#well I’m this far in and only like 7 chapters behind now…might as well go all the way right??
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COLLISION
Astarion x Y/N - Chapter 3 - 3.7K WC
Masterlist
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3 (you are here!)
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 NSFW 18+
Chapter 6 NSFW 18+
Chapter 7 NSFW 18+
_________________
“Are you sure? No shame in staying behind.” Shadowheart said as she adjusted the last strap on the dark justicar armor she lent you. She looked concerned and wary.
“I’m sure, like you said, we are just going to a cemetery to talk to Raphael then come back. Sounds easy enough.” You shrugged. No wonder everyone’s movement in the game was limited, armor is heavy as shit.
Shadowheart paused, “How did you know it’s Raphael? I only said we had a devil to see…” she trailed off.
“Oh, umm…. With what you’ve told me this sounds like a Raphael thing… he has a certain flare for the dramatics that’s hard to miss.” You deflected trying so hard to sound casual.
Shadowheart hummed but you could tell she was… suspicious. Before you could spiral into an anxious heap, Astarion walked swiftly between the two of you. Hitting your shoulder unnecessarily he said “Are we going to stand around all day coddling them or shall we go?”
He always looked so pissed to be in your general vicinity and you noticed it more and more since the night you showed the group your phone. It had been a week since then, you worked with everyone to build your skills up. Everyone was pretty comfortable around you as of late, Karlach even going as far as to say she trusts you. So why was he the exception? You hadn’t done anything negative towards him? Was he upset about his reflection? Maybe you shouldn’t have sprung that on him? Whatever it was, it was making you both anxious and annoyed.
Truth be told, you were still kinda new to playing Baldur's Gate III in your world. The last save you remember was finishing the last trial in The Gauntlet of Shar. You just hope your limited knowledge might be useful somehow. You have to be mindful however. Little slips like the one with Shadowheart, showcasing that you knew more than you let on, could cause unexpected consequences. You had a few similar slip ups throughout the week but were thankfully able to brush them off. And you still had no idea how to tell them about you, the real you. You decided to keep it hidden for now, and when somebody inevitably asks you’ll tell them all.
——————————
You stepped through the portal with Astarion, Karlach, and Shadowheart. It left your body tingling for a moment. You looked around and vaguely recognized where you were. It’s definitely the Shadow Cursed Lands. The building in front of you looked abandoned but everything in the lands looked abandoned. You started walking forwards to the door of the building. You don’t remember anything bad here from your gameplay. The doors opened and you saw the first person outside of your little jolly group of misfits. She looked like a nurse and didn’t appear to be hostile. The others walked behind you as you slowly walked towards her. She was dipping a sponge into a basin of bloody water and cleaning the leg of a corpse. There were two of them actually. Both dead on separate beds, arms outstretched towards each other.
“The doctor is quite busy today… you may wait in line to be seen.” The nurse said.
“Why are you cleaning corpses, surely there must be something better to do.” Astarion said, typical sass in his voice but also confusion.
“Corpse? They’re merely sleeping…” she said softly, continuing to clean.
“Mmmmm no, those are definitely dead.” He responded, tapping the lid of a nearby jar.
The nurse turned to look at Astarion. “Perhaps I should turn my services elsewhere?” She said dropping the sponge back into the bowl. She pulled out a bone saw and started walking towards him. His eyes widened.
“Sister, look…” you said, pointing towards the bodies. Her head instantly snapped away from Astarion.
“Oh sister they’ve been so well tended to. They sleep like angels. They must be so grateful.” You said, eyeing Astarion as if trying to tell him to back up and shut up.
She dropped the bone saw, grabbing your hands. They were cold and shaking. “Truly? These hands… the doctor must be notified of all patient improvements.” She said starting to walk towards the center of the house where a heavy closed door laid.
“Wait!” You said quickly.
She looked at you, head cocked to the side.
“Your patients will wake soon. Who is lovelier to wake up to than their doting nurse? You stay, I’ll notify the doctor.” You smiled at her.
She shook her head vigorously, “Right, they need me. The doctor is in surgery right now… wait for him there.” She pointed at the large door before grabbing the sponge from the bowl. “Take these will you?” She asked, dropping two rings in your hands. Shadowblade rings. They were Arabella’s parents.
You pocketed them quickly and thanked the sister before silently backing up and walking away.
“Is that your talent? Comforting deranged nurses?” Astarion jabbed.
You elected to ignore him, not feeding into his negativity.
You walked into the operating theater. The doctor had just removed a man’s eyes, the sisters cutting him randomly and harshly. Your eyes widened and you fought the urge to throw up. Seeing this in a game and in real life we’re vastly different and this was insanely more disturbing.
Your foot hit some debris on the floor, notifying everyone of your existence.
“Are you here to aid in surgery? I asked for an attending hours ago…” said the doctor, flinging the man’s eyes off into a corner of the room.
“Yes… of course doctor my apologies.” You detach yourself from your group. The man on the operating table whimpered and whined. His throat was all raw from the endless screaming you imagined. You walked closer to the man. The doctor handed you one of the nurses knives.
You took it gently, the man continued to struggle against his confines. You looked at your companions, they looked at you with just as much anxiety as you felt.
“Be ready” you mouthed to Karlach. She nodded, your companions slowly moving into different locations.
You looked to the doctor who was holding a bone saw. You weren’t exactly in the *best* spot for a battle to start. Let alone your first battle. Let’s just hope somebody likes you enough to give Withers a little gold if the worst happens.
You swiftly plunged the knife into the doctors throat, shoving the nurse next to you as you grabbed your sword. Lae’zel gave you The Cruel Sting for your first time outside of camp, bless her angry ass. You swung at the nurse on the opposite side of you, the sword ensnared her. The nurses spread out, your companions taking them on. The doctor turned his focus to you. “Petulant child…” he said before knocking you on your back, he held his bone saw under your chin. “Don’t fret, I’ll be sure to cure you of your…. Affliction.” He laughed while tapping his head.
You held your arm up just in time for the bone saw to clatter against your armor. Karlach shot her bow at him as soon as she saw you on the ground. The air stunk of drow poison and that seemed to be enough to turn the doctors attention. You scurried off the ground, driving your sword through him as he faced away from you. Karlach hit him with a reckless attack and the doctor dropped to the ground, finally dead. The hall was quiet except for everyone’s heavy breaths.
You smiled at Karlach, impressed with yourself. The smile quickly faltered as you looked down and saw one of the nurses blades in between the metal plates of your armor. Karlach immediately turned and struck down the dying nurse. Shadowheart turned you quickly and pulled the knife out. You screamed, the sound bouncing off the walls of the theater. She spoke a healing spell over you, but her brow drew up in confusion.
“It’s not working.” She whispered.
“The fuck do you mean it’s not working? Fix it!” You yelled. You could feel the blood seeping through the different parts of your armor. Down your stomach, over your thighs…
“I’m trying!” She yelled back, rattling off another spell.
Karlach popped open a potion of healing, she grabbed your face and tilted your head back forcing the bottle to your lips. It tasted like wine; you could feel it envelop your body. As if it were coursing through you seeking out pain. You felt it stitch your wound together sloppily. You cried in pain as it felt like fire putting you back together. You lifted your armor, the wound was partially healed but that would have to do until you got back to camp.
Karlach and Shadowheart asked if you were ok, sympathetic as they both know battle is new to you. Battle wounds are common but you never forget your first.
“Your first battle scar! Congrats soldier.” Karlach said, trying to lighten the mood.
You blubbered out a chuckle, readjusting your armor.
“I’m sorry we were here to see Raphael, yes?” Astarion said walking out to the graveyard without the rest of you.
You sighed and began walking, doing your best not to grimace.
———————-
Everyone listened intently to Raphael. He told Astarion everything you already knew. You had zoned out a bit, hand ghosting over your wound every few minutes.
“And you…” Raphael said in a sultry tone, looking you up and down like a meal.
You closed your eyes desperately wanting to disappear. Of course the devil would know you weren’t of their world.
“Different aren’t you?” He said grabbing your hand, a swift prick to one of your fingers had you snatching your hand back. Raphael dipped the nail into his mouth, swirling your blood on his tongue.
“Mmmm, very different. You’re not from here are you? Strange that you ended up with this lot. You’re far more valuable elsewhere. Have you told your new friends about you? What do they really know and what do you hide?” Raphael smiled as he looked at the others.
They all had their eyes on you. Leave it to the devil to make it sound like you were trying to infiltrate their party.
“Stop.” You whispered at him, the tone of your voice begging him.
“No matter. I’ll see you in time, pet.” Raphael gave you a final smile before snapping his fingers and disappearing into a puff of black smoke.
“And you lot thought I was just being mean. If the devil says they can’t be trusted, what more is to be said?” Astarion asked aloud.
You winced again as your wound stung against the armor. Karlach moved towards you. She grabbed your arm gently, looking at the new red spreading through the cloth under your armor.
“We need to get back.” Her voice was devoid of emotion, flat and unwavering.
Everyone silently went through the portal back to camp.
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Gale patched up your wound so you could finally walk around comfortably. Happy to have the armor off of you, you walked to the campfire and began prepping dinner. Everyone else had gone to the stream to bathe or had retreated into their respective tents. You could tell that tonight may very well be the night you have to tell them all your secret. Why not soften the blow with some food?
You made them Baldurian mash since it was all you could think of given your limited ingredients. You set up bowls and spoons and different bottles of liquor for everyone. Just in time, you saw them all trudging up the hill in their night clothes. Everyone looked at you with doubt and caution.
Great.
Everyone smelled the food and silently made their way to the bonfire before dishing themselves their food and drinks. Before anyone could get a bite down Astarion yelled.
“Wait!” He jogged over to the fire.
“Are you sure we should be eating the food of someone who Raphael just told us was hiding things that seem to be of great importance?” He eyed the food and then you.
You scoffed thinking he was joking, and yet nobody took a bite.
You looked around, none of your companions meeting your eyes.
“I may have secrets but I don’t mean any of you harm…. You all are the closest thing I have to friends… I’d never hurt any of you.” You said, voice small but strong.
Astarion laughed, “Sounds like something somebody would say who is trying to kill us. Why else would you make all this?”
That’s it, you’ve had enough of fangs and his attitude towards you. You stood and took a large bite of the mash before taking a swig out of every open alcohol bottle.
“Proof enough for ya?” You asked, shoving past him. “I made all this because I wanted to be helpful. I want to be helpful because you all are my friends. I trust all of you even if you don’t trust me. So how about it fangs? Am I ok to stay or do you have anything else you wanna throw at me?”
Astarion could see the anger in your face. “Let’s just hope your culinary skills are better than your battle skills.” He said walking past you, shoving your shoulder with his.
Astarion expected the sniffle he heard from you.
“Astarion?” You asked.
“What?” He tutted, turning to face you.
What he didn’t expect was the punch that landed square in his face.
“Shit!” You immediately recoiled your hand, already feeling the bruising on your knuckles. You shook your hand out before saying your final piece,
“I have secrets it’s true. And I am happy to tell them to you as soon as I figure out how. But I don’t want to hurt any of you…”
“Excuse me?” Astarion said as he held his bleeding nose.
“Zip it! You have been nothing but spiteful towards me since I got here. I don’t know what your damage is with me but we need each other like it or not. We all need each other. I will fight for you all just as you fight for me. Whatever side you’re on, is the side I’m on.” You finished. Everyone looked at you with wide eyes, occasionally glancing at Astarion and his busted face.
Karlach stood and marched herself over to you. If this was the end for you at least it was Karlach taking you out, it’ll be a quick death. She held out her hand and you apprehensively took it.
“Who amongst us doesn’t have a secret or two? I trust them and their intentions after seeing them outside the camp today. Y/N, you have my support and my trust.” Karlach said.
You couldn’t help but tear up and engulf her in a hug. Thank god she had already had her tune up or it would have been a very short, scorching hug. She only faltered for a moment before hugging you back.
“Enough with the doom and gloom Astarion. Please come eat, it smelled heavenly.” Karlach asked, walking back to her bowl and taking a bite. This seemingly put everyone at ease, everyone starting to eat and drink. Everyone sent you soft smiles or nods of approval as if to finally say “welcome, you’re here to stay.”
Astarion picked up his pride and went to hunt. He was so sure he could turn them against you enough to at least abandon you. Why did you have to be so damn sweet and honest with everyone? He knew he deserved that punch but it didn’t make him want you any less.
You grabbed a bottle of Ithbank before heading to your tent for the night.
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You awoke hours later. The camp was quiet except for a groan you heard. You sat up, it sounded like it was coming from the stream. Getting up you wore nothing but your large untied shirt and underwear. You crept over to the hillside. You saw Astarion with his shirt off splashing water onto his shoulder. The night was dark but you could see his hand was covered in blood. Punched or not, you wanted to help him. You slunk down the hill, thankful the riverbed rocks were smooth under your feet.
“May I?” You said.
“Gods! Don’t do that!” He winced. “I don’t want your help.”
“But you need it, you stubborn jackass.” You said, grabbing his hand and marching him back to your tent. You sat him on your bedroll before grabbing a cloth and pouring some water from your canteen on it. You gently pressed it to the slash on his shoulder.
“Care to tell me what happened?” You asked.
“No.” He said bluntly.
“Looking to get punched again?” You said, quirking an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes as he tried to stifle the hiss he had to let out from the pain.
“We could be friends ya know. If you weren’t out to get me for some unknown reason.” You said with a tinge of sadness to your voice.
“And why would I want to be your friend?” He asked.
“I’m smart, funny, attractive….” You smiled as you listed.
He let out a chuckle, “Might want to add vain to the list.”
“Seriously though, why don’t you like me?” You asked, setting the cloth aside and going for some bandages you had in your camp pack.
“I don’t trust you there’s a difference.” He said, looking at the ground.
“You’re a deeply mistrusting person and I respect that, but everyone deserves a chance. Have I done anything to make you mistrust me?” You finally looked into his crimson eyes. They were beautiful. Shiny like rubies and a deep crimson like blood.
“You punched me in the face.” He said, meeting your gaze.
“You deserved to be punched in the face.” You said, starting to wrap the gauze around his torso and shoulder.
“Perhaps.” He conceded.
You noticed a small cut to his cheekbone. Raising your hand, you ran your thumb under it. You grabbed the cloth you used to clean his wound and brought it to his cheek, dabbing softly at the dried blood. He caught your wrist in a soft grasp. You looked at each other, neither moving. The air around you felt thick. Thankful for the dim light from the bonfire, you were sure you were blushing unintentionally. Astarion softly pressed a delicate kiss to your wrist.
“Thank you for helping me, it was very kind.” He sounded so sincere. You smiled and thumbed over his cheek one last time before pulling your hand back to yourself.
The more you looked at him the more you noticed his sunken eyes, his slim cheeks, the aches that plagued him.
Hungry
You jumped back a little not expecting to hear voices and feel a wriggle in your head. Astarion’s eyes flitted to yours, “You’re hungry aren’t you?” You asked in a whisper.
“I didn’t drink as much as I would have hoped to… the bear apparently didn’t like fangs in it.” He said, gesturing to the bandaged gash.
You pondered it for a moment. On one hand, he had been a massive cunt to you since you arrived and had punched him a few hours ago. On the other hand, he just let you patch him up and even thanked you for it.
“If you want… you could feed off me? If it would help?” You asked, looking between his eyes and the ground, fingers picking at each other nervously.
“You would do that for me?” He asked, genuinely confused.
“See? I’m not so bad after all.” You smiled as you pulled your laces at the top of your shirt loose revealing your neck, shoulder, and the top of your chest.
He gulped and looked at your beautiful skin. He was hungry but he knew he’d have to repay you. He pulled you to him by your waist, planting you in his lap, straddling his hips. You knew what he was doing, what he was thinking.
“Astarion, stop. You don’t have to do anything. You don’t owe me… I’m doing this because I want to help you.” You said, shifting yourself to sit next to him instead of on him.
He gave you a soft smile, “Apologies. I’m used to giving myself as payment. Old habits die hard I suppose.”
You nodded, knowing his history and not wanting to trudge up bad memories. You leaned against the tree trunk next to your bed roll, exposing your neck to him.
Astarion licked his lips subconsciously. His breath against your neck made you shiver. He kissed the junction between your neck and shoulder before sinking his teeth in. It felt like getting an IV needle shoved into your throat. The pain was quick, the feeling of blood being sucked out of you was what felt odd. Warm fluid being sucked out rapidly. He must have been hungry.
After a minute you gently pushed against his chest. He snapped back to reality, pulling back and resting his head against your shoulder while licking up the little blood that spilled from the punctures. His breath was heavy and so were his eyes.
“That was amazing…” he whispered.
You sat up a bit, pushing Astarion back. “Glad my blood is acceptable.” You joked, pulling your shirt back on properly and tightening the laces.
It was beyond acceptable. It was… heavenly. It was beyond anything he had tasted or smelled before. It tasted sweet. Like the richest chocolate. It coated his tongue and he already wished for more. His gaze was glazed over, perfectly happy. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
You watched him. He was beautiful, truly. The feeling of arousal that shot through you while he drank made you feel awful. You knew his backstory and you knew he was in no position to do anything sexual. You focused on slowing your heartbeat down in hopes he wouldn’t hear it.
He gently took your hand before kissing your wrist again, “Thank you. This was a gift, I won’t forget it.” He nodded before getting up and heading back to his tent. “Goodnight.” You heard him say faintly.
You smiled as you laid down, happy that you two reached a truce. Maybe he needed a bit more care than the others, and you were happy to provide it. You drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a certain pale elf.
Hello lovelies! I hope you enjoy this new chapter. I hope to hear from you all in the comments or in my DM's. I really wanna try and write a few drabbles for y'all. Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :)
#baldurs gate 3#astarion x reader#astarion x tav#bg3#isekai#down bad#karlach#shadowheart#gale of waterdeep#bg3 wyll#lae'zel#balduran#baldur's gate 3#baldur's gate iii#baldurs gate astarion#baldur's gate oc#astarionposting#baldur's gate#baldurs gate#astarion x you#astarion#bg3 astarion#baulders gate 3#astarion my beloved#bg3 companions#astarion ancunin
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Evermore
Summary: It's been 7 years since the love of your life left you behind for his career. When he decides to come back, is it too late to start anew? Will you decide to start over or realize what's been right in front of you this whole time?
Warnings: 18+ for future chapters. AFAB!Reader. Minimal use of Y/N. Reader is given the nickname Peach.
Word Count: 1.9K
Masterlist
Your peaceful, dreamless sleep was abruptly interrupted when the shrill sound of your phone ringing startled you awake. Light from the early morning just beginning to filter through the curtains casting a soft glow around your room, you peek one eye open to check the clock on your bedside table that reads 6:34. Drifting off to sleep only a couple hours before, the bright red letters now seem to taunt you. Placing the receiver to your ear with a groan, knowing exactly who it is before you answer.
“Yeah?” you huff, throwing your head back into the soft pillows.
“Well, good morning to you too,” that all too familiar sing song voice of your best friend, ever a morning person. You truly couldn’t be mad at him though. Even if it was your day off and you were hoping to sleep in. Days off seem to come few and far between with running not one, but two full-time businesses took its toll but you honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Staying busy meant your mind stayed busy. No time for those intrusive, dwindling thoughts that creeped in when you were idle. Much like today, you wished you had planned your day off on a different day this week.
“Steve, get on with whatever you’re going to ask,” your voice raspy, still laced with sleep trying to keep up the feigned annoyed tone.
“Rough night?” his voice timbre lowered, laced with concern.
“Fine Stevie.” A lie you knew he could easily suss out. He knew you better than anyone. You suspect he might know you better than you knew yourself.
Deciding not to prod you any further this early in the morning, he went straight to the point. Changing the subject, his voice once again jovial,” Well… Maddie wanted me to ask if you wanted to get breakfast with us. She missed you this week. I know you hate me calling this early, but I also know you can never say no to her.”
“Blaming it on Maddie, huh? Right, well tell Princess Madelynn that Auntie Peach will be on her way as soon as she gets some caffeine in her bloodstream.” You heard him chuckle on the other end. He was right, you could never deny her.
“Hey, don’t worry about it, I’ll swing by. She wanted to go to Benny’s for pancakes. I’ll get her dressed; we’ll be there in 20.” Before he hung up you heard him tell her to get her shoes on, and heard that sweet voice yell over the receiver, “I love you Aunt Peach!” He laughed, and you answered with that same jovial tone. “Love you too sweet girl! See you soon!”
You drag yourself from the warm cocoon of your bed. Your bare feet hit the cold, hardwood floors and you shuddered not ready to face the day. You dressed and made yourself presentable before heading downstairs to make a pot of coffee.
Sipping your coffee while you wait, you see that now old, but still much-loved BMW pull into your drive and honk. The car he exclusively used only on the weekends now. You waved through the window and poured your coffee to go.
“Hey Angel!” You cooed at Maddie, while opening the door to sit down.
“Auntie Peach!” The young girl squealed, “Daddy said you needed cheering up today.”
“Madelynn Grace! I told you to keep that between us!” He chided, eyeing her from the rearview. He then hesitantly looked over to you already staring at him. She moved her hands to her mouth but giggled, “Sorry daddy.”
“It’s ok Steve, it’s been 7 years. I’m okay. I didn’t even realize what day it was until a few minutes ago.” A lie you supposed would make Steve feel better, even if he saw right through it. You reached over and placed your hand on his, resting on the console, gently giving him a reassuring squeeze. “I promise, I’m ok.”
He gave you a thin-lipped smile and nodded as he shifted himself to back out of the drive. Maddie started rambling in the back. Always a chatterbox. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought the kid was Robin’s the way she goes on and on, but Robin watches her while Steve works most days, so she picked up that habit from her.
The radio filled the comfortable silence, in between Maddie’s bursts of random thoughts or questions. You were ok. That’s the least you could tell yourself after all. Brave face for the ones you loved. Just get through the day.
You arrived at Benny’s soon enough. Steve got out and unbuckled Maddie. As soon as he sat her down, she tackled your legs in a crushing hug yelling for you to hold her. “Alright Angel,” you relented with no hesitation. She hugged your neck and gave you a big, sticky kiss on the cheek. “I missed you.” She said into your neck, and you could have just melted right on the spot. “I missed you too!” whispering into her curls as you squeezed her back with just as much enthusiasm.
The three of you entered the diner and found your usual booth in the back. Maddie abandoning Steve to take a seat by you. Marcie, the waitress came over with fresh cups of coffee and OJ for the princess. “Hey Y/N! Hey Steve!” She batted her eyes at him as she spoke. He thanked her and smiled as she walked away.
“Still got it, huh Stevie?” giggling, without looking up from the menu you were perusing. You knew he was glaring at you.
“Stop it!” He tossed the straw wrapper from Maddie’s OJ toward you. She was now thoroughly distracted, enraptured by the crayons and paper provided by the diner ignoring the banter between the two of you.
“No, you stop it! I can’t tease my best friend now?” you sipped your coffee and smiled over the cup at him. He rolled his eyes as Marcie came back to take your orders.
You had your usual waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Steve opted for something healthier, an egg white omelet with veggies, he said he was watching his figure. You couldn’t contain the eyeroll. And of course, pancakes with extra whipped cream for Maddie. The food made it out in record time, as usual.
“So, I was thinking…” Steve paused, finishing his last bite. He chewed his bottom lip for a moment.
“Easy now, don’t think too hard. You might hurt yourself.”
“Ha, ha! Anyway, how about we all get away for the rest of the day? I can drive us up to Indianapolis, and we can visit the Z O O.” Spelling it out so Maddie wouldn’t catch on. “I know it’s not exactly a relaxing getaway but it’s something to get you out of the house,” he looked up at you with those pleading, puppy dog eyes. He didn’t want you to be by yourself today. Steve, always taking care of everyone he loves. “I can drive you back home to change. I need to grab Maddie some snacks anyway.”
“What?” you snort, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“What? No. I didn’t mean it like that. I…” he started, throwing his hands up in protest.
“I’m kidding! Let’s go, I’m game for anything.” You interrupted him smiling and looked over at Maddie. Sticky cheeks and hands from the syrupy goodness she just finished, staring dreamily out the window. You smiled and tenderly brushed her hair back from her face. “Ready to go Princess?” you asked her. Too enraptured by her sweet face smiling up at you, you had missed the way Steve stared at you both with his own beaming smile.
Eddie Munson is currently on a flight from LA to Indianapolis fighting what he can only describe as the worst hangover that hell could conjure up. Not the way he intended to spend his 30th birthday but here he was. The rockstar life was beginning to weigh on him. Yeah, the women and endless parties were fun, but he was starting to miss the way his life used to be. When things weren’t so complicated. That old saying you don’t know what you have until it’s gone is really starting to ring true for him here lately.
He needed a break, and this morning only solidified that deep need within him. He had just kicked his current girlfriend to the curb after finding her in bed with one of the party goers from the night before. He was tired of the endless stream of bullshit that came with his fame and fortune. People used him up to the point that he barely recognized himself. After the knockdown, drag out blow up with his now ex-girlfriend he promptly packed a small bag and got his driver to take him to the airport where he now finds himself on his way back home.
He needed to see his Uncle Wayne. It had been far too long. The weekly phone calls were never missed, but he was ready to see the old man in person.
As the drone of the plane’s engines stilled his mind, he tried to rest but couldn’t. His thoughts drifted to that one person that lurked just below the surface of his subconscious. He could picture those tears welling up in those heartbroken eyes while those words drifted from that perfect set of lips that he still longed to kiss when the world was quiet, and he was alone with only the ghost of you to haunt his dreams.
7 years ago, it was a much simpler time for him. He knew he would have been spending his birthday with you. He never once had to question your love or faithfulness to him. He wasn’t rich nor famous, but you had loved him anyway. The one person that gave a damn about him in that miserable town besides his Uncle. He pushed you to the back of his mind as best he could and ordered the stiffest drink the limited plane menu had to offer. He could at least numb the pain for a little while longer.
The day flew by in a whirlwind of smiles and laughter. Maddie had effectively worn herself out along with you and Steve. She was out as soon as he put the car in drive to head back home. She looked like a cherub, all rosy round cheeks and soft curls haloed around her face. You wished in that moment you could freeze time for just a little while so she could stay that little and sweet.
You and Steve chatted quietly about nothing in particular to pass the time. Sometimes moments of peaceful silence passed between you. It was always this way with you two. You could enjoy the company without a word passing between you. Most of the time it’s why you got along so well. You knew when to talk and you knew when to keep your mouth shut.
The time passed quickly and soon enough you were back in Hawkins.
“Why don’t you just stay over tonight since it’s already so late?” you asked, even though you already knew the answer. It’s not that he lived too much further in town, but you often stayed at each other’s houses on any given day.
Steve glanced at Maddie through the rearview, still snoozing away. “Yeah, of course. I’m sure she’ll be overjoyed seeing you in the morning again.” You saw his sleepy smile in the light of the passing streetlamp.
Both tired from the days adventure neither of you noticed the black car sat in front of your home or the man with those wild, untamed curls sat behind the wheel lighting up his cigarette watching that BMW that he instantly recognized slowly pull into your drive.
#eddie munson#steve harrington#steve harrington x reader#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson X reader#eddie munson fic#steve harrington fic#steve harrington x female reader#dad steve harrington#eddie munson x fem!reader#steve harrington x fem!reader#older!eddie#older!steve
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At first glance, this set of panels above appears to show something that you might think is unworthy of a second glance. It’s only Asami peeking into the door. But here I am doing a pretty deep dive, into this set of panels and of this particular chapter (ch 6. Vol 7) and of some related event in Vol 7.
If you forget where this is from or don’t recognize it, I’ll give a quick summary. This is the chapter right after Akihito gets his apartment key taken by Sudoh, and he doesn’t return home for three days. In the scene Asami has just returned home and is peeking into Akihito’s bedroom, finding it empty.
I might be stretching in my interpretation of this scene, but I just can’t believe that Sensei would dedicate 3 whole panels of space, just to show us Asami slowly opening the door, peeking in, and then fully stepping in - all so she can get the point across that Asami is looking in Akihito’s room. I can’t believe that Sensei would add these seemingly unnecessary details for no reason. This is a man who a few chapters previous to this one - shot the lock on this very same door and barged in without a care to prove a point that Akihito could not avoid him. So why is he now quite literally lurking at the doorway? This set of panels shows a delicacy to this act that seems uncharacteristic of Asami. So Why?
Well let’s start at the opening scene of this chapter, Asami walks in the door of his apartment and it’s as if he knows right off the back that something is wrong. Up until this point in the manga Asami is used to, what I am going to call, Akihito’s “acts of domesticity” (/acts of love ❤️). These acts of domesticity are multiple and varied and are kinda an umbrella term I am going to use for a lot of different things. Sometimes it is in the form of Asami being greeted at the door, dinner being ready, cooking taking place in the kitchen, and The two of them sharing a meal. Having breakfast in the morning. Chatting over coffee. Binge-watching horror movies. Bathing together. Watching fireworks from the balcony. But those acts of domesticity go beyond face-to-face interaction. Sometimes it is a physical object, it’s the notes Akihito leaves behind for Asami about what's for breakfast, the grocery list and the magnets on the fridge, and Akihito’s panda soap dispensers in the bathroom. A pot of food with Asami's name on it. The packed refrigerator full of food. The table being set. It also means something far more than any of that as well - it’s the clean, warm and inviting home that Akihito has made his own.
Asami in his own words in that one extra for Vol 7, “Young Businessman Ryuichi Asami’s little monster arrived”, calls it a kind of “presence” within the apartment. Even if Akihito is hardly ever around, even if they live somewhat separate work lives- Akihito's presence around the home can still be felt. Because those acts of domesticity go beyond just being able to see him or do things with him. This whole extra shows a lot of these “Acts of Domesticity”, and how much it's all a noticeable change in Asami’s usual day-to-day life.
So back in ch 7, when Asami returns home, it’s like he immediately recognizes that lack of “presence” and the lack of these acts of domesticity. He can’t find it in the physical face-to-face form, but neither can he find it in the other acts of domesticity that Asami has already come to recognize as a form of Akihito’s presence within the house. To me that makes him realize right away that something is off, and feels different compared to the other times Akihito happens to not be around.
In comparison, in an earlier chapter in this very same volume, Akihito is similarly gone for the night. In that chapter, Akihito is called away by Mitarai. (The chapter I’m referring to is the one where he sees Asami and Sudo together for the first time) In that episode, Akihito has a rare moment of dialogue where he talks about how he rarely sees Asami regularly since they are both busy with work and doing their own things. Even still Akihito is still thinking about Asami, He makes dinner for the two of them and sets the table. He even hesitates meeting up with Mitarai because it means missing Asami returning home. Still, he has a job to do, and he leaves a pot of food for Asami. That whole interaction presumes that it's not as if it's the first time Akihito has spent the night away from home - and it's never seen as an issue. When he comes home he even notices Asami has eaten without issue and has gone to bed, with no problem.
So am I basically saying that Asami comes home and realizes “Where’s my dinner?” 😡 YES! Yes, I am!! And maybe that sounds silly! But given this has become a habitually routine in their lives at this point of the manga, where even if Akihito is away for the night working, he would still leave dinner and still have breakfast prepared the next day. Or even leave a note, or explain the reason why he can’t do it on any given day (remember that time he had to pay off his debts at the onsen and couldn't return home for two weeks- even then he left Asami a voice mail!)
If this was your partner, and he cooked you homemade meals routinely -but one day it suddenly stops! Wouldn’t that be the first sign that something was wrong? And maybe it’s about you and your relationship!
What I am trying to say, is there is considerable evidence to show that though Asami acts aloof, though he doesn’t say a word about these acts of domesticity. The truth is he is in fact searching, and dare I say seeking, Akihito’s presence and those acts of domesticity. He has gotten used to these acts, maybe even taken them for granted. And though he probably would never admit to it- we all know that they probably mean a great deal more to him than we could possibly know or understand. Even though he never says anything about them, or compliments Akihito for those things, or expresses any desire for them - we nevertheless see him over and over again seeking them out.
But just to point out- these are all things Asami never asks Akihito to do. Akihito just does them on his own without any direction. And by no means does Akihito HAVE to do these things - remember at this point they are not even in a defined relationship which continues to be a sore spot for Akihito throughout this entire volume. From Akihito’s point of view, he is not even sure Asami wants him to stay. If he were to suddenly stop one day- he would probably be under the belief that Asami wouldn’t care either way.
