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sincerelyyuu · 3 days

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"in the end, it's still you." p3. • gojo satoru & geto suguru

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ synopsis: after you made your decision to leave your jujutsu sorcerer life behind, you find yourself longing for what once was and risking more than what you bargained for. ➼ pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader, geto suguru x fem!reader ➼ content/warnings: sfw, endless amounts of angst, sprinkles of fluff, heavy jujutsu kaisen 0 film spoilers, heartbreak, regret, unrequited love, death, blood, pet names, sorcerer!reader ➼ wc: 5.4K words ➼ a/n: this is the final part of this little angst series of mine. thank you so much to everyone for the amount of love you've given these three. as always, likes and reblogs are appreciated ♡ ➼ part one, part two, part three

Today was the day. Suguru had coined it as the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons where he intended on releasing thousands of curses across Japan, focusing the epicenters of the attack in Shinjuku and Kyoto.

To say that your life had drastically changed over the last few years would be an understatement. Finding refuge in a grand temple located far away from the eyes of Tokyo, Suguru built himself a cult following. He spent his days collecting money from his loyal followers while also exorcising curses from non-sorcerers who sought him out, deeming him as a god for his “cleansing” talents.

Within this time, your days were simpler. Instead of waking up to the dread of having to fight curse after curse, you spent your time focusing on the little things that brought you joy. You started a little garden that was lush with a variety of flowers and greenery. Thanks to the seclusion of your new home, it made stargazing look something straight out of a fantasy, the night sky always twinkling with millions of stars. With all the extra time, you had many opportunities to curl up with a good book without having to worry about another mission.

Since that fateful night in the village, Nanako and Mimiko became attached to your hip. You became the mother figure they’ve always dreamt of. You loved the girls like your own, spending the majority of your time nurturing them from toddlerhood into the beautiful teens they were now. You were living the simple life you envisioned back in your teen years.

You knew when you left your old life behind that life would be different. Change was inevitable. You just didn’t expect for it to manifest in the man you ran away with.

Suguru took care of you exceptionally well. He made sure you were well fed and gifted you with the prettiest clothes, occasionally leaving small tokens of appreciation for you for embarking on this journey with him. Whatever you heart desired, it was in your hands no sooner than you can think of it. More importantly, no matter how busy he was, he always found time to keep you company. You, as well as the twins, remained his main priority. His beautiful girls.

You watched Suguru slowly become consumed with the idea of jujutsu sorcerers being the superior race. On the outside, he put up an amiable persona in front of normal humans who came to him for guidance in order to collect their curses. On the inside, he loathed their very existence, finding their presence alone to be unbearable and swearing they filled the air surrounding him with a disgusting stench.

Monkeys, he would call them. You hated the term.

He had come to you in the kitchen one day with the biggest grin on his face. It was the happiest you’ve ever seen him in your entire time of knowing him. Pouring yourself a glass of water from the faucet, you leaned your back against the edge of the sink in interest.

“The time has finally come!” he proclaimed as he walked up to you, hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.

“Oh?” you raised an eyebrow at him in curiosity. “And what time may that be?”

“My sources tell me that there is an interesting first year student by the name of Okkotsu Yuta at Tokyo High. He is cursed by a special grade spirit by the name of Orimoto Rika,” Suguru goes on to explain.

You felt an unsettling feeling in your stomach, not liking where this conversation was going. You hummed in response and raised the glass to your lips which he took as his cue to go on.

“I plan on retrieving her. The power she holds is the exact thing we need to put an end to every non-sorcerer in existence,” he sighed happily at what he believed was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Frowning, you replied, “...And how exactly do you plan to do that, Sugu?”

“By killing anyone that gets in my way starting with Tokyo Jujutsu High.”

The glass of water immediately slipped from your hands, seconds away from shattering onto the floor if not for Suguru’s incredible reflexes. Placing the still full cup on the counter, he observed the immense shock displayed in your eyes at his declaration. You wished that he was just pulling your leg and that he wasn’t really considering taking on such a risky and incredibly dangerous task. But a man of his word, you knew better than anyone that when Suguru said anything, he truly meant it.

“Geto Suguru,” his name leaving your lips in a slow drawl, “What in the actual fuck are you talking about?”

Leaning against the counter next to you, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought. “It’s simple really. I will unleash the thousands of curses that I’ve meticulously collected over this past decade into the city. Two cities, in fact. While they send their forces to try and save as many pathetic monkeys as they can, I’ll go after the Okkotsu boy. If he decides not to join our side, that’s fine. I’ll just kill him for Rika instead.”

The more you listened to him explain in detail his plan, the more you found yourself looking at a complete stranger. This couldn’t possibly be the kind Suguru that you’ve known throughout your teens and entire twenties.

Had you really known him at all?

The incredulous look of concern and flash of fear across your face must have been hard to take in because Suguru’s demeanor immediately took on a more serious stance.

“(y/n),” he started to say your name and reached for your hand. This time, it was his turn to be shocked when you immediately yanked your hand away from his as if his touch burned you.

“Don’t,” you demand, taking a step away from him as you felt your blood begin to boil. “What the hell, Suguru?”

The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose at your hostile reaction, “I had a feeling you’d react like this.”

You scoffed at his reply, “Did you honestly expect for me to just be peachy about this idea? You’re talking about murdering millions of people! This isn’t what I agreed to when I decided to go on the run with you.”

“I was very upfront with you about my goals. I don’t know why you’re acting like this is something new,” Suguru argued, not liking the tone of your voice. “You made the big girl decision to come with me. Don’t tell me you’re regretting it now?”

You clenched your jaw at his audacity. “You didn’t give me a choice! I’m not the one who decided to go on a murderous killing spree at seventeen on a mission we were both assigned to,” you retorted in exasperation.

“But I stayed with you because I care about you, Suguru. If I didn’t, why would I leave my entire life behind to be here with you now?” you asked, feeling the anger in your veins shift to deep hurt. “You forget that I sacrificed a lot, too. Excuse me if I don’t agree with every choice you make along the way, especially this one.”

Running his hand through his dark locks, Suguru exhaled deeply. He rarely fought with you and he hated every minute you were anything less than happy with him. He angled his body to face you once more and placed his strong hands on your shoulders. When you didn’t instantly pull away from him, he tugged you closer to him and wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

“I’m sorry. I didn't forget how much you’ve sacrificed to be with me and I’m eternally grateful every day I see your face. I know this situation hasn’t been completely fair for you and I only have myself to blame for that,” he apologized sincerely.

“That being said, I’ve made my final decision. I won’t ask you to fight on the front lines nor do I expect you to do anything you don’t want to. You can stay here without needing to get involved or lift a finger. The decision is yours.”

Back to the present, you couldn’t shake the premonition that something really bad was going to happen. Your anxiety in your heart refused to dissipate with the uncertainty of what's to come looming over you. You hated this. You hated how this is what it all came down to.

You made it clear to Suguru that you weren’t going to take any innocent lives. However, you refused to sit still and play the waiting game while everyone was out fighting for their lives. Naturally, you set your heart on protecting your girls.

“Nanako, Mimiko,” you said to your phone via video chat, “Are you girls doing okay?”

“Everything is good so far, (y/n)-sama,” Nanako replied back and adjusted her phone so that she and her sister fit into one frame. “Where are you? Geto-sama said you’d be here.”

You responded, “I’m here. Just standing out of sight but still keeping an eye on you.”

Standing atop of some miscellaneous office building, you observed the large curse that housed the twins safely inside its mouth. You focused on manipulating your cursed energy to lower it to extreme minute levels in order to hide your presence, blending it with the large amount of cursed energy permeating in the air. Doing so made it difficult to pinpoint your exact location.

“How come you aren’t here directly with us?” Mimiko questioned, feeling slightly anxious but relieved to see your face even if it was through a screen.

You paused, taking a few seconds to think before answering carefully, “It’s complicated.”

How do you exactly tell them that the reason you were hiding to begin with was because you were hiding from the man of the hour?

Gojo Satoru.

You would be lying if you said a part of you didn’t long to see him. You did everything in your power to cut all ties with the strongest sorcerer a decade ago, although it hurt more than anything. You didn’t know if you could ever face him again, especially not now considering the circumstances with Suguru’s plot.

Did he even want to see you?

A pair of sweet voices called out to you and snapped you out of your thoughts. Looking back at your phone, you saw the looks of anticipation on the twins’ faces.

“Sorry, what did you girls say?” you sheepishly asked.

Nanako pouted adorably, repeating their question, “We asked if we could go to that crepe shop on Takeshita Street with you. Geto-sama promised he’d take us last time but it was closed by the time we got there.”

Chuckling, you nodded to their request. “Of course. When this is all over, we’ll take a girls trip together.”

“Promise?” they said in unison, holding their pinkies up to the screen.

You held your own pinky up and lightly tapped it against your phone. “I promise.”

On the other end, you heard Nanako’s notification sound go off. “They said they’re stepping up the plan and telling us to engage,” she informed you.

Biting your lip in apprehension, you sighed. “Please be careful, you two. Do not hesitate to call me immediately if something happens. Do you understand? I'll catch up with you in a few.”

The pair nodded, holding up their pinkies for emphasis promising you of their safety. Just as you were about to hang up the call, their soft voices caught your ears.

“(y/n)-sama?”

“Yes, my loves?” you answered with concern in your eyes watching them fidget nervously.

“I love you.”

You felt your heart squeeze at the declaration, warmth spreading in your chest as you smiled fondly at the two. They looked at you shyly with pink cheeks looking slightly embarrassed after voicing their affection together. When did they grow up so fast from the little five year olds they once were when you first met them?

“I love you, too. Both of you. See you soon,” you reciprocated, blowing a kiss to the camera.

The twins mirrored the gesture before hanging up. Focusing your eyes back to the curse they were inside, its mouth opened to reveal your precious girls. You waved goodbye to them despite them not being able to see you. Just as you were about to trail them, that unsettling feeling increased tenfold in your stomach. Something was wrong.

Suguru.

You dialed his number on your phone, pressing it to your ear only for the call to go straight to voicemail. This only made your anxiety worse. He never missed a call from you. Wracking your brain on where he could be, his previous words echoed in your mind.

“I’ll go after the Okkotsu boy. If he decides not to join our side, that’s fine. I’ll just kill him for Rika instead.”

Cursing under your breath, your legs began moving on their own.

Run faster.

You repeated the two words in your head like a mantra as you weaved through alleyways and every shortcut you could remember. Your lungs burned with the intensity of it demanding oxygen, but you refused to slow down the pace of your sprint. You were determined to make it back to Tokyo Jujutsu High.

You had to make it to Suguru.

Scanning the black veil that you knew Suguru had casted over the school, you managed to locate a hole that was made by something, or rather someone, else. Slipping through the opening, you finally stepped foot onto the grounds that you once called your home. You hurriedly followed the trails of blood and wreckage of what looked to be the after effects of a lethal fight.

You nearly collapsed as you felt the ground quake beneath your feet, the force of it catching you off guard. The air felt electrified with the sheer amount of cursed energy surrounding you. It terrified you. Despite your fear, you steeled yourself and ran towards where you felt the cursed energy was strongest.

Careening around another corner, you were relieved to see the backside of the man you were searching for. However, your relief was short-lived when you looked just beyond his figure down the path to see a young teenage boy.

There was no mistaking him as Okkotsu Yuta with his special grade curse Rika suspended beside him protectively and looking every bit as deadly as you heard. He was exchanging words with her that you couldn’t hear from where you stood. You saw the way Yuta intimately held her monstrous frame close to his face. The interaction was so full of tenderness and devotion, the kind that would risk it all in the name of love.

But that’s when you realized what was happening. He was sacrificing himself to Rika to release the limit on her cursed energy.

Hearing Rika passionately declare her love for Yuta, you looked in horror as she began gathering all of her raw cursed energy in full force. Flashes of purple and pink coalesced into one massive deadly black orb, a symbol of Rika’s eternal love for him.

And it was aimed directly at Suguru.

“SUGURU!”

You didn’t even hear yourself scream for him, your voice coming out in terror-stricken screech. It was like your body went into overdrive. In your moment of panic, you didn’t have time to think or feel, only running towards him with your heart beating loudly in your ears.

For Suguru, it all happened so quickly.

The moment he heard your voice, he whipped his head to you with eyes widened in alarm. You weren’t supposed to be here. He needed to figure out a way to get you as far away as possible from Rika.

Time almost stopped for the next few seconds.

There was a flash and a strong hand that shoved Suguru’s body back from where he was positioned. A waft of a familiar perfume. The feeling of soft tresses tickling his cheek. A blinding blue glow. He realized too late that it was you moving at an supersonic speed to stand in front of him, safeguarding him as you channeled all of your cursed energy to brace and harden your body for impact.

Then, Rika charged.

Destruction. Suguru’s curses were no match to the power of Rika’s concentrated cursed energy beam. Her attack left devastation in its wake, buildings blown down to their bare infrastructures, dust and debris clouding the pinkened sky, and a deep crater of the battlefield permanently indented into the ground.

For a moment, all you felt was searing pain enveloping your body. You didn’t even register the way Suguru seized you by the waist, jerking you away as he made a narrow escape with you just a second away from death’s door. Your vision faded to black as you closed your eyes.

When you next opened your eyes, the first thing you saw was the back of Suguru’s head. He was carrying you on his back, your arms around his neck and your body swaying in small jerky motions as he limped down the pathway with growing difficulty.

Good. He had made it, you thought to yourself in ease.

‘Made it’ was an understatement. The man was officially missing his entire right arm, the same arm he used to safely pull you away from Rika. Long black hair haphazardly let down, black yukata torn in half to reveal his bare toned torso, right eye swollen shut. He was lucky to have gotten away with just this.

He was only this lucky because of you. You had taken Rika’s attack head on. Even with you using your cursed energy as a shield, it wasn’t enough to stop the negative repercussions. Your injuries were severe. The strength of Rika’s blow left a gaping hole in the center of your chest a hair’s away from your heart, feeling sharp pains with every shallow breath you took. You could feel yourself bleeding out onto Suguru’s back, soaking his robe with crimson. Unable to feel any sensations in your legs, you suspected you were paralyzed from the waist down.

“Suguru,” your raspy voice croaked out.

“You finally opened those eyes, pretty girl. You had me worried for a moment there,” Suguru chuckled quietly.

The two of you fell into a calm silence, only the sounds of Suguru’s footsteps and your ragged breathing to be heard. You wanted to ask him so many questions. Where did Yuta and Rika go? What happens now? No matter how hard you tried to focus on moving your mouth you simply couldn’t, not having the strength to do so. Suguru was the first to break the silence.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said tiredly. His haggard face looked absolutely spent with his voice coming out no louder than a murmur. Only loud enough just for you to hear the regret and guilt in his speech.

You chuckled weakly, “Can you really say you were surprised?”

Suguru sighed in defeat, “I suppose not. Although I would have preferred if you had stayed with our girls. Now look at you.”

“That’s not very ‘Thank you for saving my life’ of you, Sugu,” you huffed, gently pinching his cheek in retaliation causing him to laugh lightly.

You felt your heart swell seeing Suguru smile and banter with you so freely. It reminded you of your earlier days back in high school when it was just you, him, and Satoru.

Satoru.

As you leaned your head on Suguru’s good shoulder, your mind drifted to the snowy haired man. It always did. You often wondered if he had changed much since you last saw him. Was he still that confident man that would give his all for the world? The same man that would have burned the world for you? What would your life be like if you had decided to go back to him that day in Shinjuku? So many questions that you would never have answers for. You knew that when you left Satoru that day, you had left your heart with him too.

If only you had the chance to tell him you loved him in person.

Feeling something rise in your chest, you were only able to squeeze Suguru’s shoulder in warning before you leaned to the side to vomit blood, the bodily fluid coming out in a viscous consistency. By the time you were done, you felt extremely weak. Your head felt fuzzy and the severe pain in your chest was beginning to subside the more you bled out.

“I’m dying, Suguru.”

Suguru’s grip on you faltered for a quick second before hoisting you upright on his back once more. He already knew it. He knew you were dying by the faraway look in your eyes and the way you could barely keep them open. You were losing too much blood too quickly. He had exhausted his cursed energy supply on Rika, only having the physical energy to carry you through pure willpower.

“Do you regret running away with me now?” he asks solemnly, slowing his pace down to not rock you too much.

You shook your head, “I don’t. I promised you that I would be there for you until the end.”

“Thank you for keeping your promise,” he expressed genuinely.

When you didn’t say anything else, he turned his head slightly to see you with your eyes closed. He momentarily panicked before he was consoled by the rise and fall of your back that indicated you were still here.

“(y/n)?” he calls, looking straight ahead and walking with no real destination in mind. You hummed in response to let him know you were listening.

“I love you.”

Despite living the last ten years of his life with you, this was the first time he had verbally expressed those three words to you, opting to show his affections for you through actions. But in your dying moments, he needed you to hear just how much he loved you, even if he knew you would never say them back the same way he meant it.

“I know. I always knew,” You smiled guiltily. “I do love you, Suguru. You’re always going to be my best friend. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t reciprocate your feelings no matter how hard I tried.”

Suguru nudged his head against yours in a comforting manner. He whispered, “It’s okay. I still love you regardless.”

Feeling exhaustion settle in your bones, you could barely fight the growing heaviness of your eye lids and a sense of calm lulling your senses. Resting your chin on Suguru’s shoulder, he felt your faint breath fan against his neck.

“Sugu,” the nickname sounding so painfully loving on your lips, “I’m sleepy.”

Suguru couldn’t bring himself to watch you die, staring straight ahead so you wouldn’t see the tears pooling in his eyes.

“Sleep, baby. I got you.”

With that, your eyes closed as you took your last breath, your arms around his neck slipping to fall at his sides.

Trudging down the narrow alleyway, Suguru shifted your frame to his front in order to rest your head against his hard chest. Your body was still warm as Suguru held you tighter against him, albeit a bit awkwardly considering the effects of the battle left him with only one arm. You looked so peaceful. If anyone didn’t know any better, they would have assumed you were just in a deep sleep. Only, you were forever in a dream that you would never wake up from.

Suguru felt like a failure. Despite his elaborate plan, he was unsuccessful in securing the special grade curse Rika from Okkotsu Yuta. Experiencing her power first hand, she was truly extraordinary. If he had gotten her, there would be no need to sneak around swallowing curses. He would have had the power to change the world like he wanted.

You wouldn’t have had to die for him.

If only he had a little more time. Hearing footsteps approaching him, Suguru smiled at the familiar presence. With great effort, Suguru carefully lowered you and himself against the wall and held you close.

“You’re late, Satoru,” he announced, his words devoid of any real malice. “To think you’d be the one here at my end. Is my family safe?

“Every last one of them managed to escape,” the special grade sorcerer replied in monotone.

Except you. Satoru took in your lifeless form that was brutally beaten and bloodied by what he assumed was the aftermath of Rika. Your hair was longer than when he last saw you in Shinjuku ten years ago. Your delicate hands that used to hold onto his so dearly were now battered. Bruises adorned your face, crimson from your wounds beginning to dry against your skin. Even after all these years of not seeing you, even in this state, you were still beautiful to him.

“Unlike you, I’m a kind man. You sent those two assuming I’d defeat them, didn’t you? To set Okkotsu off?” Suguru questioned the male, referring to the panda and cursed speech user.

Satoru answered, “I trusted that a man as principled as you wouldn’t kill off young sorcerers without a reason.”

Suguru tiredly smiled at his words. “Trust, huh? I didn’t think I still had any of that left.”

Gaze hardening, Satoru coldly responded, “I also trusted you to keep her safe.”

He knew he was being hypocritical. He spent years trying to seek you out and to bring you home. Once he did, he even considered quitting the sorcerer life to give you the normal life you wanted. Yet you didn’t want to be found and made it incredibly difficult to track you (and naturally Suguru.) The fact you survived this far to begin with was with Suguru’s help, which is more than what he had done. At least Suguru was able to give you some form of happiness. Although he never gave up looking for you, Satoru knew he should have done more to protect you.

And now he has to live with the fact that he couldn’t bring you back home anymore.

“It was always you, you know that?”

Tearing his eyes away from your lifeless form, Satoru wordlessly looked at his best friend who had a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“All of these years away, there wasn’t a day that she didn’t think about you. No matter how hard I tried to get her to reciprocate my love, to open her heart to me, her heart was always set on you,” Suguru admitted bittersweetly.

Satoru could only stand there stunned at the revelation. If Suguru was telling the truth, had you always loved him the way he loved you? Flashbacks of you played back in his mind like an old movie.

The way you would tenderly treat his wounds after he went a little too hard after a mission…

“I swear to god, Toru, you better not come back looking like this again,” you sighed, lightly dabbing the soaked cotton ball of antibiotic on the small gash on his forehead.

“You mean looking this good~?” he smirks, flexing his bicep proudly. Only for his bottom lip to jut out into a pout at the way you playfully roll your eyes at him, not exactly denying his words but also not wanting to feed that big ego of his.

Turning around to grab a clean bandage for his wound, he misses the way a light pink hue blooms across your cheeks.

…making him a bento box of his favorite foods after scolding him for skipping meals…

“Oh?” Satoru chirps, “What do we have here?”

He watched you unravel the prettily wrapped package to reveal the lunch you had prepared for him. Based on the smell alone, he knew you had made his favorite. “A little birdie told me you skipped breakfast this morning,” you sighed.

“Did this birdie happen to be a six foot three tall man with a man bun? What a snitch,” he sighed dramatically.

Tsking, you pushed the bento closer to him. “Don’t be mean. Eat before the food gets cold or else the last hour and a half of me cooking would go to waste.”

Didn’t you just come back from a mission this morning? The thought crossed his mind as he considered how tired you must be but still mustered the energy to cook for him. The delusional side of him imagined if this was what it would be like if you were his pretty little wife.

Grinning, he takes a bite of the food and savors the delicious flavor that hits his taste buds. “Thank you, sweets.”

…and leaving little cute messages in his notebooks to read during class.

Hearing his sensei drone on about something related to cursed energy, Satoru leaned back in his chair with his head tilted back in a silent groan. He swore this boring class had a higher chance of killing him than dealing with a special grade curse. Feeling someone kick his shoe from under his desk, Satoru looked over next to him to see Suguru giving him a disapproving look, gesturing with a nod to the sensei to pay attention. Satoru merely stuck his tongue out at him causing his best friend to roll his eyes. To be fair, he was equally as bored but someone had to pay attention to take notes, right?

Leaning on his hand, he aimlessly flicked through the pages of his notebook, the pages mostly bare since he rarely took notes. Satoru’s interest quirked when his eyes landed on an adorable doodle of a kitty cat wearing black round glasses much like the ones he wore. Beside it was a little speech bubble written in your handwriting that said, “You got this, Toru! I’ll always be here to support you ^o^.”

Chuckling, Satoru turned his head to find you sitting a few desks away from him. Unlike him, you were completely engrossed in the lesson and taking notes like the good student you were. You had your hair tucked behind your ear as you gnawed on your lower lip in concentration. All Satoru could think was… ‘pretty.’

Feeling eyes on the back of your head, you scanned your surroundings before making direct eye contact with Satoru. Despite being caught red handed staring at you, Satoru shot you a flirty wink, snickering at the way you gaped at him in shock. He made a gesture of him pretending to be on the verge of falling asleep, feeling his heart palpitate at the way you couldn’t help but giggle at him.

The next class, he found another doodle in his notebook of that same little Gojo kitty along with the words, “All eyes up front instead of me, Mr. Gojo >.<.”

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. How could he have been so blind?

Or, maybe, he did see all of the signs. Perhaps he chose to actively ignore them because he knew getting involved with you would only put you in danger. He was okay with admiring you from a distance if it meant keeping you safe.

But if he knew things would end up this way, he wished he spent all this time telling you he loved you instead.

“Do you have any last words?” Satoru offered, feeling his heart aching at what was next to come.

Looking to the sky in resignation, a peaceful look graced Suguru’s face. “I never held any hatred for those in Jujutsu High. I just couldn’t wear a heartfelt smile in this world.”

“But she made it worthwhile,” he continued, his voice lowering in remorse as he studied your tranquil face, ingraining every little detail that he loved about you in his mind. “I don’t regret taking her with me. My only regret is not being able to give her the life she deserved.”

