#jade's little lip bite of frustrated affection | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ji-yaaan · 4 years

Note

I feel like ordering something hot for this cold weather, hi, hi, is it okay if I ask for a lemon tea? Extra hot, please, I'm freezing. Leona, Octavinelle x MC, first french kiss because french kisses are good, and perhaps some hands involved, no one can resist french kisses' effects 🤭 Thank youuuuuuuu.

°•°•°•𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓚𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼•°•°•°

HC's with: Jade, Floyd, Azul, and Leona

WARNING!!!!!! Suggestive content, French kissing, mild spice ;)

Note: I'm late to requests what's new?😔 I am dying as I write this and the adrenaline in my system is ✨thriving✨ Go and live the horni dream as you read this crappy hc I guess? eHeM sElF iNseRt tiMe- hope you enjoy this hotass tea.😔✨

[ 𝙻𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚊: 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ]

°•°•°•𝓙𝓪𝓭𝓮 𝓛𝓮𝓮𝓬𝓱 •°•°•°

A kiss with jade was always short and sweet. A peck on the cheek, a peck on the lips..... How delicious...

But those "little kisses" weren't really enough to feed this eel for long. (・////・)

As time passes by, the sweet temptation from a lick of your lips sets his mind to a frenzy. He'd want to pull you for a deep long kiss, but he promised that he'd take it slow... Goodness you were such a tease...

Normally he'd just settle with kissing the back of your hand before a goodbye, or an occasional kiss on the lips when you tug on his blazer... But today, it seems as if this desires has took a hold of himself...

Sitting by the tables at the Mostro Lounge, you tugged on the end of his coat before you said your goodbyes...

Expecting for a sweet peck on the lips, Jade leans down your sitting figure instead... Ohoಠ ͜ʖ ಠ

His tall figure looming over yours with an intensive gaze as if he's ready to devour you any moment.

Let's be real here, You're probably frozen on the spot and you don't know what to do or what to say, thus you just go blushy blushy under Jade's gaze... Same tho ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ

With the awkward silence as the two of you were alone in the lounge, the scarlet tint of your flushed cheeks just fuels Jade's desire more and more... My now, don't you just know how to push his buttons quite well?

In a flash of a second, everything goes black as Jade's lips collides with yours, unlike the usual comforting kisses... This one was... Hot...

Jade's tongue will gladly explore the deep depths of you. The kiss would definitely be long leaving you breathless. Take it or leave it( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

This being your first very very intimate moment, breathing through the messy kisses was difficult... But this eel just has a sadistic side to him enjoying your little squirms and embarrassment under his hold.

After the kiss, he loves admiring your flushed face with trails of saliva running down the corners of your mouth.

"Y/n my love, swallow it."

Maybe it was the dim lights and the slow music that played on the background, but a glint of lust sparkled in Jade's eyes with your reflection...( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

"Let me see... Good girl~"

Just like that with his usual foxy smile, don't be surprised if your knees were to give up later ಠ﹏ಠ

°•°•°•𝓕𝓵𝓸𝔂𝓭 𝓛𝓮𝓮𝓬𝓱•°•°•°

Oh Floyd... Ok, I'll make life easier for you and give you a summary of his Hc: "Pls pin me down and dominate me. Thanks"

Floyd's kisses were always unexpected; A pleasant surprise if you will.

Floyd's mood swings can sometimes go higher than a rollercoaster, or lower than my grades, but by the end of the day, he comes in refuge in your arms asking for all of your love and attention.(´ω｀)

But sometimes, his affection for you maybe goes a little bit too much. From a cute sweet kiss, it quickly escalates to something more...lustful...◕‿◕

From a warm hug and sweet kiss, now you're pinned down on the couch as Floyd attacks your neck with multiple kisses leaving a trail of bruises and saliva.

Now comes the fun part. Floyd being Floyd, his hands may get touchy. Like, a whole lot.

Be it with his hands sliding past your shirt or pants, or him constantly removing parts of your clothes one by one. ಠ‿ಠ

He's the type to hold up your wrists together so you can't move, and watch your pretty little face squirming and struggling until you beg for more kisses.

Down from your neck, moving his way up to your lips, a sudden entrance in your mouth will caught you by surprise as Floyd devours you on the spot. (✿^‿^)

His kisses were deep and long, his tongue explores every inch of your mouth.

You have to admit. Floyd's tongue is quite skilled, in fact very skilled.

With Floyd's deep and long kisses, It surely does get hard to breathe with drools dripping from the corners of you mouth.

But the moment he pulls back, the image of you all messed up and all the darkened hickeys on your neck fills him up with excitement! ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ

The drools staining your chin as you breathe heavily under his hold does a lot to him.

Both you will definitely be a mess after this.

"Ahh~ Koebi-chan, look what you've done to me~"

Yeah... I'll leave that sentence to your imagination( ╹▽╹ )

•°•𝓐𝔃𝓾𝓵 𝓐𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓻𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓸 •°•

oH yEs I'vE bEeN wAiTiNg lOnG fOr oCtObOy- ehem( ͡°ᴥ ͡° )

Azul is not the sweetest person to ask for a kiss, but when he's jealous however... That's a different story... ಠωಠ

He might ask you to sit on his lap while he works, of course who are you to decline the sweet offer of cuddling up to Azul? But it seems as if a cuddle is not something he's asking for...

While his pen glides on the papers at the desk, his face will make it's way in the crook of your neck.

Please remove his glasses for him and stare deeply in his eyes, he finds that very sweet! (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)

Azul loves to savor your sweet scent that gets him excited everytime. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Azul definitely finds a vocal partner a turn on, hearing your beautiful whimpers are music to his ears after all. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)♡

Trailing butterfly kisses in the nape of your neck, making his way to kissing your jawline.

After all of that hot stuff, he'll carry you to the sofa and sit you on top of him. Oho it's getting fun ಠ ͜ʖ ಠ

One hand supporting your waist, while the other hold unto your cheek. Azul diving for a hungry kiss with you.

Azul will try his best to take the lead and control the situation. He did his research afterall.

A deep kiss closing the gap between you was the best reassurance he has that you're his and his alone.

Please hold unto his shoulders for support and pull on his hair!!! Octoboi finds it hot heh-

With the kiss being deep and long, it will get hard to breathe. So after pulling away from the kiss, the hot breaths and saliva mixed together was quite the hot mess.

You can imagine Azul out of breath as he licks his lips staring directly at you.(•///•)

"Y/N... You're mine."

Eye contact... It's all about the eye contact that melts your insides when you look at Azul... AZUL WITHOUT GLASSES!

If you blush at his remarks, you get bonus points because Azul lovessss seeing you embarrassed~ ಠ﹏ಠ

Say "I love you" and you have Azul as putty under your hold~

Oh! and when you say I love you, Azul will definitely get flushed red to his ears and neck so... Teasing time hehe~ bully the octopie with love!

OCTOSQUID IN MAFIA SUIT I LOVE YOU SM I CAN'T EVEN- ok I'll shut up I'm sorry about that

•°•𝓛𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓪 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓻 •°•

First of all, I can guarantee that the first french kiss with Leona will happen after a fight...ಠωಠ

After a fight of pride with Leona, sexual tension is through the roof! Glaring at each other, no signs of giving up as both of you are on each other's neck... Leona finds that hot ಠ‿ಠ

Leona won't admit to it, but having a fiesty partner that challenges him and puts him on edge was hot... In fact, very very hot...

Of course it's annoying at first, but seeing your furrowed eyebrows as you push your hair back in frustration does something to him (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)

Leona finds attraction in high sexual tension, So let's say you're about to flip and your face goes a little bit too close to his... He'd take that as an open invitation to shut you up.

My, don't be surprised if a pair if lips started to kiss yours desperately. Pulling unto your waist as his other hands hold your chin up to face him, the kisses were messy, but it was exciting.

Ngl Leona's tongue can win a talent show with his top notch skills.

He'll gladly explore every inch of your mouth with pleasure ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ

Oh, kissing with Leona gets pretty touchy too! His hands will wander under your shirt unto your back, maybe even lower if he feels extra curious today-ಠ◡ಠ

Please pull unto his hair, he finds that really hot too.

Expect low growls to bless your ears here and there... ಠ ͜ʖ ಠ

Oh! Sometimes Leona may get a little too touchy, so I guess you have to have the control to stop him if you don't like that. I doubt it tho( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

But if you're into those freaky stuff, Leona will gladly go on an adventure with you down there( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

After the kiss, don't be surprised if you find love bites here and there, better cover up since it's a lot...

Oh, but it's no use to cover up since this cat boy happens to be an exhibit artist that loves to show off his work staining your neck purple.

What a way to come back with something like this amirite? Heh🤠

ALSO, AZUL BRAIN ROT IS REAL- MALLEUS' SPOT IS THREATENED AS MY LOVE FOR OCTOPIE GROW- send help😭😭😭😭😭

Azul I want your kneecaps🤭

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst wonderland #disney twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #twst imagines #twst headcanons #leona kingscholar #azul ashengrotto #floyd leech #jade leech #leona kingscholar x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #floyd leech x reader #jade leech x reader

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ghostdrew22 · 3 years

Note

Draco admires you with your kids and their friends

SOFT || Draco Malfoy

Requested: Yes Pairing: post-war Draco Malfoy x fem!reader Warnings: one minor injury that involves blood but other than that, nothing!

WORDS : 1767

“Cass, come on, please put that down?” Draco asks with an exasperated tone as he runs after your daughter- who’s running around the living room with an evil giggle. “Scorpius, don’t you dare-“

Draco gets cut off by the sound of glass shattering as your son, Scorpius, and his friend, Liam, drop a vase off the table. He stops mid-run and sighs heavily as he runs his hands down his face.

Draco has always wanted children. For as long as he can remember he’s wanted children so that he could fill the gaping hole that was left by the lack of affection from his father. But that same hole, that very same resulting trauma, has always made him think that he just can’t do it, that he’ll end up exactly like his own father. And it’s always moments like these that make him doubt his abilities, moments like these that make him wonder if in comparison to his own father he’s too soft.

Draco would’ve never gotten away with half the stuff that your children do at this age, but also he never really had much of a childhood anyway. In a way, being a stay-at-home dad helps him make up for that and recover long lost moments of adolescence that he never had the opportunity to experience. Moments like this, in which he has to chase around your chaotic children and try not to get drunk on the sound of their elated and mischievous giggles, that he still doesn’t know if he’s earned it yet, despite the fact that he’s become a teddy bear in comparison to his own father.

The first time the two of you had discussed children you’d both agreed that one of you would be a stay-at-home parent, and at the time you’d been happy to follow in your mother’s footsteps and volunteer for the role. But then you fell pregnant and hesitated to submit your resignation papers so, in a moment of rushed and haphazard courage, Draco resigned instead and fully committed to the stay-at-home dad lifestyle, despite his perpetual fear of failure, so that you could have the advantage of both motherhood and a successful career. Draco hated his ministry job and you, paradoxically, did not- it was a win-win situation.

So now he stands in your living room, wearing an apron with your daughter’s favourite tv character on it, feeling very exasperated and out of sorts at the overwhelming responsibility of having to supervise your children’s playdates.

You walk into the living room and take in the scene- Cass, holding one of Draco’s old academic trophies as her and Jade run around with paint on their faces, and the boys wrestling on the ground, awkwardly close to the remnants of a broken vase- stopping behind your husband to wrap your arms around his waist and plop a kiss up onto his cheek. He softens into your touch and turns to kiss the side of your forehead before you sink off your tiptoes and onto the heels of your feet. “Need some help?”

To say that your twins are a handful would be an understatement, now add to that two other children with just as much chaotic energy? An absolute disaster. You’d told Draco that taking them to the zoo or the park for the playdate would’ve been a better idea but he insisted on celebrating the twin’s birthday at home and you’d obliged to his wishes. Now, he regrets not listening to you.

“If you don’t mind, that would be great.” He pouts at you and you laugh lightly at his frustration.

“Boys, break it up. Girls, freeze right now.” All the kids halt their movements and quickly turn their heads to face you with wide eyes, “There’s a cake that needs to be cut up and eaten in the next thirty minutes but I don’t think you have earned it.”

“No, we have!”

“Please mum? We’ve been good!”

Draco scoffs at your daughter’s blatant lie of having been good and you bite back a smile. “I’m sure you have, but if you really want the cake then I’m going to need you all to play a couple of games of hide and seek outside first. The winner gets the biggest slice.”

They all squeal in excitement and hurry to run out to the garden so that they can play. You quickly mutter a charm to repair the vase and turn to your husband who’s looking at you with a mixture of exhaustion and adoration.

“You’re my saviour.” He breathes out and you smile, “Somehow you spend less time with them and still manage to handle them better.”

“A mother’s touch love.” You giggle and give him a quick peck.

“I wish this mother would touch me.” He hints as he pulls you in by the waist with a grin.

“You’re so-“

A sharp cry from down the hall cuts you off and you both sigh. “I’ll go get him.” You reply.

“I’ll get the cake ready.”

The kids all come running into the kitchen excitedly at the sound of your voice calling for them to get cake. You smile at the sound of their giggles erupting into the kitchen as you play with the recently awoken baby in your arms, but your smile is gone as quick as it came at the sound of a light yelp and cry coming from one of the older kids.

Without missing a beat you rush toward the sound and find that it’s Jade harbouring a thin, but rather long, cut along the expanse of her leg and right below her knee. Draco can see that you’re moving to help her and he holds his hands out for the baby but you pay him no attention and, somehow, manage to lift the 8 year-old into your other arm and carry her up onto the kitchen counter- while still straddling your son on your hip.

“What happened sweetie?” You ask your friend’s daughter gently as you make to grab antiseptic, cotton wool and a bandage from under the sink- the place you and Draco had taken to storing them after the kids came back from playing outside with injuries one too many times.

“I think I scraped my leg against the edge of the little gate by the door.” She points toward the door that leads out to the garden and you nod in acknowledgement- knowing exactly which gate she’s referring to.

“Come here my little skittles, give mum some space to breathe.” Draco figures it’s best not to interrupt you and gestures for the other children to come toward him. They all shuffle their feet against the tile nervously as they keep their eyes trained on their friend.

“I’m so sorry love, we’ll make sure to get that fixed for next time you come over, yeah?” You ask her with furrowed eyebrows and she nods perkily. “This is going to hurt a bit, but I know that you’re a very brave girl so if you can close your eyes, count to ten for me and squeeze my hand that would be great.” She nods and follows your instructions- grabbing hold of your outstretched hand that sits underneath the baby’s bottom- while you dowse some cotton wool in antiseptic and drag it softly down the injury.

She winces but doesn’t cry, counting to ten as instructed and trying to focus on the promise of cake waiting or her, and soon enough you’ve already draped the bandage over her leg.

Draco watches the scene unfold with a look of admiration coating his features. It’s in this moment that he sees why you became an auror- no matter the situation you always present a fierce, prepared and oddly comforting energy- it’s one of the reasons he fell so deeply in love with you and it’s a quality of yours that he hopes both of your children will inherit.

“Thank you aunt Y/N.” She smiles up at you and your heart wrenches at the sight. You give her a kiss on the forehead and help her off the counter.

“You are very welcome, Jade. And I think you’ve earned the biggest slice of cake, what do you guys think?” You turn to the other children with an inquisitive gaze and they all nod quickly in agreement- wanting desperately to make their injured friend feel better. “Okay, bottoms in seats then!”

All the kids scramble to find seats around the table as you go about handing them each a plate with cake in it- making sure to give Jade the biggest slice.  Draco knows that he should feel envious at how easily you get the kids to bend at your will despite the fact that he spends way more time with them, but all he can feel is an immense sense of love and pride swelling in his heart. He feels soft.

He knows that the ‘woman can have it all’ mantra is often misleading and impractical but the truth is that you can have it all. Somehow you juggle your family and work so well it almost looks flawless, and while he knows how hard you work to keep it all steady, he still always finds himself speechless at how well you do it. Even after spending countless nights reassuring you that you’re not a bad mother for wanting a career, he can’t seem to understand why you’d ever doubt your abilities when he watches you in action.

Badass auror in the papers, loving mother in the house and generous lover in the-

“Draco?”

“Oh, sorry love, did you say something?” He blinks back his thoughts and smiles down at you.

You tilt your head backwards in a laugh and move to hand your husband the baby, “I was asking what you want to get for dinner? Blaise and Luna are picking up Jade and Liam soon so I thought that maybe we could just order in for dinner tonight?”

“That sounds lovely actually, I’m not particularly interested in cooking or eating Flora’s burnt food.” He says with a grimace- referring to your very incompetent house elf.

“You really should fire her.”

“She’s got nowhere else to go.” He pouts and you roll your eyes.

“When did you become so soft?” You raise your eyebrows at him and he shrugs as he watches you speak sweetly to your son that he’s got in his arms.

In that moment he already knows the answer, he became so soft the minute you came into his life, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.

“I won hide and seek by the way, so that cake was rightfully mine.” Scorpius grumbles out- even though he wears the signature Malfoy grin on his lips- and you all laugh at his random outburst.

<~>

So there’s my first ever request! I hope I did it justice, it was a little difficult to put someone else’s vision down and into words but it was a really nice challenge and I’d like to do more so please feel free to request moreeee.

Jean <3

#draco #draco malfoy #draco x y/n #draco imagine #draco fanfiction #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco angst #draco fluff #dad draco #fluff #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter imagine #harry potter x reader #blaise zabini #luna lovegood

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starshiningsirius · 3 years

Text

Affection (Yandere Floyd x reader)

Turns out @minteasketches birthday is the day before mine and I couldn't decide who I wanted to write for so I asked for a few of her favorite characters and had a draft for Floyd that would have sat. So I'll just post this on her birthday as a gift and have this be my post for my birthday too! Happy Birthday by the way you wonderful writer and artist I love your work!🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

"I really don't like youuu~"

Floyd took a step closer towards the student with a menacing look in his eyes. Anyone who pissed him off had hell to pay for it that was for sure. He would make sure he never layed his disgusting fingers on her again.

His adorable little shrimpy that he adored so much. It was always oh so tempting to hold her close and squeeze her tight, which is what he usually did on the daily basis, but today was different. She had to spend time with another student and denied his affections promptly. After she had left him after apologizing Floyd went into depression again. His shrimpy never failed to brighten his day. Except today of course, when he didn't feel like going to club, specially not with his bad mood.

"Why does she have to spend time with someone else, can't she see I need her more." He released a sigh thinking more and more about the whole situation, her words recalling in his mind.

Then an idea popped up in his head. He could always spend time with her afterwards. She mentioned going to the library to tutor, he'd surprise her there, as soon as she was done!

He arrived there early then the supposed study session. He was actually hiding behind a bookshelf waiting for her to arrive. He noticed one student sitting their waiting impatiently. He assumed that he was the idiot who needed some help. After a little while he finally saw her arrive. It did irritate him to see her with someone else, but he knew the kind of person Y/n was and leaving someone to fail just wasn't her.

Overtime he started to see her become frustrated which wasn't like her in the slightest. She even taught the little sea otter who was beyond hope when it came to teaching him something. She was ever patient and calm the entire time. This guy managed to piss her off so easily, he had to be doing something wrong, at least that's what Floyd deduced. Seeing her so angry made him both curious and annoyed. What could he possibly have said to make her mad?

Floyd at least had a bit more constraint in him today and decided to listen in to gain some understanding.

"Hey, why do you always spend time with that eel?"

"Can you focus please?"

"Why as far as I'm concerned your hanging out with a crazy pyscho merman? He's gotta be forcing you." This student was really getting on his nerves.

He took his time away from his shrimpy, and for what to spread lies and try to pull her away from him. Not only that he placed his hand on her and she looked discomforted by it, never did she feel that way when Floyd would hug her randomly. It really didn't sit well with him, he was agitated and beyond that rage filled his system. That was never a good sign for anyone nearby.

He was about a second from taking the student and squeezing the life out of him literally. Until he saw his little shrimp stand from her seat.

"An arrogant bastard like you could never compare Floyd! He's far more sweet and lovable then you'll ever be! Don't you dare ever say shit about him!" She actually punched him across his face which surprised Floyd greatly cause the impact knocked the student out of his chair.

She immediately picked up her books and went off towards her dorm Floyd assumed, he couldn't keep his eyes off her until she exited the library. His heart was pounding faster in his chest and a smile ecstasy. Shrimpy really thought of him like that huh?

It definitely made him feel happy to learn how she felt. Maybe he should tell her he feels the same too! Ah, but Floyd still doesn't know himself what the feeling is but since Jade's so smart he'll just ask him!

He heard the groans of the student on the ground which brought him out of his thoughts. He saw the student getting back up from the floor murmuring curses and insulting his darling Shrimpy. It definitely reminded him of his rage against him for taking up her time in the first place, but now he insults her it struck a sense of bloodlust in the eel. He shouldn't do this in here though, he's sure Jade could help him get rid of any evidence too.

. . .

"Angelfish where are youuuu~?"

"Floyd-" She couldn't speak for a second cause a pair of long arms wrapped around her neck, covering her mouth, and a head nuzzled in her cheek.

"Yup~" He showed her a sharp toothed smile.

"Floyd you seem overly happy these days, has something happened?"

"Huh~ What do ya mean Shrimpy? I get to spend more time with you that always makes me happy!"

She was relieved on the inside since she tried calling him yesterday after the library incident and he didn't pick up. She called Jade too but he said his brother was doing something important for Azul, for a second there she thought she had put him in one of his bad mood swings by denying him.

Speaking of which,

"Floyd?" He wouldn't stop nuzzling her until he heard her voice calling him.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry about yesterday, I shouldn't have denied your offer, that guy was a total prick. I should have chosen you instead. If you forgive me I'll get you some candy at Sam's Shop?" She tried to offer him.

"Eh? It's fine Shrimpy but since your offering I want to get some and share it with you!" He seemed far more cheerful than the mood you left him in yesterday. Usually his mood swings would last the whole day and bargaining him with something would work even his brother didn't have control over him all the time.

It definitely felt strange in her mind but she had to dismiss it with Floyd pulling her arm in the direction of the school store.

. . .

He had brought a lot of supplies from the store more than usual. As she had asked out of curiosity he said it was a surprise. Later on the next day she found out that the surprise was making takoyaki together.

It really did surprise her, seeing Floyd be this thoughtful took her by surprise. He was more of a PDA type rather than wholesome cooking together. She did tell him once that she wanted to try it once with him,, after learning his favorite food. That was a while ago though and for him to remember such a small detail like that. She shrugged it off as nothing though and went about doing the instructions Floyd gave as they worked together in the Octanivelle kitchen.

Both of them were enjoying themselves and when it came time to heat them up he put in one last ingredient mixing with the cream color mixture. He didn't want to tell her what it was but he said it was extra special.

When it came time that it was all done he told her to open wide.

"Shrimpy come on open up~! I want you to try the first bite of this new batch so you can tell me what you think! " He looked happy and stared at her in anticipation.

The gaze had her face turning red in which she could hear the laugh of the other twin within the empty Monstro Lounge. She didn't want to keep him waiting so she did as he was told and opened her mouth.

Soon as the sphere shaped food had entered and she had chewed the taste was weird, normal savory flavor but with the taste of something she couldn't put her finger on.

It wasn't that many of the food and as soon as she finished she had another pressed to her lips. Until it was all gone did the process repeat. That's when her vision began to get hazy.

"Floyd I don't feel so well. I think I need to go to the infirmary." Her body swayed as tried standing before she could take a step her body fell over tripping on air possibly.

"Eh~ What do you mean, Angelfish? You don't need to rely on anyone else but me." He had pulled her toward his chest the warmth lulling her senses into a gentle slumber.

. . .

When she woke up she found herself in Floyd's room, the messy appearance of it familiar to her. It was strange though since she couldn't remember coming into the room or falling asleep. The taste of takoyaki though remained on her tongue and she recalled a couple of things including the so called 'special ingredient' Floyd put in a few of them that he got from Azul.

