#no sleep last night & i feel myself withering | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

guess-my-next-obsession · 1 year

Text

After Work Relief

pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

rating: M (no explicit smut but my blog is 18+ only, soft!joel, nudity, hints at sexy times but no actual sexy time, foot rubs bc joel is a saint)

word count: 1.5k

joel masterlist

“There you are,” Joel smiled, looking up at you from his spot on the couch besides Sarah, the two watching some low-budget action flick and enjoying heated up leftovers you made for dinner last night. Letting out a sigh, you kicked off your shoes by the entryway, your bag quick to follow. Hobbling over to join them, Joel welcomed you as you sat on the arm of the couch beside him. “You alright?”

“It was a long shift,” you grumbled as your feet throbbed with pain, your return to retail after a year-long hiatus not going as smoothly as you hoped. “My body hurts all over. I can’t walk—actually, I think I’m stuck here. Just like this. Going to wither away on the armrest of our couch.”

“And yet I’m supposed to look forward to becoming an adult?” Sarah quipped, earning a chuckle from both of you. “Both of you are either always tired or always in pain.”

“You ain’t wrong,” Joel smiled at her in a mixture of amusement and pride, impressed by her wit at such a young age. Turning his gaze back to you, he reached his arm around you and rubbed your hip over your clothes.

“I really need to shower but I can’t move.” You gave Joel an intentionally exaggerated frown, earning an adoring pinch to your chin.

“Need help?”

“Ew,” Sarah gagged, earning a playful pinch at her side from her father.

“I meant help up the damn stairs.” Sarah pinched him back, Joel scoffing at her before attacking her with both hands, the two now in a back-and-forth duel.

“I think I can hobble my way upstairs by myself,” you answered after Joel and Sarah’s pinching match ceased after a particularly good sting on the back of Joe’s arm. Joel’s pain lingered as he looked back to you, his hand still rubbing over the spot that stung even minutes after the grab. Finally finding the strength to stand, you leaned over the armrest and pressed your lips to Joel’s temple, Joel’s arm moving to hold you around the hip. “No promises on coming back down, though.”

“I’ll be up to bed soon as the movie’s over,” he promised while slipping his hand on your hip just a bit lower, giving you a loving pat.

“Guess this is good night, kiddo,” you turned to Sarah who was nearing sleep, her head resting on her father’s shoulder.

“Night,” she yawned, “Don’t die on your way upstairs.”

“I’ll try not to,” you assured with a chuckle.

After stalling your exit from the soothing heat of your shower that you took sitting down on the tub, you finally forced yourself to your feet just in time for Joel to peel the curtain back and sneak in behind you. You hummed as he wrapped his arms around your waist and nuzzled his cheek against your shoulder, swaying you a bit in his arms.

“You’ve been on my mind all day,” he confessed in an exhausted rasp.

“Me or these?” You slid his hands up your stomach to your breasts, Joel gladly cupping their weight and chuckling.

“Both.” He kissed the back of your neck and slipped one hand down your front until he was cupping your pussy. “This too while we’re at it.”

You giggled and spun around in his arms, grinning at him as you leaned in to hover your lips over his.

“I hate to say it but I think I’m too exhausted for sex tonight,” you kissed his pout as he hummed in acknowledgment, his hands kneading at your lower back. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Don’t be,” he kissed your apology away and continued to rub your back. “Go get comfy in bed, baby, I’m right behind ya.” Joel kissed you again sweetly, deeply, the kind of kiss that you swore actually held the power to heal you. “And don’t bother gettin’ dressed, gonna give you a massage so you don’t wake up gruntin’ like me.”

“Is this your way of hinting that you’d like more back rubs?” You scratched beneath his chin, Joel’s smile lighting you up inside.

“If you feel so inclined,” he replied, earning a chuckle.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you pinched his chin before stepping out of the shower.

Quickly drying yourself off, you threw on your robe and went through the motions of your skincare as quickly as you could manage before brushing your teeth. You hopped into bed the minute you were done, the ache in your feet returning after the soothing effects of the shower began to fade away.

The shower creaked as Joel shut the water off a few minutes later, his naked form visible from where you sat reading in bed as he stepped out of the tub and toweled off his hair. You bit your lip as you marveled at him, debating on changing your mind as your eyes lowered to the mouthwatering sight of his hefty cock hanging between his thighs.

“Gettin’ a good look?” he teased you as he wrapped the towel around his waist and moved to the sink to brush his teeth and throw on the moisturizer you recently began training him to implement daily.

“Just admiring you,” you chirped back with a smirk, your eyes turning back to your book.

Joel’s feet padded into the room, the sight of his broad and muscular back distracting you from the paragraph you’d been trying to read as he grabbed his favorite sweats from the dresser and tugged them on.

“It’s not fair that in order to seduce you I have to put on a fucking g-string and lace while you just have to throw in a pair of grey sweats,” you playfully complained as Joel crawled up into bed, resting his body between your legs and plucking the book from your hands so that he could lay his head on your stomach.

“You ain’t gotta do shit to seduce me,” he mumbled as you started raking your fingers against his scalp. “Just you breathin’ around me gets me hard as a rock, baby.”

“Where’s that massage you promised me, huh?” you smirked at him as he lifted his head and gave you a sleepy smile.

“Feet or back?” he asked, sitting back on his haunches.

“Hmm,” you contemplated your pain for a moment. “Feet.”

“Alright, hand me the lotion, baby doll,” he tossed the blankets back and got into position at the foot of the bed. You handed him your lotion, smiling at him as he got to work kneading away every sore and tender muscle in your feet and calves.

“How was work today?” you asked, not wanting him to go neglected just because you had a hard day.

“It wasn’t too bad, actually,” he shot you a smile. “The concrete guys came on time, so Tommy and I were off by four. Think we should be finishin’ this place up by the end of the week.”

“Your first build,” you beamed with pride, Joel having been working so hard this past year to start his construction company from scratch. “We should celebrate.”

“Oh yeah?” He chuckled as though it was a joke.

“I’m being serious!” You gave him a laugh. “This is a big deal.”

“It’s just a—“

“No, it’s a big deal. And we’re going to celebrate it on Saturday. Me, you, and Sarah.” Joel surrendered with a tender smile and a nod.

“Thank you, baby,” he set your foot down to work on the other. “And by the way, you know you don’t have to work, right? We’ll be fine. It ain’t worth all this stress on your body.”

“I know,” you sighed. “But I want to help out. It’s not fair that I get to stay home while you’re out breaking your back for us.”

“Baby,” he let go of your foot and crawled up the bed, pulling you into his warmth as he laid beside you. “I enjoy breaking my back for the two of you. It makes me happy knowing that I get to come home to your sweet smile every night, and ever since you started workin’ again, it’s gone away. I miss it.”

“I miss it too,” you sighed and nuzzled into his neck. “I’ll give ‘em my two weeks tomorrow.”

“Good,” he kissed your cheek. “Now I’m the only one who needs foot rubs.”

“I should’ve known there was an ulterior motive,” you poked his stomach and earned a laugh.

“Always,” he smiled against your cheek as he nuzzled his stubble against it. “I love you baby.”

“I love you more, Miller.”

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fluff #joel miller #joel miller reader insert #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fluff #joel miller x you #joel miller fic #joel miller x reader #tlou joel #tlou hbo #tlou fanfiction #tlou fic #tlou #joel tlou #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction

2K notes · View notes

callme-littlesunshine · 11 months

Text

Cant Sleep

Mountain x fem!reader

t was in the middle of the night when I tried to sneak into Mountains Room. Sneaking wasn't something for me because I can be very clumsy. After thinking this I bumped into somethign, waking Mountain. He turned on his light, scaring me with this. I must look like a deer in headlights. "Y/N? What's wrong?" does he ask, I wasn't answering. I guess by thishe knew what was wrong. I couldn't sleep again. It happens quite often lately and I don't know why.

"Sorry for disturbing you I know you have practice tomorrow but...could I sleep here by your side?" My voice was quit. I hate to ask this, I don't want to be a burden to anyone but well I kinda feel like one when I have to ask such a thing. Mountain was one of those Ghouls I could relay on. But I don't want to desturb him every now and then. So the last few times I was trying to handle this myself. I wasn't sleeping for almost 5 days, sleeping for half an hour. If you could call this sleeping. It was resting my eyes nothing more.

"You're not disturbing me, come here" He lifted the blankets for me to join him under. I did as told, laying next to him right now, watching the ceiling. "Tell me lil birdy, why didn't you come the last few days? I know you are struggling to sleep, I could hear you turning almost 20 times in less than 2 minutes." He looked at me, with soft eyes. I sighed turning to the side to look at him. "I... don't want to be a burden to anyone and.. when I can't sleep I always came to you because I feel like you ground me with you presence. It helps me, when you are near me but I know you have something to do the next day. You're always here for me. I really appreciate that" I smiled sadly sitting up and looking down at him. He took my hand in his, softly brushing my knuckles with his thumb. "You are not a burden to me, I already got used to it that you are here next to me, so please come to me, every day when you need me. My bed is always open for you." he smiled at me.

I nodded, smiling too. "I will, thank you." I kissed his cheek, laying back, robbing to his side so I could feel the warmth he was ratiating. I'm really thankful to have him. He treats me like some kind of princess from time to time. Giving me flower crowns. It was really cute. He even got a spell so they could never wither. ALways looking the same it was amazing.

A few minutes later I fell alseep, in his arms. He smelled so good, I felt at peace for the first.

A few hours later, I woke to some moving beside me. „Mountain? What’s wrong?“ rubbing my eyes, I slowly raised from my laying position beside him. „Sorry princess, continue on sleeping“ he smiled tired at me, pulling me down. „Thank you Mount“ I cuddled up on his side, taking his hand in my, holding onto it while i fell intona dreamless, peaceful sleep.

What I didn‘t know was that he pulled me closer to him, resting his head on mine, also falling alseep wirhin minutes.

265 notes · View notes

blueicequeen19 · 1 year

Text

Right Side of Wrong Pt. 2

Warnings: non-con, somno, unprotected sex

I can’t turn my brain off. Ever since last night, all I can think about is Y/N fingering herself on my bed with her tits bouncing with each thrust. My mind runs wild, especially when I’m trying to sleep.

In my dream, she’s riding me and whispering dirty things in my ear as she claws at my chest. My head is thrown back into my pillow, my moans almost as loud as hers. It feels so real. I can almost imagine how she’d feel around my cock.

“Wake up, J.” I hear her voice in my ear, her heat tightening around my cock almost painfully. She was so wet it was dripping down my balls.

Huh?

“Wake up, JJ. I’m gonna cum and you’re gonna miss it.” I hear her voice in my ear, her teeth nibbling my ear before she’s gone again.

I feel wetness against my lips next with a burning pain against my chest and my eyes suddenly snap open.

It’s not a dream.

Y/N is on top of me, riding my cock like there’s no tomorrow as she digs her nails into my chest. I open my mouth but nothing comes out but a breathy moan. She was exquisite and I was ten times more turned on by the fact that she took what she wanted. That she was using me to pleasure herself.

“JJ, your cock is so big. It feels so fucking good inside me.” She breathes, dropping down on my chest and kissing me as her ass bounces up and down. She’s kissing me. Like it’s second nature and we’ve being doing this all along.

“We have to stop.” I don’t know who’s voice that is. It doesn’t sound like me. Even though my hands reach up to palm her bouncing tits as she straightens back up. I tweak her nipples with my thumb and forefinger, watching in awe as she throws her head back while grinding back and forth. I look between us where we’re connected, still trying to convince myself that I’m actually balls deep inside her right now.

“Let me finish and I’ll stop.” She whimpers, “I’m so close, J. Can you feel it?” Fuck yea, I can feel it. She’s squeezing me like a steal band. I don’t know how I haven’t came yet. I can see her cream pooling around the base of my dick, sticking to her as she moves.

“God, you’re a bad fucking girl.” I snap, pinching her nipples hard before sliding my hands down to her curvy ass. I dig my fingers in to the soft flesh, helping move her.

“More. Oh god, I need more.” Y/N pants, her nails biting into my chest again. I quickly roll us, pinning her beneath me and clamping my hand over her mouth as her eyes widen in surprise. I snap my hips forward just once, enough to make her gasp and watch her eyes roll back. I was deeper like this.

“You’ve started a very dangerous game.” I snarl, rolling my hips from side to side then back and forth. Her nails dig into my back, her eyes pleading for more.

“You have to be quiet.” I hiss, pounding her pussy harder. I grit my teeth as the bed starts to creak but I can’t bring myself to stop. I should kick her out before John B or someone catches us. But the deed was already done. I was already inside her even if it wasn’t how I planned. Might as well finish.

I dont slow down, snapping my hips forward at an ungodly pace as she whines and withers beneath me. Her eyes start to roll back into her skull, her nails dragging down my back as she reaches her climax. I roughly grab her bouncing breast, pinching her nipple as she cums hard, soaking me and my sheets. I snarl, my balls tightening painfully as my release barrels forward. I yank free at the last possible second, jerking my cock roughly until I spew all over her stomach and tits.

We stay like that for a minute, panting and shaking with the after affects of our orgasms. My anxiety starts to creep in again until she drags a finger through my cum and sucks it into her mouth, humming in satisfaction. I almost whimper as my head hangs. This girl was filthy and I wanted her more than anything. I was never going to be able to stop after this.

“Are you going to come to my funeral?” I ask with a blank expression. Her brows furrow for a minute as she gives a nervous chuckle.

“What do you mean?”

“When your brother kills me for defiling his sister.” Her face lights up with a grin as she moves to a sitting position, my cum running down her body as she reaches up for a kiss. I savor it, devouring her mouth and slipping my tongue inside. Her lips close around my tongue and she sucks, making my cock jerk to life again. I pull back, panting and ready to fucking ruin her.

“Son of a bitch, where did you come from? Who taught you this shit?” I grumble breathlessly, my words holding no weight as I climb off the bed and she follows.

“I’ve had practice.”

“I don’t want to know that.” I growl, quickly making my way to the bathroom but she’s right on my heels, not letting me run away.

“It was mostly porn and girls.”

“Jesus!” Just when I didn’t think my cock couldn’t get any harder, I visualize her going down on another girl while I fuck her from behind.

“I needed experience, J. I wanted to be good for you.” Her hands wrap around me from behind as I fight to catch my breath. I watch as she rubs her hands across my chest and slowly makes her way south. My cock jerks again, knowing what’s coming. She grabs my cock with two hands, tightening her grip as she slowly pumps me. I release a shuddering breath, letting my head fall back to look at the ceiling.

John B really was going to kill me. Not because I fucked his sister. Because I wouldn’t be able to stop fucking his sister.

#smutwarning #outer banks smut #jj maybank smut #jj maybank fic #jj maybank imagine #obx2 #jj maybank fluff #jj maybank x you #jj obx #rudy pankow #outer banks x reader

613 notes · View notes

azsazz · 1 year

Text

My Happy Ending

Lucien x Reader

Summary: He was supposed to be your everything. What he turned out to be was much worse.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of sex.

Word Count: 1,295

Notes: Haven’t written for Lulu in a minute so I thought to myself,��“Let’s devastate some people today.”

