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em-writes-stuff-sometimes · 10 months

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gevivys (beauty) │ Chapter 10: His

terms of endearment ‘verse: see my Masterlist for the correct series order!

Chapter 1 │Chapter 2 │Chapter 3 │Chapter 4 │Chapter 5 │Chapter 6 │Chapter 7 │Chapter 8 │Chapter 9 │Chapter 10 (COMPLETE!)

Synopsis: Daemon returns to King's Landing after ten years in exile, intent on rekindling his affair with Rhaenyra. He wasn't expecting you - the revelation changes everything.

Oof, it’s DONE! What the hell, lol. Here’s your final chap, haha - the smut chapter’s been refined a little bit here. The same basic thing, I’ve just changed some of the dialogue and fixed up the High Valyrian. Thanks to @ewanmitchellcrumbs for being swaggy enough to read through this! AAAAH!

TRIGGERS: incest, loss of virginity, purity culture, mild blood, breeding kink, age gap, dubious consent, public bedding, infantilism, objectification.

She looks petrified.

It’s the first thing Daemon notes as he stalks into the marital chamber through the adjoining door. When he lays eyes on you, his breeches tighten with the rapid swelling of heat in his groin. Your silver hair is unbound and gleaming in the firelight, shadow defining the dip above your lips and the curve of your jaw. The night-rail adorning your form is chaste, tied so far up your neck it is a wonder you do not choke. You are enveloped, covered wholly before him, a darling little maiden sacrifice primed for the slaughter. The knowledge that he is about to take you for himself is heady.

When he steps before you, barely registering the mumbled platitudes from your ladies, you refuse to look up from the hearth. He is forced to make you acknowledge his presence.

“Ābrazȳrys,” he calls you—wife—a pounding drum in his chest at the appellation.

“Valzȳrys,” you say, whispery and bashful and sweet. Husband.

“Elēdrar issa.” It is time.

He lifts up your chin and tilts your head, pressing his mouth slowly to yours. Honey and spiced wine lingers upon your lips, syrupy and saccharine and tingling on his tongue and in his gut. Daemon delves in gently to consume his fill, leading your uncertain little motions with the surety of his own and teaching you what it is to kiss a man as a woman does. Your hands rest timidly on his chest, forcing an exhalation out from the sensation of your little fingers upon his body. Fuck. He wraps his hand around your back, caressing your spine through the thin fabric as he pushes you that little bit closer to him.

He cannot help but to tell whoever coughs to fuck off when you snap away, alarmed. It dawns on him how exposed you must feel, so close to your viewers. Speaking to you in the tongue of your ancestors—something familiar amidst the swirl of confusion—he coaxes you unerringly to the veiled bed. Your hands wring and your eyes appear too-large in the way they do when you are frightened; it is this that compels him to tell you that you need not remove your nightgown.

“Mīsītsori aōhe nādīnagon bēvilō daor.” His hands tug off his own shirt insistently. As much as he wishes to finally see the figure that has tempted him for what feels like an age, he has no urge to coerce further indignity from you.

You look torn, afraid and grateful and riveted by the sight of his nude chest. He wonders if you had ever seen a man’s bare torso before. He supposes from the look on your face that this is not the case.

It is then that the old cunt Mellos pipes up, an attempt to pressure you both into hurrying the event along.

“Your Highnesses, if you could procee—”

“Brother.” Daemon knows that the direct address will make him uncomfortable.

He cannot help but to stir trouble wherever he can, to remind him that it is at his leisure that this sordid event takes place at all. If Viserys and his council of shits want him to go through with this, they will abide by the methods he employs. He’ll not stand for a quick, soulless deflowering, skirt rucked up and three-pump-spill, when he could bring you to the pinnacle shrieking.

“If you cannot shut that old cunt up,” he says, “I’ll gladly do it for you. You’ll likely need a new Grand Maester, though, as I don’t see Mellos performing all that well without a head.”

He hopes he’ll get the opportunity to relieve the man of the weight of it someday. A quick, macabre swing of steel at exposed neck is all it’d take. As his brother hisses at the Maester and the man makes slavish apology, he is pleased to see the iron glint in your gaze as you straighten with nose pointed up haughtily.

Your brow furrows with a moue of obstinacy. “Lo elēnin jaelzi, kepus, elēnin mazemilzi,”

Daemon barely has time to absorb the words—if they want a show, Uncle, a show is what they’ll get—before you are pulling the robe up and off your head, casting it away. And with that, you are naked before him.

Seven fucking hells.

If you are a beauty dressed in finery, then you’re beyond adequate description in your unimpeded form. He takes in the rosy flush decorating luminescent skin, sweet cherry tips upon full breasts, a soft pooch of belly, shapely thighs and the daintiest patch of curls shielding your womanhood from his hungered gaze. His eyes map the scar of an old injury—the occasion in which he took you riding on Caraxes as a child, after which you tripped on your way off the dragon and lacerated your arm—and the soft silver hairs dotting your arms, your legs, molten in the light of the fire.

For all your bravado in baring yourself to him, your thighs are clenched tightly, impeding his view of what lay protected. He suddenly has the bizarre thought that he might just perish if he cannot get between them soon. You are divine—you are his now. His to touch, his to taste, his to ruin, a pretty little poppet waiting patiently for her defilement.

He leers. “Let us begin, then.”

He gives into the urge to grab you by the hips—the first touch of his hands upon you undressed, by the gods—and bear you down onto the mattress, hovering over your form to lay his mouth greedily upon your skin. He holds himself against your body to feel your velvety flesh against his and savours the essence of rose oil upon your blushing little nipples, all peaked in anticipation for him. Soft sighs and cries escape from you as he sucks and licks and bites, and he has to rise above you to tell you not to restrain those lovely noises.

“Do not hide from me.” He presses his lips to yours again. You are markedly less controlled, too overrun by his devotions to care for modesty. Your breath mingles in the scant space between your parted mouths, hot and humid. “I want to hear every sound. Understand?”

He no longer gives a fuck about your audience. If they want to see a consummation, let them see a consummation, he thinks smugly.

His first view of what lay between your legs is akin to a holy encounter. There, at the apex of so many a musing of his over the past several moons, lays the precious straining of your desperate little pearl, the bloom of petals shielding a tiny, grasping opening, swollen and wet, winking and gulping, the glisten of slick longing to spill from within.

If there are gods, then the fount of their existence lay between your thighs, he thinks reverentially. You flounder lightly, trying to pull away—he can’t have that. You’ll not escape so easily.

“Sh, little girl.” He holds you open for him, pulling you wide despite your shaky protestations. “You’ll like this part.”

He’ll make you like it.

Working into the rubescent split of your cunt, Daemon groans at the taste of you, sweet and tangy and divine. You whimper adorably in your confusion and enjoyment, wiggling your hips to shake him off. He pulls you to him harder, tormenting your silky-wet folds with deep strokes and laves and suckles, grazing his teeth lightly against that prized little bud and battering the rough flat of his tongue against it. You twist against him, impelling him to hold you fast, hold you down, even as the shocked murmurs from your audience rise in tandem with his attentions.

He feels the flutter in the clench of your entry, rippling like a racing pulse as desire blooms to its full. And then, you come, and he is revelling in the shocked squeal you make and the syrupy slip that floods his palate as your shuddery little cunt dribbles its release, fingers near to bruising at your hips so that he can take and take.

When he has lured you through to the other side, you lean up on your elbows, dazed and swollen-lipped and flushed with exertion. “What… was that?”

He has to constrict his hand tightly around himself to prevent from spilling at your naïveté. Pure little pet, sweet baby doll, all untouched glory for me to spoil.

“That was your peak, sweetling.” He lets the arousal bank as your wide eyes look upon the movements of his wrist, laughing when you wrinkle your nose in confusion—a little girl’s mind in awe of her first touch of carnality.

You are unexpectedly, delightfully receptive to him, spreading yourself eagerly to accommodate his much larger form as he crawls over you.

“I liked it,” you say, a bonny baby strumpet, all fluttering eyes and aching gasps and yearning childishness.

The length of his cock dips and teases between the gather of your dainty slit, a first meeting of what he knows will be many—he’s not even in yet and he knows he’ll be spending as much time as he can between your thighs. Your hips tip up excitedly, working your fluids along his shaft and unknowingly preparing the way for his invasion.

Then Laenor interrupts, for fuck’s sake, tripping over some blasted thing and breaking the spell you are under. Thankfully, the burst of noise serves to make you laugh rather than quail, a pretty peal of giggles that incites him to his own humour. Rhaenyra hisses at her husband to shut up.

“If you’d both shut up, I’d like to get on with it.” His eyes are captured by the swathe of pale throat exposed to him by your turned head.

He leans down to worry a bruise into the skin, a reminder of what has taken place here tonight, a brand that marks you as his.

“Ojenillo gō emi, riñalōrti aōhe pryjēlun”—he delights in the flush that has spread over your cheeks, the roundness of your breasts, the sweep of your collarbone—“yn dokimarves umbagon emon daor.” I should break your maidenhead before I fuck you, but I don’t have the will to wait.

It is unconquered territory, a place he should explore with careful fingers and slow stretches and gentle patience, but the dark impulse to spread you open on his cock—to watch your dismayed little face as he carves a place for himself inside you, lays you bare and forces you open—is impossible to ignore. When he notches the thick, flanged head of his cock against that hungry little entrance, you look up at him, apprehensive and trusting and winsome, shifting skittishly with each abortive thrust he makes to test your give.

By the gods, you are near unyielding. He can already tell that the clutch of you will be ruinous to his sanity and his self-control.

“Aō iemnȳ gaomilā, riñītsos?” Will you let me inside, little girl?

“Aōha ābrazȳrys. ‘Riñītsos’ daor.”Your wife. Not ‘little girl’.

He moans. How precious you are, his pretty little niece, his cherished babe, his tender girl-bride on the cusp of realising maturity. “Ñuhus ābrazȳrītsos. Ñuhon.” My little wife. Mine.

He tries to press forward. “Fuck,” he exclaims emphatically, relishing the sensation of a vice around his cockhead, the mouth of your cunt fluttering distraughtly in its effort to keep him out. “I thought years of riding that dragon of yours would have taken care of this.”

You apologise to him and he shushes you, tells you it will hurt. Though he has delighted in the thrill of splitting many a maiden through in the past, has come to enjoy the sight of tears and the involuntary impulse to escape that allows him to drag his girls back by the hips or the hair, keep them still for him until he has finished, never has he desired to inflict true agony on his bedmates. They always take their pleasure in the end.

This is the only time he will cause you suffering in your marriage bed. He makes the vow as he drives into you, a cruel press of flesh that tears the veil of your virtue and cleaves you open to him.

Sliding deep is a rush of hotwetwarm constriction that leaves him dizzy and lust-drunk, your convulsing walls frantically trying to expel the onslaught of his entry. You squall through your teeth in his shoulder, a mournful bleat for lost innocence, a rite of passage marked with tears and blood. He grunts as your sharp incisors pierce his flesh, a brand of his own from his wild girl.

“Fuck, you’re so tight— Ah, dōnus riñus, I’m sorry–”

Sweet girl, he says, you’re his sweet girl with the perfect snug little cunt—

Daemon soothes your sobs with avuncular affection, laying kisses on the trails that stream from your heartbroken eyes, high off the act of plundering untouched territory. His cock strains at the mouth of your womb—he can feel the end of you right up against him—and yet there is still some length left to assail you with. He can only hope that you will mould to him, will expand and compress and remake yourself to the shape of him and him alone.

Seven hells, the singers should write songs for this cunt.

He loathes the thought of fucking you as you grizzle and whine under him, a wailing child trapped hysterical in the jaws of a beast; for all his inherent brutality, even he cannot bear the thought of watching you, his sweet little niece, his darling girl, cry as he uses you to speed his own end, unfeeling and uncaring. Thus, he waits, stroking the planes of your flesh reassuringly as you ripple and tense and reform around his restless cock, fingers smoothing over the puckered peaks of your tits and the downy peach fuzz of your waist, your thighs, committing you to memory.

Gradually, your frenzied contractions slow and your sniffles dwindle. You begin to grow jittery, to trill quiet little pleas at him, sluttish earnest bleats that tighten the coil at the base of his spine and make his cock unbearably hard.

“Uncle—”

“Yes?” he asks archly, savouring the embarrassed little clench you make at his words.

“Can you—” You stop.

“Can I—what?” Your cheeks burn bright at his mocking enticement, and he has to remind himself to remain indulgent. Gently, gently. It wouldn’t do to scare you off with his more debauched tastes just yet. In a much kinder tone of voice, he adds, “If you don’t say it, I cannot know what it is you want.”

He wants you to say it—to beg him for it, and oh, he is not disappointed when you shyly entreat him to continue, a doe-eyed harlot, his perfect little babe. “Can you—I need—please, please, valzȳrys.”

You cannot speak the vulgarity that plays on your mind, it seems; perhaps you don’t yet know the words for what he is doing to your body. Such innocence… as vague as your directive is, how can he refuse you?

You pant and whimper as he works himself in and out, the impossible grasp of your cunt only boggling him further as you learn where your muscles are, how to control them, how to clench them around his shaft. He cannot help but give voice to his depravity. He is befuddled, intoxicated, wrecked at the sensations you are eliciting in him.

“That’s it.” Daemon arches your spine toward him so that he may reach further into you, hissing as he drives in fully on the next thrust. He is stupefied by the sound of your cries as he plunders your body, the bewildered warble and devastated open-mouthed expression on your face as his cock pummels your ripped-raw walls. His stones thud heavy and thick against the rounded cheeks of your rear with every thrust, almost the slap he craves to mark all that unblemished flesh with. “Sh, nice and quiet, there’s a good girl—you are, you’re a good girl, tight little cunt just for me—”

He pulls back to take the back of your knees in hand, clammy with exertion, pushing up and over to press you in half. He wonders if the throb of ardour elicited by the sight of the watery red smeared between your thighs and on the sheet below, soaking the fuzzed hairs at the base of his cock, makes him a monster after all.

Your reserved little utterances catapult into ringing cries as he hits home, a lewd, lush squelch divulging your euphoria for all to hear. He hopes the Council is haunted by the sound.

“Daemon!” you cry out, and gods, he wants you to say his name like that forever.

The dam bursts, his thoughts flowing from his mouth like water through a sieve, releasing his most wretched proclivities to the room. “… I should have fucked you right there in the gardens, in front of that cunt Cole and your ladies and your bitch of a Septa, made you mine—”

He cannot stop running his mouth, expressing his long-concealed desire, the months of tortured anticipation in hot words that make you turn your head. He can’t have you look away from him as he destroys you.

His hips slap furiously against yours, loud and wet. “Look at me!”

Your bleary eyes are round and startled, a little lamb seeking shelter from the dark. Daemon can hear the spectators murmuring behind him, no doubt appalled by him choosing to drag this out, to give you a meaningful first experience in spite of the indignation of it. He cannot help himself, raising the volume of his words so that they can be heard above the crackling of the fire.

“Do you ‘like it’ now, niece? Does it hurt?” Your mouth falls open as you nod, filling him with a vicious pride. “It does—and you love it. Tell me!”

You sob as he punches in faster, harder, the resistance upon each re-entry—you are still so fucking tight, by the gods—propelling him rapidly to the end.

“I love it,” you wail, “it hurts and I love it!”

Something bestial and sadistic and devoted unfurls roaring in his chest, the revelation that his baby niece is a wanton tart ready to be taught her trade ringing in his soul as he surges feverishly into you. His darkest craving is released in the drive to his peak, a desire for an irrefutable claim on you voicing itself to the public chamber.

“You’re going to take me all up in your cunt, aren’t you? Let me hold you down and spill in you, put my babe in your belly—”

A child, a babe for his sweet little girl, all pretty and round and swollen with his seed, keeping a piece of him warm and safe inside so you’ll never be empty, never be alone again. The words make you choke on your tears and spasm in rapture, the grasp of your greedy cunny strangling and boiling on his cock, and you deserve it, you deserve his come in your cunt, deserve to have it leaking from you and staining your thighs always—

“Sȳres riñus,” he moans, “good girl—fuck, take it—”

It is the longest he’s ever climaxed. He winds his tongue with yours zealously as he rides out the bursts of spend your perfect creamy cunt squeezes from his cock, bathing your womb in warmth. You receive him beautifully, his little treasure, and oh, you’ve done so well for him. His precious niece, his sweet lady wife, bound irrevocably by the blood and sweat and tears of mating.

He shoves in patternless formation as your undulating walls coax the rest of his spend from him in covetous gulps, quivering and sopping and tighthotfuck, a ravenous receptacle for his seed. He slumps into you as the waves recede, holding himself deep, twisting you into an amorous embrace as you both come down from the summit.

He presses a gentle brush of lips against yours as your lids fall, lulled to drowsiness by the rock and slap of fucking. My poor, tired sweetling.

Daemon slips out of you slowly, hushing you when you grumble, wincing as more weakly-tinted fluid trickles from your puffy entrance. You are a bruised peach leaking creamy white and thin crimson rivulets between plump, pale cheeks. The sight sends hot-cold shudders of callous jubilation through him, the vestiges of juvenescence he has stolen oozing from your overrun opening. He grabs the crumpled mound of his shirt from the floor and holds it against your battered centre, catching the spill as much as he can. You shift sleepily, nearly insensate, and his lips twist in unbearable fondness at the sight.

There is a shift by the gallery. Doors open and he can see the forms of the Small Council file quietly out of the room through the wooden slats dividing the chamber. The cauls of the maids’ headwear appear in his line of vision. They are here to collect the bedding. He imagines you would be abashed by lingering unclothed while the attendants do their work and the remaining Council members confirm the consummation took place—though he cannot think of a single reason they could produce to the contrary after that display.

Daemon sits you up and dresses you in your vestal night-rail, a pure little gown for a despoiled princess, and lifts you off the bed, carrying you unhurriedly to the lounge by the balcony for a spot of fresh air to cool the already-drying sweat on your skin before sleep claims you entirely. He has no need for his own clothing—he couldn’t care less if those in residence wished to take a glimpse of his arse or cock as he walks.

Your head lolls in the crook of his neck and you snuffle sluggishly into him, arm loosely draped around his neck. His hand falls into the familiar old pattern of rubbing up and down your spine, the easiest way to cast you off to sleep as a child. He must hush you again when one of the maids drops her basket, the clatter startling you. It is easy to draw you back down into dozing against his chest. He presses a light kiss to the side of your head as you sink into him, a docile darling drifting off in his proprietorial hold.

Daemon looks up from you to see a trio of stragglers at the foot of the bed, inspecting the soiled bed sheets with red faces and pursed lips.

“Well… everything seems to—be in order, uh, my Prince,” comes the croaky voice of Mellos, the crotchety old bastard. He’s not forgotten the little shit’s attempts to derail the evening.

“Good. I do hope you enjoyed, Grand Maester. The gods know it’ll be the only time you ever see what a woman in the throes of pleasure looks like.” He feels a juvenile sense of satisfaction as Mellos sputters and frowns.

“Daemon!” With brow furrowed and mouth frowning, Viserys turns to his companions. “Leave us.”

The figures of Mellos and Lyonel Strong promptly bow and exit hurriedly, seeming eager to leave. Good, Daemon thinks viciously. Perhaps the Small Council will think twice about this insanity next time there’s a royal wedding.

“Must you be so inflammatory?” Viserys asks wearily, eyes clenched shut in consternation. “This affair has been difficult enough.”

“Oh, really?” How dare he voice his own discomfort? Especially at your own expense. Daemon gives voice to his affront. “I hadn’t realised that you were the one being pranced around like a caged animal for the amusement of others—oh, wait. That was your daughter. At your own insistence, even.”

“Enough!” His brother falls quickly into hush once more when you stir briefly against Daemon. “Enough. I understand you are still upset—” Viserys levels him with a look when he scoffs—”but we have achieved our purpose here. You are wedded and bedded, and now she is indisputably yours.”