It must have put her to sleep, but why would Floyd do something like this?

When she heard the door open she looked up and saw the man in question. He was elated to finally see her awake and ran over to you quickly.

"Angelfish! Your finally up! Great that means we can play now!" One word in particular stood out to her.

"Angelfish? You usually call me Shrimpy. Floyd what's going on?" She was confused and wanted answers but it only made the eel happy.

"Oh your mine now! That little study session of yours with that annoying little crab, you defended me, it was so amazing to see you angry for me Angelfish! It made me so happy so I had to show my affection back some way."

"What do you mean?" She did not like where this was going. She had used violence which was unlike her but with Floyd's seeing it too it's not a good thing for how he would interpret it. She did like the eel of course but she might have put the life of a student in danger.

"He was trying to take my angelfish away from me, so I let him know just how much I love you! Jade said it'd be good to show you how much and you used violence so I should do the same!" He nuzzled his mouth near her neck invoking a shiver to crawl up the girl's spine as he inhaled her scent.

That guy was right about him being dangerous, but he only did want to show you his affection.

Masterlist

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #yandere twisted wonderland #twst #yandere floyd leech #twst floyd #floyd leech #octavinelle #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland floyd

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the-melting-world · 3 years

Text

Goosebumps 🍋

~ In which a pscyhic pirate reunites with a quiet quartermaster...

@midsummer-masquerade

Sun Bai x Jacqui

Jacqui belongs to @apprenticealec

You can read all the fics to Off To The Races: A Midsummer Masquerade here.

Music: "Goosebumps" by Travis Porter

Day 5 of The Midsummer Masquerade ~ Voyeurism

Smut Prompts 9 + 48: "Is it good when I touch you here? Or maybe here?” + “Shall we put that mouth to better use?”

cw: brief mention of death

~ 3k words

Shortly after Rodrigo leaves his quartermaster's side to pursue a masquerade guest with a swan mask, Jacqui starts to feel a familiar, encouraging sensation lightly pressing up the against the nape of his neck...

As much as Jacqui couldn’t get enough of Sun Bai’s telepathic kisses, this was the one time he could pass on them. Especially if it meant he could catch up to the slippery mantis as he took Jacqui on a maddening journey through the Palace corridors.

Though Jacqui was able to keep Bai in his sights – thanks to both of their heights, none of them had a problem getting lost in the sea of people – Bai was always just out of Jacqui’s reach. Yet the pirate continued to taunt and poke the quartermaster with those psychic touches that felt eerily similar to Bai’s lips walking down his spine.

Eventually, the halls grew darker and less crowded.

Bai, Jacqui called out in his own head, knowing that the other could hear him, where the hell are you taking us?

A kiss ghosted across Jacqui’s pressure point, followed by some quiet snickering.

[You’ll see.]

Finally, Bai went still before a pair of tall, metal doors. Jacqui caught up to him and, with breathtaking control, steered him against the wall. This close to Bai’s lean body, barely covered by a dark silk robe, Jacqui could hardly hold back from burying his face in the pirate’s neck. And so he didn’t.

Bai hissed and trembled in what Jacqui knew to be pleasure as he walked his lips up and down Sun Bai’s throat, taking in his scent of rain and whatever herbal tea he last had to drink.

Jacqui reached for the opening in Bai’s robe and slowly dragged the pad of his finger down his chest. “Is it good when I touch you here?” He pulled the edge of Bai’s robe off his shoulder “Or maybe here?” Jacqui whispered as he lowered his head and dropped a kiss to the exposed skin.

To Jacqui’s surprise, it was Bai who eliminated the space between them. “I need you closer.” The pirate sounded desperate, almost whiny.

Jacqui rocked his hips forward and once again rolled his face against his partner’s neck.

“I’m here. Take as much of me as you want.”

Jacqui sensed some of the internal battle taking place in Bai. He didn’t miss a single shiver or shudder from the former bounty hunter. Bai dragged his palms up and down Jacqui’s bare chest and keened his hips forward so his erection rubbed insistently against the quartermaster’s.

[Goddamnit Jacqui, I want all of you.]

He sounded more frustrated with himself more than anything. Jacqui didn’t know if it would ever be the right time to ask Bai how he got this way. Sometimes in the rare quiet hours on the Bleeding Heart, he wondered about Bai’s behaviors. He had seen him without clothes and knew that he didn’t have any scars or brands to speak of. So what was the source of all his avoidance?

There were other peculiarities as well. In the bedroom, Bai had an aversion to being bent over solid surfaces. He preferred to stretch out on the bed or even the floor. He was also content with being on his hands and knees. These aversions weren’t something Bai ever came out and spoke to Jacqui about. The observant quartermaster simply happened to pick up on things over time.

For now, however, his curiosity would have to wait. He wanted Bai just as much as he felt wanted by him. Jacqui used a fraction of his strength to line his entire body up with Bai’s, pinning him firmly to the wall. He fed a hand inside his robe, relishing in the way Bai’s smooth skin rippled as Jacqui’s palm traveled down to his waist where he firmly gripped. Jacqui wanted to feel more of Bai between his legs so he spread his own a little, encouraging Bai to press his thigh in between them.

Jacqui’s other hand came up last to Bai’s head. Soon he was lost in his ghostly white waves, careful not to disturb his glasses as he moved in with deep and tender kisses. By now, Bai no longer struggled with matching Jacqui’s rhythm. His body might have been shivering and losing its grip every time Jacqui flexed his muscles, but that wasn’t the case with his mouth. Bai’s jaw went slack for Jacqui as his tongue came alive and eager to tease the ring in the pirate’s lip.

“We need to find a room,” Jacqui groaned as he drew back just enough to look into Bai’s eyes. Bai was clearly in a giving mood and he didn’t want to be in a place open enough to risk getting interrupted by any of the crew.

Jacqui suddenly had a thought. It made him smirk as he drew Bai’s face up by his chin. “And then maybe we can put that mouth to better use, hm?” He gave him a soft kiss, but immediately regretted his words when he pulled back and saw the look on Bai’s face.

Jacqui wished he could kick himself. If there was one thing Bai had come clean about in the past, it was his vulnerabilities around any oral affection below the waist.

Jacqui stepped back and hid his face in his palm. “I’m sorry. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. I totally forgot–”

Bai’s hand came up to rest on Jacqui’s arm. He gently pried Jacqui’s palm from his face. “No. That’s actually something I wanted to…” He swallowed and adjusted his lenses. “Just follow me.”

The room that Bai led Jacqui inside of was almost completely dark except for a spot in the center that was lit up by a single beam of light. There was a cushion on the floor, resting under the spotlight.

Jacqui stopped Bai from going any further. “Wait. Before I forget.” He pulled out something he had carried with from the ship. “This is for you.”

Bai didn’t look at the gift until both of them were under the light. He quietly observed a simple solid black case. Once he figured out how it opened, he discovered the rich velvety interior. It came in a nostalgic shade of green much like the jade stones occupying the piercings in Bai’s septum and bridge.

“For my glasses?” The psychic whispered.

Jacqui smiled as he carefully removed the blue-tinted frames from Bai’s face and set them inside the case. “Yes. So you don’t have to keep replacing them so often. Besides, I figured it would come in handy tonight.” He set the case on the ground out of the light.

“Now.” Jacqui faced Bai again. “What was it that you wanted to show me?”

Bai looked a little lost for words. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting the gift. Jacqui reassured him by brushing his thumb over the mole close to Bai’s eye.

“You can talk to me with your mind if that’s easier.”

Bai turned his eyes up under the light, which illuminated the true gray in them.

[It is easier this way.]

Jacqui wasn’t sure at first, but he thought he heard the space suddenly fill up with the sound of a violin.

[You asked me earlier if I wanted to put my mouth to better use.]

The darkness in the room began to lift.

[The truth is I do. I have. I always have.]

It didn’t take long for Jacqui to realize that they were not alone.

[These sort of things take a little longer for me. But I think I’m ready now, Jacqui. I wanted to make tonight special for that reason.]

Jacqui scanned the room to see that they were surrounded by chairs, which were all occupied. There were two rows. The second row belonged to the orchestra. The first row closest to Jacqui and Bai was full of guests barely clothed and touching themselves in ways that were meant to bring pleasure.

[It’s going to be special because we get to have a witness. Quite a few actually.]

The party guests’ limbs were positioned at odd angles. That’s when Jacqui noticed that they all seemed to be controlled by strings at their joints. He followed the threads up and and up and up until…

[Puppet masters and their “marionettes,”] Bai explained. [It’s some sort of kink magic. I don’t know. All the parties involved are consenting, I promise.]

Jacqui’s heart was causing a lump to form at the base of his throat. He looked back at Bai.

“They’re going to watch us while you–”

Bai collided messily with Jacqui’s mouth. Hot and breathy, he whispered, “While I suck you off – yes, yes. Yes.”

[If you’re not into it, just say the word. I’ll make them go away.]

Jacqui steadied his breath against Bai’s already swollen lips. He cleared his throat and said with calm confidence, “Let them watch.”

Sun Bai didn’t waste any more time talking. He dipped his face against Jacqui’s neck, working kisses down his collarbone and over his chest. His fingers came to Jacqui’s crotch to unlace the drawstrings on his tight, leather pants.

Meanwhile, the orchestra and the masturbating marionettes carried on in the background.

[Do you want to know why I don’t get jealous when I see Rodrigo all over you? Or lose my cool whenever he catches wind of me and chases me off? It’s because I know and more importantly I know that you know: you’re mine. Just mine.]

Bai was on his knees now, dragging his open mouth over Jacqui’s tight bulge. His breath was unsteady under the musical whine of the strings playing in the background. Bai dug his fingers behind the leather and seesawed the fabric down just enough to free Jacqui's cock.

The psychic looked up at the quartermaster as he formed a ring with his index and thumb that he then slid from Jacqui’s base and up until he gently pinched the head. Bai maintained eye contact as he brought his face forward and dabbed the crease of his lower lip with Jacqui’s small spell of precum.

Jacqui’s face burned at the sight. He knew he had no control over the muscles in his jaw. Was he wetting or biting his lip? Was he arching his eyebrow in curious fascination? He had no clue.

Bai was tonguing his slit now, his eyes closed in tranquil concentration. He dug his fingers deeper past the lip of Jacqui’s pants and gave a slow tug, filling his mouth up with Jacqui’s impressive length. Bai took his time salivating over every centimeter of Jacqui’s cock, savoring each ridge, each hidden dimple that he would have otherwise missed if he had simply tried to swallow him whole.

“Bai,” Jacqui breathed, “I want you in my head too. Talk to me.”

Bai’s eyes fluttered open. He gave the softest of smirks, his mouth still full of cock.

[What’s wrong? Don’t like the orchestra that I’ve prepared for you? And here I thought you were a man who could appreciate the more alternative art forms.]

Before Jacqui could respond, Bai’s presence was back.

[Is it getting to be too much? The crowds? The lights? I can turn them off if that’s better.]

Jacqui didn’t know how Bai controlled it, but the room went completely dark. The music was still going and the audience was still getting off on themselves.

[There. Sounds like they’ve seen enough to take care of themselves. Now it’s just you and me.]

The sounds of the marionettes groaning and cycling through their orgasms were only amplified in Jacqui’s ears. That and Bai’s wet, deliberate sucking.

[Show me you’re mine, Jacqui.]

Jacqui bit back a groan. “What do you mean?”

[I know you won’t ever say it outright. Out of respect for your captain. I understand that, but I know you to be a man of action rather than words. So show me.]

The lights came back on. Bai hollowed out his mouth and came to a stop.

Jacqui shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Bai came off his cock and took a moment to swallow his spit. Then he stood up and kissed Jacqui with such tenderness, the quartermaster felt his heart actually skip a beat.

“You don’t want to hurt me?”

Jacqui shook his head again, his silver ring lightly brushing along Bai’s lower lip. Bai steadied Jacqui’s head by reaching up and tightening his hand in the roots of his locs.

“Then don’t.” He steadied Jacqui’s lips with a kiss. “You know I trust you.”

Bai drifted back down to kneel on the cushion. This time Jacqui was ready. Eager even. He fumbled at his leather still constricting his waist and peeled it down to his knees so his legs could breathe and spread a little wider.

Stay with me, Jacqui called out when he felt Bai trying to fade from his head. The cool feel of wet grass stayed as he worked his cock past Bai’s lips and over his tongue.

[–mmk!]

Jacqui sensed the ebb and flow of Bai’s reactions as he held his face and found his rhythm in it, his own groans barely a whisper despite all of the charged blood that had rushed straight to his extremities.

Bai’s lashes fluttered out of his control. His gunmetal eyes lolled behind them. And then the lights began to flicker, like a strobe, dancing to the music of the marionettes and the violins and Bai’s patient gagging.

Jacqui began to feel Bai’s presence in a new way in the form of a firm, uneven pulse. He realized it was the beat of his own cock every time it kissed the back of Bai’s throat. The sensation was so hypnotic, Jacqui let go of a shuddering breath and leaned into it.

The strobe lights danced for them, Bai’s reactions registering in Jacqui’s vision only as flickers and flashes. The steady, constant beat of his hips took both of them by storm.

“Bai, I’m coming.”

[Yeah, I know.]

Jacqui was seeing stars. His fingers became tangled up in Bai’s ghostly waves. His hips managed not to jerk too hard, but he couldn’t help anchoring Bai’s face downward so his cock could take advantage of the natural curve of his throat. He opened his hips some more as he emptied out his excitement. Jacqui groaned unexpectedly at the sensation of Bai’s esophagus gently nipping the tip of his cock with each desperate swallow.

Despite his efforts, Bai hadn’t been able to get it all down. While the orchestra was wrapping up and the puppet magicians were packing their things and filing out, Sun Bai was still trying to catch his breath against Jacqui’s leg. Jacqui stroked his hair while Bai leaned his cheek against the quartermaster’s damp thigh and waited until his chest stopped heaving.

Jacqui expected that when Bai was ready, he would tuck Jacqui’s cock back in his pants and go about the rest of his night. But Bai stayed, leaving breathy, half-hearted kisses along his partner’s inner thigh.

This went on for some time, to the point where Jacqui’s already damp skin tingled under the tenderness of Bai’s lips and the light brushing of the soft, dark hair from his chin. All the other guests had left the dark hall.

Jacqui, who wasn’t used to this sort of attention, especially from Bai, called out to him. “Babe, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know that.” Bai shot Jacqui a look before he went back to kissing and sighing against him. Jacqui’s face burned under the prolonged affection. He returned to massaging his fingers against Bai’s scalp, which only earned him more delayed reactions that walked a fine line between an exhale and a whimper.

Finally, Bai helped Jacqui adjust his pants before getting back to his feet. Jacqui walked over to where he had set down the glasses case and handed them off to Bai.

“Thank you. I…” Bai hesitated. “I got a room for us. But if you want to go back to yours–”

“I’m staying with you tonight.”

Bai turned around before Jacqui could catch his reaction. “Alright then. It’s this way.”

Sun Bai’s chambers were sleek and free of the usual masquerade decorations. Without many words, Jacqui and Bai helped each other out of the more restrictive components of their costumes until Bai was just in his silk robe. He brought another robe out of the closet for Jacqui, so he wouldn’t get cold. This one was dark blue, almost black. The swirls of gold painted in the fabric were only visible when they caught the light at certain angles.

“You can keep that,” Bai said just as Jacqui was in the middle of calculating the fortune something like this must have been worth.

Soon they were under the sheets, Jacqui’s back resting against the pillows and the headrest while Bai chose to lay his head on the quartermaster’s chest. With one leg draped over Jacqui’s thigh and his arm resting along his abdomen, Bai encouraged him to let down his bun and massage his darker roots. While Jacqui happily went about doing so, running his fingers through the psychic’s pale locks, Bai spoke quietly about his travels since they had last seen each other.

“We got a cat. He’s gray and likes to ride on my shoulders sometimes.”

“He sounds a lot sweeter than Mr. Pickles,” Jacqui mused. “What’s his name?”

Bai offhandedly flexed his wrist. “Gatsby... Don’t ask me what it means. Sascha named him. Probably has something to do with guns.”

The pirates kept chatting until Jacqui started to yawn.

Bai shifted a little. “Hey. Stay up with me. Don’t let me fall asleep either.”

Jacqui arched an eyebrow. “Why not?”

In all the time they had known each other, Bai had never spent the night. This was also the longest he and Jacqui had spent in a position like this. Cuddling seemed a strange word to use, but Jacqui honestly didn’t know what else to call it.

Bai hesitated. “Because…”

Jacqui held his breath. A few beats later, Bai’s confession came out honest and straightforward.

“Because the last time I fell asleep in someone’s arms, I woke up in a pit of dead bodies.”

Jacqui stiffened ever so slightly, hoping Bai hadn’t noticed.

Bai didn’t turn his head to look back at Jacqui. In fact, he didn’t move at all.

“I was nineteen.”

Jacqui closed his eyes as he dipped his face towards Bai’s crown.

“I won’t let you fall asleep.” He wrapped both arms around Bai and held him as tightly as he could. “I promise.”

Sun Bai let out a very small breath.

[Thank you.]

#the arcana #sun bai the psychic #jacqui the quartermaster #midsummer masquerade #VesuviaAfterDark #death mention #lemon #minors dni #my writing #baiqui

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capri-ramblings · 4 years

Note

Heyyyy! Can I request some jealousy headcanons for Azul, Leona, Vol and Riddle with a fem reader? Thanks a lot:)

I'm so sorry this took so damn long and it's not even as good as I wanted it to be (´;︵;`) The new batch of kittens I have are sick so I have to make more time for them and lately the plants I planted wilted out and so many of you sent such amazing asks and I just really hope I can finish them all and not disappoint any of you༎ຶ‿༎ຶ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ im sorry for rambling abshwkwkhbsnw here's your Jealous dorm leaders ♥️

Riddle Rosehearts

- Personally,I feel that Riddle would be one of the easiest to get jealous

- Despite how snobbish he is, he wants to be acknowledged by the people around him and have them see his best intentions

- If Riddle were to have a crush on MC then, by all means,this applies to her as well, and that factor alone would make him even more sensitive.

- Cue the pursing lips and furrowed brows when Riddle gets jealous and he'll often let his emotions get the better of him, so expect a handful of these moments

- A jealous Riddle would also mean a moody dorm leader who gets set off by the smallest of mistakes and disorder. His habit of being strict with rules will gradually come back but when Trey points this out, he'll try to not let it get to him.

- He won't say he's jealous though, that's a given fact, you can bet your nonexistent hat that he won't even know he's jealous

- He'll just sit in his room and have this frustration well up inside of him and then he replays all those moments he lost his temper and he just has this thought;

- "What does she think of me when I'm in that state?"

- Fear? Disgust? Hatred?

- He cringes at all those possibilities

- Riddle starts doubting the fondness you have for him, simply because after many self contemplations, he concludes that you're only with him because you pity him. The boy who's mother raised him like a taut wire about to snap

- He starts to think your softness towards him is because you saw him as fragile and unreliable

- From here, Riddle's jealousy shifts into a longing type of jealousy,the kind that has him looking at MC as if she would disappear at any given time.

- He still won't say anything but the little remarks he makes are an obvious sign

- "Riddle,look at Kalim fly! He's so good at it!"

- "Hm? I guess to someone who can't fly on her own he is impressive but flying takes more than just a carefree attitude. You need proper magic endurance. Plus, he's not the only one who can fly well, you know."

- "Well, yeah, but I've only seen Kalim fly on a carpet"

- The way he clenches his jaw makes him look stern and strict as usual,but the urge to just yell "I can fly on a stupid carpet too" was a strong force for Riddle to fight back.

- He starts getting slightly touchy

- Grabbing your arm and pulling you close to him whenever you're not listening to him

- He makes sure he's always at your side so if you were looking at someone else he would see them too

- He gets protective too, repeatedly reminding Ace and Deuce to not get you into so many trouble

- He even starts telling off Crowley for making you do errands around the school

- If you confront him about it though, he gets all defensive and denies it

- Feeling weak is something Riddle hates, and he especially doesn't want you to see him that way as well

- All in all, Jealous Riddles is harmless. He acts more like a moody child rather than anything

- A little bit more attention put into him and a hint of physical affection is an instant remedy for this red haired Emperor

Vil Schoenheit

- A Jealous Vil,huh?

- Well then,cue the dramatic script.

- Vil would whisk MC away before confronting her about his feelings and that means more time spent with him and his circle under his watchful eye

- He's possessive,of course he is, but he's also extremely clingy and expressive.

- "Mein lieb,stay closer to me here"

- "Why?"

- "Cause I've missed you of course!"

- "Vil...We just passed each other five minutes ago"

- When he successfully conquers your social space,be sure to see yourself enamored by the male as if you were some kind of princess he was courting

- Vil's jealousy is a competitive one, and he'll do anything to make it apparent that he wants you to himself

- He puts your hair in a similar style to his, shares his makeup and even goes as far as to apply it on you himself

- Vil will also give you a perfume with a similar scent as his

- "She's mine" Is what screams in Vil's expression of jealousy and if no one noticed it, it's probably just you.

- Once you do notice and confront him though, everything shifts and Vil makes sure you understand to never ever make him feel so little again

- "You'll have to devote yourself to me now,mein lieb or else I won't ever be cured from this sickness"

- A jealous Vil is a Vil who will stop at nothing to win his S/O's affection

- You'll have your hands full with him, but at least your life won't be so dull

Leona Kingscholar

- Ever heard of biting?

- Yeah,he does it a lot

- Especially when he's jealous

- A jealous Leona would mean a Leona who actually feels threatened of his position as your partner

- So it's safe to say it doesn't easily occur

- But when it does, his way of expressing it resembles that of a wild beast.

- He'll mark you and make sure it's visible to the opposing threat and he'll be the most frustrating male you'll ever have to handle

- Things like "You know I won't cheat on you" or "You have to trust me" won't really work on him, nor would any other type of plea will

- It's not that he doesn't trust you, it's just his predatory instincts telling him to fight for his territory, nothing personal

- But it will feel like it, so the smartest thing to do is play along and try to not get him into a bad mood

- He might get a bit degrading and condescend you from time to time whenever you talk back to him about his behaviour but know that it's just a frustrated lion throwing a fit, and if he ever does hurt you, Leona has his way of mending that wound, a very intimate way to be precise.

Azul Ashengrotto

- Azul is the easiest and yet not so easy to get jealous

- It's confusing,I know

- But, compared to most of the students at NRC he is one of the best and outstanding one, and so before you think just anyone could trigger his jealousy,think again.

- Most of the boys there are probably under his contract too, so rest assured one of the rules of breaching the contract includes trying to woo a certain girl's heart

- But then, he sees you acting all so comfortably with Riddle and Malleus, and he starts to think; "But what about them?"

- He can't sign either one of them into his schemes, nor could he actually compare to their magical affinity.

- So, what if you ran to them? It was possible wasn't it?

- Azul's Jealousy is the epitomy of Envy itself really. The way it twists his personality and composure, and the way the feeling toys with his thoughts like a sickening instrument.

- One of the slightly damaging Jealous type, Azul doesn't hesitate to let his dissatisfaction with your relationship show.

- He'll have Jade and Floyd tail you almost everywhere and he'll make sure you tell him who you've been with, although he will do so subtly, since he knew if you got too irritated you'd do something that would edge him on even further

- Do not try to provoke him in this state

- There would be two outcomes if you did

- "I just want to be enough for you. Can't you see that?"

- "You're making me very unhappy, seashell"

- And this is purely dependant on how you handle the situation when it gets to a certain stage

- Overall though,Azul would probably cling to you and put in small remarks about how you spend your time so freely without actually having plans

- He'd suggest you start doing part time at Mostro Lounge and have you act as his PA

- A trick to appease this Mer-male?