_________________________________________

“Can’t we just talk about this?” you plead, slipping from the bed behind him. He’s already across the room, fully clothed, quick on his feet. You wish you were wearing more than the thin slip of the nightgown you donned, but at least it was something.

“What is there to talk about, (Y/N)?” he retorts, casting a withering look over his shoulder at you as he straightens the collar of his coat. The harsh look nearly slices through the fabric and you shrink back under that glare, watching as something flickers in the amber of his eye, his other making a whirring sound you recognize it makes when he’s squinting. “I told you, I’m going back to Autumn.”

You don’t want him to leave, especially after last night. Sure, the two of you hadn’t ever really been close, not that you hadn’t tried. You had thought you’d made your interest known, in fact.

Maybe that was why Lucien looks like he’s ready to flee.

Your throat is thick with emotion and you fist your fingers into your nightgown so that he doesn’t see the effort you’re using to keep the prickling in your eyes at bay. He didn’t like when you got too emotional.

“So last night meant nothing, then?” It’s posed as a question but it comes out just as vulnerable as you were trying to hide. The tightness in your windpipe won’t allow for it.

Lucien looks away, releasing a huff of irritated laughter. He’s shaking his head like he can’t believe you’ve really asked that and the thread coiled around your heart pulls taut, digging into the meat and slicing, causing you to gasp sharply.

The bond had made itself known soon after you had met the royal, stumbling into the House of Wind with Azriel, shoving his way out of the shadowsingers arms. He looked like a snared fox with the rest of the Inner Circle standing around him, making sure he didn’t go anywhere while Rhysand and Feyre had reunited.

You’d offered to show him to a room, hoping for a moment alone to introduce yourself to handsomely nervous male, but Cassian had accompanied the three of you as chaperone, not trusting the Vanserra son who had looked like he wanted nothing more than a bath and a comfortable bed to sleep in.

When he had turned to thank you for showing him the way and his russet and golden eyes met yours was when it happened. You could feel the stopping of your heart for a split second, before it started up again, as if it were beating for something new. Someone new, you realized, because you hadn’t been able to look away from him as your chest burned, it had to be him.

The confused look on Lucien's face and Cassian’s hand on your arm had snapped you out of it, a look of disappointment had stamped your face before you could even process. With a muttered, “You’re welcome,” you let your friend usher you from his chamber on wobbly legs and a worried look on his face.

“(Y/N), are you okay?” Cassian asked, both hands on your shoulders to keep you in place.

But you could hardly focus on him when your heart wanted you to go back to Lucien, just down the hall. It was nearly painful, the feeling, and you clutched your hand to your chest, the other to your stomach as you tried to steady your breathing.

“I’m–I’m fine, Cass, just a little tired is all,” you lied.

“At least let me help you to your room.”

“Last night was for you. Don’t pretend like you don’t know that.”

The breath catches in your throat at the accusation.

You want to ask a million questions, scream and cry and plead for answers. Why is he so cold to you when he’s so kind to others? Why is he leaving? Why aren’t you good enough for him?

The thread of the bond is quickly fraying.

“Why?” is all you can muster. It’s barely there, on a breath of an exhale that Lucien hardly catches over the sound of his strides towards the door.

He halts abruptly, spinning on the heel of his foot so quickly you flinch. You refuse to look him in the eyes, instead casting your gaze down to the warmly colored wooden floors of your room, tensing more with each passing second.

“Because this is what you wanted,” his voice is a tough quieter, as if he knows that if he speaks too loud you will shatter. “Remember?”

You already feel like you are anyway.

You’re trembling, thinking back to what seems like a long time ago, when he’s been kissing down your neck with your hands buried in his hair and him gripping your hips like he never wanted to let you go. You’d begged him for it, for anything, and now–

A single tear falls. It burns like Lucien is the one instructing it, infusing it with his Autumn fires.

Maybe you had mistook his roughness for want. For need. Maybe you had convinced yourself he felt the bond too, but the longer you think, those long fingers leaving bruises on your skin, the way he’d buried his head into the crook of your shoulder, the love bites so tender he’d nearly drawn blood…

“You didn’t want it?” your voice trembles and your stomach twists.

Lucien did want it. He wanted it so badly it had nearly consumed him when he had found out that you were his mate. But there are things that are more important than finding his other half. Namely, figuring out where his father stands in the upcoming war.

If his brothers chasing him and the…High Lady of the Night Court were any sign, he doesn’t think Beron is very willing to join Rhysand’s alliance.

Sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.

“I–” He can’t say it.

Can’t say that, at least.

“You see, little lamb?” He begins instead, voice low, menacing and the smooth stride he takes closer makes you shuffle back. You flinch at the nickname. You’d thought it was adorable when he’d whispered it across your skin, but now, as he bares his teeth and his eye darkens, the hatred burning the vibrant color to ash, you realize that he’s the fox who’s come to hurt the little lamb. His metal eye clicks, a sound you’ve never heard before but is equally as jarring in the silent room. “I gave you what you wanted, and now I’ve ruined you for every male after me, forever.”

The sharp sting in your chest is startling, and you cry out.

He knows about the bond.

His steps falter at the sound, eyes widening for a fraction of a second. There’s a bob of regret to his throat but you’re full on crying now, head down and hair falling across your face like a curtain. You wouldn’t have even noticed the crack in his emotions through the blur of tears anyway.

But those words are his truth. Lucien’s fingers curl into fists at the thought of another male even being in close proximity to you, let alone in your bed, touching you as he did, better than he did.

His mind spins with the thought, each thump of his heart hurts his chest, each tear he catches rolling down your cheek stifles the fire raging within him and he takes a step back. He’s done enough damage, he’s done what he has come to do. You hate him.

The door clicking shut behind him is the final touch to crumble your fragile heart. You feel like a slaughtered lamb left to bleed out on your bedroom floor.

So much for your happy ending.

#Lucien #lucien vanserra #lucien x reader #lucien x you #lucien/reader #lucien angst #azsazz #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acotarxreader

369 notes · View notes

from-now-on-im-switzerland · 3 months

Text

>I Just Like The Cold.

Chapter Three

Jasperxf¡reader

Multiple POV's

TW, Drowning.

I'm so sorry this took forever, I've been on my other Tumblr and forgot completely about this account 😭.

Also I'm tryna etch myself back into my twilight phase and writing always helps.

°Reader's POV°

I felt the beads of sweat dripping down my face. I tossed and turned, and my face twitched with irritation as my eyes refused to snap open from this dream. It was a simple dream. One that if I were still allowed to friends with him, I wouldn't complain, but as I'm not permitted to go anywhere near him, the only way I can hear his voice and be as close to him as I want, is in my subconscious.

He was just sat there. On a cliffside, overlooking a beautiful sunset, his head was slightly tilted as he watched the cotton candy looking clouds float through the sky. Sunsets were rare in Forks, which was probably why he was sat there, admiring it. No one else was there, until I appeared, and sat down next to him. He smiled in my direction and he put his arm around my waist. I took the opportunity and rested my head on his shoulder. But with each breath, and every blink in the sun's direction, he withered away slowly. Like a dying rose, but with it's thorns still pricking me.

"I just can't.." he said, as his face was the last of him to wash away, and I was left alone again.

I sat up, gasping for air, letting the much needed oxygen fill my lungs. I opened my curtains to see the dark of the night, the only light being from the moon and shining stars surrounding it.

Sighing, I sat back down on my bed, begging my mind to let him go. He didn't want to know me. And that hurt.

Thinking about it, I'm being pretty dramatic. It's just how in the dark I am about it all. He didn't give me an explanation of any kind. The only thing I've heard is that it's 'for my own good' or for my 'safety' but I don't get how I'm in danger. If he had just given me a reason, sure I'd still be sad that I can't be...friends with him, but I wouldn't be in a state like this. I just need answers, my mind can't comprehend the not knowing.

It was morning before I knew it, and I was running on very limited sleep. Before Emmett got to my house I met myself in the mirror, and stared at my reflection. I looked so..sick. Almost like death had greeted me like an old friend. The bags under my eyes, they hung low like anchors, anchors on one of those old fashioned war ships.

However, before I could throw myself a lifeboat, a knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.

As I went down the stairs, a picture frame of the Rez hung by the doorway, I'd never noticed it before, but it reminded me that Seth had invited me to go swimming later today, and that lifted my mood.

I unlocked my door, grabbing my backpack. "Hey.." Emmett said, that same goofy grin smeared across his face.

"Hey Emmett" I threw him a sheepish smile, the same sheepish smile I'd been giving him over and over. He probably knew by now that it wasn't exactly a genuine smile but he met me with the same mentality everyday, being that he could make me feel better with his jokes. Now, while the jokes would make me chuckle any other time, I was too numb.

Almost like routine, I climbed into the back of Emmett's jeep as he switched the radio on, pulling away from my house.

We arrived at school and I hopped out of the jeep, thanking Emmett like usual as we walked up the steps. Emmett would drive so fast that the three of us, myself, Emmett and Rose, got to school maybe 10 minutes before the rest of the students.

We wandered through the not so densely populated corridors of the school.

"You seem a bit more cheerful today Y/n" Emmett commented.

"yeah..well Seth invited me over to La Push to go swimming" I smiled, and not a fake one.

Rosalie stopped herself from laughing by biting the inside of her cheek.

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "Swimming? It's getting colder..are you sure?" Emmett asked.

"Yes. I'm sure. I like the cold, it's refreshing. I'd rather be freezing cold than boiling hot" I admitted.

"..Well, just be careful okay?" he said, worry lacing his words.

"I will." I said, as students began to file in through the doors.

°Jasper's POV°

Each and every school day without talking to her feels like hell. I don't even need to be here, why am I here? I've graduated high school so many times. I mean, surely there's a better way to spend eternity than going to school over and over again?

Or maybe it's this school. Forks High School. Granted, this is only the second time we've been to this school, but both times one of us has...gotten invloved..with a human.

Shaking my screaming thoughts, I walked over to Edward's Volvo, and waited for him and Bella to finish class.

I leant against the hood of the car and without warning, I was paralysed by her all too familiar scent. The very scent I was craving. My eyes glued to her figure as she skipped past the car, not even blinking in my direction as she tugged Seth over to her car, her hands clinging to his wrists. Embry and Quill followed not too far behind, laughing at her antics.

"I actually can't wait, I've been needing to get out the house so bad!" I heard her. Her voice, sculpted to please my ears so delicately. My still heart tugged at its strings, begging me to call it quits and just go over to her.

Go over to her and just sweep her of her feet, both litteraly and figuratively. I want to hold her tightly in a hug that she can't escape from, I want to cradle her in my arms. I want-

I want her.

I felt a dread as I watched Seth hold the car open for her. It wasn't someone else's dread, it wasn't an artificial dread that I had moulded to place on someone. It was my own. My own dread, my own jealousy.

Seth was a great person. He was so kind and his heart had room for anyone. Can't say the same for other members of his pack..but Seth was a good egg. If that's the case, why in this moment am I wishing upon his downfall?, why am I praying for something to happen?

"Maybe cuz you're in love with her?" Edward asked, as he and Bella walked up to the car, arms linked.

"Shut up."

"-and don't you dare do anything to Seth." Bella said, inferring.

"I wasn't going to.." I muttered. "I actually like Seth." I said, rolling my eyes as I recalled the number of times his other pack members made this eternal life a little tougher than it had to be.

"I think everything's gonna turn out fine!" Alice smiled from beside me, appearing from out of nowhere.

"Oh will it now?" I asked, as we all piled into the Volvo.

"Yep!" She said, optimistically, he smile wide.

"Oh..tell me Alice, when does Jasper decide to...get over himself?" Bella asked, turning to face me from the passenger seat, earning a chuckle from Edward who was supposed to be focused on not hitting students as he pulled away from the parking spot.

Alice also giggled at Bella's remark. "Oh aren't you so funny and confident now that you've got everything you want?" I sassed.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game" She said, with her hands up in surrender, a playfull smile tugging at her lips.

Not too thrilled I risked my life for her. But y'know...we move.

I could sense Edward in my head. 'What?' I thought, bitterly.

"Jasper, if you're that worried about her going to La Push, I can get Renesme to go down there. Just to keep an eye out for her." He said.

°Reader's POV°

Seth sat next to me in my passenger seat, giving me directions to the La Push beach, while Embry and Quill sat in the back squabbling.

My eyes stayed glued to the road however, and their voices soon muffled as my thoughts began to drown them out.

I spotted Seth at the bottom of the steps, and as we walked across the car park, Embry and Quill joined us. I saw him. Leant against Edward's Volvo, not a care in the world. I'll bet he hadn't given me a thought since he walked off in that hallway. He didn't know just how much this ignorance was cursing me, just how much his cold shoulder was making my heart ache. I couldn't let him see how bad this was effecting me, I just couldn't. I grabbed Seth's wrist and skipped past him to my car. "Someone's eager" Seth commented. "I actually can't wait, I've been needing to get out the house so bad!" I said, truthfully. I fought against the urge to glance in his direction, the hope that he was looking this way slowly persuading me. I instead thanked Seth as he opened my car door for me, and I climbed inside.

"Is she in some sort of trance-" I heard Embry's voice from outside my car. Visions of Jasper fading as I felt someone shake my shoulder.

"Y/n?" Seth pulled me from my thoughts, the harsh wind easing it's way into the car through my now open door.

I shook my head and turned to face him, as he was leaning inside the car, his hand still resting comfortably on my shoulder. "Shit, sorry I zoned out" I said, laughing slightly as I got out the car, in attempts to lighten the mood.

The others cracked a smile as they ran ahead, taking off their tops as they ran into the sea. I smiled too, taking off my jacket and leaving it in the car, next to my bag of spare clothes and my shoes. "I'll race you!" I said to Seth already speeding off.

The waves just managed wash over my feet when Seth grabbed my waist and we both fell into the water, thankfully it was a little deeper than I expected, so I didn't hurt myself.

I smiled as I rose the surface again, splashing Seth when he turned in my direction. He grinned as he dove under the water, swimming beneath me, before standing back up, with me on his shoulders. I wobbled, as he began to walk about.

"Seth!" I laughed. Like..actually laughed. For the first time in a while.

°Renesme's POV°

I sat on the cliffside, looking down at the four of them. Laughing loudly and splashing each other. I could hear their racing hearts from here, as they used all their energy.

She was fine.

Uncle Jas really just has to get a grip. Apparently it was the same with Dad? Why can't men just..

..nevermind.

"What you doing up here Ness?" Jacob said, sitting next to me.

"Always the questions..never 'Hey Renesme!' or 'Hey Nessi'. Just a question for every minute I'm not attached to your hip huh?" I asked, a small smile tugging at my lips.

His lips curled up too. "Sorry."

Jacob was honestly the best friend I could ask for. I tried to hang out with the rest of the pack, to get closer to them, but Jacob just gives better company, well for me anyway. I've known him since I was born, (now given my complicated ageing process, it hasn't been that long) but that's besides the point. The point is, Jacob's like the brother I'm never gonna have.

(A!/n: bit of Jacob character redemption there for you)

The laughing died down, along with the splashing, and my head whipped back round to the four of them down at the shore. Only three of them visible and only three heartbeats audible.