His hand resumes the gentle stroking up and down your back, an action that is not unnoticed by the King. Briefly, Daemon thinks Viserys means to come over and touch you, perhaps pat you on the head or embrace you, before the realisation of what exactly had just occurred sinks in. It is no more than an unavailing movement, a pause and then a cessation.

“She was always mine, Viserys,” Daemon murmurs, casting his gaze down upon you fondly, his sweetheart, his little niece, his baby wife.

And in many ways , it is true. The sole spark of sanctitude in his days as a young man, the one thing unblemished by the taint of his destructive ambition—you have been his beloved fey princess all your life, the only person he could never bear to punish for daring to exist as an obstruction to his aspirations.

His brother tips his head, a shadow passing over his face.

“When I look at her,” the King says, a pained look upon his visage, “sometimes I believe I see Aemma. Just a flash, no more—then she’s gone again. But my Aemma lives on in her, I think.”

Daemon says nothing—for what can he say? Thirteen years of widowhood, four new children and his brother will always mourn the loss of his first wife. It is an ache he himself has outrun all his life, ever since witnessing the deaths of his mother and father, the slow wasting away of his grandfather after grandmother died.

Love is a wretched triumph, he muses, and a glorious sorrow.

“Take care of her, brother,” Viserys whispers, eyes welling up.

He meets his gaze, and nods. I will, he tries to convey, and from the way his brother’s face relaxes he knows he has understood. Perhaps time is to heal this wound, too.

He waits for the King to leave the chamber before rising once more, depositing you on the freshly-attired bed and tucking the covers around you. You make for a pretty sight, lush curves he now knows the shape of concealed by a juvenile robe, your little-girl lips puckered in open-mouthed respite, his lovely niece-bride a picture of debauched purity.

Your arm flings out lethargically, searching for him. Daemon smiles as he slides in beside you, pulling you solidly into him and wrapping his arm around you. You sigh and shift, squirming into the crook of his arm, and he brushes the hair lightly from your face. He can do this now, and the realisation is exhilarating. He is free to touch you, kiss you, ravish and dote upon you as he had imagined in his thoughts these past moons, a vessel for his obsession, his barbarity, his passion and his reverence.

As he holds you in his arms, he lets himself indulge in the thought that it would be all too easy to fall for you.

He looks forward to it.

“When Prince Daemon’s eye cast itself upon his younger niece, many feared that the Princess’s honour would be besmirched in much the same way as had her elder sister’s—but whether it be her staunch devotion to propriety, a genuine affection between uncle and niece, or even Daemon’s growing sentiment for the girl, this was not the case. Instead, the Prince paid court to her with as gallant a disposition as he was capable of, and never without an escort who could vouch for the respectability of their meetings. In this endeavour, Daemon succeeded in his ambitions, claiming his betrothed niece before King and court with great triumph and procuring himself a wife of his own choosing.”

- ‘Fire & Blood, Being a History of the Targaryen Kings of Westeros’ by Archmaester Gyldayn

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/42100623/chapters/106387698

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woozivrse · 5 months

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Hiding the Truth, Pretending I'm Fine

Jeon Wonwoo x gn! reader

Genre: Hanahaki AU, college AU, fluff, usual angst that comes with the AU, happy ending!

Words: 4k and some change!

Warnings: vomiting, doctors, surgery mention(doesn't happen! don't worry<3), implied depression? reader feels down and i kinda wrote it in a way that it could be read as depression..., death mentions(one a joke at the start, and the other being apart of the whole AU thing..., cursing, my ocs Mai and Kimi(ok my friends oc...) use different pronouns, Mai(She/He) and Kimi(She/They), blood

Notes: sooo... if you've read this before you are either 1) a friend i had read this for school or 2) you are my old english teacher, in which, hi. why are you here. please leave. please. aka i am repurposing this for tumblr, because i am pretty proud of it, meaning please be gentle on me. i am just a tiny tiny child. but tell me what you think! tell me if i missed any warnings, and stuff like that! also, stole the title from bittersweet. you'll see why! enjoy<3

You had been in love with Jeon Wonwoo for who knows how long, but you hadn't known it. Until you started coughing. You wish it had been easier.

❀DAY 1, SUNDAY 8:30AM, YOUR APARTMENT

“Ooh my baby,” You cooed. “How's my little baby~ Hm? How are you Hoshi? What about you Byeol~~ Thank you for the gift~~”

Kimiko, your high school friend slash roommate, burst into your room. “Stop being a crazy cat person! Get up and out, Wonwoo is waiting for you,”

“Already? I just woke up–”

“Oh, no he's not here, here. He's just waiting for you like, in general y'know?”

“Die,”

“Not how you talk to your bestest friend in the world,” She pouted.

“That would be Wonwoo,”

“Bestest roommate in the world?”

“Mai.”

“Fuck youuuu,”

❀9:25AM, ROCKET CAFE

Sitting down, Wonwoo placed an iced latte in front of you. Every Sunday, the two of you met at either the library or the cafe to plan your week out together. This week was the cafe. He stared at you, watching you work.

“Stop watching me, creep,” you grinned, tapping your foot against Wonwoo. “C’mon, I know I’m pretty ‘n all but you really should stop staring at me,”

“So full of yourself,” He teased. “You’ve got something, here I’ll get it.”

You rolled your eyes at Wonwoo pretending to fix your hair. Always trying to “fix” something, your hair, your clothes. You knew you weren't a messy person. What you didn't know was why Wonwoo did it. Sighing, you just let him fiddle with your hair. As he did that, you stole his phone, unlocking it to check his calendar for the week.

“Boo,” you pouted. “We barely match up this month, outside of class. Look! We don’t match this week and next week we match once, on Friday night,”

Seemingly done with your hair, he checked your planner. “Oh, you’re right. Isn’t that during the get together Cheol is holding?”

“Oh I think it is,” you sulked. “No free time for just us! Oh I am in pain, jail for a thousand years!”

He chuckled. “It’s fine, we can sneak some time in,”

“Not at a Cheol party. I’m gonna be tipsy and you’re probably going to be on babysitting duty,”

“Babysitting you,”

Grumbling, you stood from the chair and fell onto Wonwoo's shoulders like a lump of nothing, smacking him a little. Vernon, your mutual friend who worked at the cafe, took a picture and sent it to their group chat without the two of you, followed by a text saying “yo right in front of my salad?”. The group chat exploded with messages with variants of “they’re seriously not dating?” and one text from Joshua, one of the other workers at the cafe, saying “get back to work!!”.

❀DAY 4, WEDNESDAY 12:30PM, ON THE WAY TO CLASS

This, you decided early on in your college days, was your favorite part of college. Walking with Wonwoo to whatever class you two shared, was great(unless the two of you didn't share a class, in which he would walk you to whatever class you had after the two of you had lunch).

You looked at him, seeing him staring at you, again. “Hey, what's with you looking at me so often, huh?” You raised a brow. “What, do you like me or something?”

He smiled, “Sure, something like that,”

Your face warmed, you could just feel the heat go to your ears.

You whipped your head away from him before saying. “Oh– oh just shut it! Don't even joke about that, Wonwoo!”

And then you started coughing, which granted, the weather had been getting colder, but you started coughing hard. Leaning down, you started coughing into your elbow before pulling away and seeing… petals? Bloody, purple flower petals. You quickly grabbed them before shoving them into your pocket.

Wonwoo put his hand on the small of your back, rubbing it. “Woah, hey, are you alright? Do you need water, anything? I’ll take you home if you need,”

You nodded, your throat still feeling a little raw. “Um… yeah, water would be nice, please,”

He handed you his water bottle, yours being at home. “Here, just drink from it. I’m fine without it for now,”

You sent him an appreciative look before downing the water. “Okay, I think I’ll be good for class now,”

He looked at you, obviously worried. “If you're sure… but I’m taking you home if you start coughing like that again,”

❀1:47, CLASS

You started coughing again.

There was no reason for it, you had just caught Wonwoo once again looking at you weirdly, causing your heart to flutter just a bit before you had berated yourself, thinking, Stop it, stop it! He doesn't like me…he just doesn't. And then the coughing happened again.

It had been so bad that the professor had stopped class and asked if you had needed to go. Wonwoo answered that question by grabbing your stuff and taking you out of the class. Oh well, you thought, Guess going to that class was for nothing.

Once you had finished coughing, you again found bloody petals. What the fuck…

“Hey, are you sure you're okay?” Wonwoo looked really worried now, placing a hand on your forehead, then cheeks. “You certainly don't seem okay, but you’re not warm or anything,”

You shook your head. “I think it might be the weather. You know I get a little iffy around this time of year,”

He hesitantly accepted your reason, knowing it was true, just usually happened later in the year. He shrugged his jacket off, placing it on your shoulders. “Well, keep this on until we reach your place, I don't want you actually getting sick,”

❀2:07PM, YOUR APARTMENT

Sitting on your bed, your eyebrows scrunched up before you sighed. Just, what was happening to you? Coughing up flowers– that's something out of a storybook, not real life.

Your heart fluttered when you thought about Wonwoo, but why. Why was your heart doing this, why, why, why. Wonwoo was so sweet to you, that's why, you reasoned. Right? You…didn't like him, did you? You couldn't.

You started coughing, again. Running to the bathroom, you knelt over the toilet.

❀2:34PM

Kimi sang. “Your favorite dancer is home~”

Kimi stepped into the kitchen, dropping her bag into the floor, before calling your name. “Hellooo?”

Silence filled the apartment, which left Kimi worried. Walking through the hallway, Kimi knocked on your bedroom door, opening it when no noise happened. Nothing.

“What the…” Kimi muttered. “Ugh, where’d I put my phone… dance practice you thot!”

Dragging herself back to the kitchen, she shuffled through their duffel bag. Calling your phone, rings came from the bathroom. Making her way to the bathroom, Kimi barged in. There you were, in all your shitty, sweaty glory was you, throwing up into the toilet.

“Fuck!” Kimi dropped to her knees, rubbing your back. “You should’ve told us you were sick. One of us would’ve stayed home for you,”

You whined. “Kimi… it’s fine both of you were busy, I couldn’t let you guys stay home. Besides, this happened during class.”

“The one you have with Wonwoo?”

Nodding, you straightened. “Mm… he brought me home,”

“What happened?”

“I… um… started coughing up flower petals…” You muttered.

“You what?”

Sighing, you reached your hand into your pockets and brought out the bloody flower petals.

“What the– Why are they bloody!?”

“I started coughing these up,” You started to explain. “Look, they’re in the toilet bowl too. I… I asked Sayu, before I went into the bathroom, she said they were bittersweet or something like that…”

“You should go to the ER! Or at least the doctor– you don’t know what this is,”

“I will, I will. I was going to call her after this whole…fit,”

❀DAY 6, FRIDAY 1:15PM, SEOUL DOCTOR

“So, what’s the reason for this appointment?” Doctor Kim asked, checking the files in hand.

“Um…so the other day, Wednesday, I uh… started coughing flower petals,” You explained, pulling the petals out. “They were um, bloody.”

Clicking her tongue, Doctor Kim examined a petal. “Oh dear…I see,”

“Why’d it happened? How’d it even get in my body?”

Doctor Kim sighed, pulling up an article on the computer in the room. “I’m afraid there’s not much research on this. I’ve never personally seen it but I know doctors who have diagnosed it. We’re calling it hanahaki, from the Japanese words 花 and 吐く, flower and to vomit. We’ve noticed that it’s from unrequited love,” she glanced at you and then the flower petals, “Do you…do you love someone? Do you believe they don’t love you back?”

You played with your hair, suddenly the floor looking interesting. “Um…I…I guess,”

“You guess?”

“I do. I…kinda just realized it and then spiraled for a little. On Wednesday, when I first coughed them up.”

“I see. I’m going to give you options and I will definitely push you towards a specific one. But I want you to know that it is entirely up to you, what you want to do,” sighing, she leaned onto her knees. “You could confess, and if your feelings get reciprocated the flowers will leave your body through a few days. If they don’t, then your lungs will grow with flowers faster and you’ll suffocate. If you do, come to the ER immediately.

“The last option is surgery, we remove the flowers and any roots in your lungs. But it’s a complicated surgery, and if successful you lose all memories of said person and you’ll never feel anything for them ever again. It’s a last resort for a reason, and if you even think they return your feelings, confess. I mean it, you need to confess.”

❀DAY 8, SUNDAY 11:37AM, YOUR ROOM

Laying on your bed, you pulled your blankets over your shoulders, tucking yourself in. Getting up seemed to take up so much more energy these days, it was so much effort, effort you couldn't seem to put in.

Your phone rang, and you left it. It stopped for a few seconds before ringing again. You sighed as it stopped again. It pinged a few times, two followed by one more before your phone silenced. You couldn't bring yourself to check, even though you knew it was Wonwoo, you set his notifications to have a special ringer. You were just… tired.

Nonu ❙

Hey, are you okay?

??? Hello??? You always answer, are you sick??

??? I’m coming over.

❀12:42PM

Wonwoo knocked on your door, before opening it. Seeing you still tucked into your bed confused him.

“I know I've asked this a couple times, but are you okay?” He sat on your bed, patting your leg. “Hello? Have you not woken up just yet?”

You hummed lightly. “No…I’m tired,”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to be alone? You seem…well tired,”

You hummed again. He couldn't tell what you were feeling, facing away from him and barely saying anything.

“I’ll go, but I hope you feel better. I’ll get Mai and Kimi to take care of you,”

❀DAY 10, TUESDAY 11:23AM

Knocking on the door, Mai entered the room after a beat.

“You haven’t woken up yet?” She questioned, sitting on the bed. “You ok? I haven’t seen you wake up later than 9 since we were high schoolers,”

“Maiiii,” You whined. “I’m so TIRED, I can't even explain why!”

“The petals?”

“Of course, it's the– How do you know about them?”

He shrugged. “Kimi told me a little, sorry.”

“It's fine. I mean, you would've found out anyways,”

“Yeah, I would've. What happened, like why are they a thing? Kimi only mumbled something about petals and blood and purple– good color by the way,”

“I mean, the doctor said it's this stupid thing called hanahaki–”

“Like, hana as in 花, as in flower?”

“Uh, I think– STOP you're distracting me!” You jumped out from the covers.

“Yeah, but that got you out of bed. That was the goal~”

“You are the worst,”

Pulling you by the hands, Mai led you to the dining room.

“Our zombie lives!” cheered Kimi.

Flipping Kimi off, you pried yourself from Mai’s arms. “What was that for? I was gonna get out of bed eventually, it's only–”

“Only 11:23!” Kimi cut her off. “You are two hours late youngster!”

“To what?”

“To civilization! You have never–”

“Once woken up after 9, yes I am aware,”

“So you are aware we were worried, right?” Kimi huffed. “Now, eat! You are a growing child, no child of mine will starve!”

“I'm 20. We are the same age,”

“And,” Mai cut in. “I'm 21. I say you eat and get yourself freshened up. We are having a roommates day out,”

“What happened to my childhood friend,” you sulked.

“She has gone nowhere, I have always been your mother,” Mai chided. “Now eat, you actually look like a zombie,”

❀12:15PM, HALF MOON CAFE

“So, young child of mine,” Kimi started, placing the group’s order down. “Why have you been coughing up a storm, and why are there bloody flowers everywhere? You only mumbled something about them, and I want to know why!”

The three of them were in a small cafe they frequented often, mainly due to your part-time job there.

“Still can’t believe you guys got me here on my day off,” you sighed, playing with your drink. “It’s nothing. I already went to a doctor, she said it was ‘Hanahaki’ or something,”

“Hana as–”

“Yes hana as in 花, as in flower. Why did you both ask the same question?”

“I needed clarification,” Kimi shrugged. “But like, what’s the haki part? Like what even is hanahaki?”

“The haki is 吐く, like to vomit,”

“It’s a disease where flowers grow in your- in your lungs?!” Mai read from his phone, head whipping to you. “And you could die?”

“Not so loud– lord why did we go here,”

“I’m sorry– you’re upset I’m being loud? You could die, do not tell me to be quiet?”

You sighed, “Look, this is why I didn’t want to tell anyone! They get all dramatic, it’s not a big deal. It’s due to unrequited love, so all I have to do is unfall in love.”

“Uh, speaking as the person who’s in a committed relationship,” Kimi injected. “Impossibly hard. Like, I’m talking insanely hard. I mean–”

“We get it,” Mai said, cupping her face. “Look, it even took me a while to get over my first ex, and he stalked me! I’m with Kimi, there are easier ways to do this.”

“Except there’s not! It's either I unfall in love, confess, or get surgery! And, mind you, that surgery will remove all my memories of said person and remove all my feelings. It’s not like I can do that. I can’t lose someone I’m in love with– and I can’t lose my feelings! How am I supposed to live without being happy, or sad, or–”

“Then confess! They’ll reciprocate them, I’m sure.” Mai held your hands. “Please, I can’t lose you. We can’t lose you, you’re too important to us.”

“I am not confessing–”

“Confessing?” A voice cut in, Wonwoo. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“Wonwoo! No, no! I haven’t been avoiding you, I’ve–”

“Been busy.” He rolled his eyes. “Look, if this was over some guy, you could've told me. I would've gotten it and backed off,”

You stood up. “It is not! Look, we went over schedules– we were both booked! You cannot say I have been ignoring you,”

“Does that mean you can’t answer my texts? Or calls?” He argued, walking away from you and out of the cafe.

“Oh don’t act like you don’t do the same to me. How come you’re acting like I’m doing it on purpose!” You followed.

“I haven’t ghosted you, never for days on end!”

“Oh sure,” You stopped and rolled your eyes. “I’m not arguing about this, not in public,”

“Oh so you’re running away, like always?” Wonwoo turnt around. “Like you always do when something happens, like the coward you are?”

Your eyes watered as you stumbled back like you were struck. “Fine! Yes, I’m running away, just like you said! Just like I always have, according to you, but don’t you dare try to come talk to me.”

❀DAY 13, FRIDAY 7:37PM, CHOI SEUNGCHEOL’S APARTMENT

You and Kimi walked into Seungcheol’s party, being eagerly greeted by Kim Mingyu.

He cheered both of your names. “Let me get you drinks, come in! I’m not allowed to help you with your coats, Cheol is worried about me breaking something again.”

Laughing, Kimi pat him on the arm. “It’s fine! I’m here to be sober, drunk watch and all that,”

“Mai forced her to be my babysitter,” You sulked. “Like I’m gonna get drunk off my ass or something…”

Mingyu and Kimi gave each other a knowing look. Like you hadn't been upset since the fight. Kimi pushed you further into the house, hearing the chatter of the others. Mai and Kimi figured it was best to get you to talk to someone, and what better way than to get her drunk with friends?

❀11:34PM

Bad idea. Mai and Kimi both forgot one important thing about a drunk you. You were an emotional drunk. Meaning, right now? You were sobbing your ass off, drunk, over Wonwoo.

Kimi could barely understand you because you were muffled by–

“Fuck,” Kimi muttered, launching herself towards you. “Spit them out, I fucking mean it you drunk fuck. Spit. Them. Out.”

You listened. Saliva and blood covered petals fell into Kimi’s hand. You fell into Kimi’s arms, still sobbing.

“He hates me Kimi! He does. He hasn't talked to me in 3 days! The longest we’ve gone is probably around a couple hours! Never this long,”

Kimi sighed, petting your hair. It pained them all to see her like this.

“He doesn't hate you, yknow,” Mingyu said, also patting you on the back. “He’s just upset right now. He’s probably also crying right now,”

“I don't want him crying over me!” You sobbed even harder.

Seungkwan hit Mingyu away, clicking his tongue. “Ignore him, Mingyu’s dumb. We know this. Wonwoo’s upset, but he’s not crying. He's probably thinking about what happened and trying to figure out how to apologize to you,”

“But he doesn't have to apologize, I was the one being a bitch!”