Here’s a little detail I noticed, while I was doing this write-up that just perfectly illustrates a lot of the point I’ve been making. It’s a pretty clear example of Asami seeking out these acts of domesticity despite never being able to verbalize his desire for them. In the opening panels of ch 7, we see Asami first entering into the apartment. We see him looking into the hallway as if almost expecting Akihito to greet him at the front door. (Left panel below) that panel of him looking into the hallway and seeing it empty is an EXACT mirror of an earlier panel from a few chapters previous to this one. Where Asami has returned home early and Akihito instantly greets him at the door and they order sushi together afterward. (Right panel)
I mean look at these! How much clearer can this get - Sensei and her attention to detail have me aghast! Even after reading Finder so many times I was shocked I could still find little things like this that make me fall in love with this manga all over again. Notice the little detail of the - no lights on in the dark apartment vs the lights are on when Akihito is home and greeting him 🥺 not gonna lie it’s giving “Ain’t no sunshine when he’s gone” vibes to it 🤧😭
In the timeline of the storyline - these two events are only days apart. They went from being lovey-dovey eating sushi together and Akihito being very open about his desires and initiating first. TOO Akihito just disappearing without a word and being found a few days later in a police station (no wonder Asami was hella confused 🫤 )
Here we see Asami looking for Akihito in the hallway, and a little while later in this same chapter, there is another scene of him looking, not around for Akihito’s physical body, but he is looking at the table where they normally have breakfast together. But of course, it’s empty, since Akihito has still not returned.
A whole three days goes by before Asami even takes action and says something about it, calling his people to find out where Akihito is! Despite the fact, Asami knew on that very first night, as soon as he opened the door, that Akihito was gone.
Why does he take so long to do anything about it? This I feel is the heart of issues that we see being repeated in their relationship and throughout the manga, and their overall lack of good communication. Why not text Akihito, or call him and ask him directly where he is and why he hasn’t come home? It’s not like this is the first time nor will it be the last, where it’s almost as if Asami is avoiding asking anything of Akihito. Obviously, Asami wants to know where Akihito is and whether he is coming home or not - but he acts almost as if he has no right to ask. Down the line in this very same volume, we see Kuroda directly challenging Asami, asking him why he doesn’t just ask Akihito who the source of this yatta yatta unimportant problem they were having, which Akihito reported on. Asami cannot answer him.
So this finally brings me back to the original point of this post, and the panels of Asami lurking at Akihito’s door. (I apologize for the multiple tangents!)
He comes home, he notices that Akihito appears not to be home. That dinner is not prepared, as it usually is. That the apartment is dark and empty. At this point, Asami has no idea if Akihito is indeed in his room or not. But how do you think Asami feels about going in there and asking Akihito directly about something as simple as dinner plans? Let alone ask him if something is wrong. In my mind, it’s because Asami is well aware of the fact, that they do not have a defined relationship. Their lack of communication and being honest with each other (and with themselves) on this particular issue of “where they stand” continually creates problems for them.
The Manga is primarily in Akihito’s POV and he seems to believe he is the only one that doesn’t know where he stands. But if you look beyond the surface I think you’ll begin to see that it’s not JUST Akihito who doesn’t know where he stands - Asami himself has no idea either. He is just as confused by the signals he is getting from Akihito. It does not come easy for him to discuss these things, and he ends up doing it in a roundabout way usually because he wants to maintain that image of being aloof. In his defense, Akihito is just as bad, with his own desires to maintain his pride.
When I look at these three panels, I see an Asami that is attempting to delicately navigate a situation which he is unprepared for. When you think about it, Akihito is actually under no obligation to do any of those domestic things. He has no obligation to greet Asami at the door or to organize and make meals for Asami. Or even to act civil in front of Asami. And this is something I think Asami is keenly aware of. At this moment, I am guessing that Asami is probably already 90% certain that Akihito is not home. There are no shoes in the genkan, and the lights are off. There is already a lot of compounding evidence that Akihito is not home. But it’s almost as if - just in case- Akihito really IS on the other side of this door! Because it’s true that he could just be working on something in his room, or asleep, or something else. It’s as if Asami does not want to be caught there!
And maybe this is a stretch, but it’s as if Asami is acting like a hormonal teenager, afraid of being caught red-handed spying on his schoolyard crush! 😆
But why in the world would he do this? To keep up this front of indifference? Is it because he is afraid of what would happen if Akihito sees him? Afraid of what it would say about their relationship if Asami is caught “checking up on him”? If he is the one, for once, performing these acts of domesticity, poking his head in the door and greeting Akihito when he comes home from work, or asking what’s for dinner? If he is the one admitting that he wants to see Akihito greet him at the door. That he wants to share a meal with him, and that he wants to eat Akihito’s delicious food. All of that is too much for him, and I think he is somewhat fearful of what the answer from Akihito might be because suddenly you become the one with expectations when there aren’t any.
But it’s also not as if Asami hasn’t been bold in the past and asked things like “What’s wrong” or taken a direct route when it comes to Akihito. And it actually reminded me of the fact that in that very scene, I mentioned previously where Asami shoots the door down - he does in fact ask Akihito “What's wrong? And why he was acting all resistant?” The more I thought about the reason why Asami seemed fine during that time, but not during other times- It suddenly occurred to me that he felt okay asking those questions because at the time Akihito had shown his obvious discomfort and it opened the door for Asami to dig a little deeper— Akihito back then had “opened the door” - metaphorical speaking because obviously Akihito actually locked the door and Asami took that as an invite to barge right it!
If we look back on that specific chapter, and what was going on, Akihito was feeling pretty insecure after seeing Asami with Sudoh. And he wants to ask the relationship question, the “who is he to Asami” question. He notes that Asami never says anything about even wanting Akihito to stay or not, so he does not know where he stands or even if they are exclusive. Akihito worries if Asami has other lovers, that he doesn’t know about. But he stops himself from asking those questions saying to himself that he doesn’t want Asami to see him looking dumb or pathetic. This moment of Asami barging in ultimately leads to no progress on this front - because Akihito doesn't have the courage to ask Asami directly.
But guess what? That entire conversation, all started with a simple but seemingly unimportant little act.
Thats right! Akihito lurking at the doorway, peeking through the door to spy on his lover! This was a full circle moment for me - I got to say. Because you can not tell me that this was an accident. The parallels being made. the similar state of mind they must be feeling - it’s all too much to be a coincidence.
It’s like a reversal of roles, where this time it’s Asami with the burning question that he’s just as hesitant as Akihito to ask because it will make him come off as too invested, or even as if he is expecting too much. What I also think is kinda sad about this comparison as well is that it shows that even despite Asami’s hesitation, he has more courage than Akihito, he is still choosing to take that step in and peek - only to find it is indeed empty. As if it’s an answer to that question- that no you shouldn’t have those expectations. He spends the next two days not saying a word about Akihito’s disappearance, because he’s still not sure if he even has the right to be in Akihito’s life.
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Life After Destruction - Chapter 7 - Honkai: Star Rail
<Previous Chapter ~ Next Chapter>
Month seven meant only one more month aboard the Astral Express before Stelle and Dan Heng would be dropped off at the Xianzhou Luofu. Stelle felt like things were happening so fast. The pressure to get everything in order this month, including finishing shopping for the nursery, was beginning to weigh on her.
However, there had been one minor roadblock to accomplishing that goal: Himeko and March practically begging her to wait with any form of shopping. Although Stelle supposed she would have a month on the Luofu to collect any remaining items she needed, she still wanted to get things in order now, as did Dan Heng. In the end, the two were so adamant in their request that she had to cave, and despite her repeated asks, they never told her the reason.
Until today.
“Surprise!” Asta and March said, waving excitedly at the obnoxiously large pile of gifts.
Surprise, indeed. To say Stelle’s jaw was on the floor was probably an understatement. Beside her, Dan Heng looked equally shocked. Probably because when Himeko said they needed to go to Herta Space Station to gather supplies, it never crossed either of their minds that this would be what she'd meant.
“Yeah, yeah, surprise,” Herta reluctantly agreed with all the minimal enthusiasm she could muster. To be fair to her, the fact Herta had even come down to greet them was a surprise in itself. “Now get all this garbage off my ship. It’s preventing me from seeing my curios.”
“Madam Herta,” Asta gently chided. “I know you don’t mean that. Didn’t you get them a gift, too?”
“I didn’t want to,” she snipped. “It was Screwllems’s stupid idea, and Ruan Mei just had to jump on board. But… I guess it’s not totally worthless. Because of this idiot—” Herta roughly pointed at Stelle— “I’m still able to do my studies and experiments in this galaxy. Although, she could have avoided getting knocked up.” With those biting words, she glared at Dan Heng.
Stelle chuckled nervously. Although Herta’s words said one thing, Stelle was fairly certain the only reason she was mad was because Stelle hadn’t been able to help test the Simulated Universe for far too long.
Dan Heng, for his part, simply ignored it. “So,” he began, looking over the mountain of gifts once again before turning to March and Asta. “Would you like to explain why there are so many gifts here?”
“It’s for a baby shower!” March explained. “Er… kind of.”
“You two are kind of famous, you know,” Asta elaborated. “So it was only natural that people would want to know that the galaxy’s savior was pregnant with her first child. These are all the congratulatory gifts from, well… everyone.”
Stelle looked over the tower again. This mountain was the galaxy’s well-wishes to her?
Her hand went up to rest on top of her growing stomach.
“Um.” From behind them, Arlan spoke up. “Would you like me to start organizing the transfer of these gifts to the Express?”
“Yes!” Herta cried. “Get them out of here. I’ve got more important things to do, like finding someone who doesn’t have a medical exemption from assisting with my tests of the Simulated Universe. I’m trying to get in contact with Nanook there since he’s long dead in the real world. Curious minds need to know his reasonings behind these wars.”
“You can have Caelus for your experiments,” Stelle offered.
Herta quirked a brow at her. “Who?”
“Wow, that’s mean,” March muttered under her breath.
“We’ve all done it,” Stelle flatly countered, trying to justify away the niggling guilt she felt. “It’s his turn. Think of it as a rite of passage.”
Dan Heng hummed. “If he wants the full experience of being a trailblazer, I suppose assisting Madam Herta is part of it.”
Despite being a doll, Herta’s eyes started gleaming. “Oh, so he is a new member? That would be useful to get a fresh perspective on the alterations to the Simulated Universe. You all have adapted well to it, which has been helpful in its own way, but that might have skewed an accurate perception of it.”
“He’s probably still with Himeko at the Express,” Dan Heng answered.
“Oh, perfect.” And with that, Herta shuffled past Arlan and out the door.
Asta cleared her throat to break the awkward atmosphere. “If you would please, Arlan. Moving all this will take a while.”
“G-got it,” he replied. “It’s preferable to being dragged around by Madam Herta. Just… don’t tell her I said that.”
“Where is this even going to go on the Express?” Stelle asked.
“Himeko said she’s figured that out already,” March dismissed. “So don’t worry about it.”
That was an impossible task. Especially as another question came to mind. “Where is all this going to go in the nursery?”
“Oh!” March’s eyes lit up. “So that’s the thing. When Himeko and I sent out the announcement, we kinda realized that you might end up with an excess of baby things. Himeko suggested they send things for the baby to grow into instead of just baby things. She promised that you guys could put all the things you wouldn’t need right away in storage.”
“Well,” Dan Heng said, nodding in approval, “that certainly is more practical, considering how many planets seemed to have been informed.”
“Yeah,” Asta agreed. “But they were all more than happy to send things along. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have all this.”
That was true. At that realization, Stelle felt quite honored.
Don’t cry, she mentally warned when she felt herself suddenly get emotional, an unfortunate side effect of her pregnancy. Suck it up. It’s fine. It’s just… really nice of everyone.
Soon enough, she was dabbing at her eyes.
“Please tell me those are happy tears,” Asta said, suddenly getting worried.
Dan Heng wrapped his arm around Stelle’s waist, and she allowed him to pull her close. “Yeah. I’m fine,” she said, leaning against Dan Heng's shoulder.
“Is it overwhelming?” Dan Heng quietly asked.
Stelle nodded. “But it’s really nice of everyone.”
“It… it really is,” Dan Heng agreed. “We’re going to have to thank everyone for their thoughtfulness.”
“I’ve got you covered,” Asta said, grabbing one of the boxes that was exceedingly plain. She took off the cardboard lid, showing a small booklet and a stack of cards and envelopes. “This is for you to record who gave you what. And then I got actual letters for you to send. Hopefully, that won’t be too overwhelming.”
“We’ll manage,” Dan Heng said. “Although… this will be quite the task.”
Stelle could not disagree in the slightest.
“I can help if you want,” March offered. “I don’t mind.”
“Thanks,” Stelle said, shooting her friend a smile. As kind as it was for her to offer, Stelle had the feeling she’d manage on her own. After all, she was getting quite bored staying still on the Express, her growing stomach getting in the way of being too adventurous. Writing a million cards might just be the cure for her boredom.
Or it would drive her insane. With her mood swings, who knew. Either way, it had to be better than helping Herta test the Simulated Universe…
Right?
~~~
Dan Heng had no idea how they managed to fit all the gifts in the Astral Express. Looking over the storage room that was practically overflowing, he was dreading the task of opening them. However, he would not complain. This was extremely generous of the galaxy at large, and he was appropriately thankful for their consideration. Furthermore, with all these gifts, it was likely he and Stelle wouldn’t have to go shopping for much more. That is, if they had to go shopping at all. While he wouldn’t have minded going shopping for the baby, he also couldn’t deny he would prefer if he didn’t have to. Shopping had never been his favorite thing, and one particular pre-Stelle shopping trip he’d been forced to take with March had spoiled that task for life.
“So,” Himeko began, approaching Dan Heng, “What do you think of the surprise? We wanted to organize a proper baby shower for Stelle, but that just wasn’t possible.”
“This is more than enough,” Dan Heng assured with a smile. “Thank you. It must have taken considerable effort on your part to organize this.”
“It did, but it was worth it. Hopefully, March and I did a good enough job communicating with everyone so you won’t get too many repeated items. You should be covered with a range of things up into their childhood years. Although, organizing certain toddler items does become more challenging when you don’t know if you’ll have a boy or a girl.”
“Stelle wanted to keep it a surprise. Otherwise, you would have known.”
“I know. And I also know you went along with her wishes to keep her happy." She then poked his shoulder. "Just remember you’re the father. You’re allowed to ask for things, too.”
“I know,” he returned. “But I couldn’t ask for anything more than what she’s given me. While I would have liked to know, just so I could be as prepared as possible, it ultimately doesn’t matter if we know ahead of time or not. I’ll be happy either way.”
Himeko’s smile was gentle. “Stelle’s very lucky to have you as her husband. And your child is going to be lucky to have you as a father.”
Bashful, Dan Heng turned back to look over the gifts. “I’ll… do my best.”
“Give yourself a little credit,” Himeko teased. “You deserve it.”
Unsure of what to say, Dan Heng simply nodded. He had plenty of doubts lingering in his mind over this, but he had to conquer them alone. And quickly, at that. The baby would be here before they knew it. While Dan Heng knew that everything about their life would change because of it, there was also only so much he could do to prepare. He would just have to adapt to everything else and hope he didn’t mess things up, for his child’s sake.
“Have you figured out names yet?” Himeko asked.
He nodded, thankful for the change in conversation. “Yes, we’ve settled on names for both genders.”
“Are you going to keep those a surprise, too?” Himeko lightly prodded.
“Yes,” Dan Heng said, giving her a slight smile. “But that was my idea to do so.”
“Haha. You two are certainly keeping everyone in suspense.”
Dan Heng shut the door to the storage room, blocking out the overwhelming sight of the mountainous stack of gifts for now. “On a different note,” he began, making his way back to the parlor. “I will be sitting this next mission out so as to help Stelle—”
“She warned me to not allow you to do that,” Himeko interrupted. “She said she could handle the presents and thank you cards on her own but that you should get out and about as much as possible before the baby is born. I agree with her. I doubt you’ll want to leave her side for a while after your baby arrives, so I don’t want you to get sick of the Astral Express too soon.”
Dan Heng sighed. Part of him figured this would happen. If it was just Himeko’s idea, he’d probably argue with her, but he wasn’t going to test Stelle. Her emotional state was growing more unstable with each passing month, so he didn't want to start needless fights with her. She was only doing this out of consideration for him, anyway.
“It will be fine,” Himeko said. “You two can open the gifts together while we’re traveling. Then whoever stays behind with Stelle can help her write all the thank you notes. That is, if she wants the help in the first place. It’s quite obvious Stelle is growing plenty bored staying on the Express all the time. The letters will give her something to do.”
When Himeko put it that way, Dan Heng thought maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to leave that job up to Stelle, after all.
“Besides,” Himeko continued. “I appreciate you teaching Caelus what you know before you disappear on us. Don’t say this to March, but between the two of you, you are the better teacher.”
Dan Heng smirked in amusement. “My lips are sealed.” Although, he did suppose Himeko had a point when it came to Caelus. He was a plenty capable person and well-trained, but he came with his own challenges and quirks. Stellaron Hunters did things very differently than the Nameless, so there was much to teach him as well as many tricks to learn from him.
And if Dan Heng were being honest, he enjoyed having a male companion compared to traveling with two girls all the time. Not that he didn’t adore said girls, especially since they were his wife and someone he thought of as a sister.
They entered the parlor to see Stelle still chatting with March, Asta, and Arlan. Upon spying Dan Heng, Stelle grinned, waving him to come over before motioning to a large box at her feet. “From the Space Station.”
“Though Arlan organized it,” Asta said, elbowing the young man.
Arlan chuckled sheepishly. “I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure we will,” Stelle said. “Thank you.”
“And don’t worry,” Arlan added on, shooting Asta a warning look. “I didn’t let Lady Asta spend any money on it. She went overboard with the clothes, anyway.”
“I did not,” Asta countered. “It was fine.”
“It was not fine,” Stelle said. “It’s just that no one can stop you when you start.”
Before Asta could come up with a retort, the door to the Astral Express opened, and a frazzled Caelus entered.
Upon seeing all eyes were on him, he started waving his hands about. “Let me get this straight: you’ve all helped Madam Herta with her little ‘virtual reality’ experiment?”
Tempering a grin, Dan Heng nodded, noting that the others were all doing the same. He almost pitied Caelus. Almost. He’d suffered Madam Herta’s experiments enough over the years. It was Caelus’ turn to take up that torch. Besides, the more people who volunteered, the fewer times each person would have to assist.
“Like, once or twice?” Caelus tentatively inquired.
Stelle answered, “Sometimes, several times a week.”
“A week?” Caelus repeated, horrified.
“How’d you like it?” March teasingly prodded.
Caelus couldn’t answer right away, words clearly having failed him. Eventually, he just shook his head. “So many bugs.”
“Aww,” Stelle mockingly cooed. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
~~~
The pile of scrapped gift wrapping was growing astronomically fast, and the nursery was filling up with items almost as quickly. So far, there’d been a wide variety of things, from baby necessities to toddler clothing to a range of toys. Then there was the variety of wild card items ranging from medicine to information for the archives to weapons.
And then Stelle still wasn’t fully sure what that thing was over in the corner.
But even those odd items came with things like some diapers or children’s books, and each gift came with a letter of congratulations from the senders. Typically, they were from the government at large, but there were a few exceptions.
“Another from Belobog.”
Stelle took the gift Dan Heng offered her, the fourth one from Belobog. One from Bronya, who spoke on behalf of the country at large, then another from the Silvermane Guards. Wildfire even got her a gift.
As she looked over the plain brown box, her heart warmed upon seeing the still scratchy lettering that she recognized as Hook’s scrawl. To: Honorary Member and Little Honorary Member. From: The Moles. “They’re too sweet.”
“They are very kind," Dan Heng agreed. "I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them to scrape together the money to send that.”
That was true. Inter-astral mail wasn’t cheap. Even though she knew all the members of the Moles each had their own paying jobs now, it must have put quite the dent in their pockets.
Stelle opened the slightly battered box to reveal a jar of marbles, a teddy bear that looked handmade with a handful of clothes to go with it, and a torn, tattered book titled “Adventures of the Moles”. The longer she looked over the gifts, the more she recognized them, and soon enough, she began to feel overly emotional.
“I’m gonna yell at them for giving us these,” she whispered, her eyes growing watery.
“You should probably text them right away,” Dan Heng suggested, a gentle smile on his face while he soothingly stroked her hair.
“Yeah, probably.”
Dan Heng set the box carefully aside for her while Stelle pulled out her phone.
“I’m going to empty out the trash bin again,” Dan Heng said, standing from his seat. “And bring back the next round of gifts. Take your time.”
“Thanks,” she said, already tapping away at her phone.
Stelle: Hook! I just opened your gift!
Stelle: I love it. Thank you so much!
Stelle: Tell the others I said thanks, too.
Before Stelle could put her phone away, she saw little bubbles flash on the screen.
Hook: I’m glad! Do you like the teddy? I sewed it all by myself!
Hook: I asked the old witch to teach me how, and she said she would if I cleaned the clinic.
Hook: But she actually made me clean the clinic! (;° ロ°)
Stelle couldn’t help but chuckle. She could easily imagine the huffy pout Hook was wearing.
Stelle: It’s about time she made you keep your word. Natasha was too soft.
Hook: Honorary member! How dare you betray us!
Hook: Oh no she caught me
Stelle: Good luck with your punishment.
With a grin, Stelle put her phone down. Over the years, Hook had grown fond of the clinic. More often than not, Hook would volunteer a little of her time to help Natasha tidy the place up. Not exactly any of the “months” she’d ever promised, but Stelle supposed that development was enough to show just how much Hook had grown up.
While mustering the willpower to stand up and help Dan Heng pull some more presents into the nursery, her phone chimed. She looked over, expecting to see a message from Hook detailing how she escaped.
Natasha: Hey, Stelle. I’m sorry to bother you, but since you texted Hook, I thought you might be free for a moment. I have a question to ask of you.
Stelle: Of course. Shoot.
Natasha: Feel free to tell me I’m sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, but have you set up a birth plan yet?
Honestly, Stelle should have been expecting that from Natasha. If anything, she should have told Natasha her plans earlier.
Stelle: Yes. We’ve decided to go to the Xianzhou Luofu, which is Dan Heng’s home world. I believe I’ve told you about Bailu, correct? She was incredibly picky in recommending doctors to us.
Natasha: That’s good to hear you have people you trust. If you hadn’t, I was going to ask if I could help you in any way. Of course, if you need me for anything, I’ll help out as much as I can.
Stelle: Thank you. I promise I’ll contact you if I need anything.
Though it was reasonable to leave it at that, Stelle kinda wanted to keep the conversation going. Hence, she found herself typing out another message.
Stelle: Actually, I had been debating about coming to Belobog. I trust you as a doctor and would have felt the most comfortable with you, if I am being honest. But for other reasons, the Luofu is ultimately better.
Stelle: Sometimes I wish you could come, but I know you’re busy with the clinic. :)
Just as she finished, Dan Heng returned, his arms full of gifts once again.
Stelle put her phone down. “How many more do we have to go?”
Dan Heng dropped the tall stack. “With this, we’ve gotten through approximately two-thirds of the gifts.”
Stelle heaved a sigh. It had been a marathon, to say the least. She was growing tired of them, even though she was still incredibly thankful. Because of what they had received so far, the nursery was already stocked with everything they could need or want. Heck, they’d even gotten things they certainly didn’t need. At this point, she couldn't even fathom what other surprises there could possibly be.
Before Dan Heng could hand her the gift from the top of the pile, her phone dinged again.
Natasha: If you’d like, I can try to organize coming with you. I have two new assistants that could take over for a short period.
Natasha: I would have to double-check with some of the others, though, to make sure everything with Wildfire is running smoothly and that it would be okay.
Stelle blinked a few times at the message.
“Something happen?” Dan Heng asked, sitting down beside her again.
“Um…” Stelle pursed her lips as she glanced over to Dan Heng. “Natasha offered to come with us to be there for the birth of our baby.”
“Oh?”
Stelle nodded.
“Would you like that?”
“I mean… yeah.”
“But you’re hesitating.”
Stelle let her phone fall into her lap, giving Dan Heng her full attention. “Do you think Bailu would be okay with that? Or would that cause more problems? She said she’d already screened all the doctors there for us to meet. And I know Natasha said she’d be okay to leave for a bit, but we’ll be there for a month. Is it okay for her to leave for that long?”
Dan Heng paused in thought. “I wouldn’t worry about Bailu. Even though she did take time to recommend doctors to us, I doubt she would fault you for bringing a doctor you trust. As for if Natasha can take that time away from the clinic, I’d say tell her our plan and let her decide if she can accommodate us.”
“You think I should?” Stelle asked.
“I think you have the right to be comfortable with people you trust. And if they’re offering, I would accept. And... to be honest, I would be comfortable with Natasha, as well. For your sake."
Feeling more confident, Stelle picked up her phone again. "Bailu would be disappointed if she knew you didn't trust her judgment."
"I trust people you and I both know and have worked with. That's all."
Although he spoke them dismissively, she was happy to have her husband's full support. She leaned over to drop her head on his shoulder while she texted Natasha back.
Stelle: Are you sure that would be okay? About three weeks from now, we will head to the Luofu with plans on remaining there until the baby is born. By that time, I’ll only be eight months, so we’ll likely be there for a month or so. Is it possible for you to take all that time away from your clinic?
She sent off the message before dropping the phone back into her lap.
Beside her, Dan Heng pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head before handing her another gift.
"Was that encouagement to keep up this marathon?" she asked, feeling all fluttery from the tiny gesture.
"Possibly."
"Possibly," she repeated, amused. Still, she sat up straight to open the gift, this one a box of children’s books and some unisex clothes.
After recording the information in the booklet, Dan Heng took them to set aside just as her phone dinged again.
Natasha: So you’ll be spending the last month of your pregnancy there? That’s a wise idea. As for the length of duration on my account, things here should be fine between the two assistants that I’ve trained to handle the clinic here. Things have never run more smoothly. I’m sure I can disappear for a month or two.
Natasha: Actually, Seele just came and told me to leave the affairs of Wildfire to her and Oleg. It seems I might be pushed to go with you in the end.
Stelle: If you’re able to, I would really like to have you around.
Stelle: Take your time organizing things. We can come pick you up when it comes time and take you to the Luofu with us. I think you’d really like it.
Natasha: I would be going as your doctor first and foremost. But, when you put it that way, I guess that I would have a little free time to enjoy exploring a new place. That would be quite exciting. :D
“I think it’s going to work out,” Stelle said, grinning as she looked over to Dan Heng.
He returned her smile with one of his own. “Then I’ll inform Bailu a little later once you two have sorted out more of the details.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Well, while you’re continuing to communicate with her, would you like to switch tasks? I’ll open the next gifts and you record them?”
Stelle looked over the tower of gifts before her. Her stomach sank even further when she recalled there were still more in the storage area. “Yeah, gimme the notebook before I get sick of opening gifts forever.”
~~~
“And you’re certain you packed everything?” Dan Heng asked for the final time.
Stelle sighed, clearly getting tired of his constant questioning. Yet, he watched her silently count on her fingers as she looked over their luggage. “Pretty sure.”
“All the baby’s things that Natasha instructed us to pack?”
“That was the bag I packed first.”
He nodded, looking over the luggage one last time. He couldn’t shake this anxious feeling swirling through him, like he was forgetting something. Or maybe he was anxious because he was about to spend the next month with Stelle on the Xianzhou Luofu. This would be the longest period of time he’d spent away from the Express since first boarding. Furthermore, he wasn’t leaving for a mission but rather for a familial reason, which felt still extremely strange to him.
“Well, if you’re finished questioning me for the umpteenth time, are you ready to go?” Stelle asked.
Startled from his thoughts, he looked back up at her. “Y-yeah. I think so.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded, but she was quick to shoot him a doubtful look. Worried that she was about to call his bluff, he reached for their luggage bags, ones the space station had gifted them for this very reason. “We should go,” he said. “The others put aside their expedition to make this trip specifically for us. I don’t want to keep them long.”
“I guess you’re right.” And with that, Stelle reached for her bag.
“Grab the baby’s bag,” Dan Heng instructed. “That’s all I’ll let you carry.”
She frowned up at him. “I can carry more.”
“You are carrying plenty.” He reached out to lay a hand on her stomach. “So don’t overexert yourself.”
“I’m fine, you know,” she quietly countered, placing her hand on top of his, a habit she'd picked up from whenever the baby was kicking and she pulled him close to feel it. At the moment, the baby was quiet. Maybe it too was feeling the stress of everything.
“I’d like to keep you that way.” With that, he leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.
“Hey.”
He couldn't help but grin at the little pout she shot him, his worries disappearing for a second. Reaching up to cradle her cheek, he angled her head towards him and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Better?”
She grinned. “Thank you. For that, I guess I’ll let you carry the bags.”
He huffed in amusement.
Soon enough, the duo made their way to the parlor, Stelle carrying the baby backpack while Dan Heng dragged one large, rolling suitcase behind him. It fit quite a bit of their clothes for the month, but the rest of their things were packed in the overlarge pack he wore on his back. For some reason, a slight chill haunted him as he marched down the hallway. It disturbed him, this odd feeling of finality that hung in the air, like an end was imminent. He tried to tell himself he would return here to the Astral Express and that things would be fine, but the sadness weighing on his heart was too heavy to entirely ignore.
“There they are,” Himeko spoke once Dan Heng and Stelle entered the parlor. “Are the both of you set?”
“I believe so,” Dan Heng answered, pushing aside his feelings for now and focusing on the present. Beside him, Stelle made a show of crossing her fingers.
“Then this is where we part ways.” Himeko was the first to reach out and pull Stelle in a hug. “We’ll miss you. We’ll be hoping for a safe delivery.”
“Thank you,” Stelle muttered in return.
March was up next. “It will be so weird not having you two around,” she said, clinging tight to Stelle.
“It’ll be weirder when we bring back a baby,” Stelle bantered back.
“That’s true. But I’ll take that weirdness any day if it means you two are back.”
Dan Heng felt a small sense of relief knowing that he wasn’t the only one feeling strange about this whole arrangement. Not that there was anything to be done about it; it was part of Stelle’s pregnancy. One would have thought Dan Heng would have gotten used to change by now, with the months Stelle’s pregnancy had already altered their lives in numerous ways, but this felt different. They’d always had the Astral Express and the Nameless by their side to help them through it. Now, they were temporarily heading out on their own.
A weight on his shoulder called him out of his thoughts, and Dan Heng looked over to Welt. “I wish you both a restful month before the baby arrives,” Welt said, giving Dan Heng’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “You two have earned it.”
“We’ll try,” Dan Heng responded.
“Don’t worry,” Caelus said, giving Dan Heng’s other shoulder a bump with his fist. “We’ll take care of everything around here.”
“I believe you will.” Dan Heng had seen how quickly Caelus had integrated into the Astral Express crew. He would manage on his own. Although, Dan Heng still had some reservations about Caelus and March running missions together. The combination of March’s friendly, somewhat naive personality paired with Caelus’ impulsive nature was doubtlessly going to wind the pair in trouble at some point.
Caelus then turned to Stelle, reaching an arm out towards her. “Take care.”
Stelle returned the side hug with a smile. Despite the amnesia between the two of them making their past a jumbled mishmash of memories, they’d grown close over the last couple of months. Maybe because of how similar they ultimately were. “Don’t get in trouble,” Stelle warned him.
“I promise… to do my best.”
“March,” Stelle said, turning to her friend. “If something goes wrong, remember: blame him.”
“Hey!”
March laughed. “You got it.”
Caelus leveled a glare at March. “Rude.”
Chuckling, March shot back a cheeky wink and peace sign.
While the duo went at it, Welt had sided up to Stelle. “Take care,” he told her, reaching up to rest a hand on her head. “I’ll be hoping you have an easy delivery.”
Grinning, she reached out to wrap her arms around his torso. “Thanks.”
He wrapped an arm over her shoulders, looking every bit like a proud grandfather-to-be.
“Stay safe,” Himeko said, now at Dan Heng’s side.
“We will,” he returned.
“And know that we’ll always be here if you need anything,” she continued.
“I wouldn’t want to bother you any more than we have.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Himeko easily dismissed. “You and Stelle have been travelers on the Express for so long that you’re the closest thing to family I have. I guarantee you that the others feel the same. So it’s no bother. Besides, we’ll all miss you and can’t wait for you to come back, baby and all.”
At her words, more of the chilly unease in Dan Heng’s stomach dissipated. Maybe that was what had him in such a frenzy: he was leaving this place he considered home behind, even if it was just for a bit. For someone who grew up with nothing only to be exiled when he was old enough, the last thing he wanted was to let go of every treasure he'd found, for it to disappear.
