraction of pause in her sentence, and Hinata could feel the anticipation in the air as they hung over her every word. What was the test going to be? Are they going to have to prove their worth by winning a match? Would have to fight each other?
Or worse; would they have to win a fight against Kurenai?
Hinata gripped a string of her hoodie, her hand already placed over her chest while she was standing and listening to Kurenai talk, and she swallowed.
“A little game of hide and seek tag," Kurenai said, and Hinata could have sworn there was a flash of amusement on her face. "With a little added twist of capture the flag. Sounds fun, right?"
Hinata glanced over to her teammates, and she could see Kiba shift his eyes around to them as well, apprehensive and wary about her intentions.
"You've played those games before, haven't you?" Kurenai asked with a slight quirk of her fine brow, looking between them as they stared silently back, uncertainty in the atmosphere.
"We have," Shino responded for the group. "As children, though. "
Hinata noticed the slight hesitation in Kurenai at his words, her lips pursing slightly, but it left as quickly as it came. She smiled instead, and continued in a much softer voice, "Then you should already know the rules. But there are a few things I added and changed for this test."
She held a hand up and placed a finger onto the metal plate of her red headband, right beside the Konoha symbol edged deep. She tapped it with the tip of her deep red nails.
"This headband right here is the flag,” she said in the same tone. “The goal of this test is to get this headband off of my forehead."
Hinata felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety and worry building up in her stomach at Kurenai's words, and her eyebrows refused to relax from the frown. This doesn't sound like a hard task, but considering that this is a Jonin they were facing, only a rank below the Hokage, makes this little task...well...much more difficult than anything they had ever gone through before.
From her ranking, and from what Hinata remembered from the previous day, she knew Kurenai's strongest skill was in the realm of Genjutsu. Genjutsu in itself was such a vast field, limited only by the users' own unbrittled imagination. It is the art of illusion, after all, preying on the senses of your opponents by affecting the specific parts of the brain in order to make them believe that the illusion are true, making them vulnerable to experience things that are not happening in the physical world. Unlike Ninjutsu, though, it was much harder to control, with the user having to be able to control their chakra as well as being able to come up with a way to reach the opponents senses, those being five more extra things to worry about, unlike the other ninja arts.
The expanse of Genjutsu was not taught during their Academy years, instead focusing on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu to prepare them as shinobi. The only Genjutsu they had to learn was the Clone Illusion Jutsu, but even that D-level jutsu was incredibly hard to master, taking many a year to make at least one competent clone illusion.
Even Iruka rarely employed that technique during the mock battles he would have with another teacher, opting for the easier Ninjustu, Clone Jutsu , telling them that clones are better used to distract the enemy and less taxing for them to control.
"Okay," Kiba replied slowly, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "What's the hide and seek part for?"
“That’s the fun part," Kurenai replied. “Like a usual game of hide and seek, I'll hide around the Village with the flag, and you three would have to find me in order to capture the flag. I’ve decided to make it easier, though, since this is the first time I’m doing this test. The only places I’ll hide is on the Hokage Rock or the training grounds. Nowhere else in the Village."
A game of capture the flag that required them to find the flag in a pretty expanded area ...
This was definitely not an easy task, but it was definitely not a hard one. They’ve played these kind of games in the Academy, in the form of a treasure hunt in the middle of one of their training grounds in order to utilize their survival skills for a few hours, but it was limited to a certain area and one target. That, and they usually had a much more obvious trail to lead them on the right path.
It was clear to Hinata as why Kurenai set up the test in the way she did. She must have read their datasheets when they were first assigned to her: with Kiba hailing from the Inuzuka clan and having a keen sense of smell, and Hinata having the Byakugan that allowed her heightened sight, this test was to see how they would do in tracking a target. Hinata wasn’t sure exactly how Shino fit into the team, but she knew he was extremely perceptive, more so than she was, even without her clan’s abilities.
Hinata felt like she should have an advantage for this task, with her Byakugan and all, but she still had an immature grasp of the skill. It was taxing to control, and took up a good amount of her strength to maintain; even with all those years of training, she couldn’t understand how to control it efficiently.
And that’s what worries her the most.
She should have an advantage, but this advantage was easily be a disadvantage.
"That's it?" Kiba said, a smirk growing on his face. "That makes this too easy!"
"There’s three extra rules, though,” Kurenai added as she smiled at Kiba's enthusiasm, as she held up the clock. “The first one is the time limit. I’m only giving you exactly five hours from when we start to find me. I’ll leave the timer here.”
“Would that be wise?’ Shino suddenly asked. Hinata looked at him questionably, as did everyone else, and it took him a minute to continue his though. “It’s possible that one of us could change the clock, and give us the advantage of having extra time."
“Good point Shino, but this is mostly for you three,” Kurenai said. “I don’t need a clock to tell time. Besides, if one of you touch this clock, it would self implode. You could try it yourselves if you don’t believe me though.”
Hinata gulped as she stared at the clock in her hand as it sat on the table. No way is she going anywhere near that.
“This leads me to the second rule. If none of you get the headband before the designated five hours, then you all will fail the test and be sent back to the Academy.”
That made sense. This was like a final exam, it made sense for her to be this strict on them.
"The last thing is the most crucial part, so listen carefully," Kurenai continued. "The reason why the Academy decided to put you in a team because each of you possessed the abilities to become impeccable trackers.”
"But after meeting all of you yesterday, I gave it some thought," she said slowly. "I figured that there's no point in having all three of you become Genin when we could use the person with the best tracking skills so far. Therefore, the first person to find me and capture the flag will become a Genin. The other two will return to the Academy."
“Wha-” Hinata muttered in shock, taken aback by her words, her fist clenching tighter on her chest.
"Are you even allowed to do that?" Kiba asked. "There must have been a reason to put us all together like this!"
"Yes, there must have been. But at the end of the day, I'm the one who has to teach and guide you to becoming a remarkable shinobi during your time as a Genin," Kurenai emphasized. "The Academy doesn't have control over who passes here on out- but I do. And I have decided that whoever is the most capable gets to be Genin."
That’s not fair, Hinata wanted to say, but she held her tongue, realizing the stupidity in her thought. The ninja world is never fair to begin with; so why would this testing be?
"Remember you only have 5 hours," Kurenai said as she hit the button on the clock. The clock hand started to tick, and Hinata instinctively took a shuriken from the blue holster around her leg, readying herself. “Do you have any more questions?’
"Do we need to give you time to hide or-" Kiba started, his question tapering off as he took a stance, readying himself for Kurenai to move. Hinata’s eyes never left her sensei, who simply smiled at them.
"There's no need," she said as the wind suddenly picked up pace around her, the grass around her twirling at a rapid pace. "The real me is hiding already. This…"
Hinata’s eyes widened as Kurenai’s legs started to blend into the background, fading away and being replaced by pink petals. Her body morphed against the gradience, rising up to her body as more petals fell, as she watched in amusement with how taken aback they were.
"Was all a genjutsu."
Her face faded as an echo in their minds, and the wind stood still as the last petal from the top of her head fell to the ground on top of the rest. The three of them stood still, none of them knowing what to do for a split second.
Shino was the first to move, taking a step forward towards the stacks of flower petals.
“Hey, wait,” Kiba started as Shino squatted down, holding one of the petals between his thumb and index finger, carefully surveying. “What are you doing?”
“Checking if this is real or not,” Shino said. “It could be useful to track her down.”
“Whoa, don’t hog the whole thing to yourself!” Kiba exclaimed as he ran towards Shino, Akamaru barking as he ran behind Kiba.
Hinata snapped out of her faze and found control over her feet, trailing behind Shino, unsure of what to do.
“You got her scent?” Kiba asked Akamaru, who let out a bark. Hinata could see Kiba’s nose move a bit as he inhaled sharply, moving his head around until he set towards east to where they were standing facing the other side of Konoha. “Alright. We got this. Let’s go Akamaru!”
“Hold on,” Shino said suddenly, making Kiba halt in his spot, and turn around quickly.
“There’s no ‘hold on’,” Kiba said, crossing his arms as he frowned. “This is a test and only one of us can pass.”
“That’s why I said hold on,” Shino continued. “There’s something weird about it.”
“And?” The Inuzuka asked sharply, his patience running thinner by the second. “What about it.”
“Listen,” Shino replied equally as fast. “It’s weird because her reasoning for only passing one of us is incredibly vague. Don’t you find it strange that they would go through the trouble of putting us in specific teams only for one of us to pass?”
Kiba grimaced, staring at Shino for moment, as if conflicted with his words. He then replied, slight hesitancy in his voice,“It...It doesn’t matter who I’m with. Even if I weren’t with you guys, I’m pretty sure the rules would be the same.”
Hinata felt a slight pang in her chest when he said those words, the bitterness seeping through like tea through a filter. She had to grit her teeth to refrain from being too hurt.
“Besides, she said it herself,” he continued as he started to turn his back towards them. “She’s in charge of us. There’s nothing stopping her from booting us back to the Academy. And there’s no way I’m going back there.”
“Kiba,” Hinata tried to start, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. She didn’t know what to say.
An uneasy silence fell over them.
“She’s headed towards Training Ground 1,” Kiba suddenly said in a quiet tone, never turning back to look at them. He tilted his head down, and said “Let’s go, Akamaru.”
With a bark of agreement from the puppy, he sped off at full speed, towards the direction of the training ground he mentioned, the one closest to the Hokage Rock and filled with hills and forest near the wall that encompasses Konoha.
That’s one of the larger ones , Hinata thought, as she stood there, trying to gather her thoughts. She could see from the corner of her eyes Shino looking at her, not saying anything, as if waiting for her to move.
Her gut was telling her the same thing that Shino was doubting; the reason for only one of them felt too vague, as if Kurenai wanted them to break that rule. Sure, they all have skills for tracking, but there’s something more to it than that.
But no, that wouldn’t make sense; she was very clear that she only wanted one. Why would she deceive them into believing a fake rule? Was Hinata thinking too hard into this?
“He’s right,” Hinata said when she made her decision, and she glanced up towards Shino. She looked directly at his glasses, dark enough to cover his eyes under the sun in the atmosphere, and maintained. “Even if we all work together, only one of us can pass.”
“Hinata-” Shino started, but stopped abruptly. He just stared at her in silence for a moment, and Hinata couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or even why she was standing there to begin with.
“I’ll see you there, Shino,” Hinata offered softly, and she started to run off towards the direction, focusing her chakra towards her legs to help them pick up her pace.
I won’t be a burden to myself, Hinata thought, a new sense of determination swelling in her stomach. I can take care of myself.
Can I?
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Pairing: Templar!Kim Mingyu x Elf Mage!Reader
Genre: Dragon Age AU, enemies (?) to lovers, angst, established universe
WC: 5k+
Warning: magical lobotomy (through branding), language
A/N: So this is for @merakiiverse job au collab! I’ve been wanting to write a Dragon Age au for like...ever, and this just gave me the push I needed. So there are some terms from the game used in the fic but I did my best to explain them without taking away from the story. Also really glad i finished this before i got sick lol.
“Come on wake up!” You groaned, slapping away the hands of your best friend as he tried to shake you awake. You had gotten to sleep pretty late last night, having snuck into the circle library to do a bit more reading after hours so you were trying to bask in the last few minutes of sleep before your lessons today.
You heard a loud groan from the younger male before everything seemed to turn upside down and your frame was sent tumbling to the stone floor of the Apprentice Quarters with a loud thud and a shriek. Your eyes snapping open to glare at your dear friend Chan with his hands still gripping the mattress that he had just thrown you from.
Quickly you shoved your palms against the chilled stone flooring to push yourself up, as the male laughed hysterically and dropped the mattress back onto the simple wooden frame of your bottom bunk.
“Chan, I want you to remember that we are trapped in this tower together for the rest of our lives. So I will be getting you back for this.” You muttered angrily as you brushed off your scratchy white sleeping robes that the circle had provided for you. Fueled by frustration, you quickly fixed up your bed so that the senior enchanters wouldn’t be angry with you for making a mess.
“Hey come on, don’t be like that!” He quickly exclaimed, offering you some assistance with fixing your bed if only so he could get on your good side once again. It’s usually what he would do to try and get on your good side, things like taking your cleaning duties or distracting the templars so you can sneak into the libraries at night. “I woke you up for a reason!”
“And what would that be?”
“They brought in new templars, fresh new faces for us to make fun of!” He made a good point. During your extended stay in the circle Chan and you had taken to picking at the Templars that were assigned to ‘guard’ the tower, well the Templars that wouldn’t immediately attack or detain you for your teasings. You shuddered as you remembered being thrown into the cramped cell that was used for solitary confinement.
“How many this time?” You questioned, pulling your daily robes from the chest at the foot of the bunk beds that you and Chan shared. You swiftly stripped yourself of the uncomfortable white material of your night robes and slipped on the navy blue skirt, once again curious as to why the skirts had such delicate embroidery on the hem if they were simply to be given to mages. Maybe it was something to make your people think they were in a higher position than they were, either that or a small ‘oh here are some pretty robes, we definitely consider mages people!’ kind of thing. You weren’t too sure.
Chan took a seat on the bed as you tied the skirt to fit your waist, he wasn’t bothered by your disrobing at this point. After all, the two of you had been in this tower since you were children and it wasn’t like the tower offered much privacy for any of the apprentices. If you wanted that you would have to pass your harrowing, only then would you receive private quarters.
You struggled with your skirt for a moment, it being far too big for you, but it wasn’t like they made new robes for every apprentice; everything you owned was a hand me down from either a senior enchanter or...a tranquil.
“There were four of them, they all looked like they came right from training too. No old farts this time,” He explained, lounging on your too thin mattress as you slipped the top piece on, the long sleeves and thick fabric felt just as suffocating as it did every day, and it also continued to show your status as a lower being in the eyes of these people. The small gold trim wasn’t as nice as it was on the human’s robes, and you were sure that was the point. It was something that looked nice, but not as nice as the human mages robes that Chan wore. It wasn’t enough that your mage abilities make you a lesser being but your elven blood as well, you were certain that the Maker had a sense of humor when he made you.
With practiced ease you tied the laces of your sleeves around your wrists before working on the clasps of your belts. It was a constricting and suffocating outfit that made you feel quite claustrophobic at times. As if the robes were just as bad as the tower itself.
“Well, I guess let’s go check them out. Gotta let these newbies know that not all mages are just gonna let them walk over us.” You tried to seem optimistic but after being in this tower for almost 16 years, it was a little harder to force that smile sometimes. Which was why you were grateful you had Chan with you, the two of you looked out for each other no matter what happened.
He hopped off of your bed and took a firm grasp on your wrist before pulling you out of the shared apprentice chambers, ignoring the strange looks from the templars and other apprentices as the two of you dashed into the hallway on the first floor of your prison.
The two of you peered around the corner into the entrance hall as you watched the initiates be inducted by Knight Commander Greagoir, the head of your captors, he was telling them all about their duty to the citizens of Ferelden and the Chantry, all that nonsense. It was basically just propoganda to make these people feel like they had the right to place themselves above you.
The new initiates weren’t too impressive, once again all humans of course, because the precious Chantry couldn’t trust elves such as yourself to become Templars. Most likely because elves would be more likely to opposed the confining of people just for circumstances of their birth, at least the ones who weren’t already brain washed into believing the Chantry’s inane teachings. That thought always reminded you that even if you weren’t trapped in this tower, you would simply be in an alienage in one of the many towns around Ferelden, another prison. Elves simply weren’t welcomed or free anywhere, at least not in a human society. There were surprisingly three women and only one male this time, which was abnormal because women seemed to stray more towards becoming Chantry sisters than Templars. So that was interesting, you’d have to figure out their names. The only interesting thing about the male was his ridiculous height. He looked almost tall enough to be a member of the Qunari, all he was missing was the horns, or at least you assumed since you had never seen a Qunari in real life.
If only you knew what would follow this day.
***
“You know, you aren’t supposed to be in the library after lights out.”
You almost screamed in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. You knew the schedule for the Templars and usually you were able to skirt around and hide whenever it was time for their rounds to reach the libraries. Apparently tonight was determined to be different. Glancing up from your book you flashed the Templar a sheepish smile, instantly recognizing this man as one of the new initiates whose name you had yet to learn. It wasn’t exactly...forbidden but initiates were definitely encouraged to not give their name to the mages or learn the names of the mages either, it was probably so they didn’t connect that you were real living beings and develop a conscience.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I said I had an incurable illness that causes me to sleep walk around the tower, would you?” You were likely to be in deep shit because of this. Knowing how new recruits were, usually the super brown nosing type, they wanted to make superiors happy so that they could get promotions. Unfortunately for you, that usually meant getting mages into trouble.
Knowing this was probably why you were so shocked to hear the giant male snort, in an attempt to hold back a laugh. In all the years of living here, you hadn’t met a Templar who actually laughed at your jokes or smiled at you...like this male was doing right now. He glanced over his shoulder looking towards the opening in the shelves that hid the two of you from view. This library was almost perfect for hiding, the rows were like their own little hallways with bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling which was perfect for blocking the light of your candle when you were here at night. He must be checking to make sure that none of his co-workers had entered the library after him.
Soon his attention was back to you, a small boyish smirk on his faces as he spoke. “Well I suppose I’d ask you to tell me about this terrible illness, is it contagious? I’m not sure the other mages would like it if I was roaming the halls in my sleep.”
You were once again dumbfounded by this human. You wouldn’t expect him to think about what would and wouldn’t upset the mages, usually the Templars just did what they wished with no regard for those they were meant to be watching over.
“No, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t like that. Lucky for you, I was born with it just like my hideous magic.” You didn’t truly believe that your magic was horrible. If everything was done by the Maker for a reason, then so were mages! People were just taking Andraste’s “Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him,” thing a bit too far.
“I don’t think your magic is horrible. It’s a gift from the Maker! The Maker doesn’t give bad gifts,” He confessed, quite a controversial opinion for a Templar to have. With one more glance over his shoulder to make sure that the two of you were still alone, he pulled out the chair across from you and took a seat.
“I’m Mingyu. What’s your name?”
***
After that fateful night in the library, Mingyu and you kept in contact but only in the dead of night and only when he was scheduled to patrol the first floor library. Tonight was one such night.
“Chan is getting suspicious, ya know?” You mentioned, laughing softly from your seat at the table the two of you frequented. He raised a brow at you and tilted his head slightly, his lips jutting out in a small pout. He honestly looked pretty adorable like that, nothing like the fearsome Templar act he had to put on during the day.
“He thinks I’m shaking up with another apprentice and not telling him.”
“Imagine the look on his face if he knew you were just hanging out with me.” Mingyu retorted, going to rest his cheek on his palm only to remember that he was wearing his gaudy templar armor and deciding against it. This caused him to pout more and for you to laugh, making sure to keep your volume down so you weren’t caught by anyone else patrolling the area.
A silence fell over the two of you as your laughter subsided. It was here where the two of you were illuminated only by candlelight that you felt safe. That was something you weren’t used to feeling. In the Circle, there was a constant need to watch your back and be on your guard just in case some random Templar got pissy because you ‘looked at them funny’. It was a struggle for survival.
These nights were different though. You could almost imagine that you weren’t locked inside this tower you could dream about possibly being free and in the outside world that you vaguely remembered. Hell, how long had it been since you had seen the sun?
"How long have you been in the Tower?"
The question was innocent enough, but it definitely threw you off guard. It wasn't something you liked to think about often. It had been so many years ago and it wasn’t exactly a...pleasant memory.
"It's been...I think about 17 years almost? I developed my magic when I was around 6 years old and my mother was very devout. So she turned me into the chantry, saying that the Maker had frowned upon her and her family by giving them a Mage for a daughter." It hurt a lot thinking back on the day that your mother had abandoned you. Her pleas to the Chantry mothers, begging them to take you as she also begged for the Maker's forgiveness. Thinking she had obviously done something wrong if she had given birth to a mage.
You watched a frown set it self onto his face, obviously not having expected to hear such a thing. Most parents went so far as to hide their children from the Chantry, making them apostates, illegal mages, so that they wouldn't lose their precious bundles of joy. Just like Chan's parents. They had fought tooth and nail to keep him when the Templars came, it even cost them their lives. Chan didn't like talking about it but you knew that he still had frequent nightmares about that horrible day.
"What about you?" You questioned, diverting the attention from your situation and onto Mingyu. "Why did you become a Templar? I'm sure being a regular knight would have been just as nice, if not easier. At least knights aren’t also stuck inside the Circle tower." It may not have been a prison to the Templars, but they were still trapped inside these halls as well. Most weren’t really able to leave either unless they were going to visit their families, and even then that was rare.
He chuckled dryly at your words and shook his head.
"Something we have in common, I suppose. My family is also very devout, very deep into the teachings of the Chantry. All the men end up becoming Templars if they can. It's in our blood. So of course, as soon as I was old enough to hold a sword I was sent off to training to try and become the best Templar the Kim line had ever seen." The look on his face was one of melancholy, one that you recognized as a look that you had seen on other mages. The look of someone trapped in their own fate.
"Guess we're...kinda in the same boat, huh?" You gently nudged his arm that rested on the table with one of your fist. It was a small gesture, but one with meaning for both of you. Reaching out he gently, or as gently as he could while wearing full plate mail, took your extended hand in his own. The cold metal was a stark contrast against your heated skin, causing you to shiver lightly. He gave a small squeeze and a tiny smile made it’s way onto his face, as if he had been comforted by your words.
You felt your heart stutter for a moment, watching the features of his face in the candle light. It was still for a moment before he released you hand and stood from his chair.
"I should get back to my patrols before any other the others get suspicious. I'll leave a note in our spot when we can meet up again."
You were moments away from responding but stopped short as he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against your forehead. You were stunned still and silent as you watched him pull away, smiling at you once again, before slipping off into the night.
Your heart pounded in your chest as you stared after him in shock. Your face flushed with heat, and you knew that Kim Mingyu would be the death of you at this rate.
***
"I hope this doesn't offend you but...what is so bad about being made Tranquil?"
You winced slightly at his words, the thoughts of the Tranquil always frightened you. Of course, being a Chantry boy, he had been told from a young age that being made Tranquil was a mercy for mages. Because if you were Tranquil then at least you were alive. It was all a lode of rubbish. Instead of just answering his question, you decided to ask one of your own.
"Do you know Owain? The Tranquil who runs the Circle stock room?" He nodded slowly, unsure of where exactly you were going. "I arrived at the tower before he was turned. He was a kind man who took me under his wing and helped me adjust to life at the tower. I was very young and so very scared, but Owain had basically turned into a father figure for me. I cared for him so much." You felt tears prick at your eyes, threatening to spill over as you recalled the man you once knew.
"One morning, a few years after Chan had been sent here. I had to have been around 11, well we woke to find Owain standing in front of the stock room just like he does now. Only he was no longer the kind, father figure I had grown to love. He was so cold, lifeless. Being made Tranquil isn't a mercy to mages, it's taking every part of them that makes them who they are and ripping it away." You tried to keep quiet, but the more you spoke the more anger and fear bubbled in your guts. You had barely even registered that you had begun crying.
"You become a lifeless husk that holds the shape of who you used to be."
You couldn't bring yourself to look up from the table, to watch the emotions that were surely playing out on his face as he watched you cry. You were surprised at how silently he had moved, because you were soon pulled to stand and held tightly against his armored chest. It wasn't too comfortable because of the plate mail he constantly wore, the metal poking into your skin and it reminded you that while this embrace was comforting...it was also dangerous. Against your better judgement, your arms quickly wrapped around him and pulled him closer as you tried your best to keep your cries quiet. As you sobbed you heard him whisper soft nothings to you, but one stood out from the rest.
A promise that he would never let you be made Tranquil.
***
It wasn't long before those soft forehead kisses from before became kisses of passion. Soon you didn't need the candle light as your guide as you followed the curves of his body under his armor. Things changed quickly, and before you knew it two years had passed and you were hopelessly in love with Kim Mingyu. Something that should have never come to pass.
You were certain that at least First Enchanter Irving knew, he somehow knew everything that happened in the Circle Tower, and while you weren't a very religious woman, you found yourself praying to the Maker that Knight Commander Greagoir was still clueless. Unfortunately the one person you wanted to talk to about this was the person you were most determined to keep in the dark.
Lee Chan, your best friend.
"You should tell him." Mingyu, gently caressed your cheek, his gloves had been taken off long ago as the two of you lounged in your usual spot in the library. Your meetings had gotten farther and fewer between as he rose in the ranks of the knights and you stayed a simple apprentice.
If you were being honest you were a bit worried about that as well, but Mingyu assured you that it was nothing to be concerned about.
“Oh sure, that’ll go well. I can picture it now. ‘Hey Chan, you know the Templars who watch our every move and are sometimes ordered to strip us of our entire sense of self, yeah I’m in love with one of them. The tall lanky one that has been trying to joke with you, yeah the one you complain about all the time that’s him’.” You chuckled to yourself as you thought about his reaction to that, and not really realizing what you had just admitted. Not until you glanced over at Mingyu and found him staring at you dumbfounded.
“You love me?”
You froze, like a A million thoughts raced through your head, all of the best and worst possible outcomes. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if this was just fooling around? What if he said he could never love an elf and he had just been using you? What if, what if?! Your heart thudded loudly inside your chest as you stared at him, unable to enunciate the way he made you feel.
Luckily for you all of those what ifs were cut off as his hand grasped the back of your neck and pulled you into a kiss filled with such fire that you could almost feel yourself being burned. Everything he wanted to say was trapped inside this kiss, you weren’t alone with your feelings and this kiss told you all you needed to know and more.
After a string of long, intense kisses that you were almost certain would lead to another round of light touches and soft moans, he pulled away. His forehead pressed against your own and a large almost blinding smile was plastered on his face.
“I love you too.”
***
You stared at the small flame of your candle in silence, he was late. Usually he was exactly on time, never early and definitely never late. It was too dangerous otherwise. Your stomach was in knots at the thought of what could possibly be keeping him. That’s when you heard the sound of armor clanking against the stone flooring, almost like the person was running. Since you weren’t entirely sure it was him, you quickly blew out your candle and slid under the table to hide.
The footsteps got closer and your heartbeat seemed to be almost as loud as the steps themselves. You only relaxed at the small call of your name. The familiar voice had you out from under the table in record time.
“You scared the daylights out of me Mingyu, I was worried something had happened.” You confessed, using a small bit of your magic to light the candle’s flame once again. The light gave way to the terrified look on his face, streaks of tears stained his cheeks, and you found yourself running to his side to wipe away the fresh batch that was threatening to spill out.
“Mingyu, baby what’s wrong?” You whispered, doing your best to comfort him by taking his hand in your free one and using the other to gently caress his cheek.
“We need to go. The Phylactery chamber, we need to find yours. I need to get you out of here.” His deep voice cracked as he tried his best to control his tears. He looked so frightened and pale even, despite his tanned skin. Your heart sunk as you thought of your Phalactery, the vial of blood that had been taken from you when you arrived and was stored inside a chamber with all of the other apprentice’s. It was the templar’s way of tracking you if you had ever escaped, and was the biggest reason you had never attempted to escape the circle.
What he was suggesting was crazy though, there was no way the two of you would be able to storm the Phalactery chamber, there were two locks and it required a fully realized enchanter to unlock one of them and you...had yet to be called for your Harrowing. So you tried to console him.
“Baby, what are you talking about? You know we can’t do something that crazy. If we get caught you’ll be kicked out of the order or worse, sent somewhere like Aeonar. Why are you ev-”
“They want to make you tranquil.”
Your heart stopped at his confession, eyes going wide as your blood chilled within your veins. Subconsciously you took a step away from him in disbelief, you didn’t question the legitimacy of his words because you knew for certain that he wouldn’t lie to you like that. Not when he knew your fear of being made Tranquil. You watched as he stared helplessly at you and began speaking once more.
“Knight Commander Greagoir thinks that...he thinks that you might be a blood mage. Even suggesting that you- that what we have is because of a demon’s influence.” He took a step forward to close the distance between the two of you, taking your hand back into his own. He liked holding your hand, he had said in the past, it made him feel loved so very loved.
“I know it’s not. I tried to talk to him but he...he wants me to perform the rite. Which is why we have to get you out of here!”
Your mind seemed to be going a million miles per hour but also seemed to stop all at once. Your limbs had gone numb as you stared blankly at the floor in terror, you weren’t sure what to do. If you ran on your own then they would just send Templars to find you and with your phylactery, it would be quick work and both you and Mingyu would end up dead. If you followed Mingyu’s plan, you would most likely be caught and turned Tranquil anyway only with this route he would also be punished for his crimes. Lastly, If you stayed, you would be made tranquil at the hands of the man you loved. There was no winning in this situation, there was never a winning choice for a mage.
You pulled your hand from his grasp, causing a small pained sound to leave his lips, breaking your heart as it did so.
“You have to do it…”
“Y/N no! We talked about this I won-”
“We don’t have any other choice!” You cursed yourself after your outburst, though at this point you weren’t sure you could get into anymore trouble. “If you got caught you would never be able to see Minseo or your parents again!” You had spoken of his family in great detail before, and you couldn’t bear to know that he would never see them again just because of his attachment to you.
You didn’t want to be made Tranquil, but you also didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. This was the only option where at least one of you would be able to keep living freely.
Thinking about the fact that your days were now numbered scared you, the numb feeling from before seemed to linger but you couldn’t find it in yourself to cry. Not now, not when you had to seem like you were certain of your decision. He needed that from you.
So you swallowed your terror and gently cupped his cheeks in your hands.
“You have to do this Mingyu. There isn’t any way of getting out of this. Not that will actually work.” You muttered, voice soft as you kept eye contact with the male. You felt his hands reach up and rest over your own, and took solace in the fact that what the two of you felt was real. At least for a little while longer.
“If it’s you...it’s okay.”
You had never lied to Mingyu before, but...this seemed like a good time to start.
***
The grip on your forearms was sure to form bruises, but at least after this you wouldn’t feel them.
You stared before you as the branding rod held in Mingyu’s tight grip lingered over the open flame, making sure that the metal would be hot enough to etch itself into your skin.
You couldn’t stop the tears that fell from your eyes, and you had sure tried. You knew that seeing you cry could cause Mingyu to hesitate, falter or even flat out refuse the order which would make this all for naught. At that moment, you felt so hopeless. Everything you had worked for, everything you had lived for would be coming to an end. All because of that simple, unassuming brand that your lover held.
At the command of Greagoir, he moved the brand away from the flame and stepped towards you. Reciting the Chant of Light as he did so. It was supposed to bring comfort to the mages and remind them that this was the Maker’s will, you found the words mocking even coming from Mingyu’s lips.
“Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.” His voice strained as he spoke the Chant of Light, it broke your heart to hear him in such pain. His grip on the haft was so tight that you were almost certain that the metal of the rod would break.
“Foul and corrupt are they who have taken his gift, and turned it against his children.” His armored footsteps echoed against the stone flooring. Tears threatening to spill as he stepped closer to you. You felt the grip on your arms tighten as his fellow templars held you in place.
“Remember, that...that this is a mercy.”
With those last broken words escaping him, he lifted the sunburst brand and held it above your forehead. You saw the heartbreak burning in his eyes, and he hesitated refusing to move the brand any closer to your forehead.
Your eyes met his and watched as he desperately tried to keep his composure. You forced a small pained smile onto your face, and that seemed to be the only thing he needed. Not a second later, the metal pressed against your forehead and sparks of blue lyrium seemed to burst forth as the sunburst brand stripped away every bit of emotion you had to replace you with a husk that could no longer connect to the fade, to magic. A husk with free will but a husk nonetheless.
“I’m sorry.”
#caratwritersclub#kdiarynet#kdiner#seventeen x reader#seventeen imagine#seventeen scenario#seventeen drabble#svt x reader#svt imagine#svt scenario#svt drabble#mingyu x reader#mingyu imagine#mingyu drabble#mingyu scenario
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Let Me Down Part 3 (A, F)
Synopsis: CollegeStudent!Mingi x CollegeStudent!FemaleReader, BestFriend!Yunho. You’re still struggling without Mingi but circumstances lead you to get closer to Yunho.
Song inspiration: “From the Heart” Another Level (Not related but I would kill to hear Jongho sing this song)
Genre: Angst, Fluff
Warnings: None really, just a suggestive line towards the end.
Word count: 10.5K (I’m so sorry)
Posted: 6th July 2020
Note: I just got this photo off Google but I think it must have been made by someone going by the name ‘Fix On’ because the tag is on there - so just making it clear it is not my photo.
Part 1 Part 2
"Can we have more water for our table, please?"
"Sure, I'll just get that for you." You said politely as you went to get the water for Table 7.
"Y/N, Table 10 are ready for their mains now and Table 5 want their bill." Your supervisor, Max, told you as you headed back with the water.
"Sure thing." You said, wishing your shift was already over but you were only an hour into it. It was lunchtime on a Saturday so the restaurant you worked at part-time was rammed, as usual. You had graduated but still hadn't found a permanent job yet.
"Y/N, you look exhausted - are you ok?" One of your colleagues, Tiffany, asked you as you took a few seconds to breathe at the till station as you printed out Table 5's bill.
"I don't know...I've felt tired for the last couple of weeks now. I'm probably just low on iron, I haven't had much appetite lately." You admitted, "I'll get some supplements after work."
Since you last saw Mingi you hadn't been eating properly again. Impossibly, saying 'goodbye' to him for a second time had caused you much more pain than the first one. You should never have given in to your emotions and slept with him that night. You gave in because you weren't strong enough to say 'no' when he was right there looking at you like he used to - like he still loved you - but you didn't have the courage to take him back and risk being hurt again. Now, it had become clear that your heart also wasn't strong enough to deal with the fall out from that decision. You'd fallen into the same cycle you had the first time; not eating, not sleeping, trying to ignore the aching in your chest but while you were trying your best to carry on with your life without him, you were really just walking around like a zombie. Just existing while all the life had been drained out of you.
"You should look after yourself better." Tiffany said, concerned. She was older than you and married with two children and her natural mothering instincts seemed to come out with everyone. "Especially working on your feet in such a busy place like this."
"I know. My appetite has been almost non-existent since I've been a bit sick and when I get home I'm too exhausted to do anything. It's just a bug but I'll try to eat better - I promise." She looked at you skeptically but let it go.
You carried on with your shift, running here and there after demanding diners but just felt worse as it wore on. You had picked up quite a few shifts lately so it was no surprise you had worn yourself out but you needed the money. You were living on your own now since Suzy had moved in with Lucas after graduation and Jina had moved back home. Your parents owned their own company and had bought you a small one bedroom apartment - nothing fancy, just enough for you - but you still needed to pay the bills.
Coming to the end of your shift you started to feel dizzy and nauseous again but soldiered on, thinking if you could just get through it you could go home and sleep. As you were passing the bill to one of the tables in your section you all of a sudden started to lose all your focus, darkness washing over you and you felt yourself slipping.
"Y/N?" You felt something cold and wet being pressed against your face as you blinked your eyes open to see Tiffany looking down at you. She was seated next to you as you lay on the couch in the staff room. You obviously looked confused at the situation as she gently explained, "You passed out. Max carried you in here and asked me to take care of you."
"I what? I'm so sorry." You apologised trying to sit up but doing it too quickly and feeling dizzy again.
Tiffany passed you a vitamin energy drink and told you to keep still and drink it. While you drank it, you noticed she was eyeing you, as if there was something she wanted to ask but wasn't sure how.
"Is there something wrong? You look a little uncomfortable." You said, smiling a little, trying to ease her discomfort.
"Well...I'm just worried about crossing the line. We're just work colleagues so I don't want to pry into personal matters." This had you confused so you asked her to go on, curious to know what on Earth she was thinking.
"It's ok, you can ask what you want. I can see something is bothering you."
"Ok..." She started slowly, "You said you'd had a bug recently and it had made you sick...."
"Yeah, I have. I'm still feeling it a bit - I was nauseous before I fainted, actually." You recalled the last thing you remembered feeling before you woke up here.
"How long has it been going on for?" Tiffany enquired gently.