°Seth's POV°

Y/n dived under the water again. I don't know what she was gonna do this time, she'd been diving under and doing the most random shit for the past five minutes, making the three of us laugh until our ribs hurt.

She was still under the water.

I saw her body beneath the surface of the waves, laying still. Was she serious? Was this a prank or something? I reached into the water and dragged her above the surface. She wasn't breathing.

I picked her up, and ran her over to the shore, placing her down gently. I've never done CPR, so I panicked. I frantically felt around her neck for a pulse but I couldn't find it. My breathing quickened, and just as me and Y/n have talked about, That ugly feeling hit.

Not now Seth, she needs you.

Before my brain could overthink anymore, Jacob and Renesme appeared.

"What happened!?" Nessi asked, her voice cracking in worry, as she knelt down to Y/n.

"We were just playing around and then she went under water but then she didn't come back up so I dragged her out of the water and-"

"-Seth!" Jacob cut me off.

I snapped my eyes over to him. "Just go get Carlisle, just in case, quickly. I'll do CPR." He said, joking Renesme.

I ran off, hearing the thuds as Jacob attempted to get the water from her lungs. The thudding faded the further I got into the woods and I phased, racing over to the Cullens'.

I ran through the woods, going tunnel vision. I could hear my own heart pounding in my chest, the thud reminding me of Jacob's palm compressing against her chest.

I leaped out of the trees and onto the road infront of thier house, Carlisle, Edward and Alice meeting me outside. "Seth.." Edward said, Bella soon appeared by his side. "Seth?" she repeated.

°Edward's POV°

Seth struggled to stay on his feet as he breathed heavily, I could see the panic behind his eyes.

'It's Y/n she's not breathing. Jacob's trying to do CPR but he said to get Carlisle, I'm not sure he knows exactly what he's doing!'

Thankfully, Jasper had gone hunting with Emmett so I didn't need to worry about him hearing.

"Carlisle, it's Y/n." I said, expressing my worry.

"Y/n?" He questioned, appearing from the house at my side. "As in Jasper's supposed singer?"

"Yes! I'll go with you, but don't tell Jasper." I said.

Carlisle nodded to me, and sped off, Seth following close behind him. Just as I was about to kiss Bella goodbye, I heard Jasper's raspy voice from the trees.

He walked out with Emmett, wiping blood from his mouth. "Don't tell Jasper what?" he asked.

°Jasper's POV°

Edward stared at me, unable to speak. I could feel his worry, and his panic. I looked to Alice and she felt the same, her sympathy tangling with Edward's apprehension.

"Don't tell me what?" I repeated.

"Guys what's going on?" Emmett said, as he began to walk inside. "Has Jacob been over or what? It stinks" He said, before he froze in his tracks on the steps.

And my thoughts froze too. We came to the same conclusion. That smell. It wasn't Jacob.

"Seth was here." I said, steeping forward. "Was she with him? Is she okay?, don't tell me she's somewhere in these woods." I rattled off questions, getting closer and closer to Edward.

"Eddie, just tell me. Where did Carlisle go, I thought I saw him speeding off with a wolf but I shook it off, now I'm enclined to not doubt what I saw, where did they go?" I asked.

The closer I got to Edward, the more on edge I felt Bella become. "Jasper.." she said.

I turned to face her. "Is Renesme not back yet?" I asked.

"Seth was here." Edward finally said, he let out an unessecary puff of air. "And he asked for Carlisle because.." he trailed off, still debating wether letting me in on the information was a good idea.

"Because what Edward?" I felt a new kind of anxiety seeping in, it infiltrated my anger, turning my voice shaky instead of stern. At this point, I think I already knew. The string of information peiced itself together the moment I realised Seth was here.

"Y/n. She-"

I needed no more information. I turned on my heal and ran through the forest, ducking and diving between branches. She can't be hurt. If she's hurt, or dead, or worse than I won't be able to live with myself.

She went to La Push to quote “get out the house” If I didn't cut her off, she wouldn't be needing a distraction. She wouldn't have been there.

My thoughts were so loud on the run to La Push, I'm almost certain Edward still heard me. I didn't want to be friends with her anymore, because deep down I knew how much my stone heart called for her. I knew how much her blood tempted me. I knew that I'd already fallen in love with her. Yet, in my attempt to remove myself from her life, and she from mine, the tugging feeling of desperacy grew stronger within my dead soul.

They say eyes are the window to the soul, and the soul is what makes someone live. Well...the dying fire in my soul was only reignited when her eyes greeted mine. She added fuel to the flames, in so many ways. She made my still heart feel as though it was skipping beats. She made the hunger, longing at the back of my throat, cry out for her. She made me feel again. Her emotions were so strong, the strongest I've ever felt from anyone, I could feel them all the time, even when I knew nothing of her whereabouts. But, in that moment, I felt nothing from her. I felt nothing but my own trepidation.

I remember the first time I saw her.

There was: Anxiety, Depression, Arousal (the classic), Embarrassment, Jealousy, Confusion, Panic. The all too familiar everyday emotions of high schoolers invaded my very senses, until a new scent hit my nose like a tidal wave and snapped me out of working order. My head sprang up as I abruptly stopped talking with Rose and I scanned the halls. That roaring flame of hunger was racing back into my throat, and I felt nothing but instant panic as this person's scent was sending me into orbit. Breathing had become a forgotten practice, not that I needed to do it anyway. My eyes darted to everyone in the halls, no one's face matching the beauty of the scent controlling my actions. I almost didn't notice Alice's hand on my shoulder attempting to calm me, as I still hadn't found the source of the alluring smell.

Until my eyes landed on her.

Her features matching her intoxicating scent all too well. My eyes were locked on hers, everything beside her was blurry and I couldn't look away. Her eyes giving me a new kind of oxygen to breathe. I sensed Edward inside my mind, reading my thoughts and that was enough to pull me out of my trance. I was able to walk away, down the hall before I ended up hurting someone. And by someone, I meant her.

I pushed my initial thoughts of her away for as long as could, before my non-beating heart took over and decided that not much harm could be done if I became friends with her. But, much to my dismay, seeing her shining eyes everyday was enough for her to take over my every thought. My each and every thought.

I got to the beach, a small crowd surrounding her. She lay still on the sand. Lifeless. Her eyes were closed and her lips were blue.

Not like this.

°Reader's POV°

I couldn't see anything but black. I couldn't think. I couldn't feel.

But for some reason, I could hear.

"How long has it since she was under the water?" I heard Dr Cullen's voice.

"About three minutes.." A man said. I heard a dog bark, as if it was disagreeing. Now surely I was starting to hallucinate.

"Scratch that, maybe five" The man corrected himself.

I could feel ice cold fingers at my neck.

"She's alive, move out of the way Jacob." Dr Cullen said, as he placed his freezing hands slightly higher up on my chest than this 'Jacob' had them earlier, and he started performing CPR.

I almost didn't want to wake up, the kind light surrounding me was welcoming me with open arms and I felt loved for the first time in a long time. Everything was bright, shiny and sparkling - it was like a celestial glow. I felt content and peacefuI. Dr Cullen kept trying to resuscitate me, but my body wasn't allowing it.

"C'mon Y/l/n" His voice echoed around me, the southern drawl non-mistakeable. "What have I said to you about getting distracted?" he said, reminding me of the baseball game. I couldn't think of anything before his voice, but now, I was invaded with visions of our forgotten friendship.

A thud against my chest.

"You gonna keep those beautiful eyes away from me forever, hotshot?" he said.

A thud against my chest.

"This isn't it. You know it's not"

A thud against my chest.

"You're not done, this isn't how we end. Not after I tried to keep you safe."

A thud against my chest.

"I miss you so much" he said, weakly.

One last thud and I was gasping for air, coughing up sea water. My rapid breathing felt familiar but the strain around my chest didn't, I could feel where the water had been, it was like it was still clawing at the sides of my lungs. My vision was blurry, and I couldn't make anyone out.

No one but him.

Masterlist

35 notes · View notes

skzhocomments · 2 months

Text

Mafia Book #2 - PART II - The Withered Rose - Chapter 8 - A proper new beginning (FINAL CHAPTER)

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

General masterlist

PART I - The Black Iris

---

Wattpad | AO3

Chapter 7 (Previous chapter)

---

PART II - The Withered Rose

Chapter 8 - A proper new beginning (FINAL CHAPTER)

chapter word count: ~5.5k words

~2 months later~

“Yes, just like that, baby.” Chris moans softly as he feels Emilia swallowing his length down her throat. “You’re the best.”

Emilia hums in acknowledgment, gently scratching Chan’s thighs with her nails.

“Shit, I’m gonna burst if you keep that up. Come on, baby, let me feel you too.” He puts his right hand on her head, trying to stop her from sucking the soul out of him.

“I can’t help myself when you taste so good.” Emilia says after finally pulling back.

“Let me return the favour, love.”

“No need, just come here.” She puts her arms around his neck and pulls him back down with her on the bed, on top.

“Really? Are you already that wet for me?” He smirks.

“Mhm, daddy.” Emilia smirks as well, and Chris blushes. “You’re so cute when you get shy.”

“Cute is the last thing I want to be when you’re under me like this.” He looks at Emilia fondly and wastes no more time entering her.

She bites her bottom lip and holds back a moan, but when Chris presses his lips against her neck, sucking on the sweet spot he so conveniently remembers, she can’t help herself anymore.

“So good for me.” Chris praises, moving steadily in and out of her.

“Fuck, I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Emilia. Cum for me, will you, love?”

Emilia nods shortly before feeling the waves of her orgasm take over completely. It’s always been like this with Chris; he knows exactly how to kiss her, how to move, and what to say to get her to come undone.

He follows her soon after and releases inside of her, confessing his love to her over and over again.

“Go get me some Plan B tomorrow, I can’t go through another pregnancy.” Emilia says a few minutes later after they’ve cleaned up.

She is now laying on his chest just as she used to do when they first fell in love, and she’s never felt more at peace.

“I didn’t get to witness the first one, though. It’s not fair.”

“Sucks to be you.” She chuckles, and Chan tuts.

“Which reminds me. Ivy’s 4 already. Have you looked into kindergartens?”

“Ugh, I know I have to, I just… I’m a bit anxious to be away from her.”

“You don’t seem too anxious now.” Chan remarks with a smirk. For the past 2 months, ever since they made up, they spent no nights apart.

“She’s always had her own room, so she doesn’t mind sleeping alone.”

“You raised her well.”

“Thanks, and now it’s time for you to take over. I’ve been thinking…”

“Yeah? About what?”

“She’s still calling you Chris.”

“Yeah. She’s a cutie, can’t even pronounce the r right.” Chan chuckles.

“Wouldn’t dad sound better? I think she’s old enough to learn the truth, and I’m also ready…”

Chan smiles and kisses the top of her head.

“Wooyoung will be pissed.” He chuckles.

“Well, he’ll probably still be daddy to her, since he’ll stick around.”

“I know. I do owe him a lot, so don’t get me wrong. I’m not mad or anything.”

“Good. Don’t be.” She lifts her head to peck his lips, and then falls back down on his shoulder.

“Emilia, I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been following some suspicious activity for the past 2 years. Someone has been trying to revive The Scarlet Rose.”

“What?” She asks surprised and raises her head again to check if Chris just tried to tell a funny joke.

Unfortunately, he looks serious.

“They re-recruited people through the newspapers, but they started a more hands-on approach lately. Jisung and Iris have been investigating, and apparently, your former boss had a son out of wedlock. No one knew about it, so it was easy to keep him hidden and train him to take over someday.”

“Shit. That’s… unbelievable.”

“Yeah. We thought we finished them off by killing the boss and his closest associates. We’ve been sloppy.”

“So… what are we going to do about it?”

“Changbin, Minho and I have been working closely to set up a plan to blow them up and finish them off properly this time. We want to go through with it sometime next month, if we manage to find their location.”

Emilia stays silent.

“I’m sorry for not telling you any sooner. I just… I kept putting it off.”

“Why?”

“Because… you will want to join, and I… what if something happens to you?” Chris frowns.

“Then, what if something happens to you? Or were you willing to sit this one out and let your friends fight the war on their own?”

“Of course not… all of us are involved in this.”

“Do Wooyoung and San know about this mission?”

“No… I haven’t told them either.”

“Well, I don’t know about Wooyoung, but I’m sure San would have a few choice of words to tell his old mafia.”

“Is there really no way to prevent you from joining somehow?”

“Chris, we will do this together. Let’s pair up and take care of each other this time, okay?”

“Okay. Let’s have a meeting tomorrow and sort it out.”

“So, let me get this straight, even if you took care of those bastards, they still found a way to get back on track?” Wooyoung asks.

“Yes. Those fucking roses, can’t get rid of them!” Changbin curses.

“So, what’s the plan, boss?” San asks, eyeing Chan.

“We have a plan, but…”

“But?”

“Going head-on wouldn’t be a problem.” Minho starts. “But there’s still that issue with their current location.”

“What issue?” Wooyoung asks.

“We discovered three of their possible headquarters, but can’t be sure which one of them they actually reside in. All of them are guarded, so if we pick the wrong one and fail, not only would the new boss get alerted, but there might also be pointless casualties on our side.”

“It’s not our style to go unprepared.” Seungmin adds.

“What if there’s another way? Something similar to last time?” Emilia looks around the table. “When we planned Project Thrips, Boss had a big party to celebrate a really important trade. Maybe his son will do the same to officially establish his position within the Mafia, and we’d find out where the party is held.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Iris adds with a nod.

“That would be amazing. We just need all of them - or at least most - to be there in the house while we plant our explosives, and BOOM!” Changbin mimics the explosion with his hands.

“I agree with all of you, but how would we find it out this time? We no longer have any inside man to do the job for us.” Minho asks.

“I could try to infiltrate their mafia somehow…” Hyunjin suggests, but it’s quickly shut down by everyone around the table.

“San, what about the man that saved you?” Emilia asks in a hopeful tone, moment when San’s face brightens up.

“It’s a long shot, but I’ll try to get in touch with him.”

“That’s dangerous. How do we know if we can trust him?” Changbin rejects the idea, before quickly adding “I meant that man, not you, San. We’re cool.”

“Sure, brother.” San laughs. “The thing is, that man was following the Boss’ orders only because he was indebted to him somehow… I told you, he’s all about favours and returning favours, not so much about loyalty per-se. I don’t know if he made the run for it after you guys killed Boss, or if he decided to stick by his son as well…”

“Only one way to know. I will find him.” Jisung stands up immediately and heads towards his office. San nods and stands up as well, following him out of the room.

“So, depending on what these two find out, there’s either Plan A – go berserk to all locations and try to kill everyone until we get to the new leader, or Plan B – Project Thrips Pt. II, where we find out their exact location, plant our bombs and watch the place burn.” Momo says.

“What’s sure, though, is that we need to get rid of them, otherwise they might become a bigger problem later on.” Felix butts in.

“Let’s kill them all.”

~two weeks later~

“Chris, higher, higher!” Ivy exclaims while stomping her little feet in the air.

“Ivy, what do we say when we ask someone to do something for us?” Emilia scolds.

“Pleaaaseee.”

“Oh my, you’re so polite. Since you asked so nicely…” Chris replies, pushing her swing more.