But it wouldn’t. It was only a temporary shift for the sake of Stelle and his child. And once the baby arrived, they would come back home, to where his—no, their family was waiting.
“Sorry, sorry!” A sudden newcomer burst into the parlor. “I overslept. Apologies if I kept everyone waiting.”
“You came right on time,” Himeko assured. “Although, I feel bad for having to wake you in the first place. You seemed quite comfortable.”
“I was,” Natasha guiltily admitted. “Seems I’ve been working too hard lately and not getting enough rest.”
“Well, I hope you are able to get some rest on the Luofu.”
“On the contrary, I fear I’ll be too excited to want to sleep. And considering I have the very rare pleasure of caring for a single patient, I’ll have plenty of time to study a different world. I won’t want to miss a minute.”
Dan Heng spoke up, “I’m sure Bailu would be happy to let you read her medical texts.”
At that, Natasha’s eyes lit up. “It would be wonderful if I could find new techniques or medicines to take back to Belobog.”
“With as much free time as you’ll have,” Stelle chimed in. “I’m sure you’ll find something.”
“I look forward to it.”
With one last round of goodbyes, Dan Heng, Stelle, and Natasha headed toward the train's exit. Only, before they disembarked, Dan Heng transformed into his vidyadhara figure. Which he realized too late that Natasha had never seen before.
"That is... quite the surprise," Natasha commented, accepting the shift with grace. "But, I guess it shouldn't be, Cold Dragon Young."
He sighed. "I am impressed you can remember such a fleeting name."
"Fleeting?" Natasha asked, a mischievous twinkle coming to her eye. "The children still call you that."
Dan Heng wasn't quite sure what to think of that. Stelle certainly found it amusing, though.
When they disembarked the Express, they were immediately greeted by a surprisingly large welcoming party, the most notable two being a young vidyadhara and a not-so-fearsome Cloud Knight Commander.
“Dan Heng! Stelle!” Bailu was the first to run up to them, throwing her arms around Stelle. “Man, you’re huge.”
“Gee, thanks,” Stelle deadpanned, still patting Bailu on the head.
“It’s an observation, not an insult,” she quipped back. Her pout soon became a grin as she turned to Dan Heng and threw her arms around him. “Welcome back.”
Dan Heng returned the hug Bailu gave him, although he didn’t cling to her nearly as tight as she did him. “Good to see you, Bailu.”
Having properly greeted him and Stelle, Bailu then turned to Natasha. “Ah, are you the doctor that Stelle wanted to bring?”
“Yes. I’m Natasha. You must be Bailu.”
“That I am.”
“I’ve heard much about you.”
“You should have,” Bailu proudly piped up. “Dan Heng is basically my brother.”
“Play nice,” Dan Heng warned, patting Bailu on the head as he walked past her, dragging the luggage behind him.
“Fine,” she playfully bemoaned. “But only because you asked nicely.”
Leaving the girls behind to chat among themselves, Dan Heng approached a grinning Jing Yuan.
“I believe a hearty congratulations is in order,” the man warmly greeted.
“Thank you.” Over the years, Dan Heng had forged an odd sort of acquaintanceship with Jing Yuan. He was sure that Jing Yuan would never be able to fully forget Dan Heng’s past incarnation and the close friendship he’d shared with Dan Feng, yet Dan Heng could tell the commander had moved beyond that and saw him for the person he was in this life instead of the man he once had been.
“Come now, no need to be so modest. You’re the first vidyadhara to ever reproduce. You should be thrilled.”
“I am,” Dan Heng said. “I simply have other concerns on my mind at the moment. Such as how the general population has reacted to that fact."
Jing Yuan’s expression grew serious, which only made the pit of worry in Dan Heng’s stomach grow. “I apologize. I encouraged Lady Bailu to leak that news. I thought it would be for the better to stir the pot and see what bubbled up beforehand rather than you appearing with your pregnant wife unannounced.”
He sighed, a heaviness weighing on his heart. Maybe this was the other reason he was so afraid to leave the Express behind. Yes, he would miss his family, but here, there were threats to Stelle lurking just under the surface. And if anything happened to her or the baby…
Well, he feared he understood Dan Feng a little too well in moments like this.
“You aren’t one to make an impulsive decision like that without council,” Dan Heng said. “I’m assuming you contacted the head diviner before making that call.”
“I’m pleased to know you know me so well. Yes, I did. She also agreed with that plan, believing it gave us the best chance to monitor the population’s reaction and weed out any potential threats prior to your arrival.”
“Did it yield harvest?”
“It did,” Jing Yuan confirmed. “They are facing judgment for their scheming. Although, I would refrain from claiming we’ve eliminated all threats. While many vidyadhara have accepted you back into the fold, there are those who still hate you regardless. To be honest, the other reason we wished to leak the information beforehand was to ensure that it would be safe for you to come here in the first place. Had the population reacted poorly, I would have told Bailu to send you elsewhere. However, the general consensus is a positive one. Most of the vidyadhara are happy to learn of your ability to father a child. You are now a symbol of hope for their race, after all.”
For a moment, Dan Heng was silent. “I understand that Stelle’s pregnancy provides hope to the vidyadhara population at large, and I should have pride in the fact I’m able to contribute in such a way to my race. But…” He turned to look at Stelle, who was grinning as Bailu held her swollen belly with a look of awe. “That is the last thing on my mind.”
Jing Yuan hummed. “I suppose I can’t fault you for that. Ultimately, you are no different than any other excited father.”
Dan Heng turned back to Jing Yuan. “There is a vast difference between knowing you have a child to carry on the legacy of a race incapable of having children and knowing that you are blessed to have a child.”
With an approving grin, Jing Yuan dropped a hand on Dan Heng’s shoulder. “That child is lucky to have you as a father. I’m happy for you.”
Dan Heng nodded his thanks.
Jing Yuan then gave Dan Heng’s shoulder a squeeze. “I swear on my honor that I’ll do everything I can to keep you and Stelle safe. Beyond you two being the parents of the first vidyadhara to be born, you two are the saviors of the galaxy. And even beyond that… you, Dan Heng, are my friend.”
For a moment, words eluded him, so Dan Heng had to settle for reaching up to rest a hand on Jing Yuan’s shoulder. “Thank you… old friend.”
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New Journey (S.H.) Epilogue Season 1
Pairing: (eventual) Steve Harrington x henderson!reader
Summary: The beggining of the story. How did Y/n Henderson get herself into this mess? How did she deal with the loss of a dear friend and how will she survive the bullies and monsters?
Warnings: swearing, blood
Notes: This is it! The first season is officially over people! Next up we have season 4, which might take a little time to start uploading the chapters because the story plot is big and I want to make sure I don't miss any details and that everything is plausible and enjoyable in the story. I have half of the chapters ready but I constantly keep changing things to make it better, so bear with me. Enjoy! 💕
Gif not mine
Chapter 7 << Masterlist >> Season 2 Prologue
After calming down, you decided you should go back to the middle school to check on the kids. You and Jonathan rode together, while Nancy got into Steve’s car to try and explain what had just happened to them on the way there.
The ride was silent. You weren’t sure what topic you could discuss after fighting an interdimensional monster. So you just settled on the passenger's seat, closing your eyes for just a moment until you arrived at the school. You were certain that by leaving the kids behind you were doing the right thing. You all had agreed that inside the gymnasium they would be far away from any kind of trouble. But your luck was terrible.
Arriving at Hawkins Middle and seeing all the police cars and ambulances, almost felt like a stroke. Before Jonathan could even park the car, you were out of your seat, running around the parking lot, searching for the kids. Searching for Dustin.
You spot Dustin and Lucas sitting on one of the ambulances and you make a bee line to get to them. You couldn’t even feel the tears that were falling from your eyes as he turned to see you, his eyes opening wide.
“Y/n, you won’t believe wha-” he began speaking only to get interrupted by your arms hugging his small frame.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry for leaving.” you were sobbing, your faced smushed on his curly head of hair “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Lucas, are you okay? What happened?” you couldn’t stop asking questions, panic rising inside you as began looking all over Dustin’s body for any injuries as well as Lucas’s, but thankfully didn’t find anything out of place.
“Y/n, we’re fine, we’re okay.” your brother reassured you, taking ahold of your hands, so they would stop trembling.
“Okay, good- Wait. What about Mike? Where is he?”
“He’s over there with his parents.” Lucas pointed to your left and you turned to see him in Karen’s arms.
He looked alright as well, but there was one more kid missing “And Eleven? Where is she?”
The look on Dustin’s face made it clear that not everything was okay.
So you sat down between the boys, Jonathan joining you after a few minutes, while you listened to the kids explain what had happened when you left. How the bad men came to take Eleven, how she stopped them with her powers, but also how the blood from the bodies attracted the Demogorgon to them.
He described to you the battle between the creature and Eleven and finally, he tries to explain the fact that she just vanished into thin air, both your friend and the monster.
You felt awful. You felt like you betrayed them. You didn’t manage to kill the creature, so you didn’t protect the kids and you didn’t save Eleven. This was all your fault. You were going to miss that little girl and her peculiar powers, and as much as you hated the fact that she was gone, you couldn’t help but feel relieved that the rest of the kids were safe, you couldn’t help but thank her for her sacrifice.
___
Your next stop was the hospital where you also reunited with Hopper, Joyce, and Will, who was unconscious, but alive. Relief surrounded you now that everything was finally over. The Demogorgon was dead, and Will was rescued, you could finally breathe again. Your mother was called when the police had arrived at the school, but as Dustin told you, she didn’t answer, which meant she was having another late shift. After discussing with Hopper what to say, you decided to wait until you got back
As they were treating Will, a couple of nurses called upon you, Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve to treat the cuts you all had around your bodies. The moment Jonathan was free to go, he rushed back into Will’s room, while the rest of you made your way back to the waiting area.
You didn’t know how long you were waiting for Will to wake up. You were sitting in one of the most uncomfortable chairs you had ever sat your ass on with Dustin’s head on top of your left shoulder while Lucas’s on top of your right one, both of them sleeping and snoring. You could feel sleep calling for you too, your body aching for it, but you couldn’t sleep now, you had to wait for Will to wake up.
At one point Jonathan came back with the news you were all anxiously waiting for as he nodded towards Mike, which made him jump off his seat and shake his friends to wake up “Guys. Guys, he’s up. Will is up. Guys, Will’s up.”
The shaking surely made you more awake and get out of your seat while the kids started running to Will’s room. You walked over to Jonathan with a small smile and hugged him, his arms returning the hug before walking after the kids. You stopped and leaned on the doorframe, looking fondly over at the party reunited again. Seeing Will awake brought tears to your eyes, his gaze on you making you smile widely at him and give him a little wave.
After a while, you felt your throat drying so you walked over to the vending machine to buy a soda, but the stupid thing decided to eat the only money you had on you.
“Come on, you piece of shit.” you hit it in exaggeration when a voice interrupted you.
“Here, let me.” when your head turned around to look at your savior you definitely didn’t expect Steve, but here he was putting a dollar on the machine, asking you what you wanted, and handing you your soda. You took it silently and leaned against the wall as you opened and drank it. You watched as he took a small cup, ready to fill it with coffee when you felt the need to warn him.
“I wouldn’t drink that if I were you.”
“Why not?” you thought his tone was going to be sarcastic but his concerned eyes made you realize this wasn’t the case.
“It’s awful. I've had it before and it just isn’t worth your time. That’s why I am settling for a sugary soda. At least it will keep me awake for a little longer.”
He nodded at your words, and set the cup back down, getting another dollar from his pocket, and buying a soda for himself. You expected him to return back to the waiting room, thinking he had accomplished his goal here, but you frowned when you saw him leaning like you on the wall opposite of yours.
You tried not to show it, but you couldn’t help but wonder, why the hell was he sitting here with you? You didn’t like him, and you were certain, after your fight and Jonathan and his fight, he didn’t like you either. You debated to just walk away and return to the waiting room, not feeling the need to have more small talk about what the fuck had happened, but a memory stopped you. You remembered him back at the Byers’ with the bat in his hands, hitting the Demogorgon and saving you from getting torn into pieces, and as much as you thought he was a dickhead for everything he has done, you couldn't ignore his actions back there. If it weren’t for him things probably would have been a lot different.
So you took a deep breath, pushed your pride down and opened your mouth “Hey, uh… I just wanted to say thank you…” you looked up and saw him frown at your words as if he didn’t understand why you were thanking him “You know, for earlier.”
His eyes shot open the moment he realized what you were referring to “Oh, yeah, yeah, no problem. I was nothing.”
“Well, if it weren’t for you, I would have died so I don’t think it was nothing. So… yeah, thanks.” you looked back down at your soda, wishing the ground would swallow you up after that awkward interaction.
Steve however couldn’t help but smirk as he watched you “How much did it kill you to say that?”
“A lot.” you admitted truthfully, but you both started snickering under your breaths “You have no idea.”
“That’s okay, I get it. I- I also need to apologize for acting like a dick before. I swear I am done with Tommy H. and Carol and with the whole ‘king’ stuff.”
“Yeah, right.” you scoffed and looked up to see his serious eyes watching you closely as you rolled your own “Oh, come on. They follow you around like lost puppies. There is no way you are getting rid of them and your fame.” you said before taking a sip from your soda.
Steve simply nodded at your words before clearing his throat “They will after I left them stranded at the Fair Mart.” a small smirk lining his lips when he saw how surprised you were at his actions.
“You didn’t.” you gasped at his words, fairly surprised that you didn’t want to hit your head on the wall after talking to him so much.
“Yeah. they were talking shit like usual, and I just realized how annoying they were being. Which made me realize that’s how the rest of you see me too, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t want Nance to see me like that.” his smile faded as his words became more honest. You never thought you were going to be having an actual meaningful conversation with the Steve Harrington, but you had to admit, you almost liked this side of him. The one that wasn’t screaming jackass in all directions. And you appreciated the fact that he wanted to change for your friend, so you decided to give him the second chance he was searching for.
“Well, if you keep making their lives a living hell, I will definitely consider changing my mind about you.” you said cheekily making him chuckle.
“Giving you my word, Henderson.” he joked back, which made your smile wider.
“Cheers to that.” you raised your sodas and drank them together.
___
One month later
You couldn’t believe it. You were literally driving your new car and you still couldn’t believe it.
After a year of working, you had saved the amount your mom had told you you needed to split the price and the day before Christmas you bought your new (well used but it didn’t matter to you) car. It felt great to have something of your own and the feeling you had as you drove down the road, made every annoying customer worth it.
You were glad you didn’t have to deal with any more of the customer’s bitter remarks. After you told your mom you had the money, she made you promise her that you would now focus on your classes, especially since next year you were graduating. So the next day you went back to the diner and parted ways with Mr. Miller promising to come for breakfast on the weekends with Dustin as much as you could.
It almost felt weird that life carried on like nothing had happened last month. No one knew what had truly happened, the government doing its job and keeping it under racks like it was nothing. It felt weird the first few weeks, going to school, and talking to people who didn’t know you had fought an actual monster, but maybe that’s exactly what you needed to let it in the past, to forget that it had ever happened, to pretend like its growl wasn’t still haunting your dreams.
That’s what you were thinking as you drove to the Wheeler’s house. The party was having another campaign and you were on your way to pick Dustin up after he spent the whole day with his friends. When you parked the car and got out you saw the front door open and smiled at how cheerful Will looked after the campaign. Jonathan followed after him, carrying a box in his hands.
“Hey, guys!” you smiled and made your way through the light snow that had fallen, careful not to slip.
“Y/n! You won’t believe what happened in the end! The thessalhydra appeared and I rolled a fourteen and- and fireballed him and we won!” you couldn’t help but giggle at his excitement, glad to see him so happy after everything he’s been through.
“Wow, well done! Next time make sure to save me a seat.”
“Really?”
“Yep. The courageous High Elf, Erida, will accompany you to yet another adventure.” you jokingly vowed before him and he responded as he laughed. You smiled and turned to look at Jonathan, trying to take a look at the present in his hands “And what loot does this traveler hold?” you kept your speech theatrical, liking the effect it had on Will.
“Oh, this… It’s- It’s nothing.” Jonathan tried to dismiss it but Will was always ready to give you every information you needed.
“Nancy gave it to him.”
“Oh. Nancy, huh?” you smirked at Jonathan who was now avoiding your eyes completely.
After all of you had a couple of days to relax, you went over to Jonathan’s to apologize for all the secrecy you held during everything. You explained the situation involving Eleven and as the tears started gathering in your eyes at her memory, you felt his arms pulling you into a hug, telling you it was okay. You calmed down and continued to talk when you eventually brought up him and Nancy. Maybe you were imagining things but you had to ask him if something had changed in him about her. He told you you were crazy and nothing had changed other than just being better friends, but you saw his blush.
Nancy was now officially with Steve, but deep down you could feel it wasn’t going to last forever. Although for now, you had decided to drop it, only annoying Jonathan with your thoughts from time to time.
“Okay, I think it’s time for us to go.” he asked when he opened the door to let Will in.
“Fine, fine. Say hello to Joyce for me.” you called after them and waved goodbye to the two brother before knocking the front door.
You only waited a few seconds for Karen to answer and invite you inside, your feet immediately heading for the basement. You walked down the stairs but stopped when you saw the sight before you. Both Dustin and Lucas were on the floor with their limbs tangled up.
“Hey, Y/n.” they said in unison when they spotted you.
“I am not going to ask what happened. Ready to go, big guy?”
“Yes. Next time make the campaign longer!” he pointed his finger at Mike, grabbing his bag and heading to you.
“Also, I wanna play next time. Will you have me?”
“Heck yeah!”
“Erida returns!”
You laughed at their exclaims “Alright, Merry Christmas, boys. And please, open a window in here. It stinks.”
“Yeah, Dustin’s farts stink.” you stopped Dustin from going back down to defend his honor and instead pushed him up the stairs “Wait. Let me wish Nancy a Merry Christmas as well and then we’ll go.”
“Make it quick. I’m hungry.” you ignored his whining and left to search for Nancy, finally finding her in the living room cuddled up with Steve.
“Sorry to interrupt, lovebirds. Just came to wish you a Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Y/n.” you opened your arms to welcome her hug as she stood up and walked towards you. Steve just gave you a smile and a wave as he returned the wish, not yet comfortable with anything else.
“Hey, do you wanna stay for a bit?” Nancy asked you “Call your mom to pick you up? We don’t want you riding home with fresh snow falling.”
“Ah, that would be now problem anymore.” you had a sly smile on your face and because she didn’t understand what you were talking about you grabbed her hand and walked over to the window that had a clear view of your car.
“Shut up. It looks great.” Nancy announced excitedly.
“My Christmas gift to myself.”
“That’s a nice set of wheels, Henderson. I’m impressed.” Steve told you after he joined you two by the window.
“Why you sounding surprised, Harrington? I know my stuff.” you were ready for a playful banter when Dustin’s voice to hurry up gave you your cue to leave.
You wished them goodnight and opened the passenger’s door for the impatient Dustin to get in, before opening your own and starting the car.
“I still don’t understand what she sees in him.” you heard him mutter.
“Who?”
“Nancy. Isn’t Steve a bully? Why does she like him?” you couldn't help but smirk at how miserable and disappointed your brother looked at this very moment. It's incredible how delusional you can be at that age.
“He’s not that bad anymore, and don’t forget that without him you wouldn’t have a sister anymore.” you stole a glance to see him frowning which made you chuckle “Oh, come on. I bet you’ll have your chance one day.”
“Really?”
“No, but it’s important to have dreams.” he stuck out his tongue at you while you laughed.
You arrived back home quickly and began preparing the dining table to eat with your family. While you sat on your chair and looked around, you were grateful to be alive and well. Grateful Dustin was also okay, even though you still catch him crying in secret but always hiding it so he would not concern you. Grateful to let everything in the past and forget about the Upside Down and the Demogorgon. Ready to start living your once again normal life.
~~~
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Restoration (Chapter 7)
I was in a fluffy mood this time. So, enjoy some with Angela because she’s just a littol baby plus Nathan and Ryker acting like responsible parents.
Word Count: 5.2k
CW: None! (I think)
7-Nathan
It’s been a chaotic week. Well, at least for me. I don’t know about anyone else. But it’s the end of the week again. Yesterday’s counseling was fine. We had mostly talked about how things between Ryker and I were. They were… awkward. To me. He always looks like he wants to talk to me about something, but never says anything to me besides “Hi,” and, “Hey,” when we’re at lunch and last period. Otherwise, I just kind of sit there trying to ignore the bad thoughts in the back of my mind. It never works.
It was a cloudy day, sort of smelling like it was going to rain as soon as I stepped outside. The bus ride to school was just as loud as usual. When I walked into the halls, they were crowded just as always. So why did I feel like something was off? Oh well. When has something ever worked out in my favor anyways? Nothing new to me.
Classes were the same. The rain had started, but only lasted for about an hour before the clouds were clearing up. Everything so far had been the same. I don’t know why I was so on edge, but I was always like that.
Lunch was just as loud and crowded as always. But somehow, Lucky had always found me before I found him. Of course scaring me before he revealed that he was behind me the entire time. I was never going to get used to that, but it was a nice feeling for some weird reason.
“Hey!” He greeted me, showing off a big smile as always while he guided me through the mass horde of people. I just did a tiny wave back. I’ve felt a little bit better since those counseling lessons had started, but I haven’t really felt the same either. Actually, Mr. Smith says that he might recommend me taking some medications, which I didn’t even know counsellors could do that but he says he’s licensed and able to do so. I wasn’t entirely too excited to see how many medications he’ll have me take.
As the table we usually sit at came into view, I noticed that Ryker wasn’t even there. Instead, Dylan was sitting across from where Ryker usually sits, on his phone and biting right into an apple. I stood in place. I’ve only really met him once, and even then we had never talked. Just that Friday two weeks ago. It wasn’t really that bad, but I just don’t what to expect when being around him. Dylan loves teasing with Lucky, and I already know I could never handle anything like that. What if he tries anything with me? Where was Ryker anyways? Wait… just breathe. Don’t want to have a panic attack.
“Right… Ryker is taking care of Angel and Isabelle. They’re both sick.” Lucky had explained, answering one of my questions. The other being why Dylan was here in the first place. He had never sat here this entire week. Nor any of the weeks before. So why now? I wasn’t going to get an answer.
Lucky stayed beside me when the elevator gate had opened. We walked out, I surprisingly didn’t stumble like I always do, and I was now in full sight. That didn’t sit right with me. At all.
Dylan placed his phone on the table, smiling when he caught sight of Lucky and I. I took a few steps back. Everything will be alright. Everything will be alright. Everything will be-
“Oh hey! It’s Nathan right? I’m Dylan, I’m sure you know that though.” He laughed before stretching out his finger and thumb like he was about to give a handshake… Oh wait. It was a handshake. Or a makeshift one at least.
I looked over to Lucky, hoping he would give some sort of hint to Dylan. Instead, he just gave a nervous smile and held his hand slightly out to me. He was giving the hint to me. I mean, it’s like like I haven’t done this before. Just one other time with Mrs. Kay. It’s just… kids are different. I learned that the hard way. I’m not trying to say Dylan would be like that though! It’s just not out of the question. From what I’ve seen, Lucky hasn’t been hurt. Yet. But I have no idea how long he’s lived there.
Taking deep breaths, I extended a shaky hand. I watched my hand disappear under the surprisingly soft grip, nearly wincing as I had expected to hear a loud pop! Noise only to find out that my wrist or some other part of my hand was broken. That fear didn’t last long though. Dylan let go, my hand still fully intact with the rest of my arm. I shuddered at the thought of having another broken hand. That was not fun.
Lucky was facing me with a wide smile with two thumbs up. I felt accomplished, but at the same time I mentally kicked myself for ever thinking that one of Ryker’s siblings would have purposely hurt anyone. Even if they haven’t really met me.
Dylan chuckled, taking another bite out of his apple then throwing it away in the trash can by the wall. I sucked in a shaky breath, wondering what I was even doing here. I just thought that Lucky would be sad if I didn’t come, but now that I think about it, he knows that I’m afraid of giants. Is this his way of helping me?
“You’re quiet,” Dylan tilted his head in confusion, “Shy?” I bit the side of my cheek, blinking a couple of times before nodding my head. He must think I’m crazy. Absolutely crazy. There was no doubt about that.
Dylan just flashed a soft smile before talking to Lucky. I sat down where I usually did. Just a little closer to Lucky since he was laughing and having the time of his life with Dylan. Who was the older one? I couldn’t tell. They were obviously really close though. I wasn’t entirely paying attention to their conversation, just some bits and pieces. Who has the answers for their algebra homework. Lucky complaining about making something for dinner.
My phone went off while I was reading a book the school librarian recommended to me. During those two weeks the librarian always asked me why I stayed in the library. I just explained that I had nowhere better to be. Ever since then we’ve talked more and more. She says she’s read almost every book in this library since rarely anyone ever goes in there unless they needed to print something or watch a movie while playing board games in their free period. Otherwise, she had always recommended me books to read and she’d always have the mini pretzel bags while I helped her place books back on the shelves. It kind of felt peaceful.
Checking my phone, I read a text message from my mom.
Mom: Work called me in. I won’t be home until around nine in the morning
Mom: Will you be fine on your own for the night?
Me: yeah
I would not. Just something about a quiet house without hearing the sounds of the tv playing an episode of The Golden Girls while my mom lay asleep on the couch? I honestly didn’t like the idea of being alone at night. It freaked me out. Is it stupid that I was afraid of the dark? Yes. Do I care? A little. Okay, a lot. But it’s not like I can help it. I’m so used to knowing that someone was in the house with me. Oh well. There’s a first time for everything. Plus, It’s embarrassing for someone to find out that I was afraid of the dark. Doesn’t really come as that big of a surprise coming from someone like me though.
Mom: Okay
Mom: I love you I’ll call you when I can
I sighed, standing up and seeing that the bell was about to ring. I checked my phone for any other nonexistent messages, but I wasn’t able to get a good look before Lucky snatched up my phone and started typing something. Panic rose in me, thinking he was texting my mom. Now that would be awkward for me to explain to her. I tried stealing a couple looks, even reaching for my phone, but it was useless given the fact that Lucky was practically an entire head taller than me.
“Andddd here you go.” Lucky handed me my phone back, a smirk on his face. I gave a questioning look before seeing that he added a new number. Ryker’s number. What? Why would he give me this? I already I annoy him enough at school, I’m not going to do that outside of school. It’d be wrong. Plus, he’s watching his younger siblings, I don’t want to bother him.
The worst part about this was that Lucky had already taken the time to text him. Saying that this was Nathan. Aka me. Panic took over my mind. I wasn’t really mad at Lucky per se, more a little sad because he didn’t ask me first. I don’t think I could be mad at someone even if I tried. Still, I wish that he hadn’t texted him for me. I would have preferred not having his number at all if I’m being honest. Not because I don’t like him as a friend though!
I looked over to Lucky with a nervous look on my face. He just laughed, “You’ll thank me later.”
“Gave him Ry’s number?” Dylan held back a laugh behind his smirk. He stood up and held his palm out, waiting for Lucky to climb on. Was this some kind of plan of theirs? What if I didn’t want his number? I can’t exactly get rid of it since he already texted him… But maybe this could be a good thing? No. I don’t think so. Never mind.
“Anyways, if you’re not too mad at me, we should probably get going.” Lucky pointed towards Dylan, and with seemingly no effort, climbed onto his hand, waiting to help me up. I was not expecting this in the slightest. Wait, no, he won’t do anything while Lucky’s with him, would he? It wouldn’t make any sense at all. I mean, they are brothers, right?
After a couple seconds of going over the pros and cons and all of the endless negative outcomes, I just decided that I would go. Nothing could happen while we were at school, and there was no way that Dylan would ever do anything harmful while Lucky was with him. Right? That was my way of thinking.
Lucky helped me up, flashing an excited smile. I guess his way of helping is actually working. Huh. Wasn’t expecting that.
———Ryker———
Isabelle was stuck in her bed, too weak to pull the blankets off and stand on her own two feet without falling. Meanwhile, Angela was snuggled up in my palm with her new stuffed animal she’s named Livvy. They both had a fever. A bad one at that. It’s gone down since this morning, but it was still burning hot. I couldn’t really tell with Angela since I didn’t want to make her too uncomfortable, so I had no idea how she was doing.
They both insisted on waking up and then heading back to sleep after I tucked them back in, making sure they couldn’t pull the blanket off too easily, even if they tried. How they even managed to get sick? I had no idea. But, they were the only ones who didn’t go to high school, so I kind of thought that other kids at their school were sick too.
Me? I felt fine. Well, almost fine. This morning I was worried I might have to take them to the doctor, or that I might not have any medicine to help them out. Turns out I did, and Lucky, given his name, was lucky to find some in the back of their medicine cabinet and gave some to Angela.
Now when everyone had left was a different thing. The night before they had me work later than before, so I barely had any sleep. Then, of course, I had to make Isabelle something to eat that I knew they wouldn’t throw up. Turns out it never worked in the end because she forced herself to go to the restroom and vomit, thankfully, in the toilet. Then there was Angela, who had a slightly less severe case, and I couldn’t make her anything to eat. It didn’t really seem like she was up to the task either, but still.
They’ve been sick before, just never this bad. Maybe just a little cough or a slight fever, but otherwise they’ve been fine. It’s been hard taking care of them, but I didn’t mind. Just as long as they feel better in the morning.
Isabelle was fast asleep after I gave her another small dose of medicine. She was doing a lot better now, but I was more worried about Angela. I can’t exactly give her any medicine because I don’t know if it’ll do more harm than good. So I’ve just been holding her tiny body in my palm for the entire. Mostly because she refuses to get off for some reason, and another because I wouldn’t be able to hear her if she woke up and needed something.
I was laying down in the living room, the tv on a low volume rewatching a horror movie that was supposedly supposed to be scary. So far it was not. At least to me. Angela had been stirring in her sleep, trying to find a comfortable position for a solid five minutes. I knew she was going to wake up soon anyways, so I just lightly pulled the blanket off, pressing the back of my finger into her tiny frame. She was burning up. I guess it was a good thing I pulled the blanket off of her then.
My heart fell seeing her curl up on herself looking so uncomfortable. There was nothing I could do though. School didn’t end for another hour and Angela hasn’t eaten anything since last nights dinner. Even then she didn’t eat much, saying that she didn’t feel too good. I probably should have seen this coming.
I paused the movie for a little, waiting for Angela to wake up and ask for a blanket. She stirred, turned, and I finally saw her rub her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time today. It’s been off and on. Again, nothing I could do about it except just let her rest.
“Mmm… Ry?” She groaned, still holding her stuffed animal. I smiled softly, rubbing her back with the pad of my thumb. She slightly leaned into the touch eyes opening and closing, trying to stay awake.
“Just go back to sleep, Angel. I’m right here.” I whispered, watching her snuggle up close and point to the human-sized blanket pinched between my thumb and finger. I didn’t want to give it to her. Her fever might just get worse like that. Dylan had texted me earlier to crush up an ice cube and wrap a tiny piece for her, but that wouldn’t work.
“Aren’t you hot?” I frowned, seeing Angela shake her head and reach for the blanket in a futile attempt. I gave in, letting her wrap herself comfortably and snuggle closer to me.
After a couple minutes, she was out cold once again. Didn’t matter when she was just going to wake up in an hour again. I unpaused the movie, and glanced to my phone. I grabbed it off the charger, seeing that I had an unknown number text me and a few from Lucky saying that he may have given Nathan my number. Of course he did. He brought the idea up last night after I came home from work. I only said no because what if Nathan didn’t want it? I mean, what if he wanted nothing to do with me. I’d understand if he didn’t, but then it’d be awkward just having it.
I guess texting him wouldn’t be so bad though. As long as I don’t ruin it.
———Nathan———
Last period was another free day. But Mrs. Kay says that she has another “project” she wants to try with us. I was not at all excited, but I just had to take this class for the next eight months and then I could go an do what I wanted… what did I want to do again? Didn’t matter. Still have eight months. I’ll be fine.
As I sat at my desk aimlessly trying to pick a move to watch on my phone, there was a text. From Ryker. What did it say? Would it say not to text his number? That he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore than he already has to? That doesn’t really sound like him, actually. Why would I think that about someone? I bit the side of my cheek, opening the messages app and reading what he texted.
Ryker: Hey!
