#these two couldn't be any more different but they have me in a chokehold | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cythiraeth · 6 months

Text

cupid's chokehold! - i. e. the moment genshin men knew they've fallen for you

✧ ─ ⌑ pairing: gn!reader x al-haitham, cyno, xiao (separate)

✧ ─ ⌑ short summary: the exact moment (or process which lead to it) when genshin men knew that they are head over heels in love with you!

✧ ─ ⌑ about the work: lowercase, fluff, not proof-read, lighter (?) and more free form of the work this time!

✧ ─ ⌑ notes: ehe, long time no see! i'm back to life and posting, so to start i picked something that was easier to write and is slightly in a different form than my previous works, however, i hope you'll like it :> also, i'm still waiting for any work requests, so if you have any idea, feel free to messege me!!

✧ ─ ⌑ word count: 1.5 k in total

al-haitham

seeing you in a pretty, elegant outfit, probably some kind of dress or suit, maybe showing your collarbones or it just being mesmerizing, it's up to you how you imagine a perfect fit ;) he is just PHYSICALLY UNABLE to take his eyes off you! the usually calm and collected al-haitham forgets how to use the ability to speak for a brief second.

the moment you left the room in which you were getting ready as he was waiting outside, he almost gasped out loud

i mean literally, this man's brain stopped working for a second

you two were supposed to attend tighnari's birthday party, and while he didn't consider it a occasion to wear something elegant, you did the opposite

that's why he was left so speechless. because he was caught by surprise! he thought you would wear your casual clothes just as he did…

but it happened, you wore one of your favorite outfits for special occasions, and he was flabbergasted

of course it's not like your look was the only reason he has fallen for you! he was definitely considering it many times before this happened, but he was living in denial.

"no, i don't actually have feelings for them. they make me feel comfortable, i crave hearing their voice or laugh and i care about them a lot, but no, we're just friends" - probably al-haitham to himself at some point in his life.

but this time, he couldn't explain his feelings in any rational way known to man. you were so stunning that his eyes shined uncontrollably when he laid them on you. he was so busy studying your silhouette, your face and your hair that he didn't even hear your first question, which was:

"and? how do i look?" you asked, opening the door but still keeping your hands on the doorframe and leaning on it. you were slightly blushed because it was quite embarrassing to let him see you like this, but if you were to be honest, you were also a little bit excited to see his reaction

so when he didn't even answer you and remained indifferent on the outside, the slightly raised corners of your mouth drooped

you just weren't aware of what he's been experiencing on the inside…

because his heart started pounding a little bit faster and he was ashamed of it but on the other hand you looked gorgeous and he couldn't stop himself from thinking about what would he do if you were in relationship

(he had such a strong urge to kiss your hand like a gentleman for some reason)

"what? do i really look that bad?" you asked after you have swallowed the bitterness of your first impression

"sorry?" he said, blinking, your words drawing him out of his reverie, "did you say something?"

you snorted, annoyed by his behavior, assuming that he probably couldn't care less about your look at the moment, but at least he should try to pretend he does

but oh, how wrong you were…

when you repeated the question he only murmured something under his breath in response, so you decided to let him be

you noticed he got sweaty all of sudden, it was probably too hot for him inside, you thought, so you took the last things and you two left the house.

in reality, he wasn't feeling hot because of the temperature of course, but he was just as surprised by his own actions as you were. surprised in a slightly different way though….

cyno

talking with tighnari... he found all his confidence to talk to him about his possible feelings for you, that he could not recognize and tighnari was left speechless because of how innocent and lost in his feeling cyno looked

he was probably hanging out with tighnari someday, maybe they went out for a dinner, and somehow the topic of conversation has come down to you

for a long time he was hesitant to talk about his feeling towards you out loud but today he decided he'd try discussing it with his friend

because if not tighnari then who would be a suitable person? surely not you

also, don't think that he was aware of what he's feeling. HAHA, no. he would never

"what in your opinion y/n thinks of me…?" was his first question. he tried to choose the words carefully and say it in his normal tone but even a small sign of arousal in his voice was enough for tighnari to notice that something is up

"and why are you asking?" he wanted to make sure that his interpretation is right

"no reason in particular," his answer was quick, those words escaped his lips uncontrollably, so he had to add something "i just consider them a close friend and i want to know if they do too."

tignari almost started laughing out loud, but he controlled himself.

close friend? oh man, he is so clueless…

"are you sure that they are a "close friend?"" he was actually having some fun but at the same time he just wanted to smack himself on the forehead, he couldn't decide

"well, definitely not a "distant friend""

that's it, that's the moment when tighnari smacked his forehead

"i'll pretend i didn't hear that," he tried to be serious, but it wasn't easy. "listen, you look at them like they are your entire world. that's the kind of look people give to their lovers, not close friends!" he finally said it out loud

cyno had to blink twice to process what was just said.

he. in love. with you?

maybe? i mean, he always cared about your opinion about his jokes the most and he wanted to spend as much time as possible with you… but he thought that it's normal for friends to feel this way. and to steal glances at you person when you aren't looking, and to read every book you recommend him…

"you say so?" he finally asked, resting his chin on his hands "then maybe you're right," he admitted out loud

"FINALLY" tighnari couldn't hold it any longer… he was SO relieved that his friend won't be acting like he is running around in the fog anymore… right?

"and why are you so emotional about it?" cyno was genuinely confused (pls help this man he is often so clueless)

"because by now even collei knew"

xiao

when you kept coming back after all of his attempts to push you away. he wanted to protect you, protect you from him, because for a human it would be better to stay away from his karmic debt, right? but when you remained determined to get closer to him no matter how many times he tried to disencourage you, he slowly realized that maybe, just maybe he can let you get closer to his heart than he ever let anyone to be.

in his case, there wasn't any particular situation that made him realize his feelings, it was rather a complex and long process (not really a chokehold then but shh…)

he knew you for several months despite of his numerous attempts of cutting any ties he had with you

it was just that… you were stubborn. but not in a regular way, no. your stubbornness was much less invasive and annoying, and it manifested in your constant willingness to get closer to him

however, you never imposed yourself nor did you try convincing him! you were just visiting wangshu inn regularly, maybe tried striking up a conversation a few times, even just sitting in silence was enough for you

and because of all those actions he never felt overwhelmed by your presence! actually, after some time, he just got used to it and secretly started liking it

however, there was always this silent voice in the back of his head that he shouldn't be doing this and that he's forgetting himself

so definitely, when he slowly started thinking of you in that way at the very beginning he was IN SUCH A BIG DENIAL that it's almost unbelievable

alright, he admitted it to himself, but swore to N E V E R talk to anyone about it, especially and above all, to you.

he just decided to act as if those feelings didn't exist, that's all. and it went like that for quite a long time unfortunately… (at least you can be sure that he keeps his promises at all costs!!)

and after some time, when he was surprised that they didn't just go away, a certain thought crossed his mind…

he started thinking about what ifs and imagining what could happen if he theoretically decided to tell you about his feelings

(he spent another few months on that though)

at some point he just couldn't look at you without seeing you both holding hands in his mind or stand next to you without the urge to put his hand on your shoulder (of course only in private, he would never do pda…)

but still, his karmic debt…

he was so torn between those two thoughts (there were two wolves inside of him)

but as you expect, after months of his internal struggling, and your consistency in getting closer to him and encouraging him to open up, he let his feelings win for once in his long life

(take good care of him because he deserves it)

⌞⌑ cythiraeth - 23.11.2023. please, do not copy, claim as yours or share outside tumblr! ⌑⌝

#genshin fluff #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin scenarios #xiao x reader #alhaitham x reader #cyno x reader #genshin cyno #genshin xiao #al haitam x reader

381 notes · View notes

staytinyville · 4 months

Text

Stay Alive (42)

BTS poly!ot7 x Reader

Magical Creatures AU

Series Masterlist

Warnings: none

A/N NOT BETA. I am back to writing! I am crying. You have no idea how terrible this past two weeks was for me. I felt so out of place not writing but for some reason I couldn't find it in me to get back to it. I had lost literally all passion for it. So much happened that really didn't put me in the right state of mind. But I got back to it and found my passion again! So here is the long awaited Hobi chapter! I'm so excited to hear your thoughts on this one.

Hoseok lived in the same region your grandparents had. It was nice to take in the beautiful sights you were so familiar with. However, watching as creatures and different kinds of magical beasts mingle about. The flora and fauna were much different to your own home–it seemed like everything flourished a lot more.

Taehyung had told you about how witches and faeries lived out in nature because it made them feel connected. As you held onto his hand, you smiled softly as his fingers weaved between the bushes and trees that covered the path they were taking. Your eyes widened as the foliage seemed to bloom and follow along with his hands.

“Hoseok!” Someone shouted, moving along the path as they came upon a large cottage.

You smiled to yourself, finally seeing the kind of house you had assumed this world would have. However, it was still large. You were sure the inside looked spectacular.

You let go of Hoseok’s hand, allowing him to embrace his mother and another woman who was crying.

“Oh, my baby boy!” His mother smiled, looking over his shoulder to find you. “This must be your mate.” She exclaimed walking over to you to give you a hug. “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

She turned around to her son, smiling as he was being bullied by the other woman. She had him in a chokehold, laughing when he tried to pull at her with the grass that was growing exponentially.

“I came home when mom called to tell us that you finally came back.” She smiled, patting Hoseok on the back.

“All thanks to (Y/N).” Hobi smiled, reaching out for your hand.

“We owe you so much.” Hoseok’s mother smiled softly, dropping her hand onto your shoulder.

“It was nothing.” You smiled bashfully.

“Nonsense!” Hoseok’s sister exclaimed. “Please, allow me to give you something in return.” She reached out to hold your hands. “Not only did you bring my brother back but you also brought his coven home. I'm sure their families would give you something as well.” She told you softly.

“I don't know—” You tried to tell her it was alright but she just gave you a smile.

“Let me give you a reading.” She stopped you.

“A reading?” Your eyebrows furrowed, looking over at Hobi.

“Jiwoo is a master at reading people.” He explained. “Witches clairsenses are a lot stronger than anyone else. We can predict futures, see the dead, see what haunts you. It's part of our abilities.” He told you.

You grew interested, being reminded about how Taehyung had explained his abilities to you. He did tell you that you could find out what Hobi was capable of if you asked him. You assumed readings were part of the things witches could do that faeries couldn’t.

“Taehyung can't do that then?” You questioned.

“No.” Hobi answered. “Telepathy and mental manipulation is our thing. He can't do any of that.”

“Fairies have energy manipulation which is a very powerful thing.” Jiwoo told you. “However we have healing and can control the elements.”

You looked down to the grass, seeing that it had gone back to normal now that the siblings weren’t play fighting. You also remembered how the leaves and the trees followed after Hobi’s fingers as he passed them. You wondered what it was like to watch him play with fire or water.

“That's so cool.” You breathed out.

“Come.” Jiwoo quickly brought you into their home, the decor modernized as you guessed. “Sit!” She pushed you to sit at the dining table, moving a chair in front of you and taking your hands. “I already saw a lot the moment you walked in.”

You could feel something tingle at your fingertips, making you tilt your head. You suddenly felt something hovering over your shoulder. Hobi and his mother were standing behind Jiwoo, watching with curiosity. You wanted to turn your head and see what it was but Jiwoo stopped you before you could.

“Oh.” You watched as Jiwoo’s eyebrows rose, making you glance up at Hobi.

“I think the first thing I should say—you have a past with our world.” Jiwoo turned up to you. “Don't you?” She asked.

“Yeah.” You sighed, thinking about your grandfather. “Apparently I do.”

Jiwoo nodded her head, smiling over your shoulder. “You have a protector too. They've been there since you were a little girl. Butterflies are what I see around you.” She explained, running her fingers along your palms just to get a sense of your energy.

“Nabi.” Hobi spoke up. “It was a name you kept saying but didn't know where it came from.”

“They're someone very important in your story. Both the past and this one.” Jiwoo nodded to herself, pausing as though she was listening to someone. “I'm positive they were the ones who led you to my brother and his coven.”

“You really think that?” You asked, eyes wide.

“Of course.” Jiwoo hummed.

You flinched just for a moment, hearing a childish giggle from behind you. Hobi and his family must have heard because they all looked over you, smiling softly. You turned around, frowning when you couldn’t find anything. It was clear that the Jung family could see things that you were not.

“Now something I find extremely fascinating is the number 5.” You quickly furrowed your eyebrows, wondering what that would mean.

“It keeps turning up–four and then two. They are different animals–different creatures.” This only served to make you more confused. If it was about the boys there was seven of them, not five. It made you worry, thinking something was going to happen.

“I can't really tell what they are going to be but I know they have to do with the boys.” Jiwoo turned around, quickly pulling her brother to the table. “Hobi, come here.” She told him, making him place his hand over your own.

“Ah!” Jiwoo gasped out, hands flying away from the two of you as though she had been burned. “I found it! Babies!” She jumped up, her face having elation as she turned to her mother.

“Babies?” You asked, still confused. You looked up at Hobi, watching as he seemed to have a frown on his face and looked beyond confused.

Hobi was nowhere near as powerful when it came to his clairsense like his sister was. The most he knew was his mental abilities so watching how his sister made him take your hand brought things out of him. He saw the animals that seemed to scurry around. They were small things, indicating something childish and small. It was clear that Jiwoo knew exactly what they all meant by her screeching.

“Eomma!” Jiwoo shouted. “Five grandbabies!”

“Five?” You whispered, wide eyed.

“Grandbabies?” Hoseok repeated.

Hobi’s mother and sister took a moment to gush and talk about it–claiming that Hobi was going to be one of the babies' fathers. However you just kind of sat there with a wide eyed expression trying to go through the motions.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want children, it had more to do with the question Taehyung had asked you when you had visited his family. If you were to have their kids did that mean you were going to stay with them? Was that your answer without you even reaching it on your own?

Later that night, Hobi had taken you to his room–showing off everything he could. You smiled softly when he showed you his elemental manipulation. He created ice sculptures for you, made the wind blow through your hair, and had a flicker of fire crackling at his palms. It served to entertain you for a while, keeping your mind off what had happened with his mother.

But after she came to bid you both a goodnight, you were left awestruck once more at the happy expression the woman had on her face. You couldn’t know how she must have felt–spending ten years without her son only to come back and hear that he had finally found his forever and was going to make a family of his own.

It must have been something that one would think hard on–especially because the one who was meant to be the mate to seven men was human and not from their world.

“Five children.” You brought up, laying on Hobi’s chest. “Oh god.” You chuckled quietly.

“Wow, wow, wow.” Hoseok sat up, bringing you along with him so he could look at you properly. “You're okay. You're fine.” He tried to tell you. “Let's not think about it at the moment, yeah?” He said softly.

“How can I not?” You sighed. “Jiwoo told yoru mom it was going to be her grandchildren.” You smiled lightly, memorizing Hobi’s face. “Does that mean I'm going to have a family with you?” You whispered to him.

“Not everything is set in stone.” Hobi’s shoulders dropped thinking it wasn’t something you wanted. “You can always change your future.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, pulling a hand up to his cheek. “What if I don't want to?” You whispered.

His eyes went wide, looking at you incredulously. “You want—to start a family with me? With us?” He gasped, lip trembling as he thought about it.

“I don't think we're there yet but, staying with you all has been on my mind.” You laughed lightly.

“Who told you?” Hobi pouted, knowing it had been one of the boys who brought it up to you.

“Taehyung.” You giggled.

“Such a boy.” He rolled his eyes.

Taking a glance over your face, he smiled softly, moving to rub a thumb across your cheek. “Hey, I love you with everything in me. You have done so much for all of us that it's hard not to love you.”

“But we want you to know that even if we do love you, it's not our choice to make.” He added softly.

“I love you, Hoseok. I love you all so much I don't think I'd want to be away from you.” You leaned forward, breathing against his lips.

“We have to save everyone first. And then we can talk about our coven.” Hoseok told you.