Suguru cradled your face in his hand and leaned down to kiss your forehead tenderly, his lips lingering on your skin for the last time. He didn’t react when he heard heavy footsteps draw near.

Satoru brought himself closer to the two people he cherished most in his life. Crouching down so that he was eye level, he reached out to brush the hair away from your lids, wishing so desperately for you to open them so that he could look into those eyes that he first fell in love with. Just as Suguru did, he pressed his lips to your temple, feeling a tear slip from his eye.

Goodbye, my sweet girl. To the only girl I will ever love.

🏷️: @urcutetozier @sad-darksoul @alisoncdariel @paprikaquinn @jjk174 divider credit: @/saradika-graphics

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cordeliawhohung · 6 months

Text

As You Wish

knight!Price x fem!princess!Reader - part of @glitterypirateduck 's october writing challenge!

In order to save your people from a long lasting and brutal war, you are sent to the neighboring kingdom of Draewen to marry their prince. Sir John Price is tasked with ensuring you get there safely, but the forest of the mountain is wild and unpredictable. In a terrible twist of events, you learn the exact difference between the brutality of nature, and the brutality of men.

challenge story elements: Alternative Universe | forest/wooded area | bodyguard/protector | "Look at me."

masterlist

warnings: canon typical violence (brief descriptions of violence/blood), Price only calls reader Princess, attempted kidnapping, non-sexual nudity, a little too much world building, a little cuddling, a dash of hurt/comfort, a drizzle of very slight mutual pining

wc: 8.9k (sorry)

In two months, you would reach the kingdom of Draewen where you would spend the rest of your life as a trophy. It was a land said to be cloaked in vibrant green valleys and rich, winding rivers. When the Draewish messenger arrived in the great kingdom of Venaca to talk with your father, The King, about your marriage to their prince, he had arrived with pressed flowers that grew in the valley that laid right at the mouth of their kingdom. They were beautiful, and perfectly preserved, and it gave you a little hope for the scenery you knew you would be stuck staring at for the rest of your life.

As the Princess of Venaca, your father bestowed upon you one duty: marry the Draewish Prince so that they would lend their strongest soldiers in the fight against the Neshevian Army. You loved your kingdom. You loved the fresh fruits that grew in the orchards around the basin, and you loved the fresh spring water that ran off from the towering mountains that scared off most intruders. You didn’t want to leave. But if you wanted to save that scenery, save your people, then you would marry that prince.

You left at the end of spring when the white tips of the mountains that enveloped the basin melted away and the soil was rich with water and greenery. The crisp air of the mountains filled your lungs with a chill, even in the enclosure of your carriage. Golden rays of sun bled through the thick foliage overhead, and you had never heard the birds chirp so loudly in your entire life.

When night fell, and your caravan would stop to make camp for the night, the height of the mountains brought you so close to the stars you swore you could reach out to kiss them. Your lady-in-waiting, Eilra, would look at the stars with you, and point out vague ideas and shapes of what she could remember of the names of constellations.

“Zekral,” she said, moving her pointed finger in a circular motion. “God of War. His shield lies here.”

Though she pointed it out so clearly, you could hardly make out the shape, but you nodded anyway. “I wish I could look at the stars all night. I would name every single one of them,” you claimed.

“You would run out of stars,” Eilra laughed.

“I would sooner run out of names,” you retorted with a grin.

“Illasi,” someone interrupted.

Both you and Eilra turned to the new voice that spoke up beside you. The orange blaze of the campfire illuminated the features of a tall man with a sword strapped to his side. His arms were crossed lazily over his broad chest, and his eyes stared up at the sparkling sky just like yours had been. Faint scars littered his arms, but his bearded face remained completely intact despite the ruggedness that was evident throughout his body.

Sir John Price. He had been The King’s personal guard and military advisor ever since the previous man had been ousted as a traitor five years prior. Your conversations with him back in the kingdom had been short and quick, but you remembered him at the head of the table in the War Room. Stoic, leading, dangerous. Your father trusted him enough to put you in his care as you traveled to Draewen. Every single soldier and servant in the caravan answered to him.

“Is that a recommendation for a name?” you asked as your eyes carefully studied the man.

Looking away from the sky, John took a few slow and careful steps towards you. Though his height may have been intimidating to anyone else, you had only ever known the man as an ally. So when he crouched next to you, nearly joining both you and your lady-in-waiting on the log you found yourselves seated on, you weren’t scared.

“Illasi is the Goddess of Harvest and Blood,” he explained as his eyes looked back up to the stars. After a moment of searching, his hand raised into the air, fingers outstretched towards the vastness that swallowed the sky. “You can see her knife here.”

You did your best in attempting to follow his guiding hand, but the stars were too thick for you to really make out any solid shape. Really, you weren’t sure how anyone could look up at that void of stars and attempt to wrangle them into silly constellations. John seemed to notice your blank gaze, and he let out something that sounded like a breathy laugh as his hand fell away from the sky.

“Higher, Princess,” he said.

His fingers carefully brushed against the underside of your chin as he tilted your head up. Despite the chilly air that swaddled the mountain and her forest, his skin radiated heat.

“Do you see it? A single sided blade, one used for cutting meat?” he asked.

Suddenly, it all fell into place. You could see the stars lining perfectly to create a knife truly fit for a goddess. A strong point, a deep belly for the blade, and a strong and sturdy handle. This knife was one meant to draw flesh from bone.

“Looks like a hunting knife,” you noticed while John’s fingers withdrew from your chin. You hummed slightly as you broke your gaze from the sky and turned to him. “I didn’t take you for a stargazer, John.”

He looked down at you for a split moment before pushing himself back to his feet. For a man who was strong and dangerous enough to protect The King, he had such kind, almost soft, eyes.

“The earth, seas, and skies are the only thing that unites every human, Your Highness. Their stars included,” he responded simply. He then gave a curt and polite bow of his head while his hand lazily rested on the hilt of his sword. “Goodnight, Princess.”

You smiled. “Goodnight, John.”

The crackling of the fire only grew louder as he wandered off into the darkness of the woods, certainly to scout the perimeter or something military-like. You brought your gaze back up to the stars, and you found it odd how your eyes seemed drawn to Illasi’s Knife, like you couldn’t look anywhere else.

“Princess,” Eilra spoke up. She said the title softly, yet with an odd tone. It was the questioning tone she used with you whenever you confused her. “Why do you call Sir Price by his first name?”

A grin pulled at the corner of your lips as you looked at your lady. “Because Sir Price sounds a bit too much like surprise. A fitting name for a knight, perhaps, but not for any man. I believe everyone is human first before their title.”

Eilra repeated his name and title slowly as if she was feeling the exact way her tongue moved, and she grinned. “Is it not rude to ignore his title?”

“Titles mean nothing,” you defended. “And neither do names, really. I would respect him all the same even if he were called by any other name.”

It was always difficult for Eilra to hide her disapproval of your ideologies. She was a proper lady through and through, bound to the rules of The Royal Family ever since she became your lady-in-waiting. But she also knew better than to speak too far out of turn; not in fear of your non-existent wrath but in fear of not upholding any lady-like values.

That night, you fell asleep under the stars next to Eilra, and awoke early the next morning to pack up camp and return along your journey. The days were long as you sat inside your carriage, and attempting to rest as you traversed the uneven trail was impossible. Conversation could only cure your boredom for so long, and you had already finished the two books you had allowed yourself to bring.

But things only got worse as a second winter hit.

Not even a full two weeks into traveling, a bitter wind tore through the caravan around midday, and snow followed shortly after. The soldiers and servants muttered amongst themselves when the first flakes hit the soil. Some said they ought to turn back for Venaca while they still could. Others claimed the snow would vanish as quickly as it appeared.

You tried not to concern yourself too much with the new events. Fighting against nature was a futile battle, and you knew that you would just have to take things in stride. But when the caravan stopped, you couldn’t deny that sinking feeling that settled deep within the darkness of your stomach.

“Perhaps we are making camp,” Eilra rationalized. “It would be unwise to push forward in these conditions. If we wait out the storm, we can continue when better weather comes.”

You moved the maroon curtains that obscured the small window on the door and peered outside as best as you could. The warmth of your bodies and breath had fogged the window, and you took the sleeve of your dress to wipe the moisture away. Only an expanse of trees was there to meet your vision, their fresh green branches turned pale with powdery snow.

It came as sudden as the flapping of a bird's wing and as violent and unstoppable as the water of a raging river. First was the sound of a dull thud, and then a shriek from one of the servants. You tried your best to peer out the window, to press your ear firmly against the wood of the door to make sense of the commotion as it grew louder. Metal clanking together, barking shouts and gurgling yelps, a cacophony of pain that you had never been subjected to previously.

It wasn’t until a streak of red as rich and dark as the very color of your curtains stained the thin window of your carriage that you fully understood the danger of the situation. Nature wasn’t the only threat in the wilds. Man could kill just as quick and as violent as the earth could, and with a hatred that even the God of Death himself would look away from.

You didn’t even have time to cower away from the gore or scream in fear before the door opened with such force it nearly broke off its hinges. A strange man in leather armor and a dark blue cloak peered into the carriage with wild eyes, glancing back and forth between you and Eilra. The three of you were frozen as if the mountains had sapped you of all your warmth already. This man - this wild animal of a man - was trying to make a decision.

Cold, gloved fingers wrapped around your wrist with a grip so stern you couldn’t help but cry out as the man yanked you out of the carriage. Your knees hit the frozen ground with a harsh pop, and your shoulder screamed as the man attempted to force you to your feet by pulling on your arm.

Eilra’s voice was raw when she called your name. Your true name, the name your mother or father would mutter to you in private when they held you in their arms. The name they used before sending you to some distant land. She called you by your name and it was the last word that passed her lips before it was cut off with a sickening gurgle.

Even if you wanted to, you weren’t able to look back at the carriage before another pair of hands grabbed you. Both men worked together in securing you with harsh rope that dug into your skin and a ragged cloth that obscured your eyes. Your knees sunk further into the fresh snow as you struggled pitifully against those barbarians, but your cries and pleas were drowned out by the chaos that raged around you.

“Are you sure she’s the princess?” one of the men asked.

“Who cares. She’s a girl, isn’t she?” the other barked.

They spoke your tongue but their tone was wrong. There was a certain lilt to their speech, and their words sounded too detached from one another. Neshevian you thought. They were from the very kingdom your people had been warring against since before you were brought into that world. The whole reason you were traveling to Draewen was to unite armies to fight against them, and they had come along to slaughter your caravan in retaliation.

“So was that one!” one barked. “Yet you ran her through like a pig.”

“This one has a nicer dress,” another retorted.

“If she is not the princess, then we lose our advantage over the Venacians you bastard!”

They continued their bickering while they bound rope around your wrists and ankles. The harsh wind tore at the skirt of your dress, exposing your stockings which did little to ward off the cold. A violent hand shoved you down, and without the proper use of your hands, your shoulder broke the fall. Snow flung into the neck of your blouse, and your skin tensed as it soaked into the fabric of your dress.

The men had stopped their arguing and instead began to shout at someone. What they were saying was lost on you. Blood gushed through your body and it felt as cold as riverwater, and was just as deafening. You heard what sounded like more shouting, a single roaring yell, and then nothing but nature. The wind whispering in the woods, a bird calling to a lover, the huff of horses.

Then there was the sound of footsteps. Thick, heavy footsteps that were accompanied by a metallic clink. You willed your heart to still, your breath to slow, because you refused to show fear in the face of the enemy despite the fact that it coursed through your veins with the warmth and raging fire of the sun.

Large hands held onto your wrists, still bound behind your back, but they were more gentle than before. You felt the cold metal of a sword or knife brush against your skin, and you cursed yourself for the way you jumped. Not a single drop of blood left your skin as the blade sliced through the rope and the rope alone.

Though you had free use of your hands, you stayed there on the ground, lying on your side as the ropes around your ankles were cut free. The blindfold remained around your eyes for a painfully long time as someone got on their knees in front of you. Gloved hands gripped your shoulders, urging you to sit up, and you obeyed so quickly you felt your own head spinning.

“Princess?” It was John. His voice was hushed as if he were trying to hide, but you knew from the overwhelming crescendo of nature that there were no men left alive; friend nor foe.

With a trembling lip you brought your hands up to your face and slipped your thumbs underneath the blindfold. You pried the cloth away from your eyes only to be blinded by the brightness of the dazzling white snow around you. Those hands remained on your shoulders even as you blinked away the light around you.

“Look at me,” John spoke.

His face was the very first thing your eyes were able to focus on. With eyes as rich as the deepest waters of the ocean, and as soft as the grass you used to play on as a child, you almost didn’t notice the blood smeared on his cheekbone. You saw the splatter on his skin, and the way it soaked into the cotton of his shirt. In his travels, he hadn’t worn his armor and yet he was still unharmed. But your eyes began to wander further. Away from him and to the gore that laid behind him.

“Look at me,” John said again with a small shake of his head. His hands moved from your shoulders and came to cup your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. It was a gesture you should have reprimanded him for, something a knight should have never done to someone of your status, yet you said nothing. “Look at me, and only me. Don’t look anywhere else.”

You swallowed hard, and it felt like there were riverstones stuck in your throat. You didn’t want to look anywhere other than him, but you felt that you needed to; you needed to see the violence. How vibrant blood looked upon freshly fallen snow, what eyes looked like when they lost their light, or what a body looked like slumped on the floor of a carriage. Nature demanded that you looked upon the mess that came with the burden of being a princess.

Instead, you nodded your head as you kept your eyes on John and nowhere else. His hands fell from your face and took your hands instead as he pulled you to your feet. He led you away from the main road and towards the forest. The path he took was odd and not at all straight, and you pushed the idea out of your mind that he walked so strangely to avoid tripping over bodies.

John brought you to a towering pine tree only a handful of paces from the road where he told you to stay. He left you briefly to scrounge up as much food and clothing as he could before returning back to you with a loaded horse. He swaddled you in a thick fur cloak like a mother would wrap her child in a blanket before aiding you in sitting on the horse. He settled in behind you, pulling your back snug against his chest before taking off deep into the forest.

You weren’t sure what he had planned, but you were too defeated to even ask. There was no turning back or pushing forward in weather like that. Perhaps he was trying to find a good place to put the two of you to rest.

While John’s eyes meticulously scanned the forest for any further sign of danger, yours welled with tears. You wanted to go back for them. For every single soldier and servant that laid slaughtered on the road. At least dig them a grave, no matter how shallow. You’d bury them all and then bury yourself with them.

“Neshevian,” you finally spoke. It felt like you had been traveling for days, though the sun remained as high in the sky as ever, despite how muted it was with the clouds. “Why were they in our lands?”

“You already know the answer,” John replied. He didn’t say his answer outright, as if he refused to even entertain the thought of your death or capture. But he was right. Those men had made it all too clear why they were there.

“They killed Eilra,” you said, voice on the verge between whisper and sob. You wanted to cry, or at least, you felt like you should have. It felt wrong to sit on that horse and wander off into the frosty woods while their bodies turned to frozen statues behind you. But you couldn’t. You drew breath, and they couldn’t, and you still couldn’t cry. “Are we really the only two left?”

For the first time since you had met the man, John hesitated. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

You didn’t need him to explain any further.

As night grew closer and the forest became more dense, the wind and snow picked up with a vengeful fury. It howled from between the tree branches above your head as if letting out the anguish your body refused to let you feel. Flakes of snow nipped at the skin of your nose and cheeks, and you pulled the fur lined cloak over your mouth in an attempt to protect yourself.

If John was cold, he didn’t show it, but the harsh breaths of the horse proved its exhaustion. There was no caravan, no carriage or bonfire to warm up next to. There was only you, John, a horse, and the wild woods of the mountain.

“Can we make camp?” you asked, unable to hide the slight chattering of your teeth.

“We’ll die if we rest here,” John retorted.

“We’ll die if we continue,” you whined.

He didn’t bother with an answer, and you didn’t bother with another complaint. A thin layer of snow covered the both of you, clinging to clothing and hair alike, and your legs felt frozen in place on either side of the horse. Perhaps you weren’t far off from sharing a grave with Eilra.

“There,” John suddenly pointed out.

You squinted in an attempt to peer through the relentless bombardment of snowflakes. Off in the distance not too far away was a small hut or cottage of sorts. It appeared to be built by the very same wood that covered the area and was hardly any larger than your bedroom back in Venaca. Snow sat in heaps on top of the thatched roof, and it nearly blocked the windows in full.

“We’ll rest there,” John said, kicking the horse into a gallop.

Dust and dirt settled heavily over every item inside of that cottage; the small, worn table, the mantle on the fireplace, even the blankets that covered the bed. Whoever the home belonged to had long since abandoned the building. It was warmer in there, but perhaps it only felt that way because you were no longer being ravaged by the stabbing wind. There were no rooms, only one large living area, and the only thing that offered even a slight bit of privacy was a large, wooden divider that stood near the foot of the bed.

Darkness swallowed the room when John shut the door, and you felt around the room blindly until you found the fireplace. You got on your knees and continued feeling around until you found a pile of old, dry wood that laid in a small heap next to the hearth.

“There’s wood here,” you breathed as you struggled to grab a log. “Perhaps we can start a fire, lest we freeze to death.”

“No. No fires tonight,” John said as he gently tossed a small pack onto the floor next to you. “The smoke might attract someone.”

You ceased your attempt at pulling the logs from their stack and slumped forward with a heavy sigh. Every muscle in your body was tense and numb with cold, and he was denying you a fire?

“Who would travel through a storm like this over a fire?” you asked, a bit more bite to your words than you intended for there to be.

The shuffling next to you paused, but only for a short moment before John continued with his blind pursuit of whatever items he attempted to retrieve. “Desperate men hunting down a very important woman.”

Of course.

John’s hand brushed against your shoulder, and you jumped at the touch. His hand didn’t retract from you, in fact, it began to trail down your arm until it reached your hand. Even in the stark cold that bound itself to your body you could feel your skin heat up.

“What are you-?”

Your question was cut off when you felt his other hand push something into your palm. Once he was sure you had a good grasp of the item, he let go of you as if he had never even touched you in the first place.

“Dinner,” he said simply along with something that sounded like a chuckle gone sour.

Huffing, you brought the item up to your nose to give it a quick sniff. It was rugged, and smelt of pepper and herbs. Jerky; your people had been packed with plenty of it for your journey. Delicious, yet the thought of eating after everything you endured that day made your stomach turn.

“I’m not hungry,” you said softly as you lowered the dried meat.

Even through the darkness you could feel John’s searing stare, and you had never felt so ungrateful in your entire life. This man had saved your life and dragged you through half the mountainside just to protect you. He tried to nurture you, and you denied him all because the guilt was eating too heavily at your stomach for you to fill it.

“I’ll feed you by my own hand, if I must,” he said, and it sounded dangerously close to a promise.

You didn’t respond, but the sound of your teeth ripping off a chunk of the meat seemed to satisfy him enough. He continued to dig through the pack before pulling out another item. It was a blanket, you found out, as he wrapped it around your shoulders. The fabric was cold, but between the cloak and the blanket, you would be warm enough for the night.

John rose to his feet and carefully slid along the wall of the cottage where you heard the faint sound of wood scratching on wood. A chair, you realized. He was dragging a chair from that small dining table you had caught a glimpse of earlier. He placed it not too far away from where you sat on the floor, and it slightly creaked underneath his weight as he sat and finally allowed his body to rest.

“Get some rest, Princess,” he said softly. “It’s been a long day.”

At that point, you knew better than to tell him that you couldn’t, so instead you pulled the blanket tighter around your body before laying on the stiff wooden floor. That night, there was no laughter beside a hearty campfire, or Eilra’s giggles. There were no stars to blanket you, or a moon to whisper a lullaby. There was just the steady sound of John’s quiet breathing and the whistling howl of the wind.

Morning dawned before you knew it, and it felt like you hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Your body screamed at you as you pushed yourself off the floor, knees and arms still sore from being dragged around. You looked around the cottage. Small streams of cold light cut through the air, giving the dull and dusty room an ethereal glow.

John still sat in that chair next to you, his eyes lazily focused on you as you stirred awake. He wore his cloak and he had folded a blanket to rest over his lap. Even with the cold his hands rested on top of the blanket for what you assumed was to keep easy access to the sword that rested against his thigh.

“It’s still early if you’d like to sleep longer,” he said. There was a certain deepness to his voice, one that you remembered feeling in your own throat when you were tired.

“I’ve slept long enough,” you answered.

Keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around your shoulders, you stood to your feet before walking to one of the windows. Snow had piled up on the windowsill, but if you stepped on the tips of your toes you could peer out over it. The wind had stopped, and the cottage felt warmer, but flurries of thick snowflakes continued to smother the once green forest around you.

“Have you slept?” you asked while turning back around to face him.

John stayed silent for a moment too long before saying; “I’ve gone longer without sleep.”

“So, no,” you concluded. You took a few steps closer to him before gesturing to the spot on the floor you had spent the night on. “Sleep. You won’t be any good with that sword if you’re hallucinating shadows from exhaustion.”

Like a curious dog, John tilted his head at you as his hand slowly, almost absentmindedly, reached for the hilt of his sword. Not in a threatening manner, but almost as if it was his only comfort. Out there in the wilderness, with no one but you to watch his back, it probably was his only comfort.

“I appreciate your concern, Princess, but I’m fine. Truly,” he assured.

That wasn’t good enough for you, and you knew it was the furthest thing from the truth he had ever told you. Two weeks worth of travel was already bad enough, but fighting off those men, killing them, was no easy feat. Skipping sleep was unacceptable, and it would catch up to him before long.

So in one last attempt, you pointed towards the ground as you kept your eyes locked onto that stubborn knight. “Sleep. That’s an order.”

Despite your words, there was a heavy lack of authority in your tone, and it came off as another request rather than a demand. Being embraced by a thick blanket and fluffy cloak didn’t give you the aura of a leader, either. Nothing but Venaca’s darling little princess, too kind and soft-hearted for her own good.

You didn’t realize how close you stood to John until he rose from his seat. Despite the proximity, you refused to move, even when you swore you could feel his breath fan across your face. With sword in hand, and blanket tucked under his arm, he gave you a slow nod, the dark azure color of his eyes didn’t leave you for a moment. He gave you a small, tired, and perhaps half forced smile.

“As you wish.”

The snow didn’t stop falling until it covered your knees. Three days worth of winter left the vast forest feeling small as you and John were mostly confined to the tight space of the cottage. He still refused to make a fire, which meant the two of you spent most of your days sitting on the floor together huddling for warmth as best as you could.

After a week of being trapped in the cottage, John ventured out to hunt. Apparently he was just as good, if not better, with a bow as he was with a sword, and he returned back with a rabbit and a tail feather from a capercaillie. That was the first time John allowed a fire, but he built it small with nothing but bark shavings. You enjoyed the warmth while it lasted before he snuffed it out once the rabbit cooked, and though it wasn’t seasoned, you were just happy to have something other than chewy dried meat.

John still refused to sleep at night, and would sit in that old, creaking chair with his sword across his lap, and would sleep for a few hours during the day only after you woke. On the nights that you couldn’t sleep, either from the anxiety or the cold, he would tell you stories. Ones that he would make up, or tales from his childhood. The dark baritone of his voice was comforting, and you found yourself sleeping better on those nights.

In the daytime, he would take his hunting knife and carve gentle lines in the wood of the floor to mimic constellations he knew. Everything from fruit, to swords, he stuck those crude drawings into the cottage as a permanent reminder that despite Neshevia’s attempts, you were still alive and well.

“Onme’s Necklace,” he said softly after carving what appeared to be a simple circle with a bump at the bottom. “The Goddess of Love and Fertility.”

You reached out a hand and used the pads of your fingers to trace along the wood. It felt faint and hardly there, yet it made your heart race all the same.

“Do you think the Prince of Draewen will gift me a necklace for marriage like our people do?” you asked, eyes still trained on the floor.

John shuffled as he sheathed his knife and placed it on the floor next to him. Though your eyes were focused elsewhere, his were only on you.

“Difficult to say. I’m not familiar with Draewish courting customs. But you would deserve nothing less, Princess,” he said, voice still soft and low.

All you could do was hum as you pulled your knees to your chest. With the wind gone, the cottage grew warmer, though you were still ages away from being able to continue your journey through the mountains with the snow settling so heavily along the lands. Or maybe it felt warmer because John, against his better judgment, allowed himself to be closer to you physically.