"Oh...I'd say about two weeks really. It comes and goes though." You still didn't know where she was heading with this; you imagined she was going to nag you to see a doctor, though.
"Each day but mostly in the morning?"
"Yeah..." You blinked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Tiffany sighed, "Y/N...I think you may be pregnant."
You sat there looking at her like an idiot for a second. There was no way.
"Don't be silly. I just haven't been looking after myself. I'm just run down, that's probably why I feel so bad."
"Y/N...I have two children, I know the signs of early pregnancy. Morning sickness, tiredness, fainting - I'd bet you have tender boobs, as well, right?" That last bit shocked you a little. It was true, you did but you thought that it was just because your period was due. Now you really thought about it, though, you realised it had been a while since you'd had one.
"But...I can't be." You said, still thinking Tiffany was overreacting a little. "I haven't been with anyone since my ex and we always used con-" You stopped short as the realisation hit you. "Oh."
You and Mingi had always used condoms. Except that one night about six weeks ago.
Mingi, I want you inside me.
Baby, I don't have any protection on me. I didn't expect this to happen.
Mingi! I need you. Please fuck me.
You hadn't thought about it the morning after, hungover and too caught up in the pain of letting him go again.
"I think you should go and take a test, Y/N. As soon as you feel up to moving."
You nodded dumbly at Tiffany, desperately hoping she was wrong and that the symptoms were just a coincidence. An hour later, however, you were sitting in your bathroom crying and staring at two little blue lines.
********
It had taken you days to accept the situation you found yourself in and then a few days more before you could face telling your parents about it. They had been really supportive, although, a little disappointed that you were in this situation due to being drunk and stupid. They told you that they would support you in whatever decision you made so you set about trying to decide if you were really ready to be a mother or if it was better to end the pregnancy.
You'd always wanted children and, at one time, you had even imagined having them with Mingi - somewhere in the future - but Mingi wasn't the father you needed for your baby. He was immature and unreliable. Your parents lived quite far away now and were busy running their company. Suzy and Jina had promised their support and offered advice as best they could but Jina also lived some way away and Suzy had her own life and her job to worry about. You knew they would all help as much as they could but you couldn't ask them to neglect their own lives for you. If you were going to do this, it would be alone.
After much soul searching and many sleepless nights, you decided you would keep this baby. You weren't against abortion, per say, but it wasn't for you. Deep down you knew you would never be able to go through with it.
Now you just needed to prepare as best you could and really hope you could do this.
********
You were nearly 3 months gone now; not showing yet but some of the worse symptoms were still there. You were starting to fell a bit more energetic but the morning sickness hadn't gone away yet. You really, really hoped you wouldn't turn out to be one of those unlucky women who had it for the whole 9 months. Today, however, you were still very much feeling it when you ran into Yunho.
"Y/N! Oh my god - I haven't seen you since graduation." Yunho beamed at you, "How have you been?"
"Hi Yunho!" You said, giving your tall, blonde friend a hug. True you hadn't seen him for a while and you had been close until about three months ago but avoiding Mingi meant avoiding all his friends, as well.
"What are you up to? Do you want to grab a coffee?" Yunho asked in his usual warm and friendly manner and you couldn't resist; you weren't good at making new friends so it had been a while since you'd had anyone to chat to like this.
"Sure, I'd love to. “I am quite thirsty after shopping." You said looking for the nearest coffee shop and spying a nice-looking one a couple of shops down. "Is this one ok?"
"Oh, yeah, this one is nice - I've been here a few times." Yunho said as you walked together. As you walked through the door, though, a particularly rough bout of nausea hit you and you darted for the bathroom, dropping your bags on the nearest table and trying to convey an apology to Yunho as you ran.
You must've been in the bathroom for about five minutes being sick and trying to think of something to tell Yunho - after all, he was Mingi's best friend and, whether right or wrong, you were trying to keep this from him. You didn't want him involved. Eventually the sickness passed and you made your way back out to the front of the coffee shop.
You reached the table Yunho was sitting at to find him with a coffee already and, opposite him on the table, a glass of water and a small packet of ginger biscuits.
"I hope you don't mind; I got these for you." He said, smiling. "My cousin had a baby recently and said ginger biscuits really helped ease her morning sickness."
"Yunho...What are you talking about?" You said, trying to sound light, as if he had jumped to the wrong conclusion. In reality, you weren't doing a good job of it, you could hear the hint of anxiety in your own voice.
"These rolled out of your bag when you dropped them on the table." You looked at the small bottle Yunho held in his hand - it was the pregnancy vitamins you had bought earlier. You looked away, not knowing what to say. There was no denying it now.
"So who's the lucky guy?" He said, trying to ease the tension.
"Mingi." It came out as a mumble but he heard it fine given the shocked look on his face.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"It's Mingi's baby." You looked down at your hands, feeling uncomfortable.
"Right. Ok." Yunho looked lost in thought for a moment - probably trying to work out how, given you left Mingi about six months ago but you were clearly in early pregnancy.
"Graduation night." You explained simply.
"Ooohhhh! I remember!" Yunho exclaimed, "He didn't come home that night but the next morning he came back in such a state. He wouldn't tell us what happened, though."
You recounted the details of the evening to Yunho; about the man who tried to assault you, how Mingi saved you from him and that you spent the night together. You didn't go into detail except to admit that you'd both been half-drunk and had failed to use protection.
Yunho nodded in understanding but seemed bothered by something, "I know he's been a mess lately but why didn't he tell me about this? I'm his best friend."
"He doesn't know." You mumbled, looking at your hands again.
"Y/N....don't you think he has a right to know? He's going to be a father." You looked up to find Yunho looking at you but not in a judgemental way - more sympathetic.
"I know and I've struggled with it. I've wanted to tell him but he isn't capable of being the father my baby needs. He can't even look after himself, how would he look after a family? He constantly lied and let me down just so he could have fun - he only ever thought about himself."
"I'm not saying you should take him back but I do think you should tell him. He deserves that much." Yunho replied gently, seeing how upset you were becoming.
"I know it's selfish of me...but I don't know if I could stand him being in my life - seeing him but not being with him. I still love him, Yunho." You spoke earnestly, hoping he could understand. "I'm sure he probably has someone else now and, to be honest, I wouldn't be able to bear seeing him and some other woman playing happy families with my child."
"There's been no one else, Y/N." Yunho admitted, surprising you. "He's been an absolute mess since you left him. He was starting to get it together but after graduation night he fell further. He goes out to work but that's all he'll leave the apartment for. When he gets home he just shuts himself away. Hongjoong and I are really worried about him, he doesn't sleep well and drinks more than is good for him."
As you took in this new information the ache in your chest, that never went away, throbbed. It hurt to hear that Mingi was hurting so badly but it didn't change your decision.
"All the more reason why he can't be my baby's father. Please, Yunho," you almost begged the man sitting opposite you, "...please don't tell him."
Yunho looked uncomfortable and you knew he didn't like to keep something this big from his best friend but he agreed nonetheless, "Ok, I won't tell him but I really want you to rethink doing it yourself."
The atmosphere turned a bit lighter from then on; you fell into a comfortable conversation about work and life in general until you realised it was getting later and you had an appointment to go to.
"I'm sorry to have to go, Yunho but I actually have my first ultrasound scan today." You apologised while gathering your bags.
"You're not going alone are you? You said earlier that you didn't really have anyone close by." You smiled at the look of concern on your friend's face; he'd always been a good listener and cared for others so much.
"I'll be fine, Yunho. You don't need to worry about me."
"Y/N, you can't see your baby's heartbeat for the first time and have no one to be there with you. I won't let you." The look of determination on his face suddenly turned less confident, "I mean, as long as that's ok - I don't want to intrude but you should have someone to share such a special moment with."
You couldn't disagree with him; it would feel a little lonely. If your parents were closer you would have asked your mum to come with you. You also didn't want to ask Suzy to use one of her allotted leave days from work for you. Although you had accepted you'd be doing this pregnancy alone, you had to admit it would be nice to share moments like these with someone - even if it was just a friend.
"Come on then, I'd love to have some company."
Yunho beamed and stood with you to leave, offering one arm for you to hold and the other to carry your shopping as you made your way to the clinic.
You laid on the bed while the sonographer squeezed the gel on to your pelvic area and used the ultrasound probe to spread it around; you were really excited to see your baby for the first time. Yunho sat quietly on a stool next to you looking quite curious himself, having not seen one of these scans before.
The sonographer found your baby and pointed out the head, arms and legs and, most importantly, the heartbeat. You looked at the screen in awe at the tiny fluttering heart and when the sonographer turned the sound of the machine up you could hear the whooshing sound each beat created. You looked back at Yunho with tears in your eyes and he smiled back and took your hand in his large one and gave it a squeeze for emotional support. You were so glad you'd accepted his company; it would have been sad to experience this all alone.
You both sat there watching the screen as the sonographer took the measurements and declared you to be 11 weeks and 5 days pregnant and gave you your due date. Lastly she printed out some pictures of your baby and popped them in a little envelope for you to take home. Once back outside you had to make your first appointment to see the obstetrician for your 16 week check. The receptionist was very friendly and told you all the things you would need to bring along.
"We'll need to know your family medical history, details of any medicines you take...basically the more info you can give the doctor, the better. Oh, and Daddy, we'll need your family's medical history, as well."
"Oh, he's not the -" You tried to correct her but she wasn't listening.
"So, we'll see you in about four weeks." The friendly receptionist finished with a smile.
You figured it didn't matter anyway, you could just let the doctor know at the next appointment that you didn't know the father's family history.
Yunho walked you back to your apartment, chatting with you the whole way.
"Thank you for being there with me today, Yunho. I really appreciated your support."
"Anytime, Y/N." Yunho waited as you found your key and opened your door then popped your bags just inside.
"Listen...I don't want you feeling you have to go through all this completely alone." He began, "I may not be able to do much but I can at least come with you to appointments if your family can't be here and keep you company, if ever you feel lonely here all by yourself."
"Yunho, I really appreciate the offer but I don't want to take up your time." You smiled at Yunho's caring and generous nature but didn't want to be an imposition to him.
"Y/N. Don't be silly. My work place is really flexible and I don't have much on otherwise. Anyway, we've known each other since school, I think you can let me be there for you as a friend."
"Thank you, Yunho, that means a lot."
"Anytime." He rubbed your arm gently and made his way down the hall of your apartment complex.
********
Just over four weeks later you were arriving back at the clinic for your 16 week check with the obstetrician when you heard a familiar voice,
"You didn't call me." You looked around to find Yunho leaning against a lamp post, waiting for you.
"I was going to....but I thought I'd be being a nuisance." You smiled as he walked towards you.
"Why do you think I'm here," he laughed, "I knew you'd think like that. We may never have been super close but I've known you for a long time."
"Fine.” You smiled up at him, “Let's go in then."
The appointment went well, the doctor checked your health and listened to the baby's heartbeat but when it came time to talk about medical history it became a bit awkward.
"I...Well, I'm not with the father so I can't really get his family's medical history."
The doctor looked at Yunho, clearly having thought it was him but he held his hands up and explained, "Aah, it's not me - I'm just a friend here for support."
The doctor nodded in understanding but asked gently, "If you can access it at all, it would be very helpful."
"I'll try." You sighed. You knew it wouldn’t be easy.
You made your next appointments which were the anomally scan at 21 weeks, followed by another check up with the doctor.
"I know when those appointments are so if you don't invite me, I'll just turn up again." Yunho playfully threatened as you left the clinic.
"Yunho?"
"Hmm?"
"How difficult do you think it would be to find out Mingi's family history?"
Yunho stopped and looked at you with furrowed brows. "It's not the kind of thing that comes up in normal conversation. If I start asking him whether his family ever had any birth defects or genetic illnesses, he's going to wonder what the Hell is going on."
"Ok." you sighed, defeated, "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine. I was with him for 5 years and he never mentioned anything like that."
You moved closer to Yunho's side and held on to his arm, "Thank you, though...for being with me again. It felt a lot less lonely with you there."
"My pleasure. Do you want to grab something to eat? It's almost dinner time."
"I am hungry. My appetite has come back since the morning sickness went away."
"Great," he looked at you with that bright, beautiful smile that always made you smile back, "what do you wanna get?"
As the weeks went on you began to spend more and more time with Yunho. He gave you a lot of his time when he wasn't working; you guessed he was free because the other guys' jobs were more 9-5 than his more flexible one. Most of the time he came over to your apartment and you watched a movie or show on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn. You'd become much closer with Yunho, so much so that it was him you always thought of first when you needed someone to talk or just to have fun with. You still saw Suzy often but she was with Lucas so much you ended up feeling like a third wheel and seeing them so happy tended to remind you that you were alone.
Although you tried not to ask about Mingi, Yunho occasionally said things that made you think that he didn't spend a lot of time with his best friend these days. They still lived together but it seemed Mingi was still shutting himself away a lot of the time and drinking a lot. It hurt you to think of him suffering alone and, as much as you tried to stop, you still thought about him a lot. You still cried often, mostly at night when you laid in bed alone and wishing with all your heart that things had turned out differently and he could be here with you, holding you in his strong arms. The aching in your chest that had been with you since you left Mingi still refused to go away, becoming more painful on those night you laid in bed thinking about him.
At least when Yunho was with you it was better, you felt calmer and happier. He had become so important in your life now - your best friend, really - and you didn't know what you'd do without him. Sometimes you'd look up at him as you cuddled against his side on your couch and think that he would make the perfect boyfriend and an amazing father. He was funny, always making you laugh and cheering you up when you were down, and so caring. In fact, it was because he was so caring and loved skinship that it felt comfortable for you guys to cuddle while watching TV and he often grabbed your hand or slung his arm around your shoulders while you were walking together. To top it all off he was amazingly good-looking, especially with those big, warm eyes and the bright smile he always seemed to have but, even when you thought this way, something stopped you from feeling anything more than friendship. As hard as you tried, you didn't seem to be getting over Mingi, at all.
********
You were at 22 weeks now and visibly pregnant with your bump obvious for everyone to see. You'd had your anomally scan and doctor's appointment a week ago and, to your relief, everything looked absolutely fine - you'd even got more detailed scan photos of your growing baby now it was bigger. You were offered the chance to find out the sex of the baby but you'd decided to keep it as a surprise so, as you shopped for baby clothes, you were picking out neutral colours.
You'd only really bought maternity items and a few baby basics until now but as you were over half way you decided it was really time to start picking out more important items. You had spent Saturday with Yunho looking at the big things like prams and cribs but hadn't made any firm choices yet, however, you did have lots of bags full of baby clothes, soft toys, bathing accessories and all the things you were going to need ready for when your 'Little Bun' came. You had asked Yunho along for the company and a second opinion but he was also a really good bag-carrier and absolutely refused to let you carry any bag he deemed too heavy.
It was when you were walking through the park on your way home that you felt a movement. You had felt a kind of fluttering before but not been sure if it was your baby moving or not but this was a very definite kick. You stopped and gasped, your hands on your bump so at first Yunho thought something was wrong and started to worry.
"It's ok, Yunho..." you laughed, "I just felt the baby kick for the first time."
"It's kicking?" He replied, amazed.
"Do you want to feel?"
"Of course I do!" Yunho playfully looked at you like you were an idiot to think otherwise.
"Wow, you're growing so strong, Little Bun." Your now-best friend exclaimed as he felt the tiny kicks.
Yunho looked just as excited as you were, it was a common mistake for anyone seeing you to think that he was the father because, true to his word, he had been with you every step of the way making sure you never felt alone in this. You both knew you were just friends and he'd told you on one of the many deep conversations you had late at night that he wasn't trying to take Mingi's place, he just wanted to be there for you.
However, the way you both stood there as Yunho held his large hand on your growing bump with a look of awe on his face at feeling your baby kicking would make anyone think that you were a young couple about to become parents - and that's exactly how you knew it looked when you turned to see Mingi standing a few feet away from you.
You'd never really considered the possibility of running into Mingi because Yunho had told you how he'd shut himself away in the apartment when not at work but now you saw him standing in the park watching you and Yunho looking for all the world like a couple in love. He was with Hongjoong, Jongho and Yeosang and they all stood there slightly behind him with equally shocked expressions. The look on Mingi's face, however, caused your heart to clench painfully. He stood there, his eyes moving from you, to Yunho, and then to Yunho's hand on your obviously pregnant tummy, with a look of utter betrayal and heartbreak.
"Mingi...." Your voice was small, you didn't know what to say, you couldn't seem to get any other words out.
Mingi looked away from you, like he couldn't bear to look at you, and over to his best friend.
"Mingi...it's not what it looks like." Yunho quickly said, trying to fix the misunderstanding as he could see exactly what Mingi was thinking.
"Oh, really? Because it looks like my best friend has got my ex-girlfriend pregnant." He was angry, Yunho tried to calm the situation, worried Mingi’s temper would get the better of him again.
"It really isn't like that, Mingi." Yunho almost pleaded with him.
Mingi scoffed, not believing a word of it. "You must've swooped right there in after we broke up - or did you even wait that long? Was this all going on before?" Suddenly he turned to look down at you with accusation in his dark eyes, " Is that why you left me?"
"Mingi...no." You wanted to explain but Mingi wasn't hearing it. He gave you both one last pained look and strode right past you.
As the others followed your ex-boyfriend, you felt helpless; Hongjoong gave you both a look of pure disappointment, shaking his head as he went with Jongho looking much the same but adding, "Wouldn't have expected this of you, bro." aimed directly at Yunho. Yeosang passed by last and placing a hand on Yunho's shoulder briefly, he simply said, "You must have some big fucking balls to pull this kind of shit."
You stood there frozen for some minutes, tears just streaming down your face as Yunho hugged you, doing his best to console you.
"It'll be okay, Y/N. I'll talk to him...make him understand."
You hadn't wanted Mingi to know but now he had found out in, perhaps, the most hurtful way he possibly could have. You felt horrible. You were an awful, awful person.
"You're not an awful person, Y/N." Yunho tried to reassure you but the guilt was already making a home inside you. "Let's just get you home and then I can find Mingi and explain all this."
********
Mingi POV
Mingi sat on the couch in the apartment he shared with Hongjoong and Yunho, drink in hand, glaring at the door. He was waiting for his supposed best friend - he knew he'd come home soon and attempt to explain away his betrayal - but Mingi was so angry. As if it wasn't bad enough that he saw you had moved on and were pregnant with someone else's child, it was his own fucking best friend who had got you pregnant!
He didn't even look at Hongjoong, Jongho and Yeosang as they hovered around the apartment; most likely waiting for the inevitable fight Mingi would start. He knew they'd all been worried about his behaviour for some time now but he didn't care, he was in too much pain himself to care about how anyone else felt.
Mingi was pulled from those thoughts as he heard Yunho's key in the door, signalling his arrival and as he walked through the door, it was all Mingi could do to not leap up and punch him in the face.
"Mingi, please listen, it's not -" Yunho started but was quickly cut off.
"I can't believe you could do this to me!" Mingi shouted, "You more than anyone else. We've known each other since we were five and you do this to me?" Mingi stood and took a few steps towards Yunho who was holding his hands up and looking somewhat nervous. They had the same height and build but Mingi had a temper and Yunho didn't want to fight him.
"I didn't do -"
"Stop lying to me!" Mingi shouted and Jongho subtly moved closer ready to hold Mingi back if he made a move towards his best friend.
"You know better than anyone how much it killed me when Y/N left me....how hard it is for me to get over this." Tears were starting to fall from Mingi's eyes as he was trying to let out all the hurt and frustration he had felt since you left him, "Did you think what it would do to me to see you with her - and to see her carrying your fucking baby, as well?!"
"It's your baby, Mingi!"
Yunho had to shout to stop the angry tirade and it worked, silence filled the room as Mingi just stared at Yunho and the other three men stared between the two of them.
"It's mine?" Mingi asked in a small, uncertain voice.
"Yes. It's yours. Do you not remember the night after graduation? You took her home and fucked her without using protection."
"Jesus Christ, you fucking idiot, Mingi." Hongjoong sighed out loud.
Completely stunned, Mingi sat down on the couch again; he remembered it but it had never occured to him that this would happen.
"Why didn't she tell me?" Mingi asked, "And why didn't you?" He threw at Yunho accusingly.
"She didn't want you involved and it wasn't my place to tell you. She begged me not to."
Yunho came closer to his best friend now he was calmer and handed him a small envelope, "Y/N asked me to give you this."
Mingi opened the envelope and took out the photo from your last scan, he stared at the image of the baby, touching the paper where he could see its tiny hand.
"This is my baby?" He asked again, trying to process this sudden shift in his life.
"Yes. It's your baby, you idiot." Yunho rolled his eyes, happy that the tension in the room was easing.
Mingi picked up his drink and took a swig, suddenly remembering something.
"Is this what you've been doing during all that time you spend out of the apartment. Seeing Y/N? Are you together? It might be my baby but that doesn't mean you haven't still stolen my girlfriend."
"For fuck's sake, Mingi!" Yunho shouted, exasperated. "No...you know what, I do like her. She is amazing. While you've been here drinking and shutting yourself away from everyone, she's been trying to do all this alone with no family and hardly any friends here with her. Do you even know how strong she is? Or how hard this whole situation is on her? Of course not because all you think about is yourself! I have just been being a friend to her; trying to support her through this so she's not alone. And I would have made a move except for one problem.... she's still in love with you. So stop fucking drinking and get your shit together because in 3 months you're going to be a father and right now you're nowhere near good enough for Y/N or your baby!"
Shock crossed Mingi's face as Yunho slapped the drink out of his hand. He couldn't take all this in. You still loved him? He had thought he had seen it in your eyes that last night you slept together but in the morning you told him to go so he had assumed you'd only been with him that night because you'd felt vulnerable and needed someone.
Yunho knew he'd been harsh but he needed to be. Mingi needed to grow up if he was going to be there for you and the baby. "Look, I know quite a lot about this pregnancy stuff now and I know what Y/N needs from you. If you want, I’ll help you get back on track. I want her to be happy and I don't think she ever will be without you. And even though you've been a complete dick, I want you to be happy, as well."
"Thank you." Mingi quietly said, feeling he didn't deserve a friend like Yunho. He'd been so awful to everyone over these last months and they'd only been trying to help him. And if he was ever going to deserve you again, he knew he'd have to get his act together quickly.
********
Can we meet? Please.
You'd been staring at the text message from Mingi for about an hour now. You hadn't heard anything from him for about a week after he saw you and Yunho on the street and you could imagine the hurt that must've caused him but Yunho said he'd explained everything and he'd calmed down. He was still a mess but to just give him a little time to get his head around it. It was fair enough, after all, you'd had months already to process the fact that you were going to be a mother three months from now but Mingi had only just found out he was about to become a father. As you thought about it, you felt guilt spreading through you. Was it the right thing to have kept it from him just because he hurt you? He was always bound to find out one day but how much of his child's life would he have already missed by that point.
Meet me at the coffee shop we used to go to. 2pm
You replied, feeling anxious; now he knew there was no point trying to keep him away but you'd have to deal with seeing him on a regular basis whilst knowing you still weren't over him.
At 2pm you sat in the coffee shop; you and Mingi used to come here all the time back in college, when you were still together. You'd been waiting nervously, playing with your fingers and looking up every time the little bell signalled the door had opened.
Mingi walked in and scanned the room for you then made his way to your table. You looked at each other for a moment before either of you spoke.
"Would you like anything?" He asked a little awkwardly.
"Just an orange juice, please. I can't have too much caffeine."
"Oh, yeah...I guess not." At your reply he looked down at what he could see of your bump behind the table and away again quickly. He went up to the counter to order the drinks, returning shortly after with your orange juice and an iced Americano for himself.
You looked at each other for a minute or so, without saying anything. Last time you'd seen him he looked a mess - thin with dark circles under his eyes and longish, messy hair where he'd not bothered to cut it. Generally like he wasn't looking after himself. Now he looked almost well; still tired and somewhat thin but much better than before.
"You look better than when I saw you." You ventured carefully, not wanting to remind him of that day too much.
"Yunho's been helping me get myself together." His deep voice was quieter than usual as he ran his hand through his freshly cut black hair.
You were both feeling awkward seeing each other after the last time but one of you was going to have to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
"I'm sorry I kept this from you. I was so hurt that I didn't want you involved so I wouldn't have to see you but it was selfish of me. I should have told you."
Mingi looked at you, surprise on his face, as if he hadn't expected you to say this. Maybe he thought you'd still be too angry at him, after all, he'd been surprised you agreed to meet so quickly.
"I understand why you didn't. I realise now that you leaving me was my own fault. I neglected you when we were together and put myself and my friends first. I know I let you down and hurt you a lot." Mingi didn't look directly into your eyes as he said this, feelings of guilt present within him. You sat and listened quietly as he continued on. You were surprised at seeing a level of maturity he'd never shown before.
"I'm not going to ask you to come back to me - I know I don't deserve that - but please...let me be a part of our baby's life. I want to show you I can be there for you both, for whatever you need."
"Mingi, I'm not going to keep you out of our baby's life. I realised by not telling you it wouldn't only be you missing out; I'd be robbing the baby of knowing it's father...and it's grandparents, too."
Mingi's eyes widened like he'd suddenly thought of something bad. "What's wrong?" You asked a little worried.
"I hadn't even thought about that." He said groaning.
"What?"
"How the fuck am I going to tell my parents that I'm going to be a father in three months? They're gonna kill me for being so stupid and not using a condom."
You giggled quietly at this man who was about to become a father but was still worried about his parents scolding him.
He looked at you apologetically, "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I should've been more careful but I missed you so much - I wanted you so badly, I didn't think about what could happen."
"Hey," You replied gently, "It was both our faults. We were both stupid and I seem to remember me being the one begging you to do it."
"How did your parents take it?"
"They're supporting me but, of course, I got the lecture about how stupid I was to not use contraception." You admitted laughing.
"I'm glad they're ok with it. Let's just hope my parents are ok, too." He still looked worried but a little more relaxed now.
"Mingi," you started, turning more serious, "As I said, I won't keep you out of your baby's life but if you let Little Bun down like you did to me, there won't be any more chances after that."
Mingi looked at you earnestly as he replied, "I won't be letting either of you down. I promise you."
"Little Bun?" He enquired, cocking his head to the side.
"Oh...yeah, I decided not to find out the sex of the baby so he or she is 'Little Bun' for now."
Mingi smiled finally - you'd missed his smile so much but it still hurt to see him so for now you decided to cut short your meeting.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Mingi asked, still polite and a little awkward.
"I'll be fine but thank you."
You walked home feeling a little lighter now that you weren't keeping it a secret anymore but still apprehensive as to how you were going to manage to see Mingi so much. You realised upon seeing him that you were no longer angry at him for how he treated you but still you couldn't trust him enough to take him back. You knew you still loved him and it was going to be hard to see him so often and not be able to be with him.
********
You were sitting with Yunho on your couch in your apartment, watching Netflix, as usual, and talking about things in general so it was inevitable that Mingi was going to be mentioned sooner or later.
"How is everything going?" Yunho asked carefully, knowing it was still a delicate subject.
You sighed, looking down at your hands - a habit you had when talking about or doing something uncomfortable. "I guess it's ok. It's still difficult seeing him but he seems like a different person somehow."
"How so?"
"Well...he seems a little more mature, I suppose."
"Probably the consequence of finding out he's going to be a father in a few months." Yunho snorted.
"It's more than that, though." You paused, thinking; you weren't quite sure how to convey it in words. "I can see he's still hurting and that he's still a bit of a mess inside but it's...it's like there's something missing from him."
"There is." Yunho replied, seriously now, "You're missing."
You cocked your head, looking at your best friend questioningly.
"Mingi isn't Mingi without you. He took it for granted that you'd always be there and so he didn't treat you right but when you left him, it was like a part of him left, as well. I've been friends with him since we were five years old and I've seen him go through some hard times but I've never seen him like this. Being without you broke him."
A stray tear rolled down your cheek as you listened; you'd thought from how Mingi had treated you that he didn't love you anymore.
"If only he'd shown me that he still cared when we were together, it wouldn't have had to end with us both getting hurt."
Yunho hummed in agreement as he wrapped his strong arms around you for comfort, "Believe me, I don't think he'd make that mistake again."
"I just don't know whether to trust him, Yunho."
"He's trying really hard, Y/N. He's quit drinking, he's looking after himself better and not shutting himself away." Suddenly Yunho laughed, remembering something, "I probably shouldn't laugh at this because he really is trying so hard...but the other day I walked past his room and saw him trying to put a nappy on the teddy bear he's had since he was a baby."
Your eyes widened in astonishment, "On Ted?" You remembered the slightly tatty old teddy Mingi always kept on his shelf in his room but couldn't imagine the picture Yunho was painting.
"Yeah..." the tall blonde continued laughing, "...looked like he was trying to follow a YouTube video on baby care."
"Wow. I can't believe he's really taking this seriously." You thought for a few moments before continuing, "Yunho, I think I should start taking Mingi to my appointments now." You watched carefully for signs Yunho might be hurt by this. He had been such a huge support to you, you were worried he might feel like you were casting him aside.
"You don't know how much you mean to me, Yunho, you've been such a huge support to me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it but if Mingi is going to be in Little Bun's life, I need to make him feel a part of it already. Also," you continued smiling, "it's probably best if I take him to my ante-natal classes where he can learn about baby care without trying to do it in secret."
Yunho looked at you, smiling back, "It's the way it should be," he shrugged, "I was just filling in for him but he should be the one taking care of you and Bun."
"Thank you." You whispered, cuddling into your best friend's side as he gently kissed the top of your head before hugging you closer to him.
********
Over the following weeks you thought about Mingi a lot - it wasn't hard to do because he'd been texting you everyday to see how you and the baby were doing. You were thankful it was mostly texting because it gave you time to get used to having him back in your life without seeing him too much yet. Maybe he knew you needed time and that's why he didn't ask to see you too much. You'd only seen him once or twice for ante-natal appointments; the first was just a standard check up with the midwife but you asked Mingi along to make him feel more involved. You were glad you did when the midwife used her portable monitor to check the baby's heartbeat because the look on Mingi's face was one you think you'll never forget. As the whooshing sound of the tiny heartbeats came out from the monitor's speaker, a look of pure wonder came over Mingi,
"That's our baby's heartbeat?"
He looked at you wide-eyed and you nodded, smiling, not able to help the warmth that spread through you as he then looked down at your bump in awe. It was quickly replaced by guilt, though; Mingi looked so happy that you felt awful for having kept this from him and not letting him share in it with you. In reality you knew you wouldn't have been strong enough back then to see him but, still, you felt guilty.
The second appointment was for a growth scan; the midwife had been a tiny bit worried about the baby's rate of growth so she sent you for another scan. Luckily, nothing was wrong and it was nice that Mingi was able to see the baby on the screen as he hadn't been there for the other two. When the sonographer pointed out all the features to Mingi he looked absolutely enthralled; you knew this because, as well as looking at your baby on the screen, you had been watching Mingi closely. In your uncertainty about whether you could really trust Mingi to be there for you wanted to see his reactions and, although you weren't convinced yet, you were happy that he seemed to be taking this seriously. To be honest, you think that was the moment it really hit him that he was going to be a father and you understood completely as it was at your first scan that it all became more real for you.
"So...I told my parents about Little Bun." Mingi said as he walked you home after the scan.
"Really? How did they take it?" Mingi's parents were a little more strict than yours so you didn't imagine it went down too well.
"About as well as you think they would." He said grimacing at the memory.
"Was it really bad?"
"I got a very long talking to about how stupid I was and how could I have been so reckless? At least by the end of the call they had calmed down enough to ask if the baby is healthy and if you're doing well so I think they'll be ok. They were just shocked, I guess."
It was only a few days after the scan that you were spending a relaxing Saturday at home alone when you heard a knock at your door and, upon opening it, found Mingi on the other side. He looked a little awkward as he apologised for showing up unannounced but that he had some things for you. Curious, you stepped aside so he could come in but he stepped out of your view and appeared again wheeling a pram into your apartment. You hadn't actually asked him for anything so it came as a real surprise - especially as it was the exact pram you had been admiring when you had gone baby shopping with Yunho. Yunho did say he'd been helping Mingi get himself together so you suspected he'd been giving him advice on what to buy as well as supporting him to get better. Your suspicions only grew as Mingi then went back out into the hallway to retrieve a big box containing the crib that had been your favourite that day, as well.
As you stood there looking a bit stunned, Mingi stood looking a bit sheepish.
"I hope I got the right ones. I wanted to buy you some things but I had no idea what you had already or what style you wanted...so I asked Yunho. He told me which ones you seemed to like the most."
"I love them...thank you."
"Oh!" Mingi suddenly remembered something and pulled a bag from inside the pram, "I got this for Little Bun, as well."
You opened the bag and took out a stuffed toy giraffe. You laughed as you remembered they had always been his favourite animal when you visited the zoo.
"It's perfect."
It got a little awkward then so you offered Mingi a drink and you sat talking about jobs and friends. Mingi caught you up with as much as he knew about his group of friends but he looked a little sad while talking about it.
"To be honest, Y/N, I've been a terrible friend to them. I know Yunho must've told you what a mess I've been... I shut myself away and barely spoke to any of them. I don't really know much about how they've been doing since you last saw them. I was too wrapped up in myself."
"I'm sure they understand." You said quietly.
"I want you to know how much better I am now, though. I've stopped drinking entirely and I feel like Little Bun has given me something to look forward to...to make my life worthwhile."
"Mingi," you replied, trying to make him feel better, "...your life is already worthwhile."
"Not without you." He said, looking down. "When you left me I felt like everything was over. I had never really realised just how much I loved you and how important you were to me. Without you everything else seemed so pointless and miserable. It was like all the colour had been drained from the world."
You could feel tears welling in your eyes, Mingi had told you he loved you when you were together, of course, but towards the end of your relationship it always felt like he was saying it out of habit more than really meaning it. He'd never sounded so sincere as he did now.
"I'm sorry," he apologised quietly, "I'm not trying to make you feel bad; I just wanted you to know how I feel."
You couldn't help it then; you found your hand moving towards Mingi's and resting upon his. You looked up at him, into his beautiful, dark eyes that you had always loved most about him, and they were looking back into yours with such an intensity that you found yourself moving closer. You weren't sure if this was a good idea or if you were setting yourself up to be hurt again but what you did know was that everything Mingi had said he felt without you - the world devoid of colour and joy, and life seeming so pointless - was exactly how you had felt without him.
As you moved closer, Mingi's hand moved up to rest against the side of your neck while his thumb gently stroked your cheek. You closed the distance and felt his soft, plump lips against yours and, despite your worries about him, everything felt so right again.
Pulling away, you looked down and Mingi closed him arms around you, kissing the top of your head lovingly.
"I love you, Y/N. I'm so sorry I never showed you how much. I promise if you give me another chance, I'll never let you forget it. I'll never let you down again."
You took a deep breath, looking up at him you knew you had never stopped loving him, even though you'd tried to move on.
"We can try." You told him. "Let's see where this goes."
Mingi took your face in his hands and kissed you more passionately now; you could feel the joy radiating off him as his lips moved against yours, asking for entry as he gently swiped his tongue across your bottom lip. You stayed this way for a while, kissing and enjoying being able to hold each other once again until a tiny movement made you stop and laugh.
"What?" Mingi asked, wondering if he'd done something weird.
"Nothing," you smiled, "it's just the baby kicking."
Mingi looked at your bump with wonder in his brown eyes, "Can I feel?"
You realised at that moment that up until then Mingi hadn't touched your bump, at all. In fact he hadn't even tried and you wondered if he'd been trying to be considerate of you, not wanting to make you uncomfortable with that level of closeness given that he was your ex. It didn't matter now, though, you wanted him there with you.
"Here...give me your hand." You reached for Mingi's hand and placed it on your bump where Little Bun had been kicking. After a second there were a few more kicks and you couldn't believe the way Mingi's face lit up like he'd just felt the best thing in the whole world.
"My baby." He whispered and you could've sworn his eyes looked a little wetter than usual, "I promise I'll never let you down, Little One."