Ivy laughs happily while going higher, until eventually Chris slows the swing down.

“Noooo!”

“Now, now, we don’t want you to fall, do we, baby?”

“Why? Will it hurt?”

“Yes, it would.” Chris pouts.

“Ivy, mommy wants to tell you something.” Emilia approaches the swing and squats down in front of the little girl.

“What is it mommy?”

“Do you like Chris?”

“Yes! I love him!”

Emilia smiles.

“Well, baby, I have something to tell you. Come here.” She urges her to come closer with her finger, and Ivy squirms with excitement and leans down, almost pressing her ear against Emilia’s mouth.

She whispers something that Chris can’t hear to her daughter, and the moment she is done, Ivy starts giggling. She stands up and throws herself against Chan, who is barely able to catch her in time, so she doesn’t fall, and he picks her up in his arms.

“I love you, daddy.” Ivy says, hugging him, and Chris is left bewildered.

Sure, he’s talked about this with Emilia before, but he didn’t expect Ivy to be so receptive or start calling him something different so fast, and although he wanted nothing more than Ivy to know that he is her father, he thought he was content with being called Chris, and not dad.

Until now, that is, for the moment the words left her little lips, his heart swelled up in his chest and he felt tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

“I love you too, baby.” He kisses her cheek, and Emilia can’t help herself but hug both of them tightly.

She’s never been happier.

~one month later~

“Preparations are finally complete. Let’s recap.” Chris starts with a clap of his hands.

“I don’t like the sense of déjà-vu this is giving me.” Momo shakes her head and Emilia starts laughing.

“Don’t interrupt him. He might grow a second head and eat the table and everyone around it.” Felix chuckles, making Chris roll his eyes.

“Very mature, guys. Come on, this mission is important.”

“How do we know that we can trust San’s guy?” Changbin frowns. “What if no one will be inside when we get there?”

“We don’t know. That’s the beauty of this mission. We’re starting with Plan B and hoping that the man is not loyal to the Scarlet Rose’s new boss, and in case things go awry, we switch to Plan A and fight everyone that’s present. If there’s no one there to fight, we call it a day and come back home.” Minho shrugs.

“Okay, now stop talking.” Chris claps his hands again. “Team 1 goes to the East side of the mansion. This is me, Emilia, San and Hyunjin. Team 2 takes the West entrance: Momo, Changbin, Felix and Jeongin. Team three is made out of Minho and Iris who will infiltrate the mansion through the North wing. Team 4 stays outside the South side since it’s the least guarded, and keeps their eyes on us: Wooyoung, Seungmin, Jisung. Our other men will be close in case we can’t plant the bombs and need reinforcements. All clear?”

“Sure thing, boss.” San nods.

“Let’s finish them, once and for all.”

“Let’s blow their place up!” Felix smirks excitedly.

“Nervous?” Chan asks Emilia in the car as he notices her checking her weapon.

“No, just making sure I have bullets on me this time.” She chuckles.

“No longer making the same mistakes, huh?” Hyunjin smirks.

“Exactly, tomato head.”

“He’s a pretty good-looking tomato, not gonna lie.” San shrugs.

“Thanks, man. Right back at you.” Hyunjin friendly pats San’s thigh once, and the two start laughing.

“I see you’re totally settled in.” Emilia mocks.

“How could I not, when my darling lives there as well?” San asks with a bright smile and grabs her hands, and Chan clears his throat.

They park the car a bit further away in the forest surrounding the potential new house of the Scarlet Rose and slowly start approaching the villa on foot. Hyunjin climbs in a tree nearby and, as decided, sets up to surveil the area with his sniper.

Chris, San and Emilia manage to take down the guards at the East gate and successfully make their way throughout the gardens. If their informant has been right, about 5 more men should be stationed at the entrance of the house, patrolling around.

“Sure enough, five guards.” Hyunjin taps on the microphone on his ear to inform his teammates of what he’s observing through the sniper lens.

“Thanks, Hyun.” Chan replies. “We’re advancing towards the house.”

“I’ll cover.”

“San, you go to the right. Try to not let any of them see you. Emilia and I will take care of them and then head to the left and try to get in through the third window on the ground floor.”

San nods and grabs Emilia’s hand, making her turn around.

“Be safe, Emi”

“You too. I love you, San.”

“Let’s go on a date when this is over.” He chuckles, and Emilia playfully slaps his arm. She knows that San is just joking around. In the past months, they’ve talked a lot about their feelings, and figured out that they care way more about each other as best friends than as anything else. The years helped San realise that his feelings were never romantic; he simply had a strong urge to protect her and cared so much about her, his younger naive self mistook it for romantic love, when it had always been platonic.

San even went on a couple of dates with Momo, but it didn’t work out that well, so now he’s turned his attention to Hyunjin, much to Wooyoung’s annoyance, who is sporting the biggest crush on San but has no confidence to actually do something about it.

Emilia finds it all amusing.

They bid each other farewell and promise to meet as soon as possible, when the mission is over.

They hug tightly before parting ways, and Emilia and Chris carefully start walking through the gardens, hiding themselves behind bushes and trees.

“You take that one.” She mouths to Chan, pointing to one of the guards that’s closing the distance between them. “I’ll take the other.”

Chan nods briefly and steps away from the tree, hitting the guard swiftly behind his neck, making him pass out in one move.

“Nice.” Emilia smiles and applauds him silently.

“Your turn.” Chan whispers.

She crouches down and picks up one of the syringes in her pockets, blowing it through a tube. It hits the guard in the thigh, and he curses briefly before looking down at his leg.

By the time he realises what happened, he grows dizzy and falls to the ground.

“Wooyoung and Jeongin working together on sedatives is pretty scary.” Chris affirms, hitting the guard with his leg to check if he’s really passed out.

“They seem to get along well.” Emilia chuckles.

“Stop flirting and move along, there’s 3 more right in front of you. They’re having a cigarette break or something.” Hyunjin speaks right in their ears.

“Should we take them all out?” Chris taps on his earpiece.

“Yeah, they look distracted. I can also shoot if you want me to.”

“No need. It would only attract attention. Let’s go, Emi.”

“Shit, I’m a bit wary of body combat.”

“You trained with Minho every day. Have some faith in yourself.”

“I still can’t take you on in a fight.” She frowns, and Chris chuckles.

“No, but I doubt these guys are on my level, love. You can start training with me after this mission, if you want.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Now let’s go.”

They move quietly and, after a few deep breaths, they get out of hiding and jump the three guards who are completely taken aback. They don’t have enough time to draw their guns as Chris relentlessly starts attacking two of them, and Emilia takes care of the third.

“You’re a pretty tough guy, aren’t you?” She asks breathlessly after hitting the guy with all her force a few times.

“A weak girl like you could never win against me.” The man chuckles lowly and launches on her, but she is quicker. Even if she’s never been that good at body combat, what she’s always been good at was tricking people into doing exactly what she wanted them to.

As he jumps to hit her, she manages to grab one of the syringes from her pockets and sticks it deeply in his arm, at the cost of a punch that misses the real target - her jaw - and lands in her chest.

The pain is so strong, she can’t breathe for a few seconds, and she thinks in horror about the bruise that will form there, as the man falls unconscious to the ground.

“I don’t have to be stronger than you. I just have to be smarter.” She says with a smirk.

“Emi, a little bit of help here!” Chris shouts, making her turn around just in time to see him get hit in the stomach by one of the two men.

She doesn’t have enough time to come closer as Chris lands a strong punch in that guy’s temple, making him go unconscious as well. The other was already laying down on the ground.

“What did you need help for? You took them both out.”

“Oh, I didn’t need any. I just wanted you to see how cool I am when I’m fighting.”

“You still got hit.” She chuckles and pecks his lips.

“Oh, my. It hurts so bad you’re going to have to take care of me when we get back.” He smirks against her lips.

“You two are disgusting. Can’t you wait until you get home?” Hyunjin says through the earpiece, making the two laugh.

“Hyun’s right. Let’s go do our part and withdraw.” Emilia grabs Chan’s hand and they both start walking slowly towards the third window of the mansion.

Chan kneels down on one knee to allow Emilia to lift herself up using him, and then, she helps him up as well.

“Sky, how’s it going?”

“Team 3 is in. San already planted his bomb. Team 2 is still fighting. Need me to connect you to anyone?”

“No. We’re planting the bomb then going to find the new boss.”

“Be careful.”

Emilia takes out the small device from her pocket and they find a spot in the bookshelf in the room to place it securely.

“Momo challenged herself with these things. Brilliant idea.” She praises, unable to understand how such a small thing would be able to cause a big explosion.

“Right?” Chris smiles. “Our team only has the best.”

“You picked them well.” She smiles back. “Okay. We’ve done the easy part. Now… we have to find the new boss.” Emilia’s voice falls, and she starts getting anxious.

Infiltrating a house is never hard, but since they are unsure of their source, they decided to also look for the boss to confirm the boss is actually there.

“Before we go…” Chan starts. “Last time we had a mission together, you told me something. I feel like it’s time I tell you this, too. Emilia, we don’t know how today might go, so I just wanted you to know that I’ll always be on your side, no matter what.”

Emilia smiles.

“I know that already, Chris.” She kisses him, and when they part, they take a few moments to look into each other’s eyes. “And I on yours.”

“I know. I love you.” Chris places his hands on the sides of her face and kisses her again, deeper this time.

It’s hard for him to pull back, unaware of how tonight might go, so he makes sure to kiss her as if it would be the last time he’d get the chance to.

It might be.

“Now, let’s go.” He says after reluctantly breaking the kiss, and she nods.

They open the door and exit in the hallway on the ground floor. Multiple voices can be heard from all around them, signalling that the mansion is full.

“Maybe it would be better to just leave. We’ve already planted our bomb.” Emilia grabs Chan’s hand to stop him, but he shakes his head.

“We must do it better this time around. Besides, what if the others aren’t successful in planting their bombs? He might get away without a scratch. We can’t let that happen. He might not even be here.” Chris speaks, trying to sound convincing enough.

Truth be told, he’d much rather abandon the mission while both Emilia and him are still alive and well, but he knows he can’t.

“Damn, why are there so many people h-”

“Shh.” Chris covers her mouth with his hand and looks at her in panic. Someone is getting closer to them. They hold their breaths as they enter a random room, that’s thankfully empty.

“That was close.” Emilia whispers.

“We have to be careful. The boss’ room should be on the first floor if San’s informant is right, and in order to get there…”

“There’s four more rooms to pass until the staircase.”

“Shit.” Chris curses. “Okay… we can do this.”

Emilia grabs his hand and feels her chest get tight, unsure if it’s because of the impending sense of doom, or if it’s the result of the hit she received earlier.

They wait for a few more seconds before going back in the hallway and they try to control the anxiety rising in their chests. The breathing is the hardest to control, but they can’t be loud. Not now, when being discovered would equal certain death. No matter how skilled they both are, they couldn’t possibly escape a hallway of death while surrounded by armed enemies from all sides.

Through sheer luck, they manage to pass by the 4 rooms without anyone bumping into them in the hallway or noticing them passing in front of the doors, and they find the stairs.

They open each door on the first floor but find no one inside, until they finally get to the last door. They pray and pray that the boss is in the mansion in his room, and not on the ground floor in the living room with his guests, or even worse, in one of the other two mansions, and once they open the last door, they are relieved to notice that their prayers have been answered.

However, things can never go so smoothly.

A gun is pointed right at Chris as soon as he steps into the room, and he doesn’t get the chance to prevent Emilia from following him inside. The door closes behind them as soon as she does.

“Who are you? Why have you come here?!” The man inside raises his voice just as Emilia enters and sees San on the ground, beaten to a pulp, with a pool of blood under him.

“Oh my God!” She exclaims in horror.

“Answer!”

“Chris, where are you? San confirmed earlier that the boss is in his room, so you no longer need to go to check. We’re blowing them up. Team 2 confirmed they’re done. Setting up the countdown now. You have 5 minutes to get out.” Seungmin announces through the earpiece, but it’s too late. They’re already there. San is already there and lost the battle against the boss.

“We came to do what’s right.” Chris answers eventually, feeling anxious and unsure, but not letting it show. The situation doesn’t look too promising. He doesn’t know if San is dead or alive, but by the looks of it, he’s not very hopeful.

He also doesn’t know how to avoid getting shot in such a compromising position. He can only pray the man has shit aim.

“And what is that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me, you’re the bastards that killed my father!”

“And proud.” Chris chuckles. “Now we came for you. Your whole mansion is surrounded by our men. Even if you somehow kill us, there’s no way out for you. You’re all done.”

The boss contemplates Chan’s words for a few moments, before bursting out into a maniac laughter.

“Well, if I am to die anyway, let’s go to hell together.” The man screams at the top of his lungs and presses on the trigger, shooting Chris right in the chest.

Emilia’s eyes go wide as her lover falls to the ground in front of her, and her reactions have never been quicker. With her gun already in her hands, it’s easy enough to point and shoot that man, who instantly lets go of his pistol and grips the wound frantically with his hands, trying to stop the bleeding.

She’s never felt worse, and she hates the déjà vu feeling this whole situation gives her. It’s just like five years ago, when Hyo shot Felix in front of her eyes.

Once again, she is powerless, and she couldn’t prevent it from happening. Both San and Chris are on the floor, heavily wounded, and she doesn’t know what to do, who to help first.

Damn, why did they come to this mansion?

Why?

Why did things have to go like this?

She starts shaking uncontrollably as her eyes swell up with tears, and she kneels down next to Chris to check the damage. He’s closer than San, and while San’s been bleeding for a while, Chris has just been shot, so maybe, just maybe, there’s something she can still do.

“Chris! Oh God!” She exclaims while grabbing him and raising his head from the ground, but to her surprise, he sits up himself with a groan.

“Ugh, it feels like I’ve been hit with a baseball bat.” He touches the place on his chest where the bullet hit him.

Emilia looks confused for a second, before Chris starts talking again with difficulty. His brows are furrowed and his jaw is clenched, but still, he manages to stand up on his own holding the painful spot on his chest.

“Bulletproof vest. I’m not repeating Felix’s mistakes.”

“You idiot! I was so scared!” She cries out and stands up as well, hugging him tightly.

“I’m alright, fuck.” He pets the back of her head to comfort her. “Is he dead?” He points at the man hunched on the floor, and Emilia realises she hasn’t checked. She’s sure she’s hit him, but…

“Three minutes and the place explodes. Did you get out yet?”

They ignore Seungmin’s question as she stands up and goes to the man that’s hurling in pain.

“You bitch… who the fuck are you and how dare you-” He turns around to look at Emilia, then cowers in fear at her expression; her eyes are darker than the black of her hair, and her bright red lips turn into a sadistic smirk.

“Just a scarlet rose that’s withered completely. Now, go see your dad in hell, you bastard.” She shoots him one more time, ending his life.

“We have to get out now, Emi.” Chris grabs her hand. “Let’s-”

“What about San? I’m not leaving him behind for the second time.” She cuts him off with haste, running towards the man on the floor.

“Of course not. I was just about to say that we should grab him together and get out of here.”

Just then, steps start being heard from the corridor, making the couple turn their heads at the door.

“Shit, they’re coming this way. What do we do?” Emilia looks at Chan with panic in her eyes.