“All of you leave her alone,” Jeonghan swatted everyone besides Kimi. “Sweetheart, honey, drink this,”

He handed you a cup of water, urging you to drink. You tried to drink it, but instead a full flower came out of her mouth.

“FUCK,” Kimi shouted. “Fuck fuck- where’s their phone? Hurry one of you, give it to me!”

Kimi dialed your doctor, explaining that you had actually coughed up a flower. “C’mon hun, c’mon. Get up, we have to visit someone,”

“What's happening?” Mingyu questioned. “Kimi– what was that? Why did a flower come out of their mouth? Kimi?”

“Don't, don't worry. Just call Mai for me, tell her we're at the hospital. She’ll know why,” Kimi explained. “Sorry to bring the mood down,”

“Don't be. Now go, go! It seems urgent,” Cheol pushed the two of you out of the apartment.

❀11:48PM, SEOUL HOSPITAL

Your doctor sighed, closing the door behind her and facing Kimi and Mai. “I’m to assume you two are their roommates, meaning they told one of you at least a little?”

“Uhm, yeah,” Kimi fidgeted. “She told me a little, just like, uh she was coughing flowers cuz of something called hanahaki? Uhm.. and that it was a disease caused by–”

“Unrequited love, yes. However, that’s not something we’re entirely sure about,”

“What do you mean, not entirely sure about? Did you tell her something incorrect about a disease that could kill her!?” Mai shouted.

“Yes and no,” Doctor Kim sighed. “Look, ladies, hanahaki is rare– we’re not sure about everything. But, there's a theory, that I have personally searched into, that it’s not unrequited love. More like, insecurity in the afflicted. The flowers, do you know what they are and what they mean?”

“Oh! Uhm, I think I remember our friend saying they were bittersweet? And that they meant truth? Truthfulness?”

“Then, there. They likely need to tell the truth, if the theory holds up. Either way though, one of you should get whoever they’re crushing, or in love with, here as soon as you can. I will make an exception for you three, and only you three, to be here after hours if they have not gained consciousness. The other should stay with them. I don't want any surprises,”

❀11:57PM

“Where are they!?” Wonwoo bursted into the hospital lobby.

Ignoring the onlooking staff, he went straight towards Mai.

“Mai, you cannot call me, say my best friend is in the hospital, and then not give me context,” he said, holding the dead tired girl by the shoulders.

“You hung up on me right after I said they were here! I’m not calling you back and getting you into an accident– we do not need that! Now, come. I'll bring you to them, your job is to get them to actually tell you the truth. I don't care what it takes, they have to.”

Leading the barely taller man, Mai opened the door to your hospital room. Pulling Kimi out, Mai quickly pat you on the head with a quiet, “Confess,”

“Wonu?” You croaked.

“Hey,” He sat on the edge of her bed. “What happened? Why are you here– why have you been avoiding me? I thought we told each other everything,”

He looks heartbroken, you thought, heart clenching at it. “It- it wasn't your fault, Wonu. I just- if I told you, I’d lose you. I can’t do that,”

“But you're here, in a hospital. Mai said you could die. Why do you think I can live without you?”

“I-”

“Please. You’re my best friend, I can’t lose you,”

Bursting into tears, you sobbed. “Exactly! I’m your best friend, that's all I’ll ever be! Wonwoo, have you ever thought I wanted to be more than friends with you?”

“Wh–”

“It’s you, it has always been you! I just had a shitty way of finding out, and now I’m dying! I don't want to die. I want to live out my life with you, and Mai, and Kimi, and and just– everyone! But if I get the surgery I lose my best friend– the love of my life! It's either I lose you by confessing, or I lose you by forgetting you, or I lose everyone by dying! I don't want this–”

“Hey, hey,” Wonwoo wiped the tears from your face. “Who said you’d ever lose me? Remember, I will always be here for you. Always. Besides, I’ve loved you ‘since forever’. You have nothing to fear,”

Your eyes overflowed with tears, and your mouth, flowers. Calling a doctor, Wonwoo was quickly kicked from the room. Worried, he quickly walked to the lobby.

“Wonwoo!” Kimi exclaimed, bouncing anxiously towards him. “Where- where are they? Why are you out here?”

“Well, I got kicked out. We confessed but then they started coughing again and–”

“You finally confessed? Like, for real none of that ‘I love you, as a friend’ bullshit?”

“Yes– why is that what you're focusing on? They started coughing flowers again, Kimi,”

“I know, I know, but I’ve been waiting for this since I met you two. That was our first year of high school!”

“Stop fighting you two,” Mai butt in. “What happened? Why are you out here?”

❀DAY 14, SATURDAY 12:21AM

After explaining everything, the three of them went to hunt Doctor Kim down. Meaning, they were waiting outside of your room.

Walking out of your room, Doctor Kim turnt around and jumped. “Oh, you three scared me. Sorry, sorry. I should’ve told you to go home. But, they're fine. They’re resting now, you can visit when the hospital opens up again and you can see them then,”

“We can’t leave her!” Kimi whisper shouted, still aware of the fact that you were likely sleeping.

“No, you can’t but you will. I understand you’re scared about them, but they’ll be fine. They’ll have to stay here for another few days, but it’s just so we can monitor them. You can visit, but only during visiting hours. Now shoo, you are college students here on a Saturday,”

❀1:19PM, YOUR HOSPITAL ROOM

Wonwoo walked into the room, with a bouquet of aster flowers. Chuckling Wonwoo put them on the bedside table.

“Sorry, I know it’s a little soon,” Wonwoo sat. “but I asked your friend, um, Sayu? She said you thought they were pretty, the flowers, that is. Aster, she called them.”

You laughed softly. “It’s ok Wonu, they’re lovely. I love them, thank you,”

He smiled. “I’m glad. I know we only just established everything but I want to ask, can I be your boyfriend?”

You laughed, and Wonwoo pouted at that. “Sorry, sorry I’m not laughing at you. Never at you. Yes, of course you can be my boyfriend. Why’d I ever say no, I don’t know.”

THE END<3

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punk4ndisorderly · 11 months

Text

light on

The one where Y/N is the daughter of a legendary Team USA coach and used to attend the development program with the boys. 8 years after they last saw each other in person, a reunion brings Jack and Y/N back into each other’s lives... and hearts.

if you keep the light on, i'll keep the light on

I II - something about the way you look tonight III

“Coach Jr., you look great!”

Y/N laughed as Alex got closer to give her a hug.

“How long has it been?”

“Too long, you dick. How’s the missus?”

“Rehearsing. Stressing. Driving herself crazy because of tiny details. The play is premiering in a week and she is so happy I swear she’s skipping around like he’s in a fucking prairie… I love her so much.”

“You guys are so cute, I swear to god… I wish I would be able to make it but I’m so happy she’s finally doing musical theatre!” she beamed, looking past him to see Jack walk through the door, clearly being nagged by Trevor, who was almost jumping up and down around their friend, not ever shutting up.

Alex looked back to see where her attention had been diverted to.

“You two really need to just get it out of your systems.” he stated simply, with a blank expression.

Y/N’s jaw almost hit the floor at her friend’s crude comment, but she couldn’t say she was surprised, he had always been one to be forward when it came to speaking his mind.

“Turc!” she scolded. “We are polar opposites who happen to be good friends and…”

“Sweetheart, you’re rambling. You and Jacko have always had a weird chemistry, and I mean that in a good way. It wouldn’t hurt to bite down on that apple. Also, I’ve already been recruited by the drama queen to fix you two up, so…”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Trevor.”

She stifled a laugh, shaking her head and rubbing his arm up and down.

“Alright, Alex, thanks. I’ve got to go, though. I’ll see you later?”

“Count on it!”

Jack waited alone in the media room Coach had arranged for the photo ops to take place in, leaning against the wall, going through his Instagram feed. Apparently, his former commander in chief had already posted the famed picture they had taken earlier and everyone was freaking out over it. The duo did look couple-y. He smiled when he got a text notification: Y/N had forwarded the picture to him.

We’re too cute for words, Hughes! xo it read.

He wondered if she’d ever see him as anything other than plain old Jack from camp. Trevor was right, he did have a huge crush on her. How could he not? She was gorgeous, kind, funny and extremely talented. He couldn’t get enough of her. He never grew tired of her presence. Something about her had a stranger hold on him.

His relationship had become tiring and dull so when his girlfriend told him she wanted to end things he was torn between feeling heartbroken and being relieved. Even though he felt a heavy weight inside his ribcage, he wasn’t reminded of it as often today because her presence eased his mind, soothed his heart.

Y/N walked in, rolling up her sleeves and moving to stand beside him.

“We’re a hit.” she announced, showing him her million-dollar smile.

The brunette man returned her grin, shrugging.

“I’ve always known we were epic.”

Soon enough, in came the mini tornado known as Y/N’s father, followed closely by the kids who had earned their picture with hard work. They took a couple of photographs before a young girl, brought as one of the boys’ plus one, requested they’d pretend they were gazing adoringly into each other’s eyes while she stood aside looking annoyed.

The doctor wrapped her arms around his neck and did as she was asked. Jack’s blue eyes burning into her own, his intense gaze making her feel something she couldn’t quite explain. He had a way of always making her feel special just by looking at her.

“I think you two should date.” the teenager blurted out. “People would go wild.”

“I’ve been hearing that quite a lot lately.” Y/N replied, avoiding to meet Jack’s eyes as she waved the girl goodbye.

Jack didn’t say a word, burying his hands in his pockets as he tried to act casual.

The photo ops were finished and both were looking forward to their well-deserved break. They walked side by side down the hall back to the improvised green room assigned to the star athletes.

“They went with formal wear for the benefit dinner, Tkachuk told me his team only did casual wear last year… I guess they really wanted to milk the whole glamorous superstar deal.” Y/N pointed out, breaking the silence that had settled between the pair.

“I’m hardly an example of what glamorous stands for.” Jack chuckled, scrunching up his nose.

“Oh, no, I meant Trevor. I wonder what he’s wearing.”

He stopped on his tracks, pretending to be deep in thought.

“That’s actually a pretty good question. He is known for making bold choices.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” she snorted, instantly covering her mouth with her hands.

“Did you just…”

“Don’t!” the smaller woman pleaded.

Jack erupted into a fit of laughter and Y/N groaned, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”

“Not for a second, Messier.” he winked, finally managing to stop laughing, noticing the frown on her face. “Oh, come on… I promise I won’t mention it to anyone, alright? It was kinda cute, actually.” the brunette man joked as he placed his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly against his side in an unexpected moment of bravery.

“Yeah, yeah…” she rolled her eyes lightheartedly and opened the door, only to find the room empty. “Where is everybody?”

“They let about ten minutes or so ago to get ready for dinner.” an older woman explained, as she entered the room to restock the refreshments table for the next day.

“Shit, Alex and I were supposed to share the car we rented for the weekend!” Y/N grunted.

“I was stuck with Z and Cole.” Jack said, checking his phone for any texts or calls letting him know he was on his own. “Unbelievable.”

“Guess I’m calling a cab.” she sighed.

“We can share one if you’d like.” the brunette man offered. “Where are you staying?”

“The mighty Saint John’s. Courtesy of the boss.”

“They really booked us all to stay in the same place, hu? I’ll call for a car.”

The cab didn’t take long to arrive. As the gentleman he was, Jack opened the door for Y/N to climb in, joining her and letting the taxi driver know where they wanted to go. When they got to the hotel, Y/N saw the time on her phone, mumbling something about not being able to get ready on time, tapping her foot impatiently while they waited for the elevator to come down.

Jack chuckled to himself as she checked her watch time and time again while they went up.

“This is not funny, Hughes… I thought we had more time!” she whimpered, just before the familiar ring let them know they had arrived.

“I don’t know why you’re worried about that, you’ll look great even if you have had less time to get ready.” he stated, matter-of-factly when they stepped out into the hall. “I have seen you sweaty, red and disheveled before.”

Y/N scoffed, looking for her room key, hidden somewhere in her purse before halting in front of her door.

“This is me.”

“I’m staying right down the hall. Do you think they managed to book the whole floor?”

“Knowing the boss and how much of a control freak he is, probably, yes. He knows Turc and Z are way too rowdy together and didn’t want to disturb other guests.”

“They did try to drag me out of bed to get pizza at 4 am the last time the three of us where in the same place.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Y/N pondered, turning her back to him to open the door. “Go get ready, unfairly handsome man. We’re supposed to be meeting downstairs in twenty, right?”

Jack simply nodded, taking in the way she had called him handsome once again and waiting until she closed the door behind her to walk down the hall into his own room.

Y/N took a shower, wrapping a towel around her body and rushing back and forth her neat room, looking for the dress and shoes she had packed specifically for that night, laying the satin fabric carefully on the bed before she put on her lingerie.

She heard a knock on the door and hastily grabbed the first thing she found to put on, going to answer it.

“Hey, birdy!” Alex greeted her sheepishly, waltzing into her room in a dark blue suit.

“You look good, Turc.” Y/N smiled, tying the fluffy robe around her body.

“Hey, hey, hey! Is that how you’re going to show up at the benefit? You little rebel, disrespecting the dress code, I like it!” her bubbly friend gushed, sitting down on the bed.

“Haha, very funny! I’m still pissed you left me at camp without saying anything.” she pointed out, turning on the hair dryer, missing Alex’s reply over the noise.

The man got up, grabbing the device from her. “Let me help you with that.”

“Thank you.”

“I see you brought the red dress. Nice!”

“You and your girlfriend did threaten to pinch me really hard if I didn’t.” Y/N snickered, closing her eyes while Alex picked up a brush and the dryer.

“We have our ways…” he shrugged. “So… Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room, or…?”

“What elephant in the room?” the doctor questioned, turning to look at her friend.

“Well, you know, the whole Jack-is-single-and-you-should-totally-take-advantage-of-that situation.”

“Did Trevor set you up to this?”

“Maybe…”

“He just broke up with his girlfriend, Turc. They had been dating for a while, according to the press. He needs to grieve and figure his life out before you nerds try to set him up with someone else, you know that…” she shook her head, looking down at her hands.

“You would make an adorable pair, though… Just putting it out there.” Alex mumbled as he finished tying Y/N’s hair in a low bun, leaving out some strands to frame her face. “Voilà!” he cheered triumphantly, satisfied with his work once he saw a small smile creep up on his friend’s face.

“You do have some weird fairy godparent hands… I trained you well. Can you pass me my make-up from the bedside table, please?”

“Your wishes are my command.” he grinned, handing her the beauty products.

“Thank you so much, Turkey. How late am I, right now?” she asked, spraying her favorite perfume on her neck and the back of her ear, before getting up and picking up her dress.

“You still have time, don’t worry. I’ll go down right now and tell them you’ll be ready in a minute.”

“Just do me one last favor and zip up my dress, please.”

Downstairs, the group had been divided into two, so they could fit into the large taxi vans parked outside. Jack adjusted his suit jacket, looking around the room from time to time, checking if she had come down yet.

Alex walked out of the elevator, smirking once he recognized the disappointed look on the brunette man’s face when he realized he wasn’t the one he was so eagerly waiting for.

“Hey, beauty.” he greeted him.

“Hey, Turc.”

“She’ll be down in a minute.”

“What?” he mumbled, snapping back to reality, having clearly missed the suggestive tone of his voice.

“You don’t fool anyone, Hughesy.” his friend winked, leaving him alone to join Cole by the front desk.

He pretended he didn’t understand what he meant, leaning against the pillar next to the large couches in the main entrance, going through his social media feeds for the tenth time in half an hour. Nothing new.

His older brother had texted him to let him know he had seen the picture Coach had shared and that he “totally approved” but had “dibs” on her since he had known her for longer than he did to which he had replied with a middle finger emoji.

“Finally!” Trevor chanted, throwing his hands up in the air as he approached Jack by the pillar. “I was beginning to think I was going to have to get you ready myself!”

Jack looked up from his phone, being left speechless at the sight of her. He knew she’d look amazing, but he had no idea that, ten years later, she could still knock the wind out of him.

Y/N had chosen a beautiful red A-line dress with a generous square cleavage that accentuated her tiny waist. She could only be described as a fallen angel. He bit down on his bottom lip, clearly too distracted by her beauty to be more subtle about checking her out.

“Okay, beauty, you can breathe now.” Alex came up from behind him, tapping him on the shoulder. “Come on, everybody, Coach Jr. is here. Let’s go.”

At the sound of Alex’s voice, Y/N glanced in their direction, locking eyes with Jack. She smiled softly, scrunching up her nose the way she always did. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Alex linked arms with Y/N, leading her outside and leaving him standing there, completely dumbfounded.

“Dude, did you just choke?” Trevor asked, trying to hold in a cackle.

“Shut up.”

#jack hughes x reader #jack hughes blurb #jack hughes #jack hughes fanfiction #fanfic #trevor zegras #hockey boys #hockey blurb #team usa #cole caufield #alex turcotte #y/n x jack hughes #hockey

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chaosduckies · 2 months

Text

Restoration (Chapter 1)

Finally! Finished the first chapter! It’s also my first official g/t story. Enjoy!

Word count: 3,500

CW: Mentions of Death, Fear, and panic attacks (they don’t actually happen)

1- Nathan

Don’t you wish that sometimes you could reverse time? Whether you never wished to be born, or if you just did something really embarrassing. You want to know what I would do if I could reverse time? Make sure my parents did move away from our little home in the country sooner. We all had loved it. With no loud noises and no people to tell us that we were weird. Just me, my parents, and the most beautiful view of coniferous trees ever. And that was stripped away from us.

We had heard nothing but the dreadful screams and the cackling in the back of our minds. The only glimpse we had of out new home was the wicked smiles of our torturers. The only thing we were allowed to see were bodies being ripped in half. No longer the sight of the maple leaves turning orange during the fall, no longer the sight of a sunset. Nothing. Nothing but a red, bloody void.

Terrible right? How could I describe something you don’t even know? It’s not that hard. Just two words. Human trafficking. Where humans are taken away from our home and forced to make entertainment for beings with no hearts. They didn’t care what happened to anything that was below them in the food chain. That didn’t care how a “lesser” being felt. Because who would want to know about how a seven year old cried about seeing their own dad being ripped in half, huh? Who cared about how many times you’ve broken someone else’s bones? Who cared how much you traumatized a kid who used to have their whole life ahead of them?

That was how I lived more than half of my life. Fearing everything that could and would hurt me. Scared of what would happen the very next day. Scared of the unknown truth that was my life. Even if my mom had kept reassuring me that everything would be okay. Even when my dad was long out of our lives, but never forgotten. Even when she was on the brink of death herself…

Then, there was a glimmer of hope. And all I remembered were gun shots and my mom screaming and dragging me underneath something. Hidden away from the people that were trying to help us. After my mom had finally realized that those people were there to help, she asked me to go out and get them to come help her. I remembered seeing her bloody leg. I remember her tying a piece of string around to stop it from bleeding anymore. And I remember being scared to go. What was I supposed to do? I was just subdued to years and years of torture and all of a sudden I’m supposed to trust the same people that hurt us?

The only reason I gathered up enough courage was because my mother had practically begged me and passed out afterward. I couldn’t leave her there to die like dad. And so what I thought would be our imminent doom yet again, was our hope for surviving. The people here helped get my mom to get better, and fixed up my multiple broken bones and wounds. They sent me to a program that taught basic skills before I could be placed into an actual school. Everything was going great. I had my life ahead of me. Then, the papers forcing my mom and I to transfer to a co-ed city arrived.

Our little utopia was crumbling to the ground. Living in the same city as giants? Hah. No. I’d rather die than be around those monsters again. They’d just hurt us. And for some odd reason, my mom was smiling. Genuinely smiling even after reading the notice. She never looked mad, upset, or even the slightest bit scared. She smiled and cheered that we could have a normal life again. That I could have the childhood I never had.