Ryker: I’m guessing Lucky gave you my number
What do I text back? I’ve never really talked to him. I don’t want to say something stupid either. I can’t leave him on read. That’d be harsh. I groaned silently to myself, typing something out and immediately deleting it. Over, and over again. What do I say though? I ended up just typing something out and hoped he would say anything about it.
Nathan: He did yeah lol
Ryker: Of course he did
He sent it along with an eye roll emoji.
Ryker: It’s a good thing though
So he does want to talk to me? I was so confused.
Nathan: Yeah
Ryker: Are things boring in last period without me?
A smile took over my face. This was actually going pretty well considering I never text anyone but my mom. Or call anyone but her. A sad, sad life, I know. But it’s the story of my life.
Nathan: Yup
Nathan: I heard your sisters were sick
Ryker: Yeah I’m pretty sure they have the flu
Nathan: Well I hope they get better :)
I’m pretty sure the conversation ended. That was short lived. Even in real life I can’t keep up a conversation for long. I either go silent or say something that ends it. Great, right? So I couldn’t even be on call until midnight because people lose interest in me fast. I’m surprised Ryker hasn’t yet.
Ryker: They’re both asleep right now
Ryker: If you wanna come over you can
Ryker: I’ll just ask Lucky to take you or something
Ryker: If you’re comfortable with it
Going over to his house again? I mean I’m okay with it. It’s just that he’d have to hang around me while also taking care of both Angela and Isabelle. But maybe I could bring them some soup to make them feel better? It would be the right thing to do. I don’t want to go over there just to create more problems. But now that I think about it… why didn’t their parents take care of them? I feel like they can’t just keep Ryker away from school to watch his siblings. Don’t get me wrong I think it’s great that he does! But… they’ve never once mentioned anything about their parents, and I just feel like they should be taking care of their own children. It’s not my place to ask them though. I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually.
Nathan: Sure
Nathan: Is it okay if I grab something for Angela though
Nathan: Like soup or something?
There was about ten minutes until the last bell of the day rang, and I would have to find Lucky before he just walked out of the school. I have no idea where they live, and there was no way I wanted to get lost on those terrifying streets. Especially with all of the riots lately. I just hope I can go home this time.
Ryker: If you want
Ryker: I’d really appreciate it
Nathan: Will do then
I sent it with a smiley face, hoping that he wouldn’t tell me anything otherwise. I’m sure my mom would be fine with me staying over for a couple hours. I doubt that they’ll have a movie night when their two youngest were bed-ridden. Or at least I think Ryker kept Isabelle in her bed. I don’t know how he’s been taking care of Angela… Maybe I could help out? Seems like a plan.
Ryker: Tysm
Ryker: I’ll tell Lucky to wait for you by the exit
Ryker: Thank you, again
He sent a smiley face back to me. My lips twisted into a small smile
Nathan: No problem
——————
I was expecting for Lucky to be waiting for me. Not Dylan. But I guess it makes sense because they kind of live together. Duh. I’m so stupid sometimes…
“You’re coming over!” Lucky excitedly announced, Dylan rolling his eyes and waiting for us to climb onto his palm. I bit the side of my cheek, thinking that we were going off of school grounds. Anything could happen. Does Dylan even like me? Probably not. Do I care? Yes. A lot.
“U-Um… yeah,” I stole a glance to Dylan, who was texting someone, “S-sorry for making you b-b-both wait on m-me.” I whispered to Lucky while pointing to Dylan who wasn’t paying attention to either of us at the time. Lucky nodded his head, seeming to understand.
“It’s all good. We’re stopping by the store first, right? We need groceries anyways.” Lucky had asked. I hesitantly nodded my head, letting Lucky lead the way as I followed. This was a familiar sight. I was getting to used to being around giants. Was that a good thing? I’d have to ask Mr. Smith about that later.
About five minutes into walking, and watching in horror as Lucky quite literally had half of his body hanging from the edge of Dylan’s hand, Dylan had decided to start a little conversation. Mostly towards Lucky.
“You’re gonna fall.” He sighed, cupping his hand a little more to prevent Lucky from falling to his death. I shuddered just at the thought of looking over the edge. It’s taken literally almost everything in me to not look over the edge and pass out.
“No I’m not.” Lucky stuck out his tongue, fixing his position so only his arms were dangling. I could practically hear Dylan roll is eyes. We made eye contact for a while, him giving a smile and opening his mouth to speak, “So what made you want to come over?”
I jumped at the sudden question directed to me. It’d be pathetic to speak and stutter in front of Dylan, but then again the same goes if I don’t speak. What would he think? Choices are so hard to make. What if I just shrugged? But then he might want to bring it up again and then I’d have to answer.
Out of nowhere, Lucky sat beside me, wearing a sympathetic face that said, “I’ll tell him for you.” And I’ve never been more grateful in that moment. I would have hugged him if I knew how to. Also I might step over a boundary. Not something that I’d like to do.
I whispered to Lucky what I wanted him to say, noticing that Dylan looked so confused. I would have scooted back had I not remembered that there was about a hundred foot fall from where I was. If the fall doesn’t kill me the injuries would.
“He say he just wanted to help out. I told him Angela and Isabelle were sick earlier. Plus, apparently Ryker asked him first.” Lucky shrugged like it was nothing. I admit, I was jealous, but that was shortly lived. I’ll be able to talk someday. Hopefully. Maybe. I’ve done it once I could definitely do it again. If I really wanted to anyways.
“Makes sense,” Dylan shrugged, “That’s also oddly… nice?” He raised an eyebrow, suspicious of me. I nearly let out a squeak as I brought my knees closer to my chest. I really wasn’t trying to trick anyone… I’m just a really nice person trying to help a friend out. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t-
“I was just messing with you. You should have seen your face.” Dylan laughed along with Lucky. Oh thank goodness. The last thing I needed was to be ditched on the side of the concrete not knowing where I was. I was pretty sure we were close to their house though.
“But seriously, that’s amazingly nice of a stranger. Ry could actually use the help too.” Dylan told me. A tiny smile formed at the corners of my mouth. Maybe he really didn’t see me as a bother.
——————
It didn’t take us long in the store. Only a couple minutes tops. Though, I didn’t know that the human-sized part of the store was connected. It really made things easier for Dylan since he didn’t have to wait outside awkwardly. Plus, he could grab one for Isabelle too. I was paying anyways.
We checked some things out, I paid for the things I was getting, while Lucky kept on insisting that I just let him pay for everything. We agreed that we would pay for our own things in the end. It only took a couple minutes to reach the familiar neighborhood I saw two weeks ago.
Dylan walked up to their house, unlocking it and announcing his presence to practically the entire world while he was closing the door behind him. Ryker turned his head an glared at Dylan, making him whisper a sorry and let both Lucky and I on the ground in front of the same human-sized door that led to their rooms before silently walking back to his own room. It was intimidating to see him from this point of view, but I sucked in a breath, and walked through the open door. I came here, so I’ll just have to deal with it.
It looked the same as before. Just that there were a ton of blankets thrown onto the couch. I didn’t think about that too much.
“So do I get a thank you?” Lucky teased. For the phone number? I just laughed to myself, “Y-yeah. Thank you.”
Lucky was putting away some groceries he had bought. I helped clean up a bit before we both decided to head back outside. It was a long walk from the hallway to the couch, but that’s no surprise when you’re two inches tall to these people. Now I get why Lucky and Angela get carried around almost everywhere in here.
“Are you staying for dinner?” Lucky asked, now walking backwards to keep up a conversation with me. Was I? I still haven’t told my mom that I was here. I’ll tell her when she texts or calls. She’ll probably be so happy to hear that I was here anyways.
“I don’t know.” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
“You should. You could teach me how to make actually good food.” We both laughed.
“If you want me to.”
Lucky silently cheered, thanking me several times before we reached the elevator to get on top of the side-table by the couch Ryker was currently sitting down at trying to find something to watch.
“Hey Ry.” Lucky grabbed his attention, standing near the very edge of the table. Nope. Could never do that. How is Lucky so brave? Does he really have that much confidence in himself that he won’t fall? Just one wrong step… No. Don’t think about that. I’m not the one on the very edge.
“Hey” Ryker replied, letting down his free hand. We climbed on and slid back off onto the arm of the couch where there were human-sized blankets and pillows making a makeshift bed. But there wasn’t anyone there. Where did he have Angela then? She wasn’t in that room earlier. I sighed, sitting down. I’d just have to wait until she wakes up.
“How are they doing?” Lucky asked, sitting beside me.
Ryker let out a long sigh, “Off and on. Isabelle’s been asleep for a while and I managed to get her to eat some toast. I haven’t been able to check Angela’s fever, but I don’t think she’s getting any better.”
He brought his other hand towards us, revealing Angela wrapped up in a pink blanket. She didn’t look like she was having a peaceful dream either. She kept moving around and mumbling things that I didn’t understand. Lucky went to check if she still had a fever, which she did. I just have to wait for her to wake up so I can start making something for her. It’s the whole reason I came anyways. My mom’s a nurse, you learn a thing or two.
“Oh, um, thanks for coming by the way, Nathan.” Ryker thanked me, looking concerned for his little sister who looked like she was about to wake up.
I came back with a small bowl of chicken noodle soup and some crackers, hoping that this would help in some way. Angela was struggling to keep her eyes open, but after she ate something she already looked a lot better. She didn’t go back to sleep either so I guess that was a good thing too? All I can say was that Angela was excited to see me. We were sitting on the arm of the couch where the pile of blankets and pillows were.
“Nathan!” She forced herself up and wrapped me in the tightest hug she could manage. I laughed nervously, debating on returning the gesture, but she let go before I could. Thank you. That would have been one awkward hug in front of so many people. Though, I noticed Ryker trying to hide his smile. I didn’t know if that was directed to Angela or me. Or both. Nope. Not going to think too much on that.
Angela let out a series of coughs and sat back down, wrapped up in her blanket once again. I noticed that she was also hugging the panda I gave her two weeks ago. My heart fell. I didn’t expect her to like it so much.
Her fever had gone down a lot. Which was a good thing. She ended up falling back to sleep eventually. Then it was just back to the little one sided conversations with Ryker. Dylan and Lucky were hanging out in their own room, probably playing a game or watching tv. So it really was just us.
It was nice, really. Even if I could only listen and react. I didn’t mind. There was nothing to say anyways. I loved listening though.
Ryker mentioned something about Jasmine having a game to go to tonight, which explains why she wasn’t here. Then, he said he should probably get started on dinner, which, wow, I probably should start helping out Lucky.
I helped Lucky with dinner, and once again he praised my cooking abilities, which weren’t even that good. At least to me. Afterwards, Ryker took me to the bus stop by my house and thanked me again. I walked back to my house, changed into comfy pajamas and fell asleep.
Today was a good day.
——————
I think this was a good chapter. I think. I don’t know. I love how Ryker is trying his hardest to be a responsible parent and how Nathan tries his hardest to take care of Angela and Lucky as much as he can.
Anyways, thank you guys for reading!! Love you guys ❤️
#G/t#g/t writing#g/t community#sfw g/t#giant/tiny#restoration#oc: ryker#oc: nathan#oc: lucky#oc: dylan#parental g/t#Does this count as parental g/t??#I think it technically does#Ryker was stressing#g/t fluff#Thanks for reading!#love you guys ❤️
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The Unlikely Similarities Between Kittens and Vampires, Chapter 8
Warnings: canon typical violence alluded to, Astarion being himself, Halsin doing a meddle
Summary: Banter and bathing and bear-matchmaking, oh my!
Notes: I love all these idiots. I hope you enjoy, lemme know what you think! <3
Read on ao3 here!
Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
“All right, Fangs, here’s one: best way to kill a goblin?” Karlach asks the vampire on Sable’s left.
“My dearest meat shield,” he says fondly, shooting her a grin, “do you mean the most efficient way, or the most fun? Because there’s a rather large difference.”
The large tiefling woman cackles at what Astarion calls her, not offended in the slightest. “The most fun of course! Personally, that time that I picked one up and beat another to death with him was great!”
“Ha! That was a show indeed. I think for me, my favorite was that time I was invisible, picked one goblin’s pocket of her gold, and put it into her friend’s. They ended up killing each other!” He laughs at the memory, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye.
“Ohhhh yeah! That was a bloody good one!” she crows.
“Ugh,” Wyll says emphatically from behind.
Sable is trying not to laugh, biting her cheek as they all walk through the forest. They should arrive back to the Grove in a matter of hours, and everyone was looking forward to getting off their feet for the night.
“Oh, loosen up!” Karlach says to the Blade. “Woulda thought you’d be the first one up for killin’ gobbos.”
“I am,” he replies, crossing his arms with a frown. “But there’s a difference between killing them to keep people safe, and killing them to have fun.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Astarion says primly, and almost everyone blinks at him in surprise. “One of them is far more boring.”
“Ah,” Wyll says tiredly as Karlach laughs and Gale hides a snort behind his hand. “I should have suspected.”
Sable couldn’t help the grin that tugs at her lips. She wasn’t particularly enraptured by the talk of past violence, but she did enjoy the banter between everyone.
Even if not all of them felt much the same way.
“Must we engage in this inane babble?” Lae’zel grumbles. “If there are still enemies around, they will hear us coming a mile away.”
“I assume the githyanki don’t care much about morale, do they?” Shadowheart quips from two people away.
“We are uplifted from earning glory in Vlaakith’s name. We have no need for this endless prattle.”
“Well, only one of us here is githyanki, Lae’zel. After a victory, we do like to let ourselves unwind,” Gale says agreeably.
Lae’zel just scowls at him and turns her head away. The wizard shrugs at the cleric, who smiles almost grimly and shakes her head.
The others continue to banter amongst themselves, and Sable listens contently. The day is beautiful, a soft breeze caressing her face and making her sigh, the scents of the woods calming her.
And Astarion is walking by her side. Really, a perfect day.
“So,” he says softly, looking down to her. “Now that we don’t have anything to kill in the next little while…what’s the first thing you’re going to do once we’re free for the night?”
“A bath, for sure,” she replies emphatically. She gently touches her hair and makes a face. “It’s going to take three washes to get all the blood out of my hair. How about you?”
“The very same! Gods,” he utters, his nose wrinkling, “you’ve no idea how disgusting everyone smells when your senses are heightened.” He pauses, then chuckles. “Well, actually, you might in particular, kitten.”
Sable shrugs. “Honestly, when I’m in animal form…well, it’s hard to explain. Animal senses are so different from ours that what smells bad to us might not smell bad to them.”
“Really? So if you were to kitten up right now, we wouldn’t smell bad to you?” he asks, surprised.
“Not really. Strong, yeah, but not offensive.”
He blinks, thinking about it as he ducks under a low hanging branch. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. I wouldn’t want to smell this group any more strongly, thank you.”
Sable chuckles in response.
“Hey soldier!” Karlach calls over. “What do you say we take tomorrow to rest up a bit at the Grove? The past week’s been a lot and I’m sure we could all use the break.”
“And we have weapon and armor repairs to do,” Wyll adds thoughtfully.
Sable blinks over at them. “I…I mean, of course we can, but why are you asking me?” she asks in confusion.
“Well, you’ve been leading us this far,” Gale says thoughtfully.
The younger druid’s jaw drops. “I’ve been what now?!”
Astarion bursts out laughing at the completely dumbfounded shock on her face.
“Did you think we’re following you for fun?” Shadowheart asks, her voice amused.
“You’re a good leader, Sable,” Wyll assures her gently. “Truly. Not that I’d want you in this situation if there was a way to prevent it, but I think we’re all happy it’s you here.”
Lae’zel rolls her eyes a bit. “You have been…adequate.”
“High praise, from you,” Gale teases, earning himself a glare.
“Seriously, soldier, you’re like the glue that holds this group of assholes together!” Karlach says happily.
Sable’s face is beet red, and Astarion expects her to shape-change any moment now. But to his surprise…she doesn’t. Instead, she looks around at everyone, meeting his eyes last. He gives her a surprisingly fond smile and simply nods to her. She takes a deep breath, and her shoulders square off. “Thank you, everyone. I…I’m just trying my best. But if you all think that I’m doing well…” She grins faintly. “I won’t argue. Yes, we’ll take tomorrow to rest. I’ll have mending up and ready, so anyone with minor repairs to do can bring them to me.”
“I can help with that as well,” Halsin offers, and she nods to him.
“I’m rather good with a needle and thread,” Astarion adds. “So long as your gear is clean when you bring it over, I’ll sew up any rips and tears.”
The others all offer their help with different things as well, and Sable’s heart warms. This rag-tag group is really starting to come together.
//////////////////////////////////////////////
Halsin is reunited with the druids, the situation with Kagha is diffused, and the ritual to close off the Grove has been halted. The tieflings are over the moon in joy that their road to Baldur’s Gate should be safe now, and there is to be a celebration that night. Sable’s not one for parties, normally, but seeing everyone letting their guards down and being at ease would be nice.
But for now, it’s time for a bath.
Halsin stops her with a gentle hand on her arm before she could move off to the small, communal bathhouse, however. “Grab your bathing things and follow me,” he murmurs. “I have someplace I think you’ll like.”
She blinks, but follows him. He leads her down a shaded path that opens up into a fairly big, well hidden cave. At the back of the cave is what looks like a large pool of water that’s gently steaming. “Is that…?”
“It is. A small hot spring,” Halsin says fondly. “I’ve spent many nights soaking away in here. Use it at your leisure. All I ask is that you wash up outside the water.”
“Of course,” she assures him, and smiles to him gratefully. “Thank you, Halsin. This is perfect.”
He smiles and gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze, before turning and making his way back.
Sable immediately undresses, dipping a hand into the water to test the temperature. She can’t help the soft sigh at feeling the perfect amount of warmth enveloping her skin, like wrapping a warmed blanket around yourself after just coming in out of the cold. She fills her bucket and sets to washing up, deliriously happy to be finally cleansing the grime and gore from her skin.
She’s halfway through her second hair wash when the sound of a boot on stone makes her head snap up. Her gaze finds Astarion, standing there with his eyes wide and his mouth open in surprise. They stare at each other for a solid ten seconds, before the vampire abruptly spins around. “I…I am so sorry, darling, I–that is–Halsin mentioned this place, but he neglected to tell me it was occupied!”
She notices that he has his own bucket in hand, and makes a mental note to figure out whether she wants to thank the huge druid or hit him. “I-It’s okay, Astarion, really, I–”
“No, it’s not okay,” he says over his shoulder, and the vehemence in his voice makes her pause, surprised. He huffs, rubbing the back of his neck. “If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t think twice of some teasing, maybe trying to cop a view. But…but I don’t want that with you. If I join your bath, it’s because you’ve asked me to, or I’ve asked you and you said yes. Not…not like this.”
A million thoughts race through her mind. It’s curious to her that he said ‘and you said yes’ about him asking her, but not ‘and I said yes’ about her asking him. Does that mean that it’s obvious he’d say yes? Or does that mean he thinks he wouldn’t have the opportunity to refuse?
But any further thinking about that is cut off as a rogue trail of soap makes itself a home in her eye.
“Ow, fuck shit dammit ow!” she hisses, eyes squeezing shut and patting around blindly for her bucket.
“Easy, darling, easy, hold still,” his voice says, suddenly closer to her. Two fingers gently tilt her chin up, and water gently pours over her eyes, cleaning the suds away. “Open for me, hm?”
She can’t help the flush that rises to her cheeks. His voice is low and soothing, and though she’s not sure he meant it to be, it was doing…things…to her lower belly. But obediently, she opens her eyes, brow furrowing as a lingering sting pierces her eye. But it fades quickly, and she meets Astarion’s amused gaze with a faint smile. “Thank you.”
“Of course, kitten. I’ll just…head off then, until you’re done.” He goes to stand, but she catches his wrist gently, and he looks to her in surprise.
She’s not looking at him, that sweet blush driving him faintly mad. “You…look, I…I wanted to soak for a while–the water’s naturally warm, you see–but I don’t want to make you wait for too long. If you…if you want to bathe now, we can…keep each other company while we soak. A-And I promise I won’t look.”
He stares at her in surprise. She still wants him, still desires him–he can tell by the way her pupils widen, by the heat in her face. But she’s offering…what? Non-sexual intimacy?
When was the last time anyone offered him something like that? He can’t remember.
And so he softens, and he smiles, and he leans forward and impulsively brushes a kiss over her forehead. “I think I’d like that, my sweet kitten,” he says, and his tone is one she hasn’t heard before. Soft, gentle, grateful. She smiles helplessly.
It’s that exact moment when she knows, when the feelings click into place: she’s fallen for this man. Hard.
Well…shit.
“But you know,” he says with a smirk as he moves behind her, beginning to strip, unable to resist teasing now that he knows he’s wanted here. “I don’t think I’d mind if it was you doing the peeking.”
WELL SHIT.
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The house at the edge of the world Ch.8
Summary: Y/N is the owner of an Airbnb at the edge of the world, a place in which Wanda would either heal or become what everyone is afraid of.
Pairings: Wanda Maximoff/SW! x Female!Reader
Warnings: Minors DNI! +18, angst, drama, slow burn, friends to lovers, pregnancy, romance, fluff, mentions of depression and self harm, healing, jealousy, R owns an Airbnb that welcomes many known characters from Marvel, R has powers, Wanda needs healing, and so does R. Idiots in love. More warnings as the story progress.
Author's Note: You guys are really incredible and I'm so happy you like the story so far. This chapter is finally what I was looking for, so I hope you like it. The story from R is how she came to meet the Eternals and some sad facts of R relationships. I hope you like this chapter the same way I enoy writing it
English is not my mother tongue, grammar, spelling and funny mistakes can be made. Thanks!
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Epilogue
Chapter 8
The past
Night was already falling by the time you left the house.
The street was empty and silent, you turned left then right but Wanda was nowhere to be seen. Your fist clenched, you tried to understand what was happening but nothing in your thoughts indicate that something had gone wrong. Wanda had been crying in the bathroom, you knew that and then when she was back on the backstage, she was looking contemplative…afraid.
“Fuck.” You took a hand to your head thinking where she might had gone.
Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? What the hell did you do wrong?
It took you a couple of minutes before you decided to take the left street and go from there. Wanda didn’t know the place that well so she couldn’t be far away, right? With a look of determination crossing your face, you started making your way down the street looking around for any signs of the woman that had been in your mind far longer than you care to admit.
You thought the song would be appropriated for the moment she was living in, perhaps for what you were trying to offer to her. Being it friendship or something else, all you ever wanted was for Wanda to find peace and happiness; without a doubt you knew the harm behind grief and pain. You also knew the consequences of power, of wanting nothing else but power for the hell of it.
You never expected to feel so much in such a small amount of time for someone like Wanda. You never expected this would turn out the way it did, and here you were trying to chase after her to know what happened and why she decided to run.
The main street was filled with people enjoying the festivities, many of them were already making their way back to the shore and the harbour to enjoy the main event and the closing fireworks that promised to be quite the spectacle.
Your eyes swept around the multitude of people you barely recognize, your heart beating painfully hard against your chest until your eyes fell upon the familiar figure of Ajak. The woman straightened up only to find your eyes in the middle of the crowd, her brows came together in a gesture of concern noticing the anguish in your eyes.
“What happened?” She asked as soon as you got to her; you stood before Ajak with a lost stare shrugging.
“I’m not sure.” You put a hand on your head clenching your eyes close for a moment. “One minute I was singing there and the next…”
Ajak pressed her lips together looking around her, “I haven’t seen her.”
You dropped your shoulders in a sign of defeat, by now Wanda could be everywhere around the crowd and the town. She could even be making her way back to the house and you wouldn’t even know for sure. Ajak softened her features watching the myriad of emotions crossing your eyes, she ached to make everything easier for you and even Wanda, but it seemed as if this path was meant for you and her alone.
“There is a way for you to know where she is.” Ajak said tentatively shooting you a quick glance, you tensed glancing at the tattoos on your arms then back at her.
“There is a lot of people here.” Your voice drop, and it was cold with just a hint of fear there.
Ajak softened her features cupping your cheek in her hand, her smile was that of a comprehensive mother trying to teach their kid a valuable lesson.
“I know you have the control necessary to do this, you can go back to the house if you prefer to do so.” Ajak then redirected her eyes to the people walking around. “You have to decide really quick, the last event is about to start.”
You nodded curtly leaning in to wrap your arms around her.
“Thank you.”
Ajak watched as you took off running down the streets evading people left and right before going down the closest alleyway. Not for the very first time she wondered if you understood what was happening, if you were ready for what was to come. Ajak could only hope as you disappeared from view following a woman that had brought a new life into you.
______________________________________________________________
You ran fast until you saw the house out on the corner of the street, your car was still there and there wasn’t anyone around it. You entered the place enjoying the silence inside the hall, you looked around trying to get your heartbeat under control while you walked past the living room to the balcony facing the sea.
The house was empty, the streets below you were full of people and the lights coming from the ferries and the boats make a nice picture of festivities that many were just starting to enjoy again. You took a deep breath, the lines forming the patterns of your tattoos started burning lightly your eyelids fluttered closed while your lips parted slightly to whisper the words you knew by heart.
In a minute you saw everything clearly, those with special abilities amongst the people attending the event and those of Ajak and Sprite. It wasn’t that difficult to do so, you were looking for signatures of energy, something that was different as to how a normal human being would feel. Then your eyes open and the gold in them shone brightly as you changed the location spell into something specific.
The signature that was Wanda Maximoff was as unique as the woman herself.
It was red, which was not surprising, but there was also a glimpse of black you were familiar with. It was far away from the rest of the signatures, moving swiftly through a dirty road you knew well. You didn’t know how she found it, but it was obvious that her intention was to disappear; you went closer and then the red signature of Wanda stopped and turned around, you opened your eyes in surprise before breaking the link.
You knew where she was.
The road was empty and it was evident she had helped herself with her magic to move quickly and disappeared before you could catch up with her. Without wasting any more time, you turned around ready to chase after her when Sprite came from the hall.
"So, you're going after her?" The woman asked tilting her head, you nodded bouncing on your feet. Sprite smirked, putting your car keys from her pocket. "This way would be faster, you know?"
"When did you…?" You snorted, shaking your head. "Never mind, thank you."
"Y/N." You stopped a few meters ahead of her, tilting your head. Sprite bit her lower lip hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
The question surprised you greatly, Sprite had been the one to pester you to do something about your growing attraction from the young woman. Then again, Sprite had always tried to be protective of you, she had always felt guilty for never coming forth and speak her mind against Eliza. They never liked each other that much.
"I am, Sprite." You turned to her waiting until Sprite turned back. "Do you like her?"
The young woman snorted, offering a half smile.
"I do, actually." Sprite shrugged playing with her foot. "She just needs to cut off the dark magic, and she would be perfect."
"Perfect, eh?" You smirked but Sprite returned your smirk with one of her own.
"Yeah, your children would be quite the catch."
She laughed pleased to see the burning blush on your cheeks at the comment. You sputtered before stepping back lifting a warning finger to her.
"You better keep that comment to yourself, or else…"
"We will see, you big goof. Now go after her, you're wasting time!"
"It's never a waste of time when it is you, Sprite."
Sprite rolled her eyes crossing her arms watching you run down the hall. Soon she was left alone in the house, a sigh left her lips before she decided to join Ajak. Tomorrow would be another day and then she would know if you were successful or not.
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The lyrics hit her more than she cared to admit.
She didn’t know what the first trigger was, your eyes on her the whole time. Or perhaps the passion with which you were singing every word, or was it the fact she and Scarlet Witch decided to pry inside your mind and what they found was overwhelming them.
She didn’t deserve it. She didn’t deserve you.
Why did we leave? You should stay!
“Why? So, she discovers the world we have been creating behind her back to go back to the love of our life!” Wanda all but screamed into the empty street.
She was breathing hard; tears were no longer rolling down her cheeks but her face was still wet. Everything around her was dark, and the voices were back whispering sweet promises pushing her to just use her powers to stop the pain.
Why are we scared?
Wanda wrapped her arms around herself, she had seen into your mind how you hoped to reach her out before it was too late. How you wished to wash away the darkness and the pain while giving her a spark of hope, that everything was going to be okay. Wanda couldn’t stop thinking about her family, about her parents and Pietro, about Vision…Westview. The unborn child.
Everything in her life had been so messed up, everything she had touched had died in some way or another. She had been so damage, she had tried to use her powers to build a fantasy world for her own pleasure. For her own pain.
We’re monsters. Monsters never get a happy ending. That’s why we need to create our own.
“How can I be happy with…how can she…” Wanda trailed off grimacing while walking down road. “We can’t.”
You’re a fool.
The world around her was silent, only the wind brushing against the trees and leaves brought a sweet melody to her ears. The young woman shook her head turning back to the road so she could run away from everything and everyone. Her mission had been clear the moment she heard the song, she needed to get out of that place, she needed to leave this town and she most certainly needed to leave your house and your presence.
Why are we running this time around?
You’re afraid. I´m not. Let me out and I can make it pretty clear for the both of us.
“Shut up!” Wanda said through gritted teeth, she clenched her eyes close putting her arms around herself. “Whatever make you think this is what we need or what we wanted, you’re wrong. All we need is there where no one can come in and hurt us, where no one can ever take away from us what…what we built, what we loved and loved us back.”
“So, you’re going back to the Darkhold?”
Wanda turned away startled; a wisp of red magic came out of her fingertips ready to attack the sneaky newcomer behind her. She gasped trying to stop her attack when she realized it was you behind her, you furrowed your brows and your eyes gleamed gold before her magic hit you straight on your chest sending you back against the closest tree. Wanda opened her eyes wide; terror gripped her heart when she realized what she had done, who she had hurt.
“God, Y/N!” Once more she was showing how much of a threat she was, how dangerous she could be. Wanda knelt before you, you groaned in pain blinking slowly while trying to shake away the stars on your eyes. “I’m sorry! God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
You grabbed her hand in yours, wincing before breaking into a content smile.
“I’m okay, this was nothing. You just caught me off guard.” You tilted your head watching the myriad of emotions crossing those green eyes. Then, as soon as you saw them, they went away and Wanda was lowering her gaze tensing completely.
You groaned while trying to stand up, the young woman stayed there on her knees taking deep breaths trying to control herself. Once more, the silence around the both of you became deafening, you had gotten to the road as soon as you could, the car taking you as far as the entrance of the town since the place had been packed.
The wind around you was cold, and the sound of celebration was no longer available. Not even the lights were visible from this part of the road. You then faced the other woman that seemed to be dwelling in her misery at the moment.
“You never answer my question.” You said all of a sudden breaking the silence, Wanda furrowed her brows lifting her head to see you standing close to her a single hand stretched out for her.
“What?” She hesitated before taking your hand, the warm it provided made her shiver standing up until she was just mere centimetres away from you, your hand holding her in a comforting grip.
“Are you going back to the Darkhold?” You asked softly making sure there was not a single trace of accusation in your voice, only a tinge of confusion and sadness. “Why do you want to run away, Wanda?”
Wanda shook her head, “I’m not.”
“You are.” You replied dropping your shoulders, “you’re running away from this, and I have to wonder if it is because it is too much for you, or because you really crave a faux reality offered to you by a damn book. If you really…I mean If I’m the only one…”
Wanda clenched her jaw at your words, she let go of you stepping back trying to get a hold of her rampage emotions, the darkness that had always be her companion ignited inside her making her eyes shone a deep shade of red while her fingertips darkened slowly.
“What would you know of this? What would you know of what I need or what I want?” Wanda shook her head. “What would you know of what has been offered to me? What is even this? You and me…I’m not…”
“I know enough, Little Witch.” You replied tilting your head, you winced holding your head with your hand. Damn, you really hit hard there.
There was a flash of concern in those green eyes, Wanda stirred trying to go to you before she settled back to stand away from you. Why did it have to be so complicated?
You didn’t notice, did you? How does she know about the Darkhold? Her eyes…just before we hit her…Gold.
Wanda tensed under these revelations; she furrowed her brows turning to you while narrowing her eyes.
“How do you know about the Darkhold?” She asked with a tone between curiosity and warning. “Why were your eyes gold a moment ago?”
You opened your eyes in surprised, you thought she hadn’t noticed it but apparently you were wrong. The secrets you had kept so far were finally going to come out and you were not sure this was the place to reveal them. Wanda however didn’t seem willing to follow you or even move herself from where she was.
“How can I not know about the book you have been using since day one?” You replied shaking your head, “I knew you were hurt, and that bad things had happened to you, I just didn’t understand how bad until I started feeling the changes in you. In the house.”
Wanda furrowed her brows, tension building up on her chest when she made sense of what you were saying. If you knew about the Darkhold, then you knew what she was doing? Who were you?
