#I have half mind to give up trying to get food assistance (even though I could really really use it)

[cookinguptales]

Can I ask you to do a post about Disney & disability please? You mentioned it and I’d love to know more!

Well, my notifications can't get any messier, so why not?

This post got very, very long because I ended up talking about a lot of the accessibility solutions in detail (and... ranting about how accessibility at Universal was so bad that I got physically injured there) so I'm putting it under a cut for you.

To preface this, I have mobility issues (as well as a lot of food intolerances/allergies) and general chronic illness, my sister is Deaf, and I have friends who regularly attend the park with autistic family members with high support needs. These are the disabilities I have experience with, so while I've heard a bit about others (such as portable descriptive devices for visitors with visual impairments) I can't speak as much about those accommodations.

I have also traveled quite a bit, mostly as a disabled adult. I can work from anywhere and my family enjoys traveling, so I've been very lucky in this regard. I also used to live in central Florida, not too far from Disney, and benefited from their FL resident rates.

So I'm coming at this from a person who has a lot of experience traveling while disabled and a fair amount of experience going to WDW, though I haven't been nearly as often since I moved out of Florida.

(Good fucking riddance.)

So know that I am speaking from experience when I say I have never, without exception, been to a single place half as accessible as Walt Disney World. It is literally the reason my family would go there; it was one of the only places we could all safely go together. One of the only places I've been on earth that even approached their level of thoughtful accommodations is Barcelona, which apparently did significant renovations throughout the city in order to prepare for the 1992 Paralympics.

(Hey, if anyone is reading this from Barcelona: I teared up the first time I used one of your curb cuts in my wheelchair, just so you know.)

Going through those parks in a wheelchair is a breeze, though you will probably have to fight a lot of clueless parents with strollers who are hellbent on using resources intended for wheelchair-users and then glaring at you when you try to use them yourself. Level ground, spacious sidewalks, accessible transportation, well-kept gradual ramps, roomy buildings, lots of accessible restrooms, alternate entrances at many rides for wheelchair users, special wheelchair rows in movie theaters that we're loaded into first, accessible queues in most rides designed or renovated in the last fifteen years, special viewing areas for shows/parades/fireworks so you don't end up staring at able-bodied butts for a half hour...

Like, structurally-speaking, the parks are very easy to get around in if you're a wheelchair user. That was built in and you can see a lot of very mindful design choices. As far as the rides go, most of their rides actually have special cars that you can load into while still in a wheelchair. They're pretty neat. I can transfer, but that means often leaving my wheelchair and/or cane with a cast member during the ride. They are always, without fail, waiting for me on the other side of the ride, no matter how far the exit is from the entrance. I have never once had a problem with this. A cast member will be there to put my assistive devices in my hand before I even have to think about getting up. Guaranteed.

Wheelchair users always used to be able to skip the line, but there was unfortunately a problem with able-bodied people pretending to be disabled to skip lines (because god forbid they not have access to a single thing we have to make our lives livable) so now there's a system where if you cannot wait in a line, they'll basically give you a special time to come back that's equivalent to the length of the line. Which feels fair to me as someone who often cannot be in even an accessible line for extended periods. (I have problems with sunlight, heat, and often need emergency food or restroom.)

More important than all this, though, is the fact that cast members are impeccably well-trained in all of this. Any disabled person can tell you that the most accessible design on earth isn't worth shit if the people working there aren't well-trained. (More on this later, when I take a giant shit on Universal Studios.) But Disney trains their employees, many of whom are disabled themselves, incredibly well.

Every employee will know where the accessible entrances are. Every employee will know the procedure for getting a return time. Every employee will know about first-aid centers, and every employee will know where the quiet areas are for people with sensory issues. Every time you make a reservation for a meal, hotel room, transportation, etc. they will ask for all accessibility needs and they'll be ready for you.

Every waiter you have will be incredibly careful and knowledgeable when it comes to special dietary needs, and chefs will often come out to discuss them with you. They often have specific menus for different dietary needs, and they are scrupulous when it comes to allergens. I have a few intolerances that suck and allergies that could kill me and I have always felt very safe in their hands. This ranges from fancy sit-down restaurants to quick service burger places.

And -- honestly, I have just always been treated with respect. I know that sounds like a low bar, but most people do fail to clear it. Disney has their employees very well-trained on how to interact with disabled guests. People speak directly to me, never to the able-bodied people over my head. They never treat me like I'm a child. They never ask invasive questions or make uncomfortable jokes. They never, ever get impatient with my accessibility needs.

The few times I have misjudged things and have injured myself or gotten extremely ill, they were professional and caring as they provided much-needed first-aid. It's kind of embarrassing to be doted on by a costumed character while you wait for a doctor to come help you sit up again, but also kind of endearing, I'll admit.

They also, in addition to captioning all videos in the park, have some of the best sign language interpreters in the world, bar none. They're very personal and professional, they're easy to reserve, they will always be in a visible place during shows, and they're incredible performers as well as being very technically proficient. In addition to the professional interpreters, many cast members, performers, and characters can sign as well.

In addition to that, and this brings me to my next point, you'll meet a lot of disabled employees throughout the park. In front-facing positions. Deaf employees, employees using mobility aids, etc. They're well-known to hire disabled people and treat them well. This is. Fuck, this is incredibly rare, I say as someone who was never able to find a job in Florida with my health conditions. It's the moral thing to do to hire disabled people, but also -- selfishly, there's something so heartening and normalizing about seeing people who look like you working at the park. I'm happy every single time.

I have a little less personal experience when it comes to accessibility for neurodivergence, despite being neurodivergent myself, but I've been told that Disney is very, very accommodating for people on the spectrum. A lot is done to lessen crowding, waiting, sensory overload, etc. for autistic guests. Cast members are usually super good at this; finding designated quiet areas, helping autistic guests avoid more crowded areas, keeping them out of long lines, making sure they have access to any particular experiences that are special to them, etc.

For folks who need help from their group, whether that's an autistic child who needs to be with a parent or a disabled adult who needs someone to push their wheelchair or anything else, Disney has a rider switch-off model. In other words, if you're there with both of your able-bodied parents, for example, and you need one of them to be with you at all times and you don't want to be on the ride yourself, Disney will allow one person to go on the ride while the other waits for them to finish, then will allow the second person to go on without any additional wait. This makes sure that everyone in the family gets equal access without leaving disabled people alone. (Which... can be a very shitty feeling, I assure you.)

I know that Disney has also pioneered a lot of assistive technology. The accessible rides, obviously, which can be ridiculously cool (like Toy Story Midway Mania has an accessible car with alternative "guns" for people with dexterity limitations so they can play the carnival games as well) but also handheld assistive devices for visually impaired guests, etc. Like they are literally inventing new forms of accessibility technology, which is so cool.

And honestly, I'm always learning about new ways they assist disabled guests. I've stayed in Disney's accessible hotel rooms before (they're very nice!) but I don't like to swim so I've never been in the pools. But even just this week, someone told me that Disney has pool lifts for disabled guests, which I had never even considered. That's so cool.

The best part about accessibility at Disney is that in some ways it's very casual. A lot of their design decisions are so intuitive that you never even notice how accessible the parks are until you go somewhere where that's... not the case.

Like -- just so you don't assume that any of these things are industry standard, let me tell you about the two times I went to Universal, a park very close to Disney. I went there once for an event and once with my family.

The first time I went was for an event at the opening of the Harry Potter park. (This was before JKR made her most appalling views public, to be clear.) It... was frustrating. Guests asked if there would be food and drink available for people with special dietary restrictions (such as sugar-free butterbeer) and were pretty much told that no, that was not something they were interested in pursuing. It became very obvious very quickly that the park itself was so narrow that it only barely fulfilled ADA standards -- when empty. We were told that JKR had actually specifically insisted that it feel "cramped". Which is a nice way to say that I couldn't actually get around in any of the stores while people were in them.

It was overall a frustrating experience, but it was like. One night. I figured it was probably a fluke and they were still ironing out all the details. So I ended up going back with my parents later.

Y'all, it was a shit show.

Broken elevators that prevented disabled guests from accessing rides. Performers being up on raised platforms/sidewalks so disabled guests couldn't get to them. Sidewalks being made inaccessible by putting movable signs directly in the middle of them. Stores (even outside of the HP part) that were so damn narrow that I actually ended up getting hurt trying to navigate one of them. And no -- it was not easy to get first aid.

And my god, was the training bad. We went to one of the new HP rides, asked if there was a specific entrance for disabled guests. We were told no. We waited for a very long time in a line that honestly I shouldn't have been waiting in, but I wanted to be a good sport. I was pretty sick by the time we got through it, and the line itself had some very dangerous inclines/turns for wheelchair users. We get to the front of the line -- and the employee asks why we didn't just use the accessible entrance. 🙃

(Side note: several of their rides are also just unrideable if you don't fit within a pretty narrow body type of thin and able-bodied, so... there's that.)

We'd asked repeatedly and gotten incorrect answers, and I'd been put in physical danger as a result. Wild. I started to notice that if you asked different employees, you'd get different answers about almost anything, really. Just exceptionally poor training. Even stuff that should've been a no-brainer, like loading wheelchair users into a stationary movie theater, ended up creating chaos when they did it incorrectly and we had a giant wheelchair pileup.

Like -- let me stress to you that many of the things that happened could have caused actual injury to people. Some of these situations were dangerous. And some of them were just alienating, like when I'd have to wait outside a store while my family could go in.

I never went back after that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We just kept going to Disney.

One thing that'll probably show how good Disney is at accessibility is the whole Make-A-Wish thing. A lot of people know that it's a popular Make-A-Wish request, and you're likely to see at least a couple kids with Make-A-Wish buttons during your visit if you keep an eye out. One reason for this, is that, y'know, Disney World is fun. Kids want to go there. But more important, I think, is that Disney can accommodate people with at-times severe medical needs. Those kids can safely go anywhere and do anything in those parks that able-bodied kids can, and that's important.

All in all, the parks are just so accessible and you will never, ever be made to feel like you're lesser for needing those accommodations. You will be treated so well and you will not have to worry about accessibility because the cast members are always doing it for you. They'll usher you into the correct entrance as soon as they see a mobility device, and they'll do it with a very warm welcome. It's one of the very few places on earth where I have never felt like a burden.

Again, y'know, I know that Disney does not have a perfect track record on a lot of issues. I would never defend them from rightfully earned criticism. I strongly support labor action against them, and I do think they should be criticized whenever they fuck up. I have been uncomfortable with the sheer amount of power they have both in Florida and in the entertainment world just because no one should have that much power. But I am far more uncomfortable with that power being stripped away for blatantly discriminatory political reasons.

I do have some loyalty to Disney just because there is no other place on earth where I've been able to safely have fun with my friends with so little agony. That's... I mean, it's important, really. To be able to just exist in public without getting grief for it. And I have some loyalty to them because they were a safe space for me as a young, queer kid who was not safe being out in other areas of my life.

(Like, I am talking about actual literal safety. I kept seeing notes on my post saying that Disney didn't care about creating a "safe space for queer people" but as someone who lived in Florida for the entirety of my teenage years? It was the safest goddamn place there.)

I do not have enough loyalty to defend them when they do immoral bullshit, but I do have enough to make sure that people know the good that they do as well.

I want other businesses to follow Disney's model for disability. I will praise them forever for what they've done in that regard because if I don't, there's no reason for other companies to follow suit. I want to praise them for the good things they've done so they have incentive to keep doing it, and other companies have an incentive to do it as well.

Like bro, I just wanna be able to move around and be treated with some dignity, y'know? My bar is so low. lmao

But yeah. That's why you always see so many disabled guests at Disney. It's literally the only place some of us can go to have fun.

#disney #disability #ableism #replies #honestly I used to go to the parks a lot but I wouldn't presently consider myself a superfan of disney or anything #but goddamn it sometimes you just wanna be able to go out and do the same things as everybody else #and disney always let me do that

[l0vegl0wsinthedark]

Soup.

The first thing Draco noticed was that Harry hadn't shaved that morning. Harry shaved every morning. It was only on vacation that he would let his stubble grow out a bit - his own way of relaxing, Draco supposed.

But then Draco saw the way Harry rubbed his eyes, bloodshot and heavy, and pinched the bridge of his nose, glasses pushed up to his forehead.

When, ten minutes later, Harry still hadn't touched his breakfast, instead just sitting hunched while steadily sipping hot tea, Draco lowered the month's copy of Up Your Sleeve with a small frown.

"All right?" he asked.

Harry looked up, eyes wide, steam from the tea fogging his glasses. "Yeah," he said, and Draco decided that he was simply imagining the slight hoarseness in his voice.

"Not hungry?"

"Not really. Tummy feels weird."

"Weird, how?"

"Just queasy." Harry drained his mug and got to his feet, swinging on his maroon cloak. "Must be the takeout last night."

"I did advise you not to get overzealous with the chilly sauce," Draco turned the page, looking back down at the article about how talking brooches were back in fashion now, "You need to listen to me sometimes."

"Whatever, Malfoy," Harry said, and simply marched out of the kitchen.

Draco listened to the Floo flare and then go out, his gaze on Harry's plate, breakfast cold and untouched. Ten minutes later as he left for work, Harry and his reddened eyes had slipped out of his mind.

He should have known when, four and a half hours later, Harry didn't show up for lunch at the boutique. Draco ordered Greek from Melina's and the tzatziki looked incredible and smelled delicately of garlic and Draco ended up eating all of it along with warm pita. He had robes to finish hemming and ironing and so he left the rest of the food under a Stasis and went back to his sewing machine. Maybe Harry wouldn't mind some Greek at dinner.

But by five o'clock that evening, when Draco finally had a moment to sit down with a cup of tea, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It wasn't like Harry to just not show up to lunch. He missed lunch all the time, but never without owling Draco about it.

Leaving his assistant to lock up after their last customer (who was trying on robes in increasingly dark shades of green and getting more and more flustered and confused) Draco Floo'ed home.

"Harry?" he called out, even before he was completely out of the Floo, even though Harry never got home before him.

There was a grunt from the sofa. Draco went and looked over the backrest to find Harry, still in full Auror uniform, curled up tightly with his head on two cushions.

"What are you-- What's happened to you?" Draco demanded, a tad bit louder than he'd intended, but then he was suddenly worried and Draco could never handle being worried.

Harry didn't answer and so Draco strode around the sofa, thumped the lunch leftovers on the coffee table next to Harry's glasses, and shook Harry lightly by the shoulder.

"Potter!"

Harry just sighed and blinked open tired, very, very red eyes. "Don't feel good," he said in a hoarse whisper, and then shut his eyes again.

Draco pushed thick, unruly black hair off Harry's forehead and pressed his palm to it.

"You're burning up," he said shortly. "When did you get home?"

"Dunno." A pause, then, "They sent me home at the eleven o'clock meeting."

"You've been home all day, feeling sick, and you didn't bother owling?"

"Couldn't find Hera."

"Have you forgotten you're a wizard? Why didn't you send me a patronus?"

"Nnngblr," replied Harry.

"Have you eaten something?"

Harry shook his head.

"I'm gonna make you soup." Draco was already on his way to the kitchen, kicking off his shoes on the way.

"I'll throw up."

"You will drink it and you will like it. And then you'll get in the bath." He put the kettle on and went rummaging for chicken stock cubes.

"Want to sleep."

"While you're in the bath, I'll go buy a few vials of Fever Fixer."

"Head hurts."

"We have pain potions for that. I'll give you one of those too."

Twenty minutes later, Harry was sat in their bed, wrapped in two blankets, his uniform in a heap on the floor. In the en suite, Draco drew him a bath, poured in some muscle relaxant, and dimmed the lights.

Harry was obediently eating his soup when Draco went back out. His glasses were perched on his head now. Every other minute he'd sneeze and they'd slip down only to be pushed back up. He wore only his boxer shorts and socks and had a light sheen of sweat on his face from the hot soup.

"It's good," he said sincerely.

Draco sat down next to him, mouth turned down at the corners. "Why didn't you inform me that you're ill?"

Harry just blinked. "It's not such a big deal."

"It is. You're ill. You're properly ill. You can't be lying alone on the sofa, without potions or food for a whole day without informing someone." Draco sighed irritably through his nose. "Without informing me."

Harry smiled, set his empty bowl on the bedside table and pulled the blankets tighter around himself. "You look like you're going to cry, Malfoy."

"Harry, I'm being bloody serious right now."

Harry immediately stopped smiling. "It's just the flu or something? I dunno. You don't have to worry."

"Look at you!" Draco said, his voice rising again. "If you'd come home to me looking like this, I'd be in the VIP Emergency Ward at Mungo's right now! Don't deny it."

Harry licked his lips, smiled again, hands held up in surrender. "I'm not denying anything."

"You've never been ill before."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"We've been together three years and you've never been ill." Draco swallowed hard. "It's scary and I don't like it."

"I'm...sorry?"

"Shut it. I'm sorry I let you go to work looking like shit. And I'm sorry I didn't check on you when you didn't show up to lunch."

"What'd you get?"

"Melina's."

"Nice."

"I brought leftovers. They're in the fridge."

"Sounds good." Harry smiled again and reached out, gripping Draco by the wrist and pulling him closer.

"Don't give me your germs," Draco said, letting Harry kiss him wetly on the cheek. "Go get in the bath. I'll be back in a few."

"You're very handsome when you're worried," Harry said, and with his voice so distractingly hoarse and his grip so much warmer than usual, Draco thought that even when ill and red-nosed, Harry Potter had his entire heart - and with good reason. Draco wouldn't bother making soup for anybody else.

#my writing #drarry #good morning here is words

[whumpcloud]

Delicate - Missing

content: (institutionalised) pet whump, carewhumper, heavily implied past murder, disordered eating, alcoholism, chronic illness, collars, accidental triggering, past choking, past belting, fainting, it as a pronoun

Sir hasn't outlined any rules yet, so Peter is trying to make guesses. He cleans every morning, before Sir wakes up - Sir sometimes sleeps right into the afternoon, but Peter wakes up at eight in the morning out of habit - and that seems to make Sir happy. Peter couldn't help how good he felt when Sir first praised him for how clean everything was, even though Peter noticed some rubbish he hadn't picked up immediately after and felt intensely guilty.

Maybe Sir wants Darling to ask? Or he might be the kind of Master that only explains the rules when they get broken. Peter, and he keeps forgetting but he's Peter now and he likes being Peter so why is it so hard, thinks about it as a few days pass. Sir has been so kind, too, it makes Peter worry about breaking a rule. Sir even gave him his own place to sleep! Not that Peter minded sleeping with Master, Master was warm and usually gentle and smelled nice when he didn't smell like whiskey, but Peter has never had his own space before, even if that space amounts to an oddly spacious cupboard with the only explanation being Sir mumbling something about an unused laundry room.

Still, the futon is comfortable, and Sir has given him blankets, and Sir even lets Peter do things like make whatever meals he likes for the two of them. Peter would prefer if he knew what Sir liked, but Sir never seems to mind what the food is. Most of the time, all he seems to mind is that Peter has made food at all. Sometimes he looks a little guilty or ashamed, and sometimes he just looks at it and turns away. Peter has tried to test to see if it was things he disliked, but Sir just… doesn't eat often, even if he gives Peter the okay to make it.

Well, that isn't healthy at all.

"Sir, I'm going to make lunch!" Peter smiles. "Would you like anything in particular?"

Elio fidgets with the bottle in his hand. "M'fine. Thanks for offering, I guess."

Peter can be insistent, if he must. "Sir, it's important that you eat. Not just to stay alive, but because you're diabetic. Have you checked your blood sugar today?"

"The alarm hasn't gone off, so I'm fine," Elio mumbles.