It was as if he'd suddenly felt a real connection with the life he'd helped create; he spent most of the evening laying with his head on your lap talking to your bump. You felt a happiness you hadn't felt for so long just sitting and listening to Mingi talk to your baby while his large hands caressed your bump.
After some time you felt Mingi pick you up off the couch and carry you into your bedroom; in your sleepy haze you vaguely thought about how strong he was as you were definitely heavier than you used to be now you were more than seven months pregnant. He laid you on your bed and left a gentle kiss on your forehead. As he went to go, you reached out to him,
"Don't go. I don't want to be alone anymore."
Mingi paused, not expecting such a request, "Ok, Baby...let me just lock up and turn the lights off."
After a minute or so Mingi joined you back on the bed, covering the both of you up and holding his arm out for you to cuddle into his side. You went to sleep feeling complete again, the dull ache you could never get rid of, finally gone.
In the morning you woke on your side with Mingi's arm over you and his hand lightly stroking your bump as every now and then you felt a little kick.
You rolled over to face him, closing the distance between you to kiss his lips. Mingi smiled at you when you pulled back,
"Good morning, Baby."
"Hi" You said feeling slightly shy, not used to this yet.
You laid together just looking into each other's eyes until Mingi inevitably broke the romantic atmosphere - like he always used to,
"Is it weird that it kinda turns me on that I got you pregnant?"
You sighed heavily. Who'd have known your boyfriend had a breeding kink?
"Yes. It is." You replied, laughing. Then added, "And inappropriate given that that baby is kicking right now."
You moved his hand from your behind, where it had somehow snuck around to, back to your bump to distract him from such things. You still found him hot as fuck but in your heavily pregnant state, feeling a bit like a beached whale, you did not even want to contemplate anything like that.
It worked because he soon turned more serious again.
"I really thought I'd lost you. I'd always held on to a tiny shred of hope but when I saw you with Yunho, pregnant and looking so happy...I thought you were with him...that I'd lost you forever."
"You never lost me completely." You said, cupping his face with your hand and running your thumb over his soft skin. "And if you can't even lose me to Yunho who is, basically, the perfect man...then you never will."
You laughed as Mingi suddenly let go of you, a huge put on his face at your assessment of his best friend being perfect.
"I love you, you idiot." You said pulling him back to you.
"I love you so much, too. I meant it when I said I'd never let you down again. Either of you."
********
Epilogue
Over the last couple of months of pregnancy you and Mingi got closer than you ever had been before and decided to move in together as neither of you wanted to be without the other. You sold your apartment and bought a bigger one together with Mingi who, despite having been such a mess, actually had a really well paid job.
As your due date approached he barely left your side and when you woke up to feel your waters breaking, he took you to the hospital, despite the look of complete horror that never left his face the whole way there. Once you were at the hospital with trained medical staff he visibly relaxed and helped you all the way through the labour, holding your hand and telling you how well you were doing and how much he loved you. When your daughter was born the look on his face was ecstatic and, as much as he tried to hide it, you know you saw some tears.
Mingi was so excited, calling both sets of grandparents, followed by all his friends to tell them the news. The grandparents came down while you were still in the hospital - and fell in love with her immediately, of course, despite their previous concerns about the situation.
Mingi's friends came round to meet your daughter once you'd got settled back at home and he was so proud to show her off.
"Guys, this is Soo Min" he said beaming,
Of course Yunho rushed in for the first hug.
"Hey, Little Bun...do you remember my voice? I looked after you and Mummy for a bit so I'd better be your favourite uncle as you grow up."
"Hey!" The other guys all chorused.
Everyone wanted to take their turn holding her but she was a bit fussy from being passed around. In fact, out of all Mingi's friends, the one she was obviously most comfortable with was Yunho - now a best friend to both of you. As Soo Min settled down and fell asleep in Yunho's arms you couldn't help teasing Mingi by whispering,
"See? I told you he's the perfect man."
Mingi looked affronted and smacked your behind, whispering back,
"Do I still have competition? Once you're feeling better I'm gonna remind you who you belong to." winking cheekily after the last statement. At any other time that would’ve send a thrill straight to your core but you were still really sore down there.
As time passed your favourite sight to see was your daughter sleeping on Mingi's chest. You'd feed her and then pass her to Mingi to be burped and she'd always fall asleep on his broad chest, looking so tiny laying on him.
He was keeping to his promise of never letting you down so well that after a few months you had to force him out with his friends for an evening because they kept asking him out as one of their birthdays approached.
"Mingi," you said, worried he was telling them 'no' because of you, "I'm not going to think you're neglecting me if you go out for one evening. Just go and have fun."
"But I don't want to leave my precious girls." He said whining.
You leaned up to cup his face in your hands and kiss him softly on the lips,
"I love you and I know how much you love me and Soo Min but, really, go and have fun - the guys will be sad otherwise."
"Ok," he pouted, "...but just a few hours. I don't think I can be away from you two for much longer."
"Jeez, Mingi...you spend longer than that away from us when you're at work!"
"And it's Hell for me." He whined over dramatically while you could only laugh.
At least you never had to question if he loved you anymore.
#song mingi#mingi#mingi angst#song mingi ateez#song mingi angst#ateez x female reader#ateez mingi#ateez song mingi#ateez angst#mingi x female reader#song mingi x female reader
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Writer’s Month 2020 - To Find A Way
Prompt No.14 - Metamorphosis Part II
Chapter 1 - 7
They watch Grace play. Danny stays close the to climbing frame with all the ropes to make sure he could run to the rescue if his girl should get into trouble. Steve mimics a statue and stays silent for a long time. Danny's tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth. All the great remarks he figured he could throw at Steve dissolve into a fog.
He learns once more how difficult it is to transport a special, magical mood into a normal Wednesday. Steve seems to be miles away. The bonding moment they've experienced is non-existent. Danny can't stand the silence any longer. If he wants the quiet, he hikes to the top of a damn mountain or goes snorkeling. "Hey, you okay there, Steve?" He side-eyes the tall, dark, handsome guy next to him.
Steve licks his lips and squints into the bright sunlight. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"You had, uh, a scare this morning with Mary, rattles every man. We think pregnant women are fragile but God, believe me, they're not."
Steve shoots him a thoughtful glance. "You speak from experience, I think. You're a father. You have a sweet girl."
Danny knows Steve doesn't mean to sound reproachful, but his words affect him. "Yes, that's my baby girl. I'm a proud father. We have the life we choose. Or sometimes life chooses us."
"So, you're married? Do you plan on having more children? I haven't seen your wife." Steve gets braver. He even turns and stands closer to Danny. Danny likes where this is going. Steve's checking the turf.
"I was married. Rachel and I have worked hard to become friends for Grace's sake. And no, no more kids on the way. I'm divorced and, uh, I'm single." Danny can't look at Steve. The urge to explain is still pressuring behind his chest. He kind of swipes the playground with his eyes. He hopes he sounds nonchalantly enough. "I'm here for Grace. Today, I mean. It's uh, Rachel, her mother, has an appointment and her husband's not here yet. I'm an emergency backup. Didn't expect to run into you on the maternity ward, though." Danny twists his upper body to check up on Steve's mood. "I honest to God thought Mary's your wife." Okay, his heartbeat just picked up speed. His mouth is as dry as the Gobi Desert.
Steve goes quiet again. Danny senses his troubled mind and wished Steve would be a bit more responsive. It's no fun to talk to a menhir. Danny doesn't get easily pushed out of his comfort zone. But add emotions to the mix and he's as light as a feather in strong wind. Jeez. Danny purses his lips. He fights the urge to assure Steve he's into guys too and that there's nothing wrong with the circumstance to have a family with a woman and why the hell does he even bother? This guy drives him nuts. Danny's armpits are uncomfortably wet.
"No, Mary's my younger sister. I wouldn't be a good father, I guess. I wouldn't know what to do with a helpless bundle, too scared to mess up. I don't know. I've never had to make that decision –" Steve bends his head and watches his shoes, "if I wanna be a father I mean. Hasn't happened so far." He adds.
"Hey, you did well. You made sure Mary's well taken care of."
"We had a big argument before she let me maneuver her into my truck to drive her to the hospital. She's so stubborn. I found her on all four, doing garden work. I freaked. She had cramps and I was so scared. She said, she overdid it and that's all. She just wanted to lie down until everything would calm down. But I couldn't – " Steve rubs with his fist at his forehead. "I got so scared. I had this horror movie running through my mind. I saw how she gave birth, collapsing out on the lawn behind the house or something like this. I needed to bring her here. I can handle tough calls but not when it's my baby sister nine months pregnant with my niece. I've just lost my nerves, I guess." Steve laughs bashfully. "Not my bravest moment."
"You did good, Steve. Mary's going to be fine and she'll be okay. You'll see, nature knows how to do what needs to be done when it's time. Women give birth since humanity exists. Kawika is with her. You're fine and I know you're going to spoil your niece rotten once she's born."
Steve smiles at him and Danny's bones turn into useless goo. "Why haven't you texted? Called? I thought you wanted to get that rain check on lunch?" Danny chews on his bottom lip. His eyes scan the playground to make sure Grace isn't in any danger. "I've waited for your call." Should he have said that? Too much pressure, no, he shouldn't have said that.
Steve clears his throat. "Yeah, about that. I, uh, I was hungry, but I got caught up in work. You know, uhm, I had to get the seedlings into the ground. I would have – would have called, you know? But days," Steve steps closer, still with his arms crossed over his chest as if he has to hug himself, "days sometimes flow into each other and I can't really say how much time has passed. It's been almost a week since we've met and when time passes the things that happened start to shape in something else. I wasn't – it was an intense afternoon. I, uhm," Steve draws a breath before he continues, "you saw me at the worst. I wasn't sure if you wanted to, you know, go for lunch, have a chat. I'm not the funny average guy to talk about the weather over chicken salad."
Danny has his eyes on Grace. He wants to give Steve the space to have his mini freak-out about the fact he might have scared Danny off. He ignores how the heat in the pit of his stomach flows in all directions. "You forgot my number." Danny states calmly, "just say it, Steve. Be honest. I'm not offended. Okay a bit, yes, a bit. I'm offended a bit that you forgot my number." Danny rocks on his heels back and forth while he rambles. "I expected a SEAL, even a SEAL buried up to his nose in flowers and plants to remember a few, easy numbers. Don't you get trained for that? I thought you're tough multitasking guys. The Army is a fun club."
Steve stiffens and scoffs. "I haven't forgotten your number. It's 808-925-1717. Happy? And it's the Navy, Danny. The Navy."
Danny can't believe how fast Steve falls for that dumb joke. "God, you're so easy to tease. Don't be so uptight about it. Look at you, all puffed out chest and standing at attention. I know, man, it's the Navy. I didn't mean to offend you." He hopes his smile is appeasing. "Good to know you didn't forget my number." He darts a look at Steve and sees how he sets his jaw to keep his lips from being pulled into a grin. Instead, he gazes off into the distance and fishes his cell from the pocket and unlocks the screen.
Two seconds later, Danny's cell rings. He takes the call with the unknown caller ID. "Yeah, Detective Williams, HPD – who's it?" He frowns hard at Steve who stands there like a boy who has all fun doing a silly prank.
"Yeah, Detective Williams, McGarrett here, Steve McGarrett. Do you remember me?"
"Yes, you big goof. The Army guy, isn't it?" Danny can't control the laughter. He really needed to say that.
Steve glares at him, for real this time. "You owe me a fat rain check on lunch and for being too dense to know the difference between the Army and the Navy. I'm hungry. Lunch. Today. You're paying. You're in?"
"You know how stupid this is to stand three feet apart and to give me a call, don't you? I can hear you talking and the echo in my hear is strange. How old are you? Five?"
"You haven't answered my question." Steve still speaks into his phone and watches Danny at the same time.
"Yes. Lunch. Today. Good. I'm in. Where do you wanna go?"
"Have you ever taken Grace to Kame's shrimp truck for Kame's specialty of the day? She'll love it."
Whenever Steve says Grace's name, Danny gets kind of dizzy with something he doesn't want to explore. Steve watches him with a gentle, kind expression. Too much for Danny's heart to stand for more than five seconds. "No, I haven't but Kame's place it is." He hangs up.
"See?" Steve seems utterly satisfied, smug even. Danny notices Steve's faintly colored cheeks.
He has tried to keep the love at bay. The crazy beast of feelings is toying with him, tugging at the golden rope wound around his heart. But he can't hold it and he doesn't want to. The way Steve stands there, watching children playing, having a hawk-eye on Grace, makes it impossible for Danny to hold on to the rope that keeps the insane sensation in his heart controlled. He lets the leash go and stands his ground when the wave of feelings rushes through his body.
This guy is going to be the death of him. Danny's cell rings again. This time it's Stan. "Hi, Stan. Yeah, she's fine. Where are you? Give me a second. I'll meet you at the entrance. Yes, she asked me to make sure you'll find her." Danny's eyes search for Grace.
"Danny, it's fine. I'll take care of her. Go, go be with Stan. We'll wait for you right here, okay?" Steve squeezes Danny's shoulder with his large hand.
"You don't mind? You'll keep her safe?" Danny asks hesitantly. He never lets a stranger look after Grace. But Steve, Steve's different.
"Danny, I'll take care of her as if she's my daughter." This time, Steve blushes bright red but he doesn't correct himself. "I'm good at keeping people safe, especially your daughter. Go, Grace is safe with me."
Danny exhales and covers Steve's hand on his shoulder shortly with his own. He swallows. This man, God, he can totally feel the softness of Steve's lips pressed to his just by looking at his mouth. The bottom of his stomach drops out. Danny forces his eyes to stay above Steve's nose, but he gets distracted by the longest lashes he has ever seen on a guy. Steve waits for reassurance. Danny forces his eyes to focus. "Yeah, good. Thank you, Steve. I mean it. I'm back in a flash."
Danny still sees Steve's smile after he reunited Stan with Rachel and made sure they were good. He hurries back to the playground on the other side of the street. But –
He doesn't see Steve. Where the hell is he?
Danny runs faster. And where the hell is Grace?
For a split second, Danny's heart races and his muscles tremble faintly under the strain of too much tension. And then, he hears the lighthearted giggle from his little girl. He jogs over to where the sound comes from. He can't believe his eyes. This tough, combat-hardened SEAL sits on a seesaw with a bright grin on his face. Grace is safely tucked in between the handlebar and Steve's strong arms. He boxes her in to keep her safe. On the other side of the seesaw, three kids shout and laugh simultaneously. They try to fight the weight, to make the seesaw move.
Danny bites the thick rope of emotions back that tries to strangle his throat.
"Danno!" Grace screams and giggles with her head thrown back. She laughs at Steve and Steve looks down at her and answers her laugh with an even brighter grin.
No one ever has told Danny that happiness can be as sharp as a spear. The detonation of feelings almost has him bend over. "Monkey!" He waves and jogs closer. "What are you guys doing?"
Steve whispers something in her ear. "Winning!" His little girl screams on the top of her small lungs. The kids on the other side shout something back.
When they are safely back on the ground Grace throws herself into Danny's arms. "Danno, that was great! Steve is fun! We won!" She clings to him.
Danny hugs her extra tightly. He follows Steve's stance and the way his eyes search his, not letting go until he stands right next to Danny.
"Thank you," Danny whispers.
"You're welcome, Danno." Steve has a way to roll the letters on his tongue that makes Danny want to bury his face in the curve of Steve's shoulder.
Danny puts Grace down and keeps an eye on Steve. "Danno is –" he downplays how much Steve makes him want to reinvent the world. He can't let Steve have that name in his mouth. He can't. "Danno is Grace's endearment for me. I – You can't, it's –"
"I told Steve he could use it, too. He asked me." Grace grabs Danny's fingers and pulls him forward.
Danny blinks. How long has he been away? Two days? "How much have you guys talked? I haven't been away that long!"
Steve shrugs.
"I'm hungry, Danno. Can we go now? Steve said we're going to see a friend. He has shaved ice and French fries."
Danny gawps as Steve. Steve stuffs his hands down the front pockets of his cargos. He looks only half-guilty. "I told her Kame has also lots of different salads and shrimps. And that her daddy knows what she likes for lunch."
"Good choice of words. Good choice." Danny furrows his brows and almost drowns in Steve's gaze. "Yeah, let's head to Kame's. I don't have a car. My HPD partner drove me."
"If that's the only thing that's holding us back, then – we're good." Steve jingles with the car keys. "My truck is over there. Let's go."
Danny has no memory of how they've ended up talking about dolphins. The air is saturated with a heavy scent of wind and sea and a wild beauty Danny has never sensed before. Grace cheerfully answers Steve's questions about the animals she loves the most. Sometimes she also screams their names. "I love fishes! I love dolphins!"
"Baby, tone it down. My ears ring when you shout like that. Dolphins aren't fish, Monkey. They belong to the mammals. They breathe air just like you." He twists on his seat to wink at his baby girl.
She's tiny with the seatbelt across her small chest. The black back seat almost swallows her up. It's huge. Steve's truck is huge and everything in it. She bends her knees and tucks them to her chest. She smiles one of her staggering happy smiles. "I love mamas!" She shouts and giggles at the same time.
"Mammals. A difficult word but you're doing great." Danny's mood is dangerously close to soaring high. It's somewhere up in the stratosphere where rainbows get born and where space waste gets burned when entering the earth's atmosphere. But he couldn't care less.
Steve wears a small smile that makes him glow. Danny looks out of the window. His eyes would have betrayed him under one second flat. He inhales deeply to wallow in the scent of Steve's skin and the way his detergent wafts over to him, tickling his nose and making his heart ache.
"You love dolphins, Grace?"
"YES!" She yells.
"It's time we get some food into you, Grace-face. Look we're here!" Danny unbuckles the seatbelt and pushed the door open. Kame's place is busy with lunch guests. "Hey, Steve! Look! Isn't that Mary and Kawika over there? Whoa, Kono and Chin are also here. Kame's having the time of the day with all the money his getting out of us."
Steve jumps out of the car to scowl over where a bunch of people sit and talk. Danny touches his arm after he helped Grace out of the car. "Steve, you okay?"
"I – Mary's here. She should be lying in bed with her feet on a pillow not moving an inch until the baby's born. What is she doing here?"
"Come on, let's find out. And Steve, before you throw Mary in the back of your truck to drive her home, let Kawika handle it."
"I wouldn't do that!" Steve blurts.
"Maybe you believe that but the way you stare over at her I fear for her lunch. Go easy on her. She's fine Steve. Pregnant women gotta eat."
They get greeted with loud cheering. Kame is serving the first round. "Look what the cat dragged in. Danny with his little girl. It's time you bring her around. Sit down, pua li'ili'i. You hungry?"
Danny places Grace next to Kono. Too many people make her go all quiet and shy. Steve greets the bunch like they're old friends. Kono fires a gazillion questions at Danny only with her eyes. He just ignores her with an elegant move. "Mary, how are you. Is everything okay? Steve was a bit shocked to see you here. He's afraid you might overdo it again."
Mary wipes at her mouth with a napkin. "My brother," she makes sure Steve hears her, "thinks every time I get up our sweet little flower slips out as if I have any intentions to give birth standing upright." She laughs and Kawika pulls her protectively against his side.
"Go easy on him, darling." Danny hears Kawika whisper.
Steve glares at Mary and steals a shrimp off her plate. "Look at your belly. It's so big. You're ripe like an apple. Let me worry okay?"
"Punk, relax. I'm fine. I was hungry. After lunch, Kawika takes me home. Happy?"
Steve takes her hand and has her look at him. "I'll drop by to check up on you."
"I love you, Punk," Mary whispers. "Thank you."
Steve thins his lips. He gifts her with a small smile but doesn't say it back. He takes the seat across Danny and gets involved in a conversation with Chin.
Danny plops down on the bench. "Do you know each other?" He asked dumfounded over to where Steve catches up with Kono, Chin, and Kawika. Kono gifts him with a stupid face and completely slack-jawed.
"You're kidding, right, Danny?"
"No, I'm not. I – I haven't expected you to know each other is all."
"Kukui High, football, quarterback. Freaking Hawai'i, surfing. Brah, of course, we know each other. We hung out together at the beach. We all grew up in Hawai'i. Steve's ohana. He's gone to save the world and now he's back. We all make sure he's fine, getting along with life and all, you know." Kono slaps his back. "Dude, you didn't know that?"
Danny wants to scream. He wants to go for a walk. "How the hell would I know that? I'm the new guy, remember? You have never even mentioned anything about knowing a Steve!" He cuts Grace's shrimps in small pieces to distract him from this unveiling. He can't look in Steve's direction when he sees Steve matching names and events together.
"Danny's your partner?" Steve asks Kono with so much disbelief in his voice it's comical. "He's the haole you talked about?" Okay, that high-pitched voice is a bit unsexy.
After that Danny's memories are blurry.
He remembers a lot of laughter, especially Steve's low, rare carefree rumble. At one point, Kono punches Danny hard and makes faces at him. She points out how he hasn't checked his phone a single time since they've sat down. That got her thinking. She's about the figure out who he might have a secret crush on. Danny kicks her shin and pinches her thigh to shut her up. Kono gives him the stink-eye.
Danny stirs the attention immediately away from Kono with her razor-sharp mind. He calls over to Mary. He asks her if she could be a bit more specific about the details Steve has told her about him. Because that's what she said when they met at the hospital. Strangely enough, Steve chooses that moment to get seconds from Kame's hit of the day. The chatter dies as if well-orchestrated. All eyes are on Steve's sister.
"You have to know one thing, Danny. I talk Steve."
Danny forces himself not to cast a look over to where Steve chats with Kame. "That's a language?"
"Yeah, actually it is. And we all talk Steve. It's – it's a thing. When our mom died and when our dad got lost for some time someone needed to take care of Steve. We all did but I'm his sister. So, he doesn't say much and it's up to us to decipher what is hidden beneath the words he utters. We had a game going as teenagers. He never liked it when we did that. Steve doesn't do emotion; at least not the same way we handle them."
Danny eats. He's not hungry and he's not sure if his body is able to fight the tightness in his throat. He swallows and pretends his skin isn't on fire. "So, okay, what did Steve say that made you recognize me at the hospital?"
Mary's face morphs into a seriousness Danny wouldn't have thought possible. She looks as if she carries wisdom you only gain when of old age. She's calm when she answers his question. "Steve said just two words after a fruitless conversation to get more out of him. He said, 'he stayed' besides that, you're blond and asked all the right questions."
Rachel is downstairs resting from the day's treatment. Stan prepares a simple dinner in the kitchen. Danny tucks Grace in. It has been an adventurous day and Grace is tired. Danny reads to her from her favorite book, but she almost falls asleep. He puts the book aside.
"Did you have a good day, Monkey?"
"Mm-hmm. It was fun. Steve is fun."
"Yeah, he is."
"I asked Kono to take me surfing. Steve surfs too. He said he could teach me, too."
"Grace, baby, we've talked about this. It's still too early. Next year, okay?"
Grace plays with the bed cover before she whispers. "Steve has dolphins and he said he makes me see them."
Danny sits up. He doesn't lose his smile on his face. "He has dolphins. Really? Where?"
"He said, at the beach, where he lives. Danno, dolphins! Can we go see them? I want to go. Steve said we can come anytime." Grace glows and looks so hopefully at him. He knows how much she loves dolphins. "We can go tomorrow. Please, Danno, please." She whines, too exhausted and too hyper about the fact that Steve got miraculously some dolphins somewhere at his house.
"Let me talk to him, first, okay? And then we can go see them. But you might haven't heard it right, Monkey. Are you sure he said there are dolphins at the beach?"
Grace nods enthusiastically. "At the beach, Steve's beach. But we have to paddle out, to see them. He said he's going to show me. Can I go? Please, Danno." She begs.
Danny kisses her forehead and whispers in her ear, "of course, Monkey. We'll go visit Steve and he's going to show you the dolphins."
Back at home, Danny's finally alone with his thought. He can't stand that Steve told, promised even, his little girl dolphins. Real dolphins, the wild ones in the sea. No one promises a child something without keeping it. Danny doesn't know how he feels. Steve should have asked him. He should have consulted him. Danny can't stand the picture of his little girl far out on a paddleboard on the ocean. Not even a boat. Nothing, his girl has nothing lost on the ocean. Not yet, too dangerous.
Danny types already the words to send Steve a text. He's agitated and paces the small space in his apartment. He's also angry. What was Steve thinking to make such a promise?
Danny deletes the written text. He grabs his keys from the kitchen table instead and storms outside. He peels off the parking lot and heads towards Steve's place in the jungle. He needs to ask him in person what the hell he was thinking. Who has freaking dolphins at the beach at home?
Danny's headlights lighten the dark street on the freeway. It's late. The first drop of rain hits the windshield when Danny makes the turn to drive up the dirt road to Steve's place.
TBC
Also on AO3
#writersmonth2020#h50#mcdanno#fic rec#ongoing story#prompt fill#prompt 14 metamorphosis part II#cowandcalf writes#and the chapters get longer and longer#can't help it guys#lol
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A Road to Somewhere, Chapter 3 (Adore Delaska) - Puppy
Chapter Summary: Adore meets up with the infamous Grand Witch and finally gets that job! But at what costs?
A/N: Happy belated Halloween and Samhain to all who celebrate. It’s Halloween when I’m submitting this my time, but it’ll be November when it gets posted. I figured the sentiment was still nice. Anyway, I figured a good thing to ring in the holiday was yet another story of spirits and witches.
This chapter is surprisingly longer than I thought it was going to be, but it was still nice to write. Thanks again to @chaoticnachokitten and @thackeryisatop for beta-ing.
I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 3
TW: emotional abuse.
Adore found herself in a smaller storage room; it was probably a loading dock in the past. She passed by a small sink with a towel on a hanger. It was probably Raja’s whenever they decided to leave their post. Wrapped boxes and jars still had tags on them, and there were a few planks of wood and coils of rope neatly placed nearby. She didn’t have much time to take everything in though; there was somewhere she needed to be sooner than later.
Rio knew what she was doing; she looked like she went through this route for years. “The Grand Witch lives way up at the top, in the back of the house.” She said, beckoning the human to follow her down this path.
Following suit, she was led to an entrance marked by large moving gears. Adore looked up, admiring the mechanisms for a short second. There was a myriad of pulley systems, presumably enchanted as well, that made her severely underestimate how tall and large the bathhouse really was. It seemed endless, but perhaps that was the point. Not everyone could visit a witch who claimed to have such high esteem. Two elevators moved along the wires: two metal cabinets labelled on the outside. She didn’t have too much time to wonder about that, though.
“Get over here! We don’t have all night.”
“Coming!” Adore shook herself out of her state of awe and ran into another elevator where her guide was. It was a smaller wooden lift that didn’t have a door or proper walls, but it was made up for it being surrounded mainly by stone. There wasn’t any risk of her falling out any time soon. The redhead clung to the back wall (more like the back piece of plywood, if she could be more accurate), staring as it went farther up the bathhouse.
“You wanna lose your nose, kid?” She was pulled back by Rio’s forceful grip, and she thus threw her arms around the older spirit. “Hey, what are you doing?!“ Rio questioned.
"Aaaah! Sorry,” Adore answered, backing away from the older woman.
The elevator passed through many floors, and the human couldn’t keep track of what was going on on each one. They all reeked of opulence; this witch practically owned everything. The railings and beams supporting the house were made of cherry red wood with ornate gold carvings. The hardwood floors were barely even noticeable from the amount of workers who were there. She could never really tell how many of them were on said floor since they all blurred together. Some were carrying trays of food, or were they herbal soaks? Maybe some were pushing a dolly of some substance. The world was passing right before her eyes; plus her view was partly obscured by Rio’s body, hiding her from any suspicion.
The lift eventually stopped, letting Rio and Adore off on a higher floor. They faced a hallway of painted floral walls. Empty woven containers rested on yet another wall; they almost looked like birdhouses, but could easily be taken apart to build a nest of sorts. Above the walls, were small golden plates, also painted with flower arrangements. This witch must really like her flowers, Adore pondered as she started skipping on the hardwood. She didn’t have time to take in every little detail; hopefully her new motions would make her go faster. The loudest sounds the two could hear were their own footsteps. “So…” she attempted to start some conversation, “how long have you been here?”
“Hell if I know.” Rio continued, wanting to bash her head into one of those walls. Being part of an escort mission was the last thing she wanted to do today. “And watch your volume. The point of this is not to get discovered, remember?”
The human covered her mouth for a bit as they passed by chefs in dark, cone shaped hats and face masks preparing a kind of banquet. Some ladled soup into small red bowls while others placed cherry tomatoes in black bowls. There were off-handed comments and complaints about how it wasn’t spicy enough or how it was going to get cold before they could serve it. Adore nearly wanted to dive into the buffet for whatever she liked, but she found herself turning the corner and into yet another elevator. Thankfully, they were able to make it in before it closed, and before the woman who exited noticed their presence.
“We’re about halfway there. Just… stay close, y’hear?” The woman with the raccoon-like eyes pulled down a lever and up they went.
“Uh… party.” She smiled awkwardly and retreated to the back of the lift. This elevator was a little different as one part of the back wall wasn’t solid stone. It acted as a window to another part of the house. It looked like a series of tubs with guests destressing in its waters, but she couldn’t make out many details. Her vision was shrouded with a blanket of steam. Before she could take in anything more, the elevator stopped on another floor. The two of them were not as lucky this time.
A rather large patron was standing in front of them. From further inspection, he seemed furry with two large tusk-like appendages dangling from his face.The only articles of clothing that it wore were a large red bowl for a hat and an equally red loincloth on his torso. He looked at the worker and the invasive human pensively. Rio’s face grimaced at the sight of another spirit who desired to use the lift.
“Welcome…” Rio gasped and forced a toothy smile on her face as Adore slinked behind her. “What can I do for you?” The radish spirit didn’t really respond; he grumbled as he slowly pointed a finger upwards. “I’m sorry, sir. This elevator is out of service. Can’t go any higher. Have to take another one.” She maintained that smile as she walked out of the elevator. As soon she couldn’t see the spirit, her smile dropped. “Glad that’s taken care of,” she whispered when she was out of earshot. As they continued on, Adore swore she heard footsteps, but didn’t want to say anything just yet.
The two made their way onto an arched bridge, and it was then the redhead was starstruck by the interior of the bathhouse. The floral patterning was not confined to that one hallway, as it seemed to decorate many other parts of that floor. She looked down, getting a better glimpse of what she saw on the elevator ride. There definitely was a series of tubs, and she could make out some of the figures on that bottom floor.
The ducks from earlier fit in one of the larger tubs, but there were more than she had seen before. Did they multiply like gremlins? Never mind that; there were more interesting sights than large ducks overflowing a pool. A worker in a blue kimono gave an antlered spirit a massage, while two others were filing some oblong entity’s nails. They massaged and pampered these creatures to their heart’s content.
As soon as the two stepped off the bridge, the two women turned a corner. Adore looked back, the radish spirit leering back at them from where they just left. “Rio, I think he’s following us…” She whispered, pulling at Rio’s free arm.
“Quit gawking. It’s rude.”
The human quickly whipped her head back forward and sooner than later they found themselves in front of an elevator. Rio pressed the button as Adore squished herself between the corner and the spirit in front of her. The radish spirit finally caught up to them, staring at the door in earnest; his undulating chest directly in Rio’s line of sight. Anyone around him could hear his breathing. She closed her eyes and turned her head the other way. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time to rest. The elevator doors opened, but it wasn’t full, much to her surprise.
Three monsters in fluffy white bathrobes stepped out of the elevator with a frog-like worker following behind them, escorting them to their rooms. He wore a white and blue version of what Rio was wearing and was about as tall as her too. The frogman stopped his conversation, sniffing his nose as he turned around looking his coworker dead in the eyes. “Rio!” He barked.
Surprised, and annoyed at being discovered, she pushed Adore into the elevator and plastered that retail smile back on her face. “What is it?” she asked through gritted teeth. The radish spirit followed the young girl into the elevator, clearly not aware of her existence. Or perhaps he was and he refused to say anything about the intruder’s presence.
“What’s that smell?” The frogman sniffed his nose again and widened his eyes, “Aha! A human! You reek of human!” Adore turned her head and sniffed herself; was her odor that strong? Yes, she hadn’t showered since the morning, but not everyone needed to point it out.
“Never would have guessed.” Rio retorted.
“You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Come on! Spill!”
The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out the newt Raja had given her. “Is this what you’re looking for?” She dangled it in front of his face.
The frog’s mouth watered at the sight of it, moaning out of hunger. “Give me that!”
His attempt was thwarted by Rio pulling it out of his grasp. “Well, I was gonna share this with the other girls. But since you asked so nicely…”
“Please? At least a leg! Just a leg will do!”
She kept pulling the newt farther and farther away, sometimes shifting her position to get it out of the man’s grasp. “If you wanna go up,” Rio instructed, “just pull the lever on the right.” Adore gave a thumbs up from her currently cramped state and managed to pull the lever from the ends of her fingertips. The last thing she saw before the doors finally closed was her guide popping the roasted lizard into her mouth, as one final act of spite.
The elevator ride was a little uncomfortable; one could easily cut the awkward tension with a butterknife. Adore took it upon herself to study more of her companion’s appearance. He had curly green hair… or was it leaves. He was called the “radish spirit”, so was he one? Or did he just look like one. Hell, this isn’t the strangest shit I’ve seen today… She pondered as she stopped herself from paying attention to the radish spirit’s dad bod.
The first floor the lift stopped at wasn’t the floor she needed to be. It was mostly empty hallways with pairs of sandals neatly decorating the hardwood. There were many shadows behind a series of patterned changing screens. Was this some sort of sleeping arrangements? Before Adore could think about exploring the place, the radish spirit realized this wasn’t the floor he was looking for, pulling the lever yet again. The human huffed a complaint. On the other hand, there wasn’t any time to explore; she had somewhere important to be.
After the awkward detour, the elevator finally stopped at the first floor. They both stepped out and scanned the area. If the scenery of the bathhouse didn’t stun her enough, then this top floor definitely did. This floor screamed wealth and was even more opulent than the floors she traversed earlier. Instead of the hardwood, the two were standing on some sort of marble with other colored tiles neatly placed in pretty patterns. Surrounding the middle sat large expensive vases accentuated by architecture embossed with more floral patterns. Adore let out a breath she never realized she held as her widened eyes soaked in all of the intricacies. The radish spirit stepped back into the elevator, bowing to her before the doors closed.
She quickly bowed back and was alone yet again. She wearily walked down the hall, her breath loud and her shoulders practically to her ears. The girl nearly flinched as she heard the echoes of her own footsteps. I should have asked Lask before this shit happened… she thought, playing with her sleeves. This needed to be over with soon. How hard could getting a job be? She stopped at a small staircase and looked up.
Two bright red doors stood before her underneath a bird-like crest embossed with the symbol she saw earlier that day. There was something off about the right door, though. As she approached that door, she took careful watch of the knocker. It was engraved with the face of a woman, but not just any woman. She seemed to be the bird woman who patrolled when she first met Lask. Come to think of it, the crest looked vaguely familiar too, but that had to be a coincidence. Adore grabbed the handle and started to pull, but she was quickly stopped by an unseen voice.
“Well, aren’t you going to knock?”
She flinched back as if she had just touched a hot iron.
“Gods, you’re honestly the most pathetic thing I’ve seen all day!” The voice continued. She sounded mature for her age. Was that the Grand Witch she had been looking for? After insulting the human, whoever was speaking must have made a decision to pity her. The door opened by itself, revealing more doors that opened in sync. The hallway that stood before Adore was fascinating. There was a small chandelier in every little intersection, like every hallway in front of her had been Xeroxed multiple times. “Don’t be shy, you can come in.”
No matter how inviting the woman sounded, the human was still starstruck. She shook and clung to her shirt, but not out of fear. Or at least that was what Adore wanted to believe. She was thirteen; she shouldn’t be afraid of things anymore, or at least things as silly as a jumpscare.