- Kiss him when he doesn't expect it, and when your eyes catches his,smile. Genuine yet surprising affection makes his heart soft

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst wonderland #twisted wonderland scenarios #twisted wonderland fanfic #twisted wonderland imagines #twst imagines #twst x reader #twst vil #vil schoenheit #twst leona #leona kingscholar #twst riddle #riddle rosehearts #twst azul #azul ashengrotto #twst headcanons

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curiousconstellations · 3 years

Text

The Price of a Bean and the Cost of Love

Summary: With no clue how to defeat a villain the town can’t remember, Hook and Emma venture to the Enchanted Forest to retrieve some magical items from the Evil Queen’s castle. Along the way, they rediscover the connection they shared before they were separated by worlds a year ago. 3B canon divergence, Rated T, 8k, also on AO3 here

A/N: Happy Holidays @phiralovesloki I’m your CS Secret Santa! I hope this little fic will bring you some cheer to this wild year :) Honestly I had so many ideas after revisiting season 3 that I’m definitely down to write more S3 renaissance/divergence fics from now on!

Thank you @cssecretsanta2020 for another great event!

-/-

The more frequently they host these hushed conversations by the fireplace, the more Emma grows to despise the décor of Granny’s B&B, however cozy it may be. It’s difficult to keep Henry safe whilst also keeping him away from these discussions of the Enchanted Forest and curses and magic, so the common area of the B&B is the best option when she knows he is tucked away asleep upstairs.

Her parents and Regina are going back and forth at each other while Hook stands by the fire, raising an eyebrow every time Regina fires an insult or her mother shoots down Regina’s suggestions with judgement.

“Well, even if we could figure out who did this, they’ve done a spectacular job of making sure I can’t fight back by stripping my entire vault of anything magical that could help. I bet it’s all just sitting back at the castle, wilting away like this damn town will under this curse.” Regina bites out angrily.

They all silently reflect on her words and Emma can’t help but wish she were back in New York right now. At least then her issues would be about prying Henry away from his video games long enough to sleep and do homework, not trying to protect him from some unknown fairy tale villain who had cursed their family and friends and was turning people into flying monkeys. God, what is her life?

“What if we could retrieve some things from your castle?” Hook asks, everyone swinging their heads up to look at him curiously.

“What the hell do you mean, pirate?” Regina demands. Hook sighs and pinches his nose; a gesture Emma finds herself sympathizing with when dealing with Regina.

“I mean that I have a way of returning to the Enchanted Forest. I can use it to fetch your magical goods and then you can do your thing with your little bottles and jars and we can resolve all of this.”

“And how exactly do you have a way of getting back there?” David asks suspiciously. Hook fishes in his jacket pocket and reveals a magic bean, rolling it between his fingers slowly.

“I procured two beans, the first I used to get to Emma in New York. The second, well let’s just say I had it saved for a rainy day. Now, this cursed business is really only a slight drizzle for me, but if it will help, the offer stands.” The offer had mostly been made to Regina, but Emma finds Hook’s gaze on her. She’s pretty sure he was not offering this bean for Regina’s sake.

“Well, I don’t trust you to go alone.” Regina shrugs. Hooks rolls his eyes upward in frustration and Emma’s lips twitch a little. The man is not particularly good at hiding his emotions.

“I’ll go too.”

Her words are met with immediate disagreement from her parents, but she patiently waits for them to finish their complaints before speaking.

“Look, you’re all cursed. As far as we know, you can’t leave town let alone jump through a portal. Hook and I are the only people not affected by the curse. He brought me here to help, so this is something I can help with. I’m the saviour after all.” Emma sighs, glaring at her parents until they surrender.

“Is this even necessary? Regina, I’m sure you can cope without your things for now. We can find another way to figure out who cast the curse and defend ourselves if need be.” Snow says firmly, David backing her up with an affirmative nod and a squeeze of her shoulder.

“Isn’t it better to have and not need, than need and not have?” Hook interjects.

“See? The pirate gets it. He’s willing to give up a bean for this. What would the town say if they find out their royal highnesses didn’t do everything they could to protect them?” Regina says smugly.

“Look, guys, enough. Hook and I will go get Regina’s magical crap from the castle, end of discussion. I don’t like not having all the tools possible to face who or whatever this is.”

“Thank you, Miss Swan.” Regina says, her tone indicating it was more of a dig at her parents than actual gratitude.

“Fine. But how will you get back? You only have one bean.” David asks. Emma looks to Hook for answers, considering this was his plan to begin with. He catches her eye and clears his throat with an awkward scratch of his ear.

“I can get another bean from the same seller. I know where he is.” Emma knows he’s hiding something, and she plans on pushing him on it later, but for now she lets it slide.

“Well, how do you know that he has more, or that you can get one from him? It’s a bit of a precarious plan, especially now my daughter is coming.” David replies roughly.

“I trust that Hook will get us back, okay. We should probably get going soon and I want to say goodbye to Henry first. I know you’ll all take care of him, but he’ll think I’m leaving him with strangers, and I don’t want him to worry.” Emma heads upstairs before more disagreements break out, exhaling with relief at the tiny amount of peace the dark, quiet hallway provides.

She wakes Henry to explain that she needs to go somewhere else for work, but she will be back in no time. He’s sleepy and confused, but he smiles when she says he will be treated to all the ice cream from the mayor he wants and some lovely meals from her friends (yes, the one that was apparently her cellmate). Emma hugs him tightly and says goodnight once again, watching over him for a moment before turning off the light and closing the door.

“You don’t have to come along, Swan.” Hook says softly from behind her as he exits his own room.

“And let you have all the fun trashing Regina’s castle? I don’t think so.” She scoffs. They share a brief look, and, in this moment, she is particularly grateful for this uncanny ability they seemed to have developed of understanding each other with a single glance. It’s simultaneously terrifying and comforting to know Hook can read her so well.

Emma says goodbye to her parents while Hook gets strict rules from Regina about what to do in her castle and he looks like he’d rather switch places with her and be hugging David right now. She’s hoping they will be back pretty soon but and she’s putting all her faith in Hook’s suspiciously vague plan to get them another bean home, but her trust in him grows each time he does something selfless, chipping away at her suspicions with his surprising decency and kindness.

They head out the back behind the B&B, the frosty air nipping at her skin as she shivers. Hook’s breath comes out in clouds when he offers her one last chance to back out, but Emma simply shakes her head, and he tosses the bean on the grass. The portal swirls in front of them and a second later they’re jumping through in a dizzy haze of flashing lights and crackling sounds.

With a rough landing in between some trees and a distinct shift in the atmosphere, Emma knew they had made it to the Enchanted Forest. Well, running back to New York wasn’t exactly an option anymore.

-/-

“I walked around the Enchanted Forest in my normal clothes last time, I don’t see why it’s an issue now.” Emma grumbles, fighting with the heavy material of the skirt they had nabbed from a clothing line. Hook had already explained it to her, but he indulges her complaints nevertheless.

“We don’t know what or who has been left here after the curse. Looking like you’re from another world is a sure-fire way to gain attention, and we want to get in and back as soon as possible, right lass?” He smirks at her grumbled response as they continue down the path in the forest, squinting at the peak of the castle ahead of them. They had been walking for some time; unfortunately, the bean did not let him pick an arrival spot closer to the castle. He had thought that perhaps this time alone with Emma would be pleasant, perhaps even a time for them to reconnect after being separated for a year, but so far Emma appears to be preoccupied with her own thoughts.

“Did you miss going on adventures with me while you were in New York?” He asks teasingly, glancing over at Emma as she scoffs.

“You bet. The Big Apple had nothing on trekking through trees and beanstalks in strange lands with a pirate.” She replies humorously.

“The Big Apple?”

“It’s a nickname for New York.”

“Your land never ceases to confuse me, Swan.”

“Yeah, well, staying in New York would have meant not having to deal with the confusion of curses and villains.” He can sense the shift in Emma’s attitude with her bitter words and he sighs.

“So, you would have preferred it if I had left you alone in your new life.”

“I’m glad you came and gave me my memories back, but you have to understand how hard it’s been for me leaving that life of blissful ignorance to the existence of…all of this.” Emma waves her hands around, gesturing at the land they’re in.

“You act like knowing of the existence of magic and fairy tales is a burden. But don’t you ever think about what it has to offer, what it’s already given you?”

“When magic was the entire reason for me growing up alone? For my parents being cursed twice now? For Neal’s crappy childhood and Regina killing a bunch of people and countless other shitty things? Sorry, I’m just a little preoccupied dealing with all of that that see the beauty in it.” Emma speeds up her steps and Hook strides to match her pace. She’s clearly jaded, and she has every right to be, but he feels like he should be doing more to reason with her. He suspects that her dismissal of magic and this world will cause a chasm soon enough, pulling her further away and back into the noisy streets of the city she seems to love so much.

They continue along the path in relative silence, jumping into the trees when they hear the odd carriage or footsteps ahead as a precaution to avoid potential foes or having to explain who they are. Hook can feel the air cooling as the day progresses and he’s concerned about the few hours of daylight they have left. He hadn’t thought that they could achieve everything in a single day, but Emma’s cold demeanor had put him off broaching the topic of resting come nightfall.

The castle soon becomes visible as the trees thin and the path becomes wider. Hook is surprised that no one is around. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he had wondered if some strays left behind from the curse would ransack it or something. From appearances, it had been left alone, which was a good sign for collecting all of the necessary items Regina requested.

“The way Regina talked about this place I thought it would be beautiful, but honestly it’s kind of ugly.” Emma comments, making eye contact with him for the first time in over an hour. He smirks, nodding in agreement and pleased they can at least mock the architecture together.

“Aye, her taste is indeed questionable.”

“It’s weird to think my grandparents lived here, that my mom grew up here. I feel so disconnected from all of this.” Emma admits as they walk up the stairs to the main entrance. It’s so eerily quiet that Hook is reminded of the curse that hit everyone here, snatching them away to the land without magic. Their trek to the castle and his concerns of Emma’s longing for her old life had almost made him forget why they were here in the first place.

“Perhaps that is something you could discuss with your mother. Maybe hearing stories of her childhood and your grandparents will help you appreciate this part of your life more.”

“So that I won’t want to go back to New York you mean?” Emma asks flatly.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that, like you said, you are disconnected from your history here, and maybe understanding it more will help you better accept magic being in your life.” Hook shrugs, trying to pass it off as nonchalant. Emma hums suspiciously and he realizes he really has no ability to pretend anything other than the truth with her.

“And perhaps I don’t want to say goodbye again.” He adds boldly. Since Emma regained her memories, he’s been dancing around his feelings for her, prioritizing her return to town and figuring out the business of this new curse. After all, she was juggling her cursed parents and her son’s own sheltered memories, she hardly needed him making things more difficult.

“There is a lot of New York you haven’t seen yet. There’s more to the city than the inside of a jail cell.” She jokes, giving him a lopsided smile. They’ve reached the main entrance now, the doors grand and intimidating in their aggressive spikes and bolts as deterrents. Hook pulls on the large handle, the door creaking loudly in the otherwise quiet entrance. The immediate hall inside is empty, no guards or thieves in sight, and they step in apprehensively.

“Are you suggesting I should come to the city with you, if you were to return?” He asks as Emma glances around in wonder.

“Well, I-” She starts, but she suddenly stops and slams into him, knocking them both to the floor as streaks of fire blaze above them. The fire singes the floor right where they had stood, fizzling out after scorching most of the entranceway. Hook looks around frantically, not seeing anyone around to cause balls of fire to hurdle at them. Emma’s heavy skirts and cloak are draped over him, her hair tickling his face as she moves off him with a groan.

“I’m sorry, it just came out of nowhere and I reacted.” She sits up awkwardly, looking around to see if any more fire could come their way as she shifts her cloak back over her bodice correctly and puffing out her now red cheeks.

“No worries, lass. I’m impressed by your quick reaction.” Hook replies as he stands, offering her his hand to help her up.

“I deal with some shifty people at work, I’ve got to be fast.” Emma shrugs. He delicately moves a curl of her hair back in place, catching her eyes as he does so. It’s the softest she’s looked since he found her in New York, a look he hadn’t seen since they said goodbye at the town line a year ago. It lasts only a moment before she looks away, but he’ll hold onto it as a sign that whatever formed between them in the cruel humidity of Neverland still lingered in her soul.

They cautiously proceed through the castle towards Regina’s tower, both on the lookout for other apparent protection spells that were still in effect. He wondered if they would find some hint of what happened before the curse, but everything seemed normal, at least for the castle of the Evil Queen. Once they find her room, they quickly grab bottles and books and trinkets from the vanity, tossing them into a sack he had in his pocket.

“Regina said she has a room where she keeps more things, but it’s sealed with blood magic so this will have to suffice.” Hook tells Emma as she sniffs one of the bottles and grimaces.

“And no doubt she will blame us if this stuff isn’t what she needs.” Emma scoffs. The setting sun reflects off the vanity mirror and Emma’s hair shines in the hazy orange glow. He admires her for a moment before stepping away to stand at the balcony, looking out the stretch of land ahead and the pastel colours of the sunset. Emma soon joins him, and they stand together and watch the changing colours of the sky in silence.

“I don’t know how Regina could stand here and see something so beautiful out there and want to retreat into this cold, dark palace.” Emma says quietly.

“Maybe she was scared of the potential life outside of this, so she retreated to something familiar.” He replies, glancing over at Emma to see his meaning was not lost on her by the way she shakes her head. He thinks she’s ready to launch into another defence of her wanting to go back to New York, but she doesn’t say anything. To his surprise, she shuffles closer and rests her head on his shoulder. They stay like that for a while, until a chill settles over them and Emma sighs wistfully.

“So where is this bean seller?” She asks, pulling her cloak around herself with a shiver.

“He should be down by the water. But we should rest for the night. It’s a bit of a walk to the port, even longer and more hazardous in the dark.” Hook replies, his stomach sinking at the thought of the next part of their quest.

“Okay, but I don’t want to stay here. I’m sure the beds in the guest rooms are nice but this place freaks me out. Is there an inn or something close by? Preferably somewhere we could find some kind of food.” Emma laughs lightly when her stomach rumbles mid-sentence.

“Aye, there’s a tavern in a village close by, if we leave now, perhaps we can make it by the light that’s left of the day. I have no idea if anyone will be there, but there may be something left behind we could salvage to eat.” Hook grabs the sack of magical items and swings it over his shoulder, ushering Emma ahead as they quickly descend from the tower.

He keeps close to Emma as they walk in the dusky light, glancing ahead as the individual trees of the forest become indiscernible and form an ominous tunnel of darkness.

“Why did you have two beans?” Emma asks, her voice breaking the quietness of the night.

“Well, why not?” He evades with a cheeky tone.

“You said you were saving it for a rainy day. I get being prepared for the worst, but it seemed like you had a specific purpose for it.” Hook thinks for a moment, deciding whether or not to tell the truth. He thinks of her head on his shoulder earlier and the way it felt so simple and easy to stand by her side in peace.

“I got a second one in case you wanted me to leave.”

“Leave?” Emma asks incredulously.

“You had a life in Storybrooke with the town and your family, and then again in New York with your boy. I came to bring you back to them, but I never had a place in that life of yours. I have stayed for the possibility that I could, but if you wished that I didn’t, I would return here and never burden you again.” Hook tugs on the sack awkwardly as they walk, almost wishing he could see her face but also relieved to be shielded by the darkness.

Emma is quiet, and the longer she doesn’t speak, the more anxious he becomes. She could easily turn around right now and tell him she does want him to leave her life, and the thought makes his chest ache.

“You’re not a burden, Hook.” She says quietly. He takes that as the smallest of victories and relaxes a little. He thinks she’s about to say more when she suddenly trips, slipping onto the ground with a painful groan.

“Swan!” He tosses the sack down and kneels beside her, widening his eyes in the dark as if that would help him see better.

“I think I hit my…” Emma mumbles. Hook gently touches her face, feeling blood already forming at the cut at her temple. He kicks around and feels a rock on the path just as Emma turns on the ground and retches.

“Concussion.” She mutters, slumping against his chest.

“Aye, that was a nasty hit to the side of your head, lass.” He says softly as he brushes her hair away from the cut. She’s in no state to continue walking, but there’s no way they can stop here for the night; she’ll certainly need food and water to ease her discomfort. He reaches for the sack and loops the string over his hook before scooping her up in his arms, much to her disoriented chagrin.

“Down, I’ve had this loads before.”

“Doesn’t matter how often this happens to you, Swan. I’m not having you wander about in the dark in this state. You’ll end up knocking me out too with your stumbling.” He teases lightly. She grumbles something unintelligible, but he takes her burrowing herself against him as resignation. Hook watches her close her eyes and furrow her brows and he hopes he can reach that damn tavern soon.

-/-

A wave of nausea hits Emma when she opens her eyes, the image of the room feeling like a puzzle her brain is too slow to piece together. A candle flickers on the other side of the room, the dancing flame making her unsteady vision worse. She slides up the bed she lays in, wincing in discomfort. Looking around the room at the simple décor, she assumes this is the tavern. To her left is another single bed, the sack of Regina’s things sitting on top along with Hook’s jacket. There is a cup and a pitcher of water on the small table in the middle of the beds and she clumsily pours some and takes a slow drink, her dry lips and throat relieved to feel the liquid.

She tentatively reaches up to touch her head, feeling a small bandage across the cut on her temple, her hair damp from what she hopes is the water used to clean the wound and not blood. The door creaks open and Emma is relieved to see Hook.

“Ah good, you’re awake.” He says softly. She notices the plate he’s carrying and practically salivates at the thought of food, but he puts it down on the table and stands beside her bed, gently lifting her chin up with his fingers.

“Your eyes look alert, I’m sure some colour will come back to your cheeks once you’ve eaten.” His fingers are warm against her skin and she feels cold as soon as his hand slips away.

“I was able to bring up some cheese and a small amount of bread, but Sylvia won’t allow any hot food in the rooms. If you are feeling well enough, we can go down a bit later for something more.” Hook explains as he passes her the plate of the ration sized portions of bread and cheese.

“Sylvia?” She asks before tucking in, happy to have a least something to put in her stomach.

“The owner of the tavern. Turns out, the curse left a few people from different villages all over. A lot of them gathered here after the curse hit and made their own sort of village. It’s a lively little place.”

“Does anyone know what happened?”

“Not in any great detail. Some were outside of the boundaries and saw it descend, but they didn’t know why. They said it was a green fog that seemed to appear from Regina’s castle. They’ve all been too scared to go there in case its dangerous, but no one knows who cast it or why.” Hook sits down on the other bed and slides out the flask from his jacket pocket. She watches him take a drink and longs for the pleasantly warm feeling of his rum.

“Have you eaten yet?” She asks, swallowing the last of the bread guiltily.

“I had some bread and cheese downstairs.”

“We should go get some warm food now. I’m still hungry and I bet you are too.” Emma says firmly as she moves off of the bed. Hook jumps up to stop her, his hand gently holding on to her shoulder like she’s going to break.

“Are you well enough?”

“Hook, I’m fine. It was a concussion; I’ve gotten them plenty of times when a skip is rough on the run and I still catch them every time.”

“Aye, but head injuries can be fatal. Just because you feel fine doesn’t mean you are.” He replies with concern. She rolls her eyes and tugs on his arm as she feels her stomach grumble in desire of more food, pulling him towards the door.

“And if I faint it could easily be from hunger. Come on.”

Hook leads the way down the stairs to the common area of the tavern, the old place dimly lit with candles scattered about, leaving pools of melted wax around them. Emma hears the buzz of chatter from the front room and is surprised to see so many people here. Hook ushers her to the table closest to the fire that was fortunately free and she hums in appreciation at the warmth. She sees him gesture to the woman behind the bar she assumes is Sylvia, who gives her a once over and smiles before leaving through the door behind her.

“The food will be here shortly, Swan.” Hook reassures her as he sits down on the bench beside her. They both soak in the heat of the fire eagerly, Hook holding out his hand in front of the flames for warmth. Emma subtly looks over him, noticing his tired eyes in the gleam of the fire and his tense shoulders. They hadn’t been able to see the light from the tavern before she hit her head, so she assumes they had still been a fair distance from it, which meant that he had walked all that way with her in his arms in the dark. He must have also tended to her wound and made sure she had a soft place to lie down when they got here.

“Hey, um, thanks for making sure I was okay.” She says awkwardly, reaching out to give his arm a squeeze. He seems surprised by her gesture, raising an eyebrow and quickly looking back at the fire.

“Of course, love.”

“And you’re not some stray dog I’m going to get rid of by the way. You’ve helped me and my family out a lot. I said that you could be part of something, and I meant it.” Emma speaks quietly, aware that they had attracted some attention from the other patrons when they came down. Hook nods and puts his hand over hers on his arm with a soft smile.

“Some warm stew for the lovebirds.” Sylvia says loudly as she comes towards them with two steaming bowls and some water. Emma gives Hook a questioning look, but he responds with his own vague expression that tells her to play along. They thank Sylvia and tuck in, Emma too grateful for the warm bowl of food to even care what’s in it. Her body instantly relaxes at the taste of food and she practically inhales the whole bowl, realizing the last warm meal she ate back in Storybrooke felt like days ago. Hook grins at her and asks Sylvia for seconds for both of them. Four bowls of stew later they turn back to the fire, feeling full, warm, and surprisingly relaxed.

“Lovebirds?” Emma murmurs to him, knocking his shoulder with her own teasingly.

“I told her you are my wife. I thought it the easiest way to explain a passed-out woman in my arms that I needed to stay with.” Hook explains sheepishly.

“I’m surprised she gave us a room with two beds then.” She scoffs.

“It was the last room left.” Hook says humorously. Emma hums in understanding but starts gnawing on her lip at the fact that a mild swell of disappointment fills her chest. She hadn’t given much thought to their sleeping arrangements beyond finding a bed outside of Regina’s castle to lie on for the night, but now that they have a room with beds of their own, she thinks about what it might have been like had there only been one. It’s ridiculous and she puts it down to the overwhelming craziness of the past few days making her yearn for some comfort and that is it.

“Disappointed, Swan?” Hook smirks, flashing her the smoldering gaze that obviously gets him a lot of attention.

“Please.” She rolls her eyes; glad her cheeks were already flushed by the fire. The heat of the fire and the tension simmering between them brings her right back to Neverland and she licks her lips at the thought of their kiss. Emma finds herself feeling the same desire to throw caution to the wind and kiss him again. It seems fitting that they are in another world again and away from her home that she can lock these moments away in the compartments of her mind that separate reality and these fantasy experiences.

Loud cheering from across the room breaks the intense gaze between them. Emma exhales and takes a drink of water, watching the group of men begin to play music. They tease each other about their singing voices as they start a song off-key, a couple of the rowdier ones getting up to dance with no coordination. The other patrons clap and cheer them on, some of them joining in with the dancing.

“Go on loves, join in!” Sylvia encourages them with a wink as she clears away their bowls. Hook grins wickedly, taking great pleasure in the way she groans with dread.

“Nope. You can’t get me up there, I have no idea what this jig type thing even is.” She says firmly, watching a couple shake their legs in strange ways as they twirl around.

“Then it’s a good thing you have a partner who knows what he’s doing.” She can’t help but stare wide eyed at Hook as he stands up, offering with his hand with a warm smile. With a wince, she puts her hand in his and lets him lead her to the middle of the room, holding on to him as he positions them for the dance.

“Remember I have a damn concussion, Hook.” Emma grumbles, breathing in sharply when he brings her closer to his chest.

“I’ll go easy on you, love.” He whispers in her ear as his stubble grazes her cheek. He guides her through some basic moves, and she feels laughter bubble up in her chest at the absurdity of the situation. They manage to jump and twist in time to the music a few times, both of them laughing at her lack of coordination despite him practically leading each of her body parts that needed to move. Emma finds herself enjoying it, giggling happily when she eventually starts to pick it up. When the music begins to pick up in tempo she sways into Hook, feeling a little overwhelmed by the fast movements. He responds by holding her waist and tucking her against his shoulder as they sway slightly. They’re no longer moving to the music, but she finds that she doesn’t care that they’re swaying slowly near the rowdy crowd still skipping about.