I admit, I believed this could be a good change as well. I could be around other people my age. Maybe make friends? And so began this great journey of trying to act like nothing had happened. Like my mom and I weren’t just subdued to torture for the last 8 years. No one would know, and no one would care.

Today stated off as any normal day. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, ate breakfast. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just the first day I was cleared to go to an actual school. After moving away from the hospital and coming over to the co-ed city, I kind of thought this was a good idea. I mean, who’s to say that it’ll tun out like it did in the country? For all I know I won’t even have to go to school with giants. I could just go to an all human school or something. That’s what I was hoping for on the way here. But, now that my mom and I have been here for nearly a month, I’ve learned that wasn’t the case.

I was going to school with humans and giants. Whether I liked it or not.

My mom tried to reassure me, saying that there were more rules set up in a city rather than in the country. That wasn’t what I was worried about though. I was more worried about what would happen if I was alone. This was a completely new place that I’ve never been to. Who know’s what could happen?

The bus came to pick me up and some other younger kids who were laughing at something on their phones. The atmosphere had completely changed. It was thick, and heavy. Maybe it was because it was early in the morning? Or maybe it was because everyone dreaded the day? I mean it was Monday after all. Whatever was making them look so drained and tired was obviously not good. Making my nerves rise like crazy.

I sat down near the front of the bus, trying to avoid the other kids my age. There was just something about them that had me on edge. It’s not like I didn’t want to to make friends, it’s just that I had to be careful who I place my trust in. Especially when I was going to a school made for people much, much bigger than me.

It was hard to keep my mind off of the fact that I would be walking along with giants again, but unless I wanted to undergo a panic attack on my first day, it was best to just ignore everyone and everything. At least until I could work up the courage to walk without my legs losing balance or without running away. Which will probably happen today. I’d be surprised if I could go three minutes without freaking out.

The school was around a ten minute drive from my house. Plenty of time to really set into perspective where I was going. I checked my phone to make sure I would be able to call my mom in case something went wrong, made sure I had my schedule, and soon enough we were all exiting the bus.

In front of me was a huge building. This was the human entrance to the school. Giants was on the other side so I at least didn’t have to deal with that until later on in the day. Hopefully. Compared to what I was guessing the giant side of the school, the human side was extremely tiny. Overall, the place looked very nice. They had well-kept flowerbeds on the outside with a couple benches outside for I guess when students came here before the doors open.

When you walked into the building, there were lockers lining the walls up until you reached the doorways to the main classes. People were crowding all over, trying to meet up with their friends or just trying to get to class early. It all felt too much for me. I wasn’t used to being around so many people at once and it was really overwhelming me. Meanwhile, I still needed to figure out where the heck my class was in this mess. Somewhere in this hallway hopefully…

After wandering around aimlessly for ten minutes, I finally found the classroom, thankfully in the human school. The only problem was that I had all eyes on me. I was not used to this however. One or two people? I could deal with. But with and entire classroom full? It just made my nerves go all over the place, and of course I didn’t show it at all. Staring at the tiled ground and finding the one empty seat on the far left of the class between two girls who both glared at me like I just interrupted their very important conversation about how their makeup looked. I mean I did, but I was too afraid to apologize now that they already hated me.

Overall, the first half of the day was okay. No one talked to me and I didn’t talk to anyone. Mostly because there were so many whispers and mentions of me that had me thinking they were already talking bad about me. Why was all the attention on me? I was probably the most uninteresting person ever. I even heard someone say that I wasn’t going to last a week in this place, which seemed right if I were being honest.

The bell rang, releasing us for lunch, and I just followed the crowd that started flooding the halls. I wasn’t hungry. At all. It’s just that I don’t know where I’m going in this huge place. The human side of the school looked really small compared the the giants’ side, but it’s really big inside.

The cafeteria was shared between both giants and humans. Why was I barely finding this out now? I had zero idea. It would have been helpful to know that beforehand so I could mentally prepare myself, but now I didn’t have anymore time and I was currently standing right in the middle of the floor searching for a place to hide.

Of course there were human tables nearby, but I had no idea which group of people sat at which. The last thing I needed was for someone to get mad at me over a table. That would be pointless. So, here I was. Definitely not on the human side of the cafeteria, and instead standing right in the middle of a walkway for giants. Can I add on that? I was too frozen in fear to move.

Sure, there were other humans walking along where I was, but they could actually move. I had no idea how they could when people that were as tall as skyscrapers, some even taller, were walking along with them. I don’t get it! Even more odd, humans were going around the giant tables and climbing into something that took them on top.

So this place did have commodities for humans. There apparently were elevators that took you on top of the giant table to human tables on top. That only took me forever to figure out at that moment, but that’s what was going on. So everyone was friends here or something? Well, maybe not everyone since there were other humans sitting on their side.

After taking a good five minutes to gather up my thoughts, I finally was able to walk away from being in the middle of the floor and in a corner table where no one was currently sitting. The farthest table away from the giants. And it seemed like no one was going to sit here anyways. I can’t believe that I didn’t run away. I mean I was just frozen in fear, but that doesn’t count!

Lunch was loud. Mainly because the giant’s voices were so loud and I hated the fact that no one minded but me. These other kids have been here for who knows how long so I was guessing they were just used to it. It made sense in my head.

Th day went on. The second half of my school day was mainly in the giant’s side, which I dreaded, but they made a separate hall to get there. One that avoided being stepped on I was guessing. The classrooms here were huge of course, and they had humans on a separate desk all together. To avoid what you may ask? I had zero idea.

It was going alright until my last period. I had successfully avoided giants all day (To some extent) and then my last period came tumbling down right on top of me. First, there was no desk in the back that had the human-sized ones. Second, humans were taking one of those elevators like at lunch to get on top of a giant’s desk acting like they weren’t just a hundred feet up in the air. Third, but last, the teacher was approaching me. Did I mention she was a giant?

“You must be Nathan! Nice to meet you!” She had greeted, crouching down and holding her hand out. Did… did she want me to shake her hand. Er… finger? Oh heck. My heart was beating fast as I stared at her outstretched hand. Um. What do I do? And suddenly those same eyes came onto me. Peering right through my body. Again, why did all the attention come to me?

I reached out a shaky hand, trying to keep my legs from buckling underneath me, and lightly placed my hand over the tip of her finger as she gently shook it. I gulped, expecting for there to be more, but she smiled softly and sadly at me. What did that mean? Should I be worried? What class was this even? I just read on my paper to come to room 135.

“Hm… now who doesn’t have a human partner?” She turned her head up, looking for any raised hands. I couldn’t see anything. Heck, I could barely even look up. There were still a couple eyes on me, and I couldn’t help but feel the acid from my stomach leave a nasty taste in my mouth. Just a couple more minutes and you can go home. I had to remind myself before the teacher smiled and told me to follow her. I did, just a little ways from her, trying to ignore the stares that were practically stabbing me in the back.

I couldn’t help but hear whispers again. Where was she taking me. Wait let me rephrase that. Who was she taking me to? By the looks of it giants and humans were randomly paired up for some odd reason. On my way to whoever’s desk I was going to, I couldn’t help but dread this. What if I fell off? What if the person who’s desk I’ll be on forgets I’m there and knocks me off? What if they don’t like me? Questions swirled in my head, but I knew I wasn’t going to get answers right now.

The teacher stopped, turned down to me and smiled. Was she waiting for me to do something? Oh wait. Elevator, right. Multiple sets of eyes were on me once again as the elevator slowly went up. Nerves built up inside of me. Anxiety. Heck, maybe even a panic attack. I felt dizzy, but I would survive. There was only thirty minutes left of the day. I could survive. Yeah.

The elevator stopped, opening a little gate to the open desk with a huge journal on it. I gulped, taking my first steps. The first thing I noticed about this guy was that he didn’t look as welcoming as the teacher. He gave me “Quiet Kid” vibes. Not to mention that he was dressed in mostly black.

Replayed in my mind was the sick smirk and laughter coming from my captors. If this guy got ahold of me I would be dead. I was so sure of it that I tasted the vile in my mouth and my knees nearly buckling right from underneath me. But, I couldn’t help but wonder why he was wearing a nervous look on his face instead of the usual sickening grin.

“Ryker, Nathan. Nathan, Ryker. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.” The teacher cheered, heading to the front of the class and taking role call. Leaving all alone with someone who looked like he would rip my body in half. Just great. As soon as I had stepped out of the elevator, I was once again frozen with fear. This time at a much closer radius than I would have preferred. Because now I was definitely in arms reach of him. Not something that I’d like to be near.

My eyes fell to the ground as tears threatened my eyes. Too bad I wasn’t going to let anyone see them. I slowly walked over to the human desk, seeing that it was father from the edge than I had thought and there were railings so it would pretty hard to fall off without actually trying.

The teacher smiled while standing up from her chair, “Welcome to Human and Giant Interactions for those of you who don’t know. I’m Mrs. Kay. Some people are taking this class willingly, or they just need the credit to graduate, but I would still love to get everyone involved and take this class seriously.” She had explained. What. I don’t remember putting this on the extracurricular format. Then again the hospital did say these kinds of classes would benefit for me. So did they really have to put this class on my schedule? Life really did hate me. A lot.

This class went by painfully slow. It was mainly just videos on current events with humans and giants, and then Mrs. Kay asking us questions to which only the people on the front desks had answered. Not that I even wanted to answer a question like that. But it was mostly hard to focus when you had someone who could very easily push me off the side of the desk without even trying. I mean, I never once looked behind me the entire class period. Only hearing him flip pages in his notebook from taking notes like everyone else in the room.

One other thing I had noticed was that rarely anyone had talked. For a class that was supposed to bring humans and giants together, it really didn’t seem like it. Then again, I had no idea wha they really did in this class. Maybe she just doesn’t like talking? Or people didn’t want to get in trouble or something? They were too tired? That would make the most since it was the end of the day.

It felt like forever before the final bell had rang. I rushed down that stupid elevator thingy and hurried out the doors to the bus stop so I wouldn’t have to dread this until tomorrow morning all over again.

My mom was still at work, so I just cooked some dinner for myself, made her a plate and stuffed it in the fridge and went to my room. This was going to hard to get through, but if my mom thinks it’ll help then I believe her. I mean, what other choice did I have?

As soon as I heard the front door open, I saw my mom sighing while putting up her purse. I walked to the kitchen to heat up her dinner, earning a quiet chuckle form her. It sort of made me sad to think that she’ll never smile the same way again. Heck, she can’t even stand it when people touch her after what had happened. But at least we’re both still alive.

“Smells amazing Nate.” She complimented, using her same soft and broken voice. She grabbed one of the plastic plates from the cabinet and getting herself a cup of tea.

“How was school?”

What was I even supposed to say to her? That it was terrifying every second? That I barely even survived the day without going under a panic attack? I couldn’t tell her that. She’d be so worried about me she wouldn’t worry about herself. I couldn’t do that to my mom.

“It was good.” I put on my best fake smile and made her plate.

“That’s good. There were no troubles?”

“None so far.”

“Thank you for doing this Nate. I just want you to have a normal childhood. I couldn’t have you at that hospital any longer.” She sadly explained, planting a soft kiss on my cheek.

“I know mom. I’ll be fine.”

She gave me a warm smile before taking her plate and sitting on the couch with the tv on. She didn’t need to know that I was practically forcing myself to even be around other people. It would put too much stress on her. For now, I’ll just force myself to endure whatever decides to throw itself at me.

————————————————

And first chapter officially done. To be honest I wrote this just for the fun of it. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually make this a series instead of abandoning it? Don’t know.

#g/t #G/t writing #g/t angst #g/t fearplay #Oc: Nathan #Oc: Ryker #Restoration #my oc’s #Gt #sfw g/t #giant/tiny

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i-want-my-iwtv · 2 months

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I will be delusional as I want BUT I'll pretend that tom cruise going back to Warner Bros means we'll finally get the deleted scenes from the iwtv please please manifesting

🙏🙏🙏 Anon, embrace being delusional! I wish! If anyone's connected with Warner Bros please please tell them we want the deleted scenes!

Anyway since we're on the topic... over the years I've talked about wanting the cut scenes, and I wanted to reflect for a moment on why we want them. I think we want them because, like a delicious cake, once it's all consumed, we still look at the serving plate, hoping we can still lick the icing off the knife, or maybe the baker has some leftover cake back in the kitchen?? Or maybe they can tell us that the secret ingredient to intensifying the chocolate is ESPRESSO... We just want another taste so badly! We want to know the secret ingredients that set it apart from other cakes. And some filmmakers know that, and sometimes they're happy to share the cut scenes on a DVD release, maybe with commentary as to why the scenes were cut, like:

"Here's a scene were Louis kills a priest and ultimately we had an overall run time limit of 2 hours, but it was otherwise a perfectly good scene."

"Here's part of a set of scenes we shot early on where Lestat shows mortal Louis what killing entails, and although we loved it, we ended up improving the Lestat makeup & hair a few weeks later, and for the sake of continuity we had to cut it bc we couldn't go back to that location to reshoot, or it would have taken too much time to fix in post, etc."

Giving over the cut scenes is a little like an artist showing the scrapped versions of a painting composition, and that's fine when the creator wants to invite the viewers into their artistic process, but I think the IWTV filmmakers at the time (and for years after) really wanted the '94 movie to be serious* to the point that releasing cut scenes could have undermined their overall vision... maybe they simply didn't want to invite the audience into their creative process.

(*Serious, BUT there was certainly plenty of beauty, charm, dark humor, intimacy, desire, so much more! Maybe the filmmakers cut scenes that THEY felt didn't mesh well with the overall story they wanted to tell, like putting together an outfit and choosing accessories that go better rather than others... you know?)

WITH THAT SAID... What cut scenes would you have liked to see? That's what fanfic and fanart are for, so tell us and maybe someone will be inspired to create it for all of us 💝

IF Tom was still part of VC at all... one of my personal fantasy casting ideas was to have Tom play the Marquis in TVL, and now he's really old enough to do it! 😅 Can you imagine?? Tom playing his own horrible father! Cast younger actors to play kid!Lestat, teen!Lestat, etc.?? Tom!Marquis showing obvious preference for his two older brothers and being horrible to Gabrielle... it could be amazing.

Obviously it wouldn't be adorable like this but... I've always loved Tom Cruise characters when he interacts with kids and teens, he's always seemed very in touch with his inner child, even when that inner child is more of a 12 yo brat. Whole novels could be written on his layered performances with child and teen actors, but for now, just a few thoughts...

^From Jerry Maguire. I can't quite articulate why this was so compelling... iirc, maybe because his character is really frustrated/demoralized in this scene, and there's something comforting about a kid naively telling you that "the human head weighs 8 pounds," as if to say, "Your problems are not really as big a deal as you think they are; live in the present moment." And Tom in this character seems to absorb that deeper meaning and it gives him some relief, it's a step towards his character's growth.

When Tom played Ray in War of the Worlds, he had a teenage son, and there was a heartbreaking scene where Ray had to choose between protecting his son or his daughter. From That Moment In:

Desperate to keep his family together, Ray is forced to leave the terrified Rachel alone for a moment as he puts his weight on Robbie and forces him to the ground as the air around them lights up with smoke and tracer fire. Meanwhile, another couple, fleeing the madness, sees Rachel standing by herself and attempt to rescue her, not knowing that her father is nearby. Looking back, Ray sees this and becomes torn between his children, not wanting to lose either but forced to choose. Robbie assures his father that this is what he wants, “I want to see this,” and to please let him go, which Ray finally, achingly, submits to, seeing that Rachel is being whisked away. Father and son say goodbye as Robbie runs over the crest and Ray rushes down to get his daughter as a hellfire of explosion overtake the hills, giving us the impression Robbie has met his end.

I just love the idea of Tom playing the very character that had caused so much pain for Lestat, that Lestat was always on defense from that man, looooong after he died. Despite all the torment the Marquis inflicted on Lestat, Lestat still gave him a comfortable place to live out his last few years, the roles pretty much reversed as happens with aging parents, Lestat actually nurturing this man (not always in the kindest way but still!) in his feeble old age... and couldn't bring himself to even kill him out of mercy.

Nature & Nurture, Lestat was damaged by his father genetically and emotionally in his formative years, and so much of Lestat's bravado and verbal attacks seem to be a shield for the awful feelings of growing up unloved, unwanted, and beaten for expressing his own desires. So much so that even in canon he often expresses the intensity of his desires far more eloquently and frequently in the narration than he's able to do verbally, even with the characters he cherishes the most. Because to express his love exposed himself to losing it.

Tom could for sure pull off a performance that would capture the Marquis, because he essentially played Lestat with the qualities of a victim perpetuating some of the abuse he suffered from the man who was supposed to be (and was!) his role model for becoming the man he became. 😭

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youthereader · 3 months

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Near Zero part 8.

PAIRING: cillian murphy as j. robert oppenheimer x fem!reader

SUMMARY: 1.4k words. Brought on as part of the Manhattan Project, your old physics professor sees you in a new light.

RATING: E; (no smut in this part), infidelity, age gap (10+ years), secret relationship, angst

A/N: Although based on real life characters, this is J. Robert Oppenheimer as played by Cillian Murphy, a fictional character, and does not intend to be accurate. This is merely for entertainment. We are well and truly out of fluffy territory, folks. It's going to get worse before it gets better, but I hope you stick with this one anyway. 🖤

masterlist.

Nichols asks for you again, which does not bode well, halfway through the week when tensions are high. Chain smoking as you wait for him outside his office, you cannot attempt nonchalance. His secretary gets a call and rises, pointing to the doorway like you’re a dog to be directed.

You let yourself in, still smoking. You don’t bother to sit this time, leaving the door ajar.

“Sir.”

“Was your visit to Santa Fe adequate?” Nichols asks, sitting at his desk, eyes down like last time.

You refuse the bait, exhaling through your nose. “We are quite busy, as you know.”

“But you have time to spare for other people.”

He must despise you. Which works well for you. Not needing to make a good impression means less energy spent so uselessly. Your cigarette smoulders as you inhale deeply.

“Can you close the door,” he adds. Manners are trite to him.

You oblige, remaining standing. “What is it about myself that warrants this attention, Colonel?”

Your eyes meet and he frowns ever so slightly.

“You work for the government.”

“I work for Bethe,” you reply. You cross your arms, taking another drag of your cigarette. “Or with. Whichever. It’s a team effort.”

You sarcastically give a single pump of your fist and then re-cross your arms. Nichols doesn’t react, eyes fixed on yours.

“You work for the United States and have access to top secret information other parties are interested in. Think very carefully about how you answer my questions. Your facetious behavior is noted-”

“I’m being facetious?” you retort. “You’re asking me how my little trip went, Colonel. I am but a lowly scientist in these United States.”

His eyes narrow and you smoke for half a minute in silence. You finally flick your ash in the tray on the edge of his desk. It occurs to you that you’re doing a near-perfect imitation of Kitty Oppenheimer, and not on purpose. You glance away.

“Yes, I am being facetious. Am I here to be warned that I’m being watched? I don’t see any point dancing around it. Sir.”

“We both know you’re not just a scientist. Not if you’re working for or with anyone else here,” he murmurs. “You deal with sensitive information while engaging in an affair with Dr. Oppenheimer.”

Naming it aloud makes you pull back a little, a short laugh escaping involuntarily. Your heart hammers and you don’t know where to look, feeling so strange. You pull on your cigarette.

“Mm. You mean my friendship with Robert,” you counter.

He gives a cold sort of smile. “Whatever you want to call it. It means that you work for the government, and you are close to the director of the Manhattan Project.”

“Well, okay,” you say, feigning seriousness, nodding.

You loathe being threatened when you’ve come this far already. You only ever expected this from Kitty, which was probably naïve on your part. You think of which role to play next, though you think Nichols could sniff out any disingenuousness a mile away. You don’t speak again, waiting to be dismissed.