“I hope he is kind,” you said suddenly.

“And if he’s not?” asked John.

“Then I will marry him anyway. It is what is required of me to join our armies, to end this blasted war,” you answered without much thought. But then, you did. You paused to think, and every single thought spewed from your mouth in an unstoppable wave. “I will marry him, even if he isn’t kind, and I will bear his children, and I will be his queen. I’ll spend my days looking out over the green valleys and rivers they say cover their lands, and I’ll think of the orchards that I used to roam as a child as I do. I think that might be my last thought before I either die an untimely death due to his boredom with me, or of old age after being overshadowed by his mistress for the second half of my life.”

Not even the gods themselves would have thought about breaking that suffocating silence that followed your words. There was still so much you wanted to say, rotting feelings that infected your chest, but they were ideas that you pushed aside because you could not afford to depress yourself with those thoughts.

“You are a princess,” John spoke, daring to break that quietness, “you deserve better.”

“I deserve nothing more than anyone else,” you quickly retorted, your eyes glued to the carving of the necklace on the floor. “Besides, no one gets married because of love. The oath is just to make the necessity seem sweeter, but it’s poison all the same.”

“Don’t speak of yourself in such a way,” John said. It was the closest thing to an order you had ever heard him speak, and you weren’t sure of what to think about the fluttering in your chest that followed his words. “You hold a power that makes nations tremble; one that has men scrounging the mountainside for you. Thimme would look upon you and weep until the oceans flooded the earth.”

Thimme. Had he dared to compare you to the Goddess of Beauty Herself? You tore your eyes away from Onme’s Necklace and planted them on John instead. It was then that you realized he himself wore no necklace. You didn’t like the way your heart hummed at that realization. Something started to grow inside of you and you wanted nothing more than to smother it.

Cabin fever. That’s all it was.

You should have said something, should have reprimanded him for saying such a thing. Instead, you found your heart reveling in his words as your throat grew tight with the thought of asking him for more. You laughed in disbelief as you looked away from him, unable to say anything that wouldn’t incriminate you.

Whatever words that were unsaid between the two of you were silenced by the sound of creaking hinges and a blast of cold air. Your eyes were drawn to the door where three shrouded figures slithered inside with snow covered boots and frosted cloaks. John rose to his feet with the quickness of a wolf, his sword already unsheathed and at the ready before you could even comprehend the danger.

“Our quarrel is not with you,” one of the men barked. His accent was strange. It wasn’t ugly like the Neshevian accent was. It was more flowing, and gentler in a way, but you couldn’t quite place where it was from. But he was a threat all the same. “Hand us the Venacian blight and we’ll be on our way.”

John strengthened the grip on his sword as he raised it higher. “I’ll have your head for that.”

The three men seemed more like monsters than human; more akin to bears than any other earthly creature. They had broadswords for claws and thick woolly cloaks for fur. The only thing human about them was the way they looked at you as you huddled on the floor behind John; not with hunger, not with a need to survive, but with a malice only humans could comprehend.

No other words were wasted from either side before swords started to clash together with sickening screeches. Flashes of silver iron moved in a blur as John kept up with each of the men. In a way, he had the advantage in that small cottage. The intruders couldn’t use their full range of motion without risking injuring their comrades, and John used that to his advantage as he slowly pushed them to the far side of the room.

You had never seen him in action before, and you had prayed to the gods that you never would have had to. The only thing you could think of was impressive. There was no flourish to his movements, and there was no showing off. Just simple, precise, and deadly strikes and slashes that left superficial cuts along their skin. But no amount of skill could save someone from fighting three monstrous men; even a man as talented as John Price.

If he wanted to even the playing field, he would have to incapacitate or slay one of the men. In order to do that, he would have to focus his blows on one man, or get lucky and hope one of his defensive moves would knock them away. But if he focused too much on one man, it left him open for the other two to attack.

You had to draw one of them away.

You grabbed the knife John had left on the floor and slid it out of its sheath. It was a well kept blade that glinted dangerously in the little light that bled through the cottage windows. With shaking knees, you pushed yourself to your feet and threw the leather sheath at the intruders, which caught one of them off guard, allowing John to land a fair slash against the man's ribs. He howled in pain as he backed up, body hitting the wall behind him. Hiding the knife underneath your cloak, you ensured your feet hit the floor as loudly as you could manage as you dashed out of the cottage.

John’s horse huffed at you, certainly out of hunger, as you scurried through the snow as fast as your legs could carry you. It neared dinner time, and the sun slowly fell towards the horizon, casting an orange blaze across the sky in its wake. Had you been in Venaca, you would have enjoyed the view. But not then. Not with the frigid air lining your lungs with frost. Not when you ran for your life.

“Zekral,” you prayed breathlessly. “Zekral, give him strength. Uvral, let him live.”

Like you had expected, one of the men managed to break away from the fight with John. It was not the man that had been wounded, but you could hear his snarling gasps behind you while you fled. You didn’t dare glance behind you because you knew you would freeze if you caught sight of the monster that chased you. Instead, you kept your eyes straight ahead as you weaved between trees and slick thickets.

A glittering stream snuck up on you so carefully you nearly tossed yourself into the water before you realized it was there. The orange hue in the sky reflected off of its crystal-like waters, almost making it seem warm and inviting. Despite it’s beauty, you realized it cut off your escape route.

It forced you to hesitate.

A hand grasped the hood of your cloak and the clasp caught your throat as you were yanked back into a chest so firm you could have sworn it was stone. Suffocating arms wrapped around your chest, and you found a scream escaping your throat as the air was squeezed from your lungs.

“Vodrir smiles on me this day!” the man claimed triumphantly over your cries.

You didn’t know why, but in that moment you thought of home. So far away, and yet you could feel the greenery on your feet, and taste the fresh apples from the orchards. You could smell the breeze as it drifted through your bedroom window, and feel Eilra’s hands as she braided your hair.

Was this death? Was this Uvral comforting you before silencing you forever?

With whatever strength you could muster and a shout that only a dying animal could make, you took the knife hidden underneath your cloak and blindly stabbed it over your shoulder. The man howled as the blade sunk into the flesh of his chest, but his arms only tightened around you as his muscles tensed from the pain.

Just as quickly as the man's arms tensed, you felt a little slack as his arms fell off of you. A gasp filled your chest as you were able to take a proper breath, only for that breath to get pushed out of your lungs as the man shoved you away from him.

You tried to catch yourself, tried to regain your balance as you stumbled forward, but it was too late. Every single muscle in your body seized as the icy water of the stream enveloped you in a soul snatching embrace. Any thought that had been in your mind before was erased as your body laid in the bed of the stream as if you were resting. It didn’t even feel cold anymore, it just hurt. Like every soldier in Neshevia had run their blade through you at once.

Maybe that was what you deserved. But you refused that fate.

Thrashing in the water, you came to your senses and pushed yourself to your knees as your head broke the surface of the stream. Your gasp for air rang throughout the forest like a lone bell in an abandoned city. Sharp rocks dug into the flesh of your palms as you coughed and sputtered while you dragged yourself to the bank of the stream.

A pair of hands landed on your shoulders, and it was like you had fallen into that stream all over again. You let out a pathetic excuse for a war cry as you attempted to push the man off of you. You would not be the enemy’s pawn. You refused to be the blood that fed and enriched the soil beneath your feet.

“Princess, look at me,” a desperate voice pleaded.

It was a voice you knew well. One that had comforted you with strange stories as you slept. One that taught you the constellations. It was a voice you wanted to drown yourself in.

“It’s me, Princess. I’ve got you,” he said softly.

John held your face in his hands, forcing you to look at him. Fear flooded his eyes as he took in the sight of your chattering teeth and trembling body. Water soaked straight through your clothes and clung to your body with no intention of letting go. You tried to speak, tried to do anything, but your muscles shook and convulsed with such strength your body was rendered nearly useless.

He wasted no time in relieving you of your cloak, which had grown heavy as it was weighed down from the water. Not even grunting with effort, John lifted you into his arms, holding you close to his chest as he marched back towards the cottage as fast as his feet would carry him. You closed your eyes when you caught sight of the man that had caught you, who now laid in the snow with a piercing wound through his stomach. Your arms curled in towards your chest, and it was then that you realized your hands and feet felt too light. As if they had floated away from your body long ago.

In order to reach the entrance of the cottage, John had to step over two bodies. Their blood tainted the snow in a similar fashion to a child who had spilled paint over their bedroom floor. But even with the mess, it was like nothing was there, no gore or death or bodies, it was just you and him.

John shoved the door open where the splashing of water falling from your clothes became obvious on the wooden floor. Inside didn’t feel any warmer than outside, but at that point you couldn’t even register temperature. All there was, was pain. Nothing but a numbness of pins and needles skewering your skin.

He attempted to set you on your feet, but they felt so detached from your body you stumbled onto the floor instead. His hands caught your waist, preventing too much damage being done to your knees, but then you felt him roam. Your corset loosened, and you felt his fingers dip underneath your dress as he yanked the soggy fabric off your body. He didn’t stop there, either. Your slip, your stockings and undergarments, if there was a piece of fabric on you that was wet, he tore them off until you were completely exposed on the floor underneath him.

You didn’t even have the energy to ask him what he was doing or to protest. The only thought that consumed your mind was to live as you drew breath after shuddering breath. It almost sounded like you were crying, and maybe you were.

John left your side for only a moment before he returned with the blanket the two of you had huddled under before those men had attacked. He wrapped it around your body before lifting you once again in order to set you closer to the hearth. You laid on your side and watched him with stinging eyes as he piled logs into the mouth of the fireplace along with kindling and other scraps. It was only then that you noticed his shirt had gotten wet too, most likely from carrying your soaking body back to safety.

In minutes, John had built the largest fire you had seen since the night before the caravan had been slaughtered. Its flames reflected off of the stones of the hearth, slowly filling the cottage with a heat your body was almost too numb to feel. As you laid on your side, you watched as he slipped his own shirt off over his head, tossing that damp garment in the same heap your own clothes sat in. If you weren’t struggling with each breath you took, you might have gawked at the hair on his chest or the faint battle scars that decorated his skin. Instead, you stayed silent as he vanished somewhere behind you.

Moments later, he returned with another blanket in hand. He settled on the floor behind you as he threw the blanket over both your bodies. The warmth of him soaked into your back as he pressed himself against you, trapping in any heat that attempted to escape. His hand settled on your arm as he quickly rubbed up and down, attempting to create any friction on your skin that he could. It sent a painful sensation ripping through your skin as your body finally started to regain feeling again.

“Talk to me, Princess,” he spoke, his breath hot on your neck.

You attempted to speak, but it came out as nothing but a whimper. Every muscle in your body twitched painfully, and it only got worse when you tried to stop shivering.

“Fi-re,” you were eventually able to choke out. “Sm-o-ke…”

John continued to rub his hands along your body as he did everything within his power to warm you. No one had ever touched you in such a way, and no man had ever gazed upon your bare body before. But in that moment, you didn’t care.

“If it draws anyone in, they’ll fall before they lay another hand on you,” he swore.

It was stupid, and you would have told him as much if you could have gotten your teeth to stop chattering. He had said it himself that smoke would attract those with ill intent towards you, which is why you had spent countless nights huddled alone on an unforgiving floor. But he risked it to save you. John was a strong fighter, that much you knew, but he couldn’t hold off an entire army.

After a while, John’s hand stopped rubbing against your arm and instead settled around your stomach as he held you tightly against him. Despite his height and broad shoulders, he fit against you so perfectly. His knees settled against the back of yours, his chin rested softly on top of your head, and gods he was warm. The feeling in your body returned, and you felt your skin defrost as the fire melted the ice from your veins. It was like you were back in the basin, sitting on the soft grass and clovers as the spring sun warmed your skin.

It was like you were back home, and not nearly dead in a cottage in the wild forest of the mountains.

“John?” you spoke up. Your voice was more fluid, and less tense as the spamming of your muscles stopped.

“Yes, Princess?” he responded.

“Those men… they were not Neshevian,” you said, and though you hadn’t framed it in such a manner, it was certainly an unspoken question.

“They were not,” he confirmed.

You sniffed some as you felt the snot in your nose start to run. It felt like you had a head cold, and you wouldn’t be surprised if you had gotten sick after your quick dip in the wintery stream.

“Where were they from?” you asked.

John’s arm tightened around your center as if he was afraid you’d slip out of his grasp. “They were Draewish.”

You swallowed the sinking feeling in your stomach. “Then they have betrayed us.”

For the first time since the night before you left for Draewen, you wept. Your tears soaked the carved up wood of the floor, and your shoulders shook not with cold, but with sorrow. You cried for the loss of your people, for the death of Eilra, for the war you weren’t any closer to winning. And most of all, you cried for yourself. You cried for the stupidly optimistic Venacian Princess.

Your tears ceased once the flames of the fire diminished to embers, and it was the first time John made even the slightest movement to leave you. He left his blanket covering your body as he knelt next to the fire, his bare back exposed to you. Two more logs were added to the fire, and he sat back on his haunches as he watched the flames devour the wood.

“When the snow melts, we’ll set off for Venaca,” he said, voice tired.

Nodding your head, you pulled your blanket tight under your chin as you curled forward. Night had fallen by that point, and you hadn’t even realized it since the fire had provided an unfamiliar light. It was the first night you had seen in weeks where you weren’t miserable.

“The city will fall within months without Draewen’s help,” you said. “Sooner if they choose to aid Neshevia.”

“Then let it fall,” John said gruffly. “They can burn it to the ground, but no one will lay a hand on you again, Honrul strike me.”

The determination in his voice almost made you believe him. You shifted slightly, your bones crying out from the harsh floor that offered no padding for your body.

“John?” you asked again.

At the sound of your voice, he turned so that he no longer faced the fire, but instead looked to you. Even in the dark shadows that casted on his face you could still make out the softness in his eyes.

You wondered if that softness was only there when his eyes were on you.

“Yes, Princess?” he answered.

“Lay with me.”

His eyes didn’t leave you for a moment, but you could feel the hesitation roll off his body. Maybe there was something unseemly about your request. Underneath your blanket, you were utterly naked and completely exposed. John had only laid with you before to warm you, and you were no longer in danger of freezing to death. It was improper, something both of you should have been reprimanded for.

“Is that an order?” he asked, shifting slightly.

“It’s a request.”

He froze for a moment, and you thought he was going to deny your request. You wouldn’t have blamed him if he did. Maybe he should have. Instead, he crawled on his hands and knees along the floor as he shuffled behind you once more. With careful hands, he moved his blanket off of you, still letting yours stay wrapped securely around your naked body to keep your modesty.

His chest pressed against your back and his legs bent with the curve of yours while he laid the blanket over both of you. A different and new bloom of warmth blossomed in your chest as his arm settled around your center again, holding you close. Never before had someone held you like that. Never before did you feel wanted for anything other than your status.

“Thank you,” you managed to choke out. “Don’t… don’t go.”

At your words, he buried his face into the back of your neck. You could feel the slight tickle of his facial hair, and how cold the tip of his nose was. When he spoke, you swore you could feel his lips ghosting against your skin.

“As you wish, Princess.”

ah!!! i was so excited to write this once i got the idea i finished it in three days (cringe) but i'm so happy to finally share it with you all! price is unfamiliar territory for me, but i tried to get the vibes of a tired dad down lmao knight!price is going to be rotting my brain for awhile, though.

thanks again gpd for doing this challenge! and everyone, make sure to check out the other entries!

#captain price x reader #john price x reader #price x reader #f!reader #141challenge

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kalki-tarot · 6 months

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Channeled messages you need right now✨️ 🪷

Pick a picture by intuition ♡

This may not resonate with everyone, take what resonates and leave the rest ♡ always remember that you are the creator of your own destiny.

Picture 1

Move on from what's not meant for you, leave things behind for your own mental health. Remember you have a lot of other options too.

Wow! You are being blessed with Emotional fulfillment and wealth by the divine. Take that decision fast!

The decision may feel impulsive or rushed to you but this may turn out to be the best decision of your life.

A wish of yours is gonna get fulfilled, or you're gonna achieve fame in the near future.

I see a vision of you in a party or a wedding. And you may have a fight or competition there.

If you're thinking of starting a new venture or changing places, or even international travel, do it! It'll give you a sense of justification and satisfaction.

You or someone in your friend group may buy a new vehicle.

If you're growing tight on money, don't worry, this phase will go away on it's own.

Someone in your friend circle will show you their real face, they can be a masculine energy with earth signs. They may leave you heartbroken or betrayed but you need to be thankful that such people are getting out of your life and be neutral about this situation, don't let it affect you in any way.

Black and white color, white cats and clocks can be significant or a sign from universe for you if you asked for one. So pay attention to things around you.

I see mountains and a river with lots of greenery, maybe your mental health is finally recovering and you're getting in alignment or on track finally.

Let me - Zayn malik can be significant.

You may get emotional clarity by the next crescent moon. Your blocked emotions will release and you'll gain stability and clarity. You'll get a direction or a path to follow.

The emotional release can be about some childhood trauma or even heartbreak, deep emotional pain.

Zindagi do pal ki - KK can be significant, especially the last verse.

You may frequently ask god that why you were given so much pain and harships in life. But remember that each circumstance has a deeper meaning behind it. Everything serves a purpose in life, so take the bad times as a lesson. You're meant for something bigger.

I can see the presence of a male figure in your life, who's very wise and thoughtful. They'll teach you some things about life, which will help you.

Your angels/guides/universe, whatever you believe in, has their eye on you. They are protecting you behind the scenes. Their presence is always there to help you.

Your heart or throat chakra can be imbalanced. Please do some meditation or even try therapy for it. You need to work on these two chakras very much for your own good.

Lord Shiva is protecting you or they can be your guide.

Lord Ganesha is watching over you and protecting you too.

Picture 2

Don't fight or resist change. Be calm and let things happen on their own.

Divine wants to do some intervention but your attitude towards life is not helping it at all. A cycle is being closed.

If you are a feminine, a masculine energy will woo you in some social gathering or a party. I see people around you, so it can be a public place. Trust your intuition with this person. It's love at first sight.

Your fears are coming in between your success and divine union. Don't let your fears run your life. Trust the universe.

This state of indecisive is coming to an end. Don't let memories or past heartbreaks come in between.

You are undergoing a transformation. The new "you" will be very clear minded and creative.

Do some self introspection. Reanalyse your toxic cycles.

Your shadow self needs some more time to heal.

Pay attention to red butterflies, it's a sign.

June / July months of any year can be significant.

Bol do na zara - Arman Malik

444 or 44 is significant for you.

Any financial unstablity is coming to an end.

Don't be too materialistic, don't make your lust an obsession.

Leave behind past memories, don't dwell into nostalgia so much.

By doing so, you are blocking a new beginning in your life.

Don't be too afraid to speak up for yourself.

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hidden-snow · 2 months

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✦┈⋆┈ ⋞ 〈ＲｕｎｎｉｎｇＨｏｍｅｔｏＹｏｕ〉 ⋟ ┈⋆┈✦

Summary // You thought your relationship was as special to him as it was to you. You thought he loved and cherished you as much as you loved and cherished him. But when his family leaves the Omatikaya and all he has to offer is ‘I’m sorry’ when you beg and plead for him to stay with you, you realize that you were so, so wrong about him. Heartbroken and defeated, a girl barely seventeen years old, you decide that you will never love again. After all, it hadn’t meant anything to him. Years later and you are the best of the best. A strong warrior and an even better hunter, you provide for your people in every way except for a child to add to the next generation of Omatikaya people. They respect your wishes but you can hear the whispers. You can feel the concerned gazes from your parents, too old to conceive a sibling to make up for your lack of children. When he comes back, it throws you through a loop. Handsome, mighty, and different, he comes to you right away. But you promised yourself.

Warnings // Angst, a bit of stalker Neteyam, some fluff, mentions of drinking, heartbreak

Word count // 1,173

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

He was sitting by himself in a clearing, empty and lush with greenery surrounding him. You’d been watching for a while now, waiting for people to leave so that you could catch him alone.

He was surrounded by string, wood, and feathers, carefully crafting new arrows with gracefully elegant movements.

“Neteyam!”

You were the last person he expected to see, the last person to call out to him. His head snapped up, a blank look on those large golden eyes. And then he broke into a frenzy, trying to grab up everything he possibly could so that he could flee.

You stifle your eye roll as you walk through the grass, stopping in front of him with your hands on your hips.

“Well? Are you going to keep being an ass and not say hi?” you prompt and he stood up from his spot, several items still littered around him in the cool grass.

“I thought you didn’t like me,” he murmured, looking at you in the same sad way that a puppy would look up at the person who’d kicked it.

“Neteyam te Tsyeyk’itan, you stop behaving like a child and grow up for at least one conversation!”

You were tired of this little dance and tired of the way you both moved, as if parallels that would never meet.

So yeah.

Maybe you snapped a little harder than you meant to.

It seemed to work, though, as he blinked, ears pricked forward attentively. Good. Now you’ve got him where you needed him to be.

“Neteyam, I didn’t mean any of it. So please, stop avoiding me. I…”

You hesitate. Why is it so hard to spit out what you’re needing to?

“I’m sorry, Neteyam.”

Your voice was soft, full of emotions that you felt deep in the core of your being.

“I want you. Probably as much as you want me. I’ve been trying to fight it, trying to ignore it, but you made it impossible to ignore. So I snapped at you and pushed you away. I’m sorry.”

Neteyam looked at you for a moment before giving you a soft smile, previous anger and sadness in his eyes gone.

“You’re… you have emotions towards me? Good ones?” he asked quietly and you blush, nodding. Your hand falls to your arm, rubbing the skin in an awkward manner. Everything about this whole moment was awkward. Until it wasn’t.

“I love you, Neteyam. I never stopped loving you.”

You were both taken aback by your sudden outburst, your brain unable to handle the awkwardness between you two.

His smile grows into a full, bright smile, and he reached out to you, pulling you into his arms, against his chest.

“I can’t tell you how long I have waited to hear that from your mouth,” he whispered, chin resting atop your head. Your head moves to rest against his chest, listening to the soft beat of his heart, your soul soothed just by being close to him again.

“I love you, yawne. More than you’ll ever know,” he whispered, cupping your cheek with his hand.

His lips met yours, hands moving to hold the back of your head, and your arms wrap around his ribcage, bodies pressed against each other as the kiss deepened into a hungry, eager one. You could feel his body grinding against yours, starving for the feeling of your touch.

Your fingers trail down his chest, following his curve down to his tewng. Daintily, you skim over the growing bulge, straining against the fabric as you break the kiss.

“You should finish what you started four years ago,” you whisper, his breath hot against your lips.

“I’ve been waiting,” he responded, just as quiet, his hands falling to the underside of your ass to pick you up. Your legs wrap around his hips to keep yourself from falling from his grasp.

His hand slid down a bit more, fingers slipping past your tewng to slip into the heat between your thighs, and you gasp softly, clutching tightly to his body.

Slowly, his fingers pump in and out of you, thumb flicking over your clit, teasing you. You moan softly against his touch, wiggling a bit at the stimulation, body highly sensitive and receptive towards him.

“I think we have plenty of time,” he whispered in your ear. “For now, I just want to please you. I want you to know that this is about you right now.”

His fingers continued to pump into you, the rough pad of his thumb giving a delicious amount of friction and roughness to have you trembling in his grasp.

His lips met yours again, tongue swiping over your teeth and tongue, passionate and ravenous for your taste.

You wanted more, yet your brain told you that this was simply enough. Your body was tensing up, a coil building up within the pit of your stomach, and he could feel your spine arching inwards, chest pressing tighter against his own. His fingers pump into your soaked heat with a new vigor, his only goal to get you to your climax.

He wasn’t failing. You were getting closer and closer, fastly climbing up that mountain to the high that would follow right after you hit your orgasm.

You hadn’t been touched like this, not since before when he’d been here and everything had been perfect and shrouded by clouds of love and innocent trust.

You groan softly against his lips, fingers threading through his braided locks before tightening around them, gripping them as if they were the only thing keeping you held tight against him.

His fingers were working with an urgency, applying as much friction as possible without causing pain. They pressed and wiggled against your gummy walls and he hummed softly, feeling you tighten around his digits.

“Cum for me, my pretty girl,” he whispered in your ear as he gently nipped at the shell, feeling the way they fluttered against his lips.