Your lips broke into a crooked smile, “I promise you answers, and I guess this is the time for me to give them to you.”
The day had started so differently, it had been tensed but also a happy occurrence and you thought the end of the day would be a happy one. That, whatever it was happening between you and Wanda would progress but, it seemed as if it was not meant to be.
“Before you go let me…” You trailed off, looking away from Wanda. “Let me tell you my story, I mean that’s if you want to…”
Wanda was so tempted to say no, she was so tempted to just stepped back and leave. But her heart was aching painfully in her chest, and all she wanted to do was go over to you and feel you once more. You winced your knees buckling under your weight, Wanda was right there without thinking too much shooting you a concern stare you tried to ease with a smile.
“Damn, you really have a good punch on you, Principessa.” Wanda scowled at the nickname though her cheeks burn lightly at that.
“You startled me.”
“It wasn’t my intention, I just…” You shrugged standing up. “I couldn’t deal with the fact you wanted to go after I pour out my heart to you.”
The song, I told you she meant every word. Why is so difficult for you to believe it? Let me take care of this situation…let me talk to her.
Wanda shook her head, she glanced at you making sure you could stand before stepping back. You missed the contact but didn’t ask for more.
“I couldn’t stay.” Wanda mumbled, looking away from you.
Then, without a warning she continued her previous stroll her arms tightly wrapped around herself in a gesture you had come to identify as self-comforting. You put your hands in your pockets and decided to go after her; the night was dark, the only light coming from the moon and the stars. There was not a single sound, in this part of the road the town was no longer visible and thus sound was almost non-existent.
“You have a bad habit of answering questions with your own questions, you know that, right?” You asked behind her, Wanda pressed her lips together for a moment before tilting her head to look behind her.
“Why do you care so much?” There was defiance in her voice, she didn’t expect you to answer but to back away from your questioning even though she herself had many questions about the situation at hand.
“You can’t guess?”
Wanda faltered in her footsteps but didn’t say anything else, she just kept on walking trying her hardest to ignore you. This was really absurd, you hoped to catch up with her and get into a real conversation with Wanda, but it was quite evident this wouldn’t happen anytime soon. Or at least not at the rhythm things were going.
She is still following us.
“I know.”
We should talk to her instead of running away.
“I can’t.”
Why are you so afraid?
“Why aren’t you? I thought you above all was the one most interest in going back to him?”
Scarlet scoffed at the last part; she poked inside Wanda’s mind pressing harder until there were no more barriers in Wanda’s mind. It was only the both of them.
You forget that I am a projection of you, whatever I feel it is what you feel…so, tell me, when did you stop feeling for Vision what you are feeling for her? Better yet, why does it feel different?
“My feelings have not changed.” Wanda tried to deny what she was being told, she tried to turn it around but her alter ego would not have it.
You’re right, they have not changed. They have matured, a part of us will always love Vision for what he taught us. But…
“Please, don’t.”
Stop being a coward! Stop running away! What’s the worst that could happen?
By then Wanda was crying again and she hated her own weakness, she hated how much she felt and yet how incapable she was of expressing it. She found herself once more afraid of what could happen, that she was the harbinger of disaster for the people she cared for. The people she loved.
Warm engulfed her form a moment; she felt a light shirt on her covering her warms while also brining the comfort of human contact by the pair of arms that wrapped around her. Wanda hated just how weak she really was, how she craved the touch you were providing at the moment. She hated she couldn’t stop the tears and the fact the meaning behind them had changed.
She no longer cried for her past, or for what she lost.
She was crying for what she had in front of her, and for what she thought it couldn’t be.
“Come, I think a hot cup of chocolate would improve this night. We can use my room to watch the fireworks, they will start in a few minutes.”
“Why are you so good to me?” She whispered leaning into your embrace as the both of you made your way up the road, by now you can see the side road leading to your home.
“Can’t you guess?” You answered again without looking at her, out of the corner of her eyes Wanda could see the smirk adorning your lips.
She snorted shaking her head, “You have a bad habit of answering questions with your own questions, you know that, right?”
You chuckled lowering your gaze for a moment.
“Touché.”
Wanda stood in the hall for a moment, she enjoyed the darkness covering the place while her ears caught up with the sound of you working around in the kitchen. She wrapped your shirt tightly around her; her heart was beating out of control while waiting to see what would happen. Whatever plans she had formed, whatever decision she had taken of running away and just never looking back where merely put into a halt as she found herself in front of you.
You’re too easy.
“You want to come too, so shut up.”
“Are you going to stand there all night?” You held back a smile, on your hands there were two hot cups of chocolate.
Wanda shook her head approaching you, her trembling hand grabbed the offering mug without looking at you.
“Thank you.” She all but whisper, you hummed before turning around the place, the only light on was still the one from the kitchen. The night outside was cloudless and the sight of the moon and the stars was just breath-taking.
“We can watch the fireworks, if you want.” You mumbled lightly looking everywhere but at her.
Wanda couldn’t help the smile on her lips, “eager to take me to your room?”
You opened your eyes wide turning sharply towards Wanda, the woman was smiling amusedly at you and while there was tension growing in between the both of you she was trying to just return the conversation into something familiar.
“Eager to be there?” You retorted, but Wanda just shrugged shaking her head.
“I was supposed to be here alone, to leave without you coming all the way to follow me.” She finally said taking a long sip from her mug.
“I know.”
And if there was something you didn't want was to force Wanda into something she didn't want. You had seen her evolution since arriving at the house, you had seen a side of her you never thought existed. And you were falling in love with that side. With every single side of the woman standing before you
The realisation hit you straight in the chest, your heart ached at the thought of the younger woman entertaining the same feelings for you. How many promises had you broken in the last couple of months? All for Wanda. All for you.
"I won't force you to stay, Wanda." You whispered, tenderness tainting every word. "I know what you have suffered, what you have lost. I meant every word, Wanda. I wasn't sure how to make you understand and…"
You thought the festival would be a great opportunity. Wanda didn't say anything nor did she move her eyes glancing at a spot far away from you. You had already said too much, and even though the song Wanda had interpreted said a lot about the young woman's feelings it hadn't been as direct as the one that you had dedicated. Your heart was out there, it was time for Wanda to decide what she wanted. Sooner or later, she was bound to do it.
"I want you to stay, but I understand if you leave." With a last smile shot her way you stepped back from her. "It's your decision."
You turned around leaving her alone in the darkened living room. The voices that had always tormented her were whispering sweet promises again, flashes of her desires and her dreams went through her mind entrancing her into a need that only them could satiate.
Wanda knew everything was a trick, she had known so since the very first moment her hand closed around the book. But she also knew she was capable of creating reality, she just needed to learn how to do it. The young woman remembered the afternoon she had spent by your side hearing music and enjoying the absurdity that was a karaoke bar. The smiles, the subtle touches, the whispered words…
With some hesitation still growing in her heart, Wanda grabbed the mug tightly between her hands and made her way down the same hall you had disappeared into moments ago.
_____
You had always liked the sight from your bedroom. The world spread before you in a silent invitation to venture out there, at some point you had loved traveling around the world getting to know new people and experienced new adventures. You stopped doing it after Eliza, but it didn't that from time to time you didn't think about it.
The world you had forgotten for so long.
You felt more than you saw the young woman sitting beside you. She sat closed by, closer than was probably necessary and the warm coming from her was comforting, familiar.
With a deep breath you let go of the barriers and your eyes gleamed gold reflecting on the glass of the window.
Wanda frowned at the sight, she felt a tug in her mind, a glimpse of a memory that was not quite hers. Scarlet had seen those eyes before, your lips cracked a bitter smile before words she did not recognize filled your mind.
The tattoos on your arms gleamed for a moment until they were burning in your skin. Wanda turned sharply, her hand hovering above your forearm unsure if she could touch you or not until you grabbed her hand in yours. There was a spark of golden and red and soon Wanda got a glimpse of a memory.
A painful one.
A young child, naked tied to a chair crying for parents that never came. A woman, Dark-haired and old, cutting the ties. Blood and death and then… gold. Bright as the sun.
A teenager standing in the middle of a valley, dead bodies around her with those same gold eyes and a cold smirk on her lips.
Wanda recognized that valley, the same one you had taken a picture on. The one you had on the wall in the hall.
“You…” Wanda started but you closed off the link, your fingertips caressing tenderly the dark skin on Wanda’s hand.
“I was born a witch.” You all but whispered. “It was an age in which that was not very welcoming, my parents tried to… torture the powers out of me. The coven saved me, and I repaired them the favour until I almost lost my soul."
The world around her shifted strangely, she felt dizzy trying to process what you just told her. A witch. Magic was real, that much Wanda knew, but it wasn't until recently that she was made aware of groups, covens, that deal with the reality of these powers. When her eyes met with yours, Wanda knew you were not lying but then…
"If you're a witch then, you have known all this time." Wanda trailed off knowing that perhaps you had sensed it, you can feel it… your meeting with Scarlet was no mere chance.
"From day one." You shrugged facing the young woman with some understanding in your features. "You're powerful, but inexperienced. Or you thought that since there was nothing extraordinary in me you didn't need to hide. Either way, it was quite obvious something was at work in the house."
Wanda took her hand away from you, confused by this revelation with hurt written over her face. If you had known all this time, had you befriended her because of it? Did you approach her for fear of what she was doing? Did you… were you interested in her or her powers?
You sighed keeping your eyes on her, it was the moment of truth. You would tell Wanda what you hadn't said to anyone else before her.
"I know you have been hearing voices, Wanda. The promises of a future just the way you wanted it." You spoke softly, there was a heavy weight behind your words as if you had been carrying with this for far too long. "If that's what you want, if it is truly what you desire… I offer you my help."
Here Wanda lifted her face sharply, her eyes narrowing at you and your words. Were you serious? You offered a sad smile, looking away from her.
"But I know what those voices are, what they really meant. It will never be enough. They will always ask for more."
You trailed off in here, your eyes locking with those of Wanda. What could you say to her that wouldn’t push her away from you? What could possibly be said to her that wouldn’t scare her off?
“Is it really what you want? Do you really want to go? To live there… with him?" You inquired your voice just above a whisper.
No, I don’t know, we don’t know anymore…
And that was the truth.
Wanda didn’t know anymore; Vision and Westview were a safe bet. It was something she knew already; it was something she could control and had been working on for quite a while now. Letting herself love again to love someone new could be…it could destroy her all over again. Whenever she tried to get closer to someone they usually left or died or…God, what was she doing?
She never noticed the tears in her eyes until her vision became blurry and a sob left her lips. Why was she such a wimp, why couldn’t she just get a break and stop feeling for a moment?
You didn’t know what impulse you to do so, but soon your arms were wrapping around her and she was returning your embrace. Her sobs made her trembled, her arms tight around you while she tried to make sense of every single emotion and thought crossing her soul at that very moment. You held her comfortingly, brushing her hair with your right hand while your left one made soothing circles on her back.
“I don’t know…I just don’t know.” She finally mumbled, and while Wanda seemed to be suffering for not knowing, you were suffering for knowing too much.
“Hey, I know I sing horrible, but…you didn’t need to go.” You heard her snort of laughter mixed with her sobs; your lips curled slightly leaning back a little to look at her. You help her wipe the tears on her cheeks, cupping her cheeks in your hands.
Wanda gasped, closing her eyes, you leaned in, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"You don't need to know right now, Wanda." You were about to let go but the young woman tightened her grip on you indicating she didn't want you to stop holding her. You shift to fit her comfortably on your side before speaking again. “I think I owed you some explanations and I did promise you answers, didn’t I?”
“You did, yes.” Wanda waited for a moment, then with a push from her mind and an involuntary movement she grabbed your hand.
There is not time to think about this, just…do it.
Her alter ego was really the impatient type, Wanda lifted her face waiting for you to do or say something. You nodded curtly, squeezing the hand tenderly before settling your eyes on the window.
“Does Natasha know?” Wanda asked all of a sudden, you furrowed your brows nodding curtly.
“She does. One day, she was badly injured.” You lowered your gaze to the ocean, out of the corner of your eyes you could see the lights from the festivities, the forms were blurry and undefined but you could imagine the sound of music and cheers surrounding the valley.
“She was bleeding badly, and I had to stop the bleeding before I got help. So I had to use my abilities.” You purse your lips looking at the sky, “my magic is not for healing, if anything, it is meant to hurt. To destroy.”
The way you spoke of your abilities shocked Wanda, she opened her eyes glancing at you for a long time before you gave in and returned her stare.
“My magic…comes from the core of a living being.” You stretched your arm showing the white tattoos that soon start gleaming softly. “For simple spells I can use my life force, the way everyone does. The core of my magic allows it, but whenever I try to focus on something bigger, powerful…”
You trailed off lowering your arm while offering a bitter smile to Wanda.
“Let’s say that my magic draws that core from whatever being is nearby.” You sighed shrugging. “That day I saved her life, and she asked about it. She even tried to recruit me to the Avengers initiative, saying my help was necessary and would be appreciated. I declined, of course. I was not hero material. I have never been one.”
There was so much pain behind your words, it was not only the bitterness behind the meaning of your abilities but of something else. You clenched your fists close when those eyes of the woman sitting beside you pierced through your mind, you refused to let her see more than what she should and before you could say something she started talking.
“I destroyed a building filled with people.” Wanda sounded miserable under the weight of her memories; she lifted her hands to played with the whisps of magic in her fingertips. “Many called me monster. They are right, of course. I destroyed many lives, including Vision’s.”
“You’re not a monster, Wanda.” You felt like a hypocrite telling her this, for more than a few decades you felt like one, and it wasn’t until you met Ajak and the others that you found your way trying to correct your path.
In a way, your paths had not been that different.
When you turned to face Wanda the young woman had her eyes on you, she was tired of running yet she just was afraid to face whatever was happening in here. It was easier to go back to what she knew instead of trying for something totally different, something that could bring a new wave of pain, disappointment, and regret.
“I enslaved a whole town; I manipulated their minds and almost destroyed a full squad of agents that tried to take away from me the fantasy world I have created.” Wanda said wryly. “I think that counts as monstrous acts.”
“It counts as mistakes, Wanda, not a monstruous acts.” You sighed leaning in grabbing her hands in yours. “I know you weren’t aware of what you did, your magic is so…natural. It’s raw power wanting to go out but not knowing how, you grew up with this in you but no one to teach you how to use it.”
Wanda scowled at your words; they sounded familiar.
Agatha had said something similar to her, how she was supposed to be a witch that never had the right instruction. You brushed your fingertips against hers, speaking softly with a hint of memory in your tone.
“You have been using a very dangerous book, the Darkhold holds a cursed in itself that little by little corrupts its owner.”
You could sense the tension coming from Wanda, she tried to pull her hands away from you, but you stopped her tenderly grabbing her hands in yours. When you lifted your eyes, you found fear in those green eyes, then they changed into a deep red to finally combine both colours in them.
“How do you know?” She all but whispered.
“You heard the voices, right? It’s not only Scarlet in there, but also a group of voices that invite you over to try out the spells, to seek what you desire…the promises of giving you what you lost.” Your lips broke into a crooked smile. “I’ve heard everything in the past. It never ends well.”
Wanda should be surprised by what you had revealed, but Scarlet had already mentioned their encounter and she had suspected there was something strange about you. The voices where still there inside her mind, they were usually louder at nights or during her dreams, they were almost impossible to ignore when she was desperate or sad or the overwhelming feeling of emptiness and loneliness crawled inside her heart.
“Have you heard them? The voices?” Wanda asked looking at your hands and hers, “have you ever wanted something so much that you…gave in them? Have you ever wanted something so much you would do anything to get it?”
There was a hint of desperation in Wanda’s voice, of defeated in regards to her own emotions and her own experienced as of late. You stopped the movements of your hands freezing for a moment, the sound of muffled music filled the cliff and the waves hitting the shore brought soothing sound through your ears. You heard the voices once; it hadn’t been nice.
“I have. Twice in my life I have heard the voices, and twice I was saved from a certain death by my family. The one that adopted me. The ones you had already met.”
You sighed looking away knowing Wanda was looking at you. This part of you was something only Ajak, Sprite and the others knew by heart. They had been there when you were left for dead, they had saved you and you owed them more than anyone would ever know.
"My coven was in a silent war with non-magical beings and other covens." You started narrating, centring your attention on the stars. "I was taught to use my ability so, whenever things went bad I was the secret weapon."
"What did you do?" Wanda had not completely understood your powers. But the expression on your face told her it was bad.
"I stole the lives of some, to destroy others." Your voice quivered, letting go of Wanda's hand. "I used to hear their voices, hunting me, mocking me, blaming me… I thought my time had come after a fight that destroyed my coven. I was left for death and then… Ajak and the others came saving me when they didn't need to."
There was something strange in your story, though Wanda was not sure what it was. She waited enthralled by the story telling, by the images projected by your mind that she was completely sure you sent for her to see.
"Do you still hear them?"
You blinked a couple of times shaking your head, "no, it took some time but I forgive myself for what I have done and… I stopped hearing them."
Silence settled between the both of you, Wanda finished her chocolate while looking at the far away lights igniting the sea. Wanda let her eyes wander around until they settled in the same stars you were watching at the moment.
"You said there were two times in your life…"
You snorted, tilting your head to shoot Wanda an amused stare. Wanda lowered her gaze rather embarrassed; it was obvious she wasn't only curious but was eager to know more about you. There was a part of her that had always felt curious about you, about your past…
If there is someone in her life…if there is a chance.
“There was a woman, her name was Eliza.”
Wanda shifted on her spot; she wasn’t liking the tone you used to refer to this woman. Yet she couldn’t help but listened to the story.
“We met in Germany; at that time the country was not having the best of times.” You winced trying to explain the situation to Wanda without being specific about the age, or the decade that happened. “We kind of hit it off at the very beginning, she was beautiful, smart, funny…and I fell in love with her.”
Wanda clenched her jaw already hating the story, she tried to put her hands away, but you intertwined your hands with hers squeezing tenderly while showing her this story did not have a happy ending. Wanda struggled for a moment before giving in, she was taken aback when two tears rolled down your cheeks. It wasn’t sadness. It was regret.
“She was a witch too, and it was incredible. I didn’t need to hide myself from her so, we could work around our own magic, be ourselves.” Your lips broke into a bitter grimace. “The first time I heard those voices was subtle, it was like a sweet invitation to do something I thought I wanted. It was a planted dream, a planted desire. I didn’t notice anything at that point, I have given my heart to Eliza the way I had never done so before so I never doubt her.”
Wanda frowned looking away from you, she remembered of all the times she had used her ability to manipulate the minds of others. To create the illusion or bend their wills to her own. You sighed shrugging.
“Of course, as time goes by, the voices become louder insistent…darker.” Wanda could hear the anger filling your voice, but behind that anger there was an underlying sadness. She hated seeing you like this, and she wished she could do something about the memories.
“It became part of who I was, I was in love with her thus even if I heard thoughts that were not totally mine I will comply if only to see her happy. To see her smile.” You shifted on the spot having forgotten about many of these things, and then all of a sudden remembering them as if it had happened the day before.
You know who she is, don’t you? You know how familiar that sounded?
Wanda didn’t need to say anything to know how familiar that sounded, and she certainly knew who you were referring to.
“She is the one in the picture, isn’t she?” Wanda asked all of a sudden, you nodded curtly looking away from Wanda.
“That day…Egypt had been a personal dream of mine.” You broke into a smile, tenderness filling your eyes for a moment. “I had planned it several times, but there was always something happening that prevent me from doing it. Then, she gets to our flat back in London with two first class tickets to Egypt I was beyond happy. I was…”
Wanda could see the many emotions crossing your face, and without thinking she moved closer to you her free hand cupping your cheek making you looked back at her.
“I was an idiot. I should have seen it, the signs were there, I just ignored them.”
“What happened?” Wanda all but whispered her question, you leaned into her touch before continuing.
“I wanted to visit the museum, she was tired and encourage me to go.” You shrugged, “I said why not? I knew she thought those places to be boring, so I went out and took a couple of hours. When I was back she was in the room, with someone else. They were…fucking rather loudly.”
You leaned back finally cutting off the contact you had with Wanda to just focused on the world outside your window.
“I couldn’t even talk when something hit me and I knew no more.”
“Was there someone else in the room?” Wanda asked worriedly, if she hadn’t liked the beginning of the story she was liking this even less.
“No, actually it was a spell.” You replied pressing your lips together. “I woke up tied up, naked with Eliza near me and my body bleeding from cuts she had placed strategically around my body.”
“Y/N…” Wanda was looking horrified, and with each detail you knew she was going to be even more impressed.
“Long story short, the voices had been an enchantment she had worked with for some time,” You shrugged again, giving Wanda a tired glance. “I never noticed it, I was just…”
“…in love.” Wanda said and the words taste foul on her tongue.
Her tone of voice surprised her; she sounded bitter and her face was wearing an expression between a grimace and sadness that she wanted to deny but knew this was impossible. Wanda couldn’t help but wonder if you were still in love with Eliza, if you were…were you mourning that love still? It was kind of hypocritical from her part to even think these questions, she had come all the way from New York to heal a past lover. To try and go back to him, yet she couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps…did she stand a chance with you?
“Yeah, it was stupid.” You snorted continuing. “She was part of a coven that had been on a blood feud with mine, she heard about me and thus decided to do a transfer of powers.”
“What do you mean?”
You straightened up remembering that Wanda had never had the proper education on this.
“It’s when a witch or wizard, or even a sorcerer tries to transfer the powers of another magical being to them.” You tried to explain it in a simple way. “But this usually ends up with the initial donor’s dead. You cannot live without magic; it is part of you. So…she was meant to kill me.”
Wanda felt rage building up in her, her eyes gleaming a dangerous red just as the Scarlet Witch stirred inside of her. Why would anyone try to do something so vile? Why would anyone try to do something like that to you? If Wanda could…
But we can…Wanda, you need to decide, or I’ll will free myself from you and take what I want. Look at her…
And Wanda did, she looked at you and saw the suffering behind your eyes. The story brough to you memories you longed to forget, yet when you lifted your face to glance at her all Wanda could see was tenderness. She was still afraid to see beyond that.
“Egypt had a temple perfect for the ritual, she almost succeeded if it hadn’t been for Thena and Sersi and the others.” You explained, shrugging lifting your arms. “My tattoos they weren’t with me until recently. My core had been damage, and for me to recover I need a new source of power. At least until everything went back to normal. I was taken to Kamar Taj; in there I was helped by the Supreme Sorcerer.”
“You mean, Wong?” Wanda blinked confusedly; you shook your head.
“No, he wasn’t the Supreme at that time.” You tried to ignite the tattoos on your arms showing the different patterns. “This helps me a little, it allows me to control how I used my magic without…dying. I was given a gift not many have, and not many can take so...”
Wanda winced at your sheer honestly, she let her fingertips caressed the patterns until your hands followed hers.
“Your blackened fingertips, I saw them in her too.” You whispered. “Corruption.”
Wanda’s lips quivered; she was about to speak when you continued drawing patterns on her hands.
“Do you still love her?” She blurted out all of a sudden, you blinked away in confusion. “I mean, you don’t have to answer of course it’s just…”
“Do you still love Vision?” That was a low moved and you knew it, Wanda tensed slightly scowling at you before looking away.
“Vision was…my everything. He was my first friend, my first lover, my first…regret.” Wanda clenched her fist tight. “A part of me would always love him but…I…”
“Eliza was my first love too; she was my everything at some point…but she…” You trailed off looking at Wanda deep into her green eyes. “She wasn’t the love of my life. I’m starting to think that what I feel for her was puppy love and…that…what I’m experiencing right now it’s something totally different.”
Wasn’t he the love of our life?
“Was he?”
He was all we knew. And now that we’re getting to experience something different, something…
“I’m not sure what it is happening, yet.” Wanda mumbled, and you just smiled at her.
“Good, I thought I was the only confused one in here.” You straightened up turned around to see the lights of the reflectors in the distance. “Now you know my deep secret, Principessa, I’m a witch, I fell in love with the wrong person and now I’m just trying to…live.”
There was a moment of contemplative silence, Wanda seemed to be deep in thought pondering what to say. It was quite evident you had shared something not many knew about you. Something you had kept secret for far too long, Wanda couldn't help but feel she was missing something important, something vital about your story. She could hear the chuckles from Scarlet, her amusement washing over Wanda's mind though the young witch couldn’t understand why.
After a moment, Wanda decided to tell you everything as well.
"I got the idea of the Darkhold after confronting Agatha." She clocked her head remembering how she went right inside the other witch's home and stole not before breaking the protective spells Agatha had placed around her house.
"It spoke about a prophecy, about the Scarlet Witch." You stirred for a moment glancing at the reflection of Wanda and the familiar shadow lurking right behind her. "If I had such power, and I did it unconsciously then with some training and help I could build something resistant, something permanent and impenetrable."
Wanda remembered those first days back in New York, how she would get interrupted every five minutes. How desperate she was getting to finally have some alone time with the book and the Astral projection of herself. A part of her had been mad about the vacation proposal because she knew it was a way to get rid of her. She knew what she had done had created troubles the Avengers were not ready to deal with, yet they did and one of the conditions was, Wanda needed to go.
"When I got here I started really working on the book, and the spells. It was all consuming the words and the invitation, I felt the power rush through my veins and building what I wanted became second nature." Wanda glanced at her hands and those blackened fingertips, the corruption that ran through Agatha and was now trying to take over her. "I felt the corruption, but I was just… alone. So alone. I have nothing, I have no one. And I thought about this world, Vision…"
Here Wanda trailed off hesitating while trying to get the right words, to organise her thoughts. She had felt so lost at the very beginning, she really thought there was nothing for her in this reality, that she would always be alone. And then… everything changed.
"Then, along the way, something changed." Wanda dropped her head, her voice above a whisper. "I changed and… everything was different, my need for the Darkhold became sporadic, I didn't need to look for the book to feel good, to actually get a glimpse of what I want, what I need…"
Now we only need to be near N/Y for the voices to disappear, she is all we can think of…
God, Scarlet was so embarrassing sometimes, Wanda held back her mortification and the sheer honesty behind her alter ego’s part.
“Now, it’s not as often as before, you have been distracted.”
Your comment was meant to complement her explanation, but the way her cheeks burnt at your words made you wonder if perhaps there was something else you were missing.
“Yes, as of late something else…someone else has been in my mind.” Wanda whispered for you to hear. “I’ve been having second thoughts about everything, feeling guilty for forgetting about Vision and the mission while enjoying this newfound normality in me.”
“That’s foolish, you can’t feel guilty for wanting to continue with your life, Wanda. Grief is necessary but we cannot stay there forever.” You had learnt that the hard way, grief would only lead to depression and loneliness and a place so dark that could consume you completely.
Wanda shrugged looking away into the darkened sky above your head, the start twinkling merrily while forming patterns not many could name.
“I think it’s more complicated than that.” She continued; you furrowed your brows waiting for a deeper explanation. “I feel guilty, I promised Vision we’re going to be together forever but…things changed. And I’m not sure when they did, but they did and now I just…”
Wanda trailed off when an explosion resounded all through the Riviera and the sky ignited with flowers of colours decorating the sky. The fireworks had begun and they were breaking into the sky, you turned your head and they were reflecting in green eyes that were watching in awe the sky, Wanda’s lips curled in a tender smile and you found yourself spellbound to her.
“They’re beautiful.” She whispered, and you smiled watching her. Only her.
“Yes, they are.”
Wanda furrowed her brows lowering her gaze to find yours, the lights coming from the fireworks lit the land around you. Wanda could no look away and you found yourself in the same position.
“How did things change, Wanda?” You asked, the young woman tensed looking away from you. You leaned in putting two fingers under her chin, you turned her tenderly to you and asked again. “How did they change?”
“I…” Wanda hesitated, and she could hear the grunt of frustration coming from Scarlet.
“I can tell you how my life had changed, I never thought I would experience this again.” You chuckled nervously. “I never thought I would find someone that would occupy my mind 24/7 and that would…someone I want to make happy. To see her smile. Even if it is not with me. So, tell me how things change for you and…and if it is between my power, I will help you get the world you want to live in peace, happy with the one you love.”
Your breath caught in your throat when her lips finally made contact with yours. It was a timid brushing of lips, an electric jolt went right through your lips all through your body, your lips parting slightly until you were nibbling on Wanda’s lower lip, your hand on the nape of her neck and her hands on your cheeks. Your lips were warm against hers; it was an innocent touch filled with electric jolts that warm up your chest and made your smooth flipped in anticipation; Wanda sighed partying her lips while tilting her head to the side submitting herself to your guidance. It was a slow danced filled with real-life fireworks happening just outside the window.
You two kissed until the lack of air made you break apart panting, trying to catch your breath while keeping Wanda closed to you. When your eyes opened she was looking at you with such a tenderness and adoration, you were afraid to speak and reveal more than you probably should. So you leaned in and kissed her again.
_____________________________________________________________
Tag List: @trikruismybitch
#Wanda Maximoff x Female Reader#Wanda Maximoff x Reader#WandaxReader#WandaxFenaleReader#WandaMaximoffxF!Reader#imagine wanda maximoff#Reader#You
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Titan Bending Chapter 7
Warning: Violence consistent with cannon, NSFW so MDNI, language, major character death (both consistent with canon of both AOT and ATLA as well as diverging from canon), so much trauma literally everyone is so traumatized, very much slow burn, a little enemies to lovers, SO MUCH ANGST, hurt/comfort, hurt and delayed comfort, AFAB reader
Chapter Warnings: fear of horses, graphic depiction of Eren after failed tests (a la S3Ep1 Smoke Signal), death, titans killing people (pretty par for the course but still), loss of entire village, it’s implied that the reader is short (I try not to give these kinds of descriptors so that as many people as possible will identify with it but I’M short and it just fits so well, apologies in advance)
WC: 3967
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Tags: @mochminnie @sseleniaa
When Hange said we’d be taking a field trip, she failed to mention that it meant that the entirety of her and Levi’s squads would be going into hiding at a cabin in the woods. It’s not a bad place to stay, it’s actually rather cozy even if it does mean we’re keeping tight quarters. Tight quarters aren’t all that bad though, it means that I’ve gotten to know each of the kids quite well. They don’t always get along, but it’s more in the family sort of way than like they don’t actually like each other.
Every day they remind me more and more of the Gaang.
“We’ll discuss your complete and utter failure at a later date,” Levi’s voice cuts off my thoughts. “Eren, Hange is anxious to get started on today’s experiment.”
Good, that will give me a chance to clean while they’re all out. I think I’m the only one whose cleaning Levi actually approves of.
My thoughts make me giggle to myself and I notice Levi glance in my direction despite no one else seeming to notice.
God, is there anything that little shit doesn’t notice?
As everyone heads out to the clearing, Krista, or rather, Historia and I stay behind to keep working on the house. As per usual we finish in no time - even the bottoms of the tables and the walls.
“Your cleaning certainly makes up for anything else Captain Levi might not like about you,” Kri- Historia remarks. I laugh at her observation.
“You think so? I don’t know, it seems like he’s always scrutinizing me more than everyone else so I wouldn’t say it completely makes up for it. And besides, it’s like he checks my cleaning more thoroughly like he’s waiting for me to make a mistake,” I lament.
“Honestly, at this point I think he just expects a lot out of you,” Historia counters.
“Oh really? How so?”
“Well,” she begins, “you are able to clean at a level that no one else physically can so you’ve set the bar high there. Then as far as performance goes, your waterbending has proven more than once now to be faster than ODM gear and, frankly, watching you maneuver looks like when I’m watching him so I think he just expects you to perform like him at everything now.”
Her description gives me pause.
Is it really possible that I’ve been reading him wrong? No, right? While sure he may have this arbitrary set of expectations, he surely is also waiting for me to fail. He’s called “Humanity’s Strongest Soldier” so he probably just views me as a threat to that title.
Unaware of my internal dialogue, Historia continues, “plus, you take care of all of us like a mom, which I’m sure he appreciates.”
This catches my attention. “You think? I don’t understand, why would that matter to him?”
She giggles, and I can see why so many of the boys pine after her because it’s truly a beautiful sound. Her little laughter alone makes me smile before she says, “I think he cares about people more than you give him credit for. I’ve seen him hold dying soldiers’ hands and promise not to forget them and when his squad was killed by the Female Titan, he collected all of their Wings of Freedom patches. Rumor has it he keeps those patches in his desk.”
I feel an immense sense of guilt wash over me. I stand there, pensive, lost in my thoughts for a moment.