“How do you know how to dance like that?” Emma murmurs close to his ear.

“The crew and I would frequent taverns like this and picked it up. We even danced on the Jolly some nights, especially in the summer when the air was warm and smelled sweet.” She hears the sadness in his voice, and she realizes she doesn’t know what happened to Hook during the missing year or where his ship was.

“What happened to the Jolly?”

“An illustrious bean seller has her.” Hook says quietly, and Emma leans back to look at him. She searches his eyes, and it dawns on her what he means.

“You traded your ship for me?”

“Aye.”

She’s overwhelmed by this revelation and for the first time stops overthinking and just reacts, her lips finding his with relief. It feels warm and comforting to be in his embrace, and for the first time since leaving New York, she truly feels the spark of her old life reignited. It’s then when she feels the stir of passion and peace swell inside her a wave of exhaustion hits her and she sinks into him weakly.

“As much as I love a woman swooning at my feet Swan, you need to rest now.” Hook teases, kissing her forehead gently. They leave the boisterous fun of the tavern for the quiet chill of their room for the night and Emma practically collapses into bed, her limbs screaming out for rest. She’s already slipping into sleep when she feels Hook kiss her cheek and she dozes off to the burn of desire from the high of their kiss.

-/-

Hook wakes up to a pressure against his right side, twitching his nose at the tickle of hair. It takes him a moment to adjust to the dim light of early morning before realizing it’s Emma, pressed against him and deeply asleep still. She must have climbed into his bed at some point in the night, but he has no memory of being stirred in his sleep (he most certainly would have remembered Emma Swan coming into his bed).

The beds were small and certainly not made for two people, but he’s far from mad to have her body against his in the morning. Their kiss last night had been unexpected to say the least. Hook had been well aware that the truth of his ship’s whereabouts would come to light at some point given that they needed to find the man who had it, but he thought perhaps Emma wouldn’t realize what exactly had transpired. For the sake of their relationship, he was glad she had seemed to know the gravity of it. Hook stays in bed for a while, holding Emma as she sleeps. He dozes in and out until she begins waking up.

“Morning, Swan.” He says warmly, watching as she frowns and takes in her surroundings.

“Um, hi. I’m sorry, I was freezing.” She says all flustered, wriggling out of bed quickly.

“No worries, I was too.” Emma nods apprehensively at him, rubbing her eyes sleepily. They awkwardly dance around each other as they splash water on their faces and shrug on their cloak and jacket, ready to leave as Hook hoists up the sack. Sylvia convinces them to grab breakfast before they leave, shoving bread rolls in their hands as they head out. The port isn’t too far, but it’s another decent walk there and he’s grateful for the sustenance.

This walk feels more comfortable between them than the one to the castle and despite the awkwardness after waking up, Emma seems more relaxed now. He teases her about watching out for rocks on the path, laughing when she playfully shoves him into the grass. He feels these moments from Emma are rare, so he cherishes the sound of her laugh and the curve of her smile. They hadn’t broached the topic of New York again, and Hook thinks it best to leave it until they return to Storybrooke. Perhaps their little quest will help defeat this new foe quickly and Emma can appreciate her exposure to the magical world. Or perhaps she will decide to still go, but he can go with her. The noisy, busy streets of her city would be bearable if it meant still having her in his life.

The brilliant blue of the water rests ahead and before long he recognizes the Jolly, his heart sinking at the thought of his home belonging to another. He had wondered if he would ever see it again, which may have been the less painful scenario than seeing another captain at the helm.

“I’ll do the bargaining, lass. This is personal between Blackbeard and I, so it’s best you stay back.” Hook warns Emma as they reach the ship, still glorious and majestic in comparison to the other ships around her.

“I can hold my own, Hook. This is my bargain too, is it not?” Emma retorts. He shakes his head, wishing she hadn’t taken his words as a dismissal of her strength.

“Aye, but Blackbeard is cruel. If he sees how important this is to you, he will do something vindictive. And quite honestly, I’m concerned he will hurt you if he knows how much you mean to me.” Emma opens and closes her mouth but doesn’t seem to find the words to respond and simply nods.

She hangs back while he walks up the ramp and onto the ship, surveying the small changes made here and there. He did not see a familiar face in the crew, but most of his had been loyal and left when he did, some finding other crews to join and others venturing off elsewhere.

“Hook, as I live and breathe! I did not expect to see your sorry soul standing on this ship ever again.” Blackbeard bellows, an arrogant smile on his face.

“I’m in need of another bean.” Hook says curtly.

“You blew through the two I gave you already? What the hell are you playing at, mate?”

“Do you have another or not?”

“Aye, but the cost…do you even have anything of value left to trade?” Blackbeard inspects him, his eyes landing on the sack of Regina’s things. Hook tosses it to him, watching him catch it with intrigue.

“Take your pick.”

Blackbeard rifles through and snorts obnoxiously.

“Trinkets? Jars? What fool do you take me for? You must be desperate coming to me with this junk in search of a bean. Why do want one so badly?” Blackbeard stares intensely waiting for him to crack. Hook matches his gaze silently, but he sees Blackbeard’s eyes wander to the harbour and with a sinking feeling, Hook knows by the grin on his face that he has seen Emma.

“A woman, of course. The very same woman you needed the first bean for perhaps? She’s a beauty, that’s for sure. Well, in that case, what is she worth to you?” He challenges, smug that he has Hook in such a position.

“Name your price.” Hook grits out.

“Oh, you love her. In that case…your life of servitude for a bean. She gets the bean; I own your soul.”

Hook feels the colour drain from his face. This had been a risky plan all along, but such a bargain was so painfully steep he was taken aback. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been considering he truly does not have anything else to offer beyond his own life. But this was his plan, and he would be damned if Emma suffered because of it.

“Fine. Deal. But I get to give her the bean myself and say goodbye.” Hook says wistfully. Blackbeard actually looks surprised for a moment, but he shrugs and gives Hook the precious bean from a little pouch in his pocket, along with the sack of Regina’s apparently worthless items. He heads back to Emma, trying to keep a neutral face but struggling.

“So, you got it, right? What was the trade?”

“Here it is, Swan. Take it. You’ll be home in no time.” He evades as he curls the bean into her hand, clicking his tongue when Emma glares at him.

“Hook, what did you do to get it?”

“I’ll remain here and work for Blackbeard.”

“Okay…for how long?”

“The rest of my life I suppose.”

“No. Absolutely not, we can find another way to get back.” Emma shakes her head vehemently.

“The town needs you too much. We don’t know what has transpired while we’ve been gone, and you need to get Regina her things and be with your boy.” Hook says softly.

“They need you too.” Emma replies, reaching for his hand when he shakes his head.

“Killian…I need you.” His chest aches at the way she uses his name. Her words both fill his chest with happiness and break his heart; of course she expresses such a sentiment when they must part once more. Her fingers are laced between his and he holds her gentle hand tightly, not ready to let go.

“You don’t, Swan. You did just fine without me the for the past year.” He replies with a short humourless laugh.

“Because I didn’t remember you. If I did…I don’t think I would have started seeing Walsh. Maybe I would have-”

“No use speculating now, lass. It’s in the past, but right now you need to worry about your family and the town. Don’t worry about me.” He makes sure she has the bag of Regina’s things and kisses her cheek softly, smiling sadly when she dips her head and brushes against him.

“Not a day will go by that I won’t think of you.” She whispers.

“Good.” He responds, wishing that perhaps this goodbye will only be temporary like the last turned out to be, but the reality of Blackbeard’s bargain weighs heavily on him and Emma already feels a world away from his damned soul. They linger for a moment longer before separating, Emma exhaling and looking at the bean as she walks away from him and out of the busy docking area, turning back with a wistful smile only once. He waits until he sees her go through the portal in the distance before heading back onto the Jolly, ignoring Blackbeard’s taunts to retreat below deck.

He’s home, but without his freedom and without the woman he loves. A more sensible man would also be without hope, but when he meets the crew, he sees a few familiar faces, and the way they call him captain in hushed tones stirs something in him to fight to get back what he has lost. He’ll bide his time, but after being around the heroes, their penchant for hope has certainly inspired him.

-/-

Things never seem to slow when Emma returns. In the time that she had been gone, Regina had discovered that it had been her sister Zelena who cast the curse and she had been masquerading as Snow’s midwife. She had barely been back a day when they finally found Neal, but she lost him again just as quickly as he had come back. The reasons for returning to New York only grew with every painful and dangerous thing that happened. She even tried working on her magic and learning from Regina, but when Zelena took her newborn sibling in an attempt to cast a ridiculous time travel spell, Emma had had it.

She would be leaving for New York once her parents were settled with her brother, and not a moment later.

But the reported sighting of the Jolly Roger down by the harbour had her pause her exit plans.

Emma had avoided speaking of Hook, simply telling people when she returned that he had decided to remain in the Enchanted Forest. No one seemed convinced, but thankfully didn’t push her on it. In some twisted way she had been pleased to have so much to deal with that she didn’t have time to think about what his absence meant for her, but in quiet moments of respite, she longed for the warmth of his presence in her life.

When she gets the text about the Jolly, she races down to the docks, wishing she had taken her car as she carries Henry’s book with her rather awkwardly. She finally gets close enough to see the little figures of people walking about the deck, and if she squints really hard, she thinks she can see Hook.

It’s unmistakably him when she reaches the ship and she calls his name, smiling at his reaction as his eyes find her. She hurries up the ramp and throws her arms around him so hard the book slams into his back, causing him to chuckle into her hair.

“Hi, Swan.”

“Hi, I’m sorry I just didn’t think I’d ever really see you again. How did you get the ship back from Blackbeard? Did you use another bean to get here? How the hell does he have so many?” She rattles off, tucking the book under her arm after their embrace.

“I’ll explain all later, but more importantly, what happened here? Did you figure out who cast the curse?” He asks with concern, looking over her to make sure she was okay and frowning at the book.

“It was Regina’s sister, the Wicked Witch of the West. It was some sibling rivalry crap, but she wanted my baby brother for a time travel spell and mayhem ensued. We’ve stopped her but…I’ve lost my magic and we lost Neal.” Hook reaches out for her and she leans in to his touch, relieved to feel the spark of comfort she usually feels around him.

“I’m so sorry, Swan.”

“Look, I know how you feel about it, but I just really wanted to go back to New York after all this. Henry gave me his book to remind me of the magic that makes up our family history, and I’ve been trying but I’m just…exhausted.” Emma sighs, sinking into him when he reaches his arm out to embrace her.

“Well, I just got here, you can’t leave now.” Hook jokes softly. Emma is about to respond with a quip of her own when she sees a beam of light flash in the distance.

“What the hell is that?” Emma mutters, trying to figure out where the light was coming from. She has a horrible suspicion that it may be coming from the barn and she groans, tugging on Hook’s jacket sleeve to follow her as she heads over there.

“David left a message, Zelena died and somehow triggered the time portal.” Emma yells over the loud noise of the magic when they reach the barn.

“Emma, perhaps we shouldn’t get too close.”

“We need to close it!”

They swirl around in a magical portal once again, being thrown into another unexpected and unpredictable adventure. But, as always, Hook is by her side, and she’s realizing that despite the pain magic has caused in her life, it has also brought him into her life, and maybe it’s about facing the hardships together.

“You don’t have your magic, it’s too dangerous."

"But-"

She’s interrupted by the sheer force of the magic pulling them toward the portal and they cling to each other as they tumble on the ground roughly. They both struggle to avoid falling in, Hook using his appendage to grip onto the ground. Emma holds on to his hand, but she feels herself slipping away and she’s worried he’ll leave her to fall into the unknown hole of time. She meets his eyes, and he lifts his hook to fall in with her.

And so she decides to do just that. When their little adventure in the past comes to an end, after witnessing her parents fall in love, attending a ball, almost losing her mother, and maybe falling in love with Captain Hook along the way, she decides to make Storybrooke her home. There are the occasional foes in town, but it is a place full of family, friends, and love, and they can face anything together.

#cssecretsanta2020 #csss2020 #phiralovesloki #cs ff #captain swan

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crystalized-cove · 4 years

Text

【White Elephant】

[ I read your rules, but I was wondering if you can do a platonic friendship with the reader and Grimm? Hearing about his unknown past in ch. 4 rule want me to give the little guy some love. How about a oneshot with reader celebrating with him? It can be a holiday or a birthday you decide. And if you want you can add other characters to make it more interesting.🙂 ]

Very interesting indeed… You seem to worry about Grim, little guppy. Is he truly worth your attention? Maybe. I merely wish to watch out for your safety.

[ I legit felt a small pain reading that Grim could have potentially been alone all his life, and it makes me sad! I’m hoping we all have a Christmas feast with Octavinelle and Scarabia by the end of Chapter 4…

Also, I apologize if this isn’t good, begun writing this between a stressful time ]

Platonic [ Grim x Reader ]

“Winter break alone, huh? At least we don’t have to do anything crazy like fighting some magic-ridden dwarves or hypnotized mermaids, yanno?” Grim muses in thought as he rested on her shoulder. Having always forced her to carry him around when he felt extremely lazy. Turning her gaze down as she nods, moving to the cafeteria as it was the last day before the break would begin. Everyone gathered about and spoke bluntly on their plans to return home. Learning about all their different traditions and returning agendas that occurred for each and every student.

Yet something felt missing to the two from such a rambling shack of a dorm. They stayed around in the Hall of Mirrors for their friends. Watching them leave one-by-one, the woman felt her spirit seem to slowly drain from her.

Phone for emergencies? Check. Wood logs for keeping the fire spirits happy? Check. Presents?

Her mind paused for a moment. Winter break always meant the holidays. Seeing family and relaxing with them. Yet at that moment, she knew she was alone. It was as if all motivation and steam for doing anything left her. Sitting on her bed, she was just in her room alone. But the door swung wide open, exposing a familiar feline to call for her. Yet he didn’t even get a sound out once he saw her melancholic mood. Tilting his head to the side, he padded over and jumped into her lap.

“What’s wrong?” “What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’?”

“I mean, you’re not happy. That’s as clear as day, yanno?” It took her a moment to realize what he was saying. Raising her head to look at herself in the mirror, noticing her lips were in a flat line as her eyes were just… blank. Turning her attention back to Grim, she began to run her fingers through his fur. Stroking his head as if to distract him for a moment.

“I just… miss my family. You’re lucky to not really have anyone…” She assumed instantly as she shook her head. “Sure, every day we have Ace, Deuce, Jack, and such… but, it’s really frustrating to know my family is somewhere else. Missing me.”

Listening and not saying a word, Grim just watched her rant. Rant about the cold mornings that turned warm from the fire being lit early. Rant about the large feasts that occurred due to family all overcoming over for a week, sometimes less, sometimes more. Rant about the stories that were shared around that time after eating, drinking, and laughing. Ranting about how much she wanted to go home.

Scurrying down the hallway, it was late into the depth of the night. Not many would be up, but the little demon knew a certain someone who would. Jumping through the mirror, he hurries into the one-room he knew he’d be in. Seeming to make his way before he pauses, the two doors opening. Bright flashes of yellow staring down at him as familiar shark-toothed grins meet. Almost cowering in instant fear, he stood up on his hind legs and puffed out his chest. Walking through the doors to head into the perfectly lit office. Gloved fingers interlocked on top of the desk, a chin resting upon them as spectacles watched the feline’s every move.

“And what brings you so late into the night, demon?”

“I want to spend every single point on having you join me for dinner!”

Taking a moment to register his request, Azul fixed his glasses upon the bridge of his nose. Clearing his throat, “Excuse me… Join you… for dinner?”

“Yes!” Grim frowns as he spits out a bit of fire, “Join me for dinner in a week! At 18:00! With a present, wrapped up, frilled, whatever! Make sure it comes from whatever you can call your money-hand-grabber heart!” He then leaves as fast as he ran in. Muttering to himself as the silver-haired male had to take a moment to register what just occurred. Jade stepped up as he looked over at him with a smile.

“Shall we prepare a gift for you?” “L… Let us all bring something. It seems he wishes to plan something. Just be prepared, Jade, Floyd.”

“Grim, stop snoring…” Her hand traveled up and plopped on top of the feline’s head as if he were an alarm clock. Barely cracking an eye open as he grumbles and starts to bite at her hand as if she was a fresh can of tuna. Her eyes narrowed at him before tossing him off the bed. Curling up even more underneath the warm and comfortable comforter of her bed. The sudden toss having woken Grim up, seated upon the floor now looking around for what caused him to leave the soft warmth of the bed. Noticing she was falling back asleep as his tail swayed in a rapid manner, upset.

“Yanno, it’s rude to throw the great Grim around!”

“It’s rude to snore in someone’s ear so early in the morning…” she began to groan as she sat up and stared down at him, “So shut up and let me sleep.” Her body falls back onto the bed. Closing her eyes before opening them, only to let out a short yelp in panic as bright blue eyes stared down at her. Quickly sitting up and throwing a pillow, it phased through as the ghost stared down at the pillow before looking up at her. Giving a lazy smile as he floats closer.

“Good morning! Happy Holidays!” The ghost hums as they were holding up a plate of gingerbread cookies. The cinnamon wafting through the air as she pauses, sniffing the cookies. Looking up then down as she takes one, biting into it.

“... It’s delicious. What’s this for?”

“The holidays! We should celebrate it together.” The slender ghost phases through, spooking the poor feline demon who jumps and hisses. Scurrying back to the bed to cling to the young woman. Grunting softly at this as she looks over and holds Grim up.

“Well… How can I say no to such generosity? Despite how… random it is.” Her voice was soft as she stood up. Heading downstairs only to suddenly see more than just a ghost in the kitchen. A very tall man standing there as he kept a gloved hand on his chin, inspecting the gallery of food.

“My, this is quite an arrangement just for the morning meal. I assume you cannot eat it all.” His back straightens as she was met with two pairs of yellow-slate eyes now. Arms wrapping around her shoulders tightly with the other twin rubbing his cheek against the top of her head.

“Shrimpy~ Good morning!” Floyd’s voice hummed as she just stood there staring. Seeing Octavinelle right there in her kitchen, with the ghosts just floating around preparing plates. Rather confused as Grim ran down the steps and looked up.

“Ah! I said later! Later!” He growled a bit as his tail stood on end. “What are you three doing here?!”

“We came here since you invited us. We just thought maybe you’d enjoy more company earlier, rather than later with less time.” Azul glanced over as he was seated at the table, already taking a bite into some waffles. Jade moved to his side and gave a polite smile.

“Apologies for the intrusion.”

“Apologies my ass, you crazy eel! I had everything planned for today! You weren’t supposed to be here until dinner! I was going to take her out sledding, and throw snow!” He huffs as his hair was on end, clearly having used his brain for once. The young woman stepped closer as she stared down at the fur ball that was on edge. “We were supposed to exchange presents later! Later, yanno!” He stomps his paw against the creaking wood, clearly upset as even a bit of his fire spat out from his mouth. Her gaze on him as they all had listened to Grim’s rant. A rather heavy silence following after that made him just as uncomfortable. Shaking his head before yelping as he was picked up. Feeling slender arms and hands hold him as he looks up, his eyes widening. Not expecting to see such an expression on her. The others were just as surprised. Her eyes glazed over with tears, yet she held them back as she smiled. Kissing between Grim’s ears as she held him against her chest. Almost cradling him as she wasn’t expecting such kindness. His own ears flattening against his head, his eyes watching her. “... Are you okay?”

“... I’m perfectly fine. Thank you, Grim. Thank you.” She smiles a little more and nuzzles into his head, giving a rather fine amount of affection he wasn’t used to. Almost… loving it. Patting her cheek lightly as he looked away.

“Of course I look after my vessel, yanno? Happy Holidays.”

#twisted wonderland #twistedwonderland #twst grim #octavinelle #jade leech #floyd leech #azul ashengrotto

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groundnul · 4 years

Text

Language of Flowers: Shinobu X Mitsuri X Reader

Request: Yay, I’m so happy you’re willing to do poly relationships!! Could I request a scenario/one shot where shinobu and mitsuri are in an established relationship and the reader has feelings for both of them that she thinks are unrequited but then they end up inviting her to be in a poly relationship together?

Title: Language of Flowers

Pairing: Shinobu X Mitsuri X Reader

Word Count: 3,153

Warnings: none

Notes: alternate title: tengen uzui to the rescue

Across the courtyard, you watched as Mitsuri and Shinobu enjoyed each other’s company over a cup of tea. Shinobu had an arm extended over the table, trying to feed something to an obviously bashful and fawning Mitsuri. As Mitsuri took the bite of food offered, Shinobu drew back her hand with a sweet smile, eyes trailing Mitsuri as if to memorize everything about her.

Turning away, a frustrated huff passed through your lips. Your feet moved on their own, taking you away from the source of your turmoil. Why did both of the people you had a crush on have to be together? Why?

It’s not fair. It’s not like you asked to be hopelessly in love with both of them -- it just kind of happened.

. . .

“(Y/N)-san, come look!” Mitsuri said excitedly, crouched next to a bench in the courtyard of the Butterfly Estate. Her long braid cascaded down her haori, swaying along with her movements. Jade eyes beckoned you closer, along with a wave of her arm.

You rushed over, unsure of what all the commotion was about. When you neared, you followed the point of her delicate fingers to the seat of the bench. On it crawled a small, furry caterpillar.

“Isn’t it cool??” she asked, looking from you to the caterpillar. Her hand rested dreamily on the crest of her cheek. You giggled at her adoration, watching her eyes light up as the insect reared its little head into the air.

“Do you know what kind it is?” you inquired, watching her expression. You could see the visible shift on her features as she processed your question, searched her brain and found an answer.

“Hmm…” she thought for a moment, finger tapping against her lip. Her hand outstretched animatedly as the answer came to her and she smiled determinedly. “Shinobu said it was called a maimai ga! She also said not to touch it, because you’ll get a rash.”

She warned you with the waggle of her finger, but you kept your eyes fixed on her adorable expression, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

She must have a beautiful soul.

. . .

While it wasn’t your first interaction with Mitsuri, it was one of the first times you had a one-on-one conversation with her, outside of the pillar meetings. You slid open the door to your guest room, slipping off your haori, sword and shoes and tossing them into the closet. You grumbled under your breath, moodily crawling under the covers of your tatami. These girls were going to make you crazy.

Your love for Shinobu came about a different way.

. . .

A choked scream ripped through the air as your body was slammed against a tree, forcing the air out of your lungs. Clawed fingers wrapped themselves around your throat, threatening to crush your windpipe.

The demon before you was one of the strongest you had faced, up to this point. Your measly Kanoe ranking meant nothing in comparison to their unbridled strength and speed. And now, they were just toying with you. Seeing how long you could hold out against their torture.

Your sword was long abandoned across the forest clearing, lodged into the trunk of a tree. Trembling hands pried at the fingers around your throat, feet thrashing as the demon scraped your body further up the tree. Your mind raced, searching for a way out of this horrible situation, but nothing came.

As your world grew dark, you heard the demon laugh. You feared it would be the last thing you ever heard.

But the voice of someone else rang through the clearing moments before the darkness swallowed you whole.

“Excuse me?” the voice asked politely, eyeing the demon curiously. “What are you up to? Is this some sort of game?”

The demon’s grip loosened in surprise, just for a moment, long enough for you to escape their grasp. You fell to the dirt in a heap, coughing and sputtering as you tried to get away. But angry fingers gripped your hair, jerking you backward. The mysterious voice was closer in an instant, somehow behind you.

“I don’t think she wants to play with you,” the voice explained sweetly. “But I’d love to be your friend. Would you like to play with me, instead?”

