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#they’re the one who gave him that long jewel earring he wears
starrspice · 1 month
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I've been meaning to ask, in the Silent Shanty au, how do Eclipse and Y/n know each other? And why doesn't Y/n remember him?
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Well, they spent a summer together a long time ago.
Eclipse would travel overseas with his father during the summer, and while playing on the beach one afternoon he got swept out to sea by the current. Y/N helped pull him back to shore, and the two played together everyday that summer.
Those summer memories have always held a place in Eclipse’s heart, and he’s spent years trying to find them again. But it was such a long time ago Y/N’s nearly forgotten
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sisters-sideblog · 1 year
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Jewelry
I'm working on an actual "start of the story"-story for my (still untitled) Links Meet AU but have also been writing little snippets to start getting a handle on personalities and interactions. I liked how this one came out!
Fandom: Legend of Zelda (Not LU!) Characters: Legend, Wild, Mask Rated: PG (mild language) Wordcount: 680
“Y’even wear that outfit when you’re climbing up on mountains? With snow? Don’t you get cold?” Mask’s slightly louder than necessary question turned a few nearby heads, Legend’s included. Wild didn’t appear to be bothered by the extra attention.
“Sometimes, if it’s cold enough. That’s why I wear this.” She thumbed the jewel centered in the circlet over her brow, then bumped one opal earring with a curled finger to make it flash in the light. “These have an enchantment, too, but I’m just wearing them today because they’re pretty.”
Ravio and Men turned back to the ledgers they’d been pouring over. But Legend, sensing a more interesting conversation, twisted around to peer over the back of his chair towards where Wild and Mask sat at the dining table. “Is all your jewelry enchanted?” he wanted to know.
“Most of it. I helped someone out who makes them, she gives me good prices. I’ve commissioned a few mundane things from her too.”
“What kinds of enchantments?”
“Mostly elemental effects. Protection and the like. Why?”
Ravio gave him a shove and a cross look; he was probably being distracting, calling across the room like this. Legend got up from the couch and instead dropped down to sit across from Wild at the table where she and Mask had been swapping stories that, so far as Legend could tell, had meandered away from comparisons of their versions of Death Mountain to, somehow, climbing things.
He held out a hand, on which glittered some of the things he’d managed to bring back from his adventures abroad; the rings that had been on his fingers and looped on a cord around his neck when he shipwrecked for the second and final time. He pointed to the one with a heart-cut ruby set in gold. “This one has a slow healing effect.”
Now fully interested, Wild bent over Legend’s hand, asking after the rest. It didn’t take long for both of them to be bringing out everything they had on them, comparing the spells.
Mask’s eyes darted between them, watching and listening with his chin propped up on his hands and his swaying feet occasionally finding Legend’s knees and shins beneath the table. Eventually, he seemed to tire of the topic. “Masks are better,” he declared, with just a hint of defiance and a challenging gleam in his eye.
“You trying to start shit, pipsqueak?” Legend demanded, squawking when Mask kicked him again, deliberately this time.
Wild nudged him with her elbow. “If you used them enough to be titled after them, I can’t say I’m surprised. Sometimes it’s nice to feel pretty, though.” She patted at the jeweled band around her bun.
“I’ve got a mask for that, too.”
“A mask for feeling pretty?”
“This I’ve got to see,” Legend said dryly.
“Is it one of those fancy ones with lots of beads and ribbons like the Rito use in their festivals?” Wild guessed.
Mask shook his head. Grinning, he ducked under the table. When he sat back up, he had on a mask depicting a feminine face that trailed long streams of bright fuschia hair, all wreathed in plants. It had an ethereal quality to it that made Legend squint with niggling recognition. He saw Wild doing much the same.
“Huh,” Legend said.
Wild ran her hand down one of the mask’s multiple ponytails. “It’s got nice hair?” she offered. She pulled her hand back, an abrupt motion, staring between her fingers and what they’d just been touching as if they’d done something unexpected. “That’s, uh. Floating?”
“Wait, it is?” Mask twisted around to look. The hair streamed after him, drifting up and around as if following the movement on a gentle current. “It is! You two can sit here and talk about your jewelry, I gotta go find the fairy. Bye.”
With that, he shoved away from the table, twisting his head from side to side before following some unknown prompting of direction from the mask and trotting towards the door.
Wild and Legend both blinked.
“Wait, it finds fairies?” Legend yelped.
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Broken trust, pt.6/finale
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Part one // Part two // Part three // Part four // Part five 
Summary: Inside the fold, Y/N and the Darkling face off.
Warnings: angst, fluff sprinkled on top, indicating smut
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When she was a child, Y/N feared the darkness. Every night she would lay awake with a candle by her side, too scared to close her eyes. She feared the unspoken horrors that occurred under the cloak of darkness, of one day finding herself in peril as well. The fold fueled such fears, especially when the boys in the orphanage would speak of the Volcra. She had heard the descriptions, the vile appearances and inhuman deeds they’re capable of. They haunted her when she closed her eyes, wondering if that’s what killed her parents.
Y/N still fears the dark, just of a different kind.
She fears the darkness that resides in humans, the kind that’s lurking under the surface yet remains invisible to the naked eye. At any point, the darkness could surface and once it does, it would swallow anyone who stands in its way. Perhaps that’s where her trust issues stem from, the corruption of human hearts. People are wicked, using everything, even love, for their selfish desires.
In truth, she should have seen it before.
Aleksander Morozova should have been a clear danger for her heart right from the moment they met in that dark tent where she wondered how anyone could be comfortable in such an environment. A powerful, handsome man with a silver tongue and a weakness for her had seduced her by simply paying attention. He looked at her like no man ever before – like she was the only one for him, a source of eternal sunshine.
She shouldn’t have allowed herself to be deceived.
A woman with trust issues and a fear of darkness fell in love with a man who was darkness incarnated. He embodied all she dreaded and yet she couldn’t see beyond the mask of perfection he always kept in place. A part of her wondered if he ever showed who he truly is in those intimate moments they shared.
Throwing his head back, Aleksander laughed. His chest rose with a sharp intake of breath before it quaked with a new laugh erupting from deep inside.
“It’s not funny!” She pouted, trying to glare at him as if the sound of his laughter didn’t make her feel like she’s in a dream.
“You know I adore that pout”, Aleksander smirks, pinning her against the wall.
Breathless, her lips part just in time for Aleksander’s to take advantage. He gave a low, throaty chuckle once her knees turned to jelly and she collapsed against the strength of his arm behind her back. He bent, put his other arm beneath her knees. His mouth never leaves hers as he carries her to the bed. He abandoned her lips only to press them on her neck and she couldn’t believe how easily he swayed her.
Before long she could bear no more kissing. She ached all over and she pulled his hair to better meet his mouth. She fastened on his lips hungrily, greedily, ready to feel him inside her, around her, to completely numb her senses.
“Aren’t we eager today”, he teased her as he slowed down, determined to drawl out every moment he had with her.
“I can either be angry with you for laughing at me”, she trails off, her eyes flickering to his lips. “Or you can make me forget about the poor Grisha I flashed in your map room.”
Growling, he inhales sharply, “As amusing as it was to see you both scream, I prefer when you scream for me when we are alone.”
Rolling her eyes, she huffs, “I wanted to be spontaneous! How was I supposed to know someone else would be in the room?”
He picked up a lock of her hair from across her neck and held it up, letting the dim light of the fireplace play though the strands. He held it to his nose, then to his lips.
For the first time he could ever remember, he was completely content.
“What do you want us to do?” Ivan asks, finding the change in his general terrifying. He could see the Darkling is enraged, losing control and a Grisha powerful as he is could be lethal in such circumstances.
“You’ll do nothing”, Aleksander snapped as he mounted his horse. “I will go after her.”
He looks to his loyal Grisha with narrow eyes, aware he’ll return undoubtedly changed by whatever transpires inside the fold. Whether he returns with his Sun Summoner in hand or with her body in his arms, the Darkling would be different.
During his time with Y/N, Aleksander relied on her for happiness he long forgot about. He held onto her for as if she was all he had and she still abandoned him. They all do so once they see how far he’s ready to go in order to protect those he loves – his people….and her. He would have done anything for her.
This is his kingdom, but she’s not his queen anymore.
“We shall await for further instructions at the camp.”
Nodding, Aleksander turns away from them with a dark look on his face. For the first time since he created the fold, he will step inside and he didn’t know who would emerge victorious. If he dies, he won’t be around to care, but if she does? He was sure he will never be whole again.
He kissed the corner of her mouth boldly, waiting for a sign of resistance. Her hands pushed weakly against his shoulders but even at his slight touch, her eyes closed in surrender. 
Seeing her so, Aleksander smirked before he kissed her cheek, her ear lobe. Then, as she gasped for breath, his mouth came down on hers. His tongue sweetly touched the tip of hers and she drew back, startled. He smiled at her as if he understood how strange such affection is to her.
“Someone will see us”, she whines.
Shrugging, Aleksander’s smile grows wider, “Let them see.”
“Don’t you have a reputation of a hardass to preserve?” Her lips press into a thin line as her eyebrows rise, tantalizing him.
His eyes are nearly black as he pulls her to him again. He ran his tongue along her lips, touching the inner corners especially. She parted her teeth for him, desperate for a taste of him. He was better than the richest honey; hot and cold, soft and firm. She explored his mouth as he had explored hers, no longer shy or reserved with him.
Parting in desperate need of a proper breath, he looks at her rosy, swollen lips with complete resignation.
“My reputation means nothing to me when you’re with me. You are what I want my reputation to be.”
Panting, Y/N felt like her lungs would explode. She had been running from the edge of the fold, deep into the darkness she once feared. She ran because she wasn’t sure if Aleksander was furious enough to disregard his own safety by following her inside.
Lips quivering, she pulls out the flask Mal packed for her. Taking a sip, she frowns at the watered down taste of alcohol. She made it clear she wanted nothing but water, yet Mal disregarded her wish. Shaking her head, she smiles anyway. If Mal was with her, she’d thank him for the liquid courage. She’d have agreed to a bottle of whiskey now, lost in the dark.
Swept away in her thoughts, she gasps at the growling in the distance. Her heart nearly stops as a dark, looming shadow passes above her. She whips around as the growls come from behind her as well.
She passed sixteen markers, but she hoped to get to the eighteenth. She planned to get as close to the middle as humanly possible, but wasn’t this just it? If she kept going, nothing could guarantee her safety and she was deep enough inside the fold to at least try. 
Every night she laid awake in the past year was spent with her strengthening her light, her control. 
This was it – she could do it. 
She had to do it.
Releasing a shaky breath, Y/N folds her hands before her. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath as she parts her hands at the palms.
“I wouldn’t do that”, a painfully familiar voice sounds and her eyes open wide.
“Or you’ll kill me?” She laughs, unable to stop herself. It’s a laugh made from pure anxiety and hurt, one that made her feel like she’s mad. Her habit of laughing when she feels like she’s got nothing left to lose came rarely; the first time it happened was when she learned her parents have succumbed to the very fold she’s in now. She reckoned this would be the last time.
“I don’t want to but, if you do not submit to me –“, Aleksander starts, coming closer slowly as if she was a doe and he the hunter. Every sudden move could frighten her and he didn’t want to face what happens in that case.
“Kill me if you must but I will not submit to you, or any man who wears his crimes like crown jewels!”
Raising her voice had drawn the Volcra, the growling growing louder.
"Is it so wrong for me to want to save you?" Sniffling, Y/N swallows thickly. She couldn’t cry anymore, there were no tears left to cry. She’s dry, inside out. “Things could have been different, you know? You didn't have to fall so far.”
Lifting his chin, Aleksander took a step further in her direction. Catching the slightest shake of her head, he pauses, arms raised in mock surrender.
“You made me love you”, he speaks through gritted teeth, “To depend on you.” He clenches his jaw, his patience wearing thin. “Now you’re trying to take the last piece of my sanity with you.”
“You don’t have to do this”, she tries meekly, “We can still be magnificent. Be the man I fell in love with, please.”
“And then what? We’re supposed to play house while they’re killing our people?!” Aleksander spat, barely holding himself back. “They wouldn’t stop until they kill you right before me and any children we might have!”
Eyebrows knitted together, Y/N’s mouth opens at the words spoken. There was a moment when Y/N realized she’d misinterpreted her darling Darkling’s actions, his words, his expressions from the moment they met… as if he’d been speaking a language she couldn’t understand… that moment was the moment her heart broke…She could hardly speak in her shock when she learned he had lied to her, but this shockingly defining moment was much different than that first moment.
“Children”, she breathes out as a smile forms on her lips, one he found confusing.
All this time, Aleksander had been using the fold as a way to protect his people and yet, he failed to realize it is exactly what they need to destroy.
“We don’t need the fold”, her smile widens, “You are the fold, my darling Darkling and I am your Sun.” Her lips quiver, her entire body trembles and she still comes closer to him without fear. “With the two of us, we can create and destroy this fold anywhere in the world and today is our chance to demonstrate our power to all those who’d dare to defy us!”
Lips parting, he shakes his head. “What are you saying”, he sneers, still angry at her for defying him.
“I’m saying it doesn’t have to be one way or the other”, she chuckles in disbelief, “We can both destroy the fold and win this war. Every war.”
The growling is near, close enough for the hair to stand on the back of Y/N’s neck.
“Don’t”, he orders as her hands touch, “Don’t you dare!”
Shakily lifting her head, Y/N smiles, "I love you".
Before he has time to comprehend the weight of her words, his world was set aflame by a blinding light exploding all around him.
She screamed out as a bright light emerged from her entire being, enveloping her like a lover’s embrace. It is the kind of brightness that enchants the eyes to open all the wider as it warms the skin.
She never felt the warmth like this, not even when Aleksander’s lips gave her breath or when his arms gave her a reason to believe in him. This warmth is different, like the sun had incorporated itself into her soul and is finally shining through.
She looks to her hands, opening the fists that glow an ethereal light force she never experienced. Her light is like sunlight, it comes as woven strands, free and united, and flowing as it reveals and solidifies, making the world of nightmares around them into something so beautiful. 
Her eyes meet Aleksander’s dazed gaze, her smile wide but his lips are set in a firm line. 
She could feel her soul ripping as she pushed the light further from them, toward the edges. The pressure in her head grew, erasing the smile from her lips. Her legs barely kept her standing as she stumbles. She could feel a wet liquid running from her nose to her lips, the metallic taste making her eyes widen.
“You’ll kill yourself if you keep this up!” Aleksander shouts, trying to make her see sense but she shakes her head.
“I have to do this! For us!”
He could see a vein pulsating across her forehead, the blood gushing from her nose and it slowly became clear to him – he might not have been able to kill her, but seeing her like this convinced him he doesn’t have to. She’ll do it all on her own.
Reaching for her, his hands wrap around her wrists firmly. “I love you too”, he rests his forehead on hers, amplifying her power. He could feel her smile for a split second before she closed her eyes.
Gasping for air, she felt her insides burning and before she could stop herself, Y/N’s bloodcurdling scream echoed in the fold, effectively stopping his heart in fright.
As her scream dies down, Y/N goes limp in Aleksander’s arms.
Her light disappears, another one taking its place as he lowers to his knees, holding her close to him. Looking up, he almost cries as the blue skies above shine a light on his face. 
“You did it”, he croaks, shaking her slightly. “Solntse? Solnechnyy svet?!”
Unmoving, Y/N laid in his embrace as if she had simply fallen asleep, but Aleksander knew she was hanging by a thread.
“Lyubov’?” His voice breaks the self-imposed sternness, his fingers clutching the fabric of her kefta…He didn’t even realize she kept it. 
She must have put it on inside the fold, he realized.
Now, in the light of day, he finally saw the black kefta he ordered to be made for her – black with golden traces of the light she brought in his life. It was fitting she’d be given powers of light for she was the embodiment of lightning, illuminating stormy skies he couldn’t navigate through. Not on his own.
“Wake up”, he whispers. “I need you”, the raspiness of his voice and the cracks are enough testimony for the break inside his chest.
“I can’t survive without you”, he bowed his head down, a choked sob escaping him.
“I love you.” Aleksander whispered into her chest, breaking down when she didn’t say it back. Y/N always chose to say ‘I love you’ instead of goodbye, explaining goodbye was the last thing she ever wanted to tell him and he understood now. He never wanted to tell her goodbye, but maybe that’s necessary too. Maybe life is about learning a better way to say goodbye, learn to let go of the ones you love with nothing but love.
“Aleks”, she tries but the words are stuck in the back of her throat as her need to breathe becomes direr.
“Saints!” He presses his lips as he looks up at her, just as breathless as he was the day when he first saw her. “What can I do? Tell me how can I help you?!”
“All this time I’ve blamed you”, her hand rests upon his cheek, “For pulling me into the dark”, she pauses, “But I was wrong.” Wetting her lips, she manages a small smile, “It was me who brought out your dark side.”
She averts her gaze, hating the vulnerability in her voice as he takes her hand in his, inspecting the ring he gifted her with a crooked smile.
“None of it matters now”, he rests his forehead on hers, “I love you with all I am and I never want to feel like this again.”
“Look at me.” He’s not asking, rather demanding and she can feel the subtle difference just as she can feel his warm hand wrap around hers.
“Gladly”, she chuckles as he helps her sit. None of her hate for him remained. Love…hate, it was always a fine line to walk on and she finally settled on a side – his side.
Saying I love you is the bravest thing he has ever done in his life, for it took every ounce of strength and courage to openly expose his feelings to the love of his life, to put his heart on the line time and time again after all the times she walked away. He knew he didn’t deserve her as she’s always been too good for him, but he swore he’d spend the rest of his life building himself up to be the kind of man she’d be proud of.
“I love you”, he kisses the palm of her hand, giving her enough time to say it back.
“And I love you. I promise you, we will be unstoppable. Together, hand in hand, nothing will dare stand in our way.”
As soul meets soul in a lover’s kiss, the two embrace in the midst of a desert made of ruin they would find a way to rebuild. Their story is far from over, but this time around, they’ll write it together – as equal parts of a whole.
 Tags: @blackbirddaredevil23 @subjecta13-thefangirl @aquamariene-me​ @savannah-elliott @auggie2000 @daybleedsintonightfa11 
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cheri-translates · 3 years
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[CN] Gavin’s Long Journey Date
🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 长旅之约, which has not been released in EN! 🍒
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[ This date was released on 8 July 2021 ]
Deers rest peacefully beside me, and birds caw from the branches.
All of a sudden, a rustling sound of flapping wings disrupts the peace in the forest.
Smiling subconsciously while tilting my head upwards, a gigantic griffin descends from the sky.
MC: Welcome back, Griffy! Have you been eating and sleeping well?
I walk up to it, burying my face in the griffin’s fluffy chest fur, letting out a happy sigh.
??: You’re only welcoming it?
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The voice I’m most familiar with drifts from the griffin’s back. After that, a figure leaps down smoothly.
MC: Gavin, welcome home!
With a turn of my face, I smile while giving him a wave.
Gavin is wearing simple and informal clothes. However, the extraordinary way he carries himself and the exquisite crown on his forehead could only belong to a prince.
He bows before me in a teasing manner, handing me a small bag. Even without opening it, I can smell the fragrance of pastries.
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Gavin: Goddess of Nature, I bring you this round of offerings. But stop sharing them with these animals. They’ve put on weight again.
MC: They’re only cute when they’re round and plump.
I retort, unconvinced. Even so, I pinch the squirrel on my shoulder, placing it back onto the tree.
MC: I have also mentioned that you don’t have to bring me any offerings. The person who made the agreement with me was your mother, and I've already accepted sufficient offerings from her.
Despite what I said, I open the little bag that Gavin gave me, grinning while taking out the pastries.
As a deity, I’m basically adept in everything within my own forest. However, I lack the skills and abilities to bake such snacks.
As such, I’m exceptionally happy whenever he brings me such food.
While eating, I continue speaking with unclear articulation.
MC: When your mother came to the forest that year with a jewel which had been passed down from generation to generation, as well as her crown your deity father once gave her...
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Gavin: With those items as offerings, she hoped that you’d become my guardian deity who would keep me safe and train me till I became a passable king.
When deities accept human offerings, they reciprocate by bestowing blessings onto humans. This way, a wonderful transactional relationship is formed.
Back then, a queen had brought her son of around fourteen or fifteen years of age to my forest.
That elegant and dignified lady was smiling, but there was faint worry in her eyes.
She told me that her days were numbered, and that she wouldn’t be able to watch her son grow up.
The child’s father was a high-ranking deity who was busy maintaining the earth's order and rarely showed himself.
As such, she gave me offerings, hoping that I'd become her son’s guardian deity, and to protect this small prince.
Gavin does a stretch, then removes the saddle on Griffy.
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Gavin: You’ve said it many times, and I remember it all. 
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Gavin: Instead of these things, why don’t you eat quickly? I specially bought the basket which just came out from the stove, then rushed Griffy over. The pastries won’t taste good if they get cold.
Gavin draws out his tone, but a smile remains on his lips.
I turn my head towards Gavin, who is helping me manage the medicinal plants with a practised hand. I can’t help but ponder softly in my heart.
This person doesn’t let me protect him much...
Although this half deity obtained the added protection from the Goddess of Nature, he has never asked for assistance aside from guidance.
He has always strived for the things he wanted, and would persist through failure until he reaches his goal.
Later on, this prince who excels in both learning and military skills, and can even control wind, is the one who helps me out.
He always brings me all sorts of human food and small trinkets, calling them offerings.
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Gavin: Why are the medicinal plants here turning bare again... did I water them too much?
I can’t help but laugh secretly while walking over to his side. Holding up those medicinal plants, I restore them to life.
Till this day, he only lets me help him in this area.
I think about how despite not having been coronated king, Gavin has long since been able to run a country.
As a guardian deity, I haven’t neglected my duties, have I?
MC: Come to think of it... Gavin, why haven’t you held a coronation ceremony?
Gavin pauses in his movements.
Gavin: Do you want me to become king?
MC: Of course.
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Gavin: But if I become king, it means that you’d no longer be my guardian deity.
MC: That... is correct.
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Gavin averts his line of sight, and he doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.
This seems to be the case every time I broach this topic with him.
Clearing my throat, I attempt to change the topic to break the awkward atmosphere.
MC: Oh yes, how many days will you be staying this time?
Gavin doesn’t respond. As though he has finally made a certain decision, he sighs deeply and lifts his head, meeting my eyes directly.
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Gavin: The reason why I came this time is because there’s something important I needed to tell you. I’ve decided to succeed to the throne.
The overly abrupt news leaves me dumbfounded on the spot.
Gavin doesn’t elaborate further, and continues.
Gavin: Before that, I intend to follow the ancient text and collect the rumoured offerings that deities cannot refuse. That will allow a strong deity to become my new guardian deity, to protect me, and to protect this country.
Hearing his resolute words, my heart feels slightly upset.
Although completing my agreement is a good thing, why does my heart feel empty?
He even said he was going to find a new guardian deity...
I blink a few times, unable to comprehend the feelings churning in my heart.
Gavin: But right now, you’re my guardian deity. Which is why I hope you can accompany me on this journey. Is that okay?
Gavin looks straight at me, his eyes as transparently clear as a cloudless amber sky.
Facing such a him, I can only nod.
-
Despite not yet rationalising my emotions, I reluctantly embark on this journey with him.
The first stop of this journey is the forest in which fairies live.
Looking at the first treasure recorded in the ancient text, I heave a long sigh.
MC: A crystal which can counteract all sorts of curses. It only grows at the tip of the World Tree...
Gavin: What’s wrong? Deities don’t like it?
MC: It’s the opposite. No deities have refused such an offering. To be honest, even I want it. But...
I lift my head. Looking at the giant tree which plunges into the sky, I have a bad feeling.
MC: You have to know that even though I’m a deity, I was born from nature, and the source of my strength comes from the forest and the land. Which also means...
I’m not good at flying.
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Likely hearing the implication of my words, Gavin doesn’t hold back, chuckling softly.
MC: Gavin! Don’t laugh! At that height, even a griffin would have difficulties flying up there. Furthermore, people are good at different-
Gavin: Get on.
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Gavin leaps onto the griffin, lowering his head to look at me.
The griffin releases an excited caw, its wings flapping up and down.
Faint morning light caresses the side of his face, the gorgeous rosy glow wilfully painting the azure sky.
His hair and indigo cloak roll up with the air currents, the crown on his head reflecting arc lights.
And on his face, there’s a heroic valiance even clearer and more radiant than any jewel.
For a moment, I’m left slightly dazed.
As compared to any other moment, I can clearly sense that he is no longer that little child who had his brows tightly furrowed back then.
The person before me has shed off his childishness, is sufficiently intelligent, and sufficiently mature - a person who is about to become a young king.
I always knew that he was someone worth having faith in.
But there seems to be something else in his eyes that causes my heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably.
Likely seeing that I haven’t moved in a long time, Gavin leans over, pulling me in front of him steadily, his arms wrapped securely around my waist.
Gavin: Let’s go.
With this soft statement, the griffin, which had been anticipating this for a very long time, flaps its wings, soaring towards the azure sky.
At the same time, a powerful gale whizzes under Gavin’s beckoning.
Using the wind as wings, we fly very, very high.
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Gavin: I wanted to take you flying like this since a very long time ago. But I wasn’t able to find a suitable chance.
His words land on my ears amidst the fluttering sound of wind - high-spirited, clear, and without restraint.
I can hear the throbbing of my own heart, reminiscent of the bits of feathers in the air, drifting along with the breeze.