He leaned down capturing your lips in a kiss.

And so you smiled at him, knowing exactly what you wanted to do now that you had heard it from them all. You weren’t going to leave them. It would hurt too much. So you knew that deep down this was your story alongside them.

Series Masterlist

@h3arteyes4mingi , @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh , @rinkud, @rln-byg , @singukieee , @hoshi-is-ult-bbg , @ldysmfrst , @juju-2275922 , @alienchickenpoop , @dreamerwasfound , @afangirl91 , @psiphidragon , @puppyminnnie , @shyloh-the-cornsnake , @ollyoxenfrees , @whynotlarene , @beeltsumu , @cryingpages , @milopenne , @belikejk , @thatonedemigodfromseoul , @woozixo,

94 notes · View notes

regulusrules · 1 year

Text

Ranking the best 10 Merlin episodes + a fic rec based on each one:

(absolutely not based on how gay they were) ((no order for the eps; they're all chef's kiss)) (((last two fics have a hold on me that levels the show itself; worth scrolling for)))

1. The Poisoned Chalice

Look. There is something just absolutely entrancing about introducing this episode in the first five of the entire show. Like, this hands-on was the sole reason everyone fell for those two idiots. It beautifully captured how the saving each other thing is reciprocal, because the first three episodes you just have to watch Merlin run around saving Arthur, never the reverse. Producing it early on in the show was the decision that, in my opinion, held everyone in their chokehold for eternity.

Fic rec: you are my favorite mistake (it can only be fate) by @multifandom-jess.

2. The Death Song of Uther Pendragon

I could go on and on for how this episode singlehandedly carried s5 on its shoulder. Like, okay I unfortunately love s5 with all my fucking heart, but this episode was perfect. Ghosts? Check. Banter? Check. POETRY?? Check check. A slap to Uther's face? Oh how beautifully checked.

It's so easy to recall how Arthur truly loved his father, but in this episode, the turmoil you see in his eyes from the actions of his father and how he resorts to saving the ones he loves (Merlin) over his father, is just too beautiful to be overlooked. Ever since Arthur became king, we see him struggle from his father's legacy. But in this episode, he begins to detach both consciously and subconsciously from him. Whether it's in his decision to save the old sorceress in the beginning, or to shun Uther's ghost, both the literal and the figurative, from his life any longer. This was one of the episodes that captured the true essence of King Arthur.

+1: the innuendos of this episode were 🤌. They knew what they were doing, you can't convince me otherwise. (are you threatening me with a spoon? / I'm teaching him some poetry.. he can't get enough of it! / what was that? h-horseplay. why don't I show you?)

Fic rec: My heart is readily yours by @regulusrules. (absolutely love how after all this introspection, i decided to throw it all away and made uther stab merlin in the fucking heart instead. but still it was my honourable attempt to shit on the finale and give them the happy ending everyone deserved).

3. The Sword in the Stone pt. 2

OKAY. This episode! Aside from how badass Merlin was in both pt.1&2, but here, especially in the part where us audience were impatiently waiting for the revival of the sword in the stone, there could've been nothing more perfect. Just like their adaptation of the round table scene, this was perfect in its own way for how different it was. They didn't make it so that people will finally find a king; they made it so that the people believe in their king. And more than that, for Arthur to believe in himself. With the estrangement and losing his crown, the writers gave him the best way to re-establish his inner glory. And Merlin being this guide; what more perfect culmination to their relationship?

You have to believe, Arthur.

Iconic.

Fic rec: Couldn't choose between Only Friend by @captain-ozone, and Fathom Me Out by @supercalvin. Brilliance ahead in both of them, I tell you.

4. The Eye of the Phoenix

Magic. Gwaine. Quests. Need I say more to explain that this was the show's holy trinity?

Fic rec: From Past to Present by flowersheep. (Prince Merlin. Archer Merlin. Perfection my friends).

5. A Servant of Two Masters

Look look; if there's an honourary wall of opinions for all the people who've watched Merlin, I DARE you to find just one who disliked this episode. Like, the series was so full of BS sometimes, but this episode was above all. The level of brilliance in this episode; showing Dark!Merlin, who's at the same time hilariously funny, and seeing him BAMF his way with Morgana, even when he's chained and tortured.. oh dear holy Lord. His "do me a favour, could you? let Arthur know." was able to steal all breath from my lungs the first time I saw it (and until now).

And don't get me started on the Protective!Arthur we got. Caring for Merlin, screaming for him when the rocks fell between them, silencing Agravaine immediately when he told him he's sorry for losing such a loyal servant because bullshit if he doesn't reign down hell before he loses Merlin. And ofc, Courage and Strength on their way to find Magic, which just filled my heart with an 'aaahhh!' moment, because we didn't get enough Gwaine-Arthur-Merlin shenanigans. And at last, the Hug™. Fucking screamed let me tell you.

It is an episode that truly showed everything; from comic elements to fluff and angst and everything. The only thing it lacked was, as always, giving Arthur the space to know. Because ffs what would they have lost if they made Arthur understand that Merlin's under Morgana's control? It wouldn't have exposed shit. It would've just been a plus to us to see Arthur caring for Merlin even more. They tried so hard that it completely backfired sometimes.

Fic rec: Still I Surface in Morning Light by @queerofthedagger. (I swear to you, anything written by this author, I readily throw whatever in hand to read it).

6. The Dragon's Call

Let thy gif caption speak.

No but really, that first episode was the stuff of legends. I could list down tens of tropes they did in just that episode alone. Honestly, no "family" show I've ever seen had started this powerfully. Just the music alone, the beauty of beginnings, not the CGI, was truly so gripping. Also bonus points for just Colin Morgan's sass abilities. None can compare.

Fic rec: This Time Around... series (incomplete) by Oneiric (lkdaswani). (this is a time travel AU, but the way the writer rewrote this episode was one of the best deviations I've read for an episode I already find near faultless).

7. The Sins of the Father

I might be subjecting myself to true wrath with my upcoming statement, but here we go:

S2 sucked.

From the beginning of the season, Arthur's shift in characterization from the honourable lovable prat of s1 to a letting Merlin act as a horse stool got me going wtf? It was like they deliberately ruined everything in their relationship and started out fresh just to force the Arthurian narrative of Arwen. And it's fine by me, truly, even if I'll never ship them, but they could've developed Arthur's character SO MUCH in that season beyond comic relief and romantic rendezvous.

Anyway so that I don't stray so much from the topic; this episode was, by fair comparison, the best in the entire season. By now it's pretty obvious that I gravitate towards all the episodes that give Arthur a semblance of agency. Him going against Uther and his maniac murderous agenda was the start of actually seeing King Arthur in front of us. Also, him listening to Merlin when he was on the verge of committing patricide was one of the things that gave me hope in how there's still hope in them. Even if they ruined it with making Merlin lie to Arthur, but the writers practically ruined every good episode with this.

+1: Morgause's intro was badass.

Fic rec: The Sins of the Father (and how to right them) by @cupcakezys. (what we deserved. to see arthur with agency, with an ability to decide for his future without being lied and deceived to).

8. Diamond of the Fucking Day

No matter how much I hate this episode, I can't, in good conscience, deny its hold on my heart. As I wrote before, there could've been no better magic reveal than this. And for all of my bitterness over their decision to kill Arthur, I sanely admit how it was a decision that insured the immortality of this fandom. It's been ten years since that episode aired, and I bet my ass off that it will still feel the same even after countless more decades.

Fic rec: literally the entirety of the fandom's fix-it fics. We all started from there, didn't we? Choosing only one would be so undervaluing to all the brilliance I've seen. However, my tags filter for it usually include: fix-it, angst with a happy ending, court sorcerer merlin, shitting on bbc writers 101, canon era, not canon compliant, everybody lives especially king arthur you mfs.

9. The Wicked Day

Throw me from the highest tower there is because every time I remember this scene, I just want to fade into the light. The sheer level of love and understanding shimmering between those two. Sometimes I marvel at the choice of bringing Colin and Bradley together, because no two could have achieved such chemistry, platonic or not, as those two did. This whole episode of showing Arthur's grief, and Merlin's desperation to heal it, was truly unforgettable. I try not to linger on its ending, Arthur denouncing magic for the millionth of time, but other than that it was a gem served to us on a silver platter.

Also seeing Uther finally die was a plus.

Fic rec: As much as I'd love to recommend my own fic for this, but honestly, whenever I get the chance, I will always take it to scream and wail about one of my absolute favourite fics of all time, which really isn't given ANY of the goddamn credit or attention or kudos it deserves. Beauty in the Ashes of Our Lives by Fulgance. I swear to you, you will never read something as beautifully heartbreaking as this. This fic resides in my mind rent-free. Basically any work by Fulgance is amazing, but this fic— oh God, my heart cannot take it sometimes.

10. Arthur's Bane pt. 1

Fuck, that episode was a masterpiece. You know, if it was all in my hands, I would've magic revealed at this particular episode. It was just.. the perfect opportunity. King Arthur in his glory, beginning of the season, enough time for Arthur to fully understand the depth of what Merlin did for him. Also, the range Arthur was given starting from here; God it's what we deserved. I always blame the writers for being inconsistent with his characterization (s2 and all), but they beautifully crafted it in the end, and it was their perfect chance to even explore the whole extent if only they made the magic reveal earlier.

Fic rec: Our broken pieces by @aramblingjay. Okay so this fic rec isn't necessarily linked at all to the episode, but I can't, in good conscience, recommend fics and not include it. Technically context wise it fits s5, for in it you see Arthur in his grandeur as king. This shall be my only exception because it's the only fic that was able to make me cry. Truly, I never shed tears, but in this, my heart stuttered. The fact that it is so unnoticed makes my blood boil because of how much praise it deserves. I can never recommend it enough.

To conclude, BBC Merlin has a powerful hold on everyone because of the fact that they knew how to eternalise it. It is significantly unique in its interpretation of legendary figures. I think I watched nearly all adaptations of King Arthur throughout the years, but even with how great some really are, to me none compare with this sword-swishing, banter-driven, CGI-messing, emotionally-killing 2008 show.

Honorary mentions:

[Short fic recs]

[Long fic recs]

#merlin #welcome to a long ass critical appreciation for my favourite show in the world #with fic recs because writers deserve longlasting fame too #arthur pendragon #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #ao3 #merthur #merlin x arthur #king arthur #merlin fic #did I say that I love these fics so much already?#merlin fic writers are a godsend #regulusrules metas #regulusrules recs

582 notes · View notes

astraxxei · 5 months

Note

I'm happy to see you're back pookie :)

Speaking of Leon from RE, I want him to put me in a chokehold with those big arms of his. I guess that's my request? Sorry for being immediately horny.

CHOKEHOLD ᶠᵗ : ˡᵉᵒⁿ ᵏᵉⁿⁿᵉᵈʸ.

Warnings: Suggestive. Young minors DNI.

You and Leon are on a mission together for the first time, a mission to neutralize an abandoned building from the infected and retrieve a lost item from there. However, the whole situation with you two just walking around to search the first floor of the building and Leon being, without a doubt, extremely annoyed from having the most annoying brat, in his opinion, to ever work at the R.P.D. as his partner for the mission, is extremely entertaining for you. You wanted to see just how mad he could get, because you found it so attractive. The way his large, strong frame towered over your small and vulnerable figure ignited something inside you that you never even knew existed. You couldn't help but imagine him growling in your ear...

Leon scoffs and grunts in annoyance at your lively and mischievous attitude.

"We are on a very serious mission. Quit acting like an infant."

However, you just giggle and continue behaving exactly like he hated. You play around with his nerves. You pretend to purposefully kick a bunch of metal pipes to make noise that will attract the zombies. Leon exhales in desperation. He doesn't know what to do with you.

Minutes later, you both arrive at the center of the building. On a dusty desk, you find the old, shiny antique - ish item you're supposed to retrieve and return to the R. P. D. Leon reaches out his hand to take it, but with a grin, you snatch it and quickly climb up to damaged window up high, staring at him with this smile of yours.

"Hey! Y/n, what the hell do you think you're doing! We're on this mission together!"

However, his words have no impact on you whatsoever. You're extremely curious on how he's going to react.

"Aww, but what if I tell everyone that I found it first and that I'm more worthy of recognition. What are you going to do? Huh, Leon?"

You immediately knew you went too far when you felt his hand grab your leg and pull you off, and when as soon as you got up, you saw him slide behind you with a swift movement and wrap his strong, muscular arm around your neck.

He leans near your ear. You keep a tight hold on the item, holding onto it for dear life. You hear his heavy breathing and his voice roughening, as his huge arm feels so tight around your small neck you almost feel like you're going to pass out. His tall figure holds you up in place firmly, your feet not touching the ground anymore. You sway your legs slightly and let out a little whimper. Even though you can barely breathe, you can't say that you didn't want this to happen. He smiles and whispers near your ear.

"You though that I'd let you annoy me since we got in the car. Who do you think I am?"

You let out an audible breath, looking in his direction. His grip is tight, but not too tight, just enough to keep you conscious.

"Now apologize, y/n, and don't make this any harder for you dear. This would have never happened if you didn't make me mad...But oh, you look like, you wanted this after all... Didn't you, y/n? What a filthy boy you are."

Your head is spinning, and your heart is beating rapidly. Your fingers release the item and it falls to the ground. You nod your head eagerly, letting out little whimpers and short breaths.

"I- I'm s- sorry...I- I won't..do it again- nghh..."

Hearing your exclamation, he lets go of your neck and puts you to the ground. He towers over you and grins, ruffling your hair softly as he sees your pretty face flushed red and hearing your erratic breaths.

"Good. Now be a good boy and behave. I promise I will reward you if you're good and actually useful. If not, I will punish you. Got it?"

Looking into his eyes with heart shaped ones, you nod your head. You never imagined that he would make you so flustered. Let alone, that you would end up being this worked up because of him.

~ ♡ ~

a/n: I AM DISRESPECTFULLY FOAMING IN THE MOUTH.

105 notes · View notes

rorybluez · 8 months

Text

The EU French dub of "How Bad Can I Be?" got me in a chokehold so here's a rant-review of it

This is a collab with @etsulovesonceler :3 Absolutely do read their analysis on the DANISH 'How Bad Can I Be?' dub, it's bloody amazing

'C'EST MAL MAIS TANT PIS' aka 'I know it's bad, but f*ck it'

French dub was the first one I listened to with legitimate fascination and interest, so naturally it became my fave. I love how ENERGETIC and upbeat it is. It has the same effect as the Eng "how b-A-A-A-A-d can i be": it's catchy, flows and rhymes nicely and is impossible not to sing along to. You could've told me French was THE original version and honestly I would have believed you with ease, simply because it's SO DAMN WELL DONE.

Singer is a 10/10 for great vocals (obviously) and his acting towards the end of the song: he nails Once-ler's gradual descent into an arrogant, daring, untrustworthy and prideful character. Well, a lot of dubs did brilliantly on this part, but French one's full awareness of what he's doing makes him unique in my eyes. The way he sings out "Et c'est tellement GRATIFIANT" with so much DELIGHT, like he's truly relishing in his success is TASTY. Not giving two shits about the "bad" part at all, but it's The Once-ler, so it's a given I suppose.

SPEAKING OF, LEMME TELL YOU, FRENCH TRANSLATORS ABSOLUTELY COOKED HERE. Whoever wrote the lyrics, they must've been related to the creation of "Biggering" somehow or at the very least were big fans. Premise of his entire song is "I know DAMN well it's bad, but I couldn't care less tbh" The whole perspective is different now and stays somewhat true to "Biggering"s message. Rather drastic change from the original: bolder, blunter, harsher, honest, more ruthless and got a hella serious tone. Sure, he triES to excuse himself with "I don't know what has come over me" and "This is the life the fate chose for me" lines but…yeah, they're of little help, if any.