"...just because the alarm hasn't gone off doesn't mean that your blood sugar is stable, Sir," Peter says. "You shouldn't wait until you're at risk of illness."

"I'm already ill," Elio mutters.

"You know that's not what I meant, Sir," Peter says softly. "Please take your insulin and eat."

Elio hangs his head and groans. "Fine. Were you trained to be this annoying?"

Peter bites his lip, but only because Sir can't see. "Master was stubborn. He trained me to push past that."

"He must have been one stubborn son of a bitch," Elio half-laughs.

Peter isn't sure yet if that's a nice laugh. He'll learn. He's adjusting. This can be home, if he tries hard enough.

Elio pulls himself up, abandoning the bottle on the floor. He watches Peter's eyes dart to it from the kitchen doorway, then dart back to him.

"Don't judge me," Elio mutters as he walks past.

Peter steps away quickly. He's started to give Sir a wide berth, though something in him aches about it. "There's no point in your Pet judging you, Sir. I'm just here to assist however I can."

"Mhm. Right."

Peter falls silent, and focuses on making lunch as Sir languidly injects himself. At least that means he'll have to eat something now.

"...Sir, would you like me to assist in any way in terms of your drinking?" Peter asks, after a few minutes of anxious hesitation. "I could help you get sober, or help you limit the amount, or just take care of you when you're drunk?"

"I don't need taken care of," Elio mumbles. "...and I don't wanna get sober."

Peter doesn't understand Sir's insistence that he doesn't need to be taken care of. Most people can clean like Peter does, but Sir doesn't even put his mugs beside the sink. Sir doesn't eat properly, and the only time he even contemplated showering, Peter had to push him into actually doing it. Sir doesn't seem to hold down a job - in fact, he hasn't gone outside at all since Peter got here, and spends most of his time drinking or sleeping, and only ever does something else when Peter convinces him to.

So isn't that exactly what Peter is doing? Taking care of him?

"You don't have to get sober," Peter says, chipper as ever. "I mentioned other options. I could help you limit or just help you when you're drunk."

"I don't get drunk, so…" Elio leans against the cupboard, forehead pressed against his arm. "Fine. Limit. No more than, uh, three a day, I guess. Just stop me if I go for another. If you're gonna be so… insistent."

Peter nods. "I can do that, Sir."

Watching Peter do anything is like watching a well-oiled machine. He's precise and cautious and… happy isn't the right word. Content? He seems content, at least. Elio isn't sure if it makes him feel any better about this whole Pet situation.

Peter makes a plate of crackers and cheese, red grapes, and yogurt, and places it in front of Elio. "Here's your lunch, Sir. Eat it when you're ready."

Elio stares at it for a minute, before blinking back to awareness and realising Peter has turned to walk away. "Hold on, can you-"

Elio hooks two fingers into Peter's collar to drag him back and Peter screams.

The sound makes Elio jump back, but the collar is tight around Peter's neck and he can't pull his fingers free before Peter gags and crashes onto the linoleum.

Darling's eyes are wide, tiny irises flitting from the floor to Sir's feet to his own hands shooting to his throat. It's breathing too fast. It holds the breath for a moment, then lets the breath out, slowly, controlled. It's a good boy. It needs to stay completely calm.

It moves onto its knees and bows its head, hands flat on its thighs. It takes another deep breath. Calm.

"I'm sorry, Master," Darling says, quietly. Peter flinches. "S-Sir. Sorry."

"I- what are you sorry for?" Sir is just staring at it, like the only thing it's done wrong is confuse him. He! Peter is a smart Pet, why can't he remember this one tiny thing? He wasn't even always 'it' to Master, not even usually 'it' to Master, he doesn't know why he can't just make 'he' stick.

"For my emotional outburst," Peter replies, voice steady. "Please punish me to correct my mistake."

Maybe it's just because Sir doesn't like 'it'. Peter is just a bad Pet, of course he's still thinking of himself as 'it'. He deserves to be punished for that too, but he doesn't say that right now.

Elio blinks. "Sorry? Punish you?"

"Yes, Sir," Peter nods. "I could retrieve a belt, if you want. Or something else. I know I have no choice in this. Master belted me a lot, so it was the first thing I thought of."

"No, no, no, what?" Elio shakes his head and grasps desperately for something he can actually comprehend. "Stop. What did you freak out for?"

Peter's face burns in shame. "...Master used to choke me using my collar, Sir. I didn't… like it. I panicked because you've been so kind and I thought I had done something bad. I thought I had made you angry or disappointed you and the thought was a lot to handle."

Elio is barely taking any of this in. Peter screamed like he was trying to take the entire building down, and not even a minute later he was on his knees, still as a statue. Is that a trained response? To just bury all of that?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Elio's vision is swimming for some reason. "I'm not gonna punish you for that. Don't be stupid."

"...oh." Peter resists the urge to fidget. "I'm sorry for being a stupid Pet, I shouldn't have assumed."

Elio groans. "Stop apologising for everything."

Peter balls his hands into fists. "Sir, it's unclear what I should apologise for. It's better that I over-apologise than under-apologise. You haven't given me any rules to follow so I'm sorry if I'm not up to your standards."

Elio stares at him for a very long moment. Peter covers his mouth and squeezes his eyes shut. How could he be so disrespectful? He spoke far too sharply. That must make him deserving of a punishment, right?

"You have a backbone," Elio finally says, monotone as ever. "Huh."

Peter waits, for the inevitable slap, the kick, the pulling on his hair and dragging him to be tied down and left for hours. But it doesn't happen.

"I guess I'm, uh, I'm not being fair to you," Elio mumbles, grabbing the counter suddenly. "I can't expect you to just deal with all this and be all, like, unsure about it. Especially with me being… me. I'll come up with some rules, I guess. If it'll make you feel better."

"You aren't going to punish me?" Peter's voice isn't more than a muffled squeak. "I- I talked back to you."

"Nah," Elio shrugs. "I don't care. Not gonna punish you for the collar thing either. It's clearly, like, a traumatic thing for you, so."

"...traumatic, Sir?" Peter slowly returns his hands to his thighs. "Pets don't… get trauma."

Elio snorts. "Yeah, I guess you'd call it training."

Sir says some strange things, but Peter really shouldn't be anything but grateful that Sir seems to find disrespect amusing (is amusing the right word for this?) rather than a punishable offence.

"Ah, fuck," Elio says, hissing through his teeth. "I'm gonna faint."

Peter is quick to his feet, and so Elio doesn't even fall any distance. His eyes roll back and he just goes limp in Peter's grip. Peter isn't completely surprised at how light Sir is - it proves Peter's right about how much Sir is eating. He manages to drag Sir to the sofa and sit him up, then collects the plate of food from the kitchen.

"Sir," Peter says gently. "Wake up."

"Mnn…" Elio frowns and twitches as he tries to wake up. "Uh…?"

Sir's phone isn't going off, so his blood sugar must be fine. When was the last time Peter saw him eat? It must have been… five in the morning yesterday, when he woke Peter up making that boxed macaroni.

"Sir, please eat." Peter brushes Elio's hair out of his face. "Don't make me call an ambulance because you won't eat."

Elio tries to mumble something along the lines of "so you're good at guilt-tripping too" but it doesn't come out. He just weakly nods and reaches for the plate.

After some crackers and a few sips of fruit juice, Elio sits up properly. He waves Peter off when Peter tries to kneel and lean against his leg.

"I'm not gonna, like, pet you or something," Elio says. "Can you just fuck off for a bit? I feel awful."

If Peter were an even worse Pet he'd say something like "and I wonder why that is" but he doesn't. He just nods, and smiles, and goes to the room he was given.

The smile falls as soon as Peter is alone. He sits on the futon, leg bouncing. Sir didn't give him anything else to do. Should he find something to do? But he already cleaned everything, and Sir doesn't need him for anything right now, and he's even made sure to take care of himself too, aside from bathing. He doesn't have any other clothes, and he doesn't want to ask Sir because Sir… clearly doesn't really care about him.

Not that he expects Sir to care. Sir doesn't need to care about him, only the other way around.

Peter chews his sleeve. Master would be so mad about it, but Master is gone. But Master would've pet his hair at least, even on an angry day, long fingers slowly running across his scalp. Peter wonders if Sir's hands would feel as nice. Peter wonders if he'll ever get to know.

He misses being Darling. At least Darling got to sit in Master's lap and feel loved.

But it's his own fault. That wasn't enough to stop him from ruining it all. He begs Master for forgiveness under his breath. He would take everything back. He'd live with only the memories of the blood on his hands and the knife he stole from the kitchen and the light leaving Master's eyes and nothing else if he could just take it back and curl up, playing with Master's hair until they both fell asleep.

Peter is being such a bad Pet. He should be thinking about Sir.

It wishes Sir would call him Darling with a hoarse throat and a messy kiss and make things feel right again. Peter kisses its knuckles and tries to pretend, as though they never had Master's blood on them at all.

taglist: @whumpsday @roblingoblin285 @whumpycries @kira-the-whump-enthusiast @clairelsonao3

#polly's prose #delicate #elio zagata #peter (darling) #whump #whump writing #pet whump #is it really my ocs if i don't go a little mad writing a bunch for them when i first make them? #elio: i hate all of this and this system is fucked up #also elio: *literally doesn't respect peter in any way*

[ridiasfangirlings]

Post-RoK and the different clans are no longer at war and even help each other when needed. Fushimi ends up one day being asked to help the Silvers out with something. He finds the other clan strange especially Shiro who he had to interact with a lot as he's the one needing help. Fushimi can't fully disklike the guy though as Shiro is smart and actually doing something with it and he finds they get along when it comes to academic stuff. He's spent a lot of time with them during this event that Shiro says he's practically an honorary member. (I just like the idea of Fushimi fitting in somewhat with any clan he could get into).

Fushimi being very certain that he can’t fit in anywhere while fitting in with every clan is something I enjoy about him XD Say post-ROK there’s some issue happening at the school island that the Silvers are handling, like they’re finally doing some proper remodeling to both fix the damage done in the past couple years and also maybe add some extra accommodations for the kids who still kept their powers after the Slate woke up. Shiro is spearheading the latter part of this in particular, and as part of getting everyone comfortable with each other in the school again they’re having a big school festival once things are complete. There’s a pretty tight deadline and it’s a lot of work for Shiro, especially since he only has two clansmen and Neko has classes of her own, so he sheepishly asks Munakata for anyone he can spare. Munakata happens to have the perfect assistance, sending Shiro just one person but assuring him that Fushimi-kun has the processing power of six people. 

At first I could see things being very awkward, since Fushimi isn’t exactly personable and I imagine he gets on everyone’s nerves right away. Neko doesn’t want to work with him because he’s mean while Kuroh keeps trying to ‘improve his mood and work ethic’ with well-timed haiku. Shiro plays peacemaker, reminding everyone that Fushimi is helping them here and please treat him as a guest. Fushimi clicks his tongue and says he doesn’t care but then imagine everyone just slowly warming up to him. Kukuri brings everyone lunch one day and gives Fushimi a special bento because she noticed he doesn’t eat much, Fushimi manages to mumble out a ‘thanks’ in return. He starts picking out the vegetables immediately, much to Kuroh’s dismay and now he’s probably determined to give Fushimi some healthy food. Neko meanwhile is suddenly feeling very friendly because look someone else who just wants to eat meat and not veggies, like they have a common ground now.

Shiro’s also busy with his teaching work and at some point Fushimi ends up helping him grade tests, just to get it done so Shiro can get back to the other work. Shiro gives him an answer key and apologizes for the trouble, and then is all surprised when Fushimi’s just flying through the grading without even looking at the key because he knows all this stuff. Now Shiro’s intrigued and starts chatting with him about science stuff, he’s really impressed with Fushimi’s mind and he gets what Munakata was saying about this person’s abilities. The other kids at Ashinaka start taking Fushimi’s presence in stride too, half of them are treating him as if he’s a fellow student while Fushimi grumbles and clicks his tongue and Shiro laughs because it seems Fushimi fits right in. (Though then he makes a joke about Fushimi becoming an honorary member of the clan and somehow Munakata sends him a message an hour later politely but firmly asking for Fushimi-kun back because Munakata stole him fair and square thank you.)

#Fushimi Saruhiko #Talking K #I like the idea of Fushimi who could join any clan XD #I have an unfinished fic in my drafts that was intended to be like little vignettes of different color Fushimis #bc it's a fun idea to play with #ofc if Munakata finds out that Shiro wants his Fushimi he'll get possessive #that's his stolen child thank you very much

[vixen525noms]

Defying Certain Death Part 2

Copied from my DeviantArt account, a non-sexual G/T vore story featuring adults along the lines of the lion and the thorn fable. There will be tons of hurt/comfort aspects, lots of safe vore. That is the primary focus in this.

Barrett is and adult giant standing 85ft tall and Hope is an adult human at 5ft 6. Barrett does not eat children at any point.

Warnings: Fatal Mention; Characters in Distress

Future: While this part is relatively tame, future parts include fatal vore and violence. Barrett, the giant, is not a good guy, so will be doing some occasional bad things.

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-----

He looked at the frightened girl in his hand, thinking on the words she just spoke. ‘I don’t want to die.’ He had been thinking the same thing when she found him. The whole reason she had been within his reach was because she had just helped position the rope so he could move the stone that caused most of the rest to tumble loose. The whole reason he could so easily grab this potential meal was because she had helped him escape certain death. She had spent three weeks helping him, providing for him and helping to move the rocks. 

And now... Now he was free and she knew he no longer needed her assistance. She knew he was half starved, in desperate need of food. She had helped fight off the hunger, but the little one simply couldn’t provide enough for him, no matter her efforts. And she had put a lot of effort into it; it was obvious she had lost some weight because she had focused so much on providing for him, and because her hard work quickly burned up what she took in. Her health had suffered because she worked to improve his.

-----3 weeks ago-----

He was quite surprised when she did return, dragging a pair of the wild sheep native to this area. She hesitated, then slowly approached his face. She was so close... dragging those two sheep up to him so she could help get them into his mouth. So very close... He could tilt his head forward, flick out his tongue quickly; quite possibly use it to draw her into his waiting jaws. But he would still be trapped, unable to get loose. Even if he was hungry, even if she smelled so very good, she was his only potential hope of survival.

He watched her hesitate as she approached, obviously wary that he might yet change his mind about accepting help and just eat her. And it was a tempting idea. He was so hungry and she smelled so good... He closed his eyes and focused, trying to clear away the thoughts of temptation. Instead, he moved his head as best he could, to reposition so that he could more easily receive the provided meal. He extended his tongue slightly to cover the bottom row of teeth, and to help him to better take the offered food. He watched her get close, right in front of him, right within reach.

He could tell it was a struggle for her to get the sheep up, she had gotten rather large ones and they were heavy. She had probably targeted large ones just because of how much he needed, but it made it difficult for her to handle. With the time it took for her to adjust how she was handling the prey, he could have easily snapped her up. But he waited patiently, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent as she worked to lift the sheep up. He slowly extended his tongue a bit more, not wanting to frighten her, but using it to help scoop up the ram as she gave it to him. 

He briefly caught taste of her arms as she let go of the sheep and stepped back, watching as he easily swallowed the animal whole. The food acted as a reminder as to just how hungry he was, his stomach growling to remind him it was far from enough food. He looked down at her, giving a faint smile, “That was... helpful. You seemed to have trouble... Do you think you can handle the second one?” He watched her nod, then opened his mouth again, extending his tongue to receive the desperately needed gift. He could tell she struggled more this time to lift the mountain sheep, even though it was smaller than the first. 

Once she had it about half up, he flicked his tongue forward quickly to make sure she wouldn’t drop it, attempting to help her as best he could. He froze as he noticed he tasted more than the sheep, as he noticed that his tongue had caught under her shirt in the process and that her hands now rest on his tongue. He could feel her give a shudder, no doubt afraid he was going to take advantage of this to attempt to get her as well, but he remained still. It had been difficult for her, and he suspected she had nearly fallen over, catching herself in the position she was now. 

He realized he was purring, both at the feeling of something in his belly after days without food, as well as the taste of the second sheep, and more so her, on his tongue. It was so tempting, but he’d be back to the same situation he was when the day started if he gave into temptation. She had proven her honesty when she brought back the two sheep, proven she meant what she said about helping him. He needed her to get out of this mess, so no matter how much he loved her taste, he had to let her go. He felt her move back, pulling away her hands from his tongue as she regained her balance and stood straight.

He soon swallowed the second sheep, then sighed with a smile. “That... was greatly appreciated. I lost track of the days I’ve been here, how long I’ve gone without food.” He saw her smile slightly, “Thank you for not...” He chuckled softly, “I won’t deny being tempted, but it wouldn’t do me any good to harm my only hope of escaping this. You can be certain that as you assist me; when you get so close to give me food, I will never take advantage of that.”

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#terrasyor #dcd #defying certain death #barrett the giant #barrett #hope #syor #syorian #terran #giant tiny #size difference #soft vore #safe vore #gt vore #unwilling prey #my writing #g/t vore #g/t #g/t writing #giant/tiny #vore writing #my stories #my stuff #barrett and hope #hope and barrett

[loloinlove]

The Ever After Ch. 11

Chapter 11 is finally out and you can read it - here on Ao3.

The first thing that Penelope noticed when she stepped back into their shared common space was that quite a lot of candles had been extinguished, leaving the room in a pleasant glow, which was further aided by the fireplace that was situated not too far from their small dining table.

The second thing she noticed was that Anthony hadn’t seemed to have arrived yet, which left her time to take in her surroundings.

There were strategically placed candles in various places around the room to keep things from getting too dark, and the flowers had been moved to a smaller table off to the side of the table.

Penelope could still smell them faintly, and once she was closer to everything, she could see that the table had already been set with their dinner, which looked to have been arranged in such a way that they would be able to serve themselves without the need for assistance from the staff.

She could smell the savory and sweet scents coming from the table but bypassed the food to explore the room a little more instead. Her first destination was the flowers to decipher what the arrangement was made up of. She was happy to find lilac, lavender, hyacinth, and several other wildflowers. The scent was pleasant and not too overpowering as was the case with some of the flowers that her Mama favored.

Looking around once more, she saw that the bookcases did not extend to cover all the walls, just half of them, stopping before the windows on the center back wall. Penelope imagined that it probably had a wonderful view of the back of the grounds and beyond and was imagining her future there, starting the morning with some tea and light reading before breaking her fast with everyone else.

For now, she would only see Anthony and the staff for the next couple of weeks. Which meant that she would be truly alone with her husband for the first time since they started courting. A part of her felt a spark of unease at the prospect of being alone in close quarters with a man, and it was only the knowledge that it was Anthony that kept her from falling into a spiral of unpleasant thoughts again. She knew that he would never hurt her, but she still held a decent amount of fear that refused to listen to logic or reason.

She would need to keep a tighter rein on her emotions over the coming weeks and months so as not to worry everyone too much. She had been doing better recently, though she still had a fair amount of awful days as well…and she knew that the Bridgertons meant well, but they seemed to not understand that sometimes people who weren’t used to the constant noise could use some peace and quiet. She wondered if Simon felt the same, or if he had grown used to it. She’d have to ask him next time she saw him, though it would probably be seen as impertinent. She had a feeling that he wouldn’t mind. He’d married Daphne after all.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Anthony who appeared suddenly through his own door. He was dressed as casually as she had ever seen him, in buckskin breeches, a plain muslin shirt, and was possibly barefoot, which astounded her a little. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a man’s unclothed feet before, and though it wasn’t the most scandalous thing, it still shocked her a little.

Anthony had a relaxed look upon his face and was heading toward her, and Penelope had to wonder if he was even the same person.

“You look lovely,” he said when he got closer to her, giving her the compliment like it was a fact.