His words, mixed with the friction, were enough to bring you to the end of the mountain you were climbing.

Your head tilted back as your spine arched, a gasp escaping your lips as the coil shattered within your stomach, your body tight and tense with the intensity of the climax. If his fingers could do this to you, you couldn’t help but imagine what the rest of him could do.

Neteyam grinned, lowering you down into the grass before laying down beside you, pulling you close as his fingers ran lightly over your skin. You take the hand that had been touching your lower half with such passion, and you pop his fingers into your mouth, sucking and swirling your tongue around them in an attempt to lick your taste from his skin.

He continued to hold you close, pressing gentle kisses to your shoulder and upper back.

“I love you,” you whisper softly to him and he pulls you closer against his chest, kissing your cheek lightly.

“I love you too. I always have and I always will.”

Taglist // @earthling55 / @cardi-bre91 / @bambithewriter

#avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #avatar #avatar fandom #avatar fics #neteyam #Neteyam sully #neteyam te suli tsyeyk'itan #neteyam smut #neteyam x reader #atwow #atwow neteyam #neteyam x you #neteyam x y/n #neteyam fic #neteyam fanfiction #neteyam fluff #neteyam angst #running home to you series

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bimbobaggins69 · 3 months

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𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞.

⋆ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 (readers nickname is goldie)

the air in the maroon bmw is thick, an indescribable tension that has been building for what seems like weeks now. You continue to play with the hem of your floral dress as the car rolls along, heading to a surprise location per your best friend’s words. The grassy fields zip past you as your hair whips from the chilly spring breeze.

“We’re gettin close. I promise Goldie, you’re gonna love it.” Steve says with a beaming smile on his pretty face.

“You know how much I hate surprises, Stevie.” You can’t hold back the grin that graces your face as Steve begins to sing along to crush on you by the jets, over your words. The off key notes have you giggling before you decide to join in. The two of you a smiling, laughing, terrible singing mess.

After the car karaoke had ended, you’re pulling up to a gravely road, surrounded by the greenest greenery you had ever witnessed. Before you have a chance to ask your best friend where he’d brought you, he’s swiftly grasping your hand in his and pulling you behind him with excitement.

Your breath hitches when you spot a beautiful lake, the pink sky from the sunset mirrors off of the still water creating a beautiful hue that now surrounds you both. Steve doesn’t let go of your hand for a second, he intertwines your fingers making your belly swoop from years of longing. He continues to drag you, your feet working on autopilot as he guides you to a blanket that had already been laid out, sitting only a few feet from the water. As you take in your surroundings and the realization that your best friend had put together a picnic, on the lake, for you.

In all your wondering and curiosity, you hadn’t noticed the bag flung over Steve’s shoulder. He plops down on the blanket before he’s unzipping it and unpacking sandwiches, chips, fruit and drinks; setting them down on the linen in preparation to be eaten. “Sit down, pretty girl.” The pet name is a shock to your heart and possibly to your system as well, because before you know it you’re sitting down on the plush blanket.

“Made your favorite, honey ham with extra mustard.” Steve states proudly, passing you the plastic wrapped sandwich.

In all of the years you and Steve had been friends, he’d never done anything like this for you, and it wasn’t your birthday or some special day where you passed an important exam. So you couldn’t get a good read on why your best friend had brought you to one of the most romantic places you’d ever been. It was too out of character.

You unwrap your sandwich as your eyes never leave Steve, he takes a bite of his food and sets it down before rubbing both palms on his jeans. You knew that was a nervous tick of his so the questions continued to rack up in your mind as nothing seemed to make sense.

“Steve, what’s going on?” You gauge his face, before scooting in closer towards him; feeling as though you needed to be as close to him as possible for this conversation.

“I um, I wanted to eat and hang out a little bit before I did this, but I just can’t focus on anything else, so…” he murmurs as he rubs a hand through his brown locks.

“Do what, stevie?” You question, as your stomach now alights with a frenzied flutter.

“I- I uh, fuck.” He huffs, his cheeks a cherub pink as he hangs his head in disappointment.

“What is it Steve? Just say it, please.” You practically beg as your voice slightly shakes, every possible negative thought runs through your mind; maybe he doesn’t wanna be friends anymore, so he brought you hear to end your 10+ years of friendship, or maybe he has a new girlfriend he’s serious with and wanted to spend one last weekend with you before he becomes her lap dog, this wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

“Goldie, I love you.” His hazel eyes bore into yours as the words fall from his pink lips.

Your eyes water and your heart races from his confession, it’s as if time stops and now you’re the one who can’t seem to form words.

“Y-you, you love me?” You stutter, looking at his face for any trace of a cruel joke; but all you find is a look of pure adoration.

“Yeah, I’m in love with you. I have been for so long, but I guess I just couldn’t keep going without finally making you mine. That is if you want that, too.” He says with a shy smile.

“Steve Harrington, I’ve been in love with you since I was six and you told me that eating a watermelon seed would make a tree grow in my belly, and the only way for me to stop it was by kissing you.” You both chuckle at the far away memory.

“Yeah, I was real smooth with that one,” he scoffs at his younger self. “Why’d you even believe that?”

“I didn’t, I just wanted you to kiss you.” You tuck your legs behind you before propping yourself up on your knees and moving in towards him. “You think if I eat one of these cherries and just so happen to accidentally swallow the seed, you’ll kiss me?” You say with a cartoonish bat of your lashes.

“Baby, you don’t need any excuses to kiss me anymore.” He insists before pulling you into his lap and kissing you with a greedy passion. “I…love…you.” He says between kisses.

“How about we eat now, sweet girl and then I can hold you in my arms while we watch the sunset?” He asks as he delicately rubs your upper thigh.

“As long as you promise not to let me go.” You say with one more kiss.

“Princess, I’m never letting you go.”

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ for the lovely nonnie that requested a fluffy blurb <3

#— 𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒 #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington moodboard #steve harrington x you #steve harrington #steve harrington x y/n fluff #steve harrington x reader #steve stranger things #steve x reader #steve #steve harrington smut

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cheesecakezyum · 1 year

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HII;!! (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)/ I'm not sure if you'll take this but can I request a Sun Wukong ofcourze :) where MK and the gang are stalking him cause he's acting weird but is actually just happy his s/o is back from their travels and he's all lovey-dovey over them thank you! (Not a one shot but over all just headcanons plzz ☺️)

Hello there anon! Thank you for such a cute request <3

While I do love my headcanons I hope you don’t mind a bit of predetermined context as to why the reader left at first!

Missed you more than you know.

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♡ - It’s not like you wanted to leave your friends (Leaning more towards found family at this point really), but you wanted to pursue your own goals! And he— well, your lover.. Couldn’t just up and leave with you. He had to attend to his own duties as a mentor!

♡ - Since you were little, you’ve always wanted to travel. You were an artist, and your goal was to draw as much fauna as you could in your quite short life. Wukong had helped you a ton— especially while he was courting you! His gifts were often messily put together flowers and saplings, right at your window! At some point, your small apartment was your own personal nursery.

♡ - But he couldn’t just give everything to you and call your dreams off. You wanted to actually see fauna thriving under the hands of Mother Nature! To not just sketch the specimen but the surroundings as well, the wildlife. You grew warm and fuzzy just thinking of it.

♡ - So after a full year of preparation, you had finally taken your long awaited leave in pursuit of your dreams; Giving your simian one last kiss, you bid him goodbye. The way in which his tail was securely wrapped around your wrist slowly softened in defeat as you turned away.

You knew that if you looked back, you’d never be able to leave.

♡ - Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Romania, Italy, Croatia— and so many other destinations had been just what you’ve been dreaming of. Europe was just as beautiful as you’ve read! If not more so. And one sketchbook had grown to 3, 4 if you cared to count the pages which were half filled.

♡ - And every night (At least every night where he wasn’t busy himself), Wukong would telepathically communicate with you! You just called it spiritual face time and chose to call it a day.

♡ - While you’d ramble about whatever interesting interactions or discoveries you’ve made, Wukong would keep you updated on how everyone was doing. An improvement in MK’s technique, Mei fixing up a new scooter she had found, etc.

♡ - And every night, after you’ve wished each other good night— he’d never forget to mention just how empty flower fruit mountain felt without you.

“I love you,”

“I miss you more every day you’re gone,”

“Your warmth, that laugh, the way your cheeks brighten at my cheesy comments.”

“I wish you were here with me right now. Heh, everyone does.”

♡ - After what felt like an eternity; you were more than satisfied with your work and began heading home! You couldn’t wait to tell him in person everything you’ve accomplished, and just how satisfied you were with your numerous sketches, watercolors, and inked works you’d soon frame all over your abode in remembrance.

♡ - Walking into your apartment for the first time in ages made your heart soar the minute you saw what surrounded you.

Your flowers, shrubbery, and plants had all been taken care of to near perfection. Not a single vine or leaf had wilted since your departure.

♡ - Your partner had tenderly cared for each of your greenery with such pristine care that you thought they even looked better than they had before— blooming bright and beautifully even when it wasn’t in season.

♡ - It seemed like you weren’t alone in the apartment as well, turning your head to see the Monkey King himself finishing up watering your pitcher plants.

♡ - And making eye contact, you noticed the way his jaw hung slack— as if he was being delusional and you were simply a figment of his imagination.

—

“Hey, hey, don’t overwater it! It’s spilling all over the floor!” You had urgently exclaimed, rushing over to snatch the watering can from his gentle hold and place it on a flat surface.

(It was a ceramic white duck, by far one of your favorites out of the many which were just stashed away in your closet.)

A puddle seemed to have already been made in between you two— but you couldn’t help but giggle in his obvious stupor.

Wukong’s voice was seemingly breathless, speaking in almost a whisper.

“You’re back, for real?”

Before you could even muster a response, you found yourself lifted in the air— then back in his loving embrace.

“I am, Wukong. I’m back.”

—

♡ - A week had passed, and within it you were more than happy to tell him and everyone else about your travels / experiences. It was practically expected— being gone for so long only leaving so much room for stories to tell.

♡ - What wasn’t expected, however, was the absolute clinginess of Wukong since your return. He hadn’t left your side once if it was in his control. Training and personal duties aside, you never spent more than 10 minutes of free time without being interrupted by his boisterous nature.

“Honey, I’m home!”

♡ - Once, you had to go into the shopping district for produce. The fruits had seemed especially delicious! You couldn’t leave without your mate however, as he had chosen to shape himself into a butterfly just to inspect what you were buying. Totally just that, not like it was anything else!

♡ - You’ve even caught MK and Mei sneaking around you at times where you thought it was just you and Wukong. Not that you could blame them, though. Anyone would be interested if they knew the great sage couldn’t get enough of you, being around you, all that mumbo jumbo.

♡ - Nights were spent either in your own bedroom or on the floor of his shack, coddled by both him and the many other monkeys which called Flower Fruit Mountain your home.

—

It was the same as always; tail curled around you ankle, an arm snaked around your waist and his soft breathing muffled into your hair.

You whispered into the darkness of your room—

“Did you really miss me that much?”

You didn’t expect an answer so quick to come from his mouth.

“More than you know.”

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EEEE IT FEELS GOOD TO WRITE AGAIN! Besides planning of course. I hope you enjoyed!

#lego monkie kid #lmk #monkie kid #lmk x reader #sun wukong #lmk sun wukong x reader #sun wukong x reader #lego wukong #monkie kid sun wukong #wukong x reader #lego monkie kid sun wukong #x reader

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aheathen-conceivably · 2 months

Text

Part of Zelda loved the last few years of their lives. At its simplest, it reminded her of being in England again, of standing in the fields with her father and making every recipe from scratch with her mother. Life felt warmer here than it had in New Orleans, calmer and quieter and more akin to something she had envisioned for herself.

Of course there was pain as well, backbreaking constant pain and endless drudgery. Sometimes it reminded her of how much she liked standing in a crowded cafe or club and feeling everyone’s energy come together in one tumultuous surge. Compared to that, it often felt like she had only known two extremes in her life, and she had swung between the two without ever really finding herself in the middle.

Then there was the desperation, constantly turning and monitoring the soil, adding any and every shell or skin she could spare, and hauling countless buckets of water from the nearby stream. It was knowing that living or dying fell upon your back and the roof over everyone’s heads relied on your efforts. But in doing so it sometimes felt like a spirit overtook one, one that actually understood her purpose and called her Little Robin on even his darkest days.

Only recently the desperation had taken on a new tone, one independent of Gio’s debts or her child’s hunger. One that even her father wouldn’t have understood. It was her burden, and her burden alone, seen and shared by Antoine but really only felt by her. Because she could till this soil; she could monitor it and will the crops to grow as though through sheer willpower and knowledge alone. Only she couldn’t do the same for herself.

Because at least this seemingly barren soil was growing something. There was life and hope in it, fully grown plants and crops on the edge of being harvested. She had poured her soul into it, and it had responded in turn. She needed them to grow, not only for the reasons everyone else did, but because she couldn’t seem to grow anything within herself.

She was walking the fields, picking away dead leaves and checking under each one for bugs when she saw it: a sapphire glittering amidst the greenery in the ever-present sunshine. She reached forward slowly, moving each leaf aside hesitantly as though half expecting to look down and see yet another dashed hope that had existed only for a moment.

But then she bent down into the soil and it was real: a perfectly grown ear of corn. Untouched by bugs or drought or heat. She had done it. It had grown. In an inaudible whisper she called out to Gio across the farmyard. Realizing that he was probably preoccupied still trying to dig out their well she called out again, and again, until her amazed voice finally rose to an audible volume.

He rounded the fence, his eyes filled with apprehension that another bud had been eaten in the night or the leaves inexplicably wilting. Instead he saw Zelda standing there, an ear of corn in her hand and a smile on her face.

He immediately threw his shovel into the dirt and ran toward her, “We did it, Zelda! We really fucking did it!” For a moment he just held her in shared amazement, and Zelda could swear that he was going to cry. All of his emotions poured out onto her so that she could feel he had no way to contain his gratitude, until he picked her up and swung her amidst the tall verdant plants growing all around them, “Jesus Christ who am I kidding, you did it! This farm…it, I was nothing until you got here, until you made all this happen!”

Zelda let herself be swept off her feet, lost in his characteristically infectious joy. Because he didn’t know why she had worked so hard on these fields, or that she often walked the rows thinking of them in relation to herself. He only knew she had given him something, everything he seemed to dream of in that moment, and that together they had actually done it. They had made life grow from nothing.

Across the farmyard, Josephine watched them, and a small fire started in her heart. With a jolt she realized that this was what jealousy must feel like. She had never given a fuck about who Gio or any of her partners had danced or laughed or flirted with, so long as she knew and they didn’t use it against her when the time came. But it couldn’t be, not here, not now. Not her.

This was Zelda. Her best friend, her sister. They worked and lived there together day in and day out, but then he set her on the ground and her laughter rang out through the farmyard, and Josephine realized that it was her. It was the joy she and Gio shared over a goddamn ear of corn. One single ear of corn. It was as infuriating as all of life was here, because it didn’t feel like living at all. It felt like a constant game of survival that transformed your life into a series of meaningless tasks without purpose or delineation rather than something that was actually yours to live.

Because life here wasn’t simpler for Josephine the way it was for Zelda. There was nothing nostalgic or calming about it. No sound of her father’s voice to guide her through the pain or personal drive tying her to the constant, backbreaking work. She tried, every goddamn day she tried, just like she promised Giorgio and herself that she would; but it felt like the land itself was draining her soul bit by bit.

Yet here was Zelda, who seemed like some sort of old world fertility goddess standing amongst the plants she had grown from soil that wouldn’t yield for anyone else. For years, she had done nothing but give and give as she worked alongside Giorgio to make his damn dream come true, all the while thoughts of running away continued to plague Josephine in the night. Zelda had poured her soul into the desolate land to make it grow. Josephine dreamed of setting it on fire.

Jesus, she didn’t want to. She wanted to fall onto the orange sands of Strangerville and somehow sprout into the perfect farm wife too. That’s why she was jealous. She wanted to be that happy when a single goddamn ear of corn had grown, to share in the simple joy of the man she loved over something she couldn’t help but find infuriating. It seemed like he was happy because he had someone to share that joy with now, someone who could make his dreams come true and give him all of herself so totally. It made her think that maybe the problem was her; she had simply not given enough of herself to be happy. But she didn’t quite know how.

#1932 #sims 4 historical #ts4 decades challenge #ts4 historical #sims 4 decades challenge #the darlingtons #sims 4 legacy #ts4 legacy #sims 4 story #ts4 story #1930s #Zelda darlington #Josephine Duplanchier #Giorgio Mistretta

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strawberrystepmom · 8 months

Text

i love you more than being seventeen

pairing: nanami kento x f!reader

word count: 2.7k

about: all that kento can think about at the end is you and you and you.

contents: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, JJK SHIBUYA ARC SPOILERS. mutual pining over the course of many years, angst, no happy ending i’m sorry :( but the story itself has a few cute moments

notes: this is a repost from my old blog. title is from evening sun by the strokes! i still love this fic so much and it’s one of my favorite things i’ve ever written BUT there have been edits made and the ending is a little different. same impact, just more concise. thanks for reading!!!!

divider is thanks to @/cafekitsune

When Nanami's consciousness begins to fade, darkness enveloping the edges of his vision, one of the things he can recall most clearly is you.

You're 15, it's your first day of high school. You're the only person in your class, just like him. He's graduating this year and has already mentally checked out, doing just enough to get through, but he can see how anxious you look. The sleeves of your uniform are a bit too long, he wonders if it's on purpose like his are and your backpack is clearly brand new and covered in pins you probably picked out just for your first day.

A breeze picks up and blows the hem of your pleated skirt, exposing the skin just above your knee and he looks away immediately although you certainly can’t tell he’s even looking at you. Assessing you, the better term perhaps.

“Can you help me?”

A sweet and uncertain voice asks him. It belongs to you and he’s surprised that you asked him. It doesn’t take a very intelligent person to take one look at a 17-year-old Kento and see that he isn’t necessarily the approachable type. He isn’t unkind but his face is just as solemn as it will be when he grows up, mouth always set in a firm line.

“Sorry, you’re probably busy,” you mumble and he shakes his head, hiking the strap of his bag back up over his shoulder. “It’s alright. First day?” You nod, your uncertainty obvious in every one of your movements as you grip the straps of your backpack tightly.

“Someone was supposed to meet me here otherwise I wouldn’t be bothering you,” you explain as the two of you walk toward the sweeping entrance to the school itself. Your eyes widen as you take in the pillars and stairs, the greenery and flowers - it’s grand to say the least. Part of Nanami is amused watching you take it all in but he focuses on the task at hand. “It’s alright, like I said,” he starts and clears his throat. “Do you know who you’re supposed to be meeting?”

Your brow furrows, as if you’re thinking really hard, and you scrunch your nose.

“Gojo?”

Nanami rolls his eyes at the mere sound of the name. Of course he’s late and left you standing outside of the school, confused and alone. He knows that Gojo is technically his sensei now and he should respect him but he finds him just distasteful enough that it serves better to ignore him than to feed into his nonsense.

“Yeah, he does that,” Nanami shoots back cooly as he walks beside you up the steps. The zippers on your backpack jingle and he’s shot back into reality, ringing in his ears loud enough to quiet the sound of pumping blood.

He swears you can hear you call his name through the chaos, the footsteps and the screeching, but he closes his eyes. Tightly. Tries to concentrate on the source of the sound before realizing it’s in his own head, the cinematic reel in his head playing on a strange loop of fragmented pieces of his life spent wishing for you.

You.

The two of you are thigh to thigh inside of a photo booth, music playing through the little speaker underneath the tiny screen where you can see your two faces.

Kento isn’t sure how you roped him into this, an evening away from the school and in the city something you probably both needed, but it feels correct and inappropriate at the same time. The last few months have given him tiny glimpses into your life through the shared area of the student dorms.

He knows that you leave your shoes wherever you carry them after you take them off with a disgruntled whine. He dutifully places them next to your door when he sees them, the soles touching and the toes of each shoe pointed toward the wall.

He knows that you stay up too late watching television when you should be studying, the fighting noises of shonen anime coming from beneath the door of your room or the common room while you giggle or gasp along. He always wraps you in a blanket his grandmother made him when you fall asleep on the couch, drool crusting over on the corner of your lips.

He would do these things for no one else and he believes that strange dedication he feels to your comfort has led him here, long legs jutting out in front of him a nearly too small photo booth. Your bare thigh is pressed against the side of his jeans and he finds it hard to breathe with the sweet smell of your floral shampoo filling the entire left side of this enclosed space.

Fight or flight begins to kick in as the situation overwhelms him but you place a comforting hand on his forearm and smile easily, reminding him that the countdown is about to begin and to smile. He doesn’t smile but the corner of his mouth quirks in a way that you find adorable enough to giggle at, your big smile filling the screen as the flash snaps the first of four photos.

“Another! Make a funny face this time,” you order and Kento nods, lifting the other side of his lips in what one could almost call a smile while you stick out your tongue and hold two of your fingers up in bunny ears behind his head.

You like him. Even Gojo has noticed it, calling you out during your last mission with him.

“So…Nanami?” He asked with a little sideways grin and you groaned in frustration and stomped away. Satoru knew it then.

The shutter clicks and the flash explodes and you withdraw your fingers from behind Kento’s blonde head, feeling compelled to barely touch the top of it with your pointer finger. His hair is soft, brushed in front of his face, and you think you’ll remember the electric zap you feel like your heart forever as you gather your hands back in your lap.

Nanami assesses you carefully and shifts closer to you and you feel heat rise into your cheeks. The tips of your ears are warm and dangerously close to the side of his face and you look down just in time for the camera to click and to capture the top of your head and the side of his face.

You laugh, shaking your head as the two of you compose yourselves long enough for the final photo and you gasp a little when Kento hovers his face just inches from yours. Your soft cheek nearly touches his cheekbone and you fist the fabric of your skirt to keep from freaking out as you grin.

Giddiness rises inside of you, the proximity to the older boy sending your mind reeling with possibilities. You even notice both corners of Kento’s mouth have risen in a sort of smile as the final camera shutter sounds and the two of you file out of the booth and you reach to grasp the strip of photos, easily tearing it in half.

“Why did you do that?”

Nanami asks, brow furrowed as he watches you look over the sets of photos contained in each of the pieces of the strip. You hold the one with the last two photos out toward him, the top photo showing him staring at the top of your head and the bottom his attempt at a smile.

“Half for me and half for you,” you respond easily.

He wishes all of this came that easily for him. These feelings, these moments, this tender sense of compassion he feels just for you.

As the memory leaves, he’s reminded that the same strip of photos lives in the wallet in his left back pocket. Buried beneath business cards and bandages, a talisman to bring him back to you even when the two of you were separated after he graduated and left the school.

He hates thinking of those times, those years where he left you behind, but he’s too weak to will those memories away for better ones. The waves of his consciousness drift to another piece of his life, those lost years. His graduation. The ignored text messages.

“Happy birthday, Nanami-san! Miss you and hope to see you soon. Have a great day.”

He opened the message on his 22nd birthday and left it on read, just as he had with the message on his 21st, his 20th, his 19th. You’ve wondered several times if he changed his number and didn't let anyone know.

You’re 19, a year past your own graduation and you are working as a full time sorcerer. You aren’t particularly challenged in your role but you find it fulfilling in its own strange way. Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you sigh as you scroll through the messaging thread and an indescribable wistfulness falls over you.

You’d go back and do it all differently if you could. Beg him to stay, encourage him in the work of a sorcerer, but that would make you selfish. Keeping him here would have been for you and not for him and there’s nothing saying you had the power to convince him anyway.

Locking your phone, you drop it on the table and walk to the fridge where your half of the photo strip sits on the fridge all of these years later. It’s tucked beneath a magnet that holds up a copy of the graduation invitation you sent Kento last year. You texted him, asking if he’d like to come and perhaps you should have taken the hint back then.

He doesn’t want to be friends anymore.

The realization hits you at once and you open the fridge, plucking out leftovers, and shut it with an unenthusiastic slam. Padding back toward your living room, you pick up your phone and unlock the device. The screen still shows your text message thread with Nanami and against your better judgment, you type. Thumbs moving thunderously, you continue typing until you feel satisfied you have laid it out for him and your finger hovers over the message. Pressing down, you try to highlight the text to erase it but instead you slip and hit the send button.