With Gavin around, Griffy doesn’t have to exert much effort, landing at the crown of the World Tree.
There is a rich display of light and colours on the dense and green treetop. Amidst the various lights, a cluster of dazzling crystals emit a tender and dream-like colour.
Gavin: Looks like this is it.
He plucks a crystal deftly, storing it in the travelling bag he carried along.
Seizing this chance, I take several deep breaths to calm the inexplicable throbbing in my chest.
MC: Since we’ve successfully obtained the first item, are we heading to the next destination? Or are we resting here for the night?
Gavin: We’ll set off straightaway. But give me a moment.
Gavin reaches out to pluck a few smaller crystals. Using a few branches around us, he weaves a simple bracelet, then clasps it around my wrist gently.
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Gavin: Since you like it, bring a few more back.
Just as he finishes speaking, a few fairies who were grinning among the leaves earlier rush out towards us.
Fairy A: Congratulations! May the fruits of the World Tree protect the two of you forever!
Fairy B: Congratulations on your marriage! I wish you two everlasting sweetness!
MC: Huh?
Watching as the fairies start to sprinkle flower petals over our heads, my face burns with a “whoosh”.
MC: [blushing] What nonsense are you saying?
The fairy grins while speaking once again.
Fairy B: Firstly, don’t the two of you play together often, and like each other more than others?
Very few humans enter my forest. Aside from the small animals, the only one who visits me frequently, chats with me, and has fun with me is Gavin.
As compared to those small animals which aren’t able to talk or bring me snacks, it’s true that I like Gavin a little more.
With this thought in mind, I nod.
At the side, Gavin nods too. But for some reason, the tips of his ears are slightly red.
Fairy A: Secondly, didn’t the two of you make a unique agreement with each other?
Not knowing where this is heading, I nod again. After all, I’m Gavin’s guardian deity.
At the side, Gavin does a similar action.
Fairy A: Lastly, he made a bracelet for you using the crystals of the World Tree, then put it on for you personally. Doesn’t that symbolise that you’re destined for each other?
The fairy says this matter-of-factly, and the surrounding fairies agree in succession.
MC: Wait wait wait wait, this is a misunderstanding! We’re...
The words are at my lips, but I pause.
It seems that I’ve never considered how to define my relationship with Gavin.
I’m his guardian deity, but I can vaguely sense that it goes further than that.
In the end, Gavin takes half a step forward, blocking me from the celebrating fairies.
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Gavin: That’s just the tradition of fairies. Humans and deities don’t have such rules. She’s a guardian deity belonging only to me.
-
The heating stove is bright red, and the sound of forging is unceasing.
??: Drink quickly, drink quickly! There are many more barrels!
The dizzying fragrance of alcohol permeates the air. Even if it’s dispelled by the breeze, it lingers for a long time.
??: You’ll only enjoy yourself to the fullest by accompanying it with the best quality cheese! Want a chunk of smoked meat too?
The bustling marketplace is rife with people hawking their wares, cheese, smoked meat, fruits and perfume. The dazzling lineup leaves one overwhelmed.
??: I didn’t expect that humans could drink as well as us! Not bad!
??: After all, he’s a half deity!
A circular table is in the middle of the lively marketplace, surrounded by dwarves who are adept in iron casting.
Aromatic mead courses through the crevices of the crowd and the small path, being sent to the table in a continuous stream.
MC: Gavin, are you sure you can still drink?
This is the first time I’m seeing Gavin drink this much. He wobbles a little while standing beside the table. Fortunately, his eyes are still sober and clear.
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Gavin: I’m fine. 
Gavin: [to the dwarves] We agreed that as long as I can outdrink all of you, you’d give the rarest treasure of the dwarves to me - a golden belt praised by all the deities.
Dwarf A: We never lie!
Dwarf B: Goddess, try some! 
Before I can refuse politely, Gavin has already pulled over the wine cup offered to me, drinking it in one mouthful.
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Gavin: I’m the one competing against all of you.
Whether it’s due to the mead or the nearby heating stove, my face grows slightly warm.
Another barrel of mead is finished, and the alcohol-loving dwarves at the table have already collapsed.
Gavin presses the wooden wine cup onto the table heavily. Arching a brow, he raises his volume slightly.
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Gavin: You’ve lost.
Dwarf A: Fine, you win! The belt belongs to you! But...!
The dwarf stands up wobbly and burps. In front of Gavin, he pats his own chest.
Dwarf A: There’s... there’s something even more... important that I must do! Axe! I want to make an axe - the best axe - and give it to my beloved lady!
While saying this, he runs and staggers towards the forging stove. The dwarves in the surroundings cheer him on and whistle.
MC: What’s happening this time...
The dwarf is inebriated, but his limbs remain deft. He holds up a hammer and picks a chunk of steel which has been scorched red. Then, he begins hammering it with clanking sounds.
Dwarf A: Half Deity! Come here!
Dwarf B: Come and make something too!
The dwarves are rowdy, and they bring Gavin over to a forging stove, teaching him how to forge weapons.
I head over curiously. Gavin seems to think of something. He glances at me, a smile surfacing on his lips.
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Then, he holds up a chunk of mithril and gives it a detailed look, as though visualising the shape he wants to carve it into.
After a while, Gavin picks up the iron hammer, hammering in a decisive manner.
Sparks dance in the air, and the flames from the stove are exuberant. The clamour and sounds of hammering are incessant, bringing the celebration of the marketplace to a climax.
Dwarf A: Done!
Cheers erupt from amongst the crowd. That drunk dwarf raises the axe he had forged, then runs towards a small stall in the marketplace.
Dwarf A: This axe is for you, my beautiful woman! Please marry me!
Even from across the marketplace, the loud voice of the dwarf drifts over clearly.
Dwarf B: Hahahaha! Not bad!
The dwarf at the side chuckles so hard that he isn’t able to straighten up. He takes several deep breaths to calm himself down, then turns around to speak to Gavin.
Dwarf B: Half Deity Lad, you too. Your skills are pretty good for a beginner! If you have a beloved lady, don’t hesitate. Just propose directly!
At the other side of the marketplace, the proposal succeeds. A brand new celebration and banquet has already begun.
I don’t bother about the joy which is about to drown us. I simply look at Gavin.
Perhaps he’s drunk a little too much. Right now, he’s staring fixedly at the short staff he forged, a look of contemplation on his face.
What the dwarf said earlier echos in my ears, akin to a mystical magic spell.
Looking at Gavin, I find myself wondering if he’d give that short staff to me.
Would he smile while looking straight into my eyes, or would he avert his gaze in embarrassment?
I’m left dumbfounded by these inexplicable thoughts.
Perhaps I’ve also drunk a little too much.
-
Early the second day, we bid farewell to the dwarves, preparing to continue the journey.
MC: I didn’t think we’d witness a wedding. It’s a pity that we couldn’t hear more about how they met and got to know each other.
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Gavin: Mm. I’m also really curious.
MC: It’s rare to see you interested in such topics.
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Gavin: After all, meetings are special things to me. Meetings and keeping each other company are very beautiful things.
Gavin’s tone is gentle, as though he’s recollecting his most treasured memories. Pale gold sunlight illuminates his eyes, which are even more dazzling than the most expensive jewels.
In this short trance, a fleeting yet unrealistic thought burrows into my mind without notice.
I shake my head forcefully, and decide to say something to distract myself.
My gaze quickly sweeps around the surroundings, then locks on a target.
MC: Gavin, do you still remember how we met Griffy?
As though he didn’t expect my sudden question, Gavin blinks a few times, then strokes the grown-up Griffy, chuckling as he speaks.
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Gavin: Of course I remember.
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Gavin: Back then, my mother had already passed on for a few years. And that deity father never appeared. 
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Gavin: Perhaps because of those things, I had a pretty bad attitude towards you during that time. Sorry.
Till this day, I can still remember that period of time.
His amber eyes, which always sparkle and shine, were dyed with a heavy grey. Even his hair, which always sticks up, had drooped listlessly.
But it’s precisely because I was always by his side that I understood the heartbreak and struggles he faced during that period of time.
And I rejoiced that at the very least, I was there to keep him company.
I walk towards him, reaching out to tousle his hair. Gavin leans down and comes slightly closer to me, a peaceful smile on his face.
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Gavin: In short, I came to the forest one day.
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Gavin: It was raining that day. I walked to the vicinity of your small house, and discovered that you were taking care of a small, stray griffin which had wandered here from somewhere.
Gavin: You’re a goddess, but you didn’t care about yourself, and only cared about shielding the griffin from the rain.
Gavin: You treated its wounds and fed it, while getting drenched by the rain yourself.
Along with his depiction, memories surge into my heart, and they are dyed with a hazy colour of rain.
MC: I recall how you shielded me from the rain with a large leaf. Back then, I was thinking about how rare it was to see such gentle moments from you.
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Gavin: Since then, I...
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Gavin’s voice grows softer and softer. He turns his face away a little unnaturally.
MC: Since then?
Gavin ignores my question. He simply clears his throat and hands me something.
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Gavin: MC, this is for you.
Accepting it subconsciously, the cold and smooth texture of metal causes me to hold my breath.
It’s the short staff he had personally forged yesterday.
His emblem is carved on the body of the staff, and a quality gem is mounted at the tip.
MC: This is...
Before I can say anything, Gavin hurriedly explains.
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Gavin: I’m a human, so I don’t follow the traditions of dwarves. In the culture of humans, giving a handmade gift to someone is a form of etiquette to express gratitude. So... this is a thank you gift. Thank you for teaching me so much, and for taking such good care of me.
MC: I... I see!
Gavin speaks calmly and appears utterly composed.
Accepting the short staff, I turn around to pack my items. Recalling the image that surfaced in my mind earlier, my face burns again.
Clearing my throat, I ask Gavin a question tentatively.
MC: Gavin, according to your customs, what would you give to your bride?
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Gavin: I’d craft a ring personally.
While saying this, he takes my travelling bag and fixes it onto Griffy’s back. Then, he picks up the ancient text to confirm our next destination.
MC: When that time comes, I’ll definitely pluck the most beautiful flowers in the forest and make a wedding bouquet for your bride.
Holding a wedding and having a partner - these are things worthy to be happy about.
But when I said this, I found that I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
It’s as though my heart is drowned in deep water. It feels acrid, and there’s also a tightening in my chest.
I’ve lived for a very long time on this land, witnessed the construction and destruction of many kingdoms, and experienced battles and peace since the ancient times till today.
Yet, I’m unable to understand the feelings I’m currently experiencing, and what they signify.
-
After that, we head to many other places together.
We cross the dessert, fly over the ocean, scale the highest mountain peak, and head to the deepest abyss.
We dance in a sea of flowers along with the odes of travelling bards, and bargain with a gigantic, greedy dragon.
The treasures in the travelling bag increase in number. Every treasure obtained makes it increasingly clearer that this dream-like journey is about to come to an end.
On an unknown empty island, Gavin and I sit side by side on the shore, watching as the waves at our feet lap against the rocks.
Looking at the pearl head ornament Gavin just gave me, my voice comes out hoarser than expected.
MC: What will you do once you become king?
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Gavin: Quite a number of races are interested in humans. Perhaps I could try broadening trade. I also have to revolutionise the senate.
He talks about his responsibilities earnestly - from commerce to ruling the country, from art to food.
Gavin’s dead seriousness tickles me to laughter.
I console myself with the thought that even after he becomes king and I’m no longer his guardian deity, our relationship wouldn’t change that much. 
Gavin suddenly stops mid-speech, as though deliberating something.
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I turn my head, only to see the reddened tips of his ears.
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Gavin: Also... I want to marry the lady I like and make her my queen. This way, I can always be with her.
Gavin looks afar off, his gaze gentle, as though he can see his desired future.
For some reason, I want to rush towards that future with him.
And I suddenly realise what that acrid feeling twirling around in my heart is.
Without realising it, my feelings for Gavin have been intertwined and encased by a sense of possessiveness.
I don’t want him to have another guardian deity, nor do I want him to give these treasures we’ve collected together to another deity.
Most of all, I don’t want him to put a personally crafted ring on the finger of another lady.
The sea breeze rolls up tiny, light blue flowers on the beach. They dance in the air, floating towards the ocean.
At this moment, all the clamorous emotions and feelings quieten down, and are crowned a name and definition -
All of this is called “liking”.
-
The journey is about to end.
Griffy returns us to the ground.
Looking at my forest and at my little courtyard, I feel as though everything happened a lifetime ago.
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Gavin: It’s nice to be home.
Gavin retrieves the travelling bag, then pats the fence at the door.
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Gavin: Wait. Why do the medicinal plants look even healthier than before I left...
I tug onto Gavin before he can check on the medicinal plants.
MC: The journey has already ended, and you’ve collected sufficient treasures. Are you going to succeed to the throne after this? Looks like my agreement with your mother has been fulfilled.
Gavin: That’s right. But aren’t you going to let me rest at your place and have a drink of water?
MC: You have quite a number of things to handle after this. These treasures need to be offered to the deity. And you also have to... marry the lady you like. You should take action quickly and settle these things at one go!
I give him a stern expression, trying to conceal the childish impetuousness in my heart.
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Gavin: Do you think the deity will really like these?
Gavin doesn’t leave. He stands in place, his words bringing with them a smile.
Looking at the full and bulging travelling bag, I feel tremendously envious.
MC: Of course. Who was the one who picked them with you? All right, go and offer them to your new deity. Who are you looking for? I could put in a good word for you so he or she would give you a little more blessings.
My voice grows softer and softer, and my gaze flits around.
Gavin: If she’ll like them, I can put my mind at ease. 
Gavin speaks softly, but doesn’t respond to my question. He takes the travelling bag, placing the treasures we’ve collected on the grass before me.
The crystal from the top of the World Tree, the golden belt crafted by the dwarves, the unwilting flower from the deepest part of the desert, the coral from the deepest oceanic trench...
Aside from the recorded treasures, there’s also cheese from the dwarves’ marketplace, a headscarf from sea nymphs, sun-dried jerky from the giants, and other miscellaneous items.
These items were brought along with Gavin because I liked them.
After setting down the last item, he takes half a step back.
Then, he gets down on one knee, tilting his head upwards to look at me.
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Gavin: Goddess of Nature, I give you all of these offerings. Please bestow blessings upon me, protect my country, and crown me.
Gavin: And please make a long-lasting agreement with me, to become my queen, and to keep me company.
Gavin: Till death do us part.
Gavin looks at me, his sentiments and tenderness condensing into honey coloured amber.
Sunlight filters through the leaves, landing on his face like a kiss, making his eyes bright and glittering.
MC: [blushing] I...
Before I can respond, Griffy caws happily, giving me a nudge from behind, causing me to fall into Gavin’s arms.
MC: [blushing] Griffy! I didn’t raise you to be this big so you could do that!
I grumble, pretending to be stern. Then, I close my eyes defeatedly, burying my head in Gavin’s arms, not wanting him to have a clear view of my blushing face.
Gavin’s soft chuckle and his breaths land on my ears, akin to the first tender breeze in early summer.
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Gavin: I used to worry that the reason for our interactions was due to that prior agreement. 
Gavin: Once the agreement ended, you would no longer have a connection to me. 
Gavin: I was troubled by this for a while, and also tried to delay that day from arriving. 
Gavin: But one day, I made a decision. 
Gavin: Instead of holding on to that past agreement, why don’t I make a new vow instead.
Gavin tilts his chin towards those treasures.
Gavin: But I don’t want you to simply be a goddess who responds to my prayers.
Gavin: This journey was meant for you to understand that my feelings for you aren’t simply the dependence humans have towards their guardian deities.
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Gavin: I just don’t know how effective it was...
Gavins speaks, averting his gaze.
Recalling the hints and occasional bashfulness during the journey, I finally understand everything, and my face turns incomparably red.
MC: [blushing] Right from the beginning, you already...
Gavin coughs softly.
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Gavin: So, are you willing?
Watching as his eyes draw increasingly nearer to me, it’s as though a pot of honey has been overturned in my heart, and all the flowers seem to be blooming at the same time.
I lift my hand.
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MC: I’m the deity who controls the land, forests, and all the animals.
MC: I hereby make an agreement with you-
The forest seems to respond to my words. Birds outstretch their wings, trees rustle, and the land releases a faint humming sound.
Light flickers at my fingertips, akin to a sprouting bud as it flows and spreads over Gavin’s crown.
MC: I will always protect your kingdom. May your land be forever fertile, and may your kingdom forever be peaceful.
My power weaves my words into an unbreakable vow between us.
As a goddess, these are the strongest blessings I can give to him.
With a small smile, I continue speaking. Softly, I give him the blessings from me as MC, and also my response.
MC: I will also share my life with you, and my power.
MC: I will accompany you for a long time, until the destruction of the earth.
A light blooms, encasing us within it.
Gavin doesn’t speak, and simply looks at me.
I recall the day we saw the sea together, and recall the fluttering light blue petals, and the gaze he had when he stared afar off.
I’m guessing that his gaze has finally found a dwelling place.
The rays of light around us gradually recede, and the vow is established.
This isn’t a lengthy ceremony, nor does it involve complicated steps.
But we have cast a connection different from before - one which is unique in the world.
Having used my powers, I lean into Gavin’s arms, looking at the same sky together.
MC: Aren’t you going to say something?
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Gavin: Erm... you really looked like a goddess earlier.
There doesn’t seem to be a change in or relationship. However, there’s a certain sweetness in our dialogue.
MC: I am a goddess! Wait, that’s not what I was referring to. May I invite Your Majesty, who has obtained the goddess’ blessings through his own strength, share his thoughts with us?
Gavin pretends to ponder over this seriously.
Gavin: I just remembered that there’s one thing I haven’t done. I plan to make another trip to the dwarves’ nation.
MC: Did you forget something?
Gavin pulls me up, and we stand together. He pats Griffy, getting it ready to set out.
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Gavin: I mentioned before that I’d personally craft a ring for my queen.
Gavin: You also promised that you’d pluck the most beautiful flowers in the forest to make a wedding bouquet.
Gavin: I look forward to seeing it when I return.
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🐦 MOMENTS 🐦
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Gavin’s Post: If griffins really existed, they'd probably feel quite nice.
MC: Would a griffin’s fur feel like a bird’s or a lion’s?
Gavin: ...I have never thought about this question.
-
Gavin’s Post: If griffins really existed, they'd probably feel quite nice.
MC: If only we could rear one!
Gavin: We might need a larger courtyard to let it build a nest.
-
Gavin’s Post: If griffins really existed, they'd probably feel quite nice.
MC: I really want to bury my face in it...
Gavin: Even though we don’t have a griffin, we could ask Flyer if its willing.
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🐦 Calls: First ll Second
🐦 Support the cafe by dropping by the tip jar!
164 notes · View notes
parkers-gal · 3 years
Note
maybe a cute little blurb about tom and the reader announcing they’re engaged to their parents/families?
enjoyyy :)
requests are open
wc: 1.5k (sorry, went overboard with this)
Tom gave you no option, really. You had no choice but to love him, to fall for him as hard as you did. Oftentimes, you thought about how inevitable it was, how inevitable he was. You knew his trap was inescapable, but you were too exhilarated, too thrilled with the idea of being his, that you let him trip you. You let him, let him trip you until you fell hard.
If Tom had fallen any harder, he was positive he’d break his nose for the fourth time in five years. But no, he definitely fell, but he didn’t hit rock bottom. He’d fallen for you, and that was the scariest thing in the entire world to him — losing you, falling so hard and fearing if you’d leave. He knew if you did leave, he’d never recover, never truly live the same way.
So he’s asking for you to be his, for forever. Granted, forever is a long time, and that’s almost what Tom loves most about it. He loves calling you his, knowing you’re connected at the hip, in the mind, with your hearts. But he also loves having the security of everyone else knowing it, too.
You love it too — you love what the ring symbolizes. Your Tiffany & Co. ring, a dashing 1.27 carats. You love Tom, and the way his mind works — he didn’t go the traditional route in getting your parents’ blessing and buying a ring. Instead, he’d asked you casually.
“Hey, love.” Tom walks into the kitchen, sitting on the counter beside the stove where you’re heating the kettle for some tea.
“What’s up, baby?”
“Do you… wanna go shopping today?”
“For what?”
“A ring.”
You freeze, glancing up at him with shocked eyes, eyes full with pleasant surprise.
“A ring?”
“For… you. For us- for… marriage?”
“Tommy…” You lean back, mouth open slightly. You can feel tears starting to form, starting to wet your eyes. It’s love — you can feel it — it’s love that’s wetting your eyes, your cheeks, your face. It’s love that causes these happy tears. “What’re you saying?”
“I’m saying…” He jumps off the counter, grabbing both of your hands after coming closer to you, filling up the space between you and him. “That I want you to be mine for… the rest of my life.”
“Tom,” You pout. “I don’t know what to say.”
“That you’ll let me?” His eyes are more hopeful than they’ve ever been in his entire life. Even more so than when he’d auditioned for Spider-man. He’s practically on his knees for you, sacrificing his heart in return for yours. “That you’ll let me be yours?”
You break into a smile, arms wrapping around his neck, lips by his ear as you whisper your response, feverishly and softly and passionately. “Of course, I’ll let you. You’ve always been mine.”
That day, the two of you went into Tiffany & Co. together, pointing at the jewels and bands and accessories with smiles wider than the Grand Canyon. You had a feeling, later on, that perhaps every store worker was watching the two of you, watching your love bounce off the walls of the fancy shop. They were watching you with jealous eyes, with proud eyes, that you were taking this large step together, and decided to include them in just a small piece of your journey together.
It’s been a month since then, and for the first time ever, you’re wearing your ring out in public. You’re having dinner with Tom’s family and your own family. It’s your parents’ anniversary — at least, last week it was, but they decided to celebrate with connected family later on — which means close family is gathering for a small dinner party.
“Don’t get cold feet on me.” Tom’s chin rests in the crook of your neck as he hugs you from behind. You’re looking in the full-length body mirror, adjusting your clothes as you slip the engagement ring on your finger like you’ve done so many times when you’re alone.
“Never, Tommy.” You return his smile, turning around in his arms and leaning to give him a soft kiss. It’s not a peck, but it’s not messy — it’s passionate and intimate and everything you’ve ever wanted. It’s what you’ve dreamed of, fantasized, read in every romance novel you could get your hands on.
It’s easy, being in love with Tom. It’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done and the most difficult thing in the world. It’s hard when everybody wants to be in your place, when everybody wants to be his. But it’s easy, knowing that he’d never trade his place for anything in the universe. If he’s not by your side, then he’s betrayed everything he’s ever told himself.
He’s complete by your side. That’s cliche, and even he knows it, but nothing has ever felt so true to him. Nothing has ever felt so right.
You lock the front door, holding your potato quiche with two hands as you make your way to the car. Tom sets the gift bag in the backseat before opening the passenger for you. You smile, thanking him, and he steals a cheek kiss before closing the door. You chuckle, setting the quiche on your lap as you buckle your seat belt. He does the same, buckling his seatbelt and shifting the gear, leaving the driveway before offering you his hand.
You accept it, interlocking your fingers. He blushes at the gesture, giddy inside. There’s something so intimate about affection in an act as simple as driving or even cleaning the dishes. There’s something so knee weakening about needing to feel someone against your skin in the simplest of acts. Against your skin in a raw way that isn’t animalistic, passionate yet not feverishly or greedy. There’s something so butterfly-provoking about displays of love in settings that aren’t even romantic.
It’s suffocating yet addicting at the same time. He’s addicting, but not as much as you.
As you get closer to the front door of the Holland household, you find yourself covering your hands with the sleeves of your hoodie. As you enter the house, you’re too caught up in greetings and hugs and food and people to realize you haven’t let the piece of jewelry show.
Dinner hasn’t even been served yet and you’re already growing hot and sweaty. You’re sipping wine, leaning against the fireplace with Tom’s arm around your waist. He’s calmly sipping beer, fingers ever present on your skin. As he leaves yet another kiss against the underside of your ear, you feel urged to ask to make the announcement now, rather than during dessert.
“Can we… tell them now?”
“Really?” He pauses his latest kiss against your neck, whispering back to you. When you nod, he smiles and mirrors your headshake. “May I take your jacket then, kind lady?” He puts on a Victorian accent and you giggle.
“If you insist.”
As your arms are stripped of the hoodie, you hand it off to him for safekeeping in the coat closet. When he returns to your side, your hands are behind your back, waiting for Tom to gather everyone’s attention.
“Hey, everyone, there’s uh- there’s something we’d like to talk about with everyone.”
As Harry raises a brow, he makes eye contact with his twin who hollers for Nikki to come in from the kitchen for a moment. Your parents are bewildered, as is your sister and Harrison.
With a final look at Tom, you smile as Nikki settles onto the arm of a chair Dominic is sitting in. You hold up your left hand, proudly showing off the newest ring to your collection. Your mom gasps first, and Nikki stands up quickly when she realizes what she’s seeing.
Paddy looks at Tom for positivity on what this means, and he can only smirk with a blush brighter than the star he named after you. All in a matter of seconds, your mothers are running towards you, Harrison and Sam and Harry screaming in excitement, in congratulations. Tom is hugging your father, shaking his hand nervously.
Your sister is next to see you, pulling you into her embrace with a teary smile and happy eyes. “You’re… gonna be married.”
You laugh, nodding as you try not to cry too. “Yeah.”
“So he’s the one, huh?”
“Yeah,” You eye Tom, who’s talking to your mother and your sister’s husband. “He’s… the only one.”
When you turn your head back in your sister’s direction, she’s looking at you with soft eyes and an adoring smile. You try not to get flustered, but when you look at Tom again, he’s looking at you already, all the way from across the living room.