He seemed to be much less intimidating when he was out of his more formal clothes, and it helped her relax a little bit more.

“Thank you,” She replied, trying to keep the blush from her face. “Though I do feel a little overdressed.”

“Nonsense. As I said, you look quite fetching,” Anthony said, coming to was standing close to her, though still far enough away that he could not reach his arms out and grab her. She wasn’t sure if the decision to keep space between them was Anthony’s intention, but it brought her immense comfort all the same.

Ever since-

Ever since what happened with Berbrooke, she was less keen to be in the presence of men, and though she knew the Bridgerton men were as honorable as honorable could be, she still held a level of fear that something worse would happen. Her fear was slowly slipping into a feeling of unease, greatly helped by the entire Bridgerton clan. It was a slow-going process, and she still had more work ahead of her before she could get back to how she was before, but she hoped that soon she would once again feel fully comfortable.

Now that he was closer, she could see that he was wearing very thick woolen stockings and she had to wonder if they did indeed keep his feet from freezing off. There were rugs across the floor, but not near or under their dining table, and though she hated the pointed shoes that were the current fashion, she couldn’t imagine not wearing them, even in her own home unless she was preparing to sleep.

“Are you not cold?” She asked, cursing herself for not giving him a compliment in response. It was the polite thing to do, though she knew he was aware of his attractiveness, and it certainly wouldn’t be anything new to him, but she couldn’t keep her mind off whether or not his toes were indeed going to fall off on the floor, frozen solid.

“Not overmuch, though I appreciate your concern,” he said, turning to her with a smile. “I have always hated wearing shoes, they are too pointy and confining for me. I tend to wear several pairs of thick woolen socks and that seems to keep most of the chill away. Though I have always seemed to run warmer than most of my siblings.”

Penelope looked at Anthony, really looked at him, and saw that though he seemed to be taking things in stride, he had a tenseness in his face that she wished she could soothe but she wasn’t sure what could be done. She still planned to talk to him, get to know him more and hopefully build a friendship between them. Penelope didn’t have a clue what to say after that, and it appeared that Anthony didn’t either, because they lapsed in a slightly awkward silence, each of them peering about the room.

Anthony’s gaze must have fallen on the table still set with food, because he gestured to the table, moving to stand behind her chair before pulling it out for her. She hesitated for just the slightest moment before taking the few steps to the chair and sitting down before she could think too long about having him at her back. It brought back the awful feelings of that night. Thoughts that she didn’t have the energy to entertain, and forcefully pushed to the darkest recesses of her mind.

As soon as her chair was pushed in comfortably, Anthony was quickly on his way to his chair, motioning for her to start eating. She had only ever served herself small finger sandwiches and biscuits and the sort of short breads that were common when one made the rounds of morning calls and felt a little unsure for a moment.

She looked to see Anthony appeared to have no problems, as though he had done this before, and so Penelope followed suit. She thought it was a lovely concept, being able to choose the things she liked rather than having her food chosen for her and already on her plate at her mother’s direction. At some point, when her mother realized that the weight from childhood wasn’t going to leave, she’d begun to withdraw her affections, lending them more often to Prudence and Phillipa. Her Mama was always trying to force Penelope into trying some new diet to get her to become slimmer, though none had succeeded as her mother had hoped.

It had been soul destroying when she had transitioned from girlhood into getting ready for her entrance into society. Seeing her mother dote on Phillipa, for she was considered to be the prettiest amongst them, and then, Prudence who couldn’t seem to put an intelligent sentence together, whilst she had been given nothing but criticisms for things that she couldn’t help.

Eloise and her family had been a balm against the wounds her mother inflicted, and she was very thankful that she would not be going back. Her mother had held such a sway over her that now that she was free it would take a while for her to get used to it and the freedom she now had. She relished the coming experience.

Their dinner was quiet, just this side of being a little too awkward, but Penelope was used to awkward silences. People rarely seemed to know what to say to her anymore, and she had no wish to fill the silence with idle chitchat about fashion or the weather or anything else really, and so usually she was able to wait people out until they left her alone or the other person would fill the silence so that she didn’t have to.

Eloise and Colin were especially good for that sort of thing, and she wondered how it would be with Anthony, who she couldn’t see engaging in that sort of behavior.

As though he had been reading her mind, Anthony cleared his throat a little to announce that he was about to speak, and Penelope turned her attention to him, noticing that he seemed a little uncomfortable as well. At least she wasn’t the only one.

“So how were your- “

Anthony paused, and she could see the tips of his ears turning a little red. It wasn’t something she had noticed about him before, though she didn’t berate herself for it. There was plenty the two of them didn’t know about each other, but she knew that would be changing eventually.

“How was my what?” She asked when it didn’t seem as if he would not be continuing with his question.

“You will think me terribly idiotic,” he warned, looking up at the ceiling for a moment.

“It surely can not be that bad,” She insisted, taking a second to spear a green bean on her fork and take a small bite.

“I assure you it is. I was about to ask how your travels were,” he said, focusing back on his own plate once more.

“An- Anthony. We rode in the carriage together. You know how my travels were,” Penelope replied in disbelief. Had he knocked his head and forgotten?

“I know, which is why I warned you, but that is a question I would pose to my friends should they visit. It just didn’t work well in this particular case,” Anthony tried to reason.

Penelope saw that his ears were still red, possibly from being embarrassed, and she let the subject drop, though she did want to keep talking to him now that the silence had been broken.

“I shall take it as a good sign then, and ask about your time here so far, though it hasn’t been long.”

Anthony looked relieved and then moved on to a less embarrassing subject. He spoke of the surprisingly little amount of work he would need to get done before they came back for the rest of the off season and asked her how she was finding her rooms. She gave him a couple of details, noting that it was all strange to her, but that the rooms were lovely, and she was anxious to thoroughly explore the library when she had a chance.

“There are hundreds, possibly thousands of books on those shelves, so feel free to borrow whatever you would like, they’re yours now too. Though I would be careful, some of the books in the library are incredibly old and delicate. Eloise has told me of your love of books and that it might even surpass hers, and I trust that you will treat them with care. Not that I think you would mistreat them, I just wanted to warn you that if you take one off the shelf and it crumbles to dust in your hands, I would not want you to feel as if you had done anything wrong.”

Penelope couldn’t help but smile at the way he was stumbling around with his words. He was normally so refined and sure of himself, and it made her feel a little better that he seemed to be a little off balance as well.

“You need not worry, Anthony. I promise you that Eloise has gone into great detail about the library here, including how advanced in age some of the books are. I even know where some of them are already. I’ll be careful,” She promised, though she didn’t think he was looking for one.

His shoulders relaxed all the same, and they spent the rest of dinner talking about Aubrey Hall and its history -though they skirted around the topic of his father’s death- and by the time there were finished eating, it had been several hours, and their plates had long since been empty.

Penelope was listening to Anthony tell her a funny story about Benedict and several angry geese when she slowly started to nod off. She didn’t mean to, but her eyelids had grown heavy, and it was hard not to drift off with his soothing voice in her ears.

Very suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, and she woke up with a start, noticing that the candles had burned a little lower and that Anthony was standing before her, an amused look on his face.

“Sorry for startling you. I wasn’t sure how best to wake you, but I didn’t think you would enjoy being carried to bed,” Anthony said. “Or to sleep in that chair. It’s terribly uncomfortable at the best of times.”

“Thank you. I can imagine not,” Penelope replied. “How long have I been asleep? Oh, I’m so sorry. You must think me terribly rude.”

Anthony quirked an eyebrow, giving her a disbelieving look.

“Penelope, I have never witnessed you ever being rude to anyone. Not even Cressida Cowper, and if anyone deserves your ire, it’s that cow. Additionally, I can assure you that I am exhausted to the point of deliria. I just have more practice fighting it off.”

He would not think you so kind if he knew who you really were.

“Anthony,” Penelope said, pushing away the voice in her head that sounded so like her Mama that she almost winced. “Cressida Cowper- “

“You need not try to defend her to me. I and many other gentlemen of the Ton are aware of certain aspects of her personality. She has been rude to Eloise and Daphne, and many others I’m sure, and you know Eloise would not be silent about such matters.”

Penelope had to agree that Eloise was not quiet on any matter that bothered her, but her own mother was friends with Caroline Cowper, Cressida’s mother, and there would have been consequences for speaking ill of their family and she’d never dared to do so outside of her own head and Whistledown. She knew exactly how much the staff overheard and so she was in the habit of never giving them anything she truly cared about or could harm her endeavor with publishing.

Now though… It was no secret that the Cowpers. Lord Cowper was a Baron, same as her father. The only reason the two of them were even invited to events was because the Cowpers had a little more money than the Bridgertons, and that bought them a seat at the table. Her own father’s title was just barely old enough, though they were still considered ‘new money’ to many of the much older families of the Ton.

Tearing herself out of her thoughts, she turned toward Anthony and considered him for a moment. Now that she could see him better, the dark circles under his eyes were hard to miss, as was the drooping of his shoulders and the way he seemed about to fall over. She instantly felt guilty about keeping the both of them up so late, se had just been so pleased that she and Anthony seemed to be getting along that she had ignored her tiredness.

And then she had fallen asleep.

Just thinking about it caused her face to heat up from the embarrassment.

Anthony seemed not to mind, though she knew from her numerous visits to No. 5 that he had a wealth of patience for Hyacinth and Gregory, and he seemed to be extending it to her as well.

“I believe it best we both head to bed before we end up falling asleep where we stand,” Penelope said, trying not to yawn. She wasn’t very successful, but Anthony was just as, if not more, tired than she was and therefore she felt less embarrassed by her tiredness.

“I fear you are right,” He agreed, taking a step closer to her and offering his arm, ever the gentleman. Not that she minded. It was a nice gesture and she appreciated it nonetheless, though they would only be going across the room.

They walked at a sedate pace, neither of them having the energy to walk any faster than necessary, and Penelope could feel the muzziness beginning to set in once more. The prickles of unease at the back of her mind were muted, though whether it was because of the ease with which they talked to each other or because she was truly too tired to feel much else, she didn’t particularly care.

Very quickly they arrived at her door, which had been closed by the staff earlier. Anthony gently released her arm, and turned to face her, and she noticed that his face was blurry, and she had to blink several times before it would come into focus.

“I shall leave you here Miss Fe- Lady Bridgerton. I hope you sleep well,” he said, tripping over her title, which caused her to break out into giggles.

Once she started, she couldn’t stop, and looking at Anthony’s confused face only made it worse, evolving from giggles to peels of laughter. Later, she would blame it on being too tired, but she had to admit that laughing felt good. It had been a while since she’d had any sort of humor in her life that she had almost forgotten what real laughter felt like. It took several minutes for her get herself under control again, and she had to wonder what sort of image she made, laughing like a loon at nothing at all.

Penelope reached out and squeezed Anthony’s hand, before saying good night and disappearing behind the door to her suite. Alice was waiting for her by her dressing table, her nightclothes already set out and ready. Penelope would forever be thankful that Alice had convinced her to take her hair down earlier. She couldn’t imagine having to wait any longer than needed for her to fall into bed and sleep well into next morning.

Once she was actually in bed it was hard not to notice how much softer her new bed was than the one she’d had at Featherington house. It was only then that she noticed how sore she was. Her feet were aching, which justified her hatred for the fashion of pointy toed shoes. Once she was settled more comfortable, she allowed herself to finally relax, finally loosening the tension she had been carrying through out the day. Her shoulders felt it the most, as she had constantly been fighting the urge to hunch in on herself so as to be as small and unnoticeable as possible. A wasted effort as it had been her wedding and therefore most of the attention had been on her and Anthony while they said their vows in front of God, Queen, and Country.

Rolling over to her side and looking out the window she could see the sky illuminated by the moon and stars. It was a gorgeous view, soothing as well, and before she knew it, she was asleep, carefully nestled in her warm bed in the country safe from the anxieties and fears of London.

#bridgerton #bridgerton fic #itsneverpolin #penthony #the ever after #the ever after ao3

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Vassal of the King (part 7)

Frerin x OFC

Author's annotations are here!

*****

Frerin is one hundred and eighteen when he becomes a father.

"Fjalar?"

"Hmm..."

"Fjalar! Wake up!"

He yawns as he turns towards his wife, lying on the other side of the bed even though the dark of the room forbids him from seeing her; they are still living in the tiny house they moved in after their wedding, but now they can almost afford to buy it, which is comforting. "What is it?" he inquires, rubbing his eyes with an hand as he attempts to remember where he is and what day today is; he has always been an heavy sleeper, and a consequence, a slow riser "Are you hungry?"

Verdandi has never been a glutton, but a few months ago she has started experiencing bouts of hunger in the most unexpected moments, and for foods she had never appreciated before. It is a common, even natural behaviour for a woman in her condition, according to Skai (the healer who has assisted Verdandi ever since they realized she was expecting... and who for the last two years has also been their brother-in-law, after his and Skuld's long-anticipated wedding) because now the Dwarf woman is eating for two. And since for a while his poor wife has also been suffering from nausea bouts every time she raises from the bed, Frerin has gotten used to get up and fix her something to eat; he does not mind, even though leaving his bed in the middle of the night is far from pleasant... not much, at least, and the simple sight of Verdandi, ill at ease with hunger and queasiness, her belly heavy with the child they have waited for so long, is enough to repay him ten times over.

But tonight is different; tonight, his inquiry is answered with a grimace, Verdandi's azure eyes already filled with panic. "No, my love; I am not hungry. It is time."

"... what?"

"I need to give birth. Your child is ready to be born."

Frerin goes from half-asleep to clear-headed, and panicky, in less than a blink. "Now?" he asks, for a moment convinced their child could have really chosen a more suitable moment to announce their arrival "But... but it is too early! I thought you were not supposed to give birth before..."

Verdandi sighs; she is more scared than she lets on, and uncomfortably sticky, but she is also determined not to give in to panic - not yet, at least. "I am sorry, my darling; but your child wants to be born, and they want to be born now."

Frerin lives the next minutes like a dream, only vaguely aware of what he is doing as he realizes the moment he has waited for months has finally come, and he could not be less ready. He dresses himself, brings Verdandi a blanket, tells her he loves her as he kisses her temple, and runs out of the door as if he had every Orc in Middle-earth on his heels. It is the middle of the night, and the streets are empty; Frerin runs faster than he thought possible for a Dwarf, heart pounding in his chest, the thump of his boots reverberating on the cobblestone. He is scared, and excited, and happy, and concerned, and never, he realizes, has he missed his family more than now. Does Thorin has children? Does Dís? Would they be able to reassure and comfort him? They would undoubtedly try, and that for Frerin would be enough...

But he cannot count on his siblings' support; he is alone now, and by Mahal, he will not disappoint his family once more!

Thank the Maker, Verdandi's old house, where Skai has moved with his wife and her mother, is not far; Frerin gets his siblings-in-law out of bed, and in a few minutes they are both ready to follow him. Mistress Sigyn promises she will be there soon as well; age has slowed her down, but she would not miss the birth of her first grandchild for the world.

Frerin knows next to nothing about childbirth, but when he reaches Verdandi, it takes him a moment to realize she is close: his poor wife, usually brave as a warrior and with an almost preternatural ability to remain hevel-headed even in time of danger, is crying, and screaming, her azure eyes full of fear. "It hurts." she moans, blindly reaching for Frerin, as if thinking he could deliver her from the pain, and protect her as he would from a sword-wielding enemy "Fjalar, it hurts so much... I fear I am dying..."

The blanket he had brought her has fallen on the floor, and there is a wet patch on the mattress between her legs. She looks so helpless, so young and fragile, and when Frerin takes her hands, she shakes her head, as if being stubborn could help her... or stop what she is going through. "I cannot do it."

"Verdandi..."

"You were right; this is not the time. I do not want this, not now, I am not ready... I do not know what to do!"

Frerin softly tells her that Skai and her sister are here to help her, and that actually she does not have to do anything, but let a natural process happen and her body's instincts take over, but his wife is not listening, and when she grabs his arm, he can feel her nails clawing his skin. "What if they are not ready?" Verdandi says, her eyes wide open with fear "Skai said I would not give birth before a fortnight! What if they are not strong enough? What if they are not... fully formed?"

Even if Frerin had the words to reassure her (and he does not, Mahal deliver him!) he could not utter them, because Skai, with Skuld not for the first time in her role of midwife assistant, immediately takes command, and Frerin finds himself banished from his own bedroom, with the order to light a fire, heat water, prepare clean rags, and keep out of the way.

These are the longest minues of his life. The terror seizing his heart and mind is nothing compared to what Verdandi is going through, but Frerin would rather face Azog and his whole army alone than being there, as he listens to his wife's screams of pain and fear and knows there is nothing he can do to help. Even the arrival of mistress Sigyn, who sits by his side and holds his hand, puts his mind at rest; Frerin is fond of his mother-in-law, and believes her when she tells him she also screamed loud enough to wake the dead and then gave birth to two healthy daughters, but still, he is scared, as much as he was on the day Smaug arrived, and on the day of the battle at the gates of Khazad-dûm. It is an horrible sensation, that makes him restless and fills his mind with grim thoughts.

What if something went wrong? After all, the baby is early; what if they are still too small and weak to survive? Even worse, what if they are born dead? It would destroy them both, after all the love and the hope they have poured on the tiny creature growing in Verdandi's womb, after they have already bought a cradle and tiny blankets and clothes. Losing their child would mean losing themselves, a bereavement they could survive, but never heal from.

Also, the danger does not only concern the baby. Verdandi is young and strong, but Frerin could name at least two Dwarf women who were roughly her age and died on the birthing bed, and she has already lost so much blood! He cannot lose her; Frerin cannot even imagine a future without Verdandi, he needs her, his very existance is now indissolubly linked to her smile, her voice, her soothing presence and steadfast support. If he loses his wife, he reflects as he paces restlessly on the corridor outside his bedroom, there will be no reason left for him to...

"Fjalar?"

He blinks, feeling as if he were waking up from a deep slumber. "Yes?"

Skuld's (pale, stressed, scared) face peeks out of the door. "We need your help."

The fact itself is terrifying, even more than the potential motives for that request; Frerin feels his blood freeze in his veins. "What is happening? Is... is something wrong?"

"No, no. But Verdandi is scared to death; would you come in to keep her company?"

"I can go instead, if you wish." mistress Sigyn offers, but Frerin has already slipped past the threshold, and past Skuld, and beyond his fears.

The air in the room is heavy with sweat, and the even less pleasant stench of blood; Frerin runs to his wife's side, immediately overwhelmed but determined to be strong, for both of them - or at least to try.

Verdandi (brave, calm, soft-spoken Verdandi) is sobbing, completely beside herself with pain and the terrifying sensation her body is no longer her own, that the sparkle of life she has cared for and protected for six months, is now threatening to destroy her from the inside. "It hurts... Fjalar, it hurts so bad..."

If Frerin felt powerless as he contemplated his duty of protecting the people of Erebor after the loss of their home, that is nothing compared to what he is feeling now, the torment he sees reflected on the face of the woman he loves and that he cannot share and take on himself. He knows Verdandi would never blame him, because having a child is something they both dearly desired, and she knew, being a woman, what awaited her, but still, she is in so much pain, and there is nothing he would not do to ease her suffering, but he cannot...

... or can I?

"Would it help, if I sang for you?" he suddenly inquires; Verdandi stops mid-scream to look at him, baffled. "What?"

"It is something my father used to do for my mother, to divert her mind from fear and pain; he sang her favourite song for her as she gave birth to me and my siblings. Apparently, it made her feel better. Safe."