“Fuck!” You shout loud enough you’re certain that your neighbor will file another noise complaint and you feel more horrified reading over your words the second time.

Kento’s phone pings from where it sits on his desk, another late night in front of the computer keeping him from doing anything enjoyable on his special day. He doesn’t bother to check the sender, knowing it’s probably something asinine from a client or a coworker, but his eyes widen as he sees the preview of the paragraph sent with your name attached.

“It’s okay if you hate us now but it would be nice to know that you’re alright,” his eyes scan each word carefully and he isn’t surprised by their bite but he feels guilty. Raw and bubbling deep in his gut, feelings he contained through college and far beyond surfacing in ways he didn’t expect. “I was your friend. I still want to be and hopefully someday you will let me.”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he looks over the honest appraisal of his character (“you’re a good person and that will always be true”), the tough love approach you tested halfway through (“I don’t want to do this job any more than you did and here I am”), and finally the thing you wanted to erase the most before you sent it.

“I’ll always love you even if you’ve never had it in you to do the same for me.”

He wonders for a moment if you mean that. Do you love him? Did you feel it back then the same way he did? The syrupy light feeling in your limbs, the heaviness in your head every time the two of you would study or eat or spend time together.

Setting his phone back down, he wonders for a moment how much sending that message cost you considering the length and if he should respond. Was this your goodbye? A way of finally freeing him from your mind?

Before he has time to truly think about it, his desk phone rings despite the time of day and he answers it with a sigh.

You look down at your screen and once again see a delivered notification with no sign of any other life on the other side.

“Kento!”

He’s glad you’ve dropped the formalities even if the timing is bad, his fatigued body stumbling in your direction. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air and blurry vision still shows him your face, gasping as you run to meet him from halfway across the train station that feels cavernous.

The last time he heard you shout his name was when he arrived back at the gate of Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, an employee ID card clipped to his slacks and his cursed tool snug in the harness strapped across his broad back. It’s new and familiar all at the same time and he hates thinking of the smug look on Gojo’s face when he called him to ask to come back.

“I wonder why,” Satoru teased from the other end of the phone.

Nanami only sighed from the other end, the two of them continuing their quick back and forth and scheduling a time where they could meet with the administration at the school. Their conversation is quick and polite but the final words out of his old friend's mouth are what remind him of the first domino that fell and led him back to these stone steps. “She’ll be glad to see you again.”

You’re standing across the courtyard and he’s surprised to see you for the first time in 6 years. You look the same as you did on that first day in a lot of ways. A pleated skirt, breeze lifting the hem just slightly away from your bare thighs. He doesn’t bother to look away this time, the peek of skin enough to send heat up his neck.

“Kento!” You shout again, hopping and running in his direction. He shakes his head as your heavy boots smack against the pavement and before he can blink, you’re in front of him with a grin. “Holy shit!”

Ever humble, he nods in your direction and tips his chin toward the ground to hide a burgeoning smile. He looks the same but different, just like you. The sides of his hair are shorter than you’ve ever seen them, the longer top slicked away from his face. He’s handsome - he always has been and you try to ignore the little fluttering feeling inside of your chest and in your stomach.

“Welcome back,” your final choice on what to say as you clap your palm against his shoulder and he smiles at the familiar feeling. He never thought he’d experience it again.

“Hey,” he says and you look up at him. The sunlight frames your face in a way he wants to memorize forever, emblazoned in a metaphorical heart shaped locket in his mind. He wants to look at you every day. He hates that he let pride keep him from doing that. Exhaling, he says the words he has wanted to since you were 15 and he was 17.

“I love you.”

The sound of your heavy boots across cement and tile are what he chooses to focus on as you continue your mad dash in his direction, his lips mumbling those three words over and over. He knows you can’t save him and he has come to terms with that reality but he wants to see you standing in front of him one last time. To see a breeze blow the edge of that skirt up just enough he can picture where he’d put his hands on your thighs if he ever had the chance.

Before you can make it the distance, so close to him you can read his lips, his words change. You think you know what he was saying before his stumbling continued but that patchwork curse steps in front of him and blocks him from your view.

“You’ve got it from here.”

He points in the direction of Yuuji Itadori who is on the opposite side of you and you turn your head to look at the pink haired young man for a single moment, confused.

You gasp when you turn back toward Kento and he’s gone.

He’s gone.

#kendall writes #nanami kento x reader #nanami x reader #cw angst

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1d1195 · 5 months

Text

Zipper Extra VI

Read the rest of Zipper here

@jhughesangel for you :)

Some cavity inducing sweetness (hopefully)

P.S. Sorry I'm writing about the holiday season. Again. I'm sure that's tiring but fall/winter is my favorite time of year and it makes for the most romance in my brain.

~2.2k words

On the first of the month, she began baking. Harry had seen her in action at her place, but now it was their place and coming home some nights after she did to an apartment that smelled like cookies, cinnamon, and apples. It was heavenly and more than ever he wished with everything in him that he hadn’t waited so long to have this moment.

Every space of the apartment was decorated with red berries and greenery and other Christmas décor. The tree stood in the window of the living room overlooking the town. It was beautiful and magical. Harry didn’t even have a tree, the last few years which pained her to no end. He didn’t have the heart to tell her he didn’t have one prior to them dating either. The only Christmas tree he saw was the one at his mum’s house. Or at her place.

But they were living together, now. So, every holiday was warm and inviting. It felt like home when he was there. She made it make sense. “S’not our anniversary, right?” He asked, coming to stand behind her. His hands pressed onto the counter on either side of her as he pressed his lips to the curve of her neck as a gentle hello. The rest of his body was warm against her back, his body encasing her between the bowl of chocolate and Harry.

Turning her head as much as she could to get a peripheral look at him, she licked the excess frosting off her thumb, she shook her head. “No, baby. Wrong month,” she giggled.

Harry wrinkled his nose “M’sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he admitted.

“It’s okay. I’ve never really been one for anniversaries,” she shrugged. Yet she always has a present for me. He thought to himself with a frown. “I mean...” she noted the way his body deflated with a sigh. “I think I love you pretty well every day...I think there are worse things in life than forgetting a card or a day where you finally came to your senses,” she twisted in his embrace, and she brought the tip of her finger to his lips so he could have a tasted of the frosting. It was silly and romantic all at once. He gave her finger a gentle bite inciting the most beautiful, little giggle from her. “Does that make sense?” She asked.

“So I should be giving y’a gift every day because m’in love with you all the time,” he nodded with a half grin.

“No,” she laughed and rested her forehead on his chest. “No way. Your gifts? We’d be broke.”

“It would be worth it,” he murmured. “I’d spend every penny I had on you.”

“Absolutely not what I want.”

He chuckled rubbing his hand up and down her spine. “Did you have a good day?”

She nodded. “I won my case,” she murmured into his chest.

“Y’don’t sound very excited over the good news, kitten,” he kissed the top of her head.

“It didn’t feel like winning,” she mumbled. “Sometimes fighting for the top dog doesn’t feel very good.”

Her poor sweet soul. “S’never made any sense t’me that someone as sweet as you would be a corporate lawyer.”

“M’good at it,” she said defensively and pouted as she looked up at him.

“I know you’re good at it, angel,” he nodded. “S’not a question. But morally, your heart is jus’ so much nicer,” he kissed the top of her head. “M’surprised y’don’t cry in court sometimes.”

“S’really hard sometimes,” she admitted.

“Y’don’t have t’be a corporate lawyer if y’don’t want.”

“Yeah...but then I wouldn’t have an office next to yours. We wouldn’t have lunch together..." Harry felt a pang of adoration shoot through him. Like she had personally squeezed the veins of his heart just as a reminder that he adored her so much. "And you’d make way more money than me and I wouldn’t be able to afford living here.”

“Y’could live here for free,” he rolled his eyes--as if money would keep him from her. “Jus’ make y’pay me in kisses...and other things.”

She tilted her head up to look at his face while he gazed down at her. “I love you,” she smiled.

He grinned and shook his head. “Thank goodness,” he murmured and attached his lips to hers. They tasted of chocolate, love, sweetness, and happiness. Perfectly her.

She didn’t like having a blindfold on—especially in public and without a clue of where they were headed. It was chilly but her coat was warm, and Harry had his arm firmly around her waist. One thing she trusted was that Harry would never let her fall. “I am already surprised Harry. Please let me take it off. I must look insane, and people are probably thinking you’re going to kidnap me.”

“I would love t’see someone try and kidnap you,” he chuckled. “Watch y’step, kitten,” he hummed and squeezed her tighter as he brought her up two steps. She had no sense of where they were—not by sight of course—but he had taken her around three different blocks in order to disorient her. The smells didn’t help either because it was a Saturday night. It was Christmas time, and everywhere in the little city smelled and sounded the same. “Think y’would argue with them about how they didn’t tie the blindfold tight enough.”

“The same cannot be said for you,” she wrinkled her nose trying to get the fabric to move around her face. “Is it weird? You’re not going to embarrass me are you?” She asked.

“What on earth d’you think m’going t’do, kitten?” He laughed. “We’re almost there, just a few more steps.”

“I don’t know. Maybe me accidentally taking your towel every morning has finally done you in and you’re going to murder me and hide my body.”

“Kitten, we’re around other people. Please don’t give them ideas.”

“I don’t think you would murder me. But statistically, you’re the one most likely to.”

“M’ignoring you,” he murmured. The people around them gave sympathetic and awkward smiles. “Okay, two steps,” he pressed his hand on her lower back. The back of her calf touched something solid but she hadn’t a clue where she was. It could have been anywhere. But they were still outside. Maybe it was just a bench? Or a wall by the fountain? She had no way of knowing.

“Am I going to be in a blindfold the entire night?”

“No, m’love. M’gonna take it off as soon as y’sit,” he said gently touching her hips to guide her to sitting on the seat behind her. She was quiet as Harry reached behind her head, the palms of his hands sliding softly against her cheeks as he reached. Before he undid the knot, he gently massaged his fingertips into her hair and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. It made her stomach flutter and she felt like she would explode from the way he made her feel.

The moment she opened her eyes she was greeted with Harry’s gorgeous green eyes gazing at her. “God you’re pretty,” he murmured, and she felt a bit dizzy hearing it from his lips—Harry was pretty, too. It took every bit of willpower to tear her eyes away from his gaze. His hand slid into her lap, and he twisted their fingers together while she took in the surroundings. There was a man directing a horse on a perched seat above them an older top hat on his head. The carriage they sat in was white, with red leather seats. Green garland with red berries and Christmas bows draped around them. A set of twinkly lights was hung around the little awning of the carriage as well. Her lips parted as the horse quietly pulled them around the park. There was a dusting of snow, Harry couldn’t have dreamed of a better day to do this. But it was perfect, exactly what he wanted.

Speechless. She was completely and totally speechless.

Harry watched her expression change about a thousand times in one minute trying to make sense of what was happening. “Y’okay, in there?” He asked cupping the side of her face and brushing his thumb on her cheek. “S’this...not what you wanted?” He asked feeling the nerves creep up.

Did she forget their anniversary? No... it wasn’t that. Did he do something wrong? Why was...how did he know?

Maybe this was just something she wanted to do with her ex-boyfriend and not Harry. Maybe this wasn’t something she wanted anymore. “Er...we can...stop, if y’want, kitten. I thought y’would want this...but...maybe I got it wrong, naturally. Thought y’would want to—”

She shook her head trying to shake some sense into her mind and get her brain cells to put together a coherent thought rather than just staring at the scene before her. “No...” she shook her head quickly. “No...this is...Harry this is perfect,” she whispered breathlessly.

He smiled and a relieved sigh left his lungs in the form of a nervous chuckle. “Oh...good,” he pressed his lips against her temple and watched her eyes scanning the park around her. They had been to the park about a thousand times on foot, but seated in a horse drawn carriage, it was as if she had never seen the trees and paths. The light displays and the children milling in front of their parents were completely new to her.

“How...how did you...did you ask my sister about this?” She asked.

He shook his head. “No...”

“Did I tell you about this?” But she was certain she didn’t. She hadn’t thought about a carriage ride in years.

“Uh...no,” he smiled awkwardly giving her hand a squeeze. “When we were studying one time...y’were all upset ‘bout your ex not planning dates or whatever. You were on the phone with your sister and y’said y’wanted a Christmas carriage ride.”

Her heart felt like it was melting. “You...heard that?” She sounded so stunned. Harry was a bit worried about her well-being. She seemed completely out of sorts. To him, this was the only thing that made sense. In fact, he should have planned this when they first started dating. In his mind, this was nearly three years too late. Lord, knew it was over a decade too late for her sweet self. “You...remember that?”

He smiled, squeezing her hand in her lap again. With his freehand he brought it to her face again and brushed his thumb across her face. “I know...I know y’have forgiven me for...how mean I was—”

“You weren’t mean.”

“Well, I wasn’t nice t’you, kitten. S’well as being mean. Y’deserve nothing but kindness. You’re the sweetest soul I know.” She wanted to respond but she felt like there was more he wanted to say, and her throat was closing around the warm emotion she felt the longer he spoke. “M’sorry, again. For all that I put you through.”

It wasn’t that bad. She couldn’t tell him enough. She knew it ate at him like nothing else, so she simply nodded. “I know you’re sorry. But really...it’s alright, baby. I know—”

“Shh,” he hushed pressing a finger to her lips. “M’not done.” She felt like the blindfold was placed around her lips at his words. It was so perfect. The right temperature, the right scene, the perfect guy.

“Okay,” she murmured.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever fully forgive myself,” he admitted. “But m’so glad I figured out how I felt. M’so sorry it took me s’long. More than being mean t’you...I don’t know if I’ll forgive myself for taking s’long. Wasting all that time we could have been together. But I don’t want t’waste time ever again,” he promised.

He kept hold of her hand as he shifted from the seat to the floor of the carriage balancing on one knee and digging into his coat pocket as if he did this all the time. He pinched the small box in his grip with his free hand. She couldn’t even see inside the box, but she knew that her heart was going to explode when she did. So, it was for the best that she didn’t get to see it. “Y’make me so happy. You’re m’favorite person t’wake up to. T’come home to. Before you, I never even thought ‘bout marriage. It only makes sense when I think ‘bout you,” he was rushing his words a bit. Like when he first told her how much he liked her and how he would be a shitty boyfriend.

He was anything but.

“I don’t know if I’ll get better at remembering anniversaries and birthdays but God, kitten. I want t’try with you. Because y’deserve the best and m’not sure if s’me that’s best for you but I want to be. I want t’take you on carriage rides and make sugar cookies with our little babies that will look jus’ like you and take them t’soccer practice on weekends. I know s’not anyone half s’beautiful as you, kitten. Inside or out,” he never made sense when he was spilling all the emotions directly from his heart, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She thought she might cry if he spoke any longer.

“Please, marry me,” he said finally, slowly at last.

They stared at each other silently for several moments.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Thank you.”

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i-starcreamed · 1 year

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Hi hi friend I have a request for you :)

can you do a bumblebee x reader where the reader was like his partner back on cybertron and they like bumblebee thinks their dead until like their pod shows up on earth

can be any pronouns please and thank you

idk if this is in character and perhaps this is mostly angst but...partners reuniting. i hope this is what u meant!!

TFP Bumblebee x Cybertronian!Reader

The Groundbridge swirled with a green color as it opened in a deserted area. The bot's surroundings were covered by trees and Earth's greenery, despite being beautiful it was not the type of terrain that was easy to travel in. Ratchet had caught a new energon signal on their scanner, it was no deception signal or raw energon, but it was rather a sign of another cybertronian.

It was a mystery as to why they landed now if most of them had landed years ago, but the entire team went to investigate the mystery pod nonetheless.

There buried in the ground, was the escape pod. Optimus Prime was in front as the team had his back, all held their blasters and aimed it at the pod in case danger was near. As they neared, they could almost let out a sigh of relief to see that it wasn't a deception pod, but they still didn't know who exactly was inside. The team slowly dropped their blasters as they neared the pod.

"Who could it be?" Arcee crossed her arms as she tried peering inside the fogged-up glass. Optimus still held his blaster as Bulkhead neared the pod, using his strength to open the latch.

"I am not sure yet, Arcee. But everyone, stay alert." He took a step closer to the pod, and everyone cautiously followed suit. The latch was lifted off it's hinges to reveal a [color] bot, a couple scratches, and dents littered their frame as they lay unconscious. While the rest of the team wasn't phased, Bumblebee nearly malfunctioned right on the spot. It couldn't be...could it? He thought it was impossible, that he would never see you again. The last time he saw you, your hideout on Cybertron was raided by Decepticons and you had stayed behind. The amount of guilt that troubled him even on Earth was unbearable, he thought you had offlined. He thought he had lost you.

"Bumblebee?"

Optimus' voice snapped him out of his thoughts, he didn't realize he was still staring at you as his servos slightly shook. Optimus looked at him expectedly with a concerned look across his faceplates. He faced the Autobot leader and responded with a series of beeps.

"I know them! They're Y/N, m-my partner. I thought they were dead, I thought I got them killed, I thought-" Bleeps and beeps came out jumbled and were barely discernible by even those who understood him. His servos gestures all around before he looked at you again. He tried to reach for your body before Optimus placed a firm servo on his shoulder.

"We should get them to base first, Bumblebee. It is not safe out here for them, the two of you will have your chance to talk once Ratchet tends to them." He sent him a hint of a sympathetic look, he knew how much Bee wanted to hold you and speak to you again right now, but Decepticons could be near. In the end, Bumblebee nodded and carefully took your body from the pod, carrying you all the way back.

Bumblebee fussed about you all while Ratchet took care of your minor injuries and as you were waking up. In a room full of bots you didn't recognize, a bright yellow mech caught your optics as soon as you onlined. Even you couldn't believe it, your optics locked and you swore you felt so young again, if only just for a split second. Suddenly you were staring at the same Bumblebee you thought you lost, the one who you thought you would never see again. Also the same bot who you had fallen in love with when everything was okay on Cybertron. You were both different now, having plenty of experience in a war that was ongoing and uncompromising. That seemed to not matter as you both embraced each other, your grip tight as you wrapped your arms around him. You expected to hear his voice greeting you, but instead, bleeps and fragments of cybertronian came out of his vocalizer.

"Oh, Bee..what happened?" You gently asked as you still held onto him, it still felt impossible for you to be reunited with him again, and yet he felt the same way. He shook his helm and held your servos in his.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, Y/N." The beeps whined as he gazed at you with his bright blue optics. Despite all the years he'd gone without you, you were the only bot that he held dear to his spark. It would be a tough adjustment, getting used to Earth and having to know about the still ongoing war; but being with Bee would make it better. A lot better.

#tfp #tfp x reader #tfp bumblebee x reader #bumblebee x reader #transformers prime #transformers prime x reader #maccadam #cybertronian reader x transformers #cybertronian reader #headcanon

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ptersparkers · 1 year

Note

do you think you could write something where you and aaron have just moved into the neighborhood and live across a sorority or something where girls hit on aaron? and you’re affected by it at first until you realize Aaron doesn’t care about them but you overhear them thinking he’s gonna cheat on you but he does something that basically makes them embarrassed when they try to decide him hahah im sorry did this make any sense

the self indulgent side of my came out in this one. also aaron 100% has dilf energy in this <3

***

A large two-story house sits in the middle of the block with a white picketed fence and a welcoming exterior. The cobblestone on the walkway leads from the sidewalk to the front yard, where the newly renovated space is decorated with greenery and other complementary decor.

It’s your dream house and you bought it with the money you’ve made as a neurosurgeon.

When you met Aaron all those years ago, dating had been the last thing on your mind. You met purely because of luck. Running into Spencer (an old friend from a medical program you’d both been involved in) led to running into his teammates, and that Saturday might became much more than picking up takeout.

You still aren’t sure how you caught Aaron’s attention. Spencer told you Aaron’s got a habit of professionalism and remaining stoic for the most part. At the time, you don’t think Aaron’s your type and you left it at that.

But he had asked Spencer to put in a good word with you, shocking both you and Spencer. Despite your reservations about dating because of medical training and other commitments, you gave in.

Aaron’s been the easiest person to be with. He understands your hectic schedule because of his own line of work and understands that there will be times when neither of you are able to prioritize the relationship for a few days.

And it works. It works so well that Aaron asked you to marry him.

This house is on a property you’d bought when the both of you first decided to move into a house instead of Aaron’s large apartment. Years of savings (we well as publishing rights, conferences for your method, and your general salary) allowed you to purchase land and build your dream house in your dream neighborhood.

The both of you moved in six months ago with no hiccups. A few boxes have been left unopened but for the most part, you’ve stuck to decorating the interior in your free time. You keep to yourself mostly, letting Aaron do the mingling with your neighbors and introducing yourself when necessary. But everyone here seems to be friendly and they seem to love the two of you. You’ve got everything you could ever want. A loving husband, a thrilling career, and your dream home.

You have to remind yourself of that when three young women sublease the rooms in the house across your street.

They’re young, pretty, and far too interested in your husband than you’d care for.

Poor Aaron doesn’t know what you mean when you ask him if you think those girls are spending too much time in small bikinis in their driveway and front yard, washing cars or sunbathing where he could see. Aaron had been truthful when he told you he wasn’t aware that they were out for some of the day and you know his eyes don’t wander, yet it doesn’t quell your worries.

But you know these girls and their intentions. You’ve been there before, vying for the attention of a boy you had a crush on. However, the object of their affection is married. To you.

You find it disrespectful above all else.

The girls ring your doorbell just before dusk on a Friday night and the both of you are wrapped in a blanket on the couch, choosing what to order for takeout because you’re both too tired to go out and cook. You’re about to get up when Aaron tells you he’s got it. He slips from underneath you and you’re able to tell by the incessant giggling that it’s the girls from next door.

“Hi,” Girl One says.

“Can I help you?” Aaron asks quizzically.

“We’re new to the neighborhood and wanted to introduce ourselves,” Girl Two explains before they introduce their names that you don’t bother to remember.

“Just wanted to show our neighbors we care by giving out cookies,” Girl Three announces. You watch as Aaron accepts a plate of tin foil-covered cookies when she pushes it into his hands.

“Oh. Thanks?”

“Don’t mention it,” Girl Two replies.

“Well if you need anything, we live across from you in the 952 house,” Girl One says. Her voice dips and it sounds eerily seductive.

“Thanks,” Aaron says curtly before closing the door on them.

He comes back to the living room with a confused expression and holds the paper in plate in front of him. You roll your eyes when you see they’ve tucked a small handwritten card beneath the foil and pluck it out when Aaron sets the cookies onto the coffee table.

“Hey neighbor,” you read aloud. “Enjoy the cookies. You know where to find us if you want more.” You take notice of who they addressed it to and toss the card to the side, dismissing the plate in front of you. “Are they aware you have a wife?”

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Aaron says, pulling you onto his lap. You squeal in surprise and latch yourself onto him with your arms around his neck, his own fingers raking the sides of your body from underneath your (his) t-shirt. “I don’t want anyone else but you. I’m not looking at them.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I love my hot, sexy, neurosurgeon of a wife, even if she prefers to hang out with my team over me.”

He’s uncharacteristically charming in an extremely cliche way. You see the glint in Aaron’s eyes and smack the back of his head gingerly, much to his amusement. He attaches his lips to your neck, peppering slow kisses to your sweet spots and you have a hard time trying to remember why you were so worked up in the first place.

***

It’s a hot Sunday morning when you tell Aaron you’re meeting a friend for brunch before offering to cover groceries for the week ahead. He kisses you goodbye without worry and you blow a kiss at him from your spot on the driveway before you meet your friend twenty minutes from your neighborhood.

Coming back home feels like somewhat of a nuisance when you see your neighbors barely covered in bikinis and white tops that seem to end mid-torso. But you give them credit anyway, their Jeep looks as clean as can be.

You’re somewhat mortified when Aaron meets you outside upon hearing the garage door open. The girls are not subtle with their side-eyeing and you’re aware they’d much rather stare at your husband all day than wash their car.

It doesn’t help that he’s wearing grey sweats and a tight fitting shirt either. Not even you can stop your staring and Aaron looks at you from beside the car when he catches you taking his figure from where you’re standing.

“You’re not very subtle about it either,” Aaron teases, taking the grocery bags out of your hands.

“Well, I’m your wife,” you say with a blush after having been caught despite having your relationship. “I get to stare.”