He’s smiling in a way he never has before, looking at you as if you’re the only person he’s ever laid eyes on. Goosebumps raise on your skin, a chill sent straight up your spine, and suddenly, you know you’re meant to do this for the rest of your life.
436 notes · View notes
heliads · 3 years
Text
A Glance Across the Street
Based on this request: “a race oneshot where he realized he’s in love with the reader. she’s doing something (singing, playing with kids, whatever) and he’s awestruck and the boys are teasing him after”
masterlist
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Race is mid-conversation with his friends, mid-way through his bag of papers still left unsold. He should be focusing on talking to Albert and Jojo, and he should definitely be trying to get the last few of his papes sold before the night grows too old and he’s out of customers to swindle. He knows all of this, yet his gaze keeps slipping from his fellow newsies or passing bankers to rest on one girl down the block.
Y/N is selling papes too, her grin contagious as she manages to talk even the most persnickety of passersby into purchasing the daily newspaper. Her newsie cap is slightly askew, and Race’s hand twitches by his side as if he longs to fix it, to look down and see her flash him a grateful smile. Honestly, Race is starting to think that he has a problem when it comes to Y/N L/N.
As it turns out, Race is not the only one to notice this: although he attempts to quickly jerk his attention back to the conversation at hand, Albert and Jojo notice the fact that he isn’t quite responding on time and try to figure out what’s got his focus hooked. Albert follows Race’s line of sight and a vicious grin appears on his face. Race tries to look away hurriedly, pretending he was just following the path of a potential customer, but it’s too late- they’ve both seen.
Jojo loops an arm around Race’s shoulders, clasping the other hand firmly over his heart. “Well, if my eyes don’t deceive me, I think Racer here has a little crush.” Race scoffs, pulling away from the boy. “As if. I’m just trying to sell my last papes.” Albert rolls his eyes. “Is that why you haven’t sold one in half an hour? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’se trying to lose money.”
This is a fierce accusation for a newsboy who prides himself on his ability to make any deal to even the most unlikely of customers, and Albert knows it. So, when Race snatches his cap from his mess of blond curls, ready to swat it most brutally into Albert’s head, the red-haired boy is able to easily dart away in time to avoid the killing blow. Race tries one last time, but his attacks fall short when he hears a voice from behind him.
“What’s going on here? Why are you trying to murder Albert?” Race’s eyes widen in spite of himself, and he straightens up hurriedly, slapping his hat back on his head as if he’d just been stretching. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just having a, uh, friendly conversation.” Albert looks positively gleeful over this, but he doesn’t say a word. Y/N raises her eyebrows. “I don’t know about that. I’d swear there was going to be bloodshed.”
Albert may be willing to save him from the fires this once, but Jojo is not so generous. Instead, he casually leans on Y/N’s shoulder, practically savoring the way Race’s shoulders stiffen. Race does his best to ignore this, forcing a casual smile. “Well, maybe Albert deserved it. You know him.” Y/N tilts her head to the side, considering this. “I do know him. What’s he done now?” Albert and Jojo look between Race and Y/N like they’re watching a sports match, curious as to what explanation Race can manage without telling her the true reason for the near beatdown.
Race mentally stumbles for a moment, then comes up with a scrap of something. “He insulted my brand of cigars. I couldn’t have that, could I?” Y/N’s eyes glint with barely contained amusement, and Race thanks everything holy that his excuse held up. “Oh, I get it now. I’m sorry to interrupt the carnage.” Race grabs Y/N’s hand, pulling her away from Albert, Jojo, and their twin mocking expressions to continue walking down the street.
“That’s alright. Now, come on- I think I saw a few tourists. Think we can scam ‘em?” Y/N laughs as she follows him down the block. “Without a doubt. Is that them?” She jerks her chin towards a cluster of families pausing by a florist, all of them in the newest fashions. They practically reek of wealth, which makes them the perfect targets for newsies in desperate need of unloading some papes. Race nods, and Y/N’s grin widens. “Oh, this is going to be fun. Race you there, Racer!”
She takes off down the street, spinning past cobblestones. The sound of her laugh, lighter than a summer breeze, lingers by Race’s side for a moment longer. Although Race knows he should follow her and at least try to sell some of his papes before all of the tourists are gone, he feels stuck in place, unable to do anything except watch her go. There’s a smile tugging at his lips before he realizes it. He tries to stow this a second later, except it’s a little hard to be serious when there’s a girl like Y/N right next to him.
He manages it in the end, as he always seems to do. Race isn’t sure what happened to make him turn into this stumbling mess whenever Y/N’s with him, but the habit keeps seeming to stick. He hasn’t always been like this, it’s only a recent incident, but no matter what he tries Race can’t go back to seeing Y/N as a friend and a friend alone. Sometimes, he wants to knock himself upside the head, hoping that a brief concussion might restore his thoughts, although Race is fairly certain that even this hit might make him even more of a grinning idiot where a certain newsgirl is concerned.
Later that week, Race is hit by that same bout of hopeless staring, although this time it’s even worse than before. It comes over him like a wave, threatening to pull him under entirely. He had been turning the street, walking from one block to another in the hopes of finding some idiot with a purse full of coins who’d be willing to shell out a little more than usual to a newsboy on the street. Maybe this is why his crush hits him so hard- he’d had no time to prepare, nothing to center himself around except this sudden sight of the girl before him.
All of a sudden, there she was, talking to a group of kids she’d met on the street. They stare at her with the same sort of loopy smile Race wears now, like they’d follow her anywhere so long as she gave the word. Honestly, Race may get a little jittery around the Brooklyn boys or the cops when there are too many of them, but the hold Y/N has on him scares him even more than that. He’d do anything she asked of him, no matter what or how. He can’t run from that kind of influence, just go along with it and hope he didn’t get worse.
Y/N crouches down now, the edges of her skirts rustling lightly over the uneven cobblestones. She reaches out a hand to a nearby girl, one who would barely come up to her ribs unless Y/N was kneeling as she is now. The little girl presses a careful coin into the awaiting hand, and Y/N hands her a newspaper in return. Race can see her pointing out the different pictures on the front, explaining them with that same slow voice she gets when the night is late and drowsiness slips through every syllable. This time, though, she’s not tired, just speaking in a way that kids who barely know anything can understand. Maybe that’s all Race is, too, a kid with half a brain and some stupid lovesick gaze he can’t seem to shake.
Y/N stands up, stretching, as the little girl leaves. A few more kids linger by her knees, and she talks to each of them in turn, patience coming eternal even by the point when Race would have started getting a little restless had it been him there instead of her. One of the kids hands her a flower he managed to find from somewhere, and Y/N tucks it behind her ear, smiling as if it’s a jeweled tiara instead of a little sprig of a plant that’s more leaf than petal.
She turns now, as if she can sense someone watching her, and finds Race from where he’s hidden by the crowd. She smiles at him, the simple expression almost enough to knock him over. There’s a soft slight in her face, as if she’s a little self-conscious to be caught talking so eagerly with the kids, but Race could never make fun of her for a second. Instead, he lets his own smile widen in return, and Y/N looks almost relieved. She mouths something about catching up to him in a second, then turns back to the kids when one of them tugs at her hand.
Now that he’s been caught, Race should probably keep moving down the block, at least doing something to keep up the pretense that he’s just selling papes instead of simply staring with that same jump in his heart. However, he can’t quite convince his feet to move, like his body is perfectly fine with just watching her there. It’s just the way the light washes golden over her hair, the sunbeam force of her smile, the twist of her hand and head as she speaks. Race has seen the way the rich neighbours stare at artworks, entranced by mere brushstrokes. If that’s what it looks like to fall in love with a mere painting, then Y/N might be an entire museum full of masterpieces.
That describes it, doesn’t it? He’s in love. Stupidly, crazily, whole-heartedly in love. There’s no way to describe it. Race has had crushes before, on rich girls with silken bows and laughing girls who talk to him as they leave the factories after work. None of those seem even remotely close to the hold Y/N has on him now, like all those kisses and offered flowers were just practice for this.
Maybe he’s too lost in his own thoughts, or the way Y/N seems to call an entire city to her like the star of a show, but Race doesn’t hear Albert and Jojo appearing behind him until it’s too late and they’re already upon him. Albert is crowing at him, face wrought over with victory. “It’s official. You’re completely hopeless for Y/N.” Race moves to deny this, but it’s too late- they have enough evidence to tease him for the rest of his life.
Jojo looks almost incredulous. “Wasn’t it just yesterday that you was telling me about how you’d never spend too much of your time trippin’ over some goil? Look at you now! Albert, he’s practically thinking about marriage.” Albert pretends to be severely affected by this thought. “I can see it in his eyes. He might already be picking out the rings.”
Race rolls his eyes. “I don’t know what you’se talking about. Y/N’s a friend.” Albert and Jojo actually burst out laughing, and Race wants to hit them. “She’s a friend? Race, if you look at your friends like that I’m getting locks on the doors. You’se in love, and it’s hilarious.” Race fishes around for some excuse or retort, finds nothing, and resorts to the time-honored classic of trying to hit them. “Some friends you are. No wonder I like Y/N- she doesn’t do this to me.”
Jojo hoots with laughter. “He admits it! Truth at last!” Albert sighs dramatically. “Did you hear his voice? He’s overcome with emotion.” Race lets scorn drip into his every word. “Overcome with emotion? Where’d you pick that up- off a pape?” Albert scoffs. “No, I read it off the cover of a book in a shop window, like somebody respectable.”
A voice comes from behind them once more, and Race wonders silently why he has to keep finding himself in this exact situation. “Somebody respectable? Albert, no offense, but I have never once seen anyone do that.” Albert’s expression grows worryingly bright, as if he’s just had a terrible idea, and he turns to face a newly arrived Y/N with a grin. “I’d usually argue on that, but I want to make time for someone else. Racer here was just saying something about how he needed to talk to you.”
Jojo’s eyes glint, like he’s caught on to Albert’s plan. “Yeah, actually, he was. Said it was something very important.” Albert nods solemnly. “Very, very important. We’d better leave now, so he can say it.” The two boys exchange looks, then practically jog off, although Jojo makes sure to give Race a very obvious thumbs up before they go. Race is about to seriously consider murder, but then a hand lands on his arm and he’s brought back to reality once more.
Y/N considers him, one eyebrow raised. “Well, I do have to admit that I’m a little worried by how excited they looked about that, but I am a little curious. What do you have to talk about?” Race knows what he should say, what Jojo and Albert no doubt want him to do, but the words stick a little in his throat. He remains silent for a little too long, and Y/N crosses her arms across her chest. “Well? I’m waiting.”
Race searches desperately for something to say, anything, but he has no idea how to start. Y/N’s look of curiosity is starting to bleed away into boredom, and Race is gripped by the sudden terror that she’ll leave before he can say anything at all, despite how terrifying it is to even think about telling her how he feels. So, he leans forward and kisses her before he can talk himself out of anything else.
Now Y/N doesn’t speak, not at all, and Race can’t think about anything except the fact that he might have ruined everything, once and for all. Then her face splits into this incredible grin, and Race feels like the ground has broken up beneath him and he’s falling, falling, until he can’t feel anything at all. “That’s what you wanted to talk about?” Race doesn’t know what to say. Again. “Uh, yes.”
She laughs, and Race thinks that he could have gladly listened to that sound every morning. Let the sound of her laugh replace the church bells, and he would have happily attended every sermon. “You’re an idiot.” Race nods. “Yes.” He’s not sure that he’s supposed to be agreeing to this, but she’s got him caught in her gaze again and he feels as if he can’t move a muscle. “Kiss me again, and I might just forgive you for waiting this long.”
Race grins, his confidence finally starting to return to him again. “Well, I like the sound of that.” He’s not about to refuse her this time, so he reaches forward, gently guiding her face back to his once more. 
232 notes · View notes
adorablele · 3 years
Text
perfume
↬ member: lee donghyuck x reader ↬ genre: suggestive, party!au ↬ wc: 1215 ↬ summary: haechan is obsessed with your neck ↬ a/n: happy haechan day! I don’t have much to say about this drabble aside from the fact that this idea stemmed from reddit and tiktok :)
trigger warning(s); mentions of alcohol, alcohol consumption, they/them pronouns were used but this drabble was created with a female reader in mind
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“Who are you looking for, Hyuck?”
Donghyuck darted his attention to Jisung who had asked him the question. He placed his hands in his pockets and answered, “No one.”
Jeno snorted before taking a sip from his red cup of alochol. 
“We all know that that’s a lie,” Renjun deadpanned. 
Donghyuck didn’t pay his friends any mind and surveyed around the area of the living room. As usual, Chenle’s house was filled to the brim with friends, friends of friends, strangers; all of whom were either dancing, drinking, kissing or a combination of all three. There were occasional people sitting or leaning against the walls vibrating from the music, but none of those things were important to Donghyuck.  
Jaemin joined them by the beer pong tables and smirked, “Bet he’s looking for Y/N.”
“Yeah, apparently they’re supposed to be here tonight,” added Chenle who followed right alongside Jaemin.
“Are you finally planning to make a move,” Mark queried, “because I cannot stand the tension between the two of you any longer.”
Chuckles of agreement were shared in the group. In response, Donghyuck gave a look of disdain to all them, but before he could say anything, Jisung perked up.
“Hey Y/N!”
There you were, walking towards him and his friends with glimmering eyes. 
“Hey guys,” you greeted, smile bright as you looked at him, “hey Haechan.”
“Hi,” he responded, heart thumping at the nickname. 
Donghyuck had no clue as to what you were discussing with his friends, for he was much too distracted by the silk white tank top you were wearing. The noodle straps did nothing but accentuate your bare neck that was adorned by a necklace. One day at the mall, he commented how nicely you would wear that necklace, but nicely was much of an understatement. 
You brush back some hair over your shoulder, feeding him with a wider view of your exposed skin. His eyes traced the necklace down to your collarbone and he swallowed, hard.
He thinks back to earlier that week when he was in class with you. While he was taking his exam, he noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. It was you, squirming in your seat right across from him. The zip-up sweater╾one that he leant to you which was why it was a bit big on you╾slipped off one of your shoulders. You proceeded to push back your hair and expose the sweet skin of your neck╾untouched, unmarked, in full view of him. Your hand rubbed along the muscles in your neck to relieve them of discomfort that was, presumably, caused by the long hours of sitting at a desk.
Donghyuck snapped out of his daze when he got slapped on the back. Jeno smiles at him, “Well I’ll be going too, Jaemin needs a beer pong partner.” before fully leaving, however, Jeno quickly whispers, “You’re drooling.”
Hyuck was quick to close his mouth. Luckily, there was no actual drool, but unluckily, he was stuck here with you. Everyone had already dispersed throughout the house to partake in different activities. 
“I’m going to go get a drink,” he excused, hoping to escape away to the kitchen. His plan would’ve worked if you hadn’t decided to tag along. 
The two of you made your way into the kitchen, secluded away from everyone. Hyuck busied himself with plucking two red cups from the stack sitting on the counter. He poured the drinks and handed one cup to you. 
When you took it, he smiled before sipping from his own cup. You smiled back, but it was smile that Donghyuck was apprehensive about. There was something about the glint in your eyes that didn’t sit well with him. Perhaps escaping to the kitchen, alone, with you wasn’t the greatest of ideas. 
“How do you like the necklace?” 
His gaze only loitered back in that dangerous area for a split second. “It looks good,” he replied, eyes wandering around the kitchen as he sipped again from his drink. 
“Just...good?” you asked with a lilting voice. 
He blinked, watching closely as your hand caressed the heart shaped jewel hanging from your neck.
“It’s just good?” you said with a small pout, “but I wore it just for you.”
Just for you. That was all Donghyuck could think about, all that he could hear; such dangerous words that were close to starting a fire within him. He needed a drink. When he went to take a swig from his cup, however, it was empty. 
“I-” was all he could utter, face warming at the intense stare from you.
You laugh and let go of your necklace, “I’m teasing Haechan!”
There you were again, calling him a nickname no one else did. 
“Oh,” was all he could say. He turned around to pour himself another drink.
“I got new perfume,” you mentioned, “the same day I got this necklace.”
It was quiet for a moment before you added, “Do you want to smell it?”
The question caught Donghyuck off guard. It led to his eyes being glued to the conjunction between your neck and your shoulder. He knows he should say no. He knows that he should make an excuse to get out of this stuffy kitchen, any excuse, say anything to get him out. Instead, he finds a hoarse ‘yeah’ graveling off of his tongue. 
For a brief second, you were taken aback by his response, almost as if you didn’t think that he would actually say yes. You mask it quickly, though, and place your cup down on the counter. Donghyuck follows suit. He then moves closer to you, heat radiating from both of your bodies. His heart beats faster with each centimeter that lessens between the two of you. Finally, he catches a whiff of your perfume, and he’ll be damned if it isn’t the most heavenly thing he’s ever smelled. 
He inhales deeply, “You smell amazing.” His voice is a little lower, a little huskier. 
Your breath hitches. Neither of you move for a good second. 
He then drags his fingers under your necklace, the metal laying atop his hand as he gently slides his slim digits from your shoulder down to your chest. When he gets to the pretty little heart at the center of the chain, he grips it and tugs ever so gently. 
You let out the tiniest of a whimper at the gesture which he pauses at, a small smirk forming at the edge of his mouth. He leans in until his nose is touching your skin and he relishes the way you intake a sharp breath. He hums, slowly making his way up from your chest. He stops at your ear, hot breath tingling your senses. Once more, he tugs on your necklace, a little harsher this time which results in another whimper. 
He chuckles, “You like that?’
“Mhm,” you hum. 
Donghyuck lets go of your necklace and uses the same hand to softly wrap around your jaw. He gently turns you towards him, admiring the haze in your eyes, lids drooping, lips parted slightly. 
“So pretty,” he murmurs, thumb rubbing along your jawline, “all dolled up for me.”
“Please,” you whisper, “kiss me haechan.”
That was all he needed for the fire in him to ignite. 
176 notes · View notes
high-lady-of-earth · 3 years
Text
Court of Nightmares
Azriel x Reader Oneshot
Summary: You and Azriel must go down to the Court of Nightmares. Afterwards, you find out that Az is a little insecure about his scars. This incorporates a prompt I received from @spaghettinoode1234
Hope you enjoy:)
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You were the newest addition to the inner circle. You were a high fae, formerly a human, who had been Made during the war with Hybern.
You had a tenuous relationship with society after being alone for years in Hybern, so your residence had become the House of the Wind, which you actually enjoyed, unlike the others. Nesta had been glad to let you live with her and Cassian.
It was once again time for the Solstice and with it came presents. You had to buy presents for Feyre, Rhys, Elain, Mor, Armen, and Azriel. Nesta and Cassian were away on a mission. But with the solstice, came another, darker thing. The visit to the Court of Nightmares.
You were a sort of jammer when it came to magic. Your powers functioned to block the magic of others. With tensions rising in the Hewn City, Rhys wanted you and Azriel to pay Kier the annual visit.
Mor had informed you that Azriel wanted to go tonight, so you had to get your shopping out of the way today because solstice was tomorrow. Clad in a pair of loose pants and a long sleeved mesh top, you bundled up in a fur coat and winnowed to the Palace of Threads and Jewels.
Surveying the vendors, you looked for gifts for your friends. Rhys provided you with more money than you needed, so cost wasn’t an issue. You already had a rough idea of what you wanted to get for everyone. For Feyre and Rhysand, you wanted to find something for Nyx.
For Elain, you had seen a cart that sold rare flowers from the continent. They were roses, but enhanced with magic to sparkle in the daylight. Elain was working hard in the garden’s of Feyre and Rhys’ new house, and you knew they would look perfect on a trellis next to a fountain.
Mor was the easiest to shop for. You described an outfit to a tailor you wanted made and you were waiting for it to be finished. The ensemble consisted of a blouse, cropped to where the ribs ended, covered in thousands of glass beads. The skirt was the prettiest pink color with a slit up the side and an embroidered border made of glass beads at the top and bottom. Perhaps the most striking was the shawl, which drew on Eastern styles and was covered in the most beautiful embroidery and rhinestones. You had truly outdone yourself.
Armen was even easier. You had walked into Velaris’ most expensive jewelry store and had immediately found a something for Amren. It was a delicate necklace with a large stone in the middle. It was a red stone that changed color with the light, shifting between pink, red, and orange hues. You asked the lady what the stone was and learned that legend said it was a single scale from a dragon, given to the jeweler’s ancestor many thousands of years ago. The jeweler had decided to part with it suddenly after the war.
The last gift was for Azriel. You had absolutely no idea what to get him. He had saved your life, and you were head over heels for him, but it seemed as though there was a deep sadness to him. Mor had told Azriel that she preferred females, but he didn’t take it too well. He was still healing and you didn’t want to push him. Thus, you had no idea what was considered an appropriate gift.
You walked through the carts aimlessly, when suddenly an idea came to your mind. From experience, you knew that Azriel’s hands got ice cold. He couldn’t put on gloves because of his siphons. You would have someone make leather gloves lined with fur with an opening for his siphons. You asked a tailor to make the gloves and then started wandering again, looking for baby items.
You came across a cart selling baby jewelry and immediately found what you wanted to give Feyre and Rhys. It was a circlet, made of diamonds and onyx that represented the night court. It was beautiful and expertly crafted. The woman selling it told you it was one of a kind. She had not made any others to sell. You paid the woman in gold coins and gathered the rest of your presents. Then, you winnowed back to the House of Wind.
When you winnowed into the living room, you were startled by Azriel’s presence. He was sitting in chair, shrouded by darkness, looking at your intently. He held a box in his hands, which you knew contained the clothes you would have to wear.
“Time to go already?” You asked him.
“Indeed it is, Y/n.” He murmured. You loved the way Azriel’s voice was deep and smooth when he talked to you, making it almost sensual.
Azriel got up from the chair and banished his shadows to the edge of the room. You could now see his lean form without the darkness of the shadows. Azriel wore his Illyrian fighting leathers as well as his siphons. However, he had decided to forgo some of his armor, displaying enticing planes of his skin on his abdomen and back. You imagined how the muscles in his back would ripple as he walked.
Azriel approached you and gave you the box. He told you that he had brought Cerridwen and Nuala to help you get ready and that he would be waiting here, in the living room. You nodded and walked to your bedroom. Inside, were Cerridwen and Nuala with a steaming bath. They helped you strip off your clothes and then scrubbed your skin raw, rubbing in scented oils.
Once they had dried you off, they brought out your outfit. It was a midnight blue gauzy dress that was more conservative than Feyre’s Court of Nightmares outfit. You had to admit, the dress didn’t look bad at all. It had a plunging neckline that went down to the waist and two slits up the side of the dress that went up to your hips, but the opaque midnight fabric was overlaid with a translucent tulle blue fabric. Your legs were covered. Cerridwen put the dress on you and then Nuala sat you down to do your hair.
She blew it out, straightening it to get rid of the frizz, then she curled the edges. In the front, she grabbed some hair on each side and braided a thin strand, which she clipped in the back using a silver hair clip inlaid with midnight blue gems. Then, Nuala grabbed loose stones and threaded them into your hair.
Next, Cerridwen and Nuala worked on your makeup. They stayed simple, doing a smokey eye, eyeliner, and mascara for your eyes and a mauve berry lip gloss for your lips. They finished by dusting a silver shimmery powder over your cheeks. Cerridwen handed you a pair of silver strappy heels, which you put on and walked back to the living room.
Azriel looked up at you and your eyes met. For a split second, you thought you saw heat in his eyes, but it went away and you thought you might have imagined it.
“I’m giving you your solstice gift early, Y/n.” Azriel said, bringing out another large velvet box. He opened it to reveal several pieces of midnight blue jewelry, all the same color of his siphons.
“They’re all so beautiful.” You whispered to Azriel, looking up at him. He moved around to the back of you and helped you put on the necklace.
“They are nothing compared to you.” Azriel said. Your heart skipped a beat. You didn’t know what to say, so you didn’t respond. You put on the dangling earrings and bracelets and ring.
“I’m ready to go.” You told Azriel. He stood behind you and put an arm around your waist, getting ready to fly you there.
“You remember the drill, right? You sit on my lap and tell me what people are thinking. Block their magic if you think they are a threat.”
“Yup. The whole Daemati drill.”
Azriel’s arm tightened around your waist and the two of you suddenly traveled through the fabric of space and time itself. The world whooshed around you and you closed your eyes so you wouldn’t get dizzy. Then, almost as suddenly as you disappeared, the throne room of the Hewn City materialized around you.
Azriel had winnowed the two of you onto the single throne on the dais, Feyre’s throne absent since it was only Azriel presiding over the court today. Rhysand had even give Azriel permission to sit on the throne. You had been positioned on top of Azriel’s strong thighs, the thin fabric of your dress allowing you to feel his heat even through his thick Illyrian leathers.
Kier stood in front of the throne, along with about fifty other people. The room was dark, only a few strategically-placed fae lights provided light. This, however, suited Azriel because his shadows could run rampant.
“Welcome to the Hewn City, General.” Kier said in a pleasant tone that undoubtedly was laced with venom underneath. Nobody here wanted to bow to the beautiful male she perched on top of. They disregarded the Illyrian heritage that made him so powerful. So awe-inspiring.
Azriel gave Kier a bored look as if to say get on with it. Kier flicked his glance to you and paused. Azriel’s arm moved around your waist and stopped so that his fingers grazed your hip.