Verdandi smiles; if that is the most absurd idea she has ever heard, it is a thought she does not betray, and later, when everything is over and she is happily looking at their child avidly sucking on her chest, she will reflect on how, in the hour of fear and powerlessness, her husband thought of the family he had lost. "Yes. I would enjoy -hnnnn- hearing you sing."

Frerin smiles. "Would that be all right for you, Skai?"

"You can start juggling balls over your head for all I care, brother." the healer answers, perfectly unperturbed; he is kneeling at the foot of the bed, looking at Verdandi's body from an highly unusual perspective for a brother-in-law "As long as Verdandi keeps pushing."

Among the tears, Verdandi smiles, clutching his hands like a castaway fighting the tide as he holds on a rock. "If you are with me I can do it." she promises; it goes for that night as well as any other moment of their life and they both know. And so, sitting on the side of the bed with her hands in his own, Frerin starts singing, the words and the melody still clear in his mind after so long, and suddenly he is not afraid anymore.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away, ere break of day

To seek our pale enchanted gold

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells

While hammers fell like ringing bells

In places deep, where dark things sleep

In hollow halls beneath the fells...

He has never considered himself a good singer, not to mention he has not performed in more than half a century, but somehow it works, and focusing on the song, on those verses his mother had taught him and his siblings when they were children, actually diverts both his and Verdandi's attention from the fear and the tension that fill the room. Verdandi has her kinswomen there with her, to comfort and give her strenght, but for a precious, almost magical moment, it is as if Frerin's family is present as well...

There many a gleaming golden hoard

They shaped and wrought, and light they caught

To hide in gems on hilt of sword

On silver necklaces they strung

The flowering stars on crowns they hung

The dragon-fire in twisted wire

They meshed the light of moon and sun...

A new cry pierces the air, but it is not Verdandi's.

Skuld, by now an expert midwife assistant, tends to the baby, washing the blood and the dirt away and then swaddling him. "Congratulations." she says with a smile as she offers the tiny bundle to her sister, the hands of both shaking slightly; she has to raise her voice to make herself heard "You have an healthy baby boy."

"A boy." Verdandi whispers, as if she had never uttered those words before; she is crying as well, but Frerin has never seen a smile bigger or happier than the one on his wife's lips; she rocks their son for a while, whispering sweet nothings to him until his screaming subsides to a quite babbling, and then, wordlessly, she offers him to Frerin.

"Your son, husband."

He is light as a feather, so light it feels as if he might disappear, as Frerin holds his son against his chest; the baby has beautiful, familiar azure eyes, but the shape of his little face is unmistakably that so common in the Line of Durin, and a surge of emotion fills him, unlike anything Frerin has ever felt: it is pride, and jealousy, and humbleness, because how could someone as small and flawed as him, create something so perfect and beautiful?

He is crying, for all to see and he is not ashamed of it; he looks at his wife, and Verdandi smiles back, radiant and still in pain and even more beautiful because of it. He sits next to her, and together they contemplate the creature in Frerin's arms, and it may be the most natural and ordinary event in the world, but that tiny, perfect baby is also a miracle, and a blessing he could never hope to receive.

"Sindri." he whispers; there are no words in any language in Middle-earth to express the joyous turmoil inside him "Sindri. My little gem."

TAGGING @starlady66 and @elvenenby.

#Frerin #Frerin son of Thrain #Frerin son of Thráin #The Lord of the Rings #The Hobbit #Frerin x OFC #Frerin x OC #Bellona's stuff

[halothenthehorns]

How Do You Say Gods- The Lightning Thief

Chapter 13: WE GET ADVICE FROM A POODLE

The Titan of fresh water and nourishment was strangely odd and beautiful, with thick black hair that had a river braided into the locks, glimmering as if its own body of natural state down her back, embroidered with pearls and sand dollars that floated right off her in the different densities around them. She wore a nurse's outfit and was having an argument with the crab guy who had thrown them in here.

"You can't just lock them in a room until all their homework is done," she was complaining, pen moving faster than her mouth as she jotted things on a clipboard while striding into the middle of the room. "This is why none of our children visit anymore!"

Oceanus sighed. Up close, his bull horns scraped the ceiling, he had miniature crab claws jutting out of different parts of his body like he was being devoured from the inside out, his green skin gave off a phosphorescent glow, his flower patterned toga never sat quite still around him as it pulled in a million currents at once as he gestured to the domed roof. "I can't just have them wandering the whole ocean, the other gods have spies, if Klymene heard word of this! Hera is furious-"

"Yes dear, but they should still have some common commodities," she explained in a kindly voice as if to a senile old man before smiling brightly at the eight of them. "Hello, I am Tethys. You poor dears, you must be exhausted, and look, they're already out of food," she whacked him on the chest with the clipboard. It did not get tangled in his beard by some minor miracle. "Come with me now and I'll show you all to some rooms and make sure you're as comfortable as you can be for your stay here."

None of them immediately leaped up to follow her, not after the numerous kindly death traps they'd already heard about and being escorted anywhere by a Titan wasn't on anyone's to-do list, but the promise of more food and the reminder none of them could leave anyways had them reluctantly following them into the hall in a tight cluster, Thalia and Percy in front, Magnus and Hearth trailing in the back. The magical door that had appeared out of nowhere at least didn't disappear on them.

"This used to be an old bathhouse you know," she told them all pleasantly as they uneasily peeked around each corner. Thalia had her bow cautiously at her side, no arrow in place. Nico was tapping the pommel of his sword and more grateful than ever for the dark depths of the ocean that would increase its power, trying desperately to shake off the idea of what a great team he and Percy would make if it did come to a fight.

Alex was gripping the handles of her garrote again but twining the deadly wire around her fingers curiously, Jason was clutching his coin in his grasp again with no clue why, while Percy held tight to his pen. The others were definitely regretting their lack of weaponry, but she made no dangerous moves toward them as she started opening up doors for spare, empty rooms that could trap them even more forever and possibly deadly beds. She didn't even try to throw the clipboard Captain America shield style at their head though. "We're thinking about renovating it into a pool house, aren't we Ocea?"

"Yes angel fish," Oceanus sighed, bubbles whirling from his crab claws as they twined up his green hair like spaghetti.

"Nobody will think to look for you here while you finish, but you're already half done with the first one, you deserve a break," Tethys told them maternally. "I wish I'd known you were already starting, I would have liked to give you a check-up before you did."

She drew something from an inside pocket, what Percy hoped was a mouth thermometer as she turned and gave them an appraising look. "Would anyone still like one? I'd be happy to assist you in any way."

"Ah, no thank you, my lady," Jason told her calmly.

"Let me know if you change your mind," she flashed them a cheerful smile and gestured to the last door. "This leads up to the roof if you'd like a view of our kingdom, but you can not go beyond these borders until you've finished, that was the deal."

"What deal? We made no deal," Nico bitterly reminded.

"Now, now Mr. Di Anglo, mind your heart rate," Tethys told him, "and we were warned of that shadow traveling nonsense, please don't try it here honey, you might hurt yourself."

Nico looked very perturbed and slightly threatened, but she kept going with a sugary smile. "Your rooms can order you up a wider selection than kale chips, though they are healthier for your cholesterol mind you, and the beds have wonderful arch support and any other homely needs you may each require. Don't press the help button though, we haven't quite figured out how to rid that of summoning grindylows."

Nobody wondered if it was just in their imagination she'd yet clarified how to summon help though.

"Um, I have a question now," Magnus began, but both Titans gave him a blank look of confusion as if just realizing he was there.

"I thought you brought Athena's child, not one of those other gods," she'd finally lost her cheerful, and they now realized very practiced professional tone.

"Ah, whoops," Oceanus was eyeing her clipboard as if it had started flashing like a danger sign. "You know, maybe I should check in with Poseidon, make sure none of the other gods have grown suspicious of our little ploy yet."

He vanished in a floom of bubbles and Tethys went after him shouting, "this is not in our health plan!"

'They seem odd,' Hearthstone signed helpfully.

"I'm sure ours are just as strange buddy," Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of food though," Alex reminded, already waltzing to the nearest room. The others poked their head in behind her to see an eerie like hospital setting. The beds did look comfortable with adjustable lumbar support and each had an attached bathroom, but the walls were blank, there were no windows, and hanging beside the bed was a baggy of something gold with a needle hanging threateningly from it.

Thalia stepped forward and gave it a light prod and a gentle sniff before declaring, "it's nectar."

Alex looked ecstatic and reached for it at once. Nobody was insane enough to try grabbing her to stop her, going with the assumption they wanted to keep their hands as her garrote was still on display, but Thalia did clear her throat uneasily. "Um, about that whole exploding thing..."

She paused with the needle raised to her mouth before considering it and dropping it back. "Yes, fine, stupid non-emergencies."

Jason went around the bed and found the help button he very carefully set down on top of something black with a little stack of golden neatly squared cubes of food on a clam-plate. "I found ambrosia," he offered, opening the door to find it was a mini-fridge, "and burritos! Yum!" It was enormous, nearly the size of a small child with guacamole leaking out of one end already.

"Sweet," Magnus eagerly bolted forward and poked his head in, a plate had already refilled with no obvious way to order something else. Magnus made to grab that and be satisfied it wasn't more kale, but Alex smacked his hand and said, "let me try."

She closed the door, concentrated for a moment, then opened it back to find a bowl of mint ice cream.

"Yes!" Magnus cheered, nearly slamming the door on her fingers before she could remove her own food before doing the same and pulling out a feast of falafel for himself next.

"I guess we're taking a break." Thalia noticed as Jason sat on the bed still hungrily devouring his food, dribbles of lettuce and cheese filling the plate, and a flush from the closed door told them where Nico had vanished to. "Meet back in that room in an hour?"

Percy followed her out with a reluctant face and waited until they were a bit away from the others to whisper, "maybe we could keep going without them? Surely they don't need to hear every detail?"

Thalia studied the bags under his eyes and how stiff he carried himself. Even under the relaxed air he'd carried amongst them while reading and being in his own domain, the curse of Achilles was taking its toll on him. He needed his rest and to refuel, and being in a constant state of distress while getting his memories returned was likely almost as taxing as taking on any monster.

"Nobody can sit and read a whole book in one sitting Percy," she told him gently. "Especially not us. I promise, Annabeth's okay, she's probably back at camp studying ocean maps and threatening to disembowel Malcolm if he doesn't bring her another star chart fast enough. To get back to her, I need you to not pass out, and for that, you need a break. If ever you want to kick someone out because of something delicate in your past, I'll back you up."

"Thanks," he reluctantly agreed, even if others learning about his history was the least of his concern, he'd never felt like he had much privacy in his life what with Gabe and the constant boarding schools with awful roommates, and now he realized he'd had even less say-so with Gods peeping in to check on his progress of whether he was dead or not at all hours.

Taking the advice for now, he trudged off to an empty room. There was no shower...which was both disappointing and rather odd to think of where the toilets plumbing went, nor a change of clothes, but he stretched out on his own bed and ate as many blue sweets as he could imagine up the fridge to give him and sat taking stalk of his own thoughts for quite some time as he evaluated all he'd heard of so far and what was to come before abandoning his solitude and going back to the main reading room.

It bothered him Will and Thalia were obviously whispering about him over a bowl of nachos and stopped abruptly when he came in, but their smiles were genuine, and they still made an effort to try talking to everybody and keep the conversation flowing as naturally as possible.

The plates and bowls were all magically swept into the trashcan that vanished to no where when they were done and Alex was mock threatening to dump Jason in it to see what would happen when Nico came back in last, more put out than ever he had tried to finally leave and had in fact not been able to go a foot in any direction. Who could have warned the titans about that? Certainly not his father- "Is it like, a metaphorical poodle, or a talking magical poodle?" Nico looked over Will's shoulder to double-check that one when it was read out.

"Why do you keep asking?" Percy demanded in exasperation. "You guys never come close to guessing right."

"Don't ruin our fun," Thalia snickered. "My money's on a normal, mortal poodle who chases them onto another bus that takes them closer to LA."

"If I could ban you all from playing this game I would," but Percy was smiling along now as Will began.

...The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

"At least Grover should have been able to eat too?" Magnus offered.

"Do not get him started on the difference between free-range tin cans and store-bought ones," Percy shook his head.

... didn't dare light a fire to dry our damp clothes, two monsters were enough for one day.

"Are you positive about that? You sure you don't want to meet a hydra in the first twenty-four hours too?" Alex mocked.

"Don't, tempt, the, fates," Percy said with a completely straight face.

"It makes me sad, Percy," Grover said...  "The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?"

"I don't think anyone's ever regretted going on a quest with you," Thalia told him bracingly, "even those who didn't volunteer," she gestured around the room, where indeed not a single one of them had actively seemed to blame this on him.

... He pointed at all the garbage on the ground... This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

Alex was just as frustrated as the part goat-kid, nodding and snapping, "why can't the gods just, fix that!"

"A deep philosophical conversation that boils down to, they won't," Will frowned.

"Not that they don't try, in some ways," Thalia tried to defend, her patron goddess had been known to set animals loose in more than one factory that destroyed the oceans and habitats of her wildlife. Zeus had an awfully convenient habit of wiping memories and then seeming to forget about it himself rather than doing anything to stop this.

...Suddenly I was nostalgic for something I'd never known.

"Wow," Percy grinned, "is that why we're not supposed to invoke the gods names?" Just uttering it had given him a hint.

"It helps you were in Pan's domain, but yes," Thalia nodded. It was so sad this was the last of the gods powers on display, giving the humans a wistful reminder of what had been.

... and wake him from his sleep."

Jason steepled his fingers together and concentrated hard on this idea. Grover was still the biggest anomaly to him, more than the odd names they called the gods and the casual monster attacks. His vision tried to double up, layering the world into someplace he couldn't grasp, plans he couldn't form, until he shook his head and let it go again, but somewhere deep in him he vowed to look into the fawns he couldn't remember. He'd already discovered for himself all one needed was a purpose to look for meaning.

... I'll be the first searcher to return alive."

"This was a really nice story until right then," Magnus looked queasy. 'Talk about hopeless,' he finished just for Hearth. Did all Greek stories end in tragedy? Did his own?

His elf friend though looked rather spurred on, hopeful even. Generations of satyrs had gone thousands of years searching for their lost god without giving up hope so long as they remembered, perhaps it wasn't such a fantastical idea elf's could still learn the laws of magic if they just applied themselves?

..."No searcher has ever come back...never seen alive again."

"That is really poor planning," Jason looked nauseated and began refining his own strategy of a wisp of an idea. "They couldn't have left clues, notes, conferred with each other what they were doing, set up-"

"Woah there battlestar," Will waved him down, "organize the satyr revolution at a later date, yeah? They don't let us get involved in their affairs much," which had been true before, but now the demigods tried to more actively help each nature spirit upon Pan's request thanks to Grover's trip in the Labyrinth.

"It's a nice idea," Thalia agreed kindly as Jason sat back and nodded to let it go for now.

... you'll be the one to find Pan?"

"We all want to believe we're special," Nico muttered bitterly, keeping the word freak to himself. At least it wasn't only a human delusion, this lack of accepting how the world would always be.

"There's a balance somewhere in that cliché, like all things," Will smiled.

...I have to believe Pan can still be awakened."

"What are they hoping this god'll do?" Alex demanded. "Chase all the humans from his territory? We've covered a pretty good chunk of planet for him to spontaneously take back," she didn't sound all that distressed about the mass chaos this would bring though.

"At least preserve what's still left," Magnus offered, wishing he could help this search himself now, anything to sanctify those nature trails he'd once traversed with his mom. He hadn't gone to any since he'd lost her, but maybe someday he might.

I tried to understand how Grover could pursue a hopeless dream. Was I any better?

"Even just listening is a form of support," Alex happily told, "you're being a good friend to Grover right now, I'm sure he'd return the same."

... "Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out."

"It's so weird to hear you being snide about this," Thalia laughed, she and Luke had been learning to take Annabeth's battle strategies into account by the third day of being on the run.

"I'm sure she deserves it on some level," Alex shrugged, "a genius will never admit sometimes the best plan is to wing it."

"Yeah, no, Annabeth will eat her shoes first," Percy chuckled.

"Your first job was five years ago. Annabeth has been at camp five years ..."

They'd all done the math and figured this out for themselves, it seemed a very strange coincidence otherwise considering how fondly Thalia spoke of Annabeth and yet should have been in a tree otherwise to meet her. Only Magnus still felt the craving to ask for more, hear in detail what had happened to his cousin, but Grover had told all of the story he was comfortable with before on the lake, it was clear pushing him now was putting a strain on him even by his best friend.

...They seemed to be asking about an object."

"Could Zeus have sent them?" Jason offered.

"Only Hades has dominion over the furies, no other gods could wield control," Nico corrected.

"But then what could Hades be after? Is he trying to steal something of the other gods?" Alex asked.

It wasn't a question they were getting an answer to, and something had been fishy of this from the start, like who the true thief of Zeus's property was to begin with.

I agreed to go to the Underworld so I could bring back my mother." ...  "I know that, Percy.

Percy sighed in relief, he hadn't duped his friend at least, Grover had known what he was getting into and that was one worry gone.

You wanted him to notice what you'd done."...  I don't care what he thinks."

"Denial doesn't make a happy man," Will sighed, "not good to be shoving that stuff down Perce." He was looking at Nico to hopefully add in, he probably had an even better understanding of how Percy felt.

He did, but he'd hardly be sharing he knew what it felt like to be trapped out of time from his own dad until it was convenient for him. He crossed his arms and looked away.

Thalia sighed and wished to agree, she wondered how long Luke had been bitter and kept trying to pretend otherwise before it boiled over into this plan. She'd hated Zeus for as long as she could remember and never tried to hide it.

...In my dreams, I stood in a dark cavern before a gaping pit surrounded by the dead.

Nico exhaled sharply for this one way trip to Tartarus he'd been edging closer and closer to right before he'd been thrown in here. The spirits had been urging him away even after Kronos had gone quiet, but it only made him all the more convinced he'd been right, maybe he could find some secret of Gaia down there hidden with her favorite children. He hadn't the courage to do it yet, still mindlessly searching the Fields of Asphodel like a coward for some alternative or hint of where else he could, he knew his mind wouldn't survive the journey down there...not that anyone would notice.

...something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil.

Magnus shivered and very much hoped these awful dreams and premonitions weren't going to be a spontaneous side affect of him realizing he wasn't mortal too. Alex was just looking on without surprise, as if this still wasn't the worst thing she'd seen in her dreams, and he didn't have much hope.

... Cold laughter echoed from the chasm.

They all shivered for that, as if it were trying to form around them now. It did not seem unreasonable, all of a sudden, to wonder if there were ways below even the ocean here on its floors, if their Titan host could even have been lying to them.

I realized it wasn't interested in pulling me in. It was using me to pull itself out.

'I'm really hoping that's not the poodle,' Hearth frowned.

... My eyes opened, and it was daylight.  "Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

"I thought we agreed zombies weren't a thing," Jason tried to laugh off if he wasn't fighting off goosebumps more.

"He does drool, eat questionable meat, and moan quite a lot, I wouldn't rule it out," Thalia had the ability to tease much easier knowing it would all work out and still sounded shotty.

..."-cook breakfast." She tossed  a bag of nacho corn chips from Aunty Em's.

"She'll be getting five stars in no time," Alex grinned, brushing off the nightmare faster than anyone, she did not linger in her past, but kept moving.

...It was a pink poodle.

"Now see, if that had just been in the chapter title-" Will threw his hands up.

"It just would have been weirder," Nico cut off with a mild chuckle for this guy's posthumous good mood.

..."This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"How are you not already saying hi to such a cutie!" Thalia smiled, she'd thought Percy was a dog lover considering Mrs. O'Leary.

"It's pink!" Percy protested as if she'd missed that, "and Grover was talking to it, I had other concerns!"