“I love it when you’re jealous, baby.” You roll your eyes at his attempt at a joke.

“I’m not jealous.” You hold the finger with your wedding hand. “I don’t particularly enjoy these girls assuming I’m temporary, though.”

“Well you aren’t,” he reassures. “You’re Rossi’s favorite out of the two of us, so you aren’t going anywhere.”

“Speaking of Rossi, does he still need up to bring dessert for his party?”

“I scheduled to pick it up on the way to his place.”

You grab the other bags.

“Let’s go inside,” Aaron says as he gives you a quick kiss. “I’m not particularly interested in watching topless girls wash their car. Unless you want to change into a bikini and wash the Porsche?”

You smack Aaron’s shoulder but he just laughs.

***

Dave proposed a nice evening with the team and their significant others after months of being unable to plan a day where everyone was free. You aren’t sure how everyone’s schedule has aligned as perfectly as tonight’s, but you’re looking forward to seeing everyone.

Aaron’s dressed like he’s ready to break hearts and so are you. His black suit compliments your black dress and he finds it impossible to keep his hands off of you on the drive to Rossi’s.

The upscale bakery from down the block has the desserts aligned in boxes for you when the both of you pick them up. You’re dismayed when you see the girls waiting for their order as well, but you pay no mind as Aaron waits for the last box.

“He keeps looking at me whenever we’re outside,” Girl One says in a not-so-hushed tone. It’s entertaining, really. “I’m pretty sure I could convince him to cheat on his wife when she’s gone.”

The girls erupt in giggles and you do your best to keep your composure and to avoid rolling your eyes for the umpteenth time. Aaron finishes paying and the both of you resume your ride to Dave’s without a word.

“So, I’m definitely not going to cheat on you,” Aaron says between the silence. He says it so fast out of nerves that you almost miss it.

“I know,” you say when he brings your hand to his lips.

“As in, I’m quite in love with you and don’t have eyes for anyone else.”

“Baby,” you say, squeezing his hand. “I know. It’s just annoying above anything else.”

“Let’s just get to Rossi’s and have a fun night, yeah?” Aaron says.

The party was brilliant and you come home feeling as elated as ever. It’s two in the morning and you’ve had your fair share of champagne and wine, leaving Aaron the designated driver for the evening.

You get out of the car quick than Aaron does to his confusion. You make you way around the hood of the car and throw your arms around Aaron’s neck, thanking him for being the perfect date and the perfect husband. He laughs and kisses your forehead, mumbling a quick ‘I love you’ into your cheek before pulling you into the house by your hand.

Aaron’s not oblivious. He sees the light to one of their bedrooms flicker on and three faint shadows from behind the sheer curtain. He knows they’re watching the two of you and when he sees one of the girls accidentally rise above the others, he pulls you into him and holds your waist with a tight grip.

You’re pressed against the car door when Aaron puts his mouth on yours. He grips your hips and you whimper against him. It’s enough for him to pull you through the front door and into the bedroom because there’s nothing he wants to do more than make a sweet love to his wife.

Aaron just hopes the girls get the idea.

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x oc #criminal minds x reader #aaron hotchner blurbs #aaron hotchner imagines #aaron hotchner oneshots #aaron hotchner scenarios #aaron hotchner scenario #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotchner blurb #aaron hotchner oneshot #fem reader #aaron hotchner #my writing #ask #anonymous

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tryingtodotheright-thing · 3 months

Text

Hello Sunset - 2

AN: None of this is proof read so please excuse any errors and do point them out to me. Also, if there's ever any warnings you think I should be adding, please send me an ask. I would love yo hear everyone's thoughts :)

PAIRING: Seungcheol x fem!reader

GENRE: exes to lovers, idol verse, angst

WORD COUNT: 2,574

WARNINGS: reader has anxiety and depression, swearing

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Y/N couldn’t remember the car journey but she was now sitting on Sian’s expensive sofa. Rachel had left after making sure Y/N made it to the office safely, promising to meet her at Y/N’s flat in the evening after finishing some errands.

Y/N clutched the cup of tea that was piping hot and kept her focus on the heat seeping through to her fingertips. In true British style, Sian had made her a cuppa as soon as she’d walked through, reassuring her that tea would make her feel better. The steam continued to rise up and fogged up the sunglasses she still had on. Pushing the Ray Bans off her face, she slid them up to rest on top of her head. The movement seemed to startle Sian into action as she’d been hovering behind Y/N till then, which was so unlike her and spoke volumes of how worried she was about the situation. Sian moved to sit beside her on the forest green velvet sofa, turning her body so she sat facing Y/N. She took a second to observe Y/N as she continued to stare into her cup of tea as if it held all the answers to her problems. Sighing, Sian took the mug from Y/N’s hand and placed it on the coster sat on top of the nearby coffee stool.

“Y/N, honey, I need you to be strong for me. I need you to fight this time, okay?”

Sian knew to wait for a response and without it, her artist would weasel her way out of the limelight and hide in some semblance of her previous life, as she had been doing for the past five months. Y/N was too fragile last time and Sian had let her wallow long enough. It was time for her to gear up. Sian hadn’t been doing her job as a manager in the entertainment world for the past 15 years and doing it well, only to let her artist be affected by the backlash from angry, disappointed fangirls of a cowardly man.

If it wasn’t for the broken woman Sian had to prioritise and piece together back in March 2025, Sian would have done something sooner. In fact, a word to Sian’s contacts, most of whom were family members in key places, would have put a stopper to the ridiculous attacks. No KPOP artist, even if they were part of a global and growing company, could enter the Western market without the backing of one of the many subsidiaries Sian’s family owned in the music industry. They dominated the music industry in the background and whilst Sian made sure to not abuse this power for her own benefit, she couldn’t sit back and watch as the woman she’d grown to adore as a younger sister continued to suffer. Y/N was ill equipped to deal with it all since she was still new to the celebrity world.

8 September 2023

Y/N went viral. It was unexpected and so sudden.

She was a month into her new job as HR Business Partner at a global consulting firm, focused on serving technological and data insights to its clientele. It was a big move for Y/N and she’d just started to feel comfortable in the new environment. Her new manager had done much to welcome her and ease her in, but everything was new and things moved at such a fast pace, she gave up trying to keep up and was hoping things would start to make sense soon.

It was a Friday and the weather was still warm, the after effects of the heatwave still lingering. Y/N was ready to wrap up for the day and spend the weekend in bed. She’d finished all the calls she’d had planned for the day and in her check in with her manager, he’d given her great feedback so Y/N couldn’t be happier it was a Friday. She’d packed her laptop in her backpack and was heading out of the office located in the business park. She was still admiring the waterfalls and greenery that surrounded the buildings even though she’d been making the commute for a month now. Earbuds in and her playlist turned on, she hummed along to the music as she walked towards the Tube station and debated whether to head to the gym tonight or have a lazy evening. The vibration of her phone interrupted her pondering and saw that she was getting a phone call from Sian Doyle.

Y/N had met Sian a few months ago, when she had approached her after seeing Y/N’s old Youtube videos during her teen years. Sian sent her a message on Instagram asking if Y/N still pursued a career in music and was interested in meeting with her to discuss an opportunity. Y/N had thought it was a hoax, and had ignored the message. She hadn’t seriously thought about a career in music, knowing that her parents would have never allowed her to do that when she was growing up. Now in her mid 20s, she knew she’d missed the chance though the odd daydreams and what ifs had crossed her mind. Y/N had grown apart from music when she had started working six years ago, not having the energy nor time to dedicate to her passion. However, sitting at home and not being able to leave the house, with just herself for company during the pandemic gave her plenty of time to re-embrace it and she fell in love with music again. Although she hadn’t replied to Sian’s message after reading it, she kept going back to it all weekend before gathering her courage and agreeing to a meeting.

Three months later, Y/N was an artist signed to a label and had released a single that had charted in the top 100 of the UK music charts. It wasn’t too bad (read as great) for a brand new artist that the music world had no expectations for and who didn’t fit the look nor style of the typical musicians the industry usually produced. She was even going to be singing an OST for a Korean TV drama that will be released in December. Y/N was surprised when she heard that news. She didn’t expect her music to be popular, let alone be heard and liked by people in another part of the world. Thinking that’s what Sian was contacting her about, Y/N accepted the call and entered the working pod that was outdoors in the business park to take the call in private.

“Hey Sian, how are you doing? Did I have any plans I’ve forgotten?” Y/N was balancing her commitments in the corporate world and music world, not quite confident to give up her safety net when her success wasn’t guaranteed.

“I’m splendid, darling and do you know why? It’s because I’m the manager of the young woman who is going viral featuring on all the reels on Tik Tok right now.” Y/N could feel the excitement in Sian’s voice and was slightly envious of the person who’d made Sian this proud and animated. The woman was always composed and today, she’d not spoken in her “I'm-all-business-and-I'm-the-boss” voice.

“Oh how exciting for you! Which artist is that, I know you have a few?”

Letting out a chuckle, Sian responded, “Y/N, honey, I’m talking about you!”

Y/N’s response came out as something between a squeal and a shout in that instant, the thrill and happiness she’d felt in that moment was unforgettable.

Current

“Tell me what the plan is. I know you have one.”

Sian wanted to clap her hands in glee but held herself back. She got up from the sofa to pick up the iPad that sat on her desk and returned to the velvet sofa. Sinking down right next to Y/N this time, she handed the iPad over to the singer. With hands that were still trembling though much less than when she was holding the tea cup, Y/N took the tablet into her hands and tapped on the screen. The screen blinked at her, opening on Naver, a blurry picture of a man and woman walking in close proximity out of a restaurant. It was obvious the woman wasn’t a Korean celebrity due to the darker skin tone and the build of the woman. The zoomed in version of the same picture on the article focused on the faces of the pair. Y/N obviously recognised the people in the picture, being the woman in the picture. The zoomed version helped narrow down when the picture was taken. Both of them were wearing black masks and Y/N/s hands were tucking her hair behind her ears, there was an indent on her left ring finger and she could just make out a pink line of a cut on her palm.

The picture was taken on their last date. It was a Thursday evening and they were in Daegu because he was on leave and was allowed to leave the base so he wanted to visit his parents. They’d been bickering all night and in the end, hadn’t finished their meal and had decided to just leave. Y/N was due to fly back to London the next day and he was due to return to his base at the end of the weekend. It had been roughly two weeks after her birthday and Y/N had been looking forward to the late celebration but the entire visit was a mess. He broke up with her two days later in response to her text ‘Just landed, will call later. Love you x’. The picture was taken two months ago, just before the world as she knew it collapsed.

“Whoever sent this photo through obviously has more and it’s most likely the same person who sent Dispatch the picture at the beginning of the year. HYBE and Pledis can’t keep denying the relationship, saying you were acquaintances or just friends and they definitely can’t spin the whole narrative of you being an overzealous fan anymore. Right now, they’re looking like the biggest liars and the public opinion is on your side.”

“What’s your plan?” Y/N repeated, knowing that Sian hasn’t finished.

“We need to put out a statement to be released in Korean media. I’ve already drafted it; I just need you to read it and let me know if there’s anything you’re uncomfortable with. We’re also not going to keep quiet anymore. You need to come out of hiding and you need to take back control.”

Not pausing for acknowledgement, Sian continued, “I’ve booked you to be on Jimmy Fallon’s, taping Thursday night and airing Friday so we’ll be flying to New York tomorrow. You’ll use the opportunity to promote the upcoming tour and it matches with The Voice US guest appearance episodes releasing this week. Jimmy will bring up the news, I’ve asked him to. I want you to make a joke and brush past it as if the whole matter is insignificant and an inconvenience. Channel that anger that’s underneath that hurt and don’t forget that you’re the victim in this situation. I need you to emphasise that.”

With that said, Sian leaned over and opened the Mail app on the iPad, selecting the first email which contained the drafted statement.

‘This is W Music Group. We have confirmed with our artist regarding the recent allegations and can confirm that Y/N and S.Coups of SEVENTEEN did briefly date but have since parted ways. Our artist was keen to keep her personal life private and we ask people to avoid speculation. No statements released by HYBE or Pledis about Y/N have been made in conjunction with W Music Group or with Y/N’s consent. We are currently taking legal action against those who posted malicious posts including defamation, insults, sexual harassment, spread of false information, and malicious slander against Y/N. We are preparing to submit multiple complaints to investigative agencies by collecting evidence of acts that violate Y/N’s rights and interests such as insults and defamation through self-monitoring and reports from fans, and we plan to respond with a no-tolerance policy. We will continue to hold the suspects accountable and take strong action without any settlement or leniency. Y/N’s planning to greet the public soon with a new album to be released on 2 October 2025.’

Y/N read the statement and read it again. She knew this was the best thing to do for herself and it wasn’t fair to Sian and everyone around her, everyone who depended on and cheered for her success, if she didn’t release the statement. Despite knowing this was the best choice, Y/N still hesitated.

“Do we have to mention the statements from HYBE?”

“Yes.” Sian’s reply was immediate and clipped. “I hope you’re not still worrying about him.”

Sian’s tone grew more sharp. “You can’t be! Wake up and smell the coffee for what it is, Y/N. If he had cared even the smallest ounce for you, he wouldn’t have agreed to his company releasing a statement that you had approached him as a fan when the first picture was released in January. Do you not remember how his fans called you a stalker and sent you hate messages all over social media? Do you not remember the times they sent you broken glass and blades packaged up as gifts so you’d hurt yourself?”

Sian grew more frustrated and tossed the iPad on the space next to her on the sofa.

“I don’t know how to talk sense into you. Honestly, Y/N, I’m doing this for your benefit.”

“I know, I know that. Please don’t think that I don’t appreciate everything you do and have done for me.” Y/N’s words kept getting stuck and she was struggling to articulate herself.

“I just don’t want other people to be hurt by this. Josh and the others haven’t done anything wrong.”

After a pause, she consented, “I’ll take your guidance as final, Sian. Let’s release the statement.”

Y/N grasped Sian’s hands in hers for reassurance. “I promise I’ll do what you ask of me this time.”

Sian patted Y/N’s hands as she soothed Y/N’s nerves by saying, “It’ll all be fine, darling. Trust that I know what I’m doing. You’ll come out of this stronger. I know you will.”

With a final pat, Sian got up from the sofa and walked to the door of her office, her black heels clacking against the floor. She opened the door and spoke to her assistant, whose desk was placed opposite the doorway.

“Send it out now.”

That’s all she said before closing the door and turning back to Y/N.

“Now, about the Tonight Show ..”

Sian continued with her briefing for Y/N’s schedules. Y/N listened and did her best to pay attention and soak in the advice but the tension in her stomach distracted her, the jitters making her queasy. She moved to pick up her now lukewarm water bottle that she’d bought earlier from her handbag when she noticed that her phone was blinking. She took the phone out first, tapping on the screen to read.

Joshie 🦌

Just saw it. Are you okay?

#caratsland #seventeen #seventeen au #seventeen x reader #seventeen fic #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #svt x reader #svt imagines #svt fanfic #seungcheol x reader #seungcheol angst #scoups x reader #scoups imagines #svt #seventeen x you #my writing #hello sunset

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maaarshieee · 1 year

Note

IT HAS BEEN AWHILE HWWKNSHE HOW ARE UUU?

anw! here's a fluff drabble >.<

accompanying dottore to his little exploration seemed a great idea for you. it would be a simple date, trying to find plants that he needed for an experiment. you weren't that athletic and you get pretty tired easily. so during your hangout, you were breathing really deep and like almost out of breath.

dottore knew that you would be tired, so he made sure to bring ready-to-eat meals and a blanket if you wanted to sleep. he also thought that this would kind of be date so he permitted you to come. with no enemies that can attack you both, no guards that will follow the two of you, nor any other priorities except you and the plant.

so dottore searched for a place where you can both sit and eat for awhile. reminisce about the memories you made throughout your relationship. these little peaceful moments with him are rare, so you take the opportunity to give him all the love he deserves aka lots of hugs and kisses, plus words that show how much you love him, and taking pictures using the kamera he bought for you.

the both of you definitely took your time and forgot the plant.

-weekly anon (im def turning into a weekly anon)

⎯⎯ ୨ Moments Like These ୧ ⎯⎯

ੈ♡˳ Il Dottore x Gn!Reader *ೃ༄

ੈ♡˳ 1.1k words ┊ Fluff *ೃ༄

ੈ♡˳ Masterlist *ೃ༄

author's note ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

OMG FINALLY BACK TO WRITING... hi weekly anon,, missing you <3 hope you had a nice holiday and new years! sorry it took so long to write this but my motivation is slowly coming back! anyways. soft dottore 🥺also its so weird to not have warnings on dottore fics... have a good day/night!! WAIT IS THIS A REQUST. I MIGHTVE INTERPRETED THIS WRONG BUT WHATEVER HAVE THIS LMAO IM SORRY

If you had half the mind to actually listen carefully to his words, you would've thought it was very very peculiar for Dottore to invite you to hunt for a particularly rare plant he needed for his experiment. And if you weren't blinded by your giddiness to spend more time with him, especially when Dottore himself asked you, you would've found it odd that he would go out to fetch this plant himself and not assign a segment for such a trivial task. It wasn't an urgent need either, it seemed like an excuse to dismiss every other responsibility he has as a Fatui, ignore his unfinished projects and take you out somewhere nice because he simply wanted to.

But you were too excited, too delighted that the Archons had given you a chance to be with your lover. Well, you're technically always with him, being his annoying little assistant in his chaotic laboratory, but being with him in a different region? Now that's quite a thrilling thought! When was the last time the two of you went outside together? Somewhere that wasn't Snezhnaya? You were getting tired of seeing the endless white of the frozen nation, so traveling to a nation filled with greenery and without a lick of snow? You couldn't help but start nagging Dottore to leave sooner, unable to contain your evident eagerness.

Perhaps in midst of your excitement, you hadn't noticed that Dottore never once gave you an irritated glance even if you insistently nagged him to no end. Rather, his features would soften behind his mask, and a small smile would stretch his lips, watching you ramble on and on about what you've read about Sumeru and possible locations where the plant he required could be.

You weren't slow, no, you're far from it. You help in the laboratory and graduated from the Akademiya, then worked in the Fatui to share your knowledge with the Doctor and help him achieve goals that were thought impossible. But for some reason, you couldn't catch on Dottore's true intentions, too distracted, too elated to detect the strange amount of fondness radiating from his form whilst he held onto a basket full of food and necessities, just for you. Only for you.

So when you inevitably got tired from walking, muttering curses under your breath and holding onto Dottore's outstretched arm while you tried to calm your pacing heart, he immediately looked around for a better spot to rest. Dottore can't get tired, not anymore, so he could keep on going without you. But who was he to leave his dear lover alone? Where they can get attacked by anything at their moment of weakness? Absolutely not. Besides, he planned on staying with you until the end of the day, the plant was the least of his worries. Plus, he gets to enjoy your bewildered expressions once you've finally caught your breath and turned your head where Dottore was.

"I... What's all this??" You asked incredulously, tilting your head to the side in confusion to see Dottore sitting down on a blanket he laid out on the ground. Your favorite foods, pastries, and drinks were present on the blanket, which made it look like a normal picnic. "Come and sit, you need rest." His reply left you speechless, blinking at him multiple times as if he wasn't real but you obeyed nonetheless, walking toward him in a daze and taking a comfortable seat right next to him.

Allowing him to wipe away the sweat that formed all over your face and neck with a clean piece of cloth, you could see a small amused smirk on his lips, sharp teeth poking out. You pursed your lips in thought, his hands gentle and cautious as they made their way downwards. It was rare for Dottore to be so... pleasant for once? Grabbing the hem of your shirt, you absentmindedly raised your arms and he pulled it off, then proceeded to wipe off the sweat on your chest and back. Warmth spread throughout your skin, from the tip of your ears down to your bare shoulders, glancing around nervously. No one would be around these parts, especially when the two of you were searching for something that was so rare it was considered a myth, so not a soul would probably be wandering around the area you were in. Though, all your nervousness faded away when Dottore pinched your nose, your attention snapping back towards him as you huffed, swatting his hands away. The corners of his lips twitched, and that was when it clicked.

"Oh," You started, glancing back at the prepared meals on the blanket for you to eat, another bundle of blankets and a pillow inside the basket, and even a Kamera he had bought at some point before entering the forest when you both first arrived at Sumeru, "This was your plan all along, huh?" The corners of your eyes crinkled as a huge grin slowly formed on your face, eyes filled with mirth and, undoubtedly, tenderness at his thoughtfulness. You were extremely touched, it wasn't often Dottore did something like this, especially outside of his lab.

Dottore's hand froze and tensed. While he had expected you to catch on sooner or later to his intentions, it still surprised him when you spoke those words. Yes, he indeed did this all for you. But no matter how much Dottore loves you, it would take a lot more for him to admit such things to you, especially when you were looking at him funny with a smug expression on your face. The grip he had on the now sweaty cloth he had in his hand tightened as he put it away. "Awww, who knew you could be so romantic?" And you just had to run your mouth, "You could've just told me you wanted to have a picnic with me, dear! Did you have to use a 'rare plant' as an excu— oof!" Before you could finish your sentence, something soft hit your face, catching you off guard.

It was a clean shirt that you wore without hesitation, but once your head poked out, his hands immediately attacked your cheeks, pinching and stretching with a scowl on his face. Grabbing his wrist as you groaned, you shot him an unimpressed glare, cursing him, and tried to pull his hands away from your poor cheeks. "Hey! Don't avoid the subject— eek!" You suddenly squealed, then burst out laughing as he began to poke your sides, ultimately rendering you helpless. "What are you talking about, dearest?" Dottore finally spoke with a purr, a smirk returning on his lips. "I'm not avoiding anything."

And as you wriggled in his grasp, Dottore couldn't help but pull you closer to him, watching as tears formed in your eyes from how hard you were laughing, and the way the curves of your face stretched and wrinkled from how big you were smiling. From the cold, hollow chest, he felt warmth. Fullness. Happiness.

A feeling he could only truly feel with you.

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛❛ If you like this a lot, consider reblogging! I'll appreciate it very very much! Don't repost and/or translate my work anywhere. ❜❜ ┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌

#yaepublishinghouse #dottore x reader #il dottore x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #:;marshie.writes #:;requested #:;oneshots #:;il.dottore #:;weekly.anon #something short to pump my writing juices back into the game #I MISS U SM WEEKLY ANON <3

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clumsy-jiminie · 2 months

Text

ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙʟʏ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ | ᴘᴊᴍ | ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜʀ

❝ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀ ʜᴏᴏᴅɪᴇ ❞

↣ summary :: Kiara Smith had dreamed of true love for as long as she could remember. from being obsessed with the Disney princesses who found affection in the strangest situations to dressing up as a bride from kindergarten to fourth grade. it was the only thing she ever truly desired, so much so that a pleasant smile and kind eyes could have her smitten in seconds. right when she thought she found the one, a chance encounter with Park Jimin—the city’s famously perfect fuck boy with a smile so warm and a heart of ice—has her feeling quite the opposite. he knocks her off her axis and derails her life as she knows it, yet the universe seems to have another plan for the two.

↣ rating :: 18+

↣ genre :: fluff, angst, smut, e2l, slow burn

↣ pairing :: business owner!jimin x fem!artist!oc ft. taehyung

↣ word count :: 4.7k

↣ chapter warnings :: mature language, angst without resolve, smut - marking, unprotected sex, creampie

↣ notes :: pretty pretty please don't let anyone treat you like this 🥺 small argument or not, there are healthy ways to communicate this type of insecurity 🫶🏽

↣ next :: previous :: series m.list ↢

if you have any questions, comments, or concerns PLEASE don't hesitate to message me or send me an ask! my inbox is always open. 💖

"I can see that look in your eyes, the one that shoots me every time you grace me with your cold shoulder."

- ᴄᴏʟᴅ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅᴇʀ, ᴀᴅᴇʟᴇ -

Kiara stuffed her hands in her oversized hoodie pocket as her feet led her through the hustle and bustle of the city streets. The weather was getting more tolerable as they approached a new month in the year. But then again, you could have a full snowstorm in New York in the spring. She kept her outfit light today, as light as she could go without freezing: A hoodie, a pair of leggings, and a spring jacket. The sneakers on her feet were old—dirt and stains in the crevices while the laces started wearing out. Kehlani blasted through her headphones as she weaved through people. She missed the city dearly. There was something about the feeling here that was addictive. Everyone had somewhere to be—whether it was to a job that they hated or a job that they loved, to see a family member, to sell a hat, to shop until they created a debt, or to see something incredible. Everyone had a story, no matter how big or small.