“Who, if I may ask, is this?” Kier asked. You swallowed some fear. Mor’s father had taken an interest in you — not a good sign. You stilled and became stiff against Azriel. His other hand snaked around to rest on top of your thigh. A mark of ownership clear to Kier and the rest of the court.
“She isn’t anyone special. Just a new one to grace my arm today.” Azriel said with cold steel in his voice. You knew Azriel’s words were lies for the court, but it still stung to be called a nobody. The others looked like they believed Azriel, but Kier didn’t. He silently noted how Azriel’s hand had moved to your thigh, almost like a warning.
You knew that Kier wasn’t fooled by your pathetic act and could tell something else was going on here. You cursed inside your head — you desperately needed to do something. You used your power to push a little at the dark sleek walls of Azriel’s mental defenses. He noted your presence and let you in.
“Kier isn’t buying the act.” You said inside his head. “We need to be more convincing.”
You pulled out of Azriel’s mind as his hand, the one on your waist, moved to the neckline of your gown. He began to toy with it, the only indication that he had understood your words.
You could feel Azriel’s callused fingers through the flimsy fabric of your dress. His hand moved over your right breast, and you sucked in a breath as his fingers grazed over your chest.
“You’re doing great, Y/n.” Azriel whispered in your ear. The hand on your thigh inched closer and closer to your core, and you felt yourself flush with embarrassment. You were frozen in place, watching Kier, who’s expression slackened as he undoubtedly scented your very real arousal, and along with it, banished any doubts about you being a threat.
Inwardly, you were mortified, but you didn’t let it show. Azriel’s fingers finally reached your inner thigh, where they played with the fabric of your dress.
“So, Kier, how goes the operations down here?” Azriel asked in his deadly voice. You didn’t hear Kier’s response because Azriel’s hand had suddenly began to rub circles through your dress. You couldn’t concentrate on anything and you felt Azriel stiffen behind you.
You went back into Azriel’s mind. “Everyone is good. Nobody’s plotting anything.” You said. Azriel gave a slight nod.
“Kier, you may go. I’m done with you for today.” Azriel said, dismissing him from the throne room. The hall bustled with activity as other members of the Hewn City moved around. You felt Azriel’s lips on your ear before he began to speak, his fingers once again teasing you through your dress.
“Y/n, I can barely concentrate on everyone’s words. Your scent is overpowering and it’s getting difficult to fight my own instincts. I should fly you back to the House of Wind.” He stated in a husky voice.
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll stay with you. Don’t fight it, Azriel.” You said.
“I won’t be able to control myself, Y/n.” He replied. The butterflies in your stomach fluttered as Azriel said that. You already had your answer though. In response to him, you moved one of your hands on top of Azriel’s, the one playing with the neckline of your dress. You closed your fingers over his hand and gently moved it to your heart, which was beating furiously in your chest.
You felt the world darken around you as shadows enclosed yours and Azriel’s bodies. The world spun for a few seconds, but it mercifully stopped as you arrived in the House of Wind. Azriel’s winnowing sometimes made you dizzy.
You were so close to Azriel that your chests were almost touching. Your gaze moved from his eyes to his lips and you could palpably feel the room go warmer. Instinctively, you knew that Azriel’s own eyes had moved down to your lips too. It would be so easy to lean forward an inch and press your mouth against his.
You closed your eyes as the tension between you two simmered and waited for the searing kiss Azriel would place on your lips. But you were left with a gust of brisk, cool air instead. You opened your eyes, but only to see that Azriel had turned away from you and started waking. You felt the anger rise up in you as you took a step after him and grabbed his shoulder.
“You do not get to pull that stunt down there and then ignore me, Azriel.” You huffed. He didn’t even turn around.
“Was it true? Am I just some eye candy that you brought along? Do you not even care about how that made me feel?” You questioned. You saw Azriel bristle, and a part of you was satisfied that he responded.
“Of course you mean something to me, Y/n. That’s why we can’t.” He whispered.
You stepped in front of Azriel and placed your hands on your hips.
“I don’t see how refraining from kissing me shows that you care about me.” You pointed out. Azriel looked away from you, towards the floor.
“I-I’m not a good guy, Y/n. You deserve someone who’s better than I am. Someone who is just a perfect and beautiful as you are.” He said. In the corner of your eyes, you saw Azriel tuck his hands into his pockets.
You quickly reached your hands into his pockets and curled your fingers around his hand. Then, you brought out his hands.
“You know that being perfect doesn’t matter to me. Your scars are beautiful, Azriel. If you don’t believe me about that, then at least believe that they give you character.” You replied.
Azriel looked unsure, so you brought his hands to you face and gently set your lips on his palms, tracing the scar tissue with kisses.
“I think you’re handsome and beautiful and perfect— scars and all.” You whispered.
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littlesniggy · 3 years
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Princess Part Two
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Part Two of the Kid x princess reader and well...I might’ve gotten carried away a little but oh well. Thanks to @pure-kirarin​ for requesting this!  Btw, this plays either pre time skip or during the time skip since Kid still has both arms lol.
Part One is here!
Warning: 18+, smut, dirty talk, virgin reader
Word count: 4.4k
She was laying in her bed, her face still wet from crying the whole way back. Her clothes were dirty; she had slipped multiple times on and some scratches were visible on her arms and legs. She needed to cover them so no one would see them. Otherwise, they’d ask uncomfortable questions and she simply had no answer as to why she looked like this.
The sheets of her bed felt comforting and soothing but she couldn’t quite fall asleep; too many thoughts were running through her head and every single one revolved around Eustass Kid. To say her image of him and pirates in general had been shuttered was an understatement. Was he right? Had she been too influenced by all the stories she’s read? In them, pirates were criminals but in a charming way; they’d drink and have fun and play around with women but they never gave off that aura of danger. And still: some part in her wanted to know more about pirates, know more about their life, their ambitions, and motivation.
Kid said something about becoming the king of pirates; wasn’t this just a myth? Finding the One Piece? Gol D. Roger’s call to find it? She wasn’t sure but he seemed serious. And this part of him was the one that intrigued her the most. She closed her eyes and slowly but surely drifted off into a restless sleep, haunted by a certain bloodthirsty pirate captain.
It had been two nights since she encountered the Kid pirates and ever since she felt down and less ambitious. The prince, his father, and their entourage left yesterday. Finally, she had time for herself but it did her no good; her thoughts were still running wild, always returning to Eustass Kid. She even had a somewhat wet dream about him where she woke up breathing heavily and completely unsatisfied. She’s never been intimate before and her urge to be was rather non-existent – until now. Only the thought of him doing anything remotely sexual to her had little butterflies flying in her belly, making it incredibly difficult to focus.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of weapons clashing on weapons, loud yells calling to gather in front of the entrance and protect the king and the princess. She hurried to the big window and saw with horror how one guard after another got killed, their screams echoing through the night sky. She clasped her hands over her mouth but couldn’t move her eyes away from the horrid scene. The ones killing her people were none other than the Kid pirates. She saw weapons flying through the air and gathering around one person – Eustass Kid. All the weapons manifested into one huge weapon-arm he used to kill more of the guards.
She heard footsteps in front of her door and turned around, expecting pirates to storm in at any moment. But instead, two guards were rushing in, weapons ready to protect or fight. “Princess-sama! You need to get out of here! It’s too dangerous!” one yelled while the other one grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. “W-wait! What’s going on?” she demanded to know but followed the two guards down the stairs. “Pirates. They invaded the palace. Probably looking for treasure but we’re not sure. As long as they’re here you’re not safe, princess-sama.”
The stairs led down until they reached the dungeons where a safe-room was located. But they didn’t make it until there because in a flash the guard’s weapons were taken from them by what seemed like magic but when she turned around Captain Kid was standing there, a huge and sadistic grin in his face.
The guards positioned themselves in front of the princess but without any weapons they were defenseless. “Princess-sama! Please, keep going until you reach the safe-room! We will handle him!” the guard told him. The princess didn’t think twice before she turned around and ran through the long corridor. She didn’t make it far though because suddenly, she felt a hand grab her hair and yanking her back painfully.
“Just the princess I was looking for.” She heard a voice right next to her ear. “Let go” she screamed and tried to get free but his grip was like iron. “Stop struggling and be quiet. I only want your treasure, that’s all. If you’re a good little princess I’ll let you live.” He purred. “Y-you killed the guards! Why should I trust you?” tears were running down her face. This was definitely not how she had imagined their next meeting!
“Indeed, I have. But maybe I’ll make an exception for you? Can’t kill a princess now, can I?” it sounded sarcastic and she new he had no qualms killing her as well. “Now, tell me. Where do you hide your treasure? The sooner you tell me the sooner we’re on our marry way.” “How do I know you’re not lying?” “You just have to believe me.” He sounded amused at her question. “And by the way. Didn’t you say you wanted to join us? As a pirate you should be okay with robbing and killing people. That’s just part of a pirate’s life.” She pressed her lips together and felt stupid once again. Deep down, she had known this but she just didn’t want to accept it.
“So, tell me. Where is the treasure?” he repeated the question. “I-in the south tower, top floor, behind a huge door. Can’t miss it.” She pressed out and expected him to let her go. But Kid had other plans. “That wasn’t too difficult, was it? Let’s go.” And with a push she stumbled forward. He let go of her hair so technically she could run away but she knew he’d catch her. “Lead the way, princess.” He said while he followed her, his eyes running down her body while they were walking, appreciating the silky nightgown she was wearing which was running down her body like water.
The princess noticed but kept quiet about it. “W-where is my father?” she instead wanted to know. Kid shrugged, the grin still on his face. “Who knows.” He simply answered and she knew he wouldn’t tell her. Maybe he was already dead?
When they got to the entrance hall she heard yelling coming from all over the place but she couldn’t see her father. Kid pushed her forward with his hand, making her almost fall to the floor. “Keep moving, princess.” It sounded like an insult when he called her that but she wouldn’t complain. She heard him call some of his men who followed them up the stairs until they all reached the huge door guarding the treasure. The two guards were quickly disposed of and the princess couldn’t hold back a squeal.
Kid laughed at her reaction while the others opened the huge door, revealing lots and lots of gold, silver, jewels and precious gems. “That’s what I call a jackpot. Pack it up!” Kid ordered and shoved the princess with him to the side to not be in the way of his crew. Silently, they stood next to each other, Kid had his arms crossed in front of his chest, she looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. “Did we wake you?” Kid suddenly asked, his eyes still appreciating the treasure in the room. She stayed silent, not wanting to answer.
He turned his head towards her, his eyes wandering up and down once again. “You got a lot of those nightgowns, don’t you? You were wearing one two nights ago as well, weren’t you?” a blush creeped on her cheeks and she pulled her arms over her body to hide it from his few. “Don’t be shy! It looks good on you!” The red intensified even more and he could swear her head was about to pop like a tomato. “Show me your room.” He demanded. Shocked, she looked at him, eyes wide and mouth open. There it was again – the excited feeling in her stomach. Even though he had just killed more than a dozen if her men she still felt intrigued by him; his whole aura had her body drawn to him.
“C’mon. A little princess like you must have a huge room, right? Let me see it.” He insisted. There was no rational reason why she did it but she obliged. As if her body was out of rubber, she walked along corridors with doors to every side, legs daring to give in with every step. Kid walked behind her, she could feel his eyes on her body.
She stopped in front of the door, hesitant to turn the nob to open it. But Kid took over this part. His big hands grabbed the nob, turned it and opened the door. He pushed her inside and followed her right after. She heard him whistle but didn’t turn to look at him. Two clicks indicated he had closed and locked the door behind him. Now it was only the two of them, alone in her room, her only in her nightgown and underneath it only her panties.
“That’s a nice ass room. Being a princess has its perks, hasn’t it?” he passed her and took a look around her room. His eyes wandered over pictures showing her with her father, some friends and one with her mother when she was young. She expected him to ask about her but he didn’t. He simply didn’t care.
When he was done he walked towards her bed, sitting down in the mattress. His legs spread and his arms crossed in front of his chest. His grin was ever so present on his face and had her look away. “Why did you want to join us?” he asked out of nowhere. “I…I don’t know.” She answered truthfully, still not looking at him. “Bullshit! Did you think I didn’t notice your reaction? When I had my thumb buried in your mouth?” His grin grew even wider. “Did you hope for something more…filling?” he laughed at her shocked expression when she turned to look at him.
“Now is your chance, princess. I can almost smell your pussy from here and believe me she wants me.” He said cockily, way too full of himself. But he was right. Ever since he asked her to see her room she had thought about all the things they could do in there – and none of her thoughts were G-rated. “C’mere.” He demanded.
Slowly, she put one foot in front of the other and made her way over to where he was sitting. She stopped in front of him, her sight set on the floor. Even though she was standing was he almost as tall as her when he was sitting. “Have you ever knelt down in front of anyone else?” he asked. She shook her head no and received a dark chuckle. “Then it’s time you learn how to do it. Get on your knees, princess.” His tone was demanding and left no room for arguing.
With trembling limps, she got down, took her place between his legs. Pleased, he hummed. “That’s a nice sight, princess. You look good on your knees. As if you were made to kneel down.” “Stop saying that.” She whispered, completely embarrassed by his words. Kid laughed out loud at her wish. “But it’s the truth, princess. Now, get down to business.” He demanded but she didn’t follow his order. Kid raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t you hear me? Go, suck my dick, princess.” He clarified but again she didn’t move. The princess bit her lower lip, seeming like she wanted to say something but too embarrassed to say it out loud. Kid grabbed her chin and made her look up at him. “What is it, princess? Spit it out or get going!” She averted her gaze but after receiving a slight slap to her cheek she answered.
“I….I have never been….intimate….with a man before.” She whispered, barely audible. The captain made a surprised sound but didn’t let go of her chin. “A virgin, huh? That’s rare. But I like it.” With his other hand he opened his pants, freeing his semi-erect member from its restraints. “Don’t worry. I’ll guide you through everything.” His thumb circling his huge mushroom head. The princess took a quick glance at his dick before looking away, cheeks blushed once more.
“You can look. It gets him excited, y’know.” Kid purred. She hesitated for a moment but then looked back at his dick which twitched in response, slowly becoming harder and harder. “Good girl.” He praised. He let go of her chin and instead took one of her wrists between his fingers and guided her hand towards his member. Before she could touch it, she tried pulling back instinctively but his grip was too strong. “Don’t be shy. Touch him.” He encouraged her and simultaneously pulled her hand closer until he wrapped her hand around his dick, his hand covering hers.
She gasped at the touch. It felt warm and…weird, as if it was some kind of animal. But it made her pussy wet at the same time, making her rub her thighs together. “You like how it feels?” he started to move his hand around hers so she was stroking him. He pressed his hand down, showing her how he liked it. Her legs kept rubbing against each other and she didn’t know what to do about her growing wetness.
“Touch yourself, princess.” His demand came out of nowhere. “What?” she asked bus his grin told her she had heard him right. “I said: touch yourself. I can see you want to.” Her cheeks were burning and she couldn’t move. “Have you ever touched yourself?” he asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you haven’t!”
“W-well….n-not really.” God! This must be his lucky day! Fist the treasure and now this!
“Then let me teach you how to do it….Follow my orders, princess.” Her eyes were uncertain but he knew she would obey his orders. She was way too curious.
“Are you wearing panties?” she nodded hesitantly. “Good.” His hand kept holding hers in place, still stroking him.
“Move your hand between your legs and rub your index and middle finger over your panties where your pussy is.” Her hand slowly moved down between her legs and she gasped when she touched herself. “Tell me, are you wet?” his grin was now predatory. He leaned down to be closer to her face. The princess nodded shyly. “Good. Now move your hands in your panties and feel your cunt. Tell me how it feels.” She followed this order as well and a small moan escaped her lips when she touched herself. “How does it feel?” he demanded to know.
“W-wet….hot.” he grunted at her words, closing his eyes for a moment. “Good girl. Do you feel the little nub?” her fingers glid over said nub and she jerked away a little. “Circle it with your finger.” A whimper escaped her lips and she had to close her eyes at the sensation. She felt how her juice coated her pussy even more, making small sounds while she moved her finger over her clit. Kid squeezed her hand slightly and gasped at the feeling. “Do you feel how you’re getting wetter? Does it feel good, princess?”
“Y-yes.” She moaned. Kid picked up the pace at his dick and her hand between her legs followed his pace.
“Do you think you’re wet enough now? Are you dripping?” his voice filled her head and she could only nod. “Push your finger inside.” The princess opened her eyes and looked at him, stopping for a moment. “B-but what if-“ but he cut her off. “Just do it, princess.” His harsh tone made her whimper and her pussy clenched around nothing. Slowly, she moved over her slit and inserted one finger, making a slightly uncomfortable sound. “Try rubbing your clit.” It was difficult and she had her hand at a slightly awkward angle but managed to circle her clit with her thumb. Her legs opened wider when she started moving her finger in and out, the feeling of herself around her finger was weird and exciting at the same time.
His hand picked up the pace around his shaft once more and her hand followed suit. “When you’re ready put another finger in. Spread them.” “Ah!” another small moan when she entered a second finger, scissoring them and also curling them inside of her, moving them in and out of her pussy. The moans came out more frequently now and she hand to rest her cheek against his thigh, watching their hands pump his dick with hooded eyes. It was so hot, she didn’t know where to put her lust. Kid grunted, his eyes never leaving her frame.
“Such a good, slutty princess. Following a pirate’s orders to please herself.” He praised, making her moan again. She started moving her hips up and down on her finger, her moans getting louder and louder. Kid laughed at her action, licking his lips at the sight. “That’s right, princess. Fuck yourself on your fingers. Ride them like it’s my dick.” Another moan. Her movements became frantic and he knew she was close. It was now or never. He let go of her hand and put his hand on the back of her head. “Open up!”
She had no time to think before he pushed his huge dick inside her mouth, almost choking her. Her eyes were wide open and she tried to get away but he wouldn’t let her. “Breath through your nose, princess. And don’t forget fucking yourself.” The problem was not her breathing – at least not her primary. Her gag-reflex had kicked in and it took all her will power not to puke. Kid started moving her head between his legs, low grunts rumbling thorough his body. “Fuck.” He grunted.
The princess listened to his grunts and it somehow got her distracted from the uncomfortable feeling on her tongue. She also started moving her fingers inside of her again, soon getting back the feeling inside or her that indicated her coming orgasm. She moaned around his dick, entering a third finger. His dick moved in and out of her mouth at the same pace, his mushroom head bumping against the backside of her throat; spit was dripping down her chin, his pre-cum salty on her tongue. With two more pushes of her fingers did she clench around herself, cumming hard and coating her fingers.
Kid stopped his movements a little bit unwillingly when she came but he watched her come down from her (probably) first orgasm. He removed his dick from her mouth and grabbed her chin once more, making her look up at him. “Show me your hand.” He whispered. With a small whimper she pulled out her fingers and slowly raised her hand with shaky limbs. Her fingers were coated in her juice and kid licked his lips, then grabbed her hand and closed his lips around her fingers, sucking on them. His tongue swirled around them, licking up every little bit of her cum.
She could only watch in amazement, brains till a little foggy from her high. When he was down, he let her fingers go with an audible plop. “Slutty princess, making such a mess while masturbating. Dirty, dirty little bitch.” His grin took in almost all of his face, that’s how satisfied he was with her job. But he wasn’t done yet…
“Get naked, princess. The main part is about to start.” He purred. “W-what? But I just…I just-“ “I’m gonna make you come again. You’ll like it since you’re such a little whore.” His words made her clench around nothing once more and she knew he would be true to his word. She got up, legs still shaky but she managed to stand in front of him. Her hands moved over her body, down to the hem of her nightgown and pulled it up over her head, exposing her breasts, the nipples hard from her arousal. Kid hummed in appreciation and couldn’t help himself but grab her tits in his hands and fondle them quite roughly.
“K-Kid…” she moaned and leaned into his touch. He leaned closer and took one of her nipples between his lips, sucking and biting at it. She threw her head back and had her eyes closed. “P-please….be gentle.” He looked up at her, licking her nipple before grinning again. “Can’t promise that.” He said and dedicated himself to her other nipple while his hand massaged her breast. His rough hands felt incredibly on her skin and the excited feeling between her legs came back.
The pirate noticed and looked down at her still clothed sex. “Take it off. I wanna see all of you, princess.” His voice was coarse from arousal and had her shiver in excitement. Her hands moved to her panties and pulled the, down, exposing her wet sex. Kid licked his lips at the sight and just had to take a lick by leaning forward. She moaned because of the sensitivity but jerked her hips forward, pressing herself closer to his mouth.  
“So eager.” He murmured against her clit before teasing it with his tongue a little. The princess was afraid she might lose her balance and fall but Kid Kid wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her up, the other one grabbed the back of her knee and pulled it up to have better access. His mouth now savored her pussy, licking and sucking at the sensitive flesh and having her moan above him.
“K-Kid! I-it’s too much!” she whined and moaned at the same time, not knowing if she liked it or hated it. Just in this moment a knock on the door could be heard. Kid grumbled in discontent. “What?” he barked. “When are you done, captain?” he heard Killer’s voice from the other side. “Fuck off. I’m in the middle of eating dessert!” her cheeks turned pink again but she couldn’t think straight when he sucked at her clit once more, making her moan.
They heard a Killer clear his throat on the other side and then his leaving footsteps.
“Naughty princess. Letting him hear you moan.” He teased. Kid pulled away from her sex and threw her on the mattress instead. She looked up at him, body heaving, legs slightly spread, exposing her wet pussy. “Such a nice view.” He complimented. The princess sucked on her lips, knowing what was about to happen. Should she really let a pirate take her virginity? She was promised to the prince, was engaged and about to get married. Should she throw this away? But Kid was already above her, his body like a blanket covering her own. He had lined himself up with her pussy, ready to push in.
“Take a deep breath, princess. This’s gonna hurt.” And with these words he pushed forward, sinking into her wet and hot pussy. A painful scream escaped her mouth and she clawed at his muscular arms, trying to find some support for her pain. But Kid showed no pity and pushed himself in completely. Her whole body was tense and she tried to push the foreign body away but the pirate was too strong. “Relax.” He huffed before he started to move inside of her.
“It hurts!” she pressed out, eyes shut tightly. “Stop whining. It’s gonna feel better soon!” Maybe. He thought to himself and grinned. Now was his turn.” His movements were sharp and hard, his dick moving in and out of her. It was a great feeling, especially since he knew he was the very first to thrust into her. Her face looked tense and he knew she was in pain. She was probably bleeding as well but why should he care? She had her orgasm and he wanted his. Well, maybe he could help her a little.
One of his hands moved down between their legs and started rubbing at her clit, making her jerk against his touch. “Good girl. Keep moving against me.” She whimpered, the pain slowly moved to the back of her mind thanks to his finger in her clit. She bucked her hips against his thrusts, making him grunt and curse with each thrust. He picked up the pace, his hips snapping back and forth at high speed, making it hard for her to keep up with his pace. She moaned, eyes closed and her arms were next to her head after she had let go of his arms. Her body was shuffled over the sheets, her body sweaty from all the feelings inside of her.
With each thrusts she got closer and closer to her next orgasm, her voice hoarse from moaning and screaming. Her legs wrapped around his hips, pushing him closer to her and pressing him deeper inside of her. With a last, loud scream she came around his dick, clenching around his thick meat and making him groan in pleasure.
Breathlessly, she laid underneath him, slowly getting her breath back under control. Kid had stopped moving; he looked down at her, had watched her face twitch in pleasure while she rode his dick through her orgasm. It was really hot; he wouldn’t lie but he wasn’t done yet.
“Little princess cumming around my dick like a whore. What an exciting sight. I like it. But I’m not finished yet. Let’s see if I can make you cum a third time. After all, three’s the lucky charm.”
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Her whole body felt sore; her body was covered in dark bruises left by his mouth, her breasts and lower body was covered in his semen, dripping down onto the sheets. She felt used and dirty but at the same time completely satisfied.
Kid had left a while ago, the castle was silent. Before he left he had praised her for being such an obedient little princess who took in his dick so well. Alone remembering those words made her smile. She knew she would most likely never see him again but that was fine; after all, he taught her how to pleasure herself and that was enough. At least for now. Maybe she would teach her soon to be husband how to pleasure her.
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coexiising · 3 years
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Fade Into You - Chapter Six
SUMMARY ✦ Anger is a heavy subject.
WARNING(S) ✦ fluff
MASTERLIST ✦ Here.
NOTE ✦ I will now be updating weekly on Mondays.
“Why do you stay with the Jedi?”
Vader’s softer tone brought you back to the present, where you were once again sitting at the opposite side of the table, your fork poking into some type of fruit and bringing it up to your mouth. After the rather, how would you put it, lustful, encounter that you had with Anakin, you tried to keep your distance in fear that he could feel your emotions raging like fire throughout your body. That had been two days ago, but living in a building with one person proved harder than not to avoid them. There was truly no way that you could avoid him for too long. It was better to just act like nothing was wrong.
“What do you mean, stay with them? They’re my family,” You said, setting your fork down onto the table near your plate.
Vader shook his head. “You had family before then, you know.”
“Yes, but they gave me away for the good of the Galaxy. The Force gave me a higher purpose to protect.”
“And you truly believe that the Jedi taking you away from your mother and father was the best way to do so? Do you even know who they are?”
You shook your head. You didn’t. As far as you knew, they could still be alive today and maybe you have even been in their presence before, or on the same planet as them due to the many missions you were given by the Order. You never thought about that before, you never gave much thought to the family or the life you had before you became a Jedi. Almost your entire life had been dedicated to the Order and in some ways, Vader was right, they never gave you the choice to leave or not. You knew that you could leave if you really, truly wanted to, but they wouldn’t help you secure a home or a job. Your life was dedicated to the Order. “No, I guess I’ve never really cared who they were enough to go looking for them.”