Some may argue that Once realizing his wrongdoings so early on in the song takes away from the impact "The Last Tree" had on him in the end, but if anything, I believe it gives him complexity. It's all about big talk, justifications and seeming indifferent until he actually HAS to face the consequences of his major fuck-up. The "Well too bad, could be worse for all I care" to "well damn, i should've cared" pipeline is real, which ultimately prompts him to say "actually, DO care. Care a whole awful lot" to Ted as his final message.

This dub singlehandedly added several layers to Once-ler's character with THIS LYRICAL DECISION ALONE and it's one of the many reasons why I adore it so much.

Besides, c'mon guys French is hot. Once speaking french? Attractive, next question.

European French lyrics and translation: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/how-bad-can-i-be-quel-point-puis-je-etre-mauvai.html-0

#onceler #onceler fandom #the lorax #lorax 2012 #french dub #how bad can i be #how bad can i be multilanguage dubs #c'est mal mais tant pis #etsulovesonceler #the onceler #rory rants

74 notes · View notes

missmaywemeetagain · 2 years

Text

Pink Scarf - PART 14 (Elvis/Austin!Elvis x Reader)

Character/Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Requested: kinda

(Read more here--Pink Scarf Series Masterlist!)

Prompt: You are part of Elvis Presley's coveted inner circle, and the currently-disgruntled wife of one of the members of Elvis' famous entourage, the Memphis Mafia. After Elvis' dynamite first performance in Vegas, you find yourself in deep water when his magnetism finally gets to you after all these years. [ Fem!Reader ]

TW: Blood. Assault in various forms. Miscarriage. Death/Mourning. Pregnancy. Cussing. Infidelity. Historical inaccuracies in the Vegas timeline. Priscilla doesn't exist in this timeline.

Rating: Explicit/Mature (NSFW, 18+, so minors Do NOT Interact) || Word Count: 7.6k

A/N: I'm so sorry in advance, y'all, cuz this one might knock you on your ass with its dramatic angst and give you whiplash after the last few chapters. Honestly, I hurt myself a bit with this one! *sob* Needless to say, the tone is a bit different here. Please make sure you read the trigger warnings for this part because there are some sensitive topics!

While I hesitated to make a part all in flashback, I couldn't seem to avoid it without creating a ridiculously giant chapter, and I also didn't want to make you wait that long, so here it is, complete with a cliffhanger!

Speaking of that, thank you for being so patient while I got this out. Life is kicking my butt a bit, and I SO appreciate you hanging in there with me!

Also, look out for some fun 1960 Elvis posts/reblogs later so you can get the full visual of his March 1960 glory, in case I haven't described it well enough LOL. I included a Rollerdome pic at the end as well.

As always, to all my babies, honeys, and lil' mamas supporting me out there, your reactions, reblogs, messages, asks, and comments you've given me have been a blessing beyond expression. You all are the best community a writer could ask for! Thank you so much for your support. I am loving getting to know y'all better! I love every reaction and comment and ask, and I'm sorry if I don't get back to them all as soon as I'd like but know that I love you all and am so excited to be making new friends! And a big "Hey, Y'all!" to Elvis Twitter, who stumbled into the Pink Scarf vortex and are now with us in the chokehold of '69 Pink Scarf Era Elvis and are supporting and sharing this lil' fic over there--I see you and appreciate you! 👀💋

If you feel so moved, please let me know what you think or how you're feeling (or send me asks)! I think I put everyone on the taglist who requested it, but please let me know if there are any issues or if I missed anyone. There seem to be some issues with tagging that I can't seem to fix, so please know I'm not leaving you out intentionally! Also, if you comment on a previous part that you want to be tagged, I might not always see it, so feel free to message me if I miss you!

I imagined this with Elvis in mind, but Austin!Elvis works here, too, whatever floats your boat!

Apologies in advance if there are any grammatical errors or TW that I didn't catch.

(I did start cross-posting Pink Scarf to my long-neglected AO3 account (which some of you already discovered!), so if you are so inclined, you can check it out over there, though it's not all updated yet!)

March 1960

You shouldn’t feel nervous. It’s just Elvis. But having not seen him in person in over 18 months, or even really being able to talk on the phone, you wonder if too much time has passed, if too much has changed, if the man who went into the Army two years ago is still the friend you cherished.

You wait in front of Graceland in the icy March air with Jack and a multitude of other close friends and relations for Elvis to arrive, shivering in your heavy coat. It’s a strange limbo you all are in, this energy of the end of one thing and the start of something new and unknown. You can’t help feeling that everything is different somehow, that a new era has begun.

This feeling is compounded by the secret you are keeping. You had been wary to accept that your greatest hope is finally coming true, but after your appointment yesterday afternoon, you are finally starting to settle into the fact that new life is growing inside you. You haven’t told anyone yet, not even Jack, since Elvis’ imminent arrival has taken over everyone’s minds. While you have no need to be the center of attention, you also know that the news would get lost in Elvis’ return. No one could compete with Elvis for any sort of attention. It would be a losing battle.

Honestly, you are glad to sit with the knowledge on your own for a moment, to give yourself a minute to adjust to your new reality. And part of you is still quite scared that this could all be over in a flash. It’s still early, the doctor said, even though you were further along than you’d originally thought. But after two years of nothing, there is a piece of you that doesn’t want to get your hopes up.

Perhaps that is truly why you’re feeling nervous and it’s nothing to do with Elvis at all.

Everyone around you starts to buzz, snapping you out of your thoughts, and you look up to see the police cruiser, lights and sirens and all, coming up the long drive. When it finally pulls up in front of the house and Elvis gets out, everyone explodes with liveliness.

It takes a moment for the small crowd to clear enough for you to see him fully. When his tall frame comes completely into view, you feel like all the air has been knocked out of your body. You have to stop yourself from gasping out loud.

He looks beyond incredible. So incredible, in fact, that your heart is suddenly fluttering in your chest like a schoolgirl’s. You have seen him in his uniform before, of course, but the last time, he was so miserable after the death of his mother that the uniform seemed like a prison, an unforgiving punishment almost. Of course, you’d also seen pictures for publicity and ones he sent home which would occasionally show him in his uniform. He always was handsome, to be sure, but now…now, something was different.

You try to put your finger on it because it really has thrown you for a loop. You aren’t some fawning, adoring fan, for god’s sake. But you cannot help but openly stare at the man in front of you. He positively glows. His blue eyes sparkle with the happiness of being home, but it’s not only that. Taking off his cap and tucking it under his arm, he surveys the small crowd and his home with joy. The blue of his dress uniform brings out the reddish-blonde of his natural hair color and the blush on his cheeks. His hair is long again on top, grown out and curled up and mussed from his hat. Compared to the Army buzz cut, it is more reminiscent of his signature coiffed 50’s style, but somehow more mature yet rebellious at the same time. It suits him very well, you think, highlighting high cheekbones, long face, and his now quite chiseled jaw.

Elvis’ whole face is lit up with happiness, that signature grin white and wide, as friends and family gather around him. You can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy to see that smile again in person. When you finally catch his eye, you feel like the whole world stops. It’s ridiculous really, the way your heart throbs in your ears, but you swear his face changes almost imperceptibly when he sees you. You’re not exactly sure how, but it softens somehow, imbued with just a little more warmth than he’s already exuding. His eyes travel over you only briefly before Jack reaches out to embrace him, but in that short moment, you suddenly feel self-conscious.

Once his eyes leave you, you let out a deep breath that you didn’t know you’d been holding. You look down, clasping your hands in front of you, but when you look up again, Elvis is looking at you from over Jack’s shoulder. You are absolutely caught in his blue-eyed gaze.

Stop being stupid, it’s just Elvis.

Perhaps your sudden intimidation by your dear friend is that he left Graceland a boy but has returned a man. Even though he’s thin, it’s in a leaner, more carved, more refined way than before. He still retains a bit of his baby face, but his countenance is different, settled, more worldly.

After exchanging words with Jack that you are too overcome to hear, Elvis steps around him and comes towards you, his attentions focused completely on you.

“Hey there, y/n darlin’,” he says gently, his voice still heavily accented, high and bright.

“Welcome home, Elvis,” you say. It barely sounds like you, you think, too quiet and soft and breathless. You ring your hands nervously.

He begins to open his arms and you know he means to embrace you, and all of a sudden, you are certain you are going to faint. It’s as if you know that if he touches you, right here and now, looking as he does and with the way his essence is radiating around you, something will be irrevocably changed. Your heart flutters and your breath rate increases, and you almost panic as he closes the gap, those eyes of his looking at you in such a way that you feel completely, utterly exposed. You want to run away, but you are frozen to the spot.

Just as he steps up to you, he’s attacked from the side by his young cousin. The moment between you is thankfully interrupted, and you instantly step back and behind Jack as the boy wrestles Elvis.

“Jesus, kid, a little warning next time!” he shouts playfully, putting the kid in a headlock and rubbing his knuckle into his head. He catches your eye for a fraction of a second, his face somewhere between regret and chagrin at not being able to hug you. You manage a small smile, but practically hide behind Jack, grabbing his hand as you warily look on.

The horde gratefully moves inside, out of the cold late winter chill. The look that flashes over Elvis’ face as he crosses the threshold is one of trepidation, grief. You realize being home must come with mixed emotions; after all, the last time he was here was when his dear mama passed, and this was the home he’d gotten for her.

You’re not sure that anyone else catches how his breath hitches and how those pretty eyes become anxious. In that moment, you forget all about the strange reaction you had to him not a minute ago and you ache to go to him, to pull him into your arms and tell him it’ll all be okay.

It seems like both forever and just yesterday that he wept in your arms on the stairs, bereft and inconsolable, as his mother lay in the other room in her casket. He had refused to leave her, petting her, and talking their baby talk to her for so long that they had finally placed glass over her to dissuade him. Even then, he had sat vigil by her side and as you all looked on in collective grief, as the concern for him and his deteriorating state was palpable. Almost no one was able to get him away for longer than a few minutes—first it was the Colonel near shoving him and Vernon out the door and into the arms of the vultures with the cameras outside. Then, Sam Phillips was able to console him for a bit. Jack and the boys and Anita all tried to pull him away, but they were only swept up by him to go see Gladys, and his tearful ramblings continued about how beautiful she looked and her tiny little “sooties,” and then his wailing and sobbing would commence once again.

His mama had always been more than kind to you, and you cried for her loss, but it was truly Elvis’ grief that had the tears rolling down your cheeks. But you hadn’t wanted to overstep your bounds. However, he’d stopped eating and drinking, and looked positively exhausted, eyes rimmed with dark circles. Eventually, you could stand it no more.

“Elvis, honey, I need you…” you’d said, putting your hand on his shoulder gently. He’d looked up at you sharply, eyes so bloodshot and filled with tears that the blue of his irises seemed unnaturally bright, his innocence and grief leeching out of them. You faltered then at the state of him, stumbling over your words, wanting to be as kind as possible. You cleared your throat, continuing, “I need you to come with me, sweetie.”

And somehow, against all odds, he listened to you, of all people. Wordlessly, he’d stood, drawing you tightly to him, his arm gripping your waist and his tall frame leaning on you for support, nearly knocking you over. You’d stumbled with him to the stairs, and he’d just collapsed into you, his head buried into your neck, clinging to you as if drowning in his grief and you were his life preserver. His heart wrenching sobs had silent tears flowing down your own cheeks, and you’d held him, petting him, cooing at him, your protective gaze shooing the onlookers away.

Eventually, after some time, he quieted. You could feel the heat of his head through the now-soaked top of your dress. “Oh, E, you’re burning up,” you’d said, feeling his face with your hands. He’d worked himself into such a state that his body was rebelling against him, and you’d whispered to someone nearby to call the doctor.

At that point, he’d had little fight left in him, and Jack and Sam had helped get him up to bed once the doctor had come. But he’d still clung to you, not letting you leave him once in his ornate, darkened cave of a bedroom. Elvis wouldn’t settle or let the doctor administer the much-needed sedative until you were in the huge bed with him and he was curled in your lap. You had looked to Jack wide-eyed for some sort of support, part of you feeling a little scandalized by being invited into Elvis’ bed, but none of the men knew what to do, and you were the only one so far that had been able to get him away from Gladys. You just got harried looks of bewilderment from everyone, and the doctor had just nodded to you, as if giving you permission to climb up in with him, doctor’s orders. Anything to calm Elvis down.

So you had, your heart breaking for him, confused as to why it was you who he needed, not Anita or Vernon or Jack. Regardless of how strange it was, you were his friend, and you’d do anything to help, no matter your own comfort. You’d stayed with him through the night, back leaning up against the headboard awkwardly, staying even after the sedative took hold because when you’d tried to leave, he’d still clung to you, heavy and feverish.

For hours you’d held vigil over him, hand rubbing soothing circles on his back, eventually drifting in and out of sleep, though any movement from him had you startling awake. And when you woke in the morning, stiff as hell, and Elvis blinked up at you with those huge, grieving puppy dog eyes, the pang in your heart was evident and confusing.

After those few horrid days, you never spoke of it again. You never asked him why it was you who’d been able to reach him through his grief, and beyond a whispered “thank you” in your ear before he left for Germany, he never mentioned it again. Not that you’d seen him for him to do so. Maybe that is why you are nervous, you think, because the last time you saw him, he was so utterly lost, and for whatever reason, you had been a lifeline in one of his worst moments. And that feels significant somehow, though you aren’t sure exactly how.

That look you see in his eyes now reminds you too much of that look from 18 months ago. But there are a bunch of family and friends between the two of you, crowded in the entryway, bustling with excitement, all seemingly oblivious to Elvis’ distress.

It angers you a bit, the way they all clamor over him without truly seeing him. You stand as rooted as he is, as if your being able to move is tied to him somehow. He looks at you then, sensing your gaze or your thoughts in that almost preternatural way of his, and you see the overwhelm in his eyes. The way the endless blue of them seems clouded over with pain and grief. The way they almost beg you to save him.

This, out of everything, gets you in motion, stepping towards him in the crowded space, but there are so many damn people that you can’t get to him. By the time you sidestep cousins and friends, you’ve watched as his face changes, a mask slipping over those handsome features so seamlessly that it takes you aback. You stop short, amazed at the way he now smiles and laughs at the antics around him, as if nothing happened.

You realize he must’ve had to do this to survive over there. There was no way he could show that kind of vulnerability during tank maneuvers or whatever they had him doing. He’s protecting himself, you think.

But it still rubs you the wrong way. The ease with which he switched emotions was disconcerting to you. Somewhat bitterly, you think that he certainly didn’t need your help through his pain this time.

Oh, stop, you chide yourself. He’s been home all of five minutes and first you wanted to run away from him and now you’re mad his grief isn’t crippling him? What’s wrong with you?

“Okay, okay, y’all, I need to go get changed! The press is gonna be here any minute,” Elvis chuckles and waves you all off, climbing the stairs. His eyes catch yours in the briefest of moments and you swear there is something unsaid in them. And then he’s gone, up into his room.

A shiver passes over you, your stomach flipping, and then a wave of nausea comes.

Jack sees you and comes over with concern in his eyes, cupping your cheek. “You alright, treasure? You look a little green in the gills,” he says.

“I…uh…my stomach is upset, sweetie. Excuse me,” you say quickly, the bile rising, and you make quickly for the bathroom down the hall. Once safely locked away, you rush to the toilet, sick. Luckily, once out, the queasiness passes quickly.

The doctor said this could happen, you think, looking at the reflection of your red face in the mirror. You rinse your mouth out and splash your face with cold water. It certainly has nothing to do with Elvis. That would be absurd.

It’s just the look in his eyes is haunting you and you don’t understand why. Maybe it’s just your hormones being in overdrive. Yes, that makes sense. You are on edge and not seeing things clearly. Or maybe too clearly.

After a multitude of deep breaths, you straighten your dress and hair, then head back out into the fray. You find yourself in an empty house. You wander about to find that most everyone has gone back outside to witness Elvis’ triumphant return to Graceland as procured by the press.