“I wished to inform you that you will no longer be allowed to leave Los Alamos, until it is decided otherwise.”

No more running away with Robert. You smoke and nod.

“Is that it?” you ask, and he nods.

You don’t wait to be dismissed, opting to leave with cigarette once your cigarette lands in the ashtray, still lit. You exhale without looking back, marching out of the building as you seethe.

Robert brings flowers, quite unexpectedly. They are daisies, wrapped in paper, tied with yarn. You take them and usher him into your house under the cover of darkness.

“No-one saw me,” he murmurs, and you put a finger to your lips.

You push aside the curtain covering the tiny window at your front door, peeking out into the street. It’s after midnight but you feel watched nonetheless. There seems to be no sign of life from your neighbors. Still, you feel as if he can’t have slipped out from the watch of one of the many guards on each block.

Robert’s cockiness lessens whatever fears he has, if there ever have been any when it comes to people knowing about you. He agreed to come tonight in a short, whispered conversation by your desk, in between examining your papers.

You can see by his face that something bothers him, he often looks this way after a long day. He is burdened with responsibility, but he keeps looking at you instead of somewhere to the side; this is different. He doesn’t seem pensive.

It’s after midnight and he is wide awake, as are you. Sleep is harder to come by than ever. You sit beside one another on your bed, his hand still holding the bouquet of daisies.

“This will hurt,” he says, and you glance at him, his free hand taking yours, twining your fingers together.

He searches your face. You wait, a knot tightening somewhere deep in your chest. The dread you felt was warranted, then. His throat bobs.

“Kitty’s pregnant.”

“Ah,” you say, eyes smarting so suddenly, as if you’ve been struck across the face.

You focus on your hands together, breath shuddering. You’re jealous, of course. Not because you wanted that for yourself, a baby, and not because you even wanted his last name. You don’t want Kitty’s life, and yet if she didn’t exist, you would be happier. You’re jealous simply because he’s not yours alone.

You smile a little, miserable. You look back at him, and his eyes are sad, too.

“It’s a surprise, I take it,” you say.

“Yes and no. At least a lot of babies are being born in Los Alamos already.”

You nod, as if the conversation turning light has helped at all, but it’s useless. You take out a cigarette, physically separating yourself from him to light it and inhale.

A couple tears fall of their own accord and you swipe them away as you clear your throat, changing the subject completely.

“Nichols grounded me.”

Robert frowns, but not enough for your liking. “Me as well. He’s always strongly advised me not to leave town.”

“That’s hardly fair,” you snap. “You were just in Chicago. And you go as you please–”

“He still does wish to control me,” Robert retorts, gentler. “Luckily I’m able to persuade others.”

A few moments you spend in silence together, his eyes on you while you look away.

“I’ve had this conversation before, or a version of it, about Kitty,” he says.

You meet his piercing eyes and blink. “With whom?”

“Jean,” he says, leaning over to put an arm around you to draw you back in. “Jean Tatlock. It was a few years ago when Kitty and I were getting married.”

You knew Kitty was married when she met Robert, everyone knew that they had an unorthodox beginning. You hadn’t known this Jean, but by how Robert spoke her name, there was a weight to it greater than most. You knew him well enough.

Your chest still hurts, especially when he rubs your arm with his thumb, your head tucked under his chin.

“I am under no illusions, Robert,” you whisper. “Let’s be mature about this. What happened, happened. This is the perfect opportunity for this to be done with this.”

You don’t want to be responsible. You want to scream about how unfair this is, when really you had no choices to begin with. He is married, and not to you! You are a fool in love. You’re saying everything a better person would say, someone unlike you.

Robert hums in agreement, stroking your arm. You become yourself again, lingering in his touch just that bit longer, closing your eyes to focus on the sensation.

“Would it bother you if I slept with someone else?” you ask.

“Yes, terribly,” he says instantly.

You let out a short, wet laugh. “You’re impossible.”

Your chest heaves again and you crane your next to see his face again, and he’s looking back at you. He presses a slow kiss to your lips, cupping your cheek. You pull back before you can’t, sniffling.

“You’re impossible,” you say again, sighing.

When Robert leaves some time later, after sitting together becomes too unbearable, you watch him walk away. Cigarette smoke trails behind him and you see the rest of the street void of life, and yet it mocks you. Its lack of light taunts, you are still awake.

You turn away from the window, walking back to your bed, spying the flowers again. You pierce one of the petals with your thumbnail until it detaches, your eyes swimming with tears.

taglist: @indulgence-be-thy-name, @forgottenpeakywriter, @amiets2 (hmu if you'd like to be added)

#j robert oppenheimer #near zero #cillian murphy #cillian murphy fanfiction #fem reader #cillian murphy x reader #oppenheimer x reader #oppenheimer x y/n

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minnophee-writes · 6 months

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Safe and Sound - Part 1

Fandom: The Purge: Anarchy

Pairing: Leo Barnes x Fem! Reader

Series Warnings: Violence, gun violence, assault, non-consensual touching, death, character death, murder, breaking and entering, knives, blood, mentions of abuse, mentions of past abusive relationship, single mother trope, slight smut, dry humping / grinding, strangers to lovers, attempted kidnapping, smut, oral sex, p in v, size difference, taller man / smaller woman, attempted sexual assault, attempted assault, attempted murder, sharing a bed trope, strangers to lovers, kissing, Leo being a good father figure, Leo is sexually pent up, rough kissing & gentle kissing

Chapter Warnings: Violence, gun violence, assault, non-consensual touching, death, character death, murder, breaking and entering, knives, blood, mentions of abuse, mentions of past abusive relationship, single mother trope, slight smut, dry humping / grinding, attempted sexual assault, attempted assault, attempted murder, sharing a bed trope, Leo is sexually pent up

Summary: When you're trying to bunker down in your poorly barricaded house with your young 8-year-old son it doesn't go to plan. A gang of unruly criminals come breaking into your home and you're forced to take your son and flee down the street toward your brother's apartment. On your journey there you're corralled into an alleyway, certain of death, but then a lone saviour comes to your aid.

Word Count: 4,413 words (damn, one hell of a part 1 o-o)

A/N: I love the purge series so much and when I first saw Leo Barnes I knew my horny ass was doomed. I haven't seen many new fics of this man and I'd like to fix that. Street names and apartment / house addresses mentioned in this story are made up and fictional but I did mention 2 well known places in America due to where the Purge: Anarchy takes place in (roughly).

You huddled with your young son Justin in your bedroom when the siren blared on the TV and speakers outside. The annual Purge had begun and you were terrified. You had been struggling to juggle being a newly single mother and working 2 jobs to provide for your child. Your salary at both jobs weren't the best and so with the money you did save up you could only afford a cheap, scrap metal barricade security system for your house. You highly doubted it'll completely keep out the looters that come out during the purge but you hoped you'll be able to keep Justin safe.

With Justin cuddled into your left side, on the right side laid a large axe, a hand gun, and a hunting knife. You wanted to be prepared in protecting your son so you weren't going to shy away from using force if necessary. The Purge was a brutal bloodbath, every year seemed to get worse and worse with disgruntled employees seeking revenge on their employers, old exes murdering in a sick act of "love", and twisted people who just like to watch others suffer for entertainment. It scares you, scares Justin, and this year would be his 8th year experiencing the Purge.

Distant gun shots were fired and you felt Justin flinch, his head burrowing into your chest for comfort as your body tensed around him. You wished he never had to experience this. If you had stayed with your ex you would be protected, fortified by the highest security technology only the rich could buy - the only downside is that you'd be going back to the abuse. The name calling, the subtle insults, quick taps to the face that escalate to forceful slaps, and hiding bruises that would slowly litter your body.

You left when you finally had enough. The last straw for you was when Kyle dared to stump out a cigarette on Justin's arm when he was only 2 years old. That night you waited until Kyle fell into a drunken slumber before you packed your bags, strapped Justin to your chest, and snuck out the laundry door then out the side gate. You fled down the road to the gas station where a nice elderly couple gave you a ride from Beverly Hills to down town Los Angeles. You had secretly been stashing some of your ex's cash so that you could afford a roof over your head but you knew that the money wouldn't last long which is why you work 2 jobs just to have enough for rent, food and any other basic needs. It didn't help that you lived in down town L.A but your brother lived in the area and you wanted to be close to family since Kyle made sure that you had cut ties with your family before moving to Beverly Hills.

Your brother Daniel was the only one who knew what Kyle had done and did everything he could to help you get on your feet. Daniel helped you raise and look after Justin, babysitting when you had a late shift at the diner, and sparing money for you when you needed it. He lived about a block from you, giving you the invitation to crash at his place whenever you and Justin wanted. Daniel opened the offer earlier that day, before the Purge commenced, but you declined. You lied about having a good quality security system but you didn't want to worry him, you knew you could get through this and protect Justin but as the night dragged on you started to doubt yourself.

"Mommy, I'm scared." Justin murmured as he clung to your shirt.

"Shh - its okay, sweetie. Mama's here."

You stroked his hair to calm him a bit, humming the tune of 'Bleed to Love Her' by Fleetwood Mac to coax your son to sleep. You hoped most of the night might be slightly peaceful so Justin could rest, you were tired yourself but made the effort to stay awake and alert for anything.

As Justin slept beside you your eyelids grew heavy after hours of nothing. The occasional gun shots and screaming could be heard from afar but nothing to be worried about. With nothing to stimulate your brain it was hard to stay awake and the echoing lullaby of slumber was calling to you. Your head dipped forward only to jerk up again as you fought it but soon your mind finally succumbed to sleep.

~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~

A sudden crash woke you, you were a bit hazy from sleep but you were brought into the presence by the sound of glass crunching from within the house. Your pulse was racing as was your mind over what to do. You heard Justin's breath hitch and so you huddled him into your walk-in wardrobe before grasping your collection of weapons and hiding in the wardrobe. You hoped that it would possibly be one person deciding to rob your home, only one person to worry about - you could handle that.

A male voice rang out down the hallway and a second male voice responding, color drained from your face at the realization that there was more than one person - probably many more as more glass being smashed could be heard in the guest bathroom down the hall. Your mind raced with conjuring up a plan of escape, if you were lucky you could get Justin to crawl under your bed before quietly vaulting out the window into the front side garden while you kept watch.

"Okay sweetie, we're going to play a little game called 'Statues'." you grasped Justin's shoulders gently to grab his attention as you explained the plan. "We're gonna crawl to my bed and hide under it, once we get there we freeze like statues. When I say so we'll crawl toward the window and Mama will help you get out into the side yard, okay?"

"Yes, mommy." Justin nodded cautiously before laying on his belly.

At your signal you both inched to the bed while you glanced out your bedroom doorway to make sure none of the men had seen you or Justin. When you were under the safety of your bed you surveyed the hallway again, freezing and listening for movement from within the house. Rattling noises came from in the guest bedroom, porcelain shattering and rustling of cabinet drawers being opened aggressively. You nodded to Justin again to move toward the window while you trailed behind him with your stare aimed at the doorway.

Justin reached the windowsill and slowly tried to pry open the window. You assisted him once you crawled up behind him and prayed that it wouldn't creak as it widened but it seemed that whatever God was above wanted to spite you. The wooden frame stuttered loudly in the room, echoing down the hallway and all movement down there stopped abruptly. Your breath picked up as you shoved the window open and lifted Justin out and into the side garden in a panic, footsteps were approaching fast and so you tossed yourself out the window next to your son.

"We need to go - now!"

You grasped Justin's hand as you ran for the gate to get out to the road, the voices from in your home shouting at each other while a few stray bullets whizzed passed you. You picked up Justin and held him in your arms for protection, your legs carrying you as fast as possible - heading in the direction of your brother's apartment. Justin started hyperventilating in your ear from the shock of the sudden violence and narrow escape, his little mind racing to understand what was happening and where they were heading while your brain was rattling with the different thoughts of the fastest and safest way to reach Daniel's place.

You had passed a few other houses on the block when a loud explosion erupted from a couple of parked cars that sat down another street across the road, an armoured vehicle charged toward the T intersection before breaking hard in the middle of the road. You ran behind a tree on the block as a group of people hopped out of the small truck, large assault rifles at the ready and masks covered their faces. Some were cheering while others searched the area, you guessed for prey, to feed their sick idea of entertainment. You weren't sure if they'd kill on sight or capture you both to be tortured for pleasure and you didn't want to stick around to find out, you just wanted to take Justin to Daniel's and know he'll be safe when the sun rises in the morning.

Your body shook slightly from fear of being caught, you couldn't risk Justin being hurt - he was your little bundle of joy, your baby boy, and you weren't going to let anyone take him away from you.

Justin's sniffling and whines were getting loud and you tried to shush him, some of the masked men turned in your direction and alerted the others.

"Shh, baby, shh... we need to be quiet..." you whispered in desperation but a harsh yank of your hair shot to your scalp.

Rough hands grabbed you while ripping your son from your arms causing you to scream in distress. You thrashed in the men's arms to get closer to Justin when a blow to the left side of your face disorientated you enough for them to drag you to the middle of the street, more masked men surrounding you as another man held Justin in a tight grip. The stranger aimed a knife next to Justin's neck and your heart rate spiked in fear.

"No, please!" You begged, "I-I'll doing anything, please - just don't hurt my son!"

A man walked toward you and chuckled at you, finding your pleading to be amusing. He got down on one knee and leaned over you in a menacing manner which made you slightly shrink into yourself.

"'Anything', you say? Well I can think of a few things you could do to save your son." The man then suggestively groped his own crotch to imply his meaning.

A shiver shook through your body at the thought of doing anything sexual for these men and hoped you could convince them otherwise.

"My boss is the owner of the Drunken Duck bar, he has a safe in his office-"

"I don't care about his shit. I've got plans for you."

You were then shoved onto the asphalt, your back and side of your face pressed to the ground as you struggled to get the man off of you. Justin cried at the scene and your heart clenched at the thought of him witnessing something so horrific so you put more effort into fighting your attacker. The man had managed to jerk your pants and unzip his but you twisted your legs so that he couldn't remove your underwear which frustrated the masked man. He began to squeeze your legs to get you to release your hold but you screamed in defiance, swinging your small fists toward his face with all your might.

"Get off of me!"

"Shut up, slut."

The man gripped your throat harshly, choking you and making you lose focus. Your body flailed as you fought to get more air into your lungs, your legs kicking to get leverage, and your arms clung to his in an attempt to remove his hand from around your neck. Your vision was starting to fade but a distant roar of a car engine ricocheted through the streets, the man above you pausing his actions while his head swivelled to the right.

A black, armoured car darted from around the corner and swerved toward the group of men.

"Shit - open fire!" He boomed as the car rammed into a few of his men and into their own vehicles.

It was all a blur for you as oxygen entered your body, you rolled onto your stomach and surveyed where Justin was. He was laying on the ground a distance away from you and crying out for you.

"Justin! Mommy's coming, baby." You shouted.

You made your way over to him as bullets flew in all directions, your swollen eye made it hard to navigate but you pushed on as you got closer and closer to Justin. You got within a few inches from him when a swift kick to your stomach winded you and you were then shoved to the side, a heavy weight laid on top of you in the process.

"Mommy!"

The terror in your son's voice had your mind in a frenzy, you fought back against whoever was above you but you couldn't fight back against his hard-hitting blows to your face. Your consciousness was fading in and out, the bad seeming to spread across your body, and your strength dwindled with each punch. When the surrounding light growing faint the sudden pressure on top of you vanished - you could breath but you just laid there unable to move from exhaustion. Small arms wrapped around you and cold, wet droplets began to fall onto your exposed skin as Justin attempted to cuddle you but the shock coursing through his body was making it hard.

You cracked open your left eye, barely in better shape than your right, and gazed up at Justin, wheezes rattled your throat while you made an effort to move your arms to reassure your 8-year-old. You struggled to lift your upper body to sit up and fell back, Justin sobbing then exerted himself to lift you with his tiny strength.

"Hey, hey - stay awake, little momma." A calm male voice instructed, "I'm going to get you and your son out of here but I need you to trust me..."

Larger hands then touched your arms, your eyes shooting toward the culprit and seeing a slightly older man with messy dark hair, a sharp jawline covered in rough facial hair, as well as piercing brown eyes. Your mind went blank and you were suddenly aware of your dry mouth when no answer came out so you resorted to nodding your head cautiously. If you wanted your son to be safe and protected then you'll have to give some trust to this new stranger who seemed to have saved you from death.

"Good." he nodded then offered his hand." Leo Barnes at your service."

"Y-Y/N..." your voice croaked out painfully.

"Alright, Y/N just stay calm. I'm going to pick you up and carry you to my car - okay?"

You nodded again to save your voice and felt your body heating up at the strong, muscular arms that wrapped around you and lifted you with one arm tucked under your legs and the other supporting your back. You leaned your head against his upper chest hearing his heartbeat which started to lull you to sleep. Leo shook you slightly to keep you awake in case you have a concussion, Justin trailing behind the both of you to the car. Leo gently set you down on the passenger seat before helping Justin into the back seat and buckling you both in. The seatbelt pressed against a wound that you hadn't noticed before - guessing you must have been grazed by a bullet during the shoot-out, you fidgeted from the small, stinging pain as Leo got into the driver's seat and starting up the vehicle.

"M-my brother... lives on the corner... of Mcroyle street..."

"Just down here, yeah?" Leo pointed further down the street where a large apartment complex stood and you nodded.

Leo drove the few feet to your brother's place and helped you and Justin up the stairs to Daniel's apartment. As the three of you reached Daniel's floor Leo noticed that your brother's door was slightly ajar and he knew something was up.

"Wait..."

"What? Daniel's apartment is right there-"

"The lock is broken and the door is open." Leo stared at you for a moment before continuing, "Stay out here - I'll check it out and make sure it's clear."

You agreed and watched Leo creep into Daniel's apartment, the eerie silence made you anxious as no voices could be heard - not even from the other apartments which put you on edge further. Oncoming footsteps caught your attention and you saw Leo emerge from the apartment with a sorrowful expression. His face told you what you needed to know and the tears blurred your vision while they streamed heavily down your face, your hands covering your mouth to muffle the pitiful sobs from echoing the hallway you stood in. Justin watched on in confusion and distress - he was smart enough to understand something was wrong because of your visual state but wasn't aware of 'what'.

You hugged Justin for comfort as Leo strutted toward you both, giving you a few seconds to grieve before gently placing a hand on your shoulder. You looked up into his dark eyes with your teary ones.

"C'mon, it's not safe here. I have a secure place that you two can hide in until it's over." Offered Leo.

You swallowed while debating the option in your head but you knew it was your only option for Justin's sake.

"Okay..."

~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~~~~~☆~~~

The car ride to Leo's secure hideout was quiet. Justin fell asleep in the backseat a few minutes ago, you were leaning against the passenger door looking at the passing scenery as Leo focused on the road. The humming from the car engine was the only sound even if it was muffled, the air around you and Leo was gloomy from the previous events.

Before leaving Daniel's apartment Leo had searched for some pants for you since your encounter with the masked man had ruined them, your jeans had been ripped and torn in many places so Leo had found you a pair of your brother's gym shorts. The car's air-conditioning was starting to freeze your exposed skin on your legs and arms, the cool air causing you to feel the slight throbbing pain of your many bruises and wounds but you tried to focus on anything else but the discomfort. Without warning a warm, large hand rested on your bare thigh which caused you to jump in your seat - Leo apologized swiftly removing his hand trying to explain himself.

"Sorry, you looked cold so I wanted to offer some heat..." Leo's voice trailed off, probably thinking about how idiotic his reasoning sounded but you just shook your head with a small smile.

"Thank you." you caressed the spot where his hand once was, "I'm a bit cold, now that you mention it."