“I don’t believe that,” Vader stated. “You do care. The Jedi simply tried to tell you to stop caring about those attachments.”
“Attachments lead-”
“-To the Dark Side, I know. You’ve only said it about a million times. It sounds like you’re reciting a drill manual sometimes.”
Rolling your eyes, you grabbed your dishes and brought them to the sink, dropping them in and giving him one more glance, turning on your heel to storm out of the room. He always knew how to get under your skin, making you fume with anger that you hated to feel, because you knew that it was what he wanted. Vader wanted to make you emotional and angry and sometimes he would win. You could feel a difference in the type of Force coursing through your veins when you were angry, a more powerful type that scared as well as intrigued you.
Vader stood up from his seat as well. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Not sure, wherever you won’t be I suppose,” You shrugged your shoulders, stepping out into the hallway, hearing him trail behind you. You spared him no chance and continued to walk to Maker knows where. “Stop following me. I’m not trying to escape, you’ve ruined all chances at that anyways. You keep me here like I’m some kind of pet and aggravate me.”
Vader caught up to you and the moment his hand came in contact with your left shoulder, you spun around and caught him by the wrist, looking up into his eyes. Instead of fear that you typically felt whenever he would look down at you like this, you felt an unusual amount of anger. You wanted to kill him. You wanted to dispose of him so that you could leave and you wouldn’t be trapped here anymore. You had been stuck in this place and the two of you were making little to no progress on assessing the connection that you had with one another. Your other hand came and harshly hit into his abdomen, cutting him off guard and sending him flying towards the other side of the hallway. Once his back hit the end wall and he fell to the ground with a small humph, you gathered your thoughts and attempted to calm yourself down, realizing that you were never able to wield such power before with just one hand. Being here was changing you, and it wasn’t for the better.
Although at first you thought that Vader would become angry that his prisoner was fighting him back, he only stood up and held his hands up in surrender. “Now, I was not expecting that from you,” He stated, a chuckle running past his lips. When he made his way forward, you started to walk backwards, scared of what you would do next with all this power. It was as though your senses came back to you and you didn’t want to hurt him, or kill him like you previously thought you did. Where did all of that come from?
“Stop. Don’t come any closer,” You told him, balling your hands into fists. “I don’t know where that came from and I don’t know if it’s . . . Gone. What are you doing to me?”
“That’s what true power feels like. Isn’t it exhilarating?” Anakin asked you, continuing to take steps towards you despite your pleas to go away. All this emotion, you’ve never felt it this intense before. Instead of the level head that the Order had filled you with, you were left with only your bare mind, neurotransmitters working overtime to compensate for the complete lack of emotional security you felt in the moment. Is this what it felt like to succumb to the Dark Side? No, you couldn’t be, you had tried your hardest to remember the ideals you learned as a Padawan and later as a Jedi Knight. “It’s alright.”
You shook your head. “It’s not alright, you’re turning me into a monster! Someone who has a complete lack of sympathy for hurting others. I was just about to kill you just then, don’t you understand? Being here is changing me for the worse and we’re achieving nothing!”
Vader was standing in front of you now, a calm demeanor that was a direct opposite from what you were feeling in the moment. It was as if he was assessing you, like he wanted this to happen. Was this his plan all along? To turn you to the Dark Side so that they would win the Clone Wars and the Galaxy would succumb to darkness? That dark, brooding stare looked down at you as he said, “There was no way that you would gain that type of power here in the small amount of time that you’ve resided in the castle.”
“What do you mean?” You asked.
“That’s been in you this entire time, trying to unleash itself but the Order never let you do so. That’s your true potential, and there is probably more if you were to master it.”
“As I’ve said before, I am not succumbing to the Dark Side no matter how much you try to get me to.”
“This doesn’t seem like the Dark Side, for your Force signature hasn’t changed, can’t you feel it?” Anakin asked. His hand raised and grabbed onto your fist, placing it near your heart. From there you could feel your heart rate, grounding you back to reality and making you able to feel the buzzing of the Force that constantly surrounded you. He was right, it was the same as it always had been, the soft, inaudible whispers of the Force filling your ears. “And I feel more connected to you now, unlike before where there felt as though there was a barrier. And look,” He released your hand and you saw that there was no burn on either of your skins. “It doesn’t want us away from each other anymore.”
The closer Anakin was to you, the more the Force seemed to pull you towards him. It made you want to wrap your arms around him, but instead you grabbed onto his wrist, feeling the harmony surrounding you both. The moment your eyes gazed into his, you could’ve sworn that under those golden eyes you saw a swift sea of blue tint, drawing you closer to Anakin. Your eyes closed and you leaned closer, lips pressing onto his own.
And it felt like nothing you had ever felt before. His lips were soft and plush, inviting you in for more whilst they worked with your own. Your hand stayed gripping his wrist and behind your eyes, a burst of light appeared and you felt something burst within your veins and travel through every single millimeter of your body. You felt like you were on fire, but in the best way that made you want more.
When Anakin finally pulled away from you he only pulled a few centimeters away. Now his eyes were completely blue, a beautiful blue that reminded you of the sky on Coruscant or the diamond jewels that you have seen many Senators wear before. You only looked into them for a moment more before he was kissing you again.
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sopxhiea · 3 years
Text
Moirai
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Alfie Solomons X Reader
Summary: Alfie comes over for dinner with the purpose of gaining the infamous uncle’s trust but he has other ideas in mind and they all concern the pretty niece. 
Warnings: Age gap.
The italic text is in a foreign language.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
"You taste like chocolate."
The jew.
That’s all that can be heard  for the next couple of days. 
What does he eat? What would he like to drink? Will he come on time? Who’s he bringing? What does he look like?
The weather is chilly, a thin layer of snow graces the trees around. The horses are in their place, warm and content after a day’s ride. There’s not much that can be heard on the outside of the mansion, just the sound of lively chatter from the inside as the maids hurry to get the cake ready.
The air in the balcony is cold, given it’s the dead of december. The weather has been nice enough for too long, you gather as you watch a set of birds fly around each other and they soon disappear behind the large tree trunks. The sun sets slowly on the horizon, the orange hue soon disappearing as you realise your hands are red.
He’s coming today.
There’s a group of middle aged men in the house, most of whom are business associates from the past. They’re too old to work now, retired and an empire left behind of the crumbs they used to work off of. They’re all dressed in a similar manner, a simple lines suit and a fitting hat made of similar fabric. Their shoes shine as they walk around the grand gallery.
The gallery decorated with your work.
It’s a dangerous game, the most thrilling one you’ve played so far. The ends of your silk dress dance with the cold wind and you hug your cardigan tighter, the inside noise is too much to bear so you find yourself in the balcony of your study. 
Six days.
The motions of it are a bit delayed but the so called London gangster is dancing on the red ropes you’ve provided him. He plays the game exceptionally well, leaving no trace behind and the flour on his shoe soles are always cleaned. His rings burn when they meet your skin but it hasn’t been that many times, you gather.
You hadn’t slept with him still.
Keeping him on his toes was the little bit of thrill you had needed. He didn’t tire, unlike the many lads you’d been out with before. He came back for more but he knew the borders you’d set for the time being. There was no questioning from his end, just the frantic nod of his head before he attacked your lips.
And then, your uncle had invited him over for dinner.
That meant trust, that Alfie was now a part of an important bond your uncle was keen on forming. He didn’t just have dinner with anyone, not in his own house. He had done it with another partner before and now, you got christmas gifts and jewels as gifts from him every now and then. It meant that Alfie was now trusted.
Although you had your doubts.
The maid called your name, her steel like voice cutting through the long corridors. You hadn’t seen a car pull up but it was only a portion of the front area that could be seen from the balcony you were standing on. You hugged the cardigan tighter before exiting the glass decorated space.
The dress you had on had a small cleavage, buttons all the way down to the bottom of the dress. The lilac color fit the golden decoration around, or so you thought as you made your way down the stairs in a cheery manner. You were only allowed to be respectful to the guests but a little fun would hurt no one.
Shooting smiles to the familiar faces of the maids, you eyed the chocolate cake on one of the trays and reached for the icing, it was the best part of it all. Before you could reach for it, though, Magda, the older woman slapped your hand away with a low smile.
“No! No tasting the icing this time.” she scolded in a motherly manner and you made a disappointed face which soon disappeared, you knew she’d give you the biggest slice when the time came for it.
You didn’t realise Alfie had arrived, standing on the large entry hall you were stood in.
Facing the handsome lad, you pulled your bottom lip inside. His eyes were glistening, beard illuminated with the last specks of sun seeping through the front doors. The breeze hadn’t made it inside but his coat would protect him from anything, you reckoned.
He was wearing a suit, a similar one to the one you’d seen him wear the first time he came around. Hair slicked back, the scruff on his face in a neater cut as he looked at you with his hat on his hands. There was no cane this time, he had been feeling better.
Your uncle was somewhere inside the mansion, you didn’t even know where but it didn’t matter. Not now, anyway. You offered him a gentle smile but he was busy, too busy to even greet you at first as his eyes took in the sight of you, hair messy and a few buttons from your top undone which gave him a generous look at the valley of your breasts.
Quickly gathering yourself and covering the undone buttons with the sweep of your hand, you fluttered your eyelashes and spoke.
“’Ello, luv.” he spoke with a low voice, the one that made shivers run up your spine but you didn’t show them to him.
A sweet nod was all he got from you before your uncle showed up, greeting the gangster and inviting him to the dinner table. It was going to be challenge, you gathered that much. 
Everyone slowly gathered around the table: Alfie, you, your uncle and a friend of his. They all seemed to know each other, you observed soon enough and you sat down in front of Alfie in the large dining room, his eyes throwing stolen glances at you as your uncle spoke about business and all that.
As much as he tried to keep you away from it, you already knew a good amount.
The appetiser was served shortly after and Alfie watched you behave like a good girl would. He knew from that one time you ate in his office, in a rush, that you didn’t like to observe any of the manners your uncle had taught you. It was easier to eat the way you felt comfortable but he found his eyes to be fixated on the way your hands worked effortlessly around the dishes.
He soon realised that he, one way or another, had to stop staring at you and join the conversation. You saw the way he gulped before cracking a joke about the Sabini to your uncle, everyone seemingly enjoying the joke. You kept your eyes on your table, afraid your uncle would catch onto something, although he was clueless. 
A gasp left your lips when the cake was served, a small one that didn’t even make it into your uncle’s side of the table as he conversed with the friend he brought. Alfie caught the small sound and smirked, a low sound of rumblings heard soon after.
“Fuckin’ heard that one before.” he spoke, talking about the countless times you’d made out in the span of a week and the sounds you’d made each time he’d shift his body under yours. 
You eyed your uncle first, clueless. Your eyes landed on Alfie’s smirk afterwards, a wink followed before he started eating the cake. The heat rose on your cheeks but you stopped yourself from making any noise, giggles stifled as he looked at your delicate features. 
You ate the cake in silence, a few stifled moans here and there and it was soon enough when Alfie commented.
“Why the fuck is yours the biggest slice ‘ere, pet?” he said, low enough that the last part was not so audible.
You chuckled, watching his eyes hungrily look at your lips as you licked the chocolate off of them with your tongue. His ears were going red, slowly but surely and you wondered if he’d excuse himself or just have you somewhere in this mansion.
“I get special treatment.” you spoke after his stares returned to your eyes from your lips.
“That, you fuckin’ do.” he spoke, nodding before eating the last part of the cake he had left. You still had a large portion of yours on the plate since it was impossibly big. That didn’t mean you wouldn’t eat the cake, it would just take you a bit longer to finish it. 
He eyed the cake first and then you, his gaze shifting every few seconds but it landed on you at last.
You smiled at him, the plan of enticing the man was clearly working. You cleared your throat and cleaned around your mouth before standing up and getting all the attention all of a sudden.
“Excuse me, I’ll be back shortly.” you offered your sweetest smile and two older men kept on talking after nodding at your small form. Alfie had been watching, planning on getting you alone somewhere.
You had been torturing the man the whole time. Small moans only he could hear while eating the cake, the few buttons on your top hanging loose and the way you’d lick your lips afterwards. He cursed at himself before standing up, asking about the whereabouts of the bathroom to wash his hands.
He had no plans to visit the bathroom. 
You felt his hands before you could see him. 
The corridor you’d made your way into was a small one, right after the large entry and it led to your study. You needed a breath of fresh air without anyone disturbing, his eyes had made your rationality disappear in the blink of an eye and you hated him for it but this was to time to dwell on things like that, not when your uncle was close.
A small giggle left your lips when his hands grabbed your waist and made you turn around in a swift motion, right when you were in front of the door of your study. You met a pair of amused orbs as he looked down at your small form, chest heaving with anticipation.
“What excuse did you have for leaving uncle?” you spoke, lips almost touching his and you were whispering into his face. You saw his eyelashes flutter as he held you tight, your feet were no longer touching the floor.
“He ain’t even listenin’, luv, too busy fuckin’ discussin’ shit with the other bloke.” he spoke against your lips and before you could muster up an answer, his lips were on yours.
His plump lips melted into yours, fighting for dominance but you were the loser in this case, Alfie had always been the dominant one. You felt his hand grab you even tighter before he lifted you up and your legs wrapped around his middle, he turned the door’s handle in the process and entered your study.
A small moan left your lips and he hungrily swallowed the sound, your chest vibrating against his as your hands desperately tugged at his hair. This wouldn’t be the day you’d sleep with the gangster, but you figured you’d get close.
Alfie’s kisses were more desperate than usual, a sense of urgency was evident when his tongue clashed with yours and all you could do was to moan into his mouth. His hands rested on your waist and bum, caressing and squeezing as his small groans filled the air.
You broke the kiss, you had to. Breathing in slowly, you couldn’t help but marvel at how deep this man kissed. He was still staring at your lips as you tried to regain your breath, back against the wall of your study.
“Will you put me down?” you spoke, his eyes still on your lips as you tasted him on the flesh, your tongue glossing over it. 
He slowly let you down, your feet finally touching the floor and no longer wrapped up around his broad body. You didn’t look disheveled but something in your eyes had changed, anyone could see that. Hunger now resided in them but you wouldn’t give in so easily, you wanted him to wait.
Your eyes met his across the room while you lowered yourself on the sofa. His hair was messy, breath uneven and the sleeves of shirt rolled. He was a sight for sore eyes but you wouldn’t tell him that. A smile appeared on your lips as you spoke.
“They’ll come looking for us, you know.” you said, chest still rising unevenly after the relentless kiss he’d given you.
“We’ll just make somethin’ up then, aye?” he asked but it wasn’t much of a question. He knew you were used to making up excuses at the spot due to the nature of your uncle’s business and your night life.
You nodded and he approached you like a hunter would approach its prey. You felt your insides tingle but you couldn’t do anything, your uncle was three doors away and he would come looking for you if you didn’t return soon enough.
“No.” you said, knowing why he was approaching you the way he was but before you could push his broad shoulders away from you, he pulled you flush against him on the sofa until you were straddling him and he was planting kisses on your collarbones.
You let him do this thing for a while, his kisses slowly became sloppy as you kept on letting small moans go free. His lips found yours soon enough, he tasted all power and musk, and the chocolate care from earlier.
A giggle left your lips at the thought and he stopped kissing you, confused eyes locking into yours.
“What?” he asked, voice a little hushed even though you knew your uncle would be in the room soon, he didn’t like it when you would disappear.
“You taste like chocolate.” you spoke against his lips before pecking them. It was something you could get used to.
“That why you keep fuckin’ kissin’ me?” he spoke against your lips as you nodded slowly. You needed to get off of him and out of the room.
And so you did.
It took all your willpower but you lifted yourself off of him and smoothed your dress down as he watched you, hair disheveled and breath uneven and he thought this was the most beautiful he’d seen you look. You gulped before speaking, his blue orbs bored into yours.
“We need to go back.” you spoke, huffing and clearly annoyed.
“I don’t see a problem, luv, yeah if anythin’, I much-”
You cut him off, you would be the one who’d have to pay for this when he was gone and your uncle was shouting at you for keeping your company away from the guest, he wouldn’t know you were about to fuck the guest. “Alfie, he asked you to come to dinner because he trusts you, not so that you could fuck his only niece.”
He nodded once, got up and nodded again and tugged at his beard. You looked at him through annoyed eyes, eyes that would soon soften because he wasn’t a prick, unlike what many thought.
He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and nodded once more. You shot him a grateful smile but it all came down crumbling when you heard your uncle’s footsteps behind the door to your study. He was mumbling and grumbling.
But you had the perfect lie.
“Suit yourself.” Alfie spoke, hearing him right outside the door.
“You owe me one.” you spoke through your teeth to Alfie before the door was open in a fast motion, your angry uncle outside the door.
Alfie shoots your uncle a knowing smirk and he doesn’t say anything for a while, just stands there and tries to put two and two together. You’d fixed your own appearance and then Alfie’s before he’d come barging in so he doesn’t see any lipstick stains around his beard or your heaving chest as you stand far away from the jewish gangster.
“Hello, uncle.” you speak, Alfie’s eyes glisten as you speak in a language he doesn’t quite understand. He thinks it fits you, the real you.
“What’re you doing here? And with hi-” your uncle starts speaking but you’re fast, years of living under his roof has taught you a trick or two.
“I was showing Mr. Solomons some of the pieces I was working on..” you speak in English this time and Alfie nods, looking at the unfinished canvases on the corner. Before your uncle can protest further, you start speaking again.
“He had seen some of the finished ones during the party when he first came around so I figured he’d have some comments.” you trail off and Alfie marvels at your ability to make such things up, it also stings him in a way he doesn’t quite understand.
“I see.” your uncle speaks at last, eyes landing on you and then Alfie. You shoot him a sweet smile, and he’s convinced.
Poor man, you think.
Your uncle isn’t stupid, you know that. He wouldn’t be where he was if he was as daft as he seemed right now. The man just trusts you, blindly and completely. You feel a sense of security knowing the fact but also something along the lines of pity knowing just how many times you’d told him you were visiting a friend and ended up piss drunk in a bar with a lad.
It’s a thin line you walk on most times but it’s fun with Alfie, you admit.
Your uncle hurriedly makes his way towards the tea room then, his other guest waiting with a smile. No one was upset much to your luck and you noted the way Alfie’s hand touched the small of your back whenever your uncle wasn’t really looking. He wanted trouble but you couldn’t give him that, not in where you were.
But you’d make him pay for it.
You behaved for the rest of the time the guests were near. You drank your tea quietly and ignored the way Alfie’s eyes searched for yours. You laughed at the other guest’s jokes even though they weren’t funny and fixed your dress whenever the fabric tried to cling onto your upper thighs.
Alfie watched all along.
Then the time came for you to bid farewell, which you did with a sweet smile and ignored the way Alfie’s lips twitched at the end. He wanted to kiss you goodbye like he had the last time he had seen you but your uncle was near and the risk was higher than you both were willing to take.
You closed the door after the farewell, not bothering to say anything to your uncle but there was a knock on the front door right after you’d closed it. Everyone else was gone now, your uncle to his office and the maids to the kitchen and the dining room to clean up. It was just you.
You opened it slowly and saw Alfie. A scoff left your lips and you pushed the door back to its place, trying to close it but he was quicker when he put the head of his shoe in between the door and the wall and you could no longer close it.
You could never be too safe. Not in this house.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Solomons?” you spoke in a low voice, you couldn’t risk being overheard by one of the maids and even if you were, you had to keep it in line.
“Let me fuckin’ have you for one, pet.” he spoke, tired of the game of waiting for the time you’d open your legs for him. He would wait regardless but you’d pushed his buttons and it was time for him to push yours.
“Damn it, Alfi-” you spoke but he was tired, he just wanted you to himself. He was amused, too, at the way you were trying to act composed when no one was near.
“I’m fuckin’ serious, pet, I’m beggin’, yeah.” he spoke, he was clearly amused at the whole exchange but you kept your smile to yourself. “You can’t just kiss the me, yeah, the way you fuckin’ did and expect me to not be all hot and bothered, right.”
You rolled your eyes at the man before speaking. “You were the one who kissed me.” your breath was soft as you spoke.
“Yeah and for the fuckin’ record, yeah, I’m the one kissing you now.”
You didn’t have time to protest when he leaned down and his lips met yours in a sweet kiss. It wasn’t rushed and needy like the one from earlier but like he was trying to tell you something. 
That he needed more but he was willing to wait as long as you would want him to. That he would come back for more, not because he only had you but because he desperately needed you and you only.
But he wouldn’t tell you that, not just yet.
You were a gangster’s niece, the one and only family he had. You did know luxury and comfort but you knew the opposite as well. He knew you were a beauty the first time he’d seen you but you were trouble as well. It wasn’t easy to jut sweep you off your feet and make you a good wife, you wouldn’t want that anyway.
He watched the way your cheeks flushed after the tender kiss and your eyes fluttered open, only to met his blue ones. Your gaze dropped to his lips, then his beard before eyeing him again, a smile on your lips he knew well.
“Goodnight, Mr. Solomons.” you sweetly whispered against his face. 
And he knew.
He knew you’d be coming around his place that very night, he didn’t know when but he knew you’d be dropping by. So he did the next best thing.
“Goodnight, you sweet minx.”
Just like that, he was off and you were on your way to your uncle’s office to tell him that your friend needed help with some emergency and that you’d be gone for the rest of the night to stay over at her place.
-------
Tagging: @clairecrive  @parkbearum @sourirez  @vetseras​ @mollybegger-blog @babylooneytoonz @peakascum @jjklefttoe​
a/n: I’m sorry this came in so late but I truly do hope you enjoy it and let me know if you’d like to be tagged!! I have more chapters of different series coming and i’ll keep you posted!!
Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!
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give-grian-rights · 3 years
Text
Bets Against The Void Ch4
I DID AS I SAID I WOULD.
@petrichormeraki
Chapter 1
The Chapter Before
The Next Chapter
Crossposted on AO3
Full fic bellow! content warning for trauma, relating to  the Festival.
By the time they had managed to leave Looky Looky at My Cookie, being around the two teens felt like a hurricane. When Stress managed to convince the two to get something to eat- not that cookies and cake were exactly a healthy breakfast- that certainly hadn’t slowed them down from bouncing off the walls.
Though wary at first, Tommy couldn’t get himself to turn down free goods, without even being accused of stealing. While Grian had been digging through an enderchest, finding payment for the goods, Tommy and pulled Tubbo along to gawk at the builds.
“I don’t fucking get it! Why don’t you guys just, steal shit? I don’t see anyone here to stop that! Or- what’s stopping someone from griefing?” Tommy turned, eyes narrowed on the short brunette woman.
Stress merely tilted her head, brows knitted together in confusion. “We’re a whitelist server, Love! Of course none of us would steal. We’re on a mooshroom island, so we don’t have any worries about any creepers or the like, either.” She had explained, much to the boy’s frustration.
“Yeah, but if someone wanted to, they could just fuckin’ come here and steal! I mean, why would anyone care? Or how would you even notice, you all seem loaded.” He scoffed in frustration.
Tubbo, at his side, laughed. “That’s the coolest part, Tommy! They don’t worry about that! That’s why, like, they’re so cool! No one disrupts eachother or steals, so people can just..Work, and do crazy shit!” They gawked, clapping their hands as they bounced in place.
“I’ve always meant to go back and explore one of the replica worlds you guys put out. The fact that after you’re all finished, you just- put out the code? So others can make replicas of just- such intimate places? And experience it and walk through it? That’s so cool.” Tubbo finally stopped, having nearly ran out of breath.
That earned a flustered laugh out of Stress, nodding along. “Oh, I agree. I only got to join the Hermits two worlds back, on Hermitcraft Five! Me and Zedaph- oh, is he a something- were the new Hermits up until Grian finally joined us, last world.” 
“New Hermit is definitely a heavy torch to carry,” Grian would chirp in, emerging from the shop. “Gotta commit as much chaos as physically possible. Make a good name for yourself.” The brit finished with a wolfish grin, unruly bangs falling past grey, almost purple eyes that glanced between the teens.
“He’s got a point,” Stress snorted, nodding. “If you’re ever bored during your stay, no Hermit are short on stories. Anywho, Grian, you got the spending diamonds for the two?” She turned towards the man- not even a hair taller than herself.
“Yep, of course. Here you two go, I don’t have all my diamonds on me, but this should help cover just about whatever you need.” Pulling out the diamond icon from his tablet, he dropped a numbered amount to both, being deposited into their system. “W- what!” Tubbo exclaimed, pulling out a diamond from their system. “Surely not. Is my tablet reading this right? A stack of diamonds?” They gawked, clutching onto the jewel.
Tommy merely screeched, pressing his tablet against his chest. “Holy fucking SHIT-”
“Jeez does this feel like a language moment-” another voice chimed.
The boy went rigid. Tommy’s head snapping in the direction, as Tubbo nearly jumped out of their skin in surprise. Stood by an igloo- out of place in the clashing mycelium-grass island- was an equally odd man.
Platinum white hair held back(mostly) by a well-worn black headband, a silver plate on the front reading off NHO. A faded, dull green- littered with patches, pins, and buttons- and most unnerving, a black mask covering most of their face. And- most notably- was the pair of slick, glistening snowy owl wings sprawled behind them.