They have arrived, littering the snow-dusted lawn and taking photographs and recordings of Elvis as he sits in front of a huge guitar shaped cake. You peek over someone’s shoulder and your jaw nearly drops at the sight. Clad now in all black, his wool coat is appropriate for the chill, but his black shirt is open halfway down his torso, a large gold medallion resting on his bare chest. If he’d looked like the All-American boy getting out of that car not 30 minutes ago, now he looks like the perfect combination of sweet and sinful.

Oh, dear lord.

His chestnut hair is perfectly imperfect, a rogue lock falling over his forehead. You think perhaps he’s added a little shadow and mascara to his eyes, or maybe he’s just exhausted from the long journey home, but whichever it is, the slight darkness on his lids gives him a stunningly beautiful look, his blue eyes popping and dancing with a combination of mischievousness, aloofness, and candor. Somehow, he has retained the youthful swell of his cheeks while also now having a jawline that could cut glass.

As you watch Elvis pick at the cake, deftly putting pieces of it in his mouth with his fingers, the innocent gesture seems almost obscene and that lightheaded feeling comes over you again, this time with a swell of warmth.

You want to look away, you really do, but you’ve forgotten your friend’s natural charm, how his essence pulls even the most unwilling into his orbit. His beauty is one thing, but the feeling that surrounds him is another thing all together. It’s not just you caught in the pull, however. Friends and family gather around, too, though they are likely not experiencing the same type of reaction as you.

Oh, this is utterly ridiculous, you think. Elvis has always been pretty and alluring. Get ahold of yourself.

You think it must be the pregnancy hormones, the way your body flushes from head to toe just watching him eat his cake and play to the camera. You force yourself not to follow as they direct Elvis towards Vernon’s office for the press conference, his tall frame gliding across the lawn in the most confident and nonchalant of ways. He commands his audience as though he’d never left, born to be at the forefront of everything. Focused on the cameras, he does not see you, or so you think, until he catches you staring and quirks his brow.

This finally prompts you to move, turning away quickly and heading back into the warmth of the house. You are glad for the cold, as it gives a reason for your cheeks to be as red as they are, and it douses your heated body with a much-needed chill.

You are embarrassed by your behavior. Elvis is not some idol to be gawked at, not by you. Perhaps it is because you feel so removed from him in his absence, or it is the unasked questions that linger in your mind from before he’d left, but your nerves buzz annoyingly.

You manage to avoid him after the press conference, as he’s utterly exhausted from his trip back home and all it had entailed and sends everyone on their way with the promise of a party the next evening.

Later, lying in bed, you wonder what in the hell came over you. It’s got to be the nerves and excitement about the life growing inside you colliding with the trepidation of your friend’s return all at once. You also know that pregnant women have a multitude of strange physical symptoms, especially in the early days, which would explain nearly everything.

That must be it. It’s not about Elvis at all. It’s your body telling you that you are pregnant.

Finally.

The thought sends a flutter of a different kind through your chest. It’s one of excitement and hope and a little fear. You place your hands on your belly, imbued with a sense of motherly responsibility. You drift to sleep thinking of holding your child in your arms.

The party the next night has Graceland lit up in a way it hasn’t been in years. An air of celebration surrounds the place, chasing away any of the leftover morbidity from Gladys’ passing. You hold Jack’s hand tightly as you enter the mansion, that strange anxiousness from yesterday threatening to ruin your night.

Maybe you should have told Jack about the baby before you came, but no moment seemed quite right. Telling him before work would have distracted him and telling him before the party still seemed to be stepping on the toes of Elvis’ return. Tomorrow, I’ll tell him for sure tomorrow, you think pointedly.

The warm air of the house nearly overwhelms you, and the two of you strip your heavy coats and head towards the sound of Elvis’ boisterous laughter. Your dress is fitted only at the waist and not over the belly, which you are glad for, even though you are hardly showing yet.

You manage to find a seat in the corner with Jack far enough from Elvis that you can breathe, as the fact that he still looks incredible has not changed in the last 24 hours. Why you are so completely stuck on his shocking handsomeness and consumed by whatever prowess he is exuding, you still do not quite know, but it continues to affect you and keep you wary. Shaking off your unhelpful thoughts, you busy yourself talking with Anita, Pat, and the other girls as the men joke and play. After a while, this finally settles your nerves, but you are very conscious of not letting yourself get too close to Elvis as the night goes on, as if being too near will disrupt the tenuous equilibrium you are trying to maintain.

Later in the evening, you excuse yourself and head to the restroom. You can’t help but look in the mirror, rubbing your belly even though it’s impossible to tell yet. This puts a smile on your face, your sweet little secret. And this is how you exit, smiling, stepping into the dimly lit hallway.

“Hey, darlin’.”

“Shit!” you gasp, jumping out of your skin at Elvis leaning casually against the wall across from you. Your heart gallops against your ribcage, one hand flying to your heart and the other to your belly in a protective gesture. “Elvis, you scared the hell out of me!”

“Sorry, y/n,” he says, pushing off the wall, eyes remorseful but watching you carefully.

You find yourself barely able to look at him with him being this close. You will your heart to slow, will yourself to act normal, but it’s like you can’t. You can’t quite meet his eyes, you can’t quite breathe and escape is all you can think of. You awkwardly gesture to the bathroom, thinking that it’s why he’s lurking in the hallway, and then you step away from him without another word.

“Hey, now,” he says from behind you, perturbed, “You wait just a damn minute.”

Elvis’ long fingers circle around your wrist, grabbing you, and it feels like fire. Startled, you turn back and look down at how he holds you firm. You hardly have a moment to process that he’s touching you before he’s pulling you into a room across the hallway. Yelping, you have no choice but to follow—he’s much stronger than you—and he holds fast as flips on the lamp and then shuts the door behind the two of you. He releases you, then folds his arms over his chest with a scowl.

“Elvis…” you start, confused and shocked and trying to process whatever is going on.

“Did I make you mad or do something to offend you?” he interrupts, his voice laced with hurt. Those intense blue eyes of his lock you in place, betraying his churning emotions.

“What? No, what are you—?” you sputter out, faltering under his gaze and needing to look away.

“That! That right there. You can’t even hardly look at me!” he points, voice raising angrily. “You barely said three words to me since I been home!” He steps towards you and instinctually you step back, a hand flying to your belly, as the intensity of being this close to him has you completely overwhelmed.

His eyes widen. “Look at you, you can’t even be in the same room as me without skittering away like a little bird. I thought I was imaginin’ it for a minute.” Elvis pauses, looking you over. “Are you afraid of me?” he asks quietly, the hurt palpable in both his body and voice.

Your heart aches at the sight of him like, forcing you to relax and be more mindful of your actions. “No, of course I’m not afraid of you, Elvis,” you breathe. You aren’t, truly.

“Then what did I do?” he asks with such childlike innocence, such hurt, that your heart breaks for causing it.

“Nothing, E, you didn’t do anything, I swear,” you insist, going to him, unable to bear the look on his cherubic face. You force yourself to get close, pushing through your silly fears.

“Why ya bein’ so strange then, baby?” Elvis asks, eyes scanning your face. This close, you realize you could fall and drown in their oceanic blue intensity.

How can you answer that? You certainly cannot say, “Yes, Elvis, I’m being strange because you came back too handsome and your charming presence overwhelms me, and I don’t know where I stand with you, and oh, by the way, I’m pregnant.”

Your brain scrambles for an answer as the tension between the two of you increases to a level that has you sweating, and you blink up at him, flustered. “I…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be like that…I guess I am afraid that you’re different, or that things have changed too much while you were gone, or that it’s been too long and that you might not, I don’t know, you might not see me as your friend anymore?” you prattle on, the honesty in your words surprising you. The idea and the truth of it brings tears to your eyes.

His beautiful face softens, his mouth popping open as emotions flash over his features so quickly that you cannot grasp them completely. You feel utterly caught up in him, the loss of control and your feelings frightening you.

“Never,” Elvis whispers finally, “Never in a million years could that happen, baby.” The way he looks down at you is charged, confusing, intense.

Your heart flips. A rogue tear slips down your cheek. Stupid hormones.

You are close enough now that you can feel the energy of him pulsate around you. It makes your breath catch when he brushes the tear off your cheeks with the backs of his fingers. You’re not sure if you can bear him touching you more than that because it sends a shockwave through your body.

“So, you missed me?” he asks, a sideways grin beginning to widen on his face.

“’Course I missed you, you idiot,” you sniffle.

“Some way of showin’ it,” he jokes now, breaking some of the tension.

“Well, I’ve had some things on my mind,” you say pointedly. “Life didn’t stop just cuz you were in Germany, ya know.”

You don’t realize that your arm has been wrapped over your belly all this time. Elvis narrows his eyes at you, steps back, and then looks you over very deliberately. Self-conscious and confused under the scrutiny, you blush.

“What?” you ask nervously. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

A huge smile spreads over his features and his eyes light up. “Congratulations, doll,” he grins at you.

He knows. Elvis, of all people, knows your secret after spending less than five minutes with you.

You are shocked enough that you don’t try to deny it. “I…How…?” you stutter out.

“You bein’ so skittish and protective, and the way you been holdin’ yourself this whole time is different. Explains that real pretty glow about ya, too,” he says, booping your nose playfully.

You blush harder. “Elvis, I just found out. No one knows yet, not even Jack, so don’t you dare go saying anything yet. It’s still real early,” you say in a warning tone.

Elvis nods, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Seriously, E, not a freakin’ word, promise me!” you say. He is a terrible secret keeper.

“Okay, okay, I promise!” he grins.

“Lord, with the way you’re buzzing, you’d think I was having your baby!” you laugh.

Something changes in his eyes, but it’s gone so quick that you can’t put your finger on it. He does still a bit, though, and you look at him quizzically. He doesn’t say anything and just looks at you openly. The air has shifted once again.

“Well, we should probably get back out there. Everybody must be missing the man of the hour,” you say, clearing your throat and turning to leave.

Before you can go far, Elvis’ fingers dance over yours, reaching, as if wanting to hold your hand and pull you back but hesitating as if he shouldn’t. Your breath catches, an odd feeling blooming in your chest, like you are falling. You look back and down, seeing and feeling his fingers graze yours in such a strangely much-too-intimate way. He doesn’t stop, fingers brushing and winding through yours. You can’t help the way yours start to move around his in the now heavy silence. Your eyes raise to meet his, heart racing.

“Y/n, I—” he starts to say, voice low and gaze intense.

“EP!! Where the hell you at, man?” Red shouts from the hallway, startling you both, causing you to drop your hands as though they were suddenly on fire. As if you were caught doing something you shouldn’t.

Elvis visibly shakes himself off and crosses in front of you to open the door. It opens a crack and then he stops, turning back to you quickly, mouth open as if he wants to finish what he was trying to say. He must think better of it, though, because he just shakes his head again and sucks in his cheeks before heading out the door without another word.

You pause, frozen to the spot, as your heart thunders in your ears. Befuddled, you try and process the last few minutes, try to piece out what the hell just happened. Your hand splays on your belly, your face hot and your body warm.

You were right, you think, a lot has changed. Everything and nothing, all at once.

After that, things move quickly. With Elvis’ new knowledge, you tell Jack immediately about the baby, pulling him aside at the party. He is thrilled.

A few blissful weeks pass. You’ve been feeling okay physically, just some nausea and lightheadedness, but your nerves are still a bit on edge. The strange moment between you and Elvis the night of the party lingers in your mind, just under the surface, and every time you see him, that odd falling feeling comes over you for a moment. It doesn’t help that when he sees you, something in him changes. It’s so subtle that you doubt anyone notices; in fact, you think you could be imagining it if not for the charged, unreadable look in his eyes. But to you he seems overly attentive to your every move, protective even.

You try and chalk this weird intuition and the way your body feels up to the pregnancy. Your body is changing a little each day, and maybe this is just a part of it.

Elvis has been enjoying his few weeks at home before everything starts up for him again, and consequently, so have all of you, finding yourselves pulled back into his orbit easily. He’s travelling down to Miami soon to be on Frank Sinatra’s show and then he starts filming his next movie in April. You have mixed feelings about this, dreading him leaving so soon again, but you also think perhaps it is a good thing to be away from him considering the tricks your mind seems to be playing on you.

Tonight, he rents out the Rainbow Rollerdome for an evening of what he dubs the “Roller Skating Wars.” You, of course, will not be skating in your condition, but that certainly doesn’t stop you from putting on a cute polka dotted dress and going to observe the chaos you know will ensue.

Jack, unfortunately, stays home, struck suddenly in the afternoon with a sore throat and fever. You tell him you will stay home and take care of him, but he brushes you off and tells you he’s just going to be sleeping anyway, that you should go and have fun. He practically pushes you out the door.

When you arrive at the Rollerdome, you quickly find the girls and plant yourself in one of the big booths with a coke, some popcorn, and some candy. Your cravings for sweets have been intense this last week, and you pick delightfully at the confections as you watch everyone skate around.

Elvis has a silly grin plastered on his face as he wheels up to your table, his hair so long and fluffy on top that it bounces with him, product keeping it standing nearly straight up. On anyone else, it would look absolutely ridiculous, but with Elvis being Elvis, it just seems to highlight how incredibly handsome he’s become. Honestly, he nearly takes your breath away in his dark polo with the popped collar, his eyes electric and dancing, his face long and jaw chiseled.

At least you know that you aren’t the only one noticing the change in his looks, because the other girls seem to blush and smile more as he looms over you all, the skates putting him nearly six and a half feet tall.

“Ladies, everybody got their skates?” he drawls charmingly.

Everyone giggles and there’s a chorus of “Yes, Elvis!” as they show off their skates. For a moment, you are a bit upset that you can’t skate, but that is quickly banished by the excitement of the life growing inside you.

“Well, go on then!” he motions, and the ladies scurry, happy to be summoned.

After they clamor out of the booth, Elvis looks at you more seriously.

“No skating for you tonight, right?” he asks protectively, cobalt eyes narrowing.

Your heart does that falling thing for a moment before you respond. “Nope, feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much!” you smile.

He nods, pleased by this. “Where’s Jack? I haven’t seen him,” he asks, looking around.

“Oh, he’s at home, sick. Booted me out of there. I think he was annoyed at me hovering, to be honest,” you chuckle.

“You gonna be okay over here? I don’t want you to be by yourself,” Elvis says, concerned.

“Oh, I’ll come and watch you all here in a minute. My back’s bothering me a bit, so I’m fine to sit for a spell.”

“You sure you’re okay?” he asks again, brow furrowing, as if sensing something about you that you couldn’t sense yourself.

“Yes, E, I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me. Now, shoo, and go have some fun, but for god’s sake don’t go killin’ yourself or anyone else out there!” you laugh.

Elvis looks at you in that unreadable way of his for a moment, then a wide grin spreads across his face. “No promises!” he shouts as he skates away.

You let out a breath after he leaves. His presence is still overwhelming to you, no matter how much you try to logic it away, so for now you are just accepting it. Such is living a life with Elvis in it.

Your back really is starting to bother you, which you attribute to the obvious, and after a few minutes alone, you realize you would rather be around people than not. You get up from the booth, then a wave of dizziness overtakes you and you grab the edge of the table for support as you blink away the spots in your eyes.

You wonder for a moment if you might be coming down with whatever Jack has, but your throat is fine. After a moment, the wave mostly passes, so you make your way to the skating rink to watch the group from the sidelines. There are a few people on the sidelines, and you have fun making small talk and watching the antics in the rink. After a bit, most of the girls come back out as Elvis and the boys are getting pretty rough, and part of you is a little glad Jack isn’t here to get injured.

You ignore the ache in your back (it’s just something you’ll have to get used to, after all) and another wave of lightheadedness hits you as you all head back to the table. You are starting to feel distracted, your stomach churning now a bit, too, and you remind yourself that being pregnant isn’t necessarily a picnic. You feel a bit claustrophobic now, shoved in the booth with the other ladies, and excuse yourself to the restroom, thinking it might be time to go home.