“I said, come IN.” Adore felt something slowly tugging at the front of her shirt. She pulled back, but she stopped for a bit. The tugging quickly came back, grabbing at the collar and yanking her down the hallway at an impeccable speed, about the same speed when she tripped on the stairs. Doors seemed to close as soon as she entered them, and as soon as there weren’t any more doors, the force sharply turned its subject around the corner. She barely had any time to take in any more intricate patterns. For all she knew, she was floating across a sea of garnet and gold. The invisible grip let her go as soon as she went through a last set of doors, throwing her down and letting her fall face first into the patterned red carpet.
Sitting herself back up, the human caught her breath, tempted to hop on one of the two plush red armchairs that surrounded her. The fireplace crackled, causing Adore to jump a little bit. She looked around the room a little more until she caught the gaze of a woman working at her desk. If she was the Grand Witch Visage, she wasn’t like anything the girl was expecting. The woman was a lot younger than she first expected, but not too young. She seemed practically old enough to be her mother… or at least a mother. She had well-defined cheekbones and a sharp chin. Her dark hair was up in a tight bun, while the top of her chest practically spilled out of her dress as she was working on some sort of paperwork. Her bony fingers picked up the pen and continued her writing. “Oh good, you didn’t break anything,” she barely noticed the human in front of her. Then again, the room always had a thin layer of smoke surrounding everything. “That’s more than I expected from you.”
The human brushed off her shorts and cautiously approached the woman. “Hey…umm… Please give me a job.” The witch simply stared at her for a split second, then returned to her work. With every movement of the pen, she felt something strange. Adore attempted to speak again, but as soon as she took a breath, her mouth was slowly closing, like some invisible seamstress sewed her lips together. Upon that realization, she quickly panicked, trying to force her mouth back open with as much force her fingers could allow, but it was merely in vain. Brute strength was nothing against a witch’s spell.
“There… much better,” Michelle smirked, continuing her work and avoiding eye contact with the shaken human. “You open your mouth for one second and you’ve already said too much. Especially with that request of yours. Get you a job… This isn’t the place for a human. This is a bathhouse, where eight million spirits can rest their bones.” She placed a small bag of gold in a coin box with her free hand as she continued her rant. The witch stopped for a moment and set her pen down, picking up a long cigarette in its holder instead. She twiddled it around, clinking with the many rings adorning her fingers. She then stopped and stared directly at Adore. “Your mother had some nerve, didn’t she?”
Adore’s brow furrowed; anger started coming to her in a slow boil. If circumstances were normal, she would be throwing a punch towards the woman’s direction, or she’d pull out a knife. However, all she could do was just stand there and take this beatdown.
“Now my customers are hungry and it’s all her fault. It’s a good thing in time that she’ll be next on the menu.” Michelle continued, her voice dripping with venomous honey. “Wait a second,” she lit the cigarette with her fingers and took a drag , blowing some smoke in the human’s general direction. “It’s not entirely her fault… It was yours!” Her jaw would have been on the floor by now. “You could’ve stopped her. You could have even avoided entering this realm… but you didn’t. And now you can’t go home! Now what do you have to say about that?”
As expected, there was only muffled nonsense coming from the human’s mouth. Adore was practically shaking at this point: mostly out of fear and panic. Neither of them could have known that this land was sacred. Logically, it couldn’t be her fault, but why was she believing it? Was that… monster just that persuasive?
“Just as I thought…” She tapped at the holder, a few ashes piled onto the table. “You’d make a good piglet. It fits with that body of yours… or maybe a lump of coal. That way you’ll be useful for once…” The Grand Witch laughed seeing the human’s now frazzled state, blowing another cloud of smoke. “You’re trembling… Actually, I’m impressed you made it this far,” she spoke with a twinge of sincerity, “but I know you couldn’t have done it alone. Someone had to have helped you.” She slowed down her speech slightly as if she was talking down to a child. Then again, for all she knew Adore could have been a young child; Michelle stopped caring about age a long time ago.“All… you have.. to do… is tell me… who… it… was….”
Adore let out a heavy breath when the witch finally broke the enchantment on her lips. She balled her fists. “I just want a job here.”
“Again with this, aren’t you done with th-”
“PLEASE! I JUST WANT A FUCKIN’ JOB, GODDAMMIT!”
“SHUT UP!” This angered the witch further as the pile of paperwork began to flutter around her as she tensed up. Shortly afterwards, she shot herself into the air and knocked her things off the desk. Michelle Visage landed directly in front of Adore, intimidating the teen. She forced her to make eye contact, towering her body over her. “Why should I hire you?! Anybody with half a brain can see that you’re a whiny, foul-mouthed, lazy, spoiled crybaby. And stupid to boot.” Her long nails dug into the girl’s chest with every insult. “There’s nothing here for you. This is a HIGH CLASS business, and I have all the lazy bums I need.” She then moved behind the frightened woman. “Or maybe… you’d like the nastiest job I’ve got, and work
you until you breathe your very last breath. How does that sound?” The witch asked, walking her fingers along Adore’s arm until they reached her neck. As she was about to apply more pressure, the room began to violently shake.
The contents of her desk, plus a candelabra atop the fireplace, crashed onto the carpet. Michelle stopped and stood back as she heard the cries of a child from within the room. Momentarily forgetting about the human nuisance, she rushed to the other side where she was met by splinters from the door nearing her face. “Stop that,” her voice showed genuine concern and passion as she poked her head in through the door hole. “What’s the matter, baby?” She was met with a large foot kicking her face. Chunks of green painted wood ended up in her bun. “It’s okay… Mama’s here…” After attending to her child’s needs, she turned back to the human, her demeanor turning 180 degrees. “What are you still doing? Can’t you tell this is a private moment?”
“YES, BUT I WANT A JOB. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?” Adore yelled over the various other sounds in the room.
“Be quiet! You’re scaring the baby!” She turned back towards her child, continuing her baby voice. “Hi, sweetie. She’ll be gone soon enough. Don’t be mad.
“I’ll leave your office if you give me a job.” She smirked, not moving an inch..
Michelle sighed, comforting the baby one last time. “It’s okay.. Mommy will be with you in a bit.” As she entered, the contents that had been knocked over slowly floated back to their respective places. Adore waited for the business to be over with, tapping her foot impatiently. She knew she won in this situation. Her mom was gonna be saved soon enough. How bad could this be?
The witch returned, pulling planks out of her hair as a pen and empty piece of parchment found Adore’s hands. “That’s your contract,” Michelle explained as she returned to her desk, “just sign your name, and I’ll put you to work. And if I hear one little complaint out of you, you’ll be joining your family in the pigpen.”
She nodded in response and stared at the contract, squinting her eyes to see if there was anything funny about it. If there were any added things about turning her anyway, she was going to be more than disappointed. This girl didn’t care if she was a middle-aged woman, she’d punch the living daylights out of her. “So… I just sign?”
“Yes,” Michelle responded.
“Right there?”
“Yes! Quit wasting time. It’s almost like you don’t want this job with how you’re dilly-dallying…” Upon that remark, Adore kneeled down to find a flat surface to sign. “I can’t believe I took that oath. ‘Give a job to anyone who asks’…” Michelle mocked as she fixed a crooked lampshade and turned on that light. “She should be lucky I’m so nice… Are you done there?” As soon as Adore lifted the pen from the parchment, it flew into Michelle’s hands. “Perfect. So, you’re Adore Delano, yes?”
She nodded her head.
“Lovely name for someone like you.” The witch placed a hand over the paper. The human could only gasp as she saw what happened next. Most of the letters from her signature floated from the paper and into Visage’s open fist. She grasped the letters as a smirk stretched across her name. “From now on, your name is Red… You understand that? That’s easy enough to remember, right? You’re Red now. Answer me, Red!”
The sudden change in tone made Ado- Red jump in her place. “Y-yes ma’am…” For the first time that day, she hesitated. She straightened her posture and held her arms closer together, holding back things she shouldn’t be feeling until a familiar voice made her happier.
“You called for me?” Lask had entered the witch’s quarters seemingly unnoticed. Red wondered how much of the interaction she had seen.
“Yes,” the Grand Witch responded, “this child is starting work as of now. Set her up with a job.”
The other spirit nodded her head, turning to the human with a solemn look on her face. “What’s your name?”
Red quietly gasped. You know me… why are you acting like a narc, lady? She wanted to say that, but she had her life and humanity on the line. “It’s Ad-” She stopped herself mid-sentence. “Red. It’s Red.”
A moment of silence broke between the two old friends… or were they ever friends. “Follow me then.” Lask commanded for the newest hire to follow. They kept the silence as they walked down the halls again.
As they entered the elevator, the silence still continued. The human’s puppy dog eyes brightened. They were alone now! Things could get back to how they were. She then broke the eyes “Lask! I am so fuckin’ happy to se-”
“Don’t talk to me unless it’s something important.” Those words lashed at Red. “And address me as Madame Lask.”
Red refused to say anything more as she slumped along one of the lift’s walls. This ride somehow felt longer than all of the other ones.
#rpdr fanfiction#adore delano#alaska thunderfuck#bianca del rio#michelle visage#adore delaska#supernatural au#spirited away au#lesbian au#a road to somewhere#puppy#tw emotional abuse#concrit welcome
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Summary: Instead of leaving her confession letter on the table, Anne gives it right to Hazel to deliver to Gilbert. (A 3x08 speculation story of what would have happened if Gilbert had Anne’s letter.)
Notes: This story was inspired by this post by @mostlyfangirling and this ask I got from an anon friend! Please enjoy!
*
Anne emerged from over the hill with the same insistence of Avonlea’s morning sun, its same fuschia blush on her cheeks. Hazel nearly mistook her for the horizon as a golden halo turned her into a dancing silhouette across the yard. Yet the closer Anne grew to the house, the more the characteristics of a normal human girl fell back over her - a wasp’s nest for hair, a disheveled apron, a bottomless depth in the souls of her eyes. She came upon the door, meeting Hazel’s inquisitive gaze with a friendly grin through the porch window.
“Hello!” came Anne’s muffled voice through the pane. Hazel straightened her back, wiping her dusty palms on her dress before opening the door. The second the door cracked open, she was nearly swept away by whatever anxious, palpable energy emanated from the girl. Yet the girl’s presence was far from uncomfortable, and even bore something warm, almost on fire. Fumbling with her hands, Anne began to speak. “You must be Mrs. Hazel! I am ever so honored to meet your acquaintance. Every time our family grows by one member, I cannot help but be selfishly glad for it. I’m Anne Shirley-Cuthbert!” Anne peered around Hazel’s shoulder. “Is Gilbert in?”
Hazel knew it was only a matter of time before the ladies would begin to come knocking after the young Blythe boy, no matter how many times Bash insisted he was already spoken for. She just didn’t suppose Gilbert’s suitors would be wildflowers popped up from the ground come to life in girl form.
“He’s gone to town on some errands,” was all Hazel could think to say.
Anne’s shoulders slumped as if something in her core had cracked. There had to be something that could be done. Agonizing over a solution, she tapped her foot to expel her nervousness and cut the silence. Maybe she could go to the train station to meet him, or wait here so that when he returned, she’d be the first thing he’d see. There were such wonderful blossoms along the way. What if she were to pluck a few for him? Would he even appreciate such a gesture?
“Are you sick?” Hazel’s voice broke in. Anne’s face snapped up to hers, and suddenly she could feel her confidence draining from her from a hole in her heart. Was she sick? Anne supposed she was, in the worst way a girl could be. What was she thinking coming here?
But she wasn’t thinking - that was the truth of it. She was burning alive, and she always would be if she didn’t tell Gilbert that she loved him right now. Today.
“Do you suppose I could write him a message?” she sputtered, startling Hazel with her urgency. “I have something to tell him of such importance that neglecting it would certainly be one of my life’s biggest regrets.”
“Whatever it is, I could pass along the message.”
“It really is something he should hear directly from me. I can’t risk him misunderstanding me twice.” From the doorway, Anne’s eyes caught Gilbert’s stack of paper and his homework pen sitting across the kitchen. “I’ll only be a second.”
With the paper before her and the quill in her hand, Anne could feel the turmoil of affection bubbling inside of her, a hurricane of inarticulable words that begged for meaning. How fast could her hand write that she had spent every minute of their friendship admiring him with such a fury that she once misinterpreted it as disdain? That the thought of his smile and gentle support made it difficult to walk, to breathe? That she had been completely devoured by her desire for him, so much so that she couldn’t remember a time without it?
Yet Anne wrote the simplest words she’d ever put to paper: “Dear Gilbert, I’m sorry I was confused before. I’m not anymore. I love you. -Anne.” There it was, immortalized in the paper, unable to be erased from existence. Was that truly all she wanted to say? Everything else, she supposed, could be explained in person. Then, with a jolt, she remembered to write one last thing down. “P.S. Could I please have my pen back ?”
Anne folded the paper with a gentle touch, writing Gilbert’s name across the front. Then, turning to Hazel, she said in a heavy voice, “Mrs. Hazel, please guard this letter with your life and ensure that it gets to Gilbert for me please. I would owe you greatly for such an imposition, but I’ve waited long enough to tell him.”
“Tell him what?” Hazel heard herself asking, surprising herself at her own prodding.
Anne’s cheeks took the same color as azaleas, soft underneath her freckles.
“I’m certain you could wager a guess.”
Hazel accepted the letter. It was weighty even to the touch, and for a split second, she wondered if there was more to Anne than what met the human eye.
“Yes, I think I can do as much.” It was a promise between women, between alike souls that knew how to love.
Anne pressed her lips together and nodded her appreciation, a praise of undying gratitude caught in her throat.
She was caught in the doorway when she turned to leave, eyes still fixed on the letter in Hazel’s hand. No part of her wanted to tear it away, toss it to the rambling wind to be forgotten. Gilbert would know, and whatever change to their friendship resulted, Anne was prepared to accept fate.
With one last glance of appreciation, Anne took Hazel’s hands and kissed the woman’s cheek. “Thank you, kind Hazel.”
And then, seeping back into the horizon from where she came, Anne disappeared into the orange-haloed hills.
*
Gilbert sailed into the house, laughing his way into the kitchen and right past the letter on the table. His lungs were sails full of air and his brow was damp from the hot summer. He collapsed into the chair on the other side of the kitchen near Delly, and the door opened with a fury, revealing an even more exhausted Sebastian.
“Laugh all you want, Blythe, but any boy can win a sprint race. The real test is the endurance run, a man’s sport! Don’t forget you promised to help me with the fence repairs, then we’ll see who's got dead bones.”
“Like you’d ever let me forget.”
The young boy was too busy rolling down his sleeves to wipe away his sweat to see Hazel slip the letter from the table and hide it behind her back. She approached Gilbert with caution, and knowing that it bore such importance was careful not to crease the important correspondence in her hands. Gilbert looked up at her with his eyes the color of the the island - its blue skies, its red soil, its green tree tops. He cocked his head as Hazel kept her expression stone cold, hiding what she knew behind it.
“Hazel, is something wrong?”
“No,” she said shortly. “A letter came for you today.”
He must’ve recognized his own stationary when it was placed into his hands, as well as the script across the front, because an immediate reverence softened his grasp.
“It’s from Anne.” He stared at it in his palm.
“Well, are you going to open it?” Bash exasperated.
“I don’t know if I want to. The last time I saw her...” Gilbert ran the pads of his fingers over the paper for a split second before swallowing the lump in his throat and unfolding the letter.
Gilbert was all but brought to his knees. His eyes somehow zeroed in on the words “I love you” and his stomach filled with hurricane winds or butterflies, turning him a man seconds away from taking flight. He shot to his feet, his inarticulate mouth gaping to say something, but coming up blank. All that came out was a relieved, half-sobbed burst of laughter.
Anne loved him! She loved him and she wrote it down with her own hand and left it for him to read. She loved him and she told him, even though he’d made her think he’d completely moved on to someone else because she loved him enough to hope. All the compromises in his head where he promised himself he’d grow to love Winifred were so terribly wrong, so impossibly hopeless. He knew what he really wanted, has always known, but now that it had been lit on fire by Anne’s returned love that, the truth could do nothing but burn brighter.
He wanted to race out into the yard, throw up his arms, and spin around until he collapsed on the ground with dizziness. But first he had to see Anne!
“How long ago was she here?” he rushed out.
“This morning,” Hazel replied.
Gilbert beelined out of the door, jumping over his two steps and set to the ground running as fast as he could. Somehow the tall grass at his sides in the fields was so much softer than it had been, and the breeze comfortably cool as it whizzed in his ears. All of nature, it seemed, had begun to rejoice with him, sweeping under his feet and hurrying him along.
When Green Gables came into view, all the wind in his lungs disappeared. He stumbled to a halt, gaze melting when he saw Anne sitting on the bench outside her front door. Her nose was buried into a book and one of her hands was reaching over the edge of the porch, moving slowly to catch some of the afternoon sun. The sight caused Gilbert’s heart to expand so fully in his chest that it almost hurt against his ribs.
He crept forward slowly, reminding himself how to walk. The movement caught Anne’s attention, and she froze. Gilbert hoped he was smiling, hoped that he was giving her some indication that his arrival here was a good thing. But his expression was heavy with the better feelings of his heart, indecipherable to Anne, who looked like she was seconds away from fleeing inside. She set her book aside and moved to the edge of the porch, waiting for him to say something.
There were a thousand different words on the tip of his tongue - Surely you must know how much I...You never said anything about...I was so sure that you’d never...Please accept me as I am, please please plea - but they remained unsaid. The longer he stood unmoving, the more Anne’s face fell.
Then, Gilbert remembered the letter that hadn’t left his hands and the pen that he’d been keeping in his pocket. He turned the parchment over, and with Anne’s fountain pen wrote out the only thing he could . He set both his confession and the pen in her shaking hands, and watched her eyes fall upon the paper. There were only four words to read.
I love you too.
“So much,” he managed to whisper. Anne’s ice blue eyes were clear and glossy, but a small smile dimpled her cheeks and Gilbert released a small sigh.
“Really?” she said softly. His throat felt thick, but he blinked the blurriness from his eyes and nodded. Anne lowered her forehead onto his, her presence a balm on every ache he’d ever felt, and he smiled as he leaned up to meet her. He wondered if a man could drown in happiness.
“It’s always been you, Anne. From the very first day, it’s only been you.”
He was a split second away from closing the distance between them when Anne took a hesitant step back. She bit her lip, her gaze falling to the floor beside her feet.
“What about Winifred?”
Gilbert blinked. He hadn’t had a chance to think that far ahead. Once he’d read her letter, he was like a man crazed to get here, to see her. His heart sunk in his chest at the vulnerable hope on her face. He reached for her hands and squeezed them gently.
“I’ll have to talk to Winifred as soon as possible. It’s long overdue.”
“What do you mean?”
His thumb ran over his knuckles as he spoke.
“In some ways, loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. In other ways, I’m profoundly inexperienced in the reality of love. I thought that because there was no chance for you and I, that I would have to grow to learn to love someone else. But the more time passed, the more I was hopelessly yours, and always would be. I should’ve known that real, genuine love is something you can’t just ignore.” He pulled her hand up to his cheek, then turned to kiss it. “I’m just relieved that I won’t have to pretend anymore.” He paused, meeting her eyes. “Will I?”
“No,” Anne replied warmly. “I think you and I have spent long enough dancing around each other. I won’t lock up what I’m feeling either.”
“So does that mean that when everything is cleared away you and I…?”
“I hope so,” Anne confessed.
Gilbert’s smile was pure gold. Every ounce of desire he thought he had to marry into a wealthy family and go off to the Sorbonne disappeared, never having existed in the first place. There were only visions in his head of this his home on Canadian soil and the family he was unknowingly building with Anne for years now. Days of holding Anne, tasting her smile were finally within reach.
Yet, everything he wanted to do in that moment, he couldn’t. Not until he talked to Winifred. It wouldn’t be easy, he knew. Winnie was so kind, and had never given him any reason to complain. He’d wronged her so cruelly, and had ignored the truth of it.
Anne was able to read his face like a book, and offered him a sad smile.
“If you go now, you can catch the earlier train into Charlottetown so you won’t be rushing to make the last one. Take your time to say what you need to and hear what she’ll say in return,” she offered.
Gilbert sighed. The more Anne spoke, the more he admired her, gravitated to her kind heart. Lovesickness had his heart in its unforgiving grasp, but it was best he’d ever felt.
“Maybe when I come back, we can go for a walk?” he said hopefully. Anne bit her lip, a blush forming sweetly on her cheeks.
“That sounds nice.”
From the corner of his eye, Gilbert caught a glance of the curtains moving in the window. Marilla stood half hidden behind the wall with a tender expression on her face as she comprehended what was happening on her porch. He tipped his head in respect then turned back to Anne.
“I have a train to catch,” he said a bit sadly. Anne nodded in understanding, stepping back to make the separation easier on them both. Gilbert’s feet mindlessly carried him a few paces away, but he paused and glanced over his shoulder. Anne stood where he’d left her, bathed in ethereal, dusky light, the letter still in her hands.
He crossed the distance in two short strides and took the letter from her hand. Then, as carefully as if he were harvesting a delicate flower from the garden, Gilbert tore his own confession off along the creased seam, and closed Anne’s hands over it.
“So you doubt or forget,” he murmured. Affection filled her eyes, sending a thrill down his back. Anne then took the rest of the letter in his hands, folded it, and slid it into his breast pocket.
“So you remember what has always been true,” she replied.
Lighter and more radiant than he’d ever been before, Gilbert fixed one last lingering glance on the one face he loved best and made his way down the drive.
*
Gilbert made good on his promise to come see Anne for a walk. Anne had seen him crossing the fields between the Cuthbert and Blythe-Lacroix farms from the window, and knew without asking that his talk with Winifred had gone longer and worse than he expected. But the moment he laid his eyes on her, his shoulders lifted and he sped up even more.
They walked along the banks of the creek, watching dragonflies fly from one stepping stone to another and speaking the way new lover’s do - the whole world new at their feet.
Later, when the sun shone directly above their heads, they settled underneath a crowned sycamore tree slowly venturing closer and closer to each other. Gilbert drew shapes onto the back of her hand as she spoke about her recent discoveries.
“-and apparently Diana knew the whole time, or at least she suspected, but as soon as she said it, I realized how foolish I’d been. It’s funny how one minute your entire life is veiled, and the next, all the colors are brand new.” She paused, catching Gilbert’s heavy gaze. “What is it?”
Gilbert said nothing. He only crossed into her space until they shared the same air, and waited for permission. Anne sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers finding his jaw and gently running over the dimples of his smile. Then, as reverent as a prayer, she closed the distance and kissed him. Gilbert dissolved under her touch, reaching for her waist and pressing her closer to him.
When they pulled apart, Anne could still taste the apple sweetness of him on her lips and couldn’t stop herself from placing honeydrop kisses along his cheek. She felt his hand travel down her back and shivered.
“This is different,” she admitted as Gilbert’s head fell against hers.
“Good different?”
Anne grinned and kissed him again. When she placed her hand on his chest, she realized in the vaguest awareness of her mind there was a thin piece of paper all folded up above his heart. She pressed herself up close to him and hoped that maybe he’d feel hers in the same place.
#anne of green gables#anne with an e#shirbert#shirbert fic#anne and gilbert#tessa writes#on todays episode of: tessa is on her poetic bullshit
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He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not | John Wick x Reader
PROMPT: Hanahaki Disease AU! Reader realizes she's in love with John but John, on the other hand, can't reciprocate the feelings because he's still in love with Helen. And so, reader begins to cough blood red rose petals...
WARNING: Major angst. Blood. Get your tissues ready.
NOTE: This is my take on the fictional disease so please don't attack me if some of the concepts of it is wrong. I just did it so there would be more impact to the story. An explanation for my take on the Hanahaki will be provided down below at the end of the oneshot to avoid any confusions. Other than that, please enjoy!
--
If there was one thing you hated doing, it was breaking promises. And you rarely did it unless it was really necessary. But you hated it when you did. And this... this was a promise you swore you would never break. But here you were, staring down at your bloody palm, examining the rose petals that stuck to your skin.
A lone tear cascaded down your cheek as you wiped the blood from your lips.
It finally got to you. The disease. The same disease that had killed your beloved Mother. And you were sure it was the same one that was going to kill you.
You vividly remembered how your Mother would gush about how beautiful love was. How magical it is and how you'd feel as if you were floating when you experienced it. And in a way, she has a point. But not everything was easy.
Because along with love comes pain. The pain of a broken heart. And as you grew up you realized that love was only beautiful when it was reciprocated. When the person you love is in love with you as well. But like your mom, you weren't so lucky.
You had no one but John now. When your Mother died of the Hanahaki Disease, you swore- vowed, rather, that you would never fall in love. But that was, until John.
The moment you saw the man, you could tell just how miserable he seemed but there was something about him that just drew you in. He charmed women without even noticing it. And so you did the unthinkable and was bold enough to go ask him what drink he wanted and that it was on you.
You worked as a bartender in the Red Circle. And when you spotted John you had no idea what type of man he was and what type of world he lives in. But even after that, you didn't care. You still stuck with him.
And you didn't even plan on doing so. You just wanted to give the man something to look forward to. Something to give him a little boost. But when chaos broke and you were almost shot by Viggo's men, John was brave enough to catch the bullet himself before the rest of them ran out thinking they had finally killed the Baba Yaga.
That night, you couldn't just leave him there dying. You had insisted he goes to the hospital but he told you not to and instructed you to take him to the Continental. The hotel where you didn't even know housed assassins like him. You didn't know why but you had stayed with him the whole while he was being patched up despite the fact he kept telling you to leave because it would be dangerous.
But the stubborn person you are, you decided to stay. And the rest was history from there.
You felt it creep up on you. You could tell because you felt the same itch in your throat that didn't seem to go away ever since your feelings for John got stronger. But the moment you realized you were in love with him, fate had finally decided to give you a sign that the feelings you have for the man just wasn't mutual.
And in a way, you kind of understood why. The wedding band on John's finger was proof of that. It was the proof of his undying love for his late wife, Helen. Who were you to compete with that?
The whole situation caused you to let a laugh under your breath. How ironic. John Wick never intends on hurting you. And yet here he was, being the reason why you're ill today.
---
"Y/N, you need to rest, you've been coughing all day and you don't look too good. I can handle it from here." John tried to approach you but you instinctively moved away from him and sat down on the couch yourself. Your reaction took him aback but he quickly regained his composure and sat down next to you but made sure to give you some distance.
You were pretty sure the handkerchief you were coughing into was full of blood by now and you prayed no petal would fall off or it would only worry John even more. You suspected he knows about the disease as well.
Day by day, it was getting hard for you to breathe. You knew the plant inside your lungs was growing and every night you had battled and hoped it wouldn't be your last night. Even sleeping had come to terrify you. You were afraid you wouldn't wake up anymore.
"Y/N, are you alright? You're not telling me what's going on, I have to know so I can take care of you." John would say, concern written all over his face and your heart ached at the sight because you knew he only meant that as a friend.
"I'm fine, John, I'll be okay I told you it's just allergies." You sighed and stood up to get a glass of water when you felt the familiar itch on your throat creeping up again. But the moment you took a step forward, you leaned forward and began to heave as you wretched out blood along with rose petals on John's floor.
You somehow felt embarrassed but your body fell on the floor as you kept throwing up blood. John was almost sure he would've had a heart attack with what he saw. He immediately went over to you and rubbed your back, panic beginning to creep up in his body.
This was like when Helen was ill.
When you were finished throwing up, you opened your mouth to apologize but you found yourself going limp and passing out in John's arms.
John looked at the blood and rose petals that were smeared all over his floor. The realization hit him like a truck as his face began to go pale. He looked down at your unconscious body in horror.
"Y/N, what the hell..."
---
John couldn't even fathom looking at you like this. Pale and sickly looking. He hadn't noticed just how much you had lost weight and how horrible the bags under your eyes looked. You were always with him but he was too caught up in work that he barely had time to see how his friend was doing.
He knew about the Hanahaki disease. John remembered how someone in Ruska Roma died because of it. But he never expected you to get it.
The assassin pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back against the uncomfortable plastic chair. Who the hell were you in love with? You had never mentioned anyone from work that caught your eye. Nor did you introduce anyone to John. The idea of someone being the root of all this caused him to clench his fists until his knuckles turned white.
Whoever it was that didn't love you back, John was sure he was going to get a piece of his damn mind.
John's thoughts were cut off when the doctor came in and greeted him with a polite smile. When he looked at Y/N's records, the doctor let out a sigh and John knew this wasn't a good sign.
"Does she have family?" The doctor, Dr. Mercer had asked to which John responded by shaking his head no.
"I'm the only one she has now." Dr. Mercer nodded.
"Mr. Wick, I'm gonna be honest. Miss Y/L/N is in critical condition. The amount of blood that she threw up was very alarming. I'm sure you're aware of the Hanahaki Disease?" John nodded solemnly at the question and never took his eyes off you.
"Well, the plant inside her lungs is growing more and more. And it won't be long until it fully suffocates her. Looking at her x-rays right here, you can see that the plant is almost corrupting her lungs fully." Dr. Mercer showed your x-ray scan to John to which he took carefully and it only made the situation even real.
Was he going to lose another important person in his life? He already lost Helen and Daisy. He only has Dog now. Could he really lose you, too?
"Is there a cure to this?"
"There is. But... both of them aren't as easy as they sound." John looked up at the doctor with a confused look causing Dr. Mercer to sigh.
"In order to cure the patient, the person she's in love with has to love her back. And I don't mean platonic love. I mean, real genuine love. If that doesn't work, then we can surgically remove the root of the plant from her lungs."
John perked up at the mention of surgical removal of the plant. Obviously, whoever this person is didn't love you enough to even cure you. John felt that option two was the only logical option left. Or else, you'd die.
"I think I'd like the plant to be surgically removed from her."
"Mr. Wick, I think the patient has to decide for that. Because even though it could cure her, it would erase everything she felt and remembered about the person. Once the operation is done and successful, that person never existed for her. And unfortunately, Y/N here would be stripped away of the ability to experience romantic love. The removal of the root will cause that as well."
John couldn't believe what he was hearing. Y/N won't experience romantic love anymore? He looked at your frail body and put a hand over his face. He'd heard Dr. Mercer excuse himself but all John could think of was how he was going to save you.
He doesn't want you to live up your life not knowing how it feels to be in love and be loved by the person you're in love with. But if you don't do anything about this, you'd be six feet underground and time was slowly running out.
John's thoughts abruptly stopped when he noticed you waking up from a deep sleep. You had been out of it for about fourteen hours.
You fluttered your eyes open and took in your surroundings. Your throat felt really dry and you could use a tall drink of water. Looking around, your eyes soon fell on John who stood up from his chair and smiled softly down at you.
Your heart fluttered at how beautiful he is. You almost mistook him for an angel.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly and brushed away some of your hair away from your face. His touch sent shivers down your spine and in a way, it hurt for him to be here. He was so gentle and patient. Was he like that with Helen? Or was he even more loving when it came to her?
"Like death." You laughed softly as you averted your eyes to the glass of water that was sitting on the table beside your bed, "Can I get a drink, please?"
John immediately took the glass of water and helped you sit up from your bed so you could drink. You were dehydrated from the amount of blood you just threw up hours ago. John gently patted your head when he saw that you drank all of the water from the glass.
"Good girl." He'd praise you and your heart swelled at it but it made you cough a bit.
John sat back down on the plastic chair but brought it closer by your bed as he looked at you in the eye.
"Y/N, who did this to you?" He asked. It took you about a minute to figure out what he was on about. And then you remembered the disease. Your situation probably took a turn for the worse and you assumed what had happened earlier almost scared John to death.
"Y/N." John sighed. "You're one of my most trusted friend. The only friend I probably trust with my whole life, really. But you need to tell me what the fuck is going on. You're dying, honey, and someone is the cause of all this and it's frustrating that I don't know who it is."
It's you, you wanted to say but the words didn't come out the way you wanted them to. You didn't want to see the look on John's face when you laid out the truth. Even now, on the verge of death, you were afraid of what he'd think. You knew he has a lot on his plate and he's just getting the chance to finally grieve for Helen. You didn't want nor had the heart to tell him that he's the reason why you're dying.
"It's no one, John, he-" You pursed your lips and let out a breath as you looked down at your hands that were slightly stained with your own blood, "He went away he- he loves someone else and that's all you need to know."
John nodded and although he was frustrated you didn't tell him everything, you knew it was just because you didn't wanna dive back into the fact that this person didn't reciprocate the feelings you felt. So he understood.
"Y/N, Dr. Mercer gave me two options so you could be cured and he-"
"John, I can't be cured, he doesn't love me." You said firmly and it felt so different saying it in front of him like this when he has no idea it was him all along that you were in love with.
"I know, darling, I know." He grabbed your hand comfortingly and you almost hated him for acting like this when all along you knew it was just platonic. You were just a friend to him. Nothing more and nothing less.
"But then he told me about option two. Option two is that you can get the plant surgically removed from your lungs." You perked up at hearing this.
You never knew it could get surgically removed. Your mother never told you. So why didn't she do it?
"W-What? What do you mean I can get it surgically removed?" You asked as tears began to fill your eyes but John was patient enough to talk you through it.
"You can, it's possible. But it's not that easy, Y/N." He let out another sigh before looking up at your tear filled eyes, "When the operation is successful, all the memories you have of that person will be gone. Including your feelings for him. It was like he never existed. Apart from that, once the plant is removed from your body, you ability to experience romantic love wouldn't be there anymore."
Tears cascaded down your cheeks. Not because you wouldn't be able to fall in love again. But because the thought of forgetting John scared you so much. Were you going to remember him again? Can he reintroduce himself again to you? Or should you not go through with option two?
At that moment, you finally realized why your mother never had the plant inside her get removed. It was far more painful than anything else.
---
"I'm sorry for your loss, Jonathan." Winston would say as he poured a drink for the assassin and John just nodded at him in thanks.
"Some things are beyond our control." John replied as he took a big gulp of his drink. He needed it right now after all.
He just came back from the hospital and that was the first time in a while John had felt so overwhelmed. The hatred he had for himself just increased a ton.
You decided to go through with the operation after giving it a deep thought for a the whole day. John was happy. Although you weren't able to experience romantic love anymore, he assured you he'd be by your side every step of the way. Just like you had been for him.
But what came next almost made him collapse down to his knees.
Aurelio decided to pay you a little visit when your operation was done. He had found out about what had happened from John and you knew the man well enough that he could give you discounts whenever your car had problems.
When it was time for visitors, John felt ecstatic. You were alive. He wasn't losing someone important from him again. When they got inside the room, you had already woken up and had a nurse slowly help you sit up from your bed but the moment your eyes fell on John, he noticed the slight confusion written on your face.
"Y/N, God, I'm so happy the operation was successful." John smiled and tucked a piece of your hair and he noticed how your body stilled from the touch as you looked up at him with wide eyes.
Thhe reaction was weird but John brushed it off and thought that maybe, it was a side effect from the pain killers you'd been taking.
"Aurelio's here and brought you some stuff. You like those cookies from the bakery near his shop, right?" You found yourself nodding slowly at the man's question even though you had no idea who he is.
Who was he? And how does he know your name? How did he know you liked those chocolate chip cookies from that bakery near Aurelio's shop? It was starting to freak you out.
John took notice of your reaction and the nurse excused herself when she was finished checking your vitals. John put a finger underneath your chin to make you look up at him and in your eyes, he saw fear.
You never looked at him like that. Never. Not even once.
"Y/N, darling, what's wrong? Did I do something, why are you-"
"Who are you?" You asked, cutting him off and John looked at Aurelio to see if what he heard was right.
Aurelio looked at him and then back at you with shock written on his face.
"What? Y/N, it's me, John. Your friend, your best friend." John replied but you had no recollection of the man in front of you so you shook your head slowly.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so confused I don't know who you are." You apologized shyly and looked at Aurelio. "Aurelio, is he a friend of yours? I really don't remember him, I don't wanna seem so rude."