The white-haired figure paused, shifting their weight awkwardly. “Uh, hi.” The guy gave a small wave, expression unreadable past mismatched black-and-red eyes. The man’s hair barely even allowed for those to be viewable- aiding in his masquerade, made the combination of mask-and-bangs shield most of the visible emotion from the newcomers.
“Hey, Etho!” Grian chirped, pleasantly pleased by the appearance of the shady figure. For some reason that Tommy, yet again, doesn’t quite understand, Tubbo gasps.
“Holy- you’re Etho? Like, Ethos Lab?  Oh, oh Void, I spent so much time watching so many of your old redstone videos! It’s what got me so interested in it!” They grinned. 
Oh Prime, who doesn’t this place have? Tommy scoffed at the thought, eyes narrowing on the figure. What’s with the scary mask people always being the ones getting popular, and shit- 
“Oh, thanks. Always happy to hear, there’s always a use for more redstone users. Uh, looks like you got a bit of a tour going on?” The man- Etho, turned towards Grian and Stress. 
“Yep! We wanted to check in on them, I know you heard from the announcement the run down.” Stress grinned, glancing towards the teens. “These two are Tommy and Tubbo. Glad to see you have some idea about Etho, already. He’s always bound to be around somewhere.” 
Tommy scoffed, eyeing the man, a few inches shy of his own height. “Hi, and shit.” He sniffed, crossing his arms.
Etho shuffled in place, nodding. “Uh, yeah. Language, by the way.” He sheepishly huffed, running a hand through his hair. “Welcome, for however long you guys stay. ..And if I may recommend, make sure you head down to Shade-E E’s. Quick profits all around.” He added, pointing with his thumb behind him, towards the dark mansion.
The blond kid raised a brow, tilting his head.  Prime, what is up with this guy.  “Excuse me?” Tommy scoffed.
Grian groaned, rolling his eyes. “Etho. Please. The amount of glass i’ve picked up coming out of the District portal.” He glared pointedly towards the man.
“Mhmm..I don’t see what there is to be so upset over. I think I'm providing a very generous service, to our server.” He snickered, quirking an eyebrow.
Pointedly sending a scolding glare towards Etho, Stress turned towards the two teens. “C’mon, now. Mind that Mr. Ice Queen, now.” She huffed, fondness seeping into her voice.
“I know when I’m unwanted,” Etho chuckled, holding up gloved hands in mock-defense. See you two ‘round. You too, Tubbo, Tommy.” He’d nod towards each person as he named them, before a rocket was summoned to his hand. And, he was off with a trail of smoke.
At the poof and small bang from the minor explosive was all it took for an incident to form. Tubbo cringed, visibly flinching before they curled in on themself, ducking their head down as their arms clung around their head, their ears covered.
Tommy, on the otherhand, nearly jumped a foot in the air before throwing himself on Tubbo.  The two went tumbling to the ground with a huff. 
The two Hermits shot up, turning towards the teens. “Oh Gord, hey, it’s okay, those were just flight duration rockets! They can’t do a thing. Etho’s gone, now.” Grian dropped down next to them, brows pinched in concern. 
“We promise, it’s alright! We all use rockets like that. It’s alright, see? Everything’s fine. No hermit would do a thing to purposefully scare you, like that.” Stress chirped in, her heart sinking at the thought of two kids being so terrified at a simple firework.
Tommy pulled his head away from the crook of Tubbo’s neck, glaring harshly at the adults. Distrust was obvious in his blue eyes, before he untangled himself, pulling up Tubbo with him. “Why the fuck would he need fireworks? He had fucking wings.”
The Hermits exchanged a gaze for a moment, before Grian held up his hands pacifyingly. “That was just an elytra. They take the form most fitting for the wearer, at the moment. Stress marked him the Ice Queen of the season, since he owns that Ice shop,” He’d point with his thumb behind him, at a snowy igloo with an Ice sign above it. “So, he had snow-themed wings. Last world, my Elytra wings were small and white feathers. Rockets boost them, since Elytras can only glide.” Grian explained patiently.
“..Right. Sorry- I- Uh. I didn’t realize he had an Elytra.. S-Should’ve expected the rocket, if I knew.” Tubbo sheepishly laughed it off, their head dipped down.
The correlation between the splattered, sparked burn scars scattered across their face, and their reaction, wasn’t lost on the Hermits. 
There was a brief silence between the four, the blond boy’s arm wrapped tightly around the other teen’s.
“So- what are your wings, now?” Tubbo eventually asked, breaking the tense pause.
Grian made a noise of understanding. “Ah, yeah, I have parrots wings, now! Scarlet Macaw. Red’s the primary color. They’re a good bit bigger than last season’s elytra, since that one was chicken based.”
“Chicken based?” Tommy scoffed, cocking an eyebrow as he eyed the short, young-looking man.
“Yes, that was his whole thing. The Hermits still tease him for it. Mine are floral-based and skeletal, when I wear them.” Stress chirped, her tone warm. With a swipe of her holographic tablet, wings were equipped to her back. 
Indeed, they were as described. A frame of skeletal bones, a light, magenta glistening aura surrounding them. Moss, and large flowers clung to the wings. How exactly she flew with them was beyond anything Tommy knew- or was willing to take the time to understand.
“We won’t be using them, since- you two don’t have any. But it is about time we discuss what your plans are. Has your server’s admin sent any updates?” Grian switched subjects, glancing between the teens.
A tense energy still surrounded them, as Tubbo fidgetted and gripped onto the fabric at the bottom of their shirt.
“No,” Tommy scoffed, pulling his Communicator into his free hand. “The bastard hasn’t said a word.” The boy practically growled out the words, in frustration. 
“Alright,” Grian said easily. “Then we figure out what you two want to do.”
“There’s a lot of spare builds. Keralis, real close to here, has a whole big city. There’s a hotel there. It’s not empty, but it is.. Overwhelming, and a bit much. There are also Hermits starter bases.” Stress explained, trying to lay out the options for the two.
Tommy scowled, while Tubbo looked- well, spaced. Easily the quietest either Hermit had seen them, so far. This only added to their concern.
“I have my starter base. No Hermit would bother you, but it’s close enough that we can drop off supplies, and you’d be able to reach others if you need help. Both of you could have anything I left in those chests, Gord knows I have more than enough resources.” Grian offered, glancing between the teens.
“The spawn room was fine, Mr. Grian.” Tubbo cringed, tilting their head towards the builder.
Grian persisted, gently shaking his head. “No, it isn’t. There isn’t the supplies to really just- let you guys sustain, there.” He grimaced, before manifesting the spruce boat icon into his hand. “Hobbit hole with everything in it going to you two, or empty hotel room with no elevator.” He’d offer.
The pair were quiet for a moment, before Tommy groaned. “Fine. Hermithole, or whatever.” 
Nodding along, Grian trailed off towards shore. “Alright, we have a short journey ahead of us, then. And then you two can decide if you want to settle there and make do with what’s stored, or come back on your own accord for more. I won’t make either of you stick around for much longer.”
“Good.” Tommy grumbled, pulling back out his own boat.
Both groups were soon in their boats, and once more, were off into the ocean.
116 notes · View notes
adorethedistance · 3 years
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Something to Lose - Luke Patterson X Covington!Reader
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JATP masterlist
Requested: luke imagine idea so Luke’s old gf is dead and she’s calebs daughter and is trying to get him to stay with her instead of cross over and then he doenst show up in stand tall . I just had this idea and near had a fit trying to get it down love ur writing also 💖
Warnings: angst, a lot of crying, I don’t even think there’s swearing in this one.
Words: 2293
A/n: I hope I did the request justice. This was kinda stressful the entire time writing it just bc of all the ideas that came. Like I’d be writing and then my brain would be like ‘hey what if this happened’ and then I’m like ‘oh that’s evil. put it in the fic.’ you know?
I begin nervously playing with the tulle skirt of my above-the-knee length party dress. I wanted a mini but dad refused to let me be visible to ghosts and lifers in anything ‘revealing’, so we compromised on above the knee. It’s a pretty dress, the black long sleeves are sheer and the back is completely open, and that’s as scandalous as dad would allow. Ironic considering his dancers’ costumes are cut out fringe leotards and nude tights.
And speaking of dancers,
“Who was that?” I ask Francesca as she comes to stand next to me by the black music stands, branded with the infamous Hollywood Ghost Club logo.
“Who was who?”She takes a tiny sip of water and readjusts her massive blue and purple feather headdress. Dad always chooses the most extravagant costumes. Sometimes I wonder how they’re able to dance without falling over from being so… top heavy I guess?
“That guy you were dancing in front of in the denim coat?”
“What are you talking about? I was dancing in front of Willie.”
“Nice try, I know that was Angie. Maybe next time.” On the first day the girls set foot in the place they were such amazing dancers, dad invited them to perform front and center if they wanted to join the club. The downside was he could never tell them apart. I don’t know how though, they’re not indiscernibly identical. I made it my goal to always be able to tell them apart, and they made it their goal to get me to mix them up just once.
“We’re gonna get you one of these days.”
“Yeah, sure. But, uh, do you know who he is?”
“I don’t but maybe you will?”
“What?” Glancing up to Fran’s face she gives me a look and directs me with her eyes before smiling smugly and walking away. I follow her gaze to see my dad standing on the far side of their table, talking with the attractive stranger. His excitement makes his every movement animated and he can’t even seem to string a coherent sentence. Inviting them to sit down, dad starts saying something about Willie and magic? The conversation doesn’t last long and once he leaves, I debate whether or not to approach the handsome stranger.
“Who are we looking at?” I’m startled when I hear Angie’s voice in my right ear.
“Oh. The one at the front table in the denim overcoat.”
“You mean the one Franny was dancing in front of?”
“She already tried that.”
“Dammit!” I laugh at yet another failed attempt.
“I don’t even know why you guys bother anymore.”
“Whatever. Why are we staring at him?”
“I’m debating whether or not I should talk to him.” Angie sends me a look that says ‘have more faith in yourself’ which I gleefully ignore.
“Shoot your shot. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“My dad could interrupt and say something totally embarrassing. He wasn’t done talking to them, he just had to do rounds.”
“Girl, have you seen how many people are here tonight? He’s not gonna be done any time soon, so go while you still have some time!” Angie punctuates her sentence by gently pushing me forward, and I stumble in the direction of the cute stranger. The sudden jerky movement seems to catch his attention and his eyes soften once they meet mine. He smiles softly as a greeting and when I return the look, he takes that as an invitation to walk my way. I’m standing in the middle of the dance floor, frozen partially out of fear and partly out of curiosity.
“Hey, I’m Luke,” denim extends his hand politely and… extremely flusteredly? He sounds breathless and a touch fearful. I’m used to the energy as the club intimidates first-timers. I take his hand,
“Y/n.” Omitting my last name tends to do me a lot of good.
“Wow. That’s really pretty,”
“It’s nothing special.”
“You’re really pretty.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
“So, uh-“ he trails off in search of a conversation starter, “What brings you to the Hollywood Ghost Club?”
“Oh, you know... just uhm- just a night out.”
“Do you come to the Club a lot?”
“You could say that. It’s pretty much a second home.”
“Y/n, darling. There you are!” Luke watches my face drop from its pleasant ‘chatting with guests’ expression, to a relaxed almost-frown.
“Here I am.”
“And I see you’ve met Luke.”
“Yes sir.”
“I trust my daughter is keeping you in good company?”
“Your daughter?” Luke nearly chokes on the mystical air of the Hollywood Ghost Club.
“I did not choke!”
“You choked.” Luke and I argue over the details of how we met, in the backstage/dressing room area of the Club. It feels like lifetimes ago, but it wasn’t. And yet in such a short time, we had become completely infatuated and comfortable with one another. So much so that me wearing a floor-length evening gown and jewels doesn’t make me feel out of place with his jeans and flannel shirt.
Despite my light laughter, Luke’s face is fairly flat. He’s beginning to stare off into space, inattentive from our lull in the conversation.
“Hey, you okay?” He snaps back into reality.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You don’t sound so sure.” After a long moment of hesitation, he begins to speak, not looking up from the scuff on the linoleum flooring.
“Y/n, I have something to tell you.”
“What’s up?”
“The boys and I… We… we have unfinished business…”
“Of course you do. That’s why you’re here- why all of us are here.”
“We’re gonna play the Orpheum tonight. At seven.”
“That’s so cool! Tha-” I feel my words trapped in my throat. “That’s your unfinished business... Play the show you never got to before you died.” I feel a well of tears flooding my bottom lash line. They’re not tears of sadness. “That’s your unfinished business. And you’re playing there tonight. Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out?!” I cry out in anguish. Luke’s face falls from a somber reluctance to break the news, to utter heartbreak.
“Y/n, I-”
“I thought we had something.”
“We do!”
“Then why would you wait to tell me until,” I check the analog clock on the wall behind him, “An hour before you go?!”
“I wanted to enjoy our last day together without having to think about it. I didn’t think it’d make you this angry.”
“Well, I am angry, Luke!” My sentence is punctuated by Luke getting zapped by a jolt of electricity. He groans as he tries to remain standing upright. The tears streaming down my face slow from a mix of anger to extreme worry.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Your dad gave us a ‘club stamp’ that first night we left.” My face falls slack as I register what he’s just said. Without another word, I furiously push out of my chair and out of the dressing room. Each stride is larger than the last as I let my legs carry me into the wings of the Club’s circular stage. When I have the familiar silver tinsel entrance in sight, I stop cold in my tracks. In front of me stands Alex, in a dazzling pink coat and diamond-covered oxfords, and Reggie, in a luxurious red vest and coat covered in black floral detailing. In front of them stands my father in his extravagant purple number that’s reminiscent of his outfits he wore when performing.
My frustrated steps carried me into his sight and the volume of my strides drew the two boys’ attention behind them. Luke. Luke stupidly followed me out here, and father merely looks at me and blinks authoritatively before redirecting his gaze onto my boyfriend.
“There you are. I knew I was missing a third musketeer.” With a snap of his fingers, dad has poofed Luke out from behind me and poofs him back in between his bandmates. When he reappears he’s wearing a deep blue suit with a black, tiered chiffon collar and bowtie.
“Isn’t it nice that you’re all here together?” Dad launches into his huge speech, seemingly convincing them to stay at the club. He mentions everything they want can be theirs here like Willie, the glory of performing, connection with an audience. As he speaks, he steps forward and reaches up. I go to yell and reach for Luke, but nothing comes out. There’s no sound coming from my mouth, and the undersurface of my black heels feel frozen solid to the ground. Dad notices my movement and shoots me a look to knock it off. Luke sees and as he moves to turn his head, dad reaches up to keep his focus forward before adjusting Luke’s collar for him. He continues with his big speech as another jolt graces all three boys at once.
“I suggest you accept my offer because the clock is ticking,” he downs one more sip of water, preparing to perform, “Ouch. You know where to find me.”
When he disappears onto the stage, I’m released from my spot and the momentum of my struggling launches me forward. Luke turns around just in time to catch me and once he does he doesn’t release me from his arms.
“Luke, I didn’t-”
“Shhh. It’s okay. You’re okay.” He holds me in his arms, one hand on my head to cradle me close to his chest and the other wrapped soothingly around my waist.
“He’s right,” I choke out my words through heavy sobs, “You don’t know that the Orpheum is really your unfinished business. What if it’s not? These jolts could kill you, Luke. For good. My dad may be powerful, but he doesn’t have the power to bring you back from this.”
When I look up, Luke has a heartbroken expression painted all over his face. Before I can speak again, Alex poofs out from beside us. Sharing a worried expression, Luke and I look out onto the stage where dad has him soloing front and center.
“I-I-I, I made a-a promise-”
“To Julie, I know. But if she’s really as wonderful, and as kind, and understanding, and loving as you describe her to be, won’t she understand?” Luke’s expression softens in realization.
“You’re actually considering staying with Caleb?” Reggie asks Luke incredulously. Before he can receive an answer, he, too, is poofed out onto the stage in Alex’s previous spot, to play a jazzy bass solo. Luke looks all around the backstage area, at the audience, between his band members, and at my dad. Finally, his eyes settle on mine. I can’t read his expression; I wish I knew what was going on inside his head.
“Stay.”
Luke and I run out of time when dad calls his name. He’s poofed us apart so I’m frozen against the downstage wall, out of sight from the audience, and Luke is struggling his way onto the stage.
Dad has him soloing for the audience, to create a musical dialogue between the two of them. Luke, conflicted, looks between me and my dad unsure of how to feel. The performer side of him must be loving the high that comes with performing in the club, but the loyal side of him, I can tell, is yearning for Julie.
When the song ends, the three boys share a single look of concern and remorse, no doubt for Julie. I can’t help but feel selfish asking him to stay. It’s not fair for me to ask him to choose between me and her... But that’s not what I’m asking. If all three of them stay here, they don’t risk dying for good. Surely Julie can understand choosing life, or the afterlife rather, over freedom is a rational trade.
Coming to his senses Luke runs off stage.
“Y/n-”
“It’s selfish of me to ask you to stay-”
“I’m staying.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to die, Y/n. If that means I have to play in your dad’s band, fine. But at least we can be together.” Luke runs the pad of his thumb across my cheek to wipe away the tear shed out of joy. Our moment is ended when Alex and Reggie have also returned backstage.
“Boys, if we stay here, we’ll get to live and make music for as long as we want.”
“You said it yourself, we made a promise. To Julie.” Reggie almost looks like he wants to cry.
“If this is what you want- to spend eternity playing jazz solos behind Caleb -I can’t stop you. But I’m not gonna let Julie down. Not again.” Alex searches Luke’s face for any hesitation. When he doesn’t find the change of heart he’s looking for, Alex nods and fidgets with his drumsticks in one hand. The sudden swell of emotion leads the two of them to hug each other tightly; I can’t imagine their pain of knowing they might never see each other again. When they let go, Luke and Reggie share in a hug and the heartache pulls Alex into their hug.
“Can you do me a favor?” Luke asks, sniffling away a few tears. Reggie and Alex nod,
“Anything.”
“Will you tell Julie she’s a star for me, one last time?” A sharp jolt hits the three of them in unison once more; a signal that it’s really time to say goodbye. With sorrowful smiles, Alex and Reggie poof out of the Hollywood Ghost Club for the last time.
When he turns around, Luke’s face is red and puffy from crying and the sight breaks my heart clean in half. I pull him into a hug and press a lingering kiss to his cheek.
“I love you, Luke.”
“I love you, Y/n.”
***
A/n: YOWZA this really made my heart hurt for Julie sm. I love her and if this were canon I’d have actually kermit.
Taglist: @caitsymichelle13 @kaitlyn2907 @itz-jas @crybabyddl @kcd15 @kinda-really-lost @calamitykaty @morganayennefertyrell @n0wornever @dream-a-little-bigger-x @mrstodorooki @vicesvsvirturesfanfic @curlybrownhairedboys @amazinggracy @kaitieskidmore1 @asdfghjkl-fanfics @ghostlygreenbean @juliefromaustralia @merceret @jemimah-b99 @ifilwtmfc @thesweetestsinner @imsydneywalker @lovesanimals @thebloodthirstyvampress @bumbleberry-pie @losers-club6 @tefilovesreading @dmcfarland1@joynerxmercer @kexrtiz @talk-on-the-street @phantompogues @konciousdreamer @sunsetcurvej
129 notes · View notes
miwtze · 3 years
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bathroom floor (matsukawa issei x reader)
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cw: eating disorders, purging, its not angsty 
wc: 5.6k
dunno why this is so long but no beta i die like a man
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matsukawa could count on one hand the names of his classmates that he could personally remember. even then it was only the class president and the student council secretary seeing as they were the only two people that ever really interacted with him when he was there. on his breaks he was with hanamaki, in class his head was down, after school he was at volleyball practice; he didn’t really have a reason to remember anyone else. it’s not to say he didn’t try, people were just standoffish due to his large structure or wanted to mingle with toru through him. he simply believed it was a bother. that was probably until his first term of his third year when he was seated next you.
“matsukawa-san.”
“matsukawa-san.”
“matsuk-” matsukawa groans, shifting his head to the left in hopes of identifying the offending voice. he cracks open an eyelid, shifting his head to figure out who’s the one pulling him out of his nap; it wasn’t his mom or his younger brother. as his eyelids adjust to the rays of light engulfing the room he comes to the realization that he is in fact not in his bed, but rather sprawled across his desk and staring down at his desk mate’s tights-covered legs. “are you okay?” he whips his head up at your voice, wide eyed and rubbing the side of his mouth with the back of his palms as he scowls at you. not with any bad intentions but he’s willing to run the risk of looking like a dick if it saves him from the embarrassment of being caught sleeping in class.
“what is it?” you cock your eyebrows at him fingers to your chin, deep in thought. what did he say that was so interesting, he doesn’t know but he sinks into himself, wishing you would just outright laugh in his face. you don’t laugh. instead you turn around and dig through your bag pulling out a can of coffee and an energy bar, gingerly playing them on his desk.
“we’re both on class duty this week and the chemistry kits need to be brought down to class by the time lunch ends. we need it for our next class.” he stares at his wrist watch. he would rather use the last fifteen minutes of his lunch break to nap but he really didn’t want to forfeit the coffee or energy drink. not that you looked like you wanted it back. “i tried to wake you up earlier but you were kind of like a dead man walking. saying things like ‘five more minutes mom’ and ‘i’ll get up in a bit’.” matsukawa can feel the back of his neck heat up, rising to follow you out of the classroom and towards the science building. “figured you must’ve had a long night or something.”
“there’s absolutely no way you caught me fucking calling out to my mom. you should’ve just woken me up before everyone heard me telling me mom to let me sleep in,” he sighs, matching the pace of your step to walk next to you. “like, dude, that is so embarrassing.”
you turn your head and smile at him, he thinks it’s a little teasing but thankfully filled with no condescend. “actually for the most part the classroom was empty during lunch today, it was just me and secretary-san. everyone else went to go eat outside since the weather was nice.” you stated reassuringly, brushing hair behind your ears. matsukawa removes the hand he placed on his forehead with a sigh of relief. two people hearing him call out to his mother is significantly better than the whole class hearing it. “i don’t even think secretary-san heard you since she was on the other side of the room, but she most definitely saw you hung over your desk sleeping.”
“you shouldn’t call people secretary-san that’s, like, super impolite. also, if everyone else went outside to eat why’d you stay back? did you wanna watch me sleep or something,” he states matter-of-factly. turning his heel into the chemistry classroom making a beeline for the chemistry kits. he could still feel his neck burning, but he knows it’s because you’re digging holes into his back with your eyes. “or do you just, like, not have any friends.” you snicker behind him.
“you have to check the kits before you grab them; we need twenty four of them. also i’m not sure what the secretary’s name is. i was in a different class last year,” you say beginning to look through the kits separating the usable from the unusable ones. “and my friends got detention together and left me behind. some traitors they are.” you feign offense with the back of your hand to your forward and head tossed back. he notices a small beaded bracelet adorning your wrist, right under a thin gold one. you laugh at his raised eyebrows as finish separating the kits. he’s surprised to say the least, everyone in class one was the book nerd type who spoke harsh words behind whispers. at least to his knowledge anyways. he definitely didn’t think you would be this cheeky or friendly, especially not to the six feet tall monstrosity he was.
“why didn’t you just get detention with them. it seems more fun than eating by yourself, i think. i like to eat with my friends but apparently my dumbass fell asleep. i’ll probably get my ear chewed out during practice for it.”
“the most fun about doing things you’re not supposed to is getting away with it. plus i had to catch up on some other things so it didn’t make sense to leave and do something stupid just to get caught,” you say with a sly smile, struggling to mange the twelve kits you had split evenly between the two of you. he grabs your twelve including his silently, he wasn’t an athlete at a powerhouse school for nothing. “oh i see you are nice.”
“did you think i was some megawatt asshole or something?”
“maybe not megawatt, but, like, a twenty four watt asshole?” he snickers at that, following you into the classroom. “due to your kind act of charity, i’ll take it upon myself to take the notebooks to the teachers after school so you can head to practice early to get your ear chewed out, how does that sound?”
“absolutely fucking terrible, but much appreciated,” he says, sliding into his seat and cracking open the can of coffee you gave him. “thanks for this too, i’ll get you bread tomorrow during lunch to make up for it.”
“nah don’t worry about it,” you say, turning your head to greet two girls bouncing into the classroom stopping at your desk to complain about detention. 
true to your word, you diligently collect and return the class notebooks that day after school. in fact you’re so dedicated to the task that you do it everyday for the rest of the week, never once asking matsukawa or complaining to him. matsukawa thinks you do it as to not bother him. he’s not entirely sure that’s the reason though, seeing as you’re pushing your desk next to his to share his literature textbook with him for the third time this week.
“sorry matsukawa-san, i forgot my literature textbook again. please do some charity work,” you whisper leaning over to look at the pages. you frown at his notes.
“you don’t sound like you forgot, also don’t judge someone else’s notes when they’re helping you,” he teases, looking down at you redoing his notes in a more orderly manner. small neat writing surrounds his messy illegible ones, highlighting what to look out for on the next exam. you’re wearing a gold ring with a jewel the same color of your beaded bracelet, small and dainty stilling on an even smaller middle finger. he sighs but he knows your notes have been helping him.
“between you and me? i definitely didn’t forget, i just hate carrying that heavy thing around.” you pause to look up from the notes, to his face and then back down. “maybe i’ll have you do it for me since you’re all big and tough, or whatever gender stereotype will benefit me.”
“you shouldn’t openly boast about being sexist.”
“what, you going to tell on me or something?”
“no but what’s the point in having me carry the damn book around if you have to walk home with it.” he’d rather you just not bring it seeing as no one else in his class talked to him and the most you talked to him was when you both were sharing his textbook.