...I said hello to the poodle.

"Your mother would be proud," Percy was sure Nico was only slightly mocking him.

..."He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"I have questions," Magnus raised his hand.

"Sorry pal, nobody here has the answers," Jason reminded with his own mystified expression.

... my dream-the dead, the chasm, my mother's face... All waiting in the West.

"And much, much more I'm sure," Will muttered, they were only half done and hadn't even met Ares yet.

"Not another bus," I said warily.

"We might have to start a tally of how many different ways you can destroy one of those if so," Alex said way to eagerly.

...the west-bound train leaves at noon."

"That was probably the most direct, concise instructions and chapter title yet, and I'm still concerned for what's next," Will told all of them as he passed the book along.

HPHPHPHP

Updates will proceed every Monday! Happy reading!

#percy jackson #Pjo #Thalia Grace #reading the books #Jason Grace #alex fierro #Magnus chase #Will solace #Nico di Angelo #Hearthstone

[minusgangtime]

Scientist log 7:

Girlfriend: I discovered another group of five and so,I caught them and brought them in. And I’m now starting to question if “girlfriend” and “pico” are really common names. Anyway,I decided to make girlfriend into the legendary queen of demons,ragna,she now has a long tongue,more sharper teeth,longer and messier hair aside from her pig tails,and the tips of her claws have gotten sharper and darker,even her horns grew longer from the experiment,she dosent seem to be very bothered.

Mint: i don’t have much to say about him,aside by being the only boy who didn’t have any scars,i gave my assistant a idea and made him look like a raccoon,this darkened his claws,resulted in literal black circles around his eyes and his ears and tail became like a raccoon,along with becoming fuzzier,again,dosent seem to be too bothered. A wolf raccoon hybrid-huh.

Violet: a damn fucking punk,thought he could take me on on his own,ha,he was wrong~ my assistant made him into a naga,his fast legs being replaced with a snake tail,with extra scales growing on his tail,cheeks and shoulders,his tongue also longer as his hands have become claws as a side effect,he too dosent seem to mind,having fun slithering around the place.

Pico: he was hard to catch,had quite a filthy mouth too as he fought me and my assistant,even giving her a bloody nose,so I decided to get payback. My assistant ended up replacing his eyes with camera like shutters,anytime he blinks a picture Is taken as his tongue grows to show the photos he has taken,he dosent need to blink as if he dosent blink it dosent cause him any pain,sometimes the photo tongue can get too long from accidental photos and my assistant has to cut it,she says pico described it as like ripping out a bandaid,she also said that pico is still able to taste food despite his photo tongue.

Grape: by far the most aggressive one,he did the most damage to us trying to escape as he gave my assistant multiple bruises and pulled out a chunk of my hair,I made sure to give my assistant a slap in the eye for failing to catch him cause I had to do that with a tranquilizer dart. Seeing how he often screamed a lot,I decided to base him on a banshee,as a result,his cheeks have slight ones in them revealing his other sharp teeth,his hair has gotten longer and paler,fading into white,he has a stiched up mark on his chest,which my assistant had used to even get the magic in to make this operation possible,his hands had turned into bloody claws and his eyes glow a bright white with his eyes bleeding,though he’s still able to see,my assistant has been really scared of him since the operation and tries her best to avoid him,scared that he might beat her up again,good riddance.

-mod Shelby

(The fact that half of this is just Experiment!Shelby getting beat up :,>)

#mod speaks

[fishingfloats]

Fishing for Longer with the Right Winter Gear

Naturally, cold weather and fishing go hand in hand, but being too cold is not cool! This has a significant impact on your fishing sessions, and in all honesty, the cold should never be a factor in deciding when to leave the waterfront. Therefore, wearing warm clothing is essential. However, how can you make the most of your clothing? In this blog, I'll share some advice on how to stay warm while out on the water, as well as how to get warm quickly.

Wear plenty of layers!

It makes sense to wear a good waterproof heat suit, but you should also wear additional layers of clothing underneath. These layers shouldn't be overly substantial. A thermal undershirt, a lightweight wool sweater, and a fleece jacket or sweater make for the best underlayers. If you wear these layers, a thick thermal suit may not be necessary, but make sure they are wind and watertight.

Wear a cap when fishing!

A cap effectively prevents cold hands and feet. Perhaps you think I'm crazy, but bear with me.

The most vital organs for the majority of people are the head and the heart. Your head typically only has some hair, so there is no protection from the cold there, but your heart is frequently already protected by a nice suit and some underlayers. Try it out. If you expose your head to the cold, your body will respond by ensuring that it draws heat from your hands and feet, which are the least important parts of your body.

Use a dense, textured fabric cap to keep the head somewhat shielded from the wind.

Hand warmers are great!

Naturally, you can put hand warmers in your pockets to keep your hands warm, but you should also consider putting them in one of your layers. In your fleece jacket's interior pocket, for instance, you'll have something cosy and warm to place against your body.

Depending on the surrounding temperature, hand warmers begin to work right away and maintain their heat for 1 to 3 hours. Most hand warmers can be used again and again for different fishing trips! So bring a few along and enjoy yourself for hours!

Hot drinks or food are great warmers

It's important to consume this before you get cold because it's the simplest way to warm up internally. When you become cold, your body has to work much harder to warm up than it does to maintain temperature.

Therefore, it's a good idea to always have a hot thermos filled with tea or coffee, and if you can, a gas burner to re-heat a can of soup! This will not only give you a nice meal, but it will also enable you to save more money.

Good boots are half the battle

Finding the ideal boots that not only suit your fishing style but also your budget can be challenging. Although walking boots are not cheap, they are frequently of good quality and last for many years. It frequently occurs in the sole, which has air between various insulating layers. Your foot warms the sole because the layer above it is heat-permeable. The boot won't get cold as easily once this layer is heated, especially if you're wearing a cap.

For instance, Muck Boot boots The perfect mixture for a fishing day. They are authentic hiking boots that last for years and keep your feet dry and comfortable.

These boots' soles are constructed in a number of layers:

Neoprene is used in the first layer, which is 4 mm thick and absorbs all of your heat.

There is a lot of air in the second layer, which acts as insulation and helps to keep things warm.

The third layer is made up of a thick foam that provides good support and comfort while also storing heat.

The last component is the sole, which has a thick layer of rubber and offers sturdy support for standing and walking.

Finally

What concerns do you have regarding clothing? Ask away! Our customer service is more than happy to assist.

Do you enjoy the warmth of the waterfront as well? Then, be sure to quickly locate the appropriate fishing attire and find a cosy spot on the waterfront!

I hope my blog was helpful to you; I always keep these things in mind when it's cold outside, even though I never feel cold.

#carp floats #fishing tackle #fishing equipment

[absolutepokemontrash]

I come bearing a request! The Brothers with an MC who's really good at cooking and baking? Like, the stuff food blogs dream of. Master-level instagram pastries. Could compete with the chocolate guy if they put their mind to it.

👀 ooooo, I do love me some pastries-

(I know you have an *ahem* distaste for Lucifer, dear moot, so enjoy Lucifer acting like a bit of a dingus in his section!)

Lucifer

Oh, the human can cook. *insert asshole eyeroll here*. Great. Wonderful. Groundbreaking. That’s what’s got all his brothers acting like- what was that word Levi used? Simps? This human has turned six of the seven rulers of hell into a bunch of simps.

Sure, the human has near godlike cooking prowess. Sure, everyone looks forward to their day for cooking. And sure, everyone thinks the human’s pretty great.

Tsk, not him though. He’s a refined demon. Some silly food isn’t going to make him a lovesick fool… did he smell eclairs..?

Lucifer peered into the kitchen to see MC carefully taking a tray of eclairs out of the oven and letting them cool off on the counter. His favourite dessert… right there in front of him…

Due to not being a total moron, MC notices Lucifer and asks him what the hell he’s doing just standing ominously in the doorway. Lucifer makes up some bullshit excuse about reminding MC to do their homework and just leaves. Okay, game plan, he needs those fucking eclairs or he will spontaneously combust.

As he snuck into the kitchen that night, Lucifer took a moment to briefly wonder why he was creeping around his own house. He was the Avatar of Pride for pity’s sake! He could eat whatever he damn well pleased! Oh shit was someone coming- no? Okay, back to sneaking.

Lucifer crept into the kitchen, saw the eclairs, and all logic was thrown out the window. Time to eat!

“BEEL NO! NOT THE- Lucifer..?” “…” “…” “…you’re very talented, MC, do you mind making more of these?”

SOMEONE SNAP A PICTURE! THIS IS THE CLOSEST LUCIFER HAS GOTTEN TO BEGGING IN THE LAST THOUSAND YEARS!

Mammon

Ugh, stuck babysittin’ some dumb human, how lame…

As Mammon was throwing a “I’m broke and I’m stuck in a pact with a dumb human” pity party, the most heavenly smell entered his nostrils. Cooking… good cooking… was Barbatos visiting or somethin’? Nah, Lucifer woulda made a big fuss about gettin’ ready for Lord Diavolo. Huh, so what was goin’ on in the kitchen?

Huh? The human? The human can cook? Well damn, maybe this whole deal wouldn’t be so bad. Oi! MC! As payment for babysittin’ ‘em, he got to have an extra big share of- OW!

Did- did the human just hit him with a spoon?! Th-they can’t do that!

Apparently they fucking can. Mammon gets told to sit the fuck down and wait for the food like everyone else. He grumbles on the way to the dining room, but he can’t fully hide his excitement to try the food.

The food even looked pretty! How did they do that?! Magic. It had to be!

After everyone’s tastebuds were blessed with the heavenly substance that is MC’s culinary exploits, Mammon decides he needs to get on this human’s good side in order to receive more food! Maybe even find some way to make a profit or somethin’!

After weeks go by of trying to suck up to the human without looking like too much of a chump, Mammon eventually realizes… hey, this human ain’t so bad. They’re nice, they make him feel good about himself, they give him headpats… he’s really hit the jackpot here!

He’ll offer to help MC bake or cook, but beware, he will try and sample the food before it’s done. Don’t let him lick the spoon!!!

Leviathan

First thought? This human ain’t shit. Thought after seeing their food? WOAAAAAAAH! JUST LIKE THAT ONE ANIME-

He was unceremoniously cut off by Beel asking demanding seconds. Humph, fine, he doesn’t actually care about this dumb normie food anyway.

…well at least until Levi saw a little something something on TV that he just had to ask MC to try and make. He shyly knocked on their door and when they answered, Levi shoved the screenshot in their face and stuttered out a dinner request.

On the day MC was supposed to make dinner, Levi poked his head into the kitchen and tried to make it look like he was just standing in the same room as MC and not checking to see if they were making his dinner request.

Not that he’d blame them for not doing that… who’d wanna make some anime dinner for a yucky Otaku- OMG JAHSHSHABA THEY’RE MAKING IT! *fangirl squeals*

As Levi continues to commit the SIN of being in the kitchen at the same time as someone else, MC eventually just asks him if he’d like to help out.

“Here! Just keep turning the takoyaki.” “R-really? You trust me?” “Yes, Levi. You watched how they made it on your show, right?” “Yes! I won’t mess up! I swear on my honour as an otaku!”

All in all, it was a very cute bonding experience for the two. Now it’s a regular thing. Levi requests something for dinner or dessert, MC makes it, Levi helps out.

Satan

So, the human can cook. That’s nice. At least someone in this literally god forsaken house can.

He makes sure to thank MC every time they cook, then he makes sure to thank whatever deity is watching over him that Solomon wasn’t the human staying with them.

As the months progress, Satan realizes, he should learn how to cook better. I mean, Levi and Mammon were somehow both improving in their cooking endeavours, and if MC could teach those two, then he would be a breeze.

Satan walked into the kitchen and simply asked if MC needed any assistance with what they were doing. MC just slid him some garlic to dice and that’s how this mentor/student relationship was formed.

Satan was a star pupil, but Mammon and Levi weren’t above trying to sabotage Satan’s progress to get him to leave.

Here’s the thing, the sabotage worked, but it only worked once, and the two idiots didn’t stop to think that maybe they shouldn’t sabotage the meal they were going to have to eat later.

Well, cooking lessons continued uninterrupted after the ghost pepper incident…

Even when he’s ‘graduated’ their little cooking class, Satan’s always willing to lend a hand if needed. He also will slyly hand over some recipe books and cute baking supplies that he finds. MC should be prepared for lots of cat related things to come their way.

Asmodeus

The human can cook? Oh frabcious day! He’s saved from a life of his brother’s mediocre cooking! And the human’s so cute too! What a bonus!

Not only is the human cute, but their food is just so… aesthetic??? Pretty???? Omigosh he just has to get a picture for Devilgram!

For the first few months, MC’s relationship with Asmo consists of Asmo not at all subtly asking to take pictures of their food and post it to his Devilgram. Listen MC, his followers would just love it!

Being the saint-sheep they are, MC lets Asmo sit in whenever they’re making anything in the kitchen. And Asmo slowly realizes “hey, this cute human with the awesome food is actually pretty cool too!”

New Mission: Make the human fall madly in love with him so they’ll want to hang out more.

Whether the mission succeeds is up to MC of course. (I mean, I’m already smitten with him sooooooooo-)

MC offers Asmo a lot of the pastries they make, but the Avatar of Lust almost always declines. Listen honey, he’s on a diet- wait, don’t make that sad face! He’ll eat it! Look! It’s- it’s delicious…

Diet cheat day is now every day MC makes dessert. The feeling of bliss Asmo gets when he takes a bite out of anything MC makes is only second of the treats is second only to the joy he feels at seeing MC happy that he likes their food. It’s just so wholesome I can’t-

MC’s food Devilgram has almost surpassed Asmo in terms of followers and honestly- he isn’t even mad.

Beelzebub

Gasp! Lucifer finally got him the pet personal chef he’d always wanted! Thanks big bro! :D he’ll be sure not to eat this human!

On the first night MC was supposed to make dinner, Lucifer needed to hold Beel back from breaking into the kitchen to see what was causing that heavenly smell. It was, difficult… especially because Lucifer hadn’t slept in three days.

When they all sat down to eat, Beel practically inhaled everything and held up his half bitten plate for seconds.

We here at Stupid Headcanons incorporated recommend that MC have as many bodyguards as possible stationed around the kitchen at all times to ward off a hungry Beel. We don’t want him eating the ingredients and half-tempered chocolate.

A cinnamon roll through and through, he’ll eat everything MC gives him with a big ol’ smile on his cute little face. He’s not the best person to go to if MC wants advice or critique because the best thing Beel can usually muster is “it was really good.”

As Luke said in Lesson 5, Beel would make an awful food reporter. But we love him.

Similar to Levi, he’ll give meal requests on what to make for dinner. (At this rate, MC’s going to have to make some kind of list).

He kind of just waits by the door like a sad puppy whenever MC is making anything because he can’t get into the kitchen :(

Belphegor

The smell of freshly made chocolate chip cookies wafting through the house did reach the attic and it only fuelled his rage more. How dare the human win everyone over with cookies?!

After the attic incident, Belphie was won over with cookies.

Belphie just stands creepily in the kitchen doorway whenever MC is making anything and just makes shit really uncomfortable. Why’s he doing that, you may be wondering, well, he’s trying to calculate the energy needed to swipe the bowl of cookie dough and sprint to safety.

He never succeeds, mainly because once he gets to the bowl, MC already has the wooden spoon ready to smack him, so he just freezes mid-theft and slowly puts the bowl down.

“Oh my gosh, it says let the bread dough rest overnight? Let’s get a headstart and go to sleep now.” “Belphie what-” “I made a pillow Fort, come in. Let’s sleep.” “In the kitchen????”

How’d he make the pillow Fort without MC noticing? Years of experience. He’s trained in the art of- MC? What do you mean you can’t sleep right now and you need to get a head start on shaping fondant?

…he may have eaten the fondant while MC wasn’t looking… whoops… Beel may have rubbed off on him a little…

#Obey me! Headcanons #Obey me Headcanons #obey me #obey me! #obey me! shall we date? #obey me shall we date #obey me mc #obey me mammon #Obey me Lucifer #Obey me Leviathan #Obey me Satan #Obey me Asmodeus #Obey me Beelzebub #Obey me Belphegor

[shorkbrian]

I swear I ain’t in it for the money, but I can’t stop thinking about sugar daddy shoto. Maybe he sweeps a cute little college kid or barista of their feet, just something fun and casual. But this man starts falling harder, needing a way to lock them down to him. Money isn’t quite cutting it anymore, so he decides fucking a baby into her would do the trick. Shoto would push her down into the mattress, large frame twisting her into a sweet mating press. This way they could stay together forever and Shoto would have absolutely no problem providing for his sweet family <3

but fr tho I feel like Shouto is NOT the type for kids.

Mans will tolerate them when they babble or wave at him, but he very actively Does Not Want them.

Always uses condoms, and even though he’ll threaten not to, it’s never a legit thought in his mind to cum inside. Shouto doesn’t want to be a dad.

-----

You’ll be sittin on a park bench, fading sunset dark and pretty in front of you yet all you can do is cry. There’s not really any people around so it’s not like you’re bothering anyone - you hadn’t wanted to cry in your shabby apartment (half the cause of your worries) just in case you received a noise complaint.

“Are you alright?”

A somber, smooth voice is heard. You’re swiping at your tears quickly as you look up, trying to laugh off your state of distress. “Oh, haha, yeah I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” It’s hard to smile with your puffy cheeks and red-rimmed eyes.

The man in front of you frowns, hands in his coat pockets, scarf draped around his neck. “You don’t look fine. Mind if I sit?”

He’s already claiming the spot next to you on the bench before you can say a word, turning to you with a passive expression. “Why are you crying?”

And that’s all it takes to have you breaking down all over again, tears streaming down your face. Just one person offering to listen to the heavy burden you have to bear.

‘’M sor-sorry...” You sob, wiping at your eyes with frigid fingers, successful in doing nothing more but smearing tears around your face.

“Here.” The man’s taking off his scarf, gloved hands offering it you.

“I ca-can’t use your sc-scarf sir.” But he’s insistent, pressing it into your hands up by your face.

“I’ll just get another one. Keep it, you’re in need of it more than I am.”

The kindness makes another fresh bout of tears roll down your cheeks, but this time you're able to dab them away with soft fabric as you sniffle.

It takes a moment for you to calm yourself. When you do, you can finally engage in conversation with the man.

You tell him about your job hours getting cut, how you’ve been turned down or ignored by every single place you’ve applied at for a second job. How you’re barely affording to wash your clothes - you have to hang them or drape them across things in your apartment because you don’t have the money to pay for a dryer cycle.

And to top it all off, you’re still short on rent, despite how you scrimped and saved and even forced yourself not to buy groceries this week - you’ve gone hungry for the past three days.

“You haven’t eaten?”

You glance up at the man and his incredulous expression, shaking your head. “I’ve been trying to save money, I thought I could afford my rent if-”

“What kind of food do you like?” The man is pulling out his phone, swiping and tapping immediately. 

“Thank you, but I’m not-” looking for charity is what you want to say. Plus, you shouldn’t accept favors from strange men.

But the handsome man is waving you silent. “I’m cold, plus I’d like to grab a bite to eat before I head home. I don’t like eating alone though, you’d honestly be doing me a favor.”

You take a moment to process. Is he telling the truth? He sounds like an honest guy.

“Seems like the only place open around here is “Joe’s 24 hour Diner”.... You mind burgers?”

So that's how you end up in a booth opposite the man (”Shouto” he had told you as you both headed to the diner), munching away at warm food. It tastes so good, you hardly have time to worry about the man watching you as he eats.