John stood there in his spot, completely frozen. You remember Aurelio but you had forgotten him. That could only mean one thing...
"Come on, Y/N, stop fooling around this isn't funny. Tell me you're just joking and you know who I am." John's voice was laced with desperation now and you took notice of how his eyes were starting to fill with tears and you had a sense he hated crying in front of people.
Why did you feel so guilty? As if you'd done something wrong?
You looked up at the man apologetically and shook your head at him. "I'm so sorry, John, I really don't know who you are. I believe I just met you. Aurelio would have introduced you to me back then but... I don't remember that he has."
John couldn't take it. Everything was so overwhelming. When he gruffly excused himself you watched as he hurriedly made his way out of your room and Aurelio followed soon after probably to chase after him.
You had no idea of who he was but you could never forget how heartbroken he seemed when he looked at you.
Did you know him before?
John, on the other hand, needed to get out of there and he ignored Aurelio's calls as he got into his car and sped down the road. He felt guilty for leaving you there all alone, probably so confused as to why you were there in the first place but he just needed to have his space.
And so here he was, sharing a drink with Winston.
"You weren't entirely fair with her as well, Jonathan. You couldn't blame her if she hadn't told you."
"I was grieving for my wife." John stated to which Winston replied with a hum.
"But you could've showed her you felt the same way. Maybe told her. Hanahaki disease is a complicated kind of illness. Y/N believed you were still in love with Helen. And maybe you still are. That's why she was on the verge of dying that day. But it could all have been cured if you two had just acted on your feelings right away. A lot of people die from that, you know."
John stayed silent and poured himself another drink.
He had moved on from Helen a year after the whole incident with Viggo and his son. If Helen was alive, she would've wanted John to live his life fully and that was the only way he could honor her. And he did, and that was thanks to you.
You were like a breath of fresh air and John was scared he might ruin the peace that you had in your life. And he kind of did in a way. But you were too stubborn to leave until he just couldn't handle the thought of you leaving.
Like you, it crept up on John and the familiar itch on his throat, as if he was about to cough kept popping out of nowhere. Especially when you were near him. And for a moment, he didn't want to believe he caught it. He couldn't be possibly catching feelings for you it was a dangerous game to play.
John believed everything he touched turns to ash and he wasn't turning you into one. You deserved far more better than that. And it'd be impossible for you to feel the same way about him, he's too damaged to be loved at this point. But it's true when they say that you can't help who you fall in love.
But today, today was different than the others. John placed the glass down and leaned back on his chair and soon leaned forward when he began to cough and cough and cough.
Winston looked at John with an unreadable expression on his face. As if he knew it was coming. Somehow, he felt bad for the man. He had lost his wife and the dog she gave to him. And in a way he lost you even though you were still perfectly alive.
And now the disease had caught up to him.
His hunch was right when he saw the blood on John's palm. John stared down at it and noticed that there were petals of your favorite flower sticking onto his hand along with his own blood.
The assassin stayed silent as he grabbed his handkerchief from his coat and wiped the bloody residue off his skin.
Winston poured the man another drink but this time, he didn't pour himself some. He knew John needed it more than he did.
"Are you going to remove it or not?"
John looked at Winston but the manager took it upon himself to get up from the chair and leave Jonathan alone in the rooftop to decide.
This was all a bad case of wrong timing and lack of courage, obviously. And John leaned back against the chair and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a tear slip down his cheek.
Was he ready to go? Or will he risk forgetting about you like you did to him?
John realized just how difficult this all was. He realized now that it hurt to have you forget about him completely. Like he was dead to you. But knowing you, you would've made the decision just so you could live for John's sake. He knew you decided to live even though it would be hard on the both of you.
Because in your mind, you probably chose to live and see John again even though you had forgotten about him rather than die and let him live this world all alone without you.
But would it be the same for John? Could he really forget about you? Or was it time for him to go and let you be free?
Either way, as he began to cough once again, he knew that he needed to think fast and decide.
Time is gold and he's slowly running out of that.
---
A/N: I know in some stories this is not how the Hanahaki disease works but this is my take on it. Reader almost died because she believed that John would never love her the way she did. When all along, John was slowly developing feelings for her and while he did, he also didn't believe she'd have feelings for him because he believes he's too damaged to be loved. To put it shortly, my understanding of the Hanahaki is that as long as the protagonist believes the enamoured doesn't love them back, they'll slowly die. But as long as the enamoured confesses to the protagonist, they'll be cured of the disease. And if that doesn't work, the plant can be surgically removed.
The disease caught up to John and the reader because they didn't act upon their feelings and confessed to each other right away. They both believed everything was platonic between them. As a result, they kept it to themselves until it slowly killed them. In other words, this is all a bad case of wrong timing and lack of courage to say what they really wanted to say to each other.
#keanu reeves#keanu reeves imagine#keanu reeves x reader#keanu reeves oneshot#john wick#john wick fic#john wick imagines#john wick x reader
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—THERE IS WHISKY IN THE WATER, AND THERE IS DEATH UPON THE VINE
THERE IS FEAR IN THE EYES OF YOUR FATHER; THERE IS YOURS AND THERE IS MINE
request by @jjinyounf!!
WARNING: character death, dark dark dark.
you can't run from fate.
her mother had told her so, and her mother before that, and before before before—a gospel truth passed through the generations like a beloved heirloom. she learns it as a child, and folds it neatly into the corners of her mind; tucked deep beneath things deemed more important.
there are whispers of a covenant that binds them to his will. though she has never questioned it, she feels the pull of it from time to time—walk not through those shadows, run home. run.
as a child, she heeds those warnings; thinks of them as her own thoughts, worries and fears. there is no curiosity, merely obedience. she outlives many who get lost in the dark, preyed upon by the shadows and the things that dwell within them.
you must have a guardian angel, says the neighbor boy's mother when dusk falls and he doesn't arrive for dinner. his pinwheel is found at the edge of the forest, standing tall amongst the dandelions.
you must, his mother says, distraught. she wears her resentment like a favored dress from that day on.
as the years pass, she learns to attribute it to a strange sort of luck—or an expressed distaste for girls of her particular kind. curious but cautious; uncommitted to the expectations placed upon her by the boys who insist on escorting her to the old grocery on saturday mornings.
perhaps, she considers, the beasts dislike the ones that are tentatively called witches—it is in it's own way a death sentence by itself. history, her mother says, tends to repeat itself.
though she doesn't understand exactly what those words mean, she learns to studiously avoid those boys and the lake in which women—the willful ones—are tried like common criminals and always found guilty.
she is good, on most days. but the voice can't warn her away from everything, she decides. when it gives warning, she pretends not to hear.
there is pleasure to be found in watching the stars shoot across the sky in the dead of night. she skirts the edges of the forest on her way to the highest hills in the distance. it takes the better part of an hour to reach her destination, but the air is cool against her skin and it's mercifully quiet.
though not for long.
the air shifts. she hears it—the crunch of dry leaves splintering in the distance, growing louder. the distance between one rattle and the next closes in, soon accompanied by a fevered sound—in and out. in and out. in and out.
breath. heavy and forceful; anticipatory.
run, calls a voice not her own, but her feet refuse to move and her heart has climbed into her throat.
wryly, she wonders if they'll still consider her a witch when they discover her corpse.
there's a pull, but she isn't caught in the jaws of some hideous beast. it's a hand, warm against the skin of her wrist. his grip is steel, and his eyes flash in the darkness—filled with some ephemeral light that she attributes to the glow of the moon.
"run," he commands with familiarity, while dragging her behind him in a certain path back to town.
a bone-chilling howl pierces the silence at their back. it propels her forward; drives her to squeeze his fingers as he leads her through the foliage and into the safety of the lamps circling the edge of town. no sooner than they enter the makeshift sigil, he turns on her.
"you're careless," his tone is sharp, gaze fixed upon her face with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. he speaks as if she's an old friend; his hold on her fingers is still strong, "you would've died."
"who are you?" she means to sound certain, but her voice falters on the last word. her confusion permeates—blooms like a night flower. her heart remains locked behind her tongue. twisting her hand out of his grasp, she tries again, "who are you?"
the stranger only hums, turning his face skyward—there is an odd sort of beauty to him, a solidity to him that she recognizes.
"i am no one," he answers softly, and his attention falls back on her. the fight has gone out of him. suddenly he seems far younger, shoulders slumped under the weight of something she can't see.
her alarm fades, replaced by quiet uncertainty.
she ignores it. if he had intended her harm, it would've been easier to let her fall to those foul creatures.
"well, no one... do you have a place to stay the night?"
he blinks, tilting his head in a way that would seem endearing were it not for the exhaustion that slips into his answer, "no."
"then follow me."
for as young as he appears, there is old knowledge contained within the look he gives her—
when she glances back at him, it vanishes.
—
for as long as he is there, the voice is quiet. she takes it in stride, and offers to show him around the small town that she calls home. it is a secret tucked away in the surrounding forests—hidden away from the beasts that roam beyond, unchecked. there are still elements of the world that existed before; the hood of a car juts out of a hillside in the distance, stained red with rust.
when she shows him, he merely nods, as if it's a story that he's heard a million times before. his attention, she finds, is dedicated to almost solely on her, for reasons unknown.
three days after their first meeting, he chooses a name. it comes as they observe the boys at the forest edge, firing their vintage guns at cans lined on tree trunks in the distance. marksmen, she informs him, is what they're aspiring to be. he hums as if he's discovered a secret—or he's already known—and declares, "you may call me mark."
and he chooses to stay.
with the passing of time, his stay in the bare-bones cabin behind her house extends into a permanent residence. he takes pleasure in tending to the fields between them, and inexplicably charms the perennials back to life after years spent in dormancy.
her mother watches him closely; with a dose of suspicion that never quite fades, even as the weeks give way to months and winter settles around them.
for his part, mark bears it with patience. he fills the empty spaces that her father might've occupied, or her brother, if he hadn't been lost before his second breath. his time is spent servicing the many objects around the house that have fallen into disrepair. she watches him stay busy most days—when she realizes that he enjoys working with his hands, she seeks out the forgotten electronics in the attic and presents them in a pile on the dining room table.
it is the first time that she sees him truly smile.
the next night, he kisses her.
he says nothing, but the light in his eyes is warm—and she suspects that if she didn't already love him, that she would have fallen in that moment.
—
when her mother slips into her room at night; grips her hands with white-knuckles and begs her not to give herself to him, she assumes it is out of fear of facing her own loneliness.
she has no intention of leaving, but the assurances she offers in return fall on deaf ears. fear has taken hold of her, if the shadows beneath her eyes are any indication.
she prepares breakfast in the morning while her mother sleeps, and delivers it to her bedside with a firm command to rest.
but she is never the same after that night.
as if he knows what ails her mother, mark looks on from the door of her bedroom more often than not. the sorrow twists his lips into a soft, thoughtful frown, though he says nothing when she breaches the topic; choosing instead to bury his face in her neck. if his grip on her waist tightens to the point of aching, she kisses his temple and hums softly into his hair until he calms.
only then does she follow him into slumber.
—
they marry in the spring.
the town itself seems to come to life with the chance to celebrate. flowers line the streets leading to the small park where they whisper their vows to each other under the rising sun. he is as stunning under the warmth of day as he is in the depths of the night, and she marvels at the ease with which he became such a vital part of her.
as if he'd been there all along.
she listens to her mother cry, and knows that not all of her tears are from happiness.
when she bears news of their pregnancy, he leans forward and kisses her so softly that the pressure of his lips barely registers. the smile on his lips is strangely bittersweet, and she wonders.
"i love you," he murmurs, holding the tips of her fingers between his own. the callouses on his palms are a comforting reminder of his tangibility, when his mind seems to be so far away.
"i love you," she echoes, watching him with new eyes.
her mother smiles, threads heavy hands through her hair and whispers congratulations before laying a kiss between her brows—
"remember today, my dear. your story must be told."
the first threads of doubt weave through her heart.
—
the day their son is born begins like any other. she rises in the morning and steadies herself on the dresser as she slips into her most comfortable dress.
her husband is already in the field, tending to the last viable crops before winter begins in earnest. he slips back inside and shrugs off his heavy coat before offering her a hand, "how do you feel?"
mark has always been quiet, but today his words emerge as a whisper. his attention falls to her stomach and the hand that rests at the top-most curve.
"i feel like he's fighting to get out."
he nods, coming closer to wrap his arms around her shoulders. he tugs her into him—holding tight, "i love you. i have always loved you."
and her eyes burn, because when he says it, it sounds like an apology.
—
her mother is there to guide her, when she goes into labor. she is a constant presence at the side of her bed, holding tight to her fingers and whispering prayers beneath her breath that she thinks no one hears.
her husband is absent.
it eats at her, even when the pain sharpens and steals her next breath. she curls her fingers into the sweat-soaked sheets at her side and focuses instead on bearing through it—if only to meet the precious soul waiting to take their first breath.
the litany of prayers at her side never cease.
she finds herself echoing them into the night.
when her husband appears, at last, she is cradling the sleeping babe on her chest—rocking him gently as he curls his fingers around air. his features have smoothed into the soft mask of slumber, and she can hardly resist the urge to kiss the dark, downy hair on his head.
"where were you?" she questions plainly, shifting the infant in her grip to hold him closer.
her reply is silence.
after a moment, she looks to the shadow occupying her bedside, lips pressed together and the beginnings of anger churning in her gut—
she stops short when she sees the despair etched upon his face; the glistening of tears sliding down his cheeks.
her heart stutters—clenches so tightly that she struggles for air. fear, her old forgotten friend, reacquaints itself in the tremors of her hands as she soothes her son before he wakes.
"what is it?"
she watches as his jaw tightens; as he searches for the words but fails to find them. his eyes remain fixed on the open window, filled with a strange light that comes from within.
"your mother told you of a covenant, when you were young."
confused, she shakes her head—
then pauses.
yes, she did. she thinks, but the voice is not hers. she swears that he's spoken, but his lips are still—pressed together firmly as he observes her, wearing his work clothes though he suddenly looks so out of place in them.
no.
"how do you know that?" her fingers curl into the soft, baby blue blanket swaddling the sleeping infant. she hopes, in some distant corner in her mind, that the pounding of her heart doesn't disturb him.
"for safety, one of your ancestors made a bargain for protection against the beasts that ravage your world." mark continues, and though his words sound like a distant recollection, his attention is fixed upon her. as if willing her to understand.
she feels the first tears slipping down her cheeks.
no. no. no.
"stop," her head shakes before she realizes that she's even moved—
don't fight me, and the words come not from his lips but from within her; from the voice she hasn't heard in years. since she stumbled upon him outside that forest. since he found her.
death at the claws of that beast might have been a more merciful fate.
"in exhange for the lives of her parents and siblings, and the protection of her every descendent, she promised me—"
her body tries in vain to fold in on itself; around the tiny bundle in her arms, "it's not true."
but she knows—sure as dawn—that there had always been something strange about the man she married; something otherworldly about the way he was, and this revelation had been unavoidable since the moment he'd told her to run.
since she was born being pulled to him and this conclusion.
fate wears many faces, and his will is undeniable.
"he has been promised," the oldest of gods tells her, moving to kneel at the bedside—and for a moment, he is the man she married with a passion for gardening and handiwork. his calloused hands bear the evidence of it, and his face, streaked with tears—
they bear the evidence of his love.
their son is promised. her brother, she realizes, had been promised. each of the first-borns. promised for the safety of their families.
"he doesn't even have a name," she whispers around the knot in her throat, choking on the last word as it escapes, "he's ours. he's our son."
she watches as mark's hand raises, fingertips brushing across the soft skin of his hand; reverent in a way that makes her cry that much harder. she tries to find the right words to sway him, grasps at every straw within her reach, "just stay with us. she promised him but you can keep him here. he's still yours. ours."
his other hand comes up to trace the line of her jaw, gentle—still, he says nothing. the ethereal glow to his eyes remains, a stark contrast to the humble form he inhabits, "we have a covenant."
"so break it," desperate, she loops her free hand around his nape and drags him close, pressing their foreheads together. red-rimmed eyes lock on his—"you love me, don't you? why else would you come to me like you did? save my life?"
mark smiles then, a rueful expression that twists her insides into a knot, "yes."
but it makes little difference.
covenants are sacred things, even in the world of gods—because nothing is without cost. without sacrifice.
she closes her eyes, giving way to the quiet and the lingering warmth of his fingertips on her skin—it is then that resolution comes, and with it, a grim acceptance.
"then fate, i seek another covenant," she breathes out, willing her eyes open—he looks back sorrowfully, and of course he knew her choice before she'd ever made it.
what a great burden to bear.
"i give my life for our son."
as he leans forward to kiss her, soft and mournful, the tears begin anew, "name him, and i will grant your request."
that is what she does.
and there is a new tradition—a new heirloom to pass through their generations.
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Day three of @narutorarepairweek. Today’s prompt is any au.
Pairing: HashiramaTobirama
Word count: 4333
Rated: E
Summary: They have all they need out here on the waves with no expectation but a new horizon - and to end the day in each others' arms.
Follow the link or read it under the cut!
I Don’t Want A Harp Nor A Halo, Not Me
The sea did not judge. Watching the waves part before them and the sea spray up to mist them all with her tempestuous benediction, Tobirama wondered if that was what had called him out to roam the open waters all those years ago. Here where there was frequently no other humans for leagues in any direction and no land in sight for days there was never any need to worry about judgment. No eyes followed him that did not already know and accept and look away when he needed them to. There were no voices to curse and denounce the things that made him happiest.
If not for the wind snapping the loose material of his brother’s shirt he would never have heard the man coming up behind him, bare feet silent on the well-scrubbed deck. He smiled to see Hashirama's pout for not being able to startle him.
“You should have buttoned your shirt if you wanted to be sneaky,” he said, knowing he was only helping to set himself up for the next time but not truly minding. As with most things in life, if it made Hashirama smile then it was worth it, even if he came away looking like a fool.
As quickly as it appeared the pout was gone a moment later in favor of a broad smile. Hashirama looked out at the sea around them, long hair streaming in the wind until he looked nothing short of a siren, beautiful and tempting, the only difference being that Tobirama had answered the call a long time ago and never once had his precious brother given any hints that doing so would end with him scuppered on the rocky ocean floor. Though he could have spent hours of the day standing here admiring the view he was interrupted when Hashirama turned to look back at him. He couldn’t be too mad at the sacrifice though, not when he was then treated to the full weight of that glorious too-wide smile.
“Where are we going today?” his brother asked him.
“That depends,” Tobirama replied easily, the same words they traded every morning. “Wherever your heart leads, there shall I follow.”
“Such a dutiful Otouto.”
“You say that every day.”
Hashirama reached up to trace the ink tattooed in to pale white cheeks as he murmured, “I mean it every day.”
Before there was time for Tobirama to do anything but hum with the slight embarrassment that always accompanied strong emotions, their attention was hailed by one of the crew. He turned aside and very carefully did not react to the way his brother’s fingers trailed along the line of his neck and shoulders until he had moved out of reach. The sea did not judge but his heart was weak to temptation and if he followed the promise of that touch he knew very well that neither of them would get anything done that day. Neither of them had run away to the sea to be lazy.
Helping Kisame with the rigging wouldn’t have taken half as long as it did if either of them were inclined to put a little hustle in to their bustle. But they had made port only a week before, supplies were plentiful while the fishing was good, and none of their crew were going anywhere but for wherever the waves took them. It was a good life for anyone willing to work hard in exchange for escaping the trappings and restrictions of a land bound existence.
Like most of the men and women with them, Tobirama and Hashirama had both grown up on the ever-changing tides. Their father was a minor lord wasting away on the small estate that could have been theirs if they had stayed to inherit it. Instead they followed their mother and learned to love the sea from the bow of the ship she named Home, returning home barely a handful of times before they reached adulthood and decided for themselves that proper society was not for them. Proper society gasped and hissed and cursed them as unnatural for things beyond their control. When their mother passed they inherited their Home and never once had either of them looked back to the places they could never belong.
As first mate Tobirama could have rested on his laurels and left the work of sailing to those who were paid to do so. Luckily for them he’d been raised better than that – not to mention how bored a mind like his would have been if he squandered his days away in such a manner, feet kicked up and hands idle. Men of his intellect were more likely to be found in one of the universities around the Great Elemental Nations but Tobirama was more than happy to entertain himself of an evening with whatever books they were able to pilfer in their travels. Out here where every helping hand counted he was better put to use pulling the fishing lines and trimming the sails, scrubbing the decks or taking his turn cleaning out the bilge water below. More than just efficient, it helped to build a strong rapport with the crew, earning their trust and loyalty both. It was their mother who had taught them the importance of treating those around them well.
Hard workers that they both were, neither Tobirama nor Kisame noticed the day slipping them by until the shadows behind them grew long enough to tempt the monsters hidden by the dark waters around them. It took Hashirama marching out to pout at the both of them for Tobirama to agree with some degree of amusement that perhaps it was time he attended dinner.
Or at least that’s where he assumed he was being pulled away to. He suspected Hashirama might have another destination in mind when they bypassed the mess hall entirely and instead made their way towards the officers’ cabins.
The door to the space they shared had hardly been shut when Tobirama felt himself being tugged around again and he was already wearing a smile even before catching sight of the way Hashirama had to duck under the low ceiling, the single curse of life on the sea. Hashirama had grown up just a little tall for the ship’s construction. They had talked about saving their spoils to have a new one built, something of their own and built to accommodate Hashirama's height on every deck, but nostalgia had so far held them back.
“I believe you owe me something,” his brother murmured.
“Mm? And what would that be?”
“A kiss.” The pout reappeared, shameless. “I never got a kiss this morning and you’ve spent all day away from me.”
Doing his best to smother his amusement, Tobirama affected a solemn expression. “How terribly rude of me to leave you lonely like that. I suppose I’ll have to make it up to you now.”
The words had only barely left his mouth when Hashirama was leaning forward, eyes slipping closed, and the idea of making him wait any longer felt nothing less than cruel to both of them.
A quiet sigh almost of relief whispered in the space between them and Tobirama couldn’t help but smile as their lips pressed together and strong arms slid around his waist to pull him closer. On sea or on land there was only one place he had ever truly belonged: here in his brother’s embrace, fingers sliding up in to his wind-ruffled hair, hearts beating in tandem through flesh and ribs. This was precisely why they had left their father and the judgment of others behind. Tobirama had never known the touch of anyone else but it had taken no more than one fumbling kiss in the night as a storm tossed their Home back and forth for him to know that he would never want to.
Surely nothing in the world could compare to the bliss of a strong hand browned from years under the sun tracing down the side of his neck to slip under his collar. A thumb pressed itself against his fluttering pulse but it was a comfortable weight. Many times before he had trusted his life to this man. Hashirama would not hurt him. In fact he very clearly had plans to the opposite, shuffling forwards to push them towards the large bed bolted to the far corner of the floor.
For the sake of contrariness – and his own amusement – Tobirama resisted when he felt the edges of the frame bump in to his thighs, wrestling with his brother until the two of them tumbled laughingly down to mess the blankets. They continued to tussle until he found himself pinned beneath a solid body with both arms held above his head and a curtain of brown hair spilling around them to block out the rest of the world. It struck him, as it did so often, just how beautiful a man his brother was. Hashirama's eyes were sparkling with warmth as they playfully narrowed at him, almost daring him to be any more difficult.
“Disobeying orders from your captain?”
“I don’t remember you giving me any orders,” Tobirama purred, lifting his chin to show off the sleek line of his neck.
“Very true.” Just as suspected Hashirama was unable to resist. With a low groan he bent to mouth along the fading marks he’d left only a few days prior. “Always so sneaky and clever.”
Feet bare as they were most days, thighs spread to accommodate a thick waist between them, it was all too easy for Tobirama to clench his abdominals and bring his legs up to wrap around the other man, flipping their positions before his partner had time to realize what was happening.
“Sneaky am I?”
“Or maybe I am. How do you know this wasn’t what I was after the whole time?” Hashirama's lips curled up in a sly grin as he rolled his hips agonizingly slow, chuckling when Tobirama glared down at him.
“Have I been outmaneuvered?” he asked.
“You might be a genius but you’re not the only smart one around here,” Hashirama answered with a bit of mock preening in his voice.
Tobirama considered that for a moment. Then he rolled his own hips just to listen to the startled gasp from below and feel the interested twitch against his bottom. “If you were really smart you would quit stalling and get to the point, Anija.”
“I’m not the one who interrupted with play fighting!” His brother flashed him a mighty pout. “You started it!”
“Semantics. Now I’m going to finish it.”
His brother was laughing again when he leaned down but that was okay, joy always tasted sweeter when shared between them. When he rolled his hips again this time they were caught between two palms so Hashirama could drag him down and grind their bodies together properly. Quite suddenly there seemed to be too many layers of cloth between them, too much clothing separating their skin. Tobirama offered no protests as he felt the ties of his pants being struggled with, wriggling one hand between them to pull at the loose hem of Hashirama's voluminous shirt. Sometimes it was annoying that the man never bothered to tuck in his clothes but in moments like this when desperation drove him to clumsiness it was nothing short of a boon.
Getting either of their shirts over their heads was a bit tricky when Hashirama all but refused to move his hands away from struggling with a particularly stubborn knot in the pant laces he couldn’t seem to figure out. Several minutes had already passed and little whines of frustration were beginning to slip past his lips by the time Tobirama had wrestled his top off and slapped the hands away from his crotch to do it himself. Patience had never been his greatest virtue.
It wasn’t the most graceful maneuver he’d ever made but somehow or other he managed to divest himself of cotton and leather without removing himself from such a delicious position spread over his brother’s lap. Hashirama's pants, thankfully, came undone so much easier but by that point they were both a little too impatient to do anything with them.
Tobirama arched his back and stretched up, almost able to touch the low ceiling still, rumbling with pleasure under the nails that raked themselves gently over his chest and sides, circling his nipples teasingly. When he looked down again he flicked his eyes towards the nightstand bolted next to the bed. Only officers were afforded the luxury of private quarters and furniture rather than an open room lined with hammocks and cots. He couldn’t imagine a life without somewhere to stash the balm Hashirama twisted to scramble for now or four walls to muffle the sounds of their pleasure. Being on top had its perks.
And that applied to more than just the chain of command.
The first soft touch against his entrance was a question that very nearly made him scoff. If he wasn’t in the mood he would not have gotten himself in to position so freely. He answered by rocking his hips down against those questing fingers and lifting one brow in challenge, huffing in amusement when it made his partner shiver with want. Hashirama had always rather enjoyed his enthusiasm for the love they shared. Others would condemn the depths of their partnership but Tobirama had never known the love of another and he would never want to. This was where he belonged and where he wanted to stay. Putting his money where his mouth was had never been a problem for him before and it wasn’t now, rocking with the rhythm of the ocean beneath them and teasing them both with the slide of Hashirama's trapped cock between his cheeks.
“Such a minx,” the man breathed, making him laugh.
“Only for you, Anija. Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it.”
Hashirama's fingers left his skin for only as long as it took him to cover them with balm and then they were back, tracing the edges of his hole more to tease now than to explore. “I like everything about you, Otouto.”
When he pressed the tip of his finger inside it was like being invited on the path towards home. Tobirama braced himself against the solid sun-kissed chest he loved so much and arched to show off the lines of his neck again, soaking in the whispers of admiration and the whines that Hashirama couldn’t reach to lavish him with new love bites. He paid little attention to the latter. They would have more than enough time for that after he was properly stretched and finished giving the show he knew his partner wanted.
As almost always happened, any sort of hurry that Hashirama might have been in seemed to dissipate as he pushed in a little deeper and sighed with the simple pleasure of being inside his lover in some way. Tobirama would have offered him a fond smile, amused by such a silly idiosyncrasy, but he was rather distracted at the moment by riding the finger working its way deeper and the murmurs of praise from below. If Hashirama could not reach to lavish attention on him with lips and teeth he was always prepared to do so with words whispered in to the heated air between them.
Holding himself in place, Tobirama bit down on his lower lip and thanked the gods of the sea that they had skipped dinner, grateful the rest of their crew was distracted with the roar of the mess hall. There was undoubtedly no one close enough to hear whatever noise they were about to make.
Not that it would matter very much if there were. Each of the crew members on board their ship had been hand selected for their trustworthiness and their utter lack of shits to give about two brothers who wanted to roll around in the sheets together. There was no one here that wasn’t aware of their relationship. And there was also no one here who cared. If there did happen to be anyone late for dinner who heard a noise they didn’t like they were more than welcome – and likely – to simply remove themselves from the area.
“Come back out of your head, Otouto,” Hashirama's voice murmured. When he blinked the ceiling came back in to focus and Tobirama realized that he had drifted away to float, his thoughts tenuous and fleeting, ruled by the sensations heating his skin from the inside out until the rest of the world seemed almost to fade away. It wasn’t distraction, per se, but it had always made his brother pout not to be the center of his attention. He leaned forward and bent to lay a kiss on those lips in apology.
“I’m here with you,” he said.
“Really?” The skepticism was only teasing but still he pushed close for a deeper kiss.
“Always.”
Lightning sparked along his nerves when Hashirama answered by adding a second finger, wiping out the ability to even let his thoughts wander. For a time nothing else existed but the bliss of being opened at such a torturously slow pace. He was approaching the verge of begging for his partner to speed things along a little when a slight shift just so sent fire licking through his veins as spots of color exploded behind his eyes. Only by sheer force of will was he able to hold himself off from spilling his seed right then and it was clear the move had been deliberate when Hashirama chuckled low in his throat. When he began to rumble praise for holding together so well Tobirama cracked his eyes open and glared.
“Do get to the point, Anija,” he said. Hashirama let out a bark of laughter.
“Such sweet words from my precious little Otouto. You really know how to seduce a man, don’t you?”
“I shouldn’t have to seduce anyone with three fingers in my ass!”
With a nod like he was conceding the point Hashirama slowed his movements, free hand reaching for the little jar of balm. Tobirama reached out to snag the jar first and shuffled backwards impatiently the moment he was empty so his partner had room to finish disrobing. Viscous and smelling faintly of the herbs it was made from, he’d never been fond of having it slathered all over his own hands but desperate times called for desperate measures. He hardly allowed Hashirama time to free his legs before reaching forward to curl his fingers around the steel-hard invitation just waiting for him to sink down on to it. A smirk flashed across his lips when the other man gasped. Then he was climbing over those gorgeously solid thighs once more and reaching behind to line himself up just right.
As thorough as his brother was he very nearly slid right down to the hilt immediately. Both of them moaned in unison as though the sounds had been punched out of them, ragged, edged with relief like this was where they belonged. Tobirama let the motion of their Home rock him gently, inching down until he rested flush in the cradle of his brother’s hips. With his eyes closed he listened carefully to the unsteady breaths filling the small room and smiled.
Then he braced himself and rose up only to glide back down with carefully controlled movements. Bliss. For this he had spurned the land and the mutterings of those who cared for such inconsequential things like morality and social standing. For this he would travel the sea from end to end with nothing but a raft and a scrap of sail to get him there. This, the feeling of belonging, completion, the safety of knowing that no one could ever love him better, this was all he needed to be whole. No jewel or treasure or any pleasures of the land could ever call him away from this. It was hard to imagine anything that could ever make him feel better than he did when he was filled to his limit with Hashirama, hot and hard and perfect in every way. And from the unfettered gasps filling the room he would guess his brother agreed.
“Otouto,” Hashirama breathed, “gods you always feel so good!”
“Flattery will get you everything you want.” The teasing tone he was going for was lost in a gasp when his brother rolled his hips up, grinding deeper in to him.
“I could - ahhh - I could flatter you for hours if that’s what gets you going.”
Tobirama ducked his chin to level his partner with a heated look. “You know exactly what gets me going.”
And so he did. Hashirama rose to the unspoken challenge beautifully, both hands coming up to trace the shape of his hips, dipping in to scrape at his sensitive inner thighs before skimming farther up to pinch at even more sensitive nipples. Both of them had spent endless hours learning each other’s bodies and all the places to drive the other wild. All he had to do was ask and Tobirama knew he could have any fantasy come true in an instant.
Had, in fact, fulfilled them all many times over throughout the years.
Were they in any other position he might have almost been tempted to call himself selfish. As he lifted himself again and rode their bodies together like an inevitable wave he decided this was fair. He was the one doing all the real physical work here, it was only right that Hashirama indulge him a little in return. With as much exercise as he got on a daily basis it wasn’t exactly a strain holding his own body weight but that was entirely besides the point. So what if he enjoyed being spoiled sometimes? He didn’t need to ask to know that Hashirama did not mind at all being handed an open opportunity to lavish attention on the man he loved.
Of course, there were side effects to being the center of such an enthusiastic man’s attention. Both of them had been blessed with stamina in spades but even Tobirama’s iron willpower couldn’t hold out forever under the onslaught of so much focused pleasure. It was somehow too soon and too quick when he felt his thighs begin to quake; not with the strain of muscle but with the effort of forcing himself to go on when all he wanted was to collapse and allow these glorious sensations to course through him. He could tell his brother was close as well when he felt hands pawing at him to draw him down where he was met with a fierce kiss that curled his already permanently curled toes.
“You’ll be the death of me,” Hashirama gasped.
“Let it be a good death,” was all the response he managed before he watched brown eyes roll back and the hips underneath him surged upwards, punching a guttural cry from his throat at the same time that Hashirama gave vent to the same long rumbling moan that had first awakened this desperate need they still shared for each other, a sound he first heard in the dead of night when he was supposed to be asleep that sent him tumbling over the edge now because he knew it had belonged to him ever since.
When the rhythm of his movements faltered Hashirama took hold of his hips and bodily lifted him, rocking him up and down just to listen to him gasp at the sharp bursts of overwhelming pleasure. Only when he slammed one hand out to support himself against the wall and begged for mercy was he allowed to come to rest. The moment he was stationary Tobirama collapsed forward and buried his face in Hashirama’s sweaty neck.
For several minutes he simply breathed, taking in the scent of salt and sex, as free here between four small walls as he had ever been. Eventually he felt his perch shifting and a hand came up to stroke down the length of his bowed spine.
“Alright?” Hashirama’s voice rumbled.
“So long as I’m with you,” Tobirama whispered, so many promises in so little words.
“I love you too. We should probably get cleaned up though. Now that I’ve sated this hunger my belly has a lot to say about another.” He chuckled and it was almost apologetic as though he wasn’t the one who usually wanted to lounge around in bed and cuddle for hours afterwards.
Gathering the will to sit up did take another minute or so but Tobirama forced himself to straighten, wrinkling his nose at the mess now smeared across both of their bellies. Cleaning themselves sounded heavenly at the moment. He grimaced a little more at the feeling of his brother’s softened length sliding out if only because he was a sentimental fool who had never enjoyed the emptiness that always followed these moments of being whole. Thankfully they had long built the habit of keeping a basin in the room with water and a cloth which he used now to clean his own backside, rinsing the cloth and tossing it over for his brother to use as well.
The two of them had only managed to slip their trousers back on when the sound of a brass horn met their ears through the wooden decks. Both men froze, their eyes meeting. In the next instant they had abandoned the rest of their clothing in favor of reaching for weapons hung by the door. That sound could only mean only thing: an unfriendly ship was approaching. Battle was calling. Neither of them gave even a single thought to how it would look for the both of them to appear on deck in such matching states of undress when the rest of their crew had been busy at dinner. It didn’t matter to them who saw the evidence of their happiness.
The sea did not judge.
#yetanotherstory#narutorarepairweek2020#hashitobi#hashirama#tobirama#fanfiction#pirate au#in which no one gets around to any actual pirating#a general theme of mine
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Villain!All Might (Smite)x reader. part 1/20
I wanted villain Might as a Dominant so I wrote it. More to follow
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living god.”
This night is a fateful one. Not that you knew it yet. It’s the same as any other: routine. The edges of your life are narrow and sharp and easy to find. You do everything the same, day after day. Take the same steps down the same streets at the same time. All so familiar you could do it in the dark, feeling it out by touch.