He gradually placed his hand back on your thigh and rubbed it to warm it up occasionally switching legs after a few minutes one each one. His body heat helped a lot with keeping your legs warm, the touching and caressing was shooting to your crotch making it pulse with want. Your face slowly started to blush at the thought of a rough looking man like Leo would be petting you and making you feel certain emotions that you haven't in quite some time.

Your logical brain was turning into mush has your horny thoughts flashed through your mind with multiple different scenarios which had your pussy throbbing and dribbling in your underwear - a little thought mortified if Leo were to feel the wet spot if he moved his hand more to the inside of your thigh but that didn't stop your body from relaxing and slightly adjust your legs to spread a little wider. An unexpected squeeze to your thigh jerked you back to rational thinking and you clenched your things abruptly.

"Woah, didn't mean to startle you." Leo glanced over at you with slight concern.

"I-I'm okay... Just a little jumpy I guess."

Leo quickly glanced down for a brief moment before staring back at the road ahead of him, you looked down to see his hand trapped between your thighs near your drooling pussy which made your eyes widen in embarrassment. You were too scared to move your legs because your anxiety would then reason that it would bring attention to the touch and you'd lose the warm press of his hand close to where you needed it.

Before you could continue your internal struggle the car slowed to a stop outside of what looked like an abandoned house in an old part of the city where not many people lived and the house was concealed by foliage and a long gravel driveway. Leo got out of the car to then unbuckle Justin from his seat and carried him inside while you gradually made your way inside after them. You saw that Justin was sleeping in the only bedroom you could see - that Leo had placed him in, while you crept over to the old, beat-up couch to sit on, finally giving your sore body a rest. Leo sat beside you with a relieved expression as he groaned, his legs spread wide and slightly nudged into yours causing your heart to shutter and your body to heat up again.

"Sorry if the place is a bit small. The house only has one bedroom but you and...?" Leo trailed off in an implied question.

"Justin."

"You and Justin can share that room - I can take the couch."

"Oh no, no, no! You've saved my son and I, and brought us to a safe place. You deserve the bed after all you've done for us." You pleaded, feeling guilty.

Leo shook his head with a chuckle, he admired your caring nature but could visually see that you needed the rest. Dark, heavy bruising littered your face and exposed skin, blood dried on your skin and a few cuts looked irritated from being dirty so his first priority was to clean you up and care for your injuries.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

During the whole process you couldn't keep your thoughts innocent when it came to Leo. From his rippling muscles, his messy hair, the way he would touch you, praise you when you winced at the sting of the disinfectant; and even the way he would stand close so you could smell his scent of gun smoke, leather and an earthy, cedar aroma. It made you light-headed, you subconsciously leaned into Leo's touches and embrace - every so often you would drift off to sleep in his arms only to wake up when Leo would wipe an antibacterial wipe on one of your wounds.

You were so drained that you barely had any energy to exert to move out of the small bathroom which lead Leo to picking you up again and carrying you to the bedroom Justin was resting in. When Leo settled you on the bed he went to move out of the room when you tiredly grasped his wrist and wined.

"Please don't go, you're warm..." You slurred, your tired state making you a little delirious.

Leo glanced at the bed, sizing it up and mentally calculating if there'll be enough room for all three of them. He looked down at your hazy eyes, you looked adorable when you begged and he just couldn't resist disappointing you. He moved toward the bed so you shuffled over to the middle of the bed as Leo climbed in, his body heat already warming you up better than the blanket that you were tucked under. When you both settled again you were facing each other, your breaths fanning over your faces, and your eyes were locked in an intense stare.

"Comfortable?" Leo asked.

"Yes, just a bit chilly but better than before..."

"Okay, good."

Your body gave a short shiver from the cold air that caressed your shoulder that wasn't under the blanket, you moved to remedy the issue when a heavy object wrapped around your waist before you were tugged into a toasty body. You hummed in approval, snuggling into the warm surface when a chuckle vibrated through your body causing your eyes to shoot open and look up at Leo, his eyes were closed as if to mimic sleeping but his deep laughter told you he was still awake.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, Leo..." You mumbled until sleep finally sunk it's claws in, dragging you into its embrace.

Leo could hear faint snores coming from you as he made sure to keep you warm and to make sure you and your son were protected. Your soft skin and smooth legs pressed into him causing him to exhale in distress when he could feel a certain body part getting a little too excited about the physical contact. Leo's arms strained from pulling you closer into him but his cock began to throb in need in his pants. He tried to resist but you fidgeted in your sleep, rubbing your lower stomach and crotch against him and his body would respond the same - his hips would angle forward to press against you while you slept.

You gasped in your sleep except you didn't wake up, your breathing began to be somewhat laboured and your hips thrusted toward Leo's to chase the subconscious sensation of his rough jeans against your stimulated clit that was puffy and sensitive. Both hips worked in tandem with each other, your breathing getting louder and Leo's body tensing from the rising orgasm but suddenly his rational mind screamed at him.

'What are you doing, you bloody idiot!?' After what she's just been through and you do that? He stopped immediately but the sound of your unconscious whine at the loss of stimulation had Leo shushing you and cuddling you further to make up for teasing you. Movement behind you also reminded him of your son sleeping at the other side of the bed, a fair distance from you both but guilt and irritation wracked his mind at his thoughtless decision yet he just couldn't let you go.

His eyelids finally grew heavy, a yawn made its way out of his mouth before he rested his head on top of your head, his face burrowed into your hair because the flowery scent of your hair products lulled him into sleep. The three of you sharing a bed, Leo's shotgun propped against his side of the bed next to his pillow, and you and Leo wrapped into each other's arms.

Unbeknown to you or Leo, your three man group would be rudely awoken by a malice gang looking to cause more chaos before the night is over...

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natlacentral · 1 month

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DALLAS LIU SEES YOUR TIKTOK THIRST-TRAP EDITS OF HIM

Dallas Liu may be playing the Zuko in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but you won’t catch him with the Fire Nation prince’s restrictive, gravity-defying ponytail in real life.

“I would never, ever out of my own personal choice rock the ponytail. It’s a haircut that not even cosplayers are willing to take on,” he tells NYLON. “I can gladly say that I would not recommend it to anyone.” But the 22-year-old actor does admit to what fans of the original animated series have known since the show debuted back in 2015: “The ponytail does look super badass on screen.”

Liu says he knew the challenge of bringing such a beloved character to life, but not only did he grow up watching the animated series and loving the Fire Nation prince for his fierce loyalty, but the show inspired him to start practicing martial arts. Ahead, Liu takes on the NYLON 19, revealing his thoughts on ghosts (or “spirits,” as he prefers to call them), TikTok thirst-trap edits of himself, and more.

1. WHAT’S YOUR ASTROLOGICAL SIGN (AND DO YOU BELIEVE IN IT)?

I am a Leo! Unfortunately, I don’t believe in it because of my experience meeting people with the same birthday, but us being different personality-wise.

2. DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS (AND HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ONE)?

Yes, most definitely. Although I think the word “spirits” would be a better way to define it. I’ve never seen one — thank God — but I have felt uneasy in very old hotels or rooms that have a very long history.

3. WHO WOULD BE THE THREE HEADLINERS OF THE MUSIC FESTIVAL OF YOUR DREAMS?

Dominic Fike, Beach House, and Sade.

4. WHAT'S A BAD HABIT OF YOURS THAT YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO FIX?

Honestly, I’m so bad at parking my car. Not that I’m bad at driving, but when it comes to parallel parking or even in a parking lot, I don’t put much thought into it.

5. WHAT WAS THE LAST INTERNET RABBIT HOLE YOU WENT DOWN?

I spend too many nights doom-scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, but it was probably a compilation of Avatar: The Last Airbender lore.

6. DESCRIBE YOUR WORST DATE IN THREE WORDS OR PHRASES.

Short, McDonald’s, Black Ice Car Freshener

7. WHAT WAS THE LAST DM YOU RECEIVED?

My friend sent me a TikTok thirst-trap edit of myself this morning which was interesting.

8. IF YOU COULD BE IN ANY MUSIC VIDEO, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I would have to say either the music video for Bow Wow’s “Let Me Hold You” or Chris Brown’s “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” just because the music videos in the ‘00s were just built differently.

9. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONCERT, AND WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES OF IT?

Daniel Caesar performing in LA for his Case Study 01: Tour. It was my first one, so I remember everything about it. At the time, he was taking the music industry by storm and I was a major fan, so that concert was everything to me. I also was introduced to how much of a different experience listening to live music is.

10. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE AS A KID?

The Polar Express.

11. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MEME/INTERNET JOKE AND WHY?

The personality that comes with wearing a fedora. It’s always funny to me and forever will be. Maybe one day I’d get to play a character that wears a fedora. Maybe Zuko.

12. WHAT'S YOUR GO-TO BREAKUP SONG?

“I Gotta Find Peace of Mind” by Lauryn Hill.

13. WHAT IS ONE THING EVERYONE SHOULD BUY THAT IS UNDER $10?

A sweet latte with oat milk from Blue Bottle. A must. Just try it. It’s so good. I could live off of it.

14. WHAT PIECE OF CLOTHING FROM HIGH SCHOOL DO YOU WISH YOU KEPT?

My vintage Green Day shirt. It had the perfect shade of a faded black and the fit of it was immaculate.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES THAT YOU OWN, AND WHY?

Military boots because they look the coolest.

16. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO SAD SONG?

Anything by Elliott Smith or Duster.

17. WHAT REALITY SHOW WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO APPEAR ON?

Love Island UK.

18. WHAT IS YOUR BEST BEAUTY TIP OR TRICK?

Korean skincare products.

19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FAST-FOOD PLACE, AND WHAT’S YOUR ORDER?

Wingstop: four lemon pepper classic and four original hot classic, all flats. Lemon pepper seasoned fries cooked well done. A side of ranch and bleu cheese. Root beer.

#natla #atla #netflix avatar #netflix atla #avatar the last airbender #dallas liu #avatar netflix #atla netflix #nylon #interview #fun & games

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love2write2626 · 2 years

Text

I Wouldn’t Be Complete Without You

Summary: Tom and Reader have known each other since high school. Best friends... never anything more... even though in secret he always wished something happened between them. As Tom became more and more famous he was in need of an Assistant so who better than his best friend? 20 years later Tom is married... but separated from his wife Katie Holmes, Trying to fix his marriage, raise a child, and work is becoming a lot.

Reader has known Tom since high school. Best friends never anything else... which is very hard for her, she’s been in love with him forever. Now, still best friends, hiding her love for him has become harder and harder over the years. She’s not an actress after all. Now, Tom needs her more than ever with everything going on in his life.

Read Chapter 2 HERE

Read Chapter 3 HERE

I Wouldn’t Be Complete Without You One-Shot Masterlist HERE

Here is chapter 1: Hope you Enjoy!!!

Chapter 1

Y/N’s P.O.V

“No! No. No. No” I said into the phone walking down the stairs, juggling folders, and my shoes which I still hadn’t had a chance to put on yet. “Jackson. No. You have been telling me for two weeks now, that the article is almost done.” I sighed “Jackson, listen” I groaned this man is being a pain in the ass and it’s much too early for this shit. I walked into the kitchen and saw Tom getting breakfast ready for him, and Suri. When he saw me, he gave me a bright smile.

“Morning” He said

“No. No. I’m tired of this, Jackson I need to have a rough draft of that article by noon today, or you will lose the right to print it at all.” I listened as he tried to babble some threat back to me “Jackson, the article was supposed to be printed a week after the interview, which was 2 months ago”

“Coffee?” Tom asked, I gave him a kiss on the cheek as a thank you, and grabbed the cup walking around the kitchen

“Jackson, I’m done with your excuses noon today, or I will have the whole interview retracted and we will take it to literally any other magazine” I said and hung up the phone. I threw my phone on the counter and let out a groan

“Wow, He must of made you really mad Y/N” Suri said in an adorable voice and I giggled

“Don’t worry I’m not mad Suri”

“Nope, I’ve known Y/N for over 20 years… she’s not mad, you’ll know when she’s mad” Tom said with a chuckle, I threw a towel at him which he easily dodged and went back to making breakfast

“Ready for school?” I asked her, as I took another sip of my coffee

“Yup, I got to take lots, and lots of notes today there’s a math test on Friday and today is the test review”

“You’ll do great sweetheart” Tom said, he placed some eggs on her plate, and kissed the top of her head.

“Y/N?” she asked

“Yes?” I asked with a smile

“Will, you help me study for my test tonight” she said with a pouty face, that was very difficult to say no to.

“Sweetheart I would love to, but I have something to do tonight…” I looked at Tom and I didn’t miss the confusion that crossed his face before he went back to making breakfast for himself.

“Please, please… just a few minutes… you always help me study”

“Ok, fine… but only for a little while” she gave me a hug

“Thank you, thank you” she jumped up and started to run for the door

“Sweetie sit down, you haven’t finished breakfast”

“Dad I’m going to miss the bus” she said

“I was hoping I could take you to school today” he said

“Dad” she gave him a look, and I couldn’t help but giggle. She is only 8 years old, but she is a sassy girl… can’t even imagine what’s she’s going to be like as a teenager.

“Ok, I surrender go on” he said, she ran over and gave him a hug before running out the door. He turned back to the stove grabbed the pan and put some eggs on his plate. “I would offer you some, but I know how you hate eating breakfast” I rolled my eyes

“Someone is grumpy this morning” I said

“I just don’t like the idea of her riding the bus” he said

“Tom…”

“She’s only 8”

“Tom, she’s going to be ok. I know you have security following that bus”

“What?” he asked

“Tom, when are you going to learn I know all” I said with a smirk “I have access to your email, texts, phone calls, bank accounts… I see who you call, email, text, and pay… hell I know your social security number… could have stolen your identity years ago, and be living alone on an island” he rolled his eyes

“Very funny, you would miss me” he said

“No, you would miss me, you might be the extraordinary, bad ass actor/stunt man… but you wouldn’t be able to function day to day without me”

“Please” he said with a scoff

“Ok, what’s your social security number?” I asked with a smirk, he glared at me “I’ll try one easier what’s your phone number?” I continued to smirk as I took a sip of my coffee

“Ok, fine you win… jeez you are on a rampage this morning”

“Ok, save the dramatics for the screen Mr. Reacher” I said with a smile.

“That’s Jack Reacher” he said

“Ok, Jack Reacher get ready to go to work”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I am sitting in Tom’s chair staring at my lap top going through email after email, making appointments, and working my way through Tom’s schedule when my phone dinged

Can’t wait to see you tonight.

I smiled when I read the message from David. I’ve been seeing David in secret for a few months now… and when I say secret I mean secret to Tom. I know if I told him I was seeing someone he will go into all protective mode. It always annoys the shit out of me.

“What’s got you smiling?” he asked, I looked up I didn’t even realize they cut

“Oh, this pathetic excuse of an article Jackson sent me” I said giggling

“So what are we doing tonight?”

“Huh?” I asked

“You said you couldn’t help Suri tonight because we had plans, I didn’t realize we did”

“No… I said I had plans”

“You have plans?” he asked

“Yeah, isn’t that strange? I have a life outside of you”

“So what are Your plans?” he asked

“My plans are none of your business” I said, he smirked

“I’ll figure out your plans”

“What?”

“By refusing to tell me, you have given me a challenge… I’ll figure it out”

“You’re an idiot, go back to set” he kissed my cheek

“I’ll figure it out” he said walking off, I bit my lip and gently touched where he kissed me… even though we kissed each other on the cheek very often it always made me want to blush whenever he kissed mine. I walked closer to the set, and watched Tom. He is an incredible actor, and no matter how hard I try I can’t help but fall in love with him over and over again. It might sound strange but I have loved him since I was 17, the moment I locked eyes with him… I was done for

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

20 years ago

I am sitting reading my book for English class, as always I am drawn in by the beautiful literature before me. Shakespeare is my favorite author… so far, I know as I get older I will be exposed to more and more authors that are equally as good… maybe even better.

I am currently sitting outside on the bleachers away from everyone, not one you would call popular. I keep to myself that’s how I like it, since I live in a time where liking to read is known as a loser thing to do, I just accepted that fate and stay away from everyone.

“Excuse me” I looked up and locked eyes with Tom Cruise… he’s one of the popular boys in school. I looked around trying to figure out who he was talking to. This gorgeous man can’t be talking to the weirdo who likes to read, and wears glasses.

“Me?” I asked, and he chuckled

“Yeah, I mean there’s no one else here” he said, and I blushed “Y/N, right?” he asked

“Yeah… um that’s my name” I said hesitantly

“Well, we’re in the same English class, and I forgot to write down the assignment I was hoping you could tell me what it is”

“Oh, sure. One second” I put the book down, and reached for my bag to pull out my binder

“Romeo and Juliet?” he asked “Didn’t we read this one already?” he asked

“Um yeah… but the assignment is to pick one of the Shakespeare plays and write about it, and as clique as it is, this is my favorite… I think I’ve read it 10 times” I said, I blushed and reached for my binder again and he chuckled. Great now he’s going to start making fun of me.

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou her maid art far more fair than she.” I looked at him expecting him to be looking at the book but to my surprise we was looking at me

“You know Romeo and Juliet?” I asked

“Yeah, we already read it” he said with a chuckle

“But you know it by memory” I said, he just smirked

“I may have read it a few times myself”

“You like to read?” I asked

“Why do you seem so shocked?” he asked confused

“Well… I mean… um… I’m just going to let you copy the assignment and not say anything else” I said

“Is it because I’m popular?” I shrugged my shoulders

“Well, yeah”

“Eh, it’s not all its cracked up to be… I’m not really sure how I got wrapped up with them. We really don’t have much in common”

“Well, you dating the cheer captain probably has something to do with it… and the fact you are ridiculously good looking”

“Really?” he said smirking

“Did I say that out loud?” I said, and he just kept smirking “Well, now that I just made a complete fool out of myself, I’m going to leave…” I ripped out the paper in my notebook with the assignment. “Take it, I don’t need it”

“Hey, hey… you don’t have to leave… I’m sorry for embarrassing you. It’s ok, many people tell me I’m good looking”

“Now you’re just being arrogant” I said

“Well, I think you’re very beautiful” he said, and I’m sure my heart stopped “I think your glasses are adorable, and your hair is really pretty” suddenly I got angry, this is got to be a joke. One of the popular guys coming over here to complement me?

“You’re just here to make fun of me aren’t you?” I stood up, to walk away but he grabbed my hand

“I’m not making fun of you” he said, but I couldn’t ignore the feeling running through my body as he held onto my hand “I’m not lying, I’m not an asshole”

“Why?” he laughed

“Why, do I think you’re pretty?”

“Why, are you here talking to me? I’m a nobody”

“Everybody is somebody… social status means nothing… and I like you, you seem really nice. You never give me the chance to talk to you, you always run out of class before I can reach you”

“I don’t understand why you want to get to know me”

“Because you don’t care about me”

“What?”

“You are the only person in the school who doesn’t run to my side and want to talk to me”

“So you’re making it your mission to talk to me?”

“Not a mission… I just want to talk to someone who likes things other than popularity” I looked at him confused “I like school, I love reading, history, and drama. I love it all. I want to talk to someone who also like learning things, my favorite thing to do it learn new things” I opened my mouth to speak, when Jessica appeared

“Tom” she said in her annoying voice “Tom, why are you here, you’re supposed to walk me to practice” she said

“I was just talking to Y/N… we were talking about Romeo and Juliet” she looked at me with disgust

“You sit with my boyfriend for 2 minutes, and you already infected him with your nerdiness” she said with disgust “Tom, let’s go before she turns you into a complete nerd” she said giggling

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that”

“What?” she asked him

“You can’t talk to her like that”

“Why not? She’s a loser”

“No, she’s a person like everyone else… and no one deserves to be spoken to like that”

“Tom, let’s go”

“No, I’m going to stay here and talk to my friend, you can take yourself to cheer practice”

“Tom, if you don’t walk me to cheer practice then we are done” she said

“Ok, fine” he said standing up, I sighed he was doing so well then she threatened him with a break up and he followed her. I watched as she leaned in to kiss him, but he stepped back. “Ok, fine I’m breaking up with you.”