Something’s wrong, you think, a feeling of dread coming over you. Forcing yourself to breathe, you remind yourself again and again that you are just pregnant and these are symptoms of that. You pause at the water fountain to drink, hoping the water might settle your stomach.

As you are bent over, someone zips behind you on skates, then suddenly you feel a hand groping your backside.

Yelping, you choke on the water and jump, turning around.

“Hey there, pretty girl,” a man you don’t recognize leers at you, way too close for comfort.

“Excuse me,” you say haughtily, your heart suddenly pounding in your chest, making your lightheadedness even worse. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“Naw, you’re the prettiest girl in here. Why ya all by your lonesome?” he purrs at you, the sound setting off every warning bell in your body, adrenaline clashing with your dizziness and churning stomach. He leans down, as if to try and kiss you and you push him back.

“Leave me alone!” you say, your voice raising in both volume and pitch. You try to sidestep him, but he grabs you hard and presses you into the wall. You think you might vomit all over him.

“Don’t be like that! All I want is a little kiss,” he says, one wandering hand groping your chest as his lips come at you.

“Don’t touch me! Stop it!” you shriek, trying to squirm out of his grasp as his disgusting mouth roams over your face and neck. Your body betrays you, though, your back throbbing, weakness overcoming your limbs, and you can’t fight him off. You curse the fact that the bathrooms are so far back from the rest of the group, and you pray that someone hears you.

“Get off of me!” you try to scream, but he’s trying to silence you with his hand. Panic overtakes you now as you realize this man is going to hurt you, but in your current state, you are unable to fight.

“What the fuck are you doin’?!” You hear the low growl before the horrible man boxing you in is yanked backwards and sideways, his eyes bulging in surprise. You gasp as you watch Elvis collide with the man, his momentum from how fast he must have been skating sending the man flying.

The man stumbles and rolls, flailing and falling, and Elvis looks like you’ve never seen him before as he spins around. His eyes are dark and lethal, his jaw clenching and unclenching as his chest heaves with his breath. He looks terrifying, his focus singular, and you are almost afraid for the man. Almost.

“I asked you a fucking question,” Elvis growls again, pulling the dazed man upright by his shirt. “What the fuck were you doin’ to her?!” he yells, pulling back his arm and then socking the man in the jaw so hard you can hear the crack. The man is stunned for a moment, blood beginning to seep from the corner of his mouth, but he recovers, taking a swing at Elvis.

It barely grazes him and doesn’t even phase Elvis, who seems possessed. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ touch her!” Elvis shouts, then punches the man in the face again, hard, sending him flying.

Things are happening so fast, you can barely process it. You can hardly breathe, the waves of dizziness pouring over you, making it hard to focus.

Elvis goes for the man again, and suddenly you are fearful he might kill him because he seems so blacked out with rage. Elvis hits him again and the man falls to the floor in a heap, bloody and bruised.

“Elvis, Elvis, stop!” you try to call out, but your voice is too quiet, wavering, and he is too far gone. You need to stop him before he does something he cannot take back, and you know something is wrong with you because you can’t get your body to move the way you need it to.

It’s then that a sharp, searing pain burns in your abdomen, and a primal scream bursts from your lungs. A shockwave of agony rolls through you, knocking the breath from your body. It’s so sudden and all-encompassing that you see red, and you clutch at your belly, your head spinning, fearing the worst.

The baby.

Your cry finally snaps Elvis back to reality because he’s with you in a flash, fear and concern flashing over his features, replacing the fury that was there mere seconds ago.

“Y/n! Y/n, what is it? Did he hurt you?” he gasps, looking you over as tears stream down your cheeks.

You can’t catch your breath, and your heart is beating too fast. Then, you feel hot liquid spread from your belly downwards, life spilling out of you, running down your legs. You feel sick as you look down, Elvis’ gaze following your own. That’s when you see the dark red begin to stain your dress and your stockings.

It’s over, it’s over, the baby, oh god, runs through your head, a dismal chant in your mind. You look at Elvis with resigned horror, but you are feeling so lightheaded, you can barely focus on anything. Even the pain starts to wane and feel distant. You know this isn’t normal, even for a miscarriage. Something is terribly wrong.

“No, no, no, no, no,” you hear him beg, his hands on your face, your shoulders, his eyes wild with terror now. “We need help over here!” he bellows, never taking his eyes off you.

They are so beautiful, those crystalline eyes, those dark lashes, you think absently as you begin to slump over.

You are somewhat aware of his strong arms catching you as he slides down with you to the floor. They feel so warm and comforting, you think. You blink up at him, your vision starting to dim.

“Y/n, no, don’t you dare, you stay w-w-with me, b-baby,” Elvis says in a panic, shaking you, pulling you into his lap. A sharp metallic smell permeates the air. “Somebody c-call a damn ambulance!” you hear him shout. You can hear the terror in his voice, in his stutter, and you wonder why he’s so scared. You’ve never heard him this scared.

“Elvis?” you whisper. You try to keep your eyes open, but it’s so hard.

“Yeah, b-b-baby?” his voice shudders. You can feel his chest heaving as he presses you into him, rocking you, tucking your head under his. He always has to be moving, his energy always vibrating around him.

“I feel so strange…” you say, and you do. You’re aware of the pain but it feels so far away. Everything feels far away except for the heat of Elvis, which feels like a blanket around you. With the warmth pouring out of you, you start to feel cold.

“I-I-I know, baby. Come on, you stay awake, now,” he says in your ear as your eyes start to close. He shakes you again. You force them to flutter open. You think whatever is happening must be really bad if he’s so scared.

“Tell Jack I…I love him,” you breathe quietly, just in case.

“You tell him yourself, damnit,” Elvis chokes out, pulling you in closer.

“Thanks for…being…my friend…so good to me,” you say, but it’s not enough. You can’t seem to get the right words out, your mouth filling with cotton. You bring your shaking fingers up to his cheek, your face is buried in his neck, his smell surrounding you. He smells so nice. He feels so good wrapped around you. You’re not nervous to be near him anymore, all of that seems so silly now. Your hand drifts and you feel his full lips under your fingertips. They really are as soft as they look.

You can’t keep your eyes open anymore and blackness starts to swallow you, your hand falling onto his chest, but you feel unusually calm.

“No, no, no! Oh, God, don’t—please don’t go. I-I love you, y/n, please, I love y…” Elvis whispers pleadingly in your ear.

His quiet, startling confession fades away and is the last thing you hear before the world goes completely dark and silent.

Elvis at the Rainbow Rollerdome, March 19th, 1960

Taglist:

@atombombbibunny @yesimwriting @uselessbutinteresting @mirandastuckinthe80s @dark-as-love

@domaniquessidehoe @im-lame-irl @allybrooke05 @hangmanswhore

@jazmin2211 @kvcssghbjbcd @coldonexx @dudinhahoff @whatstruthgottodowithit @tiredbuthappy @amiets2 @saintmagx

@kvcssghbjbcd @butlersluvbot @babydollie43 @vainbimbo @meladollsims @wstelandbaby @dre6ming @normatural @ash-omalley @xcallmetaniax @galvz-42 @thejezebel @fullmetal-falcon @robinismywife @dre6ming @seaweedbrain00 @amiets2 @mslizziesblog @heisatroubleinapinksuit @calusussss @dont-feel-so-good-peter @rainydayz101 @pizzaisrelationshipgoals

@liaaacantwrite @kittenlittle24 @kaitaesupremacy @butler-trouble @eliseinmemphis @russian-soft-bitch @tattywood

@sassanoe @re3kin @thella @suspiciousmidge @hiddlepiddlediddlewiddle @carolinesbookworld

Reblogs, likes, comments + feedback are extremely appreciated! Please help support your content creators!

454 notes · View notes

xlucygraysongbirdx · 10 months

Text

have a scorbus something... snippet? scene? not even sure, but have it anyway!

"What's up with you?" Scorpius asked from his bed, placing his quill down to give Albus his full attention.

Albus halted in his tracks, not realising that his out-of-character behaviour had been so noticeable. He slowly removed his robes as he shrugged. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Really?" Scorpius said, only a hint of annoyance in his tone. But his eyes were soft and full of concern. "Because you've been practically avoiding me all day and acting out in classes, which is when I know something is going on in your mind. And you don't have to tell me, but please don't straight up lie to me and tell me you're fine when all the evidence points to you not being fine."

"I want to tell you," Albus started, losing his confidence almost as quickly as it came. He could barely look at Scorpius.

"But?"

Albus sighed. "But I don't want you to look at me differently." Scorpius raised his eyebrows, urging Albus to go on. "Because I like the way you look at me. You look at me with this softness and this innocence and if I tell you what's going on, it might change the way you see me and no longer look at me like that and if you want me to be honest with you, that might kill me."

"What if I promise not to see you any differently?" Scorpius had this look of concern on his face now as he shuffled around, feet on the floor, perched on the end of his bed.

"You can't promise me that."

"I can promise that you're my best friend and whatever it is that's troubling you also troubles me, so we can figure this out together, Albus."

The way Scorpius said his name made his knees go weak. It made him want to tell him all his secrets, like the way he was foolishly in love with him. And before Albus knew it, words were spilling from his mouth.

"I like someone," he started. If Scorpius was surprised, he didn't show it. He only watched him intensely. "And this person, they're great and kind and funny and so smart and way out of my league, and I shouldn't feel this way about them but no matter how hard I try, I just can't unfeel these things. It's like they put a spell on me and every day, I wake up and I can't stop thinking about them. About you. Because it's you, it's always you, and you're there with your soft eyes and careful smile and you have me in a chokehold."

Albus was pacing back and forth now, his legs needing to move as fast as his words were. Scorpius stayed silent, watching him gather his thoughts and blurt them out. "And I shouldn't feel this way because you're my best friend, I cherish that more than anything, but the tragic truth, Scorpius, is that I can't stop thinking about kissing you!"

The room was silent as the words Albus blurted hung between them. He stopped pacing, barely able to look at his best friend. His eyes were pinned on his socked feet, when two more feet appeared in his line of vision.

Mismatched socks. A direct opposition to Albus' black socks.

"Then just do it."

Albus' head shot up, green eyes meeting grey.

"What?"

"Just do it." Scorpius repeated, not an ounce of regret swimming in his eyes. "Get it out of your head."

Scorpius usually struggled with eye contact, but he held Albus' eye like his life depended on it. Albus' heart was beating so fast he was almost sure he would pass out soon enough. He couldn't be hearing Scorpius right, surely his brain was playing tricks on him.

But there was his best friend, standing in front of him, daring him to kiss him.

"Do it, Albus, before I do."

Without a second longer to think, Albus' hands were on Scorpius' cheeks and he was pulling him close until their lips connected. It was desperate and messy and Albus almost pulled away prematurely, but then Scorpius' hands were on his hips, pulling their bodies closer and their kiss deepened as he tilted his head slightly to the side. It felt like a lifetime, a lifetime of pure undiluted joy, of everything he had ever wanted.

They slowly pulled apart, but their bodies remained close together, eyes locked and breathing ragged. Albus' skin was on fire where Scorpius' fingers gripped at his waist. Albus realised then that this wasn't just a silly crush, but that he would burn the world down for this boy in his arms. He would fight wars and travel oceans to see him smile, he would climb mountains to see him happy, he would duel anyone who made him sad. Scorpius was the only thing that mattered to him.

"Now you can stop thinking about it," Scorpius said, his breathing still not caught up with him. "And the next time you do think about it, you can just do it."

His eyes widened.

"I mean, if you want to do it again, that is."

"Absolutely," Albus whispered, barely finding his words.

Scorpius grinned, his smile brighter than ever and Albus couldn't help but mirror it, his heart now lighter. Scorpius gripped his waist tighter, pulling him impossibly closer and just before their lips met again, Scorpius mumbled, "now it's my turn."

#scorbus #albus severus potter #scorpius malfoy #harry potter #cursed child #albus and scorpius #hpcc #fanfiction #wip #they cute

147 notes · View notes

melit0n · 6 months

Text

Part three to the Sleep Token FX post. Some of these I've picked up on my own, and others have been pointed out to me by @reveries-of-my-mind and @moonchild-in-blue through their reblogs of my original post about Vore. A lot of these FX bits are more obvious, so I decided to just put TMBTE in one post.

Part three includes: Take Me Back To Eden

Part One -> One, Two, Jaws and The Way That You Were

Part Two -> Sundowning and This Place Will Become Your Tomb

+ If I've missed something, feel to add your own thoughts!

Note- some of these are FX, others are sound mixing and music bits I wanted to mention. Any song you don't see mentioned are songs that I couldn't find anything to pull out of them. Plus, reminder; these are my interpretations, I'm sorry if you can't hear what I hear, or you think something different.

Chokehold

- Lots and lots of digital, glitchy FX which sets the mood for the album. This is also repeated throughout all the songs in the album, which works with their algorithm-esc, robotic theme (both lyrically and musically) in their songs for this one.

The Summoning

- Unfortunately, everyone's favourite jazz-metal amalgamation doesn't have any other SFX notes other than carrying on Chokehold's glitchy FX motifs.

Aqua Regia

- Jazz café ambience shown throughout the song, also, every single instrument other than the main paino is echoed and or muffled.

+ Fun fact! Aqua Regia is Latin for Royal Water. It's a concentrated solution of Hydrochloric and nitric acids, and is one of the only acids that can dissolve Gold; it's used in the jewelry trade to test the purity of Gold. Not a clue what Vessel is trying to get across with that, but his obsession with chemistry and biology motifs strike again.

Granite

- The screetch of the guitar chord at 2:32, right before the breakdown, sounds almost like a car hitting the breaks and skidding. Works well with Granite's theme of car crashes. You can almost imagine someone having an argument in the car, and the screetch is a result of things going a bit too far.

Vore

- Like I said in my original post, in the beginning (first fifteen seconds), along with the scratchy guitar chord, there are chewing and swallowing sounds. The song is quite literally from the point of view of being stuck in the throat of a God.

- At 3:23 to 3:30, there are bird noises similar to the ones at the start of TMBTE! They're incredibly subtle, but they're there. If you can't pinpoint it, there's a squeaking noise at 3:27, which is just a bird tweeting!

Rain

- From 3:55 to the end of the song, there's rain, which is obviously very fitting. Not specifically rain tapping on a rooftop, but more so rain pouring down a gutter, at least to me.

Take Me Back To Eden

- From 0:00 to 0:40, there's echoed animal noises, like if you were to stand in the middle of a rainforest. The song starts of in absolute silence, only broken by nature; not a human made noise to be heard. It's quite literally Eden. These sounds are there throughout the song, they just get much harder to hear the longer Vessel sings and the more instruments they later on top of eachother.

- At 1:42, there's either a Lion's or a Tiger's roar.

- From 3:10-3:16, there's the sound of thunder.

- A lot of the jingles you hear in The Summoning are repeated here! E.g; 3:40 and, more clearly, at 4:50 and 7:50.

- The lyrics "we were tangled up like branches in a flood; it was no accident" are direct refrences to the lyrics in Chokehold.

Euclid

- The song is 5 minutes and 13 seconds long, but Vessel only starts singing at the 13 second mark. The first lyric? "Just run it back, give me five whole minutes". We, as the listener give him five whole minutes to say what he's gotta say. Further, the song ends on the exact same piano chord that it begins with; the song, in of itself, is a loop. Anytime you play Euclid on loop, you are running it back and giving him five whole minutes. One of the reasons Euclid is my favourite (next to Aqua Regia) for this album.

- The lyrics "the night belongs to you" and "this bough is broken through" are lyrical refrences to The Nigh Does not Belong to God from Sundowning and When The Bough Breaks from One. The oldest album, and ST's first produced album.