“i do believe that is exactly why i don’t bring it, matsukawa-san,” you say dryly, returning to your task.
when the lunch bell rings you push your desk back and say your words of thanks, turning your heels to skip to your friends. he watches as the light hits your legs and the tights you always wear stretch around your thighs.
dirty bastard.
he turns and flees to takahiro, who makes fun of the blush creeping up matsukawas neck.
on friday afternoon, before issei leaves for practice he places two packaged rice balls and green tea on your desk. you open your mouth to say something but your friend beats you to it.
“oh? what’s this? a confession of love?” your friend pokes your cheek with a baby blue painted finger and shoots a smirk through her long eyelashes. she reminds issei of someone.
your other friend, one with dyed roots and glossed lips, pulls her back giggling saying, “hey c’mon now! you can’t scare him away, but it is an interesting approaching seeing as most people would just give a letter or something.” you sigh, shooting him a withering look of apology.
“na-chan, aya-chan, you can’t say things like that about people. it makes them uncomfortable. sorry matsukawa-san, what’s this for?”
“doin’ charity work i suppose.” you roll your eyes. “you should show gratitude when offered something, ya know?”
“oh? so this isn’t for the snacks i gave you the day i caught you slee-” he cuts you off by pulling up a chair to your desk. practice can wait.
“you are absolutely the fucking worst.”
“since you’re sitting here, share it with me i don’t like rice balls much.”
“i have practice.”
“you’re the one who sat down.” he blinks. your friends have already ran off yelling things about a part time job or something. you open both the rice balls and place one in front of him. “i don’t think you’ll get beaten if you’re a couple minutes late, at least i hope not. i think that’s illegal.”
“you’re just full of requests, huh? i might as well become make-a-wish with the amount of things i do for you,” he says mouth full of rice, towering over you even after sitting down. you sigh between small bites of the snack. “what? you don’t like umeboshi or something? why are ya looking at it like it’s defiling your throat.”
“not to sound ungrateful or anything, but i unfortunately am rather picky when it comes to food. but since the great matsukawa-san has blessed me with a rice ball i will thankfully finish it.”
“you’re so fucking annoying.”
“oh but i’m just  too cute for you to let that bother you, isn’t that right?” you grin picking up your trash and grabbing your bag. “bye! i’ll see you tomorrow.” you leave before he has the chance to reply.
he leaves a couple minutes after you, heading to the third gym. he notices a pair of all too familiar tights-covered legs ducking in between the third and fourth gym. against his better judgement he follows.
dude, what the fuck. first you’re eyeing up your friend’s legs and now you’re following a girl behind the gym? get laid, he berates himself.
he watches the girl turn behind the fourth gym and he recognizes you by the charm hanging on the side of your bag. now he’s really curious. he silently leans against the wall getting close to the edge, but remaining out of sight. maybe it’s a really weird confession. he wouldn’t want to impose.
minutes pass before he actually hears anything but it wasn’t the confession he wasn’t expecting. sounds of you’re gagging fill the air. he has to stop himself from turning the corner and asking you if you’re okay, only being able to turn his head to look at you. fingers down your throat and tears down your face.
knot of uneasiness ties at the pit of his stomach as he turns and flees, knowing he saw something he shouldn’t have. the butterflies in his chest burden him knowing that he’s festering a crush on someone who hasn’t shared any part of herself to him other than her kindness. issei doesn’t like that.
after practice that day he stays continuing to abuse the gym floors hitting one volleyball after the other, trying to focus on the burns on his palms instead of anything else. oikawa and iwaizumi head out before him leaving him alone with the gym keys to lock up when he’s done. he doesn’t finish for another two hours and he only stops then because his body is about to give out on him.
matsukawa begrudgingly makes his way to the teachers room when he sees you fumble around, barely able to walk straight. his eyes widen when he sees you drop your bag and fall into the wall. 
“fucking dumbass.” you hiss and pick up your bag.
“hey man, you good?”  your entire body freezes, almost as if someone hit pause on you. he calls your name, panic creeping into his voice. “do you want me to carry your bag? i can walk you home.” when he goes to step towards you you swing your head back to face him.
“i’m fine matsukawa-san. have a good evening.”
he watches as your small figure, drowning in a big cardigan, stumble away quickly, never once turning back. he returns the keys to wall excusing himself, thinking about the chilling tone of your voice as he walks home.
he has no idea how to approach you after that, as the weeks pass by he avoids mentioning it, questions piling up in his mind. he knows you can tell that he’s antsy (there’s no way you don’t) around you, but you still keep polite conversation and share his literature textbook with him. sometimes you leave snacks on his desk, he always accepts them. matsukawas latest hobby has been lying face down on his desk during lunch to eavesdrop on your conversations. he tries to reason that he’s just tired but he’s so far deep he knows he’s lying to himself.
“do you think guys like clips?”
“i don’t think they care enough to pay attention to stuff like that.”
“really? i can't speak for dudes since i don’t have a dick-“ matsukawa almost blows his cover by laughing at your words “but i think they would appreciate a cute hair clip. especially on a girl he’s into.”
“i feel like guys should get into clips. i think they’d look good in them.” all three of them hum.
“wanna see if they do?” you say standing up, he can feel you hover around his desk. your friends giggle already connecting the dots, even he connected them. “matsukawa-san, hey matsukawa-san. are you sleeping? psst” you whisper close enough to where he can feel your breath on his ears. he stays silent. he watches your feet turn around, he’s almost disappointed.
“dude, he’s sleeping. you sure he won’t beat you up when he wakes up?”
“that’s a bridge i’ll cross when i get there.” you turn back around, thin fingers grabbing tufts of his hair gently as to not wake him up and pins them down. one. two. three. four. there’s two on each side of his forehead, he can feel them. “so aya-chan? na-chan? what’s the verdict.”
“his head is down we can’t tell.” your friend says, he assumes is the blunt one in your friend group probably the one you call aya-chan. he sits up. “looks like you’ve crossed that bridge though.”
“good luck, but i was right guys do look good with clips,” your other friend laugh, but before you can turn around to face mastukawa he grabs you by your waist and pulls you down. you end up on his lap and if he wasn’t too busy tickling you, he would question the promiscuity of his actions.
“you know it’s super impolite to mess around with people when they’re sleeping. it’s probably considered bullying.”
“ah! mastukawa-san! i can't breathe, i’m sorry! i’m sorry!” you can barely get your words out, getting get off between loud laughs. people look over.
“are you sorry?”
“yes yes now stop please.” he stops tickling you but still holds an arm around your waist, you make no movement to get off his lap either instead turning and grabbing his face to do a one over. “oh my god, na-chan you were right!” letting go to turn your friends, who shoot him looks of apology. “guys look super cute with clips on! hey matsukawa-san if you wanna seem less scary you should wear clips, not that i think you’re scary.”
“i’m always right, i religiously study fashion magazines. that’s why you two always look so hot.”
“ah thank you for your diligence. maybe if you studied your math textbook we’d be able to hang out this summer but someone has to do summer classes.” you giggle at your friends banter reaching over to grab your phone.
“hey matsukawa-san, smile!” pulling and arm around him you bring the phone up. he smiles and throws up a peace sign and take a couple pictures. “you’re being oddly agreeable with this. give me your line ID i’ll send these to you.” you hop off and face him.
“you just want his line ID.” of course you do, matsukawa issei is a complete stud and you want him.
“and? he’s going to give it me regardless of my intentions.” you pass your phone to him and he takes it from your hand watching the cardigan slip through your arm revealing bruises trailing under your gold bracelet. he catches you staring and quickly you pull up your sleeves to you palms. “look! sweater paws.”
“you’re stupid, here.”
“she’s not that stupid. she’s top of our grade, you know?”
“why are you bragging when you have to do remedial courses,” matsukawa deadpans, trying to figure out what to call them since he didn’t know their names and he wasn’t about to call her na-chan.
“oh, this is natsume and that’s ayasaki.” you say catching his frown as you remove the clips. he nods. “do you want me to get you clips you looked really cute with them. we can match.”
“should we get him sparkly ones? like blue ones,” ayasaki questions.
“oh! and some white ones? so it matches his volleyball uniforms?” you add on.
“absolutely not, i only did it because she’s cute.” pulling you back down, you melt into him. i feel so small next to him, maybe it’s because his huge. i like it. a lot.
“no means no. hanamaki would not let me live it down.”
“well would you look at this matsukawa went and got him a girlfriend!” it was as if he was cursed, turning to see the shit eating grin plastered over hanamaki’s face as he steps into his classroom. oikawa and iwaizumi behind, following him inside. “and you let her put clips in your hair? what a simp.”
“im not a fucking simp, i was asleep and she’s not my girlfriend.”
“she’s on your lap.”
“it’s a punishment for messing with someone that was sleeping,” matsukawa states matter-of-factly. he hopes hanamaki will drop it, but of course he won’t. it’s hanamaki.
“so who is this girlfriend-chan? is she cute?” oikawa asks circling around his desk to get a good look at you. he bursts into a grin and he says your name, your first name. hanamaki repeats it.
“oh dude you scored. good for you.” hanamaki pats his back, turning to engage in conversation with you. “do you remember me? i was in your first year class. we never talked though.”
“ah yes i recall you almost got held back because of your math scores,” you say looking up from your phone, matsukawa’s phone rings in his pocket. iwaizumi laughs.
“it’s good to see you again! we haven’t talked since, like, middle school. hi natsume-chan! ayasaki-chan! you three still together?” they both look up from the magazine natsume was pointing at.
“oh but of course. you and iwaizumi still married?”
“absolutely not i would never-“
“yes! we’re going on a honeymoon soon.” iwaizumi smacks him.
“it’s good to see the three of you, though. i didn’t know you went here,” iwaizumi says smiling.
“well that’s because your head only thinks about oikawa and volleyball, no?” ayasaki raises her eyebrows, you and natsume hum in agreement.
“oh my how romantic,” you coon. “are we invited to the baby shower?” matsukawa laughs into your shoulder pulling you closer. he feels you’re small frame, the bulky cardigan doing nothing to hide the bones he can feel brush against him.
“you know for a punishment you both seem to oddly enjoy yourselves,” hanamaki points out. “but, dude, you were super cute before but you’re so pretty now! what’d you do? cocaine?”
“not all of us have debaucherous hobbies hanamaki-san.”
it only gets louder between the banter of his friend group and yours, but he can’t focus thoughts piling up on after the other. when the lunch bell rings, matsukawa has a headache and it’s not from the noise.
“first of all? fuck coach for making us do two practice games in a row, like, i get it we have inter-highs when we get back in the winter, but this is fucking brutal.” hanamaki proclaims, feet dragging. “second of all, he’s making us practice tomorrow too. i might as well jump off the tokyo tower.”
“do a flip on your way down,” matsukawa says pulling his phone out to check his line. he texted you about his practice matches  and hasn’t been able to reply since then.
“you said it yourself hanamaki, we have inter-highs coming up. we want to go to finals and to do that we have to practice,” iwaizumi reasons, but even his voice is drowned in exhaustion. oikawa whines and begins to complain about ushijima at finals and matsukawa tunes out, having already heard this seven times today.
[you, 12:13 pm] good luck at your matches today, hope u win straight sets so u can go home fast. -w-
[matsukawa, 5:11 pm] only won one of the matches but both went into a third set im so fucken tired.
you reply immediately.
[you, 5:11 pm] bruh that’s terrible make sure to grab something to eat. idk what nutritionists would say but i’m sure they would agree with me  
“do you guys wanna grab something to eat?” matsukawa interjecting oikawa’s vent, raising his eyebrows.
“oh my god mattsun, you’re absolutely genius,” matsukawa shoots him a shit eating grin. “let’s get ramen?” oikawa finishes. iwaizumi and hanamaki nod in agreement, the three of them dragging themselves towards the ramen shop on the main street.
[matsukawa, 5:14 pm] you should eat too, have you had dinner?
[you, 5:15 pm] no but ayachan and nachan want to grab food before we head home. we went to a cat cafe today look. (one image attached) cute right >///<
before he gets the chance to reply he hears loud laughing coming from the street crossing on to the one the four of them were on down. maybe the day wasn’t so bad because you walk out laughing at something ayasaki said. he’s stunned. bewildered. whatever the fuck kind of emotion he’s feeling he knows it’s because you’re just so pretty. he’s a lot for words as he gapes at you, eyes wide like saucers.
“look who it is! hi guys!” natsume shouts, dragging you and ayasaki with her, your arms are all linked. he can’t move.
“wow, it’s you three again! you’re always together,” oikawa teases, jabbing an elbow into mastukawas ribs. “there’s your little girlfriend,” he whispers, matsukawa can’t even respond, he’s just so flustered.
“whatcha guys up too, anyways?” hanamaki asks when the three of you arrive in front of them.
“oh we were hanging out and we wanted to grab some food before we head home, you guys just get out of practice? you look so fucking dead,” you ask shooting them looks of pity. oikawa sighs, about to respond when mastukawa reaches and brushed your hair behind your ear.
“you cut your hair.” and it looks good.
“in fact i did.” a blush covers your cheeks almost hidden behind the glow of the setting sun. maybe i’m talking to an angel, matsukawa thinks. “thoughts?”
“you look gorgeous.” matsukawa can’t even stop himself. when he catches what he says he coughs and turns away flustered. howling shouts come from hanamaki, iwaizumi and ayasaki.
“he’s right though, you look delightful. we’re going to get ramen do you guys want to join us?” iwaizumi asks, shooting a smirk to matsukawa. he doesn’t even have time to be panicking about the situation because ayasaki, of course, agrees.
when all of you are seated along the L-shaped bar in front of the cooks, you lean in to speak to matsukawa. you both are seated at the corner next to each other which was done intentionally by hanamaki and ayasaki. “why are you guys slaving away at practice anyways during summer break anyways? does the coach have a bounty on you or something?” you’re playing with your fingers, watching the server place your meal down in front of you.
“honestly dude,” he stops to let out the heaviest sigh you’ve ever heard. “i think at this point, irihata and oikawa teamed up to put us through hell and back.”
“homie you completely ignored my question, why?”
“oh shit my bad. we’re trying to get to get to finals, you know? inter highs start up right after summer break and oikawa has a bone to pick with the shiratorizawa captain.”
“so you guys are feeling the fruits of his planned revenge?” matsukawa nods, resting his face in the palm of his hand. you shoot him a look of pity, reaching over to pat his head, his hair is so soft. “don’t worry i’m sure you’ll get your revenge, if not you can call out for your mom again” matsukawa’s face flushes and he grabs your wrists pulling you in.
“you. i thought we agreed to never mention that again,” he hissed under his breath, looking around to see if any of the other third years were eavesdropping. they weren’t. “i thought we had an agreement. i thought we were comrades. i thought-”
“matsukawa-san, matsukawa-san shhh! i’m sorry it’s fun to tease you. i promise i’ll make it so only i can make fun of you for that.” you giggle. “since we’re comrades and all.”
“i don’t wanna be your comrade anymore.”
“here take my gyoza and stop pouting, you’re cuter when you’re smiling.” you reach over and place all your gyoza into his bowl shooting him a blinding grin. “but that’s not to say you’re not cute when you’re pouting.”
“if i’m cute, what are you?” you frown, is he calling me ugly. he waves his hand through the air as if to will away your thoughts. “not like that. you’re pretty, pretty fucking cute.”
“you know, you sound like you’re trying to convince yourself.” you watch him eat as you poke at your own meal. he eats well, you smile. as the seven of you finish up your meals, you excuse yourself to the restroom. matsukawa thinks it’s suspect considering most of your bowl is full, so he follows you.
you know man your reputation for a full on creep is just expanding.
as he steps into the bathroom he seeks you hunched over, cursing spilling past your lips along with the food you forced down. you freeze, turning to look at him as he locks the door.
“i’m almost positive breaking into a bathroom is some kind of crime,” you state as if matsukawa didn’t just see you force yourself to throw up.
“i’m fully aware i’m not supposed to be in here, but i got worried, sue me.” you raise your eyebrows as him resting your arms on the toilet seat. he grimaces realizing you’re sitting on the bathroom floors. in a public bathroom. “also if you’re going to go to the bathroom as least lock the door.”
“it sounds like matsukwa issei already knew about this.”
“stop talking about it like it’s a joke.” matsukawa says grabbing tissues to wet them and pass to you. ”at least get defensive or something. i had my suspicions, saw things i shouldn’t have. i’m sorry about that.”
“don’t apologize you didn’t do anything wrong. i’m sorry for worrying you, but i don’t see this as anything of your concern.” you reach over to take the napkins from him, but he instead cleans your face for you. wiping away the spit and tears gently.
“wash your hands.” his voice left no room for argument, so you wobbled your way over to the sink and finished cleaning yourself. when you finish and turn to face him he lifts you on to the sink, trapping you in between his arms. “it’s not my concern but i’m going to concern myself with it. you’re hurting yourself.”
“so what, i’d rather hurt myself then have other people hurt me because of the way i look.” you're eyes are glassed over avoiding his and your voice is shaking, the raw emotions spilling out in contrast to your deadpan face. you guess that’s why you’re attracted to matsukawa, you’re both hide behind laid back personalities storing away a barricade of feelings gently stirring and building up. “don’t involve yourself with me anymore. i know it’s just going to be another weight on your shoulders. you’re too caring to pretend like you didn’t see it.”
“you don’t deserve that, there’s nothing that warrants this and you know that.” matsukawa sounds desperate, you know that he probably is. “i won’t let other people hurt you, i’ll protect you i promise. so please don’t push me away.”
“you’ll protect me huh.” you lean back against the mirror to look up at him. “what does that even mean.” he blinks.
“well actually i don’t know yet, but i want to figure it out with you. i want to support you and help you because i don’t want you to be alone in this, you know?” matsukawa was fumbling his words, he was nervous he couldn’t make you stay but he hoped to every god that you wouldn’t walk away. “like, i know i don’t know what to do, but i’m willing to try and figure it out. i know it’s gotta be lonely especially when your friends are bent over backwards for magazine models, and like, dude, i like you so much and i just-”
“matsukawa-san”
“yes”
“are you confessing to me in the bathroom of a ramen restaurant?” matsukawa nods, shamelessly. you think this is the most matsukawa confession to exist, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. the boy you pined over since first year found out about your dirty little secret and didn’t turn you way. he offered his and and wore his heart on his sleeve for you, who are you to turn him away. “i don’t know where we would go from here either, but i’d like it if we figured it out together.” matsukawa leans in closer to you, grabbing you by the back of your neck gently and pulling your face into his before you can object. when you break away your frown deepens, “you just kissed me with vomit breath.”
“it’s okay you’re the person i’ll kiss with vomit breath since we‘re comrades.”
“you shouldn’t call your girlfriend comrade, it doesn’t give me butterflies.”
“oh? so you’re my girlfriend now?”
“what, you don’t wanna date me?”
“oh absolutely i do. i’m honored to have the pleasure of being your boyfriend.” matsukawa teases as he pulls you down. your reply gets shut down by a wave of texts that blows up matsukawa’s phone.
[hanamaki, 6:03 pm] ayo casanova wya dude ???? are you getting your dick sucked in the bathroom that’s dirty she’s too cute for that anyways we paid and we’re heading out >.< stay safe muah
[iwaizumi, 6:05 pm] we left but you’re going to have to explain yourself tomorrow.
[oikawa, 6:06 pm] mattsun!! tell us about your salacious bathroom endeavors tomorrow at practice <333
you follow him out of the restrooms, leaning over to look at his messages and laugh, point to your phone which shows a string of messages of similar nature from ayasaki and natsume.
as you and matsukawa walk hand in hand down the streets of miyagi you can’t help but notice the butterflies blossom from the pits of your stomach exploding towards your beating heart.
“i’m thankful you’re the one who found out i don’t think i would want it be anyone else.”
“i wouldn’t want it to be anyone else either.”
as the twinkling street lights cheered you on, you stepped forward towards the future knowing you had matsukawa to lean on.
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hops-hunny · 3 years
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Distance Makes the Heart Grow
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CHAPTER 7
Series Masterlist
Pairing: Mafia Boss!Neville Longbottom x Reader
Pronouns: She/Her
Word Count: 2.2k
Summary: (Y/n) lives a normal life. But that’s the issue, it’s normal, it’s plain, and it’s growing boring. Everyday she wishes for something, anything to spice up her life. But, when her old school friend (and crush) shows up at her bakery with a new look (and what looks like a new life), what will it bring for her? Will their puppy love grow? Will his big secret lead to the end of them or will it spark a new beginning?
Warnings: mentions of insecurity
A/N: I love and hate this chapter so much
Although this trip wasn’t for leisure, Neville was doing everything to treat it like it was. No matter how busy he was with planning the current mission or even seeing what else Italy had to offer money wise, he made sure to make time for (Y/n). Everyday had been a dream come true, from softer moments down to more...intimate moments.
He hadn’t taken her all the way yet nor had he asked her to return the favor but he didn’t need her to. Spending hours upon hours between her legs was more than enough for him. The small whimpers and whiny moans that would erupt from her plagued his thoughts during all times of the day. Most of the time he’d step away to take care of himself when he did but other times when that option wasn’t available he’d pray to Merlin that his obvious hard on would just disappear. It was 50/50 with whether that’d actually work and when it didn’t? The guys would never let him forget.
Today was different though. Instead of having to split his time between preparing for the big day or spending time with his beloved he got to do both. Today was the day before they’d put their plan in action, making it the safest day to bring her to the museum considering there was no risk. Because the museum received many visitors on the daily, no one ever questioned their consistent visit. Plus, their attire often made them look like the kind of people who admired art, which wasn’t an incorrect assumption. They did appreciate art, just even more so when it was in their home or being sold to some rich idiot.
(Y/n) looked around in awe at everything around her. Everything about the museum screamed class and money. There wasn’t just art on the walls, but the ceilings had been hand painted as well. However, her eyes fixated on the glass display in the center of the room. Inside was an array of jewels of all sorts, in crowns, in rings, in earrings, but also in the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It had the biggest diamonds she had ever seen, connected by a white gold chain. Reading the sign she saw it belonged to a queen of a country that no longer existed and it had clearly been kept in immaculate condition over the years. A matching set of earrings set on the other side of it.
“See something you like, petal?” she jumped at the sound of the voice, turning her head slightly to smile at the man. Neville smiled back, wrapping his arms around her waist as he came behind her. His eyes lingered on the way her reflection made it seem like she was wearing the necklace. He couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she would look in it.
“No, just looking.” she responded, turning around to wrap her arms around the man’s neck. However, she couldn’t help but feel as though someone was staring at her. Looking out the corner of her eye, she saw a womanly figure facing her direction. She went to look but her attention was turned to the warm cheek on her hand. Neville leaned down, pressing his lips to hers not even trying to fight the smile growing on his lips. She kissed him back, standing on the tip of her shoes before pulling him down to her height as she giggled. He went to say something but muffled voices started to come from his ear piece.
“Sorry, it appears our time has been cut short for now. But don’t worry angel, I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” he said, placing a kiss on her lips before pulling her into a hug. Over his shoulder, (Y/n) watched as the woman from before quickly turned back to the painting in front of her, as if she wasn’t just staring at her. Perhaps it had been her imagination? Giving him one last smile she waved as the tall man began to walk away. 
Curiosity began to get the best of her, leading her to walk across the room to the woman. Looking at the painting she saw that it was indeed a beautiful painting! It showcased many people inside some sort of marble lookout point, gazing upon the sea. A gasp left her lips at the attention to detail, the wet appearance of the water, the reflection of the sun. Despite it not moving like the ones she was used to, she found that it didn’t need to be. The woman standing next to her gave her a side glance, a look on her face that she didn’t notice.
“Ti piace il dipinto?(“Do you like the painting?”)” the woman asked her, a mischievous look on her face. Gisele knew that the girl was sheltered just from her appearance. She wasn’t nearly as traveled as herself so there was no way for her to know even an inkling of what she had just asked her.
(Y/n) blinked at her, pondering what the woman had asked her before nodding. “È bellissimo. L'attenzione ai dettagli è incredibile! Non ho mai visto niente del genere.(“It's beautiful. The attention to detail is incredible! I've never seen anything like it!”)” she looked at the woman as she choked slightly, a concerned look on her face.
“You speak italian?” she asked in an offended tone, an unreadable look on her face. (Y/n) shrugged some, continuing to look at the painting.
“Not quite. I’ve only been learning for a few days. My boy- er, friend taught me but he says I’m a quick learner! I’m sorry if my translation was a bit off.” she said, offering the woman a kind smile. The woman’s eye twitched at the information, growling slightly. But, she remembered she had some “information” of her own.
“You mean Neville?” the strange woman asked, causing her to look up. She nodded slowly, offering her another kind smile.
“Do you know him?” she asked.
“Know him? Ha!” she sighed dramatically, putting a freshly manicured hand over her ample chest. “We were practically married! He and I were seeing each other for such a long time. I’m assuming you’re dating then?” she smirked to herself, watching as the girl shook her head no. “No? Well I guess that isn’t too shocking. I mean, why date a knock off when the real thing is still available. Oh! Where are my manners? I’m Gisele Bardot, Europe’s one and only top model.” (Y/n) felt her throat grow tight as she swallowed harshly. Neville had never once brought up Gisele to her. In fact, he had even gone as far as to say he hadn’t dated anyone, saving his heart for her. 
“Knock off? What do you mean?” she asked her innocently, blinking back the tears that were threatening to form. Perhaps it was a simple misunderstanding. However, Gisele’s cackle of a laugh told her otherwise.