“You’re breaking up with me, because of this loser?” she asked

“No, I’m breaking up with you, because I’m tired of you being so controlling, being a bitch to everyone… oh, you having sex with the quarter back in the locker room”

“That only happened one time” she said, wow she wasn’t even going to deny it

“I know for a fact it happened 4 times” she looked shocked “So, goodbye” he said

“You’re going to regret this Tom, no one breaks up with me” she stormed off, and he walked back over to me and sat down.

“Are you ok?” I asked

“Yeah, I honestly feel free” he said with a smile

“So, what do you say… you wanna be my friend? I know for a fact she’s going to turn the whole school against me… I need someone on my side” he said with a chuckle. I smiled

“Sure”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I looked at myself in the mirror, putting the finishing touches on my makeup getting ready for my date.

“So I guess you going to the spa is not your plans for the night” I jumped

“Tom, you can’t just walk in here” I said

“It’s my house” he said

“Yeah, but this is my room. Which I pay you rent for” he rolled his eyes

“Please, that money you give me every month goes into your next paycheck… I would never let you pay me to live here” I groaned

“What, do you want?”

“Where are you going?” he asked, I pushed past him and went downstairs to get my purse

“Tom, you don’t need to know everything I do” I said as he followed behind me

“I don’t need to know, but as your best friend I want to know” I sighed he is never going to give this up

“I’m going on a date” he gave me a blank stare, after a few seconds he finally said “anyone I know?”

“No.”

“How, did you meet?”

“Through a friend” I said

“What’s his name?”

“David”

“David…”

“You don’t get his last name, because I know you’re going to do a back ground check and tell me all the reasons I can’t date him” he looked shocked

“No, I…”

“Tom, you’ve done that for every guy I have ever dated. Trust me, we’ve been seeing each other for a few months… he’s a nice guy” I said with a smile

“I just worry about you, You and Suri are the most important people in my life. If anything happened to you…”

“Tom, I’m going to be fine… now go help Suri study. I’ll see you later” I said walking out the door.

“Wait” I turned around

“He’s um… he’s a lucky guy, you look beautiful” he said. I walked over and kissed his cheek

“Thank you for not being over bearing about this” I said

“Go have fun” he said with a fake smile. as I reached the door, I heard “Just be careful, and be sure he treats you with the respect you deserve”

“I will” I turned around to look at him, but he was already headed up the stairs. David a really nice guy, and I really like him… but why am I so heart broken? When will I stop loving Tom?

So what did you think?

Next Chapter will talk more about Tom’s upcoming divorce.

@luckyladycreator2 @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @blue-aconite @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @peaches-1999 @callsign-blue @dempy @roostersforevergirl @allivingstone01 @harper1666

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tallseaweed · 5 months

Text

Relinquish Your Burden: Chapter 2

Word Count: 2.9k

1,277 days.

42 months.

3½ years.

No matter how Mobius construed the data, time was passing. It was a phenomenon he was shockingly unfamiliar with.

The irony was far from lost on him. He, Mobius M. Mobius, a literal agent of time itself, had never truly experienced the very thing he'd been trying to protect for as far back as his modified memories allowed. Laughable really.

At first, he'd kept track of the passing days for the sheer novelty of being able to. Now, it just left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Because each day that passed was another day without him.

How was he supposed to move on, knowing that somewhere out at the edge of time, Loki was holding together the multiverse all by himself? He was stuck eternally shouldering a burden that should never have needed to be his to bear.

Why had he thought it was the only way?

Loki had seemed so sure, but minutes before he'd been fully on board with attempting to use Victor's Throughput Multiplier.

To Mobius, it seemed like some other force was at play, but he couldn't see how. They'd fixed Loki's time slipping! He'd literally risked his own skin to do so.

And he knew he'd do it again a thousand times over.

Sometimes, Mobius almost found himself wishing he could go back; before the multiverse had been unleashed, before Loki had met Sylvie, back when he thought his life had meaning. He always shut down that train of thought immediately. How selfish was he? Everyone in the multiverse now had free will, and he was missing a time when he'd been intentionally pruning innocents?

Yes, he could argue that he'd been brainwashed, but as Loki had been quick to point out:

"You and I here at the TVA, we're the only ones who are actually free."

He'd had the free will to do something back then, but had been perfectly happy to let himself believe they were the good guys.

But maybe he wasn't giving himself enough credit. He had cared once, back when he hadn't been able to prune that 8-year-old boy in the Black Sea. That little slip had cost the lives of a couple of Hunters, and Ravonna never forgiven him for it. Hell, he hadn't been able to forgive himself either. But that little boy had been so carefree, so happy. At one point Mobius had a heart, but his work at the TVA left it damaged, covered in scar tissue.

"You know where I'd go if I could go anywhere? Wherever it is I'm really from.

Yeah, wherever I had a life before the TVA came along."

No, It wasn't the TVA he missed. It was Loki.

The God of Mischief's absence was the main reason Mobius hadn't been able to stay. It had been torture, constantly expecting to see him come around the corner with some new ingenious idea, or to sit down at Mobius's desk and strike up their usual banter.

That specific brand of emotional torture—paired with Sylvie's confrontation before Loki's sacrifice—had led him to where he was now: the midwestern sprawl of Cleveland Ohio.

"You found out you're a Variant, and you haven't even looked, have you?

It's just another bad day at the office for you. Timelines are just lines on a monitor. Doesn't matter if a few disappear.

Because you've never bothered to look if one of them was yours."

Well, he sure was looking now.

After Loki's sacrifice, Sylvie had been quick to leave the TVA behind. Luckily, he, B-15, and O.B. had managed to confirm that they'd be able to communicate with her TemPad in case they ever needed her help again. When Mobius had decided to leave the TVA, he'd sent her a message letting her know where he was going. He was shocked when she actually showed up to give him a send-off. The gesture had meant a lot to him.

After her quick departure, he'd spent the majority of his first weeks on this timeline covertly watching Don from a distance. Everything about his Variant fascinated him. Mobius had always been good with young Variants, but he'd never envisioned himself as a father. Kids weren't permitted at the TVA for obvious reasons, so it was somewhat jarring for him to see how naturally Don took to the role.

Fatherhood aside, there were more similarities than differences between them. When Mobius had seen where Don worked and that they shared a passion for jet skis, he'd been over the moon.

It was relieving—and a little disconcerting—that the TVA hadn't been able to take that from him. He cherished the reminder of his humanity, but it also served as undeniable evidence that he'd actually had a life before the TVA. One that he still wasn't sure he wanted to know about, even if Sylvie offered to release his memories.

So he'd kept that uncomfortable curiosity at bay by watching Don.

After a while, he began to feel a little creepy. It was one thing to analyze people from the temporal distance of the TVA or every once in a while on a field mission, but doing it while living on the timeline felt distinctly stalkerish.

He'd decided it was about time he got a job and a place of his own. By then, he'd started to run low on the 21st-century American dollars from the TVA's stock that B-15 had sent him off with. "For until you find a place to land," she'd said.

Ultimately, he'd decided that he would try to live a life that was somewhat similar to Don's. If it satisfied his Variant, maybe it would someday satisfy him too. Anything to fill the void Loki's absence left behind. Luckily, he'd had just enough money left to scrape together a month's rent for a modest apartment. From there, he'd managed to use his passion for jet skis to pull a job at a water sports rental shop.

He enjoyed the job, particularly how it gave him the opportunity to use his people skills in ways other than interrogation. His extraordinary work ethic had even secured him a permanent position. In the winter off-season, his duties switched from customer service to equipment maintenance and upkeep. His coworkers were incredibly kind and welcoming, but no matter how much he tried, he still felt distinctly detached. It was hard to get close to anyone when they could never know who he really was.

Presently, Mobius rolled over to glance at the familiar numbers on his bedside clock. 7:30 a.m.. Even on his days off from work, his body always woke him at the same time. Slowly, he pulled himself up to standing. After meticulously making his bed (a habit from the TVA he'd never been able to shake), he trudged toward the bathroom.

Pale blue eyes rimmed with dark circles met his reflection in the mirror. He'd let his hair grow longer during his time here. At first, he'd done it as a makeshift disguise in case he ever ran into Don. After a while, he'd decided he liked it that way. It felt symbolic.

"Let time pass."

Mobius flipped through his TV's channels, looking for the news. He enjoyed getting to hear about events that the TVA (or He Who Remains) had decided were too insignificant to monitor. He was also curious to see if he would recognize any current events. Since he was on a branched timeline and the future wasn't written anymore, anything could happen.

It wasn't long before the existential dread began pressing in. As a general rule of thumb, he avoided being in his apartment as much as he could. The small, impersonal space served as a reminder of just how alone he really was.

Hoping some fresh air would help loosen his knot of tangled emotions, he hopped into is car and drove toward Lake Erie.

Once parked, Mobius set off to find his usual spot on the lakeshore. He had chosen it for its balanced proximity: close enough to people to remind himself he wasn't completely isolated, but far enough away that he could still have a little privacy.

As he sat down, the frigid January air pierced through his warm layers, whipping the hair around his face. Unbidden, memories flooded from his subconscious.

Mobius rushed back toward the time theater, carelessly shoving past the various TVA workers dutifully going about their tasks. Variants. All of them. Loki hadn't been lying, the TVA had. And he hadn't believed him for a second, sending him right back into the Time Loop.

How many times had Sif berated him? "I hope you know you deserve to be alone and you always will be." He felt slightly nauseated.

The memory skipped ahead.

"Do you really believe you deserve to be alone?"

"I don't know."

Mobius's gloved fingers pulled at his hair, head bowed with guilt. In the end, Loki had ended up alone. He just prayed his friend knew he didn't deserve it.

Why should Loki have to be the one to take up the mantle the TVA should have been upholding all along? He'd fought so hard to do the right thing—bringing the TVA's despicable actions to light—and now he had to physically hold the multiverse together all by himself?

It wasn't just unfair, it was cruel. Loki had tried—really tried—to make the TVA better, and had even seemed to believe that it could be. All that misplaced hope, just to end up sacrificing himself for the cause.

"You can be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean, just in case anyone ever told you different."

The smile that bloomed across Loki's face was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Hot tears stung at his eyes, slipping down his crooked nose until they fell between his knees, gathering on the concrete.

"I know what I want. I know what kind of god I need to be.

For you. For all of us."

As soon as those last words had left Loki's lips, Mobius had realized he was saying goodbye. He knew from the countless times he'd watched Loki's file that those were the same words he'd said to Odin before letting himself fall from the Bifrost.

The first time Loki had said them, he'd been using them as a cry for help, a desperate last attempt at validation from his dismissive father. This time, it was painfully clear that he'd really meant what he'd said.

"For you."

As Loki's eyes locked onto Mobius's, the bittersweet determination in his gaze shattered Mobius's heart into a million pieces.

Suddenly, his subconscious made a quick, painful segue to the memory that haunted him most.

"Mobius, if I… If I don't make it back, I…"

"You'll make it back."

"Right, but when I use this thing, I might not make it back…"

What had Loki been about to tell him? At the time Mobius had cut him off because he didn't even want to consider the pain of losing him. But now that Loki was really gone, the unspoken words constantly tormented him, picking at his grief like a scab, never allowing him to fully heal.

A green butterfly with purple wing tips landed on Mobius's knee. The tears just flowed faster.

"Thought I might find you here."

Mobius jolted at the familiar voice.

"Sylvie?" He whirled around.

Sure enough, Sylvie was situating herself to sit down next to him, dressed as if she'd just walked out of the '80s. Which he belatedly realized she probably had.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Am I not allowed to check in on an old friend?

"Well, see you around, I guess."

After her parting words, he hadn't actually expected to see her again, even if initially, he'd desperately hoped he would. He'd briefly considered the possibility that they might be able to grieve Loki's loss together, but quickly recalled that she wasn't the type of person who did that sort of thing. At least not for him, anyway. Centuries of hunting her down like an animal didn't earn him any favors.

At a loss for what to say, he gave a noncommittal hum and decided to change the subject. "You hungry?"

"I could go for a bite."

"Let's get some takeout. We can talk back at my place."

The car ride home was—awkward. He'd tried to make small talk by asking how her new life was going, but she mostly just gave him vague, distracted answers. Obviously, something was on her mind.

After a brief stop to pick up some Chinese food, they made it back to Mobius's apartment complex. He pulled into his designated parking spot and proceeded to lead her through the long winding hallways until they stood in front of his door. As he turned the key in the lock and led them inside, he winced.

Through her eyes, his place must look like a hotel room. Nice looking, but entirely impersonal. Unlived in. He'd even left the news running in the background. Glancing back and seeing her raised eyebrows, he knew he'd been right in his assumption.

"This is… nice," she said unconvincingly.

He sighed. "Yeah, well, I'm still adjusting to it all."

She nodded, opting not to comment on it any further.

After hanging up their coats, Mobius led Sylvie to his dining room table and began unboxing their food. She slid into one of the wooden chairs, and he followed suit a moment later. For a minute or so, they ate in uncomfortable silence. Then, she set down her fork.

"Mobius, I need to tell you something."

He set his fork down too, stomach roiling in apprehension. "What is it?"

"I…" she hesitated. "I did some investigating, and I think Loki might be able to come back."

Mobius froze.

"What did you say?" He whispered, almost unwilling to believe he'd heard her correctly.

She sighed. "I went to the place that Loki opened the portal to—the place where he dragged the timelines. It used to be He Who Remains' Citadel. I thought I'd find him holding on to all the timelines, and I'm pretty sure he is, but-" she paused, collecting herself. "He's formed them into a living, self-sustaining magical entity." Her shining eyes met Mobius's. "He's turned them into a multiversal Yggdrasil."

Mobius took a moment to consider what she'd just said, emotions running wild.

His immediate reaction was elated disbelief. Could she actually have found a way to help Loki? Hope was such a precarious thing, but he couldn't deny that it was beginning to take root. He wanted to jump out of his chair and spin her around with joy, but then the full meaning of what she said finally registered.

"Hang on, you're telling me you've known exactly where Loki's been this entire time and you didn't say anything?"

He'd spent every day of the past 3½ years trying to think of ways to get to Loki, but never even knew where to start. He'd assumed that Loki had gone to some obscure, unknowable place at the edge of time, but now Sylvie was telling him she'd known exactly where he'd been all along?!

"Mobius, I didn't think there was anything we could do. You saw him on the gangway, the branches died when he let go! How was I- how were any of us supposed to know that he'd be able to create something like that with the branches of the multiverse? It's literally unheard of."

He stared at her incredulously for a moment before he snapped.

"First of all, if you had stuck around at the TVA for a bit instead of immediately running off to gods knows where, you would've already known that Loki had woven the timelines into a tree! We didn't know it was self-sustaining, but maybe knowing that would've given you a reason to investigate! You of all people should know better than to assume that anyone knows the extent of what Loki is capable of. Bringing timelines to life with magic? That was unheard of too until we saw Loki do it literally right in front of us!"

She let out a resigned sigh, dropping her head into her palm. After a moment, she replied defeatedly. "Yeah, you're right." She lifted her eyes and met his. "I'm sorry, I should've told you, or at least checked sooner." Sitting up fully, she leaned forward. "But right now, I think we can do something about it. Will you help me?"

Mobius rubbed a hand over his face, exasperated. "Of course I'll help you, I'd do anything to bring Loki back. But that doesn’t mean I forgive you." He fixed her with a glare.

She raised both her hands in acquiescence. "I don't expect you to."

Selfishly, he let Sylvie fidget in the tense silence for a moment before deciding he'd let it stretch on for long enough. "So what are you planning?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but her gaze suddenly latched onto something over his shoulder, her eyes growing wide. He whirled around, expecting some sort of threat, but only saw his TV—still dutifully playing the news.

Which featured live footage of Thor Odinson battling aliens in New York.

Sylvie sucked in a breath. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I think the last part of my plan just fell into place."

"Wha-"

She pulled open a Time Door and looked back at Mobius, pointing at him in a very Loki-like fashion. "Don't move, I'll be right back."

The next second, she was gone.

Five seconds after that, Sylvie, a young girl, and the God of Thunder were all standing in his living room.

-----

Notes:

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all support you’ve shown this story!!

Poor Mobius is really going through it 😭❤️‍🩹

Next chapter we’re getting a partial Thor POV, and Sylvie explains her plan to the freshly compiled Team Free Loki.

Unfortunately, I’m about to enter finals season, so I won’t be able to post Chapter 3 for at least two weeks 😓

My entire month of December is going to be very chaotic, but starting the second week of January I’ll be updating this story weekly!

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If you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist at any point, please leave a comment or send me a message :)

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raspberrysunshinebby · 1 year

Text

The Four Betrotheds

A Two Choices story

Pairing: Eris x Reader

Summary: Hundreds of years before High Lord Beron’s death and the meeting of Azriel stood a young girl, 23, who was attempting to be married off for her families sake. A good marriage was the only thing a women at the time was taught to do for her family. When four of her engagements fall through in the span of three years the girl is called “cursed”, little does she know, the failed engagement's have nothing to do with her but instead the son of the High Lord and her childhood friend.

Warnings: sabotaged marriages, childhood friends to lovers, Beron, Idk its mostly fluff, mention of a child being married off to an older man (Mor and Eris), cycles are mentioned (fun fact I started mine when I was 8), a character name I stole off House of the Dragon, sexist themes and views from characters

Word Count: 5260

As my brothers told me that my betrothed would not be attending the ball this evening meant to celebrate our engagement it hit me that I, once again, was not getting married. The fourth time this had happened and I had truly hoped that this would be the last time I’d been betrothed. None of my previous engagements had made it this far, two fleeing to marry other women they had truly been in love with and the other one who simply stated that he did not wish for my hand despite my large dowry.

I sat on one of the seats in my brother's office. My brother Silas sat in his respective chair as two of my other brothers, Cardan and Flint, stood by me their hands on my shoulders, finally, Prescott was busy trying to hunt down the Lord I was supposed to marry in four days' time. Prescott was always one to try and fix a situation with force.

I sat there in my brother's office, not sad, but instead embarrassed. Guests had already arrived, including High Lord Beron, the one that had organized this match in the first place. I wondered how angry he’d be when he found out the Lord I was arranged to marry was in fact not here, but most likely drunk at some brothel while I sat in my brother's office in the dress that my betrothed mother picked out.

Part of me could sense my brother's relief, knowing how similar the Lord was to my father I couldn’t blame them. I knew how much this ruined my chances of finding a good husband, four failed arrangements, no good man would want a woman who was now 23 with four failed arrangements. I knew once this caught wind I would be called “cursed” and “an old hag”. Silas told Cardan to go fetch the High Lord, Flint was told to bring me out. Silas told him he didn’t care how but to just bring me out of the office for a bit until he said to come back.

Flint had decided a walk around our gardens was the best option, he said he wanted to try to take my mind off it but I honestly just believed it was because where we were in the gardens gave us a clear view as to who was in the office. Silas had failed to put curtains up, giving us both a clear view.

We watched Cardan enter right again with High Lord Beron and my friend, Prince Eris, the heir to the Autumn Court, following as well. Flint gave me a look, before he moved to go under the window me following, keeping us hidden but close enough to listen to what they were discussing.

We missed the beginning of the conversation, or my brother quickly spoke of my betrothed.

“My brother Prescott is currently searching through brothels and bars in the area, the Lord has known as a drunk.” I heard my brother Silas say.

High Lord Beron scoffed, ”He better show up soon.” My betrothed had gone against a direct order from the High Lord, with his offense it meant one of two things, he would die or his cock would be cut off. A threat High Lord Beron would use often to the men of his court. Eris and I would eavesdrop on his meeting often as children and hear it all the time. I was nine and he was eleven when we watched it happen for the first time, we never eavesdropped again.