Street lamps flicker overhead, the yellow light they give off too dim and unreliable to be much help. The asphalt is wet from recent rain. Mist hangs in the air, dampening the normal sounds of city life. All in all, it’s not the most comforting area.
You square your shoulders as you round the corner and head down an alley.
Straighten out that backbone. Nothing to fear. Easy day.
Inane mantras play on a loop in your head. You don’t know why this alley still weirds you out. You’ve taken this shortcut countless times before to be able to get to the metro quick enough to catch a train a couple minutes earlier. Hardly saves any time, but in your mind it makes a difference.
Work today had been… fine. It always was. Reasonably engaging, not too exciting. Being an employee at a quirk analysis firm usually garners questions about what such a job is like, but you find them hard to answer. It can be difficult to characterize. Plus, being a foreigner in Japan, you’re always careful not to say anything that might be taken as an offense to the culture. No matter how long you live here, no matter how comfortable you feel, you are a guest.
Your eyes adjust to the darkness and you shove your hands in your pockets after hitching your purse strap higher on your shoulder. Dinner tonight would be… hmm. You don’t know. You’d bought makings for a salad a few days ago, in a fit of healthy optimism, but that didn’t sound as appealing as a bowl of ramen from the little shop in the bottom floor of your apartment building. It’s cold enough to convince yourself that heavy comfort food is justified, but no… you’ve spent enough eating out this month already, between office lunches and Kiko dragging you to every restaurant grand opening in Musutafu--
A booming laugh interrupts your thoughts. The shock of it nearly makes your heart stop. You whirl around, looking for the source, but you already know who it is. Anyone would recognize that laugh. You turn and behold a towering monolith of a figure, not twenty feet away, hands on his hips, stance wide. Even silhouetted dramatically in shadow, you can tell.
All Might.
The number one villain.
You freeze. Maybe he hasn’t noticed you yet?
“You there! Girl!”
Crap.
He takes a step forward and you struggle to steel your nerve. It’s public knowledge, essentially, what he can do. Not what his Quirk is, but his basic abilities. He’ll be fast if he wants to be. Inhumanly strong. Ruthless.
He laughs again, sinister and mirthless, sending a shiver of revulsion through you. You remember what he did to that tour group at Mt. Fuji. And there had been that attack on Best Jeanist’s satellite office. Over five hundred casualties. He’d leveled the building, for god’s sake, and then shouted at the late arriving news crews that they were all lucky he was holding back.
Yes, you remembered that day all too well, having watched the coverage live on TV from your own office, only a few miles away.
What could he do if he didn’t restraint himself? A whole block? A neighborhood? You had looked away from the TV when the building came down, too horrified to watch the spectacle, only to realize that the previously clear sky had glutted with rain clouds. The scale of his power had made your heart drop on that day. Sure, it had been the most exciting thing to happen to you, and a great story. But it was still terrifying.
And now here he is, standing in front of you. This is just your unlucky day. Is it bad that you’re a little disappointed not to hear his infamous catchphrase?
I am here. Such a bold threat.
It’s times like this you wish you had a better quirk. Granted, you’re very rarely in mortal danger; there really aren’t very many times like this. Strike that-- there are never times like this, not in the cautious, unadventurous existence you’ve curated for yourself. There is nothing in your experience that has prepared you for this.
You gawp at the spectacle that is him. He’d made a scene once again on the news today, tearing through a rival quirk analysis firm’s downtown complex until the number one hero Endeavor had shown up to stop him. As imposing as All Might looks on TV, it hadn’t prepared you for what he’s like in person.
Seven feet tall and change, muscled like a beast, blond hair swept back down his neck save for two unruly tufts that stuck up like rabbit ears. Nothing about him is timid, though. Utter confidence in his own power radiates off of him.
“Yes, you!” He strolls towards you. His voice is muffled, metallic sounding underneath his iconic metal gas mask. Light glints off of the two orange glass pieces covering his eyes as he passes out of a shadow. No one has ever seen his face before, as far as you know. He’s never shown it in public, and who the hell knows who he associates with in his personal life. All Might having a personal life. What a bizarre concept.
“Wh-what do you want?” You lift your chin, trying to sound defiant even though your voice betrays you. In a lull between the waves of fear, you realize you’re staring at his chest, his stomach, his legs. It’s a physique worth staring at.
He shrugs, a strange gesture with his massive shoulders, then lifts a hand to his face, working at the fastenings of his mask. “I get asked that a lot.” He lowers the mask, lets it drop clattering to the ground, and you can’t believe what you’re seeing: All Might, face uncovered, and oh no he’s good looking. How is it fair that he’s attractive? Everyone speculated that he work the mask to hide a bad injury, or just because he’s ugly, but no. His features are handsome, symmetrical like a sculpture, with gleaming blue eyes and a wide, menacing smile that twists your fear into some other emotion you don’t quite recognize. “Entertainment, I guess.”
Your pulse thuds in your ears. He couldn’t mean--
He reads your confusion. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” he sneers dismissively. “You think I have to resort to forcing myself on women? I have--” he gives you a pointed look up and down “--standards.”
That stings. “I’m not your entertainment!” You burst out, indignant. “And I would never do… that with- with someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” He prompts, all joviality gone. He’s still smiling, but it seems dangerous now.
“A villain,” you spit. It’s hard to stop yourself from shaking. “You’re-- you’re evil and cruel and careless and--” you cut yourself short, realizing how foolish you’re being.
He tilts his head, clearly amused by your attempt at bravery. “Let’s try again. Who are you? Tell me your quirk.” Without his mask, his voice is deep and enticing. Almost reassuring. He can sound normal when he wants, not like the cheesy, bombastic public persona. You have no idea what to make of him. Should you be running away? Or should you acknowledge the part of yourself that is inexplicably intrigued?
His unwavering attention on you is an unexpectedly heady feeling. Not that you aren’t scared-- you are-- but some strange part of you thrills at being the very center of his focus. His eyes do not leave you, even as you glance away, flustered and nervous.
He snaps his fingers in front of your face. “Are you dumb, girl?” He winces suddenly, breaking off to clutch a huge hand to his left side, though he quickly covers it. “What’s your quirk?”
“W-why?” Prying about quirks is rude, but All Might does what he wants and fuck everyone else.
“Most people want to see if they can get in a hit or two on me. I figure I’d head off the time wasting and tell you if your quirk has any chance.”
Your quirk. You can’t tell him. You absolutely can’t tell him. If he knew… “I’m quirkless.” Your tongue feels thick on the lie, your voice raspy.
“Pathetic,” he chuckles, breaking into a cough. “You’re one of those. Useless.”
“I’m not useless!” You insist hotly. You don’t want him to look away and dismiss you. He was right, though, it kind of was, but making value statements about others’ quirks or lack thereof is just as rude as prying.
“Then again,” he muses, as if you hadn’t spoken, “your quirk isn’t you… and you are not your quirk. Maybe you have some worth after all.”
Frustratingly, your heart lifts at the slightest hint of his approval. How ridiculous. He’s nothing to you. And yet… you’d been talking to him, and he talked back. There had been more than the persona. You let the silence sit, and it’s enough space to realize that you’re rather star struck. Figures. The first big time supe you meet is the number one villain, and he’s both better and worse than you expected. Meaning— he didn’t murder you on the spot, but he’s a total dick.
“So, quirkless girl. Got a name?”
It feels like a bad bet telling him, but you do anyway and he repeats it before asking you slyly, “what about a hero name?”
Clever. He’s much smarter than the media gives him credit for. You almost replied with the name of your quirk, but manage to sound embarrassed about not having one: “please don’t rub it in.”
He rolls his eyes and sighs in annoyance. There comes more wet coughing, and he pulls at his side again, the same spot. Mentioning it seems both stupid and futile. You still have no idea why he’s actually here, other than coincidence, and what he wants with you. You’re happy being nobody special and yet, the imperious way he’s looked at you in these brief few minutes— or has it been longer? Shorter? For some reason you don’t want him to stop paying attention to you.
Then, to your utter shock, he starts coughing up blood. He puts his fist to his mouth and it comes away smeared red.
“Are you okay?” The question is a reflex. He ignores it.
Tendrils of steam rise from him, like he’s a kettle at the boil. Before your eyes, All Might is replaced by someone else. It’s a bit much to comprehend, but your logical mind makes the connection quickly. Blood at the mouth, blond hair, and of course they’re wearing the same clothes. Though, the drab olive green pants, navy shirt, harness and spiked pauldrons hang off of his body like they would off of clothes hangers. Your analyst’s sense spins into overdrive. So many questions answered. If you brought proof of this back to work you’d get put in charge of the division. Hell, you could quit Masuda & Matsuo and start your own company with this information. And yet you can’t help but ask, and really mean it this time—
“Are you okay?”
The gaunt man glares at you. “Fuck off.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“You’re irritating me.” His tone is pure acid. And still, you feel slightly bad for him. He wants none of your soft hearted platitudes. He coughs more, swiping at his mouth with the back of his hand.
You dig in your purse for a packet of tissues, and hold it out to him when you find it. “Here.”
His expression is all that’s needed for you to retract the offered tissues. You stay perfectly still watching him. He’s maybe half a foot shorter, and has terrible hunched posture, but it’s the same person, you’re sure. Which is the real All Might? Is there a real All Might? The number one villain’s identity, background, and quirk are the biggest unanswered questions of the past two decades. No one could say who he really was, or even if he looked like that all the time.
Evidently not...
“... is it a transformation quirk?” You ask, willing your voice to be low and even, talking like you would to a scared, wounded animal.
Predictably, he lashes out, though you can’t help flinching. “You will not tell anyone about this. No one.” His eyes are unnaturally blue, almost glowing from deep set sockets. “Not your coworkers, not your friends when you go out drinking, not your fling, not your great aunt on her deathbed. No one.”
You find yourself agreeing. “No one. I promise. No one. But is it—“
“Be silent!” He snarls, getting right in your face before his tone takes on a silken quality. “Pathetic thing. You want to prove your worth, be silent. Stand where you are and do not speak.” He wipes blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand, letting his eyes drop, taking in your figure. He smirks. “Who knows. Maybe you’ll impress me. If I see any hint of this in the news, or online, I’ll know who to hunt down.” He repeats your name venomously.
He turns and walks away. You do nothing. Say nothing. Don’t even twitch your fingers.
That was All Might. The shock of the entire exchange floats and gradually settles, like silt in water. You don’t move, not even a step; your breath and heartbeat become calm once more. He had ordered you, after all, and he had, inexplicably, trusted you with a monumental secret.
Had it really been him? Would the real All Might have done such a thing? You turn the thought over in your mind, fiddling with each piece of what you know. He’d certainly had the presence of villain. Deranged and volatile... and all too intriguing. His eyes are so blue.
You mentally scold yourself. Focus. Focus on what you actually know. You’d seen All Might on TV earlier in the day, trading blows with the flame hero Endeavor. What exactly had happened? All Might had been the aggressor, attacking Bando-Arata-Horikawa— your firm’s direct competition. You know people who work there, decent, average people. There hadn’t been any news about casualties, thank god. Endeavor had appeared shortly after the initial assault, slamming into All Might with a huge burst of power. The cameras on scene had caught it all, tracking the spectacle in real time, though it had been hard to follow. All Might was particularly enraged, turning his fury on Endeavor, and withstanding the huge gouts of flame like they were nothing more than a light breeze.
Had he been breathing heavily then? Coughing blood? He hides injuries too well. The tussle with Endeavor earlier is hardly the first time All Might has taken some heavy punches.
Shit, it’s cold out here. How long will you be standing here? All night? Your rational self asks the right questions. You should leave. Why the hell are you obeying him anyway? Likely he limped off, he won’t chase you. That was the real deal, you realize. Somewhere in the space of… how long?... you’d decided. He is.
The uncomfortable press against your bladder grows heavier, even as you slip into an uneasy sleep where you stand, swaying slightly. That had been All Might, and you had not wanted him to send you away or discard you so thoughtlessly.
Why hadn’t he touched you? This is a man who takes whatever he wants, does whatever he wants. He could have defiled you, or snapped your neck but he didn’t. The logical conclusion being that he doesn’t want you. You have nothing he wants. Why hadn’t he touched you? It’s an embarrassing sort of neediness that worms its way into your head as you’re standing there in the cold. Not good enough. He really was right to call you pathetic.
Stand where you are, do not speak. You yearn to prove him wrong.
Hours later, he returns for the mask he’d left. His sudden arrival jolts you awake and still, you do not move. Only raise your nodding head, eyes bleary. He’s in the muscle form again.
“Still here?” He stops short when he notices you, a little incredulous.
In a daze you regard him.
“Tch. Run along home, little girl. The streets aren’t safe at night.” Do not color outside the lines. Remember, the edges are sharp. Too close and you’ll drop off. For the second time that night he turns away from you and you want to plead to him, to the number one villain, not to go.
link to part 2
#villain all might#villain all might x reader#all smite#all smite x reader#bnha#mha#bnha fanfiction#mha fanfiction#all might#all might x reader
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Reflections
This is part 1 of the request. (Sorry it’s long. Even part 1 is long…) It got away from me and consumed me entirely. Naturally… and I wanted to try something a little different.
@ravenfan1242 I hope you enjoy :)
Raven slipped her thick white cloak off her face. She uncurled as she stretched out her petite form. She had awakened from an unplanned nap mere moments ago to find the sun had set. Just behind the treetops of the forest. The birds must have flown off to roost, as they were no longer chirping. The deer and squirrels had gone on to their herds and drays respectively. The rabbits to their nests. Raven knew it was time for her to take her cue from the animals to do the same.
She turned her petite body over in the warm grass, gathering her book into her cloth drawstring bag. Raven paused to point her nose upward. Towards the heavens. To observe. The inevitable handoff. The foreordained ball of fire’s descent from the sky. The sun acquiesced to the moon. And after the twilight, the fireflies awoke and made their existence known. The illumination of stars and shifting bioluminescent fire began lighting up a path for her.
As Raven walked, she was lulled into a ruminative state by the familiar sounds of the forest at night. Crickets chirped and owls hooted. Frogs croaked in the babbling water of the nearby creek. And small creatures rustled along in their bushes. Raven gazed up, as the moist grass grazed her ankles. She was distracted once more by the sky above. She often studied the heavens, the stars and the alignments of the planets. They had been hinting that something was to happen in her life. In this year of life, an event of great change would occur. She liked to think she was adequately prepared to face whatever it was head-on. She had armed herself with her wits and her knowledge. Raven hadn’t lasted this long on her own without being clever and resourceful.
But, it seemed that perhaps she had spent so much time anticipating what was to come. She didn’t realize it may have already. And was headed right toward her. Quite literally - in the outline of a blurry shape in the not too distant fog.
And it was nearing her steadily each passing second.
Whatever it was it had begun moving with intention. It couldn’t be good - whatever it was. Raven gathered her resolve and sunk to the forest floor. She crawled away quickly, clutching her hooded cloak. She slipped the hood over her head and tucked in her overgrown purple hair. Raven’s lip trembled as she watched it get closer. Raven had never seen a creature of that size or stature. Her body curved expertly around tree roots and bent over fallen branches as she slipped away. It was moving faster than she could silently slither along. It had probably noticed her and was trying to draw her out of hiding. As Raven backed into the base of a tree, she began to wonder if this was the stars had seen coming for her. Her undoing.
And maybe this creature was it.
Raven heard a nearby branch snap under the creature’s weight. That sounded really close. She turned her body. Crouching low as she glanced at the grass a few feet away, to see the size of its paws. At the very least she could assess which manner of animal or beast she was contending with.
But was it a creature at all?
Those… didn’t look quite like paws. They looked almost like… shoes. Boots - to be exact.
Scanning upward, she could make out a tall figure. And it was staring right at her. With intelligent and curious eyes. Human eyes.
It was…
A man. A real, man.
By heavens…
A strangled noise escaped her throat.
In all her time on Earth, she had not once met a man. And yet, here this one was, and he was standing right before her. Raven had read all about them. People. Men and women. She was aware of their existence, but as far as she knew, they hadn’t been made aware of hers. Unless…
Was he… here to hurt her?
He certainly didn’t appear to be dangerous. He looked rather harmless. Almost gentle. There was just something about his countenance she longed to trust. Her suspicious gaze softened as she took him in. The man had beautiful, azure eyes with thick, dark lashes. Luscious looking locks of inky black. And she couldn’t fail to notice his sculpted form under his clothing. Once more, Raven took in the tights and cape fastened like a cloak. Raven shyly fingered for own cloak.
It was oh so wrong of her, but instantly, Raven decided, she really liked looking at him. At this man. He was fascinating.
Rather prepossessing. Extremely so.
Raven silently observed him as he silently observed her.
His lips parted. Still watching her, some emotion lighting up his eyes. Astonishment… Perhaps because he had stumbled upon a girl in the forest. And intrigue…? He slowly bent his legs. Inch by inch, he dropped low to the ground, until his stance was mirroring her. Now they nearly were eye-to-eye. Mere inches apart.
Raven scooted to the other side of the beech tree. Putting a wooden barrier in between them. “It’s… alright…” A deep, kindly voice whispered. “I won’t hurt you.” Raising up an empty palm in assurance. “Hi…” He murmured, trying to approach her yet again.
In seconds, Raven repossessed control of her faculties. Realizing what was happening. This was the result of her allowing this dalliance to proceed for far too long. “You…” He froze in his tracks when she spoke. She must have sounded a great deal braver than she felt. “You are a human, are you not?”
He blinked several times. “Why, yes. I am a human… But -”
“You can’t be here.” She added under her breath, “And certainly not at this time of night.”
“Pardon me, Miss… I fail to see what my species has to do with my presence in this forest.” By his tone, he sounded like he found this whole affair rather amusing. By far more amusing than a human that had just encountered her should be. Raven, feeling the weight of his searching stare, realized that her hood had fallen, she drew it up over her face. “Unless… You’re not… human. Are you?” He inquired. By his tone it was clear he had figured her out. The astronomical twilight alone hadn’t obscured her features.
He knew she wasn’t.
“Oh…” Raven’s eyes grew fearful. The bit of braveness gone, when the reality had set in. “You really shouldn’t - have come.” She rose to her feet and drew back.
Tan fingers slipped through his jet black locks. He was kneeling before her. “I… must extend my sincerest apologies, fair maiden…” He got to his feet. “Surely you didn’t think I insinuated that there was anything wrong with your being different than I.” The man was smiling sheepishly at her. “We are both different are to one another.” The man looked somehow pleased that he had come across her.
He simply didn’t know any better.
“Well, I suppose that is true…” Raven began to say, she could see the logic in his words. But then, she remembered. Since he wasn’t going to leave, then she would have to. “But really, I must go - I need to go…” She turned on her heel. “Good evening.”
“Go?” He stumbled closer to her clumsily in his haste. “You don’t have to go.” The man sounded flabbergasted. “We’ve only met. I would like to talk - if that is alright.”
She shook her head slowly. “You don’t understand. I can’t talk to you… At all.” Raven had to insist upon this. “I need to leave - and you should as well.”
“No, wait. Please don’t go…” He implored her, the bright blue begging her. “Surely, there is nothing wrong with us - talking…?”
But Raven couldn’t stay. She shouldn’t be around him. And she shouldn’t be talking to him anymore than she already had. “You don’t understand. Please -” She started to flee, but not quickly enough. Something happened. Something unprecedented. A hand reached out for her. As if he were trying to make her stay. His fingertip grazed her wrist. Her chakra stone flashed red. “Ahh!” She grabbed her throbbing head, stopping dead in her tracks.
“Extraordinary…” The man gasped at her. “I knew it… That something would happen on this day…” He breathed in wonder.
What did that mean?
—————-
“P-please, sir, you need to go - now.” Her head bowed low as the pale maiden tried to breathe properly. Raven clutched the nearest tree trunk for support.
“Not a chance, fair maiden.” The man started. Rather valiantly. “You are hurt and I am a gentleman. There is no manner in which I can abandon you.”
“You are not hearing me… T-that has not ever happened… It’s not safe -” She gripped the tree, turning her body away from him. “No - don’t!” She squeezed her eyes shut in alarm. Opening them when she felt heat on her body.
He placed a couple of fingers on her forehead above her chakra, and below. Checking to see if she was alright. “Christ… you are quite warm.” She tensed up at the sensation of his skin on hers. No man had ever touched her before today. Let alone twice. “And…really - soft…” He added to himself under his breath. Then, he eased her gently. “It’s alright, I’ve got you… I think I saw a stream ahead.”
He took her hand, being sure to take her arm - and just her arm - as he guided her down the tiny leaf and rock-lined creek that fed into the nearby stream. His warmth was almost…comforting. It was strange. “Here, please, sit down.” Raven lowered herself down onto the grass, trying to keep her body steady. “You need to drink.”
The pale girl nodded and motioned to the bag that slid out from under her cloak. He widened the drawstring and fished around, before he pulled out a worn, wooden cup. He bent low toward the surface of the water to skim it, before he handed it to her.
They sat in silence for a moment as she gathered her bearing, calmed her mind, and drank the water. When she finished a cup, he refilled it for her. And handed it off. Over and over this continued. Until she paused to speak. Her chakra stone now slightly cooler. But unbeknownst to her, the stone had changed from its usual blackberry color to a blackened blood red.
“Thank you.” Raven managed. The man nodded and smiled. “You are… a gentleman.” Raven touched her forehead, feeling much more like her usual self. Aside from the fact that she was in the company of a human. And what about that human? He had actually helped her. “So… you could tell… Just by looking? What - I am…?” She stared down, wiping residual droplets off her lips.
“It’s obvious…” The man in tights gestured to her body clad in the white cloak.
Raven shook her head. “It is so obvious to you and yet you didn’t run from me? Like I told you to?” She asked. All of a sudden very annoyed with him for being so foolish. To put himself in danger over her.
He rose a black brow. “Run from you? No. I would never run from you…” The man sounded like he couldn’t believe she would suggest such a thing. But this was hardly trivial. “Did you expect me to simply leave you there to wallow?” He seemed upset by this.
“Yes!” The pale girl cried. That was what she wanted him to do. Why couldn’t he understand? “You certainly should have. Are all human beings this stubborn?”
The man looked aghast, as if the prospect of abandoning a lady was so improper, it would wrinkle his tights. But then, he gave her a little crooked smile. His eyes twinkling. “You forest dwelling creatures think you’re so scary to humans. Clearly that’s a myth… I mean you, for one, are hardly frightening.” The purple eyes looked confused. Was he playing with her? “So are you a kind of fairy or - or perhaps a nymph?”
She almost snorted at the absurdity of that question. Why, he had to be joking! “Why - would you think that…?” Raven couldn’t even finish that sentence.
Preposterous.
“Because, maiden, though you are petite, you don’t exactly have the ears one pictures on an elf.” The man’s face was matter-of-fact as he pointed to her ears, as if it were obvious.
Raven covered her pink ears self-consciously. “I didn’t suppose I had elfish features. Though my features are quite different.” She retorted.
“Your features are quite different indeed.”
“Indeed,” Raven sighed. On this matter, she had to agree. “I’m sure that the sight of being like myself was a bit of a shock. It must have been rather jarring for a human.” After she said this, Raven groaned internally. Feeling rather foolish. But of course to a man so stately, it had to have been a surprise. She half considered slipping her hood further over her face.
“Surprising, yes. Jarring? Hardly.” He scoffed. “Quite the opposite. I didn’t think that there could be a woman alive so…” He smiled and paused like he couldn’t believe he had to vocalize this. That he was a little embarrassed to tell her something he seemed to find obvious. And so he whispered it to her. “Enchanting…” Raven gaped at him. He looked her straight in the eye, his tone heartbreaking in its softness. “Beautiful.”
Raven’s heart wrenched. The effect that this man had on her. Her chest twisted and chafed at the earnestness and desperation of his voice. And because of the truth she knew.
What a lie.
She wasn’t enchanting. Not by any means. She wasn’t a fairy or an elf. Not even close.
But he looked as though he really believed what he was saying.
Out of all the creatures he had stumbled upon in the forest, why her? She was the last one any unassuming human should have encountered. She was the deadliest one.
Of all.
—————-
“Me…?” Raven swallowed. “You think that I’m -” She couldn’t bring herself to repeat his words.
The handsome stranger’s eyes traced her form appreciatively. “Why, yes. Of course you… I don’t see any other maidens in this forest. And none with great glowing gems on their foreheads either. I have been awfully rude, haven’t I? Not introducing myself… What is your name, nymph?”
Nymph… She wasn’t a -
“Raven. And yourself, kind sir?” He really was convinced that she was some harmless creature that tended to the forest. But why hadn’t she corrected him?
“I am Dick. I am very pleased to meet you, Nymph Raven.” He reached for her hand, and grasped it, and then… pressed his lips to it. His eyes never once breaking her gaze.
What in the…?
“Oh - ” She fell backwards in surprise. Her hand ripped from his grasp. Her face was much warmer than her forehead had been before. And her heart was pounding out of control. What was happening to her today? Was she losing it? Or was this what the stars had predicted?
“S-sorry. Force of habit…” Dick apologized. Even through her apprehension, she noticed he did that a lot. Making apologies. “My mannerisms are very…human.”
“Why, of course they are… I wasn’t expecting -” Raven cleared her throat, deciding at that moment to change the subject. “Do you live around here? The forest doesn’t often get visitors and certainly not around these parts.”
“Oh, in the village, do you mean?” Dick asked. Raven nodded quickly. Agreeing though she had never been. “Something like that, yes. It’s quite nice… It gets rather routine and predictable every now and again. There’s no one there as interesting as you…” He too cleared his throat. And then, took her cue to breach a different subject. “Do all of your kind look like you, Nymph Raven?” Dick smiled.
This man was so trusting. And so unassuming. Thinking that she posed no threat.
“N-no.” It was the truth after all.
“I figured not.” He smiled at her again. Stretching back in the grass. She stared at his long legs and strong body splayed out in front of the stream.
Raven nervously twirled a long lock of purple around her slender fingers. Something she didn’t often do. “I mean - I wouldn’t know. I’m the only one like me around here…”
“Oh… I see.” Dick’s tone shifted. It sounded sad. “That must be rather… lonely for you, Fair Raven.”
And she felt a mixture of sadness along with many other things. But she could admit it, as this was just her life. Her path. The way it had to be. “Sometimes. But it’s better this way.”
Dick didn’t believe her. “Being alone is better? Surely, it can't be.” He kept sliding closer to her and she did her best to subtly inch away whenever she could. Even though he seemed keen on placing himself in danger she, however, wasn’t particularly keen. “Maybe you’d never met anyone worth having around…”
“I’ve never really thought about it,” the pale maiden admitted. “Though I’ve been alone for so long…” She turned, whispering. “How am I to know of anything else…?”
“Everyone needs someone. Everyone needs… a friend.”
Such a simplistic view. But so honest.
Honesty and openness.
She could use some of that in her life. And she could use -
“A friend…?” Raven murmured. Wondering again if she had heard him correctly. “I’ve never…had a friend.” But why would he want her to be his friend? “I don’t even know what a real friendship entails.” Not outside her books or her poems and novels. And not one between something like herself and… a man.
“If you would like to work up to that title… For now we could call ourselves acquaintances. O-or companions.” He sounded positively eager at the prospect. But friendship was something more than she could ever give him or anyone.
She had to discourage it. Raven paused, listening to the sounds of the stream before them.
“Companionship - that’s a very human trait, wouldn’t you find, Sir - Dick?” She tilted her head. Narrowing the intensely purple gaze.
“No. It’s not solely a human trait, Nymph Raven.” Dick insisted. His own eyes surprisingly serious. “Every being on earth needs some form of it.”
“But, I’d never considered myself one for it…” Raven countered.
“Until our meeting, you mean?” He just wasn’t going to let this go. His ideas of friendship. A friendship with her.
“Though until today, I’d never even met a human before…” Raven reminded him. And it was a very fair point.
“Really? How am I doing for my kind?” He had pivoted in a way she had not foreseen - once again.
“Whatever do you mean, Dick?” Raven asked innocently.
The blue eyes peered curiously at her. “Am I… what you expected?”
“You are only human I ever met. I had no expectations,” Raven replied flatly. “I assure you that, Dick.”
“Oh, Fair Nymph… I doubt that very much. If I am to leave your forest tonight, you must leave me with something.” He grinned, sounding eager all over again. She found she didn’t mind the sound. Of Dick’s elation.
“Well alright…” Raven realized that perhaps she could play along after all. Just a smidgen. After all, she had never done this before. “You smell better… than one would expect from a human.”
Dick threw his head back, bellowing out full, hearty laughter. It was a lovely sound, she had to admit. It filled her with indescribable mirth like she’d never known. She closed her eyes to memorize the sound. This was the only time she would get to indulge in something so rich. “Scent aside… Does the lady have anything else to say about me?” He tapped his cheek playfully. Cocky grin creeping onto his countenance.
The low rumble of his voice… The piercing stare. There were words for it, and the way it made her feel, that came to mind. Ones she didn’t normally use.
Inviting.
Seductive.
Thrilling.
It made the petite maiden question everything she thought she knew. About humans. About herself. Whether they should interact. Under her cloak, Raven placed a hand on her chest. The feelings from his words. How he had selflessly helped her. Raven had never known that a man could make her feel such strong emotions. She had read tales of such, but not seen it in her own story. Not once had she thought that it would grace the pages. Now she knew.
Maybe it could.
She stared at herself echoed in his bright blue eyes. She wanted to believe in this dream right now. On this night. The kind smile made her want to believe. “You’re… interesting.”
She received an echo from him. “Interesting…”
With dancing fingers, he skimmed the surface of the stream. Next to him, Raven watched her reflection wavering in the ripples. The ripples grew bigger and bigger until they expanded the opposite ends of the stream. Then, Dick… gazing upon her water-bound reflection, stroked its cheek. She saw her the image of her own purple eyes growing bigger and bigger. And she clamored to feel her own face as a flush appeared on it.
How she had considered allowing him to touch her true face in such a fashion.
She was so aghast that she barely registered his words. “Interesting enough to… have around… possibly?” Dick slowly stood. And then, he bowed to her. He gave her a stunning smile. “May we meet again, Fair Raven.” And at last, Dick slipped off into the night, hopefully in the direction of that mysterious village, where his friends and companions lay at rest in their beds.
“Impossibly…” She whispered, her gaze unfocused. The hand he had kissed touching the warmth on cheeks. She closed her eyes, shelving any notion that this could ever be.
“Goodbye, Dick.”
#dickrae#nightrae#robrae#prompt#fanfic#writing#me#fantasy#never wrote anything like this#robin and raven#birds#fanfiction#request#this is going somewhere i swear#sorry this is so long#period piece?#dick grayson#Raven Roth#Nightwing#au#Raven#dc titans#Titans#teen titans#dc comics
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The Beginning of Everything
Ch. 21: The Marchioness of Gallifrey
// Story Masterlist //
Fandom: Doctor Who
Pairing: 10th Doctor x Original Female Character
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Chapter summary: The travelers stop by King Henry VIII's palace on the day he's holding a celebration. He seems to take a special interest in Renata and despite the Doctor's efforts not to let it get to him...it does. It leads to arguments, accusations, a dance and a proposition of a thrilling night adventure together. The Doctor then starts to realize that maybe the Marchioness has caught him too.
A/N: The pronunciation of 'Marchioness' is mar-shuh·nes
The TARDIS wardrobe was ransacked the morning the Doctor suggested the group take a trip into the past so Gabby and Donna could meet royalty. The idea stemmed from a passing remark Renata made the previous night about having to explain to Gabby how royalty worked in the future. The Doctor thought it would be a nice idea if Gabby and Donna could see royalty up close. Plus, it was always fun having a leisure day in the past. And after their recent trips full of danger, Gods, alien bees...they needed a leisure trip.
So as soon as he made his idea known, Gabby and Donna zoomed for the wardrobe room. If they were going to travel back in time to meet royalty then they would need to find dresses and jewelry and do their hair. The Doctor prepared himself at the idea that they would be spending a long time getting ready.
Renata, for her part, hadn't taken long. She knew where to go, what to pick, how to do her hair. She was done in half an hour and that was only because Donna couldn't quite figure out how to tie her corset. Now, Renata helped the two human women.
"I can't believe we're actually going to meet a Queen and King!" Gabby gushed as Renata finished doing her hair. She was sitting in front of a vanity desk and was watching Renata through the mirror as she did wonders with her hair.
"Gabriella please stop moving so much," Renata had to physically hold Gabby's head for a few seconds to keep Gabby still. "And I don't know why you're so excited," Renata said once she could trust Gabby to keep herself from moving.
Suddenly, Donna scoffed from the side of the room. She was getting changed like Renata told her to. She was next in the hair department. "Why we're so excited!?" Donna called. "Because we're meeting flippin royalty!"
"Yeah, but they're people. They're literally just people," Renata shook her head. She focused on pinning the last butterfly hair pin on Gabby's hair. "There we are. What do you think?"
Gabby once again gushed at her reflection. "I love it! You really do know how to do hairstyles!"
Indignance flashed across Renata's face. "What - did you doubt me!?"
"No!" Gabby laughed and went back to looking at herself in the mirror. Renata had curled her hair - proving once and for all to Gabby and Donna that she did know how to use a curling iron - and made a few braids to be left down while others were pulled to the back. The braids on the back were connected by a lavender butterfly pins.
"Alright, my turn!" Donna came out wearing an ornate emerald green gown with white lace at the squared neckline and cuffs. "Up, up!"
Gabby got up from the chair and hitched the sides of her baby blue dress to move around. "What are you going to do to Donna's hair?" she curiously asked.
Renata's hands were already massaging Donna's hair. She looked at Donna through the mirror with a warm smile. "I'm thinking we leave this fiery hair down and curl it."
"You're the Noble one," Donna laughed at her own joke.
"Oh Donna, I'm really not," Renata's smile had become strained but with all the excitement going on no one noticed.
"Course you are! Now c'mon! Before the Doctor changes his mind!"
~0~
The Doctor really had almost changed his mind after so much waiting. He would never understand why it took most women - and a few men - so long to get changed. Like, was there an invisible force keeping them from getting ready quick that he wasn't aware of? What was it?
Words could not explain the relief he felt when he heard Renata's voice asking their companions to calm down. She must have been helping Gabby and Donna get ready because as far as the Doctor knew, Renata never took long to get changed for a trip. He didn't know if it was part of her customs back on Gallifrey to be ready as quick as possible or if she just wasn't affected by the invisible force he wasn't sure existed or not.
"Please try to act normal," Renata was instructing the women when she strode into the console room. "Nothing gives you away like screaming and being all giddy."
"Finally!" the Doctor made a point of saying it loudly and as frustrated as he actually was. He started making his way towards the doors. "I've been parked outside the 16th century for hours! I thought you got lost in there!
"They did," Renata came around the console to check the monitor. She wanted to make sure he had actually landed them in the correct spot and not some alien version of 16th century Earth. "And then I found them. They're very fond of the 1920s. Apparently, the whole Agatha Christie trip didn't fill them up but they are ready - I got them ready."
"You make us sound like children," Donna huffed with her arms crossed.
Renata cast a look at Donna as she started for the doors. "In my eyes, you might as well be."
Donna rolled her eyes at the woman while Gabby giggled beside her. Just because Renata was right didn't mean Donna would admit to it.
Renata stepped out of the TARDIS to find a bright green garden field. She would've immediately assumed the Doctor had taken them to the wrong place if she hadn't caught a glimpse of a tall palace in the distance.
"Is that a real castle!?" Gabby squealed so loud that the others flinched.
"To be correct, it's the Hampton Court Palace," the Doctor began to explain. "King Henry VIII and his new wife Anne of Cleves are living there. The Hampton palace is known for it's incredible size and rooms. I'm sure you'll all love it." And judging by Donna's and Gabby's faces, he was right. "Shall we-"
"I'm off to meet royalty!" Donna happily declared before taking off first.
"Me too! Maybe I'll meet a prince!" Gabby gushed again and rushed off.
"Remember what I said about not being all giddy!?" Renata was left to call for them. "You're going to get us caught!" But neither woman seemed to hear.