I wanted to crack him, figure out how he ticks, and I thought I had but it seems I didn’t even try. I can’t believe I was so shallow…
In the distance, Eren’s titan lets out a scream that sounds more like a platypus bear caught in a trap and I swear I can hear Hange shrieking.
“Should we go check it out?” I wonder aloud.
“We might as well, Hange probably wants to work with you too,” she says with a playful elbow to my side. I throw an arm around her in a hug as we head out.
When we get to the clearing, Hange is tearing Eren out of a sickly looking Titan. His face is gone. The sight is repulsive.
Historia goes up to where Levi and Armin are standing, and I head towards Eren and a seemingly livid Hange.
As she spouts off whatever, I hear Moblit accuse her of having no compassion to which I frown.
She just gets carried away.
Walking up to them, I call out “ya know, I know he can heal himself but that looks pretty gnarly so I can try to help. We haven’t tried my healing on him yet.” This seems to perk Hange back up, and she nearly throws the poor kid at me, much to Mikasa’s chagrin.
Instead of going straight for his face, since that’s the worst, I go for something with lower stakes - his arm. As I begin healing he lets out some guttural noise and I stop in my tracks. Not only does it seem like it’s hurting him, but it seems like it’s making it worse as I see the spot now starting to bleed where it didn’t previously.
“Huh! Fascinating! Perhaps try a different spot?” Hange inquires over my shoulder.
“What?! No! Clearly that’s hurting him. He can heal on his own, I just wanted to see if I could speed up the process but clearly that’s not the case so no, I’m not going to torture the poor kid!” At my response, I can see Hange almost get angry with me. Just as she’s about to order me to try again, I speak up saying, “remember our agreement Hang. I won’t do anything that I don’t agree with. And I don’t agree with hurting this boy just because you got carried away with an experiment.”
She comes back to reality and her face immediately takes on a bit of guilt. “I-I’m sorry,” she admits quietly.
I put my hand on her shoulder, catching her off guard, before I say, “It’s alright, everyone knows how into it you get in the moment.” I smile at her before it’s her turn to catch me off guard, capturing me in a tight hug. I smooth down her untamed hair and hear Levi calling from the cliff, stating that he and Hange’s squad were heading back to Trost and for the rest of us to return to the cabin.
I bid Hange a farewell before realizing that everyone besides Historia and I had come here on those horse…things. Eren was in no position to ride alone so he was placed with Mikasa, leaving a horse for Historia.
“I, uh, I’m good walking,” I say while rubbing my neck. All of the kids just stare at me a little.
“Just hop on with someone,” Mikasa says like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” I say with a nervous chuckle.
“Have you never ridden a horse?!” Connie cajoles.
“No! I’ve never ridden a ‘horse,’” I say in a mocking tone. “I’ve ridden an OSTRICHhorse but those are far less…intimidating.” Eying up one of the horses, I decide that they are, in fact, terrifying.
Now it’s Jean’s turn to tease me. “Ahhh come on, they’re harmless! Plus you won’t even be riding alone!”
“Easy for you to say, you’re already half horse anyway!” I retort, drawing unbridled laughter from all of the kids and making Jean blush.
Sasha approaches me on her horse and I take a step back. She gets down and sweetly says, “I’ve been riding my whole life, if you’re safe with anyone on a horse, it’s me. So, you just get up there first and then I’ll join you. You don’t have to do any of the work, just enjoy the scenery!”
I blink at her for a few moments, but I can tell she’s being completely sincere. “You just wanna get back so we can eat lunch,” I joke and her mouth waters slightly. I continue, “but…I’ll give it a try.”
I put my foot in the stirrup and hoist myself up, clutching the little knobby thing on the saddle as if my life depends on it. Sasha gets back up with ease. She wraps her arms around me to grab the reins and I’m struck by the intimate possibility this has.
“Damn, at least take me on a date first,” I say with a wink over my shoulder at her. Sasha, Historia, and Mikasa laugh, but the boys just chuckle, with seemingly all of them blushing.
Then suddenly we’re riding, and the fear returns and I stiffen up. Over my shoulder, I hear Sasha reassure me, “relax, you’re totally fine. Horses can sense fear.”
“Oh yeah, that’s REAL reassuring.”
It’s a short ride back to the cabin and as we continue, I do start to loosen up. I even go so far as to pat the horse’s neck. At one point Connie and Jean decide to try to make Sasha fuck with me by challenging her to a race and then taking off, and while I can tell she wants to join she refrains.
“Thanks, Sash. I think going full speed would traumatize me.” She just giggles at me.
We soon arrive back at the cabin and when we do, the boys are bickering about who won. I simply roll my eyes and laugh as I feel Sasha slide off of the horse’s back before she helps me down. As I’m walking inside, I hear Jean stop arguing with Connie and call out, “Y/n! Tomorrow: you’re learning how to ride a horse even if it kills you!”
I try and fail to hide my distaste for the idea, thinking that it just might kill me. But, reluctantly, I agree shooting back, “Are you going to be the one to teach me Kirstein? Since you’re more at one with the horses, I mean?” I smirk at him as he stands there sputtering to the sound of Connie’s laughter.
With the departure of Levi and Hange, we had to be extra vigilant on watch. I had one of the earlier shifts along with Mikasa. After we were relieved by Sasha and Jean, we return to find Connie also awake. While Mikasa just stares at him, I can tell something is wrong.
“Can’t sleep?” I inquire softly.
“Uh, yeah, you could say that,” he responds.
I shoo away Mikasa to get some sleep and offer to make him some tea which he happily accepts. We sit in silence for a moment before I ask, “so, do you want to talk about the nightmare or would you rather have a distraction?”
He stares at me surprised for a moment, so I explain, “this isn’t my first rodeo. I’m pretty sure everyone I’ve ever been close with has been plagued by nightmares, myself included.”
He smiles slightly as I can tell he’s pondering what he needs. After a deep sigh, he just softly says, “it was about my village.”
I sit quietly, waiting for him to continue. As he stares at his tea, I cautiously say, “I’m sorry Connie, I don’t know what happened in your village.”
It’s almost as if realization dawns on him, and based on the pain in his eyes I quickly add, “-you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, bud.”
“No, it’s okay. I didn’t know that you didn’t know but it makes sense,” he begins talking and it’s clear it’s hard for him to talk about, but it also seems like he needs to talk about it. “After Annie attacked and we captured her, there was a supposed breach in the walls. Titans wiped out my entire village, but,” he trails off.
I reach over and put my hand on his shoulder, overwhelmed with sadness and empathy. He takes a deep breath before continuing, “but there’s something strange about it.” I furrow my eyebrows, searching his face and only finding confusion.
“Strange how?”
“Well, there is no evidence that they were eaten by titans. Neighboring villages, yes. It’s clear that titans killed everyone. But mine is like they all just…vanished. And there was this giant titan too. Looked like some kind of hairy beast. Clearly an abnormal. I think it has something to do with it. The weirdest part, and the worst, honestly, is that there’s one titan that seems like it can’t walk just stuck on top of my house. As weird as it sounds, it looks like my mom and I know it sounds crazy but I swear on everything that it talked to me!”
I can only hope my face doesn’t betray me as he’s telling me this, because I AM shocked but I don’t want to freak him out or worry him more.
I muster all of my composure to respond, “I…I’m sorry Connie. I believe you, and I’m sorry that people have made you feel crazy for what you experienced. That sucks, though. I wish there was something more eloquent I could say but it just truly sucks. When tragedies happen, people often say things like “you’ll be okay,” and shit like that, and while that’s true that eventually you will be okay, it doesn’t make the right now any better. So I guess the best I can do for you is recognize that yeah, what you’re going through is unimaginable. And you’re allowed to be sad, angry, confused -- all of it.”
I see his eyes get glassy, and I rub his shoulder again as I pour another cup of tea for the both of us. Not wanting to make him speak before he’s ready, I speak again saying, “ya know, I think you’ve made Ragako very proud. Even though war isn’t a glorious thing, you’re definitely the hero of the village because you’ll keep their memory alive.” I smile as I finish, and by now the tears have spilled over so I pull him into a tight hug.
After we stay like this for a moment, he shakily says, “thank you, y/n.”
I smile again and assure him that he doesn’t have to thank me. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough with me to tell me.” I chuckle a little before continuing, “and actually, if there’s anyone that even sort of understands what you’re going through, it’s probably me.” His eyebrows furrow so I give him a sad smile and add, “my village was actually attacked by the fire nation about 10 years ago. So, yeah, I don’t get it, but I know the feeling. So if you ever need to talk to someone, I’m always here for you, Connie.” I pause before smiling wider and saying, “plus, I barely sleep so there’s a good chance that I’m awake whenever you might need me.”
“I-I-I’m sorry. I…I had no idea,” he stutters out.
“Oh no, don’t worry about it I know that you didn’t know -- no one here knows that about me, actually. Not even Hange, come to think of it. But no, I didn’t tell you for you to feel sympathy or anything like that, I just wanted you to know that even though this is a unique situation you’re in, you’re not alone.” I patted him on the shoulder and he smiled back at me.
Finishing his cup of tea, Connie yawns and I bid him a goodnight before he has to take his guard shift.
Smiling at our interaction, I finish my own tea and clean up before I slip out unnoticed to get some training in.
It’s probably not my brightest idea to go out on my own right now, but I’ve been fine on my own before so I’ll be fine now.
--
I return as the sun is rising and slip back in just as I had slipped out, only a few people are awake now.
Jean confronts me, “Where were you?” It almost sounds like he’s trying to scold me like a parent, making me laugh.
I walk up to him and ruffle his hair, which clearly flusters him. “Just getting a workout in, that’s all.”
At our conversation, more people seem to stir. Jean grunts and grumbles out, “just making sure you weren��t trying to skip out on your riding lesson.”
Fuck.
I sigh and exasperatedly say, “are you really going to go through with this?” to which I’m met with all of the kids nodding in excitement.
Huffing, I say, “aight, let’s just get this over with then.”
I can almost feel their excitement in the air, and while I’m putting on an annoyed face, I can’t begrudge them the fun they’re having with this. The joy quickly melts into a dispute about who has the most well-mannered horse for me to practice on. I let them go for a moment before I ultimately made the final decision.
“How about I just use Sasha’s horse since I’m already familiar with it?” I ask.
This starts a new round of bickering about who should be the teacher because “Sasha can’t teach if she’s not on her horse but Jean isn’t a good teacher and…” so on and so forth.
From over my shoulder, I hear an almost imperceptible, “why not Eren or Mikasa’s horses? Since neither of them are here.” I turn and smile at Historia, who made the suggestion. Knowing I’m the only one that heard her, I clap my hands loudly and declare that it’s settled, I’ll ride whomever’s horse is the calmest between Eren and Mikasa.
To make the final decision, I’m given two carrots and told to try to feed them both and whichever one I “vibe” with the best will be who I ride. Sasha shows me how to feed a horse and I’m horrified that it has to be from the palm of my hand.
Connie, getting a kick out of the situation, mocks me and points out, “oh come on, you mean to tell me you’re not afraid of basically ANYTHING but you’re afraid of horses?”
I grit my teeth because I know he’s right. Putting on some fake confidence I approach the horses at the same time, because they’re next to each other.
Damn, even Eren and Mikasa’s HORSES are in love.
They eat simultaneously, but Eren’s seems a bit gentler and nuzzles me a bit which, while terrifying, melts my heart a bit so that’s the horse I choose. Now for getting on it. I didn’t struggle too much since I had gotten on Sasha’s yesterday, but I’m actually putting my feet in the stirrups to ride today and they BARELY reach. I try my hardest to focus on what Sasha and the others are saying about how to hold the reins, but when they tell me to keep my legs straight I can’t help but laugh out loud.
“What option do I have?! My legs are too short for me to have anything BUT straight legs! How the fuck does Levi do this?” Everyone finds this hilarious, and while I wasn’t intentionally making a joke, I have to laugh along with them.
We begin moving at a snail’s pace and after about 20 minutes, I’m gettting the hang of it. Then Sasha suggests we go a bit faster.
“Just bring your heal back and kick right where the leg and stomach meet, it’ll tell her to speed up,” she instructs.
“Oh hey now, let’s not do anything brash,” as I say this, Sasha makes a noise and speeds off. Not a problem in and of itself, but it makes me jump and kick the horse and against my better judgment, we’re now speeding after her. Running towards the woods at break-neck speed, I realize I’ve made a terrible error. Then Sasha is yelling next to me to turn, I hear the kids screaming to turn from behind us, and I pull the left rein hard. We make a tight left turn just before the treeline and as everyone is cheering, I realize this isn’t so bad. Calling at me to pull back on the reins if I want to slow down, I do so and we grind to a trot.
Everyone approaches me, beaming with pride, and I have to admit, “ya know, that wasn’t so bad. I hate to admit it, but I’m glad y’all forced me to do this.”
Returning to the cabin, Sasha and Jean take lookout and the rest of us start prepping our food for the day. I don’t know how much time passes, but eventually out of the corner of my eye I see Eren emerge.
Smiling, I greet him, “well, well, well. Look who’s out of hibernation!” He and Mikasa proceed to argue about him resting when Connie brings up wanting revenge on the Beast Titan. Silence falls over the room before he suggests that he and Mikasa go relieve Sasha and Jean. As the four of them switch off, Historia makes some comment about someone named Ymir and I can tell it’s a sensitive subject. As Eren turns to talk to her, I take some of the vegetables over to a different table to give them privacy. Just as I do, Sasha calls that Hange and Levi are returning and to meet in the main room.
That’s convenient, at least I can keep working while they talk at us.
I remain seated as everyone enters, and although I smile brightly at the sight of Hange I can tell something is very wrong. No one bothers to sit down before she announces that someone named Pastor Nick was murdered.
I’ll have to ask about what the religion is here. I didn’t think they worshiped, well, anything.
Everyone reacts other than Levi, and in an effort to be less judgemental after what Historia had said about him, I fight the urge to judge him.
It’s so hard though when clearly everyone else cared about this man and the little shit has the audacity to stand there without an ounce of care in the world. It’s like someone just told him that taxes are due in a month.
No matter my opinion, no one else seems to care about Levi’s apathy so I decide to let it go as Hange tells us about her theory that he was tortured, and by another branch of the military at that.
I don’t know if I’m happy or disappointed to hear that other governments are just as corrupt as the Earth Kingdom.
“This was my fault, I should’ve been more careful,” Hange laments. Hearing her say this -- hearing her speak without her normal excitement in general -- breaks my heart.
“...how many nails was the good pastor missing?” Levi asks.
Why that little -
“How many? You saw right?”
I’m gonna fu-
“All of the nail beds I saw were empty,” Hange responds, surprise still laced in her voice.
“People who talk, talk after one. If they don’t, ripping off more won’t make a difference.”
Oh. OH. He’s got a good point. Shit, I hate to admit that. But wait, I know how I know that but how does HE know that? God, he could’ve phrased it differently at least, Hange looks like she’s going to cry.
As all of us sit with our own thoughts, a girl that I recognize from Hange’s squad comes in and gives a note to Levi, stating that it’s from Erwin. I don’t know if I imagined it, but I swear there was a flash of worry on Levi’s face before his features shifted ever so slightly into determination. When he speaks, his voice is subtly deeper and sounds more commanding.
“Get your gear, now. We’re leaving. Make it look like we were never here.”
#aot#attack on titan#snk#shingeki no kyojin#avatar: the last airbender#atla#the gaang#Levi Ackerman#Levi x y/n#Captain Levi#Levi x reader#Hange Zoe#Prince Zuko#Zuko#Zuko x y/n#Aang#Katara#Sokka#Toph#Suki
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1. it’s been a secret for the longest time
A/N: Hey, guys!!! I've been working on this story for about a week or so, I'm so excited to finally be posting it!!! A couple of weeks ago, I became absolutely obsessed with the song inspiration for this and eventually my brain started applying it to Trilance and I'd say the result is absolutely beautiful. This is actually Chapter 1 out of at least 2 (though I might continue with more than that if people really want me to). Originally this was going to be much longer, it was actually going to include a whole smut scene which would've almost doubled the word count at least, maybe even fully doubled it, but my laptop needs to charge and I need to go to sleep, lmao. So you guys get part one now and part two sometime tomorrow!! Imma have to go back through and do some proofreading later on, but for the most part, it should be good to go!!! Happy reading!!!
Pairing(s): Tristan x Lancelot
Summary: For months now, Tristan and Lancelot have played a game of secret flirting, lustful longing, and maybe even something a bit more. But now that a certain date has finally been set, they're running out of time to decide what they want and Tristan decides he's going to finally make a move to advance things forward.
Tags: Aged up characters (somewhere around 21-24), alcohol, sexual tension, slight Guinevere bashing (💀💀), cheating/infidelity sorta (depends on how you look at it, I guess? But people have tried to come at me for not tagging cheating in the past, so, lmao)
Song Inspiration: Shameless By Camila Cabello (Highly recommend, btw)
Word Count: 4,883
Not beta'd, all mistakes are my own.
~*~
[Series Masterlist]
[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9]
[Read on AO3]
[Author Masterlist]
~*~
Lancelot holds his breath as he waits. It's time. This is when he always shows up. Well, when they always show up, but he could care less about her. It's only him that he's concerned about. And there he is. Right on time. He watches from across the crowded club as two people come in through the front entrance. The flashing lights of the paparazzi that have followed them here were barely noticeable thanks to the heavy door blocking the club from the outside world quickly closing behind them.
A pinkette and a silverette make their way through the dancefloor slowly, stopping and talking to people, going by the bar to get their first round of drinks. Both of them are the closest thing to royalty you can get in their country, and in this club that means they are royalty as far as anyone is concerned. And they definitely live up to the title. A prince and a soon-to-be princess.
They're both beautiful. Stunning, even. They're shining stars, a picture perfect couple. The ultimate couple goals. Their life is perfect and nothing could be better. Everyone wants someone to love them like those two love each other. All anyone wants in life is to find someone who treats them as well as the prince treats the princess. That's all according to the world-wide media, anyways. But again, Lance doesn't care about anyone but the prince.
Finally, after a few minutes, they make their way over to where Lancelot is. Because of course. If they're the prince and princess, then he's a nobleman, his father being the royal advisor to the King himself, after all, if he were to continue his kingdom metaphors. He could even go so far as to say he was a family friend, though he's personally never spent much time with any of them.
"Lancelot, hello!" The princess addresses him kindly. "How have you been?"
He meets her eyes reluctantly. Not because he's afraid or intimidated by her, quite the opposite, in fact. There's just better places for him to look at right now. "I've been well, and you, your majesties?" He tacks on his little nickname for them with a playful grin.
She flushes slightly, but just shakes her head at him with a roll of her eyes while the prince beside her lets out a deep chuckle that absolutely lights Lance up inside. "We've been very well, isn't that right, my love?" The prince looks from Lance to the woman beside him as he speaks.
"Oh, yes, so much has happened recently. We must catch you up once we've finished making our round of greetings." The princess looked to be positively bursting with excitement. She then looks to the rest of his booth with curiosity and confusion, seeming to just now notice the lack of a brunette beside him. "Both of you. Where's your princess, Lance?" She questions, a mischievous spark in her eyes as she teases him with his own nickname for her.
Oh gods, don't let her hear you call her that. She would never let any of us live it down and then we'd have some real problems. He thinks with a mental sigh of exasperation. "She had a business call to attend to, I'm sure she'll be back by the time you two are." He states politely.
They both nod. "We'll be off then, see you in a few." Is called back at him as they turn and walk away. He shakes his head and turns back to the table, downing the rest of his drink in order to keep himself from staring at the Prince's backside as he walks away. He sets his glass back down and tilts his head back, closing his eyes and sighing as he sags in his seat.
The prince and princess. Tristan Liones and Isolde Connors. Son of Meliodas Taizman and daughter of Chester Connors. Chester is someone who started out as nothing more than average middle-class and managed to work his way up the ladder and into the livelihood of the rich after finding a way to create a new piece of technology that allows people to rediscover long lost memories.
Meliodas is the Mayor of the city of Liones, the capitol of our country and the biggest and most populated place in all of Britannia. He's married to the previous Mayor's daughter, so some like to say that he didn't rightfully earn his place as leader of the people, but the truth is, he had already started making a name for himself before he'd even met his current wife, through his connection with the Sin Committee.
They were a group of activists who came from out of town. They're an interesting mix of people. Each of them have their own individual cause that they wanted to focus on the most, so they'd be in charge of that topic, situation, idea, etc. But whenever there was a protest or a meeting or a vote, all the other members would gather to help out. There was 7 of them, so they each chose one of the seven deadly sins to use as a code name, which is also where their official group name came from. They gathered for all kinds of stuff. Protests, uprisings, voting polls, they made speeches and outed assholes who tried to make themselves look good. And they didn't just do it in Liones, they did it all over Britannia. Danafall, Edinburgh, Benwick. They were changemakers and they were damn good at it.
They were planning on eventually traveling out of Liones and continuing on, but then Meliodas met the mayor's daughter, Elizabeth Liones. And he decided to stay so that he could be with her, settle down and actually grow out some roots somewhere. And the rest of his group followed suit, each one finding some reason or another to stay here and build an official life for themselves. Eventually Meliodas and Elizabeth got married and not long after, Meliodas ran for Mayor as Elizabeth's father stepped down.
So, the prince. Yeah, Lance thinks it's a pretty fitting name, considering the whole damn city is named after his family. That choice of nickname definitely doesn't have anything to do with the fact that if told to, he would immediately fall to the man's feet and do whatever else was asked of him without hesitation. It definitely doesn't have to do with the fact that for months, the only constant thought in his mind is what Tristan's skin might feel like and how his lips might taste. And it definitely doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Lance has never wanted any man, any person, more than he's wanted Tristan Liones. Definitely not.
"What's up with you? Tired already?" A voice breaks him from his thoughts as the brunette slides into the booth next to him, having finished up with her phone call.
The only thing making me tired is you, Lance thinks wryly. "No, just lost in thought, thinking over some stuff." He replies, flashing her a quick half-hearted smile. "Isolde and Tristan stopped by to say hi. Isolde says she wants to tell us about some things. They should be back anytime now." He informs her.
"Oh good, it's been awhile since we've seen them, it'll be good to catch up." She states, smiling as she loops her right arm through Lance's left one and leans her head on his shoulder. Lance suppresses a sigh and places an arm around her shoulders out of obligation more than anything else, the girl under his arm sighing contentedly and snuggling closer. He grimaces, glad she can't currently see his face. Luckily, he's saved from having to linger too much on her, as Tristan and Isolde take that moment to appear once again.
"Oh, Guinevere, you're back! Lance said you would be back before we were, but I was worried when he mentioned it being a business call." Isolde admits to the woman at his side.
"Oh, it was nothing, everything is fine now." Guinevere waves her hand in front of her with an air of nonchalance.
Lance stops focusing on the women's interaction as he finally gives in to his urge that's almost instinct by now to look at Tristan. Tristan, who currently appears to be burning holes into Guinevere's arm with his eyes, glaring directly at where her arm is looped with his. Oh. Jealousy was not something seen often on the prince, but Lance is just now realizing that it is a very good look on him. Especially when it's about Lance himself.
Tristan must've felt Lance's eyes on him because his multi-colored eyes were suddenly meeting bright red. Lance's breath hitched. He was suddenly pinned by the hot spark in those green and blue irises of his. Something had changed, had finally shifted in this long game of theirs. He knew right then that tonight would be different. He didn't know how yet, but he was excited to find out, and he made sure to hold his realization and how he felt about it into his expression, with a hint of questioning. The silver-haired prince shook his head with a quick wink, just the tiniest of movements that no one would notice unless they were specifically looking for it. 'Not right now, you'll see.' Is what he was saying. Lance gave a nod in acknowledgement, another barely there movement, and smirked. Tristan is the only reason he really even continues to come here and he never disappoints, not that Lance has ever expected him to.
"So," Tristan speaks up then, clearly having paid enough attention to the other conversation happening to know when to interrupt. "Shall we head up to the lounge? It's so much easier to talk privately up there." He suggests, looking away from Lance and between the pinkette and brunette.
"Oh, yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea." Guinevere says, already getting up with her drink in hand. Lance follows suit as Isolde chimes her own agreement and the four of them head up the club's spiral stairs, the prince and princess leading the way and Lance swears that Tristan is swaying his hips slightly. Gods, he'll be the absolute death of me, Lance groans inwardly.
They enter one of the VIP lounges, the one they enter completely empty except for the bartender at the bar in the back of the room. Lance orders a second drink as the other three go sit down and he walks over to join them soon ever. When he reaches the table that they chose, he freezes for a moment. The place that was picked to sit at was a round, single booth with two spaces to enter it. On Lance's right, he could easily sit down right next to Guinevere, just like he always does, just like he should. But next to Guinevere is Isolde and next to Isolde is Tristan with an open spot right next to him and for a split second, Lance genuinely considers turning to the left and sitting next to the prince. But he catches himself and dutifully takes the spot to the right.
As he slides into his seat and places an arm across the top of the booth behind Guinevere's head, he looks to Tristan with nothing but a deep longing, finding the same emotion reflected back at him. He swallows and turns away from him, afraid he might do something stupid if he continues looking at him in that moment.
"So, Isolde? What's all this exciting news you guys have to tell us?" Lance asks as he looks at her, an eyebrow raised as he takes a sip of his drink. He notices out of the corner of his eyes that Guinevere also turns to her as she leans into his side again. He forces himself not to shift away from her.
Isolde suddenly gives out a quiet squeal. "Okay! So," She looks at Tristan for a moment before turning back to them, Lance watching as the positions of the prince and princess mirror almost exactly Lance and Guinevere's. But he doesn't think much of it as Isolde continues talking. "Tristan and I have finally gotten a date for the wedding figured out!!" She exclaims happily, positively beaming. Guinevere gasps and shares in Isolde's excitement, the two women taking a moment to ramble together.
Tristan gives out a low chuckle and Lance turns to him again, something off about the sound that escaped him. The prince seems tense, his expression tight, and it becomes clear to the blonde that his chuckle wasn't born out of any kind of amusement, though it could easily appear that way to the two others in their party, as they were barely paying him any attention in this moment. Lance's brows furrow, a slight tilt of his head asking Tristan what his reaction was for. Yeah, so they figured out a date for the wedding already. Not ideal for Tristan, he was sure, but-
"Yes!" The fakest smile he had ever seen to date plasters itself across the prince's face. "August 28th." He states. "Of this year." And right there was the answer to Lance's question. Four months. Tristan and Isolde were getting married in four months. The public had only known them to be engaged for three.
"Ohhh, an end of summer wedding will be beautiful." Guinevere says in awe.
"Oh, won't it?" Isolde coos, her hands clasping in front of her.
"In just four months, huh? That's a lot sooner than I would've expected." Lance pipes up, his eyes not having left Tristan's at all yet.
"Yes, well, Isolde just couldn't wait any longer." Tristan states. "And apparently neither could my parents. August was supposed to be a completely unavailable month. But upon hearing that August was ideal over September or November, he completely canceled all matters of business for the month. That way we could have "the pick of the lot", he said." Tristan spat out, his words getting colder as he continued, and this time it didn't seem to be for a reason that he cared to hide.
Lance's suspicions were confirmed when Isolde spoke up next. "Oh, Tristan, cut your father some slack. I know you were excited for that trip, but your father just wants to help us in any way he can." She tells him, her voice on the verge of scolding. The tone made Lance almost scoff.
Tristan looked down at Isolde with a much softer expression than he had just a moment before and smiles at her. "You're right as always, I'm sorry. Forgive my thoughtlessness." And then the prince lays a soft kiss on the princess' lips, and the young nobleman has to look away quickly at the sight. Lance takes a long drink from his glass as he surveys the rest of the lounge outside of their booth, seeing it still empty as it was before. He's about to excuse himself for a moment, needing some air, when he's stopped from doing so.
"Isolde, do you mind if I talk to Lancelot privately for awhile? Most of the rest of your announcements have to do with the wedding more than anything else and Guinevere seems a lot more interested in those details than Lance does. Plus, I feel like I should finally get to know a bit more about the man. His father is practically my uncle and yet I feel I've barely spent any time with Lancelot himself." Tristan explains to his fiance, looking at her with casual questioning.
Isolde smiles at him, believing his explanation entirely. "Of course!" Suddenly she lights up even more. "Oh! Anne should be here soon, too! Guin, have you met Anne yet? You would absolutely love her!" Isolde gushes as she looks to the brunette.
Guinevere shakes her head. "Oh, I don't think so, but if she's a friend of yours, then I have no doubt that we'll get along." She states warmly. Isolde beams at her as Tristan exits the booth to let Isolde out and Lance follows his lead, letting Guinevere out. Isolde and Tristan share a peck on the lips and Lance turns to Guinevere to do the same, knowing she'll expect it.
"Take your time, don't rush, okay? I want you to have fun with your friends. We are here for that purpose, after all." Tristan points out to Isolde.
Isolde grins and throws her arms around him in a quick hug and for a moment, the smile on Tristan's face is back to being genuine, obvious affection on his face for the woman before him. Just not the kind that it's supposed to be. "Thank you. Have fun with your new friend, Trist." Isolde says before turning and looping her arm with Guinevere's, dragging her away as the brunette waves at Lance as she goes. Once the two of them have left the lounge and headed down the stairs to go meet up with Anne, Lance turns back to the booth, seeing Tristan already sitting once again. Lance sits back down as well, both of them choosing spots that allow them to be exactly across from each other.
They both stay silent for a few minutes, simply staring at each other, both seeming to be in quiet contemplation. Then Tristan breaks the silence first. "So, when are you and your fiancé going to make an announcement? The public doesn't even know that you two are engaged yet." He points out.
Ah, yes. His fiancé. Not by his own choice, of course. He doesn't have a single romantic notion towards her. In fact, he doesn't really have any platonic ones towards her, either. Guinevere is too arrogant for her own good and has way too big an ego, not to mention her whole I-know-everything attitude. It's all just a big turn off for him. But he's stuck with her. For now, at least. She's the person that his parents chose for him. Just like Isolde is the one that Tristan's parents chose for him. Some people have said recently that arranged marriages are way too old school and going out of style, but in reality, they're just as common now as they were 200 years ago.
"I'm not an actor like you, Prince Tristan." Lance tells him with a wry smile. "Guinevere is well aware that I'm not in love with her and she doesn't want to start up the wedding process until I do fall in love with her, because, apparently, she's absolutely certain that I will eventually."
Tristan tilts his head to the side slightly. "And how do you know that I'm acting with Isolde?" He asks, a hint of teasing in his tone.
Lance raises an eyebrow at him and he chuckles softly. "Considering you look at me in ways I've never once seen you even consider looking at her, I'd say you're more likely to be in love with me than with her."
Tristan's eyes widen as soon as the words leave his mouth and Lance's do, too, once his own words register in his mind. That right there was territory neither of had even dared go into before. There's never been any communication of feelings besides lust, passion, and curiosity. There couldn't be any romance between the two, could there? He was frozen, unsure how to recover from his own suggestion.
"Well. You certainly are observant, that's for sure." The silverette seems to have recovered faster than him, though his voice is much softer than it was before.
The topic switch definitely helps. Lance locks eyes with him, pouring every ounce of want he has for the man into his eyes without a single bit of shame or hesitation. "Yes, but you already know that, don't you?" Flashes run through his mind of all the times they've checked each other out or sent silent flirtations towards each other.
From the way Tristan bites his lip, he's thinking of the same thing. But instead of replying, he slides further into the booth, until he's in the middle of the half circle. He pats the spot right beside him. "Come over here." He orders.
Lance hesitates for a moment. Not because he doesn't want to be closer to Tristan. He knows that once he moves closer, it'll be the turning point of whatever this is between them. All of this is completely new. As he noticed before, he makes note of it again. Something is different about tonight. And he has a feeling he's about to find out exactly what it is. But he hangs back a little longer. It's like when a roller coaster reaches the top but then stops for just those extra few seconds, building up the anticipation so that you feel it just that tiniest bit more when the ride finally dips and takes the drop down. And it seems his decision was the right one.
When Lance doesn't immediately come over to him, Tristan bows his head down slightly, then looks back up at Lance through his lashes, an almost shy look on his face. "Please?" The single word comes out as half whisper, half purr and Lance suddenly feels the need to adjust himself. Fuck.