You’d been shocked at his looks the moment you’d seen him in the light of the diner. Pretty two-toned hair, different colored eyes, perfect skin, expensive clothes. Why was he even talking to you? It’s obvious the two of you led very different lives.

“How does everything taste?”

“Delicious.” Is your response, and Shouto seems pleased, nodding before taking another bite of his meal.

Maybe it’s stupid... but you feel weirdly safe with this man. He doesn’t seem to bear any ill-intent towards you, nor has he made any comments about your body or let his hands or eyes stray. He seems like a gentleman.

Conversation flows easily between the two of you, even sharing a few chuckles at times. He’s some fancy rich businessman, you learn, and you share about your own life, laughing at the comparisons. Shouto can’t fathom growing up in a house with less than five bedrooms and a personal servant.

He asks for your number, and you’re hesitant in giving it - he surely can’t be interested in you? But he seems so sincere, it’s hard to say no.

When the two of you part ways, Shouto gives you a wave, “Hope to see you again soon, and under better circumstances.”

“You too! And sorry for being such a mess and stopping your walk-”

Shouto shrugs, cheeks beginning to pink from the cold air as you two stand outside the diner. “You needed help. I like to assist.”

-----

The next morning you wake to find an atrociously large sum deposited in your Venmo account by none other than a Shouto Todoroki.

Immediately, you’re calling him. “It’s too much, we just met. How can you give away that much money to some low-life?”

You hear him sigh on the other end of the phone. “You’re obviously struggling. I was wondering what your hours are this week, perhaps we could talk about this over dinner? Or lunch, if that fits better with your schedule. I’m flexible.”

It’s a few days later, days spent questioning yourself, questioning his intentions, before you see him again, both of you deciding to meet for lunch to further discuss... whatever had just happened.

“Was what I gave you adequate to cover your rent?” Are the first words out of Shouto’s mouth after you greet each other.

“Yeah, more than enough-” You squirm. “But I need to ask.... why?”

“Why?”

“Why me.” 

“Oh.” Shouto’s expression clears. “That’s easy. I told you a few days ago - I like to assist. I’m quite lonely, and it feels nice to use my money on someone other than myself. I think providing for someone brings me... I wouldn’t quite say joy, but... contentment.”

You contemplate his answer for a moment. 

“Well... you saved me with my rent, I don’t really know how to thank you.”

The man leans forward. “Well.... I know it might be a bit sudden, but how would you feel accepting me as a.... benefactor of sorts?”

“You mean like a sugar daddy?” Is your immediate, blurted response. You want to slap yourself for speaking before you have the chance to think about your words, but luckily Shouto just lets out a light laugh.

“If you’d like to call it that. I’m willing to provide financial assistance for you, in exchange for companionship, if you’re willing to give it.”

Your face heats up as you drop your eyes, fidgeting nervously in your seat. “I don’t feel comfortable with a... a sexual relationshi-”

“That’s perfectly acceptable.” Shouto cuts you off before you can continue. “I wasn’t trying to insinuate a contract of that nature. I’m thinking more along the lines of accompanying me at meals, sharing experiences with me, providing company and friendship to a lonely man. If it seems that we’d like to progress further than that after we get to know each other, well, that will be addressed then. For now-” Shouto meets your eye, dipping his head a smidgeon so he can look at you directly. “All I ask for is a simple, non-intimate bond between two people.”

This is crazy.

And yet you accept.

The situation may be wild, and completely absurd, but you’d be a fool not to say yes.

Shouto is charming and handsome, respectful, courteous - you could go on and on about his positive qualities. He just seems like a sad, lonesome man swallowed by work and responsibilities, too stressed and busy to put the effort into making friends the conventional way. 

-----

Months pass by.

You’re eating at every meal, sated and never going hungry. You’re able to move into a new place, one that doesn’t smell like cigarettes and sits right next to a railroad.

Clothes aren’t a worry anymore, you have your own washer and dryer in your new apartment (Shouto offered to buy you a house, or a penthouse at the least, but you couldn’t justify it to yourself). You’re able to afford new things, and pretty dresses, shoes that are comfortable and fashionable and that fit.

You no longer have to wear clothes down until they have holes in them. You’re able to go to the doctor’s when you feel sick, able to pay for health insurance.

Life is good.

Shouto is a personable man, serious, but he can be rather funny and even crude at times.

The doubt and thoughts of “Why is he doing this for me?” and “I’m not good enough for this.” plague you, but Shouto always seems to catch on, reassuring you that you’re exactly what he needs - a friend.

And you’re more than happy to be that.

You think sometimes, that even if he wasn’t paying you, you’d still like to be friends with Shouto Todoroki.

Until he starts acting weird.

“You should just stay at my place. I have more than enough room,, it’d be easier for both our schedules. We’d get to see each other more often.”

“Uhm...” You don’t really know what to say. You like your freedom, and having your own place where you can walk around in your (expensive) underwear without being bothered.

“I think it’d be nice, don’t you? We could have breakfast every morning, you wouldn’t have to worry about traveling to and fro, we could spend more time together. We don’t see each other nearly enough.”

He’s pushing, insistent. How are you supposed to tell him no? He’s paying for your entire life. Plus, it wouldn’t be that bad to actually live with him. Shouto’s an amicable man.

So you move in.

“I bought you a few things, they’re on your bed.” 

Shouto’s striding into the kitchen where you’re making coffee, buttoning up his shirt as he comes closer. You’ve found that the man likes to sleep in nothing but boxers, shrieking and flushing an embarrassing shade the first time he’d come to wake you up with a sweet “welcome” breakfast in bed.

It’s taken a while to adjust, but you finally feel that you’re fully settled in.

“Oh, you really don’t ha-”

“I wanted to. I went through your closet - your clothes are nice, but your underwear seemed to be lacking.” He’s so matter-of-fact.

All you can do is stare at the back of his head.

“Could you pass me a spoon please?”

-----

Shouto had splurged on expensive, fancy lingerie. 

At least eight different sets were laid out on your bed. It was overwhelming. It also felt.... a bit intrusive? They were all in your size, in a complementary color for your skin tone. 

Weird.

Not as weird as the onset of Shouto’s casual touches.

You’d be reading, or drinking tea and watching cars race by on the street so far below, and Shouto would come up behind you, caress your sides before intertwining his fingers with yours on one hand. He did it as if it was a normal thing, but it felt anything but normal.

Or you’d be on the couch together, and Shouto would shuffle closer until his large body was pressed to yours, almost curled around you. The faux-cuddling was a bit more off putting. How do you tell him no?

The touches became more and more intimate, Shouto’s gifts more and more frequent until you weren’t even spending a penny, the man taking care of everything.

The arrangement was beginning to make you uncomfortable.

Shouto’s bi-colored eyes seemed to always be on you, tracing the shape of your body, watching you move, or breath, or sit. It was distracting, and you felt bad for feeling this way towards the man who’d pulled you out of poverty, but it was so unnerving.

He seemed to notice.

“You’ve been so stressed these past few days. Is something wrong?” Shouto’s rubbing a hand into your shoulder, hovering over you at the dinner table.

“No?” Is all you can manage, wiping your hands on your napkin as you finish your food.

Shouto frowns. With a sigh, his hand drops from your shoulder and the man leaves your side, heads toward the kitchen.

You clear your plate from the table, following after him so you can wash it and put it in the dishwasher before you head off to get ready for bed. 

But Shouto is rummaging in a cupboard, pulling down two wine glasses to accompany the bottle of wine that’s standing proud on the island.  It’s your favorite, a sweet wine that Shouto knows you like, always brings it out when he decides to drink whisky or bourbon after dinner.

He pops the cork and pours you a glass while you finish with your dishes, handing you the glass when you turn away from the sink, pressing it into your hands. “Let’s relax a little bit, it’ll be good for both of us.”

You’re fine with that, knowing that a little wine won’t hurt you, especially when it’s of such fine quality. You’d never dreamed that you’d be able to taste such richness in your lifetime, spend frivolous amounts of money on wine and fine eateries. Yet here you are.

Shouto pours himself a glass, barely a sip filling the bottom. The man raises it to his lips and takes a swig, grimacing a bit in his flat, unexpressive way. You giggle a little.

“Too sweet?’

The man nods, setting the glass back down. “I’m not entirely sure how you can stand to stomach it. But if it makes you happy-” He shrugs, before pulling on of the bar-stools out from under the island so he can sit facing you, long legs stretching out before him.

You look at him, and he looks at you, and then you take another sip of wine to avoid the awkwardness.

“You’re distancing yourself from me.”

The accusation is quiet, Shouto’s eyes focused on your fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass.

He’s always been straightforward with his words. “Is there a reason you keep drawing away?”

The wine disappears from your glass, sliding down your throat and settling in your stomach. You fill your glass again before speaking, struggling to find the right words without upsetting your... benefactor.

“Well, Shouto... I don’t really know how to...” You trail off, hoping Shouto will say something, change the subject, say it’s alright and move on to something else.

But the man stays silent, eyes appraising you.

Taking a deep breath, and another gulp of sweetness, you try again.

“Sometimes the closeness... like, physical closeness? Makes me, well, uncomfortable.”

Hopefully, that would satisfy his curiosity for now. That wasn’t the only reason you’d been avoiding Shouto seeming distant, but you didn’t think sharing the others would result in anything good.

Said man accepted your response, dropping his eyes to his lap as he mulled it over. More wine was consumed, glass re-filled. You felt nervous.

“You’re saying that my touch isn’t something you’d prefer.”

Biting your lip, you soften at his confused expression, at the hint of sadness swimming behind his eyes. “Kind of. I don’t mind you Shouto, you’re really kind, and you’re good company, and a wonderful friend. I just don’t think the.... the intimacy is for me.”

Shouto raises his head, stares at you with those pretty eyes, lips parted as he comes to terms with your words. 

“It sounds like you don’t trust me. I would never hurt you, you know this.”

You scramble to assure him. “I do! I do trust you, and I know you wouldn’t.” (at least you hoped) “But I guess I just... Coming into this agreement I wasn’t ready for that type of... thing. I don’t know if I ever will be.”

The man rises, shakes his head as he steps closer to you. “Don’t worry, I remember our first conversation about that aspect. I see that for you, that type of relationship would only begin after you really cared for the other person, trusted and wanted to see them happy, am I correct?”

“Oh, Shouto-” You rush. “No, I care for you, and I trust you, and of course I want to see you happy. I think it’s just, y’know, my last relationship like that went really bad, and it sucked. I don’t want to go through that again.”

Shouto nods, understanding. “I see. You don’t have to worry about any of that with me then.”

A smile crosses your face, and you feel relived that he accepted your rejection with grace and understanding instead of violence or anger. “Thank you, it means a lot to me.”

The mood of the room shifted, from tense and uncomfortable, to easy and light, and you poured another glass of wine, laughing a little at how worried you were about the conversation with Shouto, only for it all to turn out fine.

“I’m going to go drink some of the liquor that’s kept in my room. I could mix a few drinks for you to try, you might like how sweet they are. I know hard alcohol isn’t quite your thing.”

You beam a smile, nodding your head eagerly. Before, you’d feel apprehensive about going into his room with him to drink alcohol. But with the conversation the two of you just had, you knew - things would be fine.

-----

The room was spinning and you felt giddy and light. You were definitely tipsy.

“You can lay down on my bed, you’re getting wobbly on your feet.” Shouto had offered, and you’d gladly accepted, flopping down onto his comfy bedspread with a laugh at how the motion made butterflies rise in your tummy.

Shouto leaned against his dresser, swirling whiskey in his glass as he watched you, a half-smile across his face. You smiled back, before closing your eyes, a little bit tired as you realized that you might be a bit more than just tipsy.

Shouto had mixed quite a few drinks for you, and you’d drank each one eagerly, impressed with how little alcohol you could taste in each one. You don’t remember how many you had, but it didn’t really matter.

The next thing you know, hands are on your waist, scooting you further up the bed so your legs no longer hang off the edge. Cracking open an eye, you’re met with the visage of red-and-white, eyes soft and warm as they regard you, Shouto’s face tinged a bit pink from the few drinks he had consumed. The man had never been too good at holding his alcohol.

When those hands started to slip beneath your shirt, you wiggled like a little worm, not really comprehending the situation. Maybe it was a dream.

Your shirt was discarded, then your pants. It felt much more comfortable now, and you mumbled a “thanks” to the man helping you settle for bed. He was so nice, Shouto took such good care of you. You still kind of couldn’t believe the turn your life had taken with him, the good luck pushed into your path.

Someone was kissing you.

With a grunt of surprise, you kissed them back, meeting their feverish pace and trying to keep up, soft lips puckering and pushing against your own with intent. Kissing felt good. You liked kissing.

Then a hand was cupping your face, stroking tenderly over your cheek before it began sliding down, down your neck, into the valley between your breasts, trailing over your bra. It felt funny.

Pushing back for air, you gasped when the hand on your chest started squeezing at you, eyes flying open with the startling, sudden sensation.

Shouto was hovering over you, lips puffy, panting as he stared at you with lusty eyes, an uncharacteristic look on his face. This... this wasn’t supposed to be like this. You knew. Hadn’t the two of you just talked about something... important? Was it important?

You didn’t feel panic until a hand cupped your sex, feeling your skin through your panties.

This wasn’t right.

Alarm bells were ringing, dull and far away, but you didn’t think that Shouto should be touching you in such a way. you should be going to bed.

“Mm, Sho, can you stop?” But your words felt funny on your tongue, and Shouto didn’t stop. Maybe he didn’t hear you.

His hair tickled your chin as the man bent to mouth at your tits, pulling the cups of your bra underneath them so he could feel your hot skin, let his saliva drag slick and wet against your chest. 

Your hands instinctively rooted themselves in his hair as you gasped again, not expecting such a move, tugging lightly at his head to pull him up. Shouto just groaned, teething gently at your breasts and not moving an inch. His hips were grinding against the bed though, as he stood between your spread legs.

Before you knew it, your panties were gone, bra clumsily unclasped and discarded, and you were completely bare. Shouto was undressing before you, struggling with the buttons on his shirt before giving up, easily ripping the fabric of his body with one tug, grumbling.

You didn’t feel so tipsy anymore.

“Shouto, what’re we doing? We shouldn’t be doing this, we need to stop-”

“Stay down.” Was his firm command, a hand splayed across your naked chest and pushing you back into the mattress as you tried to sit up. It made you breathless, the growl in his voice, the dominance emanating from the man. You stayed still.

“This’s gonna make us a stronger couple.” The man slurred, eyes dark and hands wandering, effortlessly keeping you pinned against the bed as he ground his hips forward against the edge. You were getting scared.

“Wait-”

You fell silent as one hand pushed down his pants, his underwear going with them, pink cock bobbing free. He was so pretty down there, and it made sense, all of him was pretty, but you suddenly realized the weight of the situation, what was happening.

“Shouto, no, oh my god. We gotta stop right now, we’re drunk, we’re-we’re-”

“Don’t care. Not gonna let you hide away from me this time.” Shouto shook his head, taking his cock in one hand and giving it a long, slow pump, flushed tip weeping precum and wetting his hand.

“No, no, this is wrong. I don’t want this, I could get pregnant!” You cried, beginning to panic for real, pushing against the one strong hand anchoring you to the bed.

Shouto just chuckled, letting go of his cock to crowd against you, getting up in your face to press a wet finger to your lips, the salty taste of his precum threatening to slip into your mouth unless you kept it shut. “Shhh, shh. If you stay nice and still, if you do what I say, I’ll use a condom.”

You couldn’t believe your ears.

“You’re gonna listen to me, you always do.” The man nodded to himself, once again dragging his cock against the bed between your legs, as if he couldn’t stop himself. “Or else I’ll fuck you raw.” The finger was pulled from your lips, only to be wagged teasingly in your face. 

You couldn’t believe how he was acting.

“Be nice.”

Shouto tapped your nose with a neatly manicured finger, before groaning as he heaved himself upright, red cock bobbing against his stomach, desperate for attention. The man gave you a look, as if to say “don’t move” before he took his hands off you, heading for his dresser.

Once you saw him pulling out a strip of condoms, you were on your feet, stumbling toward the door.

Although panic had sobered you somewhat, you were still struggling with the effects of the alcohol, so your reaction time was maddeningly slow. Slow enough that you weren’t able to truly fight against Shouto when he grabbed you from behind toned arms wrapping around your middle and heaving you into the air, only to throw you back on his bed.

You were almost sick on the bedspread, world spinning and stomach protesting, but you were able to calm yourself.

But then Shouto was on you, flipping you onto your back, a soft hand pressing against your throat threateningly. 

“You want to have a baby? Want me to cum in you so you’ll get all fat with kids? Hm?” He was so intense, almost choking you, straddling your waist and keeping you pinned. It was too much

You were able to manage a tearful, desperate “No!” despite the hand around your throat, and Shouto backed off, releasing the pressure to instead stroke his hand against the sides of your neck.

“Stop acting like this, it’s the next logical step for us. You said you cared for me, wanna make me happy. This’ll make me happy. I won’t be like the last guy.”

His cock was pressed against your stomach, and you could feel it twitching. Shouto clambered off of you, letting go of your neck so he could grab the condoms he’d tossed on the bed before snatching you up.

“Do what I say and I use these.” He waved them in your face before tearing one off, beginning to open it. 

You stayed still, gazing at him blearily, limbs feeling fuzzy, mind feeling the same.

The condom was rolled onto Shouto’s cock, the man spitting into his palm and giving the latex a few rubs to make it slick before reaching for you.

He dragged you to the edge of the bed - the perfect height for him to fuck you - and you didn’t fight, terrified of his threat. You couldn’t stand the thought of a baby.

(You didn’t know, but neither could he)

“Wanted to do this since I met you.” Shouto mumbled, pushing your panties to the side with a few fingers so he could guide his tip to your hole. “Want you so bad.”

You didn’t know what to think of this side of Shouto. This unreserved, uncareful, slurring mess of a man that loomed before you, gaze dark and wild, limbs everywhere as he groped and squeezed and appreciate the shape of your body.

But he must’ve gotten impatient, because then he was pushing inside.

It hurt, stinging pain rippling up your back and you keened, causing Shouto to pause. One of his hands darted down to wrap around your calf, hauling it up on the bed so he could lean forward and press it to you chest, sinking his cock a few inches deeper.

“You’re gonna take it.” He hissed before messily kissing you, pressed so close together that it was hard to breathe. “I’ll make it feel good after you do.”

#shouto #shouto todoroki #todoroki shouto #bnha shouto #yandere shouto #shouto x you #yandere #Yandere bnha #Yandere mha #sugar daddy lol #sugar daddy shouto #Shouto smut #Yandere shoto #shoto todoroki #todoroki shoto #Shoto smut #tw.noncon #tw.dubcon #tw.coercion #tw.manipulation #tw.abuse of power #tw.abuse of trust

[apompkwrites]

reader impact || first meeting

series masterlist characters: xiao, albedo genre: fluff summary: a game has been released entitled genshin impact, consisting of otherworldly abilities relying on the basic elements of nature. the game follows the story of an interdimensional traveling twin in search of their other half. along this journey, they meet different characters that live in this world. including you. notes: have i read a few genshin impact x game character reader stories and impulsively decided to make one too? maybe. you can't prove anything. i don't know if this will be a series but we'll see :D

xiao's playthrough -

xiao, named as alatus on his streaming platform, has made himself known as a gaming streamer with an awkward personality and blunt words.

he's the type of streamer who wouldn't have a set type of game and would, instead, play whatever his viewers recommended.

valorant? sure, he'll try it out.

hitman? why not?

animal crossing? it's a complete 180 from the other games, but sure.

when one of his viewers recommended genshin impact, he was quick to say yes and search for the game.

once the game finishes downloading, he quickly begins the game.

once the opening cutscene passes, he compliments the overall aesthetic of the game, pointing out the smaller details such as the footprints made by his character and the sound their clothes make when they move.

as always, his expressions are quite monotone to a point where it seems nothing draws his attention towards the game.

one of his mods, however, knows xiao well enough to where he knows which character he would like.

they convince xiao that the game is worth sticking with towards the second half of chapter 1, act 1.

he doesn't understand but he trusts his mods so he promises to continue.

it takes a few hours, especially because of the grinding, but a few streams later he's finally made it.

after fighting a one-sided argument with cloud retainer, he immediately begins his trek to the wangshu inn. and yes, trek, he enjoys walking/gliding through the world of teyvat rather than fast traveling everywhere.

he walks up the stairs to the top floor of the inn, resting his hands in his lap as the cutscene begins.