"Ah, they'll be fine," the Doctor said with a tone that fully believed in what he was saying.
Renata wouldn't be so naive. She scoffed lightly and reached behind them to close the TARDIS doors. "Are you sure leaving the TARDIS here is a good idea?"
"Yeah, we don't want it too close to the palace. She'll be fine here. We'll be fine too so please relax." The Doctor was holding his arm out when Renata turned around.
"What? I am relaxed!"
The only reason the Doctor wouldn't scoff is because he would rather move onto something he'd been keeping back. "You look lovely, Renée."
He'd thought she looked right at home in such an elegant gown. She knew exactly how to best compliment herself, probably accustomed in her days on Gallifrey. She had chosen a gold and white dress that, under the sunlight, looked a bit orange. It had three-quarter sleeves and a flared skirt. The bodice had deep v-neck with the stomacher, in a whiter shade than the rest of the dress, covering her chest. There was a small, orange gemstone attached to tip of her bodice, perhaps bringing just a bit more attention to her chest. She wore a small, glimmering orange necklace. Her hair was tucked in an elegant low bun with two strands of her blonde curls left to frame her face.
Renata shifted for the first seconds while she figured out a way to not look like an idiot. The Doctor always got her like that too and it was utterly ridiculous! She was 756 for God's sake! She was a grown woman who shouldn't get mad blushes over a simple compliment.
"...thank you," she pressed down on the side of her dress, awkwardly clearing her throat. "I'm a bit sad though that I couldn't bring my sonic screwdriver around. No pockets." The Doctor smiled as he got the image of Donna shouting at him for assuming her wedding dress had pockets. Renata was none the wiser about it. "And I think I may have chosen something a bit ahead of this time period, but-"
"You'll be setting a style," the Doctor moved to stand beside her with his arm still held out for her. "What do you think? Lady? Duchess?"
There was a novel glint in her eyes when he asked. "...Marchioness."
The Doctor hummed and swayed his head as he tested the title out. "Marchioness Renata..." It made sense for her to pick that title instead of a Duchess which was the next higher rank. If he knew Renata, and he thought he did, she chose 'Marchioness' because it would attract the lesser attention amongst a group of royals. She never like getting so much attention, she preferred simplicity. And if he was being honest, the title sounded a lot better than 'Duchess'. The Doctor didn't know why it was, but it just was.
Renata curled her arm around his and pulled him after their companions. "It's an appropriate title given the fact I am a widow."
The Doctor went serious for a moment, knowing she was right. "Of course." She was being completely logical, as usual, but there was an unusual (and recently new) feeling in his stomach when he thought about Renata being married.
~0~
The Hampton Court Palace seemed to be in a rush when the travelers reached the entrance. There were carriages arriving and leaving, bustling employees going to and from and the employees not moving about were decorating the building and cutting the bushes.
"I wonder what's going on," Gabby remarked to the group.
"I bet the old chap Henry is having a party today," the Doctor said. "Very famous for those too."
"How are we getting in?" Donna inquired once they'd reached the entrance. They didn't seem to be lingering like they were going to think of a plan. The Doctor was leading them straight for the entrance.
"Oh, did I forget to mention I've already met Henry?" he flashed the women a smirk at the same time he pulled out his psychic paper from his coat.
"Oh great, the return of the lying booklet," Renata sighed lightly but let it be.
The Doctor presented the psychic paper to the guards and the male servant greeting guests at the door. "John Smith - known better as the Doctor - Marchioness Renata, Lady Donna and Lady Gabby," he read off so calmly and smoothly that no one would eve rethink twice about disbelieving them.
As soon as the servant saw the psychic paper, his eyes stuck to the Doctor. "Doctor, welcome back!"
"You do know them," Donna's eyes widened, gasping lightly.
"Good to see you too, Barnard" the Doctor shut his psychic paper. "What's it been?"
"About seven years, sir," Barnard gave a dutiful nod before glancing at the woman.
"Good, hasn't been that long yet," the Doctor mumbled. He missed Renata rolling her eyes at him. She only dreaded what kind of mischief he'd gotten himself into the last time he was around. Hopefully Martha had been around to keep him in check.
"And you've married," Barnard's hazel eyes flickered to Renata who still had her arm curled around the Doctor's. Her face went a rosy tint within seconds. "Your Most Honorable Marchioness." He did a courtesy bow for the blonde.
"Oh n-n-no! Not married!" Renata shook her head and elbowed the Doctor to get him in on the corrections.
He yelped from pain and tried agreeing while rubbing his side. "Not...married..."
"Widowed," Renata corrected. "Mr. Smith has offered to guide me and my..." she glanced at Donna and Gabby, both humans amused with the show, "...sisters to the city. I hope his majesty does not mind 3 extra guests to...?"
"His Majesty has decided to throw a celebration tonight. No other reason than to, uh..." Barnard trailed with a smile.
"To party?" Gabby asked, from now on putting on an accent to fit the sisterly role Renata had appropriated on her. It was surprisingly easy.
"Yes," Barnard nodded abashedly. "But please come in. I will inform his majesty of your arrival and appoint you bedrooms."
"Oh but we're not staying more than a day," Renata said, looking to the Doctor for some help again. She didn't think that they could last a day without causing trouble, whether it was by accident or not.
"The party will last two days my Lady," Barnard explained. "I believe his majesty will like it if you stayed."
"We'd be honored to," the Doctor grinned and glanced at the others. Donna and Gabby seemed to agree, Renata being a bit weary as they were allowed into the palace.
~0~
There was definitely a party to be held that evening for every room had servants going back and forth. Renata pitied the overworked men and women forced to prepare what would no doubt be a ridiculously huge party.
"I don't like the idea of staying overnight and making these people work extra," she quietly told the Doctor as a different servant escorted them down the hallways for the gardens where most of the higher-ranked courtiers and guests were. "Plus, I don't know how long we can keep this charade going."
"Oh don't worry. Henry and I are actually good friends - we've had jousting matches!" the Doctor smiled nostalgically. "It didn't work out for him in the end, though."
"Doctor, focus!"
"Right," the Doctor shook his head and offered her a reassuring smile. "We'll be fine."
"This way," the servant led them down the steps into the garden. "His and Her Majesty are greeting the guests right now. Barnard has made them aware of your presence."
"Good, thanks," the Doctor said, completely at ease unlike his two human companions.
"We're meeting the bloody King and Queen of England!" Donna was straining her voice so it wouldn't come out in a shout, but Gabby was squealing like a little girl beside her.
"This isn't going to work," Renata brought a hand to her forehead. "We'll be beheaded in an hour."
"Would you relax?" the Doctor shot her a look, almost begging her to keep quiet. At this point, he'd rather take the squealing humans beside them.
The servant left the trio with Barnard once more who then led them through the circles of guests mingling. The travelers immediately spotted the King and Queen at the center conversing with a couple and before they could even think about how to best greet them, King Henry turned and yelled for the Doctor.
"It is you!" the tall man threw his arms into the air and laughed. He waved off the couple he'd been talking to and strode up to the Doctor. As traditions called, the Doctor was about to bow but Henry took him into a hug. Renata, who'd had her arm around the Doctor's, was forced to let go and stumbled into Donna. "Been far too long!"
"Yes, yes, it has," the Doctor agreed with his own laugh.
"Oh my God that's King Henry VIII," Gabby whispered to Donna as she practically clung to the ginger's arm.
Donna didn't seem the least bothered by Gabby's relentlessly shaking her arm. She was so excited too! "I bloody know!"
Renata cleared her throat at the two, shooting them a stern look. Calm down was written across her face.
"I have brought a few extra guests for tonight's, uh, celebration," the Doctor said once he was able to pry the King off him. "I'm assisting them on their journey to London and thought we should stop by to see an old friend."
"Well of course!" Henry laughed and started studying the three women. While he did that, the women studied him as well. He was fairly tall, probably the same height as the Doctor. However, they differed in that Henry had a pudginess to his face and he wasn't as slim as the Doctor. He had a receding hairline but even then his hair seemed to be thinning. He did have a full beard though, shading between brown and a light ginger.
"Ladies, his Majesty, King Henry," the Doctor gestured to the man. "Your majesty, Lady Gabby Gonzalez and Lady Donna Noble..." he barely got to introduce before the two humans bowed.
Gabby immediately plunged herself a bit too low out of her excitement. "Your majesties."
Donna did the same, much to Renata's dismay, and smiled at the royal pair. "An honor to meet you."
"Stand up," Renata hissed under her breath and in doing so she claimed the King's attention. Seeing this, Renata did the appropriate bow and gracefully smiled. "Your majesties."
"This is the Marchioness of..." the Doctor struggled for a few seconds to find the appropriate land for Renata, something she felt guilty for because she hadn't even considered it herself. But, just like that, the Doctor realized there was only one possible answer. "This is the Most Honorable Marchioness of Gallifrey."
Renata's eyes widened and snapped to the Doctor, but even then she finished bowing and rose like she hadn't been shaken. "It is an honor to meet you, your Majesties." She could see the Queen was cautiously standing behind her husband, no doubt waiting to be introduced by her husband, so Renata offered the woman a kind a smile.
"Doctor, you married such a beautiful jewel," Henry's eyes seemed to spark with something that Renata hadn't been able to describe in that second. She was more focused on the incorrect assumption about her status...again.
"We are not married," she said with a strain in her voice. Henry looked at the Doctor for his confirmation, something that reminded Renata how badly this period was for women. Her word was not enough. Only the Doctor's words mattered.
"We're not," he agreed. He didn't miss the way Henry's face lit up at the news. What the hell are you so happy about? The silent question came in an unusual angry way.
"You're widowed, my condolences," Henry's tone didn't exactly portray the feeling of his words. He took Renata's hand without warning her, choosing to ignore the small "Oh!" that slipped her lips when her body was jerked towards him.
The Doctor did not miss it. Gabby and Donna giggled as quietly as they could when the King kissed the back of Renata's hand.
"You are too kind, your Majesty," Renata took her hand out of his the moment she could. "It was a very long time ago, though."
"Oh, really?" Henry lifted an eyebrow at her.
"Still," the Queen suddenly spoke up, "You have our deepest condolences." She did offer a genuine kind smile that Renata could take to heart.
At the reminder of his wife's presence, Henry stepped back to stand beside her to introduce her. "Doctor, unlike you, I have married. Her Majesty Queen Anne."
All the travelers once again bowed according to custom. The Queen, unlike her husband, seemed like a kind woman. Her warm smile was a charmer. She was a tall, slim young woman - if the timing was right, she was only 25 - with fair blonde hair tucked into a pony-tail hanging over her shoulder. She had a pointed chin and slim cheeks. Her dark chocolate brown, though heavily lidded, eyes gave each of the travelers a welcoming look.
"Honor to meet you, your Majesty," the Doctor said had the agreeing nods of the women.
"I have heard about you, Doctor," Anne confessed, a hint of curiosity etching across her face. "And if what my husband said is true then I look forward to having you at our celebration this evening."
"Thank you," the Doctor gave a polite nod of his head.
"Have your things been assigned to bedchambers?"
"Uuh..." the Doctor quickly looked at Renata, his mouth slightly opened.
"We had a carriage sent to London hours ago," the Time Lady supplied the excuse within the second, and she said it so smoothly as well. "We only have what we are wearing. We didn't know there was a celebration tonight. Apologies."
"No matter, we can supply you with the right clothes," the Queen said, glancing at Henry to see if agreed.
"Of course!" He laughed, clapping a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Anything for my good friend the Doctor and his lovely friends."
The Doctor had the light suspicion that Henry was really only talking about one of his friends.
~ 0 ~
"What's wrong with you, giving me that Marchioness title?" Renata was deciding whether to laugh or smack the Doctor. The group was taking leisure in the gardens much like everyone else was that afternoon while they waited for evening to fall.
"I think it's funny," Gabby chuckled behind them. "The Marchioness of Gallifrey?"
Renata shook her head at them both but there was a smile creeping across her face. "You two are ridiculous."
"I thought it was fitting!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You're the pinnacle of what every Time Lord family wanted out of their daughters. You should have been the Marchioness of the entire planet."
"Oh Doctor," Renata sighed and picked up her pace. "Look at us, focusing on stupid titles when we're in such a beautiful garden. Aren't they finishing up a maze around here?"
"Actually," the Doctor began, making her and Gabby stop, "You're thinking of The Maze that won't be started until 1689," the Doctor corrected.
"Oh..." Renata's eyebrows rose as her face flushed. "...miscalculation?"
The Doctor's mouth curved into a fond smile. "A bit."
Renata bobbed her head as she slowly turned away from him. "Oh, we can't all be like you!"
"Thank goodness, I don't think the world can handle another 'me'," the Doctor motioned Gabby to start walking with them. "Can you imagine that?"
Gabby chuckled. "I don't think I can!"
"Still, this place is marvelous," Renata stopped by to admire a bush that'd been shaped into a horse. "There are clearly some artistic hands in this place." She glanced specifically at Gabby. "Maybe we can find them for you. It'd be a good idea for you to meet some human artists and get new perspectives."
Gabby adored the idea. She'd already met an alien artist so it was only fair she met genuine human artists too! She spun around, her eyes scanning the crowds of guests in the garden. "Do you think they're here?"
"Probably not the ones who made this bush, but...I'm sure there has to be somebody artistic here," Renata took a few steps towards the girl, joining Gabby in the search for an artist. "Perhaps we should ask Donna. She's certainly made herself comfortable amongst the royalty."
The Doctor hummed in agreement. Everyone's eyes found their ginger friend laughing away with one of the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting. It was truly an amazing sight because none of them had ever pictured Donna like that.
"She's even speaking like them," Renata brought a hand up to her mouth to cover her laugh.
"Hmm, truly never underestimate Donna Noble," the Doctor slid his hands into his pockets and watched in amusement as Donna retold a story about herself in London...in the same time period.
"Oh great, you're teaching them to lie!" Renata dropped her hand from her mouth and whacked the Doctor's arm with her other hand. "We're teaching them to lie!"
"What - I didn't tell her to make up stories!" the Doctor rubbed his arm and turned to Renata.
"Well, go tell her not to tell stories! She'll get us caught!"
The Doctor groaned, swaying his head as he once again cast a look in Donna's way. "No...she won't..." But Donna actually seemed pretty animated over the story she was telling.
"Doctor, this is not a time period we can so easily mess with," Renata argued with a very good point on her side. "I'm not saying she shouldn't tell stories just...maybe tone it down a bit?"
The Doctor sighed in resignation. "Yeah, alright." Who knew, maybe in Donna's excitement she might say the wrong thing. It was a long run back to the TARDIS.
"And you Gabriella," Renata ushered the young girl towards the crowd, "We most definitely can find somebody worthwhile for you speak to. It would be so exciting if we could actually find an artist."
"Mhm!" Gabby agreed.
"Tell you what, I'll go look over there and you take Donna's side."
"Right - wait!" Gabby's eyes widened with realization. "You mean I have to talk to all of these people!? By myself!?"
"It'll be fine," Renata gave a dismissive wave of her hand. She was already scanning the crowds for the most viable candidates. "An artist usually caries a different air around them. And around this time, they're primarily male."
"Oh! That makes it better!" Gabby fervently shook her head and stopped walking. "I can't talk to these men! I don't know them and what if I get caught?"
"You won't. And if you're that nervous about it, have the Doctor or Donna help you. Go!" Renata once again ushered Gabby forwards.
"But what about you?"
"I'm a Marchioness to these people, nobody would bat a suspicious eye at a widow trying to make small talk with men." Of course as soon as Renata heard her own words, her nose crinkled. "Oh...that sounded a lot better in my head."
Gabby giggled at the Time Lady. "Now you're sounding like the Doctor."
"Oh just go!" Renata shooed her away. She herself took the other side of the crowd and started going through the crowds, presenting herself as normally as she could.
She admitted that it was pretty simple considering this is more or less what life was like back on Gallifrey, minus the royalty. It was easy engaging humans in conversation when the topics were dim: jewelry, parties and the same old gossip.
"You are a charming woman, my Lady," Lady Margaret Douglas laughed at what Renata didn't think was so amusing. She'd only made up a story about a trip she supposedly took with another Lady in Waiting.
"I don't know if I'd go that far," Renata chuckled along with another Lady in Waiting, Susanna Hornebolt.
"How is it that we have never met?" Susanna asked after receiving a flute from a passing servant. "You should clearly be at every event his Majesty holds. A Widower who has traveled more than any of us is somebody who holds many interesting stories."
"I'm not the type to attend so many, uh, public events," Renata cleared her throat and discreetly continued to search through the crowds. These two women were possibly the most chit chatty people she'd ever met and so far neither of them had given her any indication of just who was at this event. Before them she had stopped by a few Dukes under the guise of a confused woman asking where her sisters were. That sparked conversation and while Renata did get a few identities of other guests, they weren't any artists. Before the dukes, she'd caught a Duchess and her brother. Neither of them knew the guests.
How helpful they were.
Renata thought that these two Ladies might have more information. She could tell Gabby was getting far too flustered to keep her conversations going. There was only so much the Doctor could do for her.
"Excuse me," Susanna had to part when the Queen called for her assistance.
"Look at her, so eager to help," Lady Margaret huffed beside Renata. She cast Margaret a puzzled glance. Margaret chortled. "If you stay, you will learn what truly goes on around here. Lady Susana, for starters, is a widower herself. She is in severe financial troubles. Everybody knows that she is searching for a new husband to ease her problems."
"Oh, and you're helping her by telling me this?" Renata couldn't help the sour tinge covering her words. It was too petty for her.
"Simply so you know to keep your own prospects under a close eye."
Renata's face contorted to a deeper level of confusion until Margaret inclined her head in the Doctor's direction. Soon as Renata understood she groaned and not as quietly as a true Marchioness would have. "For the love of - we are not married and we are not getting married! I am not looking for a husband! Is that all you people think about?!"
Margaret was taken aback by what would be considered an abrasive reaction in the time period, but Renata wouldn't take anything back. Why didn't anyone believe that she and the Doctor were only friends!? Was it too hard to understand the concept of friendship?
"My Lady?" Henry was approaching the women, instigating for Margaret to stiffen.
So that's how you shut her up, Renata silently thought.
"Your Majesty," Margaret did her dutiful bow.
"I wish to speak to the Marchioness alone. Leave us," Henry didn't spare the woman a look. He had said his rather cold words all while he smiled at Renata.
Margaret nodded and rushed off but Renata noticed the lingering look the human had on her. Renata sighed inwardly sighed. She knew what thoughts must be starting up in that human head of hers.
"My Lady, I have heard you were asking several of my guests about their professions? May I ask why? Not looking for a husband right now, are we?"
Renata literally forced herself to resist the urge to snap. "No...your majesty. I am not looking for a husband in any of these men. I was merely curious because one of my sisters has an interest in art."
"Ah," Henry's face lit up. "You should have asked me, then. I do love myself the crafts. If your sister is interested, we can allow her to view the portraits I have collected from around the world."
A genuine smile spread across Renata's face. "Oh, really? That would...that would actually be very kind of you. Gabriella adores all types of art so, really, anything you would share with her would be deeply appreciated."
"Say no more," Henry made a gesture for a servant to come by. "See to it that my Art room is fit for the Honorable Marchioness and her sister by tomorrow morning." The servant quickly nodded his head and rushed off.
"I truly appreciate it, your Majesty."
Henry took pleasure in her beaming face. "Please, it is the least I can do for one of the Doctor's friends."
Renata missed the emphasis Henry had put in 'friends' due to her search for Gabby in the crowd. She wanted to tell Gabby as quick as possible - the girl would be so excited!
"May I ask what are your interests?"
"What?" Renata's head snapped in the King's direction when she realized she was getting lost in her search. "I'm sorry?"
"Your interests, my Lady. One of your sisters is interested in the arts, and you?"
"Oh, uh..." Renata started looking away while she racked her brain for humanly qualities. "I...I like..."
Be simple, she told herself. The Doctor wouldn't complicate backstories so much. "I like to help people, teach," she settled for. Back on Gallifrey that's what she did. Teaching Gabby about outer space was a bit out of her element but when she was on Gallifrey, working her foundation, she knew exactly what to do. "I, uh...I do a lot of charity work. There are so many people, children, that require our help."
"Ah, truly noble of you then," Henry gave a small nod. "I do like women who are vastly educated. My wife, it seems, is not as educated as I was made to believe."
Renata pursed her lips. Queen Anne of Cleves was known to be an incredibly kind, docile woman with a German education...but not to the type of education that Henry had expected before marrying her. "I'm sure she is educated where it matters."
Henry bobbed his head but didn't outright insist on his opinion. "Do you like the study of astronomy?"
The smile that came to Renata's face was automatic when it came to that subject. "I suppose I do."
"Have you seen our Astronomical clock hanging on the gatehouse of inner court?"
"No, I have not actually."
"We must correct that. A woman of your education and beauty must see it." Henry offered Renata his arm and though he was doing it kindly, Renata suspected that declining wasn't an option. He was infamous for his cold, sometimes dangerous, behavior.
Just like she would on Gallifrey, Renata accepted something she did not want. She took Henry's arm and allowed him to lead her away.
From a distance, the Doctor caught them leaving. He was initially perplexed, almost thinking that the woman couldn't be Renata. But he would recognize those fair movements of hers anywhere, along with her elegant hair bun. Renata was leaving the party - where there were plenty of people - to be alone with Henry? That didn't settle right with his stomach.
~ 0 ~
Renata wasn't so sure about this alone time with Henry but all her concerns washed away when she saw the mesmerizing clock hanging up on the building. It was truly an astounding sight.
The outer rim of the clock was a stark blue, nearly matching the skies had it been a lighter shade. It had the Roman Numerals carved as the 24 hour segments. There were three more main segments - copper dials - within the clock, each donning their own brilliant shades of blue. A few golden and red decorative segments were between the rim and the second segment. The other three copper dials were rotating at different speeds.
"This is truly amazing," Renata laughed and brought a hand to cover her mouth. She was opening it too much for a King, she probably looked out of place.
But Henry was admiring her reaction. He was grinning, really, as she continued to gawk over the clock. "We have other clocks in the palace but I wanted this one to be different. This one can be used by our incoming guests using the River Thames."
"I think they could," Renata agreed with a fervent nod of her head.
"The central dial rotates only once per lunar month," Henry explained and pointed up at the baby blue dial in the middle of the clock. "It also gives us the time when the moon crosses the meridian..."
"So you can be aware of the tides," Renata finished his sentence, meeting his impressed gaze with a laugh. "Yes, I'm familiar with the concept."
"I can see," Henry nodded, now laughing himself. "Well then, the middle dial...what do you think it's showing us?"
Renata would've laughed at the human who thought he could challenge her, a Time Lady, with time. You are so cheating Renata, she told herself but she was simply having too much fun. It was her chance to show off for a change. "Let us see," she put her hands behind her back and took a few steps towards the clock. She raised her head and studied the second dial.
Behind her, Henry watched her with bemusement. The Marchioness of Gallifrey was proving to be as exotic as the Doctor. How he had found her, Henry had no idea, but he would be damned if he let the Doctor take her away.
"I got it," Renata announced and turned around just as Henry took the steps she had taken to be face to face with her. "It's showing the age of the moon and your outer dial-" she pointed a finger over her head, "-shows us the months and the zodiac. I also admire how you worked in the movement of the sun."
Henry's eyebrows nearly shot up to his receding hairline. "Marchioness of Gallifrey, you have just impressed the King of England in the span of 10 seconds. That is a true record."
Renata smirked proudly. "I do have my moments." The Doctor always told her that but she never quite believed it. Maybe she should start now.
~0~
Once evening began to fall, Renata and Henry returned to the garden. Henry then announced the party would start in one hour. Everyone was to report to the Great Hall starting at seven. Barnard was tasked to bring the travelers to their appointed bedchambers.
"If you need anything, please let us know," Barnard stopped by the last door which had been Gabby's bedchamber.
"Thank you," the Doctor said with a strained smile. Barnard gave a dutiful nod then left the group.
"I am so excited!" Gabby gushed once they were alone in the grand hallway. "And do we really get to wear actual dresses from this place!?"
"You better believe that I'm going to be wearing one of them!" Donna's eyes practically radiated with excitement.
"I think it would be nice," Renata agreed with a small laugh. "But please remember to keep yourselves as calm as possible. We don't want to attract attention."
"Right, will you be taking your own advice then?" the Doctor's sudden question put Renata off for a moment. He was a little surprised himself but his irritation got the best of him.
"What?" Renata laughed out of confusion.
Gabby and Donna exchanged glances with each other. They'd noticed that the Doctor had been a bit tensed earlier in the day and neither really understood why. He hadn't said anything to either of them - he barely uttered a word to them in fact - in the gardens.
"I only mean that for somebody who's intent was to blend in, you're not doing a very good job," the Doctor put a hand into his pocket. He glanced away from Renata. She arched an eyebrow at him, naturally questioning his words.
"What do you mean?" she heard the Doctor scoff and frowned. "Excuse me, what do you mean?"
"Nothing...except I couldn't help notice you practically spent the whole afternoon with the King."
It took 2 seconds for Renata to figure out what he was trying to say. Her eyes blazed with fury that would have scared anybody, but the Doctor was all upset on his own.
"I will not...I will not tolerate such an accusation!" she pointed a finger at him then stormed away.
"Oh, yeah, go off!" the Doctor called after her, but after a few seconds his face scrunched. He needed to know what she was doing the whole afternoon with Henry. He sprinted after her, leaving Gabby and Donna to do the same. "You know, I had the Queen asking me if I'd seen her dear ole husband this afternoon! I had to tell her that I had no idea where he was!"
Renata kept her fast-paced walk down the hallway. "Nobody asked you to lie!" she uncharacteristically snapped.
"You shouldn't have gone off with him!"
Renata came to an abrupt stop outside her bed chamber, turning quick enough to bump into the Doctor. "Why shouldn't I have? I wasn't doing anything wrong!" Her narrowed eyes met his and without him actually saying anything, Renata saw the doubt sprinkled in his irises. She deeply gasped, her hand moving up to cover her mouth as she stepped away from him.
Gabby and Donna each winced with that type of gasp. For a moment they thought something physically hurt Renata.
But nothing physically hurt, only her hearts. "Do you think...?" Renata could barely say the words without sounding like she'd lost air. It also seemed like she was trying not to scream right there and then. "Do you think that I was doing something...immoral with Henry?" Even saying the word, through all her efforts, disgusted her.
The Doctor said nothing but there was a terse air around him. His hearts were hammering under his chest, a loud voice in his head was screaming at him to take back his unsaid suspicion. Even if she had done something, what did he have to say about it? First of all, she was not his anything except his friend and second of all...he'd done something more or less similar with Zuriah. He had absolutely no right to even ask that question.
So how could he get the image of Renata and Henry out of his head? And why did it bother him so much?
His long silence answered Renata's question. Her face went red fast and she was scrunching it as if she was about to scream. For a moment, Gabby thought she might explode.
"I - he was showing me something!" she settled for an exclaim but every word she said was a risk that might lead to a shrill scream. "This stupid astronomical clock that I actually admired and I was going to show it to you tomorrow so you could see how beautiful it is!"
"Well that's..." the Doctor's mouth opened several times but there was nothing to argue about that. She was looking at a clock you idiot. "Just keep your eyes peeled for Henry. I know him and I know when he has someone new in his eyes."
Those words still didn't calm Renata down. "You are being ridiculous!"
"I am not!"
"YES!" Renata caught herself shouting and lowered her volume but it was still louder than a typical exclaim. "We were only talking! He was showing me a clock and do you know what else he's going to do?"
"What?" there was a clear sourness in the Doctor's single-worded response.
"He's agreed to let Gabby see his art room!"
Gabby gasped on instinct. "Really!?" Donna quickly cleared her throat, throwing a "Not the time" under her breath that reminded Gabby to stay silent.
"That's how he starts!" the Doctor shouted but Renata scoffed in disbelief. "Renata you are beyond intelligent! Can't you see he has his eyes on you!?"
"He was being kind!"
"Yes!" the Doctor's voice went high pitched there for a second. "Because that's what he does each time he wants a new wife!"
"Oh, that's preposterous! We all know he'll be meeting a new woman in a matter of months! He does not want me!" Renata's chest heaved up and down with her ragged breathing.
They heard the squeaks of shoes coming towards them. A young female servant approached them in a hasty sprint. "My Lady," she did a courtesy bow for Renata, "His Majesty has arranged for a selection of gowns to be brought in a few minutes."
Renata's eyes widened in mortification. She looked at the Doctor who couldn't be more smug that he was right. They practically heard her sharp intake of breath after that.
"That-" she jabbed her finger at the Doctor's chest, "-proves nothing!"
The Doctor swayed his head. "Actually-"
"Thank you," Renata told the young servant before storming into her room and slamming the door shut.
"You know I'm right, Renata!" the Doctor called from his spot. He opened his mouth as if to say more but closed it in the end. He awkwardly shifted until he was able to pull himself away from the door and storm away.
With a simultaneous sigh, Gabby and Donna turned to each other. What a mess, they thought the same thing. Fortunately, they both knew what to do.
"You take Renata!" Donna exclaimed at the same time Gabby exclaimed, "You take the Doctor!"
They agreed with firm nods and split after their respective Time Lord.
Gabby didn't even bother knocking on Renata's door. She burst in, demanding for Renata to hear her. "You're not going to seriously argue over some creepy King, are you!?"
Renata was sitting at her vanity desk, pulling off her necklace. "I am not speaking about this with you, Gabriella. You don't need to concern yourself over this anyways."
"Oh, don't give me that, Ren!" Gabby marched up to the Time Lady, stopping right behind her chair. "You don't like arguing with the Doctor and neither do I nor Donna."
"I wasn't arguing, I was only animatedly conversing with him."
"And yelling."
"Speaking in a slightly louder volume."
"Renata, I swear to God!"
Renata shifted in her chair to meet the girl's genuinely concerned gaze. "What do you want me to do? Apologize? I haven't done anything wrong."
"No, but you are ignoring the fact that the Doctor might be a bit right when he says King Henry likes you."
Before Renata could once again deny, or at least argue, there was knock on her door. "Come in?" Renata said, exchanging a look with Gabby.
The same young female servant from before had opened the door to allow an older man inside. He was carrying a chest that seemed pretty heavy. Behind him came two more female servants carrying smaller chests in their arms.
"My Lady, the gowns that his Majesty has sent for you," the female servant said as the man set the chest down.
"And the accompanying jewelry," one of the older female servants said as she and the other woman put the smaller chests on the drawer dresser.
Much like the Doctor had, Gabby fixated a sharp look on Renata. The Time Lady huffed but thanked the servants for bringing the things inside.
"Okay, so he might have a point..."
"He might!?" Gabby crossed her arms over her chest. "Renata, this guy is clearly trying to entice you!"
"And do you all think that I am so naive as to fall for it?" Renata stood up from her chair with new anger tracing her features. "I'm not stupid. I know how to take care of myself!"
"No one ever said that, not even the Doctor," Gabby sighed. She didn't want to argue like the Doctor had. That wasn't the way Renata would be listening to anyone. "Ren, no one is blaming you for anything. Of course Henry would like you - have you seen yourself?"
Renata playfully rolled her eyes but once Gabby saw the flushed smile, she knew that Renata was calming down. "Gabriella..."
"No, I mean it," Gabby helped Renata move around the vanity chair so that they were face to face. "You're frikin gorgeous. Of course you'd have the King of England falling for yah, though between you and me...I don't think he's the one for you." Because despite all her fears for them, Gabby was sure that Renata would be much happier with the Doctor. Gabby couldn't picture Renata choosing Henry of all people. The mere thought of it made her gag (which then caused Renata to half smile out of amusement). "But listen, I really think you and the Doctor should talk again because I think he was just trying to protect you."
Renata was quick to scoff. "Right, by shouting and treating me like I'm a child."
"Alright, so he didn't go about it the right way but you gotta admit that you were being just as childish as he was."
Renata turned her head away and instead went to inspect the small chests left on her dresser.
"Ren, do you really want to argue with the Doctor? You guys have seemed so close lately."
Renata opened one of the chests to find beautiful jewelry inside, but it didn't make her even half as happy as how she'd recently been feeling with the Doctor and their travels. Things had been going so smoothly lately. Each night when Gabby and Donna were asleep, she and the Doctor had their own little fun adventures. The Doctor would show her some rare, sometimes odd, places that would leave Renata with permanent wide eyes. Even when she got to choose, though her places were much calmer than the Doctor's, he would still have fun with her. It was amazing...and Renata didn't want to lose that.
"We have, haven't we?" Renata whispered, her lips curving into a small smile. Despite the Doctor's insistence to keep an eye on her health, they were bonding more and, perhaps, Renata often felt like they were once again the Doctor and Zuriah.
Gabby was relieved that despite everything Renata still continued to be a practical, logical woman. "Yes, so I say we get ready for this party and meet the Doctor and Donna there. I'm sure you guys can solve things if you're both willing to talk."
"You're right." Renata's agreement made Gabby sigh in relief. Renata turned around and with a brand new smile on her face too. "Let's get ready."
~ 0 ~
"Doctor! You need to stop!" Donna was doing her best to keep up with the striding Time Lord, but she was a huge disadvantage. "Doctor! C'mon! This dress weighs a lot!"
"Go to your room, Donna," the Doctor wearily said as he made a turn for his room.
"Oi! I'm not some kid you know! But you sure are acting like one!"
That jab made the Doctor stop and turn around. "Excuse me?" he frowned at her.
"Look at you, over 900 years old and you're still arguing like some jealous human bloke!"
"Jea - I am not jealous!"
Donna set a hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow. "Seriously? I'm not wasting my breath arguing over that topic. I'm more interested in how you're going to apologize to Renata."
There the Doctor scoffed and loudly too. "I'm not doing anything. I'm right and you know it."
"Well of course I know Henry's got his eyes on Ren but arguing with her is not the way you'll get her to listen. You could've explained it to her calmly, you know? There was no need to be sour nor shouty!"
The Doctor rolled his eyes at her.
"Look at me spaceman!" Donna commanded and, to her luck, he met her gaze. "It's just me, Doctor. Again. It's just you and me so please talk to me. I'm on your side and right now...you look bad." A light chuckle came to her lips. "Since when does Renata make you go all...like that?" She waved her hand at the Doctor's put-out face. She was trying not to be so smug about it since she heard the story of 1913, but the Doctor was making it clear as day what he thought about Renata. "Oh, spaceman. The uptight Time Lady has caught your eye too."
"Donna, don't say such...don't say that," the Doctor muttered and turned to continue on his way for his room.
"Why not? It's what I'm seeing - it's what I've been seeing - and it's what I heard back there," Donna went after him but thanked the heavens that he was walking at a normal pace. "You're smitten with Renata!"
"Would you stop saying that before somebody hears you!" The last thing he needed was for that to make its way to Renata. It was nonsense what Donna was saying, complete nonsense...
"Like Renata?"
"Donna!" the Doctor abruptly turned around, revealing a glowering face. "Seriously. I am not smitten! I am worried about Renata-"
"Right, and smitten."
"Donna," hissed the Doctor but with bare energy.
He was aware that lately he'd been having some specific thoughts and feelings about Renata and he honestly had no idea where they came from. But seeing Renata go off with Henry today set something off inside him. Up until now, Renata had always been with him. Whether they bickered or they had dinners or they were having regular adventures, she was always with him. He supposed he could've gotten used to the idea of having Renata with him...but he could feel there was something else. And that 'feeling', while small right now, was a bit scary. He didn't know where it came from - actually, every time he thought about it his mind would go back to 1926 where he had to kiss Renata to save her life. It was literally done to save her life yet there was a warm feeling in his chest when he thought about, remembered it...
And then 1913 popped into his head. There was so much that happened in that year, the instinct to be with Renata, to get to know her. He would never finish understanding why even his human version had been so enamored with Renata if he only knew for a short period.