“Oh honey, are you really that naive? Look at you, you’re a lesser version of myself. Do you really think that’s a coincidence?” she stated as if it was a face. She took the time to look at Gisele and realized she was right. Gisele had all the same features of her, but better. Higher cheekbones, fuller lips, her hair was healthier. And when it came to her body? (Y/n) could only dream of a chest as nice as hers with a stomach so flat, so toned. Was it a coincidence or was Neville really using her as a replacement for what he couldn’t have. “Poor thing, anyone with eyes could see-”
“Could see what?” Twyla seethed, placing an arm around her shoulder as she walked up to the two. (Y/n) felt relieved from the familiar face, wiping the tears that had fallen from her eyes, much to her efforts of trying to get them to not do so. “What business do you have with my friend?”
“We were just chatting! Right..” her eyes widened at the fact she didn’t know the girl’s name. Twyla smirked, giving her an expectant look.
“Go on, what’s her name?” Twyla asked in a fake concerned tone. As the model stood there gaping, mouth opening and closing like a fish, the blonde scoffed, grabbing (Y/n) as she dragged her off.
“Come on (Y/n), we don’t associate with trash. Especially not trash wearing grandma’s pearls and perfume.” she turned around once more, looking her up and down. “It’s a good thing you’re a model because you sure don’t know how to dress.” and with that they were off, walking out to the garden of the museum. When they got there, the taller girl looked at the (e/c) eyed girl, a concerned look present on her face. “What was that? I don’t like her, she gives me bad vibes. Not like, sinister, just...petty. I’ve seen her in those magazines and stuff. What’s her name? Gizette?”
“Gisele. Apparently she was Neville’s....Neville’s ex girlfriend.” tears began to fall from her eyes as she sobbed softly, falling forward into her friend’s chest. Without hesitation, the blonde wrapped her arms around her, hugging her close. “She essentially said that I’m just a replacement for the real thing which is her and, it must be true! I mean just look at her, she’s gorgeous Twyla! Runway gorgeous. She’s an international model and I’m..I’m just me.”
“Oh honey, I hate to ruin this heart to heart, actually this is an awful heart to heart, but she’s definitely lying! I’ve seen the way Neville looks at you and so has everyone else. I’ve got this feeling that he’s lying and you know me with my feelings, they’re always right.” (Y/n) looked up at her, sniffling some as Twyla wiped at her runny makeup with her tissue. “Plus, that easily could be the other way around. How do you know she wasn’t just a replacement for you?” she froze at her words. She was right, it very well could be the other way around. How would she know unless she asked? As if she read her mind, the next words aligned with her thoughts perfectly. “You know, there’s only one thing to do.”
“Ask him about it?” she gulped at the thought. Neville had been nothing but kind to her since they reconnected. She had nothing to be scared about. Whether it was learning the truth or Neville himself she feared she didn’t know. Or, at least she didn’t wanna admit which one it was.
“Oh..I was gonna say find this bitch and replace her shampoo with nair. You know, maybe even give her some of that tea my aunt gave to her husband.” Twyla shrugged, leaning back some with a sigh. “Buut, that’s good too.”
(Y/n) gave the girl a questionable look. “Twy….didn’t your aunt use that tea to kill her husband?” the girl nodded, sitting up as she dusted herself off.
“Yeah. Your point?” Before she could respond, Neville came running up to the two of them with a smile. As he placed a peck on her lips, she gave him a weak smile.
“Hi, love. I missed you.” he said, a dopey lovesick smile on his face. He cleared his throat, ears tinted cheeks. “I-I was wonderin’ if uh, you’d like to go on a date with me tomorrow. You know, after the mission.” her eyes widened as she felt her face grow fuzzy. A date? She was sure he had something worse to say, especially after the fiasco from earlier. ‘Gisele must’ve not been able to find him.’
“I’d love to! I’ve never been on a date before.” she answered honestly, giving him a smile. “I can’t wait.” he looked surprised as she accepted, picking her up as he spun her around before setting her back down gently. Placing a peck on her lips, he stroked her cheek.
“Fantastic. Oh I can’t wait. I’m going to spoil you on our date tomorrow,” he leaned near her ear, resting his hands on her rear, “And tonight too. How’s bout you sit on my face again, yeah?” she nodded shyly, looking down at their shoes. Neville chuckled some, walking away before another pair of men’s dress shoes stopped in front of her. Looking up she saw Seamus who gave her a small smile.
“Don’t worry mini boss, I kept that stupid woman away from him.” her eyes widened as she went to speak. “How’d I know? I could tell something was up and plus I saw her enter as we were leaving. Thought she’d try something. Whatever she said wasn’t true.” He patted her back (a bit too roughly..) as he offered her a thumbs up. “But, I know you’d still probably rather hear that from him.”
“You know Finnigan, for someone who acts so stupid you’re kinda smart sometimes.” Twyla said, giggling as she intertwined her hands with Draco. Draco offered her a nod to which she returned before beginning to walk off with the rest of them. She smiled when she saw Neville waiting for her by the door, hand outstretched with the same look he’d always give her. As they got in the car, she watched as the beautiful buildings passed them in the distance. It was then she decided.
She’d ask him, no matter how scared she was of the answer. Neville was sure to give her an honest one, but was it the one she wanted to hear?
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closer-stars · 3 years
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Heart of Depth (4)
Member: Yeosang Genre: Action, Slice of Life, Fantasy, Fluff, a little tension. Genshin Inspired AU Word Count: ~5k Requested: Sort of yeah Content: Yeosang x MC development. More world building. Food stuff. some history, some typical genshin shenanigans. Mild Violence. Mentions of death Note: Surprise lol. I’ve been working on this fic at the same time as gut feeling hence the speedy posting, part 5 to be posted soon.  Network: @ateezlovenet Tag list: @barsformars @miniyeo @jeongyunhoed @yeekies @yeotlny @frankenstein852 @shinyddeonghwa @prodbyteez @yeochikin @yeocult @harubirus
Part 3
Yeosang’s friend, Hongjoong, arrives at your shop today. He waits for you and Wooyoung patiently by the door. Well, you assume it’s Hongjoong based on his mannerisms. He didn’t seem like the men Wooyoung had to fight the night before. The two of you approach your shop carefully: the grip you have on your keys were tight, Wooyoung’s stance was low enough to not get weird glances but low enough to give him enough force to jump should it not be him. 
The male notices the two of you and greets you politely. “Hello, I’m Kim Hongjoong, Kang told me about your need for assistance.” The introduction puts your guards down. You remember Yeosang’s description of the male, around Wooyoung’s height, eyes that seem inquisitive, with wavy hair that seem to frame his face. If none of these events had happened, you would’ve assumed he was a model with how he carried himself. 
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” You introduce yourself and Wooyoung, as you open the shop for the day. Not even a few minutes after, people start pouring into your shop-- some of them with obvious relief on their features. They speak of their worries of the shop having closed down or you and Wooyoung not doing alright. All of which are shut down with reassurances. As the three of you go about with the orders and other needed rituals, you teach Hongjoong the ins and outs of your shop, what to press to make certain types of coffee, how to make foamed milk and so on. “Oh and if you want to create any dishes, feel free to do so. Some of Wooyoung’s creations are on the menu as well.” 
Throughout the day, the three of you try to get to know each other more, even asking Hongjoong for tidbits about who Yeosang and San really are and who he really is. He answers simply about himself, a Dendro holder, whose blood is similar to that of San’s. “So how old are you?” Wooyoung asks. 
“Younger than San, older than you.” It was a simple answer but enough to give the two of you an idea of how long he has walked the earth. It also explains his oddly shaped pupils but perhaps a detailed rundown of his lineage is for another day.
Wooyoung returns to where the two of you are, just in time to get the gist of the conversation as you guide Hongjoong through making an iced macchiato. “Yeah and most of the earnings made from those dishes go to you.” He eggs the other male on with a cheeky grin on his face. Hongjoong, catching onto his antics, releases a light laugh after having made enough milk foam for the order. 
“I’ll consider that.” You let Hongjoong pour the order into a plastic cup for the customer. You don’t miss the lingering gazes from the women as well. Maybe having an attractive barista could help with the sales. 
--------
You were back running business as usual. Only since that incident, you had to start closing a little earlier than usual. You had to write on your small board that you’ll only be able to be open until 5PM every day for the next few weeks due to personal reasons. Wooyoung spends the rest of the day in the studio, though he gets creative with the journey there-- using various train lines, or even walking through different streets just to make sure he doesn’t become predictable from the Abyss. He was more worried for you though. Hongjoong as well, walks with you usually: either walking the two of you to your apartment or elsewhere, just for safety. It was part of the agreement after all. 
For today the shop has to close early, at least he can be reassured that you’ll be safe with Yeosang for tonight. “Damn, you really dressed up for tonight huh?” Wooyoung muses as he leans against the counter. Hongjoong lingers around Wooyoung’s side. For the entire day, Wooyoung gave the older male a rundown of your relationship with Yeosang-- at least the parts you forgot to add, which generally was the romantic aspect. 
To be fair, you did put a little more effort today hoping that Wooyoung wouldn’t notice unless you wanted to be teased. Your blouse, though it can be easily wrinkled, hangs on your body well. It’s also one of your favorites simply for how it feels cool to the touch. You were wearing slacks as well, not your usuals for comfort and practicality but today, knowing Yeosang’s preferences when it comes to dates, it was better to just dress up.  “Shush.” You chide him, wrinkling your nose at his teasings. “I know he’s seen me in just shorts or joggers when I’m working but considering it’s a date…” Until now, whenever you say that you’re going on a date with him, your heart beats a little faster. “I figured I might as well... “ 
The mischievous glint in Wooyoung’s eyes softens just a bit as he snickers at how flustered you look. “Don’t worry about it too much, the two of you have really good dynamics. Guess you could say there’s a spark” He rests against his elbows this time. The pun doesn’t go unnoticed by Hongjoong. “Have you even seen how he looks at you? That guy’s really smitten.” There was also a hint of curiosity behind the soft gaze Yeosang carries for you. He wonders what it is, but if there’s anything being an electro user tells him, it’s patience. “Besides, your shop has garnered a bunch of loyal customers now. They don’t mind the early close especially for personal reasons. At least have fun tonight.” 
You look at the clock. It won’t be long until he picks you up from the shop then. “You already know how to lock up this place right?” It won’t be long either until Wooyoung has to head to the studio. 
“Of course. The keys are with me and the extra set of keys are at home.” He rolls his eyes in jest at your concern. “Do you have Regalia with you?” He returns. 
Regalia’s the name of the bracelet you’ve been wearing since day one of living with Wooyoung’s family. One of the last few things you’ve kept from your family that he’s aware of. He doesn’t usually mind you not wearing it during work but with the recent events, you can only assume this is for your peace of mind. “Yup.” You raise your wrist to his view, and he sees the cool toned beads adorn and accentuate the silver charm that rests just above where your pulse is. 
Your vision was peaking under your top, just by your waist, not wanting to bring too much attention to your capabilities but still wanting to stay on the safe side. Underneath the calm facade, lies the same person who’s still wary of everything since then. A figure catches his eye by the door. It’s Yeosang, this time wearing a cream blazer under a simple printed white shirt and dark gray pants and ankle boots. He always manages to make you feel a tad bit underdressed with his fashion sense. You envy Wooyoung’s nonchalance to the fashion differences, then again, Wooyoung’s been confident in his own style. That’s what got him to where he is now. 
Just as you were about to ask Wooyoung a question, he beats you to it. “Yes, you look fine. Now go and have your date.” He shooes you off with a wave of his hand. You shoot him a look of mild annoyance for his ability to see through your facade. So with that done, you grab your things on top of the counter and wave him goodbye. 
“Call me when something comes up okay?” 
He says nothing but shoots you an okay sign, making sure you focus on the man who’s been waiting for you like a lovesick puppy by the door. 
Just as you step out of the shop, you’re greeted by a warm smile from him. It’s interesting how that smile made him look younger when he’s already thousands of years older than you. It just comes with the whole Archon responsibility, you suppose. As you approach him, he hands you a bouquet of various flowers-- peeking above the flowers, you see his cheeks bloom into an endearing pink.
“Yeosang what’s this for?” You ask, the wrapped flowers in your hands has you dumbfounded. You weren’t sure if it was a double peonies but you’ve definitely seen this before somehow. You knew that this was a rarity but how he managed to acquire them at the height of their beauty at this time of the year was a feat for you. “What is this?” A white flower, not yet in full bloom, is surrounded by simple greens and hyacinths. You gaze at them for a moment, before returning your gaze to the man in front of you.
The tips of his ears shine bright pink, a stark contrast to his black-blue hair. “I thought you might appreciate another type of flower to be in your shop.” You can’t turn down this gift. Double peonies have been something you would usually see online. To know that these are real ones and they’re in your hands, it was truly an experience. “Neve Jewel.” He answers your question softly
You look at him for a moment, shocked at how he got this flower for you. “How often should I water them?” You ask as you try to look for a vase or a spare pot that you would plant them in for the time being in your shop. You’d love to bring home a sapling of this down the line. 
“Every three days.” He says after clearing his throat. If he didn’t, he would’ve stuttered through the tip. The look of pure glee in your eyes made him think that getting you the flowers was a good decision, at least it was good enough to make his chest feel warm. As you look through the pots in your shop, you realize there’s no space for them: looks like you’ll have to carry them for the entirety of the date. 
He offers you the crook of his arm, for you to hold onto for the rest of the date. “So what’s the plan for tonight?” You ask as you gently hold onto his arm as he offered. The night was still young and there was so much they could do and for all you know he might pull more surprises. 
  “Well, for starters, you have the freedom to choose what we eat tonight. I figure it’s only fair to let you choose this time as it was my choice last time.” That’s right, you remember the last restaurant being expensive and him being able to pay with ease. A small part of you wonders if he could cover your further studies or help with the studio Wooyoung also works in. 
The power to choose makes you hum in thought. Truthfully the decisions were countless. “How about pizza and pasta? I know a place you might like.” A short pause. “Well, we can look at the menu and see if you like it, if not we go elsewhere.” You offer. 
You hate to admit that ever since knowing Yeosang’s the Archon, you started seeing him in a slightly different light. Maybe it’s your insecurities? Wondering who else did he love before you. Was it your jealousy? Wanting to know what he knows about this world and perhaps beyond-- along with his financial security. It can’t be helped, there have been times where you gave up something you eyed for more important things. Living on your own isn’t easy but at least you work at your own pace. 
“Something on your mind?” Yeosang asks softly. He doesn’t want anyone listening in on them as he starts noticing fleeting glances at either you or him. It didn’t take much for him to know that your thoughts were running again. Your hand felt loose in his arm, and your footsteps felt like they were floating. It was funny to him how you reminded him of them yet still be your own person. 
“Ah?” You hummed, blinking a few times to get back to reality. “Nothing too pressing, just curiosity over how life has been for you since Day 1.” You admit. You know of their existence: of Archons that bestow these visions, of beings that are half human, half something, or even not entirely human that walk with you. To be in their presence though, is another topic entirely. “Along with the chances of meeting the likes of your kind.” 
He flashes a small smile at your honesty. “I see. All of which are understandable thoughts. I suppose I can tell you a few stories over dinner.” He promises. There’s something comforting in how he carries no hint of resentment, but it leads to more curiosity of what he has buried in all these years. “If time still permits today, I’ll show you some places that hold significance to me that people nowadays do not know of.” 
“You say a lot of promises, Yeosang.” You note teasingly. As you do so, you gesture to the restaurant that you had set your eyes (and stomach) on. “Check out their menu first?” 
He looks at the restaurant and chuckles. “My dear, San always pesters me about this place. I don’t eat here as often as he does but trust me, I have no issues with tonight’s choice.” He would come here often for San’s favorite especially after a long night of dealing with awry beings that try to wreck havoc. It’s enough to get him through a few hours until he crashes. 
His words reassure you and thus, the two of you enter the premises, finding comfort in a booth, away from any eyes that could wander. After the orders have been made, you were left alone with him once more. From your place, you could watch people walk past the restaurant on one side, while the cars zoom past on the other. Yeosang lets you look around for a moment before he starts telling you some of his stories. “So which one would you like to know about?” 
He answers your questions to the best of his ability. Yes, even if people try to recreate the food from the past, it’s still not the same, not even with the same ingredients, things just naturally changes over time and he has come to accept that. His current favorite is fried chicken though, even better if it’s the half-half type. He tells you about a plot of raised land on the other side of the river. You weren’t aware of this story: how that was initially something like a mountain only for him to flatten it with the force of water after an immortal being thought they were greater than the heavens that made them. He admits that the immortal was a dear friend of his who had changed as time passed them by. A god of earthquakes, he tells you. “So with that in mind, it’s impossible to fully wipe out any archon or immortal being.” Your inquisitive and sharp mind warms his heart. Humanity’s curiosity is their greatest downfall. Yet, this is what pushes beings like him to protect you and your kind. It’s what has kept your species going. 
“Yes and no. This dear friend of mine, he can’t..” he trails off as he tries to find the right word, tilting his head in thought. “His material body cannot come back but his essence lives on. It explains the tremors we feel occasionally.” Some gods are forgotten as well, buried deep in the oceans he rules in where only the darkest parts of humanity’s consciousness can only remember. Yet from time to time, occurrences happen that tell him that there are people that still remember. Fortunately, before the discussion gets any depressing, the food arrives and he takes this chance to know more about you and anything you’re curious about with these flowers that rest on your lap. 
He asks you about the latest social networking apps, he has the basics of where most people are but the other apps that entertain certain niches intrigue him. Though you didn’t have all the answers, he was sure he’d leave this restaurant knowing more than before. He finds out that your passion for baking and making different types of coffee came after you saw Wooyoung struggle juggling his dance team and studies. The daily expenses of buying coffee eventually build up over time so you take matters into your own hands. Now, you’ve got a shop up and running and the rest is pretty much history. He respects you for that. The Archon also realizes that perhaps San was right with this restaurant. Another restaurant to add to his options in the days to come. 
The rest of the dinner goes well, lasting for two hours before the two of you decide to leave and walk around somewhere quiet. Somewhere that the two of you could get away from the constant bustle of modern life. 
The walk to the quieter side of the city was a fruitful one. The conversation between the two of you never stops as each of you try to understand each other-- especially with you trying to understand his roots along with his riches. “So, you being.. An archon.. Is that how you were able to get that apartment?” You understand that he’s not quite immortal, having the ability to die as well but he does have the ability to live longer than most. You learned that gods can die, but deaths caused by humans have resulted in violent natural happenings.
“Yes and no.” He answers with a slight tilt of his lips. “Some of the objects from the historical collection are mine but I had to pull some legal strings to make the public think it’s from someone else, and for the stockholders to continue funding the museum. Some of them have been bought and sold through me to older gods and Archons who have passed on, some archaic family clans as well and so on.” He hints towards other groups with money that have helped fund his museum and keep them safe, though through less than morally ethical means. Simply put, the museum has helped him amass a big fortune with one part going to his anonymous safety for reasons and the other parts going to other necessities of the community around him.  
Something stirs in you to explain something to him. “I suppose I owe you a story as well.” You admit softly. You start to tell him about your family life, how you grew up in a family that was passionate about their jobs: your father, a historian while your mother was a fairly known ceramist who also had a passion for what your father pursued. It’s through the attempts of recreating the pottery of the past that made their names fairly well known in those days-- also making you have a keen interest and skill in the history and the arts. Your father came across certain writings, unfamiliar to the academe but familiar to those who were interested in the taboo. He and your mother got too close, from what you understood. The pursuit of making connections and knowledge cost them their life. They made sure you were safe from everything, keeping you hidden from the perpetrators. 
Wooyoung’s parents were close to yours, it took forever in a child's mind before they found you, hiding in a closet with the Regalia in your small hands. Once they found you, they made sure you didn’t see the aftermath. Their urns rest in a quiet columbarium out of town. Since then, you grew up with Wooyoung’s family. It’s not the same as having your actual parents grow with you but they did their best to step into their roles for you and for Wooyoung. “It’s been years, and I’ve learned to cope with the absence so please, don’t worry about me.” You reassure him. You’ve been so accustomed, so annoyed with the looks of pity given to you by others who know this story-- which are usually by word of mouth. 
He lets his eyes wander around the scenery in front of him. The way the lights bounce against the water, the quiet hum of people milling about by the water. His eyes catch sight of a small family letting their kids play about by the water. The way you talk about your family makes him wonder how you were like when you were younger. The you he knows now is different from the you Wooyoung has known since he was a child. You don’t step into the same river but water always passes where it came from. Simply put, you are still you. Heavens be damned, because he’s enamored by you.  
As you tell your stories, your eyes catch a glimpse of the same family. There’s something in your chest that twists that you cast your eyes downward. The flowers were still in your arms, you didn’t want to leave it in the stale air of the car. 
He sees you look down at the flowers, your fingers fiddling with the wrapping and some of the petals. “Feel free to ask questions about them, my dear.” 
Giving you that green light to ask immediately had you talking. “Okay, first question, How? I thought this didn’t exist anymore?” You remember the first dinner you had with him, how he bought a painting of the said flower and told you how rare it was. So how did he manage to get an actual one?
He finds a bench, away from people that were there for perhaps the same reasons as the two of you. He pats the spot next to him for you to sit down as well to which you oblige. Once you do so, he looks up at the sky, seeing the faint shimmers of the stars above. The waters will continue to move to a near unrecognizable state yet the stars no matter how much they move, they still look the same. The man next to you tries to figure out his words, but eventually he just decides to say it plainly. “I had the same thoughts as you, about its existence. San was the one who notified me of its reemergence. He found it growing in the museum’s garden, in full bloom every night.” 
  You stare at the lone blooming flower in your hands, wondering if there’s more in the garden, but one question suddenly nags at you. “Why did you give it to me when you’re heavily attached to this flower?” You were flattered, you can’t deny that-- a rare flower from someone who has been fluttering your heart? That was a unique way to be courted Yet, the lapse in thought bothers you, a rare flower that he obviously holds dear to him, given to you? What made him think of this? 
“They were someone dear to me as well.” He starts. His voice takes on a more sober tone, making sure you were comfortable leaning on his shoulder. “A dear immortal as well, just like San and I.” It takes a few moments of silence for you to understand the gravity of their relationship. “They were someone well loved by the people, taught them how to handle resources on an economic point of view with other regions, taught them handiwork beyond that of warfare, a lot of things that were out of my field to put it simply..” He has already accepted and forgiven himself of his shortcomings to become someone like them at that time. “Their favorite flower is this, my love.” He says, his fingers fiddle with the edge of its wrapper. “Everyone associated it with them.” Despite the harsh cold that ice gives, it was also a time for trust. When it was too cold, they’d make shelter out of ice and various twigs and fur. If it was too hot, they provided them with cool winds. It’s why the Neve Jewel glows as such, depending on the season. 
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t protect them at their time of death.” His eyes stay still at the river that quietly flows past them. “Their last wish to me was to make sure the people survive the journey. Weird isn’t it? The god of water protecting the followers of Ice.” He rests his temple against yours. “Eventually after their passing, Neve Jewels ceased to exist. Until you came along.”
“Yeosang?”
“Mm?” 
“What if I’m not them?” 
“Yeosang, you know you need to be prepared to accept the fact they might not be your previous lover.” 
It’s a question he’s considered since he met you. He admits, it wasn’t easy to consider accepting that you might not return. He remembers the concern in San’s face when he was still so hopeful. 
“Of course, grief never leaves you. It always stays with you, you eventually learn how to live with it.” He tips his head in thought, acknowledging the weight of the concern.
You didn’t want to cry here: not when the date was going so well. A soft chuckle leaves your lips to loosen up the tight feeling in your chest. “Mhm, I guess so.” It’s a half hearted answer you have to admit but it was better than letting the silence cue the tears. 
“But if you let me, I’ll still love you the same.” 
A deep breath loosens the pulsating pain in your head from the unshed tears. “I guess life does work weirdly.” You add under your breath, leaning against his shoulder as you fiddle with the wrapping of the gifted flower. 
He readjusts himself to make sure you don’t get uncomfortable. There’s something in your words that tells him, it would be better to shift the topic. “I’m a little disheartened that i never got to tour you around the museum but that’s alright, one of these days, I’ll bring you around, show you my favorite works and tell you some stories behind them.” 
“I’d like that, sounds like you got a lot you’d like to share too.” You muse softly, taking in the scent of nature and him. 
“I catch you lingering by the entrance sometimes.” Even though he has invited you and Wooyoung to stay in the museum’s offices with him for the sake of safety, you’d just linger by the souvenirs. You remember Wooyoung proposing the idea of having a small shop next to the souvenirs, but you shot it down. It’s not because you don’t think it’ll do well but because who else will manage the shop? Hongjoong’s a good candidate but until you’re certain he’ll stay after this mess. 
With how everything is going, you wonder if he finds time to rest. “Please, you’ve got a lot on your plate. I’d rather not add to that, Yeosang.” You say with a breathy laugh of embarrassment. 
“You know that I don’t mind your presence.” He’s been spending his hours with you after work for the past few months. “I wouldn’t have asked you on a date, if I did mind.” He tilts your chin gently to look at him. 
His eyes, holy shit, you could drown in how they look: shades of blue with hints of green and streaks of white. The ocean resides in this man and you’d be damned if you didn’t feel yourself melt in his touch. “If it still isn’t obvious, my dear, I would like to ask you, if you are willing to be my lover?” 
Something flashes at the corner of your eye, and it’s coming straight at you.
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