"to the blind, everything may not be as it appears..."

xiao is normally stoic during games, even ones with scenes made to fluster the player and catch them off guard.

but not this time.

once xiao's character is faced with yours, he just stops. his chat is spamming messages, asking if he's okay and if he's actually emoting for once.

he just stares at your character for a good five minutes.

and trust me, at least half of his viewers clipped that.

"... who are they?"

that was his only question after those minutes of silence. never before had he been attached to a character within the first few minutes of meeting them. his mind is racing and all he can think about is how amazing your character design is and how nice your voice is and how cool your character is and--

oh right, he's streaming right now...

anyway, the more your conversation goes on, the more he loves your character.

you're just so sassy and snappy but he loves you either way.

once you turn away with your back towards the camera, he just stares.

he stares at the intricate tattoo on your exposed arm and the mask hanging off of your belt.

and then you're gone.

his face drops so quickly and his viewers are very quick to point it out. he grimaces once paimon starts talking and he's very tempted to just speed through her dialogue.

he just wants to see you again.

once he hears from verr goldet that you've never smiled (at least around her), he immediately turns to the camera and says, "we better make them smile in this game."

once he finds out about your favorite food, he's already asking his viewers if he's able to get the recipe for it.

the next time he gets to talk to you, his face just lights up once he sees your character standing on the balcony.

however, once his characters tell you about rex lapis's death, his heart sinks when he hears how sad your voice becomes, even if your tone is still as harsh as before.

he gets all sad again when the quest ends and he has to wait to unlock the next archon quest.

he ends the game there and decides to spend the last few minutes talking to his viewers.

"i'll stream genshin again soon."

his viewers all know it's only because he met you.

albedo's playthrough -

albedo often does art streams and the occasional science-y stream.

if he does games, he mainly uses them to admire the art/mechanics of the gameplay.

genshin impact was one of those games he decided to play on his own solely because of the beautiful scenary.

(and the opportunity to draw more characters).

he's definitely the player that cares about elemental reactions above all else. pretty much every character he uses is built for elemental damage instead of physical.

most of his genshin streams are him walking around teyvat and pointing out the scenary.

he was definitely excited for the dragonspine event because that meant a better view of teyvat!

what he wasn't prepared for, however, was the reveal of a new character: you.

he isn't too into looking at the updates for genshin on his own, so he didn't find out about who you were until his stream asked about it.

he decided to react to the newest updates live since his chat seemed excited to hear his input.

once he pulled up the latest update details, he spent a few minutes talking about the new subzero mechanic.

but once he scrolled down to the characters... OH BOY

he's able to keep his composure but he definitely spends longer talking about you.

he almost gasped when he saw you were the chief alchemist of mondstadt.

combine that with the fact that you rely on elemental damage instead of physical...

your honor, he's fallen hard.

he'll put a countdown on stream to when your character and event drops, even on his non-genshin streams.

speaking of those streams, on the week just before your event, his streams will all be based around you and the information he's seen on you.

his art streams will consist of you and how he thinks your attacks will work just based on the description (he purposely avoided all pictures of your attacks for this stream).

his science-y streams would probably be based on your element.

once your event drops, that's the only thing he'll stream until it's over.

your assistant used to be his favorite character to play as but they just never clicked. it's not like he hates your assistant, it's just he didn't immediately fall in love with them.

his party definitely has your assistant in it, though.

he would have normally taken his time to look around dragonspine and admire the new scenery, but he couldn't help but speed through it until he finally gets to see you onscreen.

once the cutscene officially introduces you in front of a canvas, he's internally panicking.

you like art too?! and science?! how perfect can you be?!?!?!

he will genuinely feel bad when he scares the hilichurls because he knows that that's what you were sketching.

"who are you? why did you alarm them?"

NOW HE FEELS EVEN WORSE

even when you tell him you've finished sketching, he wants to make it up to you :((

if he were able to, he would've lured more hilichurls to let you sketch more.

some people in his chat would probably spam him to skip your dialogue because it's so wordy, but that's the exact reason why he listens to it all.

he likes listening to your character ramble on, especially because you have a soothing voice.

anytime your character does their idle animation where you give life to something, he will always let it play. even if your dialogue is finished before the animation, he would not progress until it's completed.

once your character asks for help, he would immediately agree before you finished your sentence.

man just wants to spend more time with you.

he likes staring at the tattoo on your neck whenever the camera is close to you. he just thinks it's really pretty on you.

once your other nonplayable assistant begins talking, he'll skip through the dialogue. he doesn't care if it goes more in depth into this world's alchemy, he just wants to hear it from you.

"hmm, looks like the potion's ready. i'll try a little first."

"please don't..."

he doesn't want you to try it just in case it hurts you :(

anytime he is allowed to walk freely with you around, he'd definitely put his traveler character next to you for a few minutes and just let you two stare at each other.

someone asks him why he spends a few minutes doodling on his desk when you talk.

he shows them the notebook that he had been writing notes in. it's filled with little doodles of you and some more information you give on the world of alchemy.

for future streams the involve you, he'd set up another camera to show the notes and doodles he's making about you.

sometimes he'll spend a few minutes on a single section where the camera is focused on you just to recreate the picture in the notebook.

he absolutely loves whoever planned out the camera angles because of how cute you look in every one of them.

he definitely gets a bad vibe from rosaria when she hints at the fact that you may be using alchemy against him.

he will defend you and alchemy to his grave!

that one scene where you create a flower in front of you is one he will always treasure.

he makes sure someone clipped that moment just so he can draw that, make it a print, and put it on his wall.

since most of his viewers most likely consist of artists, he will encourage them to draw you and send him fanart. he will put them all on a wall and dedicate every picture that goes there to you.

"if i one day lose control... destroy mondstadt... as well as everything around it..."

"huh?"

"will you be there to stop me?"

"wait... no."

if people were only listening to that portion, they would still be able to hear the pout on his face.

he'll end the game there but change his stream into an impromptu art stream.

he will only be drawing you in nice situations to distract himself from the fact that there is something going on with you.

"hm? what do you mean something's wrong with (name)? i have no idea what you're talking about."

poor boy's in denial...

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact scenarios #reader impact #genshin impact fluff #genshin impact xiao #genshin impact albedo #xiao x reader #albedo x reader #genshin xiao #genshin albedo #genshin impact xiao x reader #genshin impact albedo x reader #genshin xiao x reader #genshin albedo x reader

[natewriteslol]

Hey! Could i request the dorm leaders with an esper MC? Kinda like Mob psycho or Saiki k :) and maybe they don't really use this ability of theirs that much since in their world they're literally a teen who's trying to live a normal life(like Mob basically), so nobody knew about their psychic powers except Grim since the mirror said that he couldnt sense any magic in them(i'm pretty sure that psychic powers don't really count as magic but idk lol).

Feel free to ignore if you don't wanna write it! :)

 A/N: Ooh this was a fun one! I haven't watched Mob Psycho (I know about that fine ass blonde man-) but I have watched Saiki k and I loved it, still need to finish it tho jlafljhdas 

Characters: Kalim Al-Asim, Riddle Rosehearts, Leona Kingscholar, Vil Schoenheit, Azul Ashengrotto, Idia Shroud, Malleus Draconia

P.S: I’m so sorry this is so long omg but I guess this is a strong comeback-

Warnings: none except for language

Riddle:

-You wanted to stay as far away as possible from him

-Riddle was part of the trio of people you wanted to stay away from: Riddle, Vil, and Azul

-Riddle paid so much attention to fine details that if something was up, he'd definitely notice it

-But unfortunately you were best friends with the two goobers of Heartslabyul: Ace and Deuce

-And Riddle had started to pay attention to you and your habits, and something was off with you

-It's almost as though you tried too hard to be normal, like Jamil

-And he could never let something like that happen again, so yes he was watching you

-One day you accidently slipped up and was irresponsible with your powers

-Grim was bothering you since he got into a deal with Azul for tuna and they were standing outside with the twins, since Grim lost

-You told him to fend for himself and teleported, however you didn’t plan where you would go

-And you teleported into the Heartslabyul dorm

-What sucks is that your teleportation power was literally flashy with a bright ass green light every time you popped in somewhere

-Just when you thought you were lucky since the whole dorm was uninhabited...except for Riddle who watched the whole thing

-He was completely shocked, he didn’t know what to say other than “What did you just do?!” 

-You explained to him, and that just pieced everything together

-How you solved overblots with such ease, and that one day you had a “strength potion to test for Azul” was such bs!

-Riddle ends up keeping your secret, since he values your privacy but if you do something major and mess up then he will tell!

-”I understand but please be more careful with your powers. I need to institute discipline and you are no exception, Y/N.”

-He really does care about you and doesn’t want you to be found out 

-Goes the extra mile to cover for you often, and in exchange you help him out with things :)

Leona:

-He didn't really care about you at first but as you started to hang Jack and Ruggie, Leona started to get more suspicious

-Your scent had proven that you had some trace of magic, but Leona just couldn't put his finger on it

-So he sent Ruggie after you for a couple of days

-If you were a threat to Savanaclaw, Leona would crush you

-But Ruggie had only reported back that everything with you was perfectly normal

-"Just give it up Leona, they're just an ordinary human. The scent is probably weird because they're from a completely different world."

-But Leona still had that feeling, so he was keeping an eye on you

-You had made a deal with Crowley to keep your powers secret to solve problems on campus (it did cut repair costs and handymen costs in half so-)

-Your new quest was to rid the forest of the Angolo fungus that was manifesting into living fungus blobs 

-The one thing that gave you away was Grim, as you both had to stop by the Greenhouse to read some info about the fungus

-The cat beast was being far too loud, not understanding why he had to go and mess around with the icky fungus

-You simply replied “It’ll be quick, I’ll just use Hydrokinesis and dry out the fungus since they’re mainly filled with water. They become fertilizer once dried so we can just leave them there.”

-And there Leona was, ears perked up once he heard your voice

-Hydrokinesis? What are you talking about?

-So he set off, following you to the forest

-You started to fly, turning the once green and lively fungus to brown dust while Grim napped against a tree

-Leona for the first time in the while, was left speechless

-Once you noticed him, you realized you had to talk to him

-Confronting him later on, luckily Leona didn’t spill to anyone 

-He promised to never tell anyone about what he saw, and had no clapbacks for what you had to say 

- Leona doesn’t even benefit from this secret...besides mayyybee one day asking for your help if his pride lets him

-By the Great Seven why does everything have to not be in his favor-

Azul:

-Another one who you have got to be careful around, since he’s incredibly observant

-More observant than Riddle

-Azul noticed that you’re an incredibly average person, and were incredibly relaxed even during the most stressful situations

-And almost every single time whenever you were in a tight spot, it works in your favor

-Just how is that possible? Solving overblots left and right? Every single time you disappeared the infestation of magical beasts are gone? 

-One day, you were getting picked on by a three guys, their stature far above yours and incredibly strong. How could you possibly win?

-Just as he was about to scoop in a save you, you slammed one of the men into the concrete, taking on the other two by electrocuting them, the blue lightning buzzing in your palms

-They were completely knocked out, dusting off your palms and picking up your things only to face Azul’s eyes

-After giving an explanation of what that was, he was still speechless

-Azul at first was incredibly shocked and then since Azul is Azul... later on realized this had benefits

-He could just blackmail you to be his new bodyguard!

-Oh how he always manages to bend life to his will-!

-So you could just wipe his memory... or turn him into stone...nvm

-You’re now Azul’s arch nemesis since you end up saving people from his scamming and you’re basically untouchable and there’s nothing he can do about it

-But he does find your great strength admirable (and a lil hot, I mean what can u say seeing someone floating in the air with electricity flowing through them is a nice look okay Nate shut up)

Kalim: 

-Oh Kalim my beloved

-He just thinks that you’re incredibly talented and a little mysterious

-You have your little quirks and he has his! Who is he to judge?

-Until one day you wanted to make the load lighter on Jamil, since the berries that Kalim had requested for were only in season in one country

-You decided to just teleport and then come back with the berries so Kalim wouldn’t be pouty 

-You were outside the door ready to teleport when last minute you felt a hand on your shoulder

- “Oh Y/N you forgot-!”

-And there both you and Kalim were, in a berry field thousands of miles away from the Scarabia dorm

-Kalim screams, falling to the lush green of the field

-What happened?! Where are we?! How did you do that?!

-You quickly gathered all the berries at light speed, making sure that you got back before Jamil realized that you were gone

-Kalim wasn’t scared of you, rather impressed that you were able to keep a secret for that long, he could never!

-You’re already super cool, and on top of this you have otherwordly powers!

- “It must’ve been stressful living your life like this! But don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret!”

-Yes he sometimes asks you to perform some of your powers for him, sorry Y/N-

Vil:

-While you were his friend, he was incredibly suspicious of you

-Even though you wiped everyone’s memory, he still had the faint memory of when he was in overblot mode of you blasting him with a beam of light

-Vil was incredibly upset as one of his assistants had mixed up his items, and left one of his vital skincare items on the set of where they were filming a new commercial

-It was being shipped and would take 3 days to reach NRC

-His mood was horrible and you had to do something about it to give grace to the Pomefiore dorm

-So you went to the second story of the Pomefiore dorm, ready to use Apport (the power to pull anything before you) 

-However, Vil felt incredibly guilty

-He was acting like a child and he shouldn’t have taken it out on the people who he loves and values

- “Y/N, how I was acting was incredibly inappropriate and- is that my moisturizer? How did you get it?”

-Starts freaking out as this was impossible as it was on it’s way from being shipped from another country

-This was the last straw for him ther was no justification for this that wasn't done by some form of magic

-He takes you to his room to make you sit down and give him an explanation for this

-Once you finished, Vil understood but was still freaked out

-He cares alot about keeping your powers a secret and will cover for you

-"So my aport powers need to exchange something of equal value so... I exchanged it with that Scucci purse over there-

-"MY LIMITED EDITION SCUCCI PURSE?!"

-He loves you, but you're dead to him, Y/N dear

Idia:

-Before he knew you, he didn't really notice anything off with you

-A little quiet sure but he minded his own business, he had bigger things to focus on

-Until you hung around Ignihyde more often for a project, fixing a huge generator by yourself for one of your partners for a project

-They took a break only after you told them that they could and apprehensive went to go get food and water

-Anyone with eyes could see that there's an overbearing amount of energy flowing through the fairly large sized cube

-Wait, you were wearing no gloves, you could get electrocuted! Why would have your bare hands on something like that?!

-Just as he was able to yell, it was too late, your whole body was flowing with the bright blue energy... and then you let go

-You were walking completely fine, you went and held a random wire on the ground, placing the electricity inside

-The static from your hair was gone, and you looked completely normal. . .

-Just what the hell are you?

-He did hours of research trying to figure you out, even sending Ortho to monitor you

-Yet there was nothing, you were just a “regular teen” 

-Was ready to get S.T.Y.X.S on your ass- (is that too soon to joke abt my bad overblot boys-)

-Until one day he caught you again bending electricity to your will

-Is incredibly impressed with your power (lowkey wanting to experiment on you)

-After he realizes that you can read minds Idia is so damn frightened

- “O-Okay I promise not to say anything, just don’t tell anyone what I’m thinking a-alright?!”

Malleus:

-You were one of the only people who he trusted

-Malleus had always detected some form of magical aura that was otherworldly from you and it never seemed to fade

-And it wasn’t often, but it was almost like you knew what he was thinking

-Whenever he was deeply upset he felt a twinge of energy from you, and then you would insist and help him out with his problems

-And he flat out says “Are you reading my mind, Y/N?”

-You had never been directly outed like this before, you felt horrible 

-You never read people’s minds unless it was very necessary

-whenever Malleus felt deeply gloomy you felt like it was important to just read his mind and help him with the problem

-You explained it to him and apologized, but he wasn’t upset

-In fact, he was smiling?

- “It seems like we have alot of things that we’re hiding from each other. But... you always had the best intentions whenever you used your abilities”

-He let out a sigh and reluctantly admitted, “And, I know that I’m quite stubborn with revealing my feelings.” 

- “I will keep your secret as long as you keep mine, Child of Man,” the dragon fae said, you both shaking on it

- “I always had a feeling that you were special, but I never thought it would be something of this caliber...” 

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #malleus x reader #leona x reader #azul x reader #riddle x reader #malleus draconia x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #malleus draconia #leona kingscholar #azul ashengrotto #riddle rosehearts #kalim x reader #kalim al asim #idia x reader #idia shroud x reader #idia shroud #vil x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #vil schoenheit

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Hestia

This is another eternally virgin goddess, so we're doing another pseudo-demigod by adoption (like we did with Athena).

Demigod MC: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares, Hestia

Hestia is the goddess of the Hearth, Home, Architecture, Domesticity, Family, and the State. She's high up there (firstborn of Rhea and Cronus), but several factors have led to her falling into the background when compared to the other (flashier) Olympians. She swore to never marry, rejecting proposals from both Poseidon and Apollo, and is something of an antithesis to Aphrodite.

Lucifer

Honestly? He thought they were exactly what they were after. A weak human with no experience in the magical world what-so-ever.

Well… He was half-right.

On the surface, this is a pretty weak human. They don't have super flashy powers or a divine birth from the gods… but they do have a very protective adoptive mother.

The brothers had just settled in for their first dinner with the new human when the goddess herself strolled into their dining room, asked who was in charge, then dragged Lucifer away by the ear!

She's not even his mother, yet he felt the intense urge to apologize and put himself in his own room… Oh, the humiliation… at least she did the same to Diavolo…

The Prince was only able to calm her down by promising absolutely NO harm would come to her child… on their heads...

By the time the goddess finally let him go, Lucifer was about ready to shackle the MC to his wrist so nothing could touch them but he settled on keeping them with him like an assistant of sorts. They were in charge of helping him with the paperwork so he could keep an eye on them. 

What he didn’t expect was for them to be so… good at it? They could keep his offices clean, they managed his daily schedule, fixed up the House, and still have time to bring him tea and sweets every night!

They could even reign in his brothers somehow… They weren't strong or intimidating, but one or two mildly unhappy words out of them and everybody would be on their best behavior.

Was everyone positive they're only human...?

As much as he hated to admit, he may have a slight deep case of falling for the housekeeper… He would make a move, but well…

He has Beel to contend with first.

Mammon

Okay so, watching Lucifer get dragged out by the ear just like Raphael used to do to him was hilarious!!! The whole room got a good laugh! 🤣

Until Hestia glared at them and suddenly they all felt like they'd disappointed someone important….

And all that fuss over some dumb human??

So what if they made amazing food?

So what if they could clean the entire mansion in a day?

So what if they were the walking equivalent to a warm cup of cocoa on a winter's day??

So what if they were just the kindest, sweetest thing in this godforsaken hellscape and he would throw himself in front of a bus to keep them safe-

-Wait, when did that happen?!?