- From 4:02 to the end of the song, a verse from The Night Does Not Belong To God is played. It completes the produced album trilogy, and, with the five stages of grief, allows for acceptance and healing. Euclid not only loops itself, but loops the three albums together. Sundowning, TPWBYT and TMBTE are an endless loop that can and will be played as many times as needed for Vessel, for you, as the listener, to heal. To accept change. To realise there's more than denial, anger bargaining and depression. And I think that, in of itself, is beautiful.

---------

Album Notes: Sleep Token really put their whole soul into this album huh. By far, it's the one that uses SFX the most, and rounds out Sleep Token's own genre as a whole. We see snippets of older songs used throughout the album, both lyrical refrences and actual chunks of old songs taken out and placed within other ones. 10/10, would cry to again.

Thank you for reading through all my thoughts and feelings, whoever you are. Remember, the night belongs to you; worship <3.

#THIS ONE.#TMBTE my one true love #they do a lot of linking older songs in this album #and I love it #a lot #the brainrot grows stronger each and everyday #someone said something about needing to study them under a microscope and I completely agree with that statement #the fact that Euclid loops their three main albums together kills me #like I'm dead on the floor #I'm never getting over that #I'm gonna crumble to bits when I see them live I swear #music analysis #music and lyrics #sleep token #sleep token vessel #vessel #st #sleep token tmbte #mel's rambles

34 notes · View notes

stp-au-wthnig · 3 months

Text

Well, This Happens Next, I Guess

Chapter 4: Ride Or Die (Or Maybe Both)

Note: This was a chapter I'd thought about when starting off planning this fic, but I wasn't sure where to put it. But after considering some scenes in it, I figured it'd be best to put it here.

Warnings: Offscreen vomiting, trauma reaction, injuries from falling

---

One night in the apartment complex, the residents were arguing heavily. It was a long and tedious argument about... someone stealing Stubborn's weights.

It got extremely loud to the point Hero couldn't take it any more. He walked into the hallway to see the others at each other's throats.

"All of you, shut up!"

Everyone paused, shocked at seeing Hero so angry at them. Stubborn, who had Contrarian in a chokehold, stopped. Even Cheated, whose hair was covered in egg and sprinkles, looked surprised.

Hero then calmed down quickly upon seeing their shocked faces.

"Sorry, I... I didn't want to have to head out here to stop this is all."

---

As Cheated left to take a shower and Stubborn left to grab his weights, Hero talked with the others.

"We've gotta stop fighting like this. It always ends up in chaos. One of us gets mad at another, then the noise bothers someone else, and it just spirals out of control."

Hunted and Smitten nodded enthusiastically at that. The others held their heads in shame, except Contrarian who nervously giggled.

"Yes, I'd... I'd like for us to just stop fighting. My... my head hurts." Paranoid groaned. Cold handed him some painkillers in response.

"But what are we supposed to do? We can't possibly keep all of us in control." Broken protested miserably.

"He's right. There's not a lot of places all of us can go. The park is really the only place I can think of, but it wouldn't help that much." Skeptic pointed out.

"And other places don't really appeal to all of us." Even Smitten seemed to be thinking for a moment.

Opportunist then stood up suddenly.

"I have an idea." He said, only to be met with bothered looking glances from the others. "What's with those looks? I'm telling you, this is a good idea. Trust me!"

"Can't be any worse than ours. I'm all ears." Contrarian said, smiling genuinely.

Opportunist then pulls out an advertisement for Blissland, a theme park in town.

"Blissland?" Hero questioned.

"There's a variety of different rides and other attractions over there. This could be a good opportunity for us to bond over something." Opportunist explained.

"...This doesn't actually sound bad..." Broken looked at the advertisement warmly. "I'd like to enjoy myself..."

"But is it really okay for all of us to go there? Some of us might have some trouble." Paranoid said, looking concerned.

"Oh, I could just take medicine for motion sickness. Don't worry about that." Hero reassured everyone.

Paranoid then turned his head towards Broken and Hunted.

"I was actually referring to the minimum height restrictions for rides."

Broken held his head down in despair and Hunted's face turned red with embarrassment.

"F-from the looks of it, most rides will be fine! Don't worry about that!" Smitten reassures the two of them

Cheated and Stubborn returned to the group, and after a little discussion, everyone agreed to go to Blissland as soon as possible.

---

The day to go to Blissland had arrived. Even Wing, Princess and the Narrator had decided to come along.

"So why are you joining us anyway? I thought you hated fun." Contrarian questioned the Narrator.

The Narrator glared at Contrarian but continued on anyway.

Skeptic eyed the Narrator, and then whispered to Hero.

"I think He's up to something. You should keep an eye on Him." Skeptic said.

Hero nodded as everyone headed into the van. Cold began to drive everyone to Blissland with the usual deadpan look on his face.

"What about the ghost woman you've been hanging out with?" Paranoid asked Cold, concerned about the woman who nearly gave him a heart attack.

"She'll be fine. We already talked about it and I gave her my number. Just in case." Cold assured Paranoid.

Paranoid, despite his worries just a moment ago, smiled at Cold. He knew he wouldn't say it outright, but it was obvious he'd grown fond of that ghost.

It didn't take long for everyone to arrive at Blissland. It was every bit as nice looking as the pictures in the advertisement.

"I'll be damned! You actually picked something good for once!" Cheated said to Opportunist, who then proceeded to act smug about it.

"Alright, we'll meet up by the entrance at 2 o'clock. If anyone's missing, we'll send Hunted to search." Hero said.

"I've memorised everyone's scent." Hunted assured them all. "You can count on me."

---

Strangely, the Narrator did nothing but follow Wing and Princess. Hero immediately noticed how odd that was, and that's saying a lot because he's not usually good at picking up on that thing.

Eventually, Wing and Princess headed towards a "tunnel of love" ride.

"Of course they'll go for that one..." The Narrator sighed as He followed them.

Hero followed too, cautiously.

"For someone who's been locked in a basement for a while, you sure know how to pick a good ride." Wing attempted to flirt, but Princess burst into a fit of laughter upon hearing that.

As the two got on, the Narrator immediately decided to join in, getting on one of the seats behind them. Hero then got on the other. There was no doubt the Narrator was up to something.

The ride was beginning and Wing and Princess were staring lovingly into each other's eyes before taking in the beautiful scenery. It was at that point that the Narrator revealed His scheme.

"The tunnel is decorated with pink and blue neon lights depicting what appears to be a story of two lovers in a struggle to keep their relationship safe."

Wing turned around and glared at the Narrator.

"What? I'm just setting the scene." The Narrator said, a smug grin across His beak.

Hero sighed. So that was His plan. To ruin the moment. Hero was annoyed that he got worked up for something so small, but at least he was right to be suspicious.

But still, he couldn't just let the Narrator just ruin a perfectly good date.

While Wing and Princess were cooing at the adorable displays, the Narrator attempted to put His feet up against the back of their necks, before Hero grabbed hold of His legs.

The two ended up in a physical squabble for the outcome of Wing and Princess's date, until they found themselves tumbling over the edge of the boat and falling into the water.

"Great. The one thing I wanted to do and you ruined it." The Narrator coughed.

"At least they're okay…" Hero spluttered.

---

At the rollercoaster, after a long wait, Stubborn, Cold and Paranoid were finally able to get on. Paranoid was breathing steadily in an attempt to calm himself down.

"Why are you even joining us if you're so afraid?" Cold questioned.

"Because if you two are left alone here I just know you're going to get yourselves killed." Paranoid snapped.

"Pfft. This thing couldnt kill me if I leapt out of the seat and climbed onto the head." Stubborn boasted.

The ride started. Already it was going lightning fast, which at first Cold seemed to be interested in, but after a few seconds he had already started to get bored of it.

Paranoid, however, was struggling with the speed and tried to calm himself down with his trademark mantra.

"Heart, lungs…"

Before he could finish, however, Stubborn could be seen on the head of the ride. As soon as Paranoid realised, he screamed.

"Heh! You think just a bit of speed is enough for me? I don't think so." Stubborn said, gripping the head of the ride. "Now THIS is excitement! Life or death! Either I make it through this challenge or die trying!"

Cold looked mildly interested, causing Paranoid to hold him in place to prevent him from doing something dangerous.

"Don't you dare!"

"I'm bored."

"Then be bored. It's bad enough that he's doing it! Don't you start!"

And they continued to struggle until the ride was over. Luckily, Stubborn had indeed managed to make it to the end unharmed. However, his actions had given him a ban from the rest of the rides.

"I think... I'm going to..."

Paranoid rushed to the bathroom.

---

Since they couldn't go on the rollercoaster due to their height, Hunted and Broken, with some help from Contrarian, went to the next best thing: the log flume. Hunted was just barely tall enough to ride.

"You were right. This does look like a nice alternative." Hunted said. He looked at the jungle themed scenery and smiled.

"There we go! No way I'd let you two not be able to have fun!" Contrarian said cheerfully.

"I don't know how fun this is going to be though…" Broken sighed. Seems his pessimism was getting to him again.

"Cheer up! It'll be plenty of fun!" Contrarian nudged Broken with his elbow.

The other two were pleased with seeing this side to Contrarian. Normally all they saw of him was just him being a jokester.

They got into their seats as the ride began to start.

"I'm... sorry for avoiding you a lot of the time. You just always seemed so unpredictable." Hunted said to Contrarian.

"Don't worry about that, I just go for whatever I think would be most fun at the time!" Contrarian explained.

"I'm not used to having fun. I'd like to have more fun." Broken said.

"Well, in that case, I..."

The ride started to go up. And awaiting them just ahead was a setpiece of a giant alligator with a huge gaping maw that they would enter.

Hunted did not take that well.

"We have to get out. I... I know it's not real, but we have to get out... I... don't feel safe..."

Contrarian felt concerned for Hunted but also intrigued as to how he planned on 'getting out' at this stage. They were near the top of the ride.

Broken began to whine.

"I knew it was too good to be true... now he's scared and I'm uncomfortable..."

The whining, and plenty else, was short-lived, however, as Hunted slid out of his seat and leapt out just in time for the big drop.

Contrarian and Broken stared in horror as Hunted fell to the bottom of the drop.

---

"Cards weren't enough. Ever since arriving to this world, I've been honing my skills on all sorts of games."

Cheated started giving a speech to no one in particular as he, Skeptic and Opportunist started looking at some claw games in an indoor arcade section of the theme park.

"So how exactly is this a game?" Skeptic questioned.

"It's a game of skill and technique. The arm of this claw is wobbly and only has so much strength. Aiming it to get the prize you want isn't easy." Cheated explained.

"Really? I thought these things were designed to be more or less impossible." Skeptic said.

"They are. But there's techniques you can use to grab the prizes." Opportunist eyed the claw. "I wonder if he knows any."

Cheated attempted to grab a prize. The claw went down but failed to pick anything up.

"That's bullshit! I was right there!"

In the middle of Cheated's tirade, Skeptic gave the machine a go.

"Oh? What's with the change of heart?" Opportunist asked.

"You're one to talk." Skeptic said, glancing at Opportunist. "Anyway, I figured out something while watching Cheated. I noticed there's no end to how far the arm can descend. There's a prize right over the hole."

"Ah, so your plan is to push it in." Opportunist said, peeking at Skeptic's work with an eager grin.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Cheated complained.

Skeptic attempted to push the prize into the hole, but the arm just wouldn't push hard enough.

"That's one weak arm..." Skeptic glared at the machine.

"Now you know how I felt." Cheated snarked.

"Allow me." Opportunist started up his go at the machine.

"He sounds serious about this." Skeptic pondered.

Opportunist began to waggle the claw intentionally and then moved it to the back of the machine.

"Sometimes you have to think..." Opportunist said, as he managed to get the claw to get stuck on the display shelves in the back, "Outside the box!"

Cheated and Skeptic stared at Opportunist's work. Skeptic was awestruck. Cheated was outraged.

"You can't do that! That's not just cheating, I'm pretty sure that's actually illegal!" Cheated protested.

But Opportunist was already dragging the display shelves and knocking every prize in the machine into the hole.

"Serves them right for making it so impossible to begin with." Opportunist defended himself.

"Not bad. You figured out the machine's weakness. This could be useful, I'm sure." Skeptic said, before Opportunist gave him one of the prizes.

"For you. Now let's make a run for it!"

---

Smitten was in line for the ferris wheel. Fast rides weren't really his thing. He preferred to take it slow and enjoy it more. And this was a ride he'd always wanted to go on.

Maybe one day he'd get to ride it with someone special... but he didn't have anyone like that yet. He admitted to finding Princess gorgeous but respected her relationship with Wing.

Then he saw some commotion further down the line. This was a long line, so that was to be expected.

But the more he looked, the more he noticed a moderately petite woman with blonde hair caught up in that commotion. He'd never seen a more beautiful maiden in his life.

But she looked like she was struggling in the middle of that mess. She must've just been minding her own business when this happened. Poor girl.

There were guards around the place to prevent line-cutting, but Smitten couldn't let this poor lady stay trapped in that mess! He rushed over to help her.

"Give this maiden her space at once! You beef-witted rascals!" He angrily shouted at the people fighting, before taking the woman's hand. She was smiling, but clearly nervous.

"I'll bring you to the back of the line. It'll be a longer wait, but you won't have to deal with them." He smiled at the woman, whose nervous smile in turn shifted into a more relieved smile.

"Thank you!"

Smitten took the woman to the back of the line.

"I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. You were waiting in line too, right?" The woman said to Smitten who merely chucked nervously.

"It doesn't matter if it'll take a while longer. Just riding it at all would be good enough for me." Smitten confessed.

The woman looked a little embarrassed. "Actually, I didn't even know if I wanted to ride this. I... think I do?"

She then looked into Smitten' eyes.

"But... Now I just feel like I wanna do whatever you wanna do! I don't even know why!"

Her words sounded off-putting to nearby people, but her face looked genuinely eager.

Smitten looked into her eyes in shock and awe. He wasn't expecting his dream to come true so soon but he'd gladly take it!

---

"I don't get it, why are there so few of us? And Hunted's gone so we don't even have anyone reliable to search." Cheated complained at the entrance.

Opportunist raised his hand and opened his mouth before Cheated spoke again.

"Anyone reliable to search!"

Just then, Stubborn's group came in. Stubborn looked a little angry and was dragging an exhausted-looking Paranoid over.

"What happened?" Skeptic asked them.

"Stubborn got banned from the rides and Paranoid vomited his guts out." Cold explained, earning glares from the other two.

Skeptic wanted to question how this happened, but looking at Paranoid's tired yet horrified expression, he felt it best not to press for right now.

It wasn't long before Wing's group arrived. Narrator and Hero were both wrapped up in warm towels, feathers and hair still wet. Wing was comforting Hero and Princess was dragging Narrator begrudgingly.

"Okay, that's a bit more obvious." Skeptic said.

"At least we had a nice moment for a while... before we found out this happened." Princess sighed.

"He started it." Hero and Narrator pointed at each other.

Cheated sighed in sightly begrudging sympathy. "Alright. I get it. And it looks like you're even now, so drop it."

Contrarian's group then arrived, Contrarian having a hard time carrying a now heavily bandaged Hunted.

"What happened here?!" Cheated yelled.

"Sorry. I panicked." Hunted explained in his usual minimalistic way, which wasn't very helpful at all.

"We were having a good time, until Hunted got scared of the scenery and jumped off the top of the ride..." Broken said.

"Yeah, I think it was the big alligator mouth tunnel that did it." Contrarian suggested, prompting Hunted to shiver in fear.

"I didn't like that. I knew it wasn't real, but I still didn't like it. I don't understand." Hunted muttered.

"Easy, don't move around too much. I understand." Hero said, putting his hand on Hunted's arm, before sneezing violently.

Opportunist then looked around and saw Smitten staring at the park exit with a giddy and dazed expression on his face.

"Smitten! There you are! We're just about to leave, so..."

"Ah! So sorry, I didn't notice. I was just lost in thought." Smitten said, before sighing in complete bliss again. "I just met the most beautiful damsel I've ever laid my eyes upon."