Kiara's story led her to a quaint coffee shop. Tiny and modern, it is a perfect puzzle piece in the large-scale picture of Manhattan—the smell of dark beans roasting mixed with the semi-sweet scents of freshly baked pastries. Exposed brick and pipes gave the place an industrial feel, partnered with the greenery hanging from the walls. Furniture with dark wood and black metal legs contrasted with the grey concrete flooring.

Despite it now being a crowded place where teens and adults alike could get their daily fix of the dark liquid, she knew this place from its humble beginnings. Mr. Choi brewed a mean cup of Joe, and she would sip it during the early morning rush before class in college. She and her best friends practically lived in this shop during school. They were always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Mr. Choi almost adopted them, considering how often they were there. Jeongguk even got a job here at some point, figuring if he was going to spend all his time here, he might as well get paid for it.

They still gather here occasionally, especially on days like today. When Kiara arrived at the door, she pushed it open. A crowd greeted her upon entering. Most had drinks in their hands already but were struggling to find a seat in this small coffee shop. Kiara squeezed through the people until she arrived at her usual table. A seat by the window had her name engraved on it, and she slid into it with ease. She finally pulled off her headphones, greeting the midnight-haired girl across from her.

Samira glanced up from her tablet, her lips forming a wide smile as she chewed her gum. "Sup Ki."

"Not much. You doing wedding work?" She asked as she watched Samira write on the device while looking at information on her phone.

She nodded. "I gotta get these bouquet choices to Momo later today. I also gotta show her these swatches of blue." She tapped on her tablet several times before lifting it to show the woman.

Kiara stared at the four squares on the screen. Each blue was the same hue, but the tints, shades, and undertones varied. Her lips pursed as she examined the options. "I, personally, like the first one," she said as she leaned back. "It's soft and kinda reminds me of winter. Like how the sky looks on a clear day."

Samira turned the device back to her, staring at the color while she nodded. "See, this is why it's always great to have an artist as a friend." Kiara rolled her eyes while Samira chuckled. "Speaking of, anything happening with that? Are you close to buying that house like the sugar mama you are?"

Kiara's jaw dropped before she lifted her leg to kick the girl under the table. Samira laughed loudly. "I'm not a sugar mama!"

"Is he helping you pay?"

"…No."

"Then you're a sugar mama." Samira was always so blunt, and that's why Kiara loved her. It wasn't always jokes, but she would always call the girl out when she was being dramatic or wrong.

"Anyway!" Kiara exclaimed. "I had a client dinner last night."

”Ooh, tea time." Samira locked her table and phone, giving the other her full attention. "Was he hot? Was he single? You had a little fun last night?" She asked as she wiggled her eyebrows. She leaned in, resting her elbows on the table while holding her face in her hands.

Kiara's face suddenly grew hot, and she reached up to involuntarily cover her neck with her hand. She had forgotten about the hickey Taehyung had left on her for a split second, hoping the hoodie would've covered it for her. "No!" She said quickly, hoping Samira didn't notice the red staining her cheeks. But she did, causing a smirk on her friend's lips. "He was that same asshat from the gallery."

"Oh." Her smirk quickly faded. She scrunched up her nose with disgust as her shoulders dropped.

"And turns out he wasn't just having a bad day. He was actually just a dick. He called me a coward, then selfish! All because I would rather separate my painter life from my regular life." Kiara pouted at the end of her sentence, leaning back into her chair. It was still a fresh wound, making her rethink every choice she had made thus far.

Samira scoffed. "He obviously doesn't know you. In fact, if you ever see him on the streets, let me know. I'll beat his ass."

Kiara's eyes widened as she quietly chuckled. "What is with you and Kookie being so violent?"

"Don't act like you're not the same. Just because you're in a little relationship that has you acting all prim and proper doesn't mean I don't know the real Kiara and how she used to beat ass because someone looked at me funny."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "I was younger back then and clearly had uncontrolled anger."

"Yeah, sure," Samira smiled while shaking her head. "Speaking of JK, when is he going up?"

Kiara shrugged as she grabbed her phone, looking at the time. "You know he never gives a time for these things." Suddenly, the coffee shop roared with cheers, grabbing the girl's attention. They looked towards a small stage along the shop's farthest wall. "Speak of the devil," she smirked as the tall man approached the stage. He wore a black T-shirt with a pair of dark denim jeans. There was a silver chain that hung from his belt loops. Sitting down at the piano on the stage, he tugged a stray strand of his midnight hair behind his ear. A microphone was attached to the instrument, angled perfectly so the person could speak.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," his smooth voice entered the mic and echoed through the establishment. Samira and Kiara locked eyes before covering their mouths to hide the giggles that quietly escaped. "This song is called 17, and I hope you enjoy it."

His fingers began to press on the white and black keys, combining the notes until they formed a beautiful melody.

"I would need a million words if I tried to define all the things you mean to me…."

His voice was like laying on a cloud — soft and fluffy, wrapping around you like a warm embrace. Everyone in the store was mesmerized; even those who came in solely for a beverage stopped to listen for a few moments. They always left with a broad smile after. Jeongguk's voice has affected people ever since he was little. Kiara couldn't help but smile as she watched her best friend do what he loved. He shut his eyes as he sang, tuning out everything around him until nothing was left but notes. Kiara felt like a mother watching her child's first performance.

She knew everyone in that room fell in love based on their reaction when Jeongguk sang his last note. It was overwhelmingly positive. The audience overfilled the tip jar near the bottom of the stage with bills and coins. Jeongguk stood up with a smile so wide on his lips that his eyes crinkled, smiling along with him. He bowed as the crowd cheered for him, leaning down to grab the tip jar before walking off the stage. Women who were bold enough stopped and flirted with him as he passed through the crowd. All Jeongguk did was laugh it off and politely turn them down, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him. He reached his usual table, dropping the jar onto the table with an obnoxious thud. He made the same sound as he dropped down in the seat next to Kiara, letting out a dramatic sigh.

The girls exchanged a look before watching as his eyes closed, breathing heavily. "God, it's so hard being wanted." The two burst into laughter as he grinned, opening his eyes to look at them. "So? What did you guys think?"

"Not my favorite song," Samira said with a smirk.

"It's a good thing I don't value your opinion," Jeongguk quipped before sticking his tongue out, causing her to mirror his reaction. After a moment, he turned his head to Kiara, waiting for her answer.

"You know I loved it Kookie." She smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat as heat rushed to his ears. She chuckled as she poked at his reddening skin with her finger, making his body scrunch up like a snail recoiling into their shell. "How long did it take to write this one?"

"Only a few weeks this time," he answered with a smile. His silver lip rings glimmered as he spoke.

Kiara's smile was still etched on her lips, leaning over to the man. The scent of fresh laundry with the faintest hint of cologne entered her nostrils as she cupped his jaw in her hand. She squeezed Jeongguk's cheeks until his pink lips puffed out, shaking his head from side to side a little. "Look at him, Sammie! Our little bunny boy is growing up so fast!" Jeongguk chuckled, trying to pull her hand away, but her grip was tight.

Samira grinned, reaching her hand out to join in the fun of playing with Jeongguk's face. Her hand replaced Kiara's as she pouted out her lips. "I know! We did such a good job raising our little bunny boy." She teased in a baby voice.

Jeongguk rolled his eyes, pulling Samira's hand away from his face. "You know we're the same age, right?!"

The two girls glanced at each other before looking at the man. "And?" Kiara asked.

"Your point?" Samira added.

Jeongguk stared at them, shaking his head as he smiled. "You guys kill me." He reached into his tip jar, pulling out various bill amounts. "Y'all what something? It's on me."

The girls enthusiastically agreed before Jeongguk handed Kiara some money. She got their orders before standing up and walking towards the counter. She squeezed through the shoulders of random customers. Most waited for their drink orders, while others stayed for the atmosphere. Kiara hated crowded places like this. People had no respect for personal space or sense of how much space they took up. And because it's an establishment, she couldn't necessarily mow through people like she could on the streets. The crowd was less tight when she finally got closer to the counter. She sighed deeply, taking a single step before someone bumped right into her. She quickly felt something warm spreading from her chest to her abdomen, glancing down to see coffee all over her cream hoodie.

”What the fuck?!" She shrieked without taking a second to remember where she was. She reached for the napkins on the counter, frantically patting at her chest and torso.

"Oh my god, I'm so—" His eyes then met with the familiar golden skin Kiara possessed. He couldn't help the playful smirk that formed on his lips. "Well, doesn't karma have a funny way of working?" Jimin said, his words laced with smugness.

Kiara glared up at the blonde, huffing as she accepted defeat. Her hoodie was forever stained. "Eat ass, Park." His eyelids lowered at the girl. Why did his last name sound so unique, leaving her mouth wrapped in that annoyed tone? Maybe it was how she formed the noun—the light reflecting off lovely glossed lips as they parted to allow the syllable to roll off her tongue. It was intoxicating to watch. "You owe me a new shirt!"

His brows drew together as he tilted his head to the side. "Oh? If that's the case, I should send you my dry cleaning bill from last night."

"Fuck you, that was water!" She snapped at him. "And this is coffee! I'm never gonna get this out!"

His face remained unchanged despite receiving daggers from the girl. The most he did was shrug, causing her jaw to drop. "It wasn't that cute of a hoodie."

"What do you know about cute hoodies?!" She sounded a bit like a child, making the man chuckle softly.

"Enough to know yours isn't."

Kiara's eye twitched before she covered her face with her hands. She dragged them down her face, pulling gently at the skin as it relieved some of the building stress. She wanted to punch him in his nose. Or his mouth. Or anywhere on his body, in that case. He was such an asshole. The least he could've said was sorry. Maybe even offer to buy her a new hoodie. But no, even in moments where he was wrong, he still was an asshole through and through. "You are such a—"

"Woah, what the fuck happened?" She recognized Jeongguk's voice almost instantly. He stood beside her, staring at the massive stain on her shirt. Jimin eyed the new man, practically sizing him up despite the man being taller.

She inhaled deeply before sighing. "Nothing, nothing," she said as she shook her head. She wrapped her fingers around the man's tattooed bicep as she looked up at him. Eyes so big and round. Love, the blonde thought as he watched their interaction intently. How come she never looked at Jimin like that? But why did he want her to look at him like that? "Do you have a spare hoodie?"

The man looked down at her with the softest eyes, like she was the only person in the world to him. Jimin's brows furrowed again as he watched the warm smile form on Jeongguk's lips. "Yeah, of course."

She didn't need to say thank you; her eyes said more than enough. She then glanced towards Jimin, and for the second time, he witnessed that fondness instantly dissipating. Kiara's amber eyes were set ablaze once again. "Fuck you," she spat before Jeongguk led her away. They disappeared behind some door with a sign that read employees only. Jimin felt the same heavy feeling from before, sitting uncomfortably in his stomach. He didn't know why he wanted her to look at him with fondness so severely. She was annoying, a coward, a complete headache, and nowhere near his type. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment before rejoining the line.

"He's such a fucking jerk!" Kiara groaned as she followed behind Jeongguk to the break room area. "Who the fuck spills coffee on someone and doesn't even apologize?!"

He stopped in front of his locker and opened it, grabbing one of the two hoodies that were inside. When working at a cafe with clumsy newbies, spare clothing is more of a necessity than a suggestion. "Who the fuck was he?" He asked as he tossed her the hoodie, and she caught it.

"The same dickhead from last night," she grumbled. She pulled her hoodie over her head, leaving her standing in just a red bra with an intricate white lace pattern. Jeongguk's eyes widened briefly before quickly looking up at the ceiling. Heat flooded his ears and over his face, as he tried to forget the image he just saw. "Like, first of all, what are the odds?" Kiara continued to rant casually as if she wasn't half naked. She pulled Jeongguk's black clothing over her head, slipping into the three times too big fabric. "Second of all, he's lucky I didn't fucking deck him."

Jeongguk's eyes finally returned to the girl once she was clothed again. "Wait, what? The guy from last night?"

Kiara nodded as she picked up her dirty hoodie. When she looked towards Jeongguk, he was suddenly gone. Her eyes grew wide as she ran after him. "Kookie!" She yelled as he walked through the door. She returned to the central part of the cafe, seeing Jeongguk glance around with his brows furrowed. She grabbed him, but that didn't stop him from scanning the room. "You're on the clock!" She whispered.

All Jeongguk did was suck his teeth. "Man's lucky I like my job," he continued to look regardless, "and I can't find him."

Kiara rolled her eyes before patting his chest, "You need therapy."

"You need therapy," Jeongguk taunted quietly as Kiara joined the line again.

Kiara said goodbye to Jeongguk, watching him pull off on his motorcycle before walking inside her house. She sighed heavily upon entering, her energy drained from today's activities. After the coffee shop debacle, the three decided to hang out at Samira's house like old times. Little did Jeongguk and Kiara know that agreeing to hang out meant helping her with wedding planning. The woman was so passionate and dedicated to her job that it was something to admire, but only from afar. Her apartment was a wreck, littered with pictures and business cards. Kiara knew Samira's seriousness about her job, but since agreeing to be Momo's wedding planner, she has gone off her rocker. She ate, slept, breathed wedding details, and dragged the other two into it.

As she kicked off her sneakers, she could hear jazz music blasting from the kitchen. "Babe?" She called out as her feet led her amongst the familiar path.

Soon, Taehyung popped his head into the kitchen archway, causing a smile on Kiara's lips. "Darling! When did you get home? I'm just about done with dinner." His boxy grin made her heart skip a beat. She soon joined him in the kitchen while he resumed cooking. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she pressed her face into his back. She took a deep breath, inhaling his scent mixed with fresh laundry. Taehyung chuckled softly, "Long day?" Kiara nodded, moving along with him as he acted like she wasn't currently attached to him. "Wanna talk about it over dinner?" She nodded again, releasing him once he picked up the plates.

They sat at their small dining room table, peacefully munching their food. Kiara looked up at Taehyung, who focused on his plate. That same warmth swamped her system. She felt so happy with him. She loved this small house they called home. She loved coming home after a long day to see his smiling face. She loved how comfortable she was with him. She glanced down at her left hand, eying her bare ring finger. If only this were enough for him.

"So?" Taehyung started with a mouth full of food. She filled him in on the events of last night and how they bled into today. Taehyung's features remained blank until the end, where he raised his eyebrows and shrugged a little. "I honestly wouldn't put that past him. He's a little snobby."

"There's a difference between being a little snobby and a complete dick. Like, do you think I'm selfish?" She asked as she placed her fork down.

He shrugged again. "You have your moments, but I don't think it's like what he's saying."

"Exactly! Everyone is a little selfish; it's just human. But he's making it seem like I wanna keep everything to myself on purpose." She folded her arms over her chest as she leaned into her chair.

Taehyung glanced at her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Is that a new hoodie?" He stared at the dark fabric covering her body with a red skull and crossbones decal in the center.

"No, it's JK's. He gave it to me after Jimin practically dumped his coffee on me."

"JK's?" He repeated to himself, almost scoffing as he nodded his head.

Kiara watched his reaction closely—how his body suddenly tense up and the corner of his lips pushed downward. She rolled her eyes before shutting them as she leaned her head back into the chair. "Don't start."

"Don't start what?" He chuckled, absent of any joy. "I just find it funny that you come home in his hoodie. He drop you off too?"

"Yes, he did. And it's just a hoodie, Tae. I didn't want to walk around with a huge coffee stain on me, especially in public."

"Samira didn't have anything?"

"No?" She snapped a little, raising her head and opening her eyes to look at him. Taehyung's eyes narrowed at her. "Why would Samira carry around extra clothing?"

"But he did? Or did he peel his own shirt off to give to you?" He laughed, running his hands through his slightly curled locks. "Shit like this always seems to conveniently happen to you. You come home with a piece of JK on you; whether it's his clothing or his smell, you were wearing his boxer briefs once!"

"Oh my god," Kiara mumbled while pressing her fingers to her temple.

"What was that?" Taehyung suddenly raised his voice. Her eyes met his, and just as she opened her mouth to respond, he lifted his hand. He used the gesture to silence her, and it did just that. The words died on her tongue, abandoned sounds running around in her head. "You know, this is getting ridiculous. If I had a girl best friend doing all of this with me, you would've flipped your shit a long time ago."

"Taehyung," she tried her hardest to remain calm. It would've been over if she raised her voice or said something with a hint of sarcasm. "I have been friends with this man for years now. There is absolutely nothing between us."

He scoffed loudly, "That's a likely story." He stood up from the table and walked over to the living room. Kiara sighed as she got up, following after him. She noticed he grabbed his leather jacket and a white baseball cap. He put the hat on to hide his midnight hair.

"Where are you going?" She asked, but there was no response. She rolled her eyes. "Taehyung," she reached out to grab his hand, but he quickly pulled away. He glared at her over his shoulder, making her step back.

She hated it when he looked at her like that. Like she was something vile, it made every insecurity she had crawl out of the depths of her brain and take center stage. Taehyung slid on some shoes, grabbed his keys, and walked out the front door, slamming it behind him. Her body jumped at the noise, tears stinging her eyes as she watched him pull out of the driveway from her window.

"Fuck," she sighed softly, turning to the table to grab her phone. She frantically clicked on Taehyung's contact, which was sent to voicemail each time. The tears filled to the brim before rolling down her cheeks silently. She used the sleeve of her hoodie to wipe away the waterworks, the hoodie that caused this whole mess. She never understood why he got like this and flipped a switch with ease. It was always over the tiniest things, too. She sat on the couch, chewing on her nails as she repeatedly called the man.

Taehyung was gone for hours, and by the time he returned home, he found Kiara passed out on the couch. She had replaced Jeongguk's black hoodie with one of Taehyung's grey ones instead. He carefully removed his jacket and shoes before walking to the sleeping girl and sitting in front of her. He gently wiped away her smudged mascara, causing her to scrunch her nose as she started to awake. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her nose, and then her cheek. He gently persuaded her to wake up, her tired eyes finally fluttering open to meet his. There weren't any words exchanged between the two before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was timid and soft. She followed his lead until she couldn't help but yearn for more of him.

The kiss guided Taehyung onto his knees, then to the couch with Kiara, where he found a place between her legs. Her hands ran up his arms, feeling his muscles subtly flexed underneath her touch. Within time, the kiss between the two grew heavier, his tongue gently appearing by grazing past her lip. She parted them just enough to let him in, their tongues gliding past each other as he pressed his hips into hers. Her hand traveled up to his head, where she swiftly pulled the cap off and tossed it to the ground. She ran her fingers through his soft hair, causing a soft moan to escape from his lips to hers.

He broke the kiss as his hand caressed her thigh. His lips found her neck, placing various kisses against her skin until her chest arched into his. And that's where he stayed, adding another bruise to her golden skin where the first one had barely healed. She moaned out for him, pressing her hips into his as she silently begged for more. He stuck his hand between their bodies, slipping his fingers underneath the fabric of her underwear. His middle finger found her clitoris with ease, gently circling it with the pad of his finger. Kiara tensed from his touch and then released. A chorus of moans parted from her throat as she tried to match the circling of her hips to his finger.

After being satisfied with the bruise on her neck, he crashed his lips into hers again. Her hips bucked against his finger, making his cock throb in his sweatpants. He couldn't wait much longer, breaking the kiss once again. He pulled his hand out of her panties before swiftly sliding them down her legs. He didn't bother with taking his pants off, only pulling them down enough for his member to spring free. He aligned himself with her entrance, sliding his tip in between her lips to lube himself up before pushing forward. She sucked in through her teeth, her brows furrowing as she tried to get accommodated to his length. It stung a little, but Taehyung continued, slowly pulling his hips back and then forward again. As soon as Kiara's face relaxed, he increased his pace.

Her eyes shut as she moaned out for him, gripping his arm tightly as he stretched out her walls. He worked her into the couch, skin slapping together as he fell into a rhythm. He leaned forward, resting his temple against hers as he panted and groaned into her ear. She whined, her hands traveling to his back where nails dug into his skin through the fabric. The power of his hips increased, his tip pressing into her cervix until he suddenly bottomed out and stopped. She could feel him throbbing before he pulled out of her. There was a cool breeze on her lower region as he got up, pulling his pants back onto his waist. He sat down beside her, panting as he used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. She felt uncomfortably wet, scared to move in fear of pushing Taehyung's seed out and onto the fabric of the couch.

"I'm going to bed," he said before getting up. He walked towards the bedroom before disappearing from her line of sight.

Kiara's eyes were wide with shock, and she scoffed quietly as she carefully pushed herself off the couch. She grabbed her underwear off the floor and shuffled to the bathroom, where she cleaned herself up. She couldn't understand how, even after that, he could still be cold to her. What was the point if he was still upset? After her shower, she walked into the room and crawled into the space next to him, feeling more alone than before.

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magnoliaroad · 1 month

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Magnolia Road is Moving + Exciting Projects!

Hi there - Rizu here! It's been about a year since I last posted an update here. Life got really busy and pulled me away from Petz. As life calmed down I had the itch to return to some unfinished petz projects! Here's a look at some of the things I've been working on. The major one being the launch of my new home - Magnolia Road on Neocities! Keep reading for more details!

When I first launched this tumblr blog, I wanted a platform that didn't require a whole lot of set-up to get started. While it has served its usefulness as my first home in the Petz community, I need more room for the amount of content that I'm planning on making.

So I've been quietly working on a complete website overhaul and it's been such a blast. I think it will serve me better as a home for my crew and petz content. For the foreseeable future I am planning on keeping this tumblr for long-form write-ups on Petz things.

Without further ado, check it out here.

Not everything on the website is finished but I've put the 'good enough' stamp on it for now. I'm looking forward to fleshing out the pages more with some exciting content.

On that note...

Projects!

Something that I've wanted to do for a while is to create more custom content for Petz 5. Though Petz 4 is the community favorite, I feel Petz 5 has a lot of nostalgic charm and a lot of potential for quality of life upgrades. Despite Petz 5's glitches and bugs, I've by and large have learned to live around them without too much trouble and largely prefer some aspects of Petz 5 over Petz 4, such as the expanded color palette for playscenes, weather, day/night cycles, being able to carry all the toyz with you, etc.

With the new content that I am working on, I hope to inspire some more love for Petz 5 and make it a more welcoming home for your Petz!

So what am I working on? I've been working on a MASSIVE rework of the Petz 5 playscenes. They are quite dated and an eye-store in some instances.

So here's a sneak peek of what I've got going so far. These are not finished yet so these may change a bit!

I'm going for a Luxury Living theme based off of neutral beiges, greys, and gold, with a touch of rococo. I've painstakingly fixed the window sprites (they're a pixelized mess in the original), replaced the garden backdrop with my renovated back yard (see below), and gave the night scene some gentle spot lighting. No more ugly orange floor and yellow fridge.

Continuing on the Luxury Living theme, the family room gets an upgrade.

This one definitely needs more work before it is done but here's my Cozy Cabin themed room.

I've always disliked the original snow scene in that all the trees look like lifeless lumpy snow blobs. I wanted to bring back some greenery and make the scene look more vibrant. I replaced the really bland skyboxes with more realistic skies, with the night scene featuring an aurora borealis.

Inspired by my love for Lilly Pulitzer prints, this beach remodel is a more colorful upgrade over the original. I've recolored the sand to look more like....sand and less like this weird ugly yellow sand the original had. I'm planning to make a daytime one as well.

Salon upgrade. This one is very incomplete, so expect this one to change a bit. The original dresser is so hideous that it's hard to make it look "better".

And finally, perhaps my pièce de résistance and my most time consuming overhaul was the backyard. The original looks so junky with its broken fence, muted colors, and lack of landscaping. It definitely needed some more life to it. I hope I achieved that with my 4 seasons remake of the back yard. To say it was a challenge is an understatement. I had to make 3 versions for EACH season. Day, night, and stormy versions. So 12 BMPs along with the edited leaf sprites. The fall leaves are not stills - they are recolors of the original animated sprites and move in the actual playscene! I was excited to be able to pull this one off and I'm happy with how it turned out.

And lastly I've reworked the Petz 5 carrying case skin with a template that makes it easy to come up with new carrying case skins quickly.