Seriously, Mammon's attachment to the MC came out of NOWHERE to him. One day, he was threatening to eat their soul and the next he's freaking out when they stub their toe!

He swears they have to have some kind of magic about them! A charm, or a spell, or… their lovable smile and warm, loving hugs...! 😊

Damnit!! They're too cute!! He needs them to go away but also never leave, thanks. 😒

In all seriousness, though their kind nature puts Mammon's tsundere self at a bit of a disadvantage, his protective instincts shoot through the roof whenever they're involved.

Naturally, that means his day is spent running them away from hungry lesser demons or shielding them from Beel and Lucifer's tug-of-war matches… He's a busy guy these days. 😖

Leviathan 

They're so… so… MOE!!!

That was his immediate thought when Mammon brought them home. He was expecting a defenseless human, but not one that could have stepped out of one of his slice-of-life manga!

To be honest, his instant thought was try and find a place to sit them on his shelves with the rest of the adorable characters he loves… 😅

And that was before they even opened their mouth! Five words into their introduction and he was ready to get their face on a t-shirt!!

Honestly, combine their natural cuteness with their household skills and they made for perfect waifu/husbando material… 

Not helped by the fact they found one of his maid/butler outfits while doing the laundry one day. Not only did they ask if they could wear it, they actually non-ironically liked it and started wearing it around the House!!

Oh he got cornered by Beel, Lucifer, and Mammon separately that day because they thought he was using them for fetish fuel… But it was their idea, he swears!!

I mean… He didn't discourage them or anything either but still…

If Beel hadn't claimed them on Day One, Levi might have eventually thrown his hat in the ring too... Oh well… he can pine from a distance… What else is new? 😔

Satan

He has a video of Hestia dragging Lucifer out of the dining room on his phone and it's one of his most treasured possessions now. 😌

He is perhaps the only person in the House who was not at all impressed with their little human.

So they could cook? So could he. So they can clean? That's not impressive. They could manage a household? Big deal, he's more or less been in charge of the same thing for centuries!

As far as he saw it, there was nothing the MC could do that he couldn't do as proficiently or even better. There was nothing remarkable about this human at all!

… except for one thing.

That maid/butler outfit of Levi's? The one they like to wear around?

It has cat accessories…

Either they don't notice or they don't mind it but they essentially walk around the House cleaning things with little kitty ears attached to their head and a bell on their collar…

Dammit… Why did Levi even buy that?!?

Satan ended up getting in trouble for enchanting their outfit to give them REAL ears and a tail "accidentally..." Lucifer strung him up by his toes, Beel gave him a black-eye, and Mammon still calls him a "perverted cat freak" but it was worth it, he says, worth it!!

Asmodeus 

Oh Beel…

Asmo saw Beel's feelings for the MC coming from a mile away. He didn't even need to confirm it with a sniff check, he had them scented by the end of their first night!

Lucifer, on the other hand, now that was a surprise... 😏

Ask him a century ago if Lucifer would ever consider a human lover, godly mother or no, and he'd have laughed! Yet here he is, giving gifts and sneaking whiffs of their adorable new housemate!

Of course, that's causing some commotion because they're pitted against each other, but Asmo finds it kind of cute honestly. 

Beel and Lucifer aren't fighting, not for real. The whole house knows Lucifer would win in a real brawl, but neither of them actually want to hurt the other… They're far too close for that.

So Beel tosses Lucifer around with kid gloves and Lucifer holds back considerably against Beel. It's pretty much just two brothers who love each other squabbling over the same toy… 🤭

Honestly, Lucifer might have bowed out by now and just let Beel have them but now his pride's on the line… thus an endless tussle between family and the sweet MC is in the middle, clueless to it all!

Tragic, is it not? But it certainly makes things more entertaining around here! (Good thing too since Beel beat him to the punch… If it's a fight against those two, he'll have to keep any of his own affairs with the MC under the radar... 😏)

Beelzebub 

He has claimed this one. Full stop.

For a bit of perspective: when Barbatos needs cooking tips, he calls Hestia. Hestia, the Divine Master of All Things Cooking. Hestia, the goddess who raised this MC… 

Needless to say if they have any magic at all, it's in the kitchen.

If food is the way to Beel's heart, this MC has claimed his heart, soul, and probably all of his vital organs. Their food is astounding!! Always perfect every time and so good it brings him to tears!

It started the night of that first dinner, prepared by MC. He was too busy scarfing down the table to even notice a goddess showed up and then he proposed to the MC with their own pig roast by meal's end!

They said no to marriage, but an instant pact agreement suited him just fine.

Beel didn't waste a single moment before he started treating them like a potential mate, territorial aggression and all, but there was a bit of a catch… He kept the MC totally oblivious to it.

Surprisingly, Beel's can turn the "They're MINE" part of his brain on and off pretty well. He's nothing but sweet and cuddly to the MC when they're around and even with his brothers!... as long as they don't try anything.

The moment he caught whiff that Lucifer might be pursuing them too, it was on. Suddenly the two brothers who almost never fight were in competition against each other! But of course, both have an unspoken rule to never do so in front of MC.

And now poor MC believes it's common for demons to "play wrestle" like puppies and hugs are traditionally supposed to be so hard they could snap spines… 

And it doesn’t look like they'll be backing down any time soon… Oh dear...

Belphegor 

You know what? For once, everything goes exactly to plan for Belphie!

No really, this MC has no hidden powers, no magic horses, not even Demon Nip. They are a helpless, trusting little human who just wants to help their big teddy bear get his twin back!

So, you know how it goes. The charm, the lies, the treachery and all of that. He even gets to kill them!! Oh, happy days!! 😁

Come to think of it, they did smell an awful lot like Beel… But who cares, as long as Lucifer suffers right?? And this whole "living together in harmony" crap fails, right?!

Wrong. 

Beel went ballistic. Lucifer did too, but Beel was what really hurt…

Belphie can safely say that in all of his life, Beel has never physically attacked him. Not once, or at least, not with intent to kill… 

But when the sixthborn's fist went crashing through the wall right by his ear that day, he knew his brother's first instinct was to aim for his head… and his second was to miss, as he still loved him, but only by just a little.

What the hell did he just do??

Thank their father for Barbatos and all the funky time stuff he can do because bringing the MC "back" snapped his angry brothers right out of it. 

Things should have been smoothed over at that point but as everyone was finally settling down for tea, Hestia made another appearance in the House… this time carrying a butcher's knife!

Time fix or no, Diavolo had promised her no harm would come to MC and at least one continuity of them DIED… so punishment was now on Lucifer and the Demon Prince himself!

Belphie, in a rare case of guilt and an expression of brotherly love, offered to take their place since it WAS kind of all his fault. His gesture softened the Goddess of Family juuust enough to lighten his sentence from execution to hard labor.

And thus, the MC had their own housekeeping assistant for a whole year, complete with bitter reluctance and a matching maid outfit! Cat-theme and all!!

He's sending nightmares to anybody who laughs… guaranteed. 😒

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #obey me demigods

[lol-im-done]

The Avenger & Baron of Sokovia

Thank you so much to @sagyunaro​ for coming up with this idea! I wrote too much to fit into a one shot so I’m splitting this into two parts!

Part One:

Part Two:

You can find this on my A03 as well: Anti_Social_Teen

Word Count: 2,818

What happened that horrible day in Sokovia affected you more than any other mission you had been on in your time with the Avengers. You had seen death, had seen destruction, narrowly avoided it every second of your life but as you lay on the ground of Novi Grad that day, trying so hard to keep the chunk of Sokovia close to the ground with your telekinetic abilities it became too much. You vividly remembered placing yourself close to the middle of the rising piece of Earth that Ultron was going to use like an atomic bomb to wipe out billions of innocent lives. 

“What are you doing?” Steve asked, running over to you. 

“I’m going to try and put it back down!” you replied, standing your ground. Wanda had come over with her brother Pietro, watching you with interest.

“Isn’t that what FRIDAY explained to us. The higher it goes the bigger the blast radius,” you said. Steve nodded, worry filling his face but you gave him a brave smile. Closing your eyes in concentration, your hands filled with dark green energy, tendrils beginning to snake down into the ground as it continued to rise. “I got this! Go!” you instructed them. It had felt like hours, you had never pushed yourself to these limits before and couldn't stop yourself from falling to your knees before you knew it your body collapsed completely but you persisted, your whole body and the area around you glowing green. Vaguely you could hear the others try to reach you but you shook your head silently, tears streaming down your face in pain and frustration, blood seeping out of your nose as you remained glued to the ground. 

The guilt of your weakness spread like a poison in your body, you weren't strong enough and by the end it didn't help when Novi Grad fell. They had told you that you had kept it at half the height it was supposed to be at, that your telekinetic energy had kept most of the big debris from falling but you ignored their voices of reason. It was Thor who had found you floating in the sea, passed out but cocooned by your powers. Numbness engulfed your body the instant you had awakened and you watched silently for the next few days as decisions were made on how the cleanup and relief would proceed. The answer became clear to you for what you needed to do next. 

“You don’t have to stay,” Steve murmured, placing his hand on your shoulder in a reassuring manner. 

“Who will I be if I don’t,” you replied sadly. Steve could see how much this meant to you, so he gave you a warm strong hug before walking off to the Quinjet to return to the Compound leaving you in Sokovia. The terms of your stay were strictly humanitarian, to help cleanup the destruction, your identity kept a secret. Only around official Stark Relief Foundation workers did you use your telekinetic powers in the worst part of the devastation. With a solemn look in your eyes you waved your hands, slowly lifting chunks of peoples homes, their belongings falling into the ash and rubble. After a few hours of this you would walk around, picking up trinkets, photos, anything you could recover. You’d return to your small apartment Tony had gotten you, and cleaned them as best you could with your kit of brushes before returning them to the main headquarters where refugees and survivors could seek help. It was only supposed to be a week but you stayed longer. It was mainly your guilt that kept you tied to Sokovia but soon you felt yourself growing connected to the suffering country. It was another day at the Stark Relief Foundation building, you were slowly picking up Sokovian, Wanda had even facetimed you for a few hours each night trying to teach you some phrases. It was mostly silent, somber in this wing of the building where survivors would arrive, where recovered bodies were documented. Slowly your eyes caught sight of a distraught man a few feet away. 

“He just found his family in the rubble,” Lana murmured to you, eyes glancing at the man who sat a few chairs away. She brought out a clipboard but you took it gently from her hands. 

“I got this,” you replied and she gave you a grateful smile before walking off. With a sigh you walked over to the man, who was covered in dust.  

“Hi. Ahoj,” your soft voice broke through the wall of silence the man had created around himself. It took him a few seconds to lift his head finally and the look of heartbreak on his face made a lump form in your throat. 

“My name is (Y/N). I’m a volunteer and I’m going to help you fill out some forms,” you said, taking a seat next to him. “English or Sokovian?” you asked. “English is fine,” he finally spoke, coughing to clear his throat. Giving him a sympathetic look, you passed him a handkerchief from your pocket which he took gratefully. 

“I know this is a difficult time but I’m here to help with whatever you need. We will help you find shelter, get food and financial assistance and help with the death certificates of your family,” you explained. The way you spoke to him was unusual, straightforward but kind. It was the custom to speak formally almost coldly to strangers, but there was a softness in your eyes. “So what is your name?” you asked. 

“Zemo. Helmut Zemo,” he replied. Giving him a small smile you brought out your pen and got to work. In the next few days you came to realize that Helmut Zemo was not just any ordinary citizen, he was a Baron. Even as Sokovia continued to crumble at the institutional level, Helmut played an active part in donating funds to the local organizations. He became a familiar face, always an active presence during the day and after a few weeks of working together you could comfortably call him a friend. You still didn’t reveal your true identity, there was a growing sentiment from some in Sokovia against the Avengers but overall most people were grateful you all had saved the world. You still struggled with guilt of course but things were becoming easier. Spending time with Helmut was peaceful, he would often read aloud to you when you spent time at each other's apartments after a long day of work. Even with his wealth he chose a modest apartment a few blocks from yours. Things always remained strictly friendly, both of you keeping conversations light and rarely bringing up your origins or past life. It became a comfort to listen to his Sokovian accent, look into those captivating brown eyes. Helmut often felt the start of a warm feeling in his chest when he heard your airy laugh after his terrible jokes but he forced himself to suppress the feeling. Just when you thought it would be a good idea to open up to him, to begin to reveal your true identity that was all shattered the moment you entered his apartment one evening. 

It was dark, only the crackling fire from the fireplace providing a light source. He stood back turned to you, hunched over the fire a glass of whiskey clenched in his hand. 

“Helmut?” you whispered, closing the door softly behind you so as to not startle him. 

“You’re an Avenger,” Helmut whispered, and when he turned around you saw something in his eyes you had never seen before. Anger and hatred, it was amplified by the reflection of flames in his eyes.  

“Who told you?” you asked, trying to stay calm but your heart pounded beneath your shirt. 

“I heard the Stark Relief Foundation workers talking about you. How Stark was coming to visit you soon,” he sneered. “Is it true?” Helmut asked. Wordlessly you lifted your hand twisting it summoning your telekinetic energy. That was all he needed, he began shaking his head a dark laugh coming from his mouth. “What is this then? Why are you here?” Zemo snapped, pacing close to the fireplace.

“I stayed to help,” you began but he threw his glass against the wall, shattering the glass cup. It stunned you, making you jump in place.

“Help,” he said coldly. 

“Helmut please let me explain-,” you tried to say, your voice wavering with emotion. 

“No! You played a part in it! You’re the reason why my family is dead!” Helmut screamed. Those last words hit you like a slap in the face, face falling as your heart seemed to crack right down the middle. It felt like all the air had been sucked from the room and before you knew it all the guilt and shame and memories hit you like a ton of bricks. There was no use in trying to say something, when you opened your mouth no words came out. Helmut made no attempt to move towards you, no attempt to take back his words as you turned away and stumbled out of the door. Heavy sobs began to slip out of your mouth, as memories flashed in your head, the screams of the innocent civilians, the bodies of the dead. Through tears you made your way back to your apartment, packed and left Sokovia that same night. 

You didn’t return to the Compound after that, choosing to stay in Switzerland in a home that Tony owned and had let you stay in. He felt for you, as did the others on the team as much as they wanted you to return to them. This is where you stayed in solitude and when the Accords were announced you had made no attempt to be a part of the rift between Steve and Tony. You thought it was ridiculous and when you were summoned by Ross you ignored the summons and remained secluded. It wasn’t until it was all over that you were granted a loose term of conditions to keep your freedom even though you hadn’t done anything. It shocked you, when you found out what Helmut had done, the plan he orchestrated. How could the kind man from Sokovia become so full of hatred and vengeance? You knew his wife, son and father had died. You had been the one to fill out their death certificates but never could you imagine it would end like this. He was often on your mind as best as you tried to shake him off but he had made an impact on your life. It wasn’t until one sunny morning that you received an unexpected call.

 “Hello?” you answered the phone as you stirred the sugar into your tea.

“Is this (Y/N) (L/N)?,” the German voice asked. 

“Yes. Who are you?” you asked a bit suspiciously.

“I’m Warden of the Berlin Detention Center where Helmut Zemo is being kept. He’s asked to meet with you and we would normally deny this request but seeing as you are an Avenger-,” the Warden began but you cut him off.

“I was an Avenger,” you corrected but he continued. 

“It is up to you if you would like to see him. If not I can tell him his request was denied,” he finished. A strange feeling filled you, why bother seeing him? He hated you, tore your family apart in revenge. But then you thought about the hurt and pain you both faced in Sokovia. 

“I’ll be there in 48 hours,” you finally said into the phone. Even after he had hung up you stayed there by the kitchen counter, tears silently flowing down your cheeks. 

Following the armed guards you clutched your purse tightly, the nerves finally hitting you at what you were about to do. It felt like you were in a dream as the door slid open, revealing a dark cell with a glass wall and a chair in front of it. There was no movement from the cell as you sat down on the chair they provided you, you actively avoided Helmut’s gaze, setting your bag down. You kept your eyes trained on the piece of lint on your jeans until he finally spoke up breaking the silence, but there was tension. 

“Will you not look at me (Y/N)?” that rich Sokovian voice that haunted your dreams asked.

“I didn’t think you’d want to look into the face of your family’s killer,” you said, the words sounded harsher than you intended. By the time you looked up to meet his eyes, Helmut’s face was a vision of regret. 

“I should have never said those things to you,” Helmut said, coming closer to the wall that separated him from you. He looked differently from the last time you had seen him, he looked defeated. His chestnut hair was tousled, stubble beginning to grow on his jawline. 

“Yet you did and never gave me a chance to explain,” you snapped crossing your arms.  

“My anger was misplaced. I see that now,” Helmut began. “I saw the footage, what they had recovered. The way you tried to save Novi Grad,” Helmut said, emotion filling his voice. 

“We tried to save Novi Grad,” you interrupted, even if you could see how the Avengers held responsibility, you weren’t going to allow him to slander your family. Helmut grimaced at your words. “Why did you ask me here?” you snapped, eyes hardening. Helmut inched closer to the glass, nervously running his hands through his hair.

“I’ve been contemplating what I’ve done. I realized that even if you had not been involved I hurt you and you didn’t deserve that especially after what I did to you in Sokovia,” Helmut said. Lifting your brow you allowed him to continue.“If you let me I would like to explain myself, not excuse myself. I want to tell you everything,” Helmut said. It felt like torture for Helmut, every second waiting for your response. 

“Alright. I’ll listen,” you finally said, leaning back into your chair. The faintest smile filled Helmut’s face as he began his story. In the weeks and months that passed by, it became a weekly occurrence to meet him. Berlin wasn’t too far from where you resided in Switzerland, the train ride was a part of your weekly routine now. When Tony had called you, expressing his concern at your visitations you explained that this was purely rehabilitation, for both you and Helmut. He wasn’t entirely convinced but he couldn’t stop you, not even Steve when he tracked you down to talk to you.

“(Y/N),” Steve greeted, surprising you in the alleyway by your apartment. “Steve! Christ you scared me,” you snapped, holding a hand to your heart. Giving him a stern look he chuckled. 

“Are you going to see Zemo?” Steve asked.

“Yes. Are you here to try and stop me?” you asked, tilting your head.

“I just want to make sure he’s not using you, manipulating you,” Steve sighed. “Don’t you trust me Steve?” you asked, stepping closer to him.

“I don’t trust him,” Steve replied. 

“He was in the wrong. I know that Steve but everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves, a second chance. You of all people should understand that,” you said. Steve stared down at you with those intense blue eyes but he knew you were right. Giving you a strong hug he retreated back into the shadows. 

“What are you thinking of miláčik?” Helmut whispered one day as you listened to him read a book on Russian history. History was something you both enjoyed so you would bring books every week for him. Heat rose in your cheeks at the way he called you darling but you shrugged. 

“How much I enjoy spending time with you. Even in this prison,” you murmured. Helmut smiled, feeling a joy he seldom felt since his family had perished. 

“I wish there wasn’t this glass between us,” Helmut said, but his tone surprised you. It was almost sad, and when you met his eyes there was something new in them. This was your chance, to admit your growing feelings for Helmut. Helmut watched you lean forward, giving him a closer view of your face. It was constantly in his dreams, your eyes his new favorite color. 

“Helmut I-,” you began to say, eyes full of adoration and sincerity but the words became stuck in your throat. Helmut’s confusion at your loss of words turned into horror as you slowly became dust, eyes wide with fear. The last thing he saw was your glowing green hand outstretched trying to reach him as he slammed his body against the glass, voice screaming your name until you were nothing. He was stuck in his cell of helplessness and loss, and that is how he stayed for five more years. 

#helmut zemo x reader #helmut zemo #imagine #fatws #zemo x reader #helmut zemo imagine