“If he decides he doesn’t wish to go through with the marriage what do you plan to do my High Lord?” My brother Cardan asked.

Beron stayed quiet for a moment, “I promised you a good marriage for your sister in exchange for your loyalty and that I will give you. Perhaps my second son Cyrus will do.”

“What about your first, Eris?” Silas asked.

“A Lord in the Night Court and I have been discussing a marriage between Eris and his young daughter for a while now. It’s still early to tell since she is still a girl, perhaps that marriage falls through and your sister will have Eris. Though Cyrus is more likely, he is a year younger so I hope your sister will be fine with that.”

“She’ll be fine with whatever husband you chose for her my High Lord, she has been grateful for your help and was going to show you her gratitude tonight. She feels sorry she cannot do that any longer.” Silas said.

“I’ll make sure a good husband is found for her, the least I could do for your family's loyalty,” Beron said before dismissing himself from the room with his son.

Sitting at a tournament the next day with my cousin was not my plan for the next day. I was supposed to be touring the north side of the Autumn Court with my soon-to-be husband for our venue in order to make sure everything was ready. Now I sat with my cousin Alicent with the High Lord’s family, I guess this was meant to be an apology to my family for the failed engagement but it only gave me a lot of anxiety.

With Alicent to my right and The High Lord’s second-born Cyrus to my left, we watched the tournament in silence, except for the occasional looks Alicent and I would give each other when certain knights came out, causing us both to quietly giggle. I would also occasionally look toward Eris who would smirk and give me a look, causing me to smile at him before turning again.

Alicent and I watched the tournament before it was acceptable for us to ask the High Lord to be dismissed, Beron didn’t care much and let us go off. Alicent and I hooked arms before rushing out of the stands we were in to go and wonder where we’d like.

We went out to the festival area where we saw stalls for food, some for jewelry, and other things. A stand that a well-known jeweler owned I frequented caught my eye and Alicent and I went to it. Many stared at us as we walked toward it which was excepted, we were the only women born into huge families, us both having only brothers, and both our families were powerful. Main especially with our relations to the High Lord.

I greeted the jeweler I knew so well whose eyes lit up when he saw me. He had a thick accent due to the fact he was from the continents, he quickly directed me toward a set of necklaces and earrings that he knew I’d enjoy while another worker helped Alicent look at bracelets she’d been wanting.

The third worker helping the Jeweler moved to help someone else, not paying attention too much but the Jeweler I didn’t notice was my first fiance.

I ended up deciding to buy the set as well as some other sets as well and I was moved to the front table to set it on my account, as I moved I bumped into my former fiance, who I gave a cold stare as I moved away from him to the front table. “He’s come to buy a lot of expensive jewelry lately for his wife.” The Jeweler mentioned casually, I think he could sense I was curious.

Hearing this caught me off, guard. My former betrothed was high class yes, but not very rich. His family focused on the military and with this most of the money, they got went toward it. The wife he’d married as well wasn’t rich, she was a commoner, so the money didn’t come from a dowry.

I gave my former fiance a weird look who continued to look at me, I motioned toward Alicent to come over.

When she did I whispered in her ear about this, when I was done she two gave him a weird look which he saw. He quickly picked out the piece of jewelry he liked before storming toward us, making it look like he was paying before he began to speak.

“You need to learn to mind your business,” He said quietly, “I’m not sure your princeling would like you poking around in your former betrothed business.”

“What?” I said confused.

“You heard me.” He replied

“What do you mean by that?” Alicent asked for me.

Now was his turn to look confused, “Prince Eris, your little lover or whatever he is.”

My heart plummeted to my stomach, “What? He’s not my lover?”

His eyebrow raised, “Seems like you have something to discuss then.”

Not wanting to hear more of this nonsense, I grabbed Alicent and the jewelry we had just gotten and quickly went to her home, which was the closest. With anyone able to see we were in a hurry, we could walk with no interruptions.

Once we’d arrived we quickly ran up to her room, wanting to discuss what we’d just heard.

“Shit,” I said, “Do people really believe Eris and I are lovers?” I paced through her room as she sat down.

“Maybe he’s lying?” She said, “Maybe he just wanted an excuse to not marry you, there's gonna be an explanation for this cousin.”

I sat on her bed before laying back before I heard her speak, “I know there have been rumors of Eris being in love with you, but those are just rumors and they were a while ago.”

I perked up, “When was this?”

“A few years ago, maybe when you were 16 and 19,” She said, “It’s not relevant now. I don't think. I know some people find it strange Beron is arranging your marriage, but none have spoken against him.”

“High Lord Beron is arranging my marriage as a thank you for my family and a nice gesture for his son's childhood champion. There's nothing strange about it.” I said, quite annoyed.

Alicent stared at me for a moment, “Do you love him?” She asked quietly.

My heart began to beat harder before I spoke, “It wouldn’t matter anyway, I have a duty to do and loving Eris would only hold me back from it.”

Alicent began to run her hands through my hair, “If this marriage with the Night Court girl falls through, you could have Eris. You’d be doing your duty and being able to love him.”

“The Night Court girl is still a child, they won't be married for several years, there's no way for the marriage to fall before High Lord Beron marries me off to another.”

Alicent snickered, “Maybe you could get the High Lord to marry you off to another High Lord.”

I smiled at that, “I know the High Lord of Spring isn’t married, and neither is the one of Night.”

“What of the day?”

“Perhaps.”

Before I could continue to speak Alicent realized something, “What if it's Eris?” She asked, “What if Eris is doing something to stop you from being married.”

“That's ridiculous, cousin.” I said, “Eris wouldn’t, he knows how important this is to me, I wanna be able to help my family.”

“It's not ridiculous, he’s loved you since he was a boy.” She said, “He loves you cousin, why wouldn’t he want to ruin your marriage?”

I smacked her on the arm gently, “Don't say that. Not about your prince.”

“The prince whos in love with you.”

I rolled my eyes at her before moving myself over to lie on my stomach instead.

Hours later I sat in my room with a coconut oil mask in my hair, I liked to use it cause I found it made my hair healthier and made it look nicer. I also had a mask on my face given to me by a servant and sitting on a chair in the corner of my room with only a small light to allow me to see my room felt therapeutic.

It was pretty late at night when I heard a knock at my balcony door before it was quietly opened, I turned to see Eris silently closing the door so as to not alert anyone. A tradition of him sneaking into my room at night to hang out started when I was 13 and he was 15 when it was no longer appropriate for us to hang out together alone due to me now beginning my cycle, it wasn’t inappropriate if no one knew of course.

Closing my book after marking it I set it on the desk next to my chair before Eris could move to sit on the chair I kept next to mine, while many believed it was for my brothers and cousins it was really put there for Eris. Eris looked exhausted, I would be too if I had to keep people entertained while also keeping my shithead of a father happy as well.

“Your so lucky you got to leave first,” He said, basically groaning.

“I would’ve stayed for you but I had a cousin to entertain,” I jested before quickly getting up to grab a hair clip and the bowl of the face mask. “Be a dear and put your hair up,” I said, not giving him much of a choice.

Whenever he’d come when I was doing stuff like this I would always force him into doing it as well, he hated it at first but as the years went on I think he’d begun to enjoy it. Unless he just acted as he did for me.

He followed my command to put his hair up as I walked toward him with the bowl, preparing the applicator real quick before I began to put it on his face without warning causing his face to scrunch up from the coldness of it, I laugh at him a bit for it.

After I was done I sat back down, giggling at the sight of the mean heir of autumn in a face mask with his hair tied up from a pretty hair clip. The sight never failed to make me laugh.

After the slight embarrassment washed off him I noticed he’d brought a bag with him, one that now sat on his lap while he pulled out two whiskey cups wrapped in one of his shirts so they didn’t hit each other, and then a bottle of whiskey wrapped in another shirt. I quickly grabbed one of the glasses to have him pour some into; he would often bring me some, more so when we were children due to women in the Autumn Court not being allowed to drink much more than fruity wine with barely any alcohol. The only woman known to drink other liquors are women that work at brothels, even then there's a fine line.

After he’d poured my glass I quickly relished in the taste of it, it’d been a while since Eris was able to bring me some, I loved fruity stuff but with wine, I needed something strong.

Eris and I joked about the day, making fun of the Noblemen who tried to kiss up to the High Lord's ass, Eris wondered how he wasn’t supposed to laugh when he’d eventually have to deal with that, we joked about one of the knights clearly trying to flirt with the daughter of a nobleman but she’d been too invested in Eris’s brother and we also discussed the results of the tournament. Since I left early I was desperate to know which of the Knight had won.

After he’d finished talking my hazed mind at taken over, which lead me to think about the night before when I’d been left by my fiance.

“Did you guys ever figure out where he went,” I asked quietly, sipping my whiskey while I waited for him to speak.

Eris looked confused for a minute before what I was asking registered in his head, “Oh,” he paused, his eyebrows raising for a moment, “him.

“He had decided that traveling Pytheria was a bigger priority than staying in the Autumn Court to do his job. My brother went to go tell him that he has orders from my father to never return to the Autumn Court unless he was his feet cut off so he can never travel again. His family is also being shunned now.”

I realized at that moment my betrothed's family wasn’t at the tournament, “So that's why they weren’t there?”

Eris nodded, “That's why.”

I sighed, setting my cup down on the table and leaning back into my chair, “I don't get it,” I complained, “What's wrong with me?”

“What do you mean?” Eris asked, “There isn’t anything wrong with you.”

I snorted, “Clearly there is. Four engagements Eris, four, every one of them left for whatever reason.”

I realized I was biting the inside of my mouth, “I didn’t think there was much wrong with me, I mean I come from a powerful family, I have a huge dowry, and the High Lord himself has recommended me from the day I was born.” I turned to look at Eris, “By the time I was sixteen I had more marriage proposals than a fae could need, which is really creepy to think about but it's true; I mean I think I’m pretty enough.”

“Your beautiful, (Y/N),” Eris said.

I stayed quiet for a moment after he said that before I spoke again, choosing to ignore what he’d just said. “I think I’m going to be too old soon.”

“Too old?” He said.

“Most females have their husbands picked out by sixteen and are married by eighteen, once again, really creepy. Now though, there are younger options males have, I’m gonna be an old hag soon.” I said sinking into my chair.

“With your family, it wouldn’t be too big of a deal for you to not marry, you don't need to.” He told me, a serious look in his eyes.

I laughed a bit at the thought of what Alicent had told me, that Eris was somehow preventing me from being married.

“Why are you laughing?” Eris asked.

I shook my head, “It’s nothing, just something stupid Alicent suggested.” I picked up my cup to take a sip.

“What was it?”

I laughed, “It's stupid, don’t worry.”

“Well, I wanna know now.”

I took another sip, “Alicent believes you're preventing my marriage or something, it's stupid.”

I’d have to be stupid to miss the way Eris tensed up after I said this, fingers dragging along the rim of the cup before he spoke, “Yeah, it sounds dumb.” He said, quietly.

I looked him up and down before sitting up, “Well I was saying it was stupid but why are you saying it's dumb like that.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, trying to act stupid.

I gave him a look, “You know damn well what I mean Eris. Why’d you tense up like that?”

“I didn’t tense up.” He said, closing his eyes, I half excepted him to raise his voice but he’d never do it.

“Yes you did,” I said sternly, “you were fidgeting with your glass too.”

I started laughing as the realization hit me, I quickly sat up from my seat, my hands being raised over my head, “The mother Eris, you’ve been fucking with my engagements.”

“I haven’t.” He said.

I turned to face him, “Stop lying!” I yelled, not realizing how loud I was I quickly shut up.

I stood there for a minute as I watched the look of guilt cover Eris’ face before I rushed to the bathroom to grab a hand towel, I wet it under the sink before throwing it at Eris, “Wash it off” I commanded, he followed quickly. When he was done I pointed at the trash, he understood I was telling him to throw it away.

“Leave, and don't come back,” I said, trying to not cry.

“(Y/N),” He said, almost pleading.

“Go.”

He knew well enough to grab the cups and whiskey as he left, I watched as he dumped the glasses out the balcony before he left, I covered the door with the curtains after he left and made sure to put the lock I never put on the door.

Looking toward his chair I noticed he’d left one of the shirts there before he’d left. I quickly grabbed it to shove it into my towel cabinet in the bathroom, where no one would see it. I told myself I’d throw it away when I got the chance.

Wanting to calm the pit in my stomach down and clean my face and hair I ran myself a bath, I didn’t expect to cry so much as I washed my hair.

Feigning sick wasn’t hard with what had happened with my last fiance and the day at the tournament, it wasn’t hard to accidentally catch something there. I remembered when I was still young the Lady of Autumn had once gotten sick from some virus she’d gotten at a tournament and was basically quarantined in order to not get her two children sick, a memory engraved in my mind as I comforted Eris who was devastated to not be able to see his mother for a while.

A week after I had gotten ‘sick’ I had been able to convince my brother to allow me to go to one of the cabins we’d owned in order for me to be alone for a while, I’d used the argument that I just really like to be alone for a little while due to everything with my last fiance which leads him to quickly agree.

A huge part of it was that I truly did need to be alone, I felt as if I had just lost my friend, my only friend for a long time and I was devastated. I’d been betrayed by my best friend, I really just needed a bit to myself.

Silas had told me I was allowed to stay no more than a week but could come home whenever I wished throughout it, sitting in the cabin far into the woods I didn’t expect to want to come home very much. Of course, I wasn’t alone, some guards stood at the perimeter of the cabin but none inside the house beside a maid who would cook and clean for me, despite that she left me alone. I knew why she was chosen to be put into my house anyway, one of the guards who stood outside was her mate and if we needed one inside the house she would simply pull on the bond in order to have them be sent in.

I never cared much for mating bonds so I didn’t care to hear about it. Well, it was more that I never had the luxury to care, my brothers would encourage me to want to find my mate someday but I knew that I was more likely to be married off to someone before I found one, so I began to not care. I also considered that the mother may be cruel to me, that she may put me with someone worse than any male I could meet in the Autumn court. I’d seen matches she’d made before and didn’t put it past her.

I realized quickly how much I quite enjoyed sitting on a couch doing nothing but reading a simple book, I liked how I didn’t have much to think about and I didn’t have to do anything, I didn’t even have to look pretty.

I was able to just sit around in comfy pajamas which even at home I was most of the time unable to do, even on a simple day I’d have to be dressed nicely in case someone had decided to visit, even my pajamas had to be nice. Most days it wasn’t that bad but it was also exhausting.

I didn’t hear the knock on the door to the living room causing whoever it was to knock louder, ceasing my attention from the book I was reading to the door. I called out to come in, knowing it was the maid.

I watched as she opened the door before doing her best to close it quietly, “My lady,” She said in a soft voice, “You have a visitor.”

I sat up from my spot, “I’m not supposed to have any, whos here?”

“The Prince.”

I cocked my eyebrow, “Which?”

“Eris, my lady.”

It took everything in me to not roll my eyes, unfortunately, I knew how disrespectful and suspicious it’d look if I turned him away now.

“Grab me my robe and bring him in please.”

The maid nodded before doing so, closing the door behind her to inform the prince I was waiting for him.

It took him a minute before entering the room, every second it took the angrier I became. When he did enter I did not look at him, I only waited for him to sit on the couch in front of me.

He quickly moved, not to sit but instead to stand in front of me before speaking, “So you weren’t going to tell me you were on a little vacation?” He asked.

“So you weren’t going to tell me that you were ruining my engagements?” I snapped back at him.

He moved to sit next to me, causing me to scoot further away from him. “You have to understand there were reasons, (Y/N).”

“What attempting to ruin my fucking life?”

“I was trying to protect you,” He said, somehow still calm.

“No, you weren’t,” I snapped, “the second I was born into the Autumn Court as a female this has been my responsibility to my family and you are taking that away from me. You are taking away my chance from helping my family Eris.”

He paused for a moment, “You really believe that's all you can be? A mother and wife? That's it?”

“It’s all the Autumn Court will allow me to be, and why you need to back the fuck off from my life.”

“You are smart and strong (Y/N), you can be so much more than this. Both I and your brothers believe this, you can do whatever the fuck you want and instead your choosing to allow yourself to follow this.” He snapped but did not yell.

“It's all Beron, the High Lord believes I can be, his word is law Eris. A mother and wife are all he believes any woman should be, and if not that a fucking whore. He believes that is the order of things.”

“You won't have to follow that order when I am High Lord, no one will have to.” Eris said.

“Well your not High Lord, your word isn’t law,” I said, before turning myself over from him to grab my book. “Leave will you, I am trying to enjoy my time before I am married off.”

He didn’t move from his seat, he sat there watching me read for a few minutes, opening and closing his mouth as he was trying to say something.

Finally, quiet but audible I could hear him say, “I love you.”

My eyes widened and my heart began to pound as he said this, the words repeating in my head as all I could reply with was a simple “what?” I could feel him getting up from his seat before getting ready to leave.

I set my book down before getting up as well, following him as he exited the room yelling his name out.

I wasn’t stupid, I’d loved him for years now but never said anything and instead tried to push my feelings for the boy now a man down and have done it quite well. Hearing him say that he loved me, that he had done something like this because he loved me caused every emotion, every feeling I’d pushed away to come back. I wasn’t stupid enough to let him walk out now.

“ERIS!” I screeched out, finally getting him to stop and turn to me and allowing me to catch up to him. Not wanting to have this discussion in a hallway I grabbed his arm and pulled him into one of the spare rooms of the cabin. Once we were in I basically forced him to sit on a chair in the room before I began to hover over him.

My words got caught in my throat before I spoke, “You love me?” I asked.

“I do, (Y/N) I-” I caught his eyes drifting away as he spoke.

“Don't look over there, look at me.” I said sternly, “You love me?”

He swallowed, “Yes (Y/N), I love you. I always have.”

“Always?” my voice cracked.

“Always. I always have.”

I stopped hovering over him and turned away, my hands over my face as I repeated how stupid I felt. I didn’t even hear Eris get up, I only felt his arms wrap around my body in order to remove my hands from my face and turn me to look at him.

“What do you mean, (Y/N)? Your not stupid.” He held onto my hands.

“No, I am, I’ve done nothing but push me loving you down because I thought you could never love me and I feel so dumb for it now cause your here telling me you do love me and I just feel so stupid, holy shit I’m so dumb! I spent so fucking long thinking you saw me like a little sister and then here you go telling me you love me and now I also feel really bad for getting mad at you and I still just feel so dumb and I just-” I would’ve continued rambling on if he hadn’t kissed me. Eris kept one hand in my own and the other on the side of my face as he stole my first kiss from me, I felt as if every problem I could have had at that moment disappeared, as every negative emotion I felt about myself left as I melted into him.

Once he let go of me he also let go of my hand, moving it to the other side of my face as he rested my forehead on his before speaking, “You love me?”

I realized now that I was basically sobbing as I nodded, “I love you so much.” my voice cracked as I spoke and a smile fell onto both of our faces. Eris moved to kiss around my face, kissing where my tears felt as I continued crying a little.

He pulled us both back onto the chair, setting me on his lap as I wrapped both my arms and legs around him, “I’m sorry for crying.” I said through sobs.

“Well I love you, so I don't care.” He said smirking as I lightly hit him.

I didn’t know when he fell asleep or when I did, but I would always remember the first time waking up in his arms on that stupid chair, my eyes still felt sore from crying and Eris was still asleep as I ran my fingers through his hair. His grip on me was like iron but I didn’t mind, I didn’t want to move from that spot and I knew soon we’d have to go to our homes and pretend to just be childhood champions once again, I dreaded the thought but I need one day I’d be his wife. I prayed for that day.

#eris vanserra #eris vanserra x reader smut #Eris #eris x reader #acotar #acotar x reader #a court of thorns and roses

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