Your hair was let loose, and you seized the opportunity. Shaking legs hardly supported your weight as you dashed across the clearing to your sword, desperately tugging at the hilt. After finally pulling it free, you turned back to the scene.

A small girl somehow towered over the slain body of the demon, now splayed on the ground. Lavender butterflies fluttered through the forest clearing, swirling upward into the sky. She sheathed a thin sword, along with something else you couldn’t quite see. Turning around, her purple eyes met yours.

“Hello, there!” she greeted, her voice bright in the suffocating darkness of the night. “Are you alright?

You nodded numbly, almost entranced by her features under the moonlight. She giggled, hands clapping together in front of her. Her eyes closed happily, head tilting to the side.

“Perfect!”

. . .

You sighed at the memory, staring up at the ceiling of your room. The night Shinobu saved you was forever etched into your brain, replaying whether you wanted it to or not. Her kindness and skill inspired you, while her beauty captivated you.

The same could be said for Mitsuri, whose bursting love made your heart swell with adoration. Her heart of gold shined brighter than any star in the night sky, and you’d give anything to be on the receiving end of her smile.

Groaning, you slapped your cheeks. Why did everything have to be so hard?

Confessing was kind of out of the question. There were a million things that could go wrong, and the last thing you wanted to do was get between their relationship. If one or both of them rejected you, it would make things incredibly awkward. On the other hand, if either of them reciprocated your feelings… that’s a whole other can of worms. Shaking your head, you dismissed the idea. It’s not like you could confess to two people at once…

Unless?

No, no, you couldn’t do that…

Right?

Your eyes narrowed in thought. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Confessing to the separately might seem shady, like you’re trying to keep someone out of the loop. If either of them like you back, it’s going to require a conversation between the three of you, regardless. So… why not kill two birds with one stone?

Sitting up from your tatami, you shoved the blankets off and grabbed your haori. After grabbing your shoes and sword, you headed to the front of the estate, a determined look in your eyes. You spotted Sumi, Kiyo and Naho in the hall, whispering to them instructions for later. Their eager nods in response gave you confidence, their hands waving you off as you began your trek to the city. What’s a confession without flowers, anyway?

. . .

When you returned a few hours later, the sun had just begun to set on the horizon, sparking golden hour. Peeking around the corner, you glanced at the courtyard, searching for the familiar figures of your crushes. To your luck, it seems they both got your little message, and were seated near one another on the edge of the engawa. You gripped the two bouquets of flowers in your hand tightly, taking a deep breath.

Don’t mess this up.

You stepped out from the corner, slowly approaching the two from the side, the bouquets of flowers behind your back. Two sets of eyes quickly flicked to you, smiles welcoming but curious. Shinobu was the first to speak.

“Oh, hello, (Y/N)!” she said sweetly, turning her body to face you. “It’s nice to see you. What’s going on?”

Mitsuri’s eyes trailed over Shinobu in admiration, her finger rising to rest near her lips. You swallowed harshly, stepping out in front of the two, feet shuffling awkwardly in the dirt.

“Well, actually,” you started nervously, eyes switching between their similarly expectant stares. “I wanted to talk with you both.”

“Oh?” Shinobu says, eyebrows raising. “You know you could have just stopped by.”

“When the girls came to see me, I thought maybe something was wrong,” Mitsuri explained sheepishly, a flash of concern in her eyes. “Is everything alright?”

Your cheeks flushed at their words. You cleared your throat, biting your lip. Sending Sumi, Kiyo and Naho to fetch them upon your return was risky, but you hoped it would make the setting a little more formal for something like a confession.

“E-everything’s fine,” you stutter, cursing your anxiousness. “I’m sorry if I worried you. There’s just… um… I’ve been meaning to tell you both something for a while now.”

You felt your face grow even hotter as their eyes searched your face for answers.

“What is it?” Shinobu asked innocently, feet swinging playfully off the edge of the engawa.

“You know you can always talk to us,” Mitsuri reassured warmly, giving you her undivided attention.

You went rigid, heart thrumming in your ears. Taking a deep breath in, you bent at the waist, eyes squeezed shut.

“I… I have liked you both for a very long time,” you explained quietly, not having the courage to even open your eyes. “So… So, I- I hope you accept this as… as a token of my affection for you both!”

You thrust both your hands out, a bouquet in each. In the right, for Shinobu, comprised of lavender roses and white jasmine -- love at first sight and sweet love. In the left, for Mitsuri, red roses and pink camellia -- love and longing. Shinobu would understand the meaning behind hers, you’re sure, but you’re not certain if Mitsuri knows a lot about flower meanings. Maybe Shinobu would fill her in. You sigh.

Knots twist in your stomach at the deafening silence that follows. Your fingers are trembling, you’re sure, as hands gingerly pluck the flowers from your grip, first Shinobu and then Mitsuri. Your hands drop stiffly to your side, clenching into fists. Slowly, you raise your head, the rest of your body following as you examine their expressions.

They both look surprised, looking from one another and back to you. You feel your heart sink.

You knew this was a bad idea.

“Thank you, (Y/N), they’re beautiful,” Shinobu says, enthusiasm trailing off into something entirely different. “But, Mitsuri and I … we’re already...”

Her eyes are soft, looking at you with sympathy. You feel your whole body shaking, hands gripping roughly at the edges of your haori in an attempt to calm the sea of emotions welling within you.

Tears prick the corners of your eyes, and you swallow thickly, trying to will them away. Your heart rate spikes, and your body wills you to do something, anything to escape the extreme stress of this situation.

Your eyes look to Mitsuri, who is looking at you with empathetic eyes. It looks like she’s close to tears, herself. You shouldn’t have let her see you like this.

“(Y-Y/N), I had no idea.” Mitsuri said, and you could practically feel her guilt. “I’m sorry. I wish there was something we could do-”

You made her feel like that.

“I-” you begin, voice cracking. “I understand. I’m sorry to have bothered you both. P-please excuse me.”

You swiftly turn, moving quickly back towards your room.

“W-wait, (Y/N!)” you hear Mitsuri shout, but you can’t bring yourself to turn and face her. You can’t see that look in her eyes, again. You keep walking.

You ignore the tears streaming down your cheeks until you’re out of their sight, scrubbing harshly at them to will them away. You choke down the sob trying to escape your throat, wiping your nose with the sleeve of your haori. Distracted by your own sadness, you fail to notice the large figure turning the corner just up ahead.

Your body collides with the much larger figure of Tengen Uzui, pushing you a few steps back.

“Hm?” he questioned, looking down to your much smaller form.

You haori obscured most of your face as you politely excused yourself, walking past him and down the hall to your room. His curious and concerned eyes looked from you to the end of the hallway, where Mitsuri stood helplessly. As he approached the Love Pillar, sensing her mutual sadness, paternal red irises all but demanded an explanation from the pinkette. In response, Mitsuri led Tengen and Shinobu into her own room.

As you cried pitifully in the confines of your closet, you were oblivious to the conversation transpiring between the three pillars just a few rooms down the hall.

. . .

A few hours later, a knock on the door pulled you from your thoughts.

You sighed, tossing your blanket off to the side. You rub your eyes, stretching out your tired muscles as you stand. Gently smoothing out your hair and straightening your clothes, you slide open the door.

Before you stand Sumi, Kiyo and Naho, looking at you with excited eyes. Your shoulders slump with relief.

“Hi girls,” you greet nicely, albeit tiredly. “What can I do for you?”

“Miss (Y/N), your presence is requested in the courtyard!” they said surprisingly loud in unison, startling you. You chuckle lightly at the scare, crossing your arms and propping yourself up on the doorway. You sigh for what must be the hundredth time today, considering the implications of their words.

“May I ask who is requesting my presence?” you ask, raising a brow at the girls.

After exchanging a look with each other, they look back to you, shaking their heads. Damn. Well, it was worth a shot.

“Okay, thank you,” you laugh out lifelessly. “I’ll be right there.”

The three girls nod in response, making their way to wherever it is they go when they’re not working. Closing the door, you run your hand down your face, pinching the bridge of your nose. There were very few people who would want to see you, and you can think of two in particular. The thought makes your heart heavy.

They probably just want to reject me formally.

Nonetheless, you slip your shoes, sword and haori back on, splash some water on your face and slowly make your way to the courtyard. From your spot in the hallway, you see the faint glow of candles ahead, illuminating the darkness. Furrowing your brows, you continue forward. The closer you get, the more candles there seem to be, lighting a path for you into the center of the courtyard. You chuckle half-heartedly, pivoting to search for the culprit. Looking up to the engawa, you see none other than Shinobu and Mitsuri in the doorway, a bouquet of flowers in each of their hands.

Under the moonlight, Shinobu looked so much like she did the first night you met her. Mitsuri looked equally as lovely, the light of the candles giving her the golden glow of a goddess. Why did they have to be so beautiful even as they reject you? The world truly is cruel.

Ar first glance, you thought the bouquets were the ones you got them, and you deflated. Of course, they’re just going to give them back to you. Why else would they be here?

But, looking closer, it’s clear the bouquets are different. Light from the candles illuminate the red tulips and white roses dotting the bouquets -- a declaration of love and a new beginning.

Shocked, you stare at them wordlessly. Your eyes switched between their figures, gauging their intent. This couldn’t possibly be right. They called you out here to reject you, crush your hopes and dreams of ever loving either of them… right?

As they stepped forward, you didn’t move. You hardly breathed until they were both just a few feet in front of you, eyes looking at you expectantly.

“Thank you for coming, (Y/N),” Shinobu said, her normal smile in place. “We wanted to talk with you.”

You forced down the giddiness bubbling up within you, opting not to get your hopes up. When you didn’t speak, Mitsuri spoke up.

“Earlier today, when you told us your feelings, we were kind of shocked,” she explained honestly, a heavy blush adorning her features. “But after having some time to think things over… and talk with a friend… I think we have a solution!”

“(Y/N),” Shinobu started, eyes staring straight into yours. “You’ve been very special to me since the night we met. Your kindness, strength and compassion have only grown since then.”

“I have also seen those traits in you,” Mitsuri admitted, her expression growing more animated as her passion grew. “I have grown to love them! And…after hearing your confession, I realized my feelings towards you may be more than platonic.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Firstly, it’s like they rehearsed this. Was there someone holding up cue cards you couldn’t see? Secondly, their words were still bouncing around in your head. They hadn’t really sunk in yet.

“(Y/N), do you know what polyamory is?” Shinobu cut into your thoughts candidly, eyes curious.

To say you just about fainted was an understatement. There was no way this was real, that the two girls of your dreams are asking you about polyamory after your failed confession. Impossible.

You nod silently, afraid of what was going to come next.

“Lovely!” Shinobu cheered. “Then we’ve got a proposal for you.”

Shinobu looked to Mitsuri, who nodded at her before turning back to you.

“If it’s alright with you…” she began, trailing off in what looked like embarrassment. But as she spoke, her confidence began to show through, painting her words with excitement. “We would like to invite you into a polyamorous relationship with us!”

Eyes wide, you stared at the two of them in pure shock. The reality of their words earlier had started to hit you, and all of a sudden, you felt like you were on top of the world.

“This is new territory for both of us, but we’d like to give it a shot,” Shinobu said happily, smile growing. “If you are open to the possibility, of course.”

“If not, we completely under-” Mitsuri began, only to be cut off with an “oof” at the impact of your arm around her and Shinobu’s shoulders, pulling them into a hug.

“I accept!!” you all but shouted, unable to control your excitement as you hugged them closer.

Shinobu chuckled, followed by Mitsuri, and then you, turning your group hug into a big, laughing mess. As you finally released the two, you pulled back, accepting the bouquets from their hands and holding them close to your chest.

Even if you didn’t have the words to tell them how excited you were for this chance to love and be loved, it was okay.

The language of flowers was enough.

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thewickling · 4 years

Text

winding moonrise - trouble

winding moonrise master post

[Context: Set before thirteen years in their last year of college.]

Lan Wangji's cheer shocks his shufu and xiong.

One imagines Lan Wangji's smile like a crack in a sheet of ice. A fractureline that is so faint one would barely notice it. That to call it lips upturned would be an exaggeration. Many of his pack believe this.

Yet it sweeps across him like sunlight touching the first growth of spring through melting snow. Touching his fold his arms to his head, he thanks Lan Qiren. His voice rings determined and sincere.

Lan Qiren hates iron for not becoming steel. He loaths that nephew has be dug up by a pig. He still thinks 'Wei Ying is a bane' on his spotless teaching career. A part of him grimaces at the thought that they could have met younger. Not a single cell of his rejoices in his decision, yet Lan Wangji's soft joyous expression gives him pause.

Dragged by the neck, Lan Qiren's xiong announces in his ear, "I've met her, my moon."

His xiong's arms trembled with the emotions that he can't contain. His timbre turned to lilts as he described her. He sang with elation.

The memory sharply contrasts the devastation and bowed head when he breathlessly voiced that she's killed their shifu. The resolution and sobriety with which he declared their marriage still sends Lan Qiren's blood boiling. Whatever hesitation catches him is annihilated.

An acridic taste invades his sense with its unwanted familiarity. Between the moon-blessed, fate does not promise happiness. He curses the moon for guiding his nephew to... He does not have a word for the various ways in which he disproves of Wei Wuxian.

Lan Wangji finally straightens as if the weight of his gratitude held him in place. He shifts and turns to bow to Lan Xichen. He repeats his thanks.

Lan Xichen ponders the last time he saw this sight. He bites his lip, recalling his di grinning on his mother's lap. It clashes with Lan Wangji's kneeling figure outside her detached house. That tiny voice inquiring is engraved in his heart: "Has she returned?"

He lowers his head.

Lan Wangji keeps his earnest posture. He acts from the pack manners carved in his bones. Inwardly, he races through the woods, howling.

His bowed figure burns into Lan Qiren's irises. Only tradition keeps him from looking away. He does not deserve or want his cherished nephew's heartfelt gradtitude. He questions if his xiong's ghost pried his begrudging consent from his throat.

Lan Wangji pleaded his case every day until he was prohibited. Then, he dug up half-forgotten traditions so that he could petition once each fornight. The numbers soared over a hundred times.

Some of their clan believed Lan Wangji's preseverance wore down Lan Qiren's ivory tower. Others suspected that Lan Xichen, who had this point inherited his duties in all but name, had said he would approve, giving the most esteemed elder of theirs no choice but to accept unless he wanted to be the first to come into conflict with the head of pack's first formal decree. Many of the Lans shared these thoughts but these were never spoken as gossip is barred.

The approval is both shocking and unsurprising. After all, a wolf meeting their moon is auspicious. It is the thing of legends. It is a blessing from the moon herself. In all of Lan's history, a moon-blessed pairing is only delayed never denied.

The elders ready red-envelopes. The more excitable ones quietly pass on suggestions. Celebration is in the air.

The atmospheric change flis over Lan Wangji's head. One of the Twin Jades of the Lan is not careless but a glance tells everyone his mind holds than any action he currently does. His daily practice croons sweeter. His manners contain extra consideration. His steps glide with excitment.

Considering the possible location and time and environment for the thousandth time, Lan Wangji thinks, Wei Ying wouldn't care.

Even if he shared his secret in the worst of conditions, but he cannot imagine that Wei Wuxian is unkind even is worst of moods, he trusts that if Wei Wuxian does not return his affections (not that Wei Wuxian has any obligation to return it, though with every breath of his life he hopes his moon will shine on him) that his secret is as safe with his moon is it is with him. Wei Wuxian might not care, but Lan Wangji does. He wants it to be perfect.

Perfection is a fool's errand.

What a better cause to be a fool than love?

Lan Qiren taught him restraint. Every lesson cautioned aganist giving in to unbridled emotion. That such a careless action is a threat him and the pack.

Lan Wangji read Confucian, stuided Daoism, and reflected on the eight-fold path. He knows the boundary. He does not expect his affections to be returned.

He also isn't bitter for how long it took to gain his pack's consent. It allowed him to grow close to Wei Wuxian. He recalls his thoughts when he first saw his moon: He looks like trouble.

The thought swelled when Wei Wuxian's scent first hit him: He smells like trouble.

A gust sweeping across a lake. A clarity and freshness that purified the sterile and musky scent of dorms. Yet rather than calming it triggered every alarm in his body.

His limbs locked in place. His heart thumped like it wanted to punch through his chest. His lungs released all their air.

Never had he felt more helpless. His eyes traced Wei Wuxian's figure. He engraved the mirthful, smiling, and handsome teen in his heart. Landing on the glass bottle in Wei Wuxian's hands, the conduct etched in his bones took over.

Grabbing Wei Wuxian's wrist, he stated, "Alcohol is banned in the dorms."

"Ge," Wei Wuxian said, wide-eyed.

His brown eyes were so bright that Lan Wangji wonders if he is sick. What else could explain why he wants to both flee that from that warming gaze and also never move again.

"Are you serious?" he laughs.

Now even his ears are overwhelmed. The timbre and tone is frustrating unfamiliar yet it comes straight of his memory. His fingers tightened to hold himself upright.

"Mnn."

"It's move in day! One of my cousins snuck into my luggage." He bowed coyly as he pleaded, "Look it isn't even open. I'll toss it out right now. You can even come with me! Ge, nobody has to know but us. It can be are little secret."

Those brown eyes peered up with him so... For the first time he understood why people wanted to melt chocolate on their tongue. Never had he been more frustrated. Principles are not principles if they bend for a breeze. He shook his head. "Rules are rules."

And Wei Wuxian literally disarmed him.

He is my moon? Lan Wangji thought, correcting stance. His reflexes honed even as his mind was in chaos. Restraining the other student again, his heart confirmed, He is trouble.

Between thoughts of the first place they met and the other firsts Wei Wuxian took, Lan Wangji considers, It was best that I waited.

It gave him time to accept his own feelings.

He settles on the park. Wei Wuxian is so clever. From the very first year, Wei Wuxian ensnared him in debate. What started as an argument carried them through the campus park in provoking discussion. He captured Lan Wangji over and over and over until it became habit long after the park stopped being a converging point between their classes for them to drift toward the park every time they crossed paths. Certainly they will continue this tradition until graduation. He wants every time they tread that path after to remind him of this confession.

The day of he presses palms tightly into his pants. His bag feels strangely heavy with Wei Wuxian's favorite spicy snack. In the crowd of students shuttling from class to class, the two fall into step as if it was explained beyond a message to meet that neither listed a place or time.

"Lan Zhan! You would never believe what Wen..."

He doesn't ignore Wei Wuxian. How could he when sun shines so enticely on Wei Wuxian's skin, bringing out warm notes that make his teeth itch and inspire him to lean down... He swallows. He counts down the steps it'd take for them to reach the groove, their favorite spot.

Ten.

Wei Wuxian's words form a piece that he never wants to stop hearing.

Nine.

His shoulders brush Lan Wangji's. The heat soaks into his skin.

Eight.

Wei Wuxian's heart stutters.

S-

The world jitters. Wei Wuxian leaps behind him. His heart gallops in his chest like a skittish horse. His fingers dig into Lan Wangji's arm.

Wei Wuxian is a handful of centimeters taller than him and they share familiar figures but with all of his ability Wei Wuxian hides behind Lan Wangji. He shifts and teeters as if noticing every exposed milimeter with dread.

All of Lan Wangji's reflexes kick in. Heat surges through his veins alongside adrenaline. The urge to shift slams him. Scanning the horizon, he analyzes, What threatened his moon?

Wei Wuxian is so brave after all. During the joint hike between their majors, he lead half of the group to leap off a waterfall. His smiled all the way down.

He assesses trees, open grass, and distant figures only to eliminate them.

"Lan Zhan! Dog!"

Lan Wangji's blood thickens, wondering how he could have missed a danger like an aggressive hound.

His attention lands on medium-sized dog, bounding toward them. A leash trails behind it, emphasizing its wagging tail.

"Save me." Wei Wuxian whispers, breathless with panic.

Confusion flushes his mind. Harsh reality chills his blood. Wei Wuxian is terrified of dogs.

He vocalizes a threat that humans' can't hear and adds a 'shoo' for safe measure.

It races off.

"Wei Ying. It's gone. You're safe." The sun shines on them but Lan Wangji might as well be in Yanluo for how freezing he is.

"Thank you! Lan Zhan!" Wei Wuxian steps out, patting Lan Wangji's shoulder. His mouth moves nervously, "My hero."

"You're the best. Dogs are the worst!" he speaks for the sake of speaking. Wei Wuxian knows it's irrational but even the smallest of dogs punches his flight reflex. When he thinks of dogs, he recalls the time one nearly took a chunk out of his face but on a level he denies their bark brings up the howl of grimey and arctic streets, their teeth of the bite of constant hunger and uncaring hands, their claws of scraped palms and hands emptied of the little food or comfort gained... "They're so scary with their teeth and claws."

Lan Wangji's blood stops. If dogs turn Wei Wuxian's scent into a tumultuous wave of polluted sewer water, what would a wolf do? For the first time, his heritage bears down on him like the curse it once was.

"Thanks for not laughing. I know it's silly but dogs and I are not met for each other or my name isn't Wei. Jiang Cheng loves them but I can't..."

"You're welcome," he says as much out of reflex as self-preservation. He is certain he is going into shock. But he can't let Wei Wuxian be mistaken. "You don't have to thank me."

"What?" Wei Wuxian quirks his head,

"You don't have to thank me or apologize." Lan Wangji's surprised he can speak but Wei Wuxian is distressed. His moon can't be under the delusion he would not sacrifice nearly everything to defend him. Or that he would want nothing more than soothe his moon even as he's certain his heart stops. "It's fine."

"Right? Why did you want to meet?" Rubbing his neck, he inquires, "Other than to show off how much of a perfect gentleman you are, anyway."

"Nothing important." He answers, reaching into his bag. He hands over the snack. His actions are stiff and heavy.

"You are the best! Did an admirer sneak it in your bag?" Wei Wuxian chatters, used to filling the space between them. Strangely, the silence is nearly unnerving, but he chalks it up to Lan Wangji processing his phobia. He spins noise into aimless words so that Lan Wangji knows that this had not changed their friendship. If anything, it is a relief for Lan Wangji to know and accept it.

Lan Wangji drinks in it, but realizes with startling clarity that the sound is just as sweet as a few minutes ago. Wei Wuxian hasn't changed. He has. That the sound he considered an upbeat, love ballad now sounds like a lamentation on lost.

After all his heart is gone, he gave it to Wei Wuxian long ago, but his moon will never shine on him.

Another epiphany strikes hims him like a lightning tribulation. That he is shouldn't be a jade of his pack. After all Lan Qiren cautioned him from birth and raised him to restrain his emotions.

He was blind to his hubris. I don't have any expectations?

The version of him that died minutes ago was truly a fool. He did not meditate enough. His understanding of principle of Confucian, the Dao, or the Buddha barely skimmed the surface.

Did he not hope or pray or wish that Wei Wuxian would love him?

No.

He wanted it like air. Now he suffocates. His throat constricts. His unwarranted expectations choke up there.

A hollow exists where his heart should be. In a utopia, Wei Wuxian would have placed his heart in Lan Wangji's care. He cannot take back his heart nor does he want to. The moon may not bless people once but he has made his choice. His love where it is rightfully where it belongs. Love is no obligation.

The fault lays in his shallow cultivation. He swore to never impose their fated-bond on Wei Wuxian. That much he barely managed. He intends to keep that oath. For the rest of his days, he will mind his position. He will hope for the honor of remaining Wei Wuxian's friend. He has to.

Wei Wuxian can't discover this. That he has fiercesome teeth. That his claws are more menacing than a dog's. That he is the kind of being that his moon despises.

He dare not exist then.

The Lan juniors being adorable part has been linked incase you need to recover from the above.