Here's just one of the many carrying case skins that I have planned. This one matches the pattern featured in the beach remodel.

And there you have it! These are all works in progress and I can't wait to share more updates with you all. As always, thank you for stopping by!

#petz #petz 5

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redheadspark · 1 year

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Blossom

Summary - Doubt always stopped you from love, not anymore.

Warnings - This has some SMUT in the end, so 18+ only, You have been warned!

Author's Note- I wanted to write a one-shot with a reunion with Druig after the Emergence and make it more sensual than anything. I hope you like it :)

Throughout your time on earth, seeing centuries come and go and the planet evolves in such a natural state, you never thought you would be in such a predicament as this.

Covered in a hint of sweat, your heart still racing under your skin and against your chest, and your eyes looking at the outstretched fingers of marble. The rolling waves from the ocean roar in your ears with the sea air in your hair and along your eyelashes. One week ago you were living in solitude out on the Oregon Coast in the Pacific Northwest, the cool ocean was always calling to you along with the ever-consistent greenery and lush foliage of the forest. You liked living alone, watching the humans from afar, and seeing where they are heading when it came to their evolution. They have come so far in your mind already and they have still battle through and endure.

You weren’t always alone though, yet for the past 400 years you chose to be. The group of beings that you were with since the dawn of human time on Earth were the first group of beings that you grew to love, you family if you will. You were all sent to Earth to stop Deviants from hurting or killing humans, and not to interfere with the human evolution which was never ending and consistently changing. It seemed so simple at first, yet watching all that the humans could do unfold in front of you was both thrilling at scary.

The others with you, other Eternals, they grew on your skin like a new mold that was for you to wear, a new shield across your fragile body to make you stronger. They were just as curious to the humans around them, willing to help but not too much. They were all unique in their own ways when it came to how to interact and help with the humans, yet you all hid in the shadows as times passed. The curiosity of humans morphed into fear, and fear morphed into anger. When you were once worshipped as Gods, you were then feared as if you were cursed spirits bringing nothing but trouble and pain for the humans.

Just a betrayal, from the very species you swore to protect.

Yet you all still loved them, their ever-fragile lives that were so short compared to yours, and their brains and knowledge limited compared to your own. You noticed as time went on some loved the humans more than others, thinking of them as good creatures that had more good in their hearts than bad. Even with all the sin and pain they caused one another, there was still good in the heart of humans. Three Eternals stood out in your mind with that kind of gentleness and empathy towards the humans. Ajak, your leader and the one sole being that could communicate with the Celestial who created you all: Arishem. Sersi, a kind-hearted Eternal whose gentleness and soft words could melt the iciest of hearts.

And lastly, the mind controller of the group of you: Druig.

There you stood in the ocean waves, not caring that your armor was now soaked in both the salt water and some of the grim and a hint of blood. You were letting the sound of the waves going up and down along the sand near your boots both calm you and remind you that you were alive. Barely alive as it was, you felt it in your muscles and wrapped around your bones. Almost like an ache from the top of your head to your toes, your head throbbing and fingers shaking.

There was never a moment when you felt this kind of intense sensation of grief and relief rolled into one. All within minutes, minutes that felt like hours, and minutes that could have been the difference between life and death. All from the simple courage of keeping the humans alive and keeping their species afloat.

Your mind was still occupied with the last several minutes: the near Emergence that almost destroyed the planet, The Domo being damaged thanks to Ikaris, and Ikaris turning on all of you.

It was hard enough to hear that he was the one who killed Ajak because of her change of heart with the humans, but to know he was going to follow through with the Emergence just because of his belief in Arishem, was a blow.

But the worst part of all of it was Ikaris killing Druig right in front of your eyes.

Druig, the one true pacifist of your entire family that also stole your heart at the same time.

He was always an air of mystery to you, from the very moment you two met on the Domo when you woke up for the first time. He seemed to be isolated, alone, compared to the rest of the group who were all meeting one another. Of course, you were meeting everyone too, both excited and anticipating helping the humans on the planet below. But he came to you first, holding out a hand for your to shake and you took it with no hesitance.

You should have known then at first touch, his larger yet soothing skin against yours when you went palm to palm, that your destinies would be intertwined from that moment on.

So many nights spent talking together within the hidden halls of the Domo or along the weathered paths in the forest, observing the humans side by side, and even relying on one another as not just Eternals but as friends made you two grow closer as time went on. Druig was seen as an aloof Immortal, the Mysterious God in the earlier times that would be on the sidelines instead of in the fight. Hiding in the shadows to watch the humans both grow together and harm one another. The others knew him as powerful, but they thought of him as more of a cranky fool than ambitious or well-liked. He did have a sense of humor, you were a witness to that from time to time, but you knew the best thing about him was that he had a heart of gold.

“The guy doesn’t like anything fun, how can you stand it?”

“Druig has more heart and grit than Ikaris does, Kingo. Surely you can see that too!”

You never thought you would be his advocate when it came to the others and their judgemental comments. The only other person who was ever on his side was Makkari, the speedster with sticky fingers and massive optimism. She was your close friend too, the three of you always being together and growing as friends with one another. Yet Makkari could even see at the time how you and Druig were so natural together, from the laughter that was shared and exchanged to the deeper talks and longing for the humans to be at peace. She saw how you two leaned on each other, lifted each other up, and how things seemed so….natural when you two were side by side.

Druig has a unique soul, Makkari signed at you while you two sat together outside the Domo, sharing a catch of apples from the local orchid behind you, You seem to be the only one who knows and cares about him.

“You care too,” You signed and said to her, Makkari shrugging, “He and I are friends, you make it sound like he likes me or something,”

What’s not to like? She questioned you as you took a rather large bite from your apple, You’re kind, empathetic to everyone, a bit stubborn at times.

You huffed and nudged her shoulder as she laughed, But you are good to him.

How? You signed to her, not understanding as she paused and thought to herself. She then grinned widely.

You listen. You listen to Druig when no one else wants to, and I know he wants someone to listen to him. She explained calmly, you pausing and drinking in what she said. In your mind it wasn’t so hard to listen o Druig, he always had something good and important to say to you. He had a lot on his mind and you never minded him sharing those thoughts with you. Whether they were simple and playful like badgering Pathos’s newest invention or joking about Ikaris and his pompous ways, or big and deep like how he wished for there to be peace with the humans. You hung onto every word since deep down you knew he wanted to be heard. Truly heard.

“Hello you two!”

You both looked over to see Druig approaching, carrying a mesh bag of with fruit inside. As he stood in front of you two, he reached in with a hint of anticipation on his face and in his eyes. You were thinking of your talk with Makkari, how she mentioned Druig in such a way that you Neve realized the flutter within your chest about him. It never occurred to you that you loved the way his brown hair shined brightly in the sun, or how the flushness in his cheeks would occur after getting a compliment or praise, or even the blue in his eyes shined like diamonds or the twinkling stars at midnight.

Maybe Makkari was right: maybe there was something there.

“For you,” Druig handed you an orange, ripe and massive in your palm. You grinned at him, feeling your fingers touch as he placed the fruit along your palm. You missed the hint of flush on his cheeks as you smiled for thanks, him moving along to give Makkari her own share.

The orange was delicious, and the gesture was grand.

As time grew on and the humans were getting more and more vicious with one another, you and Makkari could tell Druig was getting restless and more on edge. He couldn’t interfere with the humans and their natural evolution, none of your could. So for Druig to watch from the shadows all the murder, all the pain and turmoil that that humans did against one another, you knew he could snap at any moment. No matter how many talks you would have with him or reassure him that all was not lost, he was already lost in his own mind.

You couldn’t help your own best friend, and it was killing you in the end.

Feeling a hand along your backside, you looked a bit timidly to see Makkari going you on the surf of the beach. Seeing her alive, after the brutal beating from Ikaris moments before when you thought all was lost. Yet she was fine and well, not a scratch on her that would be concerning, so you were relieved. Once you two locked eyes, seeing your best friend alive and well, you took in a long breath and she wrapped you in her arms.

Apart from Druig, Makkari was closest to your heart. She knew just how to make you smile and bring you the best gifts. She always had her eyes open to the world and felt everything around her, using all of her senses and more to simply drink in the world and its ever-changing ways. You were heartbroken when you left Makkari and the group so long ago, you have missed her company immensely.

I’m okay she signed to you as you pulled away and scanned her up and down, you sighed in relief as Makkari grinned, You okay?

What were you going to say? How could you say what was festering n your mind and you wished to have come out? The festering feelings that you had towards Druig that now seemed lost since he was gone? The yearning that you had to tell him far before any of this happened? It was all there in your mind, no way of coming out with your words as you then saw Makkari look over her shoulder, almost as if she sensed something. She froze, her hand on your arm clenching for a moment and in such a grip that you felt like you would get a bruise under your armor. Looking at her in confusion, you took her hand.

“What?” You asked in a breath, then followed her gaze to see what has her attention. As soon as you saw it, you felt like the beach dropped out from beneath you, almost free-falling and yet flying at the same time. The silhouette made its way across the beach, leaving footprints behind him.

HIm. Druig. Alive.

Makkari slipped away from you as you were frozen on your spot on the sand, not running or leaving a flash of light behind her as she would in the past. She simply walked, as if he was some kind of illusion and she would break it using her speed. You thought he was an illusion, after seeing him nearly die from Ikaris and his rage. But there he was, being embraced by Makkari with a chuckle on his lips. You watched in amazement and in disbelief, Druig pressing his head to hers, whispering “It’s okay…it’s okay” to Makkair knowing she could read his lips. Makkari grinned, no longer mourning for him.

Druig looked from Makkari to you, his eyes shifting from the joy of seeing Makkari to now looking at your shocked face. Slowly he slipped away from Makkari, walking with ease across the top of the sand and with the wind picking up on his armor and in his hair. You felt like you could cry, you wished you could cry, from thinking of the worst and how all of those “What If’s” no longer were needed. You wanted to run to him, to wanted to wrap your arms around him.

You wanted….what did you want?

Druig took your hands first, lacing your fingers together gently to be palm to palm. His touch was real, the coolness of his calloused skin and fingers against your own made you shutter as you finally looked up from your joined hands to his eyes. He stood right in front of you, hands in the middle, and his eyes were forever soft. You thought back, back to the plenty of times you got lost in those eyes.

When he spoke about the humans, when he joked about Ikaris, when he would hear you talk to him about whatever was on your heart when he would laugh at something you or Makkari would say, when he cried after being told not to interfere with another war. Those moments are flooding your mind in that second, the blue orbs in all their shades that were all Druig rolled into one.

He was there.

Reaching up, you placed a hand on his cheek near his jaw to feel the cool skin on your palm. Once you touched his cheek, he smiled. You knew that smile, and that’s when you cried. Tears rolled down your cheeks, knowing this was no trick or sick dream in the afterlife you thought you were in. Instantly, Druig pulled you into his arms as you cried, keeping him close as you two embraced. Perhaps there was nothing to really say since it felt it in the hug he had on you. One arm around you like a shield, the other clutching your back along your shoulder blades. Your fingers were clutching his armor, your head in his shoulder to breathe him in as another reminder that he was alive and real. That Ikaris didn’t kill him, and that all was not completely lost.

“You missed me?” He asked, sounding like his old self as you two hugged. You laughed, though it was wet since you were still crying. Druig must have heard and sensed it as he leaned back to scan your eyes. He said nothing, maybe he wanted to but he was silent about it. Finally, he simply leaned his head in and touched his forehead with yours.

You knew this gesture all too well, you’ve seen It happen for centuries on end with humans all across the globe. It was a way of speaking without words, the simplest action of consenting to another persona s if you were connecting souls to be one. Touching foreheads meant comradery, it meant mutual respect, it meant friendship and mutual understanding, it meant the sharing of grief.

Lastly, it meant love. Love that was keeping than words and the touching of lips. Love seemed to be laced in time and with the evolution of humans. The one constant thing about humans was love. Love could be in all shades, shapes, and forms. bBt love was still the same.

And you felt it, right there on that beach, with the Mind Controller himself. You loved him with everything you had.

“Let’s rest here for a few days and then we can figure out what we need to do, and I think we earned some rest,”

“Great, I need to call my husband and son. What about you, Druig?”

“Erm, I’m gonna change out of my armor first before I do anythin’ else,”

You watched as Druig slipped out of the meeting room of the Domo and into his old living quarter down the hall, the others then making their way to the ramp that was lowering down onto the South Dakota soil beneath you all. The whistling sounds of the wind were heard as Phastos walked down the ramp first, Thena and Makkari were right behind him. Makkari stopped, seeing you stay in your spot and not follow them.

You coming? She asked, you shaking your head.

“I’m gonna stay and keep an eye on him,” You explained, Makkari giving you a small smile and a nod before she glided down the steps. Thena paused for a moment more, maybe trying to read the room and see the hesitance in your stance. Thena was good at reading between the lines, better than you ever were as she merely smiled. She picked up on something, though before you could say anything to her, she walked away and down the ramp. Even after a heated battle and dealing with her Mahd Wy Ry, Thena was still the powerful warrior you knew and admired for centuries.

Finally, being alone and with your thoughts, you looked back over in the direction of Druig’s quarters. Of course, you were going to keep an eye on him, he has gone through enough and beyond on that beach, and even before reuniting with the rest of the Eternals after walking away from them willingly. But you saw the pain in how Druig was walking, the stiffness in his stance, and in how he would squint with every other step. He was wounded and hurt, but Druig was also never one to seek out help.

So you were going to help him yourself.

You knew his stubborn side and were at the wrath of it a few times long ago, but it was never something that was out of your control. This was just the same, Druig wanting to mend his own wound and not have help. Even after the world nearly ended and he nearly escaped death. As you walked down the hallway, you replayed the reunion that you had on the beach. The feeling of being held by Druig, closely and intimately as if there was no one else watching. You’ve hugged before, so many times, and in so many situations.

Why was this one different? Why did you feel love in it?

Carefully and without making a sound, you placed your hands on the door that was slipped slightly open and you pushed it, feeling it slide over. Poking your head into the dark room, you instantly saw Druig standing in front of the mirror by his bed, looking at his armor and his reflection. He looked more somber, almost as if his mind was haunted by something. Not a scowl, but a pondering gaze as he was scanning his armor. His fingers were twitching at his side, one had moved up and attempted to undo one of the seams that could be taken off easily and have the armor slide off. But he hissed when he moved his arm, you clearing your throat and he looked through the mirror at you.

“You need a hand?” You asked, closing the door behind you. The familiar humming of the Domo and its Eternal energy was the only thing heard as you walked across the small space to be behind Druig. He nodded silently, placing his arm down as you reached up to his shoulder. Pausing for a brief moment, you looked from his shoulder over to his reflection, seeing how his face was a bit downcast. Almost like he was lost in thought yet again, you knew that look far too well for far too long.

“What are you thinking?” You asked softly as you then felt his armor under your fingers, feeling out the latches that were under the armor.

“What makes you think I’m thinkin’?” Druig asked you softly, the tremor of his voice was soft compared to the humming of the Domo with the Eternal Energy.

“Because I know the face you make when you’re thinking and contemplating,” You explained, “You’ve made the same face for the past 7,000 years, Druig. You can talk to me….like we used to,”

Druig said nothing at first as you got one latch done on his armor, then moved to the next latch. You never wanted to use or rush him into talking to you, it never worked that way in the past. He would find you on his own time, and vice versa with you. It seemed as if you two were so in tune with one another that you both inwardly knew when you needed to talk to each other.

That never faded, even after those 500 years of being away from one another and on separate parts of the planets. You felt that tug on some nights alone when you were out in the Pacific North West, longing to talk to Druig and to get his sound advice or pearls of wisdom that he always had. But mostly, you just missed him.

“I’m thinkin’ about the world almost endin’,” Druig said calmly, his eyes going back to his armor that he was still sporting as you got the second latch done before moving to the third near his neck and upper shoulder blade, “I’m thinkin’ about how I was in my village not 4 days ago….and I’m thinkin’ about how I’ve missed you all,”

“They all missed you too,” You reasoned as you were about to undo the last latch when Druig’s eyes snapped over to yours within a second.

“Would it be unkind for me to say I’ve missed some more than others?” He asked you, not in a coy manner but sounding genuine. You had to smile, thinking nothing of it since it was a simple question.

“I don’t think so,” you replied in a hum, though you could tell Druig’s eyes were on you as you were looking at the intrinsic designs of Druig’s armor right in front of your eyes, “I know you and Makkari are very close—“

“I have missed her, but she’s not who I was talking about,” Druig interrupted you gently, and you hear almost a subtle hint in his tone as you were trying to avoid seeing his eyes. You were hoping that he was talking about someone else, anyone else, because you knew if he was talking about you, then you would both be petrified and ecstatic at the same time.

Ecstatic, because you knew those feelings that you had about him were accurate and true. Petrified, because you didn’t know what would happen between the pair of you from that moment on.

“It’s been some time, Druig,” You started, keeping your eyes down but seeing him out of your side view.

“It has,” Druig agreed, “We haven’t actually talked in some time, we used to be close,”

He wasn’t lying then, and as you were contemplating what you were going to or what you were going to say, Druig reached up and touched your hand that was on his shoulder, still not moving from undoing the last latch. Almost like a sign that you were waiting to undo the last latch of hesitance within you, and all Druig had to do was say the right thing or do the right gesture.

“I know,” You agreed, though your voice was not as bold as it was before. A vulnerability was coming in with no way or you to slow it down to eliminate it. And as Druig laced your fingers together on the top of his shoulder, you once again remembered all of those lost moments with Druig so long ago.

Was the feeling the love consistently there?

“Druig,” You started to say, though you had no real sentence formed together in what you were going to tell him, “I—“

Druig moved before he could stop, turning to face you within a moment and being nose-to-nose with you. You exhaled, almost lost in the sudden movement as Druig leaned in and kissed you.

Your mind was blank, your breath was gone, and you felt as though you woke up for the first time on The Domo all over again.

His lips against yours felt so soft, almost like touching the velvet pedals on a newly bloomed flower. Maybe it almost felt like a breath of fog that would brush against your skin to make you shiver, but the sensation of your heart unfolding as if it was tucked in for far too long felt surreal, uneasy, but much needed. He still held your hand, not with force but almost not with too much gentleness either. You felt it in how he kept your joined hands together: He was wanting to kiss you for some time.

But it was gone far too soon, Druig pulled away from one simple kiss that seemed to move mountains inside of you. He barely pulled away, you slowly opening your eyes to see him watching you for some kind of reaction. Did he think you were going to slap him? Or walk out the door and pretend that kiss never happened?

None of that was on your mind, and you leaned back in and kissed him just as softly.

Both of you moved then, not fast and quick like your beating heart, but carefully and in precision. Your fingers were reaching up to cup his face, feeling him slightly tremble as he kissed you over and over. His hands went around your waist instantly, and you felt him tug you in a bit closer as you both were consistently kissing. There was no way for you to stop, after thousands of years of hiding what you were feeling and not telling a soul.

Druig’s hands moved as well as yours, his going along your waist where there was an opening of your armor and he started to undo the latches there while he was keeping his constant slow kisses against your lips. Your body was reacting because of it too, your own fingers seeking out the latch on his shoulder blade. Finally, it clicked off, Druig moved his arms to let the top part of his armor slip off and fall to the floor as he was now moving his kisses to your cheeks and then your jawline. There was no urgency, it felt like Druig was mapping your skin with his lips and trying to engrain the feeling in his own mind. You were doing the same too, your mind was overwhelmed as his armor fell to the ground and his own fingers got your armor loosened too.

Once your armor fell to the ground, another layer came undone

His hands found your waist under your undergarments, you sighed as his lips were along your neck and kissing you so gently, it was like he was afraid you would be frightened by him. Your own hands moved on their own too, landing on his forearms to feel the muscles he developed thanks to running a village deep in the Amazon Jungle.

His fingers along your skin were electric, you felt like he had some kind of mind control over you though it was never the case. Neither one of you was slowing down on your kissing, and your neck was far too sensitive for his lips as you leaned into him some more. You could feel him slowly going lower with his lips, you moaning softly as he then moved away to stare at you deeply. With cherry lips and dilated blue orbs, Druig looked as if he was in his most vulnerable state, and you thought he was downright beautiful.

No walls to hide behind or to put up, no hesitance in what he wanted to do or how he wanted to do it. No reservations, he was simply bare and open to you in this small moment of time.

“I’ve only thought of you for all those 500 years since I walked away,” Druig said to you carefully, you watching his eyes as he held you a pinch tighter, “I should have said something way sooner: I was in love with you, and I still am.”

All this time? Were there signs of his love for you that you didn’t see or were blinded by? There had to have been signs all around you that Druig had feelings for you, and now you felt like a fool. But that had to be placed in the past, everything else that was in the past no longer mattered to you or to Druig. So you smiled, smiled so wide that you felt it in your cheeks as Druig then grinned too.

“I love you too,” You whispered to him, knowing it was true. Nothing else was as certain as those three words that you said to Druig. You had to let your heart guide you as you two undressed each other slowly and with such gentleness, time seemed to have slowed for you two. As clothes were tangled on the floor, Druig eased you into his lap on the bed as your lips never stopped kissing and your hands never stopped roaming.

Feeling this kind of love expanded and heightened was an out-of-body experience for you, Druig touching you in places where you would tremble and whimper in his arms and his love for you kept flowing and growing. He never slowed in his affection, lips traveling over your breasts and stomach, hands grazing your thighs and along your aching core, and his eyes mystified at the sight of you bare and open for him on the bed. He was just as bare, you taking in a breath in how you two got to this place and neither one of you wanted to go back. You loved having him in your arms, touching him along his own legs and hips to hear him moan as he swallowed your whimpers with his kisses.

Druig bringing you pleasure made you think of seeing the stars for the first time up in the heavens in the earlier years on Earth. Your senses were on overdrive and your own soul felt like it was expanding more and more as your pleasure was getting higher and higher. It was a sight to see, you sprawled on the bed and Druig between your legs and making your shake and moan so loud that you were inwardly glad the rest of the group was off the ship. But your mind was on Druig, feeling him lace your hands together as he kept your thighs parted and licked into your folds with vigor and delicacy.

Even as you were being held in his arms as he rolled his hips, you feel him go deeper and slower as you were holding on for dear life. Nothing else seemed to be flooding your mind in that room, just you and Druig tangled together in your sheets and letting each other feel the love you had for one another. It was always there from the very beginning, and now it was the instant sensation that you two were finally sharing it together. The way he held you as he fucked you, not in an animalistic way but in the way only Druig could. Deep and sensual, intense and yet gentle. It seemed like he was possessive of you, but at the same time, he moved your hands to where he knew where you wanted to touch.

Love was an insane feeling and sensational feeling, and you had it with Druig as you climaxed together.

After the rush was gone and you were in the afterglow, Druig still held you close as you were staring at one another. You both were in a sheen of sweat, hair all over the place, and your breathing was still labored. But there was a sense of peace there in that bed, you reached up to trace his brown hair away from his icy blue orbs.

“What are you thinking about?” You asked him as you could see him scanning your eyes. He scooted a bit closer, your shared body heat still couldn’t stop the shiver that you got as Druig traced your spine with his fingers. His kind and steady gaze were still cosmic after getting together in such a state he still took your breath away.

“How we could have had this sooner if I would have told you sooner how I felt,” he admitted. You felt your heart break a little bit from hearing that because you knew that deep down you are thinking the same thing. Perhaps you both were not realizing what was in front of you all this time, what could have blossomed into something beautiful and good.

“We still have time, Druig,” You reminded him, seeing him blink slowly at you as you kissed his palm soothingly, “There’s still time for us, and I wanna make it worth it with you,”

There was still uncertainty about your future now that the Emergence was over and you were all trying to find your ways again. There was no need to stay on Earth and wait for something, but the future will forever be foggy. For now, you were only thinking of the new love that was formed in the very bed, with the very Eternal who wished for love amongst the humans.

Druig leaned in a kiss you again, you sighing against his lips as he rolled to hover over you and kiss you all over your face. You had to giggle from the antic, Druig chuckled from hearing your laugh so light and floating in the air.

The fears were in the past, and your future was bright.

The End.

Tagged - @a-lumos-in-the-nox @botanicalbarnes @heartofwritiing @saradika @virtueassassin @heliosphere8 @basicrese @ethereal-athalia

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