"Doctor, I don't know what your plan is but I can tell you that being the jealous type isn't going to bring Renata any closer to you," Donna brought the Doctor out of his thoughts. "Plus...it's just not you. You don't shout at people, especially your friends. If you have some feelings that you're not sure about, it's fine, but please don't lie to me about it. I can see it in your eyes."
"Yeah, alright," the Doctor relented this argument with a heavy sigh. One argument was enough for him. "I don't like arguing with Renata."
"I know," Donna gave him a small nod of her head. "So don't go arguing with her you big dunce!"
"But I am right about Henry. I've seen him try the same tricks with his previous wives!"
"So then let's make sure he keeps his grubby hands off our uptight Time Lady!"
"Yeah - hold on," the Doctor pointed a finger at Donna, "Don't call her upright."
Donna scoffed in his face. "Now I know fur sure you're smitten. You used to think she's uptight-"
"I still do-" the Doctor winced when he blurted his words. Donna laughed and, despite his restraint, the Doctor chuckled a bit too. "She'd kill me right now..."
"Yeah she would," Donna leaned on him as she sobered from her laugh. "And I would so watch."
~ 0 ~
Renata and Gabby arrived at the Great Hall before the Doctor and Donna and the party was in full swing. Gabby's eyes dazzled at the dancers in the middle of the room. The room was full of people and Gabby was sure that half of them weren't even the same ones she'd met in the gardens earlier. There were long tables set against the wall behind the dancers and were full of food. Servants kept coming to drop off new plates and take away the empty ones. There were lavishing couches on the far left where people were mingling and, Renata was sure, they were doing a little bit more than just conversing about the weather.
As Lady Margaret pointed out, people were on the hunt for matches.
"Gabriella, stay away from that group," Renata had suddenly taken a tight hold around Gabby's arm.
"Hm? Why?" Gabby followed Renata's gaze towards the couches. People were just talking and laughing, albeit loudly, but she didn't see any harm.
"Just listen to my words and stay away from them," Renata pulled Gabby towards the opposite direction.
"My Lady Renata," Lady Margaret had cornered the two and was sweetly smiling, "You look darling tonight. Is it true his Majesty offered you an entire chest of gowns for tonight's occasion?"
"Wow, word flies fast around here," Gabby blurted and more-or-less glared at Margaret. She knew what kind of people that woman was. It reminded Gabby far too much of high school with the endless rumors and people who just loved to create and spread them.
"Uuh, yes, and I was very grateful for it since my sisters and I had our clothes taken to London earlier," Renata calmly explained, something Gabby admired because if it was her, she would've snapped.
"Oh," Lady Margaret seemed disappointed as she looked away, but it only last for a few seconds. "So it is true then," she said with a newfound grin on her face, "His Majesty has taken a, uh, liking to you..."
Renata's eyebrows knitted together but just as she was about to inquire what the hell Margaret knew, the King himself approached them. Lady Margaret immediately did the dutiful bow but Renata was too irritated to follow and much less make Gabby follow.
"Marchioness, you look beautiful," Henry seemed genuinely astounded with Renata's appearance but the Time Lady wished he would stop looking her up and down. "The color red was made for you."
"Thank you," Renata politely said and gave a nod of her head.
"Please, allow me to dance with you," Henry held his hand out for her.
Just like before, Renata knew that despite his kind request there was no actual option behind them. She had to dance with him. No one said 'no' to the King of England, not even her apparently. If I had pants and the TARDIS I would, she begrudgingly thought when she took Henry's hand.
"Ah, it is all true," Lady Margaret remarked as Henry led Renata away. Gabby craned her head at the woman, almost tempted to ask why she was still standing next to her, but Margaret was too engrossed in the scene. "You know, everyone knows that his Majesty is not satisfied with his wife."
"You mean the Queen?" Gabby's sharp tinge in her tone did nothing to snap Margaret out of her gossipy state. In fact, she didn't even notice Gabby was practically glaring at her.
"Her Majesty has failed to satisfy the King and now he is on the hunt for a new wife. The Marchioness seems to have played her game just right. Hm."
"Oh no," Gabby drew the line at terrible accusations. "Renata is not one of those women. Whatever you may think of her is not the truth. She only came as a visitor and she has no interest in the King."
"Gabby, what's wrong?" the Doctor asked as he and Donna approached the two women. He spotted Gabby's upset face as soon as he entered the room.
"She's spreading rumors about Renata trying to become the next wife of King Henry!" Gabby folded her arms with a huff, throwing Margaret another glare.
"What? As if!" Donna laughed beside the Doctor. "Ren could never do something like that!"
"I don't quite like the joke," the Doctor settled a hard look on Lady Margaret, but the woman seemed so certain about thoughts. "The Marchioness is a proper Lady and she would never do anything like that."
"Yeah? Well, she's accepted the King's advances and is even wearing one of the very gowns he sent her." Lady Margaret nodded towards the dancers, making the Doctor and Donna turn in their direction. "And she's dancing with the King right now. Not even her Majesty has danced with him and she's his wife."
The Doctor's hearts sunk when he saw Renata dancing with Henry. She looked absolutely stunning in her red gown, like a true Marchioness...or Queen. She had kept her tight, elegant bun and merely put a red pin on the side. Her ball gown was a deep red with flare cuff sleeves. There were a few gold and white stones accentuating her waist and the squared neckline. Her orange necklace had been replaced with a matching ruby-stone necklace.
But there was something that raised the Doctor's spirits, his hope, after studying Renata more. She had a very disgruntled face. She was upset. And if she was upset, then it meant that whatever Henry was doing was the reason she was so unhappy.
"Doctor?" Donna whispered to him, nudging him on his side. She presumed he'd once again fallen into doubts regarding Renata and she wasn't going to let it happen. "Hey, don't listen to her-"
"Lady Margaret, you should stop spreading such vile lies about the Marchioness," the Doctor looked back at the woman with a new glare, a harsher one that startled the woman. "The next time I hear one I will personally make sure you live to regret it."
Gabby actually burst into laughter when Lady Margaret rushed off in terror. The Doctor took pleasure seeing it too, but he didn't focus too much on it as he had something else to do. "Take care you two," he told his companions. "And stay away from that group over there," he made a nod towards the group on the couches like Renata had earlier then headed for the dancers.
"Seriously, what is so bad about that?" Gabby was left to ask Donna because she truly had no idea. Donna burst into laughter next.
~ 0 ~
"You know, my Lady, if you would like I can arrange for your clothes to be brought back to the palace," Henry was saying to Renata while they danced. She gave him a puzzled look for his words, but he just chuckled. "Or perhaps I can simply have an entire new wardrobe for you installed here."
"Why would I want that?" she asked.
"So you can stay of course. I have thoroughly enjoyed your company; your presence is a delight that I never want to end." He leaned just a bit too close for her liking.
She tried leaning away and when it failed, she resorted to turning her head away. "I thank you but I have my own plans. The Doctor and I have arranged to be in London by tomorrow evening, perhaps earlier." Perhaps tonight, she thought.
Henry scoffed. "Oh please, London will not have what I am offering you. You would be a fool to choose it over me."
"Then call me a fool," Renata met his irritated eyes. Her lips curved into a small smirk that only further irritated him.
"My Lady should truly think about what she is saying."
"I have always thought about what I had to say," Renata said quietly. "My error was to allow people to tell me what to do, to manipulate me. I have feelings and I think that there has only ever been two people in my life who have asked me what they were."
Her husband and the Doctor.
Her sister never bothered to - her feelings were an inconvenience that Renata needed to work on - and their parents simply accustomed themselves to ignoring them. The only things Renata needed to worry about were to always make a good impression and always act like a proper Time Lady.
Henry completely misunderstood Renata's words and so he did the only thing a confused man would do: disregard it. "Stay my Lady, and I will fill your life with everything you could possibly desire."
"A tempting offer..." Renata sourly remarked, her eyes darting to the side.
Somebody cleared their throat and to Renata's delight, it was the Doctor who had come to cut their dancing short. "Your Majesty, I have come to ask Lady Renata if she would like to dance with me." He specifically fixated his eyes on Renata, begging her to accept him at least for a bit.
Renata met his gaze and softened with relief. He still wanted to talk to her after their fight.
Henry barked a condescending laugh as if he knew Renata's answer would be 'no'. "I am very sorry Doctor, but she-"
"Yes," Renata said without a moment's hesitation and drew her hands off the King, not even noticing Henry's stunned face. "I would love to, please." She held her hands out for the Doctor, almost pleading him not to change his mind.
The Doctor took one of her hands and shot Henry a smile. He led Renata to a new spot where they could dance and hopefully talk in peace. He set one hand on her waist and held her hand tightly as if she'd be the one to leave. They began to dance just like the others but in awkward silence in the beginning. Each took their hold on each other as their first win. If they were still dancing together, then it meant they wanted to talk.
"You look very beautiful, Renée," the Doctor decided to be brave and be the one to break their silence. Plus, she really did look amazing.
Renata smiled at him. "Thank you, but I didn't accept the gown for any other reason than...it was really pretty." Her admission left her with flushed cheeks. It wasn't like her to do something like that after all.
"I wouldn't think anything else," the Doctor said and was disheartened to see her looking at him with doubt, doubt that he had created with their fight.
"You mean that?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, of course I do," he sighed. "I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have - I should've never implied anything like that."
"It hurt my feelings," Renata said but averted his gaze when she felt a prickly sting in her eyes from tears.
"I know," the Doctor said, knowing she was purposely avoiding looking at him. He caused that too. "I was too upset but it's not excuse. You would never do anything like that."
When Renata finally gathered courage to raise her gaze, she showed her reddened eyes but with a graceful smile on her face. "I'm very sorry too. I don't like arguing with you, especially you."
"Yeah, I feel the same."
"You should know that I knew you were right about Henry. I was just playing dumb."
"Nooo..." the Doctor's feign of surprise elicited a light laugh from her and it was enough to make his hearts pick up.
"I know," she shook her head. "Not one of my finest moments."
"So...so are we okay?" the Doctor was cautious when he asked. He watched her intently for any clue of what her answer would be.
"Yes, of course we are," she smiled. "And if we weren't around such gossipy people I would hug you so tightly right now."
"Hm, gossipy wouldn't begin to describe them," the Doctor muttered. He thought about Lady Margaret and her foul thoughts.
"They believe I am after the King and perhaps they have a right to because I've been very careless," Renata sighed and looked down at her gown as one of the prime examples of her words. "But I couldn't care less about him."
"Oh he seems to care about you a lot," the Doctor said, making her scoff.
"He wishes he could have a Time Lady," she rolled her eyes.
The Doctor couldn't help the smirk that was quick to come to his face. He twirled Renata around then pulled her up to him, perhaps on purpose or simply fate, and smiled down at her. "You deserve only the best, Marchioness of Gallifrey."
Renata would've laughed if she wasn't so nervous under his charming gaze. If we were alone...' she started to think thoughts that left her face red, "If we were alone I might just kiss you...'
~ 0 ~
"So why on Earth did you even agree to go off with the King anyways?" Donna asked Renata once the group had left the Great Hall. The party was more or less done except for the lingering drunken people. Now the group were walking down the hallways.
"I did not go 'off' with anyone, Donna," Renata huffed. "Henry just wanted to show me the astronomical clock he had built on one of the buildings here."
Donna scoffed and mumbled under her breath, "Think he wanted to do a bit more than that."
"Look, regardless of his intentions, I actually had fun." No sooner had the words left Renata's mouth when all of sudden, she had the collective scoffs from the group. "Oh shush! I did have fun!"
"Of all the people to have fun with, you chose him?" the Doctor couldn't help the frown that marked his face. He was fun too!
"I don't know, I just...I was different. I wasn't the uptight Renata you all love to say I am," Renata shrugged, her lips curving into a wide smile the more she thought about it. "I was sort of careless, you know? He asked me-" she laughed suddenly, only deepening the frown on the Doctor's face, "-he challenged me to guess what some of the clock's functions were. He wanted to know if I knew about time! I'm a Time Lady, I basically cheated!" She giggled. It was a novel sight for the trio. Renata always held herself to a different, more serious, place so there was hardly every any childish giggles.
"Alright, I get it," Donna was beyond amused with the sight. "I mean, it wasn't really careless but I guess in your eyes it was since you're usually always, uh..." She was going to finish that with 'uptight' but she didn't want to ruin Renata's mood.
"Yeah," Gabby crossed her arms. "It's just carefree fun from your perspective but fun nonetheless...I guess." Renata sure seemed to think so judging by the grin on her face. "So can we see the clock tomorrow? Or...are we leaving tonight?
"No, you still have to see the art room Henry promised," Renata pointed. She would make sure that Henry lived up to his promise. "And you're going to see it. For right now, I think it's best if we all go to our rooms for some rest."
So, they dropped Donna off in her room first then Gabby - with the same warning for them not to leave their rooms until morning - and finally Renata.
"Now I'm going to seriously ask that you make sure your door is closed," the Doctor said, even showing Renata how to check the door.
Renata laughed softly. "Yes, alright. But don't think just because you happened to be right this time that I'll always listen to you."
"Wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor said, playfully rolling his eyes. He bid her goodnight and headed for his own room.
He wasn't planning on sleeping anyways but once his thoughts kept drifting to Renata and Henry, it was impossible to stay still. Hours passed by and he couldn't keep his thoughts from running away.
The idea of Henry trying to charm Renata was infuriating enough, but now he was thinking about what Renata said on their way back from the party. She had fun with Henry? With him?
"I've taken you to see galaxies but you have fun with him?" the Doctor stopped pacing just to scoff.
Well, she wasn't endangered or anything. She probably didn't have to run for her life. The voice in his head started making some good points. She definitely hadn't nearly fallen off a building or was carried off by a space butterfly net.
"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he frowned and looked up as if the voice was right above him. He exhaled. He was losing his mind.
You lost your mind centuries ago.
The Doctor's face fell flat for a few seconds until an idea struck him. He started grinning in the next moment. "No point trying to get it back. Might as well do something good without a mind." It's what he did best.
~0~
Renata was nowhere near asleep when someone knocked on her door. At first she thought it was Henry himself coming for her, an idea that enraged her and had her storming towards the doors to give him a piece of her mind, but then she heard the Doctor's soft call.
She opened the door to find him on the other side. "Doctor, what are you doing?"
"Same as you, not tired," he said and looked over her party gown.
Renata self consciously wrapped an arm around herself. "...I like the gown."
"It suits you, Marchioness," the Doctor smiled at her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was just thinking...how's about we have a little adventure on our own?" he quirked an eyebrow at her, reminding her too much of the way his first incarnation would often pull the same stunt.
"I...I...what do you mean? Where to?" And there she went doing the same thing her first incarnation would do: be curious about the shenanigan the Doctor had in mind.
"I know that the King has a royal library all to himself. It's chock-full of books and other little trinkets he has around. You want to check it out?" The Doctor watched the curiosity fill Renata's eyes and, he dared to think, temptation. There was a small thrill that came with his idea and he loved it. He hadn't felt that kind of thrill in...in a very long time.
Unknowingly to the Doctor, Renata was thinking the same thing. It was the same old story no matter how much time passed. She would be doing whatever was expected of her, he would show up with a crazy idea, she'd pretend like it didn't interest her, he would persuade her...and then they would go off to do that crazy idea.
"We might get caught..." she weakly argued, but she knew it was a lost cause when the Doctor smirked.
"We might...or might not be..." he held his hand out for her and despite everything screaming that it was a bad idea, Renata took his hand. The Doctor pulled her out and smiled at her little yelp. He reached past her to close her door and then the two were off.
Renata felt like a child the way she kept giggling. It was why they almost got caught in one of the hallways. The Doctor had to pull them against the wall and motion her to keep quiet. They kept themselves pressed against the wall until the guard passed.
And then the run began again.
The Doctor kept a tight hold on Renata's hand all the way to the library's hallway. He poked his head into the new hallway and saw two guards posted in front of the library doors.
Renata poked her head beside the Doctor's and made a face at the two guards. "He needs two guards to watch his library? Who would want to steal his books?" The Doctor said nothing but slowly turned his head at her to make her re-evaluate her words. What were they trying to do again? She flushed when she got it. "Oh...right."
"It's no problem," the Doctor pulled out his sonic from his coat and pointed it at the end of the hallway.
One whir of the sonic caused a decorative table to lose its structure and break down. Renata flinched when the table legs hit the ground and the glassy smashed. The guards quickly rushed towards it thinking an intruder was afoot...and they were.
"And now!" the Doctor grabbed Renata's hand and scurried down the hallway together. The guards were too focused on the broken table to see either Time Lord sneak into the library.
Renata was in full blown laughter once they were safely inside. "I can't believe we just did that!"
"Me neither," the Doctor admitted after sonicking the doors shut. He turned around to face the giggling Time Lady and fondly smiled at her. "I'm impressed. Didn't think you had it in you."
"Oh I am full of surprises!" she wagged a finger at him then turned around to get a better look of where they were.
The library was a grand room with marbleized flooring. There were shelves and shelves of books. There were several arm chairs around the room, indicating that there was only one person allowed inside.
"Ah, those are...interesting..." Renata stopped exploring when she found a few animal heads mounted on the wall.
The Doctor came up behind her and gazed at the big ole bear head. "Henry's really big on hunting."
"And jousting," Renata's comment made the Doctor give her a glance. "He mentioned you and him used to joust. I can certainly picture that."
The Doctor smirked proudly. "We'd get a little competitive."
"You two were good friends before I came along. I would hate for your friendship to end because of me." With a sigh, Renata moved away from the Doctor.
"Oh...no, Renée," he went after her to clarify where he stood with Henry, "Look, Henry and I are friends but we both know what happens to his behavior in his later years. That's not really the Henry I met. The Henry I knew was far different than this old greedy, grubby version. He was fun. We used to have exquisite conversations about music and art. You should've seen us, Renée."
"Sorry," Renata still felt compelled to say, not for her or their situation but because it sounded like the Doctor was still upset over the loss of the Henry he knew years ago.
"Ah, don't worry. I've got new friends," he smiled at her and turned her for the bookshelves. "And one of my friends happens to enjoy sneaking about with me, so..." He grinned when Renata huffed in outrage.
"I do not!"
"You're here, aren't you?"
Renata's eyes followed him as he went down an aisle of bookshelves. He dragged his hands along either shelf, picking out books at random.
"Want a peek?" he tauntingly waved a book at her.
Renata thought he looked incredibly handsome right now. She needed to push those thoughts away. With a deep breath, she walked up to him and snatched the book from his hands. "Wipe that smug smile off your face," she said calmly and walked around him.
"Me? Smug? I would never!" He turned after her.
Renata took advantage of the entire room. She peeked at every book she could get her hands on, finding the humans' early concept of writing simply fascinating. Many things were wrong, which she pointed out to the Doctor, but the mere fact that the humans wrote with such confidence and research was heartwarming.
"Even in such primitive times they work so hard," she remarked after going through one of the astrological notes Henry had collected. "I mean it's wrong but, all the same...it's admiring."
"I told you humans are fascinating," the Doctor came up behind her with a handheld mirror.
"Too bad Henry, as educated as he actually is, he's also a bit conceded," Renata held the tip of the handheld mirror and gave it a light wave. "Not to mention a coldhearted murderer."
"Mm," the Doctor could only hum in agreement.
Renata returned the notes to its proper place. Meanwhile, the Doctor drifted towards one of the shelves on the right.
"Oh, have we gone to Paris for an opera show?" he suddenly asked after pulling out a opera somebody had written for Henry.
"What?" Renata laughed shortly.
"I'm thinking we should go one of these days."
Renata continued to laugh. "You at an opera? Forgive me for laughing but I don't think you could handle staying quiet."
"I could too!" the Doctor frowned, but she kept on laughing.
She backtracked with a hand on her stomach. "I don't...I don't think-"
The Doctor's eyes widened when he saw she was approaching one of the tables. "Renée!"
But it was too late, Renata's back pushed the table and tipped it over. She stopped laughing the moment she heard the crash of the ground. "Oh no!" she gasped with a hand over her mouth.
"Quick, hide!" she heard the Doctor exclaim and without thinking, the pair ran behind the first aisle of shelves. They took position at each end of the shelves.
The same guards from before came running into the room.
"Who's there!?" one of them demanded while the second guard studied the broken table.
"Just like before," he murmured.
"I think it's one of the drinkers from the feast," the first guard said. "Probably out of his mind. Come on out!"
Renata tried her best not to make any noises, especially because she felt like her hearts were about to implode under her chest. She threw a look at the Doctor at the end of the bookshelf, asking him what were they going to do. But of course he had a plan. He always made up plans to get them out just before they would get caught. If they evaded the Time Lords, they could surely evade 16th century human guards.
'On my signal,' he mouthed to her. She nodded fervently. He aimed his sonic at the window and with one flick, the entire window shattered.
"Over there!" the second guard ran straight for it, prompting the first guard to leave the table forgotten.
The Doctor made a nod at Renata to go now. The two ran straight for the open doors as fast as they could. They joined hands as soon as they got into the hallway and continued to run.
Suddenly, Renata saw them running down the hallway of the academy after nearly getting caught wandering through the classes and prohibited rooms for students. And it made her hearts sore. She felt as carefree as she used to be with the Doctor as Zuriah. They were young, they were full of adrenaline and...they were in love.
Even the Doctor got the faint sense that this was all familiar, a bit too familiar, but the running made him push the thought to the side for now. He yanked Renata down the hallway of her bedroom and finally slowed down.
"That was incredible!" Renata was laughing melodically beside him. She brought a hand up to her hair bun that was on the verge of falling apart from all their running. She yelped in surprise when the Doctor gently brought her from her side to his front. Her free hand had come to rest over his chest and her other hand seemed locked under the Doctor's free hand.
"You had fun?" the Doctor asked quietly though with his ragged breathing it came out a little louder than intended. They were both still trying to catch their breaths, they could feel it. Renata felt the Doctor's chest heaving up and down under her hand and since Renata's chest was pressed to his, the Doctor could feel her own heavy breathing.
"Of course..." Renata swallowed down and laughed, hoping the air would fill her lungs soon. "I always have fun with you!" She had no idea what her words meant to the Doctor, especially right now. All she saw was his grin making its mark on his face. "Maybe tomorrow we can, uh, I can show you the, uh...the..." She was beginning to lose her train of thought the more she stared at the Doctor.
Yet another thing he used to do during their adventures back then.
He really did have gorgeous eyes, didn't he? They were the same from his first incarnation, honestly, with the only difference being the years that'd gone by. His eyes was how he charmed his way into her life and got her to break the rules. He never had to force her; he claimed there was a little part of her that wanted to have fun and be carefree, he only helped her come out. She wasn't all 'uptight' as each of her incarnations had been, she did like to have to fun and forget about the rules sometimes.
Like right now.
Right now the proper thing to do was to step away from the Doctor and bid him goodnight, but she wasn't doing either thing. In fact, it seemed like they were even closer now than they were a few seconds ago. The Doctor had lowered his head to meet her gaze and if he moved just a bit forwards, their lips would meet too.
Right now, the right thing to do was to leave.
'If we were alone, I might just kiss you...' The thought of when they were dancing came rushing back, but Renata was too far-gone to blush about it.
And the thoughts running in the Doctor's head weren't making him want to pull away anytime soon. He just kept thinking about her running with him, sneaking into a forbidden room, their talks while they got around the room. It was irrelevant conversations but it was the fact that she was playing along with his ridiculous plan that made his hearts swell. Donna probably would've been bored out of her mind and Gabby would've opted for a much calmer plan. Renata just understood him, even if it was hard for her sometimes. She went along with his conversations, even comforting him with something as indifferent as his old friendship with King Henry.
Something about it was familiar but it wasn't what was bringing him closer to Renata. He was just drawn to her whether he could see it or not, and up until now he hadn't seen it. Now that he had...her lips looked far too taunting to let them go.
Renata's breath hitched the moment the Doctor let his lips brush over hers and whether she would've gasped or not she didn't know because she just let him kiss her right there. She let his hand go and brought it to his chest while he lowered his hand to her waist. He kissed her gently, keeping it slow and sweet, unknowingly the same as the very first time they had kissed centuries ago. Later on, Renata would find it ironic that even that was the same. As seconds ticked by, they found their (old) sync and moved their lips with one another like it was a slow dance. Renata felt her body tingle when the Doctor's hand reached up to the nape of her neck where her loose bun was about to be undone. He pulled lightly on the strands to then run his fingers through them, eventually making the whole bun come down. It didn't matter; it just gave the Doctor an easier access to her curls.
But a few seconds later, the two heard the running footsteps down the next hall.
Renata pushed herself away from the Doctor, eyes wide in alarm and not just because of what happened. "You gotta go! They'll catch us!"
As much as he would love to stay with her, he had to agree. Getting caught would completely ruin the night (and it had been such a good night). "Go into your room quick."
Renata nodded and ushered him to run. "Go! Run, Doctor!"
He smiled as if asking her 'When, don't I?' then took off. Renata hurried into her own room, closing the door just as she heard guards came by. They were still searching for the 'drunk' who'd snuck into the King's private room.
Renata quietly laughed to herself and came up to the side of her bed. She wasn't sleepy before but now there was no way she could ever shut her eyes. She pushed herself back against the bed's headboard and deeply exhaled.
You're an idiot, she concluded but there wasn't a part of her that was sad about it. Being an idiot led to such a fun moment, a fun night...and a pretty good ending. Her fingers brushed over her lips and soon found herself smiling.
~ 0 ~
The next morning, Renata walked into the Great Hall for breakfast and was amazed at how clean it was after such a night. It didn't even look like there'd been a party last night. She was about to choose her seat when Queen Anne called for her.
"Marchioness Renata, join me," she patted the empty spot next to her.
Renata read the room and instantly knew that this wasn't something the Queen would do often, but she still gave a nod and headed for the chair Anne motioned to. "Good morning, your Majesty," she did the customary bow and took a seat.
"Morning," Anne studied the nervous shift Renata did every few seconds. "I must say, your hair is looks far better when it's not in that strict, tight bun."
"What?" Renata's hand instinctively flung to her wavy curls left down today. "Oh, uh...thank you." A blush ran across her face at the reason why she'd left her hair completely alone. She could still feel the Doctor's fingers going through it at times. "Left it on a whim."
Anne smiled and reached for a piece of bread to place on her tray. "I'm sure."
It was then that Renata realized that Anne must still be thinking that she was after the King, her husband. She swallowed hard and shifted in her chair. "Your Majesty, I know there must be some terrible rumors out there about me and, uh, the King, but I assure you that I am not looking for a husband. I have no interest in becoming a...a mistress." Even the word disgusted her and Anne must have seen it too because she laughed.
"Well of I course I know!"
Renata froze in her seat, her eyes blinking rapidly for a few seconds. "...you...you know?"
Anne sobered from her laugh to smile. "Of course I do. I mean, I did suspect in the beginning but after seeing you at the celebration I knew my suspicions were misplaced."
"Wh-wh-what made you think that?"
Anne gave Renata a specific look that, while it took Renata few minutes to read, made it seem like the answer was obvious. "Lady Renata, I know what the rumors say about me, but I assure you that I am smart. I may not be smart about English culture but I know my German culture very well. You are not interested in my husband because your heart belongs to the Doctor. I saw the way you looked at him last night while you were dancing, and no woman looks at a man like that without loving him."
Renata's mouth opened but instead of saying words, all that came out was a heavy exhale. "Oh, you are...you are very perceptive."
Anne smiled knowingly. "I am. I also know when my husband is trying to find a woman. I am no fool. I know that he does not want me for a wife any longer. I shall expect the annulment very soon but I will not end up like his previous wives. The mistake they all did was to say no. I will not do the same."
"You're going to let him annul your marriage," Renata said quietly, almost feeling bad for her if Henry wasn't as bad as he actually was. It would be freedom when Anne got her settlement.
"Of course," Anne nodded. "So you see, even if you had been interested in becoming the next Queen of England, I would not have been that upset."
"But I'm not!" Renata quickly said, as if Anne would go back to thinking that. "I'm really, really not!"
Anne chuckled. "Yes, I noted that. Can I ask you something, though?"
"Of course."
Anne leaned closer to speak in a hushed whisper, "You and the Doctor are not from around here, are you? And those 'sisters' you say...are not your sisters, right?"
Renata's eyes once again widened. "How...why would you say that?"
"Because I have seen some of the portraits that Henry commissioned years ago and while Henry has aged...the Doctor has not. And the last time I remembered, there is no Marchioness of Gallifrey."
"Ah, well," Renata pressed the skirt of her gown, unsure of how to move on from here.
"Do not worry, I have no interest in outing you. Why would I? You seem so like your are so much fun!"
"Me?" Renata's eyes snapped up to meet Anne's. "You think I'm fun?"
"Yes! You seem to know what you want, you know what you're doing-"
Renata had to laugh this time. "Oh, your Majesty, you've got it all wrong!"
~ 0 ~
When the Doctor, Donna and Gabby came into the room, the first thing they spotted was Renata conversing with the Queen. She was smiling, looking as if she'd just been laughing. The Doctor thought she looked exceptionally beautiful today. Even the sun seemed to shine bright over her like she was a goddess.
"Well, you two seem better," Donna's remark pulled the Doctor out of his thoughts. He blinked away from Renata and noticed that Gabby was already on her way to sit next to her. Donna had stuck around to study her best friend. "She's not scowling and you've got your idiot face back on."
"Idiot fa - what!?" the Doctor frowned at her.
Donna smirked. "It's true, moving on. I take you talked at some point in the night?"
The Doctor immediately coughed as if he actually had something stuck in his throat. It was loud enough to pull Renata's attention and see him and Donna lingering by the entrance.
"I wonder what Donna said this time," Gabby remarked beside Renata.
Renata smiled lightly. "Oh, I bet she said something alright. That's Donna...and that's the Doctor."
"I'm just glad you guys are okay now...you are better now, right?"
Renata felt her face warm up so she did her best to keep it hidden from Gabby. She couldn't do the same with the Queen. "We, uh, we are." And she would leave it at that because even she was having trouble putting her thoughts in order. She would have to at some point.
"Your Majesty," the Doctor came by with Donna at his side.
"Doctor," the Queen gave him the nod to take a seat.
He was quick to do so and once he was comfortable, he flashed Renata and Gabby a smile. "Ladies." He met Renata's gaze and let his smile linger with hers.
~ 0 ~
"Oh, so this is the famous clock," Donna cocked her head to the side as she followed the movements of the clock hanging on the wall.
"I think it's pretty!" Gabby exclaimed and glanced at Renata and the Doctor, the two of them standing next to each other. "I can see why you wanted to show us."
"I thought it was beautiful and the fact it's handmade is another reason to admire it," Renata smiled contently. The astronomical clock would certainly be her favorite thing she saw in this trip.
"Certainly," the Doctor agreed. He would give Henry his credit where it was due. The clock was built beautifully and correctly. But that was all that he would give the King. And speaking of...
"Ah, Lady Renata," King Henry approached the group, choosing to ignore everyone else but the blonde Marchioness. "You disappeared last night from the celebration."
"Did I?" Renata scratched her cheek, feigning confusion. She remembered that she specifically tried to avoid him last night, and today as well.
"And then you spent all morning with my wife," Henry said so as if Renata should be ashamed for wasting her time. "Surely that could not have been pleasurable."
"Actually, her Majesty is quite interesting," Renata smiled and glanced at the others. They agreed with simultaneous nods. Renata and Anne seemed to get along now that their intentions were clear. "And contrary to what you told me, her Majesty is very educated. I think you failed to mention that she knows plenty German."
Henry rolled his eyes. "My Lady, let us not waste breaths on the Queen. I have appointed you a new bedchamber far more appropriate for you."
"Oh, uh, we are actually..."
"We're leaving today, Henry," the Doctor said seriously. "We were actually going to leave right after lunch."
"What? But the Marchioness has agreed to stay here," Henry met Renata's surprised expression quite well as he did not look the least bit guilty for making up the lie on the spot. His eyes practically ordered her to agree.
With a huff, she responded, "I most certainly did not. I specifically said I would not because we had to go to London."
"Surely you cannot be choosing to go to London over-"
"I said this before!" Renata exclaimed with another huff. "Did you not listen to any of my words!?"
"Probably not," the Doctor muttered. "My good friend Henry has selective hearing."
Henry scoffed. "Listen Doctor, stay out of my royal business. This is between the Marchioness and myself."
"It's really not," the Doctor scowled at the King. "I am here to assist the Marchioness and her sisters-"
"Oh please! We all know that's not true! You're after the Marchioness too!"
"Hey!" Renata cut in and placed herself between the two. "The Marchioness can speak for herself, you know!?"
"Shouldn't we help Ren?" Gabby whispered to Donna but the ginger was keenly watching the trio.
"No...I'm interested..."
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I do not care for the fact you're making up lies. I thanked you for your offer but I didn't accept. I am leaving with the Doctor and my sisters today."
Henry shot a glare at Renata and the Doctor. "The King decrees you shall not."
"Excuse me?" Renata almost laughed but when she looked at Henry's face that wasn't lightening up. "You're...you're actually serious?"
"He is, Renée," the Doctor took her hand and tightly held it. "Because that's basically how he gets what he wants."
"That did not seem to bother you in our old times," Henry was quick to say, smirking as if he'd just proven a good point.
"Because you weren't talking about people!" snapped the Doctor. "You were talking about food! Books! Not people! Renata is not somebody you can snap your fingers to get!"
"When you are the King of England you can."
"I will not stand here and be insulted," Renata scowled. She felt her body warm up but it wasn't the good type of warm she'd felt with the Doctor, it was the sicky warm type she experienced when the visited Agatha Christie. She checked her fingers and was mortified to once again see the golden wisps of energy rising. She balled them up quickly. "Doctor, I...I don't feel so well..."
The Doctor side-glanced to see her face incredibly pale, not to mention her hand in his had become excessively warm. "Hey," he turned to her and cupped her face. Her eyes were blinking rapidly and he swore he saw something gold flicker past them.
"Hands off, Doctor," Henry ordered. "Or I shall call my guards and have them escort you and the sisters out of my castle!"
"Oh screw off!" the Doctor snapped, shocking the King.
"Doctor, we should get her back to the TARDIS," Gabby quickly said, her mind already going to dangerous scenarios with Renata's health.
"She is not going anywhere!" the King insisted but the Doctor threw him a glare that stopped him for a moment.
"We are leaving and you have no say in that!"
"Do not forget who I am, Doctor," Henry said just before he started calling for the guards.
"Doctor, we should run! Like now!" Donna exclaimed.
"Yeah, let's...run!" he told them. He grabbed Renata's hand and pulled them into a run. Renata was eternally grateful that the golden energy was gone by then.
"Gabby, I am so sorry I couldn't show you the art room!" Renata found time to apologize during their run.
"That's okay!" Gabby quickly said, yelping when one of the guards started shooting. "All forgotten! Let's just go!"
"Do you think we can make it!?" Renata cried after nearly tripping on one of her feet. These dresses were not made for running away! "You couldn't have let Henry believe for a minute that he'd won so we could have a head start!?"
"Oh, so this is my fault now!?" the Doctor threw her an indignant glance.
"No, well...maybe!? I don't know - I don't feel well!"
"Oh God, get a room later but for now just RUN!" Donna's shout echoed through the forest as they all ran their very best from the guards chasing them.
~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~
Author’s Note: Aaaaaand they kissed! Stupid idiots, but they kissed! It'll continue to pop up in the next chapters! And speaking of...ladies and gents, from here on out we are reaching the end of this story. I'm just going to tell you right now that I am not doing Midnight. I tried fitting it in with what this story is going to have but...I couldn't do it. After what happens in the next chapters, I just could NOT see either Time Lord going on the Midnight train. But I do make it up by adding a few original chapters towards the end (warning it's a lot of angst!).
So...just be ready for the next chapter :))
#doctor who#10th doctor#ocappreciation#ocapp#10th doctor fics#10th doctor imagines#dw imagine#dw imagines#doctor who imagines#doctor who imagine#10th doctor imagine#donna noble#oc: Renata Cartwright#gabby gonzalez#fic: the beginning of everything
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