#Winding Moonrise #MDZS #Wangxian #Medium Sads #(I asked two people based on the last three lines how sad it was and averaged the result)#This is the longest part I have written #wick writes #I was going to write LWJ lamenting to the moon but that ending is just chef's kiss levels of dramatic #I physically cannot tell how sad any part is because I am 100% looking forward to writing the drama of specific scenes

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x-reader-fanfics · 5 years

Text

You Ruffle My Feathers

No matter how much time you spent at Rito Village, you’d never get used to the cold. Another blast of wind rushed through your clothes, biting your skin as it went.

You shivered, clenching your flimsy coat closer to yourself in the hopes to capture even a little bit of warmth.

“And what’s this? A Champion of Hyrule can’t stand a little cold?” A mocking voice laughed, an even stronger flush of wind surrounding you as the speaker landed from his flight.

“S-Shut up, R-Revali.” You grated out between clenched teeth, barely able to move as the Rito made his way towards you.

His brilliant eyes studied you, jade and striking compared to the bland colors of the village.

“Stupid Hylians, always causing problems.” He dramatically sighed, although you didn’t miss the way he directed himself into the wind’s way, guarding you against the cold.

“Why don’t we p-practice somewhere warmer?” Your whole body was shaking violently now, snow pouring down into your hair. “H-How about Mipha’s palace?”

“The whole point of us meeting here was to practice with the wind!” He exclaimed, throwing his wings out, shaking his head. “You’re going to have to get used to the cold if-“

He suddenly cut himself off, clacking his beak to a shut. You stared at him with confusion, your scrutinizing gaze turning his head away from yours, almost as if he were embarrassed.

“Revy, is there s-something you’re not telling me?”

His feathers bristled at the nickname, his eyes growing wide with something akin to shock. “My name is Revali, Hylian. Revali!”

“And m-my name’s not Hylian!” You shouted back, crossing your arms in anger. “I should have just spent the day with Link.”

Revali felt a cold chill grip his stomach when you said that. He had known you for only a few short months, but there was something about you which drew him to you.

The way your mouth pulled back to reveal your strange teeth in what you called a “smile”, the way your skin flushed under the cold, how you loved to argue back with him...he couldn’t say it out loud but he had fallen for a Hylian.

And he’d be damned if he let that bastard Link steal HIS Hylian.

Revali’s wings suddenly wrapped around you, pulling you into his chest, smothering you with his feathers like you were a newborn chick. You gave a small gasp in surprise, before his chest began to vibrate pleasantly along with his words.

“I’m sorry. Just don’t leave me.” He whispered, before resting his beak on top of your head, shielding you from the cold.

Your heart was beating unbelievably fast within your chest, the warmth of his body instantly chasing the cold away.

Carefully, you wrapped your arms around his torso, relishing in how soft his feathers were against your skin. You buried your face into his chest, smiling to yourself as you mentally compared him to a stuffed-animal.

“I won’t.”

He gave a soft trill of what you could only assume to be elation. “Good. That’s...good.”

You looked up into his face, and were filled with affection at the fire which flared within his snake-like irises.

“Revali…” You murmured, gently skimming your hand up his neck, stopping at his cheek as if he would suddenly bolt. You weren’t sure what you were planning on doing, but you knew you wanted to do something.

Without another thought, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss, pressing your lips to the end of his beak, forcing your body against his.

The Rito tensed, blinking confusedly, somewhat frightened by your sudden movements. He was frozen in place, as if he didn’t know if was allowed to do anything else.

You pulled your face away, shame creeping into your features. From his reaction you could safely assume he did not enjoy that.

“Was that some sort of Hylian sign for affection?” He eventually asked, awkwardly stiff beneath your arms, talking as slow as he possibly could, as if he were walking through a proverbial landmine.

You gave a short laugh, releasing him in intense embarrassment. “Y-Yeah. Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed Rito kissed.”

The instant you finished your sentence Revali’s feathers puffed, the tips of his wings splaying out in the most aggressive display of shock you had ever seen, his claws stumbling back. “Th-That was a kiss?!”

Revali wasn’t a fool, he knew what kissing was. Every other species besides the Rito did it, after all. But he had never witnessed one himself, or ever imagined what it would like on a Rito.

“Y-Yeah?” You stammered, unsure of how you should behave around his strange body language. You’d seen him ruffled before, but never to this extent.

Was he offended?

The longer you stayed away from him the colder you began to feel, a shiver crawling back up your spine.

“I really am sorry, Revali. I’ll give you some time.” You barely managed to say as your throat began to close, tears blurring your eyesight. “W-We don’t have to speak again, if you don’t want to.”

You started rushing down the wooden stairs which wrapped around the Rito’s mountain like a cobra, feet pounding in tandem. You heard Revali give a slight shout, but you ignored it. This was by far the most embarrassing thing you’d ever done, and to your friend as well.

As soon as you reached the end of the village you wasted no time in racing towards your horse, who patiently waited outside the village gate, happily munching grass.

Before you could reach the reins, a blue bullet raced towards you, splitting the sky with it’s incredible speed like a bolt of lightning.

Revali’s wings burst open just before he crashed into the dirt, the giant gust of wind blowing you into the ground and spooking your horse, nearly trampling you.

“(Y/N)!” You heard Revali shout, voice full of fear as he called your name for the first time.

You pushed yourself off the grass before he could reach you, brushing dirt off your clothes as you hurried after your steed, praying he didn’t see your face. Revali chased after your heels, releasing strange whistles from his beak, deep and slow, as if he were trying to console you.

“Stop! I need to talk to you.” He growled out with some frustration, the confusing whistles continuing, growing even louder as he neared you. “Stop acting so stupid!”

“Just go away, Revali!” You shouted, roughly wiping your face, pushing him back as he tried to come closer. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life!”

Revali suddenly stopped in his tracks, finally going completely quiet. You stopped running from him, sensing the seriousness of his silence.

He stared at your face for a moment, as if he were deciding something, before he began to flap his wings in a circular motion, forcing gusts of wind against you.

You stared at him with great confusion, taking a somewhat frightened step back. He began pointing his beak in the air, alternating angles to better flash his neck feathers.

For the grand finale he dug his claws into the dirt, drawing three straight lines towards himself, fully splaying his wings into the air as he took a slight bow towards his extended foot.

He looked up at you expectantly, amusement dancing in his eyes from your clear uncertainty.

“Do you have any idea what I just did?” He asked with a loud laugh, quickly covering his scratch marks with dirt.

“I-I’m sorry. Was it a “I forgive you” dance?”

“An I forgive- Look Hylian, I’m trying to make a point here.” He stated, ruffling his feathers as he looked away from you, slightly awkward. “An extremely embarrassing point, I might add.”

You took a careful step toward him, face flushed just the way he liked. “What kind of point?”

“The point that we obviously like each other a lot but come from two entirely different species so our customs do not always match up.” He stared straight at you, wrapping his wings around you for both your benefit and his own. “But that doesn’t mean we like each other any less.”

You smiled, just like he’d hoped you would, cupping your small hands around his face again, holding him the way only a Hylian could. “No, it doesn’t.”

Before you could move he plucked a single, long, blue feather from his wing, burying it behind your ear as he nuzzled his neck against yours.

“That’s a Rito kiss.” He murmured, a soft humm vibrating from his chest, almost like purring.

You touched the feather softly, deeply touched by his actions. You wanted to return the favor.

You brushed your hands through his silk feathers, scratching him pleasantly with your nails. “And this is a real Hylian kiss.”

You grabbed one of his braids, tugging slightly before he opened his beak, instantly moving your mouth to his.

Gently, you latched onto his giant tongue, sucking and releasing the tip with a loud “Pop!”, greatly enjoying the wet smoothness in your mouth.

He would have asked if you were trying to eat him if it hadn’t felt so good.

You pressed your face further into his beak, taking in even more of his fat tongue as you went. His eyes fluttered shut, body almost faint at the intense pleasures you were providing him.

You pulled away before it could get too intense, releasing him as you went, causing him to stumble in a daze after you. His yellow brow-feathers raised in shock, his eyes glazed over as he stood before you, tongue tied.

“I guess you enjoyed that?” You giggled.

He snapped his beak shut, clearing his throat as he swung his wings nonchalantly. “It was alright, I suppose.”

Your heart swelled for him, and you touched his “Rito’s Kiss” again, proud to have his love.

He glanced over at you, and you could tell he was thinking just the same.

#revali loz #revali #revali botw #revali x reader #fanfic #fluff #rito x reader #x reader #x reader fanfics #breath of the wild #legend of zelda

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queen-swagzilla · 4 years

Text

Chapter 29: Hermione Granger and The Pit

See the full work HERE on Ao3! If you like it, please consider buying me a coffee!

Theo Nott wasn't stupid. As soon as Ginny Weasley started nosing around him, his defenses were raised. Sure, he knew her intentions probably weren't malicious, but that was the thing with Gryffindors. Even when they meant well, they tended to get the people around them into some sort of trouble.

Naturally, he started paying closer attention. Imagine his surprise when he noticed the sudden rapport she seemed to hold with two of his oldest companions. Not to mention their closeness with the undisputed queen of Gryffindor herself. While he was cautious, his curiosity demanded satisfaction.

Which brought him to the present, folded gracefully into a library chair across from the Weaslette herself, and surrounded by piles of books while she scribbled furiously, a massive star chart in front of her.

“You think the position of Mars is important to question nineteen?” Ginny asked absently.

He glanced down at his own notes. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t say anything about planetary positions.”

“Can’t hurt to include them and their influences, though. Right?”

“I guess. Sounds like overkill, though.” He replied. She hummed thoughtfully, still not looking up at him. “Then again, if you’ve been studying with Granger, it stands to reason that you’d go overboard.”

Ginny looked up sharply. He tried not to be too satisfied that he’d hit a nerve. “What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded.

He raised an eyebrow. “That swot is a walking encyclopedia. We were assigned twelve inches in Arithmancy last week and she turned in forty-eight.” He drawled. She relaxed back into her seat. “You usually don’t rile so easily. What did you think I was going to say?”

She pursed her lips. “There’s a storied history of Slytherins dismissing Hermione for no reason other than her blood status.” She reminded him. “No matter how excellent a study partner you may be, I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if I hear it from you.”

He snorted. “My problem with muggleborns doesn’t stem from their perceived intelligence. If blood made brains, we wouldn’t have Crabbe and Goyle.”

“Oh?” Her gaze sharpened, and Theo wondered if this was what it was like to be a fish near a shark who’d smelled blood in the water. “Then what is your problem with muggleborns?”

He narrowed his eyes. “This feels like a trap.” He admitted.

“It’s not. It’s an honest question. How can you expect change if you don’t find the source of the problem?”

He considered her carefully. “I suppose,” he began, hesitant. “My primary complaint is that muggleborns enter the magical world with no perception of our culture or customs, and don’t attempt to learn. Instead, they become frustrated that we don’t try to understand them instead, even though they’re the newcomers.”

“Perhaps that’s less their fault than the fault of Hogwarts,” Ginny suggested. “We don’t offer a wizarding culture course for muggleborns.”

“Which must mean that no muggleborn has ever requested it.” He argued. “It’s the self-centered nature of incoming muggleborns that I take objection to. They think that just because they’re entering a world of new possibilities, that the culture should cater to them and their wonder. They don’t realize that the reason wizarding culture has even survived this long is because we shut their ancestors out of the community for our own safety.”

“Be fair. Imagine not having magic and then discovering it was real! The reality of magic is more than enough to distract them from that reality. Have you ever thought to take the time to explain it?” She asked. “Because all I’ve ever seen is blood purists telling muggleborns they don’t belong. Even if that takes the shine off magic, it refocuses their attention on proving that they’re worthy of magic instead of trying to fit into our society.”

Theo chuckled. “Perhaps. But ‘fair’ isn’t the standard the world sets. The reason I respect Granger is because she knows that, and does everything in her power to rise despite that. She’s taken great pains to understand our world, no matter how it treats her.”

“Just because it’s not a standard the world sets, doesn’t mean it can’t be a standard that you set.” She scolded. “If you want change, you need to seek it. You can’t expect it to arrive just because you’re frustrated. You’re smarter than that, Nott.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly do you expect me to do?”

“I don’t expect you to do anything. From what I’ve seen, despite your obvious talent and intelligence, you have a tendency to stand idly by.” She said the words casually and they held no judgment, but Theo felt utterly scathed by them. “I’m only suggesting that if you want to see improvement, you should try fighting for it. Pick a side, take a stand, and make yourself heard. You could even start by recommending a culture studies class for incoming muggleborns. That doesn’t seem like the most outlandish first step.” She shrugged, turning back to her star chart. “You’re right, though. I think I’ll skip the planetary correspondences.”

Theo stared at her, feeling as though he’d been hit by the Knight Bus.

From behind another bookshelf Pansy grinned at Blaise, who was barely suppressing his laughter. Turns out, they weren’t needed after all.

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

Grin lunged, swinging out with an outstretched fist as Amalia dropped down to dodge, aiming her own punch for center mass. Grin pirouetted at the last moment, spinning out of reach.

“Good,” Anwar called from his perch. He was training them on how to fight in close quarters if their wands were taken. Wandless magic took the kind of time and patience to learn that they just didn’t have. The most Grin herself had accomplished was a wandless Accio. “Grin, be careful that you don’t stay counterbalanced too long. It’s easy to take advantage of, and once you’re on the floor you’re finished.”

“Not with a well-aimed kick in the balls.” She muttered, ducking out of the way again as Amalia aimed a kick directly at her face.

They’d been at it for an hour now, and Grin was drenched with sweat despite the biting chill in the air. One of the worst parts about being in hiding was how easy it was to slip into paranoia that kept you locked indoors. With that came a lethargy that was tremendously difficult to shake. About six months into her stay at the Pit, Amalia had barged into her room (where she was artfully wrapped around Anwar) and hollered at her to stop festering and stagnating indoors. She’d then dragged her outdoors for a rigorous duel.

Since then, at least three times a week, they would train out back by the lake. Sometimes Prim would jeer at them from her balcony as she chain-smoked contraband cigarettes. They would run, and duel, and fight, and sometimes—weather permitting—they would swim. She owed a lot to Amalia. Maybe even her life.

“I think I need to tap out early.” She panted. “I’m wiped out.”

“We’ve only been at it an hour!” Amalia complained, aiming another punch for her gut.

“Give me a break, I couldn’t sleep last night.” Grin grumbled, blocking the punch and grabbing Amalia around the neck, trying to force her into a chokehold.

“It’s true,” Anwar called from the sidelines. “She kept tossing and turning.”

“Nightmares?” Amalia asked, breaking away from her and straightening, raising her hands to indicate the end of their spar.

“No. I didn’t sleep at all.” She replied, muttering. “I don’t know why. Too much running through my head, I guess.”

“Do you need a sleeping draught?” She asked, stepping closer to examine her friend’s face. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It was only one night.” Grin waved her off. “I’ll tell you if it gets any worse. I can just feel the stakes rising, you know? It was always going to be dangerous, but I can feel something really big stirring.” She was already walking back towards the house, and Amalia jogged to keep up with her.

“Does this have something to do with what Ginny was telling us last night?”

Grin shot her a side-eye. “Perhaps.” She conceded. “I want to help them, but it sounds like I might be too late. At least for Draco. It sounds like he has a fully realized plan in the works. Theo might not be as much of an issue, but nobody’s checked in about Adrian for weeks. Don worked on him a little over Christmas, but that’ll do fuck all once the pressure rises.”

Amalia nodded. “And the Dark Lord is encouraging parents to bring their children for initiation as early as end of term. That’s coming fast.”

“If we can get to them first, it won’t be so bad. But I’d hate for them to get in too deep, too fast. I have a feeling that Draco may be out of our reach. He’s dreadfully stubborn.”

Amalia snorted. “And you’re saying Granger isn’t? Or Pansy and Blaise?”

“That’s what I keep telling myself.” She admitted, sliding into her seat at the counter. Anwar slid her a glass of water and Etty slid them their lunches. “But he wouldn’t be using dunces like Crabbe and Goyle as lookouts if he hadn’t made a decision. He’s undertaking his plan—whatever it may be—and he’s intentionally shutting out the people who could help him or stop him.” Grin shrugged.

“We’re not nearly drunk enough for you to be this morbid, darling.” Prim tutted, sweeping into the kitchen with all the flourish of a true jaded upper-class socialite, right down to to the still-lit cigarette and silk pajamas and bed-robes. She looked like she should be lounging on a chaise with a martini by a fireplace. Sometimes Prim tipped the balance from extravagant into full-on theatrical, and it largely depended on her stress levels. On a normal day, she was the well-coiffed heiress to the Parkinson estate—dressed in fineries and armed to the teeth with pretty words and a venomous bite.

On days like today, where the air itself seemed to tell them that something was coming, she turned into the Marie Antoinette of her time. She was positively bursting with ennui and affected apathy, comforting herself with luxuries large and small.

“It’s too early in the day to be drunk, Prim.” Anwar scolded her. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Lawrence? Espionage is supposed to give Sirius and Hermione a briefing tomorrow night.”

“Bugger off. Lawrence is still sleeping. We’ll get to it.” She snapped. “Etty, darling, any chance there’s a meal lingering for me as well?”

“I is making one for you, Missy Prim.” Etty bowed low. “But I is asking you not to smoke in my kitchen.” She scolded. Prim vanished the cigarette immediately and with a great deal of flourish, smiling apologetically at the stern little elf.

“My apologies, Etty. I’ve been in distress.”

“You should exercise with us instead of ruining your lungs,” Amalia said around a mouthful of mash, poking her fork in Prim’s direction. “At this rate, you’re going to die before a Death Eater can kill us. It would be awfully anticlimactic.”

“What did I just say about morbidity?” She demanded hotly. “Where on earth is Cal? She’s always been a good counterpoint when you two get like this.”

“Cal and Marcus are scoping out a strike operation in London.” Grin replied. “They’re planning to pick off some bottom feeders in the next few weeks.”

“Is Marcus well enough to go back out on Strike?” Amalia fretted. She hadn’t completely let go of the guilt she’d held, and had taken to her hate-filled mother hen role enthusiastically.

“He’ll be fine. If he says he’s ready, we have to trust him.” Anwar said. “He’ll only do something reckless if we try to hold him back.”

Grin flinched, mind wandering to Sirius automatically. “Yeah, we don’t want him to start sneaking off without telling us. That would be a nightmare.”

“How’s the research team doing with the Horcruxes?” Anwar asked. Grin grimaced.

“Nope. Nothing. It’s a dark enough magic that all public records on how they’re created, and therefore how they’re destroyed, are basically impossible to find.” She grumbled. “Any luck with the Department of Mysteries?”

“No.” He admitted. “I know there are records somewhere, but they’re in a super-sealed room that I’ve never been in. I’ve never even seen it—I’ve got no idea where it is. I’ve searched, but there must be some incredibly strong concealment spell on it.”

“So then we’re nowhere,” Amalia observed, Prim nodding sagely beside her.

“Have we tried any family libraries?” Prim suggested. “I could check ours next time I’m home.”

“I think Rhia checked hers, and so did Meridian. I can’t exactly check ours.” Grin replied. “And Etty can’t get past the wards anymore.”

“There might be something in the Zabini library,” Prim suggested. “Adriana Zabini is a monster. Stands to reason she has some monstrous literature.”

“Maybe.” Grin murmured. “If only the Black Estate was available.”

The Black Family manor was a large, sprawling estate that spanned acres. It also hadn’t been seen by a human eye in over three decades, since the death of Sirius Black II in 1952. The man had been monstrously paranoid and had failed to key the wards to his wife and sons when he died. Thankfully for the rest of the Black family, the bulk of the family fortune was retained at Gringotts and there were multiple auxiliary properties for them to reside, including Grimmauld Place.

“It’s a shame, you know,” Anwar said. “As much as I don’t agree with blood purity, the entirety of the Black family line rests on Sirius. What if he doesn’t produce an heir? All that ancestral magic will be lost.”

“He could claim one of the outliers for the Black family. Draco, for example. Or if Nymphadora has a son, he could be claimed for the House of Black.” Grin speculated.

“It’s a shame women can’t be claimed for the integrity of a family line.” Prim sighed. “You’d be the perfect heir to the Black estate. Sirius loves you, and you’re born into the life. You know how to handle the gravity of a house’s responsibilities.”

She shrugged. “If my future partner would agree to take my name, then it would be plausible. But that remains unlikely, for the risk of another house going extinct.”

Anwar shot her a glance, but it went unnoticed. He might have to talk to Joshua later. “The Selwyn and Greengrass families may have something. They’re not as expansive as the Blacks but they’re just as dark, if not more.” He suggested.

“We can call a general meeting and ask for research assistance.” Grin agreed. “There has to be something we can find between all fourteen of us.”

“It must be bad if not even Dumbledore knows much about it,” Amalia said. “Something really twisted.”

They traded theories for almost two hours before Lawrence came to collect Prim and Amalia. Anwar and Grin retired to the living room—Grin with a massive and ancient book of malevolent spells—and watched Home Alone while she researched.

It felt like the calm before the storm.

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

“‘Lo Hermione,” Harry mumbled, dropping into the seat next to her on the couch. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, exuding exhaustion.

“What’s wrong with you?” She asked, alarmed.

“Just got back from Quidditch practice.” He mumbled, eyes still insistently shut. “Lavender was in the stands, and by the end of practice I wanted to snatch Cootes’ bat and smack them both with it.”

It was a testament to how little she’d been around—she was alarmed at Harry’s declaration. She hadn’t seen enough of Ron and Lavender to understand his sentiment. “Why?”

“The silly bint kept screeching over my directions!” He cried, gesticulating wildly and overcome with annoyance. “Good save, Won-Won! Go get them baby!” He mimicked. “We weren’t even playing anyone! We were doing drills!”

Hermione grimaced. She and Lavender didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye regarding priorities and behavior on a good day, so the idea that she’d become even more saccharine and boy-crazy made her a little ill. “That sounds nauseating.” She admitted. “Why didn’t you kick her off the pitch?”

“The last time I tried, Ron accused me of not being supportive.” He grumbled, slumping back in defeat. “I might just buy earplugs for everyone on the team.”

“They still wouldn’t be able to hear your directions.” She pointed out.

“Yeah, but at least Gin won’t threaten to claw her ears out.”

“Fat chance. Once Gin’s committed to a course of action, she follows through.” Hermione chuckled.

As though summoned, Ginny and Ron slammed into the common room, screeching at each other at full volume. It was so loud and rapid that neither Harry nor Hermione could decipher their screams of rage. They shared an apprehensive glance, trying to decide whether or not to interfere. They silently agreed to let them wear themselves out. It seemed safest.

From what Hermione could gather, Ginny had become so irritated with Lavender that she’d hexed her, and she was now having a constellation of warts removed from her face. Ron was incensed. Hermione balked. Was Lavender really that annoying? Sure, she was a bit shallow and too committed to fuzzy disciplines like Divination, but Ginny was making her sound like a Banshee while Ron made her sound like an Angel. She figured it was safe to bet that it was somewhere right in the middle.

Harry was grimacing so hard that it looked like he was watching Filch serenading Mrs. Norris rather than two of his best friends having a row. Probably because he wanted to side with Ginny, but he didn’t want to risk Ron’s ire.

The fight ended when Lavender returned, blemish free. Ron went to check her over, concerned and attentive, and Ginny stormed off to her dorm. Both of the bystanders on the couch let out sighs of relief, but immediately regretted it when Lavender latched onto Ron’s mouth like a leech with a whispered, pouting “Won-won.” Hermione had seen a lot of PDA over the last few months, but at least they were aware of the other people in the room and would excuse themselves. Ron and Lavender seemed to completely forget that other people existed and in moments they were slobbering and gyrating all over each other. Hermione was overcome with relief that she’d never kissed Ron if that was how he kissed. She turned her disgusted gaze to Harry, who had gone right back to grimacing.

“Is it always like this?”

“Always. I hate that you’re off doing important crap, because I have to witness this alone.” He replied.