"Ooh! Someone's in love! What's her name?" Contrarian teased Smitten.

Smitten's eyes shot open and he then turned to look at the others with an embarrassed look on his face.

"I forgot to ask..."

The others minus Contrarian all groaned in disappointment. Contrarian simply laughed.

"That's so you, getting attached to someone that easily!"

Smitten stared into the city ahead.

"I'll ask her the next time we meet."

---

The trip back was mercifully quiet. Hero, Paranoid and Hunted were all in the back together, while Narrator had fallen asleep next to them.

Hero turned to Paranoid.

"Sorry this was more stressful than we'd hoped."

Paranoid looked back at Hero.

"Oh no, it's not your fault! Believe me, if it was, you'd never hear the end of it..." Paranoid replied.

"How are you doing, Hunted?" Hero asked.

Hero thought for a moment, and then spoke to the other two.

"I'll be fine. I just need some rest to heal. I don't like this, but I'll manage." Hunted said, keeping a surprisingly cool head for someone that just fell from the top of one of the tallest rides in the park.

"How about we do something together once you're healed up? Just the three of us. I think we need it after all that." Hero suggested.

"You know, I don't mind that. You're much more trustworthy than those two." Paranoid pointed at Stubborn and Cold.

"I'd like that. I don't want to come back here, though." Hunted said.

"Okay. So, we'll find something else to do then." Hero told the other two.

They had plenty of time to figure out where to go.

#slay the princess #well this happens next i guess #omfg i actually finished it #FINALLY #i am so sorry if this is bad #i wrote it in bits too scattered from each other #but the next chapter will hopefully be more coherent

8 notes · View notes

bored-frog · 6 months

Text

Born and Raised

When I blew up at you, I was unable to properly express myself and how I felt, I let my anger take over, causing another drift between us because I can not be mature and maintain all the feelings coursing through me, ready to leap out of the prison that is my skin.

You don't know how guilty I feel for yelling, for arguing with you over something like this, a topic so delicate and important, I deeply apologize.

I am emotionally stubborn, everything I feel is felt strongly, nothing is half-assed inside my heart, which is why I'm so upset.

I understand that we walk in different shoes through life, you didn't ask for your pair and I didn't ask for mine, you don't know the pebbles and splinters tightly strapped beneath the material of mine, I don't know the full extent of what goes on beneath the surface of your socks and laces, but sometimes I feel that you judge me, that you compare yours to mine and get hostile with me because I must be walking on a fucking cloud; Appearances deceive.

When the world is throwing shit, you don't have to throw it at me too, I am not your enemy, I do not view you as less than, so why does it feel like you look down in disgust at me for the things I have no control over?

I feel positively shitty, I must be the dirtiest asshole bundled up in name brand toilet paper, right?

"You don't understand, but you can empathize."

"You'll never fucking understand, but I'm sure you can imagine the dirty caked up shit path I'm forced to walk through, while you glide through in a carriage you don't even have to work harder than everyone else to earn, don't insult me and say you do, how the fuck could you possibly get it?"

I hate it when you do that, when you say that, I am not riding on some high and mighty horse, my situation is just different, it's so god damn infuriatingly-annoyingly-frustratingly unfair when you do that, when you compare the two, it's as if I'm getting the biggest scowl from you every single time you bring it up; A "snobby brat" whining about her basket of lemons to an "untouchable."

I get nasty, snippy, and rude because of this sneering chokehold in the air between us when talks of the future is brought up, I dread the conversation every time, I don't want to discuss any of it, about me and "oh the places I can go," I try to give you hope and you roll your eyes at me, scoffing.

I'm a pretentious dick wasting the privilege I walk around with, this prized gift, this golden ticket that I want nothing more than to toss out because it feels awful to have; A worthless piece of shit wins the lottery but spends her life watching TV, a fucking insult.

I don't like the way you mentally side eye me, as the clock of aging ticks, you get more and more passively bitter with me, I uncomfortably twiddle my thumbs, wanting nothing more than to deal you a new hand of cards, for Life is a terrible dealer.

I understand and empathize that the fissured road you walk on isn't easy, nothing about the journey is brisk and fun, that it feels so demeaning, and that you have put in all your efforts alone as ungrateful assholes with birth rights and money drive around and honk at you, that they view you as this dirty dog beneath them, but don't look over and assume that mine must be a fucking breeze.

My cracked piece of opaque rubble carries it's own challenges, ones that I do not share, I sweat and moan in silence on this bumpy ass path, I trip and stumble, mentally scuffed and bruised as I force myself to keep going further down, I want to just stop dead in this traffic, shriveling up into a pathetic ball of tears, because I too am dealing with my own shit and it's not fucking easy, but you make me feel like it's nothing, that I couldn't possibly have problems.

I know you don't believe it, but I fully believe things are going to work out for you, right now it just feels like some asshole has set your lawn of potential on fire, I promise you it will get better, you are strong and beautiful, I know it feels like the world is against you, that no one is on your team, I am there, I'm the weirdo cheering and rooting for you from across the street, who will help you put out the fire.

With mastering the toughest task of patience, I assure you things are going to work out, that you are cable of so much more than what people assume based off of looks because they are jackasses living in the past, so please, have faith, don't lose hope in your future, and I beg of thee, stop telling me I don't understand, because I do, because I understand you.

- Autumn(Me)

#poetry #poemsbyme #original poem #poems on tumblr #poets on tumblr #creative writing

10 notes · View notes

theacedragon0w0 · 1 month

Text

Crystal Clear

Giving Vlad a redemption arc bby!

Hazel belongs to @puffymucher

Vlk belongs to @imapuppy5000

Rosalina belongs to @mirconreadzztuff22

"Sage, are you ready?" Velvette tapped her shoe as Sage was overlooking their tie for the sixth time.

They were happy that the meet up with Vlad went with little conflict, but one issue still didn't sit right for Sage.

"You know if you don't want me to go by myself, you could just have Hazel occupany me instead-"

"Sage, I have said this again, I need to be the one there with you, Rosalina and Vlk have their shit to run and Hazel is going to be on guard if he pulls something cheap."

Sage sighed, they didn't want to risk being the mediator of her partner and her old boss but had to quickly accept the inevitable. Sage passed Velvette a box that was tightly packaged, "Can you at least tell me that this package is not a bomb?"

Velvette patted Sage's cheek, "It's not a bomb, it'll hopefully be the one gift that the bastard will actually like."

-----

The coffee shop was quiet, as only a few patrons were present as it was after the breakfast lunch, Sage and Velvette entered as Hazel was tasked to stand at the entrance in case of things going south.

Vlad and Stripes was sitting at a booth near the window, Velvette having Sage sit first and her sitting next to her reptile.

Sage hated the silence, no one was saying a word with the exception of the group ordering different drinks, Stripes and Velvette unsurprisingly ordering special over the top lattes with Vlad requesting his coffee black.

"Sage what would you like?"

"I'll take a water, thanks."

Sage needed something that wouldn't upset their stomach, as they had digested the looks that they received from the older gentlemen.

Vlad cleared his throat, "Sagebrush I appreciate you taking the time for us to talk."

Sage only managed to nodded, Velvette tried to squeeze Sage's hand but they pulled away, trying to wipe off the sweat that was developing from the internal panic.

Velvette stepped in, "Well we do have a tight schedule so whatever insults you want to dump onto us please make it quick."

Vlad lowered his coffee, "I believe I was addressing Sagebrush." Getting a sharp jab at Stripes,

"Behave love."

"Well I was hoping that Sagebrush here wouldn't have to bring a interpreter who's mouth is more foul than-"

Sage slammed the table,

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Vlad, and don't you ever talk to Velvette or any of my wives like that! Furthermore, my name is fucking Sage!"

Vlad leaned back, deflated as he saw Stripes giving the most proudest grin to Sage like they just won the spelling bee championship.

Sage sat back down, wiping their face with their hand, Velvette rubbing their shoulder for support.

Stripes mimicked the same gesture, "See Vlad? Our Sage here got themselves a strong backbone, and they have people who don't try to break it."

"Couldn't have said better myself!" Velvette chirped, "and I think this will help cement that statement." Pulling out the parcel.

Vlad raised an eyebrow but opened the parcel. The boxed contained a display case, with large plates resting inside.

"These are,"

"Crystal's." Sage quivered, they knew that her friends killed their ex but they had no idea that Velvette would actually keep a part of that monster, and in a display case of all things.

Vlad inspected the case, Stripes sharing the same look of terror that Sage had as he gently brushed Vlad's ear,

"Darling? Do you have anything to say?"

Vlad looked up, "Well, this would explain why she didn't show up for work, I thank you for tidying up that mess."

------

The two parties were getting ready to leave, with Vlad beckoning Sage to the side.

Sage stuttered, "Vlad, I had no idea that she would have kept that-" but was cut off by Vlad pulling them into a tight hug.

Everyone stopped to stare, Sage stood solid, unsure if this was an actual hug or an attempt for Vlad to put them into a chokehold.

But Sage's fear subside when she heard the old man start to sob.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have hired her in the first place, I should've stepped in to help, I should've done better."

Sage patted Vlad's back, "Hey, you know me, I would never hold a grudge against you, you took me in when I was a scared lost soul and honestly you helped make me into the sinner I am today."

Vlad pulled away, wiping his face with the handkerchief from his suit, "Sagebru- I mean Sage, I am so unbelievably proud of you, I want you to come visit, not as a worker, but as a daughter."

Vlad turned to face Velvette and Hazel, "Tell the others that they are also welcomed to say hello as well, my companion and I are going to host our annual cookout for the workers there, and everyone will look forward for Sage's cooking."

Sage smiled, seeing how Velvette and Hazel were beaming on the invitation.

#hazbin hotel oc #oc x canon #hazbin hotel velvette #oc x oc #velvette x reader #oh boy sage lore will be upon us

5 notes · View notes

whumpasaurus101 · 2 years

Text

Summer Of Whump- June 4th- Hostage

~Prompt List~

@summer-of-whump

Cw: Gun - stabbing - creepy whumper - held at gunpoint

The soldiers flooded the opposition's base, guns raised, scanning the area around them. It was quiet. Too quiet. Whumpee gulped but continued to advance, not hearing any protests from Leader.

Whumpee and Teammate made their way through the darkness, pushing down the fear and dread inside them. Whumpee’s earpiece cracked, a static sound buzzing before a scattered voice came “R-treat…” Whumpee’s eye furrowed, they squinted, trying to make sense of the voice. “Re-tre-” Whumpee looked to Teammate, seeing if they were hearing the same.

What- Where were they???

They looked blindly around them, breath picking up, they couldn't make a sound but oh how much they wanted to yell out for Teammate.

“WHUMPEE, RETREAT RETREAT!” Leader screamed into their earpiece.

The cold muzzle of a gun, pressing to the back of Whumpee’s head made Whumpee realize that it was a bit too late to retreat now…

“Stand down, Soldier,” A different voice growled in their ear. Someone right beside them. The owner of the gun. Whumpee’s earpiece buzzed and cracked, “Whu-ee, wh- happ-..a-r-right?” Whumpee was frozen on spot for a moment, what in the bloody hell do they do???

The gun dug further into their head as the voice growled once more, “Stand. Down. Drop the gun.” Whumpee’s arm shook as they slowly brought the gun to their side. The voice got closer to their ear, a growl just over a whisper, “Drop. It.”

Whumpee whimpered, cringing away but quickly dropped it to the ground, the clanging of the metal echoing through the warehouse. “Good, Henchman, turn on the lights,” Whumper ordered. The bright fluorescent lights flicked on overhead, making Whumpee squint from the brightness.

Whumper chuckled, slowly making their way in front of Whumpee, smirk on their face as they studied Whumpee’s face, pocketing their own gun, “My my, we seem to have caught a pretty one,” They remark, their smirk only growing wider.

Whumpee clenched their jaw tightly and looked to their ground, their face blank. They failed the mission. They failed… And… They turned their head to the side, feeling their heart drop, “T-teammate…”

Whumper grinned, taking a step forward and roughly grabbing Whumpee’s chin, forcing Whumpee to look at them, “Ah ah ah, precious, eyes on me.” Whumpee whimpered, tears slowly forming in their eyes as their body began to tremble, only making Whumper’s grin widen. Teammate was being held in a chokehold, a guard holding a gun to their head. “L-Let them go…” Whumpee spoke, voice fully hoarse as their throat was dry from fear.

Whumper smirked, “Oh I will, just once you behave.” Whumpee’s eyebrows furrowed, “Wh-...what?” A low chuckle from Whumper sent shivers down Whumpee’s spine.

“Gaurd 1, Guard 2, take Whumpee to room 5 for me, will you?” Whumpee was took by the two shoulders, the guards’ arms linking with Whumpee’s and they started to be dragged out of the room. Whumpee thrashed, “NO! ST-STOP! LET GO!!!” They tried to dig their heels into the ground but the guards were stronger.

In room 5, Whumpee sat, tied to a chair as Whumper set up a camera in front of them. Whumpee gulped, clearing their throat and trying not to let their voice wobble, “Wh-what are you doing, what do you want?!” Whumper ignored them, happily humming a merry tune as they aligned the tripod so it was in front of Whumpee. The red light switched on and Whumper clapped happily, double checking the camera and smiling, proud of their handiwork.

The steady thud of Whumper’s boots echoed through the room, stopping as they stood right beside Whumpee, carding their hand through Whumpee’s hair, smirking as they saw the ear piece lodged into Whumpees ear. They quickly took it out and dropped it on the ground, smashing it with their boot with a satisfied smile.

They then looked to the camera, smiling, “Leader! Yet another little mission of yours has failed!!! But it looks like I have a little token of yours!” Their hand cupped Whumpee’s cheek, forcing them to look up at the camera, “Why don't you say hello to your Leader, hm?” Whumpee sniffled, “He-help… I’m i-in room f-” Whumper chuckled, backhanding Whumpee hard across the face and shoving their hand over Whumpee’s mouth to quieten them, “I think that's enough talking for you, dear!!!”

Whumpee tried to get Whumper’s hand off but nothing was working, not even biting down on their palm. Whumper continued their stupid monologue;

“You have three days, Leader. I want fifty thousand dollars and all your finest weapons, then you can get this little hostage of mine!” Whumpee whimpered against Whumper’s palm, making them smile even more.

“But for now, I’ll make this little soldier pay for your actions!” And with that, Whumper slashed the knife hard down into Whumpee’s shoulder, making them scream out in pain, thrashing against the restraints. Whumper waited until the sound died down until they spoke again, “Don’t worry, Leader, I’ll be sending you a video every single day you fail to follow my orders.” Whumpee sobbed out, nononono, what in the bloody hell did they get themself into?!

“Three days, leader. Three days.”

#summerofwhump #summerofwhumpday4 #hostage #creepy whumper #intimate whumper #held at gunpoint #held captive #whump #whumper #whumpee #knife #stabbing #gun #gunpoint #whump drabble #lee wrote something :o

126 notes · View notes

ashcadence · 6 months

Text

There are two movie soundtracks that have me in a chokehold right now. Which is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Trolls Band Together... Which couldn't be possibly any more different from each other

#i choose to believe i have peak taste in music #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #trolls band together

6 notes · View notes

clericofshadows · 7 months

Text

dialogue tag game

tagged by the lovely @rotschopf-thedrow

rules: pick up to 10 characters and share one of your favorite lines of dialogue you have ever written for them!

this is cruel I have so much dialogue how can I choose favorites? this is definitely one of those things where I will give completely different answers if I'm asked about this again :)

choosing just one bit of dialogue for Regis Shepard is so hard, but a snarky one I've liked is from feeling numb, lost in time. Some of my favorite moments with Regis are when he's fucking with people.

“What story?” Regis asked with a smirk, realizing he could fuck with him. Regis and Joker have never had anything more than a barely civil relationship, but there were times they could mess around with each other without too much hostility on the other’s part. Regis figured this could be one of those times. “The one where Kaidan and I met Zaeed while on leave and learned a hell of a lot more about where our tastes lie?”