“Two minutes. Guys, we’re getting worried. Everyone’s here except for the three of you in Team 1.”

“Coming out now, Sky. We have to jump from the first floor.” Chris touches his earpiece and speaks hastily.

“What?!”

“Make sure you come get us. San’s hurt.”

Emilia helps Chan lift San’s body up. They are still not sure whether he’s dead or alive, but it doesn’t matter. Even if she had to drag his lifeless body out, she would. There’s no way in hell she’s leaving him here to die with these bastards.

“We jump at 3, okay? 1, 2…” Just then, the door opens, and Chris turns back and smirks before the three of them jump out the window.

“One minute! Are you out?!”

“Yes, come help us, fuck.”

A black van pulls right next to the mansion, and Wooyoung and Jisung run out, helping the three of them inside. They start driving away immediately, before the other guards have time to gather outside.

“Thank God you’re back, the place will blow up in 20 seconds.” Jisung speaks.

“Are you hurt?” Chris grabs Emilia’s hand to get her attention, as she was anxiously looking over at Wooyoung examining San.

“No,” she shakes her head, “my legs hurt a bit but I doubt it’s anything serious. You?”

“I’m good.”

“How’s San?” Emilia asks in panic, looking again at Wooyoung, who sighs with relief.

“No gunshots. Nothing too serious. Thank God. He’s just unconscious.”

“But there was so much blood…” She frowns.

“Nosebleed. He’s fine.”

“Do you think-” She starts again, but gets interrupted by a powerful explosion sound.

“Sky, connect me to Team 2 and Hyunjin.” Chris instructs Seungmin, who nods and follows the orders immediately.

“What is it, Boss?”

“Let’s meet up so Jeongin can come in this car and nurse San with Wooyoung. Hyunjin, I need your car.”

They do as commanded and meet up following a GPS point on the map that Seungmin set up. Chris grabs Emilia’s hand and pulls her with him in Hyunjin’s car, making him move to Team 2’s.

“Where are we going?” Emilia asks after putting on her seatbelt.

“Just up the hill. We need to watch the show after starting the fireworks, don’t we?” He smiles cunningly.

When they reach the top of the hill, they look at the mansion in the distance, now completely taken over by the flames.

“It’s finally over, hm?”

“Yeah. It’s all over. We did it.” Chris embraces her from the side and presses a kiss against her temple.

“So, no more threats for now.”

“If we don’t take into account the pain in my chest from that bullet, sure.” He puts his hand on his chest where the bullet hit the vest. “I think it’s bruised. It hurts.”

“I’ll have to kiss it extra hard tonight to make it better.” Emilia smirks, and Chris bursts out laughing.

“So… I guess we can now focus on a proper new beginning, hm?” He holds her hand, and she smiles.

“I guess so.” Emilia lifts his hand and kisses it, and then embraces him tightly. “We still have to pick out a kindergarten for Ivy.”

“Right! How could I forget?” Chris chuckles.

“Ugh, what will she even tell them when they ask her what we do for a living?”

“Hmm, mommy’s a stay-at-home mom, and daddy owns a business.”

“That does…?”

“Uhm… trades?” Chris tilts his head and Emilia starts laughing.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter that much. As long as she doesn't find out about any of this, we’re good.”

Chris nods, looking fondly at Emilia.

Her eyes move from Chris to the burning mansion, as she presses her head against his chest.

“Watching the building you just set on fire burn does look pretty romantic though, doesn’t it?” He asks.

“Mhm. My favourite sight.” She raises on her toes and pecks his lips.

“Shall we go home now, my love?”

“What- just like that?” She asks, and Chris looks taken aback for a few seconds.

“What did you think was gonna happen?”

“I just… this would’ve been the perfect chance for you to-” She starts, then bites her tongue back and frowns.

“For me to what?” He asks amused.

“For you to- God! Nothing!” She turns around, annoyance in her tone.

“Emilia.” He chuckles and grabs her hand, making her turn around, and when she does, she notices a smug smile on his face.

“You shit eater!” She crosses her arms in front of her chest as he goes down on one knee.

“Marry me?” He pulls out a small box from one of his pockets and opens it, revealing a beautiful tear-shaped diamond ring nestled within a cradle of gold.

“Shut up.” She kneels down as well and hugs him tightly, then kisses his lips. “Where did you even keep this?”

“I might’ve switched those syringes for this box.” He confesses, averting his gaze.

“That’s dangerous and reckless!”

“No, what’s dangerous and reckless is you not answering my proposal! I’m a mafia boss, have you forgotten?” He chuckles, and she rolls her eyes. “Answer me or I’m not giving you the ring.”

“Oh my, what a threat! Fine.” She chuckles. “But only because of the ring. Yes. I’ll marry you. God!” She exclaims as if exasperated, and both start chuckling.

“I never really cared about marriage before, but it seems to work great for Minho and Iris.” Chris contemplates out loud.

“Well, we one-upped them by having a kid first, so…” Emilia shrugs, and they laugh again.

“I love you and our little family so much, Emilia.”

“I love you too, Chris.” She lets him place the ring on her finger, and then kisses him deeply. When she pulls back, his eyes sparkle with the red light coming from the mansion engulfed in flames.

“We should get going, our daughter is waiting for us at home” He smiles with fondness in his eyes.

“Mhm. Maybe we should stop by a hotel first, though…” She winks.

“I like how that sounds.” Chris grins, and they share another intimate kiss, overflowing with affection and love that fills not only their hearts, but their whole souls.

~The End~

---

(A/N) We have finally reached the end of this series. Thank you for reading 'The Black Iris and the Withered Rose'! Since the Mafia Series is currently done with this book, I wanted to go through its history for a little bit. It all started with a Oneshot titled "CB98" (basically the first chapter of 'The White Lily') that I posted on Wattpad in my Oneshots Book on the 22nd of July 2022, and I never intended it to be more than a simple oneshot. I changed my mind after a lot of positive feedback and started creating a story around it that took 10 months to complete.

(see how important the feedback you give authors is?)

Afterwards, I created 'The Black Iris and the Withered Rose', which took another 10 months to write. In total, the two stories have about 100k words, and I've spent more than 220 hours working on them during a period of about one year and a half. That's absolutely crazy, and I can't believe it's actually over now! Although this chapter marks the end of the second book in the Mafia Series, I left some loose threads to be able to come back to this universe with other characters in the future. I think it would be interesting to explore the past of all of the members, how each of them got in the Mafia, and also show their present and future. This is, however, something I haven't planned on yet, so I cannot say if it would really happen or not.

Do let me know if you'd like to read more stories in this Mafia Universe, though! (again, I'm insisting on the importance of feedback. None of these two stories in the series would've ever happened if people wouldn't have messaged me to ask me to continue the story.) I hope you enjoyed this story, and I'm really grateful to everyone who liked, left comments, and went with me through this adventure.

I also hope I'll see all of you in my notifications again, and that you'll read my other stories, as a lot of time and effort goes behind each individual work. Thank you once more, stay healthy, and let's meet again in another story!

Yours truly, Storm

15 notes · View notes

ava-dambrosio · 5 months

Text

Time is nothing but a concept made for torture.

Like today.

Today was going to be my official due date. Matteo and I were supposed to be hours, or even minutes away from welcoming our first child. But instead of a buzz of excitement filling our home, today we have to relive the worst day of our lives.

A whole month has passed, yet none of it has become easier to swallow. Running on empty, the farthest I've come to leaving our hotel room was to go out onto the balcony, and only because I feel bad that Matteo's had to ask. I have no energy to do anything, go anywhere, see anyone. I can't even stomach the idea of having to step foot inside my house where everything happened.

All I want to do is sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep until I never wake up again.

I swear, if it wasn't for Matteo's gentle encouragement, I'd have withered a long time ago — he's my strength, my crutch, my rock. He lets me sleep in, reminds me when to eat, bathes me when I'm too exhausted to wash my own hair, and sits with me — for hours on end sometimes — until I cry myself to sleep.

It was exceptionally difficult to be without him for the time he went back to Rome. But he's done so much for me, letting him go was the least I could do for him. Of course, I was afraid he would never come back. I wouldn't. If I were him, I'd run away as far as I can and never look back. But Matteo needs me. I'd like to think he needs me. And I simply can't bear to leave our son here all alone.

Thankfully, with Matteo back in Greece, neither of us has to spend today alone. We can go visit our son, lay down bouquets of the most beautiful flowers, and spend the day with him.

But as we sit here, I look over at Matteo and know something is troubling him. It's not hard to tell, his face is all askew with stress. He was much too tired to talk last night, he said, but I doubt it had anything to do with the travel. I won't push him, of course. But I wish I could tell him that, if or when he is ever ready to talk, that I'm here for him. That, like all the days he's spent taking care of me, I hope he knows he can lean on me, too.

#[ ava stamos || journal 03 ]#[ ⚠️warning! grief & loss ]#[ ava x matteo ]

53 notes · View notes

thehapless-writer · 5 months

Text

It’s the 31st, last call for Home

on new year’s eve, i slept at dawn and woke late in the afternoon;

not because i wanted to, but because it was all i could do.

i wish i never had to sleep, and i wish nights wouldn’t exist

because only at nighttime when i’m supposed to be asleep, do i lay awake and feel the deep empty anguish of having no place to belong.

no one to belong to, nothing to call mine.

i want to go home, but i don’t know where that is anymore.

at nighttime i feel more clearly and painfully the truth that i am no longer my father’s daughter, nor my mother’s daughter.

i’ve always heard that home is where your heart is, but recently i’ve also heard that you shouldn’t make a person into a home— so which is it?

where does my heart lie in the first place?

not within the cold walls of the house that belongs to a mother who doesn’t acknowledge me, but maybe in the hands of my little brother who i think of all the time of late?

not within the grasp of a father whose words i stopped believing in years ago.

maybe it’s even farther away, across the world,

still laying discarded at the feet of someone i had no business giving it to in the first place?

maybe it’s with my sister, who i haven’t seen in eight years.

maybe my grandmother cradles it to her chest and breathes warmth onto it to keep it beating every time she sends me bible passages i know i won’t read.

maybe my heart is in all of those places, bits of myself that cracked and fractured over the years. i don’t know.

sometimes i feel it ache so intensely in the caverns of my hollow chest, so i think it may be here with me after all.

but ‘here’ doesn’t feel like home, and i’ve been drifting so long in the endless nights, i think my heart may have withered without any light.

i think i stopped having a home a long time ago.

on new year’s, i’ll probably go to sleep at dawn and wake late in the afternoon—

not because i want to, but because it is all i can do.

i want to go home, but i can never go back home because the last time i felt home was as a child.

i can never go back to being my father’s daughter,

and though my mother and i always felt like strangers, i can never go back to that moment in time where the distance between us was a little less.

it’s haunting,

this crevice in my chest that keeps longing for somewhere to belong,

for a home.

#sending love to anyone who might be spending the holidays alone <3 #q #literature #poetry #poesia #new poets society #poetic #my poem #melancolía #spilled ink #stream of thoughts #amateur poetry #w #new year #original poem #poets of tumblr #poets community #poets corner #th-w

11 notes · View notes

annmarcus63 · 2 years

Text

Previous here

Next here

Hi! This is the next part of my last soulmates au, hope you like it, I'm sorry for my bad grammar.

The thing is that the subject doesn't come out again, for his part Geralt understands and respects Jaskier's feelings towards the mark, and for Jaskier’s part he's hurt and so very lost as to bring it up again. Does he tell Geralt that the colourful mark on his skin belongs to him? or does he let things as they are? The truth is that he's a coward, has always been a coward in the face of soulmates, destiny and Geralt. But now all that fear and anxiety that he has dealt with for the last few decades has turned into regret. So, Geralt and he act as if the soulmark discussion has never happen, as if they haven't hurt each other with the things that were left unsaid. Until Yennefer arrives at Kaer Morhen on afternoon unannounced. If you could see Geralt's face, so full of longing and contentment while Jaskier's standing by the door looking like a walking dead.

Geralt kisses her under the chandelier on the main hall and Jaskier flees to his room faking being tired, and no one stop him. At night he can hear Geralt and Yennefer making love thru the wall, why did he choose to sleep next to Geralt? He lays awake knowing he has, at least, until the next afternoon to decide what to do.

"I knew all along that you were an idiot, but I never took you for the self-sacrificing type" says Yennefer by the doorway the next afternoon.

"Then you don't know me at all, Yen. Lovely dress, it looks like a fat rats’ vomit" Yennefer smirks but doesn't follow up the banter like she always does, instead she walks to him with predator footsteps, a small kitten that is. And the next thing he knows is that she's hugging him, a reflection of all those years ago at Oxenfurt.

"I won't do it" whisper Yennefer and Jaskier wants to cry but instead he lets all the love he feels for her, deep deep inside, to relieve him. "Do it" reply Jaskier and Yennefer pushes him back, suddenly furious, a stormcloud trap in a dusty library. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?" Jaskier tries frantically to shush her "OH, I SHOULD KILL YOU MYSELF IF YOU SO WANT THAT"

And Jaskier starts to laugh which ends up calming the sorceress who adds "He will never forgive himself" which makes Jaskier stop laughing. He steps in front of her with a defeated air, remembering the situation, remembering the pain that has grown in his chest and the unshed tears he has saved to water his insides even though his exterior is withered. He'll sheed them, but not today, not with Yen. "I know" he says

"You must do something" she doesn't say you need to tell him, but Jaskier hears it anyway, he has heard it on the last hours. "I know" he grabs her wrists affectionately "I know" he repeats begging her to understand and she nods.

"I don't want him Jaskier. Not if it kills you"

“He wants you, Yen”

"He shouldn't. We shouldn't." You didn't have a choice, Jaskier wants to tell her, but it's pointless. Even before the Djinn's wish, destiny have brought them together, Geralt loved Yenn instantly. Something that not even he, the witcher’s soulmate, could achieve. And that's the hardest part, to acknowledge and respect that your soulmate happiness isn't by your side, but at least you get to see it. Geralt is happy here every winter at Kaer Morhen with Ciri, his brothers and oftentimes Yennefer.

"When?"

"Tomorrow night" good, he has enough time to think what to do or what to say. He still has time. "Do the right thing Jaskier or I'll do it" she threatens him and now is Jaskier's turn to nod even when he knows she wouldn't, it's forbidden to intrude on the bond between two people, it's forbidden to reveal someone who their soulmate is. But he'll not underestimate her. He knows what he must do, even if it causes him to lose Geralt. At the end,the witcher has never been his, not even destiny could give him that. He's not worthy of Geralt's love, if he was worthy, truly worthy, the witcher would never have fallen in love with another person. But after all Geralt's given him, the least he owns him is the truth, even if it makes him lose everything.

Tomorrow night he'll die, in a way.

This is it. Next time Jaskier's decision ¡Stay tune!

#geraskier #the witcher #jaskier #geralt of rivia #geralt x jaskier #I have a thing for Yennefer being a good pal #She and Jaskier are best friends #and geralt doesn't know it #the idiot #should i put a title to this?#any suggestions?#ok bye

255 notes · View notes

bennettzone · 1 year

Text

word count: 1.9k

genre(s): fluff, established relationship, first kiss (yipeeee), gn!reader

✎ synopsis: after a long night watching over windrise, bennett comes to brighten your day.