Lance slides across the booth until he's right beside the prince, only about an inch of space between their bodies. He's tense now. He doesn't know what to do with himself, where to put his hands. Eventually he decides to just place them on the table in front of him. He left his drink across the table, so he just lays his hands flat on the dark wood. Then Tristan places his hand on top of Lance's and he startles slightly, sucking in a deep breath at the contact. He can hear Tristan's breath hitch beside him and he knows that he must've felt it, too. The bolt of lightning that struck through to the very core of his being as soon as their skin connected. But Tristan continues despite it.
"Just take a second to relax, okay?" He says casually in a low voice. And then he starts moving his hand across Lance's wrist and over his arm slowly, causing Lance to do the opposite of relax. It felt like electricity was coursing throughout his entire arm, spreading out from where Tristan's hand was. He watches with wide eyes as the silverette's hand reaches the crook of his elbow and starts making it's way up.
"Relax, remember?" Is whispered into his ear as he feels the slight brush of hair against his cheek. He closes his eyes as his whole body shudders.
He tries his best to follow the instruction, urging his body to relax against the seat. Then Tristan changes the position of his hand slightly, pressing the tips of his nails against Lance's shirt and then lightly dragging them against the skin over his collarbone and Lance melts. His head falls back against the top of the cushion behind him and bites his lip as the other man's palm presses flat to the spot where his neck meets his shoulder, sliding up the side of his neck and over his collarbone, until his hand finally stops, resting gently against Lance's cheek. The electricity has followed his hands path, leaving a pleasant burn in it's wake, every part of him that's been touched feeling so warm.
He slowly opens his eyes as he sits back up, looking at Tristan. The prince has a look of pure awe on his face as he stares at him, as if something Lance just did has absolutely amazed him. Lance reaches up and threads his fingers into some of the hair at the top of the prince's head and runs them through it gently. Tristan's eyes flutter closed and he hums, a pleased sound. Once his fingers reach the tips of his long hair, he brings his hand back up and mimics what Tristan did, his hand curved around his cheek. When Tristan opens his eyes again, the blue and green in them is barely visible with how wide his pupils are blown.
"Lance." He whispers, his voice shaking slightly now. "I don't exactly know what it is going on between us. What all these feelings are and what they'll lead to. I know that I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anybody or anything in my entire life. But," He brings his free hand up to wrap around the wrist of the hand Lance has on his face, tracing small circles into his skin with his thumb. "I feel like it's something more than that. Like even if I finally have you, I won't be able to let you go." He admits, giving Lance that same shy look as before, but with a hint of fear in it this time. Fear of what, he wasn't sure.
Lance swallows before answering. "I think I know what you mean." Is all he whispers back. He has his own theories of what it all was, but he isn't sure he's ready to confront that just yet. Tristan runs his eyes over Lance's face a few times, like he's searching for something. Then they lock eyes once again and Lance suddenly realizes that it's not Tristan's voice that's shaky. Tristan himself is trembling. Before Lance can question him, he speaks up again.
"I don't know what it is," A fierce determination sparks in his eyes and Lance is both surprised and entranced by it. "But I want to." He says just barely above his breath. "I want to-" He cuts himself off, like he's afraid of what was about to come out of his mouth.
"What is it?" Lance asks him. "What do you want to do?" He brings his other hand up to cup Tristan's other cheek gently, looking at him pleadingly. Somewhere deep down, he knew exactly what the prince wanted, because he wanted it, too, but he needed to hear him say it first.
Tristan leans into his touch and lets out a sound close to a whimper. "I want to find out together. You and I. We could do it, you know. Because you were right. Of course you were. Isolde has never been anything more than a sister to me, a friend. I hate the idea of marrying her and everything that's meant to come with it. Tomorrow, I can break things off with her. Tell my parents that there's someone else. I don't care how mad they get at me. And then you and I, we can take this however far it goes, as long as you do the same. We can make our own choices for once instead of just always doing what everyone else wants us to." His own eyes are pleading now and the fear is even more evident. Lance realizes that the fear is of rejection. That his proposal will be brushed off and turned away from.
"And what would your choice be, Prince Tristan?" He asks, his own voice trembling.
"As of right now, my choice would be you, Sir Lancelot." Tristan says with certainty.
"What if I don't want that?" Lance asks him. Not because he's considering no. Not at all. Only because he's curious as to what the alternative is.
Tristan leans in slightly, taking his hand from Lance's wrist and reaching up to run a thumb down his temple and over his cheekbone before his hand lands on his jaw and stays there. "Then we won't continue this any further. I couldn't handle doing anything more if you don't want the same as me. But it's your choice. Kiss me right now and I'm yours. Walk away from me right now and we'll never be this close again, everything we've been doing will stop."
Lance looks at him. The answer was clear as soon as the idea left Tristan's pretty pink lips. Leave Guinevere and the stupid arranged marriage behind in order to pursue Tristan and see where the feelings between them go? It wasn't even a question. Lance gives him a grin. "Stupid of you to think that I could ever walk away from you." He tells him. And then Lance is crashing his lips against Tristan's.
~*~
A/N: So, how is it so far??? Did you guys like it?? Cause I honestly loved writing this. I love these boys sm and this AU was really fun to come up with. You guys will get the rest tomorrow!!! Please, lemme know all your thoughts on this!!! I hope you enjoyed it!!!! Love y'all 💜💜💜
~*~
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Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Interlude | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Second Interlude | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Epilogue
Chapter Summary: The group makes their way into Frankenmuth, ready to fight against the hunters to protect their nest and pack.
Words: 5.2k
Warnings: grotesque violence (more intense than in previous chapters), gun violence, blood, head injury, language, implications of death
Notes: I'm writing this to hold myself accountable: Chapters 12 and the Epilogue will be posted by Halloween. If that doesn't happen, I will deactivate my account (jk) (also thanks to @infinisonicosm for the fic idea!!)
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Rae was sure she wasn’t the only one feeling the day weighing on her shoulders, but no one else showed it as they briskly moved through the woods back out to the residential streets. A part of Rae was relieved that her gut had been telling her the truth so they could get back to town faster, but she was also concerned. Where did this intuition come from? Rae had never noticed it before, and now it consumed her mind.
The sun was just starting to make its way over the horizon when their feet met pavement for the first time in hours. Beside her, Morgan let out a sigh of relief. Jake turned around and looked back at Rae and Morgan, his face twisted with concern.
“I heard your phone call with your mom,” he told Rae. “You and Morgan need to go home and stay safe. My dad said that Bri is in town, which is really bad news. Both of you go and let your parents know you’re okay. We’ll be able to fend things off.”
“Look, I don’t know who Bri is, but we’ve made it this far, I don’t want to leave your side,” Rae tried to protest.
“She’s a hunter. The best, actually. A vampire killed her parents and filled her with such an intense rage, she’ll kill whoever gets in her way, even if they’re human.”
“People say she took out an entire nest in less than five minutes with nothing but a cheese grater,” Sam popped into the conversation, widening his eyes as he shared his story. “She kept one alive so he could tell the tale.”
“I doubt that’s true,” Danny rolled his eyes at Sam.
“No,” Karen countered, “It is.”
Rae grimaced at the thought but held her ground. “This seems like an all hands on deck kind of deal.”
She noticed that Jake was looking closely at Morgan, and then turned to her brother as well. In the fading sunlight, Morgan’s skin was entirely sapped of color. His rustled hair looked like it might never properly smooth down again. He was starting to fold in on himself like he couldn’t stand upright any longer.
Jake caught Rae’s eye and Rae sighed.
“Okay, Morgan definitely needs to go home.”
“I can stick it out,” Morgan gave a weak protest.
“Take one look in the mirror and you’re gonna change your mind,” Rae cut him off. She looked around at the group and wasn’t sure whether to smile or keep a straight face. She opted to let the side of her lip curl upwards slightly, and gave a joking salute. “Please be safe,” she told them.
Josh gave Rae a comforting rub on the back.
“What time is your chemo tomorrow?” he asked Morgan. Morgan looked caught off guard by the question, scrambling to come up with an answer.
“10?” he guessed.
“See you at 9 tomorrow,” Josh winked at him.
Kelly and Karen gave waves to Rae and Morgan, and Danny and Sam called their goodbyes as well. As Josh rejoined his family, Jake remained behind, looking at Rae with those melancholy eyes.
“Get some rest and lay low,” he told Rae. “I’ll swing by and check on you guys later.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Rae shook her head, even though she did desperately want to see him later so she knew he was alright. “Watch out for Bri. If anything happens to you, I’m legally obliged to kick your ass.”
“I’ve personally never felt more threatened in my life,” Jake’s face warmed slightly.
“Now, go out there and get em, tiger,” Rae told him. Jake laughed, but he looked unsure. Rae watched him with interest, wondering what was going through his head. Before she could react, Jake stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close so she could feel his heart thundering in his chest. “Hey, hey,” Rae softly spoke. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“Just in case,” Jake whispered back. Then, just like that, he released and took a step back, focusing his attention on Morgan. “No more running into the woods, okay?”
“Trust me, I’m never going back there again.”
Jake looked over his shoulder to see his family slowly disappearing from sight.
“I’d better go,” he said. Rae saw a flash of fear cross his face. She wanted to tell him to sit this one out, that he had been through enough and should stay with her and Morgan, but her words stuck in her mouth. She knew he would never abandon his family when they needed him. Her heart broke that, at just 17, Jake already had to put his life on the line over and over again.
“Be safe,” Rae reminded him, and then Jake was off. Rae felt a knot form in her throat as she watched him leave but, before the emotions could take hold of her, she focused her attention on Morgan. “Let’s get you home, bud,” she told him.
All it took was crossing the street and walking half a block for them to make it back to their new house. Rae was in the middle of twisting her key in the lock when her mom flung the door open with a relieved cry. She engulfed Morgan in a tight hug, leaving Rae standing awkwardly to the side.
“Four hours!” their mom exclaimed into Morgan’s shoulder. “I thought you were dead!”
“We’re fine, Mom,” Rae promised her, trying to hide her hurt that she hadn’t received a hug as well.
“Where were you?” their mom had her eyes glued on Rae. “What were you doing that was so important you couldn’t answer your phones?”
“I went into the woods,” Morgan cut in before Rae could think of an answer. “I got lost and Rae had to go in there and find me. Neither of us had cell reception.”
Their mom held Morgan out in front of her so she could study him. “Why were you in the woods? You’ve heard all those stories about people going missing, Morgan. You know better than that.”
“I was trying to clear my head,” Morgan levelly answered back, not breaking eye contact. “You know, before tomorrow.”
Their mom let out an exasperated sigh and hung her head, unable to continue with her scolding.
“Come on,” she told Morgan and Rae. “Let’s get you two inside. Dad has some dinner that he can reheat.”
Rae took a look over her shoulder at the empty residential street before she made her way indoors. They were alone.
The next hour and a half was torture for Rae. All through dinner and creating countless white lies about what had happened in the woods, she couldn’t stop thinking about how she was in the wrong place. She needed to be with Jake, Josh, Sam, Danny, Kelly, and Karen, defending their nest and pack from the hunters. They had been through too much for her to tap out early.
Her eyes kept falling on the front door and, after probably her fifteenth time gazing longingly out the window, Morgan seemed to pick up on her thoughts. For a brief period where neither of their parents were in the dining room with them, he leaned across the table.
“You want to go back out there, don’t you?” he asked. Rae could only nod. Morgan took another bite of his pasta and chewed thoughtfully.
“I do too.”
Even though the color had returned back to Morgan’s face and he looked more like a teenage boy than a ghost, Rae quickly shut him down.
“I don’t think you really do,” she said. Morgan looked back at her in surprise. “You’re still recovering,” Rae continued. “You need to get your rest. Also, as your older sister, I can’t afford to see you endure any more of this violent shit.”
Morgan’s shoulders slumped.
“I honestly do want to help, but I am feeling super gassed. I haven’t moved around this much in a crazy long time.”
“You’re gonna stay here,” Rae decided for him. “And you better pinky promise you won’t come looking for me or do anything stupid while I’m gone, okay?”
Morgan rolled his eyes, but offered his pinky out to her. “Promise,” he said.
Rae took his pinky in hers and then stood from the table.
“I’m gonna go out through the back,” she thought aloud. “Can you cover for me?”
“I’ll tell Mom and Dad you’re in your room,” Morgan agreed. “Put on one of your weird folk albums super loud and stuff your bed with shit so it looks like you’re sleeping.”
“You’re the best,” Rae grinned at him. She never had to sneak out of the house back in Folsom, but she and Morgan had had plenty of conversations over the years talking about how they would pull it off. She was so glad that Morgan had remembered their plan.
Rae gave Morgan a kiss on the head which he returned with gagging noises, and then slipped out the back door and rushed through the side gate to return to the street. She wasn’t sure where to look for her friends, but heading downtown seemed like the best option.
Rae started to run down the middle of the road, her ponytail whipping behind her with each step. The streetlights were starting to flicker on overhead, and Rae sputtered as some gnats made their way into her mouth. The closer she got to downtown, the more Rae noted that things felt off in Frankenmuth. The streets that she and Jake had strolled down just a few days before when they first met were in disarray. Houses had their front doors entirely ripped off the hinges and their windows smashed. People stood, lost, on their porches, trying to make sense of everything. Off in the distance a werewolf howl rumbled. Rae couldn’t tell if it was Jake, but it made her run faster.
She was moving quicker than she ever had before, but then skidded to a stop to clutch at her stomach, which was twisting in agonizing knots.
“Oh god,” she groaned out. “This can’t be good.”
While she held her middle, she heard footsteps rush to her side. She lifted her head slightly in the hopes that it was Jake or Josh to help her out, but was instead met with the boney face of a middle aged man who had a large scratch running from his forehead to his right cheek.
“Gotcha,” he rasped. “Fuckin werewolf.”
Rae’s stomach turned again and in a blur, she saw the man start to reach for her waist to hoist her up. She blinked and saw that the man was still standing over her, waiting to make his move. Then, his hands started to reach for her. Because she knew what he was about to do, Rae did the first thing that popped into her mind and jumped out of the way. The man turned around to look at her in surprise and she sent her foot flying up into his crotch. The hunter clutched downstairs and stumbled around in a daze, but then Rae saw him take out a large knife and slice at her. With another blink, she saw that he was still keeled over. After a few beats, he straightened back up, growled at her, and reached for his weapon. In a flash, Rae rushed to his side, snatched the knife out of his hand, went behind him, and held the sharp edge to his throat.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Rae hissed at him.
“What the fuck?” the guy choked back. Rae saw a flash of him turning out of her hold and thwacking his hand through her arm so she dropped the knife. She waited for him to move and, as he started to shift on his feet, she sent the hilt of the knife into the back of his head. The hunter thumped to the pavement with a groan. Rae sent a few kicks into his side and head for a little extra insurance, and stole his leather knife holder to tie around her waist. She inserted the knife into it and then wiped her dirtied hands off on her jeans as she caught her breath.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye and she felt the adrenaline rush back through her veins. The knife came back out in front of her and Rae turned to face Sam, who jumped with wide eyes.
“Woah!” he called out. “It’s me!”
Rae let out a hefty sigh and dropped the knife back down to her side.
“I was gonna step in to try and help you but, Jesus, you handled that all on your own.”
“I don’t know what happened,” Rae admitted. “It was, like, I could see what he was going to do before he actually did it.”
“It sounds like you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve,” Sam nodded with a smile. “Speaking of tricks, look at this!”
Sam squeezed his fists and let out a straining grunt which made Rae wince. This went on for an uncomfortable amount of time, but Rae caught sight of a nice set of fangs coming in from Sam’s mouth. He wiped some sweat from his brow when he was finished, and then flashed a wide grin at her.
“I’m a hybrid!” he announced, opening up his arms like he was reintroducing himself.
“That’s amazing!” Rae congratulated him.
“I still can’t turn into a bat or a full werewolf but, you know, baby steps. I was helping a nest move into hiding a few blocks over and one of the elders told me what I had to do to get the fangs. The guy was a genius or something because it only took one try!”
“Those hunters better watch out,” Rae joked.
“Right back atcha,” Sam nudged her side. Rae laughed, but was still filled with uncertainty about what had happened between her and the hunter. It was like she wasn’t herself for a second.
Rae looked around and then back at Sam. “Where’s everyone else?”
“My dad and mom are with the other leaders trying to put pressure on the mayor. Danny’s also there so they can prove they had nothing to do with his disappearance,” Sam shared. “I have no clue where Jake and Josh are, though. The last I saw them, they were by the river trying to get back some members of our pack who were taken by the hunters.”
“I want to help,” Rae said without thinking twice. Her words seemed to relieve Sam.
“Uh, yeah, I could use your help,” Sam nodded. “Don’t tell anyone, but being on my own out here has been kind of terrifying, even if I have my fangs now.”
“Let’s find Jake and Josh so we have strength in numbers,” Rae suggested.
Sam couldn’t argue with that, so he began tracking around, trying to pick up their scents. Rae followed behind him, putting every ounce of her energy into focusing on her stomach to see if it sent her any more distress signals. Rae didn’t know where it had come from, but she had total faith in the power of her gut feeling.
Sam led them through more empty streets, which started to look familiar. Rae realized that they were moving closer to the high school and reflected on how confused she had been about Jake earlier during her first day. Ringing sounded loudly in her ears and her vision blurred, replacing the street in front of her with a disturbing scene. Rae saw Jake and Josh fighting in desperation against a staggering number of hunters who had them backed into a corner. It was dark and hard to see, but Rae could tell that they were struggling to defend themselves and growing afraid.
Her sight returned back to normal and she immediately saw Sam in front of her with his hand on her shoulder.
“What did you see?” he asked her with concern.
“Jake and Josh,” Rae told him. “They’re in trouble. Somewhere dark, I don’t know where.”
“I can smell them near the high school,” Sam replied. “Let’s go.”
Sam started to run, and Rae followed behind him. With each step, Rae grew more anxious and worried. Considering all that they had been through, she had never seen such terror on Jake and Josh’s faces. It was as if they could see their end in sight.
They made it to the front doors of the high school and Sam hurdled his body into them with all of his might. Rae watched in awe as the doors groaned at his weight and flung open. Sam let in another deep inhale and then looked back at Rae.
“You said they were in a dark place?”
Rae nodded.
“I bet they’re in the basement.”
Rae started to move towards the staircase leading downstairs, but stopped in her tracks when she noticed that Sam wasn’t following behind her. Instead, he was glued in place, squeezing his eyes shut with his fists clenched, making more groaning noises. Rae watched in confusion, unsure what to do. The last thing she wanted was for the kid to pop an eye out.
“Dammit,” Sam grunted. “I’m so close.”
“Can I help?” Rae found her words, stepping back to join him. Sam shook his head and continued to strain.
“AGGHHHHHH!” a voice bellowed with a crack from beneath their feet.
“Jake!” Sam opened his eyes to shout. He then squeezed his eyes shut again and, in one fluid motion, transformed into a werewolf, fully equipped with bat wings and a set of murderous looking fangs. Rae took a second to gawk up at Sam, who had nearly doubled in size, but Jake’s screams were still sounding beneath them, so they headed for the stairs.
Rae kept waiting for her stomach to kick into gear, or for her to see another vision, but her brain instead buzzed with panic. Sam led the charge downstairs with a low growl and immediately sliced through two hunters who had rushed to them to see what the commotion was. Rae had the knife out and pointed in front of her, waiting to see who would attack her. Finally she saw an image of a woman rushing behind her with a stake and then quickly turned, cutting at the woman before she could make her move. Rae caught a part of the woman’s arm, which made her cry out in pain, and then pushed her in Sam’s direction. In his monster form, Sam seemed to have lost every ounce of his human self. It was hard to believe that a fourteen year old was somewhere inside the terrifying monster that was fighting through a whole crowd of hunters with vicious strikes, bites, and blows.
Jake’s screaming had stopped, which made Rae worried. Sam looked to be fending off the hunter with ease, so she rushed farther into the basement. Metal piping ran along the walls and her footsteps echoed in the space around her, lit only by a few dying light bulbs suspended from the ceiling. The farther she moved from Sam, the more she slowed her pace so she could listen for any signs of where Jake and Josh might be. After turning a corner, she heard voices and leaned against the wall, trying to stay quiet.
“Bri should be here soon,” an unfamiliar man’s voice spoke.
“She’ll be happy with what we caught,” a woman replied back. Rae could tell she was grinning from how she spoke. “Children of the Kiszka Pack and Wilson Nest, how lucky are we?”
Rae thought hard about what to do. Jake and Josh were obviously behind the wall, but there were at least two hunters she would have to get through first. But she needed to make sure they were okay. Rae tried to force another vision to come to her, to no avail. Her mind remained blank, and she cursed to herself. Then, a thought ran through her mind:
Just go in there.
Rae felt like that was probably an incredibly stupid idea, but it was all she had. So, holding the knife firm and steady, she slipped out from behind the wall and took in the scene. The two hunters were facing away from her as they looked down at Jake and Josh, who were tied back to back on the ground. To Rae’s relief, they were both conscious, but the gash in the side of Josh’s head and Jake’s black eye left her concerned.
“We use the children to get to their mommy and daddy, and Bri can finally get the justice she deserves.”
Jake was gazing in front of him, looking like he wasn’t actively looking at anything, but he must have picked up Rae’s scent because he slowly rolled his head in her direction. She could see the surprise hidden beneath the wounds of his face, but he made no sound to give her away. Instead, he made brief eye contact with her, widened his one open eye, and nodded at the hunters. Rae nodded back and took in a deep inhale.
Go.
Rae lunged forward and plunged the knife in between the man’s shoulder blades, immediately causing a waterfall of red to ooze down his back. He fell down hard with the knife still in him, and Rae moved onto the next hunter, who was coming at her with her gun out and ready to unload. Rae caught a vision of something, but it confused her. It was just a brown blur.
The hunter started to press on the trigger but then, in a flash, Sam soared into the room with a blood curdling shriek and slammed straight into the hunter with his talons clawing into her chest. He lifted her from the ground and threw her at the wall so her head slammed into one of the rusty metal pipes. She fell to the ground in a lifeless heap.
Rae pulled the knife out of the man, and then looked at Jake and Josh. Their mouths were both hung wide open.
“Jake,” Josh whispered. “I think they did something really bad to my head. I just saw the craziest shit.”
Jake was focused on Sam, who was examining his body to make sure he hadn’t gotten any serious injuries from his fight against the herd of hunters. Considering no one else was coming into the room for backup, Rae could only assume that he had entirely eliminated that problem.
“You turned,” Jake breathed out, taking in his brother. “You’re a full hybrid.”
Sam let out a few beastly huffs, transformed back into a human, and crossed his arms over his chest, as if he was trying to hide himself.
“That was my first time fully changing.”
“You’ve got a lot of power in you,” Jake told him.
“I just wanted to make sure you both were okay,” Sam softly spoke back.
“We will be once we’re untied,” Josh replied. “I gotta get away from this guy. He smells like a wet dog.”
Rae came up to them and started sawing away at the thick ropes with the blood-stained knife. Josh caught the ropes as they fell from his wrists and dropped them onto the floor with haste.
“You shouldn’t be surprised, that’s what happens when a werewolf is in a damp place,” Jake complained back, looking offended.
“What happened to you both?” Rae asked as she helped them to their feet.
Josh grabbed at his injured head and huffed. “Let’s just say I put a little bit too much faith into the guy with the supposedly good sniffer. The hunters set a trap and we walked right into it.”
“We were able to get back seven families and I thought I had a lead on one of the last ones that’s still missing, but it turned out the hunters had just gathered their stuff to lead us here. It was stupid on my part.”
“No, no,” Josh backtracked. “You had the right idea. I mean, how could you know?”
Jake shrugged, unable to answer.
“How many more families are missing?” Sam continued to press.
“Three,” Jake said.
“Fuck,” Sam cursed.
“Language!” Both of his brothers scolded him.
“Any updates from Dad or Mom?” Sam asked. Josh and Jake both looked down at the ground and shook their heads.
“Nothing,” Josh spoke. Then, he looked at Rae and Sam. “I know this probably isn’t the time, but do you think I could get to Danny kinda quick? My head hurts like a bitch. I can’t see out of my right eye.”
“A hunter hit him over the head with a pipe,” Jake explained.
“We should go to City Hall,” Sam told them. “Danny might still be there with our parents trying to talk to the mayor.”
They began to move towards the hallway leading back to the staircase when Rae was hit with an overwhelming wave of nausea and a vision. A tall woman wearing all black. Armed with a gun and stake. Moving fast.
“Guys,” Rae choked out, trying to get the image out of her head so she could warn her friends.
“What is it?” Josh looked at her, concerned.
“I think it’s Bri,” Rae said in fear. Sam wore a large frown on his face. Across from her, Jake had gone more pale than he already was.
“Where?” Sam whispered.
A wooden stake came whizzing through the air and just barely missed Sam, clunking against the wall only inches from his head, and clattering to the floor. Sam’s eyes were bugged, and his breaths quickened as he looked beyond Rae at something. Rae turned and saw the tall woman, maybe a few years older than her, rushing toward them through the darkness.
“Fuck,” Sam, Jake, Josh, and Rae all said at the same time.
“You took out my hunters?” Bri barked at them as she neared closer. Without any struggle this time around, Sam transformed back into his hybrid form. Rae could tell that Bri slowed down at the sight of Sam, but continued to project herself forward. Even though Jake looked entirely sapped of energy, he sucked in a deep breath and turned into a werewolf. Josh let his fangs grow out and touched his head gingerly.
“I’ll be okay,” he told himself.
Sam pounced on Bri, knocking her to the cold pavement, and held her down by the shoulders, foaming at the mouth. Jake joined his brother and tried to put weight on her feet to keep her entirely immobile. Before he could secure his paws around her ankles, she kicked free, and twisted out of Sam’s grasp, rolling away from the brothers. With a crazed look on her face, she reached behind her and pulled out another wooden stake, tossing it from hand to hand.
“Which one of you wants to go first, huh?” she asked them with a malicious grin.
“Preferably none of us,” Jake said under his breath. Josh sped at Bri, hissing and attempting to swipe at her. Bri expertly dodged his blow and held the stake up, ready to insert it through Josh’s back. Jake rushed at her and smacked the stake from her hand so it rolled away. Sam booked it to the stake and threw it into the distance. While he did this and Josh tried to regain his balance, Rae was struck with another image. Bri had a gun and pulled it on Jake, pressing it against his heart.
“No!” Rae shouted, throwing herself in between them right as Bri flipped the gun out from her sleeve. To Rae’s surprise, instead of Jake’s chest, the gun was forced against her head.
“Oh Jesus Christ!” Jake cried out in surprise. The feeling of the cool metal just above her ear made Rae tremble. “Let her go! She’s not one of us!”
“But she obviously means something to you,” Bri smirked. Jake’s face fell. “How about we strike a deal,” Bri continued. Josh and Sam were by Jake’s side now, gaping at Rae in fear, unsure what to do. “You three hand yourselves over to me, and the girl doesn’t get shot.”
Rae knew that, no matter what happened, it wasn’t going to end well. She pictured the bullet waiting to launch from the gun and let out a shaky breath.
“What do we do?” Josh whispered to Jake. Rae could see Jake deteriorating in front of her.
“Any day now,” Bri called to them. Rae squeezed her eyes shut and saw Sam holding his hand out towards Bri, closing his eyes. Hypnosis, Rae thought to herself. As a hybrid, Sam can hypnotize Bri. She reopened her eyes and stared at Sam, meeting his gaze. While he first looked at her in fear, his scrunched face opened with recognition at what she was trying to tell him. Whether it be intuition or some kind of telepathic connection, Sam quickly shut his eyes and lifted his shaking hand towards Bri.
“What’s he doing?” Bri stared at Sam. Jake and Josh studied their brother in confusion.
“Close your eyes,” Sam hummed at Bri. While Bri first looked at him like he was crazy, Jake and Josh let out a collective gasp. Although the gun was still held against her, Rae dared to peer out of the corner of her eye and saw that Bri was standing stiff, her eyes shut. “Put the gun down,” Sam continued. The cylinder jutting into Rae’s skull was quickly removed. “Now sit.” Rae watched Bri drop herself to the floor, her face placid. Jake and Josh hurried to her side and used the ropes from the previous hunters to bind her in place with her arms behind her back. Sam took a brief pause and looked around at them.
“Go,” he said. “I’ll keep her in place here.”
“What, are you crazy?” Josh shook his head. “Absolutely not. We’re not leaving you on your own. I’ll drain her and we can get a move on.”
“No,” Jake cut in.
“No?” Josh’s voice rose in surprise.
“We can’t,” Jake said down to Bri, who was sitting at his feet. Josh stared at Jake like he was out of his mind and threw up his hands in exasperation. “I can’t be responsible for taking another person’s life.”
“Then leave the room, you’ll never know it happened,” Josh said. Jake frowned.
“How about this,” Rae proposed, “We’ll tie her up extra good and keep her down here where she can’t hurt anyone else. Sam, how powerful is your hypnosis?”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Tell her she has to stay down here until she hears some obscure word like, I don’t know, Raisin Bran or something.”
Sam held his hand out towards Bri and began his humming sound again. “You must remain here, unmoving, until you hear the word antidisestablishmentarianism.”
“That should do the trick,” Jake said, looking relieved.
“Just,” Josh cut in, “let me tie her up a bit more. To be safe.”
After ten minutes of tying knots that would floor a boy scout, they left the high school, en route to city hall. Bri remained behind, restrained against a pole in the far back corner of the basement, her head rolled down, still under Sam’s spell.
****
Taglist:@lvnterninthenight, @writingcold, @myownparadise96, @i-choose-the-road, @psychedelicsprinkles, @mama-likes72, @ascendingtothestarssasone
#greta van fleet#gvf#jake kiszka#josh kiszka#sam kiszka#danny wagner#the frozen light#greta van fleet fanfiction#greta van fleet fanfic#greta van fleet fic#gvf fanfiction#gvf fanfic#gvf fic#gvf werewolf au#gvf vampire au#gvf witch au
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The Lost and the Lascivious
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
Pairing: Cardinal Copia/Reader
Warnings/Contents: NSFW/smut
Word count: 3.048
AO3 link
Taglist:
@chaos-in-person
@littlemisscare-all
@dancerpanda048
@ballofthedeadrat
@skittytreats
__________________________________________________
With that, he led you across the church hall, through a door, and down a winding staircase. The air felt a little cooler with each step that you descended downwards. You had to walk slowly, making sure not to miss a step, since you were still blindfolded.
The steps sounded like stone underneath your feet, and the cool air around you made you imagine the church's cellar to be catacomb-like. Once you'd arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he led you even further. Straight ahead, then left, then straight ahead again, and to the right. Your sense of orientation might have failed you, but you were pretty sure of the general direction. The two of you came to a halt, and you felt the Cardinal shift a little, followed by the sound of a creaking door opening. You stepped through the door and it closed behind you. The room you were in was a little warmer than those from before.
"Here we are, cara", Cardinal Copia exclaimed.
You raised one hand to touch the piece of fabric covering your eyes. "Can I take this off now?"
Someone gently grabbed your wrist and pulled your hand back down. "Not yet", he whispered. You could feel his breath on the side of your face. So you let it be for now.
It was rather quiet for a long moment. Not being able to see what's going on started to make you nervous, and you chewed on your lips. The Cardinal was audibly breathing heavily, and you could hear him swallow, before his voice reached your ears again.
"I have been very lonely indeed, (Y/N)", he started, gently caressing your cheek, "I cannot deny that. Neither can my body."
His hand traveled down to the side of your neck, where he let his thumb rest on your strong pulse. Excitement started to take you over, as your heart accelerated even more and your breath started to get shaky. You were sure that by now your face was flushed pure red. His breath was creeping closer to your ear.
"Can you promise me something, cara mia?"
You nodded.
"Promise that you will tell me when to stop", he uttered in a low voice.
You nodded again.
"Very well", he said, “Oh, and one more thing. Do not touch the blindfold.”
His commanding tone sent shivers up and down your spine. “Yes”, you squeaked.
Two gloved hands gently cupped your face, as the Cardinal let out a low chuckle. A part of you cursed the fact that you were wearing that blindfold. The silky material was dark and dense, so even if you had your eyes wide open underneath it, you really couldn’t see much at all. You felt like you didn’t have much control about what was going on like that, but in a way this was very intriguing. How you wished to see his face, though.
Not before long, you felt his breath on your face, as he hesitated for a moment - but only for a moment. A small groan escaped his throat as if to say, ‘to hell with it’, and you felt his lips collide with yours. The very moment your lips touched, you felt that spark inside of you again. That fire, attempting to be ignited. You felt a rush of heat overcome you, as your lips moved in near perfect sync. With a small sigh, you melted into the kiss, resting both of your hands flat on his chest. You could feel his heart beat beneath your palms, strong and quick, threatening to explode out of his chest. Cardinal Copia moved one hand to the small of your back, pulling you closer so that there was almost no room left between your bodies.