“This is disgusting.” She declared. “We’re leaving.”

“Where are we going?”

“Dunno. Anywhere but here.” She replied. “Maybe we can hang out in the Great Hall. I’m going to grab Ginny.”

“The Slytherins are always in the Great Hall after lunch.” Harry complained. Hermione shot him a stern look.

“Then don’t talk to them. It’s bloody cold in the dungeons, Harry. You can hardly blame them.” She scolded. He scowled, but conceded her point. She ran up to Ginny’s dorm and rapped on the door. “Gin! We’re going to the Great Hall to escape Ron and Lavender. Come with us!”

The door was yanked open faster than she could have imagined. “Thank god.” She snapped, grabbing her book bag with one hand and Hermione’s wrist with the other and dragging her through the common room and out the Portrait Hole. Harry struggled to keep up with them as they put distance between themselves and Gryffindor tower.

It occurred to Hermione about halfway to the Great Hall that Harry was no longer on par with them in terms of physical fitness. He was strong, of course, and was fairly athletic, but the training that she and Ginny had undertaken had pushed them ahead. She wondered if she should start training him, or if he’d throttle her if she tried.

As Harry had predicted, the Slytherins were out in full force—nearly every seat at their table had been occupied.

They sat down at the Gryffindor table, pulling out books and parchment—Harry and Ginny had actual school work to accomplish, but Hermione was working on her next project. She’d have to confer with Sirius eventually, but for now she was content to work on it alone.

She unrolled a large sheaf of parchment, laying them out carefully in a particular order. “What’s that?” Harry asked, peering over to examine her work. “Looks like a map.”

“It is a map.” She agreed. There wasn’t much point in trying to keep it from him, because there was undoubtedly a map drawn and the boy had eyes.

“A map of what?”

“A map of your arsehole, nosy. Mind your own business.” Ginny scolded him. He flushed. “Knowing Hermione it’s some super-secret research project that she can’t tell us about.” She looked at Hermione for confirmation, and she nodded in reply. “See?”

“You’re not planning something dangerous, are you?” Harry asked. Hermione snorted.

“Is that suddenly unusual for us?”

“It’s one thing when trouble finds you, but it’s different if you go looking for it.” Harry insisted.

Hermione softened. “It’s dangerous.” She admitted. “But not for me. For now, I’m only tasked with research and coordination, I promise.”

“Well, you did break into the Department of Mysteries after hours in order to raise the dead.” Ginny pointed out. “But yeah, other than that we’re both staying safe.”

“Hold on—“ Harry declared, affronted. “You’re working on her assignment with her, aren’t you? Do you know what’s she’s working on?” He turned to Hermione without waiting for Ginny’s reply. “How come she gets to know but I don’t?” He demanded, petulant.

“First of all, stop whinging like a child. You’re the bloody chosen one.” Hermione scolded quietly, lowering her voice so as not to be overheard. “Second, Gin doesn’t know what I’m working on, she’s currently on errand and recruitment duty. Only my research team can know what we’re researching, just in case someone else gets captured.”

Harry looked mollified, but only slightly.

“Anyways,” Ginny swooped in to save the day. “Have you had any luck with Slughorn?”

“No.” He moped pitifully. “I’m going to try to chat with him after Potions tomorrow. But first I need to finish his essay. I can hardly question him if I haven’t even done the homework.” He said, pulling his battered, contraband textbook from his bag. Hermione pursed her lips at the book, but said nothing. Recently, things between them had been good—Hermione had been paying more attention to his needs and Harry had been respecting her boundaries and judgement. So had Ron, for that matter. She didn’t want to stir the pot by tickling that Half-Blood sleeping dragon.

Instead of picking an unwinnable fight, she bent back over her multitudes of parchment. They were experimenting with the MacDougal mansion—trying to replicate the Marauder’s Map for other magical strongholds. Obviously, they’d run it by Sirius, but each ancient household had its own wards and spells, often bespoke to the family in question. Besides, Sirius had leant some spellwork to the Map, but James Potter had been a Charms aficionado and the ultimate mastermind behind the map. Unfortunately, his brain was presently unpickable.

Ginny and Harry worked silently, even as Hermione began quietly muttering to herself. She poured over her notes and prodded the sheaf of parchment as she went, trying to replicate the living magic that the Marauder’s Map had.

Hours later, she threw down her wand with a frustrated grunt. “No luck?” Ginny asked, looking up. Hermione grimaced at her.

“A little. But not enough. I’m good with Charms, but this is just…a leap beyond me.”

Ginny smiled sympathetically. “You’ll catch up. You always do.”

“She’s right. Nothing stumps you for long.” Harry supplied.

Hermione tried to take their words to heart, but lately it seemed that she was lacking more answers than she was providing. She’d never been stumped this often in her life, and it made her want to pull her hair out.

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

Pansy and Blaise were at the Slytherin table, watching out of the corners of their eyes as Hermione prodded at parchment with her wand at the Gryffindor table and Draco stared blankly at his parchment that was supposed to contain his essay on the theorem of wand position in metallic transfiguration. Neither project seemed to be going well.

“You alright, Draco?” Pansy asked. He looked up, startled to be caught zoning out.

“Yeah. Lot on my mind s’all.” He muttered.

Blaise and Pansy shared a look. “Have you given any thought to our offer?” Blaise asked hesitantly. Draco looked up at him, lips pursed.

“Yeah.” He replied after a long moment of silence. They waited expectantly for him to continue, but he didn’t elaborate. Pansy sighed, frustrated, and stood.

“Well, when you figure it out, let us know.” She muttered, gathering her things.

“Where are you going?” Draco demanded, alarmed at her sudden departure.

She gave him a wry smile. “Doesn’t feel too good to be left in the dark, does it?” She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and storming out of the Great Hall.

Draco stared after her in shock. “She’s got a point, mate.” Blaise said quietly. “You’re losing it, and you’re not letting us help you. I’d say we’re on opposite sides but the truth is, we’re on your side. It’s just really fucking hard to be on your side when you’re like this.”

Draco glanced around at the table filled with Slytherins. Theo Nott was watching them out of the corner of his eye. “We can’t talk about this here.”

Blaise huffed out a sad little laugh. “You mean we can’t talk about it at all.” He replied, rising as well. “I’m going to go check on her.” He trailed out after her, and Draco stared after him long after he was out of sight. Eventually, his eyes drifted to the Gryffindor table, watching in absent interest as Hermione threw down her wand. He—having observed her from afar for years in an attempt to discern her weaknesses—had noticed that her hair seemed to gain volume whenever she was particularly frustrated. He wondered what could possibly be stumping the Gryffindor, and if it had anything to do with Pansy’s increased volatility.

No. He supposed that was his fault.

He wanted to take the offer. He might not like Muggleborns, but he’d never really known how grotesque the Dark Lord was until now. Now that he was breathing down his family’s collective necks and using their dining room as a showcase for his cruelty.

That was what kept him on his path. His mother was trapped—serving loyally as an unwitting hostage. He could live without his riches if he were disowned. He couldn’t live with his guilt if he got his mother killed.

Theoretically, he knew it was possible. The little militia that Blaise and Pansy had joined was full of renegade Slytherins. They just didn’t share in his level of risk. There was no dark master invading their homes and playing nice even as he kept loved ones under a guillotine. There was far less opportunity to get his parents out safely. They’d be dead before he could make a move.

Granger had noticed him staring, and raised an eyebrow. His eyes narrowed in response and dropped back to his work. His blank page. Why did it seem like he was always at square one these days?

Sighing, he lifted his quill and got back to work. The only thing he could do was keep going.

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bookwarm85-blog · 7 years

Text

~Broken Ch. 4~ (MA)

CHAPTER NUMBER/ONE SHOT: 4/17

AUTHOR: bookwarm85

WHICH JAI/CHARACTER: Eric Coulter & OFC (Aeryn Johnson)

GENRE: Drama/Action/Romance

FIC SUMMARY: Emma Johnson knew in order to survive her father she had to leave her faction. But when she enters Dauntless she quickly gains the attention of a certain leader...Eric. Did she trade one danger for another? Will she be broken?

RATING: MA (Thematic material and mentions of past abuse)

WORDS: 1651

NOTES/WARNINGS: I love the feedback this series is receiving, I love any and all feedback I receive. This chapter is full of little nuggets of goodness. Enjoy!!

If you are not and would like to be tagged in this or any of my future stories then let me know and I’ll add you to the tag list.

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I hit my pillow in frustration, I laid on my back trying to steady my breathing and I felt myself relax and sleep coming to claim me, when my mouth was covered by a hand, my eyes shot open, I opened my mouth to scream, as soon as I open my mouth Eric crashed his down on mine, my fingers fisted in his shirt, my brain told me to push him away but my hand didn't obey and pulled him closer, his hot tongue snaked inside my mouth, I moaned and ran my tongue along his then it was his turn to moan. He was hard as a rock and thrusting against me, he threw the covers back and started kissing down my body, he ripped my panties off, and dove between my legs like a desperate man, kissing, sucking and licking.

The pleasure was almost too much to process, it was taking all I could do to lay there and absorb it all, I looked around and everyone was still asleep. His tongue lavished at my nub and my eyes rolled back and my hips started to shift. Then I saw a bright light, I thought it was my orgasm but in fact, it was someone turning the lights on, I opened my eyes to see everyone standing around me laughing as Eric rose up and wiped his mouth then he started laughing, the t-shirt was gone from my body so I covered my chest with my arms and curled my knees up.

"I told you it was gonna be fun to break you" Eric growled, before producing a riding crop, I screamed and then Jade appeared at my side began to shake me.

"NO!" I scream bolting right in bed, I looked around to see the lights on and the other initiates staring at me in worry. I started to hyperventilate. I looked down and I was still in my pajamas. Jade sat down and put her hands on my cheeks.

"Shade" she spoke softly

"No, I-" I started my voice breaking,

"I'm fine," I said my voice shaky

"What's going on here?" The voice of my least favorite person boomed

"She had a nightmare," Jade said

"Perhaps we should get her a bottle of warm milk" Peter joked, I gave him a deadly glare to he smirked.

"You got 5 minutes to be down at the cafeteria" Four announced before he and Eric left.

I took a deep breath and shakily got ready. Jade asked me questions about my dream but I told her I wasn't ready to talk about it.

We were sparring with each other, I was chosen to spar with Peter.

"You look tired" he teased before he swept my leg causing me to fall, I slammed my hands on the ground growing more and more frustrated.

"Yeah, what can I say, your snoring is getting kind of loud" I punched him in the face.

"You know, you seemed to be enjoying your dream," he said with a smug expression

"What do you mean?" I eyed him suspiciously before kicking him in the head.

"You were moaning like someone was showing you a good time" he chuckled darkly

My gaze quickly flicked to Eric who was instructing Jade and Will with an annoyed expression, and when I turned back around I was given a backhand to the face that sent me to the ground. I glared as I touched my lip, I ran my tongue along it and looked up at him with a smirk.

"What are we, two girls in a fight...if you're gonna hit me....hit me....initiate" I growled using Eric's word, this caught his attention, he walked over to us.

"Problem?" Eric asked his eyebrows up but still a bored expression.

"No, just giving your mini-me some advice" I wiped my hand across my mouth and went back to position.

"Excuse me?" Eric said his brows now furrowed

"You heard me," I told him point blank

"Outside...now" Eric commanded me

Peter smiled at me before going to spar with someone else.

Eric shoved me against the wall, I've honestly lost track of how many times he's done this. But this time it felt different, there was an electric charge in the air that gave me goosebumps.

"Careful Eric, someone might think you're trying to corrupt me" I purr to him, he stiffens but relaxes for a moment.

"You wish initiate," he said gripping my chin forcefully looking at my lips

"I know what you're going to say" I told him "Respect me as your leader" I adopted a deep tone before snickering, he brought his face to mine, I can feel his hot breath on my mouth and I shiver as it travels to my neck before he presses an open mouth kiss to my neck. I gripped my fists to keep from burying my fingers through his hair. He meets my eyes once again.

"By the time this is over, you're gonna wish I killed you" he smiled sweetly before shoving me towards the infirmary.

"So, how are you feeling?" Mag said as she treated my busted lip.

"I'm fine," I say

"I heard you had a nightmare," she said

"News travels fast" I mutter

"You know I'm here if you need to talk," she said in a motherly tone

"I know," I say looking down to the ground.

"Alright kiddo, you're good to go" she patted my leg.

"I'm sorry about earlier" Peter muttered

"It's fine," I tell him before gingerly biting into my hamburger.

"Did I do any damage?" I ask him

"Yeah," he said and I finally looked at him, I had given him a bruised cheek, I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm glad you find my pain funny" he laughed humorlessly.

"Did you make Eric mad?" Jade asked

"I may have, I've lost track...why?" I ask her

"Because he's staring at you," she told me.

I turn my head and sure enough he is, he licks his lips then smirks, feeling a little brave I slowly licked mine, this causes his smirk to falter, and I smile before turning back to my friends.

The next few days went by just like always, we had reached the end of the first stage, we would be called to fight one more time. This time it would affect our ranking. I scanned the board and couldn't help but smirk when I saw who I was fighting, I would be fighting Peter again.

We approached each other in the ring.

"Fight" Eric called.

We slowly circled each other, Peter landed a punch to my forehead, I shook my head to clear my vision, I looked to his feet, he always stepped before he attacked. I looked back to his face, he swung at but I blocked him tripping his foot causing him slam to the ground. I kicked him in the ribs. I went to kick him again, he caught my ankle and twisted and I buckled, he climbed on top of me and repeatedly punched me before leaning down and whispering something that caused my blood to boil

"You're weak...like your Mother" he grins evilly.

I grabbed his head and head butted him, and with a snarl, I threw him off of me, I stood up and clenched my teeth. He took a stance holding his forehead for a moment. I saw my opportunity and landed a right hook to his temple knocking him out cold.

"That's pretty straight forward," Eric said while some people drug him off the mat.

I walked to the bench and grab some water and lean my head back.

"The winners will be announced at the Pit before dinner, and for those of you who are still around there will be a celebration in your honor," Eric said.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," I tell Jade as she emerges in a beautiful dress with Will by her side. He smiled down at her adoringly.

"You guys look so cute together" I pout my lips and pinch their cheeks.

"I think this is the first time, I've seen you in something without sleeves or a t-shirt" she chuckles.

"I thought I would change it up," I told her smoothing the dress down.

It was the dress Eric had insisted I buy. I also bought a pair of fishnets and black velvet platforms. I had french braided one side of hair so it looked like I shaved it, then put some dark red lipstick on, a coat of mascara and I was ready to go.

"I'm a lucky guy, two hot gorgeous girls on my arm" Will joked before Jade and I smirked.

A deep hypnotic rhythm filled the pit, the bass of the song seem to vibrate from the rocks, Will pulled Jade and me towards the area where people were dancing. The seductive rhythm caused me to sway to the music, a body pressed itself up behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist, I smirked and turned around and saw it was Peter, I jerked away.

"Expecting someone else?" he quirked his eyebrow

"No," I say a little too quickly

"Sure, here I brought you a drink," he said handing me a metal cup with a black liquid in it.

"What is it?" I scrunch my nose

"It's Dauntless brewed beer, only for special occasions," he told me holding his cup.

"Alright listen up, the results of the first stage are in, for those of you who didn't make it, you must go back to the dorm grab your stuff and get out, and to make sure you understand a few guards will help to make sure you don't get lost" Max said before pressing a button, a huge screen descends from the ceiling.

The words on the screen hold my future, will I be up there? Will I make it to the next stage? Am I Dauntless?

#bookwarm85 #brokench.4 #jaicourtney #ericXofc #slowburn

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nexthecryptid · 7 years

Text

Feeling the Sound Chap. 7

Summary: We all know Alya. Who doesn’t? She’s always close by when danger rises in Paris, so when a couple of new Akuma appears, it’s no different. But this time, our favorite reporter may have gotten herself a little bit too close. This time, she wasn’t even doing it on purpose.

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It was tense and extremely quiet other than the hum of the shell they flew on. The streets were also empty, everyone deciding to either stay inside to avoid the Akuma’s attack or go to the hospital after becoming a victim. It was creepy… It reminded Jade of one of those ghost towns in one of Adrien’s anime shows. In those episodes where the main characters come across an empty town while traveling, looking around innocently only for a bad guy to jump out and begin attacking them. The thought made him feel uneasy, slowing down a little to look around more cautiously. He narrowed his eyes a bit, standing on guard. Half of him expected Pianissimo to jump out and attack him, and that half wanted her too. He was still pissed that not only did she hurt Alya, but had nearly killed her on purpose too. But the other half was hoping she didn’t show up, thinking logically that he wouldn’t be able to fight her on his own. He also wanted to actually keep Alya safe and out of harm's way. He grumbled out of frustration and pressed forward.

It had him thinking though. With the streets being so empty, it must mean a lot of people had been affected by the attack, and he knew emergency officials had decided to guide any of the victims to the hospital. Was it really a good idea to take Alya there too? If a large part of Paris was affected and going to the hospital, Alya would just be caught up in the chaos. She’d probably be put off to the side for not really having any wounds and even then, he wouldn’t be able to stay with her… Probably wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her… If he stayed, he would be questioned no doubt. Asked why he was sticking around this particular girl? Why wasn’t he out with the other looking for Pianissimo? Why wasn’t he out looking for more injured? Alya would probably be questioned too. How often did they see each other? What was their relationship outside of her blog posts? With all that buzz, there was no way it would keep quiet, no matter what either of them had said. Hawkmoth could probably catch wind and use it to his advantage. He may be overthinking it, but he didn’t want Alya to go through all of that right after dealing with Pianissimo head on. So… What should he do?

He sighed and decided to slow down to a stop, wanting to take his time and think about the next best plan. He checked his surroundings for probably the twentieth time before deeming it safe. He stepped off his shell, letting it lay on the ground before looking down to ask her what they should do. He stopped however, smiling a little as he watched Alya sleep peacefully, her nose twitching slightly and her features fully relaxed. He chuckled and slowly knelt on one knee, resting her on the other. He gently adjusted her a bit, cursing when she stirred a little. Don’t wake up… He thought, biting his lip. When it looked like she was fine, he relaxed, pulling her a bit closer against his chest so she wouldn’t get cramps in her neck. Some of her hair had fallen in her face and he couldn’t hold back the urge to push them back, his face burning slightly when she leaned into his hand. She’s so cute. He didn’t mean to stare… but he ended up doing so, enjoying the relaxed look she had. He nearly yelled out in fear when his goggles noticed her moving lips before he did, not prepared for the information that suddenly popped onto the lens.

“Nino…” He felt a pang of guilt in his chest, watching the relaxed look on Alya’s face warp into one of concern. He bit the inside of his lip, pulling her closer and hugging her tightly, rubbing her back in attempt to comfort her.

“I’m here Alya. I’m okay. I’m right here.” He said softly, ignoring the fact she couldn’t hear him. He wished she could. Wished he could tell her so many things, wished to talk to her. He wished he could hear her voice again too, missing the way it sounded. The different tones it had, the laughter and attitude attached to the girl with so much emotions. He couldn’t even hear her breathing, only knowing she was by the way her chest rose and sunk. It was unsettling. He sighed again, hoping that his friends could find the Akuma and take her down soon. He knew the rest who had been attacked wished the same thing, knew he wasn’t the only one who had a loved one affected by it, which only made him hope more. He knew LB and Chat wouldn’t stop until they beat her and set things back to normal. He felt bad that he wasn’t helping, but he was being selfish. He was only human, and his friends didn’t seem to mind that he chose to stay with Alya rather than go with them to help. In fact, it looked like LB was relieved to hear he was going to stay with her. Alya was her best friend after all. She just wanted Alya home and safe.

Home! He thought and looked down at Alya again. He could just take her home. It would be safe, and he could stay with her while also keeping them both hidden. It seemed like a reasonable plan and one he could be content with. And after this whole Pianissimo ordeal was over, he could… He could finally tell her. Then from there… well he couldn’t predict what was going to happen and it scared him but he was also excited. He took a deep breath and looked down at Alya, smiling almost nervously. I’m counting on you guys… He thought to himself, hoping LB and Chat had somehow heard his thought. He nodded to himself before stepping onto his shell again, feeling it lift a little before starting to fly forward, making sure to go slowly and keep close to the ground.

…

Bright… Why is it so bright…? Even with closed eyes, the light, or whatever was making it bright, was making it uncomfortable and pushing the darkness away. Alya groaned a little bit, peeling her eyes open only to quickly close them again, the light making her eyes sting. She shifted and turned onto her left side, not wanting to hurt her right wrist. She blinked a few times, frowning a bit when she saw a gray bar, probably used to stop her from falling off the bed. She pushed herself up with her left arm, looking around and pushing her hair back and out of the way. She rubbed her eyes a bit, letting her eyes adjust to the light and blinking the blurriness away.

There was a pastel blue curtain that hung around her and the bed, giving her own privacy. It made her feel comfortable that she wasn’t out in the open, having just been sleeping for however long. She shifted and swung her legs over the edge of the bed and looked at the floor, noting the white tiles that matched with the white paint on the ceiling and walls. She was at the hospital. She was just in one of the beds, Jade Turtle probably just dropping her off. She frowned a little bit, pushing the hurt away. She knew he had to go back out and help fight Pianissimo, but she couldn’t help but hope he would stay to keep her company. Talk about being selfish. She snorted at herself.

She stretched her arms out, satisfied with the pop that sounded from her bones, her muscles appreciating the stretch. She sighed, the distinct buzz from the lights above her sounding in the background. She made a face. She never did like hospitals, and here she was in one. She glanced down at her arm, noticing the strange and uncomfortable feeling that seemed to prickle on her skin. It was wrapped in bandages, tight and keeping her arm and wrist in place. The pain had been dull, but now that she was paying attention to it, it hurt more and the bandages seemed even more uncomfortable. She whined. She refrained from ripping the bandages off, huffing and deciding to just get up and take a look around.

She scooted herself further over the edge of the bed, her legs dangling over the side that didn’t have the bars on. She made a sort of squeak sound when her feet touched the floor, the floor freezing cold and sending shivers up her back. She hadn’t realized her shoes had been taken off until now. She quickly looked around, finding her shoes underneath the end of the bed. She quickly slipped them on, grumbling about the cold and rubbing her arms a bit. She thought about it before swiping the thin blanket from the bed and wrapping herself in it, appreciating the small warmth it gave her.

Should probably find a nurse, or a doctor. Someone. She thought, pulling the curtains back. There was a large window to her left, the curtains drawn back to show the moon that was slowly rising. She noticed that all the other beds had their curtains pulled back, their bed perfectly made. She was the only one in the room…? That was weird. One would think with all the chaos Pianissimo was causing, the hospital would have overfilled. She frowned, not liking the feel of this. She went to go look further out the window when she heard a click from behind her. She turned in time to see someone walk in, her eyes widening.

“Nino!” She all but yelled, hesitating a bit before nearly tackling him, hugging him tightly.

“Alya… You’re okay!” Alya could hear the relief in his voice, her hug being returned with just as much enthusiasm. She laughed and whacked his shoulder, unable to hold back the tears that were starting to well over.

“Well duh! You think I’d let Pianissimo take me out that easily.” She said, pulling back to look at him, already working on wiping her tears away. There was no way she was going to mention the fact that she had fallen out of the sky and nearly been a Césaire pancake. Nino would probably feel guilty when it was in no way his fault and Alya would have to spend the next week making sure he wasn’t feeling guilty about it.

“No… But you can’t blame me for worrying. You’re insane Alya, I still can’t believe you did that! Do you know how crazy you are? Don’t do that again! I totally thought she was going to kill you or something.” He said, looking annoyed at her, but Alya could still see the relief. She felt bad now, rubbing the back of her neck and smiling sheepishly.