✎ a/n: first fic in a while kinda nervous but hope u enjoy. <3 (I tried my best to proofread this btw but it's likeee 1 in the morning and im tired LOL)

Today, you were exhausted. You spent all night at Windrise, looking out for anything out of the ordinary. Someone had been tipped off that there was a suspicious group of people lurking around. Your best guess was treasure hoarders. They usually were up to no good.

While Rosaria usually handles things like this, the group had been spotted in multiple areas, therefore alerting people of the situation and more places needing to be watched over. Furthermore, the partner you had been assigned to take nightwatch shifts with ‘got sick’ and bailed at the last minute. You were stubborn and felt like it was too much of a hassle to go all the way back to the city when it was already so late.

So here you were, extremely sleep deprived, hoping that this group was caught soon.

With a massive yawn, you looked over to see the brightest light of your morning, as if right on cue.

“Hey, Y/n! Good morning!” Bennett, your boyfriend, was walking toward you, with something in his hands, “I had to be so careful not to drop this…But you must be starving!”

Bennett sat next to you on a massive tree root, handing you something wrapped in a piece of cloth. Upon opening it, you found a sandwich. Not just any sandwich, but a breakfast sandwich. Nice.

“You’re my savior, really. I felt like I was about to wither away.” You joked, already rushing to dig in.

“Say…Where is the person who was supposed to keep watch with you last night? I saw them walking this way when I left yesterday.” He asked, scanning the area to find no sight of them.

“They got sick, at least that’s what they told me. So they went back, and I stayed here by myself all night.” Bennett choked on air hearing those words come out of your mouth.

“What!? No way…You should’ve come and gotten me, I wasn’t too far…That sucks.” He brushed his shoulder against yours, and you turned to see the biggest frown on his face.

“It’s fine, really. I’m going to sleep really good once I go home.” You laughed, finishing off the sandwich after.

“Let me walk you back…Better yet, I’ll carry you! How about that?” He said with a grin.

“No, no…It’s okay, walking will suffice. You’ve already fed me, so that’s enough.” You got up, dusting yourself off.

“You sure? I wouldn’t mind at all!” Bennett got up as well, before looking over at the sky, his expression dropping, “Aw man…No way, It looks like it’s about to rain…”

You chuckled, grabbing your bag. You prepared exactly for this moment. You pulled out two things.

“Here you go: coat for me, and another one of mine for you.” You said, handing the thicker one to Bennett.

Bennett’s face lit up again, taking the coat and putting it on as you did the same with yours.

“You know my luck…Thanks for thinking of me too.” He said, before quickly swooping you into a hug.

Bennett was really warm, which was a drastic difference to the chilly weather brought on by the wind mixed with the rain which began to sprinke across the land around the two of you. You melted into his embrace for a moment, feeling the drowsiness really starting to kick in.

“Isn’t it so pretty here when it rains, though? I love the way things look when it rains.” You said, making Bennett feel a little better about something he was sure was his fault.

You never felt frustration to that side of his luck, he was glad you could make something good out of it. Even if it did happen a lot.

You pulled away slightly, looking at him.

In that moment, Bennett felt a sudden urge to kiss you. Which was extremely overwhelming, considering that the two of you haven’t before. He thought really hard about it…He even leaned in a bit, but ultimately chickened out.

“It is…Windrise is a pretty nice place already, but I can see what you mean…” He pulled you back in, a bit tighter this time, taking in the scenery before pulling away completely, “Let’s get you home now, your bed is calling for you!”

Hand in hand, you and Bennett walked through the rain, and back to Mondstadt. As you were approaching the bridge leading up to the gate, you had a pretty good idea.

“Do you want to come to my place? If you’ve got nothing else to do, I could really use some help preparing for tonight…And also someone to make sure I’m up on time.” Bennett immediately agreed to this offer, as he liked helping you out for stuff like this. He was glad you felt like you could depend on him.

“Of course, as soon as we get to your place I’ll go and pick up some stuff for you. I’ll be back quick!” You nodded, and thus the walk to your door was swiftly over.

After you went inside, Bennett walked through town. He was headed to get some items from Blanche, the owner of Mondstadt General Goods. It went pretty smoothly compared to past times, which he was thankful for since he didn’t want to keep you waiting long.

As he turned around to head back, a familiar face stopped him.

“Good morning, Bennett! It’s rare to see you out in town this early.” Barbara walked up to him with a gentle wave, giving him a warm smile.

“Good morning Barbara! It’s rare for me to see you in town at all…What are you up to?” Bennett asked, shuffling through the bag of things he had in his hand.

“I’m going to pick up some herbs for some medicines I need to make,” Barbara then noticed that Bennett was wearing your coat, which piqued her interest, “Did you walk Y/n back to the city this morning?”

“Yeah, we just got back actually! I’m getting some things for them so they can go ahead and rest up.” Bennett said happily.

“You’ve been together for a little while now…It makes me happy that you’re doing well.” Barbara had a question pop up in her head, one that she was excited to ask, “I don’t want to sound like I’m prying too much…But has Y/n tried to kiss you yet?”

She said that with a giggle, but when Bennett finally processed the question, he let out a near scream and dropped the bag that was in his hands.

Barbara seemed shocked, but she didn’t question it before she began helping him pick up the things he had dropped.

“Sorry, that was overdramatic…It’s just…No, we haven’t done that yet.” Bennett laughed awkwardly, thanking her for helping him, “I wouldn’t be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it though…I just don’t want to mess anything up with them.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure things will go well. They seem to really like you…I know you want to be careful, but I don’t think you should worry yourself so much over it.” He really appreciated her advice, as he felt a little better about it…Not so much him embarrassing himself though.

“Thanks for saying that…I hope it does go well,” Bennett clutched the bag close to him this time, “I should get going now, have a good day!” She wished him the same as he walked off, near sprinting back to where you were staying.

Walking into the door, he saw you waiting for him.

“Hey, you should be in bed!” He said, taking his shoes off after putting the bag down, walking over to you.

“I know, I know…I just wanted you to come back first.” You said, grabbing his hands, “Are you tired at all?”

“I mean, it’s nothing compared to you probably…I am a little, though.” He said, swaying on his feet a little.

“Come nap with me for a bit, then. What do you say?”

Bennett felt a lot of happiness swell up in him. He loved taking naps with you.

“Sure. I should wake up a while before you, so I can prepare all of your things then.” He said, and you nodded, pulling him to your room.

He put down the coat you lent him next to your bag, assuming you’d probably put it back in there with the one you had on earlier. (As you always did, specifically for him. He felt special.)

As you got into your comfy bed, you held up the blanket for Bennett to join you. You still felt a little chill in your bones from the rain, so you were really looking forward to all of the warmth you were about to get. And that you would get, because when Bennett snuggled up to you, it was like paradise.

You stayed awake for a moment, thinking.

“I can’t get that image of how beautiful Windrise looked earlier out of my head…I really enjoyed that. It was so much better because you were there too.” You said in a hushed tone, giggling a bit to yourself.

“I feel the same way…I can appreciate the rain a lot more when you’re around.”

You backed up a little, staring at Bennett who was staring right back at you.

“Is something the matter?” He questioned. You let out a little sigh before sitting up.

“A little…Can I ask you something? A request, rather.” You said, and he nodded, sitting up with you.

“Go ahead, I’m all ears.” He said, already worrying that he had done something wrong.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything…I’ve just been thinking…” You dragged out your sentence a little, contemplating if you even wanted to finish it, “It’s just…I don’t know if you feel the same way about this in particular, but I was wondering if maybe…I could kiss you?”

Bennett’s eyes went super wide at your request, stunning him into silence. It’s crazy…He’d already had that same thought twice since he came to get you this morning.

You felt a little panic at the lack of a response, so you started frantically speaking.

“I-I mean, you’re allowed to say no! I know this isn’t the ideal time or place for our first one, maybe…It’s just that-”

“No! I do…I want to. I really do.” He said, stopping you as quick as he could react to.

You took a moment, before beaming at him. You couldn’t help but to take him down with a hug, nuzzling into the crook of his neck for a moment before coming back up.

“Okay…Let me know when you’re ready. Don’t think too hard about it. I’m already happy that you want to.” You said.

“For sure…I’m happy you brought it up. I’m ready whenever.” He said.

With that, you took a good look at him before leaning down.

The two of you closed your eyes, before you gently pressed your lips to his.

You felt a lot of happiness bubble up within you in that moment, running your fingers through his hair. You felt him bring his hand up to your face, which stayed after you pulled away.

You felt so happy that you could even shed tears.

However, you didn’t want him to worry, so you quickly got back into place to fall asleep.

“I’m really happy. I’m going to sleep so much better now.” You said, closing your eyes.

“Me too…I hope you sleep well. I love you.” He said gently, rubbing your shoulder.

“I love you too, Bennett. I hope you sleep well too.”

He was glad you were going to be able to sleep better as a result of that…Because he didn’t think he was going to be able to sleep at all.

#bennett x reader #bennett genshin #bennett genshin impact #genshin writing #genshin oneshots #✎bennettzone-writing

34 notes · View notes

pocket-luv101 · 2 years

Text

A Forest of Dreams

Fandom: Genshin Impact Ship: CynoNari

Summary: Tighnari starts to have nightmares after weeks of fighting the withering. He tries to keep it a secret but it’s impossible to hide while sleeping next to Cyno.

Tighnari sat in front of a map of Avidya Forest and marked yet another withering zone that had appeared. He started to track the withering zone so he could find what caused them or a pattern for where they would emerge. Each night, he drew another circle on the map and the endeavour would look more daunting. He refused to give up though. He became a Forest Ranger so he could protect every living being in the region. Also, he was one of the few rangers with a vision who could neutralize a withering zone.

A knock at the entrance of his room made Tighnari flinch in surprise. Usually, he would be able to hear the person’s footsteps even before they knocked. He had been so focused on the withering that he hadn’t noticed. Tighnari groaned at his own oversight and he rubbed his temple. He collected his composure before he turned around. Collei stood in his doorway with a concerned expression. “Master, you’re still awake at this hour? It’s nearly midnight.”

“I was so engrossed with my research that I didn’t realize it was so late. I will head to bed after I complete this.” Tighnari smiled to reassure her. He was her teacher and he couldn’t have her worry about him. More than that, he thought of her as a daughter after watching over her for years. “Did you need help with anything, Collei? If you don’t feel well, I will prepare some medicine for you.”

“A report of another withering zone north of Gandha Hill just came.” Her voice was a little hesitant as she spoke. “Amir said that it’s not spreading yet and they posted warnings so people won’t enter. However, I want your permission to go to the withering zone and eliminate it. You taught me how to identify the branches so I can destroy them.”

“Gandha Hill?” Tighnari repeated and he glanced back to the map of withering zones. The monsters that spawned in the withering zones were weak but it would be dangerous to let them roam freely. “I will go deal with it myself. The hike shouldn’t take more than a few hours but I’ll have to camp there. I’ll return tomorrow morning so take care of things here while I’m gone.”

“Wait, Master Tighnari!” Collei rushed to stop him as he folded his map. “You’ve dealt with the last few withering zones so let me handle this one. I have a vision and I can help.”

“This isn’t a question of your ability, Collei. I need someone whom I trust to stay in Gandharva Ville and keep things in order. That’s you.” Tighnari corrected her in a soft tone and then gently patted her head. “I’ll be fine. In the event something does happen, I promise to send a carrier bird for help. Will that put your mind at ease?”

“Please be careful, Master Tighnari.” Collei relented but she couldn’t shake the worry she felt.

Tighnari nocked another arrow against his bow and then he aimed it at the Fungus guarding the tumour. He had already destroyed the branches and the only thing left was the main flower. He tried to center his arrow but his vision became blurry. At first, he thought that it was due to the mist that filled the withering zone. His fingers wavered on his bowstring and Tighnari muttered a curse. The effect of the withering zone and his own exhaustion was beginning to weigh on him and affect his fighting. He needed to end the battle quickly.

He gathered dendro energy on the tip of his wreath arrow to create a clusterbloom. Since his clusterblooms could track enemies, it would strike the fungus even if he missed. He could then run to the tumour to destroy it. The risk with his plan was whether his clusterblooms would defeat the fungus. Tighnari knew that his plan was dangerous but he didn’t have time to think of a better one.

He released the string and the arrow barely left his fingers before he dashed towards the tumour. Tighnari heard the fungus cry behind him but he couldn’t turn to see if it died. He stopped in front of the tumour and he stabbed an arrow into the red cluster of vines. Dendro energy was released from the flower and the force pushed Tighnari backwards. His hands scraped against the dirt as he caught himself.

The forest around him once again became lush and Tighnari let out a sigh of relief. However, that reprieve only lasted a moment. The low, threatening screech of the fungus made him stiffen. The creature had barely survived his arrows and it now approached him. Tighnari grabbed his bow even though he knew that the enemy was far too quick for him to defend himself.

Violet thunder fell from the sky and it struck the fungus. He recognized the shape of the jackal that rose from the thunder and smoke. “Cyno?”

He said his name in a breathless whisper that carried the relief he felt. He couldn’t say anything further before Cyno gathered him into his arms and hugged him against his chest. Tighnari was smothered in his embrace but he didn’t mind. Cyno tenderly stroked his hair and Tighnari could feel his fingers tremble slightly. “Thank the Archons I came in time.”

It was rare to see Cyno shaken. He let him go and leaned back only enough to examine his wounds. He knew that Tighnari was strong but he cradled his face in his hands as if he were made of glass. “Collei sent me a messenger bird that you were in danger. I came as soon as I could. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that Fungus attack you.”

“There was nothing for you to worry about, Cyno. Collei was worried about my trip and she exaggerated the situation a little.” He tried to brush off the danger and reassure Cyno. However, his expression didn’t change. Tighnari kissed the corner of his lips and said: “I could’ve handled the monster alone but thank you for rescuing me. I have a tent set up a mile from here. I didn’t want to camp too close to the withering zone.”

Tighnari started to stand but his legs felt a little unstable. Cyno noticed and he stood next to him and wrapped his arm around his waist to steady him. He was grateful for his support and he leaned against him more than he usually would. “Can you walk? I’ll carry you back to the camp. You know I can sweep you off your feet, both figuratively and literally.”

“Cyno, must you tell your jokes at the most inappropriate times?” Tighnari asked but he found himself smiling warily. His pun wasn’t funny but it lightened the mood like he wanted. His smile was more than enough for Cyno. Even with only the dim moonlight around them, Tighnari’s unique eyes gleamed.

Cyno turned his back to him and he patted his shoulders. He understood his silent gesture and he climbed onto Cyno’s back. Tighnari gave him directions to his camp and he carried him across the field. He rested his cheek against his shoulder and closed his eyes. He felt safe with Cyno and his body naturally relaxed against him. Between how warm he was and the gentle rocking of each step, Tighnari almost drifted off to sleep.

“Did the Matra question why you suddenly left your post to come here?” Tighnari asked him. Cyno was the General Mahamatra and he worked miles away from the rainforest. He could only imagine how fast he must’ve run to find him after he read Collei’s letter. “Hopefully, they don’t mind if I keep you for myself another night.”