He pulled away all of a sudden, breathing heavily. “Cara… please tell me, this is not a dream, is it?”
You laughed. “Ironic to hear that from you, the dream-expert. I’m afraid it’s not a dream, at least as far as I know.”
He placed a small kiss on your forehead. “And is it also not a meeting of souls?”
You shook your head. “Nope. Because I believe I would have woken up by now.”
Letting out a breathy laugh, he caressed your cheek with his thumb. “Feeling a little cheeky, eh? Looks like the confessional took a little bit of weight off of your shoulders.”
“I think I could say the same about you, Cardinal”, you replied dryly.
“How right you are, cara”, he whispered, before smashing his lips back onto yours without a warning. The kiss was a little more heated now, less precise. His body was tightly pressed against yours, and with his hand tangled in your hair at the back of your head as well as with his hand on the small of your back, it seemed as if he was trying desperately to push you into him even more.
This extreme physical closeness revealed something to you that his robe had been hiding pretty well, however. Something hard mercilessly pressed against your belly and pelvis area, and you gasped softly at the contact.
The sound that had escaped you made him hum into the kiss. “I told you”, he breathed as he pulled away again, “My body aches for contact. For touch.”
Before you could say anything in reply, he lifted you up by your waist, and carried you for a few steps, before he tossed you onto a soft surface. You squealed a little in surprise as your bottom hit a mattress, the impact making you bounce.
The mattress shifted a little, as the weight of another person pushed down on it in front of you.
“What are you doing, Cardinal?”, you giggled, propping yourself up on your elbows. The blindfold only let you assume a dark silhouette in front of you, crawling towards you.
“Hush, cara. Just let me show you what I have to offer, eh?”, he said and pulled you towards him by your thighs.
“I like how you’re wearing a dress for me again. Or no, rather, I love it. Makes things so much more… appetizing, and less complicated”, he purred, his hands sneaking up your thighs underneath the skirt of your dress. You held your breath at the sensation. He gently ran his hands up and down your thighs. “You’re a little too tense for my liking. Please, relax”, he uttered, his voice a low rumble.
You exhaled and relaxed your muscles a little.
“There you go. Now, just lay back. Let me show you the extent of my hospitality.”
Hesitantly, you let your back drop onto the mattress. You figured that a reasonable amount of nervosity was normal, but it still made you feel a little shameful. How had you even ended up here? A man you barely knew, in between your thighs, about to do who-knows-what with you. This was beyond any sort of reason. This was straight up scandalous! Immoral, unreasonable, risky, dirty, dangerous… and yet, you wanted it.
Cardinal Copa was kneading the flesh of your thigh, and pushed the skirt of your dress up higher and higher, until your underwear came to light. He started trailing kisses down the inside of your thigh, which made you gasp quietly. Sucking at a particular spot close to your nether regions, he hummed. You were sure it was going to leave a mark. After a short while, he let go of the skin and planted a soft kiss on the same spot above the bruise he’d left. Subtly, one of his hands traveled down the back of your thigh and onto your buttcheek, giving it a gentle squeeze. He continued to trail kisses down the inside of your thigh, and he took the curve to halt between your legs, where he placed another tender kiss on the sheer fabric of your panties. The sensation was brief, but it sent an electric shockwave through your body. Only know you’d been made entirely aware of your pooling desire, the arousal caused by the Cardinal’s touch. A tiny whimper escaped your closed lips, earning yet another satisfied hum from him.
“Those, eh, might be in the way. Don’t you think?”, he mockingly asked, softly tugging at the hem of your panties. Teasingly, he hooked a finger underneath the hem, and slid it alongside your hip, in between the garment and your skin. "But I've got to admit, you've got excellent taste not only in clothing, but also in the choice of your undergarments", he purred. "I don't really want to pull them off of you just yet."
You gulped. You didn't exactly remember what set you were wearing, but you always preferred to wear matching underwear, as well as pretty underwear. Dark lace was an all time favourite of yours, so chances were high you were wearing one of those undies.
“Uhm, thanks?”, you said with a smirk.
“And such excellent taste has to be rewarded, I believe”, he grumbled as his thumb gently pressed onto you, rubbing you through your panties in an agonizingly slow, circular motion. You whimpered again, quickly putting a hand over your mouth to stifle the noise. “I will not tell you to put that hand away. But please don’t feel like you have to be quiet. Because you surely don’t have to, I promise. Nobody can hear you”, he said with a deep chuckle.
That last sentence probably should have alarmed you, but for some reason, it turned you on even more. The sense of something sinister coating the air around you made you go crazy on the inside, it was like a strange aphrodisiac.
After that, you felt a pair of lips on the inside of your thigh again, traveling towards your core. He graced the rim of your panties and you felt his hot breath seeping in through the fabric.
"Now, if you're good and keep that blindfold on like I told you to, I promise it will be worthwhile", he murmured. You uttered a sound of approval.
"Excellent."
With that he gently tugged down the sheer piece of fabric and carefully slid it down your legs until it dropped onto the floor from your feet. Instinctively, you closed your legs. The feeling of being exposed - or rather being exposed for the first time - was still something that made you feel ashamed and bashful.
A row of disapproving clicking sounds echoed from the Cardinal’s mouth. His hands slid on the inside of your thighs, and gently yet determinedly pried your legs back open.
“Don’t you hide from me, child. It’s too late for that, no?”, he scolded, his breath creeping closer to your folds. His fingers dug into the flesh of your thighs, holding them where they were. This rough feeling was quite the contrast to his previous gentleness, but it wasn’t unwelcome. You whimpered at the sensation.
His breath was getting somewhat shaky in anticipation. It seemed as if he was either torturing himself or trying to enjoy the moment. You couldn’t really tell because of your - obviously - limited sight, but you felt the knot in your belly tighten more and more by the minute. Placing kisses on your pelvic area, he was just fueling the tension and your painful anticipation. He massaged your thighs simultaneously. And just as you thought you’d burst from being tortured like this, his lips were slowly trailing downwards. Deeply cherishing the moment, he licked one slow, steady line from your entrance all the way up to your little bundle of nerves. The sensation almost was too much for you, as you were overly sensitive from all of the built up desire. You mewled and whimpered, pressing your back further into the sheets. Cardinal Copa did not approve of this much movement and slid one hand underneath your thigh and up to your hip, where he settled it with a steady grip. A deep rumble escaped from his throat, and for a second you wondered whether it actually could have been him - but you knew it was only the two of you here.
“Keep making those noises for me, cara. Let go”, he purred and resumed his previous activity. He started working his tongue through your folds, leaving no bump or cavity without attention. The movements of his wet muscle across your heated flesh were precise and effective - too effective, considering how you were already feeling your orgasm approach. You wanted to move, but his hands were doing a good job at holding you down. Your muscles tensed up and your breathing quickened, as continuous whines and whimpers spilled from your mouth; incomprehensible prayers for release and endurance at once.
The movements of his tongue slowed, giving your body time to cool down a litte. It seemed as if he wanted to stretch this experience as long as possible. At this point you were grabbing fistfuls of the bedding, desperate for anything to hold onto - anything for your nervous fingers to do. Then, out of nowhere, his tongue came back to circle your clit tightly, making you yelp. Before you knew it, your hands shot down to his head and entangled in his hair, pulling on it in the process. This earned a deep growl from him, after which he only sped up the pace of his tongue. The grip on your thigh and your hip got more firm, almost to the point that you feared it might bruise; but you didn’t care one bit. Your body and your mind at this point were only focused on chasing down your high, at the mercy of the Cardinal’s skilled tongue.
Getting closer to the edge, your grip in his hair tightened, and you could barely gather the words to try and warn him. An incoherent trail of words tumbled from your swollen lips, and luckily, Cardinal Copia seemed to understand.
“It’s alright, cara mia, come undone. Let me hear you, let me see you”, he uttered against your heat, only to continue his sinful work in an even more dedicated and precise manner. He hit all the right spots at once, and with some last 5 swirls of his tongue, you came undone. You whined and mewled and moaned, shockwaves of pleasure shooting through your body, your heart threatening to burst right out of your chest.
As you came down from your high, your grip on the Cardinal’s hair loosened, and your fingers lazily came out from in between his locks. You were lying on your back, chest heaving. The blindfold was stained by tears of pleasure. You were sure you were looking a mess at that moment.
Cardinal Copia chuckled in delight, trailing kisses up and down your thigh. “That was marvelous, cara. Beautiful, so beautiful”, he praised between kisses. Then, you felt him gently slide your underwear back onto you, gently tugging it into the right place, letting his fingers grace the fabric for a moment. It was silent for a moment, and you almost worried that he had left.
“Is everything alright?”, you asked.
“Eh, yes, yes. I apologize. I’m merely enjoying the view in silence for a little longer.”
You blushed and propped yourself up on your arms. This earned yet another chuckle from him.
“I know, I know”, he said soothingly and gently pulled the skirt of your dress back down to cover you up, “There, is this better?”
You smiled bashfully at his response. A gentleman, after all.
He put his hand onto your cheek and gently rubbed his thumb across your cheekbone. Then, with his other hand, he swiftly pulled you to the edge of the bed, forcing you to sit. His hand never left your face as he gently sat down directly next to you. As soon as his bottom had hit the mattress, he pulled you close and kissed you passionately. You returned the kiss with a sigh, spent from your orgasm but still eager to be with him, eager for more. He pulled away and let his forehead rest against yours.
“Listen closely, sweet thing. I will lead you back into the church hall now. I’m afraid you don’t have much time to leave, and I don’t have much time to explain.”
Your heart sank a little, but you nodded understandingly. “Alright.”
A short while after, you were being led back through the corridors, not a single word was spoken and you were still blindfolded. You climbed the big set of stairs again. Shortly before the door which led back into the hall, he stopped.
“I will let you back into the church hall now, and remove your blindfold. You will keep your eyes closed for 10 more seconds after I have removed the blindfold. And then, you can head straight out. Okay?”
“Yes”, you answered, “I will try my best.”
“That’s a very good girl”, he purred and opened the door.
He led you a few steps into the hall, when you stopped again. Suddenly, you felt him embrace you from behind in a tight hug. You could still feel his bulge press into you, and his hot breath on your neck. But the embrace was less one of lust, but one of genuine adoration and an involuntary goodbye. He placed a lingering, tender kiss on the side of your neck.
“I hope to see you again soon, cara. I really do”, he whispered. “Remember, 10 seconds.”
The Cardinal let go of you and unfastened the knot on the back of your head. As the fabric slipped from your face, you kept your eyes closed and started counting. One.
Footsteps dissolved behind the sound of a closing door. Two, three, four.
They descended into the lower levels of the church, leaving you in complete silence. Five, six, seven.
More silence. The only thing you could hear was your heartbeat. Eight, nine.
As your count hit ten, you opened your eyes and went straight for the door. You didn’t even dare to turn around or look around, you just headed for the outdoors. You exited the church without issue, closing the large door behind you. As you walked down the few steps and off into the park, you turned your head to catch a glimpse at the church again. It looked the same as always. But it felt different.
#cardinal copia x reader#cardinal copia fanfic#cardinal copia headcanon#cardi c#cardinal copia fanfiction#ghost band fanfiction#ghost band fanfic#ghost band#ghost fanfiction#papa emeritus x reader#reader insert fanfiction#ghost x reader#cardinal copia#the lost and the lascivious#my fanfiction
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Eeeek I’m back! I survived midterm season and I came back to a new chapter and a heart wrenching au as a prize.
Thank you so much for writing Babey slapping Alicent cause she 1000% deserved it. And it’s very consistent with Babey’s character so far, she’s defending herself but she’s also the calmest one of her family so she didn’t go batshit crazy and instead went to talk. Alicent being the one behind it wasn’t surprising but her reasoning for it was. Like who even thinks “oh I was traumatized and forced to have kids so young with a man in an accelerated state of dying, let me try to traumatize you by preventing you from having kids you so badly want with the man who loves you” 😇😇
Daemon is just so comfy “availing himself” when Babey is sleeping. I see that the “Hush” chapter has unlocked a new kink for him hehe. As much as I like Babey’s calm, cool and collected way of handling things I can’t wait to have Daemon go feral and get revenge in the next chapter.
Babey losing her baby in the AU was really sad. I don’t even wanna talk about it, I just have to let you know that you made me cry a bit. It seemed like she was in shock. Ughh you’re kinda annoying for making me feel things 😭 jkjk ily 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
-💎
P.S. I’ll probably be more annoying in your ask box for now cause I’m on spring break hehehe
Aaaah, HIIIIII 💎!!!! Congrats on surviving your midterms! I hope it went well for ya! (I honestly have like ZERO clue about midterms, I had maybe 4 exams a semester at uni, if that?) Might be the degree, might be the culture - uni in Australia feels a little more like high school and less like… I dunno, college? We don’t generally stay in dorms, for one, and we’ll usually attend whatever campus is closest to us. Going interstate for a specific university isn’t really a thing here. Wild.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Chapter 7! I think Alicent’s very good at lying to herself and pretending that she had only the saintliest of motives for literally controlling Babey’s body, when really that shit is dodgy as fuuuuuck. She’s a messed up gal and I found the idea that her own trauma begets a different kind of trauma in her de-facto child really interesting, and a bit reflective of the ways families hurt each other IRL. I don’t condone her actions and nor exactly do I feel sympathy for it, but it did feel like a reasonable leap for someone so entrenched in faith and her own sense of rightness to make.
Daemon reeeeeeally likes doing stuff to his Babey while she’s sleepin’. I reckon he partly enjoys the powerlessness of it - the knowing that he can start whatever he wants and she’s not gonna stop it - and partly gets off on how liddle and sweet she looks asleep. Like he’s corrupting her again and again, even with a big belly full of his babies. Daemon is going (partly) feral next chapter! I hope y’all enjoy where I’m going with it when it finally comes out.
AND I KNOOOOOW, the AU was so saaaaad. I did enjoy writing it, though! Grief and shock and loss are things that I find easy to connect with, dunno what that says about my mental state but there you go lol. Even though I made you emote (am sorry), I hope you at least didn’t regret the time it took to read!
Thank you so much, 💎! Always a pleasure catching up with you!
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lonely hearts club ✨ || kth au - chapter 0.1
“lonely hearts club // do you want to be with somebody like me?”
maybe single parents are meant to be members of the lonely hearts club.
»»»
masterlist: here
— genre: single parents au, romcom, humour, fluff, angst, strangers to friends to lovers s2f2l
the first couple chapters kinda suck in my opinion but i swear it gets better!! T-T
»»»
"No, no.. no!" Taehyung grabbed the glass right in time before it was able colliding with the floor. Sighing in relief, he straightened himself when hearing a bubbly giggle. The baby was happily wiggling in her highchair, her hands up to her mouth. Trying stuffing them inside.
"Ari, no," he exhaled and lowered her little hands down. For a few days now she had developed the habit of stuffing all kinds of things, even her own hands, into her mouth. His mother had said her first teeth might start to break through soon. Whatever it was, it made her constantly biting on something.
He attempted to feed her again. Her napkin being all smudged from the previous tries, but he was determined to do so. Sure 7-month-old babies tended not to obey, but she had usually been a rather affable child. He couldn't figure out what it was that day.
"Hm.. maybe the food?" He smelled the paste on the plastic spoon, not being able to sense anything weird though. "Don't you like it? I bought some new flavours to try." The baby girl was just staring at him with big eyes, continuing stuffing her fingers into her mouth. He grabbed another glass. Biting down on his tongue while opening it up.
"Let's try this one. You like it?" He smiled widely and took a spoon of the newly opened glass. It was one of her favorite ones, so she should like it. And indeed, as he sneaked the spoon into her mouth, she actually ate the paste. Making him smile in relief. "So it really was the new flavor. Noted," he nodded while giving her another spoon of the paste she actually liked. After finishing almost the whole glass, he wiped her mouth and little hands clean with a wet tissue. Placing her binky between der lips to prevent her fingers of ending up there again. The girl giggling as he did so. His brown eyes fell on the clock above her then.
"Crap," he muttered and picked her up. Quickly carrying her to the living room. "We've got to go," he announced, "The office is opening soon." Ari was just observing him as he brought her red shoes and matching red jacket. "I hope they take you," he sighed then, earning a blink from her. She smiled then, making him smile as well.
"You're right. Why wouldn't they? You're adorable after all."
»»»
The queue moved and Taehyung took a step forward. His arms growing heavy from carrying Ari the whole time. Him not having much of a choice though. His friend had broken her stroller and those things were quite expensive. He had to buy her a new one soon though or his arms would fall off.
His eyes wandered around. Most in line were young mothers, some fathers being there as well. They didn't have their children with them though, probably had left them somewhere. Something he couldn't. Everyone had been too busy with work this time of the day or lived too far to just quickly drop her off. Besides, he tried spending as much time with her as possible before starting work again.
The line moved again and he watched a couple enter the office. Only one more and it was their turn. To pass some time, he looked at the drawings of cut out animals and flowers on the walls. Some photos with the bigger, two and three year old children hung there as well. Overall a typical cheery day nursery.
"Next one, please," a friendly voice said from inside the office. Making him realise it was finally their turn. "Y-yes, hello," he said while entering. Adjusting his grip around Ari's little body.
Two women were standing behind the desk. One was definitely older than the other. Probably around her fourties. The other one in her mid-twenties maybe. Both greeting him with a smile.
"I'm here to sign her up," he explained as he stepped in front of them. The older woman handed him a few pieces of paper then. Also placing a pen next to the documents. "Fill this out, please." Taehyung nodded and grabbed the pen. However, with Ari in his arm it was difficult to write anything down .
"I can carry her while you're filling in the application." He perked up, locking gazes with the younger woman. Her brown eyes were friendly staring at him. He nodded, indicating he accepted her kind offer and carefully placed the baby in her arms. Her smile immediately growing wider as she grabbed Ari from her little torso. Holding her up in her arms. "Hey, cutie. You'll get back to your daddy in a minute. Okay?" Ari was just staring at her with wide eyes. Starting playing with one of the woman's bracelets.
Taehyung had almost forgotten about the papers, shaking his head then. He started reading and filling them out carefully. Occasionally peeking at the baby who seemed too immersed in the woman's bracelets and long hair to care about him. He laughed under his breath before putting his signature at the bottom of the application. Handing them back to the daycare teacher.
"Ari Kim," she read out loud and scimmed over the rest in silence. Taehyung starting tapping his fingers as she was doing so. Hearing Ari's giggle then, he turned his head. Seeing she was being tickled in the neck.
"Alright, Mr. Kim." The teacher's voice made his head go back. "Everything seems to be fine. We'll inform you in about a week if Ari gets in or not."
His brows furrowed. "Is there a chance she isn't getting in?
"Well," the older woman started with a sigh, "This year we got an especially high number of applicants as the other daycare close by relocated further away. So there's a possibility that a small percentage won't be able to get accepted here."
He tried not to show his disappointment by offering her a small smile. There wasn't much he could do after all. "Alright, thank you," he said and went to take Ari back. The younger woman carefully putting her back in his arms. Even though Ari didn't seem to have finished playing with her new found toy. Her little hands reaching out to the woman, trying desperately to grab the bracelets. And she started whining when failing.
"Ari, no. We're going home now," he tried to calm her down with his soft voice as he walked towards the door, "You'll play with Mr Bear and the little penguin." However, she was unfased by his words, continuing whimpering for the bracelets.
"Wait," the young woman's friendly voice was heard then. Causing him to pause and glance behind him. She walked up to them, sliding a bracelet off her wrists. "Here little Ari," she said then and handed it to the baby, who all of a sudden stopped crying. Her cheeks still red and puffy, but nothing hinting to her being upset anymore. Happily staring at the blue beads in her little hands instead. As if she was hypnotised by them.
"This is yours though. Please keep it," Taehyung said and tried taking it from Ari's hands. Making the baby instantly frown. Ready to start whining again, when the woman shook her head.
"It's alright, she can keep it. It's not of any value anyway."
He nodded, thanking her with a small grin. "I hope Ari gets in," she wispered with a little smirk then, before rushing back behind the desk. He blinked surprised, giving her a nod. Appreciating her words.
After bidding goodbye to both teachers he made his way out. Observing the content expression on Ari's face with a chuckle as he carried her back to the car.
"Seems you always get what you want, don't you?"
Ari made a bubbly noise, focusing back on the bracelet.
Taehyung zipped her jacket up and pressed her against his chest. Shielding her from the wind that was picking up. Spring couldn't arrive soon enough in his opinion.
Although he had always rather been a fan of the winter season, having to take care of a baby with low temperatures and freezing winds was more difficult than he had imagined. He could only hope that the warmer seasons would be easier to handle.
He took a glance at Ari. Her short dark hair stands swaying under her beanie. She was sucking on the bracelet she had got as a gift by now and he dragged a sigh. The little girl looking up at him with doe eyes. And his face softened. Her innocent, almost naive expression making his heart melt.
Being a single parent surely wasn't easy. But he would try his best for her.
»»»
next chapter: 0.2 here
#bts fluff#taehyung fluff#taehyung angst#taehyung single dad#single dad au#bts fanfic#bts fic#bts au#taehyung fanfic#taehyung fic#taehyung x oc#kim taehyung x oc#taehyung smut#kim taehyung#taehyung scenarios#taehyung series#bts series#taehyung romcom#bts romcom#bts angst#taehyung imagine#bts imagine#s2f2l#s2f#s2l#strangers to friends#strangers to lovers#strangers to friends to lovers
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Imperfect - Chapter 7: Corrupt
Content warning: detailed depiction of trauma response, specifically a traumatised mindset and includes (but is not limited to) negative self-impression, self deprecation, and self-justifying unpleasant actions; elements of mind control; heavily implied suicidal ideation -> repeated thoughts/belief that people want to kill him, and implied acceptance that they should.
[Imperfect Masterlist]
Author’s Notes: Thank you for your patience. Been having a rough time mentally and more than one day I’ve had to prioritise looking after myself, particularly writing something that is quite mentally taxing when you bury yourself in it. I’m still recovering so the next chapter might take a little while as well. Hope you enjoy - TK
----
Jack isn’t well. He hasn’t been since his birthday.
Naturally there’s the state of his hands, littered with various scars. Even the lighter ones haven’t fully healed yet, while the worse ones, the second and third degree burns and deeper cuts will likely never heal. At least that’s what the doctor says.
Every day he wears a pair of gloves to hide the scars. In truth they sicken him; a painful permanent reminder of the dangers of daring to hope. The gloves help but the damage is more than skin deep, the muscles, nerves, and tendons having torn, leaving him with a tremor in both hands. Even the gloves can’t hide that.
The only thing that stops it, temporarily at least, is gripping his fingers around his cane. It’s agony, waves of ever moving uncontrollable numbness travelling up and down his arms, interspersed with random bursts of short, sharp snaps of pain. Not that it matters. That happens even without the cane, so what’s the difference really?
Jack stands in the under stage area, staring up at the floor that used to open for him to emerge. It’s silent and abandoned, unused for months. There’s no performances any more. No bright lights, no music, no one waiting with excitement as they chant his name. Mother says there’s no need now; that Jack has far more important things to do.
His duties have changed. He’s no longer a performer, not that he ever was; now he’s an accomplice. His rightful place is at Mother’s side, always in reach, always in view. While his hands heal, he can’t get them dirty but Mother makes sure he’s always there.
It’s been going on for months now. Countless people stolen from their families, from their homes and brought to Swan Tower, scared and alone. Mother steals their breath, their colours, and, Jack assumes, their souls as they join the ranks of her rapidly increasing army as one of her minions; black humanoid bird-like creatures that all bear her insignia.
As they lose the last bit of themselves and they look around in desperation, begging to be saved, Jack is the last person they see watching in silence and doing nothing to help. Each of her victims learn to curse the name of Jack Rose in the same breath as the Night Swan for what happens to them. Another new person to be grateful if Mother should choose to kill him.
Jack slowly walks across the room, footsteps echoing as he carefully steps over Mother’s feather on the floor.
Sleep doesn’t happen for him any more, not really. Most nights after his body finally gives out due to sheer exhaustion, he sleeps fitfully for an hour, maybe two. The rest of the night is spent slowly coming to accept the truth, that Mother’s right. He’s no innocent, he’s a monster just like her.
Jack doesn’t feel alive any more. The physical pain is one thing and far from something new, but with each passing day he feels himself slowly becoming numb to the horror that is his life. Each morning he wakes, aching, drained, shaking, knowing that he should be doing better and caring a little less at what a failure he is.
There’s a bright flash behind him and Jack turns. Startled, he watches a familiar spark cut through the air tearing itself into a wide portal, wider than he’s seen before. On the other side, there’s four grey figures that step forward and through, turning bright and vibrant colours. Wanderlust, and three strangers.
Wanderlust is smiling, he’s always smiling, as he indicates to the others to stand back while he steps forward. They all wave to him but Jack doesn’t even look at them. He doesn’t know who they are, but he senses they probably know who he is.
Jack could turn on his heel and run, as far and as fast as his feet can carry him. Mother would never know. Except Wanderlust would probably just follow after him; likely even wind up overtaking him like every other time and standing in the way. Then they’d be right back at square one.
Wanderlust reaches for Jack’s hand, but he jerks away. Tingling numbness trails swiftly up Jack’s arm, a random spark of pain flaring in his shoulder and he winces. Wanderlust looks at him in shock, his mouth open like he wants to say something. Still he’s silent as he turns to the strangers behind them.
Jack still doesn’t look to them, clenching his fists as he tries to keep his arms from tremoring. If he can’t run, then there’s only one other choice. The worst choice.
Jack has to fight.
Refusing isn’t an option. Mother’s declared war across the Danceverses and these most likely won’t be the only people who come to try and stop her. She’s made herself crystal clear time and again about her expectations for him. Jack will stand by her side, he will do as he’s told, and if he won’t then she will make sure he barely lives long enough to regret it.
He supposes this has always been coming. What he wants, who he wants to be, none of it has ever really mattered. His path was set at birth and he will never fix that mistake. It isn’t even just Mother who thinks that. After all, this is where he belongs.
Jack and Wanderlust stand on opposite edges of the circle around the feather on the floor, staring at each other. The air is pulsing between them, weighing heavy on their shoulders as something builds. Something unspoken, invisible, but that they both feel. A culmination of years of trying to break a cycle they didn’t realise they were a part of.
There’s no cue, no indication, nothing discernable that anyone could ever explain, but without warning, they move as one. Both of them, in sync, in time, rocking back and forth as they begin to Dance. There’s no words, no plan. The pair only move as their instincts guide them.
Jack swings his half-numb arm over his head, and as it comes down Wanderlust bends in half, hands braced out. He’s not discouraged, though their moves seem a little separated now. Less in sync, though Jack could be mistaken.
When the time comes again, Jack swings his arm overhead once more and this time Wander crumbles, dropping to one knee before his head snaps up to stare directly into Jack’s eyes. No thought. With one smooth, fluid movement, Wanderlust swings his leg round trying to take out Jack’s leg but he easily jumps it.
Their motions are definitely off now. Not in tune, similar but not the same. Wanderlust moves free, his gestures large and open while he smiles wide. Jack’s restricted, restrained, afraid. Something doesn’t feel right.
They reach to one side, then the other.
Wanderlust drops again, one hand bracing himself against the ground, the other raised, twitching and jerking as though his body’s moving against his will. It writhes and twists back and forth and Jack stops, watching in horror as an unmistakable grey slowly washes over the Prince as he struggles to hold himself off the ground.
As they’d Danced, they had both been lost in the moment, completely unaware as the platform on which they stood had raised them into the arena. The same arena that once held hundreds of strangers calling Jack’s name now stands silent. In place of the crowd, a sea of black and fuchsia as hundreds, possibly thousands, of Mother’s minions stand, watching in anticipation as Wanderlust, Prince of the Danceverses slowly succumbs.
Purple eyes turn vacant, the twitching stops. Wanderlust straightens up standing in place, as the victims always do, while Mother’s magic weaves around him, growing and growing until finally it consumes him. In a heartbeat, Wanderlust is gone, a bird-like humanoid stood in his place, waiting for instruction.
Jack watches in horror, hands shaking, heart pulsing, eyes darting. He turns, again and again, back and forth , desperately scanning the crowd. Looking for someone. Anyone at all who can help.
But there’s no one.
Mother’s face is on the giant screens above them. Her hands are raised, her lips curled in a satisfied smile as she looks down at them.
She’s won.
#Just Dance#Just Dance 2023#Jack Rose#Wanderlust#JD Wanderlust#Night Swan#Jacklust#slow burn#LotTK: Imperfect#Legacy of the Thorn King
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05.24.2023 - Chapter 7
Word Count
> Chapter 7: 4632
> Total: 41464
Whale whale whale. The last time I updated was in June 2022. It’s basically been a whole year. What happened? I’m glad you asked!
First: I was just getting kinda tired or and burnt out by this story. It’s quite large and there’s quite a bit of intricate worldbuilding and backstories that weave through the narrative, so it uses up a Lot of my problem-solving brainpower. I got stuck in chapters 6 and 7 and couldn’t get unstuck, so I decided it was time to take a break from APHELION.
Second: But that doesn’t mean I stopped writing! I moved onto my backup wip, SUDDENCE, which is much smaller in scale and much shorter. I thought of it as my breath of fresh air, and I reasoned that if I managed to finish a draft of it, it would make me realize that i CAN write a whole story, and I would get a new surge of motivation and confidence for APHELION.
And what do ya know! I finished draft 2 of SUDDENCE last week! It clocks in at 49k words (which is more than what APHELION has so far, which is. wild) and it taught me a valuable lesson: KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE. My problem with APHELION was that it was much, much, much too complicated for no good reason, and I had to learn how to pare things back.
That’s something I kinda knew for a while, but working on SUDDENCE really just drove it home, and it gave me practice for how to simplify things.
What’s Different?
So anyway! I know I skipped Chapter 6 (oops) but I finished Chapter 7, which is Rian’s chapter. In this one, he struggles with the idea of running away and having his own life vs. staying and helping ~save the world~. “Saving the world sounds pretty noble, why would he run from that?” BECAUSE you see the people he works with (or rather, for) may not have entirely noble intentions and helping them might end up (and did) hurt people. And Rian doesn’t want that on his conscience! But if he runs away, he loses his avenue to do good to the world because he’s just a 13-year-old kid. He doesn’t have the resources and know-how to run around and perform miracles. Plus, he hates being on his own. This kid’s got a lot going on.
Changed:
The entire second half of the chapter was changed. Originally Rian is asked to perform an interrogation with his superpowers, and it goes on for a while, and it leads to this whole thing of him accidentally implicating Cay etc etc ANYWAY that was the part that was definitely too complicated for no reason, so now Rian just pretends he has a headache and manages to get out of doing it. The whole thing about Cay was just taken out entirely (it was too plot-conveniency anyway).
I also rearranged the general order of events. Can’t go too much into it because #spoilers.
Excerpt! Here’s Rian and Holly, AKA his only friend in the world.
Holly sighed through her nose and brushed the hair out of his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ri. I know you don’t feel well. Eat as much as you can, alright? I can help you eat the rest.” She tugged at one of his curls, frowning slightly. “And then we can do something about this hair—”
“I don’t want to cut it.” The words came out stuck together like jam. He felt awful for talking back, and he didn’t know why. Just yesterday he had threatened to shoot her. Why did this feel like crossing a line?
“You don’t want to cut it?” Holly tucked the lock of hair behind his ear. “What about just a little trim? So we can get this”—she drew her finger across his brow, sweeping the hair once more out of his eyes— “out of the way? Would that be alright?”
Rian didn’t see a point in arguing, so he nodded.
Holly smiled. “Okay, then. Now eat your breakfast. It’s good, I promise.”
His breakfast is pancakes, btw.
Up next: finishing Chapter 6. It’s actually mostly done, and there’s just a bit of action in the middle I have to figure out. This is a loooong one.
In other news: I’m rereading the Grisha Trilogy now that I finally got my hands on physical copies. My kinda odd opinion is that while everyone seems to hate how slow and political the second book is, I kinda like that aspect. I think Bardugo is veryyyy good at political intrigue, which is why I liked the first half of King of Scars but not the second half and why I probably will never finish that duology.
C’est tout!
-Emily
#uh oh what are my tags again it's been so long#aphelion#aphelion edit updates#emily edits aphelion#writeblr#writing update
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