“Well… She was targeting you. I didn’t want you to get hurt.” She said softly. She could see Nino’s eyes widening, watching his cheeks turn a slightly darker color as he looked away. She smiled a little.

“Yeah, well… I don’t want to see you get hurt either.” He mumbled. Alya laughed a bit and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Well I’m fine. You’re fine, and we’re both safe. No more worries.” She said. But she couldn’t really believe herself when she said that. She had this annoying voice in the back of her head and it was bugging her, like she was forgetting something…

The sound of pianos took her attention and she raised a brow as she looked towards the door. It sounded like it was coming from down the hall. It sounded very pretty, but it sounded eerie in a way, giving her the shivers as she listened closely. She looked to Nino to ask if he heard it too but stopped short. Nino looked worried, his brows furrowed and his lips pulled in a thin line. He turned around, holding Alya’s hand and she couldn’t help but think back to before when they were running away from Pianissimo.

“We have to hide.” He said, almost whispering as he looked back at her.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“She’s here. Pianissimo is here.”

It hit Alya like a train, making her freeze in place as Nino was trying to say something else to her. The piano coming from the hallway seemed to get louder and louder, Alya wincing and covering her ears when it started hurting. Then… it got quiet again. She couldn’t hear anything. Pianissimo was free… so why was she able to hear everything up until now? She looked at Nino, staring at him as his mouth kept moving, clearly trying to tell her something, probably make up a plan to get them out of there. Her eyes welled, and for a moment, she couldn’t imagine what he sounded like. She had just heard him only a few seconds ago! She grabbed onto Nino’s arms, feeling the tears spill over as she desperately tried to remember what he sounded like, tried her hardest to hear him again.

A strong gust of wind came from behind, causing her to take a few steps forward so she wouldn’t fall over. She felt small objects hitting the back of her legs, a few hitting her back as well. It didn’t hurt, but she didn’t know what they were. Alya looked at her feet to see shattered glass before looking towards the window. Before she could even so much as glare, Nino pushed her behind him, keeping between her and Pianissimo. She floated on her keyboard, inching closer to the now busted window and smirking.

‘Looks like I found you’ Alya read the outline, knowing Pianissimo only did it to annoy her as well as intimidate them both. Alya kept her grip on Nino and slowly pulling him back, trying to back them towards the door so they could slip through and escape. In was swift movement though, an orange line shot out, shoving Alya away before wrapping around Nino like a snake with its prey. Alya winced when she felt her back connect with the wall but quickly shook it off, already rushing forward to grab Nino. She collided with the door however, the door being slammed on her face. Alya looked through the window in the door, trying to pull on the handle and open the door.

“Nino! Leave him alone!” She screamed, or at least trying too. She pounded on the door when she found it was locked from the other side, taking a few steps back and even slamming her body against the door. Nothing was working, and Nino was just being taken away from Pianissimo so she could do gods know what. But it didn’t make sense. None of this did. She had heard the light, her own voice and Nino’s. So Pianissimo should have been gone. She should have returned to the innocent girl she was before Hawkmoth got to her and everyone else should be okay. Why did I lose my hearing again? I was just talking with Nino so why? None of this makes sense. This isn’t happening. This can’t be… This can’t be real… Alya blinked a few times and looked around. The hallways seemed to start warping in on itself, everything getting darker. This isn’t real… because this is a dream.

…

When her eyes opened, she didn’t see the dull white walls, didn’t fell the cold of the hospital room, and didn’t hear the distinct buzz of light that would be above her. Instead, she recognized the pastel red paint on the walls, being comfortably warm by blankets that smelled like her. It was quiet, but Alya felt safe. She was back in her room, the lights off but the light of moonlight spilling into her room. She squinted a bit, her vision blurry from lack of glasses. She pushed herself up, taking a quick look around and feeling her heart drop slightly when she saw a fuzzy figure sitting by her window. She relaxed herself though, recognizing the familiar green color of Jade Turtle’s hero outfit. She smiled a bit and reached around a bit, finding her glasses in the usual spot. Did I put them there? She thought to herself before moving on.

She pushed back the blankets, taking a moment to look at her wrist that had been wrapped up. It wasn’t professionally done, but it was done well enough to help make her wrist feel better. She smiled and slipped out of bed, walking over to the bench that sat in front of her window where her guest was sitting. He was looking out the window, relaxed and holding one of Alya’s fox plush. She giggled a little bit, finding it cute that he was just holding it in his lap. She sat on the other side of the bench, pulling her knees up and laughing mentally when Jade jumped. She laughed more when he flushed, glancing down at the fox in his arms before back at Alya, awkwardly putting the plush down.

‘How’d you sleep?’ Came the familiar glow of his words, his goggles emitting it again. She smiled, putting a pillow behind her so she could somewhat lean on it in comfort.

‘Like a baby. Dream was uh… a bit much, but it was good to sleep in my own bed. Have you been here the whole time’ She mouthed, raising a brow at him.

‘Yeah. I took a small nap, but mostly kept an eye out.’ He wasn’t looking at Alya while he spoke, focused on the crescent moon that hung in the sky. Alya smirked a little, waiting for him to look back at her.

‘Yeah. Right. Not being a creep and watching me sleep. Got it.’ Her smirk grew into a grin as Jade began to what she assumed sputtering, the goggles emitting uncompleted words.

‘Why would I- I was not being a creep!’ Alya could just imagine the way his voice would get higher as he yelled, probably having a few voice cracks along the way. She laughed into her knees, looking as innocent as possible while he pouted, crossing his arms, and looking away. I… I miss his voice too… and with that one thought, Alya got sad again, looking down at her hands as she messed with her fingers. She looked up, trying hard not to start crying.

‘We found him!’ Alya flinched when the words came out of nowhere, practically being shoved into her face.

‘What?’ She asked, leaning forward, and lowering her legs.

‘We found Nino. Well technically Chat Noir found him. I was kind of here, you know keeping an eye on you so I didn’t find Nino, but Chat found him. And he’s okay. He’s safe.’ Jade said, smiling a bit.

Alya’s eyes widened and felt the weight on her shoulders lift, her chest swelling slightly. A smile broke on her face, tears welling over as she started crying because she was so happy. Nino was okay. Nino was safe. She tucked her legs under her and leaned forward more, hugging Jade tightly. Jade’s arms quickly wrapped around her, Alya missing the words that told her to be careful before she fell. She didn’t care though.

‘Thank you. Thank you so much for finding him! Or Chat, or whoever! Just thank you!’ She grinned at him, wiping her tears away and laughing. She was so happy the tears kept coming and she ultimately gave up on wiping them away. She looked up at him, relaxing into his arms as he held her. They were quiet for a moment, and she swallowed a bit… His hand lifted, wiping away the tears away before just cupping her cheek. A pang of guilt came from her chest, watching as Jade leaned closer to her. He was going to kiss her… But… She placed a hand on his chest and looked down. She waited till Jade backed up before looking at him, feeling awful for what she had to say.

‘…I can’t…’ She said, mentally wincing when she saw the look of hurt in his eyes. She wasn’t expecting his response though.

‘Why?’

‘I like Nino…’

Author notes:

A few things. 1. I am so, so, so, soooo, sorry for the long wait. I tried to update asap, but you know haha life. 2. I'm sorry if the ending seemed a little rush. I finished this at like 4 am because I knew if I didn't then I would have put it off for like another week, maybe a month... so... yeah. 3. I really hope you like this chapter. 4. You guys are just blessings because you're super nice and holy crow I'm almost at 100 kudos. I expected like maybe... one. So you guys are great. Thank you for every comment, every kudo, every read.

#Roy Writes #roy writes a djwifi fic #djwifi #djwifi fic #Alya Césaire #Nino lahiffe #nino x alya #alya x nino #mlb #miraculous ladybug #fic #fic: feeling the sound #feeling the sound #fts

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gigiree · 7 years

Text

Retrouvailles Ch 5.

A/n: THANK you so much to everyone who’s been sticking with this story. I’m so grateful, especially to my BIGGEST INSPIRATION @miraculousturtle (there, ya happy?) Also, chamomile stands for patience. Dandelions stand for wishes being granted.

5: Mixing Metaphors in a Garden of Words

There once was a ladybug who might have been in love with a handsome black cat. But she was scared of many things and winter came. She had to flee.

She slept in the petals of a flower black as ink.

When she woke, her beautiful red shell was dark all over.

She was reminded of her cat and it was bittersweet.

There’s an art to timing. Notably, it’s one of the few arts that cannot be mastered. Not when circumstance and chance and the universe are all set into their own patterns, caring nothing at all for the people that must exist within their confines.

Marinette’s long since known Time was never on her side.

It’s been days, time quietly lacing roots through her earlier resolve. She’s told herself countless times over the past week that she would try her best to give him the best of her. The her that was long ago cloaked in red and luck.

But his flowers are curling brown and sad in the display window. There’s no condensation and the shop is dark. The word Closed still sends her away. Her irritation and curiosity wind around each other in her chest as she glares balefully at the innocent sign.

Still she waits underneath the battered black umbrella. The frigid rain bounces off of it gleefully, landing with merry plops near the heels of her black boots.

Her fingers are cold and stiff as they curl like young vines around the wooden handle. Her free hand is tucked into the pocket of her jade cardigan.

“Well, so much for that.” She mutters bitterly.

Despite herself, she feels achingly thwarted. She feels the chill of disappointment delicately frost over the lovely pink bloom that had so often brushed across her cheeks at the thought of him.

And the tears well up at the sight of the dying blooms and her hope begins to desiccate in the folds of her heart. There’s no water left in her to take care of her heart’s garden, it’s probably all being redirected to her eyes.

There’s a pitter patter of footsteps, light and delicate across the puddles.

From the corner of her eyes, just blocked by the side of her sunglasses, she catches a flash of flaxen hair.

But the frost stays because it isn’t the man with the dandelion hair. It’s simply Chloe.

Her presence isn’t implausible, merely unexpected. And it’s with all the artifice of wealth and gold that gleams too brightly that Chloe makes her presence known.

Marinette doesn’t have to turn to know its her. The heavy jangling of jewelry and the cloying sweetness of her rich perfume are enough of a confirmation.

Not even the soft thud of Chloe’s obviously Burberry umbrella against hers is enough to rouse her from the melancholy that’s wrapped around her.

(It’s comfortable, under the frost, her heart’s gone to pins and needles.)

“I don’t remember booking an appointment for you today.” Marinette tells her quietly, with much less snap in her tone than usual. It’s enough to startle even her former high school enemy (her current best customer).

“I’m not here for an appointment.” Chloe says simply, none of the usual playful challenge lacing her tone either.

And Chloe thinks Marinette fits oddly well with the scene beyond the glass. Her - maybe - friend is small and huddled over. The sleeves of her sweater are too long, draping like drooping leaves beyond the tips of her fingers.

“Do you want to see him or not?” Chloe asks impatiently, her eyes rolling at the melodrama unfurling so stupidly between her two friends.

Marinette lets irritation flower across her lips, lets the growing leaves guide her words.

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do here. Now please go away if you don’t have an appointment.” She bites out, adding in a few thorns into her request so that Chloe will just leave her in peace.

But Chloe merely folds her arms, and gives a slight scream of frustration.

“You could have just asked anyone of us for his phone number…or his address, you know?”

Marinette simply shrugs her shoulders. The rain drives harder beyond the lilt of their conversation. There’s a growing puddle that laps at the tips of her toes, and she shifts her feet a bit so that she’s facing towards the puddle and away from Chloe.

What a pitiful cat she must make…unable to drive away a tiny buzzing bee. Then again, what had she expected from being in front of a flower shop?

It seems even dying flowers can still attract bugs.

But there’s a blur that manifests in front of her face, and for a second she almost believes there’s a real life insect flying dangerously close to her wide eyes.

It’s only Chloe’s tattoo. The delicate lines of black and yellow nearly coming to life on her hand as she waves a torn piece of paper in front of Marinette.

There’s a momentary pause, in which Marinette’s thoughts shift from self-congratulations on a great tattoo to stilted annoyance.

Her lips crumple into the familiar petals of consternation, her cheeks coloring with the red of anger and she reaches for Chloe’s hand.

But she’s too slow, and Chloe dances away, twirling her umbrella cheerfully overhead.

“You’re such a scared little cat. Just admit it, you never asked because you’re a coward.” She taunts, digging her chin into the creamy fur that rings her yellow quilted coat. For good measure, she kicks out her foot into the puddle, splashing water harmlessly onto Marinette’s rainboots.

It’s a little too much for Marinette. Her fear had, for the first time in a long time, died enough for her words to fruit into something meaningful. His gentle consideration that day on the bridge had warmed her garden like sunbeams. Enough to coax her happiness to bloom past the loss of Tikki.

Enough to bring her here everyday since then so that she can see him again.

So Chloe’s words prick unfairly, stinging painfully at her remaining fears. She shelters what little pride she has left by laying out her thoughts, brick by brick, as she builds up the walls in her heart to protect what remains of her fragility.

“Goodbye, Chloe. Call me when you want another tattoo.” Marinette says stiffly as she lifts her umbrella higher and turns on the heel of her foot away in the opposite direction.

What stops her is a barely heard plea. Something measured and full of regret when Chloe calls for her.

“Please…please just go. He’s not okay. Something happened and he’s not talking to anyone…not even Nino.”

The world is blurred once again in her eyes, and she hastily wipes away her tears with her oversized sleeve. She blinks a bit, looking upwards towards her umbrella. It’s a little see-through, and the droplets seem to roll down and around the dark material like a lopsided game of roulette.

Again, if this was a game show, she’d be sure not to thank the host for the poor turn of events.

She turns to look at Chloe.

She asks her why. It seems to be the only question that matters these days. Chloe answers her quietly as she presses the crumpled piece of paper into Marinette’s frigid fingers.

“Because not even all that ink can cover up your red, Ladybug.”

Chloe leaves before Marinette can say a word.

The Girl Who Was Once Lucky watches in horrified resolve as the sleek black car that apparently had driven Chloe here disappears around the corner.

She watches the wheels turn and turn, dredging up the muddy waters that pooled in the potholes of her sweet, little quartier.

And she feels just as muddled as the rippling rain water, her walls crumbling uselessly as she makes a decision. —- There once was a black cat who fell in love with a ladybug. When the seasons changed and she flew away, he slept among a bed of roses until their thorns made him bleed. He was red and black all over.

He looked at his reflection and was happy.

He was reminded of her. —

He’s known for a while that at some point he would have to say goodbye.

He just hadn’t been expecting that his chance would disappear from right beneath his possession. And still, it leaves a bleak gaping hole in his chest from where Plagg’s existence has been yanked away.

His hard earned optimism is slowly draining him. Even he has to admit, he looks colorless as he stares at the sallow reflection in his mirror.

His cheeks are a little gaunt, and his pallor is as creamy as the white roses that are probably wilting in his shop this very moment. His eyes are dull, the jade in them is chipped and doesn’t reflect the light the same way as before.

But his gaze is a thousand miles long as he looks within himself. His heart is still beating, warm and thin beneath the soft wool of his red sweater.

Even so, the red is merely a shallow carapace meant to remind everyone else that they were once protected by a hero who wore the hue. There’s hardly any confidence that he can even do this right.

He feels like an imposter, because the garden of his heart is too barren to sustain much besides the affection he holds for his loved ones, fierce sense of responsibility, and a lovely blue rose known as sorrow.

His selfishness, in his mind, is what had choked out everything else. The red he wears is too keep her alive in his thoughts.

It’s only a borrowed red after all.

He shakes his head, hands curling on the edge of his sink, the chipped porcelain digging a bit into his palms. He’d rather feel that than the lightness of a ringless finger.

And the Girl Who Was Once Ladybug had brought with her the light of the stars. Something guiding and something beautiful in their distance, and he reaches past the haze to think of that.

But her sad smile reminds him of Plagg, and it sends a piercing melancholy through him.

Something as sudden as the urgent knocking at his door. The sounds are staccato and softly reverberate through the pale wood. As silly as it is, he can feel the vibrations echo through his chest, setting his few flowers swaying with anticipation.

He doesn’t let himself give it another moment’s thought. He simply strides out of the bathroom and wrenches the door open.

And as he does, she stumbles forward into his home. Her hand had still been poised to knock, and his sudden action causes her to teeter forward.

Her other hand holds out a battered black umbrella to her side, helping her keep a clumsily elegant balance.

Her eyes are still maybe-blue behind her large sunglasses, but her mouth is a bouquet of flowering questions and her long hair is wet and wrapped around her like the petals of a budding violet.

Before he can say anything, she’s regained her gravitas. She stands a little shyly, her legs twined around each other like delicate stems just underneath the dark petals of her skirt. The few inky azaleas he can see are crawling up her neck, tense with her excitement.

She peers up at him over her sunglasses, bright eyes watching him as warily as a stray cat.

“Your flowers are wilting.” She says breathlessly. “Are you okay?”

And for the first time since he’s met her, he wants to tell her to please go away. To please let the dandelion man drown in the rain. To let his falsely bright colors wilt together until he was expected to be nothing but a muddled brown.

But the fact that she’s here…beyond all expectations and hope…the fact that even wet and off-balance, she glitters with an almost silvery brilliance makes him crack open the gates of his garden for her.

He shakes his head, looking away in shame because she’s been through this loss before him and she had held up so much better.

She doesn’t know that he knows who she is. So his lips are sealed with the mortar of a promise kept and an apology still overdue.

(Yet she’s so much more astute than he remembers. There’s an art to observation and her bluebell eyes catch the emptiness of his ring finger within the first few seconds.)

There’s a brief clatter from her umbrella hitting the floor.

He’s in danger of mixing metaphors when he thinks just how warm black cats can be when they wrap their petals around you.

Adrien’s thoughts are whirling just as surely as the stars span across the heavens, because she’s hugging him fully. Her head is leaning against his shoulder and her hands are barely grasping onto the back of him, but she’s here.

He reciprocates, mostly because he’s in danger of drowning and he needs someone to hold onto right now. He needs a trellis because his stem is weak and he’s wilting, so her wraps his thin branches around her and cranes his golden leaves towards her.

Her warmth nearly melts the mortar, but there’s shame and fear that tangle around his tongue with a painful twist. The words fall from him with much difficulty.

“Will it always hurt like this?” He asks her dully, his breath threading through a few loose strands of her hair that float close to his chin.

She stiffens only slightly, and he wishes he could see her inky flowers beyond all the green she’s used to cover them. They’d probably tell him a lot more about what she’s thinking.

She pulls back to look up at him and this time he catches that her eyes are blue…blue as the delicate petals of bluebell flowers, but her hair and sunglasses still cover most of her face.

Her answering smile is bitter as she brings up her fingers to tuck back stringy strands of hair behind her ear. She seems to look up at him pointedly as she does this, her eyes harsh and challenging as he catches sight of a strangely bare ear.

“I’m not the best person to ask. Because I’ll say yes…yes, it’s always going to hurt. But people find ways to cope and move forward. You especially…”

He gives a warbling chuckle, something entirely disbelieving. His hands hover awkwardly over her shoulders, and the bloom of embarrassment colors both their cheeks as an awkward silence threads through them.

She coughs delicately, rolling her shoulders a bit and stepping away a little bit more.

“Sorry for barging in.” She comments as she bends down to pick up her battered umbrella. She’s wrapping herself tightly together now, her tendrils no longer reaching out.

The rain still pounds heavily against his living room window, beyond the heavy claret colored curtains.

Despite his earlier wishes, he wants her to stay. But her eyes betray her nervousness, and while his Lady has always been brave, something in her is too fragile in this moment.

Still, he offers.

“You can…you can stay if you want. Just until the rain lets up.” He ventures hopefully.

(And she’ll what to say No…in fact the word is battering against her lips, fluttering little wings in fear, but she swallows it down with the acrid taste of victory.)

Her smile is tentative, her fear blooming curling black in the pit of her stomach and she only has enough to courage to nod her head.

His answer is to shine like sunbeams again, and his laughter is melancholy and joyous all at once.

She doesn’t begrudge him the tears that finally spill over his pale cheeks as he does so. —– They have a roundabout conversation, sitting stiffly on his plush blue couch.

She’s postured primly, looking very much like a cat again while she holds her steaming mug of chamomile in between her slim hands.

Her face is relaxed into one of patient bewilderment, as if she can’t quite grapple with the idea that she is here.

He’s surprised he can gather that much with her sunglasses still clinging to half her small face.

They make the tiniest of small talk, with long gaps in conversation that don’t quite breach the topsoil of there hearts’ gardens.

But he does manage to find out what she does for a living.

“I’m a tattoo artist.” She answers matter-of-factly, and she giggles a bit when she sees his astonishment at getting a straight answer.

He nods approvingly, green eyes cutting like glass through the steam.

“So we’re both artists.”

“I guess so. Are you still also an escape artist?”

He hums thoughtfully, and tilts his head in quiet contemplation before answering.

“Not as much as before…I’m not Chat Noir anymore.” He winces as that realization tugs at the raw edges of the hole in his chest. “And I’m never going to be again.”

Zinnia Girl, as he still knows her by because they have an unspoken agreement regarding her privacy, merely shakes her head.

“You’re still you. He’ll always be a part of you. Everything that was tied to him will always be a part of you. You’re a hero, Adrien.” She says with the utmost confidence, and for once the flush of her cheeks isn’t from the cold or irritation.

As far as he can tell, anyway.

Incredulity colors his tone when he asks-

“Where you a Chat Noir fan?”

And he can’t quite tell if she’s joking or not when she gives him the broadest smile. It unfurls across her face slowly until she looks like a cat who’s caught the canary.

“The biggest.”

The rain devolves into a drizzle, and she leaves without revealing much more.

And the holes in his heart are still gaping and flooded with tears, but there’s a plot of his garden that’s bursting with clusters of yellow dandelions.

Perhaps there’s more to having wishes granted than chasing stars…perhaps it’s better just to patiently wait them out.

—- Years later, the Ladybug and the Black Cat met in a dying garden.

But they passed each other by without realizing.

The Cat couldn’t recognize his Lady beyond all the inky black of her painted shell.

The Lady couldn’t recognize her handsome cat beyond the dull green eyes and the bloodied fur.

But the garden gate was locked by a mischievous little bee, and so they wandered round and round, searching for someone they could feel, but couldn’t see. —-

She expects the morning to be dreary, but there’s a certain expectation that twines over her lingering dreams like overgrown vines.

She’s going to see him again. She knows it deep in her marrow, the realization digs roots deep into her and it’s taken a night and a day to accept it all.

He’s in her life again, Chloe knows who she used to be, Tikki is gone and so is Plagg…for reasons that don’t at all stack up to logical reasons.

But the universe has always had its own set of rules, and she’s written down her observations on her skin to cope.

She’s settled her emotions, letting a melancholy acceptance pick it’s own little plot of land on her already full heart.

And there’s that flowering rosy bloom as well, swaying cheerfully on a still green stem. It’s so familiar and unwelcome. It doesn’t have thorns, but it’s something she’s refusing to indulge.

It’s a plant that takes too much blood, sweat and tears to keep healthy.

She keeps her eyes shut tight against the silvery light that sieves through the gray clouds. She rolls over onto her stomach, muffling her curses into the pillow over and over again.

She wants to go back to sleep, but there’s an insistent tap, tap, tap that refuses to let her drift off back into hazy dreams.

For once, it’s not the torrid sounds of lovers or the clumsily played piano that wakes her fully.

She thrashes past her entanglement of blankets to stare balefully in the direction where the tapping is coming from.

It’s on her once empty night stand and it takes her a while to register the large silver ring resting there…

And a tiny, irritated little black cat that sits next to it, impatiently tapping at the pale wood to get her attention.

“Oh good. Finally, you woke up! I’m hungry. Do you have any cheese by chance?” He remarks a bit dully, green eyes blinking large and petulant.

And there isn’t much she can do about the scream that tears from her throat other than hide it in her pillow. —–

#adrienette #miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #retrouvailles

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