“Someone’s more honest with their feelings tonight.” Tighnari appeared soft spoken at first glance but Cyno knew that his sharp tongue was only rivalled by his sharp mind. Cyno was never offended by his tone because he understood that Tighnari truly cared about others.

They reached the camp and Cyno carefully lowered him to the ground. He noticed a bag of supplies in the tent and he searched inside for bandages and medicine. He wasn’t an expert with herbs like Tighnari but he knew enough to treat his wounds. Cyno didn’t have the opportunity to help him though. Tighnari crawled into the spot next to him and promptly fell asleep. There were deep bags under his eyes so he must’ve been exhausted.

“You’re always telling people to ask for help but you don’t take your own advice.” He sighed softly. He couldn’t help but feel protective of Tighnari whenever he watched him sleep. His expression was open and vulnerable, contrasting how stern he was while he worked. As much as he wanted to lay down next to him and sleep as well, he decided to stay awake a little longer.

He carefully wiped away the small scraps on Tighnari’s hands. Cyno wished that he had been there to protect him sooner but they each had their own responsibilities that kept them miles apart. There was no point in lingering over something so difficult to change. No matter what challenges their relationship had, the moments they were able to share meant the world to him.

Cyno leaned down and kissed his ear. “Sweet dreams. I love you.”

“Cyno… Collei… Fire.” Tighnari’s hoarse voice woke Cyno. He immediately sat up, worried that there was a fire, yet he couldn’t smell smoke. He became more confused that Tighnari continued to lay next to him when he would’ve immediately run to put out a forest fire. Cyno looked down at Tighnari who had a desperate grip on his shirt. His brows were furrowed together and he muttered something in his sleep.

He realized that he was having a nightmare. Adults in Sumeru rarely had dreams, let alone nightmares. Cyno gently shook Tighnari and he woke up with a start. The panic and fear in his forest green eyes stabbed at Cyno’s heart. He rubbed his thumb over his temple to ease the tension he felt there. Tighnari relaxed beneath his touch and he rolled closer to him.

“Were you having a nightmare?” Cyno asked. Once Tighnari nodded, he began to stroke his dark hair. He didn’t want to worry him but it was impossible to lie to him. Even if he hadn’t been sleeping beside him and heard his nightmare, he couldn’t lie to Cyno. “What was it about?”

“It’s hard to describe. We were in the rainforest but there was so much fire that I could barely recognize it. I tried to save you and Collei but… I shouldn’t be this aggravated over a dream.” Tighnari bit his lip. He unconsciously laid his tail over Cyno’s body in a protective gesture. “I thought people forgot their dreams once they wake up. I can still picture everything vividly.”

“It was just a dream. I’m right here and you can’t lose me, Tighnari.” Tighnari laid his head on Cyno’s chest and he savoured his strength and warmth. He could feel his heartbeat beneath his cheek and that was comforting to him. “When did you start having these dreams?”

“A few weeks ago.” He told him. “I isolated all of the factors that could be causing my nightmares. They might be connected to the withering. My vision protects me from most of its hazards but prolonged exposure is still an issue. The moment Collei told me that she had a dream of a burning tree, I knew it had to be the withering and I couldn’t allow her near those areas anymore.”

“But what about you?”

Cyno already knew Tighnari’s answer before he spoke. “I will do everything I can to protect the rainforest.”

Cyno admired his strong will but it could also be frustrating at times. He hated the thought of losing the man he loved. Due to their different jobs, he couldn’t stay by his side to protect him like he wanted. He leaned down and kissed his tall ears. “There must be something else we can do. These nightmares might become worse. Collei will be sad if anything happened to you and I—”

“I’ve spent weeks researching this, Cyno. I’m exhausted and I just want to sleep beside my lover.” He interrupted him. Cyno nodded and then gently pulled him closer. He stroked his hair as he drifted off to sleep.

Tighnari balanced a basket of flowers against his hip and then he set each individual flower on the table. In an hour, he would hold a class to teach travellers how to identify different plants and know which ones were safe or poisonous. He heard footsteps behind him and he started to turn around. An arm wrapped around his waist and kept him in place. “Class hasn’t started yet but I wanted to ask you a question. Do you know what happens when a flower blushes? It turns rosy.”

“Sumeru roses are purple, Cyno.” Tighnari said and he rolled his eyes. He didn’t try to break out of his light embrace and he continued to arrange the flowers on display. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed several matra and researchers standing at the base of the tree. “Did the Akademiya complain to you about my classes again? I hope you’re not planning to make a show of arresting me and then letting me go to appease them. I have a class to teach in an hour.”

“That’s a tempting idea but I’m not here for that.” Cyno chuckled. “I spoke with my old Master about sending researchers to Avidya Forest. I’m also posting a few Matra here to protect them in the forest. The Matra I sent have visions too.”

With the last comment, he realized that he likely assigned them to help him with the withering zone due to his nightmares. Warmth filled his chest and he smiled softly. Cyno picked up a flower and said, “I have to leaf now. Send me a letter if you need me.”

“You had to ruin the moment with a pun, Cyno?” Tighnari took the flower from him and tucked it into his headpiece. “If you have time to join us for dinner, I can finish my lesson early.”

#genshin impact #cynonari #cyno and tighnari #genshin impact cyno #genshin impact tighnari #fanfiction

77 notes · View notes

emmy-dekarios-bg3 · 1 month

Text

Heart of the Weave - A Baldurs Gate fanfiction - Part 2

Chapter 5 - Another adventure huh?

Morning arises and boy am I glad that I can’t be exhausted. Sleep is still nice while immortal; a full night’s sleep gets my brain functioning fully. On top of that, if I sleep, I feel more powerful than before, which is well needed in these strange times. I turn over to face Gale, noticing him wide awake with Jenevelle in his arms. She notices me waking up, smiling and cooing as she becomes alert.

“Ah, my little baby. Such a happy girl,” I remark, admiring her. Gale chuckles and rolls his eyes as if that wasn’t a true statement. She could never be a handful. .

“Mmm, not this morning. On top of her wanting a bottle super early, which she let me know with anger by the way, she had a massive blowout like you wouldn’t believe. I had to bathe her and then eventually bathe myself. I’m just glad you got your rest after last night.” I snuggle my head into his neck comfortably.

“Well, Mr. Dekarios, I’d be happy to stay here while you go kick some Bhaalspawn arse.” He laughs and shrugs his bare shoulders, placing our daughter on my chest. I know he had an eventful morning with her, but I honestly love that he didn’t complain.

“Let’s chat with our counterparts –”

“Friends,” I interrupt, giving him a smirk.

“Right. Then we can come up with a plan.” Well damn, this means we will either need to visit most of our friends by foot, or we can visit with Withers. So, we are going the easy route and summoning Withers because walking all over Waterdeep is the biggest of hassles. For the purpose of Jenevelle not getting terrified, we place her in her playpen in the living area for a few moments while we discuss important matters with him in the kitchen. Tara is keeping her company in the meantime.

Gale performs the summoning spell and Withers appears before our very eyes, which never fails to make me jump because it either takes him one minute to appear or ten minutes. Either way, his entry is startlesome.

“Ah, does thou need assistance? I assume companionship is what is desired.”

“Good to see you again Withers. Yes, that is the matter we wanted to discuss with you,” Gale responds. “Can you have them come our way please?”

“I can, but please be advised that Jaheira has passed on and Minsc is in a grieving state over her unpredicted death.” My jaw drops hearing this devastating news over Jaheira. No. This can’t be. I’m just now hearing about this?

“Wait…how did she die?” I ask, my voice cracking as I’m holding back tears. “It can’t be.”

“The Bhaalists. Jaheira’s soul flies on and is as bright as the moonlight. She protected the ones she loved and told them to run. I can say no more on the matter.”

“The Bhaalists…got her?”

“Yes.” Gale and I are astonished at this horrible news I didn’t expect to hear today. And Minsc? Oh poor Minsc. His heart must be so shattered. “Shall I alert thy companions for your need of them?”

“Yes please,” I murmur, my heart shattered, and a tear delicately rolling down my cheek. Gale pulls me in for a gentle hug, holding me close as I cry into his chest. “Not Jaheira.”

Withers comes back after roughly five minutes.

“Thy companions should arrive here soon. Death and danger lie ahead, but those strong enough to bare it can end the darkness of Bhaal.” Poof. He vanishes again, leaving behind a cloud of blue smoke.

“Well, it’s happening. Hopefully our little group would be willing to conquer this journey with us. I’m so sorry we had to hear such horrible news,” Gale says apologetically. “From what I gathered from that, she told her family to run. It was just her against these horrible people, if you can even call them that.”

“They’re far from human. They’re deranged monsters.”

What is causing these horrible cultists to go on a rampage like this all of a sudden? I assume Bhaal had plans for them since Orin is no longer in the picture. They feared her, they obeyed her. They knew they couldn’t compete. Now that she’s dead, it’s a battle to the death to take her spot. Their God is vile and I’ll never understand his charms.

Everyone arrives at the tower quicker than we expected. Well, mostly everyone – excluding Minsc and Lae’zel. We open the door and everyone comes inside to gather around the living area. We all pour ourselves a glass of wine as we get ready to discuss the next steps.

“The babies… What are we to do?” Shadowheart questions, holding her baby in her arms. She genuinely looks terrified, and understandably so.

“My dear, you should stay with Emmy. I’m a vampire after all, I have nothing to fear. I’ll get to thirst on these heinous, filthy Bhaalists like it’s a buffet. I can’t wait. Plus, I need you and the child safe.”

“On top of that, you’ll get to be with Jenevelle and I. I could use the company,” I add. She gasps in excitement and Astarion takes the baby from her so she can jump up and down.

“Okay, I’m sold.”

“Wow, that was easy. Normally it’s hard to convince–” Shadowheart glares at Astarion for a moment and he clears his throat. “I mean, I’m glad you’ll be staying, my love.” I feel much more comfortable at the idea of staying home with Jenevelle now if it means Shadowheart would stay. Some sort of adult conversation will at least keep my mind at ease.

“Wyll and I will ABSOLUTELY join! We have nothing to live for,” Karlach chimes in. Wyll raises his eyebrow and cocks his head at her.

“Hey now!”

“Sorry, that came off much worse out loud than it did in my head.” I bust out in laughter, which causes me to snort, which I tried not to do but it caused another laughing fit. Astarion is giving me a petty look of judgment.

“Alright, which one of you fools casted Tasha’s Hideous Laughter on this poor soul?” Astarion mutters. “Unbelievable.”

“Count me in as party of the team against these vile murderers,” Halsin comments. “May we restore peace once more and get justice for Jaheira.” Every single one of us holds up our wine glasses for a toast, and we all say simultaneously, “For Jaheira.” Both babies are lying on the rug on their bellies, trying to figure each other out. It’s so cute to see Jenevelle make her first friend, though Shadowheart and Astarion’s baby Asher will eventually age and ours will not. At least Asher is a half-elf, which means it might take him longer to age anyway.

“Well, when should we leave? I’ll need to pack some necessities for the adventure there,” Gale questions as he sits down on the sofa next to me.

“The sooner the better, before the already dire situations get much worse,” Astarion replies. “I just want to get this overwith.”

“So, tomorrow then? I’m with Astarion on this one,” Wyll chimes in. “For once.”

“Tomorrow it is then!”

I did not realize they’d all be leaving so soon, but I suppose it’s best they leave as soon as possible. Who knows how long Gale will be away from us and what sort of dangers they’ll run into? All I have to say is, thank the Gods he’s immortal otherwise I’d lose my shit.

“I’ll miss you,” I tell him as he wraps me in his warm embrace. He kisses my forehead as he holds me, hesitating on his next word. I know he’s just taking it all in.

“I’ll miss you too. Hopefully we won’t be gone terribly long.”

“You two are so fucking cute! It…makes me want to cry,” Karlach comments with a dramatic sniffle. “Sorry, I just love sappy shit like this.” Wyll wraps his arm around Karlach, laughing as he pulls her close and kisses the side of her head. “There it is. About time, Wyll.”

After everyone leaves, Gale packs his backpack with necessities needed for the dreaded adventure back to Baldur’s Gate and I decide to get dinner started. I just hope they can all at least get rid of the sick, monstrous fucks that are murdering everyone. I also keep hoping that Gale’s mother is alright. She’s older and fragile, I can’t imagine anything happening to her. While she lives in Waterdeep, I just know the cultists are bound to head here at any given time if they haven’t already.

We sit down at the table ready to eat dinner. Tara joins us, but basically licks her paws the whole time.

“I will do my best to protect our friends the best I can,” Gale mutters, taking a bite of venison. “I will do my damned best to get rid of the source of this catastrophe. After seeing the horrific influence Bhaal has on people, it makes me so glad I never chose godhood.”

“I agree completely. I can’t imagine you losing yourself for power like that. And you probably would have left me behind and we wouldn’t have the life we have now. I can’t fathom it.” We talk about it a lot, but it’s true. The influence a god has on people is terrifying. What if Bhaal was once a good person and turned to murder once he became a god?

It’s time for Jenevelle to go to sleep. I’m letting Gale feed her and prepare for her bed since he will leave early tomorrow morning.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” he mumbles to her as he gives her a bottle. “May you always stay so precious and sweet. I love you so very much. You are the greatest gift anyone could have ever given me.” He smiles down at her as she watches him speak. His soothing voice makes her eyes heavy and she looks as if she’s going to fall asleep in his arms.

{check out my AO3 👇🏻}

#ao3 #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #karlach #gale x tav #dnd #astarion #dungeons and dragons #shadowheart #lae'zel #halsin #Orin #ketheric #gortash #gale romance #ao3 fanfic #bg3 ao3

4 notes · View notes

rumor-imbris · 5 months

Text

Solstice day 2023

My dearest readers, mutuals, followers, friends Sorry for leaving very few traces of me on here lately but my absence. My heart feels very heavy and now that this year is heading towards its end I felt the need to lighten it a bit, as much as I can.

This year started badly and ended worse. From the beginning I had to struggle with my mental health, personal issues, fears, insecurities, phobias and constant self-doubt; always pushing myself to find the strength to live on my own height, in my job, in my passions and hobbies, to be good at everything I do, to be someone, anyone, to be perfect. And if I'm not, then it's a reason to ask myself what's wrong.

I achieved some goals, little ones. Giant ones for somebody, never big enough to me, but I keep on trying. I try to keep on trying. I thought I could save the year... stepping on the path to face my deepest fears, being impeccable at the last audition, starting to write down anything of the dreamed novel sleeping in my mind... But then a new hole swallowed me, striking from under my feet unexpectedly.

Yesterday I lost my little ginger joy, my beloved prince, my furry friend, comfort, a piece of my soul. My cat Lucifero (Lu for almost everybody) was 11 years and 4 months old and was majestically beautiful. He suffered from a renal failure which turned very serious in a few days, until his kidneys became totally inactive. We had to euthanize him to stop his sufferings, for he wasn't able to eat, drink or even stand on his paws anymore. It was the worst thing I ever did in my life, one of the most painful moments my memory got marked with. I was forced to take that decision for his own good, helped by the great kindness and clarity from the veterinarian stuff who guided me during the whole heartbreaking procedure. Even my parents, who took care of Lu since I went to live elsewhere, are in such pain and can't believe it.