2. Vikram T'Lara, Regis's asari matriach uncle, from feeling numb, lost in time, in which Vik inevitably gets in contact with Regis while he's with Cerberus.

Vik rolled their eyes. “Goddess, Reggie, you knew what I meant. You know, seeing you grow up has been some of the best memories of my long life. I’m very grateful to have been part of your family.”

3. Jeff "Joker" Moreau, in don't ask about Ryuusei, in which they try to figure out the deal behind their "emails."

“Wait a minute, you messaged me. For a second, I thought it was a prank. I mean, hello–” he gestured around. “I know you. This is your personal hell, but maybe you decided to let that all go to celebrate your favorite pilot.”

4. Kaidan Alenko from you got me in a chokehold, a flashback to after Alchera.

"Couldn't have controlled? No, you just couldn't stand being wrong about anything involving the Normandy! But it doesn't matter anymore, now does it? You might've saved the ship a few precious seconds, but Regis didn't get any!" Ashley stepped between them, interrupting whatever Joker was going to say next. "This is not the time to be fighting! God, it's a terrible day when I'm the fucking mediator. Joker, you knew what the orders were. Both of you, walk away before things get more ruined than they already are." "You aren't going to call out Alenko for prioritizing his boyfriend over the rest of the crew?" Kaidan felt his biotic corona roar to life. "Go fuck yourself Joker and remember that Regis died for you! He was never going to leave anyone behind! And he chose you."

5. Admiral Steven Hackett, from so let love reign.

"Did [Zaeed] tell you to ask me about the Frozen Pyjak?" [Hackett] chuckled.

6. Zaeed Massani, from a WIP fic of the aftermath of his loyalty mission. I hate that this is one of my favorites, but it hit exactly the way I wanted it to.

Zaeed spun around, pointing a finger in Regis's direction, his face twisted with anger. "What the fuck was that, Regis?" "I could ask you the same damn thing. We wouldn't even be in this fucking situation if you weren't so consumed by revenge and just slowed down and listened," Regis replied, his tone flat, carefully keeping his expression neutral. "That's fucking rich." Zaeed laughed, laced with bitterness and anger. "The whole reason why you're even playing nice with Cerberus is so you can tear them apart. You're biding your time to get back at T'Soni as we speak. But the moment I get the chance to get what I have spent years working towards, you throw it all away for a few extra lives. How about that, Butcher?"

7. Ashley Williams, from late night conversations. In which she and Regis chat about things.

“And now you’re here, abusing your Spectre benefits so you two can share a bed together,” she echoed, nudging his arm. “I would offer to go ring shopping with you, but something tells me you already have that figured out.”

8. Nyx Shepard, from the story of a weapon. I'm still trying to figure this bastard out, but he's already had his moments.

Nyx's intense purple eyes watched Kaidan closely as he examined the dagger. "You've been in my goddamn bed," Nyx finally stated, a small grin playing on his lips. "So, you've seen a lot of me. But not many have been close enough to see this blade on neutral ground.” Kaidan felt a flush of warmth creeping up his cheeks, but he didn't shy away from Nyx's probing gaze. "Well, I'd say it's quite an honor," he replied, his tone playful, though tinged with a sense of curiosity. "Your bed and now this? What’s next…” “You tell me,” He chuckled. “Every weapon has a story. What is mine? You get one question, the rest you try to figure out on your own.”

I think that's about it... I could try to do a few more but I like what I have here.

tagging anyone who sees this and wants to participate! tag me if you do :)

#tag game #cleric's wip #cleric's writing

1 note · View note

worldismyne · 1 year

Text

Almost Home Chapter 9

Summary: Harv takes shelter in a strange castle in the middle of the woods on his way back home. He only planned on staying one night. It’s just, there always seems to be a reason why it’d be a good idea to stay just one more night.

AU - Finn and Harv meet years after graduating.

Rating: M

Pairing: Harv/Finn

Series: Warrior U

Ao3 link

Late into the night the harp stopped playing, with only the crackle of the fireplace to replace the music. Finn had dozed off on Harv's chest with his black robe draped over them for the sake of decency. Harv lingered in that moment longer than he needed to, until the afterglow had faded into a warm weight on his heart. The rise and fall of their breathing created a ballet of shadows across Finn's skin. Harv could feel his back prickle from where he laid on the couch, now a little too warm. When he shifted, Finn hardly moved, he wasn't dozing anymore, he was asleep.

He had a promise to keep.

It hardly seemed fair to leave Finn in such a state in the sitting room though. So, he carried the bard up to his room one last time and hid him under the covers. Finn rolled over and pulled a pillow close, causing Harv to take pause, but he didn't keep stirring.

Harv's things had been gathered by the back garden door, a change of clothes carefully folded next to his armor and sword. It was as if the elements hadn't touched them at all. With a heavy heart, Harv went back out into the snow, the road now clearer than it had been in weeks.

He needed to go back home.

Though the closer he got to town, roosters crowing well before sunrise, the faster his walk turned into a brisk jog. He'd be able to greet his family with the morning sun. Just about an hour before everyone would wake, he made it to his family home. It was a little different than he remembered. Little changes, like the positioning of chairs and where dishes were left to dry, but none so drastic he felt out of place. At long last he'd be able to greet his parents with open arms and see how big his siblings had grown.

Then something hard and metallic hit him on the back of the head. He dropped to the ground like a rock.

"You picked the wrong house to shake up." A female voice he couldn't quite place shouted. She forced him to roll over and pinned his shoulder with her foot. "Holy-" She dropped the cast iron skillet she'd been using as a one-handed weapon. "Harv!?" There was more commotion coming from the other room as people clamored to see what happened. Harv groaned, his vision still spotted white from the pain.

"Emet, what's going on?" Rhodri asked.

"Emet?" Harv felt the pain subside. He wasn't used to seeing his fellow warrior in a dressing gown, but it was definitely them. "Emet! I haven't seen you since-" He immediately caught sight of Rhodri flailing for him to stop talking. "...forever." He finished lamely. Emet helped him to his feet as the rest of the family poured into the kitchen.

"Is that-" His mother ran towards him. "Harv!" She pulled him into a chokehold of a hug and showered the top of his head with kisses. "I was so worried. We got word back you'd defected, and no one could find you." She released him only to squish his cheeks together. "I'm just so glad you're home." Puck ran up to him, and Harv caught him in stride, though it was harder to lift him up like he used to. He was able to get him about a foot and a half off the ground before having to set him down again.

"Did you bring any presents?" Puck jumped up and down.

"In a minute little man, I just got here." Harv walked up to his dad and gave him a hug but had to stop him from trying to noogie his head. "Emet hit me in the head with a skillet not ten minutes ago."

"Haha!" His father laughed and slapped him on the back. "Yeah, your brother's fiancé is a bit of a spitfire ain't she?" Harv, bug eyed, looked at the two in question who were wearing uncomfortable smiles as they nodded. The look in their eyes begged him to just play along until they could explain in private what was going on. From the bedroom doorway, a shy eleven-year-old watched quietly, still mostly hidden by the shadows of the bedroom.

"Hey Biggie, remember me?" Harv didn't have to crouch as much to get on eye level with the child. Big glanced at his parents to judge their reaction before giving a small nod.

"Harv, why don't you escort," Emet cringed at the word, "me to the well and I can treat your wound."

"I don't see anything that bad." Roland tried to take a closer look, but Harv evaded him.

"Sure," Harv handed his pack to Puck, "present are in the brown paper packages. Don't open them until I get back, but you can pass them out to everyone." Puck snatched the satchel and greedily emptied its contents. "Emet." He awkwardly bowed and generally tried to be gentlemanly, but he honestly couldn't see her as anything other than his army buddy in a dress. Especially with how uncomfortable Emet was with the whole thing too. They walked out into the snow, the house behind them now alight with life and celebration. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I came here to tell Rhodri what happened to you. I figured Darren would try to cover his ass the minute he realized he fucked up." Emet had dropped all pretense of femininity, falling back into the lower register Harv was familiar with. "I was only going to catch him up, but then that blizzard came through and I got stuck." Emet sucked in air through his teeth. "You can imagine how fun it was explaining to your parents why I was there at night... It was easier to play the part of a lady than touch any of, well, you know. I've been stuck in that tiny two room house with all of them cooing at us, it's basically my own personal hell in there. They're nice people though, kept me safe, it's pretty much all I could hope for."

"Does Rhodri know?" Harv hardly knew how to explain anything to a bystander, let alone a loved one, but Emet rolled his eyes.

"'Dose Rhodri know?'" Emet said in a jester-like imitation. "Of course, he knows. He knew before I did, and besides we've been friends since I started school. He's got a bigger heart than you give him credit for. What about you? I was worried about you, y'know, but you look like a lesser noble right now." Harv hadn't even considered the second-hand clothes or braids to be out of the ordinary, he'd grown so used to them.

"Yeah, uh, I stayed with a... with a friend." He sent the bucket down to the well to at least try and maintain the facade he was receiving medical aid.

"A friend or a 'friend'?" Emet leaned against the frozen stone. "'Cause I thought you were swearing off of 'friends' after the whole thing with Trevor went down." Harv nearly dropped the bucket.

"Would you at long last let that go!?" Harv snapped. "It was years ago, it doesn't matter. Emet grinned at him almost predatorily.

"Oh?" She gasped when he went back to bringing up the water. "Oh ho! See, I told you there were other people that wanted that sort of thing." Harv's lip twitched, ready to get into a fight, because Emet always thought his attempts at a love life were laughable. Just because the results were usually disastrous didn't give Emet the right to poke fun at him for wanting it, especially right now. "Hold that thought, your mom's coming." Emet shifted gears and slipped into a falsetto act like a pair of old shoes. "I think it's just a bump. He should be fine if just rubs some dirt in."

"I was just making sure," his mother smiled, "it was just taking a while, so-"

"Yeah, you should get back inside before Rhodri gets jealous." Harv said tersely. The flash of outrage that flickered across Emet's face was enough to make up for getting hit in the head.

"He might, actually." Emet forced a smile. "But when you come back to the house, I'm sure everyone would love to hear about the friend you met during your travels." Emet chuckled a little, the smile softening into something more genuine. "I am glad you're okay. If you need a job, my dad could always use help around the guild or I could talk to some other friends. Good guys like you are always in demand." So that was how Emet planned to pay him back. It was a kind gesture.

"Friend?" His mother perked up at the potential good news. There were many kind gestures needed to truly call it even.

"Yeah, about that..." Harv hesitated as he watched Emet go back into the house. No one else seemed to be coming outside. "You know that story you told me, about how you met dad..." He could see her eyes start to sparkle with the early signs of a smile. "I think... I mean, I don't know for sure but... it was kind of..." Well, he hadn't had to go hunting for a bear or argue with Finn's parents. There was nothing he could point to as traditional courting either, but Finn had made it clear he wanted something akin to that. "They wanted me to stay with them." His mom looked like she was about to cry all over again.

"All of my babies are growing up so fast." She hugged again. "So, when do we get to meet her?" Harv tensed, this was the part he'd been dreading.

"Him." He waited in the anxiety riddled limbo as his mother let go of him.

"Well... That certainly does complicate things a little, doesn't it?" She cupped her chin like it was an interesting sort of puzzle and looked back at the house.

"Yeah, that's not the only problem." Harv slowly explained to her the situation the house-bound son of the late witch had found himself in. With each new piece of information, she nodded, puzzling the whole time. Yet, she assured him, there was always a solution to be found if the will was strong enough. The real question was, was it worth the risk?

-v-

Finn woke at an unimportant hour of the day, slipped on his baggy comfy clothes and shuffled downstairs. He made his morning tea as usual, no longer having to hide every magic implement in the house or concern himself with appearances. Though he did avoid drinking it in the sitting room. As pretty as the fire and bells were, all he'd end up thinking about would be how much of a pain it would be to take it down. It was easier this way. He needed to get used to the quiet by doing something familiar.

After all, he still had false hope to nurse along his wounded heart. Something that numbed the ache with each wave of acceptance. He had to take up all the daily chores again, even though he hadn't the motivation, and his mood grew duller. Just as overestimating how much water he'd need for a cup of tea brought him down or the thought of picking up his harp to play a tune. He'd try to remind himself it hadn't been a definite no. He could always venture up the path to the farm, were he really desperate for a concrete answer. The ambiguity hurt, but not as badly as rejection would have.

It wasn't until he went to do the week's laundry that the numbness started to crack. Amongst the delicates and table napkins was Harv's old tunic from the first day he'd arrived. Finn hadn't needed to wash anything the past few days, so it accidentally got left out of the mix.

It was the accidental part that got to him.

Because Harv left on purpose. He didn't choose to leave anything behind and had Finn thought to check the dirty linens, it would have been packed up with everything else. Harv also chose not to give him a clear answer, even in his absence. No note or final grand gesture of affection, there was no guarantee he'd come back for a shirt he didn't need anymore.

It was just a dirty, old tunic.

But the emotional dam he'd tried so hard to build up cracked at the sight of it and everything came rushing out at once. An ugly sob rattled out of his throat. It still smelled like him, but he was gone. Just another ghost that left echoes of himself behind in the empty house.

He couldn't hear the bells over the sound of his crying.

-v-

Puck and Big were playing with handmade toys as they chased each other around the dinner table. The new baby Kenric was on a quilt near Clover's chair playing with his toes and looking in the general direction of the loudest noise. It was a little jarring for Harv to be thrust back into a house so full of life, so many conversations going on at once with Emet and Rhodri bickering over dishes in the background.

Harv had joined his father next to the fire to work on wicks for the lanterns. It was the closest he could get to finding a bit of peace in the chaos. Despite being his family home, he felt a little out of place once he came face to face with all the changes in the house. He couldn't help feeling that a few melodies from a harp would harmonize with everything.

"You've been awfully quiet today." His father said softly. "Not so easy coming back." Harv nodded in response. There were a lot of things about military life that hadn't made its way into his father's stories while growing up.

"It's... weird." Harv tossed one of the stripped reeds onto the pile. "I spent most of the trek wondering what I'd do with myself once I got back. The plan was always to serve as a soldier, and then I'd figure the rest out later."

"Later always catches up to you." His father agreed. They continued to whittle in silence.

"I mean, I have options, I just... I don't know if I'm rushing into something just to have purpose." Harv briefly glanced at his dad. "Was it like that for you?"

"Eh, I didn't have much time to think about it." Roland shrugged. "Your mother didn't give me a chance."

"It was fate." His mother insisted gently. His whole life he'd been told the same story, how his father had stumbled through the doors after serving on the front and they fell in love after sharing a meal. The rest often changed, apparently his grandparents were strongly against her marrying a stranger. "I said I'd marry the first man to walk through that door and not ten seconds later there he was. Couldn't have timed it better if I tried."

"Clover!" Roland relaxed when he saw the little ones were too distracted with their toys.

"I thought it was love at first sight?" Harv said. He felt a little betrayed, which was silly. He was too old to believe in such things, but he had thought his parents an exception to the rule.

"It was, we just didn't know it at the time." Roland said. "Sometimes you get lucky and meet someone who wants the same things. And in your mother's case, she really didn't want to marry anyone her mother picked out. You've seen the miller." He shrugged as Harv imagined the nightmare scenario where he'd grown up the miller's child instead. "You'll adjust to civilian life again; it just might take a bit to find what suits you."

Harv already had an idea of what suited him, it just might take a bit of explaining and time. He looked up at his mom and nodded. She set aside her mending.

"You know, I wish we could properly thank the people who helped shelter you on your way back." She said. "If only we knew where any of them lived. I'd like to bring them a cake or something for being so kind and generous to a stranger." She did her best to indirectly talk up Finn before Harv revealed that, coincidentally, he happened to live nearby. It wasn't the subtlest attempt on his part, but it was enough to convince his father to go in the morning.

#warrior u #harvfinn #little finnharv things #fanfic

0 notes