Still I wonder if I did a big mistake, if I do deserve to live while he is in the ground now, if I do deserve to breathe since I was the one who allowed to make his breath cease...

I cry all my tears still, my pain has come to know a new unknown depth and I sincerely say that I hate life, for beginning and for ending the way it does. This carousel of night and day, give and take, live and die, eat and be eaten really made me tired. Dead tired. And the most beautiful things, the most beloved wither as frail flowers, while I keep walking, rot inside.

I don't know what the new year will take, I just know I have this march to continue, with a heavier heart weighing me down... and I cannot stop, for those I love. When I kissed my baby Lu goodbye, I promised him we'll be together again as atoms shining in the same bright star someday, and I believe we will.

I hope I didn't sadden you guys too much, and I'm sorry for such a gloom post; but I think it's fair from me, especially for those of you who were gently waiting for new posts, to say that I might take a hiatus time and not be around for a while. At least, until inspiration comes back igniting me again, as Ratonhnhaké:ton still fills my dreams and heartbeats.

Until then, Happy Holidays; wish you the greatest opportunities and joys for the new coming year. Be strong, whatever you all are going through, whatever demon you're fighting, outside or inside of you. I root for you.

Take care

Yours truly

Rumor Imbris

4 notes · View notes

phoenixradiant · 2 months

Text

Fading

Soooo, I'm mostly a prose writer, but I dabble a bit in poetry and lyric writing, and when it makes sense I like to make the poems/songs about the characters and themes in my prose WIPs. You can probably see where this is going, but awhile back I wrote some stuff for Kelovir, and this is one of those. It has a portion dedicated to Cel, then Narra, then Kar, then a sort of combined finale. I had a melody in mind when writing, but I can't really communicate that sort of thing over text, which sucks. Anyway:

I can't remember when I last could sleep at night. I'm like a pearl, hiding painful sands inside. What I've lost, what I've seen Things man was never meant to know! I can't and I won't let it go...

No matter where I stay and no matter where I roam I don't think I've ever quite been home. And part of me still wonders, when I find my home at last, Will I still be scared by terrors from my past?

I'm haunted by the phantoms of all those I've left behind. They linger in the crannies of my mind. We cared for one another, but I should have known that you Would one day come, come back to haunt me too.

Shattered heart, Torn apart, Pain I think I've felt before! Swallowed whole, Burning soul, Pain I knew was kept in store...

Is this a revelation? Or just another hallucination? Is the truth all I can do is die, Or is there another truth that I Have missed, Missed while I'm watching, waiting? Will you always be here? Or will I face my greatest fear? I know deep down, don't you lie to me, I know the answer has to be That you, Like all the rest are fading! Fading away...

Just another coward in a world full of hate In fear I make myself a reprobate I could have stopped the bloodshed, should have denounced it whole. Cried "We won't behave like animals!"

When I bent the knee in fear to all-consuming flame, I should have known I'd be burnt all the same. Now pictures of an ideal world pound on my head like drums, I'll do anything to make that world come.

Shattered glass, Growling rasps, Pain I've never felt before!. Losing hope, Hangman's rope, But not for me, this pain's for more!

Is this a revelation? I tremble with anticipation! To change the world's not hard to do, Just melt it down, then forge anew But I Know that my world is flaming! Maybe it costs too much, I feel guilt's cold, crushing touch I feel my heart's encased in ice, But it still hurts to pay the price I chose, My pain is still not fading! Not fading away...

I don't remember when I last felt hate like this! Emotion true, not feigned and full of wist! What I've felt, who I've been, What's occurred 'neath darkened sky! These memories will never die!

Put a man in fire and you'll see beneath the shroud, Take heed of silhouettes against the clouds. Another day, another lie, Don't know who I am inside, Something darkness cannot hide!

Truth at last, Deep and vast, Cannot break the mirror's gaze! Not a friend, In the end, I'm alone against the blaze!

This is a revelation! I'm a beast risen above his station! And every single lie I've told, And every time my heart's gone cold, I know Will haunt me, I'm just waiting! Find peace in my forsaken! In the honor that I'd once mistaken, For worthless lies to soothe our souls, When virtue is what makes us whole, I serve The world, though I am fading! I'm fading away...

Bearer of the Brand! The Liar King's right hand! The Prophecy speaks of a final stand! Daughter of the Flame! Consumed now by the same! Cursed by the weight of her mother's name! King raised up from lies! Truth shines in his eyes! Stirred up by the fear in his people's cries! Demon born of love! Who scorns the white-winged dove! And raised up both her fists against the gods above!

Watch the corpses' twisted dance. Feel their withered, icy hands, The souls within, they sway and spin, Like birds without a nest in which to land. Smile as you feel the pain. You'll never be whole again Though you yearn, you'll never learn, The sun forever hidden by the rain Where is our revelation? Can we heal from our desecrations? No matter how we strain and try, Our throats still shout this mournful cry: "We are The monsters we created!" We eat ash and drink smoke Of fiery words that we have spoke! Though marked with seals of destiny, Fate's works are marked with cruelty, We see Now, see we're all but faded... We've faded away...

#writeblr #writing #kelovir #epic fantasy #fantasy #cellic thricebrant #narra milbough #magrom karven #original poem #poemblr

2 notes · View notes

munchy-munch · 2 years

Text

Aconitum - The White Room

Aconitum. What a beautiful flower. Vibrant in color and full in its bell shape. But aconitum is more than what it appears. A symbol of caution for what dangers exist as you come closer. A deadly beauty by nature. It's not it's fault. That's how it was made. That's how you were made. You are their perfect little creation. A beauty, drawing in all sorts, but a deadly little flower, killing with only a kiss. It's your nature, and you can't help it. But a question you should ask yourself is, will the flower wither away in hydra's grasps, or will someone come and save the flower, giving it all the nurturing, it needs to blossom as it was supposed to?

______________________________________________________________

~Day One~

It’s been a day since they put me in here, I counted. I was able to eat a little. Nothing more than white rice on a white plate. And the silence is making me itch. I am used to the sounds of the air rushing through the halls and even the eerie sounds lulling me to sleep. But here, I have absolutely nothing.

The quietness allows for me to hear too many of my bodily functions. As I’m breathing, my stomach growling, and at times I even think I can hear the blood flowing through my veins. It freaks me out a bit.

And how cruel of them to leave these bright lights on at night, well, when I think it’s night. But it’s hard to sleep when the lights are blazing above. Not to mention I am already exhausted from the lack of sleep.

And when I need to use the bathroom, I have to ask. I can’t hear them approach my door and they never answer my questions. No one will speak to me.

I want out of here.

~Day 3~

I took a shower today. They don’t let me do that every day it seems. Everything in the shower was white as well. The soap, the faucet, the cloth, everything. I can’t seem to escape it. I want to escape it.

~Day 5~

I feel sick. So, sick that at times I can’t even look at the food they try to give me. I can’t stand this color, white. A day ago, I tried to keep my eyes shut so I wouldn’t have to look in this disgusting room, but for some reason I passed out. When I woke up my eyelids were sewed open. I couldn’t close them, and I panicked. I couldn’t blink or close my eyes anymore. After begging, I passed out and when I woke up, I could blink again. I won’t try and keep my eyes shut anymore, that was the lesson.

~Day 11~

Sometimes I feel like I’m watching myself from outside of my body. It’s like my spirit is leaving my body to watch me. But the interesting thing is I can still see out of my body’s eyes.

~Day 17~

The guards walked into my room today. They were wearing all white as usual. Time for breakfast I suppose. Or lunch, or dinner. I wasn’t sure as all three meals were the exact same. They placed the plate in front of me and turned to leave.

I looked down at the plate. Rice. Fucking rice. I picked up the bowl and threw it at the head of one of the guards. I stood as he turned to face me.

“I won’t eat it. I won’t eat any of it, not anymore,” I said.

The guards simply looked at me, not saying anything before exchanging a look between their masks. They turned and walked out leaving me alone with a floor covered in rice.

~Day 23~

I can’t breathe. These walls, I feel like they’re closing in on me. I tried to stand, but I fell to my knees. I can’t stay here. I can’t.

So, I crawled over to a table built into the floor that they provided me with. Nothing was on it. It was only meant to serve as a stool to set my rice on. I leaned over the table with my hands on both of its round edges and slammed my head onto the table. Over and over and over and over. I slammed my head. The table was speckled in red splashes and streaks. No more white. I hate to color white.

I woke up once again to the white room. I touched my head; it was healed already. I looked for the table, but it was gone. The last thing I had in here and they took it from me. I had nothing else. No blanket or clothes, not a bed or a chair. I only had the table. Without it I’m a person in a smooth, empty white room.

~Day 31~

Rice is piling up in the corner. I’m not eating it. I’d rather starve. But that won’t last long. I’m sure they’ll do something.

~Day 42~

They’re forcing me to eat. Not with weapons or violence. They simply walk in, stick a tube down my throat, and pump my stomach full of stuff. I’m not sure what the stuff is, but all it does is make me hungrier than I already am. But I assume it has some type of food or nutrients in it as I’m not dead and I haven't been eating.

~Day 50~

I’ve been laying in this spot since, well, a while ago. I think it’s been a little while. Maybe a day or two? My body feels so heavy and the boy on the floor in the corner of my room is making me anxious. He’s not real, at least I don’t think so. He looks just like that boy who was in the cell across from me.

My arm reached out towards him, but he didn’t move. He just watched me with those dead eyes of his. And the longer I watched him the more real he seemed to appear. I swear I could see his lips moving. I think his body is moving up and down too. Is he alive? Is he breathing?

The boy’s mouth opened, and a giant fly crawled out from his mouth like a spider. Its body is so big it began to rip the small boy’s body apart as it exited. The poor boy was nothing but a mangled corpse after the giant fly left his body.

The fly looked around the room. And walked over to me. It’s thin legs shaking the ground as it stomped over. Will it eat me? Or will it spare me and kill me? And just as I closed my eyes the stomping stopped. My eyes opened once again to see nothing else in the room with me.

It’s not here anymore? Where did it go? But those questions would have to wait till another time. I’m really tired.

~Day 56~

The eerie howls of the halls filled my white room today. The distant sounds of guards walking in the distance accompanied it. How I’ve, missed them? I feel like I’ve missed them, but I don’t specifically recall experiencing it. It just feels right.

~Day 60~

Who was I before all this? I was thrown in here for something or maybe I did something bad. I can’t exactly remember. I do remember people crowding around me, but everything seems blurry. And I am, I don’t remember where I was going with that.

~Day 74~

“My head hurts,” I said out loud.

“It helps to talk out loud. I won’t be alone that way, and it won’t be quiet,” I said.

~Day 83~

I looked over towards a boy who was sitting in the room with me. Did they put him in here when I was asleep?

“Who are you,” I asked. The boy said nothing. He couldn’t be more than just a child. He looked so young.

“Do you have a name,” I asked the boy.

He just looked at me. His eyes were blank, and I can’t tell if he’s breathing or not. I walked over to him and crochet down in front of him.

“Do you at least know where we are,” I asked.

It was a little irritating that he wasn’t answering, but as I looked closer, he appeared to not be breathing. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never dealt with a dead person before or even a dying one. I looked around the room and spotted the door. I quickly stood up and ran over. My fists were banging on the door.

“Someone help! He’s not breathing,” I yelled, but I couldn’t hear anything.

“Can anyone hear me?”

No one was answering. We’re not alone in here, right? There should be people out there. There has to be. I walked over to the boy and sat down in front of him.

“Someone will come soon, I’m sure of it.”

~Day 90~

It’s getting cold in here. I wish I had something to cover up with like a blanket or clothes.

A man came into my room today. He placed restraints around my wrists and goggles around my eyes. And though my eyes were covered, I was still seeing white. How unfortunate.

I was pulled out of the room I was in.

“The boy, you have to help him,” I said, but the man said nothing in return.

I was pulled along down endless of what I believe are hallways. I haven’t had to walk this much before, so I’m already starting to get tired. But before I started to complain, I was pushed into a chair and strapped down. The texture of the straps rubbed wrongly against my skin. I pulled and tried to arch away from them, but I can’t get away. I was just hurting myself. But I don’t care. I felt tears brimming my eyes.

“Please, I can’t, it feels…” I can’t find my words as my breathing sped up and at one point I couldn’t anymore.

“Please, these straps are too much,” I said.

No one was listening to me. I heard their feet moving around the floor ever so quietly. What were they going to do to me? I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t done anything at all. All I did was….was….what did I do? I don’t remember how I ended up here, well there, in that place, in my white room. I can’t…hun?

It feels like my soul is falling from my body. Falling backwards towards the floor.

“Help,” I whispered. I don’t think they’re going to help me though.

But then I felt metal wrap around my arms and legs, my torso and my neck. I began to struggle more as my connection with my body went back to normal. This is even worse than the straps. I feel trapped. And as I struggled the restraints seemed to get tighter.

Sharp pointy objects were pushed into my body in all areas. I could feel liquids being flushed into my veins. It hurts. My body was starting to burn, and the restraints pressed around my body as they grew tighter. Yells of pain left my throat. It burns! It burns so bad. My mouth is open, trying to catch as much air as I could, but it isn’t helping. Nothing I do is helping. And I soon passed out, my temperature dropped.

I woke up in the white room once again. Was it a dream? I don’t see any restraints or the boy. Maybe they took him while I was asleep?

How strange, the cold doesn’t bother me as much anymore.

~Day 97~

I’m not hungry anymore, just thirsty and aching for some light. And not this artificial light. I want some real light. Something natural.

~Day 100~

I’m still thirsty. They keep bringing me rice and they get upset when I don’t eat it. Not as much as before, but still a bit.

I curled up on the floor. I want to go outside. I think that’s where I’m supposed to be. Out in the forest among the trees and the grass. Drinking in both water and sun. That sounds right to me. As I was laying on the floor, I heard a loud bang and then a series of sirens going off.

I don’t know what’s happening? So, I did the only thing I could, I hid in the corner of the white room, waiting. Waiting for the sirens to stop. For things to return to normal. But that’s not what happened. The door to my room was hit. And then it was hit again and again and again. The door and wall came crashing down. And stood there was a giant green man.

“Please don’t hurt me,” I said as the man walked closer.

“Hulk no hurt small man.” the man said. Hulk? Interesting name. I looked up into his green eyes. To be honest he did scare me a bit. He destroyed the entire wall with just his fists, I think. He reached out his hand and held it in front of me. I hesitated. I don’t want to hurt him. I could really leave this place. I could leave. But I don’t- The man grabbed my hand and picked me up. I tried to wiggle myself out of his hold, but he held me tighter.

“No moving,” he said, so I stopped. This doesn't feel too bad. Kind of warm, I thought before my eyes closed and I fell into darkness.

#steve rodgers x reader #avengers angst #hydra reader #male reader #reader insert #steve x bucky #steve x reader x bucky #stucky #stucky angst #stucky series #stucky x reader #steve rogers #bucky x y/n #bucky x you #bucky angst #bucky barnes #winter soldier #stucky x y/n #stucky x you

59 notes · View notes